Chapter I

The warm orange light of sunset gently streamed through the windows of the second floor classroom, indicating to those within that twilight was almost upon them. Given that the current time was six-thirty, most of the other students in the school had long since gone home for the day, even those who stayed after for club activities, but the individuals in that particular clubroom had yet to even suggest departing. All four of them were more than happy to remain in that comfortable place, enjoying each other’s company and listening to the soft sound of the radio playing some relaxing classical music. It was currently a Friday evening in mid-October, with Halloween on the horizon, and given that they were all seniors in high school, it was no longer the exciting event that it had been when they were kids. These days, Halloween was celebrated by attending costume parties or going to haunted houses, but these four were far from the type to bother with such things. The only Halloween-centric event that any of them might attend was the Halloween Party that their school, West Wilham High, held every year.

Though, I can’t say I’m all that excited for it. Halloween’s cool and all but, like, I feel putting on a whole ass event is kinda overkill for a high school. Not like I’m complaining, but I can’t even say for certain that I’m gonna bother going. Then again, who’s to say I have a choice in the matter.

Scott Reiner snorted to himself, glancing up from his chemistry homework to stare across the rows of desks and towards the front of the classroom where two senior girls were currently working out a stoichiometric equation on the chalkboard, intently debating what the next step in the process actually was. On the right stood Laura Harrison, who was rather tall, with long legs and a slender body that often caused his eyes to wander, and if it hadn’t been for her sharp tongue and nasty personality, Scott was certain he would have fallen for her years ago. Her blonde hair was sloppily tied back in a bun and her green eyes were narrowed behind her silver-rimmed glasses as she argued with the other girl in their club, Carmen Escarra.

Laura towered over Carmen, who was only barely above five feet, but that didn’t mean she was overwhelmed by her presence, rather she stood firmly with her piece of chalk sharply tapping against a section of the equation beside her. She grinned confidently, brushing a loose strand of her black hair out of her brown eyes as she spoke. Both girls were wearing the required West Wilham High uniform of a white polo shirt, black knee-length skirt, red tie, and a light blue blazer with the school’s emblem on it, though Carmen also wore a pair of black tights.

Since Scott hadn’t been paying enough attention to their initial discussion on the problem, he couldn't immediately say which one of them was correct, and so he decided not to intervene, knowing that if he did, the two girls would instantly ally together to debate against him instead, and having been in the Science Club with them since freshman year, he learned long ago to not stick his nose where it didn’t belong. Therefore, before either girl could notice that he was watching them, he returned his attention to the homework laying half-completed on his desk, realizing how unlikely it was that he would finish before they were kicked out and sent home.

And unfortunately, before he could even read what the next question was, a loud snore sounded through the room, silencing the girls’ bickering and causing Scott to glance over his shoulder at the fourth member of their club, who was sitting at a desk in the back of the room fast-asleep, his head tilted backwards and over the side of the chair with his mouth wide open as he let out a second snore.

“Is he asleep again?” Laura grunted, shaking her head with disbelief. “God, he’s such an idiot.”

Carmen rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest as she, too, regarded their friend with disapproval. “Honestly. I’m shocked his neck hasn’t snapped with how far it’s stretched like that. When he wakes up, that’s gonna hurt like a bitch.”

See? And just like that, they’ve set their sights on their prey and united, the argument all but forgotten! Thank you for taking one for the team, Brian! I won’t forget your sacrifice!

Mentally saluting his friend, Scott watched in silence as Laura stalked across the room, stopped in front of the sleeping boy, then leaned down and put her lips beside his ear as if to gently whisper soothing words. “WAKE THE FUCK UP, BRIAN!”

Jolted awake by the sudden shout, Brian Carter’s head snapped forward and in his attempts to get his bearings and see what happened, he almost tumbled out of his chair. It was only when he saw Laura grinning smugly down at him and Carmen snickering up front did he seem to realize what had happened.

“Fucking hell, Laura,” he snapped irritably. “A little nudge would have been enough, you know?”

