A sea of swords hung eerily still in the air as Lady Sariel fixed her gaze on Evan's eyes from across the room.

Evan found himself pinned to the wall, with her sword floating in the air and pressed against his throat. He could feel the cool touch of the diamond blade against his skin, and he knew he had lost.

She stood with a regal and unyielding posture, while her suspended weapons glinted menacingly in the light.

She had never once looked directly at him; instead, her gaze remained fixed on the world outside her window. It was as if she was fighting him without even trying, as if the battle was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Rumours about the Lady's obsession with diamonds, her choice to always fight with weapons made of variations of the mineral, had reached Evan. He’d assumed she had some affinity to the mineral that complemented her existing physical enhancement skill. What he had no idea about was her apparent dominion over the mineral, her second skill, a fact few knew. Creation bordered on the realm of Ancients and served as a prerequisite in some cases. Judging, however, by the lines on her face, the wilt in her step, and her greying hair, it was evident she remained mortal. She needed this city as much as it needed her. Her youth must be maintained through some illusion,Evan speculated between ragged jolts of pain. From everything he’d seen, it seemed he wasn't the only one keeping secrets.

”So, child," Lady Sariel said, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. "Who are you?"

Evan looked up at Lady Sariel, her sharp gaze boring into him, with his breaths shallow. His mind whirred at possible answers to the question, despite the pain coursing through his body. He knew that he had to stay calm if he wanted to make it out of here alive. Should he just tell the truth?

Evan tried to ignore the sharp sting of the blade against his skin as he replied, "I’m nobody. I got turned around and ended up here by mistake."

Lady Sariel narrowed her eyes, a hint of patient scepticism in her voice as she said, "In my office? That seems rather unlikely, don't you think?"

Exhausted, bleeding, and in pain, Evan had fought what basically amounted to her little finger. Irked, he couldn't help but quip back, "Well, they say it's always the last place you look."

The diamond swords twisted at her command, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. Lady Sariel was not amused. "I suggest you take this seriously," she said icily.

Evan nodded, his bravado faltering slightly. He knew the stakes were high; his chances of making it out alive were slim. But he couldn't let her see that. "I'm Evan," he said. "I'm here because I got lost."

Lady Sariel raised an eyebrow. "Lost?" she repeated incredulously.

"I... I don't know," Evan said. "I was practising my skills, and then I found myself here."

"Your skills?" Lady Sariel repeated. "What skills do you possess?"

Evan hesitated for a moment. He had to be careful with what he said next. "[Teleportation], as you’ve seen," he said. "And I have [Minor Postcognition]."

Lady Sariel's eyes remained narrowed. "[Minor Postcognition]," she repeated. "That's an interesting, if mundane ability. As is [Teleportation]. Although I have never seen someone teleport themselves multiple times in quick succession. A feat of physical endurance that even the greatest holders of the skill would struggle to accomplish." She let the words linger in the air.

Evan shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "It's a useful skill."

Lady Sariel's lips curled into a small smile. "useful, you say?” This time she turned slowly, bodily, turning to face him head on. The blades in the air turned with her, a spiderweb of light shimmering across the room.

Evan shrugged again, trying to hide his growing unease, wincing at the pain the shrug sent arcing through his body. "I suppose I just have a natural talent for it." There was something strange about these blades, and the way they expanded against his skin. He wasn't bleeding.

Lady Sariel regarded him for a moment, her eyes glinting with something that Evan couldn't quite place.

She remained silent, her floating sword still pressed against his throat. Finally, she spoke, her voice laced with a hint of curiosity, "You have mundane skills. But what I find even more intriguing is how you managed to enter this room without anyone noticing, and how you seem to have inhuman endurance. I have never seen someone use that skill in such a way." Her power and magic radiating off her in waves now that all attempts at pretence had been discarded, bouncing from weapon to weapon. How had she hid her mana?

The floating sword pressed harder against his throat, a reminder of the danger he was in.

"Care to explain, child?"

