Liv stared at Eternity, sitting in the corner. "Why did you bother to come here for me?"

  Eternity shrugged. "A lot of reasons. Why did I give you that book?"

  Liv sighed. "And I suppose I won't get any of those reasons out of you, will I?"

  Eternity clapped. "Bravo!"

  "So, what are you here for?"

  Luna sat next to Liv on her bed, and said nothing, staying silent while Eternity answered. "You've created your core, correct?"

  Liv nodded.

  "And you used the technique I gave you, and kept the drop of Memory that Vivian gave you, correct?"

  Liv nodded. Eternity sighed. "You and Vivian now have to sort out everything together. Along with your apprentice, maybe. What's your name? I never caught it?," he asked, directing his attention to Luna.

  Seeming to copy Liv, Luna replied with all of her confidence. "Luna."

  "Named after the moon. I like it. So, Livianna. I cannot help you or Vivian any more." He stopped for a brief moment, looking up. His gaze seemed to pierce the roof. "Vivian has a core, as you do. I've spent as much time as I can helping the two of you out, but the rest of existence has started to spiral out of control. I need to go back, to hopefully keep it stable until I can get a proper team together."

  Liv nodded. "Did I make my core properly?"

  Eternity examined her for a moment, then nodded. "It is perfectly integrated with you. This is good. Nice latticework with the f-four basic energies, by the way. That's the most important part. Other than the Memory, of course."

  Liv almost raised an eyebrow. He'd stuttered? Someone as strong as he was wouldn't be able to stutter, with their minds processing everything quickly enough to think over each sentence multiple times before it was said. He was either very used to saying what he attempted to say in that stutter, or something of that sort.

  Eternity didn't even attempt to cover it up with a cough or anything, continuing as if it had never happened. "I will be going now. Vivian got this same message."

  He pulled something out of thin air, tossing it to Luna, who caught it. Her eyes widened and immediately, she tore the wrapper off a piece of candy, eating it. Waving for a moment, Eternity faded into nothing.

  Diamond finally spoke. "Our instructors can't teach you anything."

  Liv actually raised an eyebrow this time. "You're too advanced to be taught. You have a core, and anyone who has a core is immediately accepted as a higher ranking Councillor, at the very least. None of us-other than me, of course-have advanced any higher."

  Diamond eyed her. "And because of circumstances I will not enlighten you of, I cannot teach you."

  "What about Murdering? And Luna?"

  Diamond smiled at Luna, happily monching on her candy. "Murdering is a class to teach you to not die to people with nonstandard abilities. I think you have that in hand. And do you really believe that an instructor will teach Luna better than you can?"

  Liv shook her head. Battle would teach Luna far better than any instructor could, and she'd be able to protect Luna in her fights. "I get your point. But there's another reason, isn't there? For kicking us out?"

  Diamond nodded. "Truth be told, most of the Council can't be trusted around you. I don't trust most of them, and they're only in that position because of money." He grimaced. "I still need money to run a school, after all. There's a bounty out on you, and the Council knows of it. The inner circles are trusted enough that I can be sure they won't try anything, but the outer circles, which you can pay to get in..."

  Liv nodded. "Then, we'll be going. Can we get some food?"

  Diamond nodded, a clone of his walking through the door to hand Luna and Liv a plate of food each, a pair of backpacks being placed on her bed. "Eternity told me not to attempt to protect you, but you're still a child, and you have Luna. I can send a Councilor-"

  "No. We'll deal with our enemies ourselves." Surprisingly, it was Luna who spoke up.

  Diamond raised an eyebrow. "Let Liv speak on this matter, chil-"

  "Nah, Luna can make decisions. It's not as if I'm superior to her or anything. If it isn't stupid, I'm not doing anything about it."

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  Luna turned to her. "So, if you make stupid decisions, I can overturn them?"

  Liv waved her hands rapidly. "No-not at all. If I want to make stupid decisions, that's on me, and you can't do anything about it."

  Luna pouted for a moment before both of them turned to Diamond, their decision made. "Fine," Diamond sighed, while walking out the door. "Oh, there's someone who requested to speak with you outside the gates. I don't know who they are, but talk with them, I suppose."

  Liv nodded. She and Luna quickly dug into their food before grabbing their backpacks-Luna's noticeably smaller-and jogging out the door. Liv kept to a pace that Luna could keep, having them both jog towards the gates. Along the way, she was noticed by her swordfighter instructor, walking down the path. "Hm," he said, looking them over, before shooing them onwards, both of them holding new swords.

  During the entire, short exchange, he hadn't said a word, simply picking out swords suitable for the both of them. Liv thanked him, eliciting no response, before they ran to the gates.

