The dark figure circled them like a nezerine eyeing its prey. “Drogs are amazing creatures, aren’t they? So loyal and intelligent. They’ll even remember their rescuer no matter how much time has passed.”

“Great, now give us back our drog,” Charette demanded.

“Did you know that drog’s have five stomachs?” The figure continued. “With the fifth one being the most volatile of them all.”

Reial glared at him. Why was he wasting his time with idle conversation?

“My favorite story growing up was about Tsaralafon. You know, the scrappy drog who saved her owner during a battle in the Unification Wars?” The figure paused thoughtfully. “Funny. They called it the Unification Wars, though people didn’t fight for Unification, they were brought to it by others who wanted to take from them.”

Despite the figure’s relatively relaxed demeanor, his grip on Scorch tightened. As was apparent by the drog’s whimpers and cries for help that tore at Reial’s heart.

“Ah, but you’re too young to recall the Unification Wars, aren’t you? You don’t look a day over third. Tell me, what’s your opinion of the conflict?”

Reial huffed. “We aren’t here to talk. Give us back our drog.”

“But talking’s more fun than wandering around all the time, don’t you agree?”

Reial could almost see the smile behind those words. Not in a condescending or taunting manner, but almost…proud? “Are you the one following us?”

The figure shrugged. “I’m only doing as your father commanded. Nothing more, nothing less.”

So, he did send a Courser after them. As he studied the man’s features, their eyes met. The more he stared at them, the more he forgot. Like a part of his mind was being erased.

“She…yes, I know.” He heard Linithesis mutter tiredly.

There was something heavy pressing against his being. An invisible force that suffocated his mind mercilessly. Who, or what, was it?

“I don’t care if our father sent you,” Charette spat. “Return Scorch to us, or else.”

The glowing green orbs blinked in surprise. “Oh, I shouldn’t have expected any less from you! You were always a troublemaker.”

A stray bolt of blue electricity zipped through the air and crashed next to him with a muted, thundering echo. Debris sprayed around his ankles, bending and twisting against the reality-altering effects of a Veil Striders barrier.

“A warning shot, I presume?”

Translucent whisps of Essence swam about Charette’s waist. “No.”

“How terrifying.”

A flurry of ruby sparks erupted from his heels as he disappeared with his next step. Reial whirled around in a panic, the area suddenly flooding with light as he activated his Veil Sight. He couldn’t falter, not now. All he could hope to do was match him.

“I’m still here,” The figure called.

Reial turned his attention to the spot where the Courser once stood, or rather, never moved from, to begin with.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen that old trick?”

He had, multiple times in fact. It was a fake-out tactic that competing Veil Striders in the Solis Games often deployed. Although it proved more effective against newcomers than professionals, its potency wasn’t to be underestimated.

“Well then, shall I return you lost children to your parents? They’re worried about you, you know.”

“No, now give us back our drog.” Charette ordered defiantly.

The Courser responded with a smile.

Reial watched as he casually sat down at the edge of the sidewalk, right in front of the crater Charette had created with her Trick. If there was one word he would use to describe this man, it would be confident. He wasn’t in a rush to explain himself; he had only briefly mentioned that it was their father’s idea to stalk them, but nothing else.

“Continue doing nothing, and I’ll make you wish you faced a dweller instead.” Charette threatened coldly.

Whoever he was, it was clear to Reial that there was more lying underneath the surface.

“Don’t make this harder on yourself.” Reial added.

“And miss out on what could be? Where’s the call to adventure in that? Aren’t you-”

Charette groaned. “Hyvas, just give us back our dwelling drog you sorry excuse for a Strider.”

“I can’t.”

“What!” She screeched.

“It’s for the best.”

A rumbling wave of pavement rolled up beside him and flung him straight at a wall, but with a kick of his heel and a flip of dizzying ruby sparks, he landed safely back on the sidewalk. Reial was struck with awe at the flawless maneuver. If that were him, he would’ve taken the brunt of the impact with his feet.

“I know it may be hard to understand, but this is for your own good.”

Chunks of pavement exploded all around him and hurled themselves at his spot. An effective strategy against most, except a Veil Strider. He simply stepped out of the way faster than her eyes or mind could comprehend.

Reial was urged on to observe. There was a depressing quality to his movements. Gracious, but reluctant. Almost as if he didn’t want to be doing this.