She giggled, as if to be cute, but there wasn’t even a molecule of cuteness within that chilling sound. “I mean, I could have, I guess. But this was far funnier! You looked like somebody electrocuted you. Honestly, I’m shocked I couldn’t see your skeleton!”

Brian cocked an eyebrow, glaring at her for a moment before turning his brown eyes towards Scott. “And you didn’t think to try and stop her, Scotty? You’re supposed to be my bodyguard from these maniacs, you know?”

“Since when?” Scott growled. “Bodyguards get paid and you’ve never given me shit! Fork over some cash and maybe then I’d at least consider sacrificing my life to the devil queen over here. But until then, here I sit.”

“Ah, you’re such an ass! Why is it that every time I take a nap in here, one of you jerks screams in my ear! I’m gonna go deaf ‘cause of you guys, you know that?!” he protested, getting to his feet, only to still be a few inches shorter than the blonde girl still grinning at him.

“Well maybe you should just go home if you’re gonna sleep!” she retorted gruffly. “This is a clubroom, not your bedroom. And besides, you’re only falling asleep cause you stay up all night playing those stupid shooter games! Maybe try going to bed at a decent time and see what happens.”

Brian grimaced. “Come on, don’t act like you guys don’t slack off in here either! I see you using the time to do homework!”

“Yeah, science homework, you goof,” Carmen pointed out, her back now turned to them as she continued calculating that earlier problem on the blackboard. “And since this is the Science Club, I don’t see that as inappropriate at all.” She then spun around and proudly put her hands on her hips before declaring, “Take a look, Laura! I was right, after all!”

“Huh?! Let me see that!”

Stomping back over to the front of the room, Laura spared Brian any further lecturing, leaving the boy to plop back into his seat and sigh with relief. “Fucking psychopath,” he muttered under his breath, only for Laura to shout over shoulder,

“I heard that!”

Brian stuck his tongue out at her like some sort of elementary schooler, and Scott knew that had Laura’s back not been turned, she would have practically flown across the room to smack him upside the head.

“Anyway, Scotty, what time is it anyway?” Brian asked as he attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Scott glanced down at his watch, then replied, “Six-thirty-five.”

“Already? Fuck, I musta dozed off longer ago than I thought.” The boy reached up and pushed his brown bangs from his face before straightening out his shoulder-length hair and cracking his neck. “Guess I gotta get going. My mom’s gonna be on my ass if I get home after dark again.”

“Then you better start running,” Laura told him. “Sun’s gonna be down soon, you know.”

Brian snorted, getting back to his feet and lifting his backpack up off the ground beside him before hoisting it up over his shoulder. “Yeah, Laura. I have eyes. I can see that.” He then shook his head. “Besides, the three of you oughta move your asses, too. I’m sure Mr. Lopez is on his way up here to kick us out again. He did tell us that if we stay later than six-thirty a second time, we’d get tossed in detention.”

“Oh yeah… He did say that, didn’t he?” Laura sighed, exchanging disappointed looks with Carmen before shrugging. “Guess we’re packing up, too, then.”

Carmen nodded. “Yup, guess we are…”

Scott could hear the sadness in their tones, and he couldn't help but feel a little bad for them. Having known the two girls for a very long time, he was close enough with them now to have a decent idea of what their home lives were like, and he couldn’t say he was envious of them. Laura’s father had passed away months before she was born, and her mother was a heavy alcoholic, drunk more often than she was sober. On top of that, while Laura never admitted it and Scott never pressed the matter, he and Brian both feared that her mother occasionally got violent with her, though he had no evidence yet to back that up.

For Carmen, she had both of her parents, as well as an older sister, but Scott knew that she didn’t feel particularly close with any of them due to the fact that they didn’t put much effort into forming a relationship with her. Carmen often lamented that they far preferred her valedictorian, music prodigy older sister and didn’t give much of a damn about what she did with her time. Of course, Scott knew that Carmen was brilliant, having grades far better than he could ever hope to achieve, but because her sister was still so much better, Carmen never gave herself enough credit, always focusing on her minor failures as opposed to her impressive successes.

