The Arcane Lord

Omnibus Books 1-3

Noble Magic

Marcus Sloss

Alex Prone

Copyright © 2025 by Alex Prone

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

The Arcane Lord

Book 1

Chapter One

Julian’s mouth turned dry, and his eyes widened when he ingested the sight of his glorious home in such disrepair. Sensing movement behind him, he glanced over his shoulder and noticed the carriage ready to return to Silverhold.

"This is as far as I'll go. Good luck, young man," the coachman said as he spurred the horses away.

"Thank you," Julian muttered.

What the hell happened? He asked himself as he started striding down the road. Julian felt immense exhaustion from the long three-day trip he'd made, and the three years he spent grinding at Ironfist Academy. Many of the days at the academy he had desired to return home and hoped everything was as he had left. He hoped they had forgotten to send him letters and all would be fine. Yet even then, deep within himself, he knew everything was far from fine. Now his eyes confirmed that deep worry.

The way to the farmhouse was as simple as it could be. If someone left Silverhold and ventured south on the King's Road, they’d eventually reach the Lionheart’s family farm. That was why Julian was sure he was looking at the wrong place.

Just a hundred feet away from Julian, the family's crops started to come into view. Yellow and rigid, they swung with the scarce wind. The young man didn't need to touch them to know they were close to dead. Bugs could be seen swarming a section of the plantation, and the areas that still retained some memory of green were decaying, rotting at the base.

Surprisingly, the crops were the most alive thing Julian could see in the distance. The young man changed his luggage over to his left hand and gripped the hilt of his short sword with his other. He looked down at his feet to ensure his boots’ laces were well-tied and quickened his steps. He wasn't sure what awaited him inside his home, but he needed to be prepared for anything.

The wooden gates, that sat in the fifteen foot tall wall of the farm, lay on the ground as if a giant had pulled them down. The rock fortifications weren't in better shape; the young man could see a good part of them sprawling on the ground, lying in heaps of rubble. The last time Julian had gazed upon the farm gates, it was over his shoulder as he headed to the academy. Several of his father's workers had waved goodbye to him. Tarav, the old butler, even shed a tear that day.

However, no soul awaited Julian upon his return, and he suspected nothing good had happened to them. As Julian neared the estate proper, he searched his surroundings cautiously. Still, he saw no one waiting for an ambush outside the walls. Deciding to venture inside the manor, Julian peeked inside and stalked in, one step at a time. He thought about calling for one of the workers but decided against it. If someone else, especially an intruder, was inside the manor, it would have been better if Julian didn't announce his arrival.

The manor's inner courtyard was as empty as the outside. In one corner stood the stable, with no horses or hay inside. Conversely, the workers' houses had wide-open or well-locked doors. An eerie sound reverberated through the courtyard as the wind banged a door left ajar against the wall.

Julian walked towards the manor's well and saw what seemed to be clean water inside it. The fruit trees still towered over the courtyard; their deep roots kept them alive, while the grass, on the other hand, had died long ago.

He grabbed a tangerine from the nearby tree and pressed it slightly. From hunger and thirst, I’ll not die, he thought as he meticulously placed the fruit in front of the tree.

Julian's footprints marked the stairs of the manor, the layer of dust helping to make a strange painting. The young man stood before the old house and tried to open the main entry door, but it didn't give way, as if it were stuck. Sheathing his sword, he leaned his shoulder against it and pushed with all the strength he could muster. Something blocked the other side of the door, forcing the young man to grit his teeth as he pressed.

The young man momentarily contemplated the possibility that someone else was equalizing his force from behind the door, inside the manor. Still, that theory proved false seconds later as the weight on the other side finally gave in. Julian peeked before applying more force and discovered the weight was a wooden bookshelf. After two powerful shoves with his shoulder, the bookshelf toppled over with a sound THUMP, allowing him to slink past into the living room.

Most of the furniture was gone, but hanging above the fireplace, his mother's sword and bracelet stood tall and proud, contrasting with the wreckage scene before him. Chairs were broken, red stains adorned the walls, and dirt covered everything. Sunlight entered the room through a hole in the roof. When Julian looked up, he saw birds nesting in it, chirping, completely oblivious to the destruction.

Julian was taken from his musings when he heard a sound from the second floor, footsteps rushing from one room to another. The young man gripped his sword firmly and trod towards the sound, ready for battle.

As soon as he passed the living room doorway, he neared the spiral staircase leading to the bedrooms and his father's office, glancing up.

He couldn't detect a single movement any longer, and the sounds had ceased. For a minute, Julian suspected it could be one of the family's cats. Still, as he looked at the bookshelf toppled near the door again, he realized someone else had to be inside.

Julian left his luggage beside the first step, unsheathed his short sword as silently as possible, and started climbing. The young man had studied for years to be in situations similar to this one, but nothing could prepare him for actual combat. As his mother used to say to him, "Studying is valuable, but it's only practice; real warriors are made in combat."

Real warriors are made in combat, the young man repeated to himself as he breathed deeply and took the last step, feeling the confidence rushing through his veins.

The doors to his father's office and Julian's bedroom door lay ajar. Everything had been taken from both rooms. No bed, no desk, no bookshelves. Nothing he recalled was left. On the other side of the corridor stood his parents' bedroom, with the door closed. Julian looked at his three options, and before deciding which room to enter first, he saw the light shifting under the crack of his parents' room door.

Someone was inside it.

Holding the blade up, Julian strode towards the door with his left hand outstretched to the handle. Sweat started to drip from his forehead as he slowly prepared to open the door. He would face the bandit living inside his family's house in one fast turn of the hand. Three … two… one…

A stomping sound came from behind Julian’s back, and he turned as fast as possible. A hooded figure lunged towards him with a spear in hand, the weapon pointing at Julian’s belly. The young man’s years of training kicked in, swinging his sword in a great arc and deflecting the spearhead in one smooth motion.

The stranger flinched back one step, trying to get back into a fighting position and balance the spear. Julian wasn't going to give him time. With a quick rush, the young man grabbed the spear's hilt with his left hand and pulled it, bringing the enemy within the sword's reach.

Julian swung downward, aiming for the enemy’s throat and right shoulder, but the stranger was fast. They dodged to the side, and Julian’s blade hit the ground with a powerful clang sound.

Seizing the momentum, the stranger aimed to punch the young man in the face, but their good hand was holding the hilt of the spear.

Julian dodged the enemy's fist, feeling the gritty knuckle barely scrape by. The throw caused him to lose balance again. The young man kicked the stranger with force, making him fall onto his back and crash against the far wall. A male growled, revealing a sneer, but the shadows and the hood hid most of his face.

The shady man tried to get up but gave up as he saw Julian rushing forward with his blade ready.

With no more weapons or strength, the stranger lay there, panting.

"I'll give you one chance to respond to me," Julian calmly muttered, his sword touching the stranger's ragged clothes above his heart. "Where's my father, and what did you do to my house?"

The words hung in the air for almost one minute. The stranger remained there in silence, looking at something only he could tell.

"Your father?" The voice beneath the hood finally asked with consternation. It was an old and raspy voice, almost like a grumble.

"Did I stutter?" Julian pressed the sword with more force against the stranger's chest. A little more push and it would enter the skin. A little more and the man's life would be near the end.

"Master Julian?"

As soon as the man uttered the words, recognition hit Julian like a boulder. He quickly withdrew the sword in shock and sheathed it on his belt. He crouched beside the man and helped him to sit with his back against the wall.

"Are you okay, Tarav? I didn't mean to hurt you. Why didn't you say anything? Why are you wearing a hood?" Julian asked with worry as the old man finally removed his hood, and instead of a grimace of pain or anger, the old man wore the most genuine smile on his face.

"You did right, Master Julian. It’s been far too long - I did not recognize you, and for that, I am sorry," the old butler said, lowering his eyes in deference.

"Nonsense," Julian said, checking the man’s chest, but Tarav gently removed the man’s hands.

"I'm all right, Master. I'd lost faith in your arrival, my lord. I understood the Academy couldn't excuse you, and I stopped sending more letters. Sorry if I caused you any trouble."

Julian let himself sit on the ground in front of the old butler and locked gazes with him.

"I received no letters, Tarav, at least not in the last year. I studied and learned the sword, accounting, trade, and management. They were hard years, but if I'd known the situation, I'd have come sooner," Julian said earnestly, and Tarav slowly relaxed. "What happened, Tarav? Where's my father?"

"Your father simply disappeared, Master. One day, he was here, asking me to fetch him some tea; the next, he vanished. Everything after that was just a never-ending spiral of disasters befitting an estate without a master.” He gazed out the window from his seat. With a haunted voice, he added, “One after the other."

Julian knew all too well what happened when the land went untended. "Baron's taxes?"

"That, and bandits. Every month, both would come to visit. I tried to make everything work, Master. In the first months after your father's absence, most of the workers remained, but as soon as I verified the debts and found out how difficult your father’s situation was, everything started to crumble. Wherever your father went, he took with him all the coins."

Julian kept sitting there, looking at the old family servant, the last one, if he was correct, and the words started to sink in. If everything Tarav was saying was true, his father had run from his responsibilities and left the house to slowly die.

"How was his health before he disappeared?" Julian finally asked.

Before the butler could reply, Julian's parent's room door cracked. The young man was about to jump to his feet when he saw it was only Jet—the family cat. Without caring for the dire situation, the cat nonchalantly strolled toward Julian and rubbed itself on the young man as if he had never left five years ago. He returned the affection, petting the cat behind the ears, and changed his attention to the old butler.

"Jet has been my only company the last few months." Tarav smiled as if contemplating an old memory, "About your father… you know how he is. Strong as a bull and stubborn as a donkey. He could lift a boulder, but he wasn't the same in the head anymore," Tarav said, his eyes watering. "I'm sorry, Master. It has been a terrible, terrible year. I prayed to the gods for your return from the Academy daily."

Julian extended one hand and placed it on Tarav's shoulders, gripping with strength.

"I'm glad you're here, Tarav, but you could've left. I wouldn’t have blamed you."

"Never," the butler replied resolutely, determination burning in his eyes. "I promised your mother I would serve this house, and I will."

"You have nothing tying you to my father anymore⁠—"

"But I have to you, my Lord."

"All right, then," Julian said, getting up and helping the old butler to rise. "We have a lot of work to do, then."

Chapter Two

It was past noon when they finished cleaning and adjusting the manor's main rooms. Julian didn't personally care for luxurious environments, but the place needed to be at least presentable. You can't fix your life if you can't fix your own home, Julian thought. This kind of activity was usually relegated to the servants. Still, Julian didn't have workers to spare, and Tarav couldn't do all the work alone.

"I'm sorry, Master. I tried to keep the manor clean and adjusted. I managed it for the most part, but the tax collectors came yesterday, as well as one bandit."

It was at least the third time Tarav had asked for forgiveness from Julian, and the Lord was starting to get annoyed with it. However, he decided to let it slide due to the man's trauma. If Julian still had a house, he credited it to Tarav's bravery.

"I understand, Tarav," Julian said, while he adjusted a couch near the fireplace. "Don't ask for forgiveness for acts you had no control over. Since they came yesterday, it's safe to say they won't come again for a month?" he asked, contemplating both the sword and the bracelet fixated on the walls. His mother's heirlooms gave the room a regal tone, their surfaces catching the sunlight and making Julian's heart tug with the pain of missing his mother—a sentiment brusquely interrupted by Tarav's voice.

"Normally, yes. But it can be different, Master."

"All right," Julian turned on his heels and strode toward the staircase; he wiped the sweat off his brow as he entered the office room. They had found a table and two chairs in the storage, both simple wooden furniture, but they would serve. Tarav had also gathered the papers addressing both their debts and their earnings. Julian had already separated them into two piles—the first surpassing the second by a significant amount.

"Can I help you somehow, Master?" Tarav said, standing in the doorway.

"Can you fetch two horses? I'm sure that regardless of what I discover reading these papers, we'll need to travel to Silverhold to make arrangements," Julian asked with hope. They could walk to Silverhold, but it would take forever.

The butler continued to frown for a few seconds. "I can ask Lord Bravo for a favor. He's only three miles away."

"I'm aware," Julian said and grabbed paper and pen, writing a brief letter to the Lord. "I can't see why he wouldn't help." The young Lord handed the letter to Tarav, who finally entered the room to collect it.

"I'll be back as fast as possible, sir."

"Good," Julian said, gazing down at the papers before him.

When the horses' neighing reached Julian's ears, he already had a good idea of how deep the hole his father had dug for him was. It was deep enough for a man to get desperate. But not Julian. This setback was salvageable. They would only need to work hard and use all the tools and tricks in their arsenal.

"Enter, Tarav," Julian said without lifting his eyes. The old butler tried to be discreet, but Julian had good ears. "How's Lord Bravo?"

"He's very well, Master. He's glad about your return and grieved by your estate's situation. He'll come to visit very soon."

"I'm glad we still have some friends. Did he help you last year?"

"In the beginning, yes. But Bravo's farm also started being attacked, and he couldn't spare many men."

"Understandable," Julian said with a sigh, extending the papers to Tarav, who sat in front of his master and read them silently. "I understand we're in debt to the baron by about six hundred coins."

"That's correct, Master."

"I have one hundred with me that I have saved over the last few years," Julian said, and Tarav seemed impressed but didn't interrupt his master. "We need to make five hundred coins, and that will be enough, but we have nothing to sell,"

"Besides your mother's⁠—"

"Out of the question."

"I understand completely, my lord."

"I see the dungeon is still ours. How's the silver mining inside it?"

"There's no mining at the moment, Master. After your father disappeared, many workers left due to low salaries, and the others were contracted to work under the baron. He's doing his mining not far from here."

"And the mine is closed?"

"I closed it several times when I still had men under me, but bandits kept trespassing. Then goblins started appearing in the place. The dungeon is practically abandoned."

Julian sighed at the news. He could probably walk to the dungeon and try to conquer it, but even if he and Tarav managed to kill the monsters inside, they would still have to restart mining. He would work on it if it came to that, but he had another idea in mind for now.

"And the crops?" Julian asked, his hands clasped under his chin.

"They're close to harvest, my lord. I worked on them almost every day alone. Things looked good; even the rain seemed willing to help us, but the monster appeared."

"What monster?"

"A Burrowmaw, sir. It's eating all the roots and attracting swarms of insects to eat the crops. I can't fight it since I don't know how to manipulate water magic, and I hadn't the coin to contract one."

Julian smiled at the butler's courage. Even with the situation being tense, he was surprised by the old man's determination to serve his house. Fighting a Burrowmaw alone in your sixties? That showed a lot of grit.

"If we kill the beast and restore the crops, we can still sell them for five hundred coins, do you agree?"

"I believe so, Master. And we would get some change as well."

"Let's find a Water Mage then," Julian got up quickly from the chair, almost making Tarav jump as well.

Julian passed the butler and entered the courtyard, where he found two horses waiting. One was black as night, and the other brown. Julian chose the black one, patted the beast's side, and noticed the creature wasn't afraid of him. In a swift movement, the young man was already on the saddle. Tarav followed behind, mounting his horse and waiting for Julian.

Julian squeezed his legs with great force against the horse's flanks. The beast transitioned from a trot to a gallop in seconds. Well-trained and robust, the horse ran as if its life depended on it.

The young man leaned against the horse's neck and petted it, making it even faster. The manor road blurred as he jumped over the downed wooden gate. Looking over his shoulder, Julian could see Tarav getting close.

Soon, the crops could be seen on both sides of the road. Their yellow hues were more vivid upon closer inspection. In the distance, Julian could hear the chirping of insects. One was significantly louder than the others. Sitting on the horse, the Lord could see the crops moving unnaturally. I'll come for you, beast.

Julian kept running, feeling the wind flap his black and golden coat, white shirt, and black hair. In those moments, the young man felt free. For more than thirty minutes, all he could see were yellow plains on both sides of the road and brownish mountains forming on each horizon, contrasting with the stark blue of the sky. But after climbing a small hill, the city became visible on the horizon. It was then that the young man slowed his horse to a trot.

Tarav caught up seconds later and started moving at the same speed as Julian.

“Good job, sir,” the butler said, trying to catch his breath.

"You too, Tarav. Age seems not to dwell on your aptitudes," Julian replied, but kept looking at the city in the distance. Silverhold wasn't big, but it was beautiful. The sun shone brightly on the buildings’ facades. Almost every house or commerce had metal works over their doors. The rich used silver, and the others had plain metal with silver details. Looking directly at the city when the sun peaked was hard, but the denizens didn't care. They were proud of their work and showed it to everyone miles away.

The gray stones surrounding the city almost hid Julian's sight. Still, beyond the patrolling soldiers, he could see the main avenue of Silverhold—a whole of vendors of all sorts. People from different lordships crowded the road, buying and selling. Near the end of the street, the crowd was thinned by a protection cord made by well-equipped soldiers, and at the edge of the city, the castle stood tall with its vast arches and pointed vaults piercing the sky.

“Do you have a plan, sir?” Tarav asked, pulling Julian from his reverie.

“You could say so,” Julian replied promptly. “What does every man want?”

“Three or four beautiful women on his bed every night?” the butler asked with a sly smirk.

“No…” Julian began, “I mean… that too. But I’m talking about money,” Julian said with a low chuckle.

“Oh, indeed. Still, we are short on that matter.”

"You need to spend money to earn money, my friend," Julian said, spurring the horse to a faster trot. Tarav knew his Master well enough to know when not to push a conversation, so he refrained.

After a couple of minutes, they crossed the city gates and rushed to the main street of Silverhold. The smell of good food intoxicated Julian's nostrils as he passed by. He could smell frying meat, bread in the oven, and even garlic being browned.

The people on the street reluctantly made space for Julian's and Tarav's horses, some grunting. In contrast, others waved at the young Master, who returned the gesture, smiling and hiding his worries. Humans primarily crowded the streets, but the young Master could spot one or two elves and even goblins at the vending tents. These places had long lines of customers, with the people of Silverhold eager to acquire a souvenir or food from a foreign land, most having never been beyond the city's surroundings.

“Right over there,” Julian pointed to a building with 'Mage Guild' written on a wooden plate on the left side of the street. They guided their horses to the front of the store, tied them to a hitching post, and prepared to enter.

The mage headquarters looked like any other building in the city; nothing particularly caught Julian's attention. It had brick walls with an arch over the door, a silver plate above the entrance, and carvings of clouds and lightning adorned the facade. Julian opened the wooden door, and Tarav followed him inside.

Behind a metal counter, an old man, older than Tarav, sat immersed in a book, his bald head catching the sunlight entering the room. His features, distinguished by a pointed nose that supported a pair of half-framed glasses, were framed by an utterly white robe belted with a black cord.

When they entered the room, the old man moved his eyes up but didn’t change his position in the chair.

"Good day, Master. I'm here to contract a Water Mage to fight a Burrowmaw and irrigate my crops," Julian said with deference as he leaned against the balcony. The old man slowly closed his book and raised his head to look into Julian's eyes.

"You are the son of Lionheart, aren't you?" the old man asked stoically.

"Yes, sir. I'm here to⁠—"

"I have nothing to speak with you," the rainmaker interrupted, opening his book again and staring at the pages as if Julian and Tarav didn't exist.

After analyzing the situation, Julian left the words hanging in the air for a few seconds. It wouldn't be the first time his father had made enemies for no good reason, or possibly his disappearance had caused an issue.

"Sir, my father may have caused an issue," Julian ventured.

"No kidding," the man replied, his eyes still focused on the pages.

"He made some mistakes, but I'm here now to rebuild and help the families under our tutelage."

The man continued reading for half a minute. Julian thought he would never get an answer, but the old man finally spoke.

"Your father didn't pay the last two times we worked for him, son. He always promised and then disappeared, causing us to come up short." The old man threw the book to the counter's far end and locked eyes with Julian. "Look, I'm not a monster. I know how important this is, but I can't drain my guild's mana reserves and be unable to buy food. Things aren't looking good for us either."

Instead of contesting the old man's words, Julian collected his purse from inside his black coat and opened it on the table.

“I’ll pay fifty golden coins.”

The mage's eyes glared with ambition at the sight of the gold. This was way more than they usually received for work like this. The old man outstretched his hands towards the coins.

"You're different from your father, indeed. And you're lucky as well. We only have one mage in town—since I'm retired, and the mage is a Water one," the old man said, his voice tinged with excitement.

Julian extended his hand towards the guild master for a handshake when he heard someone opening the door.

"I'll pay sixty for the mage's service!" A feminine voice with a hard and melodic accent called from behind Julian.

Chapter Three

The woman stormed into the room, crashing the door's handle against the wall with a loud bang. The old mage widened his eyes as Julian turned on his heels to gaze upon the intruder. She had striking curled red hair falling over her shoulders, and her skin, pale as milk, contrasted with her hair and full red lips. Her eyes were narrow and yellow, seeming to hide malicious intent. Julian let his eyes dart from head to toe and realized she was one of the beast folk. This was Julian's second time seeing one of them, but this one left a more significant impression.

She wore a green crop top with a deep valley reaching her cleavage—and even though she didn't possess much to show there, it fitted her perfectly. The cleavage was cut by a fine string between her breasts, connecting to a longbow strapped to her back. Her curves, outlined by the crop and accentuated at the hips, wrapped in black leather pants that bore knives sheathed on her belt. Behind her, her bushy fox tail swayed, and atop her head, her ears twitched, mirroring the intensity of her glare toward Julian and the others.

She looked dangerous, which sparked Julian's eyes for a second until he caught her murderous gaze again.

"My lady—" the old mage began to speak but was cut off by the woman.

"Sixty for the mage," she replied, her fox ears twitching. Julian was sure she had heard their entire conversation on her way to the guild.

"I'm afraid we're already settled," Julian said, looking at the woman, but she had her eyes on the old mage before her. They exchanged glances, the shoulders of the man already drooping. The bastard was about to shrug, Julian thought, and saw some apprehension in Tarav's eyes. "I'm sure we can arrange something. I need the mage today, or my crops will die. When do you need the services?"

The fox woman glanced at Julian with suspicion before replying,

“I need the mage as soon as possible, but I can settle for tomorrow.”

Julian was relieved. He wouldn't need to keep pushing the price up, and everyone would be happy, but the old mage's expression told a different tale,

“Actually … sir, our mage is a Novice. If she works for one of you, she'll probably be depleted of mana for at least two days," the old man said, his expression a mix of both fear and excitement at the prospect of earning coins.

"I'll raise to sixty-five," the woman said with determination, as if they hadn't just almost agreed. Julian couldn't let her take the mage. If he didn't defeat the Burrowmaw today and water the crops, his estate would be no more.

"Seventy," Julian retorted, annoyance taking over.

"Eighty!" she said, slamming her hand against the counter and glaring at Julian.

"I'll pay eight-five," Julian said, determination burning in his eyes. This woman had just made his life way more complicated than it was supposed to be. Her eyes narrowed even further, and Julian felt she could stab him with her glare. He hoped she wouldn't raise the offer to more than one hundred coins, or he would be in a tight spot.

"All right, you can have your mage, human. I'll look for another companion elsewhere," she snorted at him, her tail waving in annoyance. "I hope the mage drowns you."

Julian raised his brows at the comment. The woman took it too personally.

"At least, I'll have a mage to drown me," he replied with a smirk, and the woman threatened to move towards him, expecting Julian to falter, but he remained calm and halted. The same way she entered the room, she spun on her heels and left the building like a Soul Shard falling from the skies.

The door swung shut behind her, and the old butler sighed a long, weary sigh. "Well, that was intense," he muttered. Julian merely nodded, his mind still on the woman.

"She has a fiery spirit, that one. Reminds me of a storm on the horizon—beautiful but dangerous," the old mage commented, all three looking at the door as if another intruder was going to enter crashing through.

"A storm? More like a hurricane in a teacup," Julian muttered, returning his attention to the old mage again. He was chuckling with amusement. "Are you happy, aren't you? Here are the eighty-five," Julian said, getting his second purse and counting out the pieces of gold.

The old man's eyes glared, but lost their brightness as Julian spoke.

"This covers my father's debts with you, and I'll get all the Soul Shards the Burrowmaw drops."

"But—"

"You're free to chase the fox lady if you want to," Julian gambled.

The old man’s face couldn't hide his desire for the coins. Their situation was as dire as the mage had made Julian believe.

The man's hand stretched towards Julian, and they shook on it.

"Written by the Lost Soul," Julian chanted.

"Sealed by the Last One," the old man replied as the grips in their hands became firmer.

"I need the service done as fast as possible," Julian reminded me as he moved away from the counter.

The old mage looked outside from a window close to the door and thought for a few seconds before answering.

"The mage will be there two hours before sunset."

"Perfect," Julian replied as Tarav opened the door for him. As they stepped outside, the old butler patted him on the shoulder.

"Well done, Master."

"Thank you," Julian replied, looking at both sides. Even though he could save the crops, it was a bittersweet victory. The strange woman had made Julian lose money that was just too valuable to him, and that stayed in the back of his mind.

"I have the impression that's not the last time we'll see her," Tarav said as if reading Julian's thoughts. The young man followed the butler's gaze and saw the bushy tail of the beastfolk turning a corner; he caught a glimpse of her back before she turned and went her way.

"She's as gorgeous as she's mad," Julian replied with a sigh as they walked toward their horses.

"I dated a beast folk once, Master," Tarav stated nonchalantly.

"You did?" Julian asked, halting on the spot and stopping Tarav with a hand on his shoulder.

The old butler turned his head to the side. "Yes, once. She was a wolf hybrid. Pretty, fierce, and … completely crazy."

"I bet you liked that part," Julian said with a chuckle. "And what happened?"

"We had a huge argument, and she went back to her home. I was relieved, but I must say, sometimes I miss her," the butler stated, eyes facing the horizon. "What I'm trying to say is… be careful, young master. Beast folk, at best, can be stubborn and, at worst, plain aggressive."

"We'll probably never see her again, Tarav. I don't need to be wary of a curvy fox-lady," Julian replied as he swiftly mounted the horse. Julian couldn't deny that the woman had left an impression on him, but he hadn't the time to spare with it.

"I doubt that, but I respect your opinion, my lord," Tarav said. He also jumped on his horse with speed that still surprised Julian. "We earned a small victory in the city today."

"Let's celebrate when we kill the monster and save the crops," Julian replied, ending the conversation as the horses trotted to the gate.

They kept silent as they rode, and while inside Silverhold, Julian couldn't shake the feeling that a pair of eyes followed every step they made.

Chapter Four

Julian kicked a rock, walked to it, and kicked it again in the opposite direction. With each kick, the Burrowmaw chirped in the distance, and the noise was about to drive Julian crazy.

"Kicking the rocks won't make them arrive earlier, Master," Tarav said. The old butler stood with his hands behind his back, his erect posture enough to make a general envious.

Julian halted, looked at the servant, and was about to protest when he realized the reason behind the older man's words. He walked toward the other and waited at his side, looking at the horizon like the butler.

"In the Academy, everything happened at the same time every day. It was predictable," Julian muttered, his gaze lost in memories.

"A lord's life isn't so predictable, Master. It can be, in the good times, but in the bad times…"

"Each day will be a different surprise," Julian finished for the butler as a cloud of dust appeared at the end of the road, and a horse crossed it with speed. "Finally, the mage is here."

The monster's chirping sound mixed with the horse's as the hooded figure finally became visible. The guest was a hundred feet away when Julian distinguished the mage's figure.

Firstly, he noticed that her hooded cloak fell upon a blue blouse made out of what seemed to be silk; her breasts jumped with each stride of the horse, revealing her discreet cleavage. The woman would've had a hard time hiding her features even without the cleavage. Her pale white skin contrasted perfectly with the tone of her clothes, and she didn't have the skin color of someone who worked outside. She came close and dismounted the horse in a swift motion, revealing her black pants tight around her thighs. Even with her waist as curvy as the rest of her body, it couldn't match her bust. After three years in the Academy, having only male colleagues, Julian's body couldn't help but react to the sight.

She walked carefully in their direction and removed the hood from her head. Julian's jaw almost hit the ground. The curled black hair cut to the shoulders, stark blue eyes, delicate nose, full red lips, and red blushed cheeks were more than recognizable.

“Julian,” she muttered, lowering her head slightly, “I’m sorry. Lord Julian. I am⁠—”

“Liz Bravo.”

"Oh, do you remember me?" she asked, her cheeks burning, the woman suddenly embarrassed. Julian thought she was shy, just like before, but had changed a lot for the better.

“Yes, I do. How's your father?” Julian asked, trying to break the ice and make her more comfortable.

"He's great, Lord Julian. He told me about Tarav's visit earlier." She waved at Tarav, who replied with a gentle smile. "He's glad we can help you rebuild."

"I'm pleased. Let Lord Bravo know that he's more than welcome to visit anytime."

“Thank you, Lord Julian.”

"Call me Julian, please," he replied, and Liz seemed to blush even more. "You're a Water Mage, then? Have you dealt with Burrowmaws before?"

Upon hearing the words, she perked up her head, showing more confidence.

"Not quite, your excellence. I've been a Water Mage for six months, specializing in magical combat. I've never fought a Burrowmaw but fought other creatures and won every time." Her speech made her seem like a new person, more confident and determined. Julian was still determining which version he preferred.

"Let's kill the creature, then. Every second we lose, the monster eats more of my crops." Julian waited for Liz to tie her horse before they headed towards the creature's sound. They entered the fields, and the corn crops towered over them, making visibility terrible. They had to rely on their hearing, and as they walked, the loud chirping increased by the second.

"What's the plan, Lord Julian?" Liz asked behind him.

Julian was about to reinforce his request for her to call him simply by Julian, but realized it wasn't worth it. He couldn't just strip off the nobility, even for someone who was his childhood friend. Like Liz's father, he was a Lord now, and the sooner Julian got accustomed to the idea, the better.

"Tarav and I will act as bait for the monster, and when he's engaged in the fight with us, you'll—" Julian halted on the spot as he realized the creature's chirping had disappeared. The last time he heard it, it was at least one hundred feet away, but it had stopped in the previous seconds.

Julian unsheathed his sword and Tarav positioned himself in a fighting stance. The butler carried the spear he had used to fight his master earlier that day, his face full of determination.

Julian waved for Liz to get behind them, and they waited patiently for the creature to resume its chirping. After a few tense moments, the beast started to pollute the air with its terrible cry. I have no idea how Tarav slept all these days with this noise.

"When the monster is distracted, you'll tear through its defenses with your magic, and we will rush it. As soon as the armor falls, you can use all you have." he looked over his shoulder and saw Liz nodding. "The guild master told you I will remain with the Soul Shards?"

Once again, she nodded positively and showed no problems with that. "I’m aware and know that I still need to prove myself as a mage. I'll take every opportunity I can get."

"Good," Julian muttered, pleased to have someone with the right mindset at his back. Tarav also seemed delighted with Liz's words and even exchanged glances with his master with a smirk. "What?"

"Nothing," the old butler said, recoiling his smile, and for a few moments, it seemed that that was all he was going to say, "it's just good to see you two reunited."

It was Julian’s turn to blush, and he didn't need to look at Liz to know she was experiencing a similar situation. For a few moments, the young Lord returned to his childhood, where situations like this one were frequent. He needed something to break the ice immediately and was almost glad when the monster stopped chirping in the distance.

They all halted and waited for the creature to return to its cry, but instead, they heard the ground moving, a sudden rumbling heading right for them.

"Back!" Julian shouted as they started to run back to the middle of the plantation and away from the trembling ground. Their efforts came up short when the creature erupted between them. Julian and Tarav fell to one side and Liz to the other as the Burrowmaw flew into the skies, its pairs of legs chopping the air.

Julian rolled to his back with the sword at his side as he locked eyes with the creature. The Burrowmaw was similar to a grasshopper, but it had the size of a cow and the murderous eyes of a predator. The orange gaze of the creature gleamed with a threatening aura as it hovered close to the ground. The two front legs of the beast were as sharp as a razor blade at the end. Its whole body was wrapped in a brownish exoskeleton that looked like the armor of a mighty and dirty knight.

They had no time to lose and needed to implement their plan. Thus, Julian and Tarav rushed towards the creature, which was about to turn in Liz's direction. The Burrowmaw couldn't suspect their plan, or it would bury itself in the ground, and they would lose their opportunity to attack.

Tarav thrust his spear towards the beast's face with a powerful movement, but the creature dropped to the ground, making the butler miss, instead coming eye to eye with the sharp blades at the tip of its front legs. Julian pulled Tarav back by the edge of his clothes before the blades eviscerated the butler. The two tumbled back onto the ground, Julian recovering quickly and examining the creature again, which began to pace around them.

It seemed like the monster was measuring them as much as they were measuring it.

Creatures with Soul Shards were naturally more intelligent, but they were creatures nonetheless, and Julian could rely on that. He rushed towards the monster, who replied with a swing of its two blades, intercepted and deflected by Julian's sword. His Academy weapon remained reliable as ever in the tense situation, shoving the monster away as they fought for space.

The young Lord looked over the creature's shoulder and saw Liz preparing herself to perform her magic. She had both hands touching the ground as she uttered magic words, channeling a spell. It wasn't common for Julian to see magic in action, but he hadn’t the time to contemplate it as the monster gave up trying to cut him with its razor legs and decided to try to bite his head off.

Julian ducked the strike, the monster's teeth whooshing through the air as Tarav rushed to back him up, thrusting his spear into the monster's mouth. Still, instead of hurting the creature, the weak spearhead snapped inside the maw, and the beast ate both the shaft and the head of the spear, its sharp and pointed teeth consuming the weapon as if it were merely roots of corn.

Tarav and Julian scrambled back as the monster repositioned itself.

"Hellish creature," Julian gritted his teeth in frustration before he saw Liz finally raising the water from the ground. The liquid formed a perfect sphere in front of her—at least the same size as the monster, if not bigger. The ground around the mage became dry, cracked, and yellow, as if she had sucked every drop of water from it.

Julian locked eyes with the mage as the monster prepared to jump on its hind legs, and they nodded. The water ball flew towards the creature as Julian sprinted with his blade raised high in the sky.

The creature came swinging its two razor legs again like an enormous pair of scissors. But instead of striking, Julian dodged to the side, and at the exact same moment, the ball of water hit the monster. The Burrowmaw hissed to the skies, its gurgled chirp echoing through the plantation as Julian closed the gap between him and the enemy.

The monster dropped, both from the impact of the magic and the pain of its exoskeleton melting onto the ground.

With a downward strike, Julian hit the creature at the top of the head, in a spot between two pieces of the disintegrating armor. On the first strike, he felt it hitting hard as a rock, but on the second, the blade connected with flesh, and green blood erupted from the Burrowmaw’s wounds.

The creature turned to the side, swinging its blade, and Julian felt it grazing his shirt and touching his skin. His sharp senses and speed, trained at the Academy, were the only things between his survival and his organs being splattered on the ground.

Another burst of magic hit the creature at its underbelly, this time a piercing water strike. Julian saw more blood pouring as the creature's legs thrashed on the spot, its wings flapped, trying to lift it but encountering resistance on the dirty floor due to its side position.

Julian struck with his sword again and was again met by the razor blades. He dodged and deflected the strikes as the creature tried to lift and defend itself simultaneously. The monster lashed out, aiming to tire Julian, but the Julian was full of determination and battle lust. He struck at a different angle, leaving himself vulnerable for a moment. It could have been dangerous if the creature had hit him first, but the Julian was faster and stronger at that moment. The Burrowmaw lost one of its legs with the strike.

The creature chirped with pain but could not keep up with Julian's rhythm. After a second wave of water hit the monster, Julian thrust his short sword just beneath the Burrowmaw's jaw and felt it entering the monster's brain. He twisted it and heard a crack. Julian had to jump over the creature's body to dodge a last strike from the beast, probably made by an involuntary muscular spasm.

Julian stood there on the side of the monster as Tarav and Liz approached slowly. All he could hear were their steps, the wind clasping against the crops, and his breath.

“That was incredible!” Liz finally said, her eyes wide as the monster started to disintegrate.

Chapter Five

The Burrowmaw turned to dust in seconds, or at least most of it. The limb Julian had severed from the creature remained on the ground, untouched by the disintegrating magic. Julian's sword dropped—broken near the tip, making the young Lord snort in frustration. However, his annoyance was short-lived, as two bright shapes appeared where the monster had been.

Julian approached the small, circular shapes on the ground and crouched to inspect them.

"So this is what a Burrowmaw’s Soul Shard looks like," he muttered, while Liz and Tarav moved towards him and did the same.

"Beautiful, isn't it, master?" Tarav asked, his eyes gleaming.

"I remember the first one I got; it was as beautiful as these two."

Julian stretched his hand towards the objects and grasped one with a shaking hand. The battlelust slowly faded from Julian's body as he contemplated the magic relics. They were perfectly round and shone with an intense, ever-moving blue hue, like mist swirling inside them.

"A piece of the Lost Soul, can you believe it?" Julian asked, turning to face Tarav, who simply nodded.

"It is what it is," the butler replied. "You showed incredible skill here today, Master. Congratulations."

Julian gently stashed the two Soul Shards in his coat and stood up, already turning towards the manor.

"Aren't you going to consume them?" Liz asked from behind, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Not now," Julian replied, but deep within, he wasn't sure if he ever would. "Do you still have mana, Liz?"

"Yes, I used only half of it,"

"Good, I'll wait for you at the manor." He turned his head to look at the girl and, with a smile, he added, "Great job with the magic."

Liz blushed once more and muttered something, which Julian interpreted as a 'Thank you,' and moved on to the farm with Tarav two steps behind.

Julian could sense the old butler wished to say something, but he remained silent on the manor's stairs. As they reached the top, both leaned against the doorway and watched what seemed to be rainfall upon the crops. Upon closer inspection, Julian could see the water from inside the crops moving to the skies and falling again over the plantation. It was much faster than Liz's canalization—she created the water instead of re-utilizing it from a different source.

"I'll never cease to be impressed by what magic can do," Tarav said with a nostalgic tone.

"It's rather impressive, indeed," Julian replied, his gaze shifting towards his damaged short sword. The blade had been a good companion for the last few years and was now torn apart. Still, this loss was less significant than their victory today.

Tarav seemed to follow Julian's eyes to the broken blade and finally voiced his thoughts.

"Your mother was a great swordswoman, and her magical powers were incredible⁠—"

"I'm aware she is all that."

"I wonder which power you'll awaken when you use a bracelet for the first time," Tarav paused, measuring his following words. Julian would have preferred if he had said nothing more. "Maybe it's time for you to use her sword and bracelet, Master. You could've used them today."

"I didn't need them to kill the creature." Julian snorted, his gaze returning to the horizon, his patience slowly thinning.

"Indeed. You did amazingly; your mother and father would be proud. I certainly am."

"Thank you, Tarav. I train every day to face situations like this one. I'm ready to defend our house and name."

"That's why I think it's time,"

"She'll come back!" Julian snapped, staring at Tarav with burning determination. "When she does, she'll need her weapons."

Upon locking gazes with Tarav, the young Lord could see the pain in the old butler's eyes. He didn't believe his mother would return; deep down, Julian was afraid he felt the same.

"I'm sorry, Master. No offense was intended." Tarav bowed his head respectfully and maintained the position for some time.

Julian sighed deeply. "No offense taken," he replied earnestly, watching Liz's figure approaching in the distance. The sun was finally setting on the horizon, and the busiest day of Julian's life was about to end. Even with the bitterness of seeing his home close to destruction and facing hurtful memories, Julian was more than content. They still had immense work to do, but with the water Liz had spread through the plantation, he was sure he was on the right path to making his home great again.

"Tomorrow, I want to see some of the workers who left. We'll make them know the Lionheart house is being reconstructed," Julian said with a smile, and Tarav replied similarly.

"That's a great plan, my lord. We'll need some hands to harvest the crops."

Julian started to descend the steps to meet Liz halfway. The woman was completely soaked, her silky blouse clinging to her breasts, making it almost transparent. Julian's eyes darted from her hard nipples to her eyes as fast as he could, but she caught his gaze and instantly covered her breasts. She was blushing again, damn it!

Liz turned towards her horse and unstrapped a bag, rummaging through it with her back to Julian. Finally, she found the clothes she was looking for and looked at Julian with her cheeks still red.

"Can you show me a place to change clothes, Lord Julian?." She stared at the ground, and Julian did what he could to remain stoic and respectful. Considering Liz's shyness, it was better if he didn't apologize or mention anything to avoid further embarrassment.

"Follow me Liz." he gestured, and she followed him, still covering her breasts. Julian pointed her to his mother's chambers and watched her hurry to the room as fast as she could. The young Lord turned on his heels, dropped onto the couch close to the fireplace, and sighed deeply.

"You two are still the same," Tarav said with a slight chuckle.

"Speak your mind, Tarav," Julian waved his hand and wished the old butler to finish the conversation as soon as possible.

"Oh, Master … I saw how you two behaved as kids. Everyone saw,"

"Everyone?"

"It wasn't a secret to anyone that you two had a crush on each other as kids. And as I can see, some things don't change with time."

Julian watched Tarav for a couple of seconds as the words sank in. In truth, the old butler didn't know half of it, but the young Lord wasn't about to explain himself to him.

"Please, behave yourself. Don't embarrass her; we aren't kids anymore."

"I apologize, Master. The last time we saw each other, you were still one. This is new for me as well. Excuse me,"

As Julian nodded, the older man swiftly moved to the kitchen. As soon as the butler crossed the doorway, Julian heard Liz descending the stairs.

"Thanks for the hospitality, I must go now⁠—"

"Nonsense, take a seat. We have a lot to catch up on," Julian said, getting up and gesturing for her to sit in one of the chairs.

Liz sat opposite Julian and clasped her hands between her legs. She wore a simple wool dress that reached her knee and was belted below her breasts. It was simple and elegant and accentuated her curves.

"Are those your mother's…?" she began, not finishing the sentence, her eyes fixating on the heirlooms above Julian's head. Why does everyone want to talk about this today?

"Yes, they are," Julian said with a sigh.

"I can't imagine how hard this has been for you, Lord Julian. Losing your mother and father like this…"

"They might still be alive," Julian muttered, more to himself than to the girl. He was almost sure his father was still alive, having just made another terrible decision. Still, his mother … he had no idea what happened. All Julian had was hope.

"Yes, they might be. I'm hoping they are."

"You used all your mana?" Julian asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, unfortunately. Still, I'm getting better at meditating to replenish my mana reserves. By the end of tomorrow or the beginning of the next day, it will be full.

"Oh, that's great. I thought Novices took up to three days to recover all their mana."

"Yes, a one-shard novice can take that long to recover, but I already have three shards and meditate for an hour daily; if I do more, I can even replenish it all. As soon as I get a new shard, my mana recovery will skyrocket," Liz said, her enthusiasm bubbling over, her eyes brightening with excitement.

"I'm happy for you, Liz. You always told me you wanted to be a mage; it's good to see you made it," Julian said, feeling the shards weighing in his pocket. He felt somewhat guilty about taking them for himself when he wasn't sure when he would use them or even if he would awaken any power. As if reading his thoughts, she said,

"You're now on the road to becoming a great mage! You already have two shards. What power did you awaken?"

"None."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She leaned back, starting to show embarrassment again, and Julian waved both hands in a calming gesture.

"I haven't tried yet. I'm still to be initiated," Julian said and saw her eyes dart towards the bracelet over the fireplace and then to her own. Liz's was silver with blue carvings along it, simulating the course of a river. "Doesn't feel right," Julian said, looking at the heirlooms above him.

"I see … Your mother was a great fire mage, and I'm sure she would be proud if you used her bracelet."

Julian agreed with everything, yet the idea pained his heart immensely. Grabbing that sword and putting on that bracelet would mean his mother wouldn't return, and he wasn't ready to face that.

"I must go; my father is probably waiting for me for dinner," she said with a smile and got up. "I'm glad you're back, my lord."

"I'm glad you're still here in this forgotten place," he said, walking beside her towards the door.

"I told you I was going nowhere," she said, almost in a whisper, and Julian's heart skipped a beat. He searched for her eyes, but a loud sound came from the horizon before he could meet them. Julian hastened his steps and descended the steps of the mansion.

A gigantic cloud of dust whirled at a distance, forming what seemed to be a dust tempest, and it was coming from the same direction as the Bravo's farm. Julian rushed towards Liz's horse and dragged it to the broken stables. The place was a mess, but it could still protect the beast. Liz watched everything with knowing eyes.

"I should've left as soon as we were done. I didn't expect to overstay your hospitality."

"You’re far from doing that, Liz. It's okay. If the tempest passes, you can go home. If not, Tarav will make the arrangements, and you can sleep in my mother’s chambers."

Liz seemed to want to protest, but soon decided that was for the best.

"All right, then. Tell me everything about your years at the Academy."

Chapter Six

Julian told Liz everything. He spoke about his sword classes, the friends he had made, and the tutors he had liked and those he hadn't. She was most curious about the city of Finnar. For someone who had lived all her life in a barony, living in a town close to the duke's home was almost alien.

Unfortunately, Julian didn't have much to tell her about the city. Yes, he had ventured there a few times and seen magic used to build houses. He observed caravans of elves and races he had never witnessed before, but the times he had seen those marvels, he could count on the fingers of one hand.

"They kept us under a short leash. The fools thought we would escape, search for pleasure, and stain our houses," Julian said bitterly.

“And did you?” The words seemed to escape Liz’s mouth as she covered it with one hand.

Julian smiled at the girl's lack of control. "Of course not," he said with determination. "I was there to fulfill my duty as a noble son and learn as much as possible." He had envied one or two friends who had escaped for a night; that was true, but the Julian was proud of who he was. When Julian felt tempted, he would train. When his mind deviated, he would study. Those were his last hard years, but they had molded him into who he was now, and Julian was proud of himself.

"And you? What have you been up to?" Julian asked with enthusiasm. Outside, they could already hear the tempest getting close and the wind blowing against the walls of the old farmhouse.

"Everything is the same, just as you left it. I'm working as hard as possible to be a combat mage and travel the world, and my father wants me to find a husband of a higher station than us," she said.

"And what do you feel about that?"

"I feel outraged, of course!" she snapped in a burst of determination and then chuckled with one hand on her mouth. "Honestly, I don't blame Father … the taxes are increasing, the land is getting drier, and the mines are becoming more dangerous over time. He's preoccupied with our future, but thinks the solution relies only on marriage."

"I thought you were pro-marriage," Julian said, raising one brow, and the girl became as red as ever.

"I … am," she stuttered, breathed deeply, and continued, "Being a mage was my dream, and if I’m supposed to be in an arranged marriage, I prefer to help my family by selling my magic, conquering Soul Shards, and earning coins."

"That's very brave." Julian locked eyes with Liz and remembered why he had admired her all those years ago. She had a fire burning inside her, the kind that makes things change, and he enjoyed seeing it.

"Excuse me," Tarav said from the doorway, looking at the horizon stoically, "dinner is ready."

For a moment, Julian felt a shiver run through his body. He had gotten so entangled in their conversation that he had forgotten about food. The young Lord wasn't sure if they had any, and this thought made his belly grumble angrily. Tarav invited them to follow him, and as they did, Julian saw two plates with a beautiful and greasy soup waiting for them above the dinner table.

"I apologize for the simplicity; we are still figuring things out," Julian said, dragging a chair for Liz to sit. She smiled at him with her stark blue eyes and faced the food.

"It looks amazing," she said as Julian sat before her.

The soup seemed to be potatoes, carrots, onions, and a meat Julian couldn't identify from the get-go. Jet was in the corner of the room enjoying her soup plate, alternating between licking her food and wet paws.

"We still had one chicken. I was saving it for a special occasion. It seemed fit," Tarav said as he returned to the kitchen.

"Sit with us, Tarav. We can only celebrate today because of your hard work," Julian said, waving one hand at Tarav and pointing to the chair beside him.

The butler flinched one step but decided otherwise.

"All right, I'll join." The butler returned to the kitchen, grabbed a plate, and sat with them to eat. They were all smiles and laughs as they savored the excellent food.

Tarav shared stories of their childhood, and Julian was glad none were embarrassing. The older man remembered the day Julian fought with the baron's son when Liz was lost in the crops, and Julian found her. Still, mostly, he told several stories about Lady Lionheart.

"I told you about the day I met your parents, Julian?"

The young Lord stared at the butler for a couple of seconds, trying to recollect his memories, but he realized he hadn't heard that story yet. "Surprisingly, no," Julian replied, adjusting himself in the chair and looking at Tarav with interest. Liz did the same on the other side of the table.

"There's not much to it, honestly. Still, it's quite important to me," the old butler sighed and continued, "I was in a tough spot when I met them. I was trying to do the right thing, and my stupid self at the time decided that the right thing to do was to conquer a goblin dungeon alone and gather all the rewards for myself. I couldn't do much with the soul shards since I never awakened any magical affinity. Still, the baron of my hometown set a reward, and I desperately needed both the coin and to earn some respect back at home."

Julian and Liz looked at the older man with deep interest; Tarav had been a frequent companion in their lives for their lifetime. He cared for Julian when his parents were away and was always kind and generous with Liz when she came to play with him. The young Lord had heard one or two stories about the butler before, like the one he told earlier that day. Still, this story seemed almost too personal, as if Tarav was revealing an entirely new side of himself.

"It wasn't a surprise when I was captured inside the dungeon by some cunning goblins, not the civilized type we see in the market from time to time, but the savage ones—the ones who capture you to eat later. I was able to kill two of the little bastards before a bigger one hit me on the head. When I woke up, I was in the dark and remained there for an eternity. I discovered I had spent three days down there, hearing their diabolical laughs while I was tied up in a dark corner."

“And how did my parents enter the equation?” Julian asked with immense curiosity.

"With fire and steel, of course. The first thing I saw clearly in the three days I was inside was your mother's flame burning in the dark. For a moment, I thought I was going to go blind, but instead, I was saved!" the old butler said enthusiastically. "Your mother with her sword and your father with his hammer opened the way to find me. They were blurs of magic, strength, and speed inside that forgotten place. The other members of your parents' party also helped. Still, they were only shadows compared to the mighty power of the Lionhearts."

Wow, it was everything Julian could think of. He knew his parents had been great adventurers before they settled down. Still, Tarav pictured them more heroically than they did themselves.

“In a matter of seconds, I was saved. It was after that I discovered your mother and father had decided to help me, despite the baron and some of their party members being against it. ‘Why help a petty thief? He’s probably already dead,’ was what the others said, but your mother convinced your father, and with their kind act, they changed my life forever. I pledged my loyalty to them ever since, I joined them on many adventures before they decided to settle down here,” Tarav finished with a sigh and a nostalgic smile.

“So, you used to steal chickens?” Julian asked.

“That’s what you got out of the story, master?” Tarav asked with frustration, and Julian chuckled.

"I'm just jesting, Tarav. I don't care what you used to do like my parents didn't. I know who you are, and that's all that matters." Julian put one hand on Tarav's shoulder and smiled.

“You’re just like her,” the older man muttered with moist eyes.

"She was a great adventurer, a slayer of monsters, and a great mage. I am just the new Lord of Lionheart; I don't have her powers⁠—"

"You didn't understand, Master," Tarav interrupted with pain in his eyes. "It wasn't the sword, the bracelet, the amount of soul shards, or anything else that gave your mother her abilities. Her heart, good nature, and courage were always in the right place."

They locked gazes for several seconds before the older man continued, "You have all that, son. You don't need to be afraid; you can be a good Lord as your father was, but you can also become a fearsome warrior as your mother was. Weapons and magic are just the instruments."

Julian let the words sink in as he changed his glance towards Liz, who had a tear slowly traveling down her cheek. She nodded to the Lord as if she agreed with everything Tarav said.

"I'll think about it," Julian said as he stood up. "Today was hard but good, and we all need some rest. Can I show you to your room, Liz?"

They walked up the stairs with Jet at their ankles the whole time. When they reached the door to Liz's room, Julian extended his hand towards Liz's and kissed it gently.

"I missed you," he said, looking into her eyes.

She reddened her face but didn't deviate her gaze. "I missed you as well, my lord. I hope you stay in Silverhold this time."

"Me too," he replied as she slowly entered the room and placed one hand on the door. A big part of Julian wanted to extend their conversation for more time, but she slowly closed the door and said goodbye with a gentle smile. Julian would give her the time she needed; he knew that was the least he could do after everything that had happened before he left. With a sigh, the Lord turned on his heels, looked at his room, and decided to go down the stairs instead.

Julian had promised he would think about what Tarav had said and think he did. He lost track of time as he stood before the fireplace, staring at the bracelet and the sword, wondering if he deserved to carry his family legacy, where his mother and father were, and how he would solve all his problems.

The young Lord was confident in his plan; he had enough to pay his debts when the harvest was concluded, but he still needed to solve the dungeon problem and restructure the manor. It was a lot for him to do, but he knew it was possible with Tarav at his side and maybe Liz as well.

When he heard the creaking sound outside, sleep had sunk in hours ago. He thought it could be the winds of the storm still punishing the old manor and almost fell asleep again on the comfortable couch. Then he smelled the unmistakable stench of burning plants and heard the laughs echoing. Someone was burning the crops.

Chapter Seven

"Bandits!" Julian called out for Liz and Tarav to hear. The young lord opened the door with all the force he could muster, but couldn’t see anyone on the other side. The downed gates only showed him the fire burning at the far end of the plantation. Julian could hear horse hooves running through the crops, screams, and laughter echoing through the air. The wind flapped his coat when he turned his back to the room again; he could already hear the others moving down the stairs.

In the corner, Julian’s academy sword stood leaning against the wall. With the tip broken, the blade wouldn’t serve. He looked above the fireplace and decided on the spot; he had no more time to think. He would do it after he had dealt with the bandits threatening his estate.

The young man grabbed the sword with one hand and saw the flames in the distance glimmering against the two-edged blade. He didn’t need to test it to know it was perfectly sharp. The weapon would be perfect for thrusting and cutting, as he liked it. He sheathed the sword on his belt, and the prominent pommel seemed as simple as any other blade, but the red rock in the middle gave the weapon a regal aspect.

Julian collected the simple silver bracelet from the wall and, without a second thought, slipped it onto his left arm. The metal was cold as the wind outside, but as soon as it came into contact with his skin, Julian felt his mind racing and a hot shiver run through his body. While he waited for it to pass, he realized it wasn’t going to. It was like he was being hit by lightning repeatedly, but it was bearable; in fact, it felt good. He was full of energy, proving that he had awakened some power inside him.

And the power commanded him into battle and yearned to be tested. Julian had to muster all the will in his body to refrain and wait for the others, as his mana was probably as low as any other novice's, and he couldn’t afford to lose any drop of it.

Tarav and Liz rushed down the stairs, the woman with a dagger in one hand and the butler with a second spear, looking much more fragile than the one he lost in the crops.

"Bandits are burning the crops. You don’t have to help, but I would appreciate your assistance, Liz," Julian said, locking eyes with her.

"I’ll help you. I spent the last three hours meditating; I have some mana back."

"Perfect, use this too," Julian said, handing her one of the Soul Shards he had gotten from the Burrowmaw.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes,"

"And me, master?" Tarav asked eagerly.

"I want you to go to the balcony in my room and give us directions. I don’t want surprises; your position and commands will give us an edge. Just don’t lose track of us."

"Right!" Tarav said, grasping his spear with strength. "You can do it, master." He looked at Julian’s sword and bracelet, but was wise enough not to say anything. He only nodded and went upstairs.

When Julian turned to Liz, she put the Soul Shard in her mouth and cracked it with her teeth. When the sound of cracked glass became audible, a bright blue mist exploded from her mouth, making her blue eyes shine and her hair flap. It was as if a rush of energy had just hit her.

"Wow,"

"Do the same. Whatever power you awakened will be stronger with the Soul Shard."

"How do you know I awakened something?"

"I just know. Look at me. Do you see anything different?"

Julian looked at the girl and realized she was indeed different. She somehow glowed now. Her skin looked brighter, her lips bluer, and she radiated energy. Julian had no idea she could be more gorgeous, but magic made it possible. He nodded at her, glad he could discern magic users from non-users with a close inspection, and then he ate his Soul Shard.

With one sound bite, the ball of energy melted in his mouth. He felt immense euphoria washing over his body; the power racing through his veins was overwhelming, and for a couple of seconds, all he could see was blue. He wanted to run and fight.

"The first time can be a little too much, but you'll get used to it."

"Interesting," he finally managed to say after catching his breath. "Let's go."

They stormed through the doorway and into the courtyard. As soon as they stepped above the wooden gate, they heard Tarav's voice.

"There are six, master! One is on horseback, and the other five on foot. Three are coming in your direction on the right side of the crops; the others are far on the left."

Julian waved a signal of understanding to Tarav, not wanting to speak aloud anymore, and then hushed Liz.

"Follow my lead, attack the enemies first, then use the water to stop the fire. We need to be quick," Julian moved towards the right side, where three foes were supposed to be waiting for them. Liz gripped her dagger tightly as she moved close by.

Julian occasionally looked towards the manor, catching glimpses of Tarav pointing to one point or another. The crops towered over them, and the moonlight rivaled the distant firelight. The Lord's steps were measured and calculated; he wanted to rely on the surprise effect. Hence, he remained silent and waited between each step.

After a couple of minutes, Julian heard movement on the horizon. The crops crackled with the wind and the walk of three men; they hacked and slashed through the plantation as if they wanted to destroy the crops.

What the hell are they gaining with this? Julian asked himself as he waved one hand for Liz to halt. Then the steps got closer. Julian could see twenty feet away one of the bandits swinging a short sword against the plants, his eyes glimmering in the moonlight. They hadn’t spotted Julian or Liz yet, and for a moment, the young Lord thought about using his new magic to attack them, but he couldn’t risk it. If he had a fire affinity like his mother, he could put everything at risk, mainly since the Soul Shard energy fueled him.

The enemy wore a dark mask covering his nose and mouth and was wrapped in black leather clothes. He had violence in his eyes and attacked the crops as if they were his enemy. Julian’s heart filled with anger when they came within fifteen steps; soon, the crops wouldn't hide them, and they would have to take action.

Julian prepared to rush by counting down from three to one with one hand and gazing into Liz's eyes.

Three…

"Let’s finish this. I want to go home," the bandit said at the end of the line.

Two…

"We're not going to go home until we finish this," the second said.

One…

"We'll only go home when I see all the spots burned," the third snorted.

Julian rushed at the first enemy with speed and strength, unsheathing the blade and swinging it in a single movement as he closed the distance. The enemy had no chance to deflect or dodge, and the Lord’s sword opened a massive gash on the man’s chest, crossing the shoulder and hitting the throat. This one wouldn't see any spot burning—whatever he meant by that.

The second one gasped for air as he saw his companion falling to the ground and lifted his sword to deflect Julian's downward swing. The enemy shoved the Lord’s blade to the side with difficulty but couldn't dodge the flying dagger hurled at his neck. The blade didn't stick but cut a deep gash on the side. The man fell back, and Julian pressed, but the third one came to the aid of his friend.

Before Julian could finish the second enemy, the third one—who wished to go home—swung towards the young Lord’s shoulder, and Julian deflected it at the last second. This one had more time to see the fight and wasn't as surprised, so he kept swinging, not wanting to lose momentum. Julian kept deflecting and gazing at the second enemy, slowly getting up.

Liz's magic came in a small but powerful burst of water. A ball hit the enemy in the face, and some splattered on Julian's face, but it wasn’t enough to make him lose concentration. The young Lord connected his sword with the man’s chest in a powerful thrust and felt it piercing skin, flesh, and muscle. He kicked the dead enemy away as the second rushed in with his neck bleeding.

The bandit swung his blade, and Julian dodged to the side with ease, the enemy’s movements severely slowed by the shock and blood loss. He kept coming, but Julian only retreated until he found a good angle to strike. When the enemy struck downward, the young Lord dodged to the side and swung in a counterattack, slashing both shoulder and chest. The man fell to the ground, his sword dropping at his side. The three lay on the ground, two dead, and the third on the way to it. Julian kicked the enemy's sword away as the man grunted on the ground and started moving.

Julian realised that Liz was still frozen close to the bodies, looking at them with wide eyes

"Come, Liz!" Julian called, and she seemed to wake from her trance as she locked eyes with him. Close to one of the enemies lay a torch, and its flames started to spread on the crops.

"The magic," Julian pleaded, and she started putting out the fires nearby, but the light grew brighter and brighter in the distance.

It took only two minutes for her to clear the whole right side of the plantation. The enemies on the left hadn’t signaled that they heard the fight, but Julian couldn’t count on the surprise factor anymore. They were still three left; he needed to end this soon, or the crops would be doomed.

Julian rushed towards the road in the middle of the crops and glanced at Tarav. The butler pointed violently to Julian's side, and the Lord had only time to lift his sword and deflect the attack from his right.

One of the bandits aimed an axe at Julian's head. The Lord’s instincts and combat speed prevented him from being beheaded. The enemy pressed again, slashing at Julian's stomach. The young lord stepped back and used the enemy's momentum to attack its arm. The strike wasn't strong enough to sever the attacker's arm, but it hit a tendon, and the limb fell to the side unusable. The sword hit the ground. The shock on the enemy's face would be forever registered in Julian's memory. Before he could finish the foe, the last bandit on foot came swinging from the same direction. Julian stepped back again, and Liz intercepted the bandit with her water magic before he could strike Julian.

She hit the man with a ball of water, but this one engulfed the enemy's head, like a helm, but made entirely of water. They watched in awe as the bandit thrashed and searched for air, but only encountered water entering his lungs. As soon as he fell to the ground, Liz undid the spell. Julian wasn't sure if he was dead, but he didn't care. The third one on horseback rode down the road with a torch at his side, setting fire to the crops and rushing in their direction, probably not seeing his two defeated companions on the side of the road.

Dust rose along with the fire above the crops, and Julian rushed towards the enemy. It was time for him to use his new power, whatever it was. The sight of the bandit setting his plantation ablaze urged the power to free itself from his body.

Julian pointed his left arm towards the enemy and concentrated on the rush of energy he felt traveling through his whole body. He wasn’t sure if he needed to say something; all he knew about magic was that the user could use words to make it more specific, but it demanded more will and energy than actual knowledge.

Hence, with each step the horse took closer to Julian, he felt his left arm grow warmer. He could even see the tips of his fingers turning red by the second.

Is it fire magic? He thought in the last second as a burst of energy left the tips of his fingers and the palm of his hand. Like a gigantic whip, a blue light extended, and Julian swung it toward the enemy.

The energy rope struck the bandit, dropping him and the horse to the ground. The crackling of his skull was the loudest sound Julian had heard that day. The horse struggled to get up again, tottered and then rushed into the distance. Julian didn’t need to look closely at the enemy to know he was dead.

He stared at the whip of energy as it disintegrated in the air. He had no idea what he had just done, but it was not fire magic. Liz was again in shock, but he didn’t need to call her to action this time. As soon as she looked at him, she rushed towards the fire and started to make water fall from the skies.

Julian slowly realized his hands were shaking, and a good portion of the energy he felt in his body had dissipated. Tarav walked down the road to find him with giant strides. The young lord watched his hands slowly return to normal as the butler touched his shoulder, almost making him jump.

"Calm down, master. It's me," the butler said in a gentle tone.

"I killed them," Julian said in a hush.

"These two are alive," the old butler said, looking at the maimed one and the other coughing water. "You did good, my Lord."

Julian looked at the butler and the fallen enemies and breathed deeply.

"I know," he finally replied as Liz approached them. The fire had already stopped. For all Julian could see, they had probably lost about twenty percent of the crops. It wasn’t as bad as it could've been, but it was still bad enough to make him reevaluate his plans.

"Bring the horses and ropes, Tarav," Julian said, and the butler did as ordered.

They didn’t take long to tie the dead to one horse, and the wounded to the second. The third animal—the one Liz had brought and now provided to Julian—was empty.

With a severe expression and a hissed tone, Julian said to Tarav, "Take them to the city guard and explain the situation. Ensure everyone in Silverhold knows what happens when someone enters my land."

Chapter Eight

Julian sat in the hall again, contemplating the bracelet that rested on his arm instead of its pride of place above the fireplace. He assessed the situation while waiting for Liz to return from the bathroom. Julian had collected water for her from the well and prepared a bath for the mage; she wanted to clean herself from the dirt and blood, and the young Lord helped her.

For all he could see, this was the first time she had fought humans and killed some. Julian was somewhat prepared for that. His mother and father always warned him about the possibility of war with another country or an internal conflict between different barons. Lionheart had sworn an oath to the King and the Strazz baron. They needed to be available in case of a conflict, and in conflicts, people died like flies.

However, being aware of the possibility differed from being in real action. Julian sighed deeply while he waited. Tarav was probably already getting back to the farm, and Liz was either still bathing or had already gone to bed. It was the middle of the night, and horse hooves could be heard in the distance. Julian walked towards the door and opened it, fearing it was more bandits coming to avenge their friends. Julian was just too tired to fight, but he would anyway.

In the distance, the silhouette of three horses quickly approached the house. Julian left the door open and waited for Tarav to enter the manor.

The older man was tired but remained stoic as he was used to being in tense situations. Some part of Julian wished he had been the one going to Silverhold to deliver the bandits, but he couldn't leave Liz alone in the house after the traumatic experience.

As soon as the old butler entered the room, Liz descended the staircase quickly. Julian remained seated with one hand on his chin.

"So?"

"The city guard's captain had his jaw on the floor when I delivered the bandits. More than a couple of people appeared at the windows to hear the gruntings and my words,"

"Which were?"

"The Lionheart Manor Lord is back, and he’ll not tolerate disrespect towards himself or his estate. There will be no mercy for the next one who trespasses."

"Perfect," Julian said, sighing and leaning against the padded chair. "we need to think about the next step, Tarav. We can't rely only on the crops to pay the debts, even with the damage not being so severe. We need a security margin, and the bandits just burned part of it."

"Indeed,"

Liz slowly sat beside Julian in a nearby chair and remained there with her eyes on the ground. Julian extended one hand towards her and grabbed one of hers. That simple act uplifted the girl, who smiled and glanced up into his eyes. He tried to give her some confidence, and she seemed to understand, sitting straighter.

"About the mine. We need to make it functional as soon as possible," Julian said. He tried to remove his hand from Liz's grip gently, but the woman pressed it. He let it stay there, giving her the comfort she needed.

"As I said before, first, we need to clear the dungeon, which is infested with goblins, and then we'll need the workers back on it. Silverhold is short on workforce; we would probably need to contract from other employers, and people will not just come back on the promise of good fortune. We need to show them something," Tarav said grimly.

Julian let the words sink in as he tried to figure something out.

"Do goblins have soul shards?" Julian asked Liz.

"Some of them do, but the majority don’t."

"So, we need to take the risk of clearing the dungeon, and the prospect of getting profit from it is uncertain?" Julian shook his head negatively. "Doesn’t seem like the best deal,"

Other ideas started circulating in Julian's head as he thought about what else he could do. Perhaps he could ask for a loan from the Duchy’s bank and start mining, but that would put the estate at more risk. He needed a solution with no possibility of generating more fees, not the contrary. Liz's grip on his hand intensified, and he looked at her to realize he was putting some force into it as well, as the stress of the night was mounting on him.

"Master. I may have a solution. It will be dangerous, but it is a solution."

"Spit it out," Julian said, leaning forward in the chair.

"Your parents didn’t buy the dungeon only because it had a good amount of silver. Of course, that sealed the deal for your father, but the real reason was that your mother wanted to conquer the dungeon when you were old enough."

"How so?" Julian asked with genuine curiosity.

"Your mother was obsessed with the Last Soul. Many adventures were in search of the history of the Lost Soul. She believed the dungeon was connected with it somehow. As soon as they arrived here, they planned to dive into the dungeon and collect the rewards and the pieces of knowledge inside it. But as soon as they set foot in Silverhold, they discovered your mother was pregnant. Your father made her promise to stop dungeon diving. They bought the manor, and she agreed but with the condition that they also bought the dungeon for her to conquer when you were an adult," Tarav explained.

“So, she probably disappeared going inside the dungeon?” Julian asked, almost angry at the prospect of this information being hidden from him all this time.

“No, my lord. That was the first place your father and I searched for her. She wasn’t there, and there was no trace of anyone entering it back then. The boss' room is still there untouched, and I’m sure a good reward awaits inside it,”

Julian calmed himself and leaned back in the chair again, one hand scratching his chin as he thought.

“I’m no adventurer…” he muttered.

“You proved today you can be a great one, master.”

“You did,” Liz said, gripping his hand tightly and staring into his eyes. “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met, Julian. You can do it,”

“Can we deal with it alone, Tarav?”

Before the butler could reply, Liz interrupted him.

“I’ll go with you. I’ll help you understand your new magic and defeat the dungeon. We can share the Soul Shards, and you can get the treasure. What do you say?”

“You don’t need to⁠—”

“I want to. I’m interested in learning more about the Lost Soul, and I want to become a better mage,” Liz said with determination, and Julian nodded affirmatively.

“All right, then. Tomorrow, after supper, we head to the dungeon. Let’s sleep now and prepare.”

“Before that, we should head to the mage’s guild. You need your grimoire, and the guild master will probably know more than me about your peculiar type of magic. I never heard of anything like it.”

"Summoning whips is unique?" Julian asked, his brows raised. His knowledge about magic was scarce. When young mages typically learned about it, he had been at the Academy learning how to be a lord and a soldier.

"No, silly," she replied with a smile. "It’s just that I can't associate your magic with anyone I know. I can make a whip of water, but yours was … unique. I saw lightning magic once, and that’s the closest I can think of."

"Right." Julian stood up and invited her to do the same. Liz looked much better now with a smile on her face rather than a haunted expression

"Good night, master. Good night, Lady Bravo," Tarav said, bowing and walking to his chambers at the back of the manor.

"Good night, Tarav," they replied in unison as both climbed the staircase. It was the second time Julian walked Liz to her bedroom the same night.

When they reached the doorway, she turned and looked into his eyes.

"Good night, Liz. You did well today."

"Can you sleep here with me?" She pleaded in a hush, and Julian's heart skipped a beat. "I don’t want to be alone."

Julian mustered his will not to let his eyes widen and replied as stoically as possible, "Of course."

Liz smiled at him and entered the room slowly. She wore a nightgown made of shiny silk. He followed her closely, removing his coat and boots.

The woman sat on the bed with both hands on her knees, then patted the bed for him to sit at her side.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable; it’s just tonight … It was the first time…”

“Me too,” Julian replied, sitting at her side.

“Really?” she asked in surprise. “You seemed so confident.”

“I was trembling from head to toe. It was scary, but I needed to act. You acted well, too.”

“I froze,” she said, staring into his eyes.

“You saved my life,” Julian muttered, and she smiled, then slowly lay down on the bed with her back turned to him.

“I’m happy you’re back.”

“I’m happy you were still here,” he replied promptly, but Liz looked at him over her shoulder.

“You don’t get it … I’m truly happy. Even with all the terror, this is probably the most exciting day of my life.”

Julian sighed and lay down at her side, looking at the roof illuminated by the moonlight entering the window.

“Yes, I can relate to that, and still, the work has just begun.”

One of Liz’s hands searched for Julian’s far one and pulled it to her belly, making him turn and cuddle with her. His body reacted instantly, but she didn’t seem to notice or be bothered by it.

“We did right today, didn’t we?” she asked.

“Yes, we did,” he replied, close to her ear. One hand hugged her belly, intertwined with her hand, and the other slowly stroked over her head.

"That's great," she whispered and yawned loudly. "I'm almost asleep."

Julian continued to caress her hair until her breathing entered a sleeping pattern. He removed his hand from hers, looked at the floor, and smiled.

Destiny may have dealt him a bad hand, but the young man slowly realized he was more than a good player.

Chapter Nine

Julian squeezed his legs against the horse for the third time in the last ten minutes. The sun shining over his head was only a mere inconvenience; his mind and soul were focused entirely on the sight ahead of him. Silverhold lay on the horizon, and with that, there were answers about his magic powers.

At his side, both Liz and Tarav kept up with his speed. Before they left the manor, natural rain had again fallen over the crops, and they were all in a good mood. However, rain in Silverhold quickly became only a memory, and the blazing sun again towered over their heads. But nothing would take Julian from his good mood.

After stopping at the mage guild, he would head west to his family's dungeon to kill monsters and gather rewards. It was incredible how Julian felt that his childhood dream was coming together now, just when he had finally let it go. Being a good Lord like his father had been—before his mother had vanished, was way more responsible than being a fearsome adventurer, as his mother was known for.

Now, he needed to be both, which was frightening and exhilarating. When they passed the gates, the movement on the main street was much less than the last time they had been there. Several merchants were already closing their shops to head home; some would come back to sell their goods at night, but most only sold in the morning when the movement was intense.

A handful of vendors stood on the streets, and Julian noticed something he hadn’t before. Poverty was taking over Silverhold. Houses still shone with silver above their doors, guilds had their doors open, and houses looked as beautiful as ever. Still, Julian couldn’t ignore the fact that there were some beggars on the street, some sleeping, others trying to convince a merchant to give them food, and others just standing still.

Julian wasn’t a stranger to poverty; his parents were self-made in a place where you usually can only get poorer and rarely more prosperous, and they did all right. They had told tales about their early lives and taught him about humility, and that had made Julian empathize with these people. In the duchy, scenes like this were typical, but in Silverhold, he had never seen it.

Julian contemplated the situation as the horses trotted toward the guild and called for Tarav's attention.

“What’s going on?” Julian asked, and the old butler followed his eyes toward two beggars sitting on the sidewalk.

Before Tarav could answer, one of the beggars locked eyes with Julian and hid their eyes in shame. He was an older man with a scraggly gray beard; his tattered clothes and skinny features gave him the aspect of someone who hadn’t eaten for weeks. Somehow, Julian felt he recognized that person behind the layer of dirt and sweat.

Julian dismounted from the horse in a rush and walked towards the beggar, sure he knew the man. He crouched before him and waited for the other to face him, but it never happened.

“Do I know you?” Julian asked as he heard Tarav's steps getting closer. Liz stayed on the horse and led the other animals to the side of the street.

"Hi, old friend," Tarav said in a mutter, and the man finally raised his eyes to face the butler. The beggar was afraid and had his eyes moist; he looked like he was contemplating a phantom, not an old servant. "You don't need to be ashamed."

These words made the armor around the man fall, and his hands clasped together pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Tarav. I'm sorry, Master Julian. We were afraid when your father went away. The baron offered us a place in his mining settlement, and we took the offer," the man said, stuttering.

"You and your family?" Julian asked.

"Yes, master. My wife’s on the streets with me as well."

"And what happened?"

"Baron Strazz hired new miners, more experienced ones from another manor that had been abandoned, and replaced us and several others," the man said, on the verge of tears.

"And why didn’t you come back?" It was now Tarav asking, worry stamped on his face. "I could’ve used your help; it's better than living on the streets."

"I was ashamed. When I saw Lord Julian going to the guild yesterday, and you appeared at dawn with those criminals, I felt hope, but at the same time … I couldn’t bring myself to speak with you."

Julian stared at the man, and then recognition struck him hard; this was Mirlo, the farm gardener. His wife worked in the kitchen and was always very friendly with the young lord.

"Get up, find your wife, and come back here. Tarav will lead you back to the farm, and you’ll work on the crops. We need people to harvest them and help us rebuild."

"But I failed your house, master. I don’t deserve it," Mirlo said, now visibly crying.

"My father failed the house when he left with all the coins. You were just trying to provide for your family; there’s no shame."

"Master—"

"Do you want to serve The Lionheart house again?" Julian had a firm tone in his voice, and the older man just nodded affirmatively. The young lord softened his expression and put one hand on his shoulder. "Then serve it."

Liz watched everything with a smile and nodded to Julian in approval. Tarav pulled the young master to the side.

"Should I send them to the manor and follow you to the dungeon, sir?"

"No, I’ll handle this with Liz. Buy food for them and us, and accommodate them. I’ll be home later."

Tarav showed concern in his eyes, but was wise enough not to question Julian’s orders.

"Right, master. Good luck."

Julian thanked him and jumped on his horse again, following Liz on the cobbled streets while Tarav waited for Mirlo and his wife to return.

"You’re showing yourself to be a fine lord," Liz commented.

"Am I?" he asked.

"No need for false modesty, Lord Julian." She smirked.

"Oh, no … nothing like that. I’m really asking," he said, smiling, and she seemed a little ashamed by the realization. "It's just that all I did in the past few years was study; you can’t practice being a Lord … you just are one."

"I know several lords of this barony, and I think you're doing well. Most of them are either afraid of engaging in battle or hold disdain for their subordinates. These are the lords whom people eagerly await their downfall or their departure to war. In contrast, you are emerging as the rare lord whom people will mourn upon death and whose absence they will fear," she stated with finality.

"Thank you, Liz," he replied, smiling as they arrived at the mage guild.

They opened the door and glanced at the end of the room, but found no one inside. Julian raised his brows and saw Liz doing the same—as he had thought the old man's absence wasn’t typical. They took one step after the other, Julian already gripping the hilt of his mother’s sword as he stepped toward the counter.

The young Lord could hear noises behind the furniture and held his breath as he walked. He thought about saying something, but decided it wouldn't be wise. As soon as he leaned against the counter, a figure erupted from behind it.

“I’ll be forced to use my magic, woman!” The old mage jumped from the shadows with his bracelet aimed at Julian, who was about to draw his sword and attack when they all realized how strange the situation was.

Liz laughed hard at the exchange and placed two hands on her belly, unable to control herself.

"What would you do, guild master? Make an apple and throw it at Julian?" Liz slowly returned to her everyday mood as the old guild mage sat in the chair.

“Plant manipulation is a great kind of magic, Novice Liz,” he said with a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I thought you were that fox woman.”

“She was here again?”

“She just left, that crazy archer! She threatened me. Can you believe it? She wanted a mage at all costs to do a stupid dungeon diving with her. I explained to her again that I didn’t have anyone available, and then she tried to convince me…”

“And you took offense?” Julian asked, his brow furrowed.

“Of course! I said a lot of things to her…” The mage stopped and looked at the floor before looking at Julian again. “Now that you mention it … maybe I exaggerated, which doesn’t give her the right to threaten me or our business.”

“Indeed,” Julian said with a smirk. The woman seemed volatile and dangerous, but not crazy…. This old man had probably behaved terribly for her to threaten him. That made Julian wonder why the woman needed to go to a dungeon, and if it was the same one he and Liz were heading to … that could be a problem.

