Akari ran outside and found Relia kneeling in the street, cradling her sister’s head on her lap. The blow had crushed Elise’s sternum, caving in her ribcage, and distorting her entire torso.

Blood covered the remains of Elise’s armor, staining the surrounding puddles. It looked like too much blood to fit inside a single person. Bursts of green and gold mana flashed around the wound, but Elise’s body didn’t react. Life mana only worked on living things.

No . . . This was a trick; an illusion within an illusion. Elise knew their plan would fail, so she’d made Valeria think she’d killed Ashur Moonfire’s daughter. It was crazy, but brilliant. Exactly the sort of thing Elise would do.

“What happened?” Arturo’s voice asked over the comm channel.

“She’s gone,” Kalden replied a moment later. He was still several blocks away, but their link let him see the world through Akari’s eyes.

“Who?” he pressed. “Talk to me, shoko.”

Another pause followed, and Akari relaxed into her Silver Sight. No dream mana came from Elise’s body. In fact, she saw no mana at all. Nothing but Relia’s failed attempts to heal her.

Kalden said something else over the comm channel, but Akari didn’t hear it.

Tears streamed down Relia’s face, and the realization hit Akari like a train.

No. This wasn’t fair. She’d done everything right. She’d forgiven Elise and chosen to trust her, despite everything. She’d helped her team with their training, and she’d stopped overtraining herself. She’d even given up her chance to become an Aeon, and, and . . . she couldn’t think straight, but this all felt wrong.

They’d barely gotten to know Elise, but it was the start of a real friendship. A friendship that could have lasted decades—maybe even centuries. All six of them should have gone back to the interschool games and broke records. They should have advanced together, through the Master realm, all the way to Mystic. They should have returned to the Archipelago, saving the people they’d left behind.

Now, it was over. Whatever happened next, they’d do it without Elise by their side. All because of one stupid fight. It wasn’t even a fight to save the city. It was just a pointless skirmish. A skirmish they could have resolved with words given the chance.

A part of her knew she was being stupid. Real life wasn’t some story where every battle mattered and the right moves brought a happy ending. Real life followed a different set of rules—rules that involved mana counts and probability. No team of Apprentices could fight a Master without casualties. She’d known that from the start. She’d even expected to die herself.

For all that, she couldn’t believe her own eyes. She couldn’t believe she’d lost a teammate today.

Clearly, Relia didn’t believe it either, because she was still pouring life mana into her sister’s body. And just like before, the mana turned to vapor in midair, never reaching her channels. Somehow, the waste of resources snapped Akari from her own thoughts, and she stepped forward. “She’s gone, Relia.”

The other girl didn’t answer. She just held Elise close, pressing her cheek to her forehead.

Akari turned her gaze to the sky. Only a few seconds had passed, and Valeria’s dragon form was still in sight. She moved far slower than she had during the battle, and she must been saving her energy for a long trip.

Akari raised her right hand and cycled mana to her wrist launcher. A single dart flew toward the sky at maximum speed.

“No,” Kalden said over the comm channel. “Don’t even think about it.”

She didn’t think; there was no time for thinking. The dragon was getting away, and Akari scrambled to form her thoughts into a cohesive plan. This would have been a lot easier with Kalden’s battle mana. Even talking was too slow, so she sent him a thought instead. ‘You gonna help me or not?’

‘No,’ his voice snapped back in her mind. ‘You were right before, but you couldn’t be more wrong about this.’

She normally preferred this version of Kalden—these rare moments when he stopped being indecisive and stopped arguing for its own sake. The times when he finally took a stand and refused to back down. But now it was just a hindrance. Akari had already made up her mind, and she wouldn’t back down, either.

‘Damnit,’ he said. ‘Think of how you feel right now. You want me to feel that way when you die?’ His aspect flooded her mind with the data, including her odds of success if she tried this plan.

Akari ignored it all. She didn’t have space in her head for numbers or hypothetical futures. Her thoughts flowed down a narrow tunnel, focused entirely on the next few seconds.

