Glim zipped through the streets, searching for a familiar face. She passed dozens of mana spawn along the way, and she left clouds of pale blue mist in her wake. It felt good to kill something, especially after all they’d lost today. First their home, and then Elise. Glim didn’t even remember losing the house; a different version of her had died in that battle, and she’d never had a chance to back up her memories. But it must have been a heroic death if all the kids got out.

She reached Emperor’s Cross a few seconds later, and she found the cultists recovering from a recent battle. The terminal itself was barely recognizable, and the famous clock tower lay sprawled across the courtyard like a fallen tree. The surrounding buildings looked just as bad. Some had lost windows or walls, while others sported larger craters as if they’d been hit by Master techniques.

Glim flew closer and found a Master and Artisan standing on the terminal’s front steps. The Master had a Cadrian complexion, with a shaved head and a thin goatee. The other guy was an Espirian with a bushy brown beard.

“Excuse me.” Glim made a throat-clearing sound as she floated over. “I’m looking for Lena—”

The Master rounded on her and unleashed a blade of space mana.

Glim darted to the side, and the technique sliced through the stone pillar behind her. That was rude! Not to mention dangerous. It was a miracle they hadn’t collapsed this whole building yet.

“Hey,” Glim said. “I’m not a spawn!”

Another blade cut through the air. Spatial blades flew faster than bullets, and Glim barely managed to dodge in time.

“I’m a spirit,” she said. “A friendly spirit!”

The man paused, but he didn’t stop cycling his mana.

“Look.” Glim floated over to a car and took her human form in the broken windshield. “See?”

“See what?” the Master asked.

She gestured more insistently at her face. “See how cute I am? I’m obviously not with Storm’s Eye.”

“Looks like a succubus,” the Artisan said.

“Excuse you.” Glim glared at him. “This planet doesn’t have those.” She turned back to the Master. “I’m friends with Akari Zeller and Kalden Trengsen. They were here today, right?”

“Prove it,” the Master said.

“Prove they were here?”

His eyes narrowed at her, and he looked ready to unleash a third technique. “Prove you’re on our side.”

“It’s alright, Rosintar.” Lena Cavaco stepped around the fallen clock tower. Glim almost didn’t recognize the woman with the armor and helmet. Not to mention the layer of dirt that covered her cheeks. “That’s Glimmer. She’s Elend Darklight’s mana spirit.”

“Lena!” Glim brightened at the sight of her. “I need your help with something.”

“Now?” Lena raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Remember that time we stole Etherite from the Dragonlord?”

“You stole the Etherite. I had nothing to do with that.”

Glim shrugged. “They stole the collar back from us a few months ago, and we need to return the favor. Can you still do your crystal magic?”

“It depends,” she replied. “Has anyone else tampered with the piece since then?”

“Uh, define ‘tampered.’”

“Has another Ethersmith touched it?”

“Let’s say they haven’t.” Glim honestly had no idea, but that was a problem for later. “Also, it’s probably inside a Grandmaster’s pocket dimension. Will your powers work through that?”

“In theory,” she said. “But only if someone disables the wards and gets me close.”

“Leave the wards to me,” Glim said. “How close are we talking?”

“At least ten feet, but closer is better.”

Glim nodded. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but we need to move right now. Can I count on you?”

Lena let out a long breath. “I can’t promise you anything. It’s been almost a year since I saw that collar. A lot can change in that time.”

“Good enough.” Glim turned to face the Master. “Hey, there. Rosintar, right? Be a dear and make us a portal to Emerald Street and Grand?”

Rosintar just stared at her, crossing his muscular arms. “You mentioned a Grandmaster. Can you guarantee Lena’s safety in this?”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“No,” Glim admitted. “But I have six more Grandmasters on my side, and I think the payoff will be worth the risk.”

“It’s fine.” Lena put a hand on Rosintar’s arm.

“We’ve already lost too many people today,” the Master said.