Evan clenched his fists, trying to ignore the pain that wracked his body. He had no intention of giving her the satisfaction of seeing him break. "I'm just trying to figure out why I'm here," he said, his voice strained. "And who you are."

Lady Sariel regarded him sceptically, her piercing eyes seemed to see through him. She decided to play along. Someone had clearly sent the poor thing to its death, forcing the child to come here. She just had to find out which council member did it. And rip their home from the earth.

Lady Sariel arched an eyebrow, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Oh, I think you know who I am," she said. "And as for why you're here, I'm curious about your...unique set of skills."

Evan's heart skipped a beat, and he tried to suppress a groan as the diamond constructs tightened their grip. "I'm just a guy," he said, his voice low. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Lady Sariel laughed, a high-pitched sound that echoed through the room.

Evan knew he had to tread carefully. He decided to go for a half-truth. "I was practicing my skills when I found myself here. As for how I got in here, I wish I knew. I have no idea. One moment I was training my skills, the next I was here. I don't know how it happened. But since I was here, I figured I could make myself useful and came to see you."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Useful how?"

Lady Sariel studied him for a moment, then walked over to her desk near the fireplace, overlooking the vast city. The sword in her hand seemed to collapse in on itself in quick, rigid movements, ceasing to exist. Evan watched her warily, wondering what her next move would be.

“My endurance extends to all of my skills. I know where an artifact of the Old Gods, the all-knowing Twins, lies.”

He didn't.

“I can lead you or your staff through a safe route to the item.”

He couldn't.

“My skill allows me to find safe routes into these sites. Any site I find, I would happily present you the artifacts, if it means I keep my life and freedom.”

He most definitely wouldn't.

Lady Sariel's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach her eyes, as she turned her head to view the city. "You're quite confident for someone in your position." He felt like he was being toyed with by a cat, like some bird caught before it could soar. He decided he did not like this woman.

"I think I may have a use for you," she finally said, turning to face him once more. There were many ruins she knew of, most of them uncharted, most of them even she wouldn't dare go into, no one ever returns. She would create a small diamond on him and then have one of her spies track his movements in the city, tearing the roots of her conspirators out at the source.

“We are aware of these historical sites, they are often avoided.”

Evan weighed his options, knowing he was in a dangerous position. Lady Sariel was too powerful, and he had no way of delivering on what he’d promised. He knew that if he refused her offer, he would likely end up in a dungeon or worse. But if he accepted, he would be risking his life on a mission he knew nothing about. At least he'd find out the location of godly treasures, maybe he could escape?

"I'll have to think about it," he finally said, trying to buy himself some time.

Lady Sariel's expression grew cold, "You are in no position to decline anything, child. You are at my mercy." To her, this child seemed particularly dense, despite his apparent talent with skills, however mundane. Surely he could see how kind she was, allowing him to walk away from this. Hundreds of years gaining power, and she still had trouble killing a child. She laughed internally at her own folly. That was a line she had crossed before, over the centuries, but it was one she avoided. She would rather get someone else to do it. And if he could find her treasure after ousting her enemies, it would be two birds with one stone. She would never say no to more power and would discard him the moment he exhausted his usefulness. Maybe even find out the secret to his inhuman stamina. If it proved useful after more study, she might incorporate it into her own physical skill. It would be wasted on him otherwise.

"Very well, child," she said, her voice low and measured. She turned towards the view, regarding the city below, and spoke. "You have my attention. But be warned, if I find out that you're wasting my time, the consequences will be...severe."

Evan slumped to the ground, gasping for air, as Lady Sariel’s weapons collapsed into his wounds, still preventing him from bleeding to death.

Lady Sariel's questions continued, but he only half-listened, his mind focused on finding a way out. and plans on how to escape her attention once he left the room. She had presented him with a map of known ruins, historical sites, and magical anomalies, asking him where his vaunted artifact was. He picked one at random, frantically attempting to memorise the designs on the pristine parchment.

Evan breathed a sigh of relief, having negotiated his safety in one of the most dangerous rooms in the city, and to one of its most dangerous citizens.