Charette growled in frustration, summoning a well of gravity in the sky that not only pulled at the Courser but on him and Zariya as well. The pavement rattled like a tray of jostled dishes before it was ripped from the earth with an audible crack. A large cloud of dust and debris formed in the sky, gathering the pavement into its swirling, thunderous mass. This was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Perfect, destructive, and powerful.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A shrill scream tore him from his reverence as he searched for the source of the sound. It was Zariya. She had been torn from the ground and was hurtling through the sky to the murderous mass, grasping and clawing at anything in a vain attempt to halt her ascension. Reial couldn’t grab her, she was far out of his reach. But if he were to blindly jump and rescue her, then he’d be pulled into the cloud too, with nothing anchoring him to the earth.

What then? Maybe his teachers would’ve known what to do. They were skilled Solvaylian Students, surely they would’ve found a solution to the problem. Perhaps even his father. No, now was not the time to belittle himself. He had to act.

Reial launched himself into the air, a shower of ruby sparks trailing behind him as he zipped past Zariya. The world was still, yet the hammering of his heart was deafening. He pulled his body into a tight flip and crashed against the underside of a slab feet first. Ruby sparks erupted from the cracked stone in a sign of protest, willing the slab to keep its shape for the time being. Then, he plunged back into the earth.

There was no whistling wind to accompany him, nor air to tousle his hair. Only complete and utter stillness. Reial caught Zariya by the waist as he passed and tried to right himself up. That proved to be a bit more difficult than he had first anticipated. The well of gravity kept pulling at his feet, and though his descent didn’t slow, he was stuck in his current position.

He began to panic, fearing that he would slam headfirst into the earth. If he were wearing Striders Silk a fall like this wouldn’t scare him, Hyvas, even landing on his feet from a great height wouldn’t scare him.

Again, he tried righting himself, and again, the well kept pulling at his feet. He was drawing closer and closer to his imminent demise, and he was powerless to stop it. Even if he survived he wasn’t confident he would come out unscathed.

Reial pulled on Zariya tightly, hoping the shift in weight would put him in a better position. It was a slow, agonizing process, as he refrained from applying too much pressure on her form. Fearing that he may break her. He may not have been anchored to the ground, but his speed and strength were forever a part of him.

The well’s grip was like an iron clamp, preventing him from making any noteworthy progress in his struggles. He knew what he had to do, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. Reial blinked away his Veil Sight, bracing himself as the world returned to full motion.

He slammed against an invisible force that twisted and contorted underneath him, roiling like a mass of bubbles threatening to pop. The space beneath him shrieked as it continued to bend and strain against the impact of his fall. Space snapped, sending them blazing across the street at the pace of a Stride. The world became a blur of senseless darkness.

And then it flashed red before his very own eyes. A bright hot red, like the swelling of a bruise behind his head. It hurt to think, it wasn’t right to think. The world had stopped moving but everything was still spinning. Colors didn’t make sense, there was more to the darkness than just the void. Subtle browns, whites, yellows, and greens.

The pain and nausea receded immediately, leaving him whole and well again. Better than well, but somewhat exhausted. Almost as if someone had sapped him of his vigor.

Reial sat up slowly and examined himself. Aside from a few tears in his jacket that were beginning to stitch themselves back together, he was fine. He couldn’t say the same thing for Zariya, who was currently lying on her side. She was clutching her stomach and groaning, muttering a single word in what he presumed to be Thírian. With a shaky hand, he gently turned her over to examine her wound. There was nothing. Vaes’s hand, there was nothing. She was just suffering from a bout of major motion sickness.

It was at that moment that he realized how quiet the place had gone. The thundering rumble of the debris in the sky, the pull of the well, the tearing from the earth. All of it had been silenced.

Reial peered through the darkness without the aid of his Veil Sight, trying to locate his sister. She was still standing there, or at least a silhouette of a figure. He blinked, flooding the area with light and color, only to find the Courser standing behind her. She didn’t appear frightened or hurt. More surprised than anything else. It was like someone had tried to scare her but she had only been slightly startled.

She stood at the center of what Reial could only call a Recundians worst name. Great mounds of rubble were strewn about the place, with the once-proud polish of glass and streetlamps lying shattered at their zenith. Eyes, both wary and furious, gazed at them from behind closed doors.