For those reasons, Carmen and Laura often stayed in the clubroom for as long as they possibly could, finding safety and comfort in that quiet little room. Scott knew they dreaded going home, especially on Fridays, and that was why he and Brian almost always stayed with them. Brian’s family were relatively lenient with him, and so long as he was home by his curfew and didn’t do anything stupid or dangerous, they didn’t care what he got up to in his spare time. Scott had a similar situation, and so the two of them had made an unspoken pact years ago that so long as they were able, they would remain in the clubroom with their two friends until it was time to leave.

And I can’t say I don’t enjoy being here. This place…has kinda become like a second home to me. Scott smiled to himself, watching Laura, Carmen, and Brian collecting their things and wiping off the chalkboard. I’m going to miss this when we graduate. This is our last year at West Wilham High, and then we’re off to college. After that, no more science club…

“The hell are you smirking at, huh?” Laura snapped when she noticed Scott still sitting at the desk. “Pack your things, Reiner! Come on!”

Scott silently dismissed her words with a wave of his hand as he got to his feet and shoved his unfinished chemistry homework into his binder. He was annoyed that he hadn’t been able to finish it, but he at least had the entire weekend to get it done, and on that particular weekend, he had more time to kill than he normally did. His parents were out of town for the next week, having gone up north to visit his grandparents, so Scott had the house to himself. They had offered to take him, but since he hadn’t wanted to miss an entire week of school, he declined the offer and simply told them to tell his grandma and grandpa that he said hi and that he loved them.

Honestly, woulda been nice to get out of Wilham for a little while, but what can you do? I have that stupid history test next Tuesday and Mrs. Kinroy’s exams are a notorious pain in the ass to make up. It’s just easier this way.

Once everything was cleaned up, the four of them departed the clubroom, Carmen locked the door, then they turned and began heading off down the halls. The wall on their right was lined with windows that allowed the light of the setting sun to cast its orange hues over the empty corridor, and since they were on the second floor, Scott had a good view of the courtyard down below and the neighborhoods that surrounded West Wilham High. It was a sight that still didn’t get any less beautiful even after four years of seeing it almost daily, so the boy merely smiled as they approached the staircase and headed down to the first floor where, once they arrived at the front doors, they moved up to wait beside the wall as Carmen rushed off to return the clubroom key.

Throughout the walk, the four of them didn’t talk, but the silence was comforting as they simply enjoyed each others’ presence. They constantly bickered, made fun of and pranked each other, but the three of them were as close to him as family, and so he knew that the teasing was always in good fun. Laura, Carmen, and Brian were his best friends, and regardless of where the future was going to take him, he prayed that it would stay that way for the rest of their lives.

That being said, I can’t help but wonder… Where is the future going to take me?

It was a question that had always been on his mind, but had never been more stressful than it was with senior year having begun. Scott Reiner didn’t consider himself an ambitious boy, so unlike the other three, he didn’t have a clue what college he was going to attend or what he wanted to do with his life. Brian was almost certainly going to get a football scholarship to a high-end university in the south, Carmen had applied to multiple different colleges around the country in the hopes of studying psychology and becoming a therapist, and Laura was aiming to become a teacher someday.

But me? I don’t have a damn clue. I know I love science, but what exactly do I want to do with that? I guess I could study chemistry or biology, but in order to do any of the fun research jobs, you have to go pretty far in your education, and I’m not sure I have the patience for that. In the end, I’ll probably just go to Oceanview Community College on the other side of town, get some generic degree, and become an average businessman.

Eventually, Carmen returned and they departed the school together, making their way out into the massive courtyard in the southern part of the school. Stretching out on either side of the cement path were lush green lawns with picnic tables scattered around for the students to eat lunch during the day, and at the end of the path were the main gates that exited into a suburban neighborhood. Scott didn’t live too far away, but he did have to head off in the opposite direction of Carmen and Brian, so after bidding the two of them goodbye, he and Laura split off and began making their way home.