Through promises to deliver artifacts of the Old Gods… great. He thought, the reality of his false promises dousing the fire of his freedom. His freedom depended on him entering dungeons and historical sites; places so filled and twisted by immensely powerful magic that they warped the land and all who entered it. Very few made it out of those sites alive. But those who did always left greater than they had entered. All of them.

It was ironic, his safety and the safety of all he held dear depended on him courting death. Repeatedly. He would have chuckled if every movement didn’t cause him pain.

But on the bright side, at least he knew where some of the sites and artifacts were now.

Evan winced in pain as he lay on the ground, injured and impaled, but alive, as the door opened, and two figures stepped into the room.

The first was a woman of slighter build than Evan, though toned ripcord muscles could be seen between her robe. The robe was silk, embroidered with intricate patterns and the house crest.

Beside her was the guard, a towering figure of muscle and steel. He wore a suit of armour that glinted in the light, and a sword strapped to his side. He moved with a grace that seemed at odds with his large form. His face was stern and unyielding, his skin was weathered and scarred from years of battle, and his presence seemed to fill the room. Evan recognised him as one of Lady Sariel's personal bodyguards, always by her side in public. Why she needed one he couldn't know, surely he wasn't stronger than her. Maybe he was a meat-shield? He found the idea hilarious. Now that he was out of danger, he could allow himself to enjoy the experience of being here.

As they entered, Lady Sariel rose to greet them, her eyes brightening at the sight of her most trusted retainers. The healer approached her, her hands held out in front of her, and Lady Sariel took them, smiling warmly.

"You look well, my lady," the healer said, her voice like music.

"And you, Ari," Lady Sariel replied. "I trust you have been taking good care of yourself."

The guard stood at the edge of the room, as his gaze moved constantly, as if searching for threats. He seemed ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his sword. Lady Sariel turned to him, a smile on her lips.

"And you, Kael," she said. "Has anything happened while I've been away?"

"Nothing to report, my lady," Kael replied, his voice low and steady. He glanced at Evans' prone form, took in his modest clothing, the lines of pain etched on his face, and the bruises that marred his skin. An unspoken question hung in the air.

Lady Sariel nodded, her eyes still on the guard. He was a formidable figure, and she had found him to be one of her better recruits over the years. She turned back to Ari, taking her hand.

"Thank you for coming," Lady Sariel said, as she turned from Kael to Ari, gently taking her hand. "I need your skills."

Ari nodded, her face serious. "That's rare", she raised her hand, blood pooling in front of her open palm, coalescing into a long glistening, ruby coloured spike. “Which skill?” she said. She, too, glanced at Evan prone and bloody form, her head jerking in his direction. “He hurt you?”

The lady chuckled. “Just heal him,” she said. Lady Sariel smiled, though there was little mirth in the expression.

Evan was still spread out, face down, breathing heavily. He rolled onto his back, in a swirl of pain and exhaustion, slightly irritated at being the topic of a discussion he wasn't part of.

As Ari approached him, the ruby-red spike was replaced with a soft light from her palm that mended the holes in Evan's body. Lady Sariel hesitated as if a thought had just occurred to her.

"Oh, he seems to have unusual stamina. Do investigate while you heal him. Can you find anything in his blood?"

Deeply exasperated, Evan breathed. "What could you possibly do with my mundane skills?" Evan asked. The healer, Ari, seemed to agree. "It's not like you need them, surely you already have an eternity's worth."

Their faces turned rigid with shock as all movement ceased. Lady Sariel's expression crystallized into something icily dangerous as she fixed a predatory gaze at Evan.

Evan's gut churned, realizing too late that he had unearthed a secret not meant for him—or anyone—to know. Lady Sariel's voice sliced through the silence, cold as a winter night.

"What did you just say?"

The sound steel resonated through the room as Kael's hand gripped the hilt of his sword, Ari's blood-spike poised midair above her palm—both unnervingly aimed at Evan.