“How was the job at the manor? Did you kill the Burrowmaw?” the old mage asked, bringing Julian out of his thoughts.

“The job was more than fine; Liz showed great prowess in beast combat. She’ll be a great asset to your guild in the future.”

Liz blushed at the compliment, and the old mage only nodded.

“She has a lot to learn. Don’t make her overconfident, my lord. Thats when good mages die. What brings you here? She didn’t need an escort.”

Julian’s brow furrowed at the mage’s reaction. He didn’t seem to be a harsh master, but appearances can be deceiving.

“I awakened my magic yesterday.”

“I can see by your aura. What’s the power?” the old man asked as he made an apple appear out of thin air in the palm of his hand and bit into it. The magic took only the flash of a second, and it was incredible. Still, the young master made it a point not to show surprise. “I hope it’s not as stupid as mine. I've hated apples ever since I discovered this power.”

As the old man threw the apple away, Julian smiled. "Actually, I have no idea. I can describe it⁠—"

"No need," the old mage said, interrupting Julian and searching for something behind the counter. "Where did I put it?" He kept repeating the question for a few seconds until he finally found what he was looking for.

The mage placed a book on the counter. It was leather-bound with old yellow borders. The tome was simple, yet somehow looked regal, even though it had nothing on the cover.

"This is your grimoire," the older man said, waving one hand as if asking for Julian's. The lord extended it to the guild master, and the man cut his thumb from out of nowhere with a hidden knife. It was a fast and sudden movement that took the young Lord by surprise.

"Ouch! Why in the Last did you do that?"

Liz's hand touched his shoulder and chuckled.

"He's been doing this for decades; it's needed. Put your finger on the book," she said reassuringly, and Julian did as she suggested.

As soon as he touched the book's cover, the drop of blood expanded as if the object was absorbing it. The stain had completely disappeared in a few seconds, and the book slowly trembled on the table.

"This book is a piece of the Last Soul, just like there's one inside your core. From now on, you two will be connected. The grimoire will tell you what type of ability you have, will register your progress, and tell exactly how many shards you need to progress," the older mage said, and Julian was in awe.

"So, it will tell me how to perform magic?"

“Not in the slightest; it will only register your discoveries. But if you’re smart enough, you can learn a thing or two by searching its pages. The grimoire has a life of its own, and contrary to beings affected by the Last Soul, grimoires are pure. Some grimoires help their owners more directly, but that normally only happens when you have years of bonding with the book. They can be quite temperamental,”

Julian heard this and wondered how a book could have a bad temper. He was amazed that he had never seen his mother carrying a magic book around. The old man snapped his fingers as if reading his mind, and a large yellow book appeared in his hand. He snarled again, and it disappeared.

“This grumpy old book has been following me for fifty years, son, and it hates my guts. Be kind to yours, and you’ll probably be fine.”

Julian looked at the book before him as it started to change; the cover began to turn blue, and the old yellow pages assumed a silver tone, like the fancy books he had seen in the Ironfist library. A ribbon bookmark appeared in the middle of the pages as it trembled, and then it stopped. The simple yet elegant book stood there, not shaking anymore.

The young Lord extended a hand to it and opened it slowly, but as soon as the first page appeared, the book cover closed suddenly. The sound almost made Julian jump, and the older mage raised a brow.

“Alright … Nice to meet you,” Julian said, feeling stupid. “Can I open you?”

Of course, the book didn’t answer the young Lord, but it stayed open when he stretched his hand and opened it again.

Julian looked at the first page and saw only a few lines written on it.

Owner: Julian Lionheart.

Rank: Novice (1/10 shards).

Magic Affinity: Arcane.

The young Lord read it out loud and heard a gasp coming from the older man. Liz, not understanding, just like Julian, leaned over the counter.

"What?" Julian asked.

"This is very rare, my lord. An Arcane affinity is something I’ve never seen, and only a handful of mages have had it over the centuries since the Soul was shattered."

"And what does it do?" Julian asked, his heart pounding against his chest.

"What doesn't it do? That's the real question," the old man said, falling back into his chair. "You can manipulate mana at will—pure energy at the reach of your hand. Normally, our mana is connected with an aspect of the Soul; it can be an element, life, or death … the possibilities are limited, but Arcane… Arcane means you're connected with mana itself. You can probably make a ball of energy if you concentrate enough, but in the future … teleportation? Disintegration? Gravity manipulation? These are all powers old Arcane Lords were able to manipulate."

Julian was at a loss for words. It was way better than he thought. His excitement couldn't fit in his body, and a smile surged on his face.

“But be aware, my Lord. This is an expensive power; you’ll need a lot of Soul Shards and much more training to perform it, much more than any other mage. We can talk about it for the rest of the day."

Even though Julian wanted to, he couldn’t. They had already lost too much time in Silverhold. It would be best not to face the dungeon at night.

“I’m pleased by your offer, master, but I’m afraid I have to decline for now. We have matters to attend to, but I’ll come back. Until then, what should I do?”

“Experiment. Magic is no more than that, Lord Julian. You need to keep trying and hope you don’t die in the process. I can help you with theories, but magic is a practical matter.”

“Good,” he said, looking at Liz, smiling at him proudly. “Let's go?”

Julian took the book in his hand with care and said to it,

“I hope we can be good friends in the future. I’ll take care of you, and you can rest now,” he said, snapping his fingers, and the book disappeared. That's incredible! He thought as they waved goodbye to the guild master and left the building towards their horses.

“Didn’t you need to ask for permission or say anything to him?” Julian asked as they started to trot away.

“Not really. It’s not like I work for him; it’s more like he’s the middleman. We work with the guild to help mages who can’t make a living out of their magic affinities more than anything else. This dungeon diving is personal business, and the way things are looking with you, maybe I won’t be working for him for a while,” she said as they mounted up and rode towards the city gates again, heading directly to the dungeon.

Chapter Ten

The ride towards the dungeon wasn’t as long as the one to Silverhold. In less than thirty minutes, they were in sat front of its entrance. The place looked exactly like any other cave in the world. Close to a small hill, a large entrance—big enough to fit one human on top of another—stood with its pitch-black mouth open.

Outside, mining tools and carts were discarded to the sides, as if the workers had left the place in a hurry or as if someone had stolen the objects and decided they weren’t worth it. The sight irritated Julian. His family's work was utterly disgraced before his eyes.

They tied up the horses, checked their weapons, and lit two torches before entering.

“Anything I need to know?” Julian asked, gazing into Liz's eyes in search of fear but encountering only determination.

“Goblins hate fire. They are fast, and most are full of bloodlust. The others will run when they see we can deal with them. I thought you knew about monsters since you knew exactly how to kill the Burrowmaw,” she raised an eyebrow.

“My mother taught me about the creatures that normally attack crops and farm animals. That’s pretty much all I know about monsters besides the tales. Do goblins like to steal babies?”

“No.” She chuckled.

“Then I’m badly informed.” He smiled as they entered the dungeon. “Better if we keep silent, right?”

She nodded affirmatively and drew her dagger. Julian did the same with his sword as they stepped inside.

On the walls, they could see several lanterns without light or oil, more mining tools, and even some bats flying away upon their sight. The first room of the dungeon started as a typical cave. Still, with every step, the place became increasingly seemingly man-made, with fewer stalactites and corridors almost geometrical at the wall's edges. Surprisingly, all dungeons were like that somehow.

The first time Julian had entered the dungeon with his father to see the mining business, he had asked how he had made the walls look so sharp and clean, and his father had laughed hard at his son.

“No one knows who shaped the dungeon walls, son, but definitely, it wasn’t me.”

Julian's mind at that moment was pure confusion, and his father had understood so he continued,

“Dungeons are both natural and magical at the same time, son. The Last Soul lives inside its walls and creates magic and minerals. This dungeon contains silver and has a dungeon boss, which we don’t know yet. Look at the walls, and you’ll understand.” the memories flooded Julian’s mind as he stepped into the dungeon.

Walking inside the cave, Julian now understood it. With each step, they could see the walls being cut by what seemed to be veins of light; it was almost invisible, but with attention, Julian could see it flowing naturally to the dungeon's core. Silver ores could also be seen here and there between the veins of mana.

Pure mana emanated from the walls, proving the Last Soul's existence, or at least, that's what Julian and his family believed.

As they approached the end of the first room, the corridor turned to the left, and there, the walls were wholly sharp and clean. Julian and Liz fit perfectly side by side in the hallway. They still had a lot of space to maneuver if they needed to fight.

Julian could feel the dungeon ground inclining down almost imperceptibly. Still, when he looked over his shoulder, he could see the end of the corridor higher and higher. They heard nothing or saw nothing strange.

When they found the first body, he started to suspect the dungeon had no goblins or bosses.

After turning into another corridor, Liz pointed with one hand, and Julian saw a silhouette on the ground. Gripping his sword firmly, he walked towards it, ready to fight the enemy. He was more than surprised when he found out it wasn’t a sleeping or crouching goblin on the ground, but instead, it was a human corpse.

The man hadn’t died long ago; his skin was still closer to white than purple, and he didn’t stink very much. The unfortunate warrior had a rusted sword piercing his chest and lay sprawled with arms and legs outstretched. He wore silver armor with a particular sigil on the chest — a clover with four leaves. Julian looked at Liz, and she nodded.

"Strazz…" he muttered. What were the baron’s men doing inside his family’s dungeon? Were they sent to deal with the Goblin infestation? But why? This was the kind of thing rulers only did when asked, mainly the ones like Baron Strazz. Julian kept walking the corridor, promising to let the baron know about the warrior’s corpses when he returned.

Up ahead, they found even more dead bodies, but not only humans. There were goblins sprawled everywhere, too. For each soldier dead, at least three goblins were close behind. With weapons sticking out of their bodies, the orange bastards didn’t look so scary.

"Blood goblins," Liz muttered, "these are particularly more aggressive. Tread lightly, Lord Julian," she whispered as they walked over the bodies. Liz had sheathed her sword and had one hand close to a canteen on her side where she carried water to use against the enemies and save more mana. It was interesting to Julian that she relied more on water magic than her steel daggers. The young Lord had a long road ahead before he could trust in his magical powers, but he was willing to try.

They continued their descent with his ears and eyes attentive to any sound. Julian could feel sweat slowly forming on his whole body as the temperature increased. Dungeons, like caves, worked in mysterious ways. Some got colder, and others got warmer; some had the boss at the beginning, and others only at the end. His mother once told him she had been lost inside one for two weeks. Contrary to the one they possessed, she had entered a maze and had to find ten doors before reaching the boss and the exit.

Julian snapped himself out of his thoughts when he heard a noise from the darkness. A whooshing sound pierced the air, traveling with speed. Then came a second one, and then a third. Something flew towards him and Liz. He had already been hit before he could dodge or warn his companion.

The arrows pierced his clothes close to the shoulder, two in the arms and one in the leg, pinning him to the wall. He tried to escape it, but the objects were somehow connected to the wall by a strange and incredible force. When he looked to the side, he realized the same enemy had just hit Liz in the same way.

Julian couldn’t reach the arrows with his hands, but pushed against the weight with his leg. He could already feel the arrowheads losing their grip. The young lord grunted as he internally cursed himself for buying such a thick coat and pants. Just as he was about to free himself, the sound of steps in the corridor became louder. Strangely, it was a subtle sound, not like soldier boots stomping on the ground, but more like an animal running on tall grass.

As Julian felt the shoulder arrow getting removed from the wall, a figure erupted from the shadows. A giant red fox, much bigger than the size of a big shepherd dog, emerged from the dark and growled toward them. The sharp yellow eyes watched Julian getting free. The young Lord realized this was an intelligent creature, and the beast transformed itself. A burst of green energy exploded from the center of the fox’s back, and its shape changed before Julian’s eyes.

The animal became a person almost instantly, the green energy forming a translucent mist around the woman’s body. She wore the same outfit as before and had a bow and arrow aimed at Julian’s face.

“No-no-no,” she said, shaking her head and looking directly at Julian’s shoulder, then aiming at Liz. “You too.”

The water mage tried desperately to free herself but halted when the red-haired beast folk threatened her with the bow.

“You get my mage, and now you're following me?” the shapeshifter asked melodically.

"This place is literally mine," he said with a grunt.

"Dungeons belong to nature, fool, not to any men of any race," she spat with disdain.

"Say that to the money my family paid for this place. We've mined this dungeon for more than a decade," he said, annoyed at being pinned to a wall and by the fact that he was explaining himself to this woman.

"Money means nothing to the Lost Soul."

"No kidding. Release us. We have nothing against you; we're here to clear the dungeon."

"You have something against me, though. I'm here to clear this dungeon, and obviously, I'm the more capable one," she smirked and alternately pointed her bow at Julian and Liz. "What do you say about me leaving you two here,, clearing the dungeon, and freeing you both on the way out?"

"What do you say about freeing us right now and getting the hell out of my way?"

"How rude!" she feigned, taking offense with a pout, but smiled nonetheless.

Julian had lost his patience. He was there to solve his house's problems, not to dwell on stupid arguments with rude beast folk. The young man started to focus on his breathing and command the mana to his bracelet arm, but then the beast-folk lady noticed it.

"Oh, you can conjure magic as well. That’s interesting; it would be pretty disappointing to kill you, but I’ll do it nonetheless unless you stop⁠—"

She was hit by a burst of water right in the face, the same kind that had almost drowned one of the bandits the other day. Julian instantly stopped conjuring arcane magic and instead put all his force against the arrows, pinning him to the wall. The fox-woman released her arrow by instinct, and the projectile flew and almost hit Julian in the face when he freed himself.

Gripping his sword with strength, he rushed towards the woman, intending to hit her with the flat part of his blade. But as soon as he swung, she changed form into a fox again, and the ball of water on her face seconds ago was now floating in the air with no target inside it.

Julian’s swing missed, and he almost dropped to the ground. Taking advantage of the momentum, the beast jumped onto Julian’s arm, and he felt its fangs entering his coat and piercing his skin. He shook his arm with force and hurled the fox away into the shadows.

The young Lord rushed towards Liz and released her from the arrows on the wall as he heard the fox running at him again. Just as he removed the last projectile, the animal jumped again, aiming for his shoulder. He rolled to the ground, already swinging his blade, and felt steel severing part of the beast’s fur and missing the flesh by less than two inches.

She rushed once more, and this time he was prepared. He sidestepped and hit her. In the last second, he twisted the grip of the pommel and beat the fox with the flat part of the blade, hurling her once again in the direction of the dark tunnel.

When the fox was mid-air, Liz hit her with a second magic spell, making her fly even further. Julian grabbed one of the torches on the ground and rushed to the tunnel; he couldn’t let her have the opportunity to hit them again with arrows. She clearly had good sight in the dark and was now wounded and probably stunned by the attacks.

As soon as Julian stepped into the corridor, he heard another sound piercing the air and thought for a second it could have been another arrow, but the figure flying towards him was much bigger than a projectile.

He ducked and looked over his shoulder to see the fox crashing against the far wall—the one he had been pinned to—and changing back into the woman's form again. She was on the verge of unconsciousness, and whatever had thrown her walked towards them with heavy steps and deep, rough growls.

Chapter Eleven

The steps in the dark corridor multiplied as the seconds passed. One more enormous creature walked through those tunnels, but smaller ones rushed behind and past it, screaming with loud and high-pitched voices.

"Ready yourself!" Julian said as he watched Liz approaching his position, standing with a dagger in one hand and a sphere of water floating above the other.

The first blood goblin appeared in the torchlight. It wielded a large club in one hand, adorned with what seemed to be nails. The creature drooled profusely, its small tusks protruding from its lower lip, sharp as knives. Although the monster was only four feet tall, its tusks, red rough skin covered with bulges, and eyes full of murderous intent made it appear larger and more menacing.

Yellow and narrow eyes darted from Liz to Julian and then to the woman at the far end, as if the creature was deciding who to kill first. If Julian had his way, these monsters would never be able to determine.

Liz released her magic on the head of the first goblin, and its head was enveloped by the ball of water, causing it to drown slowly on the spot. As the monster thrashed on the ground, another one leaped from the darkness, charging toward them.

Julian met the creature halfway, swinging his blade against the club of the second goblin. Splinters flew into the air, one seemingly entering the monster's eye. The young lord struck again; the goblin didn't deflect the blow this time. The hit took a good portion of the creature's shoulder, causing it to fall to its knees on the ground.

Rushing toward the drowning one, Julian drove his sword into the monster's heart with strength and speed as Liz retrieved the water from the monster's face.

Three more goblins erupted from the darkness, these carrying rusted old swords and daggers. They were furious about the killing of their companions and came swinging and jumping toward the young lord with speed. Julian had to roll back on the ground to dodge one of the attacks and deflect another series of swings as Liz stepped back, the goblin rushing at her, dodging every ball she hurled at it.

Julian gritted his teeth as the two goblins before him attacked with seemingly endless stamina. Thanks to his training, it wasn’t too hard to deflect and dodge the attacks. But if they kept it up, they would find a breach in his defense sooner or later. The young Lord tried to concentrate on his mana and use a magic attack. Still, whenever he thought about his magical core, he had to deflect or dodge another blow, making it impossible to do anything else.

The goblin on his right jumped downward, striking with its sword, trying to hit Julian’s torso, but he sidestepped the blow and swung his blade up to meet the goblin. His strike would have hit true since the monster couldn’t escape his attack mid-air, but the second goblin blocked the attack with its blade. As the falling creature regained its footing, Julian pressed against the blocking foe. He struck time and time again, feeling the goblin tiring. On the fourth strike, he hit the enemy’s sword hand, and the goblin dropped its rusted sword on the ground. But the other attacked before Julian could finish it, and the young Lord had to step back.

He looked over his shoulder and saw that Liz had thrown water on the goblin's legs and rushed towards the monster as it fell to the ground. She attacked the red bastard viciously with her dagger, piercing it through the monster's chest several times in a row. That somehow gave Julian more energy, and he rushed toward the goblins before him with renewed vigor.

With ample swings, the two goblins kept stepping back over and over. It was Julian's plan to exchange attacks until they tired, and tire they did. When one failed to respond quickly enough, with a strike of his blade, he severed the head of one of the goblins. The unarmed one tried to turn his back and run back down the dark corridor, but the young Lord wasn't going to give it the opportunity. He sprinted towards it and slashed in a big arc, hitting the monster's neck and spine with a mighty crash. Julian heard the weapon tearing flesh and slicing bone as he stepped back to check on Liz.

The other large creature kept slowly walking towards them with a bit more speed inside the tunnel. Liz seemed to be okay, and the fox lady slowly got up and shook her head, anchoring herself in the real world again.

"Are you okay?" Julian asked without thinking. Not that he cared about the stranger, but he wouldn't feel particularly good knowing she died from a head injury because of him.

She didn't reply; instead, she grabbed her bow from the ground, nocked an arrow, and pointed it towards Julian.

"Are you serious?" he asked with a sigh and prepared himself to rush towards her, but before he could do anything, she loosed the projectile. Julian tried to dodge it, but he didn't need to. The arrow flew just above his ear and pierced between the eyes of a jumping goblin who had sprinted from the dark corridor without him hearing. He doubted he would have died from the goblin attack, but he would have preferred not to have sustained it.

"If I wanted to kill you, I'd have put an arrow right between your eyes already, human." She snorted as she composed herself, and Liz joined them.

"A truce, then?" Liz asked, and the fox lady nodded as the stomping monster finally appeared at the other end of the corridor.

The creature was similar to a goblin but bigger. It was slightly shorter than Julian, but way bulkier. The young Lord was an athletic individual, one who cared for his body as much as he did for his mind. This monster was way stronger than him. The goblin-like creature was as large as two Julians side by side and had immense biceps and forearms. It carried a vast wooden shield in one hand and a battle axe in the other hand. Both weapons seemed rusted, but still dangerous. It wore a helmet and what seemed to be assembled parts of armor from different soldiers, each appearing to be from a foreign enemy. Some looked fitting, others too tight or too loose. The creature’s was a sight that was both marvelous and ironically funny at the same time.

"A blood hobgoblin," Liz muttered as the monster breathed like a wild animal and trudged towards them slowly. Behind it, other goblins rushed down the corridor as well.

"Anything we need to know?" Julian asked Liz, but it was the fox lady who replied.

"It's mean, strong, and loves to collect trophies from its fallen enemies. Its ferocity sees no end until its prey’s life is ended. This one won't try to flee when it gets scared. It'll just strike harder." Her voice was tinged with hate as if the creature had personally offended her, and in some way or another, it had. Julian now understood that the creature had thrown her by reflex using its shield.

She nocked an arrow and shot it at the hobgoblin, but it was quick to defend itself with its shield. When the creature looked over it, it had a sickening grin.

“I’ll make an opening for you to use the water magic, Liz.” She nodded, and Julian looked at the shapeshifter woman before continuing, “Take care of the small ones.”

“I’ll do whatever I want, human. I don’t accept orders,” she retorted.

“Fine!” he snapped, already rushing towards the hobgoblin. He struck the creature, aiming for the shoulder unprotected by the shield, but the monster deflected it and struck back with the battleaxe. Julian stepped back as the blade almost severed his head.

The hobgoblin struck again, and Julian backed up, trying to find an opening to strike but failing to see one amid the furious attacks. As the monster swung in a vast arc, Liz released an eruption of water from her hand as if a geyser had erupted from her bracelet, and it hit the hobgoblin on the shield shoulder, making it lose balance for less than a second, but it was all Julian needed.

With a downward strike, Julian hit the monster’s shoulder with force. The young Lord expected to find flesh and bone, but instead, he discovered metal—The monster wore chain mail.

The hobgoblin struck the shield against Julian’s face and hurled him back. The pain throbbed in his head as he fell on his back and rolled back to his feet.

The monster turned towards Liz, and the shapeshifter released a sequence of arrows. Three flew towards the dark corridor to a foe Julian couldn’t see and a fourth toward the hobgoblin rushing at Liz. The arrow crashed against the monster’s knee with strength and didn’t seem to pierce it, but it was enough to make its leg buckle. Liz took the opportunity to strike the monster with her dagger at the same spot Julian had tried before, and this time, it seemed to hit flesh since the beast screamed in pain and anger as it opened its arms and swung its axe.

Liz ducked the blow as Julian rushed towards the hobgoblin. He struck the monster as it turned to face him. The blade struck armor but made the hobgoblin lose its balance as the young lord pressed repeatedly.

Every time Julian struck, the hobgoblin deflected and tried to sidestep, but he kept the momentum on his side. Feeling the tide of battle had turned towards him and his allies, Julian feigned an attack, and as the monster raised its shield, he sidestepped and thrust the sword instead of swinging it. The blade tore through metal and flesh as the monster grunted with pain. Instead of faltering, the creature turned its axe, and Julian almost had to drop his sword to dodge the attack.

Liz hurled her drowning ball at the hobgoblin but missed as the monster replied with repeated strikes. Julian felt sweat entering his eyes as the vicious attacks intensified.

The shapeshifter decided to change tactics, and Julian heard her transforming and rushing to his aid. As the monster swung its axe, she jumped on its neck, creating an opening for Julian.

The young Lord thrust again, aiming for the neck, and hit it true. He twisted the blade and felt it connecting with the monster’s collarbone. Once more, it grunted, but Julian wouldn’t give it another opportunity to attack freely. The fox jumped from the monster’s neck, fell to the ground, and bit its legs as a ferocious dog would.

Liz rushed forward with her dagger in hand, and as the monster was about to strike the fox, she deflected the blow with her small blade. As the arm moved past her, she grabbed the arm with both hands and hugged it in a tight embrace.

Before the hobgoblin could think of a way to escape the attack, Julian moved and swung towards the creature's neck. This time, it wouldn't have another chance to use its bloodlust against them, because Julian's blade severed the monster's spine with a swift motion.

The hobgoblin kneeled on the ground, and Julian kicked it to fall onto its back as his heart raced in his chest. Julian dropped to the ground into a sitting position, his face full of sweat and his clothes marred with blood.

Liz and the shapeshifter were both out of breath, but the latter tried to hide it as she transformed into her human form and strolled to the far wall, crossing her arms as if they hadn't just dispatched several monsters in less than five minutes. Two Soul Shards lay on the ground, close to the hobgoblin's fading body, and another one was in the middle of the corridor, its blue hue illuminating the room. Three shards were quite good in his eyes.

They were all intact; the strike the monster had gifted Julian wasn't near enough to be troublesome. Sitting on the ground, he stayed there, trying to catch his breath. After a minute or two, he looked at Liz sitting beside him.

"It's hard to use the magic mid-combat," he muttered.

"Yes, you'll need more practice. Still, if you want to use raw power, try not to think about it. Magic can be activated like you throw a punch by reflex; you must consider it just another limb of your body."

Julian could see why this advice was wise. Conjuring magic mid-combat could decide between life and death, both his and Liz's. He looked over his shoulder and saw the woman watching their talk, but not seeming interested in joining the conversation.

The shapeshifter sneaked into the dark corridor, not looking at them for a second.

"Where are you going?" Julian asked.

"Conquer the dungeon, of course."

"Wait," he said, and she halted.

After a couple of seconds, she sighed and turned in their direction. "What?"

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Personal matters," she replied promptly.

"I can share the reward with you."

"I don’t care about the treasure," she snorted.

"Oh, but I do," he said and, before continuing, waved one hand at her dismissively. "Now, thinking about it, go ahead. Kill yourself, and me and my companion will join after you're dead and the boss is weakened," he said and turned to face Liz, who had a slight smile.

The shapeshifter raised one brow at his comment and turned to the dark corridor. Her steps were smooth and almost inaudible. Julian only knew where she was because she halted and grabbed the Soul Shard in the corridor's middle. She then walked back towards them.

"I’ll want one-third of the rewards," she finally said.

"I thought you didn’t care about it."

"You offered, I'll take it."

"Fine. I'm Julian Lionheart, and this is Liz Bravo," he said with a smile as he got up with Liz's help. "What's your name?"

The shapeshifter let her guard down and smiled at them as she shook Julian's and Liz's hands.

"My name is Rayra Wildstride, the Soul Searcher of my people."

Chapter Twelve

"You collect Soul Shards?" Julian asked with a raised brow, and the shapeshifter smirked as she put the shard in her mouth and bit it with force.

The rush of power emanating from her differed from the one he saw in himself and Liz; instead of shining blue, the woman glowed a vibrant green. The blue mist from her mouth slowly turned into green energy as she absorbed the power.

"No, of course not. I consume the Last Soul remains whenever possible, but that's not my task."

"And that is?" Liz was the one asking.

The shapeshifter darted her eyes towards them both one at a time, as if deciding whether she could tell them.

"This is not a secret for my people, and if you come to Shalinar, anyone will answer for me, but you humans will think I'm crazy or stupid, as you always do," she said with suspicion stamped on her face.

"Don't make assumptions about us," Julian said, mildly annoyed with the woman's slant against humans. He knew that historically, the relations between the beast folk and humans hadn't been good, but they had been at peace for centuries.

"All right, then. I'll tell you now." She crossed her arms and stared into Julian's eyes, trying to catch the details of his reactions. "I'm searching for the Lost Soul."

"Okay…" Julian said, trying to remain stoic at that statement.

"And you two think I'm crazy," she said, looking at Liz and Julian, who traded glances.

"No, not at all," Liz replied, both hands up apologetically.

"It's just that searching for a god who disappeared millennia ago with no trace of its existence isn't something you hear about every day," Julian said as seriously as he could.

"Pfft," the shapeshifter snorted, "I knew it. You're all the same, nonbelievers. You prefer to worship something long gone than something still in the world."

"You just consumed a Soul Shard coming directly from the Last Soul shattering; this is real. The Lost Soul is … lost if it ever existed."

"It existed! It exists!" Rayra replied angrily. "We are the proof of its existence, but I won't explain myself to you, humans. There's a hint of traces of the Lost Soul in this dungeon, and I'll search for it."

"Good," Julian replied, glad the awkward conversation had ended.

"I'll scout ahead. I can see in the dark, and my hearing is quite good. Keep behind me with the fire far away. I'll let you two know if I find something."

They nodded, and Rayra changed her shape again and rushed into the dark corridor with swift and silent steps. Julian collected both Soul Shards, handed one to Liz, deciding to use his own only when needed, and waited. A minute after Rayra had departed into the tunnel, he started talking with Liz. He chose to mutter, just in case the shapeshifter could hear them.

"What do you think about her?" he asked.

"She's nice," she replied in a whisper.

"'She's nice'? That's all you have to say?"

"She's gorgeous, good with a bow, and has a temper. Satisfied?"

"Yes, I know all that. I'm asking if you think she's all right. Like, if she's setting us up."

"No, I don't think so," Liz replied as they started walking down the corridor. "Why would you ask her to come with us if you think she can set us up?"

"If she reveals herself as an enemy, I want to be close to strike."

Liz let the words sink in as she nodded thoughtfully.

"Makes sense. I read a book once about these Soul Searchers. I didn't remember it clearly, but it rang a bell after she explained. It's a position of honor among the beast folk, so she's important."

"Important like a lord? A baron?"

"More like a diplomat or an important knight. I don't know much; I read it when I was a kid, but I remember the Soul Searcher had to dedicate their whole adult life to searching for the Lost Soul."

"A whole life searching for something that will never be found? That's … depressing."

"For us, maybe, but for them, it seems a great honor."

Julian closed his mouth as they kept walking, and he revised in his mind all the moments they had passed inside the dungeon since arriving until their last talk. This exercise helped the young man put things into perspective and prepare better for the following outcomes. One thing Liz had said hammered into his head, and with a smile, he asked,

"Do you think she is gorgeous, then?" he asked, looking at her face. Just as he thought, she instantly blushed.

"Yes, she is. Way more than me," she replied with embarrassment.

"Nonsense. You're equally beautiful."

"Do you really think so?" she asked, staring into his eyes.

"Of course I do," he replied promptly, smiling at Liz. "Don't put yourself down like that; you're better than that."

For a moment, he thought she might take offense, but instead, she smiled back at him, "I'll try."

"Good."

As soon as the words left Julian's mouth, he heard steps coming in their direction from the far end of the corridor. He drew his sword and waited, but instead of an enemy, Rayra appeared on the horizon.

"What did you find?" He asked.

"There are no more goblins inside. I saw the boss's room at the far end of the dungeon. We're close."

"Good, let's end this already."

Chapter Thirteen

They walked as silently as possible the rest of the way, Rayra leading the way with her smooth walking. After a couple of minutes, she halted and pointed to a corner.

"It's right over there. Are you ready?" Rayra asked in a somber tone.

"We are," Julian replied, looking at Liz, who nodded affirmatively. "The faster we deal with this, the better."

"What's the plan?" Liz asked.

"Fill whatever is inside there with as many arrows, sword strikes, and water magic as possible. Share information about the monster if any of you know it, right?"

"Right," Rayra said ironically, but didn't show any other idea. Julian would settle with that; anything that wasn't a snarky or aggressive response seemed the best anyone could get out of the fox-woman.

They rushed quickly towards the closed door, anxious to fight but still wary of the possibility of surprises. Soon, the torches illuminated a gigantic door at least ten feet tall, which seemed made of solid rock and was covered with strange carvings.

Julian couldn't identify them clearly, but Liz and Rayra seemed aware of their meaning.

"It's the shattering of the Last Soul," Liz whispered, one hand traveling through the carvings. "Your father never said anything about this?"

"No," Julian replied in the same tone, getting closer and analyzing the images.

At the top of the door stood a gigantic lizard-like creature with two large wings and four legs. The beast had a sword in its hand and was carving it into itself. Close to the being, another lizard fell from the skies, smaller and lankier but with pointed wings and fangs. The menacing creature seemed to be dead.

"Cerulex shattered its soul to defeat Fenrir Shadowfang, becoming the Last Soul," Liz muttered as she moved to the next carving below. The beast had become rain made from tiny crystals and fell from the skies. The crystals hit animals and humans. "Here is when magic was brought into Eather."

"Pfft," Rayra snorted, pointing to another carving, this one small and almost invisible. In that one, a figure that seemed to be a bear delivered something to a person with a tail and animal ears. "This is Ranab, the one you call the Lost Soul, delivering one of the Soul Shards to our people and teaching us how to defend ourselves. We were graced with magic before the other races acquired it."

"Why are you guys searching for ‘Ranab,’ then? He seemed to be fine gifting you and leaving," Julian asked with his brows raised.

"She indeed gifted us and parted ways. The reasons we want her to come back are our own," she said in a final tone, and Julian decided not to push it.

"And what about this one?" Julian asked, pointing to another end of the door. In that carving, other creatures similar to the Last Soul were locked inside cages underground. They were smaller than the creatures falling from the skies and had human-shaped bodies; they looked more like beast folk than the gods falling from the skies.

“I have no idea,” Liz replied, and Rayra nodded negatively.

That particular carving scratched Julian's curiosity more than the others. He hadn't known that the Last Soul was a mighty creature in the past; he always considered it an ethereal force of power, an invisible being that lived among people with no desires or mind, like the wind. If the carvings were accurate, not only had the Last Soul been a real creature, but similar creatures were hidden somewhere in the world.

The thought of fighting something akin to the carvings on the door gave Julian the creeps. The Last Soul was a mighty beast, but so was the enemy it was fighting. For all the young Lord knew, the ones locked away could be the breed of the evil creature Fenrir Shadowfang.

“Can you tell me more about all this when we leave the dungeon?” he asked genuinely, and surprisingly, not only did Liz say yes, but Rayra, too. The latter even seemed pleased by anyone wanting to hear about it. “Time to fight, then,” he said with determination as they pushed against the rock door with all the strength they could muster.

In the first few seconds of pushing the door, he thought they wouldn’t be able to open it, but soon it gave in and opened quickly. The door creaked as if from miles away, but no sound penetrated inside the room.

They collected the torches from the ground and walked slowly inside. The fire illuminated half of the room, but the other part was still covered in shadows.

All Julian could identify was the fact that the place was round and had an even bigger ceiling—at least fifteen feet tall—raised above them. A shiver ran through Julian when the possibility of the room needing to be as big as it was to fit a monster dawned on his mind.

"Can you see something?" Julian asked Rayra, who shook her head, her eyes darting in all directions.

Julian stepped forward with Liz at his side, cautiously and constantly scanning the ground.

"Watch for traps. My mother once told me about a dungeon she faced that had zero enemies but hundreds of traps. This could be one of those," he said, not waiting for a response as he kept waving his torch from side to side. The room was empty, just rock walls forming what seemed to be a dome.

With every step, Julian felt his hair stand on end. Walking towards the darkness felt wrong, even with Rayra claiming nothing was there. He slowed down, frequently checking on the women behind him, gripping his sword tighter and gritting his teeth.

"Something is wrong," he sensed it deep in his bones, as if he could feel something forming inside the dungeon.

"I'm feeling it too," Rayra hissed, her gaze fixed in Julian's direction.

Then, her demeanor changed completely. She drew her bow in a fraction of a second and loosed an arrow into the dark, but all Julian could hear was the projectile hitting the far wall. She hit nothing, but instead of calming down, she kept losing one arrow after another into … nothing.

Instinctively, Julian stepped back and gripped his sword tighter, watching every direction, trying to glimpse what the shapeshifter was seeing. Liz did the same beside him, the look of consternation on her face showing she was harboring similar thoughts.

"What are you seeing?" Julian asked, but Rayra didn't answer. Instead, something hit her right in the chest and hurled her away. She crashed against the wall behind Julian and Liz. Whatever had hit her was utterly invisible in the dark until Julian saw it, but first he felt it.

An enormous aura stood before him, powerful and ominous. Whatever was there had ill intentions towards them. He raised his sword just in time to intercept something coming towards Liz, and the blade was enough to halt the ethereal punch.

The strike's strength almost made Julian fall backward, but he managed to stay on his feet and shove Liz behind him. In the dark, the wind emitted a creepy and howling grunt of anger. The sound came from above Julian, eight feet off the ground, and the voice was as grave as dozens of drums being hit simultaneously.

Julian ran back as he heard the air whooshing before him. He couldn't see, but knew the invisible force had almost hit him. The being was made entirely of magic, and Julian could feel it as if its power wanted to consume Julian's mana or even his own life.

Then, he indeed saw the monster. As it finished swiping, Julian looked over his shoulder and saw the silhouette of a creature towering over them. It was broad like an elephant and strong as a bull, with a humanoid shape, utterly black skin, enormous tusks lifting its mouth, and only one red eye in the middle of its face.

"It's a cyclops!" Julian shouted as he watched Rayra running towards them with an arrow nocked. Even Julian knew how to deal with a monster like that; it was big and gangly, so downing it wasn't hard. You just needed to avoid being stomped by it. With a good arrow, you could finish it quickly with a hit in the eye. His mother had told him tales about how she and his father had slain several during their lives as adventurers, but she had never mentioned anything about an invisible one.

Julian fetched his Soul Shard from his pocket and bit it, his brain unable to process the pleasant sensation that ran through his body; only his survival was important now.

"Use all the water you can to throw over it," Julian said to Liz, who seemed lost but changed her demeanor after his words. Consuming her own Soul Shard, she stood more like a warrior now. She started to collect water from her canteen and conjure more from thin air. "Can you highlight it somehow?" Julian asked Rayra as he heard the monster's steps stomping towards him.

She didn't answer, but as he stepped back again, she nocked a new arrow on her bow, which shone a bright green. When she released the projectile, it flew towards the sound and embedded in the monster's flesh. It wasn't deep, but revealed part of the creature's skin. Julian couldn't identify precisely where she had hit, but it was closer to the head than the waist. Now they could see the monster approaching.

Julian watched as the creature got close with its significant strides, and the air whooshed again close to his ear. This time, he swung his blade while dodging and felt it slicing through what he assumed was the monster's arm.

Liz released her ball of water, the same size as her, and hit the monster with a giant splash. For a few seconds, the whole body of the creature was visible. Julian hurled his torch away and rushed at it. The sword came down on the monster's leg as it tried to kick Julian, but he sidestepped and struck again. Blood poured from the creature's wounds, making it scream with anger and thrash its arms violently, trying to hit Julian.

The young lord deflected the first strike and dodged the second one, but he was hit on the head on the third and flew away. He crashed against the far wall in the dark, and his vision blurred; he saw several shapes in the distance. The monster thrashed to remove the water from itself as it stepped back. Julian wanted to shout to Rayra to keep shooting the magic arrows, but he couldn't find the strength. Get up first, he thought as he slowly rose with one hand on the ground and the other gripping the sword.

The shapeshifter was trying to hit the monster in the eye, but failed to find the right spot every time. Julian didn't blame her. He felt his mana rushing through his veins and thought about using the arcane power, but he was too far away and unsure exactly what would happen. He needed to be sure he would strike the creature when he used the magic; to do that, he had to be close.

Julian sprinted as the cyclops, now almost wholly invisible again, it tried to hit Liz, who was running for her life.

"Focus on hitting it anywhere!" Julian shouted as he approached, swinging the blade where he thought the monster's arms were. The blade hit true, and the beast swiped again. Julian rolled to the ground and dodged, swinging it again, striking the creature and slicing more flesh on its thighs.

Arrows hit the monster one after another, two on the legs, one on the belly, and another on the chest. The beast looked like a lighthouse now, but its arms still weren’t visible, making it much more difficult for Julian to dodge and deflect the blows.

Seeing the tide of the battle turning, Liz attacked as well, with water splashing against the monster with strength. The creature even faltered when hit by an arrow and geyser strike.

“My mana is depleting!” Liz shouted as Julian carved his blade into the monster’s knee and released it in time to dodge another attack, but not the second one that followed. The beast grabbed Julian’s leg and hurled him with force. The young Lord crashed against Rayra, who was about to shoot an arrow and couldn’t dodge him flying.

He got up to see the monster sprinting at a defenseless Liz. She unsheathed her dagger and stepped back, but the beast was faster and more robust. Julian rushed towards her, but the Cyclops had already grabbed the girl before he could reach them. Its immense hand gripped her by the legs and turned her upside down. She screamed with fear but raised her dagger to strike the monster’s fingers repeatedly.

The Cyclops screamed as she hit it. Julian could see in its face; he would end her on the spot, and she would be gone with a smash. He had no more time to think. Sprinting, he stretched his hand forward and concentrated on his mana and bracelet. All his will is connected with the power inside his magical core.

His mind went numb the moment before the explosion. Julian felt nothing as the rush of energy left his hand and traveled toward the Cyclops. The mana assumed a blue hue and a circular shape, but it was volatile, as if the energy fought itself to be a ball, not just energy floating invisibly in the air. When it hit the monster's chest, the energy's doubts ended as it exploded on the cyclops' shoulder with a loud noise and a blast of blue energy.

The monster released Liz to the ground, and she fell headfirst, becoming limp immediately. On the other hand, the Cyclops screamed with pain as a good portion of its invisible body had just melted. It was like the ball of mana had disintegrated a part of the enemy's shoulder, making it angry and shocked at the same time.

Ignoring Liz on the ground, the monster rushed towards Julian with murderous intent. Its invisibility disappeared with every step, revealing only its terrible and ugly shape.

Rayra kept releasing her arrows, but nothing would stop the cyclops. Julian started to concentrate again, but before he could do so, the monster was already on him. Clasping its one working fist the creature smashed its hand down at him, small rocks flying into the skies as Julian dodged to the side and struck. The creature ignored the blow and kept doing the same movement repeatedly; with every strike Julian made on its fingers, it attacked with more speed and strength until he couldn't strike anymore and just dodged.

If the monster kept that rhythm, Julian was utterly doomed. He had to change strategies fast, and that was what he did. As the monster hit the ground with its fist again, Julian dodged, released his sword, jumped, and grabbed the cyclops' hand. He flew into the skies, holding the monster's hand and gripping it as firmly as possible.

The cyclops repeatedly struck the ground as if it hadn't realized Julian wasn't there. Julian released his grip and flew as the monster raised its fist again. Time suddenly felt irrelevant for a second. Julian had only one chance.

He opened his hand as he landed on the monster's face. At that exact moment, Rayra found a shot on the cyclops' knee, and Julian realized it was falling onto its back.

Julian gripped the tusk with force as the monster crashed against the ground, and then he tried to concentrate, only to realize he didn't need to focus. He was one with the mana in his body; he just needed to command it into action, as simple as that.

"Explode!" he hissed as the monster's hand reached for him and its mouth opened, trying to get the annoyance who was gripping its tusk.

His bracelet released the energy, and Julian couldn't even see its shape due to the proximity between him and the Cyclops. All he saw was the burst of blue hue and the explosion.

When he opened his eyes again, the cyclops lay on the ground, and where its head had been, there was nothing more. A limp body rested on the ground, full of green arrows, lacking a head and half of its shoulder, and atop it stood Julian, full of blood, sweat, and adrenaline.

"Is it dead?" he asked between breaths as Rayra closed in.

"As dead as anything can be," she replied solemnly.

"Great," Julian replied, stepping down from the monster's body.

"Good fight, Julian Lionheart," she said, and Julian had to blink to be sure he wasn't going crazy. She had just complimented him without snarky commentary and even called him by name. Catching his surprised expression, she added, "For a human."

"Right, thanks," he replied, already moving towards Liz, who lay on the ground.

As he approached her, he noticed something wasn't right. Her neck seemed to lump on the side. No, it can't be … he thought as he reached Liz's unmoving body.

Chapter Fourteen

"Don't move her!" Rayra shouted as Julian's fingers touched Liz's face. He crouched beside her and withdrew his hand.

Liz lay on the ground, completely unmoving, with a trail of blood descending from her scalp to her forehead. She looked strangely at peace, with the lump on her neck turning into a purple wound. Julian's heart was washed with conflicting feelings. A good part of his arrival at Silverhold had been because of Liz, and he couldn't deny it anymore. He thought about her frequently during the Academy, picturing what they could've done, what they could've become. He couldn't lose her now.

"Is she dead?" Julian asked. He put one hand over her heart and felt it beating slowly as he noticed the slight movement of her weak breath.

"Not for now," Rayra replied, crouching beside her. "She dislocated her neck; it can be fatal if she's moved out of position." She replied as she started to rummage through her satchel.

"What can I do?"

"Wait," she said and kept searching, making Julian sweat with apprehension. "Found it!"

The fox-woman removed a dry leaf from the pouch, pointing it like a magnificent relic to the skies.

"How will a leaf help her?"

"You'll see." She placed the leaf inside Liz's mouth and moved her face delicately, adjusting it slowly to a straight position. The lump on the neck almost disappeared with the movement. "Now, hold her head exactly like I'm doing. Be careful and don't mess this up."

Julian didn’t protest. She indeed seemed to know what she was doing, and he, on the contrary, had no idea how to fix a neck injury. He moved his hands and touched Rayra's. The woman traded a glance with him, and he felt she wanted to retrieve her hands more rapidly than she could, but instead, she slowly removed them. Julian's palms touched both cheeks of Liz, and he held them with care.

The young lord quickly discovered that holding the life of someone he cared about in the palm of his hand was way more complex than fighting a cyclops. His hands threatened to tremble and release her face, but he held her firmly, patiently waiting for Rayra to do what she was supposed to. He was so absorbed in holding Liz's head in a perfect position that he didn’t catch how long Rayra took to act.

When he finally realized it was taking too long, he looked over his shoulder and saw she was repeatedly rubbing the palms of her hands against each other with immense speed. With every rub, her hands developed a powerful green hue. Then, she stretched them towards Liz's face and gently pressed both hands against her neck.

It was like watching someone consume a Soul Shard, but instead, it was fainter and almost an ethereal green light. Julian watched with awe as the green light traveled to the leaf and absorbed it, transforming it into dust and a brighter green light. The strange magic reached her throat and neck and then disappeared.

It was at that moment that an explosion of light erupted behind Julian. He thought it was an effect of Rayra's magic for a moment, but he quickly realized it wasn’t.

"You can release her now," she muttered as she turned to the light. Julian kept looking at Liz and was unable to release her head. Part of him wasn't sure if Rayra’s magic had worked, even with Liz’s lump slowly disappearing from her neck.

Then she opened her eyes.

"You're alive," he muttered, not realizing the size of the grin on his face.

"I am," she replied with distant eyes, as if she had no idea she was on the brink of death seconds ago.

He pulled her against himself and hugged her with a firm grip, his head sunk into her shoulder, her hair smelling like flowers even after certain death. That tight embrace comforted the young Lord. She didn't return the gesture for one second, but then he felt her hands intertwine with his neck and traveling through his hair as if the realization of their win and the stakes they'd passed had finally descended upon her. And then she stopped.

"Julian, what's that?" she asked in a shocked tone, making him release her embrace and turn to look at the light on the other side of the room.

He had to cover his eyes for a couple of seconds to adjust to the brightness. Where the corpse of the Cyclops had been before, all he saw was dust flying through the air. Several soul shards appeared, illuminating the whole room and washing away the death and grief that was with them not seconds ago.

The sight was magnificent, and Rayra stood just before it. Still, instead of inspecting the objects, she looked to the skies. Julian followed her gaze and discovered that the ceiling was adorned with paintings and texts, but he couldn't comprehend either.

The fox-woman stood there in awe. Her jaw dropped as she contemplated the strange sight.

"At least twenty Soul Shards there, Julian," Liz said surprisedly. "If we could sell them, your estate would be saved."

"But we can't," Julian replied sadly. "Maybe in the next dungeon, we can bring a rich beginner mage to sell them the soul shards."

"That's what many mages do to make coins," she replied as she slowly got up and walked towards Rayra.

As Julian did the same, he thought about how intriguing the Soul Shards were. They had owners, and the owners were the ones who conquered them and no one else. If Julian had known this was the quantity of Shards he would acquire, he would've tried to sell a spot in the party to someone trying to ascend the page ranks. Still, he would gain much power from the cyclops' defeat.

"What's that?" Julian asked as he got beside Rayra.

"I'm trying to figure it out," she replied, sitting on the ground and pulling a notebook and a pencil from her pouch. She began to draw on the paper, and Julian realized she was making an exact copy of the figures above them. The young Lord couldn't identify the patterns; the lines on the roof were irregular and didn't seem to form any recognizable shape.

They watched with attention as Rayra finished her drawing and then continued to look at the pages with deep concentration. Julian crouched beside her and pointed to the text written in the notebook.

"Can you read this?" he asked, pointing one finger at the cryptic message.

"The Soul Guardian awaits beneath. One must venture into the depths and face the Dragonborn to find what was never lost. Treasure and power for those who dare; in every shadow, death does stare," she said somberly and looked at them with glaring eyes. "This is the answer!"

Julian couldn't deny that the message could be applied to Rayra's search for the Lost Soul, but he was more interested in the treasure part of the message. Yet, there wasn't a single clue about where to venture to find what was never lost.

"Face the Dragonborn? What's that?" Julian asked with interest. He had never heard of such a creature.

"The Last Soul and several other Great Souls were dragons. The same mythical creatures we saw on the door. My people retained great knowledge from before the shattering, but even then, there was no 'Dragonborn.' I can only assume it's a creature related to the Souls." Rayra had one finger on the tip of her chin as she looked far away and thought about it.

"And the shapes?" Liz asked, staring at the designs on the wall and the ones in the notebook.

"I don't know yet, but I'll discover it soon. I need some time to study it."

"All right, I like the idea of finding treasure. That's why we're here, and I'm glad we got this whole lot of Soul Shards, but wasn't there supposed to be a great treasure inside here as well?" Julian asked, looking around until he saw something shining on the far wall where the monster was hidden in the dark when they entered the room.

Julian strode towards the light to find a chest with a silver lock waiting for him. Wasting no time, he opened it with both hands. Inside, several gold coins were sprawled, and a silver and black gauntlet shone brightly atop it. This is mine, Julian thought, removing the armor from the chest and looking over his shoulder to see the other two getting close.

"There's at least one thousand gold coins here. 330 for each, plus six Soul Shards each. It won't cover all my expenses, but it's a good head start. I want to keep this gauntlet; do you have anything against it?" Julian asked, showing them the piece of armor. When both nodded negatively, he put it on his hand, and surprisingly, the object that seemed loose on his hand tightened around his wrist, fist, and fingers with force. It hurt for one second and then stopped.

The gauntlet fit perfectly in his hand, tight but malleable. The fingers had sharp points and scales that made it resemble a lizard. It was beautiful, and Julian felt stronger with it in his possession. When he tried to remove it, the object loosened and fell to the ground as if it had heard his thoughts.

"A magical armor, congratulations," Rayra said with a smirk. "Not as nice as my bow, but it has some charm."

Julian already suspected her weapon was magical, because it didn't seem related to the healing magic or the shapeshifting she had performed before. Still, he had never seen a magical object in action, so he could only assume. Now, he had his own magical armor, had helped save Liz from death, and defeated a powerful enemy. Things were finally looking good for him.

The chest was heavier than it looked, but Julian managed to carry it towards the Soul Shards. Using them when they arrive home or need the extra energy rush would be more efficient. Julian consumed only one and felt his mana being replenished and strength rushing through his body again. Then, he started putting the shards inside the crest. When he was halfway through, Rayra stopped and looked at the ground.

“Someone else was here before,” she said, crouching. Julian felt a shiver run through his spine as he walked towards her.

“The door was closed and didn’t seem like anyone had opened it in ages,” Julian replied, staring at what she saw.

Footprints were sprawled on the ground. They headed to the center of the room and then disappeared.

“Magic?” Julian asked.

“It looks like it. Some ethereal magic, the person entered the room searching for something and then left.”

“The treasure was still here, and the monster as well,” Liz replied.

“The real treasure of this place is that message and the text. I doubt any other race would be able to read it, but you can find some of my people willing to sell their knowledge of the old languages.”

“My mother was an enthusiast of the Last Soul research. She looked for clues to understand its influence on the world. Do you think this is someone like her?”

“No, if that’s true, your mother is an exception. Most people search for it for power, not to satisfy their curiosity. Soul Shards are already immensely powerful, the Lost Soul is way more, and the text promises something like that to the one who finds it.”

“But the Lost Soul isn’t a being? How would it give power to someone?”

“I can’t answer that,” she replied cryptically, and her face became grim, “what’s important is that I need to find what this message is implying before the other person does, whoever it was.”

"Baron Strazz sent soldiers inside the dungeon,"

"And they died terrible deaths," Rayra replied. "It seems like a third-party job."

That was way more plausible to Julian, but still, he couldn't shake the feeling that the baron was highly related to everything happening, sending tax collectors even without his father at the manor, harassing their workers to change to his jobs just to fire them later, and now entering his dungeon? Whatever intention the baron had, it wasn't good.

These thoughts wandered in his head as they made their way to the end of the dungeon. The two women alternated carrying the chest with him to the exit, and he didn't mind. Taking it in turns didn't make him sore, and Julian suspected the amount of mana he had in his body helped him remain stronger for longer. He wondered if he would still feel that way if he removed the bracelet from his wrist.

As Julian prepared to leave for the manor, Rayra gave them a piece of cord to tie the chest to one of the mining carts connected to the horse's saddle. As the young Lord finished tying the chest, he realized Rayra was laying on the mine, collecting her notebook from her pouch.

"What are you doing?"

"Discovering where I need to go next," she replied, as if stating the obvious.

"Do it at my house; you can eat good food and have a roof over your head. Maybe bandits arrive at night, but I could use an extra hand to deal with them," he said, and Liz nodded in agreement.

"I have a roof and food," Rayra said, pointing to the mine.

"All right, suit yourself. It was a pleasure … kinda," Julian replied, spurring his horse, and Liz followed by his side.

It didn't take two minutes for a big fox to appear, sprinting beside them towards the manor. Julian couldn't contain the smile on his face.

Chapter Fifteen

"I see now why you need the coin," Rayra said as her eyes darted through the destroyed courtyard, downed gates, and broken walls.

"It's way better now," Julian said with a smile. "You should've seen it before."

The young Lord looked at the workers' houses on the opposite side of the courtyard and saw they had been cleaned, one of the broken doors had been fixed, and the walls cleaned. The place looked like a real home, and he imagined Mirlo and his wife were already inside, finishing the cleaning and setting up to work. If things flowed as Julian had planned, they would begin the harvest the next day.

"Come, I'll show you your accommodations," Julian said and waved one hand to Rayra, who followed, looking at everything with glaring eyes. Liz followed closely, but remained silent.

As soon as they set foot in the living room, Tarav welcomed them. For one second, the butler raised a brow upon the arrival of the beast folk but was quick to dismiss it.

"Welcome back, Master. How was the dungeon diving?"

"Great, Liz almost died, and we almost killed Rayra, but everything turned out for the better," Julian said with a smile as he walked toward the back of the house. "This is Rayra; she helped us clean the dungeon."

"It's my pleasure," Tarav said politely, but he wasn't sure about his statement.

Rayra only nodded, and Julian shrugged. The woman was complex and wary; a good part of her armor had already fallen around Julian, but with Tarav, that would take more time.

"What was the boss, Master?"

"Some invisible cyclops with a red eye. How are things here? Mirlo and his wife, okay?"

"Everything is fine, Master. Mirlo found a strange crack in the ground in the crops; besides that, there was nothing to complain about. Dinner will be served soon."

"A strange crack, you say?"

"Yes, Master. I checked it, but I can't remember anything happening here to cause that. Maybe it was always there, and we never saw it."

"Maybe," Julian said, but decided to look at it sooner rather than later. If a structural problem put his estate at more risk, he needed to address it as quickly as possible, along with all the other issues.

Julian showed Rayra the guest room and stopped at the door.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you need, and⁠—”

“Thanks,” she interrupted him, taking the notebook from her pouch and closing the door in his face.

"All right," Julian said, staring at the closed door and returning to the living room where Liz waited, sitting on the couch. He sighed and moved towards her.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Some parts," she said with a sad voice. "I wish I had helped more and not been a burden to you."

"You helped immensely," Julian said as he sat beside her. She was affected by the tension of the last two days, and he couldn't blame her, but he wasn't lying when he said she had aided them a lot.

"Thanks," she whispered, looking at the ground. Julian was impressed by how Liz could be a fearsome fighter and still be the shy and insecure girl he had known for so long. "My father is probably worried about me. I should go home."

"I understand," Julian said with a slight smile. "Let me show you to the door."

She nodded, and they walked down the stairs and toward the gate, but instead of walking to their horses, Liz kept going towards the exit.

"Aren't you getting your horses back?"

"Not now. I want to walk."

"You'll take forever to reach your home."

"I know a shortcut; it will take only thirty minutes. I like to walk sometimes; it helps me."

"Can I join you? I don't like the idea of you walking alone; soon it will be dark," Julian asked without thinking, not realizing maybe Liz wanted to be alone and think about all that had happened. But instead, she replied with excitement,

"Yes, of course!"

"All right," Julian smiled and rushed to reach her and walk by her side. "Where's the shortcut?"

"Through the crops, then a side road, and then we'll be home. My father will want to speak with you, my lord."

“I’m counting on that,” Julian replied, smiling as they walked. Soon, they were on the road between the corn crops. After three minutes of silent walking, she pointed to the left, and they entered the maze of plants.

“When did you discover this way?” he asked.

“After you went away and your mother, you know—” she said uncomfortably.

“When she disappeared, you can say that; it’s fine.”

“All right, after that, I came here occasionally with my father to see Lord Lionheart. I always walked back on foot. Father hated it, but he didn’t complain.”

“Do you remember the day you got lost?”

“Yes, but Tarav talks about that day in the wrong light.”

“Does he?” Julian asked with a smile, knowing very well what she meant. Upon seeing his smile, she blushed.

“Yes, for them, that day was horrible. For me, it was perfect,” she said and halted.

Julian was one step before her and turned, locking gazes with Liz. Her stark blue eyes contrasted with the orange light of the setting sun. The young Lord moved one step towards her, and she didn’t stop him or step back.

“What did you like more about that day? The part when I dishonored my family by striking the baron’s son to defend you or⁠—”

“The other part,” she said, interrupting and making him smile profusely.

“That was my favorite part as well,” Julian replied, passing one hand to her waist and pulling her gently against his body. Their eyes were fixed on each other, and time seemed to stop. Julian could hear her heart racing against her chest and her breathing turning irregular. Her full lips opened slightly as his mouth turned dry on the spot; he hadn’t realized he was that nervous.

It was like that day many years ago; just like before, their lips brushed against each other, they closed their eyes, and the distance between them became nonexistent. Julian could feel her breasts against his pecs, her waist in his hands, and the delicate skin of her neck shivering with his touch. This time, the kiss was different. This time, it was better. Her breath smelled of cranberries, and he found it willingly waiting for his when he searched for her tongue. There was passion in that kiss. As Julian pushed her closer still, making her feel his enthusiasm, she gently shoved him away. He didn't release her, and she didn't complain, but their bodies were somewhat distant.

"I didn't know it could be better than that day," Julian whispered.

"Me neither," she replied as her hand traveled through his face. "Do you still want me?"

"Yes," he replied and kissed her again, that time gently, the sweet and wet kiss washing his body with good sensations. "My promise remains the same."

"So repeat it," she demanded, staring deep into his eyes.

"You will be my first wife, the one who will always hold that place," he said, holding her face with both hands.

Liz smiled broadly, her eyes glowing in the orange hue, and then she held him in her arms in a tight embrace. They remained there for a couple of minutes, holding each other as his heart finally started to beat normally again, and his whole body relaxed.

"Let's go; it will be dark soon," she finally said with a gentle smile as they parted, and their hands instinctively found each other.

They kept silent most of the way through the crops, but there was no discomfort in that silence, only peace. Julian felt some measure of desperation when he had arrived home, thinking that everything had changed, but some things didn't change, and he was happy with that.

Liz was completely different when they left the crops and entered the side road. Her humor renewed, and she wanted to hear what had happened. When Julian told her about her neck being almost broken, she was in shock for a moment. It passed quickly when Julian explained how Rayra had saved her life, and he had helped.

"I'm liking her more by the second," Liz said with a smile as they strolled on the road, neither of them in a rush to arrive at the Bravo manor.

"Do you? She doesn't seem to care if people like her," Julian remarked.

"Yes, that's why I like her, except the jealous part of me—" she said and stopped herself in the middle of the sentence, rushing her steps forward as if running from Julian.

"Wait," he said, catching up with her. "Jealous of what? She hates my guts!" Julian stated in shock.

"I was jealous because I didn't know where we stood yet. Now I know, and I'm not jealous anymore. Do what you have to do," she said with a smile and kept walking, looking at the horizon.

"Do what I have to do? By the Last! What are you saying?"

"I saw how you looked at her, Julian," she replied, and the fact that she had called him Julian didn't pass unnoticed. "And I caught one or another glance of hers in your direction as well."

"Nonsense—"

"All right, suit yourself. I won't blame you; she's awesome. You can have as many women as you want. I just wanted my spot as first," she said, shrugging and grabbing his hand again. "Come, we're close. Mom is probably setting the table. She now cooks every night and doesn't let any workers enter the kitchen."

"Which of your mothers?"

"Rivera."

"Oh, then it will be good."

They arrived at the front of the Bravo manor not long after. The place was a far cry from Julian’s manor in its prime. The lights of the place contrasted with those of his home, and the workers doing their business in the courtyard gave a life still missing at the Lionheart house. Far to the right, Julian could see the cows in the meadow, some of them already laying down to sleep and others still eating. On the other side, the crops stood tall, as green as ever. Another person could look at the Bravo manor and be envious. Julian was happy that Liz's family had everything sorted out and hoped he would have his sorted one day soon.

Inside the courtyard, the garden shone with the orange glow of the lamp lights. Several fruit trees and flowers adorned the place, and one of the workers silently sat on a bench, reading a book. The place didn’t seem to struggle whatsoever, but Julian knew a lord could be pretty good at hiding his failures to keep the people's morale high, and that was precisely what Lord Bravo was doing.

Several bystanders waved or smiled at them as they stepped on the stairs of the three-floor manor. Some Julian recognized, but most were strangers to him.

Who wasn’t a stranger was the fat man waiting at the top of the stairs. Lord Bravo had the semblance of someone who had been strong before but now had a fat cape around thick muscles. His cheeks were red. He had a large mustache and a head still full of black hair. He wore regal black and blue clothes, the color of the Bravo family, and had a gigantic smile. The man didn’t look to be in his mid-fifties, and his eyes darted towards Julian and Liz, switching not so discreetly to their intertwined hands.

Julian hadn’t realized they were still holding hands in the manor. It would be wise not to do it in front of others, but Lord Bravo was generous enough to ignore it. Julian climbed the steps, and they gently parted their hands as Lord Bravo extended both arms to welcome them.

“My daughter is brought home safely and brings with her the son I never had,” Lord Bravo said, waving both hands for Julian to come close. Lord Bravo hugged him like a bear would and then shoved him away, holding both of his shoulders. “How are you, son?”

“Great, Lord Bravo. I’m pleased to see you again and strengthen our family bonds,” Julian said with a smile.

"Cut the Lord talk, son. You don't need to waste your years at the Academy with me. We're a family. Did you find your father? That fool bastard must be lost in Silverhold."

"Unfortunately, not. I didn't have the time to look for him, and I don't think he wants to be found, Lord Bravo."

"I see," he said, his features softening, and a glimmer of sadness appeared on his face. "It's hard to take something like that lightly. Your father suffered two great losses; overcoming that is hard."

"Two?" Julian asked with curiosity, and that seemed to embarrass Lord Bravo.

"I'm sorry, son. It's not my place to uncover family issues. Ask Tarav, and he'll tell you if he thinks it's wise," Bravo said, waving a hand as if wanting to change the subject. "And you, Liz? Did your magic thing?"

Liz looked at her father with a stoic face, not joining his ironic tone.

"Yes, father. I helped Julian defeat a burrowmaw, and we conquered his family dungeon. I have with me 330 gold coins to insert into our estate."

Lord Bravo had a surprised face for a fraction of a second, but he was quick to hide it.

"Good, let's enter and eat. Rivera made roast chicken, and she'll be pleased to know you two are back," he said, waving for them to enter.

The Bravo manor was quite similar to the Lionheart one in structure, except for the extra floor that Julian was planning to add to his in the future. The place was regal and cozy simultaneously, and the smell of good food intoxicated Julian's nostrils. As he walked in, the smell intensified.

Three beautiful and mature women were sitting on the chairs when they entered the dining room. Rivera wore a red dress that accentuated her curves, and her long hair almost touched her waist. She was like an older version of Liz. When she saw Julian, she put on a gigantic smile.

"Oh, the news was true. You're really back," she said, getting up and hugging him. It's funny how they still treated him like a child, but he didn't think that to be unnerving. It was a good shift from the life at the Academy or the one of a Lord trying to rebuild his estate.

"Yes, Lady Bravo. I'm glad to be home," he said, and she pointed to a chair for him to sit.

"You’ll tell me everything. How's the duchy, and how terrible have the last years been … Tell me all,"

"Let the boy speak with your sister wives first, Rivera," Lord Bravo interrupted with a chuckle.

Behind Lady Rivera, both Mila and Vivian waited to speak with him. Both had smiles, but not as warm as the one from Rivera. They had always been nice to Julian, but they weren't that close to him. Mila had darker skin, almost brown, big black eyes, and full red lips. She was beautiful and had curled locks tied to her head. She extended her hand to Julian and welcomed him, as did Vivian. The last wife had hair so blonde it was almost white, her green eyes shone with the lamplight, and she was as delicate as a porcelain cup. She could clearly pass as an older sister of Liz and not one of her mothers. She smiled and stretched one hand to Julian. She had always been quiet and closer to books than people.

They sat to eat with the mood high, Julian having once again the opportunity to talk about life in the duchy and his days at the Academy. Then he told everyone about their adventure inside the dungeon earlier that day, but omitted the part where Liz almost died. Lord Bravo didn’t need to know about that today. Let him stay with the picture of his daughter being a badass on the battlefield.

"I always knew my girl was different," Rivera said with a smile, and the others smiled as well, except Lord Bravo.

"She's definitely different. Your other daughters are all well married already," he said grimly, but Liz was wise enough not to join the provocation. It was Mila who entered the conversation.

"Your daughter just defeated a mighty enemy and brought a reward to our home. None of our other daughters are doing that."

"And at what cost? They're safe and married well. They don’t need to chase danger for recognition."

Liz couldn't hold back, her frustration breaking through. "And what? Am I supposed to sit around? No. I’ve got Julian. We'll make our way. Just watch."

Julian choked on the chicken and had to cough and drink a big cup of water to let everything slide down his throat. When he looked around him, everyone was silent, and anticipation dominated the room.

"She’s not wrong. With your blessing, we can prove it."

"Julian, my boy…" Lord Bravo said, leaning against his chair. He smiled sadly. "The reality of your situation is hard to ignore. I can’t, in good conscience, let her take that risk."

"I'm turning things around, Lord Bravo. Sooner rather than later, House Lionheart will be in its former glory again, if not better," Julian said confidently, and Rivera smiled.

Rivera's smile widened, his voice warm with confidence. "I believe in Julian. They have my full support."

Mila chimed in eagerly, "Mine too."

"Count me in," Vivian added quickly, leaving all eyes on Lord Bravo, who paused, his gaze softening as he met Julian’s determined look. Julian’s heart raced, hanging on the moment before Lord Bravo finally spoke.

Chapter Sixteen

Everyone was immersed in that terrible silence. Julian could hear the workers laughing outside and an owl crying on the far end of the courtyard trees, yet not a single sound was heard at the table for several seconds.

Julian realized Liz gripped his hand with immense force, and her knuckles were almost white beneath the wooden table. Then the old Lord started to speak,

"I'll give my blessing as long as you're able to restructure your home in the next month."

"One month?!" Liz asked in shock.

"I'll do it," Julian said, giving Lord Bravo a confident and reassuring smile.

"Good, I knew that would be your answer, and I'm cheering for your success, young man."

"I'm pleased, Lord Bravo. I won't let you down," Julian said with a grin and stared into Liz's eyes. She had fear in them, but her expression quickly softened upon his gentle touch on her hand.

Julian looked at everyone's plates and realized they were empty, signaling his time to go.

"If I'm supposed to make my house great again, I must start working. If you'll excuse me, I'll head to the manor now," Julian said with a slight bow as he got up. "Thank you for the dinner, my Ladies and Lord."

"It's always a pleasure to see you, dear," Rivera said, getting up and hugging him again.

"I'll be waiting for news, son," Lord Bravo said with an extended hand that Julian shook promptly.

"You'll hear it, for sure," he replied as he moved to the door.

"I'll walk you to the exit," Liz said, grabbing his arm between hers as they waved goodbye to Vivian and Mila. They all walked towards the main door of the manor, but only Liz accompanied him outside the courtyard.

When they were finally alone, only bathed by the silver moonlight and the walls of the manor distant, Julian looked at her with a smile.

"Bold move," he said, and she blushed.

"I'm sorry. All this talk of marriage was getting under my skin. I'm sorry if I put you in a bad situation," she said with a sad grin.

"That's alright. We have nothing to hide. I wasn't planning on laying down for the next month; I'll need money and workers to make the Lionheart manor great again. Your father's ultimatum is just a little push towards my goal."

"So, you don't care about it?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Of course, I care," Julian grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against his body with a firm movement. She looked over her shoulder to see if someone was looking.

"Julian!" she shouted, but when he kissed her, she didn't complain. Instead, she responded with passion. When they parted from the kiss, she looked amazing, her blush now indicating she was aroused instead of embarrassed, and that made Julian's heart pump faster.

"Should I stop?" he asked, pulling her closer still.

"Yes, or I won't be able to wait one month," she replied with a mutter full of desire.

He slowly let her leave his embrace as he stared into her eyes. He would respect her wishes, and they were in the middle of the road, close to her father's manor, anyway.

"Come lunch with me tomorrow? Maybe we can take a look at Rayra's drawings. The idea of finding a treasure is becoming more and more interesting to me."

"I'll be there," she replied with a smile and a gentle kiss. "Bye, my Lord."

"Bye, my lady," he replied with another kiss and strolled away, not looking back as he went home.

Julian woke up the next morning reinvigorated the past day's events enriching for the young lord. He felt the need to sing but had never been a good singer, so he settled for whistling a famous song his father used to sing when he was happy.

The melody was funny and upbeat, and the lyrics were about a warrior who faced terrible odds to defeat a sea serpent and save his family. As Julian descended the stairs, he smelled green tea and freshly baked bread. Tarav awaited him close to the dining table.

"The warrior already defeated the snake?" the butler asked as he heard Julian whistling.

The young Lord had to stop and catch his breath before replying, "No, he's still fighting the witch on the island, or was … I'm not that good a whistler," Julian said, sitting on the chair and grabbing a piece of bread and a cup of tea.

"You were doing just fine, my lord."

"Thanks, where is our guest?"

"She left early this morning. Didn't tell me where she was going, and I didn't ask," Tarav informed.

"Alright," he said, chewing his food and grabbing a pot of butter from the middle of the table. Tarav had bought good, but not expensive, ingredients from the market, and Julian adored bread with butter.

He shoved everything into his mouth. "Let's start working," Julian said, cleaning his hands on his clothes and heading to the courtyard.

"What are the plans, master?"

"Fix the entrance. The downed doors are an invitation to bandits. We'll do it now, and as soon as we finish, you and Mirlo are going to town to find workers to harvest and fix the walls," Julian instructed.

"Sounds like a good plan, my lord. How can I help?"

"Fetch Mirlo and tell his wife to prepare lunch. You won't work in the kitchen today."

"Alright," Tarav replied as he headed towards the worker's house. Julian moved to the stables and led two horses towards the downed gates on the ground. With ropes and a good foundation, the animals would help make the task faster.

They created a lever using a large rock that fell from the walls and a wooden board. With the ropes tied around the top end of the door, they positioned the horses in front, with Tarav mounting one and grabbing the second reins.

Pulling the lever and then holding the door on one side, with Mirlo on the other, Tarav spurred the horses, and they helped lift it. Soon, the door was in place, and they only needed to fix the hinge on one side and then do the other.

They had been working for at least one hour when they finished the first side of the door. Julian was immensely tired from the effort but wiped his brow and looked at Mirlo, who wasn’t in better shape.

"Let's do it, Mirlo."

The other man sighed deeply and leaned his hands against his knees.

"Let me just drink some water, Master."

"Of course. Can you fetch me some?" Julian asked as he watched a cloud of dust forming on the horizon. Is it Liz already? I thought she would only come to lunch, he thought as he walked towards the road.

Tarav also looked at the movement with attention.

"Are we expecting someone?" Julian asked.

"Not that I know of, master," Tarav replied.

Julian looked at his clothes, all covered in sweat. He wore a simple garb: a white shirt with sleeves to the elbows, linen pants, and simple working shoes. He could pass for a worker with no problems except for the bracelet on his left hand, the sheathed sword on his hips, and the gauntlet on his right hand.

He wouldn't have the time to change clothes, but he cleaned his face as much as possible and waited in the shadows of the wall as Mirlo fetched him a large cup of water.

Soon, they realized it wasn't just one horse but a carriage, and then Julian understood who it was.

Four black horses carried the big and pompous vehicle; it was black and covered in red details. An eagle adorned the top of the ceiling. The coachman was a green and ugly goblin, and when the carriage stopped at the end of the road, only ten feet away from Julian, he nodded to Julian with deference.

"Lord Julian Lionheart, I announce the visit of our magnanimous Baron Strazz," the goblin said, as if he were presenting the king. Julian adorned his face with a smile to speak with the old man, but when the door opened, Julian's jaw threatened to fall to the ground. However, he quickly dismissed it and put on a stoic face before the arriving guest could notice.

As the fat man descended the steps of the carriage, Julian took a good look at him. Wearing a black and red robe with golden details on the collar, the baron looked like a well-adorned pig. The reddened cheeks and combed hair glued to his head made him resemble a child; in Julian's opinion, he wasn’t far from that.

Behind him, three soldiers stood tall, wearing the same armor they had seen in the dungeon before, but these soldiers were alive and well. Two had swords on their belts, and a third carried a crossbow.

Julian bowed slightly in the figure's presence, and the man finally spoke. "Good day, Lord Julian. I heard the news of your arrival and came to see with my own eyes," the man said, and his eyes darted from Julian's feet to the top of his head. "I must say, if Tarav weren’t at your side, I would assume the Lord isn't here." He had a smirk stamped on his face.

"I’m sorry for my appearance, Baron Strazz. This is the downside of working hard, as you know," Julian said stoically, and the baron’s smile faded. "If you had informed me of your coming, I would’ve prepared something worthy of your status."

The baron waved his hand dismissively. "I’m just doing the tax collector's job today, nothing more. I thought it would be nice to see an old childhood friend."

"Indeed, but we've already paid the taxes for this month with our furniture," Julian stated.

The baron had a sly smile when the following words left his mouth, but his gaze darted toward the courtyard of the manor as if he were looking for something. "I’m afraid you don’t have all the information, Lord Julian. Your father had a loan with the duchy bank that wasn’t paid yet," he said, feigning sadness. "The king ordered all the barons to seek the payment of our Lords' debts to the bank, and I’m here to do so,"

"How much?" Julian asked, trying to hide his anger.

The baron waved one hand, and one of the soldiers removed papers from one of the suitcases. He was about to give it to the baron when their heads turned to the side. Something moved fast through the crops, the plants shaking with the violent movement of whatever was inside it. The soldiers instinctively unsheathed their swords and pointed the crossbow towards the movement. The baron rushed to the carriage, stepping over his robes and almost tripping in the middle of the road.

Julian drew his sword and waited in a fighting stance. With graceful movements, the figure jumped from the crops and landed on the ground. The soldier with a crossbow shot by instinct at the arriving creature, but it dodged the bolt graciously.

The fox changed form in seconds and pointed her bow towards the soldier. The movement was fast and delicate at the same time. "Give me one reason not to shoot this canned fool," she hissed as the soldier tried to reload his crossbow but dropped it at the sight of Rayra and her bow.

None of them seemed to have ever seen someone transforming from an animal to a beast folk, since their jaws were almost on the ground.

"They're not enemies; they just got scared. Please, lower your weapon," Julian said, sheathing his sword and motioning for her to calm down.

Rayra hesitated for a few seconds, her narrow yellow eyes examining the soldier's demeanor, but she finally lowered the weapon and put it on her back. She moved towards Julian with her typical sway, but instead of moving to the house, she stopped at the young Lord's side as if covering him, the same as Tarav did on the other end.

"What's this?" The baron left the carriage cautiously, his brow furrowed, and his voice was annoyed. "Who attacked me?"

"I didn’t attack you, human," Rayra hissed. "Your puppies were the ones shooting at me."

"She's Rayra, and she's a guest at my house. Let's get back to business."

"How dare she?"

"Please, just state your case, or I'll head to Silverhold and talk to your father to get this situation straight."

That made the small man blush profusely. Julian had no idea why he was there and why he was being called baron, but he knew it was his father who called the shots.

"My father is ill, and I’m here to fulfill his wishes. Here are the papers," the baron said, handing Julian the documents and waiting patiently for him to read.

The baron's smile only widened as Julian's eyes darted through the pages.

"When do I need to pay this?" Julian asked stoically.

"My father generously gives you seven days to pay it," the baron replied.

"Alright," Julian replied, staring into the baron's eyes. "Tell the real Baron Strazz he'll have the money in seven days." He turned his back to the ruler and moved towards the manor. He could swear he heard the man say something, as if doubtful at his manners, but he wouldn’t give him the pleasure.

As he walked, anger started to boil in his blood. He didn’t know if it was anger at his father, at the baron, or destiny for throwing one challenge after another at him, but it was consuming him.

"How much, master?" Tarav asked as Julian entered the room and sat on the couch, trying to breathe calmly and control his feelings.

"Five thousand gold coins, or they will take the manor as payment."

Chapter Seventeen

"Here, it says the deadline can vary between seven and thirty days, depending on the collector's decision," Tarav said hopefully. "Maybe you can talk with the baron."

"You know better, Tarav. The fool came here following explicit orders from the old man. They knew he would anger me," Julian sighed as he sank into the couch.

Rayra was standing by a far wall with her arms crossed and her tail waving from side to side. The woman hadn't provided any advice but hadn't moved away from Julian, and he appreciated it. Liz had also arrived at the manor shortly after the baron's son and the apparently honorary baron left the estate.

"Why are they doing this?" Liz asked, her leg moving frantically.