Kalden was right, of course. She knew that truth in her heart, and she knew she’d probably regret this. But she still didn’t care.

Kalden cut the link with his Second Brain, attempting to stop her displacement technique. That might have worked a few weeks ago, but she’d been practicing this technique non-stop since that first dream. She held the revelation firmly in her mind and she trusted her body to see it through, with or without Kalden’s help.

She took another step forward and met Relia’s eyes. “I’m gonna kill the dragon. Are you with me?”

Relia rubbed the tears from her eyes and nodded once.

Good, at least someone understood.

Akari sent a spacetime Missile toward the sky and swapped her body with the dart. This one had already been flying for a good fifteen seconds, and the swap brought her a mile into the air. The winds blew fiercer up here, cutting through her armor and clothing. The rain struck her face like tiny daggers, and lightning flashed on all sides.

Her body flipped over until her feet faced the sky. It felt like falling into an endless void of swirling blue clouds. Her muscles tensed, and she Cloaked herself against the elements.

She extended her right hand toward the ground, cycled more mana to her wrist launcher, and pulled back the first dart. Then she raised her left arm skyward and shot a second dart at the retreating dragon.

Her body soared until gravity caught up with her. When that happened, she swapped herself with the second dart and began the process again. He body soared faster with every swap. The g-forces sent blood rushing to her head, but that was no problem. She was almost an Artisan, and she had enough control over her cardiovascular system.

Once she’d built up some momentum, Akari switched to portals, aiming the first one upward toward the dragon, and catching her body with the second. Her clothes and hair grew stiff with ice. Her glasses would have frozen, too, if not for the protective sigils.

Her skin froze next, and she couldn’t breathe.

Just a few more seconds . . .

Her last portal brought her above the dragon. Valeria sensed her at once and spun through the air, preparing a blast of fire mana from deep within her stomach.

Akari shot a dart over the dragon’s right wing and vanished just before the flames engulfed her body. She appeared a quarter mile behind her.

The dragon whirled again. Time slowed as Akari raised a shaky hand and cycled more mana to her wrist launcher.