  A single man stood beyond them, causing Liv to remember. The prison of earth in which he'd shot fire at her. The King of Flames.

  Liv walked out the gates, eyeing Luna, who immediately understood. They walked out of the gates, together. The King of Flames tilted his head. "You seem different. Hm. Well, it doesn't matter."

  He rushed at Liv, who stepped in front of Luna. However, this time... he seemed so slow. She borrowed a trick from Eternity, pushing his sword strike up just enough to make it pass over her head. Then she jabbed him in the stomach with a palm strike, letting her Wind activate, massively increasing the blow's power.

  The King of Flames flew back, and Liv turned to Luna. "Did you see all of that?"

  Luna nodded and Liv smiled back. She'd made a lot of progress as well. "Just keep watching."

  This time, Liv rocketed forward, Lightning crackling in her bones, as she unleashed a sharp thrust from her now-drawn sword. Flames blazed around her opponent, and he managed to block. Liv Whispered a wind blade behind him, shooting it towards herself, and just like that, the battle was over. The King of Flames' head rolled to a stop at her feet, his eyes glazed over. Luna stepped up beside her. "Just like that?," she asked, and Liv nodded back.

  "Just like that."

  That night, they made camp in a small clearing a little ways off the road. It had signs of bandits staying there, but none were here at the moment, so this was fine. Vivian.

  Yeah?

  Eternity told me to talk with you about the droplet of memory. He said we have to deal with it together.

  Vivian was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. Use it.

  Liv reached out, grabbing the small drop in her soul. Then she shoved it into her mind.

  Is something supposed to happen?

  You'll see.

  The drop started to burn.

  Liv screamed.

  Jay stared at what he liked to call the Hole. A festering rip in the universe, leading straight to the Void. And beyond.

  This was just one of the many across the universe, though this was the first, and biggest. Once again, he released a massive wave of power, annihilating all of the creatures that had escaped. Then he teleported back to the Palace, his job complete.

  Arriving, Jay took a moment to look around. You never knew where there could be assassins. Glancing around the white halls, he didn't spot anything, and so continued onwards. Crossing through rooms he knew like the back of his hand, Jay eventually arrived at the grand hall, a pale imitation of the hall the palace's original ruler had sat in, taking requests from his subjects all day. At the thought, Jay smiled for a moment. He'd been a good friend.

  The throne the man had used was now gone, replaced with rows after rows of seats. Illusions of people sat, telling him who was available, and who wasn't. Unsurprisingly, none of his faction were available, other than Light. He would need a full team, however, and though this was a start, it was not enough.

  More people entered the Hall, walking over to the seats, just as he had. One of them nodded at him, which Jay returned-quite a nice guy, that one-while another person, a woman, struck up conversation. "Is your job done yet?"

  Jay sighed. "Obviously. I'm here, aren't I?"

  She smiled maliciously. "You could have failed."

  The woman attempted to opress him with her aura, but failed, as she always had, not able to do anything to his aura on its lowest setting. "You have another mission."

  "What is it?"

  "You're to kill those sisters. We can't have them getting strong enough to mess up the balance of the biggest tear. They're awfully close, already, to making it bigger."

  Jay sighed, bringing a hand to his face. Then he pulled it away, and his eyes were shining with red stars. The woman backed away as his aura ratcheted up. "I'm done now. Every useless mission you've sent us on... just... everything you've done. So far, I've been obeying because you've been useful enough, but now I'm done. Sending me to harm our own side? Have you forgotten what we came together to do?"

  His voice wasn't loud, but his aura made sure everyone in the room heard. "All who support me. I'm taking my leave from her. We're creating our own organization."

  He turned to the woman, whose name he'd never bothered to learn. "You and your supporters. You may leave the palace."

  She shook her head. "Have you forgotten who leads? It's my palace."

  Jay laughed. Slowly, quietly. "Have you forgotten who gave you the castle?"

  The woman stepped back. "You can't have it!"

  Jay shrugged, an ethereal dragon seeming to curl around him. "You have ten seconds. Leave, or die."

  Ten seconds was a huge amount of time for people at her level. She waited for five, seeming to hope for him to do something, though her supporters rapidly appeared, grabbing their chairs and leaving, whether they had been on jobs or not. When he made no move to overturn his decision, she pulled back her fist to strike.

  The dragon curling around Jay suddenly came into view, his skin turning into scales and the stars in his eyes appearing almost... baleful. "You forget who I am."

  She went through with the punch anyways, her fist impacting against his scales. A snap could be heard, her entire body pulverized in an instant as he crushed her to meat paste then threw her out of the palace. Even now, he'd decided to be merciful, letting her regenerate. As she flew away, one final message followed her. "I am Eternity."