Julian shared her anxiety but had decided to calm himself down. He couldn't allow himself to get desperate, or everyone else would follow suit promptly. So, he gently placed a hand on her leg and smiled to reassure her.

"Because they want the manor. Maybe the baron is also suffering from the loss of money."

"But why?" Liz asked again. "I can understand the reason, but not why someone would do that to someone struggling."

"The old baron had a grudge against Julian's father. They kept up appearances due to their positions but hated each other … This is probably the last chance the old baron will have to make his move and destroy the Lionheart legacy," Tarav said severely.

He wasn’t telling Julian any news. The baron and Julian's father had been great friends in the past, but something happened, something his father never explained to him. The fact that the baron's son was an arrogant bully didn’t help either.

"Maybe they have something to do with my father's disappearance," Julian muttered, staring at the wall, but with his mind away,

"That's a serious accusation, Master," Tarav said in a hushed tone, clearly afraid of discussing these matters close to Rayra, whom he didn't trust. The fox-woman caught his meaning and chimed in.

"I have no interest in your local politics, Mr. Butler. I'm here to fulfill my mission, and that's it," she said, uncrossing her arms and sitting opposite Julian. "But I must say, your situation is definitely curious, Julian. I can give you my share of the treasure as a loan if that can help you pay the debts."

"Me too," Liz added with excitement.

"Thanks, ladies, but even with the harvest and your coins, I’ll probably still have a deficit of around three thousand coins."

"Unless we find a mysterious treasure prophesied in the roof of a dungeon," Rayra said with a raised brow and a sly smile.

"That’s tempting, but we have no idea where to search for it," Julian sighed again. "In one week, we can probably mine something, can’t we, Tarav?"

"Yes, Master. It will be hard to gather workers, but it can be done. Do you want me to proceed?"

"Yes, go to town with Mirlo and do what you were already going to do, but now search for twice as many workers. Send some to harvest with Mirlo and lead the others to the mining. Send news to the baron about the soldiers dead in the mines," Julian said, getting up and walking to the stairs. He needed time to think. "I'll be in the office. Make yourselves at home. Please forgive my rudeness, Liz. I'll be back soon; don't go away. I need to think it through." She nodded and removed her grimoire from inside her pouch, which made Julian think he needed to check his book soon, but now he didn't have the time for magic.

Julian sat in the office and sunk his face into his hands with worry threatening to consume him. "Who does he think he is to come into my house and threaten to steal it so blatantly?" he muttered, looking at the window facing the road from where the baron had come. "I should've struck him more on that day." Julian's knuckles were white from clenching his fist as memories flooded his mind, yet he couldn't allow himself to be consumed by anger.

Julian realized that mining wouldn't be viable as he read the papers containing all his debts and incomes. In the best months, it had made around five thousand gold coins. There was no chance for them to make half of it in just one week. Still, every penny would count towards his goal. Yet, that made it more obvious he needed to think of another way to bring income to the house. The most obvious choice would be to dive into dungeons. Maybe even open a spot for a beginner mage like him, who wanted to acquire Soul Shards with more experienced combatants.

Liz would probably be the person to ask about it, and if Rayra joined them, they would be unbeatable. Julian doubted there was something more dangerous than the invisible cyclops in a dungeon nearby, but he also doubted one thousand coins would be lying down, waiting for him to collect them.

And then there was the promised treasure of the caves. If there were one thousand gold in the cave with the hint, how much would be in the one with the actual treasure? The kid inside Julian was also excited at the prospect of an adventure into the unknown. He had heard many stories of his parents' adventures and had always dreamt of becoming an adventurer. This would be the perfect opportunity, but he needed to piece together where the treasure was hidden. His mother would love that mystery. She had been obsessed with Soul Shards and the history behind their powers. She had never shared much about it with Julian, but he had seen her studying late at night almost every night. She sharpened her blade or stared at Soul Shards for hours.

Julian’s father always complained and called her to the bedroom, mainly on the days Julian was there. It happened often when Julian was caught watching her study or train through the cracks in the door.

"Look at the example you’re giving to your son," he used to say. "Our boy needs to learn to be a manager, not a dreamer." His mother always smiled when his father argued with her and didn’t talk back. They had their dynamic, one that involved silent conversations. Julian understood love through those conversations; his home was entirely of it. Now, it was lacking. I miss you, Father … Julian thought, realizing that was the first time he had felt it in many years.

The old man hadn't dealt with his mother's disappearance healthily. Vanishing like that wasn't much of a surprise after all they had gone through. Deep down, Julian believed the old man had a higher chance of being dead than his mother, and that haunted him. The possibility that the baron could be involved somehow only angered him more.

Deciding to think about it when he could do something about it, Julian moved to the door and called both Liz and Rayra. He was back in his chair behind the table when the two women entered the room. Both looked as stunning as ever, Liz with her worried and caring nature and Rayra with her narrow eyes and feigned disinterest.

At least I'm lucky somehow, he thought as he gave them a welcoming smile.

"What?" Rayra asked, annoyed, but she couldn't dissuade Julian's smile.

"Two things. I want to collect more rewards from dungeons. Can you provide me with a list of things we can do, Liz?"

"Yes, my Lord. I can think of three near Silverhold, but they're at least one day's travel away," Liz responded.

"Alright, I have a map somewhere here. You can use it to show me where they are," Julian said as he searched for the map among the yellowed papers on the table. When he finally found it, he spread it out on the furniture, and Liz leaned over it to inspect the map.

"And me?" Rayra asked.

"I want you to join us."

"I can't, I⁠—"

"Have a mission that you need to fulfill, I know. When are you leaving?"

"Probably tonight," she replied calmly as she moved to sit beside a concentrated Liz. "I should've left already, honestly."

"And why didn't you?"

"I don't know," Rayra replied. Julian caught a glimpse of Liz looking at him with a little smirk, silently saying, 'I know why.'

"Let me help you while you're still here. If you find the answer to your quest, it will also be good for all of us."

"Right. Do you have any genius ideas?"

"Not really. Can you show me the notebook again?" Julian asked, ignoring the woman’s passive aggressiveness and stretching a hand towards her. Soon, the notebook was in his hands, and he started reading.

"The Soul Guardian awaits beneath. One must venture into the depths and face the Dragonborn to find what was never lost. Treasure and power for those who dare, in every shadow, death does stare," he repeated the sentence, looking at the words translated beneath the original text and the strange forms on the paper.

Julian kept analyzing the shapes with care. It had the semblance of a reptile creature but only the silhouette of its face. Close to one end was a kind of mount—perhaps symbolizing a horn or a lump—, and on the other, a line passed, which could be a mouth. In the center of the drawing lay a tiny dot, which could be a single eye. Whatever this creature was, it was terribly ugly.

The figure looked more like a child's drawing than a prophecy hidden in a strange and mysterious cave, and that bugged Julian’s mind.

"Here are the three dungeons we can try to loot, Lord Julian," Liz said, shifting his attention from the notebook to her. He looked at the map with attention. None of the places were close to one another. "The farthest one is an ogre dungeon. I know there's good loot there, but it's dangerous." She pointed to the north of Silverhold, crossing some hills and mountains.

"And the others?"

"To the west, passing your mine, there's a hydra maze. It's been there for centuries and is said to have good treasure, but it's easy to get lost in it or be found by the hydra."

"I'm sure Rayra can help us with tracking," Julian said with a smile, but the woman only frowned.

"And here we are, and the closest one is a goblin dungeon to the south," she said, pointing at the area of Silverhold with a lion stamped on it. Beneath the lines of a river, there was a cave. "Little to no rewards in there, but we can always be surprised by it," she finally said, but Julian's eyes had been drawn to the river line.

Something about it looked familiar. Julian's mind raced as he tried to recall where he had seen it before, and then he glanced at the notebook in his hand. Realization struck the young Lord like a boulder.

"It's a map!" he exclaimed, causing the two to jump in their spots.

"Yes, it's a map. I'm looking at it," Liz said with an almost scared face as she pointed to the map on the table.

"No, not that map. This one!" Julian said, lifting the notebook to his face and pointing at it.

They looked at him as if he was crazy for a moment, and then realization dawned on them, too. They stared at the notebook in awe.

"We didn't realize it was a map because it didn't match our borders, not the current ones or the natural ones, but look," he said, standing up and moving to the balcony in his mother's room. His steps echoed through the entire manor, with them closely following behind.

"There's the mountain where the baron is mining." Julian pointed westward. "And to the south is the river." He directed their gaze to the south as they followed his hand.

"And the point in the middle?" Rayra asked, taking the notebook. Both Julian and Liz leaned in to look at it. This time, they realized it simultaneously and said in unison,

"It's here!"

Chapter Eighteen

They looked at each other for several seconds but said nothing. Instead, Rayra changed into a fox and rushed down the stairs. Julian and Liz followed close behind as a scared Jet stood on the first step with her fur up and bristling at the sight of the larger animal.

Julian stopped to pet her down, and she seemed to calm down. "Sorry, Jet, I can't be with you right now," he said as the cat purred under his fingers. "I have a treasure to find."

Then he sprinted outside of the house. He saw Rayra heading to the right, so he went to the left, as Liz was already on her way. Julian was full of excitement as they started their search. The point on the map was precisely where they were. The entrance to the dungeon had to be in the vicinity, on the slope of a hill, or simply a hole in the ground.

The lord wasted no time searching for the entrance the whole morning.

Julian returned home sweating and out of breath as the sun was close to the top of the sky. Still, they couldn't give up. The search around the house proved unfruitful, so they decided to expand the radius of their search. Rayra hadn't returned, making Julian think she had realized the same thing. With the horses saddled and their throats reinvigorated with water given by Mirlo's wife, Julian and Liz parted again, looking for the entrance to the dragonborn dungeon.

Julian galloped between the crops on both sides of the road, went to a slope nearby, and combed it, even coming close to the Bravo's property once. He expanded his search to the whole radius of the estate but still couldn't find the location if it ever existed.

Hope proved to be a futile idea for Julian in the last few days, but he could still rely on hard work without hope. With that in mind, he made another round of searches. When he finished, his hair and clothes were full of leaves, and his face ached from the burns of sunlight.

Workers were already harvesting the crops when he returned home. Julian waved to Mirlo as he commanded the new workers but couldn't bring himself to smile. Liz and Rayra's moods weren't that good either. Both were sitting with their back to the mansion walls, facing the crops.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," they replied as Liz extended a large cup of water to Julian.

"We just need to keep searching," Julian said, trying to give them confidence, but it was useless.

"This could be anywhere else, Julian," Rayra started, the woman too tired to be ironic or judgmental. "A place close to a river and a slope? I know thousands like that. Still, now I'm closer to my goal. This isn’t the worst outcome possible."

"It's here," Julian stated, locking eyes with her. "Trust me, I'll find it, the same way I discovered it was a map."

"Alright," she replied with a sigh as she leaned against the wall. Her movement made her muscular abdomen stretch. Julian glanced at her curvy features but was interrupted by someone calling him from behind.

"I'm sorry, Master," a woman's voice called. "Where can I harvest now? I finished the first round."

Julian turned to see a thin girl, almost a child, looking at him with pleading eyes. She was there to work, but didn't seem able to do it.

"No reason to say sorry. You don’t need to work now. Go to the worker’s shacks first," he said, pointing in the accommodation’s direction. "Go there and make yourself at home, then go to the kitchen and eat something. Only then should you start working again."

"Thank you, master. I’ll grab my things," she said, bowing exaggeratedly. Julian could see tears in her eyes as she raised her face and looked into his.

"It's nothing," he replied, patting her shoulder and waving for her to go.

When she left to return to the crops, he turned back to the girls, and both had smiles.

"You're really nice, aren't you?" Rayra asked in a surprised tone.

"I guess so. What's the deal with it? Everyone's nice," he replied, feeling his cheeks blush.

"Most people are terrible. You two are different," Rayra said, pointing at Liz and Julian. "Your butler isn't the worst either," she complimented as she stood up.

"Back to the search?" Liz asked.

"Yes." Rayra shrugged and moved to the road, passing close to Julian and leaving a scent of lavender in the air. Her tail even brushed his waist on the way out. When she was three steps away from them, they heard the scream.

Chapter Nineteen

The loud noise pierced the air and made Julian's whole body shiver. He looked around, searching for someone in danger, but couldn't hear anything. Then the scream began again, and he rushed in its direction. It was coming from the crops.

From the same direction, the worker girl had just gone. Is someone attacking her? Julian thought as he rushed in that direction with Liz and Rayra close to his back.

His jaw almost fell to the ground when he found the sound’s source. Or worse, almost fell into the crack that had opened in the ground. A hole akin to a scar split the ground. Hanging by her hands, the girl hung there, not falling only by the strength of her thin fingers. Julian shoved his fear away and threw his hands at her, grabbing her arms and pulling her up with all the force he could muster.

The hole wasn't large. It could fit only one person, but they had no idea of its depth. He pulled with even more force, only stopping when the girl was entirely outside the crack. She was trembling heavily, and Julian pulled her away from the hole with Liz and Rayra behind him.

"Are you okay?" he asked as the girl tried to breathe. "Did you get hurt?"

“I'm fine," she replied after a couple of seconds.

"Good. Go sit and calm yourself."

She nodded and walked away.

"What in the Last was that?" he finally asked, looking at the crack in the ground. Nothing was exciting about the hole, but the fact that one was in the middle of the plantation boggled his mind.

Julian collected one large rock and threw it inside the hole.

“It’s not that deep,” Rayra said, getting close to it, “It extends itself to the sides at the end.”

“How do you know?” Liz asked, and the other woman pointed to her eyes. “Oh, yes … improved vision.”

“Like an irrigation tunnel?” Julian asked,

“Exactly,”

“But that’s not on the records. We never built an irrigation tunnel.”

“Maybe a previous owner?”

“We are the first owners.”

They remained silent, looking at the crack in the ground and wondering if that could be related to their search.

“Anything particular your mother said about this place to you?” Rayra asked with narrow eyes.

“Nothing that I can remember. Mother was more into the patterns she could see inside the Soul Shards. She spent hours and hours looking at them, trying to find the common pattern in each one.”

“I see … the search for the pattern is quite disseminated among the scholars of my kind, but we didn’t find it already,”

“Maybe my mother did⁠—”

“Impossible, we have been trying for centuries,”

An idea flashed inside Julian’s mind. “I think I have discovered how to find the entrance to the dungeon.”

“What? How?” Liz asked,

“Just trust me. I need you to fill the tunnels with water, Liz.”

“Alright, I’ll need to use the Soul Shards we gathered. I have no idea the size of the tunnels.”

“No problem,” Julian said as both surprised women looked at him, almost as if he was crazy. "If we find the entrance, we have to be ready to enter it as soon as possible,"

Each one of them had gotten six shards. Julian gave one to Liz and one to Rayra, promising to get the first in case they entered the dungeon successfully.

The two women were far more experienced with magic and would use it for a better purpose than him. Julian's abilities now were raw power in some strange form of energy.

As Liz started to produce the water, Rayra sharpened her knives and adjusted her bow while Julian searched in the warehouse for chain mail and wore it beneath a white shirt, a black coat with the blue and white symbol of the Lionheart family, pants, and two black boots. He felt powerful and comfortable and headed up to the manor’s roof.

There, he leaned against the roof and watched for movement within the crops. Liz kept working hard, making the hole flood with water. The prospect of entering the dungeon made his mind race with possibilities. Still, he was most curious about his mother's reaction to the knowledge that an incredible dungeon was inside their own lands, a dungeon that could've had answers she had searched for all her life.

Deciding to look at his grimoire finally, Julian snapped his fingers, and the blue book appeared in his hand.

"Hi, Mr. Grimoire. Are you a Mr.?" Julian asked with a raised brow, but obviously, the book didn't answer. It just remained there in his hand. How stupid am I to talk to a book? He asked himself as he opened the pages.

Owner: Julian Lionheart.

Rank: Novice (7/10 shards).

Magic Affinity: Arcane.

Spells:

Arcane Explosion - Due to the terrible manipulation of his powers, Julian can perform one single mana explosion and it can destroy mostly anything it touches at the cost of a high amount of energy. With practice, the cost of mana can be reduced, and the precision of the spell can be improved.

Arcane Whip: Julian can summon a whip of energy; he has no idea how to do it, which is amusing.The spell has a low cost of mana and considerable damage through flensing. It can become a decent frequent spell if the user can learn it.

"What!?" Julian thought as he finished reading the pages.

"Terrible manipulation of my powers, and you think that's amusing?" Julian couldn't help but laugh at the text. The book couldn't speak with him directly and only make annotations based on Julian's experimentations and mana manipulation, but it could undoubtedly give its own opinion of his performance. The young Lord couldn't even get offended by the grimoire due to how ridiculous the situation was.

The old mages' advice started to ring inside Julian's mind. There was no reason for him to become angry with the grimoire. They would be close to each other for their whole life. Even the passive-aggressive pages had given him a good insight into his abilities. It could only improve if he strengthened the bond between him and the object.

"I know that you, Arcane Grimoire, have high standards due to the rarity of this power and your own existence. I'll do better in the future to honor the previous Arcane mages; I promise," Julian said. He wasn't lying to himself and certainly not to the book. That was his plan; he didn't start something to do it in a mediocre way. If he was going to be this different kind of mage, he planned to become the best one in the world. "Do you have any tips on how to enter this dungeon?"

The book didn’t answer, but instead, Liz called him in the distance.

“Julian! Something is happening!” she cried out loud. He almost dropped from the roof directly to the ground by instinct, but decided otherwise. It is better to be ready with two working legs than broken ones.

He rushed down the stairs, through the manor’s room, and across the road to the crops. He could see nothing there until he found Liz looking at the hole in the ground. But he could feel it.

“Do you have awareness of where the water is, right?” Julian asked, but already knew the answer.

“Yes, I can feel its course.” As Liz uttered the words, Rayra appeared behind them worriedly.

“Good, you’re here. Give me your notebook.” Julian said, and the fox woman faltered for one second before delivering it to him, “And a pencil.”

Then Julian passed it to Liz.

“Now, draw the shape the water is forming.”

Liz didn’t ask any questions. Instead, she started drawing. After less than two minutes, the shape was finally revealed. The form was quite simple. The edges connected three eye-like shapes.

“Where are we in this drawing?”

“Here,” she said, pointing at the edge of one of the shapes.

“Show us the middle of it, where the three shapes connect,” Julian said. Liz remained silent for a second, trying to understand him. “I think there will be an entrance there.”

“In the middle of the crops?”

“Why not? This is the pattern. It was already here. It has always been. We’ll enter it.”

Liz nodded and started moving. Rayra had a smile on her face as well. She knew what he was saying was probably right, and the realization of her being able to fulfill her mission exhilarated her.

They finally reached the intersection, but Julian couldn’t tell it. It was simply the middle of the crops. Between one or another plant, they stood looking at each other.

“So?” Liz asked,

“We just need to find the door now,” Julian said, already searching with his feet for where the entrance could be. His companions did the same, and as he searched, his mind continued to race. “Can you repeat the words? Maybe there’s a clue we are missing.”

Rayra sighed, annoyed by stopping the search but aware it was a reasonable request. She took the notebook from her pouch and uttered,

"The Soul Guardian awaits beneath. One must venture into the depths and face the Dragonborn to find what was never lost. Treasure and power for those who dare. In every shadow, death does stare."

As she said the words, Julian repeated them in his mind. But he couldn’t think of anything related to the place they were in. Shit, maybe I was wrong.

When he turned to look at Liz and Rayra, his face crashed against a wooden door. Just like that, a door now stood between Julian and the girls.

"We did it," he muttered in awe. "We found it."

The smile on Rayra's face was the most radiant Julian had seen since he met her. It was like looking at a whole new person. With the notebook in her hands, she rushed towards him and hugged him and Liz. They were both speechless with the strange show of affection, but returned the gesture with a smile.

"I can't believe it! I'll be able to go back home," she said, and Julian could almost see tears forming in her eyes.

"First, we need to conquer the dungeon," Julian said with a smile as they ended the embrace.

"Yes, of course," Rayra replied, her tone becoming severe again. "Try not to slow me down, alright?" she said as she started to move towards the door.

Liz looked at Julian and chuckled silently, covering her mouth with one hand as he shrugged.

"Wait, I need to let someone know where we're going and leave a message on how to open it for Tarav. It appeared when you said the words?” Julian asked, but it was Liz who replied.

“No, I was looking at the exact moment. Before she uttered the words, the door was already materializing. It was simply waiting for someone, I guess.”

“Alright, since we don't know what can happen inside or if the door will remain open when we enter, it will be better if we told someone before we enter it," Julian said, and Rayra sighed deeply.

"Alright, I'll wait here⁠—"

Before Julian could reply or turn and leave, the door opened with a loud crack. A gush of wind started to blow from inside the door, but there was nothing there. Pitch black stood before them, but behind it, the world remained as normal as always.

They traded glances, and before any decision could be made, the wind became stronger, pulling them toward the door. It was like fighting a whirlwind. Julian tried to grab the handle of the door but couldn’t. He tried to hold on to the ground, but his fingers couldn’t find anything to grab a hold of. Lastly, he tried to unsheathe his sword and stab it into the ground. Still, before he could do anything, Rayra and Liz were dragged through the entrance, and then it was Julian’s turn.

Only darkness awaited him on the descent when he entered the dungeon door.

Chapter Twenty

Darkness engulfed everything.

Julian tried to scream as he fell, but he couldn't hear his voice. He could feel his vocal cords stretching, his throat sore, and his mouth open, but no sound emerged.

He just fell and fell, waving his arms and legs, trying to understand what was happening but failing as desperation overtook him again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" He finally heard his voice as darkness turned to light, and the void became air. "Oh," he muttered as he realized he wasn't dead inside a void of nonexistence. Instead, he was falling through the sky.

A jungle awaited him below. Close to him, he could also see Liz and Rayra falling. He couldn't discern their features, but assumed they were as desperate as him. The tree canopies grew more significant by the second as he plummeted.

This was supposed to be a dungeon … old buildings, narrow corridors, low light, not a freaking jungle! It was the last thing he thought before his body collided with the first branch and then a second and a third.

He felt pain only on the first hit; it was as if his body had become numb. He tried to grab one of the branches to dampen the fall, but his hand crashed through the branches until he landed with a loud thump on his back. I thought dying would hurt, Julian thought as he opened his eyes.

To his surprise, he wasn't in a new place. He wasn't in the dark void, nor had he become one with the Last Soul. Instead, as far as his eye could see, he was still in the jungle. He turned his neck and realized it wasn’t broken. He slowly sat up and looked at his limbs. Nothing was broken there, either.

"What in the Last?" he asked out loud.

"Julian?!" He heard Liz's voice calling for him from somewhere to his right.

"I'm here," he said as he slowly got up and dusted himself off.

"Are you well?" She asked as she moved from the shadows of the trees and emerged in front of him, completely unharmed.

"Yes, mysteriously. Where's Rayra?"

"Here," the fox-woman replied, appearing from the other side of the jungle as she removed leaves from her hair, tail, and fox ears. "Wasn’t this supposed to be a dungeon?"

"My thoughts exactly," Julian said as they regrouped in the center of their clearing. "Any ideas, girls?"

"The basics. Discover where we are, find the treasure, and find a way back home through the skies," Liz said with a dumbfounded voice.

"Just a normal day," Julian said with a sigh as he looked around, trying to understand the best course of action.

"Follow me," Rayra said before he could come up with any ideas. He was glad she knew to help them maneuver through that situation.

They rushed to follow the fox-woman as she changed forms and walked through the woods. From time to time, she stopped and smelled something on the ground. She didn't continue walking the second time she halted. Instead, she waved her head for him to come closer.

He crouched below the place, and what he saw made him shiver. Two massive footprints stood on the ground, at least triple the size of Julian's hand. The beast had one finger on one end of the paw and three on the other, signaling it was a reptile of some species.

"Maybe the Dragonborn of the murals," Julian muttered, deciding they needed to make as little noise as possible.

"I don't think so. The creatures on the walls seemed humanoid. This is a monster or an animal," Liz replied, and the fox nodded. "I think we aren't inside the dungeon yet. The message said we needed to venture beneath, and we are pretty much on the soil right now. If I had to guess, our job here is to find the way to the real dungeon."

"Makes sense," Julian said, scratching his chin as he got up. "So let's look for clues and be aware of our surroundings. We don't need to start a fight if there's no need for it. We have no idea what these creatures are or what they can do."

They nodded at him and returned to their walk through the jungle. Rayra remained in her fox form the whole time, leaving only small prints on the ground as if she weren't heavy. Julian kept looking at his sides repeatedly, trying to catch any sound.

The problem was that the jungle made a lot of noise: birds chirped, insects flew, and the trees rustled with the wind. Occasionally, they could hear a distant growl or howl, making Julian shiver as his hand gripped his sword's hilt firmly. He was ready to fight and somewhat eager to do so, but the fact that he was facing the unknown was the real reason for him to be so unnerved.

As they reached the wall of a slope, they decided to hug it on their route to eliminate one direction from which monsters could attack them. Rayra's plan was simple: search for a water source, which would probably lead them to civilization or to safer places. They didn’t have a clue about the dungeon's position, so the first step was eliminating bad outcomes. Finding water to drink, food to eat, and shelter seemed as wise as any other idea.

Staying beside the slope, they traveled for at least two hours, and the sun seemed not to move in the sky. Julian's forehead was sweaty, and he had already given up on cleaning it. They had reached a second clearing when they heard a deep and grave growl for the first time.

Different from the other noises they had heard before, this one wasn't far. Among the trees and their shadows, the beast growled only forty or fifty feet away. Rayra instantly changed her form, nocked an arrow out of her quiver, and pointed it toward the shadow.

Julian held his breath as he stood in a fighting position, holding his sword with both hands and waiting. Liz did something similar with apprehension stamped on the trio’s faces.

They didn't have to wait long. After a couple of seconds, the creature emerged from the shadows at a fast sprint. The beast was covered in feathers, with white and red plumage forming strange patterns. The creature's beak was sleek, black, and long, and it ran on two legs with immense and sharp claws. As the monster ran, it flapped its little wings, revealing more claws underneath. The creature was a strange mix of reptile and bird. It looked like a giant chicken, but with sharp claws and even sharper teeth.

Hissings and the crackling of branches pierced the forests air as the monster rushed towards them. Rayra shot an arrow, and the beast tried to dodge it but instead was hit on the left wing. It kept running as Julian finally released his breath and prepared to attack.

The creature jumped into the air as it reached them, and the young Lord was surprised by its agility. At the same size as Julian and double his weight, the monster leaped into the air with its two claws directed at Julian's heart, covering ample space.

Before he could swing his blade, the monster was hit by a burst of water and another arrow, making Julian miss his attack by inches as he dodged the strange kick. The monster's claws whooshed through the air beside his ear.

Julian didn't wait. He pressed the attack and swung again as the reptile tumbled across the ground, trying to get up again. The blade cut cleanly through the creature's right wing. It growled and hissed as it tried to get up and run. The monster had thought they were easy prey, but made the wrong judgment. He swung again, aiming for the chest, and slashed deep through the creature's feathers, making the red ones redder and the white ones stained with crimson. It fell dead to the ground.

The young Lord turned and searched his surroundings, waiting to see if another beast was headed their way. All he could hear were the women's breaths and his own.

"What the hell is that?" Julian asked, but no one seemed to have an answer for him.

"I've never seen anything like this," Rayra finally said, crouching and inspecting the monster. "I want some of its feathering to study it,"

"Yes, take as many as you’d like," Julian agreed as Liz inspected the surroundings. "I can skin it." He crouched at Rayra's side.

"Do you have any experience with skinning an animal?" Rayra asked with a raised brow.

"Not really," Julian replied with a smile. "But there's always a first time, right?"

"Leave it to me, pretty Lord," she said, looking at the beast and studying its anatomy, deciding which piece to take first. "I've done this hundreds of times."

"Guys," Liz's voice came from behind Julian. He sensed a good measure of apprehension in it.

"What?" He turned, already gripping the pommel of his sword, and saw her pointing to the skies.

"Something is coming," she finally said as the sounds of wings flapping in the air grew louder.

Julian stared at the sky as they stepped back from the carcass, moving closer to a large tree. Rayra had already given up on skinning the beast and was far more concentrated on her nocked arrow facing the sky. Liz also rushed to their position, and just as she put one foot beside Julian, the sound of flapping wings entered the tree canopies.

The monster fell to the ground with the demeanor of a rabid dog, its wings breaking branches and even some tree trunks. The creature, double the size of the monster on the ground, went directly at it, devouring flesh, wings, and feathers.

Julian was in shock for a couple of seconds due to the violence of the attack. Part of him said he needed to run as fast as possible, but his body refused to move as they contemplated the strange and awe-inspiring scene. The feasting creature resembled a salamander with its oily body and its scales shining in a peculiar pattern of orange and black. However, unlike a salamander, this creature had large wings, no front arms, and two legs.

As the young Lord regained control of his legs, they started moving away from the creature instantly. They could hear other sounds in the jungle. Julian suspected they had somehow triggered some event, as if the spilt blood had made the food chain manifest all around.

The ground began to tremble. Julian looked to his right and heard trees being knocked to the sides with terrible force, branches crackling, and a terrible roar in the air. That made the winged monster in front of them change its attention to the direction of the sound. Its black mouth was full of blood as it turned towards the noise, and its head bowed as if contemplating what to do next.

It was then that the devilish creature spotted the trio moving away from it. Its eyes narrowed, and it seemed to smile with its teeth wet with crimson liquid. Julian could almost hear the monster’s thoughts. It was considering whether it could eat them before the other monster arrived. They were small and easy to carry, while the dead bird on the ground was the opposite.

Making its decision, the salamander rushed towards them. Wings cracking branches and making the dirt fly through the air as it advanced. It dragged itself towards them, head swinging from one side to the other and drooling saliva mixed with blood to the ground.

Rayra shot one arrow after another, but the oily skin of the beast seemed to be made of iron. She hit true with every shot, but they stuck in place as if nothing was happening. The distant sound grew closer as Julian rushed to face the monster, prepared to use his magic this time. They needed to end this fast and move away, or whatever was behind them would catch them in the middle of the fight.

Julian struck the monster’s wing with force, but instead of dodging, the beast used its weight like someone would use a shield to hurl the young lord away. The strike made a massive gash on the creature, but it didn’t stop. On the contrary, the creature rushed faster, aiming to get Liz.

Getting up and rushing back toward the creature, Julian saw Liz dodging to the side quickly and rolling on the ground. When she got up, the creature tried to bite her head off but was hit by a massive burst of white and blue water on its face.

The spell Liz frequently used had high precision and could make even a monster like the salamander falter. At that moment, Rayra struck one of her magic arrows into the monster’s neck, and it screamed through the air. Julian accelerated his sprint and breathed deeply, feeling his mana rushing towards his braceleted hand. He swung with his blade hand, and the creature dodged to its back, dragging itself inhumanly fast. Still, it couldn’t escape the Arcane burst of energy flying from Julian’s hand.

Blue and burning mana hit the creature on the shoulder and obliterated its right wing. The monster’s agony could be heard from miles away, and the sound of the enormous creature intensified.

“Time to run!” Julian shouted as he turned his back and saw the other two rushing toward him.

Looking over his shoulder, the young Lord could see the strange salamander still running towards them, but its face didn’t have the murderous glare from before. Instead, it was filled with fear to its bones. As the trio got faster, the creature behind them only got slower. Julian didn’t want to discover what would happen to it; he only wanted to run. There are enough times to get lucky or overcome difficult odds, and he was sure that the odds of running behind the salamander wasn’t a beatable one.

As they sprinted through the woods, Julian’s throat got sore, and his legs ached. He was on the verge of being overwhelmed by cramps when they heard the monster behind them screaming one last time. The young Lord looked back and saw the beast in the air, inside a mouth Julian didn’t think could exist.

Full of sharp teeth, the monster stood bigger than the giant trees in the woods and ran on two long, thick legs. It was a giant lizard, enormous, menacing, and strangely fast for its size. The salamander tried to fight inside the monster’s mouth, and Julian even saw it wounding its head. Still, the giant lizard threw it into the skies and opened its mouth as wide as possible, and the salamander fell inside it like a bug.

The monster halted for one second, contemplating its feast and giving the trio seconds of advantage, but that wasn’t enough. As soon as the creature swallowed the salamander, it rushed towards them with reinvigorated speed.

As Julian contemplated its long steps rushing towards them, he looked to his side and saw fear both in Rayra’s and Liz’s eyes. The former had even forgotten to transform into a fox. Death was nearing them, and Julian had only one chance to survive. He knew his power was strong enough to make a hole inside that monster’s brain—if it was inside its head whatsoever. But to do that, he would be as close to death as any other dead man had ever been.

Still, it was the right thing to do. If the three of them were to die, he preferred to decrease the number of deaths by more than a third.

“Keep running!” Julian shouted as he halted. The creature was getting closer.

“Are you crazy?” Rayra shouted.

“No way!” Liz replied in the same exasperated tone. “Don’t pull that on us!”

“If you’re going to fight, we’re going to fight as well,” Rayra said, nocking her bow and shooting arrows toward the monster. One after the other, but it had zero effect. The creature even seemed to get faster.

“Can you throw me towards the monster’s mouth?” Julian asked in a hurry to Liz, who looked dumbfounded, as if he was asking her to help him kill himself. “I need to get close to use my power!”

“I can try, but I have never done that,” she replied, already moving water from her canteen. “Jump in the air when I count to three, and I’ll burst you up into the sky.”

"Alright," Julian said, moving in front of Liz, sheathing his sword and concentrating his mana on his arm.

"Three," Liz began as magical arrows flew toward the creature.

"Two," she continued, Julian wiping his brow free of sweat one last time. He wouldn't need any distractions.

"One!" she screamed as the monster approached, but an explosion hit the beast right in the face before Julian could jump into the air.

From a nearby tree canopy, a figure jumped onto the monster's face with a spear in hand as it thrust into its eyes. Another explosion hit the creature in the face, but all the attacks only made the beast even angrier. It thrashed and moved from one side to the other.

Julian could now hear other sounds in the jungle; more beasts were coming from where the giant lizard had come from before.

The figure atop the monster's head looked directly at them. It was covered entirely in strange clothing that looked more like leaves than any cloth Julian had ever seen. A muffled voice came in their direction. Julian couldn’t identify the figure’s gender by their voice, but the tone was full of haste.

"Run! I'll take care of this!" And then another explosion happened. The trees close to the monster blazed with orange flames.

Julian contemplated the scene for a few seconds, watching the brave stranger. The figure fought the monster, dodging its bites, and strangely, making fire rain over it. Julian thought about helping, but the instructions had been clear, and the sound of creatures getting closer only grew louder. They traded glances, and then they ran.

They ran for their lives until they couldn't run anymore. Only then did they stop. No sound could be heard nearby, and Julian had never felt so grateful.

Chapter Twenty-One

It took several minutes for them to catch their breath. They had stopped in the woods, close to a vast, sludge-covered rock. The trio sat on the ground and waited. No one wanted to talk, but their faces spoke volumes. Liz was still terrified, Rayra was full of doubts, and Julian didn’t know exactly what to feel.

“We just need to be more careful. If we fight, we fight and leave as soon as possible. Scale trees or something,” he said in a whisper as his eyes darted between them.

“What the hell is this place? We shouldn’t be here,” Liz said, her eyes hollow.

“We didn’t have much choice, and if we had, we would’ve come nonetheless,” Julian said reassuringly. “Am I right?”

Liz shrugged and sighed, leaning against the big rock and relaxing.

“There’s a chance we just entered a different, more dangerous place,” Rayra said, her voice distant.

Julian let the words sink in for a second. “We don’t know yet.”

“I’m sure … we were supposed to be inside a dungeon, looking for clues to find God, not in the middle of a jungle full of predators,” she hissed, still distant.

“The message only said we should venture beneath. We’re definitely beneath something,” he said confidently. “And death is definitely in every corner.”

“Still, it doesn’t feel right!” Rayra hissed at him, almost scaring Julian. But he was getting accustomed to her ways and had a good hunch about why she acted that way.

"If the Lost Soul didn't want to be found, we're definitely in the right place. I don't have time to make you feel better. You're capable, strong, and smart. Whether your god is here or not, we need to leave this forsaken place. And to do that, you need to stay alive," Julian said harshly as he checked his sword on his belt and slowly got up.

"Sorry," Rayra muttered. Julian was surprised to hear those words from her, so he appreciated it.

"That's okay. Do you have any ideas?"

"I have one," Liz chimed in, pointing in the direction from which they had come. "No matter where we go, we'll never walk in that direction again."

The sun kept towering over them as the jungle grew thicker and wet. Julian looked up and over the tree canopies and found the sun stopped at the peak of their heads.

Rayra counted the hours, and when she informed them that they had been inside the jungle for three hours now, Julian knew the sun wasn’t moving at all. It stood there as hot as ever and stubbornly fixed in place.

They saw no more reptile monsters on their trail. The only animals they came across were insects and birds living their lives—oblivious to the three strangers walking across the woods.

Julian kept behind Rayra constantly, continuously checking over his shoulder to see if Liz was all right. The mage tried as hard as she could to put up a determined face, but he could see she was tired. Julian was also exhausted. They had worked a lot before finding the door to this jungle—and ever since they had been thrown into it—they only got more weary and exhausted.

Seeing a small cave near a slope was more than welcoming to the trio. The looks of relief on their faces were quickly replaced by wariness as they approached the strange place.

“I’ll search inside,” Rayra said, transforming into her fox form and jumping gracefully inside the cave. Julian wanted to ensure she would be all right but he couldn’t see in the dark or be as silent as her, so he waited patiently outside the cave. With one hand on the pommel of his sword and eyes attentive to his surroundings in every direction.

“I feel like something is watching us,” Liz said ominously as she stopped at his side.

“I have the same impression,” Julian replied without thinking.

The girl seemed shaken by his confirmation, making Julian feel slightly guilty. Still, it was better to have fear and be prepared than to be oblivious and dead.

Julian had felt the presence behind their backs more than once. First, he dismissed it as his nerves telling him to stay sharp. He was aware that the body responds to the stress of the unknown, but even when the trail was calm, the presence kept lurking. A branch cracking, leaves getting smashed, or birds chirping out of nowhere were all signs that something strange was following them.

He could feel the presence of mana on their track, but at the same time, he could feel mana everywhere. The whole jungle was abundant in it. For Julian, it looked like he was inside a Soul Shard and not in the middle of the woods. He was sure he could draw mana from thin air if he knew how. That was why he wasn’t sure something was following them, but being careful was never a bad idea.

“Maybe it's one of those creatures? Waiting for the right moment to attack⁠—”

Rayra jumped out from inside the cave, almost making Julian draw his sword and attack. The woman's synchrony sent shivers through his arm. She changed her form back into a beast folk and darted her gaze between them.

“What?” she asked. “You two look like you saw a ghost,”

“You scared us!” Liz protested a little louder than she intended.

“I was just trying to be silent,” she replied with an apologetic smile. “It’s safe here, and there’s a water source not far away.”

"Great," Julian said, already moving towards the cave entrance, "let's sleep and drink some water before we get back to the search." His tone was as confident as possible, and neither of his companions protested. Both were more than glad to have a little rest.

Rayra lit up a lamp she had removed from her pouch and showed them the water pouring from a crack in the wall. They drank it happily. The flavor of the mineral water going down Julian's throat felt better than any drink he had ever drunk.

As everyone was satisfied and their canteens filled with the liquid, they sat with their backs against a rocky wall. "You felt the mana surrounding us?" Julian asked Rayra, and she nodded positively.

"Yes, I've never been in a place so full of it," she replied, rummaging into her pouch again. She removed a piece of bread from it and parted it into three pieces.

"You are a prepared woman, aren't you?" Julian asked as he took the food and stuffed it into his mouth. She just shrugged and turned to face Julian and Liz.

"I'm now convinced we are in the right place. These creatures we fought were all similar to the Gods on the mural … maybe they're the Dragonborn."

"They didn't look as humanoid as the creatures carved on the walls," Liz said.

"Yes, but they're closer to it than anything else we have yet seen. My people tell stories about dragons running free on the lands in the Last Soul time. The tales about their ferocity and evil are popular among the beast folk. I'm inclined to believe these monsters are dragons."

“But if they don’t exist in the outside world, where are we?” Julian asked, and the words hung in the air. No one had a good answer, but it wasn’t a dungeon or a place of rest for the Lost Soul.

“The sun isn’t moving. Something strange seems to follow us, and monsters linger in every corner. We are in the right place, and we should focus on that,” Julian said with determination. “As much as I like to theorize about this place, we should rest now. We need to be ready if we are going to fight and find the Lost Soul and its treasure.”

“Right,” Rayra replied, and Liz nodded.

“I’ll take the first watch. ” Julian said, and no one protested. He moved to the cave’s entrance but didn’t leave it. He remained in the shadows, looking at the woods with attentive eyes. He couldn’t feel anyone looking at him now, but he would stay with his eyes open until one of the girls moved to replace him.

Julian’s mind wandered as the hours passed. He fought bravely against sleep and was almost beaten when he felt Rayra’s hand touching his shoulder and squeezing it gently.

“Were you sleeping on watch?” she asked with a sly smile as she sat beside him.

“No, I wasn’t,” he replied firmly, not wanting to admit he was as tired as ever. He started to get up, but she pulled his arm down.

“Hey, relax,” she said, her smile fading and an almost pleading face appearing.

“What? Everything is fine?” Julian asked, starting to get worried about Rayra’s demeanor.

“Yeah, yeah. Sit down,” she asked, patting the floor beside her. “I just wanted to thank you.”

Julian raised one brow as he sat again, leaning forward and catching a good look at her face. She was blushing. “Thank me for what?”

“For being here with me and being so supportive. I’m not used to people being so generous and helpful,” she finally said, looking at the ground.

“I’m just doing what anyone else would,” Julian said, staring at the horizon.

“No, you aren’t.”

“So, I’m just doing what I think everyone else should do when someone they care about is in need,” he said, smiling and gazing into her eyes. Julian’s words impressed the beastfolk, who smiled back at him. “And I’m also happy to help the Soul Searcher fulfill her mission. Liz told me you’re a big deal in your homeplace.”

That sentence seemed to bring bad memories to Rayra, who changed her complexion to a grimace full of pain. “Being a Soul Searcher is great in the books and stories. But in reality, it’s more like a punishment than a reward,” she muttered, looking at the ground again.

The falling of her armor insulating her from everyone else made Julian unsure of how to act. His curiosity got the best of him, and she didn’t seem eager not to speak, so he pressed further. "How so?"

"When I got my obligation, my little brother was only five. I used to take care of him all day after my mother got sick…" she said but didn’t complete.

"And how is he now?" Julian asked gently, his hand slowly searching for hers and gripping it. She didn’t protest. She took his hand and firmly pressed her knuckles against his.

"I don’t know," she replied, looking straight into his eyes. "I’m not allowed to know until I fulfill my mission."

She was exiled. The realization hit Julian like a boulder. Her glare, full of grief, made Julian’s heart pang. Her mission was to be away from her family and do the impossible, something that no one had done in millennia. Her ways, hurry, and constant lousy mood now made perfect sense to the young Lord.

Rayra was in a terrible spot, and Julian knew how that felt. His hands moved involuntarily to her face. He caressed her cheek as a tear fell. "I’ll help you. I promise," he said. She slowly closed her eyes, a gentle smile blossoming on her face.

"Are you sure?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking inside Julian’s soul.

"Yes." He smiled as she grabbed his other hand and removed it from her face. Now, they were holding both hands in the cave's dim light. She looked so different now, younger, more alive, and without her armor of indifference around her.

"Thank you, Julian," she said as she moved her body close to him and kissed the Lord's lips. It was a simple and gentle gesture, but it sent shivers through Julian's spine and awakened his body. "Now go to sleep. I'll need you recovered if we intend to leave this place alive."

Julian had no words left to say. She had taken the young Lord off balance for the first time, but with a kiss, not a snarky remark. She smiled upon seeing his reaction. "What? Are you surprised?" she asked.

"A little," was all he could say, returning the smile. "Liz wouldn't be as surprised. She said you were into me."

"She's smart," Rayra replied with a sly smile. "We three will have some fun later," she said amorously, enlarging her smile further and patting him on the shoulder for him to get up.

Julian's brows were up with her statement, but her face had a final tone. Hence, the young Lord got up and waved goodbye to Rayra. His mind wandered to the prospect of having these two amazing women in his bed, making it impossible for him not to have a smile on his face.

He chose a place on the ground near Liz, but not near enough to wake her up, and found the most comfortable position he could. Using his coat as a pillow, the Lord slept like a baby.

Julian only woke up because Rayra had a pressing tone in her voice as she shook him awake.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Someone was here,” Rayra said, her voice echoing the urgency inside Julian’s mind.

“How so?” he asked, already getting up. In the distance, he could see Liz's silhouette close to the cave’s entrance. She was standing there, looking into the horizon.

“Come, and you’ll see,” Rayra waved, and he followed.

When they reached the end of the cave, she looked at the ground and pointed. “Can you see it?” Julian couldn’t see anything, and his face said that without him needing to voice the words. “Look closely,” she demanded.

He crouched on the rocky ground and saw no signs of any prints or tracks on the dirty ground and floor. He couldn’t identify any patterns until Rayra grabbed a stick and made a drawing on the ground. The flow of her movement traced a strange pattern. It said nothing to Julian, but he could see how the result was the same as the patch he had looked at before. Looking to the next patch of ground closer to the entrance, he could see the same result, as if she had drawn it further and again.

“Did you see anything?” Julian asked, looking up at Liz.

“Nothing, Lord Julian, and I stayed up all the time looking at the woods.”

“You too?” Julian asked Rayra.

“Nothing at all, but this is the work of someone hiding footprints. I tracked our path part of the way back into the woods and found more.”

The idea of someone following them and being able to enter the cave without anyone noticing gave Julian the creeps. Suddenly, the place’s darkness and humid air became eerie instead of comforting.

“It’s the same person from the Cyclops dungeon. The one who entered there before us,” Julian muttered, wary of the possibility of an invisible foe being near to them.

The trio traded glances, all of them agreeing in silence. Whoever it was had figured out the dungeon entrance before them or entered with them without being noticed. They must be powerful and dangerous to be invisible for so long.

“We need to get moving,” Liz said as she grabbed her things.

“I don’t believe they are still here,” Julian said, his voice slowly relaxing. “Whoever this person is, they want to find the treasure. If they wanted to kill us, we would already be dead. They were probably following us to determine if we knew more. Since we were lost, they headed on their way.”

“I agree,” Rayra said with a nod. “I found some footprints going in several directions. Whoever this stranger is, they are resourceful. They didn’t believe we could detect them, but tried to hide their trail, anyway.”

“So, it’s not the same person who saved us from that monster,” Liz affirmed, and the other two agreed.

“If it were them, they would’ve had no reason not to show their face to us. Our savior is probably a native,” Rayra said thoughtfully.

She expressed Julian’s consideration of the matter to perfection. Instead of adding something to the discussion, he only nodded as he got up, adjusting his things and dusting off his clothes.

“We’ve got competition, girls. Better hurry,” he said with a reassuring smile.

Even though the news was somewhat problematic, Julian’s heart was exhilarated by the possibility of fighting a powerful foe. He had won against an invisible giant enemy before. Fighting an invisible human would probably be easier.

With those thoughts in mind, they started moving through the woods. Following Rayra’s direction and sharp senses, they felt confident they would find at least a water source and, with good luck, resources or directions to where they would encounter the lost god and its treasure.

The trio’s mood felt unshakable after the sleep. Not even the hot sun over their heads was taking their hope away. Despite the mosquitoes, the hot and humid air, the terrible ground, and the sense that danger lingered in every tree, they kept walking with determination. That’s why the rewarding sensation in their hearts felt even more remarkable when they found the cabin in the woods.

“Go ahead and scout,” Julian muttered to Rayra, who didn’t talk back. Instead, she turned into a fox and moved gracefully and silently toward the wooden cabin. Julian drew his sword, and Liz did the same with her dagger.

The fox circled the whole cabin, disappearing from Julian’s view for one second and reappearing on the other side. She didn’t find anything in the vicinity, so she jumped into the cabin through the window. After a few minutes, the cabin door opened. Rayra was again in her human form, waving for them to move towards her.

Julian breathed with a sigh of relief as he moved to the cabin with Liz. She was attentive to their surroundings, watching Julian’s back on their way to the small building. He was pleased to have such capable companions on this quest. Noticing his eyes on her, Liz smiled as they entered the cabin.

It seemed like a storm had passed through the building and devastated everything inside. There was a bed turned upside down, an empty crate, strange clothes thrown to the sides, and some rudimentary weapons.

"It looks like our invisible friend found this place first. I’ll look on the outside, see if there’s something useful left here."

Julian moved to the cabin’s surroundings, trying to discover if he could find some trail or anything the first invader had left behind. His search took only five minutes until he heard a voice echoing inside the cabin.

"I help you, and you return by stealing my belongings?!" a muffled and feminine voice echoed. The owner of the place had returned, and she wasn't happy. "They’re coming for me! Where is my magic spear?!" she shouted, and then he heard the fire explosion.

Julian rushed back to the cabin as the battle screams grew louder.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Before Julian could reach the cabin doorway, Liz and Rayra jumped out of it with speed, a wall of water erupting behind them.

"What?!" Julian asked with his sword in hand, his instincts making his heart pump fast.

He watched Liz's mouth move to reply, but before she could, a burst of fire erupted from the window. Liz had to summon her water wall again.

This time, Julian was hurled with them. The fire's impact against the water blew them away. Julian hit a tree and fell face-first to the ground. His face was wholly soaked in mud and leaves.

"All these years alone. I thought you'd be of some help, but you're just thieves!" the woman hissed beneath her covered face. She wore an utterly dark cloth that seemed strangely magical. It somehow drank in the day's light and made his eyes falter upon a closer look.

"We didn't steal anything⁠—"

Liz's voice was interrupted by a fireball coming her way. She was almost unable to deflect it with her magic. Rayra was closer to the attacker. She nocked an arrow and aimed directly at the enemy, who moved fast in response. The arrow flew towards the woman's heart but encountered only a tree trunk behind her.

For a couple of seconds, all Julian could do was watch the display of skills. Arrow after arrow, the stranger dodged at inhuman speeds. With every dodge, she got closer to Rayra's position, zigzagging her way towards the beastfolk with a grace Julian had only seen Rayra perform. When she was close enough to the fox-woman, she extended her hand. A burst of fire appeared—not enough to burn her skin, but a small explosion that scorched her clothes and blew her away again.

Julian sprinted towards the enemy when he saw his companion flying and crashing against a tree trunk. His sword at the ready, his mind swirling with rage and his body with mana. The Lord was ready to kill, but his foe was also prepared.

She dodged his first swing and hit him with a flaming punch to the shoulder. Julian absorbed the impact and struck again. His resilience surprised the foe, and she almost could not dodge his following downward strike. She spun on her heels. Julian felt his blade hit the fabric of her dark clothes before getting deflected by it. It was like striking a heavy piece of metal, but surprisingly enough, he could see the cloth flapping against the wind.

She quickly ducked and swiped her legs at Julian's, making the young lord fall flat. His back landed full in the mud, and the young man was unrecognizable. As he looked up, the fire punch descended upon him again, but he rolled to the side. He could smell the burning leaves on the ground as he rolled to his feet, already swinging, but she fell back with a quick jump.

Julian thought he had her full attention, but the enemy could even dodge another arrow from Rayra and a drowning bubble of water from Liz. When the girls attacked, he sprinted towards the enemy. She was a beast, and his sword wouldn't do the trick.

Feeling the mana rushing to his bracelet, Julian gave up on rationalization and let the burning arcane magic explode from his hands. The strange ball of energy flew fast towards the enemy, and she ducked it. The mana hit the cabin, and the explosion created an enormous crack close to the window. She looked over her shoulder, and Julian saw hate growing even further in her stark blue eyes.

Before she could attack, he released another ball of energy. Mana wanted to escape Julian's body and burn something, its target would be the strange enemy. She kept dodging and dodging, but she wasn't confident approaching him this time. The arcane magic was enough to make her fearless demeanor disappear. She could dodge arrows, throw fire magic, and even deflect strikes with her strange armor. But his blue arcane energy wasn't something she wanted to play with.

Still, she kept dodging, and Julian knew the mana in his body was about to run out. If he didn't finish her, they were doomed. He considered a strategy to face the woman as she avoided his strikes, and an idea flashed in his mind.

The cabin behind her was now just a massive amount of destroyed wood and clothes, but she was beyond caring. As soon as Julian stopped throwing his magic, she returned to the offensive. The enemy rushed at him with her fists in a fighting position, her hands enveloped by flames as her steps got closer. Liz and Rayra approached quickly, assuming Julian had no mana anymore.

They could finish her if they fought, but it was too risky. His idea was better.

As she got close enough, Julian released the mana from his hands and swiped it to the side. Instead of a ball of energy, a whip was formed in Julian's fist, connecting instantly to the enemy's legs, dropping her to the ground, just like she had done with him before.

Julian watched as his companions pounced on the enemy and pinned her arms. He slowly moved towards her, a smile blossoming on his face. That was the most brutal fight he had ever been in, and he almost lost it.

"We didn't steal anything from you," he said as his steps broke leaves and branches on the ground. "You should've listened to what Liz said."

When those words left his mouth, the woman instinctively looked to the side and locked eyes with Liz for a few seconds. Then she looked again at the tree canopies as if Julian hadn't said anything.

"What? Aren't you going to hiss at us now?" Julian asked with his brow furrowed. The stranger's demeanor changed on the spot, and her gaze towards the sky sent shivers down Julian's spine.

"It doesn't matter," she said blankly, any trace of rage slipping away from her tone. Then Liz looked up, and Rayra followed her gaze. "I thought I had the time, but it found me. We're dead," the stranger said ominously as Julian heard the flapping of wings in the sky.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The jungle became a mix of red and blue flames, crackling as the flapping of wings grew louder and louder. Every sound, every movement, and every reaction had been shadowed by the sound coming from above. Unlike the enormous salamander who tried to eat them hours before, the creature approaching now was in no hurry. The wings whooshed through the air slowly, as if it was strolling towards them.

Julian felt his brow get wet as the monster approached, the stranger's words echoing in his mind. If she was scared of this creature, how was he supposed not to be at least wary? His instincts kicked in hard. It was fight or flight, but he didn't believe he could escape this. He didn't have someone to distract the monster for him. His two companions were upholding his previous distraction, and her demeanor was that of the condemned.

"What is it?" Julian asked hurriedly, getting close to the woman on the ground.

She kept looking up, ignoring his question.

"Answer him," Rayra said, forcefully pressing her knee against her arm.

"Death," she finally replied.

The trio traded glances and kept silent for a couple of seconds. All they could see from the stranger were her eyes under the strange cloth helm, but they were already void.

"Only The Last knows how many years I've been in this hell, escaping from them … to die like this," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Release her," Julian pressed as the wings got closer and closer. The girls looked at him as if asking, 'Are you sure?' he nodded positively. "Sit her up,"

The woman sat and looked directly into his eyes, but it was like looking into a dark room. Julian approached her and crouched before the foe.

"Look at me," he said gently. "We didn't steal anything of yours. There's another person here with us, and they got here first. Now, please help us deal with this. Should we run? Can we fight? There are four of us. We're all mages," Julian said, but the woman didn't reply.

"She is a water mage, and she is a shapeshifter who can do some magic with her arrows," Julian said, pointing to the girls, but they received no answer. "You know the magic I can do. You saw it, and you saw my sword," he said, showing the weapon to her. The woman's eyes darted from his face full of mud and leaves to his left hand with the bracelet and to his right one with the sword. Then her eyes locked with the ruby on the blade's pommel. Her gaze grew bigger. It was like she saw a ghost.

Then she attacked him.

At least, that was what he felt at first. He even heard Liz and Rayra rushing to his aid, but she wasn't attacking him. She was cleaning his face, removing all the mud, as if she wanted to really look at him.

"By the Last!" she exclaimed, her muffled voice full of sentiment Julian couldn't define. She grabbed his shoulders with strength and was about to say something when the flapping of wings finally towered over them.

"It is here! We can't run. Our only chance is to defeat it. This monster is ancient and strong. It'll not die so easily, but we may have a chance together. We need to attack in conjunction as fast and firmly as possible." She was already getting up as if she wasn't near catatonic seconds ago.

The girls seemed as confused as Julian, but the monster above them shifted their focus to their impending death.

In front of the sun flew a humanoid body, at least two feet taller than Julian, with bat wings double its size. The sun made the monster appear like a massive black shadow. He started to discern its features as it approached them slowly, like a heavenly being.

"Let her make her little speech. As soon as I attack, you follow up," the stranger snarled as the monster became clearer.

It was a woman, or at least it looked like one. She had scales emerging on her arms near the elbow and legs near the knee, extending to her extremities, forming reptile like clawed hands and feet. Her scales were as red as blood and shone in the sunlight. Her skin above the scales was pale as milk, and she was practically naked. She wore a black adorned top covering only the middle part of her breasts, showing a good part of her features. Below the hips, she was covered by a loincloth as black as her top.

Even being almost naked, the creature had something regal about her. The circular horns on her head only made her even more peculiar. Her hair was as straight as silk and cut in the middle of the neck, with a fringe near the top of the forehead. In another situation, Julian would have been impressed by her features, but now all he could read in her expression was ‘Death.’

The devil was there to kill them. By the way she smiled, she would delight herself in it.

“Oh, I didn’t come prepared for a full meal,” she said, pouting as she neared the ground, some ten feet away from them. The strange beastfolk was one of the dragonborn from the murals they had seen in the dungeon. “Still, I’ll make good use of your meat. I’m tired of eating my kin. I’ll probably save some of you for later, except the invisible one near the cabin. That one disgusts me. And you … I’ll leave for last,” she said, pointing one of her sharp claws towards Julian while she held a sly smile. Near the ablaze cabin, steps rushed to the woods. Whoever followed them was just there, sneaking and running away as the monster sensed its presence.

“You’ll never touch the boy,” the woman hissed and moved away from Julian, her fists being engulfed in fire.

“I can’t remember the last time a human fell here, and you’re already dating the newcomer? How rude of you, the host needs their rights…” the beastfolk said melodically, walking in the air towards them one step at a time.

“You disgust me,” the woman replied.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate because you make my mouth water,” the Dragonborn said, licking her red lips and closing her wings behind her back as she finally touched the ground. “I have actually dreamt about killing you more than once. Some of my brothers and sisters told me to give up. They said that you were too smart to get caught. All of them laughed when I replied that a human couldn’t be too smart for anything.” She shrugged and smiled further. “I guess I’ll be the one smiling at the end.”

Then she rushed towards them, a red sword materializing in her hands from thin air. The sword looked as if it were made of black smoke one minute and then solid metal. The Dragonborn sprinted with her long legs directly towards the woman in front of Julian, as if the other three didn’t exist.

"Now!" the woman shouted as she stepped to the side to give Julian space and made her fist of fire fly towards the enemy. At the same time, an arrow flew towards the creature's chest and a ball of water flew towards her face. Julian didn't waste time and sprinted to meet her midway. She was as good as dead by his calculations. No one would escape such a coordinated attack.

Still, scales formed on her skin in every place she was hit. First, red scales formed on her stomach as the flames hit, but they didn't burn or even delay her movement. Then, a more considerable amount of scales formed on her chest and engulfed the arrow point. At last, it covered her face, including her nostrils and eyes, before disappearing one second later, removing all the water from the bubble Liz had thrown. In that simple second, she assumed a draconic feature, and Julian recognized it. The lean face, the sharp teeth, and the thin features … she resembled Fenrir ShadowFang perfectly. She was her progeny and looked just as evil.

His blade met hers, and the impact almost made him fall to his back. She slashed again. In this second attack, Julian felt she was restraining her strength as if she was playing with him and didn't want to hurt the young Lord.

That made his heart race in his chest. Mustering all the strength he could, he pressed against her, swinging from left to right and from up to down. Arrows slammed into her, as well as bursts of water and fire attacks, but her scales stopped everything. It was like her skin had a life of its own, and its only objective was to keep her alive.

Rayra transformed into a fox and rushed towards the enemy as Julian kept attacking. He had to find a breach to make his arcane blast land on her, but he was afraid of wasting his last spell and missing it. He would need to be sure he would hit before trying. The nature of arcane magic could be enough to defeat such a monster, so he needed to try. Rayra leaped at the creature, her fangs aiming for her neck, but she found only scales. The Dragonborn didn't even try to remove her. Rayra kept thrashing and rending, trying to tear through the scales, but her efforts were in vain.

The monster kept deflecting Julian's attacks with ease, even when Liz approached the fight as well and coordinated her dagger attacks between Julian's swords strikes. Sweat threatened to enter his eyes as his hands got sore from the strikes, and still, the Dragonborn didn't flinch.

Only when the third woman came swinging her fire fists toward the monster's face did they find a good angle to attack.

The woman came from below, delivering an uppercut on the monster's chin and making her head snap up with the impact. Julian hit her sword hard with force, and it dropped to the ground, but no blood was drawn. Then came Liz's dagger attack. She aimed for the neck, the small weapon connected with skin, flesh, and bone. The scales, milliseconds too late responding to the attack, only engulfed the blade after the creature had been hit.

Upon the strike, the Dragonborn lowered her head, and anger blazed on her face. A scream that seemed to be locked up in her throat for centuries erupted from her mouth. The sound, with such potency, blasted all four of them, sending them flying away.

When Julian hit the ground, his ears echoed and buzzed. He had to work hard to get on all fours, find his sword, and get up. The creature's sonic attack made his world tumble from one side to the other. He had serious doubts if he was hearing anything or if he had gone deaf.

He shook his head and looked up. In front of him, the Dragonborn slowly became more evident. She was halted in the middle of the woods and had something in her mouth. After a couple of seconds, Julian finally had his answers. Yes, he wasn't deaf, and she had Liz's dagger in her mouth, licking her own blood.

"Oh, so that's the taste of it," she said, delighted. "I'm impressed. You all are powerful. I'll stop playing with my food." She had her sly smile again as her sword disappeared from the ground and reappeared in her hand.

"If she was just playing before, we're doomed," Liz said beside Julian.

"We aren't," he muttered, looking directly at her. "Lock her up, Liz. I can kill her." The dagger wound had made Julian more aware of the creature's capabilities. Attacking at the right moment would be enough to hurt her, and considering the damage his magic could do, it could be fatal.

Liz nodded at him, and the other two seemed to hear his command as well because both rushed toward the enemy, who just halted and waited. Protected by her cloth armor, the fire-wielding woman took the front and started trading attacks with the Dragonborn. This time, the enemy tried to hit her repeatedly on the chest. She knew that if she kept bashing on the same spot, the strange armor would fail, maybe just like hers.

Rayra fired one magic arrow after the other at the monster, making Julian's mind race.

"Shoot every arrow at the same spot!" he shouted, and she seemed to understand his point. The Dragonborn also realized she had shown a weakness because her eyes widened. She started to attack even more fiercely. The scales forming on her shoulder deflected the first three arrows, but the scales caught the fourth one and then spat it out. The fifth hit true, and the monster screamed, throwing the stranger away and flying towards Rayra with inhuman speed. Julian tried to catch up and reach her, but the beast was already on Rayra. Her two hands grabbed the collar of Rayra’s clothes and threw her towards the horizon. She passed several trees in the air, and Julian couldn't see where she fell.

The monster looked at him with angry determination, assuming a more bestial demeanor. Her scales slowly engulfed her entire body, and her true form became apparent. In a rage, the devilish creature flew towards Julian, and he dodged to the side, making her crash against a tree trunk and tear it in half.

"Now, Liz!" he shouted to the mage, who was already concentrating the water around her hands, forming a gigantic bubble in the middle. That would buy him the seconds he needed. She hurled the bubble towards the enemy's body as it turned to face them, murder burning in her eyes as she got engulfed by the bubble of water.

If it were like before, she would need a second to get rid of the water using her strange scale magic. But that was all Julian needed. As soon as her body became enveloped by the liquid, the scales on it came to life, repelling the water as she had repelled it with her scream. At that moment, Julian's mana was already concentrated in his hand. This time, he wouldn't swipe it to form a whip. He wanted maximum damage and maximum area of effect.

He ran, pushing all the mana in his body into the palm of his hand. It flowed down his arm to his hand, forming a perfect sphere. He only had to let it go, to make it natural, to cadence the flowing of mana with his breathing and with the beating of his heart. He rushed, but halfway there, the mana wanted to fly on its own and jumped from his hand toward the enemy. It wanted to destroy, and it knew somehow the target was evil incarnate.

The ball hit the dragonborn's chest as soon as she repelled all the water from her body. She didn't have the time to dodge or to try to deflect. The impact was massive, and she almost ignored her body. It entered her skin like Julian had pierced butter with a kitchen knife during breakfast back at the manor. When it was in the middle of her body, almost on the way out, it exploded.

Scales flew into the air and plummeted to the ground. A bloody mist mixed with flesh and bone rained down upon the area. She kneeled slowly until the grass bent from the pressure, her head swam a bit before she toppled sideways. Her face showed a mixture of pain shock and horror before stilling . On the front, she had only a tiny hole in the middle of her chest, but on the back, she was utterly decimated. It was like watching the caricature of a being. Julian looked at his hand, shocked by the power, as he heard her voice. How she was still able to talk after that attack, he didn't know, but the fact didn't shy away from the words she uttered.

"This power," she said, coughing blood, "when did you come back, Devil?" she asked with a hiss. Her eyes widened as if her brain had finally realized she was going to die. And then she said nothing more. Her body lay there on the side, her right wing torn apart and the left falling over her face. She didn't look as scary now.

"Am I the devil?" Julian asked as he fell to the ground, feeling drained, in a daze, and utterly exhausted. His mind was numb, and his limbs sore. He was glad it was over. If he could just … relax for a while. He looked at the tree canopies, waiting for his body to get better.

"We need to hurry," the woman said, appearing before his eyes and interrupting his few seconds of peace.

"I'm tired of being in a hurry. Let me rest for a while. Where's Rayra, by the way? Is she fine?" he asked, trying to look at the trees behind her face covered by the black fabric.

"I'm fine!" Rayra exclaimed from the other end of the woods as she approached them. Julian could see Liz sitting on the ground near him and checking for wounds on his body, a worried grimace forming.

"I'm not wounded," he said with a gentle smile.

"You don't know; let me see," she said, her grimace not disappearing, the same way the giant face above him didn't move.

"What?" Julian asked, feeling the numbness of exhaustion taking over his body. The fact that Liz was passing her hand over his body to search for wounds only made the desire for sleep rush faster through his body.

"We need to hurry; others will come. Trust me." Julian was about to ask why he needed to trust her after she attacked them. But then she removed her mask, and what Julian saw made his jaw drop and his heart stop.

Before his eyes stood Lady Marcella Lionheart, his mother.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Julian was as disoriented as when he crashed against a tree minutes ago. He couldn't believe his own eyes, but there she was nonetheless. Julian could see his mother's face perfectly: the long, curled black hair tied at the back, the big, clear blue eyes, the large lips, and the bushy brows. She had wrinkles near her eyes and marks on her forehead. Besides that, she was exactly as he had seen her before, except for what lay in the pools of her eyes.

Instead of the most profound curiosity, love for life, and discovery, he saw fear and urgency. He had many questions to ask, but his mouth refused to move.

"Do you know her?" Rayra asked, but Julian couldn't reply. She looked at Liz, but the mage was mute as well. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened. "You know her too?"

"I am his mother, young lady, but that doesn't matter. We must get out of here before the other flying devils appear. I know a place," she said, waving away for them to follow. The sudden movement of his mother made Julian get up, shaken out from his previously shocked state.

"Wait! Mother? Is that really you?" Julian asked, getting up and almost falling to the ground.

"Yes, Julian. We don't have time now; please follow me."

"Wait! I haven't seen you in seven years, and that's all I get?"

"Seven years? Shatters! When I saw you, I thought maybe you had grown a little too much for your age, maybe you were just eighteen … but seven years? Liz and the other one, are they then your wives? No, it doesn't matter. Follow me. Now!" she said, waving her hand. She had an uneasy tone to her voice, as if she was processing the information and talking simultaneously like people sick in the head can sometimes be.

Julian could only imagine how being alone for seven years, fighting for her life, and escaping from monsters would affect someone's mind. Still … he was reunited with his mother, and they couldn't even talk for one minute. The way she behaved suggested otherwise, and the fact that he had no mana left in his body only made everything worse. So, he grabbed his things quickly and followed his mother, who was already in the middle of the woods, not waiting for any of them.

"That was surprising," Liz finally said, catching up with him.

Rayra also approached them and asked, "Is everything around you always in the middle of crazy events?" while adjusting her bow on her back.

"Starting with you, I guess. I'll talk with you two later. We have to catch up with her as she won't wait," he said and sprinted towards his mother.

Still, she didn't want to talk. Whenever he started a conversation or asked a question, she would shush him or ask him to walk more silently. The cold treatment began to weigh on the young lord. He felt again like a young kid who wanted his mother's attention. But all she could give him was her company while she did what she loved. Not that she loved being chased by monsters, but he felt rejected.

He had repeatedly played this moment out in his mind in the last seven years, but none of the scenarios he had created were anything like this reality. After a while, he started strolling behind her and felt Rayra's hand finding his. Liz took his other hand as they followed his mother. They looked at him with gentle smiles, trying to comfort him, and his heart felt it deeply. The duo cared about him, making the dreadful feeling bearable. Still, he released their hands with a smile and walked the rest of the way alone.

His childhood flashed before his eyes. He wondered what his father's reaction would have been upon seeing his mother in this situation. How it would be to reunite with his missing father. Was he in a similar position? Was Tarav now wondering the same things about them? Was the butler afraid of never seeing Julian again?

In the end, it didn't matter. The older man was a real warrior, and would keep things running, anticipating their return. Julian had no intention of being locked up in that jungle for seven years or even one more day. He would find his way back home, to his house, with his mother at his side. He just needed to take it a little easier on her. She had gone through a lot, but still … it was hard to shake those feelings away.

"We're here," his mother said at the front, waving one hand for them to follow. They were in front of a waterfall, the noise slowly becoming so loud that he couldn't hear anything else. She pointed to the water, and his brows furrowed, but then she splashed through the curtain of rushing water and entered the place.

Rayra changed her form to a fox and rushed to enter the water, with Liz following close behind and Julian on their tail. Whatever was behind the water wall seemed safe, so he followed them. The cold water soaked his boots and clothes, but it only took a second for him to pass through the water and be away from the liquid.

As soon as his body crossed, his eyes adjusted to the dim light of a small lamp, and he felt two arms hugging his body with force.

"Oh, my son!" his mother shouted, her voice full of sorrow and happiness. "I thought I would never see you again." Her face sunk into his chest, and below it, his heart stopped. He wasn't prepared for that. Tears of joy erupted from his eyes, unbidden. His arms embraced her tightly. He couldn't help but notice that the last time he saw his mother, he had been the one with his head on her chest in the embrace. Now, he was way taller than his mother, and she seemed so fragile in that embrace that he didn't want to let her go.

"I told everyone you'd come back, Mom. I was starting to not believe in it myself," he managed to say after a few seconds. "I can't fathom what you went through here."

"You and your father kept me sane, Julian. I knew I would see you again. I just needed to keep trying to find the way out. I never imagined you would be the one to find me. You're so … tall and strong! You were so little the last time I saw you. What is Tarav ordering to feed you?" she said, stepping back from his embrace and holding both arms, impressed.

"Father is gone, Mom." Julian decided not to lie to her. She was strong enough to handle the truth. They had found her, so finding his father wouldn't be so jarring. "He's not dead, not that I know, but he vanished last year. We entered this place hoping to find treasure and fix the estate."

"Fix the estate? How so?" she asked, her brow furrowed. "I'm sure your father left everything working for you. He's a great lord."

Julian coughed upon her commentary. She had no idea how much his father had changed in the years she was away.

"He was not the same after you disappeared, Mother…. He grew reckless, to say the least. But we'll find him and fix the estate as soon as we find a way out of this place," Julian said, releasing his mother and looking at his surroundings. They were inside a cave with a setup similar to the cabin in the woods: a small straw bed on the ground, a crate, some weapons, and paper with writings in a strange language. "What is this place, anyway?"

"One of my hideouts," she said, moving to the end of the cave and opening the crate. She rummaged through it for a few seconds and retrieved several pieces of dry meat. She offered them to the trio, and everyone accepted gladly. Upon seeing the food, Julian's stomach growled. The taste was similar to chicken but saltier and spicier. It was way better than he was expecting. "I have several of these places throughout the whole jungle. This was my second one, and I have kept it secured ever since."

"Are they searching for you, Lady Marcella?" Liz asked with her mouth full as she sat on the ground.

"Oh, yes…. They never stop searching for me. Don't be fooled by what that devil said before. They are fixated on me. They have a strange mix of hate and admiration for humans," she said, looking into the wall of water as if she could relive the memories. "I had been here for a long time, maybe one month — it's hard to say with the no-night situation — when I saw one of them for the first time. There aren't so many of them compared to the other beasts, but they are the most dangerous things inside this place."

"Are they holding the Lost Soul hostage?" Rayra asked with curiosity.

"The Lost Soul?" Julian's mother asked, as if the woman had spoken in a different language. "I don't think so, my dear. If they are, I've never seen it that way. I know they like to linger in a particular jungle area — where more mana is concentrated and where the way out of here is — they're definitely on guard, but I can't see why they would guard the Lost God. Why would you think that, child?"

Rayra had a frown for a couple of seconds. Julian knew her enough to understand she was still deciding whether she wanted to share her information. Her expression softened, and she relaxed, sitting beside Liz on the ground.

"We found some information that led us to this place, information about Ranabi, the Lost Soul. We would find what was never lost inside this place. I believe it is Ranabi."

"I see," Marcella said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "But why is the god here? I can't see why."

"That's tough to answer. It's a sensitive topic for my people," she then looked at Julian, Liz, and Marcella as if pondering her following words. Still, when she started talking, Julian could see in her expression that she now trusted them. "Our god exiled herself as the truly last one alive. Ranabi informed all the beast folk that it had a last mission to fulfill and asked to be considered a Lost Soul. The god had always been close to the beast folk, renouncing its seat in the Heavens and preferring to be around us. Due to her nature, being around us wasn't a risk to her safety."

"That's the part I don't understand," Julian chimed in, "how such a powerful god can have its power threatened by basically anyone."

She cleared her throat and leaned her back against the wall. "Please, what I'm about to tell you must stay here and between us only. Do you understand?" Her voice had a grave tone, and everyone sensed the gravity of her following statement. With a polite nod from all, she continued, "Ranabi can't deny a request. It's a curse Fenrir threw on her thousands of years ago. He was jealous of her power and her connection with humans. In a way, when she was cursed, Fenrir made her exile herself to protect the world. Only when the first beastfolk were born was she able to be near intelligent life again. Beast folk changed over the years, but in the beginning, we had no evil among us. Unfortunately, the first conflicts with humans after the Shattering caused our eyes and nature to be opened to evil and greed…. We want the Lost Soul to fix us."

Everyone knew about the Race Wars that had happened for centuries between humans and beast folk. When Rayra didn't continue her speech, no one was surprised. It was a deep scar in her culture, and Julian could relate to that.

"So, if Ranabi is here, we should find her and ensure her safety. If those monsters have her held hostage, they would already have been freed into the world. So she's probably still locked up somewhere."

"Agreed," Liz said with a nod and a distant look. "And if there's a treasure in this place, it's probably where the Dragonborn lurks."

"Oh, for sure, there's treasure in this jungle. I found everything I have already here. Magic weapons, armor, equipment, and even gold. This place is like a storage from a magical past."

"All right, when do we leave?" Julian asked with a determined smile.

"What? Are you intending to go face the flying devils?" his mother asked.

"We need to get out, and this is the only way to do so, right?"

"It is, but you saw how only one of those creatures almost killed the four of us in less than five minutes?"

"Yes, but we killed it, didn't we?"

"Son, you have no idea…. There are at least ten of those monsters out there. If we face them … even with your strange power, we must be more prepared."

"And how can we prepare to fight those monsters?" Liz asked from a distance, and all eyes moved towards Marcella as she replied with a smirk.

"We find a font of mana, steal three sets of magic armor, and kill some demons along the way. Luckily, I know the exact place to do so."

Chapter Twenty-Six

"How did you enter this place, anyway?" Julian asked his mother as they stepped over the body of a 'Demon Chicken'. His mother had named the monster that was a mix of bird and lizard. Julian had fought one before and understood why she’d come up with that name. She explained to him that drawing a monster's blood would attract other creatures. So they needed to kill it with as little bloodshed as possible. That's why they kept retreating from it until Rayra found the perfect spot to shoot an arrow into the monster's skull. Not a single drop of blood fell on the ground as the beast collapsed.

"Oh, it was the last day of harvest. Your father was going crazy with some merchants trying to pay too little for the corn. He had spent the whole week searching for new buyers. I was like I always had been … trying to understand magic and overcome the need for Soul Shards."

"That was what you were doing?" Julian asked earnestly.

"Yes, son. Didn't I tell you?"

"No, you didn't."

"I see … These years inside this place made me rethink much about our lives. How much time I had spent with this hobby … and how it eventually separated me from you. In reality, I was already away from you both, even when I was in my office in our home." She sighed.

"That is water under the bridge, Mom. We're together now, and that's all that matters."

"Thank you, Julian," she said with a gentle smile and watering eyes. She quickly wiped her eyes, cleared her throat, and continued, "As I was saying, I got frustrated with the patterns I found inside the Soul Shards, trying to replicate them somehow and produce usable mana from the residual one that exists in everything. When I stumbled into another dead end, I decided to do something else. Burning things had always been my second favorite thing to do, so I went to scorch the crops that had already been harvested. That way, the soil would be prepared for the next year, but while I was in the middle of the crops, a door appeared out of thin air and dragged me into this place."

"You were above the center of a particular drawing when that happened, do you know?"

"How so?"

"The three intricate semi-circle shapes you saw inside the Soul Shard were carved beneath our crops. Finding the middle of it opened the door."

"How many of our workers have probably walked over that exact spot?" she asked, thinking it couldn't be as easy as standing in a determined place.

"How many wanted to find or understand God's essence? The portal can probably sense intent."