Finally, she aimed for the dragon’s throat and unleashed her team’s strongest weapon.

~~~

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Relia appeared in a dark tunnel, surrounded by fleshy walls, crisscrossed with veins of dark red. The scent of sulfur stung her nostrils, and wisps of smoke swirled around her body. The air ahead felt like a furnace, mixing with the cold sky at her back.

Kalden had spent the last minute sharing Akari’s plan over the comm channel. He didn’t sound happy, but he knew they’d fail without him.

Fire raced upward from the cavern’s depths, and Relia formed a sphere of Moonshard around her body. The Angelic mana filled the tunnel, trapping the flames in Valeria’s stomach. The dragon’s throat pulsed and contracted, and Relia could practically taste her fear.

Or maybe that was her own fear? She had no idea if this next part would work—no one did. But this was worth it. If Valeria Antano escaped, then she would just keep on killing weaker mana artists.

Even one more death was too many.

Relia waited for several heartbeats for the flames to settle. The dragon coughed and swung her head from side to side. All the while, Relia held her Construct in place, straining with all her mental might.

Now or never.

She split the shield into a dozen smaller shards, then she pushed out from her channels, sharpening each piece into a blade of Angelic mana. Blood erupted from every side, and space warped around her as Akari pulled her to safety.

She staggered forward an instant later. The world spun around her, and she lost all sense of up and down. She collapsed on the street, and phantom pains surged through her arms and legs. Her condition was long gone, but her brain forgot that whenever she exerted herself too hard.

“Over there,” Kalden’s voice said from somewhere nearby.

Two sets of footsteps jogged closer, but Relia couldn’t make out their forms. Dragon blood covered her eyes, darkening her vision. The sulfur scent still clung to her nostrils, and she tasted it on her tongue.

“Hey,” Arturo said. “You good, spira?”

Relia nodded, and Zukan’s muscular arms pulled her into a seated position. Angels above. She felt like she’d been thrown into a meat grinder and then tossed out of a moving airship. That wasn’t too far from the truth, come to think of it.

“You need healing?” Kalden asked.

“I’m not hurt,” Relia said with a quick shake of her head. “None of it’s mine.”

Someone handed her a wet cloth, and she wiped the blood from around her eyes. Her whole team had gathered on a sidewalk somewhere in Westtown. Arturo and Zukan knelt on the ground beside her, while Kalden stood closer to the street with a half-conscious Akari leaning on his shoulder.

Finally, Elise’s body lay beneath a shop awning, a few paces to the right. The storm clouds had finally parted up above, and her hair shone golden in the afternoon light. Relia’s heart still ached for her but she reigned in those feelings for now. Koreldon City was still an active war zone, and they had to focus on their next move.

In that moment, her hair grew suddenly lighter as the rest of the blood evaporated. Relia glanced down at her clothing and found it much cleaner than before. “Did we get her?”

“She’s a Master,” Kalden said as if that answered everything. He glanced at Akari, but she barely acknowledged his words. They’d feigned exhaustion when they’d set the trap for Valeria, but now that feeling was real. Akari would probably pass out if she shot even one more Missile. She might even risk permanent damage to her channels.

Kalden turned back to face Relia. “You know better than this—both of you. You never attack a superior force while they’re retreating. We had nothing to gain, and everything to lose.”

Arturo cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t we find cover, shoko?”

Kalden let out a long breath and looked around. “Does it matter? Akari can’t make another portal. We’re all dead if the dragon comes back.”

“I’m sorry,” Relia said with a wince. She and Akari had discussed this tactic weeks ago, but only as a last resort. They’d chased Valeria in a storm of blind rage, but that had been incredibly stupid in hindsight. She didn’t even feel better now, just different. The anger was still there, but the adrenaline had faded, replaced with the bitter taste of regret.

Kalden must have been saving the rest of his lecture for later, because he didn’t reply.

Relia glanced back down at her clothes. “Where’d all the blood go?”

“She turned back to her human form,” Zukan said. “A smaller body is easier to heal.”

“Also easier to hide,” Kalden muttered.

“Speaking of hiding,” Arturo said. “I still think we should find cover. Nihilism’s no excuse to forget our training.”

“Point taken,” Kalden said. “You and Zukan lead the way.”

“Wait.” Relia glanced back at Elise’s body. “We can’t just leave her out here.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a portal split the air in front of them. Relia and Zukan stepped forward to shield their teammates, and Kalden and Arturo shifted behind them. This was more of a symbolic gesture in Relia’s case because she couldn’t imagine more fighting right now. Moonshard didn’t use ordinary mana, but it still had a way of exhausting her body and mind.

A man stepped out from the portal, covered in dark gray armor from head to heel. Relia took a peak with her Silver Sight, and the man looked like a Master—maybe even a Grandmaster. Most high level artists kept their souls veiled, so it was hard to say.

The man removed his helmet, revealing his pale skin and dark red hair. He scanned his surroundings before finally settling his gaze on Relia.

Father.

“Elise.” His boots clomped against the street as he approached. “Where is she?” It was the first time he’d acknowledged Relia’s existence, much less spoken to her. She straightened her posture and stepped aside. The others did the same, and Ashur Moonfire ran over to the spot where Elise’s body lay.