“So Reiner,” Laura began with a teasing expression, already telling him that whatever she was about to say was going to be annoying. “What costume are you gonna wear for the Halloween Festival, huh? You pick it out yet?”

Scott clicked his tongue, gazing at the tall girl out of the corner of his eye. “For one, who said I was even gonna attend that stupid festival, and for two, why the hell would I ever dress up for Halloween? I’m seventeen, Laura.”

“So what?!” she snapped. “You listen here, buddy! The one saying you’re gonna go and that you’re gonna dress up is me, you got that? And you don’t wanna piss me off, so if you’re not at that festival next week, then I’m gonna march over to your house and drag you there! You got me, Reiner?”

Yup, there it is. I knew I wasn’t gonna be given a choice. Good thing I bought that cheap-ass wizard costume from Party Town the other day.

“Yup, got you loud and clear, Madame Harrison,” he said in monotone, though despite his lack of enthusiasm, she still seemed pleased that he gave in. “So on that topic, what costume are you going with? A demon, maybe? Or perhaps a goblin? A witch might suit you, too.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“You wanna die, Reiner?”

“Not really, no.”

“Then shut the fuck up and guess something cuter!” she shouted, and given how badly her screeching hurt his ears, he could only feel more pity for poor Brian. “You care to tell me why all your guesses are ugly and mean?”

“Laura, I’d never call you ugly.”

“You’re walking a fine line here, you know that?”

“Maybe. But then if my guesses are wrong, then what are you going as?”

Laura turned her head away and huffed. “I never said you were wrong! I just asked why your guesses were all ugly!”

“Ah, so you did pick the goblin then.”

“I picked the witch, you bitch!”

“That was my third guess.”

Ah shit, if she’s a witch and I’m a wizard then that’s gonna get kinda embarrassing. People are gonna think we’re doing a couples costume and that’s the last thing I need. Maybe I’ll buy another costume then and just give the wizard to Brian.

“Whatever,” Laura said with another huff. “Just make sure you’re at that festival! See you Monday, you ass!”

With that harsh goodbye, Laura turned left down an adjacent neighborhood and headed towards her own house, leaving Scott all alone. For a moment, he watched her depart, marveling at the abruptness of the conversation’s end, but since his stomach was growling, he decided to pick up the pace and get home so he could fix himself some dinner.

Though, I’m a shitty cook, so I’ll probably be stuck with instant noodles again. I’m so gonna be sick of those by the end of the week.

Mentally accepting his fate, Scott continued down the roads, turning onto a small dirt path at the end of the street that would take him on a shortcut home. He was only half paying attention since he knew the route by heart at that point, so it was only once he heard the sound of voices up ahead that he realized there were three boys wearing West Wilham’s uniform leaning up against a wooden fence on his left, their eyes turned towards him and lit cigarettes sticking out of their mouths.

Oh, fuck me. Not today…

“Hey, if it isn’t Scotty Reiner,” jeered the tallest and largest of the boys, who pushed himself off the fence and faced him. “I was wondering when you’d be here. You always dally around after school for so long, and I was getting impatient! Don’t you know it's rude to keep somebody waiting?”

“Didn’t know we had an appointment,” Scott remarked sarcastically. “But how can I help you, Dylan? I’m kinda in a rush to get home, so if you could make this quick.”

The boy, Dylan Anderson, was one of the most famous delinquents at West Wilham High. Scott couldn’t even count the number of times he’d been suspended over the course of their four years at school, and the Science Club even had a bet going for how long it would take for him to be expelled. He skipped class constantly, always bullied the younger kids, and because of his size, he often won most fights he got into. On top of that, his two friends whose names Scott didn’t care enough to remember, backed him up whether he needed it or not. Scott recalled one particular time where the three of them ganged up on a lanky little freshman who couldn’t have beaten one of them, let alone all three together.