The words lingered briefly as they walked through the dense woods. Marcella slowly nodded, agreeing with Julian. He looked over his shoulder to see Liz and Rayra following him close behind. They left enough space for the young Lord to connect with his long-lost mother.

"I didn't have the opportunity, but I want to give you back your sword and your bracelet. I was using them because there was a good chance we'd never see each other again. Now that we’ve found you, I need to return them to you."

"No, son. They are yours now. I no longer need a bracelet to do magic, and I have plenty of cool weapons to use. My spear, Anvarota, the one the invisible prick stole, is my new favorite. It has a fire affinity that burns everything it touches with immense ferocity. If you want to help me, help me get it back."

"That I can do," Julian replied with a smile, relieved that he could still own the sword and bracelet. He was still getting accustomed to the weapon. Even though he was prepared to return them to his mother gladly, he preferred not to relearn how to perform spells with a new bracelet or adapt to a new weapon. "How are you doing magic without a bracelet?"

"Oh, you'll probably be able to do the same when we find the mana font. I don't use a bracelet anymore. The bracelet connects your body and your innate Soul Shard. The mana font replaces it. As soon as you consume some of its water, you don't need to use it anymore, at least not inside the jungle. I don't know how it will work outside. We'll see."

Julian liked his mother's confidence. When he looked over his shoulder again, he saw Liz and Rayra smiling at him. He wasn't sure if it was an encouraging smile or happiness for their discoveries.

Before he could muse any longer, Marcella halted and muttered, "From here on, watch where you step and be silent. There are Devils near here."

As they continued on the rest of their journey, the woods started to thin. The tall trees became smaller and more spaced apart. The sun began to pierce more fiercely through the tree canopies. Sweat threatened to take over all of Julian's body, but they kept walking. The silence had already stopped being an eerie nuisance when they spotted the first buildings.

The structures were gigantic, bigger than the tallest tree he had seen in the jungle, and they seemed odd. The strange constructions appeared to be made out of perfectly polished stone, like the walls of a dungeon. They had dozens and dozens of glass windows that, in the sunlight, created an almost blinding view. Julian was amazed when he realized they were all abandoned. Rather than the buildings pressing through the woods, they had been almost completely taken over by nature. They were full of trees on the inside with floors falling or windows broken.

"Some creatures make nests here. We're really close to the font," Marcella whispered in an almost inaudible voice.

All nodded and continued their way through the strange formations. Julian's eyes couldn't resist looking inside, but most were empty and destroyed. It reminded him of the state of his house when he had arrived home and why he was there now. These buildings weren't the most giant Julian had seen. Baron Strazz's castle was bigger and more opulent. The ones in the Duchy were even more grand. Still, the fact that there were several of them in the same place scratched at Julian's mind.

How many rock mages would be needed to create that amount of rock and glass? How many years did it take to make such a wealthy city? How many people had lived inside those buildings, and why were they here, of all places? Those questions hammered in Julian's mind when he heard the flapping of wings in the distance.

They all traded glances, and Marcella pointed to a building on the side. They jumped inside it through a broken window and crouched near the edge of one of the windows. A moment later, Julian peeked at the skies to see a pair of wings flying above the tower. It was one of the Dragonborn with its black wings whooshing through the air with some degree of laziness. Whoever this creature was, it wasn't too happy about flying to its destination.

"It's probably going to replenish its mana at the pool. They need to do it to keep their armor always up. The effect on humans is way more lasting," Marcella whispered. "Let's follow it and see what we can do."

"Right," Julian replied, unsheathing his sword and following her. The other two did the same and stayed close behind.

As soon as the sound of wings receded past a nearby building, they resumed their walk on the strange streets. They kept close to the building walls and its long cast shadows, in case another predator caught them with its gaze. Julian kept looking over his shoulder to check on Liz and Rayra, but he was also wary of the invisible intruder that had been following them since they entered the portal.

Julian had no idea if the stranger was still following them after the Dragonborn spotted it before. But he couldn't shake the feeling that whoever they were, they wouldn't give up. Julian and his companions were the stranger's best bet to succeed in this place, especially now that his mother was helping. He just needed to avoid giving the invisible foe an edge or providing valuable information. He knew the stranger hadn't entered the cave behind the waterfall. The place was too small and muddy for them not to notice someone else in there, even an invisible one. But now, in the open? They could be anywhere.

Julian looked up and felt something odd on his skin. The sun wasn't hitting him as hard as in the previous hours. At first, he dismissed it because they were mostly walking in shadows, but then he looked again at the sky and realized the star had moved slightly to the west.

"The sun is going down," Julian whispered.

"It happens from time to time," his mother replied. "It will go dark soon, but the night doesn't last as long as the days. We need to go faster," she said in a hurried tone. She didn't want to be in the middle of the jungle when the moon was in the sky. Julian had no such intentions either, so they all started to walk as fast as they could, making as little noise as possible.

After a couple more minutes of walking, Marcella stopped and made a square with her hands, then the number two with her fingers. The message was clear: the font was two blocks away. Julian couldn't see how such a magical place could be so close. The abandoned city seemed the same two blocks away as it was now, but he trusted her knowledge.

They crouched and crept forward with as much stealth as they could manage on the tips of their toes. After a couple of agonizing minutes, they finally reached the second corner of the block and approached the wall of a building. Julian could hear someone moving water close by, but no sound could be heard besides that. On the other end of the street, there were more buildings full of mold and trees that extended endlessly. There was no sign of any other Dragonborn. They would need to peek around the corner if they intended to reach the font or understand what was happening.

And that was precisely what Julian did. He eased his head around a corner and looked down at the space between the two buildings and saw something magnificent. A pool of what seemed to be white marble stood on the ground. Its edges were engulfed by golden filigree, and giant statues of dragons adorned with gold ringed its base. Those statues probably cost more than the whole manor, but that wasn't nearly as impressive as what was inside the pool.

The strange liquid looked as much like water as it did smoke. The Dragonborn bathing inside it profaned the beautiful view of the liquid. It seemed to cleanse but never touch the Dragonborn’s skin, as if the monster inside the pool wasn't really there. The liquid made little waves here and there, as if an invisible force drove it away from the creature and back again. Julian instinctively knew it was pure mana. His heart almost jumped from his chest with the strange necessity of jumping inside the pool. He felt hands touching his left arm and looked back.

Both Liz and Rayra were pulling him away.

He had walked directly towards the pool and didn't even realize it. Thankfully, the Dragonborn didn't hear or see him approaching. He shook his head and moved back.

He mouthed an inaudible 'Sorry' as his back touched the wall. His Arcane power was hard to control. Somehow, Julian felt like it had a life of its own inside his body, as if he was using it on loan. Moments like this made that impression all the more prominent. Then they heard a male voice in the distance coming from the pool.

"Oh, you arrived?"

Did he spot me? Julian asked himself, as his grip on the sword grew firmer. Everyone shared the tension, and the young Lord smiled at them as if saying, 'We got this,' and prepared to move towards the enemy.

"Can you tell me why this now? I had a hunt scheduled with Avn," another male voice replied. The second voice made Julian's shoulders retract, but he hadn't heard it approaching the pool. Where had it come from?

"The boss wants us to move every magic artifact to the prison."

"Every artifact?" the first voice asked in shock. "That will take at least twenty trips back and forth."

"Indeed," the second one said in a sly tone. "But it will be worth it."

"I can't see how flying miles will be worth it. Nothing is worth it in this forsaken place."

"What if I said the prison is finally cracking?"

"Fangs! Are you serious?"

"I swear by Fenrir," the second one replied, and Julian could hear the joy in their voice. Whatever they meant, it was a big moment for their kind. "Boss wants to be prepared for whatever awaits us inside."

"Probably nothing, but I get it. Let's do it," the other replied, any trace of laziness replaced by the desire to end the task already. "I'll start with the first section while you empty the second."

They heard no replies, but Marcella moved swiftly to the middle of the street, not worried about being seen. When Julian followed her, the two Dragonborn had disappeared.

"They went inside the pool?" Julian asked.

"Yes, there are cave sections inside, full of treasure. It was there that I found this armor, and there are others inside," she said, her expression becoming more unhappy.

"So we just need to wait for them to leave with the first load of the artifacts, enter, take the remaining armor, and leave before we encounter any others," Rayra chimed in, already moving back inside a building and being followed by Liz.

"I agree,” Julian said. “Let's do it before another devilish creature appears out of nowhere."

"As much as I like to see my son's wives taking the initiative, this will not work," Marcella said. The two girls blushed profusely, but Julian's mother didn't seem to notice or want to engage with them. Julian himself was red as an apple when she looked at him. "The magical armor is inside the first section of the cave. In minutes, they will emerge from the pool and take our biggest chance of survival away."

"Shit … We'll have to fight, then," Julian said, moving towards the pool, and followed closely by the others. No one seemed to protest against his plans, even though they hadn't expressed any other options. He crouched at the edge of the pool, under the shadow of one of the giant statues, and moved his hand towards the mana pool. He felt like he was being overwhelmed by a rush of Soul Shard, but ten times more potent. He had never been hit by lightning, but he was sure this was the closest he would get to it.

"Wow," he muttered, moving his hand away from the pool and looking up.

"Amazing, isn't it?" his mother asked with a smile. "Try to drink it. All of you, drink before we start planning."

Julian didn't see what happened to them when they put the mana inside their mouths. As soon as he gulped it, his body became numb, his eyes closed, and all his body hair stood up with a shiver as energy rushed through him. When he regained control of his body, he realized he was three steps away from the pool and could feel his heart. No, not his heart. His mana core was full of energy. Every time he breathed, a little amount of mana escaped his body, just to be replaced by another gulp. It was almost overwhelming, but at the same time, it was beautiful.

He looked to his side and watched Liz and Rayra exit the same trance he had been in seconds ago. They looked at him in awe, and he smiled at them.

"I know it's incredible, kids, but we must prepare. Control your breathing, and don't let the power leak," she said. Julian was about to ask what she meant when he looked at his hand and saw small waves of blue energy leaving his bracelet and trying to form a tiny ball of mana. He breathed deeply, and the power dissipated back into his body.

"Great, son. That power of yours is … incredible. They seem to be afraid of it. What did the devil say to you before dying?"

"'When did you come back, Devil?' is what she said. Ironic, no?"

"Indeed," his mother replied with her characteristic thinking grimace. "And you had never met any of those creatures?"

"No."

"You share a power with an enemy of theirs, then. We'll have time to discover more, but we surely know you are the only chance we have against them. My plan is simple. I'll enter and watch for them. I’ll come back to warn you when they start to move back to the surface.

"Isn't it too dangerous?" Liz asked, worried.

"No, Liz. I know the ways. I'll be back one minute before them. Be on guard, ready to shoot the ball of energy. They have as much trouble defending against unsuspecting attacks as they have with overwhelming ones. Yours will be both."

"Right. The second one will probably understand what is happening, or at least that a beast attacked his friend, so we'll have to fight together for that one. Assume positions to overwhelm them with attacks," Julian said, looking at Liz and Rayra, who nodded positively, with no complaint coming from them.

On the left end of the pool stood Julian, opposite Rayra with her bow at the ready, and on the far end stood Liz, dagger in one hand and bracelet pointed at the pool. He could perfectly see their auras shining with power. They were as eager as he was to take down those creatures. Marcella jumped into the pool, and the liquid made no sound. It just kept lapping from one side to the other as if nothing had entered it.

The seconds of waiting felt like an eternity for Julian, but he kept his breath in check, preventing the power from leaking out of his body. Several seconds later, a figure jumped out of the pool. Catching her breath, Marcella emerged, moving to the empty edge of the pool and positioning her hand, already ablaze with power.

She nodded to them as if to say they were coming, but didn’t say a word. They're close, Julian thought as he let the mana finally become a giant ball in his hand. This time, the sphere was almost perfect. Julian felt immensely proud of the feat and was eager to read his grimoire's opinion about his magic manipulation. He didn't need to think about it anymore. With the seemingly infinite amount of mana he felt in his body, he just needed to swipe his hand to turn the ball into a whip of energy or release it to make it seek destruction with an explosion.

That was precisely what Julian did when another figure erupted from the pool. First came the wings, which the creature probably used to maneuver itself while swimming, and then the head appeared. This was a male brute, probably triple Julian's size and double his weight. He would be a difficult opponent to match in a fist duel, but Julian wasn't playing fair today.

He wasn't sure if it was fear he saw on the monster's face, but the creature grimaced terribly as soon as the ball of energy was released from Julian's hand. Its scales came to life to form armor around its belly. Still, its torso was no longer there after the energy exploded. The pieces of armor the creature had been carrying in its hands fell into the pool with the owner's dead body and its new gigantic hole.

Julian was again surprised by the power that resided inside his Arcane magic, but he suppressed the feeling and prepared to deal with the second creature. However, the time to face the other foe didn't seem to come. The first dead creature kept floating as the blood disappeared from the liquid as if it was sublimating upon contact, forming a picturesque scene.

Whatever the other Dragonborn was doing inside the pool couldn't be good because Julian's instincts were screaming at him. He prepared a second ball and waited, ready to be one with it. A hand struck out of the pool, and his leg was grabbed, before the world turned upside down he released the ball of energy into the skies and felt his head smack on the ground.

The monster had been lurking just below the surface. It had exited the pool just enough to grab his leg and pull him under, but not enough to show itself. This one was smart, and it was dragging Julian into the depths of the pool. He tried to protest, kicking at the creature, but his body wasn't responding well enough with all the banging and clanging inside his head. The last thing Julian heard before being dragged under the liquid was Liz's screams and the sounds of something cracking. Whatever was happening, they were also fighting, but Julian could do nothing except breathe the blue liquid as he was dragged down to his death.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Surprisingly enough, Lord Julian Lionheart could breathe mana.

Relief filled his lungs when he realized he wasn't drowning in the liquid. He had witnessed his mother leaving the pool out of breath and had thought he was doomed. Instead, he could breathe the mana just fine.

It was like an extension of drinking mana. He could feel the energy flowing through his lungs, but when it was supposed to choke him, it fed his lungs with air and power. All this made sense in Julian's mind when he realized he wasn't doomed. His Arcane manipulation was pure mana manipulation, and mana was in everything, so it was completely understandable that the energy turned itself into air to feed the young man's needs.

Still, the mana couldn't hide or save him from the creature dragging him below. Julian couldn't see clearly inside the cloudy liquid; the only thing distinguishable was the Dragonborn’s claws around his ankles. Julian tried to manipulate the mana around him, but it simply didn't respond to his request, as if the concentration inside his body was too immense for his capabilities.

Then, he tried to make a blast in his hand. When he felt the ball formed in his hand, he released it, but like a son returning home, the ball of mana only wanted to rest. It dispersed quickly and became one with the pool. If the monster attacked Julian inside the liquid, he would be as good as dead. His only chance was to fight the creature on the soil. Thanks to his determination, the young man still had his sword gripped tightly in his right hand, waiting patiently for an opportunity to attack.

Maybe if the creature thinks I'm dead, it will release me, Julian thought as he kept going down. He pondered how his mother had held her breath for so long below there and felt proud. He relaxed his muscles and stopped moving both of his legs. He doubted the monster could see him inside the mana, but to be safe, he closed his eyes and relaxed his arms. The creature's speed increased, and its grip became stronger against his ankle, as if it had sensed Julian's feigned death.

To Julian's surprise, the monster didn't go up to feed on him on the surface. Instead, it threw him into a submerged cave. It was too dark to see clearly, but Julian felt the light changing from stark blue to black, and then he was hurled up and emerged into the air. Julian's body felt the need to breathe air, and so he did, the mana inside his lungs evaporating into energy and rushing toward his core to give space to air.

He crashed against the floor, still holding his sword, and looked at his sides. He was inside a strange cave, filled with dim lights on the wall and stronger ones in the distance. The place was eerie and cold and became even stranger when the Dragonborn jumped from the water to the ground in a single movement.

"You're alive, little rat!" the monster hissed hatefully. This one differed from the others; it was male but completely covered in scales as if it didn't want to give room to chance. The monster was lean, almost to the point of looking sick, and had yellow scales around its whole body. Its black leather wings made it look like a monster straight from the pages of a child's tale.

"Unfortunately for you, I am," Julian replied, holding the blade in a fighting position, already forming a ball of energy in his left hand.

The monster didn't pay any attention to Julian's confidence. Instead, it opened its massive mouth full of fangs to the skies and cried out loud. A cry full of ill intent and … pain. The monster was grieving its dead friend and wanted to deal with its grief and loss by killing Julian. He would let it try.

As soon as the monster sprinted towards Julian, he swiped his hand to the side, creating a whip of energy, but the beast flew into the skies and hurled itself towards Julian like a tornado. It swirled in the air, claws on its long arms directed at Julian's throat. The young Lord rolled on the caves surface to dodge and got up, already swinging. His blade struck true, but hit the armored yellow scale and clanged back.

The monster was about to hit a wall face-first when it changed course with inhuman speed and clinched its claws on the rocky wall, studying Julian with attentive eyes. This creature was different from anything Julian had ever seen. It wasn't just physically fast, but could rationalize at immense speed. The beast was calculating Julian's moves and pondering what it would need to do to kill Julian most pleasingly. But it also knew they had killed one of its kind, so it was wary of any suprise attacks Julian could perform.

Deciding not to give the Dragonborn any more room to think, Julian rushed towards it, already forming a ball of energy and throwing it at the monster, who dodged to the side as the rocky wall exploded with blue flames. As it was in the air, Julian watched the monster's eyes, observing the attack. Julian kept pressing with a second mana ball. This one, the beast ducked and tried to swipe its legs at Julian's, just the way the other Dragonborn had done.

Julian quickly jumped back, swiping with his magical whip and hitting the monster's leg. It only grazed the scales superficially, but it was enough to draw blood. The Lord saw the consternation in the monster's eyes as the red liquid poured from the wound. Julian smirked at the creature, trying to unnerve it.

After that hit, the fight turned. The monster was now wholly on the defensive. Julian kept swinging his whip and sword and throwing mana blasts at it, but nothing hit the beast anymore. Instead, it kept dodging with increasing speed. The creature didn’t even need to dodge the sword attacks, but the mana ones only hit the walls.

A mana blast scorched the creature's arm as it finally tried to claw Julian's throat during an aerial dodge, and the young Lord saw an opportunity to strike a vulnerable area. The sword reached for the creature's wounded arm, but instead of connecting with skin, it found its opposite arm.

It was the monster's time to smirk with its terrible teeth as it grappled the sword with terrible strength and hurled Julian away. He didn’t have the reaction time to release the sword before being thrown, so he still had his sword in hand when he crashed against the cave wall.

The cave's ceiling trembled with the impact, and Julian decided he wouldn’t die inside a cave with a devil at his side. He needed to think and act as fast as the monster. As his vision adjusted, he realized the beast was flying again towards him. This time, Julian wasn’t able to dodge. The creature's hand pierced his left shoulder with force.

Julian’s eyes widened with pain. He felt mana leaking through the wound and his powers slowly fading.

"I can smell your fear, little rat," the monster hissed in his ear as it twisted its clawed hand in his wounded shoulder. "You have the traitor's magic. I was there when it happened the first time, and I'll not watch my kin die this time. I'll delight in your suffering," it said, opening its hands and throwing Julian away with force to the opposite wall. Any trace of joy or camaraderie this creature had shown to its friend had been replaced by disgust and hatred.

That was the only thing Julian could capitalize on, that and the fact that the monster didn't dodge his sword attacks.

It doesn’t dodge the sword attacks! Julian thought as he watched the blood infused with mana that flowed down his coat, arms, hands, and sword.

"I’m a little egotistical, you know? A part of me wants to end you now. Not exactly now … I'll have my time with you, but the boss… the boss would love to kill a traitor's descendant," the monster said, crossing its arms as it approached Julian slowly. "That’s a tough spot to be in."

"You won't need to decide," Julian said, feeling blood seeping into his throat as he slowly got up. The task was more challenging than he had thought possible.

"I already did," the creature replied, murder and hatred once again glimmering in its eyes as it prepared to fly towards him.

Julian suppressed the need to release his sword and grab his wounded arm. He felt the cold sweat running down his forehead as the monster's knees flexed, the flying motion becoming as slow as a turtle's stroll, with all the tension swirling over his body and sharpening his instincts.

He had no idea if his plan would work, but he had only one chance to try. The monster lifted from the ground, and time returned to normal speed. Julian swung his blade with his right hand with less speed than he intended, but it was still enough to hit the monster before it reached him.

This time, there was no clang of the sword hitting hard scales. Instead, Julian heard the SWOOSH of meat being cut at immense speed. Its body crashed violently against the floor, causing its head and body to separate. Its bouncing head rolled from where the body fell across the room until it stopped on the liquid mana. There it stayed, its blood slowly absorbed as the creature's yellow eyes seemed to stare into Julian's soul.

Excitement rushed through Julian's body as he realized the mana-infused blade had worked. As soon as the young lord felt the blood rushing through the blade's edge, he tried to control it. It was easier than Julian had thought. The first time, it hadn't worked, but as soon as he created more mana in his left hand and transferred it to the sword, the blood became more infused, and Julian had to breathe the mana back into his body to hide the glowing blood from the creature.

He had swung the blade fast, but the speed with which he had infused the blade with mana while the monster was in the air had been even quicker.

Julian's body wanted to collapse on the ground, but he knew that if he did so, he would die alone in the cave. Hence, he mustered all his strength and barely staggered to the liquid mana. He still had to return to his companions. The last time he had seen them, they were fighting something or someone on the surface. Julian needed to help them.

As soon as his body hit the liquid, the pain and trembling dissipated as if the mana was lending Julian some peace before he could feel it all over again. He couldn't see anything, but as soon as the liquid became bluer, he knew he had only one direction to go: up.

After minutes that seemed to last forever, Julian broke the surface, and the pain hit him as if the monster had just struck him for the first time. The Lord almost fainted on the spot, but the sight of Liz, Rayra, and his mother lying unconscious on the ground kept him awake.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Julian mustered all his strength to lift himself from the pool's edge. Pain throbbed in his destroyed shoulder as he slowly got up. Beside him, several armors similar to his mother's floated in the pool, along with other strange artifacts he hadn't the time to examine. He just ignored everything to reach his companions.

Liz was the closest one, and he didn't need much time to be sure she was still alive. Even before he crouched at her side, he saw her chest moving up and down. Blessed be the shattering, he thought as his hand traveled through her head and found a wound with blood. It wasn't deep, and she didn't seem at much risk.

"I'll be back soon," he said as he started to stagger towards the others.

Marcella and Rayra were in a similar state, but his mother had a burning wound on the shoulder as well as a crack on the forehead, and her cloth helmet was nowhere to be seen. Why had she removed it? Julian asked himself, already searching the surroundings. It could only have been another Dragonborn or the invisible one that had followed them in previous days.

Julian walked as fast as he could towards Rayra and found the beast-folk still transformed into an animal and unconscious. She had no apparent wounds but was as unwakeable as the others. Whoever it was had probably poisoned her upon realizing they couldn't fight. The young lord scanned his surroundings several times. Every noise from the buildings sent shivers through his body. The mana pool created more giant waves, and the place became more eerie as the sun descended. Whoever had done this to them was probably still close. His best bet was to wake Rayra up for her healing powers and tracking skills.

Hence, he crouched at her side and shook her body violently, but the fox didn't wake up. He did it again, and her tongue fell to the side of her mouth. Whatever she had taken was too strong for him to wake her up. His mother would be the second one with enough information to get them out of there and maybe find healing medicine in the woods. With that in mind, he strode towards Marcella, every step a newfound lesson in pain.

Julian's instincts were as sharp as they could be when you're wounded, but they weren't enough to detect the attack from the shadows.

As soon as the young Lord crouched beside his mother, a burning pain entered his back and pierced through his entire body. He felt his flesh and organs being torn and then burned. He looked down and saw the point of a spear exiting his coat, burning each fabric of it until a pointed blade as orange as the strongest sunset exited his torso. He then looked up and saw … nothing.

Then, the pain came again in the opposite direction. Julian felt the wounds open and close again, and his whole body protested. Blood erupted from his throat as the spear finally withdrew from his body, and he fell to the side. When the young man turned to face his attacker, he only saw the spear floating in the air.

"Who are⁠—"

"You know who I am," the voice replied ironically. Then the silhouette started to appear. It was like he was removing a cloth that made him invisible instead of entirely invisible. Slowly, piece by piece, the man became clear in Julian's eyes. "Your family was quite useful these last few days compared to the past decades,"

Julian watched with widened eyes as the old man uttered the words. He had only a few black hairs on his gray head, his goatee was perfectly trimmed, and he wore a fine black robe. But Julian could see the glimmering of chain mail beneath it, close to the hands. The old man appeared strong and tall and showed no semblance of being ill. He was precisely the same way Julian had seen him last before he’d left, if not better.

"Why?" Julian managed to ask.

"Because I want it, and I'll have it, as I always do," the baron said, crouching at Julian's side and pointing the spear's blade towards his mother. "She knows this very well. Before we all settled in Silverhold, your mother had ambition. But alas, she went on that foolish mission to save your butler. She became friends with him, and got closer to your imbecile father. She even let herself be convinced to settle down. I did as much, expecting her to come to her senses any day and abandon that fool. I even called in all the favors I could to become baron, but not even that impressed our dear Marcella. You didn't know any of this, right?"

The old man's voice was hateful, but his face didn’t show it. He kept smiling at Julian with delight. Julian knew their family had a history with the baron, but he had no idea they had been that close. Julian didn't need to reply to the baron's question; his face told all.

"What did you do to my father?"

"Me? Nothing … I just paid someone to give him tips about your mother's whereabouts. He's searching for her on the other side of the world, convinced an old rival kidnapped her. He could be held hostage by now if he were stupid enough to knock on the doors I sent him to." This reply was full of joy and contentment, as if the baron had put a master plan into action. "A couple of years after your mother disappeared, I finally decided to implement my plan. It was dreadfully simplistic, to be honest. I sent your father away of his own volition, made Tarav's life miserable, and kept you uninformed. It was quite easy to intercept the letters before they left the town. After one or two years, I would have your manor, and the delight of knowing Lord Lionheart was no more. But when I was sneaking inside your family's dungeon, I found the prophecy on the ceiling. That changed everything. I became obsessed with it, just like your mother and I were obsessed with the Lost Soul in our early days as adventurers. I even sent my soldiers to release blood goblins into the dungeon to prevent others from entering and discovering the prophecy. I wasn’t counting on your prowess. You are quite a bit like her," the baron said, with the semblance of a gentle smile.

"And you were following us all along?" Julian asked, feeling his strength ebbing away but trying to buy time for one of his companions to wake up and fight the baron.

"Of course not. I had better things to do, like discovering what the prophecy or images meant. But then I discovered the bandits I sent to burn your crops had been killed. I decided to play my last card and sent my stupid son to collect the bank payment while I went into hiding behind him to see your reaction. I was delighted with your anger, but even more so when you used it to uncover the mystery I had been trying to solve for years. And I had no idea you knew about it. I’m about to become immortal, and the fruit of all the hate I've felt these last decades is the reason for it. Quite ironic, don’t you think?"

"You’ll never be able to reach the Lost Soul alone," Julian said with a cough, pain taking over his body piece by piece. "You just sabotaged your own plans. You have no idea where they are or what is inside it."

"I'm so lost!" the baron said, exaggeratedly placing one hand on his chest. "Except that I know exactly where it is."

The old man removed a paper from one pocket and then showed it to Julian. "Fortunately, your mother made a map of it and hid it in her cabin. The armor you just found for me will help with the rest of the journey. They won't see me coming," the baron said, getting up and stashing the map in his pocket. Then he walked towards the pool, grabbed one of the armors, and stashed it under his arm.

Julian took advantage of this moment to crawl towards his mother. He was about to reach her when a forceful foot stomped on his hand.

"Nah, no … let her sleep; she fought fiercely. I got the better of her, but I still have deep respect for your mother," he said, but Julian didn’t believe any of that snake's words. "Don't be afraid, son⁠—"

"I’m not afraid," Julian replied, already gathering the mana in his body to explode the enemy's torso, but he slowly realized all the mana he had was being used to keep him alive. He almost fainted again when he felt the power gathering in his hand.

"It’s hard, isn’t it? Don't force yourself, kid. I’m not going to kill you. Maybe I'll come back to gather you all after I return home. I want you to see me building a new world. Soon, I'll be the new king. You and your mother could be my favorite vassals."

Julian wanted to reply to the baron, but he had no more strength to speak. However, he kept fighting to stay alive, even when the old man disappeared again before his eyes. Julian was about to reach his mother's arms when he was speared again on the other side of the torso.

"Thinking again, this power of yours is too strong. You'll be better off dead, and I want to see your mother suffer a little," the baron said as he twisted the spearhead and removed it, making Julian's life start to slip away.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"You stupid fool!" a female voice called out from the darkness as he slowly opened his eyes. Since he couldn't see anything, he decided to close them again. Resting was all he needed right now, not someone yelling at him at the top of their lungs. "Don't close your eyes!"

"Right," he muttered, but kept his eyes closed. He was so sleepy that he just needed to rest for a while. Was that asking too much?

"OPEN … YOUR… EYES!" the voice screamed in his ear. He almost went deaf with the high-pitched voice. "I'll not be left out in the void again, fool! Keep your eyes open, and you still have a chance."

"A chance for what? What the hell are you saying? Let me sleep!"

"If you close your eyes, you won't sleep, stupid. You'll die! Honestly, you're already dead. Open your eyes and see for yourself," she said again, and Julian tried to keep his eyelids wide open.

Then, darkness turned to light, and Julian found himself in a white room floating in the sky, and below him stood… himself. He could see his body lying on the ground with two massive burnt wounds on the torso and another smaller one on the left shoulder. His skin was pale as milk, and he was dead. But beside him was a blonde woman with almost white hair sitting at his side, her hands pressing against Julian's heart.

She looked up, and Julian knew she could see him floating. She had green eyes, pointed ears, small lips, and a pointed nose. She was beautiful and … angry. "I'm using all the energy I can to keep you alive. Your friends are about to wake up, so please stay alert and wait! Don't die on me. I'll not survive another millennium alone."

The facts of the day came as a gigantic wave into Julian's mind. He remembered everything, but thankfully, he couldn't feel pain. Stopping to think about it, Julian realized he couldn't feel anything. It was like he was emotionally numb. His only desire was to be left to rest. His body and soul commanded it, but at the same time, he knew rationally he couldn't let that happen. People relied on him. Tarav was probably worried sick about his whereabouts. Mirlo and his wife needed someone to provide for them. The mine was about to start again. He had a story to create with Liz and had made a promise to Rayra.

And above all, he couldn't leave his mother. She would go mad if he died, and he was the only one who had a tip on his father's whereabouts. He couldn't die. He couldn't rest yet. Julian moved his hand towards his heart and gripped it firmly. He couldn't feel the body being touched by skin, but he could feel his egotistical side being torn apart. He needed to kill it to stay alive, for them… he thought as the images of his mother, Liz, and Rayra appeared on the ground near his own body. He saw Liz slowly getting up and Rayra moving her fox paws slightly.

"Great! Keep doing whatever you're doing," the blonde woman said as her hands pressed more firmly over Julian's heart.

"Who are you?" Julian asked.

"Who else could I be? I'm your grimoire, fool!" she replied with annoyance. "I've been without a partner for a thousand years. I'll not let you die so soon, even though you're the most terrible arcanist I've ever seen! Father would be ashamed."

"What? I just killed two Dragonborn and discovered a new spell."

"Pfff, you could've snapped your fingers and killed everyone in the woods if you knew what you were doing."

"Tell me, then. I'd like to see an old man turned into ashes."

"How didn't you see that piece of crap following you all along? He's not even that good at hiding. I was about to scream in your ears to search your surroundings better."

"Why didn't you?!" Julian was the one annoyed now. It was pretty easy to critique but hard to do something about it.

"Because I can't, obviously. My mission is to facilitate your learning, not to teach you how to perform magic. But if you had the simple idea of opening the damn grimoire, you would probably find some tips inside it. Honestly, I shouldn't even be talking to you, considering how disappointed I am with your performance."

"By the Last! I'm doing the best I can with the information I have."

"If that makes you sleep better, so be it," the woman said as her eyes darted towards his dying body again. Liz was already shaking Rayra violently after seeing Julian's state. The woman had tears in her eyes and was desperate to help him. Julian was also afraid that Rayra would not wake up. He continued focusing on them and his connection to the world. A few moments later, her eyes widened, and she moved directly toward Julian's body as if she smelled the danger in the air.

In no time, she was already in her human form, looking for medicine in her pouch. It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for and stash it into Julian's mouth. She started to speak with Liz rushedly, but Julian realized he couldn't understand what they were talking about. Their voices were muffled as if he was inside a pool, and they were talking on the surface. Rayra didn't perform her magic, but rushed to wake his mother up.

Even without doing the medical magic, Julian started to see more of his surroundings, as if the leaf Rayra had put into his mouth was bringing life back to his body. His mother was a grim image of desperation upon seeing Julian’s wounded body. Rayra had to pull her with force for her to release him. That almost broke Julian, but then the beast folk showed her a leaf and seemed to ask if she knew where to find it. Marcella seemed confused for a while, but then she nodded positively. They spoke for a couple more seconds, and then his mother rushed into the woods. Rayra stashed another leaf in Julian's mouth, and the world became even more transparent, but his wounds didn’t seem to heal.

Rayra rushed to the pool, gathered all the armor left floating, and hurried to lift his body alongside Liz. The two women weren't the strongest Julian had ever seen, but he saw determination and prowess in their figures as they lifted him and started to transport his body through the strange landscape.

As she walked towards the floating Julian, the blonde woman had already released her hands from his body.

"It's hard for you as it was hard for every Arcane Lord to let other people take care of things, but these two … they love you, you know?" she said with emotion, no trace of her annoyance anymore.

"Do they?"

"Deeply," she replied with a gentle smile. "I've seen more than ten Arcane Lords. Even though you're the weakest, you're probably the kindest. You can rest now. They will keep you alive. When you wake up, please open the book and take the time to read it carefully. You'll need it. The enemy awaits you, and you resemble father too much for him not to want you."

"Who's your father?"

"The father of all grimoires, the creator of all pure magic, Cerulex. You wield his power."

Julian was too surprised to speak. He knew he was the bearer of a great power, but not to such an extent. He wanted to ask more questions, to understand the magic, and to get to know her, but his eyes were closing.

"Rest now. You did a lot today. I mean, you came as close to dying as you can. Still, you'll need to do much more in the future."

"But, who's the enemy—" Julian started to speak, but sleep overtook him. The stark white room was replaced by darkness as his eyes closed, and his soul kept floating towards the cave.

Julian felt the sensations of his parched throat and his numb feet as his eyes opened. He could see the ceiling of a cave and lamps on the walls. He wasn’t strong enough to keep his eyes open, but his hearing slowly returned. Two voices spoke in hurried tones.

"Is it working?" Liz asked.

"Keep smashing the leaves," Rayra instructed, and Julian felt something passing in front of his eyes. "The wounds are closing more slowly than I expected. If his mother doesn't arrive soon enough, the magic will end, and he'll slowly die," Rayra replied dryly, and Liz felt it.

"Don't say that,"

"You asked, Liz. I'm just being honest,"

"What can I do to help?"

"Besides smashing the leaves and passing them to me? Maybe find a miraculous solution to heal him before his mother returns from the fifteen-mile trip she went on."

"All right," Liz replied, as if she hadn’t been given an impossible mission. Julian wanted to smile at the immense display of determination his lover showed, but his body wouldn’t respond to his commands.

He felt Liz moving her hands fast on the ground close to his left arm, smashing one leaf after another and pushing it into his mouth. Julian felt heat on his chest as Rayra pressed her hands against it while rubbing nonstop. She was also determined to make him live, and he appreciated it. Never in his life had he thought he would have such loyal companions by his side, and Rayra had appeared in his life only days ago. The blessing that washed over his heart overshadowed all the pain in his body.

Liz halted her movements near Julian. Rayra didn’t seem to notice for a while, her hands continuing the magic work. His wounds slowly closed, and his senses returned. With each second, he healed more, and the pain became more noticeable. Thus, opening his eyes and letting them know he was conscious wasn't easy.

"Did you collect some of that liquid?"

"What liquid?"

"The one in the pool," Liz replied with annoyance. "His mother told us it is pure mana. The guild master taught Julian that his power was the manipulation of pure mana."

"So?"

"Do you have the liquid or not?"

"Yes, in my canteen. I was going to study it⁠—"

Liz quickly snatched the object from one corner and dropped the liquid inside something. Julian couldn't identify precisely what was happening, but he had a hunch. He was sure she was on the right track.

"Nevermind," Rayra said eagerly. "I know what you're doing. It might work."

"Right," Liz said. The sounds of leaves being smashed into a pot returned, alternated by the splash of liquid into the same receptacle. After a few minutes, a new medicine was poured down Julian's throat, but this one energized him.

They had mixed the bruised leaves with pure mana, infusing Rayra’s medical mixture. Julian's eyes opened wide with the sudden rush of power. He could feel the energy traveling through his whole body as the fabric of his muscles and organs were being rebuilt. He felt his bones bending back into place and his skin being remade. He could feel the tiniest parts of his body speaking, wanting to live and be whole again.

Everything happened in almost no time. Rayra's medicine was amplified a thousand times by Julian's bodily reformation and innate connection with mana. His body responded promptly as he sat up on the ground as quickly as possible. His eyes darted towards his surroundings. He saw Liz in front of him with her hands still raised in the air, glowing with a green light. Rayra at her side looked at him in amazement as her jaw dropped. Both of them were covered in sweat, their wounds mended, and their complexions tired. As soon as he locked eyes with them, the awe disappeared, replaced by utter joy.

They hugged him simultaneously, making Julian feel their bodies intertwined as the scents of both women mixed in his nostrils. And then, the oddest thing happened.

Rayra kissed Julian passionately, her tongue searching for his almost desperately. He enjoyed it sincerely and returned her passion. She had the flavor of life, and he decided he wanted to taste it forever. Still, the kiss didn’t last long. Soon, she parted from him as if making space for Liz. She didn’t miss a beat as she also kissed him with the same passion. She was gentler, but Julian could feel the gratitude in her kiss. He felt the love she had cultivated for him over the years summarized in the gesture. She ended the kiss, and Julian contemplated the two figures before him. He couldn’t believe how well he felt as mana continued to course through his body, super charging all the healing that needed to take place.

They were the faces of happiness, their yellow and blue eyes glimmering with joy. The lamp light cast shadows that only made them more gorgeous.

“How are you feeling? You’re almost glowing with power?” Liz asked.

“I feel better than I have in a long time. Somehow, my body used that mana to supercharge the healing from the leaves. It felt amazing, and I have tons of energy now.”

Rayra caressed his cheek. “I can’t believe you almost died. You were on a razor’s edge for so long! We almost lost you!”

“I couldn’t bear the thought!” Liz said. “I couldn’t believe I’ve let us waste our time together, waiting for all our problems to get fixed before we focus on our happiness. I’m not going to wait any longer.”

Rayra gave her a resolved look and agreed, “Life is too short. I don’t want to miss out on anything because I waited, either.”

Julian wasn’t quite sure what they were talking about, but looked down and realized something he hadn’t yet.

"I'm naked," he muttered.

“We needed to see if you were wounded beneath your clothes,” Liz said with a blush and calm tone. Her eyes were fixated on his throbbing member that had immediately responded to kissing the beautiful women.

They had put him in a tough spot and even made it more challenging by kissing him in such a moment. Julian wasn’t to blame for showing how much he had appreciated all their gestures.

“I’m happy we did it,” Rayra said with a sly smile as her hand approached his body and touched his hard and thick cock. Julian felt a shiver run through his body as her small hand surrounded him, unable to fully wrap around him. Then she looked at Liz, who had her cheeks as red as an apple. “Are you?”

“Y … yes,” Liz replied, looking at the ground.

“Are you happy he’s alive and well?” Rayra asked Liz. Her hands moved up and down on Julian’s cock, making the shiver intensify around his crotch,

“Yes,” Liz replied as her head slowly got up to face Julian’s eyes. He saw desire in that gaze, and his heart pounded against his chest.

“Show him, then.”

Liz smiled at Julian and then lowered her head and kissed the tip of his member. She opened her mouth, and Julian could see she was almost drooling with desire for his cock. She slipped the tip into her mouth and swirled her tongue around his dick before she gently sucked it. Rayra kept stroking his cock and didn’t look away from his eyes for a second, enjoying each groan he emitted.

He groaned as she went deeper, wanting more of his cock in her. Julian felt his member engulfed by Liz’s hot mouth as he went deep inside her throat. Rayra made room for her as Liz sought to take Julian’s entire cock into her mouth.

“You can do it, Liz! Take all of him,” Rayra encouraged.

Bliss surrounded Julian as she bounced him deeper until her mouth kissed his base. She held him there for a moment as she tightened her throat and sucked before she had to release him so she could breathe. After a quick gasp of air when he popped out of her mouth, she got up to face Julian. Her face was all wet, but her watery eyes were full of joy.

“You have no idea how long I yearned for this,” she said with a groan as her hands traveled across Julian’s pecs. Her face was red, but now he could see it was because of lust, not shame. He loved what he saw.

“Show me,” Julian replied, mimicking Rayra’s demand, and show him Liz did. She removed her blouse up over her head, revealing her full breasts to the Lord. He couldn’t believe how wonderful they looked as they bounced free from her blouse. They were big, more significant than his hands, and had hard pink nipples, almost as pale as her white skin. Julian couldn’t hold his desire upon the sight and grabbed both of them. His hands had a mind of their own, and a hard nipple was in his mouth in a moment. He sucked its tip with force. She moaned with pleasure as she helped Rayra remove her clothes.

The beastfolk was almost too stubborn to release Julian’s cock, but she promptly did it to get undressed for him. Liz helped her with her top tied on the back and then with her pants. Rayra’s boobs jiggled as they came free. Her breasts were small but perfect. The nipples were pink, but closer to red than pink. Her crotch had red pubes, the same color as her bushy tail that kept wagging from one side to the other. Her thin waist revealed a big and round ass. She helped Liz remove her pants until both women were naked side by side. It was the most beautiful scene Julian had ever seen, where one lacked, the other compensated. Julian couldn’t feel more lucky.

“I want some of that too,” Rayra said with a pout. She moved closer to Julian beside Liz so her chest was towards his face. Two perfect sets of titties were eagerly awaiting his hands and mouth. His mouth engulfed the whole of Rayra’s right tit, making his mouth water even more as he sucked. She moaned while Liz moved around his left side and hugged Julian from behind, kissing his neck as she pressed her hard nipples into his back. In the middle of the two, he felt his cock throbbing and desiring to be inside them.

He was about to push Rayra to the floor when Liz said, “Wait, she needs to taste you as well.” Liz grinned as she watched Rayra respond and get on her knees, licking his cock from the tip to the root. She put both of his balls into her mouth and sucked hard. Julian was on the verge of losing it when Rayra stopped and slowly licked his member all over again.

“I wanna see you cumming inside her,” Rayra whispered as she finished licking him, got up, and kissed Julian once more. When she broke off the kiss, she grabbed Liz’s hand and led her to the improvised bed they had on the floor.

Julian watched as Liz lay on the ground with her head between Rayra’s legs and opened hers. Liz’s dripping wet slit was completely visible to the young lord. The sight of her naked body eagerly waiting for him and the look of lust in her eyes made his mouth water. He licked his lips in anticipation as he moved toward her. Her pussy was his sole focus as he ran his hands up her legs. She moaned and he glanced up at her to see her biting her lower lip as she spread her legs wider. Her eyes were wide as she watched in wonder. It was really happening.

He grinned and blew her a kiss before he dove down to enjoy her beautiful pussy. She smelled wonderful, a bit like hazelnut, as he gently kissed her slit. She whimpered in anticipation of more, and he wanted to taste her as well. He slowly licked up her wet slit, causing her to gasp. “Fuck, yes! Julian!”

She shook as she climaxed, washing his face in her joy, as he kept licking as kissing her pussy. Her thighs slammed against his head, but it didn’t deter his focus as he reached her clit. She went silent and shook even harder when he sucked her pearl into his mouth. A moment later, she exploded with another orgasm as she was forced to take a big breath. Her moaning filled the small cave as she floated in a sea of bliss. She was so full of joy that it was hard for her to think. She just existed in the bliss., Her legs continued to tremble as his tongue continued its mission to find every special spot she had. It moved from one side to the other and, from time to time, entered her little hole. His mouth was full of her juice as her movements became even more erratic. Rayra held her, running her hands through her hair as she whispered encouragement into her ear. She nuzzled the back of Liz’s neck and kissed her gently, adding to Liz’s shivering.

“I can’t take it anymore…. It's too good,” she moaned. “Please, fill me…” she pleaded.

Julian smiled after he gave her pussy a final kiss, looking up at her sweaty, sexy body. He repositioned himself with his cock at her entrance. They locked eyes as he slowly penetrated her. Her eyes widened as the welcoming heat of her body sent a new wave of pleasure through him as he entered deep into her. Liz’s body contorted with joy as she moaned in pleasure. Julian went back and forth with his waist, experimenting with the movement until he found the position that pressed her sweet spot at the end of each thrust. He knew because of the rapturous look on her face that made her complexion turn into a grin of lust.

“Yes, right there, don’t stop,” she said.

Julian didn’t. With each movement, he felt his cock throbbing more as the pressure built.

The sight of her breasts bouncing up and down with each thrust and in time with her moans was maddening. He couldn’t believe it was really happening, and everything was quickly becoming too much. He was about to explode when she screamed with delight.

“Fill me, please. Fill me! Fuck!” she cried as she climaxed, clamping down on him. He kept thrusting, his member entering deep into her core, and then he exploded. Hot liquid erupted from his cock as he filled her with his seed. Her legs kept trembling as he finished pumping into her and slowly caught his breath. Liz’s hands fell to the side, too tired to move, but her face was full of joy.

“That was amazing,” she whispered as Julian slipped his cock from her and lay down next to her. She pressed her legs together to try to keep his cum from leaking out of her.

“Indeed,” Rayra chimed in, kissing Liz gently on the forehead. Rayra repositioned Liz’s head comfortably on the straw bed, as Liz was having difficulty keeping her eyes open.

“Do you still have some for me? Rest for a moment and catch your breath.”

“Give me just a few moments,” he said with heavy breathing as he lay beside Liz and kissed her neck. She only replied with a gentle grin as she drifted to sleep. Then Rayra lay at his side and pressed her body on his. Julian could feel his body tingling from her touch as she slowly ground her pussy against his cock. The unmistakable feel of the hair of her crotch caressing his cock was amazing. He loved it. She was hot and wet there, and his member yearned to be ready again.

Rayra’s hand caressed his pecs tenderly. “I’ve never gotten this close to a human,” she said in a distant voice.

“I’m happy you chose me.”

“If it weren’t you, it wouldn’t be anyone else.” She smiled and then lifted her head to look into his eyes. “You’re the best one I found among humans, beastfolk, or any other race.”

“Thanks,” Julian replied, tired of denying their attraction and compliments. If they thought him to be that amazing, he would enjoy it as long as he could. She started kissing his neck and chest as she continued rubbing her wet pussy against his cock. He closed his eyes, enjoying her touch as she cared for him. Liz’s sleeping noises grew louder. Rayra chuckled as she used her bushy tail against his waist, overloading him with the different sensations exploding across his skin. It was sweet torture, and he enjoyed being the focus of all of her attention. She moved his head gently to the side to face his eyes and kissed him again. This time was with less passion, like their first kiss inside another cave. He caressed her cheek with his hand as he looked into her eyes.

“I never imagined we would end up like this after our first meeting,” Julian said with a smile as they parted their kiss. “I’m glad you made me lose forty-five coins that day,”

“I’m glad you’re forty-five coins poorer,” she replied, slowly moving her body to be on top of him, straddling his waist. Then she lowered her head and kissed him again, nibbling and sucking his lip. Her body felt fantastic as she rubbed her pert breasts across his chest as she kissed him. She had a hunger inside her that he’d only seen growing since they lay down together. Her back was straight up again, and he could finally take a second good look at her perfect body. The small tits combined perfectly with her thin waist and thick legs and ass. She grinned and started to move front to back over his crotch.

Neither of them was surprised that his cock was hard again, eagerly wanting to be deep inside her.

“It seems you’re already ready for another round,” she said, biting her lower lip. Her tail wagged back and forth lightly rubbing his lower legs. Her little fox ears twitched with pleasure as his hard cock rubbed against her wet pussy. Julian moved his hands towards her waist and felt her perfect waist almost fit his two hands together. She was quick to remove his hands from her waist and place them on her tits. “No, no, no. Relax. I’ll be the one doing the work here. Rest, my love, and enjoy. This is the first of many.”

She then released his hands. He squeezed and massaged her boobs for a bit before he moved them to the back of his head. He took her at her word and relaxed as if he were about to rest watching nature. The sight he contemplated was way better than some random mountain or valley. Rayra slowly slid his cock inside her with eager precision as she lowered herself on him. Her eyes widened with the sensation as it entered deep inside her. Julian felt the rush of pleasure running through his body again, and his hand started to move immediately to her waist. He kept his hands before his head, relaxing and enjoying the sensations and view. His body wanted to bounce against her perfect and wet hole, but he would let her drive this time. She placed her hands on his chest and gave a deep breath out as she bottomed out on him. Her grin of pleasure filled her whole face as she assumed control.

That made Julian even more aroused, more than he thought possible. The urge to move, but the pleasure of halting while she bounced up and down on his cock made his senses go wild. He could feel her squeezing and rubbing his cock as she rode him, and the sensation became heavenly. She lowered her head and nibbled his right nipple while he massaged her breasts, tweaking and pulling her hard nipples, gently at first and then harder, making her moan with pleasure.

“You go … so deep… baby,” she said between breaths as her waist sped up, riding him faster. He could feel her perfect ass bouncing on his legs over and over until he couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed her by the waist in a sudden movement and turned her to her own back, eliciting a moan and a groan of pleasure in the process. He rolled to his knees and pulled her up, twisting her. She quickly understood and went down on her hands and knees.

Liz woke up in the middle of the action, and her hands moved instinctively to her pussy. The sounds probably already aroused her, but the sight of Julian putting Rayra so suddenly on all fours had probably made her imagine him pounding her like that.

Julian smiled at his other love as he grabbed Rayra’s fluffy tail near the base. He gave it a gentle tug as he directed it out of his face. She groaned and pressed back against him. He grinned as he thrust deep into her, pushing against her and causing her to fall to her elbows with a loud groan. He started thrusting his cock in and out of Rayra’s tight pussy. Her round ass and perfect pink hole made his mouth water as their bodies slapped together with each thrust. He grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled lightly on it, lifting her head.

She screamed, “Breed your bitch! Fuck! Julian!” She climaxed as he kept pounding her. Waves of his own pleasure kept hitting him, going close to ecstasy with each pounding, but he controlled himself until he realized her legs were starting to falter. Her orgasms were overwhelming her.

“Fill her up, my lord. Just the way you did with me,” Liz said between breaths as she got close to cumming. Rayra was only able to nod positively with her head on the ground, unable to speak and mute by the lust, as her tail continued wagging from one side to the other with every thrust.

Julian couldn’t hold it anymore. His load exploded inside her, and he groaned out loud. His eyes closed as Rayra slowly relaxed her body and collapsed completely on the ground. Her body continued to shake and jerk with the aftershocks of her orgasms. He slowly caught his breath as she did the same.

“You destroyed us,” Rayra said with a laugh as she turned up to look into his eyes again. She leaked his seed when she smirked and asked, “Can you do it again?”

Chapter Thirty

A few hours after their fun had ended, Julian, Rayra, and Liz watched Marcella enter the cave with widened eyes and rushed to hug Julian fiercely. After they parted from their hug, Marcella stared at Julian with watery eyes.

"I’m not even mad about the time I spent searching for these stupid plants," she said, opening her hands and showing Julian dozens of big red leaves. "I’m so happy you’re well. I couldn’t stop blaming myself the whole way."

"It’s not your fault, Mother. We had no idea Baron Strazz was so near," Julian said, grabbing his mother's hand and kissing it.

"It was Strazz?" she asked with shock as the information slowly sunk in. "That makes a lot of sense now. That coward … he’s always been like that. I should’ve suspected it was him. He’s one of the few people I know who can use ethereal magic. Still, it’s common among assassins and adventurers, so it could have been anyone with the mind to seek the treasure."

"He holds a lot of resentment towards you and Father. He’s the reason for our downfall. He took some armor and is probably walking into the monster's den right now to command the Lost Soul in our place."

"Bastard! I never imagined that grudge would last so long…. We had a polite conversation decades ago, and even with him hating your father, we've been polite all this time…" she said, her eyes distant.

"It was all a facade, Mom. He was just waiting for the right time to attack. He had some madness in his eyes. If he becomes able to control a God's power, all the races and the kingdom will be at risk, not only our estate."

"We’ll deal with him," Marcella replied with a gentle smile full of confidence.

Julian knew their beef was way bigger and involved romantic frustration, but he wouldn’t press on about it. They needed to stop the old bastard, not dwell on the past.

"You two healed him," Marcella said, approaching Liz and Rayra and extending her hands toward them. "I don’t know what you did, but I’m thankful. You have always been part of my family, Liz, and you just solidified it today. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become. And you, Rayra, we need to get to know each other, but you’ve already shown me what I needed to see: loyalty and devotion. I had a sister-wife once, and Julian’s father and I loved her very much. I know how this bond works," Marcella said, and that information caught Julian off guard. He had never heard of such a thing. Why had his parents not talked about her? The closest information he got about that was Lord Bravo telling Julian his father had experienced two losses in his life…. Now it all made sense. His father joining the mad quest following Strazz’s tips now made even more sense. The old man was widowed twice in his mind…. How much had that weighed on his sanity ? Julian felt a renewed sense of urgency in his quest to return home. He needed to find his father and bring him back home.

Neither Liz nor Rayra protested his mother’s words. Having more than one partner was also common among beast folk. Rayra's words last night had been quite clear. So, when the three women hugged each other affectionately, Julian knew something had been officiated there. And he couldn’t have been happier about it.

Still, they needed to discuss their plans, and Julian hadn't even told his mother his father was probably alive. She probably knew where he was, or at least would have a good hunch. Julian spent the next hour telling them what had happened inside the cave when he fought the Dragonborn and his conversation with the baron. He didn't tell them about his conversation with his grimoire, because he wasn't sure if she would be okay with that. He promised to ask if he could speak about her when he spoke with the blonde again.

"All makes sense now," Rayra said, excitement glimmering as she stood up. "They're trying to enter Ranabi's exile to avenge Fenrir's fall and the shattering. They weren't guarding the god but trying to break into her prison."

"Yes," Julian replied, although feeling something didn't add up to that rationalization. He felt a piece was missing from it. "Considering the time we spent here after killing those two at the pool and the one at the cabin, the other devils probably already know something is coming for them. They'll be prepared."

"The problem is that only you can hurt them," Liz said with a sad grimace. "Our work will be to facilitate your attacks. Rayra still has some liquid mana so that you won't run out of blasts."

"It's too risky, anyway. The place where they live doesn’t favor us. They're guarding an immense clearing with tall dead trees surrounding it. We'll be surrounded by them as soon as we enter the circle. Julian will not be able to defeat every single one of them without us being separated one by one. The monsters are clever, resourceful, and probably filled with hatred towards us. When they see Julian's power is reminiscent of Cerulex himself…" She whistled dramatically. "They'll tear him to pieces in seconds. And we better be sure other beasts will join. Most of them also gather close to the clearing and will join the fight as soon as blood is spilled."

The prospect was dire, and Julian saw their expressions painted with some measure of desperation. All tried to hide it, but the young Lord could see it.

"Maybe I have a solution. Just give me some time to study, and I'll share it with you," Julian said and walked to the end of the cave, grabbed a lamp, and sat on the ground. When his fingers snapped, the blue book appeared before his eyes. "Hi, grimoire. I'm back, but you probably already knew that. How are you?"

Julian didn't feel stupid anymore when talking to the book. Honestly, he believed the blond woman was replying to him in the spiritual realm and watching everything with a smile. Much like Rayra, she had a tough facade to break through, but had already shown a measure of her care for Julian. She was alone, and he could empathize with that. Still, the book didn’t reply or close when Julian opened it, changed pages, or interacted with it in any other way. It just stayed there in his hands, waiting to be read, eliciting a smile on Julian’s face.

Owner: Julian Lionheart.

Rank: Novice (7/10 shards).

Magic Affinity: Arcane.

Grimoire Endowment: Experiencing near death and returning to the living solidifies the bearer of Arcane magic as the true son of Cerulex. Julian is the bearer of the power of life itself, the key to ending corruption. The Arcane is the only power that can overcome the Devoidic. Against any other foe, moderation is advised. Against the Devoidic moderation can only result in death.

Spells:

Arcane Explosion - Julian can create a perfect mana sphere and destroy almost anything it touches at the cost of a moderate amount of energy. With practice, the cost of mana can be further reduced, and the precision of the spell can be improved. Julian is close to perfecting this spell and unlocking its real power.

Arcane Whip - Julian can summon a whip of energy by swiping his hand while gathering Arcane power in his bracelet. The spell has a low cost of mana and considerable damage through flensing. It can now be used several times before Julian’s mana is depleted.

Arcane Enchantment - Weapons can be infused with Julian’s mana to create an Arcane Weapon. A conduit is necessary to connect the energy to the blade. This spell is the foundation of several Arcane manipulations as it infuses objects with energy, contrary to the Devoidic manipulations that destroy or re-utilize corrupted energy.

Interesting, Julian thought as he finished reading. He had learned a new spell and discovered a significant amount of information. Besides, the book had toned down the sass and was quite polite in its descriptions, making Julian smile. The most exciting part was that nothing in the book said he needed to be the one manipulating the weapons enchanted with his mana. If he could make his companions able to attack the Dragonborn, they would be more than ready to face them. The new spell also promised him a new avenue to explore. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time.

The book had also spent several lines going over the difference between Julian's power and this Devoidic one. Whatever it was, Julian was now somewhat prepared to face it if it came to that. With a smile, he prepared to leave the cave.

They needed to take advantage of the fact that the baron didn’t know Julian was healed and would meet him in the monster's den. Julian grinned at the prospect of avenging himself and his father against the old bastard. Just like him, the Lord would have no mercy.

"I think I know how to face them, and we won't sneak in; we'll enter and kill them all," Julian said, snapping his fingers and walking towards the front of the cave. The moonlight traveled through the water and created a beautiful scene. Julian was so thankful that the place had a night, but at the same time, he hadn’t looked at the moon even once.

Rayra sat on the ground in front of his mother, healing her shoulder wound with the leaves she had collected on the scars. Liz sat on the ground near them, analyzing her grimoire.

“And how are we going to do that?” Rayra asked skeptically, but without taking her eyes away from his mother’s wounds.

“Give me your dagger, Liz. Cover it with water first.”

The woman didn’t wait for a reason. She was already accustomed to the fact that Julian always had ideas ready to experiment on. It was better not to ask questions and wait and see if what he had envisioned would work.

With the wet dagger in their hands, Julian gathered mana in his left hand and slowly pushed it above the blade’s edge without touching it. Luckily, he wouldn’t need to bleed whenever he wanted to enchant a weapon. He felt the energy passing from his hand to the blade, but he couldn’t say if it had dissipated in the air since the mana in that jungle was so concentrated.

“Slice the wall,” he said, giving the weapon back to Liz, who lifted her eyebrows as if questioning him,

“All right,” she said after a few seconds, getting up and aiming the small blade toward a point in the wall beneath a lamp. Then, she sliced the air, and rocks flew; no clanging sound was made. It was like she had passed it through silk.

“Now—”

Before he could ask her to thrust it, she had already done it. The blade entered entirely on the wall, only the tiny hilt to the outside. Julian watched in awe as Liz pulled the dagger free with an immense smile.

“Time to kill some devils,” she said with a genuine smile.

Chapter Thirty-One

They finished the preparations as the moon disappeared on the horizon, replaced by twilight. Marcella had warned them about the dangers of venturing out at night. Some creatures hibernated during the several days of light and only emerged when the moon was in the sky. These were the most dangerous of beasts. She had faced one of them only once and did not want to repeat the experience ever again.

Julian slept between Rayra and Liz the whole time, who warmed him and cared for the Lord. There was a kind of yearning to be closer that night since, deep down, they knew it could be the last time they would be together. Julian was confident in their victory, but there was no need to be delusional. They faced terrible odds and had an invisible and malevolent enemy lurking at their destination. Hence, the young man hugged his lovers with tight embraces every time his sleep was disturbed by one sound or another.

When he woke up, Rayra was helping Marcella cook and prepare some tea with supplies Rayra had in her pouch.

"How can you carry so many things inside that thing?" Julian asked, his eyes still half-closed as he gently removed his arm from beneath Liz's head. She was still tired but slowly woke up after he started moving.

"It's magical, duh," she said with a smile. "It can fit a lot of things like this." She then removed three sets of armor from inside the pouch. She threw them toward Liz and Julian and kept one for herself.

"With this and our enchanted weapons, they won't stand a chance," Julian smiled, holding the black leather armor before his eyes.

"It isn't that simple, son. They can still hurt you if the hit is too strong, or if they keep attacking the same spot repeatedly. The surface that protects the armor will weaken. This one is my second set, and I think it won't last if I need it again after today," Marcella cautioned.

"Why didn't you take them all at once?" Liz asked, sitting up with her sleepy voice, as Rayra walked over to her with tea in an improvised cup.

"Because they frequent the pool cave. They don't seem to check the artifacts, but I couldn't risk it. I only took small things occasionally and slowly built my hideouts and armory. These last couple of days are probably the first time one of them saw me in this outfit," she said with a proud smile. Having survived seven years alone, she had every right to be proud. Julian also felt proud of her.

"We'll be careful," Julian assured, approaching them and grabbing a piece of bread. "Is this the bread Tarav made the other day?"

"Yes, your butler is an excellent cook," Rayra replied with a sly smile. Tarav had probably searched for his bread and found nothing in its place.

“How’s my old friend?” Marcella asked with a glimmer in her eyes. “To think that all this trouble with Strazz started because of him…”

“I think Tarav was just the excuse…. Strazz is full of hatred, Mom. I don’t know if you were ever truly friends, but the way he talked … he’s lost. He’s the closest thing to evil I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen those dragonborn,” Julian responded.

“I’ll never forgive him for what he did to you and your father. He’ll pay today,” she said with determination, quickly finishing her tea. “The sun is already rising on the horizon. Put on your armor and let’s go.”

The armor fit perfectly on his body, making his movements feel natural. It was like wearing linen, but one that a blade couldn’t pierce. Julian still wore his gauntlet on his right hand, giving him a powerful grip on his sword and improving the strength of his punches, if needed.

The bracelet shone in the sunlight on his left hand, full of mana. Julian was ready to fight any beast that crossed his path, but his target was the baron. Even if he couldn’t find the treasure he needed to overcome his debts, Baron Strazz wouldn’t return home today, but Julian and his family would.

As they walked through the woods, Julian felt powerful. Completely different from the day he arrived in the jungle, afraid and wary, now he looked at the horizon with the eyes of a hawk. Marcella led the way, guiding their travel. Julian stayed at the back of the line, watching their surroundings and occasionally erasing their trails. He couldn’t help but appreciate the view of Rayra walking in front of him. Even in the direst situations, the sight of her was a delight. So, he was pretty content with their formation. If everything remained as quiet as it was now, they might even surprise their enemies. It would be good to eliminate some before they realized they were there, hidden in the dim sunrise light beneath the shadows.

The line halted, and Julian bumped into Rayra. She looked over her shoulder to see him smiling back at her.

"Calm down, pretty one," she said with a sly smile. Julian’s body responded promptly. It was funny how the human body could ignore danger in the face of lust. Still, he smiled and waited for someone to explain why they had stopped.

"The Giant is near," his mother whispered as she approached the rest of them, and they formed a small circle.

"What Giant?" Liz asked.

"The one I fought to allow you to escape. It’s sleeping a mile away from here," she replied.

"Can we go around it?" Rayra asked.

"We can, but our trip will be longer. Probably three to four hours … hard to say really."

"We don't have that time. We'll kill it," Julian decided.

"You saw the size of it, Julian? I exploded three fireballs on that creature’s face, and it only got scorched," his mother expressed her worry, but Julian knew what he was doing.

"We'll do as we had planned before. You'll use your geyser to throw me into the skies, and I’ll blow its head up. You'll cover me with magic arrows; aim for the eyes. And you, Mom … just watch," Julian said confidently, and his mother only shrugged.

Julian had only been in the jungle briefly, but he felt like a different man. Ever since his arrival at SilverHold, everything had started to change. Sometimes, he thought it was for the worse, other times for the better. Now, he understood that change was a matter of choice, even if sometimes that choice meant allowing others to act on his behalf. Everything had changed, but Julian was working hard to ensure it was a positive change. This journey and the day's confrontations were merely the final steps on his path.

Two minutes after Julian took the lead, he began to hear the jungle stir in front of him. The giant monster destroyed trees and caused birds to flee their nests as it slowly woke from its nap. Julian wasn’t sure if the beast was aware of their approach or if it was simply bad luck, but he was prepared to deal with either situation.

Soon, the silhouette of the monster appeared. A massive head towered near the tree canopies, and countless lines of teeth stretched across its reptilian face. Its scales were dark green, and its long arms ended in sharp claws. The creature was monstrous, missing an eye where his mother had struck it several times with fire explosions.

The monster roared to the skies, sending more birds chirping and flying away. Julian even heard larger wings flapping in the distance, likely a salamander waiting to feast on any dead animal remains. The creature before him was intimidating, but not a single drop of fear crossed Julian's mind. He was slightly disappointed that the monsters in the dungeon didn’t drop Soul Shards. An immense enemy like this one back home would surely elevate him to at least the Adept category, with shards to spare.

"Ready, girls?" he asked as the monster silenced its cry. When he looked into their eyes, he saw no trace of fear. Instead, Rayra nocked an arrow and let it fly directly towards the monster's wounded eye. It cried out again, but this time not with anger but with pain. The creature rushed towards them as Rayra kept shooting her regular magic arrows, saving the mana-infused ones for the Dragonborn.

Julian sprinted to meet the enemy as his mother observed everything from a nearby tree branch. Midway, Julian leaped into the air and felt a rush of water burst from beneath him, launching him into the sky. He almost lost his balance, but soon felt stable as another burst of water appeared out of thin air. Julian jumped again as if he were ascending stairs that didn't exist. Yet he kept climbing, trusting that Liz would create another platform for him. He hadn't even realized an Arcane Explosion was forming in his hand when he reached the monster's height.

Another arrow hit the monster's nostril, causing its body to flinch. Julian stepped forward and felt the water propel him towards the beast. Then he released the spell. The ball of energy sped towards the behemoth, striking it with tremendous force. He watched the explosion amplify, starting at the creature's nostrils and expanding through its entire face. He saw the bones of its jaw explode into a million pieces in the air as gravity began to pull him back to the ground.

Julian hadn’t thought about how to get down, only about how to destroy the immense creature. Still, he could improvise if needed. However, as he was about to start another jump toward the falling creature, he was engulfed by water up to his knees. He felt a geyser below him, losing pressure by the second, gently lowering him to the ground. Liz was clever enough to lock him in position for a safe landing. He had been ready to fall from dozens of feet, trusting his instincts and leg strength. Being lowered by a bubble of water was much better.

He reached the ground at the exact moment as the creature fell onto its back, destroying more trees on its way and causing several animals to leave their hiding spots. He heard someone falling beside him and recognized by the smell that it was his mother.

"Great work, son," she said, patting his shoulder and moving to the front. "Who taught you how to fight? I know you used magic, but there's a lot of physical prowess in it."

"It was Sir Gallagher," Julian said, following her closely and noting her surprised look.

"Who? I've never met any adventurer named Gallagher."

"He was my teacher at the Iron Fist Academy⁠—"

"Your father sent you there?!" she chuckled. "He was lost, wasn’t he? I’ll have a conversation with him when we find him. Iron Fist Academy…" she continued to mutter as she moved ahead of them on their walk.

Julian's mother had some disdain for the lordly life. She respected his father, but they had chosen it to make a better future for him. But if she had to choose, Julian was sure she would prefer him to be a dungeon diver rather than a lord. In her mind, this was his father's choice, not his. However, Julian slowly realized over the last few days that he could be both. He wanted to uncover the mystery behind the Dragonborn and their treasure. He also wanted to ensure everyone on the Lionheart estate was safe and sound. He let his mother grumble and mutter, knowing she would have time to become familiar with who Julian had become in the last years. Hence, he kept quiet and continued walking with Liz and Rayra by his side, both wearing proud smiles.

"That was incredible, Liz," Rayra said, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. "I didn't know you could do that. Make water seem so solid. I heard changing the state of water is an advanced skill."

"It was nothing," Liz replied, blushing and looking at Julian, who had a slight grimace to remind her not to be so hard on herself. "Nah, it was indeed incredible! I learned it here. I can't change water's composition, but I can freely increase its pressure to the point that the surface of it can seem solid. It's freaking hard to do, but I managed."

"You managed when we most needed it. You turned a risky movement into an easy one. I basically only needed to hop towards the monster's face," Julian added.

"And it looked amazing. Like the tales we read in books, you walked on water in the air. When I tell my brother you did this, he'll be impressed," Rayra said with a smile that slowly turned sad.

Julian wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they kept walking and smiled at her. "We'll meet him soon, I promise," he said confidently.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her face looking younger at that moment, as if her armor had finally dropped completely. Julian couldn't believe the amount of trust and hope she deposited in him, but he wasn't scared by it. On the contrary, it only motivated him further.

"I'm sure," Julian affirmed.

"I'm sure we'll figure everything out," Liz added, holding Rayra's hand firmly and embracing her as they continued. Behind them, they could already hear animals approaching the monster's corpse.

Julian kept walking while Liz and Rayra chatted in hushed tones. He couldn't discern all the words, but he had the impression that Rayra was explaining her quest. She told of the nature of her obligation and why it was so crucial for her to find the Lost Soul. Liz seemed moved by their conversation, but soon Julian could hear hope. They talked about how they could use their forces together and what they would do when they got home. Julian kept walking and listening to what he could without trying to sneak in. He was happy they were bonding, and everyone was on the same page.

"Eyes on the prize," Marcella called from above, and Julian quickened his pace to meet her. At the edge of the woods, a downward slope formed a dale. There Julian could see, some miles away, an immense clearing as white as milk in the middle of a dead wood. It was as if they were in some capsule of life, and a step forward meant only death awaited.

Julian could see wings flapping above the dead trees and others sitting on branches.

"I assume that's the prize," Julian said, pointing to the middle of the clearing. A massive crack split the ground, burning with green light and slowly opening itself. Julian saw a couple of Dragonborns flying close to the ground and trying to enter the green crack, only to get thrown back into the air and fly around again. "We still have time," Julian said as he descended the slope with his companions behind him.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The dead wood became almost unbearable as the sun rose to the top of the skies. Julian had felt the blistering heat on his skin in the previous days, but it seemed even more unbearable beneath the giant trees. The sunlight bearing down directly on them while the magical armor completely covered their bodies made everything worse. He felt like he was being cooked under that fabric. It only made him more eager to finish everything sooner.

They kept silent and wary the whole way on this part of the trail. His mother warned them that sound traveled faster through these woods, and every movement could be detected. They could hear the flapping of wings here and there in the distance, but that wasn’t what was impressing Julian the most. It was the number of bodies on the ground. Different types of beasts, many Julian had never seen in his life, were slaughtered here and there on the ground of the dead place.

It was as if the Dragonborn were hunting and killing every creature in their way during their big moment. In their heads, they would be the ones crossing the crack first, but Julian knew otherwise. As they kept walking, the number of bodies reduced. The beasts became wiser and left the jungle before being slaughtered by the monsters above the dead trees.

One corpse caught Julian's attention more than the others. He stopped following his companions and walked towards what he thought were bat wings in the distance. Upon arriving at the corpse's location, Julian's suspicions were confirmed. On the ground lay one dragonborn. It was a thin male with black scales and deep wounds over the heart. Julian knew these wounds all too well because he had received two the previous day.

The bastard managed to kill one. He's stronger than he seemed, Julian thought as he crouched beside the dead Dragonborn. The young lord found it ironic that the devilish creature lay dead alongside its inferior kin. The first Dragonborn he had met seemed so unsatisfied with killing the beasts. It's all an act, Julian realized. They're the breed of evil.

His companions slowly approached him and began to analyze the creature's body silently. Rayra pointed to its mouth and claws, both covered in blood. Maybe it killed the old man. I hope not. His mother pointed to marks of blood on the ground close to the body, but leading in another direction. The baron tried to hide his prints, but soon Liz found some of them ahead. Blood had poured from the old man's wounds to splatter on the ground near the steps. Upon seeing he couldn't hide the blood falling on the ground, the invisible mage stopped trying to conceal his tracks.

Julian pointed to the blood and then in a whisper said, "Let's follow it and see where it leads. If we find him, you’ll make sure he’s visible with water and magic arrows just like we did with the cyclops before and then I’ll strike." Everyone seemed to understand and follow his command. It was only then that their journey to the prison really began. Following the trail of blood was a constant stress weighing on their hearts. The baron had proved to be as resourceful as anyone could be, so they remained attentive, carefully walking each step. Rayra became a fox and scouted the area to their left and right. When she transformed, all her clothes and equipment disappeared with her. Even though she was more vulnerable to attacks, it was worth it to be sure the baron wasn't preparing an ambush.

Their walk seemed endless as the distance from the start of the dead woods stretched on due to their wariness and the heat. Soon, they realized the baron walked straight towards the center of the woods and to the crack. The sounds of wings flapping grew louder as they approached the trail's end. Julian looked at his companions, trying to gather some opinions, but no one seemed to have an answer.

They knew that enemies surrounded them, and an invisible man in his sixties was the deadliest and most cunning of them all. His presence there made everything more complicated. One of the dragonborns they had fought could see the old man in the woods during their first confrontation. Julian believed the ones above them would spot the trespasser, but they didn’t seem to have caught the elusive baron. All they could hear was the Dragonborn flying over the green crack and occasionally throwing something inside. An explosion would follow, and they would continue their quest. Julian assumed they were trying to force their way through the magic gate. By the sounds of it, they were close to it.

A part of Julian was sure if he approached the place, he could enter it. Those monsters weren’t entering that place because the force behind it was too strong and held them at bay. They weren’t entering because they couldn’t. The magic around the crack shone like the one Rayra performed when she healed him. That crack on the ground had life, while the Dragonborn smelled like death. Julian wanted to rush and jump into the crack, but couldn’t risk it. Not when it wasn’t only his life on the line. They would need to follow the plan, and the plan was to stay alive until all the Dragonborn were dead or gone.

He pointed to the side, signaling they should part ways from the blood trail. They would soon be in combat against the baron or a monster. It wouldn’t be wise to be caught in a crossfire. They were close enough to the baron’s position to see if he appeared or to notice if other Dragonborn caught him in combat. With these thoughts in mind, he pointed to his right and circled the trail of blood. They were now only a couple hundred feet from the clearing. Julian could see a pair of wings not far from their position. He waved his hand to Rayra, who approached, turning into her human form again. She turned her back, and he checked the arrows.

Ten arrows, all full of Arcane magic, perfect. Then he checked Liz's dagger and Marcella's short sword, which she would use in the fight. She kept complaining about how much she missed her spear and what she would do to Strazz when she got it back. His mother had some savagery when it came to combat. He could see her hands trembling with eagerness to end this as soon as possible. When he looked at his own hands, he noticed they weren't that different.

Julian pointed to Rayra and then to the pair of wings above them. This one had been there for a while now; it was better to end it soon before it could fly away, trying to destroy the entrance to the Lost Soul. He pointed to another pair not so far away, signaling that it should be her second target, and then he counted down from three to one with his fingers.

Three…

Rayra aimed her Arcane arrow towards the black silhouette above them.

Two…

She took a deep breath and pulled the cord as far as she could, but it didn't tremble, not for a second.

One…

The arrow found its target at an unnatural speed, enhanced by the Arcane magic. It seemed to surprise even an experienced archer like Rayra. She shook the awe from her face and immediately shot toward the second enemy. It was dead before the first had dropped to the ground. That was enough for the others to scream.

Coming from all directions, the monsters screamed to the skies and rushed toward them, breaking dead branches along the way and making Julian's ears shake with the loud cacophony. He saw two males flying from the other side of the clearing towards them, one diving from the skies above and another three coming from behind, deeper into the woods. Shit, we're surrounded! Julian unsheathed his sword, which glimmered with Arcane magic's blue light.

"Shoot me up!" Julian screamed, and Liz made a geyser appear beneath his feet.

"To where?" Julian pointed to the sky, and she noticed the figure approaching. She didn't need to think more. The geyser threw Julian into the beast's path. Like all of their kin, the monster didn't even try to dodge Julian's attacks. It was so confident in its powers. Its face was full of surprise when Julian's sword entered deep into its heart. The lord hugged the dragon's body as they plummeted to the ground and used it to get a boost back into the air.

"There now!" Julian screamed, pointing his sword towards the two monsters from the clearing. A geyser engulfed his whole body and threw him into the skies. It was like being hurled by the cyclops he had fought before, but now he had some control. Julian looked down and saw Liz following him from beneath, running to keep track of his position and make new geysers erupt to throw him in the right direction. Marcella was a dance of flame and steel, fighting two of the beasts simultaneously at the back, while Rayra dodged a third several times, trying to find a good angle to make a shot. I trust you! You can make it, he thought. The wind flapped against his cloth armor, and his sword glimmered in the sunlight.

One of the creatures in front of him was… different.. The first was a female with busty features and red scales covering her body, but the second one was much bigger. He was probably two and a half times bigger than Julian and had his scales in a strange pattern of black and yellow. He had big horns adorning his large head and a beard that seemed to have been cultivated for ages. When Julian approached them, he decided these two wouldn’t be faced with steel. He would need real, arcane raw power.