“I think I know what she has in mind,” Lena told him. “Trust me. This is what the Solidors would want.”

~~~

Relia stared at her father, still processing his words as they echoed through her skull.

“I’m taking my daughter home with me.”

He couldn’t mean her, could he? He’d disowned her—abandoned her as a baby—and left her for dead. He couldn’t just take that back. Why would he even want to take it back?

But then her mind recalled an old saying from a different age. A time when powerful sects ruled this world and crushed the weak beneath their boots:

Sufficient power forgives all sins.

Apparently, those words were true. Power forgave everything, including the crime of being born with krustoplegia. Her younger self had dreamed of this moment—to become so strong that her parents couldn’t ignore her.

She’d eventually outgrown that childish dream. You couldn’t just gain power and make someone love you. The world didn’t work like that.

But her younger self had been right, In a twisted sort of way. That was exactly how this world worked. Hundreds of bystanders had recorded their fight against the dragon, and her father had obviously seen the footage. How else would he know to come here, to this exact street?

And if he’d seen that footage, then he’d also seen Relia use her mythical Aeon powers to fight a Master.

In that moment, she’d become far too valuable for him to ignore.

Her father stepped forward, meeting her eyes directly. “It’s time to come home, Relia. We only have each other now. You, me, and your mother.”

Those words tugged at something deep in her soul, memories and emotions she’d buried years ago. For all that, Relia didn’t consider his offer. Not for one second.

“I already have a family,” she told him. “And it’s not you.”

Her father opened his mouth again, but Elend stepped between them. “You’ve got your answer, Moonfire. Now stand down.” Irina stepped forward as well, along with Sterling and the other Masters from their squad. Mana rushed through their channels, and their bodies looked ready to spring into battle.

“Very well.” Moonfire let out a long sigh. “Then we’ll do this the hard way.”

He unveiled his soul, unleashing a burst of raw power. The street shook, windows shattered on the surrounding buildings, and even the air itself moved aside with a sudden gust of wind. All six Grandmasters fell to their knees, along with her teammates. Relia remained unaffected by the blast, but that must have happened by design.

Still, she could practically taste her father’s power. The power of a Mystic.

One by one, the six Grandmasters got back to their feet, using their combined power to push back.

Moonfire fell into a combat stance, and a dozen spatial blades formed around his body. Each one was almost invisible, like floating shards of glass that hurt to look at. “You want to commit treason and attack your new prime minister?” A slow smile crossed his face, and the transparent blades seemed to sharpen. “Come and try.”

“Don’t do this,” Irina said through gritted teeth. “You aren’t thinking clearly right now.”

Moonfire shook his head. “I’m Espiria’s future prime minister, and I’m protecting my family during a time of national crisis. I already lost one daughter in this city . . .” He clenched his jaw as if the words pained him to admit it. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

No one replied, but Relia could imagine the thoughts flowing between Elend and Irina. Deep down, Elend was just like Akari. His heart would tell him to fight this battle, and he’d follow that instinct, regardless of his enemy’s strength. He might even succeed. Teams of Grandmasters had fought Mystics before, but victory always came with a cost.

Meanwhile, Irina was more like Kalden. Her aspect would tell her the odds, and she would favor a retreat. They could regroup that way, and fight on their own terms.

Irina was right, just like Kalden had been right about attacking the dragon. Relia’s father wouldn’t hurt her, but he might hurt the others. Not just Elend and Irina, but her entire team.

Relia couldn’t lose anyone else today, so stepped between Elend and Irina, extending her arms in a protective gesture. Three more steps, and she closed the distance, looking her father in the eye. She swallowed hard and forced out her next words. “I’ll go with you if you don’t hurt anyone.”

Moonfire nodded once, and Relia turned around to face her real family. Elend and Irina . . . Akari and Kalden. How long would it be until they saw each other again?

But she never had a chance to say goodbye, or even see their faces one last time. Space mana flowed around her, far quicker than Sterling’s technique from before. The portal carried her to the vestibule of a dark manor, with high stone pillars on either side. The air was cold and silent, and a thin sliver of sunlight through the high, ornamented window.

Relia stared blankly forward for several long seconds, wishing she could go back in time and erase these last few hours. Finally, her exhaustion washed over her, and she sank to her knees on the marble floor.

~~~

Akari watched her friend vanish from the street. The technique was clearly a portal, but it looked nothing like her own techniques. Akari’s portals were simple tunnels through spacetime that worked in either direction. But this looked more like a one-way trip, consuming Relia’s body in an instant.

Moonfire remained on the street for a few seconds longer. His spatial blades floated around his body, all but taunting the other Masters to attack him. How did he even make blades like that? She wanted to look closer, but they hurt her eyes. Almost as if space were folding over on itself.

A second later, Moonfire vanished with the same technique, and all the Masters began talking at once. Akari tuned them out as she staggered toward Elend. Her channels sent stabbing pains through her body, and she still had to lean on Kalden for support.

“How long?” She asked when she reached Elend’s side. “How long till we can see her again?”

This was all wrong. After everything that happened today, they should have been together as a team. Or a family, as Relia had said. No one should be allowed to separate them like this, not even a Mystic.

“I don’t know, lass” Elend stared down at his hands. They’d started shaking as soon as Moonfire left, and Akari felt her eyes threatening to burn.

“I failed two of my students today,” he said in a low voice. “But at least I won’t have to fail you, too.” His right hand stopped shaking, and he extended his palm toward the sky. Glim appeared there in her Missile form, and she dropped a ring-shaped object made of bright blue crystal. It looked like the Etherite cuffs they’d lost, but twice as large.

“That’s the collar,” Kalden said from beside her. “The one they stole from the vault?”

“Aye,” Elend said. “Glim and I will explain later. For now, we need to find the Solidors.”