And he’s had a vendetta against me ever since that day, Scott remarked, recalling how he had rushed to that very boy’s defense and clocked Dylan across the head so hard that he dropped him in one shot.

The boy had been humiliated by what Scott did, and though Scott himself got suspended for attacking him, Dylan never felt satisfied. These sorts of encounters weren’t necessarily common, but if Scott ever accidently pissed him off, he could be sure to expect retaliation.

So what the hell did I do this time? Let me think… Hmm… Oh… Yeah, it was probably that.

It had been so minor that he had mostly forgotten about it, but that morning in their first period math class, Scott had been unable to suppress his laughter when the teacher caught Dylan passing notes in class, and when Mr. Thomas ordered the dumbass to answer their current question, he had failed spectacularly. Dylan’s next words confirmed Scott’s theory.

“So what exactly was so funny this morning, huh?” he demanded, jutting his chin out as if to be threatening, but instead, he just wound up looking kinda dumb.

Scott shrugged. “I thought that was obvious. It was an easy question and you couldn’t even answer it. You looked like a clown, and since you’re supposed to laugh at clowns, I thought I was doing you a favor. Sorry if I offended you.”

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?!” Dylan snarled, to which Scott nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, I do.”

“You listen here, Reiner…” The boy stalked towards Scott, stopping just in front of him, their faces inches apart, forcing Scott to lean to the side to avoid the cigarette sticking in his face.

God, his breath reeks…

“You gonna apologize to me?” Dylan snapped. “Or are we gonna have to settle things the hard way again?”

Scott apathetically blinked at him, knowing that if he didn’t do something, then it would be far too long until he got his dinner. So, he decided to move things along, and instead of continuing his pointless banter with the moron, he did the only logical thing he could do:

He made sure he acted first and punched him in the gut.

***

Running as fast as they could in their current state, Abigail and Ilirianna bolted up the natural stone staircase behind where they entered the realm, and once they reached the top, they hooked a sharp left, following a hiking trail that was taking them southward along the coast. Normally, such a pace wasn’t much trouble for the young nature mage to keep up, but since she hadn’t had the time to fully heal herself, her body still ached all over. To make matters worse, she was wearing the green dress she had brought for the ball, which was seared and ripped in certain places from the violent explosions that wiped out the Hiriech nobility and destroyed Aquesen’s ballroom. That terrifying scene kept playing over and over in her mind, and she could only grit her teeth and force herself to bear the pain of regret at not being able to save any of them. That was why she forced herself to push past her limit and continue running, for she and the princess had to catch their target.

“Regardless of how smart of a decision this was, we don’t have the choice to turn back anymore,” Ilirianna had told her back on that beach. “This realm… I can already tell from the lack of mana around us that it’s magicless, and while that’s dangerous in its own right, it also means that I know as a fact we guessed right. Caeli and Mallicent are here. I can sense them easily.”

It was just as Ilirianna said. Magical realms were different from the non-magical realms in many significant ways, but the most obvious difference was the complete lack of mana both in the air and in the realm’s lifeforms. Back in Ijiria, mana was dense, so it took a lot of concentration to locate specific mana signatures amidst the chaos, but in the realm they now found themselves in, the only mana anywhere around them would be coming from magical beings, that being themselves, Ryokumo, and Mallicent Malloway. With the air lacking magic, they could tell without question both the direction Ryokumo and Mallicent had gone, as well as how far away they were.

And it’s only made easier by the fact that they’re obviously casting spells! I’ve never felt a mana signature this clearly before! There’s no way anybody could even hope to conceal themselves in a place like this!

However, while that made both confirming their suspicion that Ryokumo and Mallicent went through the portal, as well as tracking them, quite easy, it would also mean that the two of them would know other magical individuals had pursued them. Naturally, Abi was glad that Ryokumo would know they were there, for he would recognize their signatures, but the drawback was that Mallicent would know he was outnumbered, and that could very well push him to do something insane.