He swiped his left hand to the side, aiming for the female on the left. It connected with her left wing, making her lose balance in the air. Then, it was easy to connect a blast of Arcane magic. She was dead in one second as her head blew apart. At that moment, the male stopped in the middle of the air, looking at Julian with a sick smile. It was as if he had just found the bully who beat him years ago and was now ready to pay him back.

Liz was smart enough to stop Julian in that position and create a stable water source beneath his feet. He wasn’t sure how hard it was for her to hold the position, but he believed it wasn’t easy. He needed to end this fight soon, as the monster didn’t have the air advantage. From what he could see, the beast had the same idea.

“This day only gets better,” the grave voice shouted. “Brothers and sisters, we’ll feast upon Cerulex meat!” Then Julian heard other screams coming from the woods. There was way more dragonborn in the area than Julian expected. Shit! he thought, looking at his surroundings. On the ground, approaching the green crack, he spotted a small red dot, which, strangely enough, only got bigger and bigger. Forming footsteps, a trail of blood appeared beneath.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Six figures appeared on the horizon behind the monster before Julian. He couldn’t fight seven at once. He would need to get back and prepare a plan to deal with so many if he wanted to survive. Besides that, the baron slowly approached the entrance, with steps that clearly showed he was in terrible pain. He was probably close to dying from blood loss.

The dragons didn’t stop beside their leader, but kept flying towards Julian. Three of them passed him as if he wasn’t there, their eyes on the other combatants. Rayra and his mother were still fighting, and Liz was down there, holding Julian up in the skies with a grimace of pain. Hold on just a little more, Julian thought, removing his eyes from his companion. He didn’t want to make her their primary target. The three flying monsters that didn’t pass him attacked.

Their leader's words had warned them about Julian’s power, so when he swung his blade or whipped the arcane magic at them, they dodged and attacked. With every step, Julian felt the pressure under his feet lessen. He needed to give Liz time to rest while he fought the monsters. For that, there was only one answer.

He jumped onto the creature nearest him, not caring for its attacks and trusting that he’d be protected by his powerful armor. Julian swung the weight of his body onto the back of the beast and pressed his gauntleted hand on the monster’s neck. He could feel the skin getting crushed beneath the thick scales of the red creature. The dragonborn bellowed in rage at the skies as it struggled against Julian’s grip. Julian didn’t waste time as he struck. His sword plunged deep into the monster’s neck. Before the body fell, he used its flying body to give him the boost needed to leap at the other monster.

However, this time, Julian wasn't so lucky. He barely managed to grab the creature's leg by mere inches. He looked to the ground and saw Liz breathing hard as she looked at him. He saw her hands moving to conjure another magic geyser, but he quickly shook his head negatively. She seemed to understand and stood on watch, but stopped the magic. The second creature flew towards Julian as the one he was holding kept trying to drop him to the ground.

Long claws flew towards his torso, but upon contact, all Julian could hear was the crack of their points. Still, the contact was hard enough to drop him from the other monster's legs. Julian felt his ribs hurt from the impact and was sure he wouldn't be so lucky with another hit there. Worse of all, he was falling directly to his death. Upon seeing the young Lord in free fall, the monster that hit him dove after him, claws ready to smash him faster to the ground. The creatures weren't satisfied with Julian dying from a simple fall. They wanted to see him suffer. Before he could fall to the ground, a wall of high-pressure water appeared beneath him, holding him aloft and making the monster miss its attack.

Julian was prepared and waiting for Liz's aid, so when the wall accommodated his body, he rolled and swung his blade into the air, where he should've been seconds before. Enchanted with his arcane magic, the sword sliced both of the creature's arms close to the elbow. The shock on the monster's face almost gave Julian pleasure, but then he noticed the third creature flying towards him again.

"Come!" he shouted, as the armless creature plummeted to the ground in shock. "You'll be like your brother in no time!"

That was the last straw for their leader. The sick smile it had before changed. The prospect of fighting a rival didn't amuse him any longer. Now, he was mad at the death of his kin. Good, I can deal with you too, Julian thought as he prepared an Arcane Explosion in his left hand. But the leader went directly to Liz instead of flying towards the Lord. She realized the monster's charge shortly after Julian. With each millisecond, the creature got closer, and the magic beneath Julian's feet dimmed. He didn't wait for it to run out and leave him falling to the ground.

He formed a crazy plan in his mind and put it into action, otherwise Liz would be doomed. The leader was too big and mighty for her armor to hold out for long. Besides that, it had already seen Julian get hurt after an attack from the armless monster.

Julian sheathed his sword and leaped into the skies directly toward the approaching third creature whose leg he had grabbed before. The monster wasn't expecting a frontal collision, but that was precisely what happened. Julian grappled the monster with ferocity, holding on for dear life. Julian could feel the monster's fangs trying to penetrate his armor at the neck, but the magic on it protected him for the precious seconds he needed. When the beast struggled to fly in the air, the Lord finally was able to calculate how to attack.

The entangled creature kept flying in circles without a clear direction and rotating Julian on its axis. He only waited for the moment to be on the side of the beast while it kept trying to destroy his throat. When its fangs finally started to pierce the armor to reach his skin, Julian was on the side of it. He released the giant Arcane explosion he had been conjuring until then. The blast was so powerful that it tore apart a big part of Julian's armor on the torso and destroyed the lower part of the Dragonborn's body. It also made the dead monster plummet to the ground with immense speed while Julian leapt with all his strength to the skies in the same motion, directly at the leader, flying to kill Liz.

If Julian hadn't had that armor, he was sure his spine would've broken with the impact. It was his back that collided with the monster. Julian grunted with pain as the impact occurred. His hands instinctively searched for something to hold on to in mid-air, finding the creature's wings between his fingers. The leathery limb kept flapping, trying to shake Julian off. Whenever the monster attempted to turn its body around and hit Julian, it only made him swing in the air.

A bystander would even think the situation to be funny, but Julian had escaped death a million times in less than one minute. He wanted to blow the monster up but couldn't find an angle to make a blast or whip it with all the turning and dodging. The beast would eventually tire, and they’d plummet or drop Julian to the ground. He could only hope Liz would be able to catch him in the air, and he'd be fast enough to attack before the creature released its rage on them.

Julian heard something whooshing through the air close to his ear and realized it had been an arrow flying from the ground. Rayra was helping him fight the leader! In one of the creature's turns, Julian caught a glimpse of the archer dodging the attacks of two dragons and knocking an arrow towards the monster in the sky. This one flew even closer than the last one, but the beast didn’t seem to notice it. It was too preoccupied with killing Julian before it could get blasted with Arcane magic.

Then, the creature was hit by a burst of water in the face. Julian saw it change its scales to protect itself from drowning, but another bubble hit it as soon as it removed the water from its complexion. The creature's movements became slower and sloppy, and when Rayra shot the second arrow, it hit true. The arcane magic on the point of the projectile entered the creature's shoulder and exited on the other side of its wing. Rayra shot again, and the monster's wing tore even more. It was Julian's time to swing at the dragon.

As the monster tried to dodge the bubble of water and the arrows, Julian threw the weight of his body to the side, released his grip on the monster's wing, and then whipped his sword with all the strength he could muster. The blade cut through half of the monster's wing, and Julian heard it scream with pain for the first time that day.

Julian let himself fall with the creature, holding onto its damaged back as the monster tried in vain to fly with only half of its wings. The movements were ungainly and closer to a free fall than anything else. But the creature's scales would protect it, at least in part on impact. Julian was about to release another blast of energy on the creature's back when they reached the ground. The dragon hit it face first, and Julian landed on top of it before tumbling off. Dust entered his mouth and eyes as the world tumbled with him. He shook his head and saw a silhouette obscured behind the cloud of dust their fall had created. Then another silhouette appeared.

"You're still alive, Devil?" Julian asked between his teeth, picking up his sword and walking towards it. The young Lord was wary of the possibility of the monster just turning and killing Liz on the spot. But his enemy was already searching for signs of him. As soon as the creature recognized the direction from where Julian was shouting, it started to sprint towards him with inhuman speed.

Julian tried to counterattack, but the dragon was already upon him before his sword could reach the monster. Its fist connected with Julian's face and made him fly. His body flew over the crack in a fraction of a second. Julian felt the energy leaving it. Then, the Lord crashed against a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. He felt his head crack against its dead wood, and his mind swirled as he fought to focus.

The monster didn't wait; it was already upon Julian, smashing its hand towards him. Somehow, this devil was way faster on the ground than in the sky. Julian didn't know how. He only needed to work with what he had. He was too distant from the others, so it was only him and the creature. Knowing its speed and being energized by the mana in his core, Julian could dodge the monster's attacks by mere millimeters. The beast wanted to destroy Julian's face and body, and with every dodge, it only got more frustrated. Still, Julian didn't have the time to use his sword or to perform magic.

As Julian's senses started to get sharper, he began to feel more confident. The monster was fast, but Julian was more intelligent. Its movements were easy to read and hard to dodge, but Julian kept doing it. He was ducking, rolling, stepping back, and avoiding the sides until the monster was boiling with rage. Julian would be the one finishing this fight on top.

He dodged an uppercut to the side and felt confident enough to swing his gauntlet at the beast's face. The monster's scales absorbed the impact, and the shock from the blow made Julian's arm flinch. That millisecond was enough to open a window for the beast, who replied with a straight punch into Julian's stomach, just above the hole in his armor. Julian's breakfast reached his throat with the impact as he fell to his back, several feet away.

"Water!" Julian shouted to Liz without looking at her, as the monster was already sprinting towards him again. He didn't have time to find his sword. He just needed to make his attacks more potent. Julian saw the water flying toward the monster's face again, but the monster was prepared this time. When the water hit the creature, its scales were ready to deflect most of it. Its face and beard were still covered in liquid, but it wore a sickening smile.

"This will not work, human. You can't drown me," it said, looking at Julian with disdain. Instead of replying, the young man rushed towards the creature. "So, you come to face your death. Cerulex and his minions have always been bravely stupid," he scoffed, hands in a guard position.

"I don't want to drown you, fool!" Julian shouted as his fist connected with the scales on the monster's face. As soon as the fabric of his clothing touched the wet liquid, Julian injected his arcane magic into the punch. The strike worked wonders.

The monster was the one being hurled away now. It crashed against the same tree Julian had been thrown against before, but it wasn't as quick as Julian to dodge. Another punch went through, and then another. The Dragonborn tried to outstretch its hands to defend itself. Still, with each punch, Julian's fists became increasingly infused with Arcane magic. Julian focused his power on the liquid coating his fists, first because of the water and then because of the monster's blood adorning his fists.

“Don’t try to hurt my family.” Julian gritted his teeth between punches as the creature’s face turned into a big blob of meat.

“Is it dead?!” Liz shouted from a safe distance. “Rayra and your mother need our help!” Julian didn’t reply. He just turned and headed towards his companion. He grabbed his sword as the body dropped.

The unmoving body of the dragonborn leader lay dead on the ground. Julian searched for the baron’s footsteps as he rushed, but the fight and the cloud of dust they had stirred up made the task impossible. The old man was probably close to the crack now, but Julian couldn’t let his mother and lover die because of revenge. Shaking any regrets from his mind, Julian pressed on towards the sounds of clanging metal and the fire crackling.

Two dragonborn lay dead on the ground, and two others fought Marcella amidst the flames. Julian could only see their silhouettes in the distance as his mother jumped from one tree to another. She used them to level the battle ground and fight the beasts in the sky. They were slow, and his mother was fast. They were probably wounded, and she was in a battle frenzy. Julian looked at his hands, full of blood, and wanted to be there helping his mother. Still, Rayra was in more need.

Close to them, the fox dodged the attacks of two enemies who relentlessly pursued her. The woods were being consumed by fire, and Rayra wasn’t immune to the element like his mother. She kept dodging the attacks, but was slowly being cornered by the monsters. Julian couldn’t risk an Arcane attack. She could be caught in the crossfire and was their only medic. He readied his sword and rushed towards the monsters, who noticed their presence and turned to face Julian.

As soon as they switched focus, Rayra attacked ferociously with the aggressiveness of an apex predator replacing her trapped demeanor. She rushed with her fangs towards the neck of one of them. She turned into her human form just in time to use the creature's back as a ledge to jump off. She nocked an arrow while still in the air and shot the monster in the back of the head.

The other was easy prey for Julian. In three sword strikes, the creature was on the ground with its heart pierced by Julian’s sword. Rayra released another two arrows towards the forest, and the two flying creatures among the flames fell dead to the ground.

“Why?!!!” he heard his mother crying. “I was having fun!”

Julian smiled at his mother's frustration and looked at his surroundings. Dead monsters were everywhere. Julian’s hands trembled with adrenaline. Just one day ago, one of them had almost killed them, and now they had swept the floor with the devils. That was the power of an Arcane Lord using pure mana. Julian stared at his hands in awe. With his companions at his side, Julian understood that anything was possible. He looked at them and knew they were thinking the same.

No matter what happened inside that crack in the ground, they would find a way to deal with their situation. The Lionheart manor would stand tall one way or another. As his mother appeared at the edge of the woods close to them, Julian stared at the woods, which was rapidly catching fire. Soon, they would be in a ring of fire.

"Did you need to burn everything?" Julian asked with a smile.

"I've been holding myself back for seven years so as not to draw their attention, son. Only the Last knows how I wished to burn this whole place, not just this dead wood," she replied.

"We still have one pressing matter," Liz chimed in.

"Where is the bastard?" Rayra asked, watching their surroundings. "Did anyone see him?"

"He was walking towards the crack the last time I saw his footprints. We need to hurry," Julian said, already moving toward the green light on the horizon. Then, the green light exploded in a gigantic burst that pierced the skies. Julian had to cover his ears with his hands and close his eyes to avoid being hit by rocks and dust. When he could look again, the light was slowly returning to the crack on the ground. Will it close? Julian asked himself, but it never happened.

"He's inside it," Julian muttered as the others started to sprint as fast as they could toward the still-glowing crack in the distance. "Did we lose?"

Chapter Thirty-Four

They stared at the crack with attentive eyes. Nothing happened in the seconds they were there.

"Is it really here?" Julian asked, and Rayra nodded.

"I can feel her magic. She's inside."

"We're doomed then. He'll become a god," Liz said.

"It can't be," Marcella muttered in a distant tone.

"We don't know exactly what is inside there. We can't give up. If we're going to have to face the bastard in the real world, it won't matter if we face him down there now," Julian said with all the confidence he could muster.

He saw despair in their eyes, but couldn't be carried away by it. "Trust me, we can do this. Look behind you," he said. They all stared at the dead monsters surrounding them. "We did this. Yesterday, we were scared stiff of just one of them. If my power comes from a god, we can defeat him or at least try. All is not lost."

Silence sunk in, and for one second, Julian thought they had given up, but they smiled at him one by one.

“I’m so proud of you, son. We raised you well,” Marcella said again with watery eyes. “No matter what happens inside, know I love you, son. If you need an incentive to go ahead, girls, I’ll give you one.” She then jumped into the crack. Rayra’s and Liz’s eyes widened as they watched the green light swallow the mature woman, and the explosion hit the skies again. They almost fell to the ground with the impact, but managed to get on their feet.

“Now I have to go,” Julian said with a smile as he walked to the edge.

“Wait,” Rayra grabbed his hand and felt Liz holding the other. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I always have.”

“No matter what happens inside, these last days were the best I’ve had,” Rayra completed, and Liz nodded in agreement.

“I love you two as well, my ladies. I promise we’ll go back to the manor. I want to see that place full of kids with fox tails and others with black hair and stark blue eyes,” he said as he gently caressed their chins. “Do you want this as well?”

When they nodded positively, he extended both hands to them. “Let’s handle this then,” he said as they jumped into the green light together.

It was like falling inside the door that led them into the jungle again. A void surrounded them, and then a stark green light. Julian watched it with widened eyes, and even though he couldn't see his body, he could still feel the two women holding his hand with force. They gave him the strength he needed to face this final combat and make things right. Julian's mind wandered to his butler as the green light grew greener, and his heart panged against his chest. I'm coming back, old friend. I'll fix everything, Julian said, and he believed it.

The last few days proved to him that even the direst of situations could be handled. He only needed to defeat an evil man with the powers of a god.

After a couple of minutes of falling, the light became softer, and slowly, a room took form. Their bodies stopped falling in the air and glided slowly to the ground. Differently from their first travel, there was no fear this time. Peace entered their hearts as they approached the strange place.

All the room walls were stark white, like the fangs of a majestic animal. The place was a perfect square with three semi-circles intertwined and drawn in the middle of the ground. That was everything inside that room except for the giant bear sitting on the far end.

The animal was at least twelve feet tall and yawned with its massive mouth inclined towards the skies. Its fur was brownish, and its fangs were as big as a child's arm. It just sat there with two legs to the side and its back against one of the white walls, and it didn't even seem to notice them. Marcella was already in the room a few steps ahead, halted and looking at the creature with widened eyes.

“It’s the Lost Soul,” the woman muttered. Julian looked at Rayra and saw she shared the same expression. Julian didn’t need the woman to confirm that this was God. He could feel it. The bear emanated power, and the Lord could see a green aura around it when he looked closely.

“Hi! Did you see an old and evil man around here?” Julian said, waving one hand from one side to the other, making Rayra grab his hand with strength and lower it. “What?!”

“Don’t be disrespectful,” she hissed with angry eyes. “Let me speak with her.”

Only when Rayra hissed the words did the massive bear seem to notice them in the room.

“That is … unexpected,” a grave and feminine voice came from the creature’s throat. “So many visitors in just one day. Oh, and it is my heir and Cerulex’s one … How coincidental.”

“What do you mean, Holiness?” Rayra asked as she walked and kneeled before the God, but she interrupted them before the others could follow.

“Please, don’t be so polite. Call me Ranabi and state your case. The world is about to end, and I would prefer to chat about platitudes instead of godly prisons,” the bear said, lowering its head and meeting the ground. The god looked like any other lazy bear Julian had read about in children's stories, but she was pretty accurate and, at the same time, unrealistic.

“We came here primarily to ask you to come back with us. My people need you. We’re lost,” Rayra said with determination.

“You don’t need me, daughter. You’re the heir of my powers; you should know it better.”

“I’m just a messenger, Your Holiness. My people demand your presence.”

“Do they demand my presence?” she asked in a graver tone, her ears perking up and her body moving to an all-fours position. The bear slowly walked towards them, one step at a time, and stopped mere inches from Rayra's head. Julian kept his hand on the pommel of his sword. With any sudden movement, Julian would rush toward God. “Do they demand, like in ‘Ranabi is cursed and has to obey’ or ‘I would very much like Ranabi’s help’?” Julian could see the bear’s face moving and Rayra's eyes and nostrils trying to close before the millennia-old breath.

She mustered all her strength and looked deep into God’s eyes. “We demand your presence and that you use your powers to fortify our people and cleanse us of all evil as you did in the past.”

The bear kept looking at Rayra with attentive and small eyes. Julian was sure the god would snap the woman's head off at any second, but instead, it started to chuckle. It began like a deep growl, but it was a big and open laugh in the end. The god fell to its back and rolled on the ground.

“What’s funny about what she just said? And what the hell did you mean with the world is about to end?” Julian chimed in, anger and annoyance boiling inside his heart.

The bear still took some seconds to recompose itself and sit again. Rayra had her cheeks red like Julian had never seen, clearly frustrated with the experience. Her expectations are far from being met.

“I’m not cursed anymore, children. That damn thing faded away two millennia ago. It’s funny to see two people fail to use my powers twice on the same day after centuries alone.”

They were silent for a couple of seconds as the bear kept staring at them one by one, amused by the strange situation.

“And where is the old man who requested your powers, Lost God?”

“If he didn’t die on the way, he’s probably approaching Fenrir’s prison now.”

“Fenrir’s prison?” Liz chimed in. “Isn’t the god dead?”

“Not quite,” the god said, now more seriously. “I wish he was, kid. When Cerulex was shattered, so was Fenrir. Here lies one of his parts, the strongest of all. I’m here to guarantee he's in prison, but an oath of no intervention binds me—the laws created after the shattering imprisoned the draconic kin and many other Mirror Realms inside this one. I offered myself to guard Fenrir’s Soul Shard against the dragons, but I can’t do anything if a human decides to enter here and consume its soul. The deal was clear. Dragonkin is locked up forever; humans have free will, and not even I can interfere.”

“And why are there clues on how to find you?” Julian asked again.

“I’m sorry you’re bothered, Cerulex’s son. I never gave any clues about how to find me. Even if being here is boring, I prefer to be alone where humans can't access Fenrir’s power. The old man is about to release all the dragonkin in the world, you know?”

“And aren’t you going to do anything?” Marcella asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh, I did. I explained to him how that would be dangerous. How Fenrir was locked up for millennia, and he would be way more powerful than a simple human. I explained that approaching the Shard could create unpredictable outcomes. He only said, ‘Will I have power?’”

“And I assume you said yes,” Julian replied.

“Of course, everyone has to choose. That’s what separates us from Fenrir. He despises choice; we allow it freely.”

“You should’ve remained lost,” Julian said between his gritted teeth, his hands shaking angrily.

“Oh, but I’m not lost, son of Cerulex. What do you mean?” Then, the bear looked at Rayra, who had her eyes watered. “Come here, daughter. Let me touch you.”

“Are you sure?” Julian asked in a mutter as he watched her slowly approach the Giant God. She only nodded towards the creature, who outstretched one claw directly at her forehead. The bear stepped back upon the touch as if a boulder hit her.

“Oh, my child. I’m so sorry for what you went through. This is his lackeys' work. When Cerulex shattered Fenrir, some of his supporters stayed alive. They’re responsible for this corruption. This idea of seeking for me should never have been allowed, and those clues you found were planted. You’re not the first humans to come to the Mirror Realm, but the first to find me. Fenrir has gotten stronger over time. When I went through your memories, I could see his touch on the souls of several people. It would just be another if it weren’t the old man who came here. Soon, the clue you found in that dungeon wouldn’t even have been necessary.”

“We need to find the baron. Where is he?” Julian asked, already moving around the room, searching for an exit.

“There,” Ranabi said, pointing to a door that magically appeared on the wall beside her. “Maybe, just maybe … I can help you perform a spell to strengthen Fenrir’s prison.”

“I thought you couldn’t interfere,” Julian said ironically.

“I can’t, but I can say if she’s doing it right. She has the power to do so.”

They all nodded to the God, but deep inside, Julian hoped never to see her again. Gods were just like he had imagined. If this was the caring and loving one, he didn’t want to meet the evil one. As they crossed to the door, Julian noticed Rayra was still in conversation with the God. She passed one hand over Ranabi’s fur as a small tear ran down the God's face. Julian felt a shiver run through his body and a lump forming in his throat.

Chapter Thirty-Five

As soon as all of them were on the other side of the gate, the door closed, and darkness engulfed them all.

"Is he walking in the dark inside this place?" Julian muttered.

"He has determination. We must admit it," Liz said as Marcella raised her hand into the sky. It was filled with fire now and illuminated the strange corridor. With each step, the light in her hand seemed to dim.

"Anything wrong?" Julian asked.

"Something is depleting my magic…. Not depleting, it's more like absorbing it. I am using more mana by the second to keep it up," she said. Julian saw sweat forming on her forehead, the physical effort of their fight taking its toll on her.

"Throw a fireball at the end of the hallway, please," Julian requested, and his mother did it promptly. As the ball traveled down the corridor, it slowly dimmed until darkness engulfed them all. "We're going in the dark. We'll only use our magic for light occasionally. We can't risk losing too much mana. My grimoire mentioned a power called Devoidic. It consists of destroying energy, and I think this place is full of it."

Julian couldn't see their faces, but everyone kept walking slowly and cautiously walking down the corridor. He had taken a good look at the place, and nothing caught his attention. It was just like any other dungeon he had seen or heard of—perfect rectangular hallways with a straightforward direction to follow. The only thing that caught his attention was that the place only seemed to grow darker, even if there was no real difference to his eyes.

The feeling was as if the force at the end of the corridor was sucking even the energy necessary for him to see a little in the dark. How is he holding up? Julian asked himself as the old man popped into his mind again. The Lord wanted to find his enemy more than anything, but he couldn’t help being impressed with his resilience. With power, he would become a terrible foe.

“If we can’t stop him, shoot at his head,” Julian muttered without saying Rayra’s name, but she replied promptly.

“You can bet on that, baby.” He heard her nocking an arrow and walking with it already in her bow. They kept walking the rest of the way in silence. Every time they thought they reached as far as they had seen, he made a ball of energy or Rayra shot a green arrow. Only once or twice, his mother used a fireball as a last resort since she had less mana out of the four. Liz couldn’t produce any magic with light in it.

Julian wanted to stop and check his grimoire, but they didn’t have the time for it. It was again his time to throw a ball of energy ahead. As he did, he felt it was harder to gather the power, much more challenging than the last time. When the ball of energy hit a wall and revealed a corner in the dungeon, he was sure they were close to their destination.

“We’re near. Prepare yourselves,” Julian whispered as he held a ball of energy. However, as soon as they turned the corner, he made it disappear because he didn’t need it anymore.

The oddest of things stood before their eyes. At the far end of the hallway, they saw what seemed to be a giant beating heart in the distance. It was red as blood, and it beat in a rapid motion. The strange object emitted light but at the same time consumed it. It was like looking at a lamp covered by a thick cloth.

An old man lay unmoving on the ground, close to the strange object. Marks of blood slowly disappeared where he had passed moments before, being turned into particles and eaten by the peculiar heart.

“He’s dead,” Rayra muttered with a sigh, her bow lowering. In that fraction of a second that Rayra looked into Julian’s eyes with relief, he saw the baron’s hand moving up with immense speed.

“Shoot!” Julian shouted, but the arrow left the bow a little too late. Julian saw the hand stretch out and touch the object, and then the baron exploded. He became millions of little red particles, and the heart ate him whole. “We’re too late,” Julian stated the obvious as he watched the object's light go completely out.

All he saw before it turned black was the shocked faces of his companions. They all knew whatever had happened, it wasn’t good. Julian’s instincts screamed for him to run, but he needed to stay and see the outcome.

“It’s my fault,” Rayra whispered as the darkness engulfed them.

“Nonsense,” Liz replied from the other side with her voice full of worry, but tinged with compassion.

“We’ll deal with whatever happens next,” Julian said confidently, and took a step forward, followed by his mother.

“The Lionhearts do not falter,” she stated. “And you two are Lionhearts now. Let's save the second guessing of our actions for after the fight because I’m sure there’s one waiting for us there.”

Julian heard Rayra and Liz breathe deeply and admired their courage once more. Today, Julian chose to do the right thing and was glad that the three women would do the same without blinking beside him. If choosing was the gift Cerulex gave to all races when he shattered his soul, then today, Julian chose to keep his work alive.

As the light of the heart grew brighter, a wound appeared in the middle of it, releasing a goo on the ground that slowly took a humanoid form. Julian didn’t feel worry or fear. He felt at peace and ready to fight.

Chapter Thirty-Six

“I am free!” a muffled, gravelly, and sinister voice echoed inside the strange red goo on the ground. Julian felt shivers running down his spine when he realized it wasn’t the old baron's voice. At least it was not the same one he had heard several times. It had a new tone. The voice seemed to be born from the bottom of the throat, a growling sound carrying joy and ill intent. “But this feels … different,” the voice completed as the form started to take shape.

The lower part of the transformation happened slowly, with feet and legs forming as if the organism was still understanding the shape it needed to be. When the upper part started to take the shape of the old baron's body, the voice spoke again, “It can’t be … a human!” There was disgust in that voice, disgust, and disdain.

“Shoot it,” Julian ordered Rayra, who aimed a green arrow at the creature and released it. The projectile flew quickly and entered the goo, but never left on the other side. It was consumed by the strange matter and destroyed. Still, the transformation didn’t stop.

“And there are others in here as well,” the voice said as its head finally formed. Anyone who knew the baron could tell it was him, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Where two dark functioning eyes were before, now only one working one stood. It was red as blood and glimmered with a powerful light. His other eye was semi-intact, but the skin below and above was cut by a scar that seemed to be alive. A deep and long crack extended itself from the forehead to the chin, but instead of blood, a stark red hue leaked from it.

As the body took on a fleshy aspect, Julian saw the limbs forming. All over the creature's body, there were cracks like the one on its head. In the hands, scales could be seen, gray and slick, ending in sharp claws. The baron was a broken hybrid of a human and a dragon, similar to a Dragonborn, but it seemed incomplete at the same time. What wasn’t incomplete was the power the monster emanated or the energy it absorbed. If before the light had been drawn towards the creature, now Julian could hear and see it rushing towards it. Marcella tried to light up her hand, only for the flames to extinguish into a million pieces and rush towards the enemy. His chest opened when the particles reached the baron, revealing the strange beating heart that consumed the fire. The creature released a deep sigh and moaned with pleasure.

“Not even this wretched body can take away the delight of feeding upon Cerulex's power.” He chuckled loudly. “I wish my brother was here to see how pathetic his sacrifice became. Little ants doing magic tricks against a god.”

What seemed to be Fenrir himself darted its mismatched eyes towards every single one of them. “Two of Cerulex’s mages, one of Ranabi’s blessed, and… what do we have here? I can smell him all over you, boy,” the baron said. He sniffed the air like a cat, and a sick smile blossomed.

“He’s mine!” Another voice erupted from the monster’s throat, which was way less growled and more human. Whatever had happened when Strazz touched that beating heart, the baron was still inside the decaying body. The enemy shook its head violently, and the strange smile was back on his face. “This one hates you deeply, boy. He blames your birth for his misfortunes. I’m not sure if he hates you more than he hates the woman at your side. She broke my host’s heart…. Maybe I should do him a favor and kill her before his eyes.”

“No!” The baron's voice came again from deep inside, full of fear and desperation. “It’s not time yet!”

“Love is the stupidest of creations, isn’t it?” the devil retorted, taking back control. “Boy meets girl, boy wants girl, boy decides to challenge a god because of his right to murder girl. With each human that I encounter, the more I hate Cerulex. Still, there’s no reason to hate the dead, as I don’t hate any of you little mice. The fact that you’re still breathing is only a matter of perspective. As a god, I can see you are already dead. What are a few seconds to one who has waited for millennia?” the voice growled , feigning disinterest. But Julian could hear resentment in his tone. They were the first people he had seen in ages. He savored the moment, and Julian would let it speak as much as he wanted.

The young Lord still needed time to understand what he could do against the deity. More time talking and observing its behavior would be helpful for Julian. He glanced at his companions and saw fear in their eyes.

“We got this,” Julian said in a mutter, but kept his eyes fixed on the creature at the end of the corridor.

“Is it hope? Another futile feeling cherished by the shattered one,” the voice in the distance echoed with disgust. Then its heart opened again, and the particles of fire it had consumed moments ago appeared before the red bulge. The fireball was at least twice as big as the one that had entered its core. It had a different tone of red in it, as if lightning lived inside the magic and corrupted it by the second. Julian felt that their armor and his mother’s innate fire resistance wouldn’t protect any of them. “Let’s see how fast you are.”

The fireball reached them in less than one second. It was aimed directly at Marcella, who wasn’t ready to dodge. Julian instinctively knew that, as soon as the monster attacked, it would target his mother. His hatred for humankind would materialize by killing the one his host cherished the most, even in its sickened way. That was why Julian was ready to shove her away with all the speed he could muster. His mother collided against the nearer wall, but he couldn’t dodge. The armor scorched and then burned on his shoulder, but it didn’t spread to the rest of his body. It left a blistering and angry mark where it burned through his armor, which was also on his skin and muscle. It was an instant and terrible pain, not like a hot oil burn, but the kind people get when they survive big fires.

Julian didn’t even have time to feel the pain. As a scream shrieked from his throat, all of them were hurled towards the monster as if pushed by a gale of violent air. He didn’t actually feel the wind; it was different. Almost as if a magnet were pulling them, pulling their mana. He felt his core being pulled. If it had been physical, it would have been severed from his body with the force. The young Lord only stopped in the monster’s hands. His neck fit perfectly on the creature's limb. Julian felt the baron’s eyes, sharp as a knife, staring at his soul as his companions were flung further inside the cave.

“Not fast enough!” the deity said with gritted teeth. “I’ll end you first.” The monster pressed its hands against Julian’s neck and squeezed it, but instead of doing it fast and clean, it chose to be slow. It wanted to see Julian's life fade slowly. Julian wasn’t going to give him that pleasure.

The monster's face twitched and turned to the side as if an insect was under his skin, and he desperately wanted to remove it. “I said this one is mine! You were supposed to be at my command!” the baron screamed as the grip on Julian's neck softened just enough for Julian to think clearly.

The young Lord raised his fist high and brought it down directly at the God's face, on the side of the red eye. The punch was the hardest one Julian had ever delivered and, surprisingly enough, caused the god to drop him on the ground.

“Argh!” It screamed, raising its hands to its eyes. “What kind of magic is that?!” the creature cried as anger enveloped it.

“That’s what humans feel!” Julian shouted as he leaped up from the ground. He prepared to attack the blind god, who was still holding his eyes closed. He never thought a fistfight would be effective against a deity, but he would take advantage of it. He jabbed the monster on the same side, hitting both of its hands and both sides of its face with the attack. The god screamed again, but was silenced by an uppercut. Julian heard a crack in its chin and attacked again, but one hand intercepted him this time.

“I told him you were mine.” It was the baron again in control. He was way more powerful now. Julian tried to yank his hand free, but the baron’s grip was too firm. Julian attacked with his left hand but was met by a slap from the enemy’s free hand. It was so swift that it seemed like he hadn't even needed to make an effort. Julian saw awe in the baron’s eyes and surprise in the red eye's reflection. The strange monster realized he could end Julian quickly, which thrilled it.

Julian tried to hit him again but was slapped away once more. It was like a child trying to fight an older bully. He had only his magic available. Maybe the baron couldn’t use the god’s absorbing powers in the same way he couldn’t fight like the baron could. He had only one way to determine it. He felt the energy gathering around his hands and was ready to swipe it and tear the enemy apart with his whip. The baron realized it, grabbed his hand, and held his free one high in the air.

“No, no, no,” he said, pulling Julian’s arms in different directions. His joints started to stretch, and the pain became almost unbearable. Was he going to be dismembered after so much fighting? It couldn’t end this way. He still had his legs to fight, and fight they did. He kicked the monster in the chest, trying to escape it, but it wasn’t as effective as his punches had been. The baron was a seasoned fighter, a member of his parents' party. A few kicks wouldn’t be enough, but he heard a twang behind him. An arrow in the shoulder plus a kick? That would buy some time.

The projectile flew towards the enemy and hit its body with a massive THUMP! This one wasn’t enchanted with either Liz’s or Julian’s magic, but was compelling enough to not be ignored. Rayra understood the monster's pattern and was smart enough to release a regular arrow. As its right shoulder went forward, Julian kicked the opposite one, and he felt the grip on him falter. His sword was on the ground, and he couldn’t reach it. But he could punch it again with his right hand free.

He went for another punch, but in the midst of it, the god released his other hand. Julian fell as his hand failed to deliver the attack. And then he went flying again. He felt the strange power from before hurling him away to the other side of the corridor. He crashed against a wall in the shadows and fell beside his companions, who were quick to help him get up.

“Stop with this nonsense, maggot!” the old god screamed at the air, speaking to the one sharing his body. “Where are my sons, anyway? Why has a fragile human with no dragon skin reached my Shard? This is … unacceptable. Feeling pain is lowly…. Enjoy the little moments of power that you have, little mouse. Soon, I’ll find another host, and you will be done.” The monster kept looking unfocused into the air as if he was listening to something. Julian suspected he could hear the baron's thoughts inside his head.

“What should we do?” Liz asked, but before Julian could answer, his mother chimed in.

“Find breaches to attack with physical attacks when the god's in control. We should test magic when Strazz is in charge,”

“My thoughts exactly,” Julian muttered. “There’s a chance it ends the fight sooner, which would be catastrophic. We need to make him fight one at a time and enter the fight only when we’re sure he can’t kill all of us.”

“I’ll be in the back shooting arrows.”

“I’ll be ready for water magic.”

“And I’ll be with you, fighting him,” Marcella said, and Julian nodded.

“Having you and me on the frontline is the easiest way to make them keep trading command. We need to provoke them both and make them change forms.”

“But can we kill it?” Liz asked.

“I don’t know. But I’m sure it can be held in place. His body is as human as any other. He’s bleeding down there.”

“I’ll see what I can find,” Rayra said, rummaging in her magic purse.

“When the cat leaves, the mice make a feast,” the god's voice echoed through the room. “You can plan as long as you want; it will not matter.”

“You’re the one bleeding.” Julian smirked, sprinting towards the monster. “Mom, pay attention,” Julian said as he rushed. He intended to retrieve his sword from the ground close to the god and use it as a weapon. But first, he needed to make an opening. The deity waited, halted in place, his expression unchanged—a simple smile adorned it. He really thought that it would be easy. Julian was going to prove him wrong.

As soon as the young Lord was upon the god, it hurled him into the side wall, with a boost of energy, similar to some of the attacks the Dragonborns had used against him. Still, Julian was ready for it. He twisted his body around and was prepared to land against the wall and leap away from it. He exploded a blast of Arcane magic on the wall a moment after he arrived at it, gaining momentum through the explosion as he jumped back towards the creature. It was ready to hurl Julian away again but wasn’t prepared to dodge Marcella’s attacks. A flaming hand struck the creature’s chin, and it cracked again, as Julian flew toward another wall. Julian knew the jaw was about to crack entirely at the next strike and was eager to make the god shut his mouth. When he reached the wall again, Julian used the same strategy to return to the god’s position. His hand grabbed the sword, and he swung it up as the creature sent his mother flying into the distance.

“My turn!” the baron said as he dodged the sword attack and landed a punch on Julian’s face with massive strength. Julian felt his body collapsing as his head bounced backward. His vision blurred. When he could finally see, he watched a spear with an orange point materialize in the baron's hand and descend to his wounded shoulder. Not again! Julian thought before the spearhead tore his skin and muscles again. It pained him more than the first time the baron had struck him the day before. It was in the same spot the fireball had hurt him. If managing to wield the sword had been hard before, now it would be near impossible with that arm. Julian knew how to fight with his left hand and wouldn’t give up.

The young Lord rolled to the side as the creature struck again, missing Julian by inches. He was about to dodge again when a water bubble engulfed the enemy’s head, drowning him. Magic works! Julian realized and immediately created a blast in his hand. When he hit the baron in the chest, his mother delivered a fireball to its shoulder. Julian watched the spear fall to the ground as the skin on the enemy’s chest started to disintegrate. Before it could reach its core, the god retook control. Julian watched the Arcane blast be consumed by the enemy’s power instead of destroying him.

The mana became darker and darker until it was red as the monster’s core. Julian saw the creature’s muscles twitch with the tension of consuming that much energy. Something strange was happening at that moment, but the explosion hit him hard before Julian could assess it. He discovered two things when the Arcane Blast hit him. The first was that he was immune to the destructive power of mana. Even after being hurled away by it, he wasn’t wounded by the attack. The second one was that his mother wasn’t immune to it.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

As Julian's vision adjusted to the burst of light from the explosion, he heard his mother's coughs. A deep and powerful growl erupted from her throat several feet away. The god was beside her, crouching and looking at her body. She was full of wounds, scorches, and lacerations.

“This one is as good as dead,” it said stoically, then chuckled. “Are you crying in there, fool? You wanted to kill her minutes ago.” The god smiled with satisfaction as he looked in the distance to see Julian, Rayra, and Liz close to each other.

Julian’s heart panged with pain. After so many years separated from his mother, he couldn’t let her die in the dark. He needed to end this combat soon, or she would bleed to death. The girls at his side seemed to understand the same thing because both had gritted teeth and had murder in their eyes. Rayra changed to her fox form and rushed towards the monster. It slowly left Marcella's side, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be hurt more and could die slowly. That infuriated Julian more than anything else that day.

He quickly rushed towards the creature, already forming an Arcane blast in his hand. Liz threw her dagger at the monster’s face, but he simply stepped aside while Rayra reached his leg with a powerful bite. The monster raised the leg and stomped it to the ground, making the fox’s body bounce with the impact and lose some of its grip. The god was slowly accustoming himself to the pain and understanding the limitations of his body. Fenrir seemed to be a deity more aligned with the evil done behind the curtains with words and magic. Fenrir was not the one with fists and swords, and that was precisely what Julian had in store for the God.

As Liz reached the deity, she surprisingly jabbed the enemy in the face. She had savagery in her, and Julian even saw the monster step back from the impact. However, as soon as she prepared to strike again, he hurled both away with his power, clearing the area for Julian’s approach. He needed them away to explode the monster again.

The Arcane Blast reached the enemy's core almost instantly. Instead of pressing it against the god's chest, Julian stepped back and watched. "Fool," he proclaimed as the Arcane power slowly corrupted itself. The god had both hands free and looked directly into Julian's eyes when the explosion hit the young lord again. The deity didn't try to dodge Julian's punch at the last second. With the hit and the blast, Julian flew away. What the god couldn't see was the smile on his face. The Lord knew how to end the fight.

Marcella lay in one corner, breathing with difficulty. Julian could hear the liquid in her throat as shallow breaths dominated the air. Hold on, mother. Just a little longer.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Julian asked Rayra, who only nodded.

"You have a plan, little mouse?" the god asked with disdain as it began to walk toward Rayra on a stroll. The cracks on the creature's skin became more and more apparent. Julian's magic had energized him with his absorbed magic as if the god’s body wasn't holding it all inside, and it wanted to escape. The side of the monster's head, with the deep scar covering half his eye, was already leaking. Julian wasn't sure if he could see by that eye but assumed he could. "I just need to kill this one, and your plan is over?" The god pointed dismissively toward Rayra, almost as if choosing bread at the bakery.

She swallowed dry as the god kept walking and grabbed what she searched for in her purse.

"A chain? That must be a joke." Fenrir laughed loudly and halted, holding his belly with both hands. With each laugh, the cracks in his skin deepened. Upon seeing the terrible god laugh at her friend's expense, Liz had disgust on her face. "A god killed himself to imprison me, and you want to put me in chains?!" He continued laughing hard as Julian charged again, sprinting as fast as he could.

In the brief moments he was running, he could feel blood on his lips but couldn't realize where the blood was pouring from. Even the wound on his shoulder wasn't paining him anymore. He was utterly concentrated on what he had to do and knew it would work.

Julian reached the god with the Arcane magic before Rayra could try to use the chains. However, instead of absorbing the power like before, the god slapped his hand up in the air The arcane blast exploded on the ceiling. It was the highest amount of energy Julian had transformed into one hit. Hence, he wasn't surprised when the ceiling started to crack and fall from above their heads. It started with little rock after little rock, dropping to the ground around them. He was sure it was just the beginning.

"I can see what you intended to do." It was the baron's voice again. "This stupid god is too proud to see the obvious. I'm not." He delivered a punch to Julian's guts that would've made him throw up if he still had something in his stomach. The Lord would have flown away if he wasn't being held by the monster’s other hand. Now, Julian felt pain again. Julian discovered despair when the baron broke his right arm, and his sword fell to the ground. His eyes widened with shock, and he felt his mouth dry. He couldn't even scream. The pain and anguish sent his mind into almost a different state of understanding.

At that moment, Julian discovered he had mastered the Arcane power. He couldn't think. He couldn't rationalize and try to come up with a plan. But in truth, he didn't need to. Magic was like a limb that moved when required. Like Julian's heart beating desperately, wanting to be alive, his magic core manifested itself. The second instinctive blast of Arcane Magic hit the baron. This time, he didn't dodge or transform himself. Julian didn't have the perfect angle, but hit the monster's chest. The Lord watched as the left side of the baron's torso started to disintegrate. Then it hit the core.

It burned the core as if it were skin. Julian saw the pain in the baron's eyes and watched as the god took control. It started absorbing the Arcane magic, but the damage was already done. Julian saw the heart being torn apart before it passed the center. Chunks of the ceiling fell over him, and darkness took over again.

The young Lord opened his eyes, but all he saw was darkness. Am I dead again? He wondered, but silence was the only response this time. His grimoire wasn’t with him, so maybe he wasn’t on death’s door. The pain he was feeling was that of a living man, although one buried under boulders covering his broken arm, wounded shoulder, and legs. He tried to move, but nothing worked until he heard movement at his side. Someone was removing the rocks from his body.

The Devil has come to end the fight, Julian thought as he tried to gather some energy in his hands. His mana reserves were almost dry. The mana pool had been helpful, allowing the Lord to continuously use his abilities. But with severe wounds, he could feel the power leaking from his body. Still, he could try to end the enemy. It was the only thing he could do.

However, when the light finally reached his eyes, it was Liz that appeared before Julian’s eyes. The magic in his hands dissipated as she removed the boulders from him. She had an arrow in her mouth, a green one casting a dim light over his body.

“I found him!” she cried between the arrow’s shaft. Julian smiled gently at the sight. She smiled back at him, and just briefly, Julian forgot about their dire situation. Seeing her had always been welcome, and now she was saving his life. Rayra appeared in his vision, and before he could say something, she stuffed his mouth with leaves.

“Eat it!” she commanded, and he obeyed. The numbing feeling was immediate. When Liz released his chest, Rayra laid her glowing hands over the Lord, and he felt the healing start. Liz took a canteen and poured the last small amount of remaining liquid mana into his mouth. His arm didn’t immediately snap back into place, but the wound on his shoulder ceased to hurt and began to close slowly.

“Where is he?” Julian muttered between gritted teeth as Liz and Rayra removed the boulders from his waist. Surprisingly, as soon as the rocks were lifted from his body, the young Lord felt more pain than before, as if they had numbed his sensations. He wanted to shout in pain, but suppressed it. He needed to end this. It wasn’t the time to succumb.

“He went down the corridor not long ago.”

“We need to follow him,” Julian replied, now able to help them release the rest of his body.

“You're wounded,” Liz said with worry.

“I have no choice,” Julian replied as he got up, and his broken arm fell to his side. The pain was almost excruciating, even as his body pulsed with healing.

Rayra looked into his eyes as if she wanted to say something.

“What?” he asked.

She never replied. Instead, she grabbed his arm and twisted it as fast as possible. This time, he wasn't able to suppress the scream.

“Sorry, it was better if I just did it,” she said with a grimace of pain.

“All right, all right,” Julian replied between gritted teeth as he crouched and grabbed his sword amidst the boulders. “Mom?”

“I already gave her some medicine. She'll survive, but we need to get her to safety. I don't have everything I need to heal her.”

“Liz, take care of her. Rayra, do you have a problem with me mounting you?”

She raised one brow with a sly smile. “No, I don’t,” she replied, transforming into her fox form. Julian smiled at her and looked at his surroundings for the first time. Above them, the ceiling had fallen, mainly in the middle, but above it wasn’t the surface. Instead, there was just more rock. His mother lay in the far corner, sleeping and breathing slower than before. Julian approached her and crouched. Her face was full of wounds. A piece of her shoulder was gone, as well as a good portion of her left thigh. She had been lucky not to be hit in an artery, and Julian was grateful for it.

“Rest, Mom. We’re close to the end. I’ll get you home,” he said as his hand caressed her cheek. He looked over his shoulder and met Rayra’s hand gripping his shoulder in support. She was again in her human form and had confidence in her eyes.

“We can do it,” she replied.

“I know,” he said, getting up. She transformed into the giant fox, and Julian mounted on her back.

She didn’t complain or seem to be bothered by his weight. Instead, she ran as fast as she could. Julian looked back and saw Liz crouching at his mother’s side and checking her heartbeat.

“We’ll be back soon!” Julian shouted, and Liz waved one hand and smiled at them.

“You'd better!”

Then they were in the darkness again. They needed to travel the same way: a straight line, a turn, and then straight again. They finally saw a dim light in the distance when they reached the turn. Fenrir was far away, but didn’t move as fast as Julian and Rayra.

She pressed her sprint towards the enemy, and Julian had to grab her fur not to fall. With each step, they got closer to the light. The Lord started to feel his right hand working again when they got closer to Fenrir. Still, when the distance between the dim red light and them was minimal, the god disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Julian shouted, only now realizing he was out of breath. Rayra didn't stop running, and when they reached where the god had disappeared, they were engulfed by a door. It all happened in one second. One moment, they were in the dark corridor, and the next, they were back in the white room with the Lost Soul seated with her back to the wall. In front of her, Fenrir stood.

The god's body was wrecked, the skin cracked everywhere, but the light leaving his body was dimmer than at the beginning of their fight. He held the left side of his body, and Julian could see his core ripped in the middle. Fenrir wasn't near death, but he was much weaker now. Still, the god ignored Julian and Rayra. His attention turned to the bear before him. Ranabi kept her eyes staring directly at Fenrir's eyes. There was tension in the air, and above all, there was power.

"Are you going to kill me, sister?" he asked earnestly.

"Right now? No. I made a vow of no interference and open honesty."

"That seems … unproductive," Fenrir replied with a smile, "like everything else you did in the past."

Julian dismounted Rayra and slowly approached the god near him. Rayra changed to human form and nocked an arrow towards him. Fenrir didn’t even look at them, but when he spoke, it was as if he was watching them closely.

"Was it worth it? That's what Cerulex's sacrifice made, other than inconveniencing me for thousands of years. Stupid monkeys doing magic."

"Cerulex's actions were his to ponder."

"Yet you're glad he did what he did."

"I'm mad he didn't kill you properly."

Julian was tired of the talking. Ranabi wasn't going to do anything, but he was. He rushed towards the god with his sword in hand, but he couldn't reach the god this time. He watched Rayra release a magic arrow, but like Julian, the object and the girl stopped in the air.

"I'm tired of you," Fenrir said. "I'll not underestimate you again. Magic is still magic, whether it’s done by a monkey or a god."

Julian couldn't move, raise his sword, or gather energy in his hands. It was like the god was holding the mana in his core in a tight and small spot.

"This is just a small taste of the real power of Devoidic—the destruction of mana itself. You can have his powers, boy. But you're still just a mouse." The god turned its head towards Julian and looked at him with murder in his eyes. The Lord had hurt the baron and the god, and they wouldn't forgive or forget. Julian could see a different wave of hate in each of the creature's eyes, but both intended to see him dead before he could do anything.

The young lord looked at Ranabi at the far end of the room. He wasn't going to ask for help, not from that god. That wasn't who Julian was, but he would stare into her eyes. She would know their deaths were upon her hairy hands. However, as soon as Julian's eyes locked with the bear's, he noticed she no longer had a mana aura. She wasn't glowing green. Instead, she was utterly devoid of mana.

Then she smiled at Julian and snapped her big hand on Fenrir's side.

As soon as the strike hit the god he went flying, Julian fell to the ground. He didn't wait. He ran towards the god, but Ranabi did the same. She was unharmed, larger, and faster. She reached Fenrir before Julian could cover half the distance. She grabbed the god with one big paw, and Julian saw the creature twitching, its body trying to use magic but failing. The blow had dazed it enough in its wounded condition.

The giant bear was just an animal at that moment, and when she hurled the god towards Julian, he was ready. He swung the blade mid-air and struck true. The sword, sharp as ever, cut the god at knee height, and the impact hurled him away.

Rayra's arrows reached the enemy with speed and strength, pushing him farther and farther. Julian heard her release five arrows in a row, and every single one reached the monster’s heart. The monster was locked against the far wall, just like Julian had been when he met Rayra inside the dungeon.

“You…” the god tried to say, his voice faltering, “now, you decide to act?! Your beloved brother could still be alive if you had done anything before! I cursed you for centuries, and you did nothing!” the god screamed as the bear started to stride towards him. Ranabi was ready to kill, and Julian could feel it in the air.

“It's always time to change. My people need me. My daughter showed me,” Ranabi replied stoically.

“Your people will need you,” Fenrir said as his hands snapped toward his heart.

Julian knew something was wrong, and Ranabi felt the same because both started running at full speed, but they weren't fast enough this time.

Fenrir grabbed a piece of his heart with one hand and snapped it out of his body. In a fast motion, he cracked it inside his mouth. It exploded like a Soul Shard inside a mage's body. Ranabi's maw reached the enemy just after his body disappeared and reappeared close to the ceiling. He was floating in the air, arrows still in his heart, but a smile resided on his face.

"I'll find you. And I'll kill everyone you care about," the god said, staring directly into Julian's eyes. "The mouse inside me … maybe we can be friends. That would be a twist, wouldn't it?" the god said with a chuckle as a dark portal blossomed above his head. Still, before he entered it, he ripped another piece of his heart and ate it.

Julian didn't see what the magic did, but he heard it.

Outside the room, through the portal, thousands of draconic voices could be heard, screaming at the skies with joy.

"The end has come," Ranabi said, her eyes lost gazing at the endless darkness of the disappearing portal.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The portal disappeared as fast as it had appeared, and with it, silence fell upon the room. Julian looked at Rayra. She had her jaw wide open, the enemy's escape slowly being realized in her brain. They had defeated the god twice on the same day, yet he still escaped.

"This day cost him a lot. You all did a terrific job," Ranabi said, still looking at the ceiling as if the portal would reappear.

"He escaped anyway, and if the sounds mean what I think they did, the draconic creatures are also free," Julian said, unable to hide his irritation.

"Don't forget about the Dragonborn," the bear god said, finally glancing at Julian but oblivious to his tone.

"How incredible it would've been if you had decided to act minutes ago when we were here for the first time. Fenrir wouldn't be free," Julian said between gritted teeth and felt Rayra's hand gripping his shoulder.

The bear looked at Julian for several seconds with her green aura slowly returning to her body. Her expression was unreadable. "You're right. But it was hard for me."

"It will be hard for the people to deal with those devils. Mages are not in the majority, kingdoms are already at war, and I, who did something, am just a Lord edging bankruptcy."

"Yes, I saw you're in a terrible spot, kid," the bear said and looked at Rayra. "You know when I⁠—"

"Reached her memories, I got it. Tell me what we must do to end him and save the people."

"I don't know⁠—"

"You what?!" Julian couldn't contain his anger anymore. It didn't matter that this being was a god, or that Rayra held his shoulder now as firmly as she did with a bow. This situation could've been different if Ranabi had decided to do something. Instead, she stood there, gave Strazz information, and attacked Fenrir only when he was already free. "Listen to me⁠—"

"No, you listen," the bear said gently as she sat before Julian. Her eyes locked with his as her aura continued growing green and traveled towards him. Whatever she did, the aura acted as smoothing mist, slowly calming Julian's mind. He felt his breath becoming normal and his heartbeat decelerating. It wasn't like she was controlling him, but just easing his feelings. He still felt anger boiling inside him, but somehow, he became strong enough to put that in check. "Oaths are important to my kind. I made a secret oath and broke it today. My powers are reduced significantly. I still need to test them and discover what I can and cannot do, but inside … I'm crippled. Still, I'll make this decision worth it. You'll probably not be able to forgive me, but I'll do my best for all races."

That was a good start in Julian's mind, but he remained silent. She hadn't addressed the 'defeating Fenrir' part yet. He would wait for it before chiming in.

"I wasn't a part of Cerulex and Fenrir's conflict. I stood at the side of my children and only joined it to become his warden. Hence the fact that I don't know how to defeat him. He only knows the method Cerulex used. With Fenrir's new physical body, we can probably lock him up, but we risk him getting stronger. If all the draconic beings are free now, a particular faction of them will be glad to help you, Lord Julian."

"To help me? Aren't you going to lead the offensive?"

"Me? No, but I'll help all races face this problem. As I said, today took a deep toll on Fenrir's soul. You destroyed nearly half of his power, and he had to use a quarter of the rest to escape. He's weaker than he's ever been, even before the imprisonment. He'll try to find the other two Shards of his soul, but even I don't know where they are."

"Is the world ending or not?" Julian asked, and the bear smiled.

"It's the beginning of it, for sure. But it'll be in people's hands to see whether that is fulfilled. Fenrir was defeated once, and Cerulex's power is still being passed on to future generations. If someone can defeat him, it's you, Julian Lionheart."

"I'm just a human⁠—"

"For now. You'll have time to learn."

"My mother⁠—"

"Yes." The bear clapped both hands together, and Julian started to hear something moving inside the dark corridors behind the invisible door of the room. After a couple of seconds, immense roots appeared through the opening door. They carried Liz and his mother on top of them, both well-accommodated. Marcella was still unconscious and Liz was terrified until she saw Julian alive and well. The young mage jumped from the roots and rushed toward the Lord, surrounding him in her tight embrace.

"You're alive! I'm so glad!" She kissed him forcefully, and Julian's head almost bent back. Even in the direst of situations, her happiness for his well-being made a smile appear on his face. He returned the kiss and gently parted their bodies.

"I am. Still, he escaped." Julian's face slowly turned grim as he tried to look at the ground, but Liz found his chin and lifted it.

"I'm sure you did your best. We'll catch him. We've already survived the worst part."

"I'm not so sure." Julian let the words escape his mouth.

"I am," Rayra chimed in, her hands passing over Julian's and Liz's shoulders, who responded with a smile. "We'll figure it out together—as a family. As such, we need to hurry and heal our mother. I'm sure I'll be able to do something back home. Can you get us out of here, Divinity?" she said, turning to face Ranabi and slightly bowing.

"There'll be no need to worry about this particular human. I saw what she went through. She deserves no more suffering." Then the bear waved her hand in a simple but powerful gesture, and a gush of air whooshed over Marcella's body. It was like the wind had swiped the wounds from her body. In less than a second, Julian watched dried blood, deep cuts, and dust leave his mother's body. She was as clean as on a typical day before she vanished. Her eyes opened. As she sat up slowly, she understood where she was, and the biggest of smiles blossomed on her face.

She didn’t need to say a word. Julian rushed to her, and they hugged each other with a firm embrace. Julian heard her tears falling, but she didn’t show it, just like him. When they parted and looked into each other's eyes, no one could say they had shed a tear.

"Are we going home?" she asked, and Julian's heart panged. He instinctively looked directly at Ranabi. His feelings towards the god had taken a complex shift in the last few minutes. He was still angry, but at least she was doing something to help.

"You’ll be safe soon. I’m already working on that. And on another thing," the god replied cryptically. Julian realized her aura was shifting in the place. She was performing some magic as she stood, and he decided to leave her to it.

"The creature was able to escape, Mother. We’ll deal with it, though. Together as a family. I can’t wait to see Tarav’s face when we arrive." Julian smiled, and his mother chuckled.

"I’ll scare him. Make him think I’m a ghost or a ghoul."

"He’ll have a heart attack, Mom. Tarav was already old when you disappeared."

"Nonsense! Besides your father, Tarav is the strongest man I have ever met," she said, and her expression changed. They had survived through all the hell in that jungle, fought devilish creatures, and defeated a god. Still, their family wasn’t complete yet.

"We’ll find him, Mom."

"You’ll find him, Son. I’ll help you as much as possible, but I’m afraid my fighting days are over. I can finally feel tired after all those years of escaping and hiding. I don’t want to be a nuisance to you."

"I’ll respect any of your decisions, Mother. I promise I’ll find Father."

"Amidst the world’s end."

"Yes," Julian replied with a confident smile. The best part was that he believed it sincerely.

"We’re still poor," Liz said as she approached him. "Father will not be glad when he discovers we released devils upon the world, and you can’t afford me," she said with a sly smile that hid the truth. There was nothing her father could do to separate them.

"Maybe we can return to the mana pool and collect some treasure. There’s a lot of it in there, isn’t there, Marcella?" Rayra asked, but Ranabi answered.

"There’s no need for it," the god said as a green portal appeared on the ground. From it, several roots erupted, with ten chests wrapped in their clutches. The living plants dropped the chests on the ground, and the god moved towards it. Her bear paws struggled a little to open the first, but after a couple of seconds, it lay ajar.

Inside the chest, there were thousands of gold coins. They were all shiny and looked the same. The figure of a dragon was stamped on the top, and a tree was on the other side. The coins looked old, but at the same time, they could've been coined yesterday.

"They're all like that. When I came here and created the other mirror realms, I took most of Fenrir's possessions with me. War costs a lot. I never had any use for gold and didn't think having it on the surface of this place would be a problem. Now, I can see a good use for it. Rebuild your home, Julian. You deserve it."

"You do," Liz and Rayra said in unison, and his mother agreed with a significant smile.

He knew he deserved it and had worked hard to conquer Fenrir, so he didn't argue. When the god realized the gold had been silently claimed, she pointed at the green portal still shining on the ground.

"Enter it, and you'll be at your home," the bear spoke solemnly. Julian couldn't wait to be home. His feet walked almost instantly towards the entrance, but Rayra's voice stopped him.

"What about you, Ranabi?" Rayra asked with watery eyes.

"What I'm doing right now is already costly for me. I'll not be able to leave the mirror realm for some time. Like Fenrir did, I am using most of my energy to deliver you back home. The difference is that I cannot sacrifice a part of my core to go with you. Transporting a god and transporting mortals is completely different."

“Still, you know I can't go home without you.”

“I'll find you when I arrive in your dimension. I'll be different, but you'll know me,” the bear said, one big paw caressing Rayra’s face. What she had seen in the beast folk's memories had changed her beliefs. Julian trusted she was speaking the truth. "You can deal with whatever is on the other side of the portal. I assure you," she said, waving her hand towards the portal.

“My spear!” Marcella shouted, remembering the item stolen. The god shook one hand, and the object was released from behind one of the chests. “Thanks, Goddess.”

The bear nodded with a slight smile as the plants that delivered the chests dropped them through the portal again, with the destination traced to the Lionheart manor at Silverhold. Julian didn't look back. He extended his hands to Liz and Rayra, with Marcella at their side. They all jumped together, and darkness once more engulfed Julian.

I hope there's still a world waiting for me.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Julian couldn't believe the world was exactly as he had left it. The tension of waiting had pulled him from bed and made him walk to the window. People were already crowding the streets, heading to their workstations. The Lord could even smell good food entering through the cracks of his window. Still, when he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the beasts crying in the skies. But when he looked up, all he saw were birds chirping as if their lives had never been better.

Where are they? Julian asked himself for the millionth time. There were sightings of winged beasts roaming the skies and rushing through woods in the farthest parts of the world, but not a single piece of news of a draconic attack had reached his ears.

"Woke early?" Liz's voice came from behind him, carrying a pleading tone. Julian knew she was worried about him, but he was concerned about the world.

"Didn’t sleep at all," Julian replied, still looking through the window. Maybe he would spot the stranger who sent him the letter and be ready to fight if needed.

"That can’t last, Lord Julian," she said, the last part with intent, and was able to incite a reaction. Julian had come to love it when she called him 'Lord.' He liked it even more when they were in a more intimate embrace when she used that title.

Julian turned to see her face as her hands traveled across his back and settled on his naked waist. Her glimmering red lips pouted at him, and he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her. Her kiss was sweet as ever, and when her hands reached his pecs, a shiver rushed down his back.

Her breasts rubbing against his torso made his blood pump faster. He could feel her nipples getting harder and harder as their kiss continued.

"We'll wake Rayra," Liz said between a moan and a breath. Julian's hand found her wet pussy, and she whimpered at the touch, already making her legs falter. He loved to see her reactions to his touch, and the fact that she was so sensitive made his cock throb with excitement.

“I’m already awake,” Rayra’s voice came from behind Liz’s shoulder. Julian glanced at his other companion and saw she wasn’t very well. Her eyelids were purple with the lack of sleep, and annoyance was stamped on her face. The young Lord was many things, but a brute wasn’t one of them. He couldn’t please himself before Rayra’s eyes if she clearly needed him.

Liz sighed as Julian’s hand left her, and sense seemed to descend upon her. She read the room pretty quickly and moved to the bed. Julian smiled at her big tits and round ass bouncing with the little run and jumped to the bed, positioning himself between the two women.

“I’m starting to hate this city,” Rayra said with annoyance, her fox ears twitching. “Not a single person in this city can help me find Ranabi. We should leave already.”

“We’ll leave today,” Julian replied, sighing and crossing his arms behind his head. Rayra kept looking forward with crossed arms.

"Unless you receive another anonymous letter." Rayra snorted as Julian felt Liz leaning against half of his body, her breasts fitting perfectly on his side. Her mouth kissed him from time to time on the neck.

"What can we do to help you, Ray?" Liz said gently as one of her hands searched for one of Rayra's. She protested at first but then gave up, letting Liz care for her.

"Find Ranabi again? Discover what happened to all those creatures we heard being freed?" she replied with a good trace of annoyance still in her voice. But her attitude was already shifting, as it always happened these days.

"We'll do all that. If she doesn't find us as she said, we'll somehow drag her down from that hellish place for her to speak to your elders. Then she'll help us make sure Fenrir is defeated for good," Julian said, holding the intertwined hands of Rayra and Liz. The former was still pouting, but she finally smiled when Julian uttered the following words. "Remember the Roasted Pork Tarav made for us as soon as we returned? I'll ask him to do it again as soon as we arrive at the manor."

She looked up at him with a genuine smile. It was not that Rayra was crazy about food, even with Tarav being an excellent cook. She enjoyed it sincerely when Julian made a gesture of any size to express how much she mattered to him.

"And we'll be safe today?" Rayra asked, finally looking directly into his eyes.

"I guess so," he replied, uncrossing his arms and hugging both girls. "At least I'm not planning to die before I see everything settled. I just paid off all my debts, for Cerulex’s sake … I want to enjoy my life a little."

"I know a way to make your life brighter," Rayra said with her melodic voice, her hand slowly traveling towards his crotch above the sheets. "Do you want me to show you?"

Before Julian could reply, a knock on the door stole his attention.

"Master, it's time," Tarav’s voice came from the other side of the door.

"Time for what? I'm busy now," he said with a smile to the girls.

"There’s a royal cortege coming our way, and it's for you."

"A royal cortege?" Julian repeated, as he got up in a rush.

"Yes, master. I think they are the ones who wrote the letter."

"Impossible," Julian said, removing the sheets and searching for his best clothes. Whoever was riding with the king's colors must be important. Hadn't he been on time to pay the bank's debts the day before? Julian had rushed to the Duchy as soon as he heard the baron had appeared in town for a few people and snatched his son away. They had left the castle an actual wreck and the city boiling with strange rumors about the monstrous baron. Rumors that Julian feigned not to know anything about. "Can you reread the letter?" Julian snatched the letter from one bedside table and handed it to Liz, who read it after slipping on a delicate dress.

"I have information about your father's whereabouts. I'll meet you tomorrow to discuss the terms. P.A.," she read quickly, throwing the letter away and turning for Rayra to button her dress on the back. Rayra was already dressed in leather pants and a small top. The two girls were the complete opposite of each other, making Julian the happiest man alive.

"Who the hell is P.A? I thought it would be someone trying to rob us or someone saying father had been seen a year ago." When Julian heard no response from them, he addressed Tarav, who he knew was still waiting outside the door, "Do you know any noble with P.A. for initials?"

"No, Master. They're already in the hotel hall. Soon, they will be here."

Julian opened his arms as Liz got close to button his shirt and helped him adjust his coat with the lion emblem.

"Is my hair okay?"

"Surprisingly enough, Julian Lionheart, your hair is always in the right position. Is this some kind of Arcane Magic?" Liz asked with a smile as she swiftly and slightly moved a single lock of his hair out of position. "It just gets back to its place," she said with a snort.

Julian smiled at her as he finished adjusting his pants. Rayra stood with her back to a wall and crossed her arms. Julian loved it when she played the badass archer. Noticing his gaze, she smiled from the corner of her mouth and returned to her stoic position.

"They're here, Master," Tarav said behind the door, and Julian heard some trepidation in the old butler's voice. Whoever was on the other side was someone important.

Julian cleared his throat and waited. Soon, the door opened, and Tarav opened the way for the guests. A soldier covered in full-blue armor entered the room first. The figure was a little beneath the 6-foot mark. When they walked, the armor clanged all over as if there were many spots where the leather couldn't tie firmly. That gangly soldier wasn't the one who made Julian's jaw drop. The old man behind him was the real surprise.

Duke Vinam Albert stood before Julian's eyes. The second richest man in the kingdom entered their tiny hotel room and grabbed a chair to sit on. He strolled in with an eternal smile that only old folks have.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Julian Lionheart. Excuse my poor manners. With the years passing, I started to seek places to sit eagerly," he said with a slight chuckle as he waved one hand for Julian to sit on the bed. "Are these your wives?"

"Yes," Julian replied after he was finally able to sit. Liz took her place at his side, while Rayra was wary and kept on the wall. "I must say, I'm surprised you were the letter's sender."

"I see…" the old man said, scratching his long white beard as he seemed to look inside himself with the small eyes he had. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, young Lord."

"I'm not disappointed, just surprised," Julian replied apologetically, oddly not wanting to harm the feelings of the kind old man.

“That’s better!” he replied, snapping his knee in a fast motion, making the soldier behind his chair jump on the spot. That incited a nervous chuckle from the old man. “Before we discuss the matter that brought me here, may I digress a little?”

“Of course, Your Excellency.”

“Right, right. I know you graduated from the Iron Fist Academy here in my Duchy and were the best student in your class. That’s correct?”

“Correct.”

“I’m also aware that you’ve been through some difficult times lately with your mother disappearing nearly a decade ago and your father recently. Then you got back home and found your manor in shambles. That had to be quite a shock, right?”

“It was difficult, indeed. But we managed to figure it out.”

“I see. I’m aware the Lionhearts have no more debts with the crown. I congratulate you, son. Still, I have never heard of Baron Strazz's aid coming your way. Considering your families were close, and he is a rich man, I must assume the coin you used to pay your debts was a loan given by him?” the old man asked with narrowed eyes, trying to catch something in Julian’s face.

All Julian gave him was a chuckle and a raised brow. “I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but Baron Strazz is the reason for my family's downfall. I won’t lie to you or anyone else, so here it goes: Baron Strazz was the architect behind my father’s disappearance, contracted bandits to burn my crops, invaded my dungeon mine, and personally tried to kill me and my family. If I have anything today, it's despite that man.”

Silence hung in the air for several seconds. The man's narrow eyes stared into Julian's soul, and he didn't flinch or look away from the man’s hard stare. When the older man moved again, it was to lean back against the chair and smile.

"I told you this boy was good, kiddo," the old man said, pointing at the soldier behind him and chuckling.

Julian was slightly confused by the interaction but wasn't ready for the real surprise. The armored figure moved both hands to their helmet and removed it slowly. A cascade of bright yellow locks fell upon their shoulders, and a pale face appeared. This wasn’t the face of a soldier. It was a young woman with green eyes, narrow brows, a thin nose, and perfect lips. Her hair was almost white, and she looked heavenly. She looked regal. So regal that Julian could swear he had seen pictures of that woman in several corridors of the Iron Fist Academy. Then, the realization hit him like a boulder.

"Princess Anasthasia, I…" he whispered wide-eyed and promptly kneeled, followed by Liz but not by Rayra.

"You may stand up, Lord Julian. I needed to see with my eyes if you were who we thought you were," she said stoically.

"I'm at your disposal, Your Highness," Julian said, sitting again on the chair, still trying to piece together the situation but failing in the process.

"I'll speak freely and be direct." She didn't wait for him to answer. Julian thought that was probably common in royalty, so he shut his mouth and listened. "We've been in and out of war with the Orc King of the Twelve Isles for a century now. Are you aware of it?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I studied our kingdom’s history."

"Good, we can skip that, then. The thing is, our sources informed us that the enemy has acquired a new ally."

"Baron Strazz."

"Yes, my sources informed me it's Strazz. He's deformed and speaking as if he was someone else. Someone called Fenrir, a god from old tales. He's promising an army to our enemy and has proven more than once that he can perform a powerful new kind of magic."

Julian listened to everything carefully. He wasn't sure what he could confide in these people and their real intentions. Still, they had shared information he was desperately seeking. For that, he could be grateful.

"The thing is, Julian, that Lord Strazz was never a welcome guest at the capital. He knew some of my father's secrets, which earned him power, but that was decaying over time. Now with father and mother dead, he has no power inside the Capital. I consider it foolish to seek help from those savages at the Twelve Isles, but it's an understandable move. Can I assume this change in him is somehow related to you?"

"I fought the baron after he acquired these new powers. He's strong and has an army, that I can assure you."

"And you are here to tell the tale."

"Yes, I survived."

"Can you do it again?"

"I can kill him, yes." Julian's fists clenched with anticipation.

"You understood the rest, right?"

"Considering your letter, I assume my father is also on one of those isles. Hence, I'll have to enter the place, rescue him, and kill the baron in the process," Julian said firmly, accepting the conditions without needing a formal request.

"All right then, I’ll wait for your arrival at the capital in three weeks. Go back home and fix what needs to be fixed. You'll have a lot to do at the castle."

"What castle, Your Highness?"

"The one in Silverhold, of course. You're now Baron Julian Lionheart. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great, Your Honor. But I don't want to live in the castle. I prefer to use it to help the people in need in the town."

"And from where are you going to rule, then? From that broken manor of yours?"

"Yes, but as we speak, it stopped being a manor. When all this is over, it will be a castle twice the size of the one in Silverhold," Julian said as a smile blossomed on his face.

"Alright, Baron Julian Lionherart. Good morning to you and your wives. You form a beautiful family," she said with a cold smile as she turned her back and left the room. Suddenly, she didn't look as gangly in that armor. Instead, she was elegant and regal, as if she could walk on water.

"Good luck, boy," the duke said gently. "I knew you were a good one. I knew it." The old man left the room, and Julian's tension left his shoulders as if a wave had washed it away.

Now, he knew where to go, but before that, he would celebrate with the two women smiling broadly at him.

The Arcane Lord

Book 2

Chapter One

The vision started as always. A sea of blood expanded in every direction Julian’s eyes could witness. In the skies, thunder pierced through the clouds, shaking the very essence of his being… and then came the lightning.

With the lightning, a figure with two wings hovered over his head. The pair of dark wings stretched several feet, and something put Julian’s neck hair on the end. He could feel Rayra and Liz at his side but couldn’t see them. It was the strangest of feelings. Yet, it happened every night. The wings flapped ominously, and when he began to finally discern some of its features, a scream pierced the air.

Julian didn’t know to whom that voice belonged, but its terror made his ears ring with rage. He narrowed his eyes, trying to move, but he couldn’t. He was in a boat, one that drifted through that sea of blood so violently that Julian was surprised he could still be on his feet.

When he finally felt comfortable enough to step to the side, the figure above his head started falling. Another cry threatened to deafen the lord as the dark wings approached his face. Every night, that nightmare haunted him. He woke up when the strange figure crashed against him.

The last thing he could discern in that strange moment was a delighted laugh in the sky as if the storm itself was pleased by the lord’s doom.

He opened his eyes wide and felt the heat of sweat all over his face.

“The nightmare?” Liz's voice came from beside him, and Julian was thankful he could actually see her there.

“The same,” Julian replied, wiping his brow.

Liz gently lifted one hand to his chest, letting it land on his chest over his heart. “Breathe,” she said, releasing the air from her lungs.

The gesture made Julian realize how shallow his breathing had been since he woke. The first time he dreamt that dream, he couldn’t remember everything, but now... two weeks of seeing the same images every day had carved them inside his head.

He had become accustomed to the dream. Every time he went there, he tried to look for something new, process the information, and extract something from it. He wasn’t afraid of the nightmare or what it could represent, but somehow, his magical core seemed to be.

It was still strange to Julian how the innate magic in his being could respond to something without his permission. Every time he came out of that dream, he could feel the mana moving inside his body with agitation. That accelerated his heartbeat, increased his temperature, and made him sweat like a pig. Fighting such a strange sensation was exhausting, but with every day, he felt stronger.

“Any clues about the meaning behind it?” Liz asked, caring for his wet hair and removing the long curls from his face.

“I heard a different voice this time, a laugh.”

“Fenrir?”

“I don’t think so…. It was different, not as cynical as him... more maniacal.”

“Like a madman.”

“More like a mad god.”

The words sunk into the air as Liz locked eyes with Julian. She knew how much he was anticipating their trip to the Twelve Isles. The fact that they would finally leave the manor to go to the Realm’s capital today only grew the tension.

“We’ll figure this out,” she said gently, but Julian couldn’t feel that much confidence in her. Still, she was trying, and he appreciated that.

“We will,” he replied with a smile. If he were the one who had to bring confidence to their house, he would embrace the role gladly. “We’ll go to the Capital, talk with the princess, invade another country, and soon we’ll be back home to raise our kids.”

Julian sat up on the bed and pushed Liz gently to the bed. The sheets slowly slid down her features, revealing her beautiful breasts and delicate belly. Julian let one hand travel to the base of her abdomen and caressed her with a smile.

“I can’t wait to see her face,” he said with an uncontrollable grin.

Liz raised her head and brows. “How can you be so sure it’s a girl?”

“I just know,” Julian replied, repeatedly kissing her belly. “She’ll be as pretty as her mother and as brave as her father.”

“I’m not brave?” Liz asked defiantly.

“You most definitely are,” he promptly replied as he moved up to lie beside her, “or else I wouldn’t be with you right now. It needed much bravery to fight Burrowmaws, go to the depths of dungeons, and venture into different dimensions.”

“That’s better,” she replied, seeking his lips for a kiss. “I love it when you boast about me,” she uttered between their kisses and laughs.

The sun pierced the window violently, and Julian felt the heat burning his skin. Rayra always opened the windows so they could wake up with the sun rising. It was Julian’s request, and she did it every day without complaining. It was rare for the fox woman to stay in bed with them until everyone was awake.

Julian quickly learned she needed less sleep than him, but he saw her escaping the bed with the moon still in the sky. It wasn’t a surprise when he found her in their reformed private library, searching for clues about where the Lost Soul would have gone and how she could see her again.

It wasn’t so rare to find Marcella also in the library. His mother clarified that she wanted to catch up on all the reading she lost over the years. Inside the mirror realm, she found tomes with scriptures about the Last and Lost Soul and read a lot about the age of gods and their rule over all lands. That was why she now spent all her time reading romances and adventure stories.

“I’m sick of reality, son. If I stop reading for too long, I start to consider going to rescue your father myself,” she kept saying every time Julian complained about her time reading fiction. Before Julian could protest, she would finish, “I know, we need to wait for the princess…. Let me be, then, my boy. And don’t bother Rayra about her being here with me. I like to talk with my daughter-in-law.”

Indeed, they liked to talk. Marcella’s knowledge and similarities created a bond between his lover and mother. Julian wasn’t surprised to see the two talking for hours, laughing or studying together. Marcella had known Liz since she was a child and had a deep affection for her, making Julian nervous that his mother might prefer one over the other. In the end, all he felt in his home was harmony.