Reial berated himself for taking his eyes off of the Courser and quickly turned back to face him. He still stood behind his sister, but now, the drog bore the same wide-eyed expression too. What did he do to them?

The Courser Strode around the heaps of rubble, kicking up dust with each Stride he made. Finally, he came to a stop right before Reial. He said nothing for a moment, then clicked his tongue.

“That took you too long enough.”

Reial glared at him. “If you’re going to take us back to our father then you might as well say you are.”

The Courser cocked his head. He couldn’t make out any notable feature besides his glowing green eyes still. “Why would I lie to you?”

“Because it’s better than keeping us in the dark.”

“I disagree with you on that, Rail. The truth is well worth waiting for, and though it may be frustrating, it’s usually for the best.”

Reial lunged at him but found nothing. The Courser had simply Strode out of the way. “I’m not a fan of wrestling.”

Reial pinpointed the source of his voice and struck out with his fist.

Nothing.

“Please, stop.”

“What? You want me to do nothing then?” Reial punched again, but only felt something brush against his fist. “Do you want me to just watch helplessly? So that it ruins us again?”

“No, but it’d be pointless to try and convince you otherwise.”

“Then don’t take away my drog!”

Reial slammed his foot down with all the strength he could muster. Splinters of earth shot out from the newly formed crater, embedding themselves into the walls of buildings. None of which managed to find their mark

“Give him back!” Reial growled, drawing his weapon.

Golden plasma poured from the rippling blade, casting flickering shadows across the street. Energy made manifest, the perfect weapon, or at least, one of the many few out there. He sped towards the Courser, weapon held low, one hand resting on the flat of the blade. Precision, control, and power, the pure essence of Ovfrailian Style.

Reial swept his blade in a short clean arc, only managing to graze the Courser as he managed to dodge out of the way in time. He swiped again in a series of rapid strikes, narrowing the cone of his attacks for greater speed. Ovfrailian wasn’t as powerful or versatile as Hyvan or Vaesian, but the speed it lent was unmatched.

His relentless onslaught kept the Courser on his toes, and though he didn’t retaliate there was a certain fire in his eyes that yearned for combat. For the stakes of a duel, and the glory of victory. A fire that Reial found burning within himself now.

The Courser went through his motions like a dance, dodging each attack as if he had seen the same old display of basics thousands of times before. When one of Reial’s strikes came close to cutting him, his blade was batted aside by a Thírian curved sword that hadn’t been on the man’s person mere moments ago.

A brief glance at his waist exposed four scabbards, with the third hilt being of highly ornate quality. It bore a striking resemblance to-

“Focus!” Linithesis barked.

Reial narrowly managed a sloppy riposte before a blur of motion caught him on the side, knocking him to the ground. He lay there, dazed, the world flooding with darkness as his Veil Sight left him. Defenseless, like a child once again. No, he still had his Striding and- His sword, where was his sword?

Reial’s eyes were drawn to a glowing patch of earth no more than a yard away from the Courser. He panicked, scrambling to his feet as the man knelt down and drew the blade from the soil. For a moment, he said nothing as he turned it over in his hand, examining it carefully.

“Simple and effective, though not something I’d personally use.” He commented.

Reial eyed the Thírian curved swords on his waist warily. They were specifically created for the purpose of catching Veil Striders as they passed. Their hooked shapes, while not completely ignoring the effects of spatial distortion, resisted them to a certain degree.

The Courser gingerly rested the weapon on the ground, his glowing green eyes appearing almost thoughtful. It didn’t matter to him how vulnerable he appeared, or if his opponent retrieved their weapon. This fight was no more than a game to him. A relaxing break from his usual mundane activities.

Reial was completely and utterly powerless against such a foe. One who could so easily dodge his attacks and knock him down like a misbehaving pup?

It would happen again. He was going to ruin the lives of those he loved by simply being unable to do anything. All because he still lacked the bravery and strength he had dreamed for ever since he was a child.

So, he shut his eyes and prayed. To what exactly, he didn’t know. Solvaylius? The Almagest? Something that was beyond those two? What did he ask for? To be freed from this nightmare. For a living Empyrean to save them from this man. Or perhaps, to be absolved of this festering guilt in his heart that threatened to drive him mad?