After all, he’s already proven he doesn’t care about killing people! He helped Rotana Vesh and the Kosah-Rei wipe out his father and his brother, so why should he care about a bunch of faceless magicless?! If we don’t stop him quickly, the people of this realm could be slaughtered! Tapping into every reserve of energy she could, Abi quickened her pace, remembering the heat of those flames and the despair she felt. I refuse to let something like that happen again! Mallicent will not take any more lives! I swear it!

Eventually, the hiking trail spat them out onto some long strip of smooth black rock that ran far off into the distance in both directions. Yet, still gazing southwards toward where she could sense the other two Ijirians, Abi could see what looked to be a city, and a sickening feeling formed in her stomach.

“Come on,” Ilirianna urged, only taking a second to catch her breath before she pressed on once more.

A part of Abi wished Ilirianna could have left her behind and used wind magic to catch up to them, but when she had suggested as much, the princess had explained to her why that was a bad idea.

“Recovering mana in a magicless world is still possible since we can create some with our own bodies,” she had said. “But without the mana in the air aiding in the synthesis, we’re going to resupply at a far slower pace than usual. Conserving our mana is going to be critical, and seeing as I can feel Mallicent casting spells, he’s going to run out soon. If we can catch him when he’s low, defeating him and taking the realm dagger will be simple.” Ilirianna had then grimaced, as if something else occurred to her just before they headed off in pursuit. “For that same reason, the realm dagger isn’t going to be able to open another portal for at least a few weeks, so for better or for worse, Mallicent can’t escape us.”

Abi wasn’t sure what to make of that last part, for while it meant Mallicent couldn’t try and return to Ijiria, it also would leave him like a cornered animal, with nowhere to go, and cornered animals were often the most dangerous.

He’s going to hold this place hostage if we don’t hurry!

As they followed the black strip towards the town, Abi soon spotted a green sign just ahead of them with the words, “Welcome to Wilham!” written across it overtop background art of a coastal view.

Wilham? Wait…why can I understand that? Do they speak the same language as us?

“Princess!” she called out, breathing heavily between her words as Ilirianna spared an inquisitive glance over her shoulder. “That sign back there…? Why could I read it? I mean, can the people of this realm speak Ijirian?”

Ilirianna’s deep blue eyes shifted away, as if momentarily lost in thought, before the woman shook her head. “Remind me to tell you later! It’s not exactly a simple explanation, but yes, they can speak Ijirian…”

Abi reluctantly nodded, knowing that there were far bigger problems at hand and that her curiosity would have to wait for later. However, because they had taken off so quickly, she was still so overwhelmed by it all, so she couldn’t help asking another question.

“Do you know where we are?” she pressed. “I mean, there’s only four realms we could have gone to, and seeing as there’s civilization, this can’t be Cansi, and almost certainly isn’t Kaira, so we can only be in either Hildegan or Omaruo! But…if it’s Hildegan…”

She didn’t want to finish that thought, for if they had just jumped into the realm of Hildegan then by the time they returned, everything would have changed. From what she had read long ago, Hildegan’s time moved so much faster than Ijiria’s to the point that one day in Hildegan amounted to one year in Ijiria. That was why, centuries ago, Ijiria stopped sending researchers and mages into that magicless realm, for every time they did, they would never be heard from again for at least a few decades, upon which they would come home to find it nothing like they remembered.

And if it takes three to four weeks for the dagger to recharge, then by the time we beat Mallicent and get home, it will have been roughly twenty years since we left! Please…don’t say we’re in Hildegan…

Thankfully, and to her immense relief, Ilirianna smiled comfortingly. “From what I remember in my studies, Omaruo’s entry point is on a beach just outside of a coastal town. Don’t worry, Abi, this isn’t Hildegan.”

If Abi hadn’t been sprinting, she would have given a sigh of relief, so all she could do was weakly return the princess’s smile. “Good. That’s good. What’s Omaruo’s time difference then?”