Everything had fit perfectly, and Tarav ensured the day-to-day was working fine. The old butler felt torn between coordinating the rebuilding with Julian and caring for the well-being of the increasing number of members of the Lionheart family. Only one thing was left for them to fix, and their home would finally be complete.

His father needed to come back home.

That was why, even with his body protesting otherwise, Julian parted from his wife’s kiss and got out of the bed.

“We need to finish the preparations. We’ll leave soon,” Julian said, grabbing a shirt, pants, and shoes from the corner and moving toward the door. “I’ll find Rayra and bring her to eat something.”

“Right, I’ll wait for you at the table.” Liz yawned and stretched her arms, preparing to dress and go downstairs.

Julian rushed through the door and went directly to the library. The old office had become filled with books, and the fact that his mother was always there made Julian decide to make his office in another house chamber. He needed way less space than the books and preferred to be alone when he needed to think something through.

He wasn’t surprised to see his mother with her head sunk into a book, her concentration making it impossible for her to notice his approach or the sound of the door creaking.

“Rayra isn’t here?”

Marcella’s eyes went up, and when she realized it was Julian, she smiled earnestly. She got up quickly, her green eyes joyfully sparkling as she hugged Julian. She did it almost every time she saw the lord. She had been away so long that seeing her son was always a pleasure.

“She didn’t come today. What time is it?”

“We’re in the middle of the morning.”

“Oh,” she said with surprise.

“You were here all night?”

“Maybe? I lost track of time.”

“Mom….”

“I know, son….” She had an apologetic expression, and Julian felt sorry for her. He caressed her hair and smiled.

“I’ll bring him home, and everything will be fine.”

“Is it today?” she asked, suddenly more aware and moving towards the door. “By the Last, I didn’t help you at all.”

Julian moved and grabbed her hand. “Everything is already settled. I’ll discuss the last details with Tarav; you greatly helped.”

“How? I’ve just stayed here reading for the last three weeks while you’ve rebuilt everything.”

“You helped me stay alive, fighting daily for the right to be here now. Soon, you’ll have grandsons and granddaughters. They’ll need you.”

“You’ve grown so much,” she sighed, gently holding his hand. “Go find your wife, son. We spoke yesterday, and she’s uneasy about the trip. She needs you now way more than me.”

“I’ll do that,” he said, moving to the door and turning to look at her again. “I’ll be back soon to say goodbye.”

Julian moved down the stairs without looking back and almost stumbled over Tarav, who held Jet dearly over his chest. The cat had four legs in the air and purred as Tarav caressed her belly fur.

“She really loves you, Tarav,” Julian said with a smile as the old butler made way for him to pass.

“Indeed, young master. Are you searching for Baroness Rayra?”

“You know she doesn’t like to be called that way.”

“I’m sorry, master. She went outside the walls not long ago; she seemed to be in a hurry. I heard her muttering something about an energy shift.”

“Did you?” Julian asked, his brow furrowed and a smile on his face. A good part of Tarav’s job was to be attentive to his surroundings, but Julian could tell the butler liked this nosy part of his job a little too much.

“Yes, master. Everything is ready for your trip.”

“I still need to sharpen my sword⁠—”

“Done.”

“And gather my new cloth mail,”

“Done.”

“See if the Guild Master received the Twelve Isles map he promised me.”

“It’s with your cloth mail, sir. I told you I was going to take care of everything.”

“You’re a blessing in our lives, Tarav,” Julian said, patting the old man’s shoulder. “Did you save something for me to do?”

“I didn’t follow Baroness Rayra.”

“Right, you didn’t. I will. Thanks, old friend. We’ll talk more before we leave.”

“Right, master,” Tarav said with a smile, but Julian couldn’t see his old servant’s face since his steps toward the door were so fast.

It seemed like everyone was preoccupied with Rayra, and Julian knew he was more than anyone else. The beastfolk could be difficult at times, and these last weeks, she had closed herself into her armor again. Julian could break her defenses with some effort, but after a night of sleep, he would find her again, her mood corrupted by the uncertainty of Ranabi’s whereabouts.

With their trip getting closer, he saw her getting more anxious. She knew Ranabi was a necessary piece of the puzzle, and they were walking into the belly of the beast. Whatever Fenrir and the Baron were cooking in the orcish islands, Julian knew it wasn’t good. If it were up to him, he would have departed the very next day he had encountered the princess at the duchy, but the harsh reality was that getting into the isles wasn’t easy.

He would need connections and information he couldn’t acquire yet, so he would have to rely on the princess’s plan. Thankfully, she hadn’t taken too long to make her move.

Julian had enough time to reform parts of the house, complete the harvest, rebuild the workers’ quarters and stables, and even prepare for the new year's crop. They had even acquired back some of the paintings and sculptures his father had sold before going on his rescue mission.

The beauty and organization of his home were overshadowed in his mind by the duty to find Rayra and comfort her. He could still greet every worker he saw on the way, but his mind was distant.

An energy shift? What was she talking about? he asked himself as he crossed the courtyard gates and looked to the sides.

With the crops cut to the root and the ground leveled for a new batch of seeds, it didn’t take long to find Rayra in the distance.

He started to stride toward the beastfolk while trying to understand what was happening. Rayra was halted in the middle of the crops, with her arms to the side and looking at the sky.

But there was nothing to see in there. The firmament was as blue as ever, and no cloud hovered in the distance. Whatever Rayra was staring at, only she could see it.

“Rayra? Are you all right?” Julian asked as he approached her, but he received no response. He moved closer and talked again. “Rayra?”

When he was three steps closer, she looked over her shoulder and gazed at him.

“Can’t you see, baby?”

“See what?”

“There.” she pointed at the sky before her.

“I can’t see anything⁠—”

Then, the blue portal exploded with a loud THUMP a few feet away from them, and a figure plummeted from the skies directly to the ground.

Chapter Two

Julian stepped back and searched for his sword, only to find nothing in his belt. Then, he gathered mana in his left hand, ready to destroy any evil creature summoned to defeat him. Away from the mana pool inside the mirror realm, Julian was once again just a novice mage who couldn’t do much magic before running out of mana. But he would use what he had if he were about to fight an enemy.

Still, he felt Rayra’s hand find his arm and lower it with gentle pressure.

“She’s not an enemy,” she said with determination. Julian finally took the time to see who had fallen from the strange portal. On the ground lay a woman with blue hair dressed in brown leather pants and a blue crop top. On her back was a tall and beautiful sword. She had a delicate waist and stunning features. The ground beneath her hid her face, but when she started to groan and turn to face them, Julian saw she was human and gorgeous.

“Shit, I told her that it wasn’t going to work,” she said in a muffled voice as she started to sit up on the ground. “I need to be at least near it,” she said, more to herself than anyone else.

Julian got distracted by the sound of horses' hooves getting closer behind them. With a glance, he noticed Liz approaching them on the back of a horse with a crest tied to it. Liz was dressed for battle, and the strange woman before them realized it as quickly as Julian.

She reached for the sword on her back, and Julian saw a mix of terror and hurry in her stark, almost inhuman blue eyes. Then, she drew the sword and struck the air. When she did, the air was ripped apart, and a blue crack was born.

“I don’t have time for this. I need to find a stupid lord,” she said, raising her arm to strike the air again.

“Wait! We’re not enemies!” Rayra shouted, already rushing to get closer. The woman before her threatened to turn and strike but halted midway.

“Aren’t you? Everyone says that before stabbing my back,” the woman said with her brow furrowed. “That girl coming on the horse looks as much like an enemy as any other I’ve found.”

“I can smell her on you. You know where the Lost Soul is,” she said, getting closer, and the woman lowered her arm to the side and raised one brow.

“Are you talking about the giant bear?”

“Yes!” Julian replied, thankful they would finally have some answers about the god’s whereabouts.

“She sent me to search for a lord, and I told her it wouldn’t work. I had to see the place to jump there, not have some hallucination given by a giant dying bear! Now I’m in the middle of nowhere, close to two kids…. Why am I doing this?” She sighed and raised her arm again to strike the air.

“He’s the lord. He’s Baron Julian Lionheart, the one you’re searching for.”

“The cute one?” she said, pointing the sword at Julian and smiling. “No way. Lords are fat. This one looks... nice.”

“Yes, I was surprised as well.”

“Hey!” Julian chimed in, feeling his cheeks burn. “Don’t talk like I’m not here. Who are you, and where’s Ranabi?”

“Who’s Ranabi?”

“The Bear!” Julian shouted, his patience already wholly lost. “We are the ones you were seeking. Now explain your deal and what’s going on with the Lost Soul. How is she dying?”

“Wait, I need to think a little,” the woman said as she sheathed her sword on her back and looked at the horizon, muttering some words. Julian wasn’t sure if she thought he wasn’t listening, but he discerned almost every word she said. “Should I trust them? She told me they were good people... but why should I trust a bear? If anything happens, I can jump to Farol’s beach, anyway….”

Then, she turned with a smile on her face as Liz approached them, dismounting quickly from the horse with her hands already covered with water magic.

“Alright, I’ll tell you everything, but you must come with me.” Then, in a sudden movement, she drew her sword and split the air again. The blue scars formed a cross, and then a wind whooshed from its center, opening it wide in four directions.

Julian could see reality cut like butter before his eyes and was dumbfounded by it. He had entered magical portals before, but they didn’t appear as magical as this one. He felt the power emanating from the woman’s sword as Liz approached them and stayed by them.

“Who is she?” she asked in a hushed tone, never dropping the fighting position.

“I have no idea,” Julian replied, his eyes not wanting to depart from the blue portal’s view.

“If you’re coming with me, better hurry. The jump will close soon. Where are your weapons? You’re going to need them.”

“I brought everything on the horse, Julian. Are we going with her?”

“Yes!” Rayra chimed in, already moving towards the portal. Her walking towards the blue hue snapped Julian out of his trance.

“Hey, wait. We don’t know if it’s safe,” Julian said, grabbing her by the hand.

“You weren’t preoccupied any of the other times we jumped inside a portal,” she protested.

“But you weren’t pregnant then.”

“I told you, Julian. Liz and I are pregnant, not sick, and it’s just the beginning. Soon, I won’t be able to deal with this. It’s now or never.”

“Are they going to fall from the heights like you did before?” Julian asked the stranger as he pointed to his wives.

“No, pretty boy. It wasn’t a good jump because I’ve never been here. We’re going to my home, so you’re safe.”

“Right. Do you trust her?” Julian asked Rayra, but the stranger replied.

“I don’t personally trust in any of you either, honestly. Still, I received a mission and I just shared details with you. Why would I lie?”

“You may work for Fenrir.”

“I don’t know any Henry.”

“It’s Fenrir… whatever. Do you trust her, Rayra?”

“Ranabi touched her, I’m sure, and she doesn’t have Fenrir’s smell. I don’t trust her, but I trust my senses.”

“Let’s go, Julian. The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be back,” Liz added as the portal before their eyes started to shift.

The Baron looked back and saw a silhouette in the distance. Tarav watched them with wary eyes, and Julian felt terrible for leaving part of his family in the dark again.

“We still need to go to the capital. The princess is waiting for us,” Julian insisted, the last straw of reluctance leaving his body as he heard the stranger’s words.

“We’re going to the capital, lordling. Come on. The jump is ending.” She entered the portal, walking backward. She had a sly smile when she disappeared, but Julian wasn’t bothered by it. This stranger seemed powerful and dangerous, but not a liar.

“Go ahead, boy,” Julian whispered in the horse’s ear after untying the crest from the creature’s back. The beast ran towards the manor with speed. Julian turned his back and followed the strange girl through the portal, carrying his crest with his belongings in both hands. This time, he wasn’t met by darkness or a seemingly endless fall; instead, he was on a brick road in a void.

Julian looked to his sides as he strode and saw an endless purple sky stretching in all directions. There was nothing to be seen besides the brick road and the sunless purple sky.

“Follow me,” the stranger said, rushing before the group.

“To where exactly?” Rayra asked, getting right behind the stranger. “And you still need to tell us who you are.”

The girl with blue hair looked over her shoulder at Rayra with a grave expression for a few seconds. Then she opened a big smile as her eyes narrowed.

“I’m still deciding if I want to tell you my name. I’ll show you my home today. Be glad. Once there, my mission will be done, and you’ll be leaving. You don’t need my name,” she replied, already turning her head to the endless brick road ahead.

Rayra, Liz, and Julian traded glances. Of the three, Liz was the most bothered by their company, and Rayra shrugged, trying to calm down her sister-wife's nerves.

Liz was becoming increasingly protective of her family, and since the news that she and Rayra were expecting babies, that had only escalated. Julian could feel the rage bubbling on the woman’s face as he put the crest on the ground and approached her with a gentle touch on her shoulder.

“Breathe. Rayra is sure she’s not an enemy. Let’s trust her,” he said with a reassuring smile, and his wife seemed to calm down as she always did after a conversation with Julian. He held her hand as they resumed their walk, the blue-haired stranger already several feet in front. “It’s better if we keep close to her. I don’t want to be lost in here.”

“Let us help you carry this thing,” Liz said, and Rayra agreed with a nod.

“No need for it; I’m fine.”

“We are not sick, Julian.”

“I’m fine, girls. Relax,” he said as he rushed his steps on the strange brick road. The truth was that Julian was more than fine. He had been working out more than ever in the last weeks and had performed many of his spells several times. The lord had discovered pretty fast that his body composition was oddly changing in the same proportion as his magical abilities became greater.

It was like his muscles could absorb the excess mana he could store in his body. His Arcane ability also showed he could gather much more mana in his core than his fellow mages. While Liz could perform a couple of spells, Julian could do a dozen, and since he didn’t need to perform spells, he allocated his mana to circle his body.

Three deep breaths, holding the last one for several seconds, and one long exhale, and his body was pumping with mana. At first, it was hard to do it consistently, but now he could perform the breathing pattern almost anytime. With the mana traveling through his veins, carrying a crest like the one he had in his hands was easy. It was so easy that Julian started to wonder what kind of strength prowess he could achieve with his magical development. He was still a novice mage, after all. I hope we can find Soul Shards on this trip, Julian thought, eager to get stronger and learn new spells.

He could feel his grimoire lingering in the other dimension when he thought about spells. The book had made little changes in the last weeks, only adding a couple of lines of text describing Julian’s improvements in his elemental skills, but nothing more. Since he had seen the face of his grimoire, Julian was eager to speak with it again. The book had presented itself as a blonde, almost angelic being, pure and beautiful. She had displayed great care for Julian’s well-being, even if it was in a passive-aggressive way.

Julian smiled as he thought about how he seemed to have a magnet connecting him to the oddest girls in the world, whether they were shapeshifters, strangers with blue hair, or even a magical book.

“What are you thinking about?” Rayra asked, taking his other side as they walked on the road.

“About how lucky I am,” he said with a smile. She approached him and quickly kissed his lips, not wanting to decelerate their walk.

“You surely are, Baron Julian.” She smiled as she departed from their kiss.

“Are you nervous?”

“Kinda,” she said, sighing and looking at the horizon, “but I’m sure I can make it work with you.”

“Bleerg,” the stranger muttered in front of the group. “Are you guys always so close-knit? I’m about to throw up,” she said without ever looking back.

“We are even closer when we are fighting annoying foes,” Liz replied bitterly, too fast for Julian or Rayra to answer themselves.

The stranger stopped her walk and turned to face Liz, who promptly took three steps toward the blue-haired woman. They were on the verge of a confrontation. Julian was about to drop the crest to the ground and walk toward them when the new group member glanced quickly behind her. When she looked back at the trio, her eyes were wide, and she moved one hand to her back to unsheathe her sword.

“What fucking good timing of yours, pretty lady. Let’s see how good you fight; there’s an invader here.” She pointed at the distance as a dark figure flew towards them.

Chapter Three

“I thought this place was safe,” Julian said, grabbing his chain mail from inside the crest he was carrying and dressing it under his coat and pants. He checked his sword and bracelet, preparing himself to fight whatever creature was coming their way.

“I never said that,” the stranger replied, holding her sword and waiting. “Other people or beings have access to this realm. I never stay very long because when I’m alone, the jumps take little to no time, but traveling with four people is different. The greater the load, the more time it takes to reach the other side. Sometimes, we can find other people, usually someone doing their business and not wanting to interact. That thing that’s flying towards us, however… it wants to kill.”

“Shit,” Julian muttered, striding to the side of the stranger, with Rayra and Liz at his left. “Are you girls ready?”

“Always,” they replied in unison as an arrow was drawn and magic water appeared over Liz’s hands. A shriek echoed through the strange nothingness, the animalistic and angry sound reaching Julian’s ears and almost making him wince at its shrillness. It didn’t seem to be a dragonkin. If it was, it sounded more like a bird than a reptile.

When the creature’s silhouette became more visible, Julian heard its voice. Strangely enough, it wasn’t in the air, but inside his head, and by the other girls' looks, they could hear it too.

“Julian Lionheart! Julian Lionheart!” The voice had a bird-like shriek but was human enough for Julian to realize instantly that the creature was intelligent. “We came for you! The Supreme Lord wants you! The Supreme Lord has your father!”

The creature kept shrieking inside his head, but Julian didn’t bother to reply. He knew his father was a captive under Fenrir’s allies. The creature’s words only showed that the god wasn’t as powerful as he had assumed before. For all Julian could tell, he was a little step ahead of the enemy.

Julian started to gather his arcane energy in his left hand as it formed a small sphere on his palm. It was the size of an eye, and Julian could even throw it in the air and grab it again without risking it exploding. The sphere was perfect, and Julian was sure it could do some damage to the enemy if it struck true. The magic seemed to trigger a response from the creature, who replied inside his head.

“This is your last chance to come willingly. Others are coming for you. I’m just the first.” The creature shrieked once more, and Julian replied by throwing the ball with force towards the enemy. The creature spun in the air, dodging the energy ball. The arcane magic blasted on the monster’s back, hurling the creature towards them. The bright light that emanated from the explosion finally revealed what the creature was.

Julian had heard about those magical animals when he was a kid, and for a long time, he was eager to see one. None of the books mentioned that the creature could speak inside someone’s head or that an evil and ancient god commanded it. Griffons were known to be reclusive magical beasts, always opting to hunt alone and almost never attacking humans. However, this beast rushing towards Julian was ready to strike. Its eagle face had been corrupted. The left eye had a snake slithering out. One end was inside its mouth, and the other was inside the eye socket. Julian couldn’t see either of its ends, but the strange body was moving up and down inside the griffon, who didn’t seem to care.

Its feathers had become black and red instead of brown and white, and the lion's body seemed to be rotten. The creature looked like a dead animal instead of a mighty beast. Even in its decrepit state, the monster’s wings spread far. The griffon was gigantic, at least five times the size of Julian, with pointed fangs and a sharp beak. It didn’t matter if the creature was alive; the beak would cut through his chain mail if it got close enough.

Julian could still feel magic emanating from the monster and knew he would get at least some Soul Shards out of it, which made his heart pump a little faster as the monster kept turning and turning in the air, assessing their group and deciding how it should attack.

“So be it, then. I’ll show your body to the Lord. That might satisfy him,” the creature spoke again inside his head, and Julian could swear he heard it chuckling at the end.

He would end that laugh pretty quickly. The creature descended towards them, and Rayra released a volley of arrows. Many of them hit the target, but the creature didn’t seem to care. A burst of water reached the monster’s beak, and its head turned to the side; however, its legs were still aimed towards Julian. The blue-haired girl stepped back, rolling on the ground and dodging the attack. Only Julian stood his ground to attack directly. His blade whooshed through the air and hit the monster with force as he stepped to the side.

The strike made the creature lose its direction and miss Julian’s head by inches. He saw some blood flying above his head, but the creature didn’t protest. Julian always liked starting a fight with the sword to test his enemies.

The griffon turned in the air, soaring over Julian as if calculating its next move. Julian didn’t wait for the creature to decide what to do. He swiped arcane energy into his left hand and threw it towards the monster’s leg. This time, the creature was prepared, and as the whip whooshed through the air, it dodged the attack, flying to the side, and descended with its beak toward the blue-haired girl beside Julian.

A second of shock passed through Julian’s eyes as he realized the shift in the creature’s direction, and he didn’t even need to dodge the attack with how focused the creature was on murdering the strange girl. When Julian looked in her direction, he saw she was running for her life and holding her sword with both hands, instead of standing to fight.

“What in the Last?!” he proclaimed as he looked over his shoulders and saw both Liz and Rayra shrugging. Julian could hear the woman shouting something as she ran as fast as she could from the creature, which soared over its new target. Everything took mere seconds, but she kept dashing away as the creature flew towards her.

“Let’s do what we’ve tested,” Julian shouted as he approached the running girl. The next second, an arrow flew in the air toward the creature. Julian looked at Liz and saw the water flowing from her hand and flying toward the arrow faster than the projectile. This was Julian’s cue, and he didn’t disappoint.

As they had practiced, he gathered the smallest amount of arcane energy he could and threw it toward the arrow as well. Just as the water enveloped the flying projectile, the arcane magic hit it, making it glow bright with blue energy.

The arrow accelerated even faster, and just as the blue-haired lady tripped and fell to the ground, the griffon above her was struck by the magic projectile. This time, the creature cried to the skies. The sound seemed to fill the void and shake the reality as it hammered on their senses. Julian winced as he forced himself to focus on the monster.

The monster changed its trajectory to the skies and flew high, still crying and screaming as it disappeared into the strange purple firmament. No clouds were above Julian’s head, yet the monster was hidden behind something. The trio rushed to the aid of their new companion as she rolled on the ground with her sword at her side.

Julian felt quite surprised that she hadn’t been able to cut herself with that sword falling beside her.

“Shit… why did I accept this?!” she shouted, dusting off her clothes as she got up. “The end leap isn’t ready yet. Where’s the creature?”

“Over there,” Julian said, pointing at the sky. “We’ll handle it. You don’t need to run.”

“Pff. Are you crazy? Did you see the size of that monster?”

“I saw the size of your sword as well. Why didn’t you strike it?” Julian asked with an eyebrow raised as the monster’s sounds disappeared in the distance.

“I take back what I said. You aren’t crazy. You’re just stupid,” she protested as she got ready to walk away.

“Hold your tongue!” Liz moved towards them, a finger up and a grave expression on her face. Julian stopped her with a smile and an outstretched arm.

“Fighting is the last resort of a survivor. You can play a warrior with that devil in the skies. If you die, I’ll arrive home earlier. I’m continuing on to the exit point,” the stranger said and started running on the brick road.

“Coward,” Liz muttered as she turned her back and looked at the skies, searching for the monster.

Julian kept looking at the girl running away and couldn’t stop himself from feeling sorry for her. When he gazed at his side, he saw a similar look on Rayra’s face. The lord had discovered quickly that Liz could be a little overprotective of her family, which could blind her to others' needs. Rayra, on the other hand, had a more clinical eye like Julian. She stared at Julian’s soul, and he could almost hear her words inside his head.

“She needs help,” was what her eyes were saying, and Julian couldn’t agree more. However, the young baron also needed help. He still had a barony to run, a family to raise, and a god to defeat. The feelings of a stranger could be relegated to a time when he could actually give himself the pleasure to think.

With the monster’s silhouette descending from the skies, the only thing Julian could think about was how to defeat it as fast and cleanly as possible.

“Again, but with more arrows this time,” Julian said, and Rayra started to draw the projectiles and fire them toward the approaching enemy. Doing that technique with several weapons was harder, but it consumed way less energy than a plain arcane blast and much less time than enchanting each arrow one by one. The arrows flew, then the water, and in the end, small balls of arcane magic imbued them with Cerulex’s power.

The creature swirled in the air, dodging several of the projectiles, but not all. Julian saw three of them thrust deep inside the creature’s torso and explode with blue energy. Where they were embedded in the monster, the black fur and feathers crumbled from red to blue, as if Julian's power slowly overwhelmed the corruption inside the creature’s body.

This time, the creature didn’t change its trajectory. It kept flying beak-first toward Julian, not interested anymore in the other girl. The blue energy was clearly weakening its body but not its will. The creature got closer, and Julian saw more details of its grotesque body. It was now clear the real griffon was long dead, and the thing possessing it was just another of Fenrir’s minions. Worms had eaten a good portion of the monster’s head, and the point of its beak was pitch black.

Killing that creature would be, in a way, a mercy strike that Julian could perform. He held his sword at the front of his body and kept looking up, already feeling the blade being enveloped by Liz’s water magic and then by his own enchantment. The blade shone blue, and Julian waited calmly, breathing deeply as he flexed his knees and let the sword rest firmly in his hands.

The monster shrieked louder, and Julian measured its approach. The strike would need to be precise, but it would be enough. His feet slid to the side as he dodged, and his blade rose in a quick and large arc. The sword cut everything it touched: air, feathers, fur, skin, and muscle. Julian aimed at the head and cut perfectly through the snake's middle between the creature’s beak and eye socket as he sliced the monster’s face in half.

His step was precise enough that the creature collided against the ground only inches from Julian’s side. This time it looked dead, like any other animal, the stench of death spreading through the void of the bricked road. The young baron gazed to his side and saw the snake’s body cut in half but still moving.

A voice came from inside the monster’s body. A high-pitched, angry, and painful voice screamed as Julian crouched. He could already feel the monster’s body disintegrating, signaling that it had Soul Shards inside its body.

Julian grabbed the higher part of the snake’s body, as it was the only part moving, and removed it with a sudden and powerful movement. The animal residing inside the griffon wasn’t a snake, or at least not totally a snake. The sticky and scaled body ended not in a reptilian face but in a miniature deformed human’s face. The little voice screamed and screamed, this time not inside Julian’s mind.

“Release me, you wretched human. Let me die in peace!” the little voice pleaded, and Julian released it on the ground, ready to stomp it if needed.

The strange monster tried to move away, but the absence of half its snake body didn’t allow it. It twisted its body from one side to the other, trying to escape. When it finally realized it couldn’t, the monster rolled on the ground and looked directly at Julian’s eyes. The face staring at him was that of a man with big eyes for the size of his head, no brows, no hair, a big nose, and small lips. The creature looked like a caricature of a man, as if Fenrir had tried to create humans but only got this strange homunculus.

“They will come for you, human. If not Father, then General Kael will taste your flesh,” the creature spat as Julian watched its movement becoming slower.

“Who’s that? Your owner?”

“I spit on your insolence, foul creature. Wait and see. The next one will be much more dangerous.”

“I didn’t even sweat with you, monster. When you reach hell, tell your brothers and sisters that after I finish with the ones living, I’ll do my best to destroy your souls as well.”

Upon those words, the creature swallowed dry, life slowly departing its limp body. Julian kept staring into its eyes until there was no light in its gaze. To its left, the griffon body had already dissipated, and three large Soul Shards appeared. Julian was quick to grab them.

“Strong words,” Rayra muttered, getting close to him with Liz at her side.

“They are all too prolific for my taste,” Julian said with a smile as he stepped over the creature’s corpse and walked toward the blue-haired girl, who waited at a distance with her sword already sheathed. “They have even a general now. Do you know anything about it?”

When they both shook their heads negatively, Julian kept walking, wondering what kind of enemy Fenrir’s general would be and why that monster had spoken of this one particularly.

“Thank you for waiting for us to deal with the monster. Is this leap ready, running girl?” Julian smiled but got no response. Instead, the blue-haired girl unsheathed her sword and made the cross sign over the air again, creating a new portal.

“Welcome to my house. Don’t get too comfortable, please,” she said as she entered it.

Chapter Four

“Calling it a house is enough of a compliment,” Julian muttered as he stepped through the portal and dropped the crest with his belongings on the ground.

The place was such a mess of clothes, books, and weapons thrown all over that Julian almost didn’t notice the giant bear in the corner. What surprised Julian the most was the fact that they were obviously underground. No natural light was coming into the place, and no door was on any side. They were in a strange circular corridor that seemed to expand endlessly in both directions.

“Where in the Last are we?” he asked, his eyes darting through the place, only illuminated by a few dim lamp lights.

“Under the capital, of course.”

“Under? Like in the sewers?”

“Is that important?” the blue-haired girl protested, pointing at and making Julian focus on Ranabi lying on the ground. “The place is clean enough, and your giant bear is right there.”

She sighed and moved to the shadows of one of the walls, already moving things from one side to the other. She was upset that her home wasn’t the way she envisioned it, and their presence there wasn’t improving it. She hadn’t planned on visitors. Julian released his own sigh as he moved toward the bear.

Liz and Rayra were already kneeling beside the god. Rayra caressed her fur close to her eyes as she gently tried communicating with Ranabi. The elder god seemed to be sleeping or in a trance, and Rayra’s eyes became moist as she looked at Julian with a pleading gaze.

Unfortunately, the young baron didn’t know how to wake up a god. Still, he moved toward his loved ones and crouched at their side.

“She’s dying,” Rayra stated, now avoiding Julian’s eyes as a tear finally dropped.

“Are you sure?” He moved one hand to her shoulder, and Liz did the same.

He waited in silence for a couple of seconds, waiting for Rayra’s answer. Instead, a grave voice came from below, loud but weak.

“My daughter is right, Julian Lionheart. I’m weaker than I thought I would be.”

Julian glanced down and saw the bear’s eyes looking up. Her head was still glued to the floor. The god had no strength even to move a little part of its body.

“What can I do for you, goddess?” Rayra asked, moving her head close to hers. Julian made space for them and gently grabbed Liz by the hand.

“I don’t think there’s something anyone could do for me, darling,” Ranabi coughed and threatened to chuckle but clearly had no strength left to do so. “Maybe Cerulex if he was still around. Even damned Fenrir could save me if he wanted to.”

They let the words hang in the air as the knowledge of her situation dawned on them.

“I’m sorry. At least I saved your lives in the end.” Her voice tinged with sorrow echoed through the strange corridors as Julian felt Rayra’s heart pang. “I’ll ensure that some of your brothers and sisters know what happened. You’ll be able to return home, and I’ll finally rest.”

“What do you mean? If you’re going to die, I don’t want it! We’ll find another way,” Rayra protested, firmly grabbing the bear’s fur.

“There’s no other way,” the god replied.

“There must be! We’ll make Fenrir save you.”

“No, daughter…. You’ll enjoy life while you still can. Soon, he’ll overcome the world. It will be slow at first, but in the end, he’ll control everything. You’ll have some years left, maybe a decade, to see your son grow.”

“I’ll not settle for a decade, Ranabi. I want to grow old beside Julian and Liz. We’ll fix this,” she pleaded, but the god’s eyes showed no sign of changing her mind.

As the silence prolonged, an idea started forming inside Julian’s head. He stepped towards the god with a finger pointed at her.

“There’s a way. Right?” he asked, and the god remained silent. “As someone who was obliged to say the truth for millennia, it’s not a surprise that you’re such a terrible liar.” Julian chuckled as he crouched at Rayra’s side again. She finally had the semblance of a smile on her face as he held one of her hands.

“There’s a chance, a small one⁠—”

“I knew it!”

“But it’s too dangerous.”

“Dangerous will be living in a world where all races are hated by their ultimate ruler. Spit it out, Ranabi. We have an appointment with the princess.”

“I’m not accustomed to people talking like that to me,” the god protested but decided against pursuing that train of thought. “Fenrir can save me, even if indirectly. I can consume one of his Soul Shards and heal myself.”

“And that would inevitably weaken him, even if not directly.”

“Yes,” Liz said, already forming a smile. “We just need to bring the shard here.”

“That will not be easy. One of the shards is at the Holy Isles, and I can feel his presence lingering. If you try to find it, you’ll walk into the lion’s den.”

“Holy Isles? You mean the Twelve Isles?”

“They weren’t always twelve, but yes,” the god replied between coughs as she was finally able to adjust her face on the ground, eliciting a grunt of pain from deep inside her lungs.

“We’re already going to those Isles anyway. My father is there, and I’m going to rescue him,” Julian said, already moving up. “We have nothing to discuss anymore. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll return with this shard.”

“Your optimism is captivating, Julian Lionheart. Still, the reality is quite different. You’ll need a proper receptacle to gather the shard.”

“And where do I find it?”

“With Fenrir, of course. At best, it will be with one of his most powerful minions that were locked up inside the other mirror realms. Only a Golden Box made of Soul Fabric can hold down a Soul Shard without consuming its bearer or with the bearer consuming it.”

“Nothing you’re saying is going to dissuade us, Ranabi.”

“It should’ve. Fenrir was about to kill all of you if I hadn’t intervened the last time.”

“We’re stronger now.”

“I can see that, but not enough yet. Let me bestow upon you a little knowledge,” she said as her paw moved from the side of her body and slowly lifted toward him.

“Are you going to die for this?” Julian asked reluctantly.

“No, fool,” she said as she outstretched her arm and touched his forehead with the point of one of her claws. In any other situation, he’d be worried about the claw scratching his face, but as soon as she touched his skin, he felt a rush of energy.

“I don’t feel particularly wiser.”

“Because you aren’t. Your grimoire learns before you. Read it later, and you’ll be more prepared to face Fenrir or his generals.”

“Right, we can do this.”

“Yes, I’m starting to believe it isn’t impossible.”

“She did the touching thing with you, didn’t she? That was nice,” the blue-haired girl chimed in, crossing her arms and standing at their side. “Now that you’ve finished your little chat, please leave.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Julian replied with a smile as he got up. “Let’s go, girls. We have to save the world.”

“Wait,” Ranabi said as her eyes darted toward the blue-haired girl, who stared back at the god in defiance.

“What?!” she asked.

“You’ll have to go with them.”

“No way!” Liz protested, which elicited a smile from both Julian and Rayra.

“No fucking way, indeed! That was not what we agreed on. I would bring them here, and you would give me what I want. You promised!”

“I know what I promised, little one. Still, if they’re going to try to stop Fenrir and heal me, I can’t help you yet. That would be the same as accelerating the fading of my powers. Go with them; your abilities will be necessary inside the Isles and to get back here quickly. You will get what you desire even if they are unsuccessful. If they are, then your reward will be greater.”

“You lied to me! How can I be so stupid? This is the millionth time this has happened!” the girl shouted, and Julian could hear a gulp forming inside her throat. She felt betrayed, and Julian could sympathize with that.

“I didn’t, darling. The situation was different. I’m sorry. Please, understand me. I’ll do what I promised and give back what was taken from you. Accompany them and bring them back.”

The girl stared at the god with angry eyes for seconds that seemed to last an eternity before responding, “I’ll not fight. I’ll not kill. I’ll be safe the whole time away from their fighting and expect nothing more. If you die, I’ll head back home.”

“That’s so brave of you,” Julian replied.

“I don’t need to be brave. I need to be alive. Understood?”

“Understood,” he replied, and she instantly turned her back and started stashing clothes and equipment inside a satchel.

“She has more in common with you than you imagine, Julian.” Then, the bear stared at Liz, who still seemed angry with their new companion’s ways. “Give her a chance as well, Liz. I didn’t choose her by chance,” the bear muttered just for them to hear.

“The thing is, Ranabi, with all due respect, I don’t value most of your life choices,” Julian said defiantly, and the god smiled at that.

“Fair enough. Now leave and let me slumber. That’ll probably be the only way I can survive until your return.”

Chapter Five

The way out of the sewers was longer than Julian anticipated. He soon discovered that the part where the blue-haired girl lived was the clean part of the place, probably because she made it that way. Soon, they had to dodge the place's rats and filth. She explained they were taking an alternative route, a cleaner one that would lead them directly to the edge of the royal district.

“Why the hell do you live in this place?” Julian asked as a rat ran between his legs and rushed into the darkness of the corridor.

“Because I love sewers, rats, spiders, and filth, of course, Baron Julian Lionheart,” the girl replied ironically, eliciting a smile from Rayra and a grimace from Liz.

“Come on, if we’re about to embark on an adventure together, I need to know more about you,” Julian insisted, ignoring her demeanor and focusing on making their dynamic work somehow.

“You don’t,” she replied, leading the way. It looked like she would remain silent for a couple of seconds, but she finally sighed and looked over her shoulder. “Fine. If you want to know my name, it’s Thalia, and I live here because dangerous people want my head on a stick in the streets above us.”

“And why do you keep living in the capital, then?”

This time, she didn’t reply, and Julian considered that was an answer she wasn’t ready to give. In a way, the girl reminded Julian of Rayra when they met each other before all the mess with the gods had begun. Still, contrary to the beastfolk, Thalia seemed more prone to hide behind humor and irony and was much more closed off to his approach.

Rayra hid her scars well beneath her stoicism; Thalia, on the other hand, couldn’t hide that she was hurt by something only she, and maybe Ranabi, knew about.

“We’re close,” the blue-haired girl said as she turned a corner. In the distance, Julian could see sunlight entering the ceiling through tiny holes. “There’s a ladder there. We’ll be at the edge of the royal district, but it isn’t completely safe. Be aware and follow me all the time.”

They all nodded as they followed her through the corridor and then climbed the ladder fixed to the wall.

“Thanks to the Last, we’re getting out of this hell. Have you ever visited the capital before, Rayra?”

“It’ll be my first time. Sometimes, I wished my clues had led me here, but they never did. I wonder why they call it the flying pearl.”

Before Julian could reply, he heard something move above his head, and the sunlight entered with force through a small hole. The contrast almost made Thalia’s face unrecognizable as he recognized her at the top of the ladder. Still, he could see a smile blossoming on her face.

“You’ll discover pretty soon,” Thalia said as she climbed out from the hole onto the ground, followed by Julian, Rayra, and Liz.

When Julian’s eyes finally adjusted to the new light, he searched his surroundings. They were in the middle of a commercial district, crowded with people elbowing each other and dodging the group that had erupted from the ground as if they were nothing.

Julian saw people from all races on the road, smelled various fruits, and gazed upon the most varied store signs. Still, he couldn’t see why this city would be called a pearl. Until he realized the sun wasn’t hitting them directly. There was a massive shadow covering the whole district. He gazed towards the girls and saw all of them looking up, and when his eyes followed theirs, his jaw almost dropped.

In the skies above their heads, dozens of pristine, shiny white castles soared in the firmament. Julian could see what seemed to be platforms connecting the strange buildings. His hands involuntarily moved up, and Thalia spoke as if reading his mind.

“Those are the streets of the royal district. That’s another spectacle of its own.”

“How?” It was all Julian could ask. He had seen lots of magical places and had been impressed by the architecture inside the mirror realm, but nothing could compare to the beauty of the flying castles.

“No one knows. Legend says that a source of magic keeps the buildings in place. Some believe a great disturbance of mana happened here before, a fight between beings so powerful that the ground was forever imbued with their mana,” she said, and Julian could hear something in her voice—was it pride? “There’s close to no record about it, but for a long time, the place was just a piece of the ground flying in the skies until the First King decided to study it. Some say he flew and teleported toward the ground and the platforms, bringing engineers, wise men, and women to help construct the castles above.”

That made Julian and the girls trade glances. Was the First King of Men an Arcane Lord like Julian? The Silverhold’s guildmaster had alerted the young baron that flying and teleportation could eventually be some of his powers.

“Why didn’t we know anything about it? None of my tutors said anything about a good part of the city flying in the skies.”

“There’s an unspoken rule that people from here don’t speak about it. One or another tale about folks dying after sharing information about the flying pearl definitely helped as well. The First King created the most peculiar legends to keep secrecy over his powers and the kingdom. Of course, Princess Anasthasia’s closest enemies are well aware, but it can be a valuable asset against unknowing enemies.”

“I can see that place not being that secure against a certain kind of enemy,” Julian muttered as his eyes inspected the whole place. Gazing at it from below was impressive. However, most of what he could see were the lower parts of buildings, platforms connecting them, and other parts that looked like tiny mountains flying through the air.

“Are you speaking about the griffon from before? That would never stand against the Royal Guard! They are prepared to deal with that kind of enemy,” Thalia said with an inquisitive glare as if Julian doubted the princess’s capabilities to defend her castle. Ignorance can be a blessing, he thought as he gently smiled.

“That makes me feel way calmer,” Julian replied while the imagery of all sorts of dragonkin flying toward the capital flooded his mind. “And how do we get up there?”

“Using the elevator, of course,” Thalia said, turning her back and pointing at the end of the street, where Julian could see ropes falling from the skies, visibly connected to something behind the crowd on the streets. Thalia’s gaze changed fast from the rope’s direction to them again, but now her eyes were full of real terror.

“Shit! We have to run!” She said as she moved in the other direction with fast steps. Julian gripped her arm while he searched for what she had seen in the crowd.

“That’s not the way to the castle,” Julian said. “From whom are you running?”

“Danger,” she replied, releasing her arm as she threatened to keep walking. “Please, follow me. I know other ways.”

“Rayra, scout the threats. Liz, get on her side and make sure she’s not fooling us to get away,” Julian said, halting and letting them move to the front. He would keep a few steps behind to be prepared to fight a lurking foe.

“I’m not lying!” Thalia sighed and then started walking, but then she stopped and looked into Julian’s and Rayra’s eyes. “Please, don’t use magic. You’ll attract the trackers.”

“Who?”

“Just don’t use it! One of the gangs will capture us, and your chances of making it to the princess will be slim to none. Not to mention, they’ll kill me. Follow me, and I’ll show you the way,” she replied and started moving fast with Liz at her side.

Julian nodded to Rayra, who went in the other direction. Already moving and blending with the crowd, Julian kept walking, with one eye on the girls in front of him and the other on the threats that could be lurking among the people on the streets.

The sounds became loud as Julian’s senses became sharper. He let the mana flow rapidly through his body as he walked. He wasn’t sure if that increased his ability to perceive the world, but every time he needed to pay more attention to something, mana seemed to help. Changing his breathing pattern to accommodate that mana flow didn’t expend any energy, so he was sure any tracker in the crowd wouldn’t be able to sense him. Unless they came really close and could see his aura, the same way he could distinguish a mage from a non-mage if they were side by side.

Still, he couldn’t sense danger or see anything particularly different about the people surrounding them. Goblins were the prominent vendors on the side of the streets, and they were way more interested in their sales. Elves were also amidst the crowd, some doing the sales but most buying things or contemplating the city. Humans were the majority, going on with their lives, walking to their jobs, eating food, or working. Strangely enough, Julian couldn’t see anyone using magic. Was it because of the trackers Thalia had told them about?

Julian’s eyes fixated on a group of orcs walking on the sidewalk to his right. They were all using hoods and moving at the same speed as Julian. Their clothing wasn’t good enough to hide their tusks beneath the shadows, which occasionally shone against the sun's light. The young man had seen orcs a few times in his life, but their figure left an impression on him. He would bet his coins on those orcs if someone were about to attack them. With the animosity between the princess and the orcs of the Twelve Isles, the chances of them being attacked could be even higher. Had they discovered their plans of infiltration? Was this a calculated measure to ensure Fenrir’s plans would work?

Thalia turned a corner, and Julian followed, his mind full of thoughts but his senses sharp enough to keep on the trail. As he walked, he felt someone bumping against him. The person’s face hit him above the waist and they almost fell to the ground.

“Sorry, sir.” A teen voice came from behind the hood they wore. Julian gazed towards the stranger’s eyes and felt the magical aura around his head. Julian could now see it was a young mage. The teen seemed to recognize Julian as a mage as well. The boy got up fast, almost falling again. “Please, don’t tell the trackers. I’m joining the Twin Snakes, I promise.”

The next thing Julian saw was the boy running through the crowd, trying not to bump into other people but failing. Julian’s eyes followed him for a few seconds before deciding to search for the orcs from before. His eyes hunted for the group of orcs, only to realize they had disappeared. Did they keep walking straight? Julian asked himself as the girls entered an alley with fast steps.

Julian followed, removing himself from the street and constantly looking behind his shoulder. He could feel the tension in the air. There was no sign of Rayra catching up with them. Come on... where are you? Julian wondered if he was curious about Rayra’s whereabouts or anxious for the enemy to jump on them already.

Julian turned his attention back to the girls just in time to hear the sound above them. A clicking noise erupted from one of the buildings at their side, and Julian’s eyes fired toward the direction. His eyes inspected the roof thoroughly, and a figure fell from above as he finally caught a glimpse of something shining against the sun.

“Arrrghh!” The scream of surprise was quickly muffled by the sound of the body crashing against the ground. Julian heard bones breaking as Rayra stepped from above the grunting foe.

The red-haired kitsune had hurled herself with the pursuer to the ground, landing on the person to cushion her fall. By his body lay a strange device. Metallic and with a long barrel, it looked like the weapon Julian had seen on the roof, but he wasn’t sure how it worked.

“Get to cover! There are more of the bastards!” Rayra said, moving towards the sidewalk wall, searching for an entrance to one of the nearby buildings.

Even surprised by the sudden appearance of Rayra, Liz moved her hand to Thalia and brought her to the other side of the street. The water mage kept her dagger up in one hand, her eyes searching for signs of enemies.

“Where?” Julian asked as he approached Rayra, his eyes scanning the roof above for enemies.

“Two above. The one I dropped was about to use that strange weapon. As soon as I heard a clicking sound, I jumped on him. The others were searching for an angle.”

“Who are they? Orcs?” Julian asked, looking at the body on the ground, tempted to move towards it and inspect its features but wary of an attack coming from the roof.

“They were all hooded, but they didn’t smell like orcs. I can deal with them if I turn into a fox⁠—”

“No, let’s not create more problems,” Julian hushed as he sharpened his hearing. “One of them is just above us. I’ll enchant an arrow, and you… Shit!” He had been a mage for not long, and only now did he realize how much he had become reliant on his arcane magic. He would need to return to the basics to deal with these foes.

Think, Julian... Think.

The young baron stretched his head and looked to the end of the alley. In the way they had come, he could see the street still crowded with people nonchalantly minding their own business, oblivious to the ambush they were dealing with right now. Another muddy and dark corridor awaited them at the other end of the alley. Getting back to the street seemed like the smarter choice, but at the same time, if there were enemies there, they would be now ready to fight Julian’s group.

If only Liz could throw him on the roof with a geyser, he would deal with the enemy in no time. Except he wouldn’t have the time to find a way to the roof.

From a window several feet away ahead in the alley, a figure leaped and dropped to the ground, then was followed by a second and a third one. The three foes wore similar attire: green hoods and capes almost touching the ground, black and green shirts—with an insignia of two snakes intertwined adorning their right pec—white trousers, and leather sandals. Their outfit was simple, but it looked perfectly aligned and clean. They looked more like enforcers of the law or fashionistas than ill-intended criminals.

Except that when they removed their hoods, their smiles were replete with wicked disdain. With their perfect white teeth and almost translucent skin, the strange aggressors looked exactly like porcelain dolls, except the three men before Julian weren’t men or orcs. Oddly enough, the elves, known for their nobility and sense of justice, were the ones waiting for them at the end of the alley.

Julian saw the glimmer of recognition in the leader’s purple eyes as he gazed upon Thalia.

“Who are your friends, sis?” the elf pointed toward Julian and the girls as he asked the question, making Julian blink twice as he realized the foe had a dagger at hand. A second before, he had none.

“They’re not my friends, and that’s not your business, Lok,” Thalia snorted angrily, but Julian could see her feet moving slowly backward. The elf before her could be her brother, but he terrified her.

“Your whereabouts are pretty much my only business nowadays, little sister. I’m just sad more innocent people will get hurt because of your irresponsibility,” the elf darted his eyes toward Julian, Rayra, and Liz as he feigned sadness, but he couldn’t fool a child with that sick display. “I still remember the screams⁠—”

“Shut up!” Thalia snapped, saliva jumping from her mouth as the words were shot at the elf, like arrows. He raised one hand to his heart, surprised by the sudden reaction.

“I’m sorry, Thalia. I didn’t know they were that important to you,” he said almost gently, moving towards them one step at a time. "Now I feel even better that they're dead," he said, flashing a wicked smile so sinister it seemed capable of dripping poison.

That was the last straw.

Julian had no idea what had happened between them, but he could recognize cruelty when he saw it. Those purple eyes were full of it. No matter what Thalia had done, what that man would do was clearly worse. And Julian wasn’t going to allow that.

He grabbed the hilt of his sword with a firm grip as he felt the cobbled ground under his boot. The alley was narrow, humid, and dark with the Flying Pearl’s shadow casting against the muddy walls. Still, Julian felt a gush of wind when he rushed towards the enemy. His speed caught the elf by surprise. He was probably thinking about doing something similar, but the speed of an Arcane Lord trained for years at the Iron Fist academy wasn’t something to expect.

Julian’s blade cut the air close to the enemy’s neck, who dodged it by mere inches. He could almost see the time stopping as the perfect move saved the elf’s life. As Julian prepared a second strike, the three elves before him were pushed away. It was like the wind itself moved them to safety. Their feet were still on the ground, but they slid on it like skaters on ice.

The young baron stopped his second movement as he analyzed the enemy. They were fast and clearly knew how to use magic. Julian saw a glimmer of light beneath their shirts where their bracelets stood. His body called for him to use his arcane magic. No matter how fast they were, Julian’s whip would tear them apart in no time. He searched for Thalia’s eyes but found only terror there.

“Why don’t you use your bracelet’s magic?” the elf said, enlarging his smile.

Julian wouldn’t give him an answer. If he is taunting me to use magic, he knows the rest of the gang will appear to take us out. Whoever these trackers were, Thalia considered them strong enough to impede their quest to the Royal Quarters so that it would be like the old times. Fist and sword would do.

The enemy was prepared this time, and as Julian swung his blade, he dodged to the side, sliding on the ground and coming close to the sidewalk. The other two elves didn’t repeat his movement; instead, they rushed toward the girls behind Julian. He knew Rayra and Liz could handle two enemies, so his eyes didn’t move from the enemy before him. The elf seemed to notice it and smiled.

“I like your confidence. Let’s see how that feels when you’re falling from the sky.”

“What in the⁠—”

Before Julian could say anything else, he felt something pushing his feet from the ground as if someone were trying to lift him using pure force. He lost his balance and almost fell, but he managed to step ahead and feel the firm ground again. For some reason, the elf looked surprised by Julian’s action.

Still, when he tried to take another step toward the enemy, the force beneath pushed him again, this time with much more strength. Julian saw the bracelet under the elf’s shirt shining with blue light as he was hurled into the sky. Not even close to the elegant slide the elves performed in the alley, he was thrown into the air like a kid throwing a toy, expecting it not to break. The enemy, however, seemed delighted with the idea of Julian suffering because he could see the smile on Lok’s face as the air whooshed over his ears.

This was far from the most dangerous situation Julian had been in before. Still, it felt terrible not to have control over his movements. He saw the building’s windows as he went up and up. He would be as doomed as the first enemy Rayra had intercepted if he fell from that height. That was why Julian’s hand searched for something to hold on to. He tried one window, then another, then the cobbled stones that made the capital's buildings. None held him.

He felt his hands sore and getting hurt as he tried to grab anything. The blue sky grew bigger and bigger with each foot he went up. When the last window appeared on the last floor of the building, Julian stretched his hand as far as he could. He grabbed the window ledge, but the force beneath him became stronger. The force pushed him violently, and the window ledge cracked, leaving Julian holding a piece of it as he continued rising.

The young baron suppressed a scream. He had no time to feel pain; he had to survive. As he felt the sun hitting his clothes and skin, as he approached the roof of the building. He hurled his sword away onto the roof of the building and outstretched both hands.

His fingers connected with the building’s edge, and he grabbed it with all the force he could muster. The stone bruised his palms as the force below him grew. Julian knew very well there was no such thing as an eternal spell. As long as he kept holding on, the elf beneath him would eventually lose strength or deploy the spell altogether before using it again. He just needed to hold on a little longer.

Julian’s eyes darted to the alley as he felt the sweat escaping his forehead and falling to the ground several feet below. Down there, the elf held one hand up into the sky as if he were holding something with immense difficulty above his head.

C’mon... release me! Julian screamed internally as he gritted his teeth and grunted as the grip became harder to hold. Julian could feel sweat profusely escaping his palms, and the salt hurt his bruises. He wasn’t going to hold for much longer. Release me, fucker!

The gush of wind ceased, and Julian almost plummeted. His instincts saved him as his grip became firmer at the last second. His body crashed against the side of the building, and the air escaped his lungs. Julian felt dazed as he tried to muster the strength to climb to the roof. He would need to be fast, or the enemy would throw another one of those devastating spells towards him, and this time, there wouldn’t be any building for him to latch on to.

With his heart pounding against his chest and his fingers threatening to cramp, Julian lifted himself inch by inch to the roof, just in time to feel a gush of wind whooshing where he had been seconds before. He collapsed on the rooftop and breathed deeply as his heart slowed down.

“I’m getting tired of this,” Julian muttered as he analyzed the roof. The place was completely flat and covered with small rocks in its whole extension. There were crates piled close to the corner near him and a door on the rooftop at the far side of the roof, probably leading to the exit. Julian crawled towards the edge of the roof and peeked down. He saw his companions fighting while Thalia ran to the end of the corridor. Right below Julian, the strange elf seemed to be totally concentrated on the young baron’s position. It was probably hard for the enemy to detect Julian as he tried to see against the sunlight, which gave Julian enough time to think about a solution.

He trusted his women to deal with the attackers down there. He could use some extra moments to defeat the enemy in the smartest way possible. He could find a way down back to the fight, but without his powers, he would only be thrown away again. However, if he fought the elf face to face on the roof, he would surely die.

Before deciding to try his luck on the street below again, Julian peeked again just to see the elf slowly soaring in the sky and heading directly toward his position. He hadn’t seemed to see Julian, but the baron refrained anyway. He had no time to come up with a plan. If he ran to the small door on the opposite side, the enemy would reach him first, and Julian would take a trip to the heavens with no ticket to return to the ground—at least not alive.

He would need to fight but do it smartly.

Julian got up as fast and silently as he could and moved to the back of the crates in the corner of the roof, taking care not to move the pebbles on the rooftop too much. He slowed his breath to the lowest possible and waited, with one hand on the wooden object and the other on the pommel of his sword, his hearing attentive to every movement on the other end. Fighting like this didn’t please Julian, but he would do what needed to be done to survive. The smug elf deserved the outcome Julian had prepared for him.

Soon enough, he heard the sound of feet crashing gently against the small rocks on the ground. Each step echoed louder inside Julian’s ears. The movements were calm and precise. The enemy had no rush, as did Julian.

“You know, she always finds a way to allure people into her mess. I can’t understand what you all see in her.” The elf had disgust in his voice. If he was Thalia’s brother, they had a deep and open scar in their relationship, which didn’t justify how he treated her in the alley. “Doesn’t matter. You’re just a coward like all the other friends of hers. Hiding behind crates as if you’re not facing a Knot of the Twin Snakes.” The elf snorted as his steps got closer and closer to Julian’s position. The baron breathed deeply, preparing himself to act. The enemy was almost in position. “You almost fooled me with your courageous display back in the alley. Coming up here may have opened a window for my sister to escape again, but I thought fighting would be worth it… only to find you… hidden.”

Julian could feel Lok’s hands traveling through the crates on the other side, slowly approaching one end of the pile of objects. He started to count the enemy’s steps—two more, and he would be in position.

“Your mana core is the heaviest I’ve ever seen. I’m curious to see if you’ll just get smashed like everyone else when you fall face-first on the ground,” the elf muttered as Julian watched his thin fingers appear over the crates’ edge.

“Here you are!” Lok screamed, showing his wicked smile at the corner of the crates.

Julian wasted no time and threw his weight against the wall of crates. He was strong enough to topple it in a single movement and watch them crash over the enemy’s body. Still, the elf was fast, and with a gush of wind to aid him, he dodged to the side.

Julian’s feet moved fast; like a dancer, he slid on the pebbles and swung his blade in a small but precise arc. The elf was exactly where Julian wanted him to be. With the crates falling to one side, the enemy could only move to the side, just within the reach of Julian’s sword.

Surprise flooded Lok’s face as Julian’s blade traveled to hit his body. Julian wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to hit a vital organ, but he didn’t need to do that. He only needed to hit the enemy’s left arm just above his bracelet.

The skin and flesh cut like butter. His sword slashed through the elf’s arm with extraordinary speed. Julian could almost hear the fabric of his body tearing as the blade traveled its way. When he completed the movement, half of the elf’s arm was hanging by a fine muscle and skin thread.

Julian watched as the enemy’s eyes grew more prominent, and the bracelet on that arm shone with light. Shit, he can still do magic? Julian thought as he prepared to attack again, but before he could do anything, a blast of air erupted from the elf’s hand, and he went flying up into the air.

To Lok’s shock, he was not intending to do that. Julian was the target, but the poor connection between the user and the bracelet prevented magic from working as intended. Julian knew there was a way to use magic without a bracelet, but to do that, one should be imbued with liquid mana, and Lok probably didn’t even know of its existence.

Julian walked over to the fallen crates and watched Lok fly through the skies in the strangest patterns. The well-dressed elf looked like a majestic kite driven by the most senile person imaginable.

“Help!” Lok screamed at the top of his lungs. “Someone, catch me!”

The scene was picturesque enough to catch Julian’s attention for a couple more seconds. Morbid curiosity wanted to be resolved. Is he going to crash against a building or the ground? Julian mused before shrugging and rushing towards the small door at the far end of the roof.

He could still hear Lok’s screams as he descended the ladder and accessed what seemed to be an intricate building with quadrangular corridors connected by a staircase that led to the ground.

Julian rushed down the steps, and after a couple of minutes, he was back in the alley again. The first fallen enemy was still on the ground, and close to it was another one drowned in a pool of his blood. More crimson marks were scattered over the ground, but none of his companions could be seen. He couldn’t see or hear Lok’s screams in the skies over the alley anymore.

“Liz?! Rayra?!” Julian shouted and moved towards the end of the corridor.

“Here!” a muffled voice called, and he searched both sides but saw no one. “Here, Julian!”

He discerned Liz’s voice coming from his right side and strode towards it. The voice was coming from inside a window. In a glance, Julian saw Rayra inside, crouched beside Thalia. The place was dark and seemed to be abandoned.

“Let’s go, I dealt with the bossy one. We need to move before they come back.”

“Join us.” Liz waved one hand for him to jump over the wooden window.

“Why? Didn’t you listen? We need to go,” Julian said, already taking a step toward the end of the alley.

“She said we need to stay here. They’re coming.”

“One more reason for us to leave.”

“If you still want to be able to fulfill your mission, get in here!” Thalia called from inside the building. Her watery eyes and desperate voice were enough to convince him.

“All right,” he said as he entered the place, and Liz carefully closed the window. Cracks in the wood allowed light to enter the room, making the place look even more eerie. Julian started moving towards the girls when Thalia’s urgent voice interrupted him.

“Stop! Don’t move! They’re here.”

Chapter Six

Julian turned his head towards the closed window and back to Thalia. The girl had the semblance of the condemned. If she was scared of her brother, she was deeply horrified by these trackers.

“Please, don’t,” she mouthed without saying the words.

Julian breathed deeply and halted. He was standing with his side to the window, and when he turned his head, one of the cracks was directly on his left eye. He couldn’t see clearly into the alley, but he could most definitely hear the sound of two figures dropping to the ground.

The noise reverberated through the alley and made the wooden window tremble. The sound and movement were imperceptible, but they made the young baron fear for their position to be revealed, nonetheless.

Fortunately for them, the two figures arrived with another that couldn’t stop his mouth from mumbling.

“They were here, masters! I swear! We fought Thalia and two other girls while Knot Lok was after a third one.” The voice was full of despair and anxiety. Julian felt a shiver run through his neck. Even the members of their organization were afraid of these trackers.

Julian closed one eye and adjusted his head position, trying to grasp any parts of the alley. After a couple of seconds, he was finally able to see them.

A few steps away from the building, two immense men stood. They were at least seven feet tall and dressed entirely in dark green robes, covering their whole bodies except for their hands, which were full of intricate white tattoos. One of the men had his face turned directly at Julian’s position. He tried to discern his features, only to discover the tracker wore a golden mask shaped like a snake. The adornment was magnificent and horrifying at the same time. The mask had two immense fangs protruding from the mouth and only two holes in the eyes, making Julian wonder how they were breathing under that.

The elf on the ground was one of Lok’s companions, as Julian had assumed. He kneeled to the ground with his head shoved against the alley as if he wanted to drown in the cobblestones. He kept mumbling words non-stop as if his life depended on it. Still, the trackers said nothing. They just stood there as if watching the most pathetic display of their lives.

That man had just tried to harm him and his companions, and still, that scene scratched Julian’s sense of justice. The power dynamic was too unbalanced for him to enjoy the scene.

One of the trackers crouched before the elf and moved his chin up. Whatever he saw when looking into the masked man’s eyes made his horror fade away. The elf’s eyes stared deep inside the mask as he described everything that had happened in the alley.

“Tell me again,” a grave and muffled voice came from behind the snake’s mask, and Julian heard the elf swallow hard and start retelling the story.

“Again.” The tracker asked, making the elf’s eyes water profusely. He was probably wondering what he needed to say to satisfy them, not caring anymore if he needed to tell the truth.

When the elf told the same story for the third time, the tracker released his face and got up quickly. The duo walked the whole alley, inspecting the bodies and the trails of blood on the ground.

They spent several minutes analyzing the place before returning to the elf.

“Are you sure they didn’t use magic?” one of the deep voices asked.

“Yes, master.”

The duo exchanged glances for a while, and their rushed voices echoed through the alley. They spoke a different language that Julian didn’t recognize, but that made the elf cry again.

After a few minutes, one grabbed the elf by the shoulders and lifted him.

“The Twin Snakes are grateful for your services. We’ll not require your services anymore. Your family will receive your retirement, and you’ll not be disgraced,” the voice said politely.

The elf before him changed his expression. There was no more fear in the man’s face or even sadness. He was resolute, as some tend to become in the end. The tracker moved his hand to the mask and removed it. Julian couldn’t see his face, but the elf saw, and in that moment, his eyes flickered, and for one second, he had fear again in his complexion.

“It’ll end soon,” the voice behind the elf called, and then the oddest thing happened.

Julian saw the elf’s eyes roll to the back of his head and blue mist leave his body as his jaw stood wide open. The blue hue traveled from the elf directly to the tracker’s mouth. Firstly, it was slow, and then it became faster.

With every second, the elf seemed to dry out like a leaf in autumn. His skin became thin as paper and wrinkled as an elder. His lips shattered into several pieces, and his eyes dried out. It was like watching someone age at immense speed. The tracker wasn’t just sucking mana out of his body; he was draining life itself. Julian closed his eyes, not wanting to witness it anymore.

When he opened them again, the man was no more. His clothes were on the ground, and any trace of his existence couldn’t be found. That sent a shiver down his spine. That was how powerful these enemies were.

They had somehow bent the man to their volition and dried him out. Julian watched the tracker put back his mask and stare at his companion.

“Let’s go,” the one who had eaten said, starting to move. “There’s no track here.”

“Wait,” the other one said and started moving towards Julian's building. His heart raced against his chest, and his hand grabbed the sword's pommel with a firm grip. Julian felt sweat dripping down his forehead with every step of the tracker. The enemy halted in front of the window and seemed to smell it.

Julian saw the tracker get past some of the cracks and stop. Was he looking through?

“What?” the other tracker asked.

“I think I heard something.”

He stayed there for excruciating seconds. Julian looked at the girls and saw all of them grasping their weapons, except for Thalia, who had the same expression as the dead man from the alley. She believed that if they entered the room, she would be as good as dead.

Julian saw the hand moving towards the window, and a loud squeal came from beneath the window. A rat ran between Liz’s legs to the room's end and exited to the alley via a small hole in the corner.

“It’s just a rat. Let’s go,” the first one said impatiently, and the second seemed to consider whether he would abide.

“Right,” he finally said, and Julian watched him turn his back to the window, flex his knees, and jump into the air. He didn’t seem to fly or be driven by the air; he had just jumped with immense force. Soon, his companion followed him, and Julian released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Chapter Seven

They waited several seconds before words were finally spoken inside the room. Fear was a word too heavy to describe what he was feeling, but it was close enough. Julian was confident in his powers and physical prowess, yet those two men had an eerie and powerful aura around them. Their power to absorb life energy resembled Fenrir’s but seemed more direct than the corruption applied by the evil god.

Something inside the dead elf’s eyes had told Julian they weren’t merely intimidating him with their presence. There was some magic easing the horrified man’s senses.

With those thoughts in mind, Julian was the first to speak.

“These are the trackers, then?” he asked, crouching before Thalia, who was slowly becoming less pale and distant.

“Yes. Now you understand why I was afraid?”

“Not exactly. Why didn’t you run before? They almost found our location.”

Thalia immediately started to shake her head negatively, as if Julian were a child who thought two plus two was five.

“That’s what most people don’t get. Sometimes, trackers can smell your mana even if you don’t use magic. Staying close to the alley, in one way or another, neutralized our tracks. If we moved and left just a trace of magic, they could find us. Since we bled and fought in this alley, our smells were concentrated here… we were in the safest place in the city now. That’s how I’ve been hiding all this time. Do you think I live in the sewers because I like it? My room is just beneath the Twin Snakes' headquarters; my magic easily camouflages under them, and the trackers never found me. Now, my cover is probably done. There’s a good chance of them finding the sewers now.”

“And who are they, anyway? It would be good if you had told us a criminal organization wants you.”

“I have no obligation to tell anything to any of you,” she growled, and Julian saw Liz’s expression slowly turning from soft to rigid again. Thalia wasn’t making it easy for her.

“And Julian’s first question?” Liz inquired as they traded glances for a couple of seconds.

“I don’t know exactly who they are. No one knows. My fa… the gang leader, Prior, brought them to the capital before I was born. They follow his orders strictly and consume the life force of anyone who opposes the Twin Snakes⁠—”

“And their members, as we just saw,” Julian said.

“Yes, they are ruthless. Ropes, who are the lowest members of the gang, are constantly brought to death as punishment. But they still prefer to be a Rope for the Twin Snakes than live on the streets in fear of one of the trackers finding them and eating their life force. Knots have more chances, however.”

“Your brother is a Knot in this gang. That means he’s a leader?”

“Lok is not my real brother, but yes. He’s a leader, and the Ropes under him are his minions to command.”

“And everyone in the Twin Snakes is a mage?” Rayra asked.

“Yes. Mages mostly work for the Twin Snakes, the Mage Guild, or the Princess. The ones flying under the radar can become food for the trackers, so everyone has a job in the city.”

“Why would anyone choose that over the guild or the Princess?” Julian asked, already getting up and moving towards the window.

“The ones who accept have no other choice. You wouldn’t understand,” Thalia replied, her eyes darting to the ground. Memories seemed to hurt the girl deeply, and Julian felt for her, so he ignored her assumptions about him. “I want to… never mind. Let’s go; we’re close to the Royal District.”

The girl strode past Julian. He wondered what she wanted to say but decided not to ask. Julian was smart enough to know when someone wanted to be left alone, and he would respect that.

Julian was alone with Rayra and Liz when she jumped over the window. He outstretched both hands so they could come close. They stood at his sides as Julian’s hand instinctively traveled to their stomachs.

“Are you two okay?” he asked, expecting one of their reprisals. Still, he couldn’t contain his worry. They carried his offspring, so he and they needed to be careful.

Surprisingly enough, neither of them complained. On the contrary, both smiled. Liz was the first to speak.

“We’re fine. And you’re clearly way better than that fool flying through the skies crying for help.”

“It was quite a show, huh? I had to force myself to stop looking at it. And you?” Julian asked, caressing Rayra’s exposed belly. Her perfect abdomen showed no signs of pregnancy, but she put one hand over his and smiled.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be jumping from buildings.”

“I agree,” Liz chimed in with a smile.

Rayra briefly held her gaze on Liz and seemed to measure her following words for a few seconds before finally speaking. “Don’t be so harsh with her, sister. You were very understanding with me when I met both of you.”

“Yes…” Liz replied, her eyes finding the ground and her cheeks blushing with embarrassment. “I don’t appreciate her constantly hiding things or telling half-truths.”

“We don’t know what happened,” Julian said. “If you had a brother like that prick from the alley, don’t you think you’d be a little wary?”

“Wary… not cowardly and deceiving,” Liz said harshly, widening her eyes and blushing again. She seemed surprised by her own words. “I’m sorry, I’ll try. Besides, I’ll be in a better mood after a shower and rest.”

Julian didn’t reply. Instead, he gave a long and gentle kiss to both of his women before he started moving. He soon realized that sometimes, silence spoke more than any amount of words. Liz smiled at Julian as they followed him, aware that Julian might not understand her motivations, but he loved her enough to give her time to solve it herself.

Those silent agreements shared by the trio had fortified their bond immensely over the last couple of months, and Julian was more than glad for it.

Thalia, on the other hand, didn’t seem glad at all. The girl stood with her back to the wall a few steps away from the window they had just jumped from. He wasn’t sure she had listened to their conversation, but her expression wasn’t amiable.

“Lead us,” Julian said, putting a big smile on his face as he pointed to the end of the corridor. He had no reason to be embarrassed if she had heard them. They hadn’t spoken anything but the truth inside that building. In a way, it would be better if she knew where they stood in this situation.

“Follow me,” she finally said, moving to the end of the alley with long and fast steps.

“Alright,” Julian replied, almost having to run to keep up with her tracks.

The rest of the way to the elevator was calm and uneventful. The streets emptied as the afternoon extended. Julian felt his stomach angrily growling as their walk progressed. The time had flown immensely fast, making the idea that they were inside the Lionheart manor just hours ago seem like something created by the mind of a madman.

In the lapse of a day, they had found a teleportation mage with serious issues, a dying god, crazy elves, and monsters that ate life force from mages and were now ready to climb the elevator that led to the home of the princess of the whole continent of Alineria.

Contrary to the pompous buildings flying in the sky, the elevator was as mundane as any other Julian had seen construction workers working on—a wooden platform held only by ropes on every side with other cords used as a safety measure.

“This doesn’t look royal at all,” Julian said as they approached the platform on the ground. The place was guarded by a few figures in white and red armor with sheathed swords and tired expressions.

“This is the service elevator. Only the workers go from here.”

“We were invited, Thalia.”

“There are too many eyes on the main elevator, and I know the guards on this one. Trust me.” She walked directly to the guards, not waiting for an answer.

Julian only shrugged as Liz frowned, and Rayra stood stoically with her arms crossed. The young baron looked at his surroundings. They were just beneath the immense buildings on what seemed to be the most prominent street he had ever seen. On the other end of the street, another set of ropes lay on the ground, with a good part stretched into the skies. That was probably the other elevator’s place, and no soul was waiting for it. Julian, Liz, Rayra, Thalia, and the two guards were the only ones in the street.

It wasn’t nearly a surprise that Thalia was also a little paranoid. Still, Julian smiled as he waited for her to command them to approach.

When the elevator started to move toward the sky, Julian leaned on the ropes and watched the city grow smaller beneath him. He could now see the beach on the left side and the commercial district expanding for several blocks beneath him. The distinction between the living quarters and the commercial ones was clear. The blocks close to Julian had close to no lights, while the blocks away were highly illuminated, even with the sun still throwing some light on the city.

As the blocks extended themselves and the elevator kept going up and up, Julian realized that as far as the city blocks went, the houses became tinier. Julian had seen something similar at the duchy he studied. The wealthier families lived close to their jobs, while the poorer had to travel more to reach the commercial spots.

Near the beach, life seemed to blossom as well. The port district was replete with boats of all sizes, and the streets were lit with lamps. Julian could see the movement and even heard some music being played from there. The sailors were throwing a big party, and Julian smiled at the sight.

He suddenly realized that sight and the women at his side were why he kept fighting. Even with all the world's problems, those moments of joy or the simple fact that all races had found a way to live together in such a big and complex city made him want the sailor’s party to go on.

Fenrir wanted the opposite—a world for the dragonkin where the other races were enslaved or exterminated. A world where one being’s desires were the law, and Julian couldn’t allow that. When he turned his gaze to Liz and Rayra, he found a smile on both faces. Their smiles told him everything he needed to know. They knew what he was thinking about or had a good hunch.

“We’re going to win, girls,” he muttered, and they agreed.

The guards and Thalia seemed slightly confused by the baron’s words, but he didn’t care. Julian had been washed by hope, but not the kind that makes someone wait for something good to happen.

Julian would make it work. No matter what.

Chapter Eight

Julian still remembered the first time he had gone to Silverhold. The buildings with silver signs seemed too bright for him. He complained to his father that he couldn’t see anything and would go blind. The old man had laughed at his child's complaint and said that Silverhold wasn’t even near the brightest place in the world.

Now, Julian knew why his father had said that. He had to cover his eyes when they passed a building with the sun hitting against the stark white walls. The white buildings varied in size and height, but every single one was bigger than Julian’s manor.

The suspended streets were mostly empty. Still, they could see one or another well-dressed citizen of the Royal District. They wore robes and dresses of fine silk adorned with golden jewelry. None of them seemed to care about their presence; everyone kept minding their business, and most were entering their homes.

“Why are there so few people here?” Julian asked Thalia in a hushed tone, not knowing exactly why he was speaking in such a manner.

“Dinner is almost sacred inside the Capital. It’s an old tradition to dine as soon as the sun goes down. People gather around the table half an hour before it and wait.”

“Oh, that’s quite interesting. It was way different from the duchy I lived in for some years. It was more like the sailor’s district. After the sun went down, people flooded the streets to eat and drink.”

“The people at the port district are mostly foreigners with no appreciation for our traditions,” Thalia said.

Julian realized the girl had her back erect and eyes looking at the horizon. She seemed almost like a different person, more profound and concentrated. Nearly a mirrored image of the guards that walked close to them. Interesting, he thought as they kept walking in silence.

Besides the imposing color of the place and the magic holding it in the sky, the Royal District was like any other district, except for the gigantic castle at the end of the main street. The building’s extension felt out of proportion compared to the other ones. With more than ten towers extending to the skies, gigantic white walls replete with guards, and an immense wooden gate, the place seemed like the home of giants, not of a princess.

The castle didn’t have a pit around it with weapons or hidden traps. Upon close inspection, Julian realized the guards patrolling the streets or walking close to castle walls didn’t even have weapons at their belts, so unconcerned with attacks they were for being in the air.

“Fools,” Julian muttered as the image of the dragonkin flying in the skies once more flooded his mind. “I need to have a conversation with the princess,” he completed as the gates opened.

Surprisingly enough, Julian didn’t have to wait much longer to find Princess Anasthasia. She stood tall in front of the wooden gate, waiting for them. At her side, two immense guards loomed over her—these ones with lances at hand. She wore a magnificent white strapless dress with a black belt beneath her breasts. A beautiful and intricate lace adorned the piece at the edge of all ends of the fabric. Even in simple clothes, she couldn’t hide her regalness. She had a magical aura to her that couldn’t be shadowed even by the silver crown slightly soaring over her head.

Julian couldn’t deny that the princess’s sight scratched something inside him. He was accustomed to being around beautiful women and was more than satisfied with his two wives. Still, the body speaks its own language sometimes, and Julian clearly had something left unsaid about the princess, which he didn’t know exactly. Yet, he liked it.

“Your majesty,” he said, bowing in front of her. All of his companions did the same, and Julian was surprised by the fact that Rayra did it and that Thalia’s face was almost touching the ground as she showed deep respect for the regent.

“Baron and Baronesses Lionheart, it is a pleasure to meet you again,” she said respectfully and then looked directly at Thalia, who kept her eyes on the ground. ‘Thalia of the Twin Snakes’ wasn’t someone I was expecting to see today or ever. I heard rumors you were dead.”

Thalia kept looking down, but her voice was firm, “I didn’t, Your Majesty. I’m here to aid them in their quest and serve you.”

“That didn’t work out the last time, did it?” the princess asked earnestly.

“No, it didn’t.”

“I’m glad you don’t deny it. If Baron Julian wishes to have you at his side, I’ll not protest. Still, don’t run this time, right?” the princess asked, and at that moment, Julian felt some bitterness in her voice. Was that resentment?

“I’ll do my best, Your Highness,” Thalia said, her voice faltering and her eyes still on the ground. The girl was overcome with the deepest embarrassment, and Julian’s curiosity was starting to rise to the roof.

“We’ll see,” the princess finally said dismissively, changing her eyes to Julian and his wives. “You can all stand now. I was surprised when some of my men in the city spoke about the sight of Baron Julian Lionheart in town. My men don’t tend to commit mistakes, but everything has its first time, so I’m still surprised you arrived early. You should’ve left your home early today, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thankfully, we discovered a faster way to reach the capital, and it would be foolish not to take it. We want to find our way to the Isles as fast as possible, but we’ll understand if we have to wait for the agreed date,” Julian said with a slight bow and sensed Rayra’s irritation at his side. She was well-intended, but the kitsune had difficulty understanding politics. If it were her addressing the princess, she would probably already be asking for a boat and four oars.

The princess measured them for a couple of seconds before smiling.

“Honestly, I’m glad you’re all here early. We have dire news from the Isles. I’ll arrange the trip for tomorrow,” the princess turned her back to them and started walking back inside the castle gates. “What are you doing standing there? It’s time to dine, and your plates are already on the table.”

Those words brought joy to Julian and his companions. Even Thalia was smiling at the prospect of eating a good meal after the day they had. They eagerly followed the princess and the guards as they crossed the gigantic white walls and arrived at the castle courtyard.

Differently from the one at Julian’s manor, there were no quarters for workers here. Everything was designed to make the place more opulent and gorgeous. Immense trees, expansive gardens full of roses of all colors, and even a maze with walls the size of children adorned the place. Statues of the deceased king and queen stood at the side of the stairs leading to the castle's main door. The walk to reach the doors was quite long and provided Julian enough time to admire the architecture of the place. Now close to it, he could see that the rocks of the castle had intricate sigils that resembled the ones inside a Soul Shard.

After a couple of seconds of staring at the walls' fabric and the staircases' steps, he realized they were indeed the same patterns. The first King studied the patterns, Julian thought, realizing he should pay them more attention. Those symbols had led him to find the entrance to the mirror realm and his mother’s location. They could very well hide the secret to another power slumbering inside his magical core.

When he consumed the griffon’s Soul Shards later, he would definitely take a look at his grimoire and see if he could discover anything new.