He knelt there for several long seconds, keeping his expression carefully hidden. All the while, Relia’s team held their breath as they exchanged glances. Were they safe now? Or were they in more danger than before? If Elise was right, then their father might be responsible for Storm’s Eye’s sudden appearance in the city. But he was still the senator of Koreldon. He couldn’t attack them in broad daylight, could he?

A second portal opened in front of her father, and Elise’s body floated gently inside. The portal snapped shut, and he got to his feet, unleashing a cloud of mana and intent. Relia braced herself for pain, but this wasn’t directed at her or her teammates. Instead, the power surged outward in every direction—probably stretching on for several miles.

This wasn’t an attack or a show of strength. He was searching for someone.

A space Missile flew out from his hand, soaring over the rooftops to some distant target. Then the air warped in front of him, and Valeria Antano staggered forward in her human form. Crimson dotted her throat as if she’d been stabbed by a dozen small needles. The wounds had also scabbed over, and she’d clearly been healing herself.

Kalden was right before; they’d never come close to a lethal blow.

Valeria glanced around like a cornered animal, cycling mana in her palms. Her gaze settled on Relia’s father, and all the color drained from her face. “S-Senator Moonfire. I . . .” She must have seen something in his expression, because she cut off her own sentence. Bursts of flame flew out from her palms, propelling her body toward the sky.

Space warped around her, tossing her back down like a falling stone. She recovered quickly, raising a defensive Construct of flaming orange mana. It stretched for two dozen yards until it filled the whole street.

Relia’s father didn’t move, but Valeria’s shield twisted and warped around her at unnatural angles. It surrounded her like a tent, leaving a small gap between her and her attacker.

Finally, Ashur Moonfire raised two fingers in a slashing motion.

Until now, their exchange had happened in a blur. But this next part happened even quicker, as if her father had been in a daze this whole time and had just now woken up. Relia never saw his technique, or even Valeria’s reaction. One second, the dragon was cycling her mana in a defensive stance. The next second, her body fell to the ground in several pieces, and the fight was over.

A small device appeared in her father’s hand, and he tossed it on Valeria’s corpse without ceremony. Her remains burst into flames, not unlike how Kalden’s brother had died. The fire was still burning when he turned around.

Relia’s blood froze, and her mind went as blank as fresh paper. What would happen now? Would he turn his wrath on them? Would he try to finish what Valeria had started?

Their eyes met, and his gaze softened. “I’m sorry.”

Relia didn’t dare to breathe. She understood those words, but her mind struggled to grasp their meaning here. His tone sounded so earnest, as if he actually regretted something. When he didn’t explain further, Relia opened her mouth and forced out the obvious question. “Sorry for what?”

“Everything,” he said. “What I put you through these past twenty years. I can’t say I regret it all. This path helped you survive—it made you the person you are today. Still . . . I deeply regret how I treated you along the way.”

A shiver ran down her spine. This could’t be real, could it? Her father was a politician—a professional liar. This had to be a trick. It was all a show for her teammates, or the onlookers farther back. Some calculated move in a larger scheme she couldn’t see or comprehend.

But no . . . until this moment, her parents had gone to great lengths to hide their relationship. Now here he was, drawing attention to it.

“I understand if you don’t believe me,” he said. “But I want to make things right between us.”

Relia was spared the need to answer when a second portal opened down the street. Elend and Irina stepped out, followed by Grandmaster Sterling, and several more people she didn’t recognize. They all wore expensive-looking armor like her father’s.

Elend rushed over to their group, and Relia hurled herself into his chest. Elend wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked.

Relia shook her head, and her voice came out in a broken whisper. “Elise . . .”

A short silence followed as Elend took in the scene, from Valeria’s burning body to the spot where Ashur Moonfire stood beneath the shop awning. He pressed his hand to the back of her head. “It’s alright, lass. You’re safe now.”

Relia believed him, and for the first time that day, she felt some of her tension drain away. Her whole team hadn’t survived the battle, but at least it was over. They were finally together again.

Elend let go of Relia and turned to face Grandmaster Sterling. “We need to get the kids out of here. Can you open a portal?”

“Sure thing,” she replied. “Where to?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Relia stiffened at that. “You better not leave us alone again.”

“I won’t, lass. I promise.”

Mana flowed out from Sterling’s hands as she got to work on the portal.

“Stop!” Ashur Moonfire unleashed a wave of power and intent, and Sterling’s technique turned to vapor. They all rounded on him, and some of Elend’s team looked ready for battle.

Elend shifted his body to stand in front of Relia, while Irina moved to shield the others. The whole street seemed to hold its breath as they watched each other, cycling their mana, preparing to form techniques.

Moonfire surveyed the six Grandmasters before finally settling his gaze on Relia. “The rest of you can go, but my daughter’s coming home with me.”