“About double,” Ilirianna answered. “So one day here is two back home. Not ideal, but still far better than the alternative.”

“Okay… Yeah, agreed.”

Of course, that would still mean they would have vanished from Ijiria without a trace for two to three months, but with Ilirianna present in Omaruo with them, Abi decided she could just rely on the woman to handle everything once they stole the dagger.

Finally reaching the outskirts of the town called Wilham, Abigail and Ilirianna did their best to stay away from any highly populated areas, but since the people of Omaruo didn’t have mana signatures, it was nearly impossible to know where everybody was, especially since it was such an unfamiliar town. And right away, she found herself in awe of what she was seeing.

She knew of what the Ijirians referred to as “magicless technology”, but to see their inventions with her own eyes was leagues apart from merely hearing of them. Along what she had realized were magicless roads drove big metal vehicles reminiscent of carriages, except there were no animals pulling them nor could Abi sense any magic propelling them forward. She couldn’t begin to guess what mechanisms were controlling these carriages, but she wished she had the time to stop and ask. The people driving these vehicles spared the two women confused expressions through their windows, and Abi could only imagine just what a confusing sight they were.

Not only am I in a dress with burnt edges, but I’m not sure green hair is genetically possible in Omaruo either. We really should put up a distortion but Princess Ilirianna said to conserve mana, so…

To compensate for their lack of distortion magic, they followed the roads and sidewalks into some upscale neighborhoods, with houses that heavily resembled the sorts she had begun to see in Erika, once again leaving Abi wondering how such buildings were constructed without magic aiding in the process.

“Wait, they’ve split up!” Ilirianna breathed, her features contorting in confusion.

“But then… Does that mean Mallicent got away from Ryokumo?” As she asked the question, she focused her own senses onto the faraway mana signatures, realizing that Mallicent's was, in fact, getting further away from Ryokumo’s. Luckily, Ryokumo’s was still moving, so she knew he wasn’t dead, but it still concerned her that the boy managed to escape. “Ryokumo should still be able to sense us and him, so should we follow Mallicent?”

“Yes, that’s probably best,” Ilirianna agreed. “Reclaiming the dagger is the top priority, and as much as I would love to interrogate that bastard and learn more about the Kosah-Rei, for the sake of the Omaruans, it might be smarter to kill him and eliminate the problem before it can get worse.”

“So we’re aiming to kill?” Abi stuttered.

“We are, so—”

The princess cut herself off as they made a sharp turn down a small dirt path at the end of the street, only for them both to come to a screeching halt. A teenage boy, probably close to Abi’s age, was being held on his knees by two boys much bigger than him, and directly in front of them was another individual, who was seemingly about to press some sort of small, handheld blade into his victim’s throat, as if to kill him. The only thing that stopped him was their sudden arrival, with all four of them turning with surprise to gape at Ilirianna and Abi.

“The fuck?” the boy with the blade grunted. “Who the hell are you chicks? You some of those hippies who love dying their hair stupid colors, huh? And what’s with the ugly ass dress?”

As he spoke in a harsh and mocking tone, Abi instinctively opened her sense to swiftly get a read on the four of them, and the result was just as she expected: All of them came up with a dangerous reading except for the boy being ganged up on.

And so, reacting before she could think better of it, fearing that the boy was about to be killed by his attackers, Abi stretched out her hand and snarled, “Vino!”

“Wait, Abi—!”

Cutting off Ilirianna’s protests, the path around the boy with the blade practically exploded as large, green tendrils burst upwards, wrapping themselves around his body as he frantically tried to get away.

“What the fuck?!” he snarled, but he didn’t get the chance to say anything else before he was wrenched upwards and off his feet, then tossed across the path. From there, he rolled along the ground, groaning in agony as the blade fell from his grasp, and though Abi’s logical mind caught up with her in that moment and the realization of what she had done hit her like a bag of bricks, she still barely managed to keep her composure as she turned towards the stunned expressions of the other three and said,

“Release him. Now.”