They finally arrived at the top of the stairs, and Julian was once again awestruck by the place's magnificence. The walls were all lit with beautifully intricate lamps that shone on the relucent fabric of the walls and ground. The place looked almost like an enormous and ornate mirror. The middle of the first room had a gigantic map of the kingdom painted on the ground with immense detail and many colors. In each corner of the room, a pair of stairs led to the castle's second floor, while corridors led to other rooms. Julian suspected the balls held for the nobility occurred in that first room.

They climbed one of the pair of stairs as Julian looked up at the ceiling. There was a painting of an enormous dragon flying through the skies, holding a blue sword in one hand and a book in the other. It looked like the imagery of Cerulex was well known to the royalty who created the flying castles. Julian doubted if Princess Anasthasia and her deceased parents had a real idea of the god’s history.

Julian saw the throne room at the end of the stairs, with another set of stairs leading to the simple yet elegant wooden chair. On both sides of the room, benches extended in all directions, providing seating for the princess’s subjects to express their desires and opinions.

They walked past the throne room and directly to a nearby second space. Smaller than the previous one, this room was filled with intense food smells. Julian’s nostrils were inundated with the different fragrances, his stomach once again growling with anticipation.

“Sit and enjoy. If I had known you were coming today, I would’ve had guests and a much grander buffet, Baron Julian. I hope you’re not offended by the simplicity of my offering,” the princess politely addressed the group as her guard pulled a chair for her to sit.

“Your majesty could never offend me. Everything looks phenomenal.” And it really did. A roast piglet, shining with its greasy buttery skin, adorned the middle of the table, surrounded by several types of bread, bowls of shiny rice, cooked beans, and a platter full of fried chicken.

“Do you accept wine, master?” a voice came from Julian’s side and almost scared him. A smiling servant looked expectantly at him. Julian nodded, and the butler served him a glass of wine. “I’d recommend a piece of our Honey Bread with the elvish butter. It will be perfect as an appetizer before the main dish.” Julian looked at the far end of the table and saw that the princess was doing exactly what the butler had recommended. If it were up to him, he would’ve started with the meat and only then eaten the bread considering how hungry and tempting it looked, but as a good guest, he would follow his host’s customs.

The butler showed him the appetizers and proceeded to serve the other members of Julian’s group. The mood had gotten way better since they had sat around the table. Yet, Julian had to ask the princess.

“Your grace, you talked about dire news before,” Julian said after sipping the savory and sweet wine.

“Indeed. News has arrived that the orcish king is preparing his troops for something. The army is being rallied at the main Isle.”

“The whole army? That never happened.”

“Yes, it seems that for the first time ever, they were able to unify all the Isles’ troops as a single army, and their common goal is overseas.”

“And Strazz?”

“My spies haven’t seen him for a while now. He’s gone, in search of something in the Isles. And he’s taking your father against his will to wherever he goes.”

Dire news, indeed... Julian thought as his eyes darted to the void. The princess didn’t know half of it. The orcish army would be nothing compared to the dragonborns and all the dragonkin. She needed to know. Julian’s eyes searched the room; besides the two guards behind the princess, the butler, and Julian’s companions, they were pretty much alone.

“I have something to share with you, Your Grace. Something that may shake the beliefs of the weak of the heart and could be catastrophic if heard by the wrong person. Can I speak freely here?”

The princess paused for a few seconds, savoring her wine as her mind processed Julian’s words. When she finished, she cleaned her lips, red with the wine, and replied firmly.

“This is my personal guard. The bravest of our kingdom and my oldest servant. I trust them with my life, so they are here right now. You may speak freely.”

Julian traded glances with Rayra and Liz, who nodded reassuringly for him to keep going. Thalia had a somewhat idea of what he was about to say due to their interactions with Ranabi, yet she didn’t have the whole picture.

“Strazz isn’t suffering from any mental or magical illness that made him change his personality. His body is being shared with him and an old and evil entity. Don’t get me wrong, Strazz is probably quite right about going to war with us, but his powers are far stronger than a simple new kind of magic. His power can basically nullify other kinds of magic and use them against the user.” Julian stopped, giving time for the princess to process the information.

“That’s... disturbing. I have the impression you have more to share,” she said, clasping her hands beneath her chin and assuming a grave expression.

“Unfortunately, yes. I’m sure you’re aware of the sightings of strange creatures flying in the skies of several parts of the kingdom. These are not mere fables or tales to scare children. Strazz and this entity released to the world a different kind of evil. The old tales about gigantic lizards flying in the skies are not legends. They are known as the dragonkin and serve Fenrir, the entity inside Strazz’s body.”

“How many of them?” It was Thalia asking now, and Julian could see the fear building in the girl. She was probably already regretting her decision to accompany them.

“We don’t know. How many are in the orcish army, Your Grace?”

“We estimate something between eighteen thousand to twenty thousand troops, varying between infantry, archers, and the ostrich riders.”

“If the orcs gained enough confidence to attack us after the arrival of Strazz, we can expect at least half of that number to be dragonkin. And I haven’t told you about the dragonborn yet. Those are the strongest among the monsters. They resemble humans but with nearly indestructible armor and complete loyalty to Strazz.”

“This information changes everything.” Anasthasia leaned back against her chair, and for the first time since Julian had known the princess, she looked to be around his age instead of a competent and experienced ruler. When she realized what she had done, she leaned back toward the table and changed her demeanor to a more regal one. “Why am I only learning about this now?”

Julian wasn’t sure if he had a good answer, so he opted for honesty. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I didn’t know if I could trust you when we first met. Fenrir’s tendrils could’ve reached you.”

The words hung in the air, and Julian saw both of her guards gripping the shafts of their spears more tightly. They weren’t accustomed to anyone speaking in those terms with their commander, and Julian could respect that.

“I see...” she replied distantly. “Offense wasn’t taken, Baron Julian. If this foe is that dangerous, I can understand your wariness. We need to cancel the trip now. This power is too great to sacrifice my country's young and promising lord. I’ll not send you and your companions to a certain death.”

“No, Your Grace. We need to go as soon as possible.”

“Excuse me?”

“We are aware of one weakness of Fenrir. His search in the Isles isn’t in vain. We can fight back if we find what he’s searching for first.”

“Interesting, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has those—as you said—indestructible creatures at his disposal besides being capable of nullifying your magic.”

“They are nearly indestructible, Your Grace. My magic is the only one in the world able to break their armor, and we aren’t planning to destroy Fenrir on this trip. We don’t have that power yet. We intend to rob him, and that’s why Thalia is with us. She’ll be our way out of the Isles with the ticket to fight back Fenrir’s hordes.”

At that moment, Anasthasia’s eyes locked with Thalia’s, and the girl’s gaze immediately searched for the ground. “I wouldn’t be so sure with this one,” Anasthasia said sharply, and Julian noticed she wasn’t particularly enjoying uttering those words. There was pain in the princess’s eyes. The history between them seemed way more personal than he had initially thought.

“I trust her, Your Highness. She’ll not let us down,” Julian said, his eyes locked with the princess, who seemed a little embarrassed. She then gulped more of her wine as she recomposed herself and cleared her throat.

“Great. Expect your trip to start tomorrow after lunch. I’ll be honest with you, Baron Julian... You brought fear to my heart, but you also brought some hope. I’ll prepare to face those dragons and the orcs, but I’ll put all my bets on your success in this mission.”

“Start arming your soldiers then, Your Grace. The fact that your castle flies isn’t enough to protect you when the dragons come soaring in the skies.” Julian wondered if he had gone too far with that comment and even saw Liz moving uncomfortably by his side.

However, the princess laughed hard at his comment.

“Oh, Julian…. That was the first thing I addressed when I sat on the throne. My father wanted to show the world how safe we were by not using weapons inside the court. That wasn’t the cleverest choice, I must admit. Yet, I enjoy the fact that everyone still believes my soldiers are unarmed.” She had a sly smile on her wine-red lips, a smile that Julian hadn’t seen yet. She was pleased that she was one step ahead of her enemies. Julian liked it and returned the smile. “Now, let’s eat.”

And eat they did. Julian was relieved he had shared his information with the princess and was glad she hadn’t succumbed to despair. On the contrary, she was ready to reassess the situation and prepare like a leader should, like he would if he were the one sitting in her chair. Julian’s good mood was shared in some measure by Liz and Rayra, who ate and politely spoke with the princess about their lives. Anasthasia was particularly interested in Rayra’s hometown and their customs, and Liz seemed to enjoy learning more about her sister-wife.

On the other hand, Thalia let her fork scramble through the food, only occasionally grabbing something to eat slowly. Her semblance was one of a defeated person, much the opposite of the energetic figure that had arrived at his manor earlier that day. Sitting in front of Julian, she retrieved her hand when she saw Julian searching for hers. He only wanted to catch her attention, but he understood her wariness.

“Sorry. I just wanted to tell you that everything will be fine.” He smiled gently, but her frown remained like a grimace carved in wood.

“You don’t know that,” she said, letting her fork fall to the side of her plate, looking into Julian’s eyes.

“No, but I believe in it.”

“It isn’t enough.”

“No, it isn’t. But it’s the first step. I wasn’t lying. I trust you, we’ll make it back here with Fenrir’s shard, and you’ll get whatever Ranabi promised you.”

“You don’t know me….” She crossed her arms and looked to the far end of the room. When Julian was about to give up the conversation, she looked back at him, and he could swear her eyes were watered. “Thanks for vouching for me. I can’t remember the last time someone did something like that.”

Julian stared deep into her eyes as he smiled broadly.

“Make it count, then.”

Chapter Nine

Julian’s feet protested as he climbed another set of stairs inside the castle.

“It feels like I ran a marathon,” he groaned as he looked down and saw that Rayra and Liz showed almost the same amount of exhaustion. Thalia, on the other hand, seemed pretty damn good as she darted her eyes at the walls of the castle, looking at everything with eyes full of admiration. “How are you not tired?”

“Because I’ve jumped through this and the other realm a million times. What you’re experiencing is mana fatigue.”

“I’ve never heard that expression,” Liz muttered as she climbed the stairs. It looked like she was speaking more to herself than Thalia, but Julian was glad her voice held no animosity.

“Being inside the void on the bricked road causes that. It’s like the tiniest piece of your body was replaced in a different place. Mana holds you in place, so it eventually takes a toll on the body. Just like when you do some heavy lifting and feel pain the next or the other day.” Thalia had her eyes on the walls, lingering on the military paintings longer than the others but kept walking without missing a step.

The girl intrigued Julian more and more as time passed. There was something about the way she behaved that felt out of place. The information she gave them was interesting, but Julian couldn’t concentrate on anything besides his sore feet.

Thankfully, they were already close to the top, and the two guardians that climbed in front of the group had already disappeared and were turning to appear again as they got closer to the end of the steps. Princess Anasthasia had excused herself from the dinner to deal with some trip arrangements, letting her guards show Julian’s group their accommodations. They were stern and didn’t seem to keep a grudge after hearing Julian’s words inside the dining room.

I need to find some good guards for my home, Julian thought as his mind traveled back to Silverhold. He had so much to do if he wanted to create a good home for his children to be raised in, but to do so, he would need the world to keep existing. Being exhausted wouldn’t be wise with such a mission at hand.

As they were close to finishing their climb, Rayra and Liz rushed past him quickly, as if they had just acquired high momentum and needed to arrive sooner at their room. Julian started worrying when he realized what they were doing and sighed.

“You don’t need to do this,” Julian said with an outstretched hand but received only a smile from both of his women. They had done the same when they arrived at the hotel in the duchy weeks ago. The eagerness in their eyes showed this would become a habit.

“What are you doing?” one of the guards asked with his voice tinged with a bit of irritation.

“Securing the room,” Rayra said.

“Checking for any magical disturbance,” Liz chimed in as both walked past the two guards who were positioning themselves before a massive door.

“We did it thrice today, ladies. That’s our job,” the second guard protested.

“And our job is to secure our family’s safety,” Liz replied with an earnest smile as she gently shoved them to the side and entered the room with Rayra at her side.

Julian sighed again and shrugged as the two soldiers looked at him as if expecting backup.

“It will be over soon, soldiers. They’re not doubting your capabilities. They’re just a little protective,” Julian said as he searched for the nearest wall to lean his back and rest a little. Surprisingly enough, Thalia joined him with her arms crossed, looking into the void.

“So, are you a lord?” she asked, feigning disinterest. Julian glanced at her, suppressing a smile.

“Yes… and no. I’m Lord of the Lionheart lands, but above that, I’m now the Baron of Silverhold and all the nearby lands.”

“So, you’re a big shot.”

“I wouldn’t say so. I was lucky to be born into a nice family, and Baron is a title that can be taken as easily as it is given. If I lose it someday, I’ll still be respected by my peers and the people under me, but I wouldn’t say I’m a ‘big shot.’”

“That’s what all important people say,” she replied, still looking at the closed door. Julian could hear his wives moving the objects inside the room and the guards making all kinds of grimaces.

“And you? Aren’t you a member of an important criminal family?” Julian asked, looking more closely at Thalia, who instantly changed her gaze to him with one of her brows up.

“Not everyone is as lucky as you. I’m working my way out of it.”

“Running whenever you can?” Julian asked and immediately regretted it. Perhaps he had crossed a line, but the girl didn’t reply. Her face was stern for minutes that seemed to stretch endlessly. She was so different from the girl full of life he had seen earlier that day. As if being inside the castle, doing this mission was too hard and made it impossible to show this other side of her.

“I don’t expect you to understand me. Honestly, no one does. You can poke me, that’s fine. For better or worse, I deserve it and more. Today was the day to remember that.” She passed one hand over her blue locks, and Julian saw drops of sweat falling from the roots of her hair. She sighed and looked directly into his eyes. “You’re fun and seem to be a good man⁠—”

“Thank you.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t rely on me.”

“As I said before, I trust you⁠—”

“But you shouldn’t!” she sighed, already moving from the wall. Her eyes traveled over Julian’s whole body as if considering what to say next. “Let’s do this stupid mission and come back, alright?”

Before Julian could answer, Liz’s and Rayra’s voices echoed inside their room.

“You can come, baby!” they called in unison, and the guards positioned themselves at the side of the big door as if waiting for their dismissal. Julian nodded to them, and they started marching down the stairs.

“Hey! What about me?” Thalia called out, already following the guards.

“Oh, aren’t you with the Baron?” one of the guards asked in surprise, and the girl’s face turned as red as the reddest of roses.

“No, of course not!” she snapped a little too fast, her eyes darting from the ground to the guards as if searching for a place to hide but still wanting to firm her position.

Julian couldn’t contain a small chuckle, and before he could hide it with his hand, the girl noticed and looked at him with inquiring eyes.

“Why are you laughing?!”

“Nothing, nothing,” Julian replied with two hands up in the air apologetically. Then he walked towards the guards, who were also blushing under their helmets. “Can you show her to her room?”

“Of course, my lord,” one of them replied with a nod and moved down the corridor.

“Julian! Where are you? We’re waiting…” Liz’s voice echoed from the room through the corridors of the castle. She had a pleading tone, and Julian could only imagine what they planned for him inside that room.

That made Thalia blush even further; this time, Julian didn’t laugh.

“This way,” the guards pointed towards a door beside Julian’s room, and Thalia promptly followed them.

“Good night, Thalia!” Julian waved at her and got only a slight wave in return, her face still blushing as she entered the room as fast as possible.

Julian looked at the closed door of Thalia’s room with a grin blossoming as he readied himself to enter his room.

The lord opened the door slowly and was greeted with a sight that made his eyes glimmer with desire and his mouth water. He knew every inch of both Rayra’s and Liz’s bodies, but seeing them both completely naked, kneeling on the ground, and looking at him with pleading eyes was on a whole other level. The candlelight illuminating their bodies, the room’s aroma and the moonlight entering through the window with a gentle gush of wind only increased the shiver of desire rushing through him.

“We were starting to worry you didn’t want to see us tonight,” Liz pouted with her hands down to her knees, stretching her beautiful breasts against each other and making her pink nipples pop a little forward. The sight nearly hypnotized Julian.

“I thought we would need to start without you,” Rayra said, embracing Liz from behind and kissing her neck. The girl moaned in a hushed tone, making Julian’s cock fight against his trousers.

Then, they started to crawl on all fours towards him. Liz’s big breasts bounced in full display as she moved, and Rayra’s massive ass became more visible as they got closer. Their eyes were full of desire, and Julian began to remove his coat and shirt, but before he could reach his belt, they were already there, unbuckling the leather strap holding his trousers while his cock throbbed against the fabric. They helped each other patiently, looking into Julian’s eyes the whole time. The blue of Liz’s and the yellow of Rayra’s eyes glimmered in the candlelight.

“Do you want us to suck your cock, my lord?” Liz pleaded, lowering his trousers to his ankles.

“We want to taste your sweet seed again,” Rayra completed, pulling his pants down slowly and making his cock jump from the cloth, promptly rising to the air, ready for action. She smiled at the sight. Her hand traveled quickly to the root of his member. Holding it with a firm grip, she traded a glance with Liz.

“Do you want to taste him, sis?” she asked, her grip getting firmer, making Julian’s cock pump with blood and sending his senses to the roof. The anticipation alone almost made him explode.

Liz didn’t reply. Instead, she kissed the tip of his cock and then licked it from the root to the head, looking into his eyes the whole time but never engulfing it with her wet mouth.

“Are you two trying to make me go crazy?” he asked between groans as Rayra started to stroke his cock slowly, going up and down and biting her lip.

“Maybe…” she said, opening her mouth and moving it towards his cock. Julian could see her almost dripping saliva, but she contained herself to his near despair. She then did the same as Liz and traveled his cock with her tongue from the root to the tip. “Are we succeeding?”

“Yes,” Julian felt his cock throbbing harder than ever and the words becoming hard to form in his mind.

Then, they repeated the movement together. He could feel their tongues touching each other and his cock at the same time as they licked it slower than he thought possible. He could feel his seed already threatening to leave his body, his legs shaking. Liz immediately grabbed the tip of his cock and pressed it with a firm grip. It didn’t hurt at all, yet it made his ejaculation stop, and a gush of pleasure spread through his body.

“Not now! We want more!” she protested with her typical pout. They started to pull him towards their big bed at the far end of the corridor by his cock! The tension and the pleasure of it were unmatched as Julian stepped out of his trousers pooled around his feet and let them guide him.

They turned his body around and hurled him onto the bed, making him sit as they once again kneeled before him.

“Now, you’re allowed to cum,” Rayra said.

“But try to hold it as much as you can, please,” Liz completed with determination.

“I’ll try my best, ladies,” he said as they assumed their positions, each close to one of his knees. Liz went directly to his balls, sucking one, then the other, and then both at the same time deep into her mouth. Rayra wasted no time and didn’t kiss the tip of his member this time, instead grabbing his cock and, in a single movement going deep, making him enter fully inside her mouth.

Julian moaned with the sudden rush of pleasure that inundated his body and almost came when he heard her gagging for the first time. She gagged again, her face turning red as she kept wetting his dick and pressing it further down her throat. Her saliva dripped on his cock and reached his balls, just to find Liz’s mouth eagerly wetting him even more.

Rayra moved up, and a waterfall of saliva erupted from her mouth. Her eyes were full of water, and she looked directly into his eyes. Before he could say anything, she went all the way down again. Her mouth engulfed all of his cock and then went up and down, her lips making his skin stretch and his blood pump. When he was about to explode once more, she released his member and breathed as if she were emerging from a deep pool. Her face was messy, her red hair was all over the place, and her fox ears twitched, but her eyes were joyful.

“Did you like it?” she asked while she stroked his cock with a firm grip.

“Yes,” Julian managed to say. “Do it again.”

“Liz’s turn,” Rayra smiled and glanced towards the other woman.

Liz raised her head and moved it towards his cock. Rayra held her hair firmly and helped her take him all in. The sight and the sensations were almost too much for Julian, but he held firmly without cumming. They were worshiping his cock, treating him like a god, and he wanted more of it.

The brunette was as eager to suck him as Rayra, her mouth reaching his root and staying there for seconds that seemed to last forever. Julian was on the tip of his toes, trying to concentrate on not cumming as the girls didn’t seem to stop whatsoever.

Liz raised her head just in time for Julian to hold back again, and between breaths, she said, “You’re really holding up, baby. Can you handle us both at the same time?”

“You can try,” Julian replied, adjusting on the bed and waiting.

They started kissing his balls and licking them slowly. Julian felt their tongues touching and the shivers running fast through his back. Then, they arrived at his cock and started licking it from the root to the tip, one on his left and the other on his right. The feeling was heavenly. They kept wetting him and giving special attention to the head of his cock, their tongues traveling along its entire length.

Then, Rayra held Julian’s dick as firmly as when they pulled him by it, and they started alternating who took all of his cock into their mouths. They started slow, giving enough time for Julian to catch a breath between one suck and another, but after some time, they accelerated the pace. There was basically no time between Rayra's or Liz’s work. He could feel his crotch all wet as their heavenly mouths gave him all the pleasure in the world.

He couldn’t take it anymore. Julian opened his eyes, and when Liz released his cock, he saw their eager faces with almost a pout on them, desiring his seed. And he gave them.

His cock exploded in cum as he groaned loudly. The white liquid went all over their faces, and they eagerly started licking his cock, searching for more of it. Julian’s legs trembled with the hypersensitivity of his member, but he didn’t protest. He let them have all of him they could take.

“So sweet,” Liz muttered as she licked the last drop of it. Her face was a mess, and yet she was beautiful. She handed his cock to Rayra, who sucked it one last time with force, extracting the last drop of him and making his back collapse on the bed.

That night, his cock was their god, and Julian discovered he loved that kind of worship.

Chapter Ten

Julian had the same nightmare that night.

The soaring wings over him. The malignant entity above them, laughing at their expense. The sea of blood, the thunder, and the screams. Julian couldn’t shake the feeling that he was inside that dream—not as if it was vivid, but as if he was there every time he went to sleep. It was as if a pocket mirror dimension existed to show him this scenario. The fact that he was tired when he woke up only made him more suspicious of the strange nature of his dream.

“Again?” Liz asked, already cleaning his sweaty brow and leaning towards him to check his temperature.

“Yeah. I’m getting tired of it.” Julian sighed. He sat with his back to the headboard. “Do you remember what Thalia said about being tired after doing what she calls a ‘jump’?”

“Do you think you’re jumping while you sleep? You aren’t. I would feel if you entered a portal while I’m in bed.” Rayra chimed in, her expression one of earnest curiosity.

“I don’t believe I’m entering a portal, but for sure, it’s not just a dream. I can feel my mana core disturbed and my body tired, just as I felt yesterday.”

“Interesting,” Liz said, sitting beside him, her eyes distant. “I could message the guild master and ask something about it.”

“No, I don’t want him knowing his baron has nightmares every night. That old man doesn’t seem to be the best about keeping secrets. I’ll ask Thalia; she’s probably the person who knows more about it.” Julian sighed.

Liz furrowed her brow, and Rayra smiled.

“What?” Julian asked, sensing they were hiding something.

“She was listening yesterday.”

“Who?”

“Thalia, of course,” Liz said with a drop of irritation in her voice.

“When we were? You know.”

“Yes, when we were sucking your cock, Julian.” Rayra said slyly, “There’s no need to hold the words.”

“I know. Are you sure she was listening? But why?”

“Oh, for the Last!” Liz raised her hands to the sky. “You’re not going to do this again, are you?”

“She’s into me… I see.” Julian smiled. “No need for irritation.”

“Good. It was kinda obvious after you ran to fight for her honor and then all the ‘I trust you’ conversation,” Liz continued.

“Do you want me to speak with her?” Julian asked.

“No!” Liz protested, and Rayra chuckled.

“I’m not understanding you, ladies.” Julian’s eyebrows were up as his eyes darted from one to the other. “What do you want me to do with this information?”

“Do as you please,” Rayra said with a shrug. Julian already expected that reaction from her, but not the one that came from Liz.

“Same,” the brunette said with her arms crossed.

“I thought you hated her.” Julian’s brow furrowed as he leaned towards her.

“I don’t hate her…. I don’t understand her. It’s different. However, I saw the sadness in her eyes. Maybe she only needs someone to talk to, and you seem to be the only one she shows her true colors to.”

“That’s quite mature.” Julian whistled and sank into the bed with his hands behind his head as his two wives remained sitting. “You don’t cease to surprise me.”

“That’s why you love us,” Rayra said, lying on the bed and embracing his chest. Her tail enveloped his right leg, and the fur tickled his skin. He loved it as he indeed loved her. He let one hand embrace the kitsune, and Liz slid to his other side.

“I trust you to do the right thing. I’m not her number one fan, but I trust your judgment, Lord Julian.” Liz smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Can’t we just stay in bed for the rest of the day?” Julian asked, pulling them close to his body. Their breasts rubbing against his skin already threatened to awaken his body. Still, as if reading his mind, the door was knocked on.

“Your ship is ready, Baron Julian,” a grave voice bellowed. “The captain is waiting for you.”

“It looks like we can’t.” Julian stretched both arms and got up fast, followed by his wives. Julian once again wore the cloth mail beneath his fine clothes, the Lion symbol covering the back of his coat and being symbolized in a tiny logo attached to the front of it. His sword and bracelet were well-adjusted.

I forgot to check the grimoire, Julian thought as he started walking towards the door. His magical book had been a valuable adviser in the past and was secretly a pretty kind of spirit that accompanied Julian’s life. He tried not to think about it constantly—if the fact that maybe Thalia had heard him groaning last night made him blush, imagine knowing that someone sees everything you do. He shook his head, searched his pocket for the three Soul Shards still there, and opened the door to the corridor.

Behind him, Rayra and Liz looked as stunning as ever. The first kept wearing a similar attire to the first time they had met: leather pants, a crop top, and a bow on her back. Liz wore trousers, a belt with two daggers, a blue blouse that failed miserably to hide her big breasts, and a golden collar with a sapphire in the middle. Julian couldn’t believe his luck. When the door at his side opened, he realized he was luckier than expected.

Thalia had her blue locks falling over her shoulders, the deep cleavage of her cotton shirt making her perfect breasts pop. She wore nothing beneath it, and Julian could see the shape of her nipples through it. She had taken a bath, and she smelled like flowers in spring. Her giant sword attached to her back gave her a contrasting look that would make anyone look at her. Still, her blue eyes staring at Julian’s caught his attention more.

When she realized Julian was checking her out, her pale face reddened. Still, she didn’t dodge his gaze; on the contrary, she walked towards them.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Always,” Julian replied. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a baby.”

“All night?”

“Yes, why are you asking?”

“Nothing,” Julian replied, feigning disinterest, and started moving towards the stairs. The guard who had called them was already there waiting. “Are we going directly to the port?”

“Yes, sir. Princess Anasthasia asked me to express her apologies for not serving breakfast. You’ll have the opportunity to eat when we arrive at the ship.”

“I would like to say farewell to the princess. Is it possible?”

“Of course, my Lord. She’s going with you.”

“She’s going to the Twelve Isles with us?”

“No, no, sir! Sorry if I expressed myself poorly. That would cause great turmoil at the court for sure. She’s going with a committee to the port,” the guard said in an apologetic tone as he kept walking.

Julian let the words sink in momentarily before finally deciding to speak.

“Can I meet her to ask her to reconsider? What if there are spies at the docks? We don’t want the orcs to know we’re coming for them.”

“The princess is going undercover. Your committee will also not bear the Royal colors or symbols. No need for worries,” the soldier said with a broad smile that didn’t fit well with his big beard and almost evil face.

I must stop underestimating her. She’s pretty clever, Julian thought as they trailed the rest of the way. The first time he saw the princess, she walked gangly inside big armor and didn’t look so royal or wise. Now, he knew she was resourceful, intelligent, and liked to be one step ahead of everyone else. Just like he enjoyed it, the people from the kingdom would probably think they had an inexperienced leader at their side. Still, Julian and the princess’s subordinates knew they probably had the best leader of their ages.

Walking the Flying Pearl’s streets in daylight was almost like torture. Julian was sure if he kept looking up to the elevators, he would be blind before he started descending the skies. Thankfully, as soon as they stepped out of the castle, one of the soldiers gave them glasses.

Julian had never worn a pair. He’d never needed to; besides, he knew they were expensive. It looked like it was for someone other than the residents of the Flying Pearl. He could understand that it was an intelligent trade—the security of living in the skies and having to buy a pair of glasses with blackened lenses.

The world became evident again when he put the object on his face. Only then did he realize the streets of the district were crowded. Julian could identify who the tourists and residents of the place were. All nobles wore light-colored clothes to match the bright spot and were primarily humans. The kingdom of Alineria had people from all races, but it wasn’t strange for Julian that the race that initiated it still made the most of it. He saw one or another elf, as well as some dwarves and even a couple of goblins wearing noble attire, but most of them were humans of all colors and shapes.

On this walk, Julian felt no particular set of eyes on him. They were just another group impressed with the architecture of the Flying Pearl, and the lord was glad about it. They descended the elevator by the service’s lever once more. When they tried to return the glasses, Julian and his companions were instructed to keep and use them in the future. That was a request from the princess, putting a smile on everyone’s faces. She expected them to return in one piece, and Julian intended to do just that.

Before they reached the streets below, the guards gave all of them capes with hoods for extra protection against spies or assassins. Julian was way more worried about the Twin Snakes, but the hoods would also work fine against them. A small carriage awaited them on the ground. The guards nodded as if to say their goodbyes, and Julian’s group walked towards the vehicle.

The carriage driver glanced in their direction. He wore simple cotton clothes, had a well-trimmed beard, and drew zero suspicion. Yet, Julian knew the man was a soldier. The way his back was well-postured and his eyes darted towards the entrances of the streets showed he was prepared for danger, and Julian was once again grateful his allies were resourceful.

They spent the rest of the way in silence. Everyone concentrated in their minds, trying to picture what would happen in the following days. All Julian had was a map of the Twelve Isles, his wives, and a girl with a magic sword. He had no idea where to go first but had a good hunch that the princess had her plans regarding that problem. Julian imagined their travel would take at least thirty minutes, so he took the three Soul Shards out of his pocket and consumed them.

The rush of energy was as good as ever. Using more than one after another left the body with a funny feeling, much like he was numbing limbs one by one. But instead of having difficulty moving, his body wanted to go faster. It was hard to concentrate after eating a Soul Shard, but Julian managed to do it.

When the last one downed its energy in his throat, he felt something breaking inside him, like a chain being snapped in the middle, just to be welded again by the hottest of fires. He looked at his sides and realized the magic aura around the women in the carriage was shining brighter. Liz’s was blue but had a darker tone to it, almost becoming purple, while Rayra’s was green, like the magic done by Ranabi. Thalia’s was a stark blue, just like his own aura.

The world had somehow become different. Julian took some time to realize what had changed until he let his hand travel through the cushion of his seat. He could feel the small parts of its fabric, details he would’ve missed before. The horse’s hooves were almost too loud for him, and he could even hear some conversations on the street. It was like he was energized with mana, but this time, he wasn’t performing any breathing pattern to do so. His body had imprinted the new way to rule mana onto itself.

So, this is how an adept mage feels, Julian thought as he snapped his fingers to make his grimoire appear.

“I hope you’re not mad at me,” Julian muttered as the book materialized. As always, the book didn’t answer him, yet it didn’t protest either. On the contrary, the grimoire suddenly opened and flipped the pages until it stopped on the one that mattered the most.

Owner: Julian Lionheart.

Rank: Adept (0/20 shards).

Magic Affinity: Arcane.

Beneath his basic information were the descriptions of all the spells he knew how to perform. Arcane Explosion, Arcane Whip, and Arcane Enchantment showed the same information. Julian was close to performing those spells at their maximum capabilities but had yet to do so. The info beneath those was what caught his attention.

Ranabi’s blessing: A powerful enchantment that temporarily removes all the mana from the user’s body. This enchantment requires no special abilities or requisites. The owner only needs to trust in its purpose to make it work. The spell can be used as many times as desired.

Julian thought the spell was useless for a couple of moments until he remembered Fenrir’s fight against Ranabi. She used this spell! he thought, recalling her losing her magical aura and going against the evil god with her paws and fangs. Julian could see how this spell could be helpful in the future. He smiled and was about to close the book when a new set of words appeared. These seemed to be handwritten, as if an invisible person was writing them at that very moment.

*Hi, Julian. It’s me, your grimoire. I can feel evil gathering on the Isles. He is whispering your name. He’s searching for you as I write this message.

I miss you. Don’t forget about me.*

As fast as the words appeared, they disappeared before his eyes. Besides the day Julian almost died, the book never addressed him directly. The message surprised him in many ways. The grim warning was ominous, but he knew about it already. Did the god realize they were on their way towards the Isles? Or was he just being prepared for that outcome?

Julian appreciated the worry, and the words written at the end of the note even more. I miss you... He never thought the grimoire would care about him, considering what she had written down for him the first time he opened the book.

“I’ll find a way to reach out,” Julian said, and when the words were uttered, he felt the mana in his core shifting slightly. That was his way of ensuring she had understood.

“Are you getting along with your grimoire?” Liz asked with a smile. “Mine is quite pleased with our evolution in the last few months. It doesn’t share much, but the descriptions seem more eager for me to discover new spells.”

“I would say we’re close,” Julian stated with a smile. “Ranabi gave me a spell to deploy all of my mana. This way, I can fight Fenrir without him using my mana against me.”

“That’s incredible!” Rayra said, “Maybe we can defeat him already.”

“I doubt it. I can probably win a fight against him, but that will not imprison him or shatter his soul again. It’s leverage indeed, but not enough,” he said thoughtfully. “Yet, we’re on the right track. I’m eager to fight those bastards again. I feel I’m close to discovering a new spell.”

“Me too,” Liz said. “I’m testing a different kind of water wall that could also throw projectiles at the enemies.”

“That would be quite helpful.”

“You guys have more than one spell?” Thalia asked, her eyes widened.

“I have four now, Liz has four, and Rayra has…” The girl raised seven fingers and smiled. “What? Seven?”

“Most of them are quite specific. Some are used to alleviate pain, others to reduce inflammation in wounds. It looks like a single healing spell when I use them, but I normally use several in conjunction. I’m an Intermediate mage already.”

“You never said anything about that!” Julian protested.

“You never asked.”

“Wait, you only have one spell?” Julian asked Thalia, suddenly remembering her question.

“Yes, I thought only more experienced mages had more spells. Like Rayra.”

“So, you thought she was experienced, and Julian and I, no?” Liz asked, her brow raised.

“No,” Thalia said and surprisingly enough chuckled, “the bear told me about you guys, and she said both Julian and you were novices, but Rayra was ‘trailing her road for too long already’ by her own words,” Thalia said, moving her hands exaggeratedly, which made all of them smile.

“So…” Julian started after a few seconds, “you only have one spell.”

“Yes, and I don’t have a magical book like you. Why can’t I get the nice stuff?”

“You have a giant sword that opens portals between different places. What are you talking about?” Julian asked, making both Liz and Rayra laugh hard.

“When you put it that way…” Thalia’s hand caressed the sword on her lap as she continued, “I’m probably lucky to have this. Still, sometimes I feel like the sword owns me rather than the other way around. Maybe I’m not even a mage, and I’m only swinging a magic artifact from one side to another.”

“You’re a mage,” Julian said confidently. “We can also feel the magic in your bracelet and see your aura.” The other girls nodded, and Thalia seemed to reconsider.

“You’re probably right. Yet, since I owned this sword, I never managed to do anything more than jump around.”

“You never used it in combat?” Liz asked, and Thalia bit her lower lip as if preventing herself from saying too much.

“Can we not talk about that?”

“Yes, no problem,” Julian said, and everyone seemed okay. Thalia had opened up a lot in those last minutes, and Julian was glad about it. He was still curious, but at least Liz’s feelings towards the other girl were softening.

The silence didn’t last long. After a few minutes, the carriage stopped, and the driver knocked on their window. They traveled with the small opening covered by a delicate fabric that let some air in at the cost of low visibility, so they hadn’t seen the city change while they traveled.

Yet, they could smell it differently. The smells of food from the commercial district or the flowery scent from the Flying Pearl were replaced by the unmistakable smell of fresh fish from the docks. They were in the avenue connecting the port to the city, and the fish markets were at least two blocks away, yet they could smell the stench as if someone was shoving the fish in their faces.

“Thank the Last, we’re not staying here much longer,” Julian said as he exited the carriage.

“I prefer the sewers,” Thalia snapped, pinching her nose so firmly that her voice sounded funny.

“Why couldn’t the ships set off from another place? Like the lovely sewers?” Liz asked, also covering her nose.

Julian smiled as he started walking towards the far end of the docks, where the ships awaited their crews. Rayra was the only one of them who didn’t seem bothered by the stench. She kept walking with her head held high, her eyes attentive, and a hand ready to catch her bow.

The princess was easy to identify when you looked for the right clues. The tall, hooded figure standing at the far end of a pier with blonde hair escaping the cloak was clearly her. Still, it wasn’t the physical attributes that gave her away; it was how she stood. Like someone who was told her whole life that there was a way royalty had to behave. Julian knew it because his father had told him the same, probably twice as hard as the king.

Julian’s family had come from nothing; they had much to prove in the day. Even walking incorrectly could be an excuse for their position to be contested or for them to be excluded. Now that Julian knew the extent of his family’s beef with Strazz, he understood his father’s insistence on Julian behaving like a lord and going to the Iron Fist Academy even more.

Behind the princess, two other guards stood close to her but not so close as to draw attention. They wore regular clothes but were the same two from last night's dinner, so Julian recognized them after a close inspection.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” Julian muttered as he halted beside Anasthasia.

She nodded to Julian and smiled, “You can call me Ana outside the castle. Not many ‘Your Graces’ or ‘Anasthasias’ are outside the Flying Pearl.”

“Understood. Did you want to say goodbye?”

Her eyes examined Julian’s features for a couple of seconds as if she were measuring whether she liked how he spoke to her.

“I wouldn’t feel great about myself if I sent you all into such danger without a proper farewell.”

“We could’ve done that back in the castle.”

“Indeed.” She sighed and turned completely towards him. “There’s an old tradition that we always say goodbye at the port to the ones we care about. Most of the battles we fought against the orcs were at sea. Thousands of husbands and wives saw each other for the last time on these wooden boards.” She stomped the ground with one foot and pointed her finger to Julian’s side.

He followed the direction and saw dozens of piers just like the one he was on now, crowded with people waiting to travel on the ships anchored at the port. There were small fishing boats, big commercial ships, and even three war ones. These had griffins, burrowmaws, and minotaurs carved on their bows. The biggest of the vessels was the one with the most people waiting at the pier, and it had several windows along its sides and probably served as a means of transportation across the seas. Julian saw more than one person crying as they said their goodbyes.

“Many people leaving the city?”

“Yes. The orcs who trade in the city speak out loud about their king. That’s enough to scare some people who saw what war is like.”

“Have you seen war, Your Grace?” Julian asked.

“No, and I prefer to keep it like that,” she replied promptly, her eyes locked with his. He could feel the determination burning in her. She held the weight of those people’s lives on her back, which made Julian eager to fulfill his mission and give her a victory. “I hope you’re not one of the nobles who doubts my capacities because I’m not married yet. As I said to many, the king issue is being addressed and soon I’ll be crowned queen.” Anasthasia's eyes faltered when Julian looked at her, and he noticed that the topic was sensitive to her.

“I never doubted your capacities. If anything, I’m glad you care enough about us to come here and say your farewell, Ana. That shows you understand why this mission is important.”

“Great, but that isn’t the only reason I’m here,” she said, walking towards the ship anchored before her. “There’s someone here I want to introduce you to.”

Julian let his eyes examine the ship before him as he followed the princess’s steps. The vessel had nothing flashy about it. It seemed to be made entirely of wood. It was bigger than a fishing boat but smaller than a warship. It had space for oars and a giant sail in the middle. Painted with red pigment on the side, the boat's name was Lovely.

Julian saw in the distance a door lying below the upper deck, where they or the captain would probably sleep, and close to it, an opening on the deck leading to the inner part of the ship. Near the stern, a woman stood with her hands on the vessel’s rudder. Julian assumed she was the captain by her looks and the hat on her head.

He was already walking towards her when Anasthasia called him.

“Where are you going?”

“I assumed we were going to say hello to the captain,” Julian said, pointing at the woman in the distance.

“You can do it later. I want you to meet someone else.”

Julian looked over the princess's shoulder and saw Rayra and Liz moving quickly past her while Thalia took two steps back. Something is wrong, he realized as he turned towards where they were looking. From the hole in the deck, a massive figure rose.

It was a man with broad shoulders, close to seven feet tall, wearing nothing but pants and a leather belt. Yet, his body was painted entirely black, making it look like he wore clothes. Looking at the stranger’s eyes, he understood why the girls had become so alarmed.

This strange man had a golden mask on his face. When Julian saw a tracker the previous day, he hadn’t had a clear view, but now, in the broad daylight, he saw that the mask was somehow glued into the man's skin. There were glimpses of the skin beneath the ornament, which was pale as milk. Julian grabbed his sword when the princess raised both hands.

“There’s no need for that, Julian. He’s with us. His name is Makao.”

Julian kept his feet on the pier, ready to get on the boat and strike the tracker. With his hand still on the sword's pommel, he traded a glance with the princess, who looked at him reassuringly.

“Makao is a tracker; he’ll help you with your endeavor. If what you told me yesterday is true, Makao’s ability can become very useful.”

Julian remained silent as the man kept walking towards them. His presence alone was menacing enough. Combined with his golden mask resembling a snake and his magic aura, the man looked more like a monster than a person. He didn’t seem bothered by Julian’s hand on his blade or by the grim expressions on Rayra’s and Liz’s faces. He left the boat and kept strolling towards them, making the wooden boards of the pier creak and threaten to break under his weight.

He walked past Julian without looking at him, ignored the princess and the lord’s wives, and stopped before Thalia. The girl had her feet ready to run but didn’t need to. The tracker kneeled in front of her, and everyone could hear his muffled voice.

“I’m here to serve.”

Thalia’s eyes darted everywhere, trying to understand what was happening before her. It was the princess again who gave her confidence.

“Since your... incident, he’s been working for the crown. You can relax, Thalia.”

Julian saw her release a deep breath, her shoulders lowering.

“You may rise. You don’t need to do that ever again. I’m not my father; I don’t intend to boss you around.”

“I’ll serve, anyway.”

“Do as you please. Just keep your distance from me.”

“As you command.”

The giant got up and walked back inside the boat. Everyone seemed calmer with his disappearance.

“Are you sure about this?” Thalia asked. “They are loyal to the bone to the Twin Snakes. Makao was always gentle to me, but he’s my father’s minion, nonetheless.”

“He’s proven more than once in the past year that he’s with us now. He disagreed with what happened to you. He repeatedly told me that ‘The Twin Snakes are now on the wrong path’ and that he wants no part in it. He’s not very good with words but thinks you deserve his gratitude more than your father.”

“I deserve none of it,” Thalia promptly protested, and Anasthasia smiled.

“You can discuss it with him if you want. He’s going to help, I’m sure. Now, I must say my goodbyes to you all. Don't hesitate to return if the dangers prove too much to handle. No one will blame you.”

“We’ll come back when we have weakened or defeated Fenrir and when my father’s safety is secured,” Julian said with determination as he extended his hand to the princess. “I would bow, but I don’t think it’s wise.”

“You’re right,” she said, firmly shaking his hand. “Have a good journey, all of you, and please... don’t die.”

“We’ll try, Your Grace,” Liz said, moving to the boat.

Rayra nodded to the princess as she embarked on the boat, and Thalia halted before her without saying a word.

“I’m cheering for you, Thalia. You may not believe it, but I am,” Anasthasia said, and Thalia lowered her eyes to the ground.

“I’ll try,” she muttered and moved next to Liz.

Chapter Eleven

“Welcome to the Lovely. This will be a fast trip. I don’t want to be surrounded by Tusks, so as agreed with our fine employer, you’ll be dropped at the nearest island with a small boat, one sailor, and some supplies,” the captain said, still in front of the rudder. She had a sly smile on her face as she looked into their eyes. “Expect to arrive tomorrow morning, so take your time to rest and prepare. The Tusks aren’t as welcoming as we are back in the capital. This might be your last day alive.”

After that reassuring talk, the captain laughed and started walking towards them. She was a mature woman, probably closer to sixty than fifty. Her wrinkles seemed to be the ones of someone who spent too much time smiling rather than the ones of someone aging fast. Her hair was as dark as night, her eyes of the same color, and her skin tanned. When she was about to walk past them, she stopped and put one hand on Julian’s shoulder.

“I’m just kidding. It would be a shame if you died. I’ll be in my chambers if you need anything.” Her voice almost became a whisper at the end, and Julian only nodded. Liz, on the other hand, was shooting daggers with her eyes. He could feel she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue and grabbed one of his hands. Julian reciprocated the gesture, and they watched the captain enter one of the rooms on the main deck.

“Don’t forget that we are trying to reach the islands unnoticed,” Julian said.

“We could get there unnoticed with a captain who doesn’t want to steal my husband,” Liz protested.

“She doesn’t want to steal me⁠—”

“Only fuck him,” Rayra chimed in.

“Rayra!” Julian protested, and both she and Thalia started laughing. Liz still had her grim expression. Her jealousy had become more pronounced over time. Even though it could be a nuisance at times, it was arousing Julian more than anything. “I only have eyes for you and Rayra.” Julian kissed her gently on the lips, and she returned it.

“You know it isn’t true. But I love you, anyway,” Liz replied, smiling earnestly this time.

Julian saw her eyes dart toward Thalia, who promptly avoided the stare and started walking toward the rooms.

“I’ll lay on my bed before I start getting sick of the sea,” she said with her back turned.

“I need some rest as well.” Rayra kissed Julian and Liz on their cheeks and went to find their room.

“Do you want to be alone, babe?” Liz asked.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all. I’ll rest as well. Come when you’re ready.”

Julian nodded and then walked to the far end of the ship’s bow. No monster was carved on the Lovely, just a sharp, angled edge pointing towards the horizon. When he looked over his shoulder, all he could see in the distance was the silhouette of the city behind them and the Flying Pearl standing tall.

Is Princess Anasthasia already at home? Would she be able to handle the orc invasion if it came to that? Those were some of the questions lingering in Julian’s mind as he laid both arms on the wooden boards and set his eyes on the far horizon, towards the unseen orcish isles.

“I’ll find you, Father,” Julian whispered, watching the sea being pierced by the boat. He could even see some fish swimming around the ship’s hull, utterly unaware of the changes the world could suffer. Julian never thought he would envy fish. Still, he did. “Find food, have sex, and sleep. That’s a good life,” he whispered, looking at the oblivious animals.

“Who am I trying to fool?” He sighed, and his eyes darted again to the horizon, his heart pumping against his chest. After tasting a life of adventures, Julian had difficulty believing he could settle and watch life pass, finding a receptacle to hold a god’s shard, weakening evil, and saving the ones he loved and the god who could help them save the world. That sort of thing that moved Julian forward was his desire to be around his women.

With those thoughts in mind, he turned his back to the sea and walked towards the room where he saw Liz and Rayra entering.

“The breakfast is here, love!” Liz called from the inside and Julian rushed towards the door. It was close to noon now and Julian couldn’t wait to eat and meditate to replenish his mana.

Julian felt his mana regenerating with each breath. He kept filling his lungs and exhaling, concentrating entirely on the flow of mana that surged through his being with every breath. It was hard to maintain the concentration needed for meditation. Julian kept seeing flashes of his house in ruins, his mother waiting for him, or worse, what awaited them when they arrived at the Twelve Islands. Each distraction moved him away from the necessary focus, but he felt his mana regenerating faster every time he regained his center. It was like working out a muscle—meditation was tiring yet deeply rewarding.

Julian let out one more breath before something disturbed his concentration, so he couldn’t simply return. He opened his eyes and heard the sounds of the wooden deck of the ship being stomped by people running from one side to the other. Julian’s room was below the upper deck, near enough that he could hear when people talked loudly, even if he couldn’t discern the exact words. The tone, however, was easy to detect. The sailors were nervous.

Searching for his shirt and coat, Julian moved to the door, slipping on his gauntlet and readying his sword. Neither Rayra nor Liz was in the room. They told him they wanted to see the sunset, and Julian wasn’t surprised to see them leaning on the edges of the deck. However, they weren’t looking towards the setting sun but in the opposite direction.

Close to them, one of the sailors spoke with the captain in a calm but desperate tone. She looked at him with narrow eyes, trying to hide her fear but failing miserably. Julian could see the sailor’s despair leaking out and consuming the captain.

“They’re too fast, Captain. Probably using some magic to move faster,” the sailor, a fat but bulky man, said, wiping his forehead and pointing toward the direction Liz and Rayra were looking.

Julian followed the sailor’s hand and finally saw what he was talking about. On the horizon, approaching them at an impossible speed, another ship cut through the water, creating a wall of white foam behind it as the water splashed in all directions. The vehicle was still far, but its speed and black sails told them everything they needed to know.

“Fucking pirates!” the captain shouted, trying to contain her frustration. The words escaped like a curse aimed at someone she hated.

Julian gave the woman only a glance and moved towards his wives.

“What are you seeing?” he asked Rayra, who lay with her elbows on the wood of the edge, with no fear in her eyes.

“I can’t say for sure. I’m not an eagle hybrid like some of my family. I see more than five on the deck, holding the edges of the boat so as not to get thrown. They’ll be here in less than five minutes.”

“What do you say?” Julian asked Liz, who grinned from ear to ear.

“I say they chose the wrong boat to attack. I could throw daggers at them all day with all this saltwater here.”

“I love you, girls,” Julian said, hugging them and smiling. They were a strange sight amidst so many desperate sailors. They looked into each other’s eyes, smiling as they internally prepared to fight again. With them by his side, Julian was sure he could fight all day and not even complain about being tired after.

Their silent moment of affection was suddenly interrupted when the door to the below deck was violently opened. The door crashed against the wooden frame, and Julian heard it cracking. A little more force would have broken it.

Julian wasn’t surprised when he saw Makao exiting. Julian couldn’t be sure what expression the man had beneath his golden mask, but he could bet it was not happy. The captain, so full of herself when she presented the boat to them, flinched when the giant man’s figure erupted on the deck. But a sudden recognition hit her, and she moved towards Makao with her hands up towards him.

“Mister. Sir. Mister Tracker, can you help us?” she said between stutters, her hand slowly moving towards the man’s chest.

Makao’s face lowered towards the woman, and Julian suspected they were trading glances at that moment. It was almost as if he was daring her to touch him. She cleared her throat, put on the fakest smile, and said, “Pirates are coming towards us.” Once again, the word “pirates” seemed like the worst offense in the world as it exited her lips.

“I can smell them,” he said ominously and moved towards Julian without saying another word to the captain, who stood there looking at Makao with widened eyes. What a marvelous set of sailors, Julian thought as he watched the giant strolling towards them. From the door of the below deck, Thalia moved in a wary motion as if holding her breath. Her fear was almost palpable.

“It’s you! I saw you fighting burglars in the market last year. You were with the Royal Guard. Please, help us,” the captain said, moving towards the blue-haired girl. Julian had no idea what she was talking about, probably mistaking her for someone else. “We can fight, but we’re not mages.”

Thalia said nothing, rapidly moving back inside the below deck as if the captain’s words had confirmed her worst fears.

“What is wrong with her?” Liz asked, and Julian heard more worry than annoyance in her voice.

“I wish I knew,” Julian said as Makao approached them.

“One water mage and one amplifier. The others are all orcs,” he stated promptly, as a soldier would, waiting for a commander’s order.

Julian stared at the golden mask for a second, trying to understand what the man expected from him. If he had been sent by Princess Anasthasia and had helped her in the last months, he would probably listen to him, considering he was the head of this mission. Not wasting any time, he addressed the tracker.

“Can you determine their race from this distance?”

“Twelve orcs and two humans. The orcs are all regular pirates, and the humans are enslaved mages.”

“Enslaved?” Julian asked, his brow furrowed.

"The orcs don’t care about the anti-slavery laws of the mainland," Makao replied promptly.

"It’s common for orc pirates to do this with the people they capture. Some mages are hard to deal with; others are easy. The ones on that boat probably know only one spell and are now hostages," the captain said, approaching them with wary steps.

Julian’s blood boiled at the idea of people being enslaved by the orcs. He was instantly reminded of his father’s situation. Makao must have caught it in Julian’s expression because he pointed at the approaching boat with his thick hand and asked in a grave tone, “Do you want to go there and kill them?”

The question was more an invitation than an honest question. The giant stood there waiting for an answer for a few seconds until Julian realized he was serious. Julian didn’t doubt he could handle eight orcs alongside Makao, but there was no anger capable of making him take that stupid decision.

“We don’t need to do it. Our mission is the priority. They’re coming for us. When they are close, we’ll attack. Everyone.”

“Are you sure? I can throw you,” Makao said, his serious tone contrasting with the absurdity of his words.

“What?” Julian asked promptly, without thinking. “Never mind. I’m sure. They’re near here, anyway.” Julian said, turning his back to Makao and looking to the horizon.

The boat approached faster than Rayra had anticipated. On the boat’s stern, a whirl of water moved it, and from time to time, Julian could see the magic becoming stronger, only to reduce again. The water spur spun at immense speed when the boat was close until the black ship was beside theirs.

Sailors from the Lovely were scattered across the deck, their eyes full of fear, but Julian saw determination burning in more than one of them.

Julian could now see the pirates clearly. Their leathery skin was as dark as night, their bulging eyes red as if infected with a blood disease, and their tusks protruding from their lower lips. They all had the point of one of their tusks cut, which Julian assumed was a way to identify them as members of this particular pirate crew.

“For the one true king, wipe the floor with the blood of these vermin!” came the voice of the pirate Julian assumed to be the captain. He was more significant than the others, close to six feet eight, while the others were several inches shorter. As soon as they settled wooden boards to invade Lovely’s deck, Rayra’s arrows and Liz’s daggers started to fly.

The movement was so fast that they didn’t even try to dodge. Two orcs fell into the sea, and two others reached the Lovely’s deck, avoiding the arrows and daggers by pure luck. When they met Makao’s fist, they weren’t as lucky. The giant man punched them as if they were dolls. Julian heard the cracking of bones as the creatures fell to the ground. The colossal man only had to duck one swing of an axe from one orc, and then he was ready to strike again. They lay on the deck motionless as another pair of orcs reached the boards.

Julian dashed towards them, swinging his blade as one of them leaped towards the deck. The monster was quick enough to deflect the first swing but not the second. Julian carved his sword into the monster’s neck with a powerful strike, already making a whip of Arcane Magic in his left hand.

The magic exited his body fast, cutting the air and the bodies of two orcs arriving on the deck. Their insides were sprawled on the deck, but Julian didn’t wait to see. He rushed to the wooden boards, but before he could strike the fourth orc, Rayra put an arrow in his right eye and he fell into the sea.

When Julian arrived on the enemy boat’s deck, the orcs’ expressions had changed from fierce hate to utter fear. Three sailors and the captain were waiting for Julian, and he even saw them gulping as Makao arrived at his side.

Julian dashed towards the captain, while Makao rushed towards the other three enemies. Julian saw out of the corner of his eye two of them being driven by a wave created by Liz and then being hurled high into the sky and away from the boat. Julian heard their screams as they fell, but his attention was on the pirate before him.

Maybe this one will be a challenge, Julian thought, gritting his teeth and striking. The enemy defended himself with his sword and pushed Julian away, but he didn’t have enough force to avoid another strike. Julian hit, aiming at his head, but the orc deflected and grunted. Julian felt the metal trembling in his hand, making it travel through his whole body. He attacked again, and the orc kept defending himself but never striking back.

In truth, the orc couldn’t strike back. Julian was too fast.

“Time to end this,” Julian said before striking once again. When the orc defended, Julian didn’t thrust or swing his sword again this time. Instead, he made a blast with his left hand and struck the orc in the belly, putting force from down to up and sending him into the sky.

He watched curiously as the limp body of the pirate flew high, waiting to see when the curve of its ascent would become a fall. When the orc reached the clouds, Julian saw its shape seemingly change, and just for a second, Julian imagined he saw wings amidst the clouds. However, the orc plummeted into the sea below, and when he did, it was just a dead orc: no wings, no tail, no extra evilness.

Julian looked at his surroundings, trying to see where the enslaved were, but found no one. Makao stood behind Julian with his arms crossed. Not a trace of the orc he had been fighting before could be seen. Did he consume him? Julian asked himself, moving towards the Lovely’s deck.

All sailors had their eyes wide open and jaws almost touching the ground. The captain was no different.

“There are two innocent men inside that boat. Find them, feed them, and offer them a job on your ship if they want. They can be useful,” Julian said, moving to his room with Rayra and Liz close behind. The sun was almost set, and the sky's orange made the blood on the deck look strangely funny. Julian did not mind it; he needed to meditate more and replenish his mana again.

Chapter Twelve

Julian opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. Their bed wasn’t as big as the one they had in the manor, so when Julian stretched both arms and didn’t find Rayra or Liz, he knew they weren’t there. Besides, even in the darkness, he was sure he would be able to see their magic auras floating in the air.

The only light entering the place was the one coming from the crack beneath the door. However, the hue wasn’t the bright white of the moon or the bright yellow of the sun. It was a piercing red light that seemed to intensify only when he looked at it, bringing no absolute clarity to the room.

He had seen that light only in a particular situation. He stood up and rushed to the door, stopping only to find his sword in the corner of the room before striding towards the main deck. As he suspected, the dark sky had been replaced by a red one. The sea didn’t seem to be made of water anymore but of the most crimson blood. Lightning pierced the skies between the dark clouds in the sky, and thunder roared, threatening to deafen Julian. Still, no sound was louder than the flapping of wings in the distance.

His shoulders lowered, and he felt the rush of energy slowly dimming inside his body. He readied himself to observe the dream again; maybe he would learn something new this time. Upon close inspection, this was probably the time Julian felt most awake during the dream. Still, that eerie feeling about it kept soaring close to him, like a swirling aura rolling before his eyes.

Now, he could see that the boat deck in his dream was the Lovely’s, and its bow aimed towards the Twelve Isles. He could even see silhouettes forming in the distance of the red sky. Once again, Julian searched for Liz and Rayra, only to find no one nearby. It felt like being on an abandoned ship. It was just him, the roiling sea of blood and the flapping wings in the distance. He walked towards the center of the deck and looked toward the loud sound on the horizon.

At that moment, he finally saw the pair of wings. In the middle of them, a humanoid body approached. A dragonborn, he realized. Except this one wasn’t the size of an average human; it was as big as the creatures he had fought inside the mirror realm. Not as big as the giant reptile he had killed with Rayra and Liz before facing the horde of dragonborns, but still a massive humanoid creature.

Julian could feel the malice emanating from it as it slowly approached him. He felt something touch his shoulder and instantly looked in that direction, only to find no one at his side again. Strange, Julian thought as a dim light shone at his side. He was sure that If ghosts existed in the world, that was probably how someone would feel them. Then, Julian felt the same sensation on his other side, and another flash of light erupted.

He realized the presences at his side represented Liz and Rayra in his dream. Now, it was clear. He saw and felt their magic auras every night, but they were invisible.

“Liz? Rayra? Are you there?” he asked but got no response. He tried to gather his magic in his left hand, but nothing happened. The wings got closer and closer. With them, the annoying laughter started to pierce the sky.

“I’m here, little lamb.” The voice echoed through his mind simultaneously as it pierced the sky.

“Who are you?” Julian asked out loud, his voice no match for the volume of the thunder.

“The beginning and the end,” the voice replied ominously, with a joking tone. The creature was enjoying itself while approaching Julian. “I’m waiting for you.”

“You don’t need to wait. I’m here. Come and face me, monster.”

“Not yet. I didn’t come for you this time, little lamb. Your time is yet to come.”

“I thought your boss wanted me,” Julian replied, remembering the creature he killed while jumping through space with Thalia and his wives.

“Plans change.”

“Yet, I can feel you want me now. Why are you entering my dreams?”

Julian heard the monster licking its lips and popping its tongue against its mouth. A small chuckle echoed through the skies; the creature was having the time of its life.

“Your innocence amuses me. How I missed humans…. I wonder how sweet your flesh will be.”

“Answer me!”

“I’m not in your dreams, little lamb. You’re in mine.”

Then, Julian felt Rayra’s and Liz’s touch again on his shoulders and felt a shiver run through his skin at a speed he didn’t know was possible. He tried to attack, only to see the blackest of roots sprouting from the deck’s floor and lacing his legs to the ground. They grew exponentially fast, crawling up his limbs, reaching his knees, and flexing them. Suddenly, Julian was fighting the strange power to stay on his feet.

Then, he heard the scream.

Now, he recognized the voice echoing. It wasn’t Rayra or Liz but Thalia whose voice tore the skies apart. Julian mustered all his strength and swiped his sword at the roots on his ankles. He felt it cutting the plant and piercing his skin and muscle.

Thalia’s voice started to disappear as Julian tried to free himself and wake up.

“Come to me, little lamb. I have what you want. And now I have her, too. Find me, and we can fight over it. I think it’ll be quite fun.”

Julian felt his feet finally moving from the deck as he pulled them again. With gritted teeth, he was able to cut one last root finally. The flapping of wings became distant and contrary to what always happened at the end of his dreams, the monster went away instead of coming right at him.

Then, Julian felt something pushing and pulling him back and forth. For an instant, he felt like a toy being hurled by an angry kid.

“What in the⁠—”

The world changed before Julian’s eyes.

“Wake up, lord. We have work to do again,” the masked tracker, Makao, called in front of Julian.

Chapter Thirteen

Julian moved his head in all directions, trying to understand what was happening. To his left, Rayra nocked one arrow after another towards something in the sky, while Liz did the same with water projectiles. What are they trying to hit? Am I sleepwalking?

Julian’s eyes followed the direction they were aiming for, and his heart raced faster. Near the clouds, the gigantic creature from his dreams flew toward the horizon. He wasn't dreaming anymore. Looking at the masked giant before him, he saw mist escaping his mouth. His expression must have betrayed his intention to remain calm because Makao stepped back and raised both hands.

"You're not dreaming. That thing in the sky took Thalia. Are you going to help?"

Julian looked at the deck and saw no roots. There was no sea of blood at his side, and the sky was as clear as any other summer night, with stars and a massive, bright moon.

"Let's do it," Julian said, and before he could do anything else, Makao grabbed him by the shoulder and hurled him into the sky with an amount of force Julian didn't know a man could possess. He suppressed his urge to scream and focused on the target above. The cold wind flapped his trousers and shivered the hair on his naked chest as he violently traveled through the air. Makao had probably done it before because Julian flew precisely towards the creature in the sky, the shadow becoming larger by the millisecond. Julian took a glimpse below and saw the boat also getting smaller. A pang of nausea hit his stomach, but he suppressed it and fixed his eyes on the target.

If he fell, Liz and Rayra would find a way to save him, and Makao probably had a way to get back to the boat. He only needed to rescue Thalia; his companions would help with the rest. As the air got colder and the sounds of flapping wings grew louder, Julian stretched his sword hand to the sky and prepared to attack. The blade would easily hit the monster if he didn't lose momentum.

It was a shame he couldn't enchant his weapon with arcane magic without a conduit. Still, if the blade didn't cut the enemy, he had an Arcane Whip ready.

The monster's silhouette became more visible, and Julian started to discern patterns on it. It was full of scales like any dragonborn in complete transformation. This one looked exactly like a coral snake, with shades of red, black, and white mixing in circular patterns covering its entire body. Julian could now see that the creature had an immense tail, and Thalia was tangled in it. The tail resembled that of a giant snake, covering Thalia’s mouth and gripping tightly around her back, suppressing both her arms and locking the big sword at her back.

He could hear her muffled screams, and rage boiled in his heart. He shouted as if it would give him more momentum and swung the whip towards the creature's tail.

The monster predicted the movement and changed direction rapidly, showing its side to Julian. The darkness of the night didn’t allow Julian to see all of the creature's features, but he saw a smile. At that moment, he became confident the monster was the owner of the voice in his dreams.

Julian felt the momentum of Makao's throw finally ending as the monster flapped its wings violently. From the Dragonborn's shadow, three small creatures erupted. Julian wasn't sure if they had been born from the creature's body or had just been hidden behind it. What he knew for sure was that they were rushing towards him with speed and violence.

The monsters resembled vultures, but their plumage was mixed with green scales. Around their necks, bones erupted as if they were a collar. Their long necks extended high, and even though the creatures were the same height as a toddler, they looked menacing with their fangs and mouths full of sharp teeth.

With the loss of momentum, they could’ve just watched Julian fall through the sky. Yet, they attacked. Where the hell is Makao? Julian asked himself as his body plummeted towards the ocean and the flying reptiles rushed against him.

"Don't kill him!" the Dragonborn shouted from the skies, flying towards the far islands.

You better be sure they won't! Julian gritted his teeth and swung his blade. One monster dodged, and the second flew at his back with claws pointed towards his left shoulder. Julian tried to dodge, but dodging while falling through the sky was hell.

The claws dug deep into his skin and muscles, and he had to suppress the urge to shout. With his free hand, he swung the blade over his head and hit true. The monster's wing was nearly cut in half, and its fall slowed. The third creature came from his side with claws pointed at his other shoulder. This time, Julian was faster and hit the beast right in the face before it could fix its claws on him.

The vulture's scream of pain echoed through the sky as Julian concentrated on the other enemy at his shoulder. Still, he felt his shoulder being grabbed again before he could hit it with his sword or the arcane magic already gathering in his left hand.

Makao had somehow jumped from the boat towards him, and Julian didn't even glimpse it. The immense man didn't stop in midair to grab Julian; instead, the momentum of Makao's jump helped him roll Julian like someone does when trying to throw something far away. Then he threw Julian again towards the giant dragonborn, flying away.

One of the vultures still had its claws in Julian’s shoulder. As it realized it had no control over the flight, its eyes widened, and the grip on Julian’s flesh became firmer. They were flying too fast for the monster to stabilize its wings, and alongside Julian, it went at immense speed toward its master. As the speed increased, the grip of the creature's claws softened on his shoulders, and he felt it tearing his flesh as the beast finally released him. The monster fell in the opposite direction, and Julian flew towards the giant creature in the distance, almost as if a thread connected them.

Julian could feel the blood pouring from his body and falling into the sea, but this time, he didn’t look down. He rubbed his sword as fast as he could against his shoulder and used the blood to infuse it with arcane magic. This time, the monster wasn’t going to dodge. Julian kept flying in a straight line with his sword at the ready. The speed didn’t seem to slow, and the creature only got closer.

It didn’t seem to notice Julian’s presence, and he didn’t try to warn it.

Almost there, Julian thought, feeling the grip of the sword’s hilt in his sweaty hand. The moonlight made the scales of the dragonborn shimmer. A primitive part of Julian wanted to see it shimmering with blood, and his sword seemed to enjoy the same.

He raised the blade over his head and swung it just as he got close enough to Thalia. The girl’s eyes widened as his blade cut the air. She thought she was in the line of the blade’s cut, but Julian knew what he was doing. Like before, when he was about to hit, the monster dodged to the side, the same smile on its face. Julian smiled back.

He concentrated all his mana on the tip of his blade. The arcane infusion made the blade shine with blue light and then extend. His simple but effective sword, primarily used with one hand, acquired the size of a two-handed blade and cut the monster’s tail as if it were made of the thinnest paper.

The creature’s blood exploded from the wound. The monster thrashed in the sky and cried out loud. Thalia plummeted towards the sea with mounting speed. The tail around her slowly released her body as it thrashed in the sky like it had a life of its own. The girl screamed in panic. Julian started to plummet above her, the connection between him and the enemy severed.

He had no more momentum and couldn’t see Makao anywhere. He looked at the sky and saw the monster disappear through the clouds. The only thing Julian could see was the place where it had entered as he slowly turned his body to face Thalia.

What am I going to do? he thought as Thalia’s screams grew louder. The fight in the skies would be worth nothing if he saved her only to be smashed by the water wall below. He couldn’t even see the boat from where he was. That was how far and fast Makao had thrown him. And where the hell is that giant freak?

Thalia stopped screaming, and Julian realized she had a plan. Of course, she did. She grabbed her sword and unsheathed it, holding it with both hands and piercing the sky. It was like she was cutting it wide open, and it was somehow exerting force against the blade. Julian heard her shouting as she forced her way through the fabric of reality and made the second cut. She formed a cross, and the portal opened.

It sucked her inside, and then Julian. He closed his eyes just before something hit him hard in the face. He hated the idea of opening his eyes only to discover he was near death again. Yet, when he slowly opened his eyes, he quickly realized he was on the deck of the "Lovely." The smell of wet wooden boards and the salt in the air were clues enough.

Near his face were two big feet wearing sandals. The owner of the feet helped Julian to stand, and he didn’t need to see the mask or tattoos to realize it was Makao. From behind the golden mask came an excited, muffled voice.

“Ha! I knew you would make it!” The tracker patted Julian’s shoulder several times, making him ask himself if the giant had any idea how strong he was.

“Where the hell were you? Why didn’t you help rescue her?”

“Because I knew you would make it, small one.”

Julian raised his brows and was about to protest. However, he quickly realized it wasn’t going anywhere. Makao’s plan worked, no matter how stupid it would sound when Julian told the story to Tarav. The butler would probably spend a good couple of minutes laughing at Julian.

Thalia! he realized and turned to search for her. She was leaning against the wall of the ship, catching her breath. Rayra and Liz were at her side, the first using her magic to heal wounds on her skin while the former held her hand and said comforting words. Thalia seemed lost, only nodding occasionally and thanking the other girls.

Julian slowly approached and crouched before her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, moving her hair out of her eyes and checking if she had been hit in the face.

“Yes,” she replied, not complaining about his touch.

“The creature. Did it say something to you?”

“When it dove into the boat and got me, it laughed like a maniac. It dropped me from the skies three times and grabbed me again before flying nonstop.”

“Bastard,” Julian said through gritted teeth.

“It kept muttering loud enough for me to hear. I think it was a ‘he,’ anyway…. It kept saying the horrific things he would do to me unless I told him everything I knew about the sword and how to use it. He called me a fraud and a lie.”

“Do you know why?”

“Maybe. The sword has some history.”

For the first time, Julian took a good look at it. The blade seemed to be made of silver, and when he looked close to it, he realized its extension was utterly covered in Soul Shard patterns that slightly shone a dim light. The hilt of the sword was completely black. The blade seemed made out of arcane magic, and when Julian touched the metal, his magical core responded to it. The blade shone bright, and Julian’s hair stood on end.

“This is an Arcane artifact,” Julian whispered, then looked directly into her eyes. “Are you an Arcane mage?”

“That’s how the sword called me—” She shut her mouth as if she had just uttered the worst of all curses. Before Julian could ask what she meant, the dragonborn’s voice pierced the sky.

“LITTLE LAMB!” it called from a distance. Julian couldn’t see the monster anywhere. The dark sky was now clear of clouds. “THAT WAS… FUN.” The creature seemed to rejoice in those words.

Julian didn’t reply. Instead, he moved across the boat’s deck, searching for the source of the voice. However, the voice seemed inside his head, just like it had happened inside the realm Thalia entered upon using her magic.

“I BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL YOUR DADDY THAT YOU’RE ALIVE AND COMING TO RESCUE HIM.” The world became silent again before a mutter appeared behind Julian’s ears. “He’ll cry so very… much.”

The monster chuckled, and then he was gone entirely. Julian’s teeth started to hurt from the pressure he was exerting on them. His knuckles were white as he held the boat’s edge.

“I’ll find you, and I’ll kill you, demon,” Julian angrily muttered as he felt a gentle touch on both of his shoulders.

“Calm down, babe. We’ll find your father,” Liz said, her hand sliding to his back and pressing him slightly. Rayra did the same but said no words. She didn’t need to.

“Thank you,” Julian said as he hugged both of them. “I would be lost without you two.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Rayra replied, hugging them tightly. “We all know you always find a way to do the right thing.”

“Thanks. You are probably right. Still, the faith you put in me is encouraging.”

“We don’t need to have faith when you’re the one who accepts being thrown into the sky to rescue someone you barely know and return safe and sound,” Liz smiled as they parted their embrace.

“To be fair, I didn’t know Makao would throw me like that.” They all chuckled. “What the hell happened, anyway?” Julian asked, raising his brows.

“We heard the sound of wings and rushed to the deck. You were already there swinging your blade at nothing. Thalia was close to the ship’s bow, just standing there. Then, the dragonborn appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her with its tail. She seemed to wake from the trance at that moment while you stayed there,” Liz said, her eyes reliving the horror. All the time she spoke, Rayra performed her healing magic on Julian’s shoulder, alleviating the pain from the wounds inflicted by those strange draconic creatures. The rush of energy made all his hair stand on end, and a euphoric yet calming sensation washed over him. He had to force himself to remember Liz’s words and restart the conversation.

“Yes… he made it look like the nightmare I had every night. I don’t know if he already knew what would happen or if my mind filled the gaps, but it felt like I was dreaming again and not in a hallucination.”

“I see…” Rayra chimed in. “I’ve heard about that kind of magic among my people. It’s mostly used to cure people with mental illnesses. The mage enters their dreams to help process a difficult memory, sometimes even changing the dream to construct a new memory. The monster was probably doing something similar to you. Preparing you for the moment he was going to strike. But why grab her instead of you? Aren’t you the real danger to Fenrir?”

“I don’t think that monster cares enough. He came here because he thought it would be amusing. Maybe he wanted to mess with me, trying to push me to the edge.”

“And what was all that talk about Thalia’s sword?” Liz asked.

“I always thought her magic's hue was similar to mine. Still, everyone we met who knew about Arcane magic said it was one of the rarest kinds. I didn’t believe we’d find another user so soon, if at all.” Julian’s eyes started to search his surroundings, and he realized the blue-haired girl was nowhere to be found.

Makao lay with his back against the wall of the dorms, near a door that Julian assumed to be Thalia’s room. The big man was standing guard as if he were protecting the princess herself and not the daughter of a gang leader.

“I better check on her. Maybe I can dissuade her from opening a portal and returning to the capital.”

“Go ahead,” Liz spoke, and Rayra nodded in agreement. “I don’t think she’ll go anywhere. But please talk to her. Can you at least give him a coat, Rayra?”

The other girl nodded and removed one from her magic satchel.

“Thanks, babe. I’ll talk to her.” Julian strolled toward the center of the boat as he checked his hands. They weren’t shaking anymore like they always seemed to after a gritty fight. His shoulder’s bleeding was gone. Only a marred scar told the story of the day he flew into the skies to fight what seemed to be a mad general of Fenrir. Julian entered the door to the deck below, where Thalia’s, Makao’s, and the other sailors' rooms were.

The narrow corridor was dark, hot, and humid. Only a few lamps illuminated the place. Julian’s eyes searched for Thalia’s room, but Makao’s presence in front of one of the doors told everything he needed to know. When he approached the door, he felt Makao’s head following him.

Julian looked directly at where his eyes were supposed to be and found two completely black eyes in the mask's holes. Iris, pupil, and sclera were utterly dark. He thought his eyes were closed for a moment, but then the moon shone against them, and Julian realized Makao was looking straight into his eyes.

“You fought well,” the giant said. His words halted with his arms crossed as if he was going to say something more… except he didn’t.

“Thanks,” Julian replied before the silence became awkward, even if he doubted the giant would feel bothered. “Couldn’t you help?”

“I threw you.”

“Yes. But couldn’t you ensure we wouldn’t smash ourselves into the water? You arrived at the boat safely.”

“I could’ve.”

“Alright,” Julian replied with a dismissive hand gesture as he moved his hand toward the door to knock. The tracker was a man of few words, and, by what it seemed, he wasn’t prone to giving excuses, so Julian wasn’t going to insist. After he knocked on the door once, the giant spoke again.

“She’s broken,” Makao muttered, and Julian could swear the giant had some sadness in his voice. He raised his eyebrow, but before he could say anything else, Makao continued. “When she was a kid, she was the light that shone brighter.”

“And now?”

“Now, only sparks remain.” Then, Makao slightly moved toward Julian and inclined his face to be at the same level as his. “Don’t hurt her.”

The man’s pose was menacing, and his eyes were wide open, seeming to try to elicit a reaction from Julian. The lord, instead, held the look and knocked on the door again. If Makao wasn’t one to give excuses, Julian wasn’t either. They kept looking at each other until they heard the door opening with a crack.

He let the silence speak for itself. Julian knew the man he was and didn’t need to convince this strange tracker of his character.

“Everything alright?” Thalia’s voice came from the small crack she had opened in the door.

“Yes, of course,” Makao replied with his grave voice and returned to his position against the wooden boards of the dorm outside.

“May we speak?” Julian asked with a gentle smile, and Thalia seemed to consider for a second. She bit her lip, her blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

“Yes, we can. I think I owe you some explanations,” she finally said, then put her head outside the door and looked straight at Makao. “Go sleep, Makao. I can take care of myself.”

The giant let the words linger for a few seconds, and Julian could see he was about to protest. However, he only grunted and nodded as he turned his back and moved to the lower deck.

“He cares about you,” Julian said, gesturing toward the hole the giant had just entered.

“It seems like it. Maybe I should stop complaining. There are many people out there who would like to have a bodyguard.”

“Even the ones with magic swords?”

“Mostly, the ones with magic swords. However, I don’t need Makao to help when you save me twice on the same day.”

“I do what I must.”

“So, enter, Lord Julian. My sword wants to meet you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“More like a blessing for a date,” she said with a sly smile, and Julian entered the room.

Chapter Fourteen

Thalia’s room was just like Julian’s, except her bed was smaller. There were lamps on two of the four walls, a small table nailed to the ground in one corner with a chair before it. A crate was on the floor close to the bed, and a small window showed the sea view in the distance. Julian took a few seconds to look at it before hearing Thalia’s voice again.

“I always feel sick when I’m close to the sea. Still, I never thought I could feel as awful as I did flying with that creature. I screamed until my throat was sore, but his grip was too tight,” she said in almost a whisper. The experience had clearly carved itself into her heart, and Julian felt sorry for her.

Thalia sat on the bed, her eyes traveling along her hand to the blade on her lap. The metal seemed to respond to her touch, its patterns shining brightly as she caressed it.

“How did the blade feel about it?” Julian asked, and Thalia’s eyes pierced him with annoyance and anger.

“I’m asking genuinely. I know seemingly inanimate objects can have personality, even a spiritual body.”

“You are?” Her expression softened, and her shoulders seemed relieved of a heavyweight. “It’s funny how, in a world filled with magic, I was more than once ridiculed for saying that my sword spoke with me.”

“By whom?” Julian asked, moving slowly toward her.

“Everyone in the gang. But mostly Lok and my father. They always told me I was going crazy or seeking their attention. Lok threatened to throw me into the skies if I spoke again about the sword talking with me.”

“That’s terrible.”

“For a long time, I thought I was indeed crazy and ignored everything the blade told me to do, dismissing it as the ramblings of my head. Until I was tired of denying it.”

“And what does the sword say to you?” Julian asked, halting before her. She patted the bed beside her, inviting him to sit.

“It depends. In the beginning, it asked me a lot of questions. You see… this blade is ancient but does not remember when the previous bearer had it in hand. It only knew it was an honor for me to own the blade, and when I refused to reply to its questions, it became silent for a long time—offended by my manners. However, with time, it spoke again. It never approved of what we did for Father. When they discovered I could open the jump portals with it, they made us steal a lot of gold and help the gang’s expansion through the capital until I couldn’t take it anymore. We plotted together my escape from Father’s headquarters. It taught me how to fight, and we discovered how to hide our tracks from Father’s trackers. When I decided to join the royal’s army, the blade shone bright blue for a whole week!” she said with excitement, and Julian smiled at her, happy for her to share some of her history. However, he knew the story didn’t end well.

“Now, it mostly asks me to use it again… to fight and be brave.”

“But it’s difficult?” Julian asked, his hand slowly traveling through the space between him and Thalia, searching for her unoccupied hand.

She found him in the middle of the way and held it tightly.

“You have no idea,” she replied. Her voice was full of pain with her eyes pleading for something Julian didn’t know what. His heart ached for her, and they locked eyes for a couple of seconds.

“Let me help you. You can share with me.” Julian muttered and let his fingers caress her hand gently. The blade seemed to respond to that, shining blue several times.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. It still hurts too much,” she said, her eyes now avoiding his. He moved his other hand towards her chin and gently made her look at him again.

“That’s okay. I wasn’t joking when I said I trust you. When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

“You can’t promise that,” she protested with her eyes threatening to avoid contact again.

“I can. I always keep my promises.”

“I’m not questioning your honor. The people I care about tend to die around me,” she said, her eyes watering. The blade kept glowing fast as if it represented an accelerated heart.

“I’ll not die,” Julian replied promptly. His voice was firm and confident. He wasn’t going to give up on her so easily. It was true that he barely knew Thalia. Still, Julian knew very well how to discern the people worth fighting for, and the girl looking into his eyes now was worth every second of it.

“Thank you,” she finally said, a single tear dropping from her eye, only to be wiped away quickly. Suddenly, a smile blossomed on her face, and she outstretched the blade to Julian, holding it with two hands. “Do you want to touch it?”

“I think so,” Julian replied with an awkward smile. “Do you think that’s going to be okay?” Julian’s experiences with sentient magical objects were quite particular, and he was sure his grimoire wouldn’t like it if he handed it to other people so lightly.

“Of course, the blade wants it.”

“Alright, then,” Julian said, grabbing the blade by the hilt and holding it high. He got up and moved aside from Thalia, spinning the blade in his hand while feeling the weight of it. The weapon was made to be held in two hands during battle. Still, Julian was strong enough to handle it with just one hand. It was heavier than his sword, and its shining patterns gave it a charm like no other.

Still, he wouldn’t trade his blade for this one ever. Handling a sword that wasn’t his own felt wrong to Julian. He was more than pleased with his mother's gift, but holding this blade could answer some questions. So, he gladly did.

Julian stopped and looked at the patterns again; they had stopped glowing and were now still. “Hello, I don’t know your name, not even if you’re a he or a she. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m the Baron of Silverhold, Lord Julian Lionheart, and an Arcane Mage.”

The blade glowed once again in quick succession and then stopped. Thalia started to laugh and rolled in the bed.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“It called you stupid. ‘Why in Cerulex’s name would a sword have gender or a name?’ it asked.”

“My grimoire is a girl.”

“The sword called you a pervert.”

“Hey! What? I’m not joking.”

“It said it won’t shame your preferences, but that doesn’t make it less strange.”

“Whatever,” Julian said as Thalia kept chuckling. “And the other questions?”

“The blade said it’s an Arcane Artifact, that it can give someone the power to become an arcane user if the bearer pleases it, or it can be handled by someone who is already an arcane mage.”

“So, if I wanted, I could create a portal right now?” Julian asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, the blade only answers to one person. We’re bonded, so no one can listen to or use its magic.”

“Interesting,” Julian said, spinning the sword again before giving it back to Thalia, who gladly took it.

“It said you can open portals like the one I do in the future, but it’ll be way harder than just tearing the space and time with sheer strength and will.”

“Everyone keeps saying I can do incredible stuff with my powers, but no one can teach me how,” Julian said with frustration. Magic was about discovery, curiosity, and testing; however, most mages had other people to talk about the same branch they used while Julian was alone in the world. Except that I’m not anymore. “I’m right to say that you’re an arcane mage since you’re the bearer of this sword?”

“Yes, you are. The blade told me long ago that its mission is to supply the honored with the power to fight evil. I never considered myself honored; most of our work wasn’t honored. Yet, the blade understood it as the path we had to travel.”

“You can do more than open portals with the sword, then! I can teach you how to use arcane magic. You have no idea how strong those powers are against the enemy inside the Isles.”

“I have no enemy in the Isles. I’ll not fight.” Thalia replied quickly, still too hugged with her insecurity.

“You may not consider them your enemies, but one of the strongest amidst their kind flew from the Isles just to kidnap you. It’s better to be prepared.”

Thalia looked at Julian and then at the sword. After a couple of seconds, she sighed.

“Now I have two of you telling me what I should do…” she let the words linger for a few seconds before moving towards Julian. “Fine. I’ll do it. However, as you’ll never be able to open portals as easily as I do, my powers are borrowed, so I can’t use them as efficiently as you.”

“That makes sense. Anything more?”

“It says you’re approved. That the mana chose well.”

“Thanks… blade,” Julian said, not knowing how to handle the situation well. “You really should give it a name.”

“Don’t you think I tried? It doesn’t like names. When I call it by a name, it doesn’t work. We were almost caught more than once because I had discovered a new nice name for it.”

“It looks like all magical objects are a little temperamental.” Julian chuckled as Thalia sheathed the sword and put it into the corner of the room.

“It looks like it. The blade is going to rest now.”

“I think it’s best if I let you rest as well. Tomorrow will be an important day.”

“What are you talking about? You just told me you can help me do some of this fancy magic you do. I want to learn.”

“Now?”

“Of course!”

“Right,” Julian replied and started walking from one side of the room to the other, trying to picture how he would teach something so natural to him. He tried to remember how hard it had been to learn to control the magic in the first days, and a smile appeared on his face. He had heard more than once that doing magic was like flexing a muscle, and even agreeing with it, Julian knew now that wasn’t entirely true. Doing magic was like breathing but done the right way.

Thalia’s eyes followed Julian through the room. She sat with her hands on her knees while waiting for him to say something.

“Are you already teaching me magic, and I’m too dumb to understand?”

“No, you’re not.” Julian chuckled. “I’m trying to think of the best way to teach you. In reality, there’s no easy way. I’ll have to show you.”

He grabbed the chair on the other side of the room and sat before her. He gathered energy inside his palm with his left hand outstretched towards Thalia. He inhaled slowly, held his breath to accumulate the power, and slowly exhaled, forming a small ball of arcane magic in his hand. He repeated the process thrice until the ball was as big as a human heart.

Thalia’s eyes were wide as she looked inside the thing. It resembled a Soul Shard but without the strange glass around it. Now, it was easy to keep the ball of light stable. Before, the room they were in would probably have been destroyed already.

“How did I do that?” he asked.

“How in the Last should I know?”

Julian laughed at that, slowly dissipating the ball of energy into the air. “What did you see?”

“You breathe in a particular pattern, and the ball slowly forms in your hand. I saw nothing magical about it. No magical words or runes flying in the air.”

“Because there’s little to no magic behind it. Liz likes to speak when she does some of her magic, but that has close to nothing to do with the magic working or not. It just facilitates her connection with it. The truth is that magic is natural to the ones who can perform it. I discovered that there are ways to make it easier to perceive, but the power to use it must come naturally from inside. Like flexing a muscle or breathing.”

She waited a few seconds and then started to repeat what he had done. She inhaled, held her breath, and exhaled almost in perfect timing. Yet, nothing happened. Her outstretched hand kept lying there in the air with nothing above it. She sighed and tried again to be even more frustrated when nothing happened again.

“Maybe the sword is wrong and I can’t do this,” she said, already heaving herself up from the bed.

“Wait.” Julian gently grabbed her hand and pushed her back to the bed. “Picture this: mana flows through your body, just like blood does. When you’re cut, blood leaks out of you. When you perform magic, you’re making a hole for the mana to escape, and you can control it. The more you put into the magic, the more perfect it will look. You just need to concentrate and create a perfect image of what you’re desiring into your mind. Try to picture the mana flowing from your body to your hand. I’ll show you again. Put your hand on my chest.”

“What?” She asked, blushing slightly.

Julian opened the first three buttons of his coat. “Put your hand right in the middle of my pecs and tell me what you feel when I perform the spell again.”

“Alright.” Her voice trembled a little, but she moved her hand, anyway. The cold touch on his bare chest made him feel good. He smiled as he outstretched his hand and started breathing in the correct pattern. As he did the first round of inhaling and exhaling, he felt his heart pumping and a shiver hitting his chest as the mana escaped his core. It was like Thalia’s hand had a magnet connected to it. He could feel the mana on the palm of her hand pulsating, responding to his mana escaping his body and becoming a beautiful ball of energy.

“Are you feeling it?” Julian asked, looking at the sphere forming in his hand and then at the girl. Thalia was sweating on the forehead and blushing even more. Her eyes darted from his pecs to his eyes, and when he dissipated the spell, she sighed with relief.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, catching her breath. “I felt something strange. A euphoric feeling going all over me, making my legs falter and making it impossible to breathe…. It was… great.”

“I see. And you felt the mana forming the spell?”

“Yes! I did. I could feel every string forming the sphere like a ball of wool being made thread by thread.”

“Do you want to try again? I can try to feel if you’re doing it right.”

“I… I do,” she replied, a mix of eagerness and wariness in her voice. She then leaned her chest towards him. She was still wearing the same blue cotton shirt with a deep cleavage that accentuated the curves of her breasts. Her nipples were so hard that he could see their shapes perfectly beneath the shirt. With her leaning towards him in that position, it was impossible not to have his mouth water, yet he kept his posture. He was helping her to perform magic, not checking her out.

She didn’t seem to notice his gaze and waited for his touch. When his hand reached close to her, she opened her cleavage for his hand to fit entirely inside the shirt without the palm touching the fabric. At the point of his thumb and his little finger, he could feel the edges of her breasts, and as his hand touched the middle of her chest, it seemed he was glued to her skin.

The sensation was immediate. An energy pump traveled through his body directly to his brain and down. He could already feel his body waking up. With or without mana, it would be impossible not to have another response to the beautiful woman in front of him.

“Do the spell,” Julian muttered, and she started to breathe. Julian didn’t feel the mana gathering in her core the first time.

“Again,” he said, and she obeyed. A shiver ran through her as she hit the right spot with the mentalization and the breath. Julian could see her hair rising and the pores of her skin becoming more apparent.

A blue hue formed on her hand, and Julian realized she was trembling.

“Again,” he said and pressed some of his energy towards her chest. At that moment, he felt a pump of blood traveling through his body. Something strange was happening. She made the same movement again and almost couldn’t hold her breath. Her inhales and exhales became more frequent, and she closed her eyes.

Julian started to feel some of what she was feeling. The strange, euphoric, yet perfect sensation traveled through his body.

“Again,” he said.

“Are you sure?” she asked between breaths, and Julian got closer, pressing his other hand on her waist, holding it tightly.

“Again,” he repeated, and she obeyed once more. She breathed, and when she held it, an explosion of feeling traveled through Julian. He could feel the tip of his cock wet with desire. She, on the other hand, couldn’t hold it anymore. The energy in her hand became a strange sphere that kept changing shape every millisecond, and Julian realized she was having trouble breathing.

Then, Julian pumped the energy again, and she groaned so loudly that it could wake the whole boat.

“I can’t take it anymore. It’s too good!” she pleaded as the ball threatened to explode.

“Hold it,” Julian said, his cock already throbbing violently against his trousers. “Do it again.”

Another groan erupted from her throat, as primal as any other he had heard. She opened her eyes wide and looked into Julian’s. She was utterly in shock that she could feel that amount of pleasure.

Julian looked down and saw her pants were soaked with her juices, and for a moment, he almost forgot she was holding a big ball of energy in her left hand. The thing became more volatile as Thalia lost control, her legs trembling and her forehead full of sweat. Julian was about to cum himself, the connection between two arcane mages being too much for them to handle.

Yet, he couldn’t let the boat explode for him to have his pleasure. He mustered all the strength he had, released her body, and grabbed her hand between his.

The energy exploded.

Julian absorbed it with his bare hands, preventing it from escaping the room. They stayed silent for a few seconds, looking at their hands connected and waiting to see if they were safe.

After a while, they locked eyes again, both sweating and tired.

“What was that?” she asked between breaths.

“I have an idea of what happened, but not why.”

“It was… amazing,” she finally said. “I’ve never felt anything like this. Can we do it again?”

Chapter Fifteen

As Makao rowed, Julian read his grimoire with the waves crashing against the hull of the little boat. The book explained that he could now enchant weapons without using a conduit like water or blood and that his enchantment had been upgraded. He could now use a spell called "Conjure Weapon," which could modify an existing weapon or create a new one when he learned how to do it.

The first one was in some manner what he had done to release Thalia from the grip of the dragonborn the other day. He still used the blood as a conduit, but unconsciously his mana core already knew he didn’t need it anymore. That was the thing about magic: one only learns by trying to do something new and different. Julian had never thought about that spell precisely, but at that moment in the sky, he knew what he needed to command the mana to do, and the energy obeyed his commands gladly.

Another thing he had learned was that he was now able to share magical energy. The grimoire called it an "Arcane Tie." It was a spell unlocked when two arcane mages of different genders connected their magical cores. It was an easier way to recharge one’s mana using the friction between the energy of the two magical cores. At first, the spell could only be used by two arcane users, but with the right proficiency, any mage could connect with an arcane one.

Besides the connection between the users, the spell was also used for a very peculiar reason. The Tie ensured the offspring of the mages connected by the tie would bring a new mage to the world and increased the chances of it being an arcane one. Upon reading that specific part, Julian closed the book with a slight blush and looked at the waves.

They floated in a tiny boat that barely fit them all. He felt Thalia’s eyes on him, but as soon as he glanced in her direction, she turned her head. Julian could feel she was a little embarrassed about what had happened last night. He, for sure, was. Still, her eyes and her words couldn’t lie. She wanted it again and wanted more. Julian shared the feeling.

Liz and Rayra traded glances and little smiles. Not even a grimace from Julian was enough to dissuade their fun. The whole story seemed absurd to them when he told it before they went to bed, but they believed him. When they read the description of it in the book, they were also eager for him to understand more about the spell so they could use it with them.

The idea of sharing the climax of an orgasm and recharging their mana pools at the same time? That sounded amazing to them both. Yet, they couldn’t contain their jests about Julian’s and Thalia’s awkwardness.

“She’ll never look at my face again,” Julian had said last night, already in bed with his two wives.

“Nonsense,” Rayra had said, turning to the other side of the bed and catching one of Julian’s hands to caress her belly.

“She was crazy about you before. She’ll be more now that you share this connection,” Liz said, embracing him and kissing him on the cheek. “You better learn how to do it with me, or I’ll get jealous.”

The words from the previous night lingered in Julian’s mind as the islands’ shape became bigger and bigger. Makao sat on the stern of the small vessel, rowing with both hands toward the target. The captain, so quick to flirt with Julian, was even faster at ditching them a mile away from the place they were supposed to land. She gave only the boat and the oars to them, saying that none of the sailors wanted the extra coins to ferry them to the Isles. The dragonborn attack had been too much for them to handle.

Julian wasn’t angry at them. The sight of one of those creatures was for sure frightening, and the idea that many more waited for them there only made it worse.

“Didn’t you know the dragonborn was coming for us? Isn’t that what your magic is about?” Julian asked Makao, whose mask was staring in Julian’s direction.

“How can I track a power I never smelled?”

“Couldn’t you know that any kind of magic was coming?”

“No.”

“Another great conversation.” Julian sighed, leaning his arms against the side of the boat. He couldn’t wait for the time he was going to part ways with the giant. Thalia chuckled close to the tracker and chimed in.

“They can only track magic they are at least a little familiar with. Makao told me once that magic smells like any other smell.”

“The fox girl smells like the forest on a rainy day,” Makao said, and Rayra smiled.

“And the others?” Julian asked

“Water magic smells like roasted fish, and yours,” he pointed with the oar towards Julian and Thalia, “like fresh-made bread.”

That doesn’t sound very impressive, Julian thought as his mind wandered.

“And the creature that we fought?”

“Old blood. The kind that rots with time. Terrible stench.”

“That means it will be easy to find, right?” Julian asked.

“Probably. I’ll be able to locate other sources of power similar to the monster that attacked us. What are we searching for?”

“A piece of a god. The master of the creature we fought. Then, we’ll search for the general. He has two things I deeply need.”

“I can find all of those things,” Makao replied promptly, his voice full of certainty. Julian nodded to the big man as they waited for the wind and his rowing to get them to the beach before them.

“What is waiting for us?” Julian muttered as his eyes were locked on the horizon.

“Doesn’t matter,” Rayra uttered, with one hand on his knees. Liz followed the gesture.

“We’ll deal with it.” Liz smiled, and Julian felt once again he could do anything as long as he was at their side.

He caught a smile at the corner of Thalia’s mouth. Then, they locked eyes for the first time that day, and she didn’t let her gaze wander this time. Her grin became larger, and she nodded positively as if saying, "We got this." Julian looked at them one by one and smiled. He was so close to danger and yet couldn’t be gladder.

The beach stretched out for a large distance. They could see the end of it and then another island both on their right and left. The place was considerably small, yet they would need some time to search it thoroughly. Looking at the map Julian realized they were on the smallest of the islands. Little red points with crown shapes sprawled throughout the whole design of the place. In the corner of the map, there was a legend that said the red dots meant that a tribe of Rust Orcs lived on the island.

“What are those Rust Orcs?” Julian asked, pointing at the symbol on the map.

“Powerful and reclusive creatures. They use blood magic and rarely commune with other orcs or anyone.” Makao grunted, pulling the boat up onto the beach.

“Can you smell them?”

“Yes. I never saw one of them, but their stench was part of my training. There are several of them around us. I suspect some are near enough to have seen our arrival. I noticed their presence when we were at sea.”

Julian's hand instinctively traveled to his face, pinching it in annoyance. That man was starting to get under his skin. He sighed and asked, “Can you at least explain why you didn’t tell this half an hour ago when we decided to land here, then?”

“Because the thing you’re searching for is here.”

“Are you sure?”

“The foul stench is coming from here. I can smell something similar to the creature we fought, not as powerful and not as much alive. The piece of this god you’re searching for is on this island.”

“Guide us,” Julian said, and the big man nodded, already moving ahead. “Keep your eyes open, Rayra. Liz, protect Thalia. If things start to look bad, make sure she has an opening to open a portal. We now have a direct connection from this island to the Capital. There’s no need to be in danger. This is mostly a recon mission. Let’s see where the shard is and ensure we’ll be able to gather it when we have the vessel.”

Rayra turned into a fox and rushed to the forest. She would make sure no one would sneak up on them while helping find other useful things. Julian followed Makao with Thalia at his back, the sword at the ready, with Liz at the end of the line. The woods near the beach were sparse; it wasn’t difficult to see what awaited them ahead. If those blood orcs were going to strike, it would be quite hard for Julian not to see the attack coming.

The sun pierced the tree canopy, the sea wind making their trail through the vegetation almost a pleasure. There were no mosquitoes and no signs of big animals. The only ones Julian saw were little piglets all covered in mud running from one side to the other. One of them even approached Julian’s leg and sniffed it.

For a dangerous place full of foul creatures, the animals seemed not afraid of humanoids. Julian gripped the hilt of his sword with his gauntleted hand and kept walking, wary of any sign of attackers.

After minutes of walking, the forest became thicker, and the first insects started to appear. Julian heard something on his left side and pointed his sword towards the sound. He saw Thalia’s shaking hands as she held the sword as tightly as possible, and when Rayra’s fox shape appeared before her eyes, she was clearly relieved, the sword almost touching the ground.

“I spotted movement, but every time I got closer, they ran. They’re preparing something,” she said, turning back to her normal form and assuming a position beside Julian. She had her bow and arrow at hand, ready to shoot on sight.

“There’s something ahead. Behind that rock.” Makao pointed with his tattooed hand.

Several feet away, a giant rock stood tall. The boulder was almost all covered in mud and fallen tree trunks leaned against it. The thing was probably ten feet tall and seemed to be out of place. Almost as if a bored giant had thrown it in there.

“Prepare to attack,” Julian said, focusing on his sword and enchanting it with mana. He would do the same with the others' weapons if necessary. He had learned upon reading his grimoire that he only needed to command a simple string of arcane magic to the object he wanted to enchant, and it would do it. Hence, enchanting the others would be fast, and he could save the energy for now.

Makao popped all his fingers and twisted his neck into position, prepared to fight.

“Do you want me to throw you in there?” he asked gravely.

“No! You don’t need to throw everyone⁠—”

“I’m joking.”

“Right, you are,” Julian replied and heard a small chuckle coming from beneath the mask. Julian smiled as well and assumed the front of the line. A little humor before a fight wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. He breathed deeply and let the mana flow through his body, sensing his surroundings and listening to nature around him. Behind the rock, he could hear steps moving the leaves and an unsettling movement of hands scratching the big rock.

With slow steps, he approached the place. His hands were ready to swing at the first sight of an attacking creature. The sound of leaves crashing near the rock was suddenly interrupted, and Julian strode towards the rock. He would be the one catching the creature by surprise, not the other way around.

As he reached the corner of the big rock, an immense silhouette erupted from it. It expanded to at least fifteen feet tall, making Julian’s eyes search immediately to its edge. He couldn’t identify exactly what he was looking at, but it didn’t seem to be an orc.

Leaves and branches covered the entire extension of the monster, making it almost blend with the trees behind it, except for the several arms that it possessed stretching towards them. They seemed to be made out of wood and moved desperately from one side to the other. Julian couldn’t see feet underneath, but at the top, a couple of big red eyes glimmered in the sunlight piercing through the trees.

The creature’s eyes shined heavily, emanating a strange light. He saw no mouth or nose, just the big and odd eyes. Julian wasted no time. He swung his blade and found only leaves and branches within his reach. The monster flinched back in time to avoid most of the damage. The creature didn’t bother to look down; instead, it started to scream as loud as it could. The scratching and high-pitched sound made several birds fly from the trees and Thalia covered her ears.

Julian rushed once more, and this time, the monster reached him first and struck his stomach. Oddly enough, he was struck by something that exited the creature in a seemingly impossible way. From inside the mounted leaves and branches in the middle of the creature’s torso, a small crimson arm had just erupted to punch him. It didn’t even hurt but made Julian flinch three or four steps.

The monster kept screaming and shaking its strange arms. Beneath all the crying noise, Julian heard what seemed to be mechanical scratches, like the ones someone can hear with their ears close to a clock.

Rayra released a volley of arrows at the monster, and they heard more than one voice screaming inside it. Had this creature eaten others who were still alive inside it? Upon hearing the sound, Makao threw himself into the creature. He tackled it to the ground with a firm and tight embrace, his arms almost not being able to surround the monster.

Something broke inside the creature as it collided with the ground. Pieces of metal and wood flew into the air as several voices started to scream again. Julian rushed towards the giant, striding past Makao and forming an Arcane Blast in the palm of his hand. He strode towards the end of the creature, where the eyes were, and with gritted teeth, he prepared to release the energy.

“Please don’t kill us!” a high-pitched voice came from behind those red eyes. The sound was almost childish and immediately shook some of the anger from Julian. Soon, other voices followed.

“You’re above me, stupid!” one called.

“Get off my leg!” another snarled with anger.

“I told you these were different! We are doomed!” a third one almost cried, desperation filling its voice.

Realization started to dawn over Julian as the first voice spoke again.

“Sir, can you excuse us? Please, don’t kill us. We were just trying to scare you away.”

“Who in the Last are you?” Julian was able to ask, and from the middle of the big red eyes, leaves, and branches, a face appeared. It was small and round—the same size as one of a toddler—with small tusks leaving the lower part of its jaw. The creature had a smile on its face that strangely seemed fitting to its small eyes and round nose. The creature’s skin was somewhere between red and gray.

“My name is Ubu. I’m the Shaman of Rust Island. It’s my pleasure to meet you. Can you now leave our home and forget you ever saw what you just did?”

Chapter Sixteen

Julian sat on a rock in the middle of a glade with a clay pot filled with the best-smelling pork soup he had ever seen. Beside him were his companions, and wherever he looked, the strange Rust Orcs surrounded them.

After the odd meeting with the disguised orcs in the forest, others appeared from holes in the ground, the tops of trees, and some were even hidden beneath leaves in plain sight. The creatures were very good at camouflage and seemed to be even better at being curious.

More than one passed their hands over Makao’s crossed arms, touching his tattooed skin. Some orcs, who seemed to be children, kept running after Rayra’s fox tail as she sat eating her soup, not seeming bothered at all by their curiosity. Liz talked with a female orc at their side, but Julian couldn’t hear their conversation. His attention was devoted to the orc sitting in front of him. Thalia, like Julian, didn’t eat. She was too wary to do it.

Ubu, the shaman orc, didn’t lose his smile even when he was eating. His ragged red robe reaching the ground made him look different from his kin, who wore simple trousers and shirts. Some of them even had nice clothes that didn’t seem to match at all. One of them was wearing a silk blouse made by the elves while wearing farmers' trousers. The orcs looked much more like scavengers than devious and dangerous creatures.

“People normally flee when they see our Blood Orc, the Third,” the shaman said.

“We’re not like most people,” Julian replied with a smile.

“Indeed. Now that you are all fed and we’ve shown we are a peaceful people, can you go?”

“What guarantees you’ll not attack us as soon as we reach the beach?” Julian asked more to get to know the orcs than to have a real answer.

“If we were violent, we would have already attacked. We outnumber you ten to one. That punch Klurk gave you was probably the most violent act done on this isle in decades.”

“That’s hard to believe. My friend Makao here told me you are known for being users of blood magic.”

“Lies,” the little orc snarled, seeming offended. Julian saw other orcs looking at him with reproachful looks as well. “We used to do it. A long, long time ago.”

“Why don’t you do it anymore?” Makao asked.

“Because…” the shaman started, but then looked towards the masked man and retorted, “I don’t need to explain myself to you. I’m grateful you didn’t hurt us, but I see no reason for this conversation to go on.”

“The problem is there’s something on this island that I’m searching for,” Julian uttered the words with caution, trying to catch a glimpse of the orc’s reaction.

“There’s nothing here besides my people, piglets, and mosquitos.” The orc grabbed a spoon of soup and ate it fast, with his eyes lowered. Julian saw his smile falter for just a second. Makao turned his masked face towards Julian to show he had caught it as well.

“I’m having a hard time believing you, Ubu. However, I do believe you’re well-intended, and you’re no danger to me or my companions.”

“We’re not. But they are,” Ubu muttered. “Only the gods know what can happen if they feel there’s magic up here.”

“Who, Ubu?” Julian asked, leaning towards the small creature, who adjusted himself on the rock he was sitting upon.

Ubu seemed regretful of saying the words, but he didn’t refrain. He locked eyes with Julian, no more trace of smiles on his face. “The Eaters,” he said ominously.

“They are guarding Fenrir’s shard?” Julian asked, his eyes never moving away from Ubu’s. The orc instantly flinched upon hearing the god’s name.

“You are his servant, aren’t you? We saw the monsters flying above our dear island. It will pain me, stranger, but I’ll use the forsaken magic. I’ll not let you take it,” the shaman said, dropping the clay pot on the ground and raising both of his hands. Previously covered by the sleeves of his robe, Julian now saw two bracelets with red gems shining brightly. He didn’t need the orc to show his magic to know there was power inside them.

Julian felt the tension in the air. Makao was still sitting, but Julian could see the balls of his feet sinking into the ground. He was prepared to jump at the orc at the first opportunity. Julian, however, raised both hands to show he meant no harm to them.

“I’m not his servant, Ubu. If anything, I’m probably his worst enemy.”

“I’ll not fall for this trick, human! Fenrir is the god of treachery. We were enslaved once. The other orcs forgot about that. They are gladly jumping into death once more. Not us. If I have to use the power once more to protect us from the Devil and his minions, so be it,” Ubu said through gritted teeth. He was going to attack.

Julian had no other option. He outstretched his left hand and made the ball of blue energy appear there. It was the biggest Julian had ever done, but he wanted it to be large enough for everyone in the glade to see. The eyes of all orcs were fixed on his hand, and he saw more than one fall to the ground.

Ubu kneeled instantly with his hands now on the floor and his forehead touching the muddy ground. When he raised his head, his voice was full of emotion.

“I’m sorry, Lord! You’ve returned. All is not lost!”

Then, the world trembled.

Chapter Seventeen

“They felt it!” one of the orcs screamed as it started running and then jumped into a hole Julian hadn’t seen. Others followed as the ground shook and trees fell. Julian stood up and looked around. Ubu was still kneeling on the ground, too absorbed in some rambling to do anything else.

Julian’s companions, on the other hand, were all standing and looking for danger. A tree fell close to Makao, but the giant only slapped the tree trunk, saving the lives of the orcs that were gathered close to him. The forest was in complete turmoil, birds flying from the tree canopies as the ground revolted against the people above it.

“What’s going on?” Julian asked, his voice loud enough to be heard by everyone close.

“The eaters!” another orc cried, and Julian moved in the direction of the orc, just to see the creature disappear into one of the trees. As fast as they had appeared, they vanished.

Julian unsheathed his sword and prepared to attack whatever these eaters were.

“Ubu? Are you all right?” Julian asked, looking at the orc behind him.

“Should I make a jump?” Thalia asked, her sword already in hand, ready to provide an escape.

“Ubu?!” Julian asked again, and the orc finally looked up.

“Just wait. If they aren’t here yet, they won’t come,” the shaman said, and Julian waited.

Still wary of a fight, Julian halted in position. The eaters never came. The earthquake stopped suddenly, and Julian almost fell to the ground. Slowly, some of the orcs started to gather again in the glade.

Ubu rose to his feet and walked toward Julian. With clasped hands, he pleaded, “Please, don’t use your powers again. We were lucky they didn’t come.”

“Who are they?”

“The ones who feast upon the god’s remains. The ones we were able to lock away.”

“They have eaten the whole shard of Fenrir?” Julian asked in disbelief.

“I don’t think so, honored one. Still, they’ve eaten a good part of it. They’ve been locked with it for centuries now. Their love for the shard only equals their hate for mankind and the enemy—” The shaman raised both of his hands apologetically before continuing, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend Cerulex.”

“No offense was taken,” Julian said. He wasn’t understanding most of what was going on, and being offended wouldn’t help. “I need you to explain to me exactly what’s happening. I need to ensure this shard is delivered to the one who can fight Fenrir.”

“That’s not possible! They will kill whoever approaches.”

“I fought Fenrir himself and lived to tell the tale, shaman. My companions and I are capable. Still, we need to know what we are fighting.”

“I’ll show you, honored one,” the shaman said.

Julian let his eyes wander through the glade and could now see that several of the orcs were kneeling just like Ubu had done before. Some even had tears in their eyes. He saw relief in the creatures' expressions and didn’t know how to feel about it. No matter where Julian looked, it seemed all he found were more people relying on him.

That’s the burden of the strong… helping the ones in need, he thought resolutely as he followed the shaman through the woods. Julian’s companions were close behind, and another dozen orcs followed as well.

After a couple of minutes of trekking, they started to climb a small slope. The vegetation grew sparser, and the grass on the ground was slowly replaced by rocky terrain. Soon, Julian could see where they were going. At the top of the slope, an archway made of red rocks awaited them.

“I’ll ask for your companions to wait here,” Ubu asked, waving one hand for Julian to follow. They all seemed upset when Julian nodded for them to wait, but no one protested.

“Why am I here?” Julian asked.

“You’ll see.” Ubu grabbed a stick from the ground and traced a line from one edge of the archway to the other, then waved one hand to the skies and moved back to Julian’s side. “Here is far enough for the eaters to not feel the magic. I’ll explain everything to you, but I think it will be better if you know what is at risk."

While the shaman uttered the words, a cloud of gilded dust started to fall from the top of the archway to the ground. As the first grain reached the ground, an image started to form in the archway.

“There are others like this one on the islands. It was used as a means of communication even before the god’s war. Now, it’s broken. We can see what lies close to the other archways, but they can’t see us. Do you understand what I’m afraid of?”

Julian understood. Before his eyes, he saw a slope similar to the one he was on now. Close to it, Baron Strazz stood. Or at least the carcass of him. Julian doubted if there was still any part of the man left inside that body. One of his sides was nearly destroyed now, the cracks on the skin resembling the scales of a dragon instead of human skin. It was sitting in a throne made of silver and his hands were clasped below his chin, as if he was bored. Someone approached the god in long and anxious strides.

An orc in full armor with a menacing axe tied to its belt stopped and kneeled before Fenrir and looked at the ground. Julian couldn’t hear the god’s words, but he assumed he had commanded the orc to look up because he promptly did. The shaking of the creature could be seen from the distance. Fenrir grabbed a knife from the inside of his well-tailored robe and seemed to rip a part of his skin. Julian didn’t see blood or any major wound on the god’s body, but he knew a part of him had just been removed.

The orc opened his mouth, and Fenrir deposited the piece atop the creature’s tongue. He swallowed it gladly, and then Julian saw the horrific transformation.

As if mirroring Fenrir’s image, the orc started to change. First, he thrashed on the ground, shaking all his limbs in a violent dance. For a moment, Julian thought he was going to die, but then the creature suddenly stopped with one hand grasping its heart as if suffering from a heart attack.

Then, the creature’s clothes tore, and its skin cracked. Julian saw it screaming, and even without hearing it, a part of him wanted to cover his ears. The monster's back grew larger, and bones erupted from its shoulders. No, not bones… dragon horns. Julian saw the creature’s trousers seemingly shrink as the monster increased in size.

The orc’s tusks grew larger, and exactly where Fenrir’s face was shattered, the orc’s face shattered as well. Julian saw blood pouring from the wound as the glimmer of red power erupted from it. The orc remained on the ground, slowly catching its breath.

Fenrir waved his hand for the creature to rise, and when it did so, the orc was at least ten feet tall. Its back moved violently with each deep breath the creature took. The god put one hand on its forehead and then waved his other hand for it to move.

The changed creature started to descend the slope as another one approached. Julian moved to the side, where Ubu was waiting, and realized he could now see the slope from another angle. He caught a good glimpse of the edge of the slope, mirroring the position where his companions waited on his side of the archway.

What he saw almost made his heart jump out of his chest. Amidst the tall trees, a sea of orcs saluted their new member. They were all changed—dragon horns adorned their shoulders, red cracks tore their faces, and they couldn’t seem happier or stronger. Above them, dozens of dragons flew through the sky. Some were small, others big, but all seemed eager to kill. A shiver ran through Julian’s neck.

“Do you understand now?”

“The ones locked with the shard on this island are like them?”

“Worse, way worse. Fenrir didn’t do that the last time. We were merely pawns in his army. It seems now he’s not saving resources to do what he wants.”

“You speak as if you were there.”

“I was,” the shaman said, sadness stamped on his watery eyes. “I saw everything unfold and decided to stay here and try to avoid it from happening to my people ever again.”

“How is that possible?”

“Blood magic. When the war was over, we were exiled to these islands. We were outcasts among our people. We were before the war and still are. It was luck that the shard off him fell right here. Still, it will not be long until they search here. I saw his general go from island to island searching for it. Ours will probably be the last, but it will be hit.”

“We have to ensure they will not get it, then. I am your best chance.”

“They’re too powerful, I’m afraid. We protected the shard for many years before the first of us was tempted by it.” Ubu sighed and sat on a rock. On the other side of the archway, Fenrir kept doing his dark work, transforming the orcs into devilish draconic creatures. “We found the shard inside a dungeon. The first who were tempted brought it to the surface, only to be consumed by it. We lost most of our people fighting them, and we never won. One of us sacrificed himself to throw the shard back into the dungeon, and the eaters were eager to follow. I sealed the dungeon in the hope that they would die with time, but they are still there. My people renounced the magic; that was what connected us to Fenrir. The other orcs know this, and that’s why we are still safe here. The ones inside the dungeon… they have his powers and the magic.”

“I have no other choice, Ubu. I thought you were happy a bearer of Cerulex’s powers is here to fight Fenrir.”

“I’m happy that there is a chance for us to survive.”

“I’ll not settle for survival!” Julian snapped. “I’ll only rest when Fenrir is gone, forever. If you want to help me, I’ll gladly accept it. If you don’t, I’ll find the way to the dungeon myself.” He started to walk down the slope when something caught his attention.

On the other side of the archway, a set of wings soared above Fenrir’s position. The colors on the creature’s body were distinct enough for Julian to realize it was the general he had fought in the skies. He flapped his wings above the god’s position, his tail already growing again like that of a lizard. Close to the point of it, a rope was tightly tied around him, and from it hanged a body, tied by the hands and feet, like a pig being transported to the firepit.

The dragonborn lowered the stranger to the ground and then walked towards Fenrir. The god had a severe and disgusted expression on his face. The grim grew deeper as the general started to speak. Whatever he was saying, Fenrir wasn’t liking it. The dragonborn, on the other hand, had a sly smile hidden on his lowered head.

Fenrir raised two fingers towards the general as if saying that only two of something were left. Is he speaking about the islands? He’s coming here now. The general nodded positively and looked into Fenrir’s eyes, who waved his hand in a command for him to go ahead. The dragonborn looked at the ragged man on the ground as if asking what to do with him.

Julian didn’t understand what he said, but whatever it was, it elicited the dragonborn to kick the man right in the stomach. The wretched creature rolled on the ground, his face stopping with the eyes directed towards the archway.

“Father!” Julian shouted. Lord Lionheart wore ragged clothes and was as thin as a man could be without being dead. His always-shaved face had been replaced by an enormous white beard, and his eyes were devoid of any emotion. Julian’s heart pounded against his chest.

The dragonborn reached for something inside his scales and brought it to Julian’s father’s eyes. It was a cube, the size of a human heart, gilded with soul patterns all around it. Julian knew instantly that It was the vessel capable of holding Fenrir’s shard.

He was showing it to the old man as a provocation. Julian could already imagine what he was saying, promising that Julian would die for it and his father would see his son dying in front of him. Julian’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, blood threatening to escape from his palms as he pressed firmly.

“I’ll kill you,” Julian muttered, and as if hearing his words, the dragonborn took flight abruptly, making his father’s body rock violently in the skies. “They’re coming here, Ubu. They only have this and one other island to check. I need the shard now!”

Ubu looked into his eyes, the determination burning inside Julian’s soul couldn’t be ignored. The small orc sighed.

“I’ll show you. Come.”

Chapter Eighteen

The entrance to the dungeon was hidden in the middle of the forest. They had probably walked above it without even realizing it. It was near the glade and even closer to the big rock they had found before. A square door stood on the ground, barely big enough to fit a man. Julian had doubts that Makao could enter it. At the edges where the rock connected to the muddy floor, red patterns seemed to hold it locked. They glowed intermittently but were dim enough to be hidden by the leaves and branches above it.

“This rock was on the slope before. One of the Eaters threw it here when they consumed the shard’s power,” Ubu said, caressing the rock with one hand. “The other orcs, they’re not old like me. They didn’t see what they could do.”

“We’ll deal with it, Ubu,” Julian said confidently. The orc’s fear was starting to annoy him, yet it was increasing his will to prove him wrong. “Tell us what they can do.”

Julian’s companions surrounded the shaman and waited while he clasped his hands, seemingly trying to find the right words.

“There were five before. I don’t know how many there are now, but it’s more than one. They were bigger than your tattooed friend and stronger. They were all well-versed in blood magic. Expect them to have inhuman strength, total resistance to pain, and endless fury. Blood magic is normally used to fuel one’s natural strength, but one can extrapolate it. I doubt they’re still intelligent enough to use everything a blood mage can, however, I would be careful with blood spells and blood conjurations. I’m sure that’s not all—they’ve spent too much time inside this place. Yet, that’s all I can tell you.” The shaman’s eyes were full of fear. “If you want to reconsider⁠—”

“We’ll handle this, Ubu. Trust me, please,” Julian interrupted Ubu, turning to Makao. “Do you think you can do your absorbing thing on them?”

“Probably, yes. I doubt I can bend their will to mine, but if they are restrained, I can probably consume them.” The man’s voice was firm, nonetheless. That was the kind of ally Julian wanted at his side.

“I can’t see a better plan than entering that place and smashing their monstrous faces before the dragonborn arrives here. If we can incapacitate them for Makao to use his powers, we’ll do it. If it’s easier to kill them, we’ll kill them. Thalia, at my command, you open the portal and get us out of there. Teleport us to the archway on the slope.”

“Wouldn’t it be wiser if we just waited for the enemy to come and see them fight over the shard?” Thalia asked.

“No, young lady. They are servants of Fenrir. Consuming it will not be as pleasant as seeing the shard back to its original owner. If one of those monsters comes here, they will follow gladly,” the shaman said firmly, his voice starting to be filled with urgency. “Even with my doubts, I’m sure you’ll be better off fighting them separately. Fenrir is building his army to invade your land. This is the perfect moment to strike.”

“It looks like our shaman here is not a coward,” Julian chimed in, patting the small orc on the shoulder.

“No, honored one. I’m not. I’ve just seen enough.”

“Open the door, then. We’ll defeat them and ease your mind.”

The shaman’s eyes darted from all members of Julian’s party, searching for any sign of fear or insecurity. Still, not even Thalia showed it now. They were determined to deal with whatever was inside that dungeon and get back safe and sound.

With no more words, Ubu crouched beneath the rock and started passing his hands around the square shape. The red glyphs closing the door slowly faded away.

“You’ll have no problem finding them. The stairs lead to the only room in the place. They’ll be waiting.” As the last light disappeared, the shaman rose and walked back to his position. “Good luck. If you are successful, don’t touch the shard directly. If you need to transport it, cover it with anything and don’t let the same person carry it for too long. And please, don’t let it near my people.”

“Right, Ubu. Thank you,” Julian said, and all the girls and Makao nodded thankfully to the small shaman. They had met the Rust Orcs not long ago, but it was hard not to feel sympathy for them. They were simple people, and their mission was as honorable as the one they were trying to accomplish.

Makao grabbed the entrance with his two massive hands and pulled it with all his strength. It resisted his pull once and then twice, but as soon as the giant man gave the third pull, the door gave out, almost making him fall on his back. Darkness covered the insides of the cave.

Julian circled the hole in the ground trying to find a different angle to see the shard, but he only saw darkness.

“We’ll have to enter. Close the door as we pass, Ubu. I don’t want the creatures escaping,” Julian said with determination as he entered the small entrance. His feet fell on a set of massive stairs. They extended for what seemed to be eternity with one end connected to the wall and the other ending in complete darkness. Julian approached it but couldn’t see the wall on the other side and neither the bottom of the stairs. He let his eyes travel through the darkness, trying to get accustomed to it. It took some time, but he finally saw it in the distance, far away and below.

“There it is,” Julian muttered. The thing shone similarly to the shard they found inside Ranabi’s mirror realm. The difference between them was that the glow from this one was stronger. Julian could even see the ground surrounding it. There was no orc near it. Were the eaters dead and the earthquake only a coincidence? Julian mused as he prepared to enter the dungeon.

Rayra removed a torch from inside her magical satchel and lit it up. The magical object could fit anything inside it as long as it passed its entrance. The beastfolk was the most resourceful person Julian had ever met and never disappointed when he needed something.

She handed more torches to the others, and Julian waited before starting to descend the staircase.

“Let’s do it,” he said with confidence, receiving nods of confirmation from all his companions. “Ranabi is relying on us. The world is relying on us.”

Julian wasn’t sure how much Makao cared about that or if he cared about anything besides his duty to Thalia’s family and, by consequence, his duty to her safety. He was ready to fight the unknown under Julian’s command, nonetheless.

With a deep breath, Julian descended the steps one by one, his hand outstretched to show the way ahead. After centuries, he wouldn’t be surprised if many of the steps were broken or deteriorated.

“Three broken steps ahead,” he muttered to Liz just behind him before jumping them and resuming his walk. Where are you? he wondered as the room became more illuminated. With each step their company took towards the bottom of the dungeon, their torches revealed more of the path. “Are you seeing anything?” Julian whispered, but no one replied.

He would be better off silent. If the eaters were really waiting for them like Ubu had warned, talking out loud wouldn’t be wise. They kept descending through the darkness for several minutes, jumping broken stairs here and there but never finding the end of it. When Julian was starting to get tired of the uncertainty, he finally saw the last step and a hundred feet away, the light of the shard illuminated its surroundings clearly at the same level as their feet.

Julian lowered his torch close to the ground, trying to see footprints or any clue that someone was down there. What he found, near the wall of the staircase, was an amalgamation of bones twisted into a corner. Julian identified a femur, a skull, and a radius. The creature was humanoid, but the size of its bones was disproportionate to an orc or human. All the other bones were unrecognizable. It was like new ones had appeared to envelop the original ones, making the creature twist into a strange shape. The skull, however, remained small, about the same size as Ubu’s head. Close to it, another set of bones waited. This one was another mess of unholy shapes. Julian was disgusted by it, imagining the pain that had occurred during that foul transformation.

Maybe they are all dead, he thought as his companions joined him at the foot of the stairs. The walls revealed nothing to them. They were just like the ones in Julian’s mining dungeon. A couple of steps ahead, another set of bones lay there. No meat could be found on the bones, not even a single vermin feasting upon it. It was almost like the bones had been cleaned by the most meticulous of butchers. Time had transformed those strange monsters into only pristine white bones. None of Julian’s companions could hide their disgust upon seeing the transformed creatures. However, their eyes were more interested in the glowing red shard lying at the far end of the room.

Julian kept one eye on the prize and the other on the ground. His companions had assumed positions on every side of him, trying to illuminate as much of the room as possible. Ubu had warned them about five of the creatures living inside the dungeon. Three were dead, but they couldn’t see any more remains. They were there somewhere.

The air in the room was cold, and from time to time Julian felt a gust of wind rubbing his neck. He couldn’t guess where the air was coming from, but it wasn’t from the entrance they had used. Their steps echoed through the room as they walked by the third dead creature. Small debris was scattered around every time they stepped ahead, and even the smallest sound made them wary. That was why Julian felt something was wrong when he stepped and felt his foot slightly sinking into the ground as if he had just come across a button.

The ground shone a bright red beneath his feet. A pattern expanded, increasing in size and taking up the whole room. His response was immediate.

“Run! Back to the stairs!” Julian shouted, and his companions promptly obeyed. They weren’t far ahead. It would be faster than Thalia opening a portal. The slowness of their steps was quickly replaced by long and fast strides. Julian knew that whatever was going on beneath them wasn’t good. The pattern kept increasing and shining brightly; Julian felt debris falling from the roof. A small rock hit his head, eliciting a sharp pain in his forehead, but he kept running.

His companions reached the stairs first, and just as Julian reached them—jumping every step he could—the pattern stopped increasing in size. It glowed one more time and then stabilized, the red of the symbol illuminating the whole room. There were no creatures there. It was just the ground filled with strange magical symbols and the Soul Shard at the far end.

Then, realization struck Julian. Something was falling from the ceiling. The silhouette of two massive shadows appeared above them and the pattern on the ground exploded. He didn’t know what to look at. On the ground, the magical lines started to pour blood, and as it touched the rock, Julian could hear the hiss of something burning. It wasn’t just simply blood. It was clear that it would kill whatever it touched.

The blood covered the strange glyph, and as darkness took the room again, the two creatures falling from the ceiling crashed against the ground with a splash. They shrieked as they touched the liquid. They are being burned by it as well, Julian realized, his eyes trying to understand what was before him.

Enveloped by the smoke of their flesh being burned, two anomalies stood on all fours. Where their necks should have been, there were only their small orc heads. Still, they weren’t alive at all. Their eyes were devoid of any light, the pupils almost closed, staring at the ground and nothing more. Their skin was all ripped apart by bones that erupted from all places and in all directions. One of the monsters only had three limbs with the resemblance of joints. The other one was completely outstretched and moved strangely.

Close to the upper body, the bones that left their body were dragon horns, encircling themselves and hiding any semblance of humanity the monster had in the past. When one of them raised a limb, Julian saw their fingers had been replaced by long and sharp claws made of the whitest bone. The pristine structure, contrary to their skin, didn’t burn in contact with the blood at all. Julian saw more of the red patterns sprawled on the parts of their bodies that weren’t pure erupted bones. The blood magic was keeping them alive and capable of fighting. Julian had no idea how these monsters fed themselves or if they did at all. Their heads just seemed to be carried with them.

When they shrieked, their mouths didn’t move, and when their skin burned, they didn’t seem bothered at all. They fell close to the shard, and for a couple of moments, they encircled each other as if measuring what they should do. One of the devils swung what Julian assumed to be one of its arms towards the other, who dodged by mere inches.

The second didn’t attack back. It flinched steps away and waved its long and deformed body towards Julian. Another inhuman sound left its body, and Julian understood immediately what it was trying to communicate. They weren’t friends at all. The other three had probably died fighting each other; however, they had invaders now. If they still had any semblance of intelligence inside their minds, they knew this was their opportunity to escape. To spread their dark work. The second one understood.

“Go to the top and make a portal, Thalia. We’ll hold our position and fight as we climb. Whatever happens, keep as close to the wall as possible and don’t fall from the stairs, that blood will melt anyone who touches it. If you can’t fight, enter the portal immediately,” Julian said and didn’t wait for anyone to reply. He heard them climbing and heard the monsters splashing the blood on the ground and rushing towards them. A whirl of limbs sprawled the burning blood everywhere, making Julian concentrate on climbing as high as possible before engaging in the fight.

Rayra nocked several arrows in the meantime, releasing them towards the creatures between every step she gave up. When her thrown torch found the pool of blood below, she had already shot more than twenty arrows. Julian let a string of mana rush into her quiver and bow as he climbed the stairs as fast as possible. As soon as the spell touched the weapon the beasts screamed at the skies as if they were sniffer hounds. It was a primal cry. As if the existence of Arcane magic was an offense too great for them to take.

Fury washed over the monsters, and they rushed fast. In the blink of an eye, the first creature was upon Julian. Its claws swiped, trying to cut Julian in half. He jumped a few steps and dodged the strike, but as the creature recoiled its claws to strike again Julian felt it pulling his ankle and making him lose balance. Julian felt his forehead crack against the stairs, and darkness came.

Chapter Nineteen

Julian felt his body being hurled from one side to the other. He tried to open his eyes, but when he did, he saw nothing. The fog in his sight was such that all he could see was a red blur. He tried to shake his head, but the movement combined with the thrashing of his own body only made everything worse.

He felt his body being lowered, and screams erupted from the distance. He breathed deeply and felt the mana rushing from his core into his limbs and then into his brain. His senses became sharper immediately, the pain in his head eased, and he was finally able to see.

The world was upside down. Julian saw Thalia rushing to the top of the stairs at full speed with one hand on her sword and the other on a torch. Makao was close behind her, ensuring her safety while Rayra kept sending arrow after arrow towards… Julian. Or at least, that was what he thought initially. Then he saw what waited for him below.

One of the creatures fought Liz at the edges of the stairs. She kept throwing water shots at the monster, which had its attention torn between Julian and her. Right below him, he saw why the other monster was so eager. The transformed orc holding Julian lowered him towards the inside of itself.

Where the stomach of the creature should’ve been, two lines of sharp and long bones formed a hole that resembled a mouth. Inside it, another set of bones moved in the same rhythm as the creature’s organs. The vision was straight out of hell.

Any semblance of confusion left Julian’s mind and heart as he saw what awaited him. The monster lowered him slowly as if savoring every moment of its sweet victory. Not today, Julian thought, gathering an arcane blast in his left hand. The monster grunted in confusion, only now realizing Julian was conscious.

It didn’t have time to react. Julian threw the blast inside the creature’s body and watched it close its mouth by instinct. Julian had no time to waste. Independently of what the spell did to the creature, he would probably fall into the pool of blood. He needed to get back to the stairs fast.

He waved his hand in a whipping motion and watched as the magical whip at his hand reached the creature’s limb just below where it held Julian’s ankle. He felt it enveloping the monster’s arm, and as it cut through the bones and muscles, he heard the explosion.

What transpired in the next seconds was a blur in Julian’s eyes. All he saw clearly was Liz making the largest wall of water he had ever seen before the creature she was fighting and pushing it to the opposite side of the room. In the next second, Julian was the one being hit by her magic.

A wall of water protected him from the explosion and another one protected his back and skull from being broken against the stairs as his body was thrown back. He felt it all as he watched the explosion tear the monster’s body almost in half. Pieces of it flew throughout the room, some hitting Thalia and Liz, who were quick to clean themselves.

Just as Julian’s body crashed against the stairs, he felt the explosion’s inertia still pushing him. He felt his feet touching one of the steps, but in the next second, they were being hurled towards the darkness below. He gripped the edge of the stairs and started pulling himself back to safety, with Rayra helping him stand.

He panted and looked at his surroundings. At the top of the stairs, Thalia was tearing the air to create a portal, and Makao was returning to the fray. Julian had serious doubts if the tracker would be of great use in the fight. Julian didn’t see a way to get him close enough to the creatures without putting him at risk of falling into the burning pool.

They had to keep fighting on the stairs, making the monsters keep burning on the ground. If they didn’t kill them directly, Julian suspected they would eventually succumb to the blood below. It wasn’t clear if the strange magic was their doing or simply a trap that Julian had activated by pure luck.

Rayra nocked an arrow and glanced at Julian.

“You alright?” she asked, already aiming at the enemy in the distance, who started to approach them with its hind leg sprawling blood all over.

“Yeah. Keep climbing,” Julian grunted, this time walking up the stairs with his back to the exit.

On the ground below, the exploded monster started to thrash. Is it still alive? Julian mused as he prepared another arcane blast inside his left hand. Smoke from the creature’s body being burnt by the blood started to envelop its body. All Julian could see was the other one rushing towards them.

Julian threw his blast toward the running enemy. The monstrosity sidestepped abruptly, making a wave of blood touch one of the walls. Even the rock seemed to melt in contact with the liquid. Still, the creature’s will suffered nothing. If anything, it looked even faster after dodging Julian’s spell. He threw another one and then another, the creature dodged some blasts and was hit by others in its extremities, but nothing stopped it. It kept coming, picking up its momentum after every pause after each time it was hit.

Rayra and Liz kept throwing spells at the creature. Julian even saw one of Liz’s water walls shoot their own daggers as if she had just learned how to do the spell she had been working on. An idea flashed in Julian’s mind just as the creature approached. It raised one of its enormous arms and crashed it against them. Julian had to jump to the right, while Rayra and Liz dodged to the left— the stairs becoming too narrow for them to keep dodging. The second arm of the creature descended and hit Julian’s left side again, making him go down a couple more steps.

The creature was trying to separate them. Julian couldn’t allow it. With his sword in hand, he swung it towards the creature's exposed arm. The monster's bone was able to survive the blood magic, but it wasn’t a match for his arcane powers. He cut it as if it were made of paper. Julian watched the monster’s hand being severed and the bones cracking into several pieces. The mana glimmered on the blade, seeming to enjoy being used to destroy that creature.

A shriek erupted from the creature’s hidden mouth as its arm fell limp to the side. The monstrosity wasn’t screaming in pain but in frustration, and Julian had plenty more frustration to serve it.

The creature decided not to attack a second time, stopping mid-air and turning on its heels. Julian took advantage of the brief moment to speak his plan.

“Try to use the blood from below, Liz. Stop making your own water and use what’s in the pool. It will hurt them,” Julian suggested as he positioned himself close to the girls. The creature twisted its body from one side to the other, seemingly trying to understand what they had just discussed. The creature had more intelligence from its previous life than Julian had expected.

“They don’t seem to care if they are hurt,” Makao stated gravely.

“But I doubt they can still fight if they become just bones. The ones that were lying on the ground certainly couldn’t.”

Liz heard his words and gathered the energy in her hands. Julian saw the blood and water below swirling with her magic. The creature’s body twisted in that direction, and then it acted. Clasping both hands together and burning them in the process, the creature gathered blood in the palms of its clawed hands and threw it at Julian and his companions.

Instantly, Liz made a wall of water to stop the creature’s attack. However, her magic down in the pool died. The creature snarled in pleasure.

“Stand your ground and find windows to use the water in the pool,” Julian said, trying to find a good angle to shoot a blast at the monstrosity. The second creature lay silently amidst the smoke emanating from its body. It looked dead, but a part of Julian didn’t believe it.

With every couple of seconds, another splash of blood was sent in their direction by the creature, which wasn’t able to stop them from climbing. Fueled with frustration, the monster threw a last handful of the crimson liquid and then hurled itself toward them. Julian saw the creature’s gargantuan body approaching them behind Liz’s water wall. He swung his sword up, but before he could enlarge it with his magic, he heard a loud THUMP and then a high-pitched cry.

“DIE!” Makao screamed, leaping onto the creature and grabbing one of its bones. The immense man started punching it everywhere he could find skin. Julian wanted to scream that what Makao did was foolish, that he had the monster in his reach, but there was no time.

As Makao collapsed on the ground still above the creature, at the edge of the stairs the second monster erupted from the white smoke. The transformed orc was now more bone than flesh. It crawled towards the stairs, its intact hand and the severed one trying to pull it up. Julian could see some of its organs falling from the inside of its torso, most of them melting with the blood running freely inside it. And somehow, the monster was kept alive. The bald-headed creature frantically climbed the stairs, its bones crackling with each step, its flesh plummeting and tarnishing the stairs. Death was on its door, but it didn’t seem to care.

“Push it back to the blood!” Julian screamed to Liz, who started once again to gather the bloody water beneath and throw it at the monster. He descended the steps, his sword completely enchanted by the mana shining blue in the red room.

The first dagger of blood water hit the monster right in its old orc face. The skin melted, along with its dead muscles. The creature didn’t stop.

Julian swung his blade, making it grow at the last second. He felt it crushing against the monster’s skull and severing it in half. The creature didn’t even flinch. It launched itself toward Julian with a terrifying gurgled growl. He fell back to dodge and when he found his feet, Rayra dashed to his aid, aiming her enchanted arrows at the monster on the stairs. These seemed to hurt the creature. Julian saw it flinching several steps back.

“Water!” Julian screamed and watched the whirl below as he descended the steps, swinging his enchanted blade and forcing the monster down more and more steps. A small wave formed in the pool below. “More!”

Liz screamed with effort, and Julian watched a gigantic wave forming in the red light of the room. He stepped back, already gathering the arcane energy as the creature was hit by the wave of bloody water. The monster cried again, but when the arcane blast reached it, it became silent. The explosion turned the room blue, and Julian had to brace himself not to fall backward.

From the stairwell, they heard the second creature shrieking in protest as Makao kept grunting and punching. The sound of his fists crashing against the creature became the loudest within the silence after the arcane blast.

The blue slowly dimmed as Julian watched Makao holding two of the creature’s limbs by the joints where its shoulders should have been. His feet were holding the monstrosity’s mouth closed, and from the creature’s orc face, the mist of its life started to fade from within it directly into Makao’s mask. Against all odds, the man was indeed sucking the life out of the creature.

“We need to get the shard,” Julian muttered, his eyes fixed on the strange sight far ahead. At the edge of the stairs, Thalia’s portal had disappeared. The girl was descending the steps, coming back to them.

“How do you plan to get it?” the blue-haired girl asked between breaths, pointing at the shard ahead.

“Can you make a jump there and back here?”

“There’s the freaking blood.”

“Can you do it?”

“Yes, I can but⁠—”

“Liz, you know what to do.”

Liz nodded, and Julian looked at Thalia.

“I told you I trust you. It’s your turn to trust us. We survived this already; we’ll get the shard.”

Thalia seemed embarrassed for doubting them again and, without a word, unsheathed her sword and made the cross symbol in the air. Rayra was already retrieving something from inside her satchel. When she handed it to him, he saw it was some kind of chainmail, the holes in it almost invisible.

“That’s why I love you two,” he said with a smile as he jumped inside the portal Thalia had just opened.

Again, like when they fell from the skies, the jump was immediate. When he landed, he landed on a water platform beside the strange god’s shard. As a cautionary measure, Liz also moved the blood away from the shard’s surroundings with a small wall of water, making the place completely safe.

Julian finally took a good look at the strange object before his eyes. At the far side of the room, the monster Makao was fighting seemed to be dying a painful death. The object in front of Julian pulsated with life. It was similar to the one he had found in the mirror realm, but this one didn’t pulse like a heart. It was a heart.

Floating a few inches from the ground, Fenrir’s heart pumped like one of any other living being. It was as red as red could be and didn’t seem eaten at all. The arteries connected to the muscle were the only parts that seemed somewhat severed from its totality. Julian had expected to find just half of the shard inside the dungeon, but if the creatures had been able to consume only such a small part of it and still transformed themselves as they did, he couldn’t imagine what powers Fenrir would gain with it.

Julian opened the chainmail with both hands and covered the heart, being careful to make several wraps around the object before finally hugging it.

As soon as he touched the thing, his mind was flooded.

“Vengeance. Vengeance. Vengeance.” Julian felt Fenrir’s voice whispering in his ears with each heartbeat. He had to muster all his strength not to release the organ and let it go. Hold on, Julian. He encouraged himself, but his internal voice wasn’t as loud as the god’s in his chest. “Free me. Free me. FREE US!”

Julian shook his head and entered the portal again. He fell on the other side still clenching the heart on his hands. He knew the girls were talking to him. He even saw Makao jumping from the creature’s dead body back to the stairs and imagined he had just made a smart and monosyllabic remark about his killing, yet Julian heard nothing.

All he could hear was Fenrir’s pleading for him to consume it. And how Julian wanted it. The power he felt in his hands was terribly… sweet. The god’s voice echoed within the heart inside and the one outside his chest. Yet, Julian kept silent.

“One step at a time,” he muttered. The girls seemed confused as if he had screamed at them. Maybe he had.

One step and then another. He only needed to keep climbing. He felt hands trying to reach the thing in his arms, but he was quick to elbow them away. He only needed to keep going. He looked at the package in his arms.

“When did I open it?” he asked but didn’t hear his voice, his hand already moving to the exposed heart in front of his eyes.

A portal appeared in front of him, and someone shoved him inside it. The heart fell from Julian’s hand as he fell through the jump. When he collapsed on the ground of the slope, he realized that seconds ago he wasn’t hearing at all. Now, the birds chirped and insects creaked as if nothing had happened in the world.

“Julian!” He heard all the girls screaming his name. He looked up and saw the sun in the sky and couldn’t hear Fenrir’s voice anymore. Abruptly, Thalia’s face appeared on the side of his sight, and then Liz and Rayra as well. “Are you all right?” they asked in unison.

“I think so. What happened?” Julian asked, getting help to sit up.

“You—” Liz started to say, but couldn’t go on.

“You started to mumble… like a madman,” Thalia said.

“You were talking like Fenrir. Mumbling about vengeance,” Rayra chimed in, her eyes full of worry Julian wasn’t accustomed to seeing in her. “It was scary, love. Are you truly all right?”

“Where’s the heart?” Julian asked, turning his head to the sides. They were at the slope near the archway, and the heart was nowhere to be seen. Just below the red arch, Julian saw Makao standing still, his back to them. Before him stood the heart of Fenrir, and the big man crouched to get it.

Chapter Twenty

“No!” Julian shouted, heaving himself up as fast as he could. He rushed towards Makao at lightning speed, both arms outstretched. If he had almost succumbed to the foul power even with his core full of arcane magic, what would become of Makao after consuming Fenrir’s evilness?

Just as Julian saw the point of the giant’s finger touching the pulsing heart, his arms tackled the tracker. They rolled to the ground in a whirl of black tattoos, wet coats, dust, and branches. Thankfully, Fenrir’s shard wasn’t falling with them.

Not even the pain of Makao’s body smashing his bones and muscles could suppress the relief of not seeing it being consumed by an ally.

The fall seemed to have no end, the top of the slope was narrow, but the way to the ground was a bent and rocky road. When they finally stopped rolling on the other side of the slope, Julian’s mouth was full of dirt, his hair a mess, and his clothes all out of place. Makao, on the other hand, looked like… Makao.

The girls’ heads appeared at the top of the slope.

“Are you guys okay?” Liz asked.

“I’ve got eyes on the shard, Julian! I’ve got it covered!” Rayra shouted down before she disappeared back over the edge.

“You could’ve talked with me. I didn’t know the throwing thing would get you that mad. Attacking from behind? That’s dirty…” Makao said, dusting off his shoulders. “I guess I deserved it.”

Up ahead on the slope, Julian heard all the girls laughing at Makao’s misunderstanding. This time, Julian wasn’t annoyed at all. On the contrary, their happiness made him smile broadly until he couldn’t take it anymore, and a laugh erupted from his mouth.

“Yeah, Makao,” Julian tried to say between laughs, “my vengeance is complete now,” Julian said, grabbing his belly and trying to control himself.

“You are all strange,” Makao said with a chuckle and a grunt. “I like you, anyway.”

“I like you as well, Makao. You didn’t need to jump on that monster, though.”

“I wanted to smash it.”

“Fair enough.”

“Besides, it was trying to kill Thalia,” he said, crossing his arms as if thinking of his next words. Julian was getting to know the big man, but it was still hard to read someone who wore a mask all the time. “I’m confident she’ll not need me when we return to the capital.”

“How so?”

“You can take care of her. I’ll head back home. I have some unfinished grudges to address. With you by her side, my presence is not required to keep her safe. Just like before that poor girl died.”

“What girl?” Julian asked with his eyebrows raised.

“She had a friend. Her name was Ariel. Thalia, Ariel, and the princess were really close. They even joined the Royal Guard to protect their friend. I didn’t expect Thalia’s father would do what he did… I wasn’t part of it, though.”

“What did he do?”

“Julian!” Liz’s voice came from above, interrupting them. “Julian, they are coming!” Julian didn’t need to ask who was coming. Above the slope and far out to sea, he could see the silhouette of the dragonborn general flying with his father attached to his severed tail, and behind him, several other dragons flew close by. On their backs, the transformed orcs held weapons high in their hands.

“Launch me,” Julian asked, and before he could finish the words, Makao already had his grip on Julian’s clothes and the lord was flying towards the top of the hill.

By mere inches, the lord didn’t crash against the archway. His mouth was once again full of dirt, and he had even breathed dust into his lungs as he fell. Julian coughed as he heaved himself up, dusting off his coat and adjusting his belt. The other man arrived at the top seconds later, a laugh could be heard beneath the mask.

“You have a terrible, terrible sense of your strength,” Julian grunted. “Besides that, I thought we were even.”

“We were,” he replied, and this time Julian didn’t wait for an answer. He already knew the big guy well enough.

“What’s your plan, babe?” Liz asked, her hand searching for his.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the small Rust Orcs in the distance. They gathered on the edge of the hill, still surprised the monsters hadn’t risen from the dungeon. Their faces were a strange mix of despair and hope. Ubu’s complexion shone amidst the crowd. He had lost everything once. He was seeing everything happen again. Yet, on his face, Julian saw no despair at all. Only hope. The shaman nodded to Julian, who smiled and turned his face towards the approaching danger.

“First, let’s try to find a way to dispatch the shard or hide it in safety while we take out the trash. After that, it will be the same as always. Kill all the bastards, save my father in the meantime, and then head back home. I’m missing Tarav’s food already.” Julian smiled as he faced certain death.

Five small dragons flew towards them. On their backs, the transformed orcs chanted their war cries as loud as possible, and in the middle of all of them, the coral dragonborn stood with its gigantic wings flapping against the sky. They flew nonchalantly; Julian and his companions were still too far for them to notice. Of the twelve islands in the archipelago, who would have thought they would find the right one on the first try? Not even the dragonborn would have thought that to be probable.

Still, they were there. Fenrir’s Soul Shard stood on the ground below, again covered by the chainmail and several other fabrics. The thing still pulsed beneath all the layers, but it was almost imperceptible. Rayra removed her magic satchel and put it over the thing until it was inside without her directly touching it.

They waited for a couple of seconds and then the thing jumped from the inside as if it had just been pulled by an invisible and incredibly mighty hand. With it, several of the layers covering it were also pulled off. The heart now pulsed bright red against just the chainmail again.

“There goes my plan of delivering it to Ranabi now. We must use the special Golden Box Ranabi mentioned… which is held by the dragonborn general,” Julian sighed, his hand sweating against the handle of his sword.

“And we would leave the Rust orcs to their fate?” Liz asked, her expression showing a bit of surprise.

“No, I would send you, Rayra and Thalia. Me and Makao would fight.”

“You would die.”

“I don’t think so.” Julian lied. “Cover it again and hide it away from everyone. Including our Rust Orc friends. They will soon see us and rush to get here.”

The girl’s face became grim. Only the idea of Julian making an ultimate sacrifice in their names seems outrageous. Yet, they did what he asked.

Thalia got closer to him, her hands visibly shaking around her sword.

“Everything will be alright,” Julian assured her, who tried to smile but failed miserably.

“Sorry for having my doubts.” She was able to mutter, looking directly at the ground.

“Are you going to fight?”

She stared at him, eyes wide open and mouth trembling. “I don’t think I can⁠—”

“Listen,” Julian said, firmly gripping both of her shoulders. “Whatever happened in the past… it needs to stay in the past. You are not the same person as you were. Don’t suffer for the mistakes you made or the things you wish you had done. Do better. Not for me, Makao, or anyone else. Do it for yourself. Make the Thalia from one year ahead of us proud. Kill the Thalia you despise.”

As the words left Julian’s mouth, he saw Thalia’s eyes shimmering with unreleased tears. Her eyes darted from the ground to his eyes more times than he could count. She let her sword drop and when her eyes downed for the last time Julian heaved her chin and fixated his gaze on her.

“I trust you. Remember that.”

Then, she kissed him. It was a fast, almost desperate gesture. As if she couldn’t hold it anymore. Her lips pressed against his with force, and he even felt one of her teeth crashing against his own. He ignored the pain, too absorbed in the softness of her mouth against his. Her eyes were shut tight and when she opened them, she seemed surprised with herself.

“I’m sorry,” she said, in a hurry.

“Don’t be.”

“Your wives⁠—”

“We have an agreement. You did nothing wrong.” As to assure her, he kissed her again. This time more gently, he savored her lower lip and then kissed it again. When he parted from her, she was breathless.

“You never did any of this, right?” Julian asked, and she nodded negatively, her face red with embarrassment. “It’s a small reason compared to the end of the world, but one more reason couldn't hurt. I need you to fight if you want this to happen again. Remember what I told you and be ready to open the portal when the time comes.”

“I’ll try,” she was finally able to say, even the semblance of a smile blossomed on her face.

“All right.” Julian looked to the horizon, seeing the wings getting closer and closer. If they hadn’t realized Julian was there before, they for sure did now. The monsters flapped their wings violently against the air as if wanting to hurt instead of being driven by it.

“Me and Makao will close the gap between the enemies. We’ll end as much of them as possible still in the air⁠—”

“Can I throw you again?”

“Yes, Makao. You can throw me.” Julian sighed and then looked directly at the girls. “You’ll be our help from the ground. Keep firing water daggers and arrows at them. I already enchanted all of your weapons. Thalia, don’t try to use the Arcane Blast from a distance, you’ll just waste mana and there’s the risk of hurting someone here on the ground. Rely on your sword and use the arcane magic only up close, preferably with your hand inches away from to the enemy.” They all nodded in agreement and when Julian pulled his sword from the belt and pressed it against his gauntlet hand, he heard the steps on his back.

“I want to help,” Ubu said in a low and resigned tone.

“Are you sure? If you fight and we lose, your people will probably be seen as traitors.”

“I better be seen as a traitor than be treated as a nobody. They ostracized us for generations and now are allied with the one responsible for our doom. I’ll not take it lightly.” The shaman said, his hand glowing with a strange and beautiful red pattern on both of his palms. He then waved his head towards the edge of the slope. Most of the Rust Orcs had been gone. Less than half were there now, but the ones that stayed had bows and arrows, swords and knives at hand. “We’ll fight to right our wrongs.”

“That’s honorable, Ubu,” Julian said, outstretching his hand to the shaman, who took it gladly.

“Thank you, sir.”

“What can you do for us? The monsters on the ground were indeed strong, but we haven’t seen much of their magical displays.”

“You’ll see it.” Ubu had a smile that said everything Julian needed to know. The orc was now confident in their chances and that made the lord’s heart race in his chest with the excitement to fight.

Chapter Twenty-One

Being thrown into the skies was a sensation Julian didn’t think he would get accustomed to. Still, this time he was actually enjoying it. There was a kind of freedom in being in the air. Flying towards battle was even better. Julian looked over his shoulder and saw Makao approaching and gaining speed. The impulse the gigantic man had given himself created a crater on the ground below. Julian suspected he was way stronger now after draining the monstrosity, but he hadn’t had the time to ask.

The coral dragonborn passed on Julian’s side and became a large blur in less than a second. It didn’t try to stop Julian and didn’t even halt in the air. The old Lord Lionheart was still in the tight embrace of the rope, his eyes closed and a serene expression on his face. Next time you open your eyes, I’ll be at your side, old man, Julian thought, focusing on the target ahead.

The plan was simple: aim for the two dragons and their riders on the left side of the offensive while the fighters on the ground slowed down the other attackers. They were counting on their leader seeing Julian in the air and changing his target to him, but he didn’t. However, now that Julian was already flying towards the other enemies, there was no going back.

Julian slashed an arcane whip with all the speed he could muster and made an upward movement. The mana cut the air with a powerful whoosh. The dragon rider was oblivious to the attack, but the experienced dragon had a keen eye. The creature’s body was a complex mix of white feathers and dark scales—and lost half of it with the whip’s swing. The monster was as big as a lion and even being fast and keen, it wasn’t enough to save it from all the damage. The creature shrieked at the skies as it spun in the air, its wings violently trying to regain control but failing miserably.

The orc on its back wasn’t chanting war cries anymore; instead, all he uttered were scared sounds. Julian hit them from a great distance, giving him enough time to change his weight to the left and slightly redirect his trajectory. There was something about these throws Makao could perform— Julian definitely wasn’t flying, but he wasn’t just being hurled either— It was almost like there was a force connecting him to the thing he was aiming at, except that this force was conditioned by Makao’s power and slowly diminished as Julian traveled. Even magic binds to the laws of reality eventually.

He crashed against the creature, and his sight became a blur of white, black, and red. The orc grunted in confusion as one of Julian’s hands found a grip on the creature’s armor and the other on the dragon’s feathers right on the edge of its wing, the orc sitting on its back almost losing balance. As soon as Julian’s weight heaved on the dragon, it started to fall to the ground below. With a side glance, Julian realized they were now over the open sea but still close to the beach. In the distance, the coral dragonborn had halted and looked directly at Julian, as if measuring his next step.

As if in a hurry to punish Julian’s lack of attention, the orc struck Julian’s hand with a firm punch on the joints of his elbow. The pain seared his bone and muscle, and he had to grit his teeth not to shout. The dragon stopped spinning, its wings outstretched. Despite the heavy weight on its back still driving it down, the creature stabilized its flight and fought back.

Julian was in a bad position, hanging by his hands with the enemy in a better position to fight. However, they didn’t have his magic or his ability with the sword. The monstrous orc above the dragon raised one hand to grab an axe, and at that moment, Julian grabbed the armor with a firmer grip and pulled with all the strength he could muster. The monster almost fell to the side, but his blade didn’t have the same luck. The weapon fell into the sea, and with a smile, Julian gathered the energy to perform a small arcane blast.

The explosion hit the creature just beneath its armpit. The monster didn’t even have time to scream. The blast reached its heart, and it fell off to the side with no sound. The dragon sensed the weight change and moved its large neck to the side, catching a good glimpse of what was happening on its back. The monster wasted no time and started to flap its wings to make Julian fall. Its fangs snapped at him but found only air.

Julian could kill the creature easily. One more blast and it would be put down. It didn’t have a way to escape. Except Julian didn’t know how to fly. Stay with the plan. He forced the idea into his mind, dodging another bite from the creature and swinging in the air, grabbing the creature’s scales and feathers as firmly as he could. The monster had full control of its flight; the wounds Julian inflicted were not enough to slow its fury.

You can do it, Julian. He told himself as he released one hand and searched for the next hold. The creature sensed it and spun around its axis. Julian held on by the fingertips of one hand. The dragon kept flying upside down, trying to spin and drop Julian. Still, the young lord was too stubborn to let go. I can’t kill you, but I can hurt you. He grabbed the sword from his shirt and thrust it into the creature’s back, hoping not to hit the creature’s spine. The monster cried to the skies, turning instantly upright and thrashing its body. The blade was well fixed between the monster’s muscles, and Julian used it as leverage to get up onto its back. Soon, Julian was riding the dragon and had a good vision of the battlefield.

Makao had done something similar to his dragon. The rider was nowhere to be seen, and the flying beast suffered the strangest rear naked choke Julian had ever seen while Makao consumed the creature’s vital energy. The dragonborn in the sky remained halted, looking directly at Julian’s position. The dragon beneath Julian stopped in the air, bleeding and crying.

Julian could see his father slowly swinging by the fine thread on the dragonborn’s tail. Somehow, he could hear the sound of it, swaying slowly from one side to the other. Why in the Last’s name was that monster taking his father with him? It didn’t make any sense. Still, it made Julian’s heart want to escape his throat. The dragonborn had a smile on his face. Julian didn’t need to see it to know.

The other two dragon riders followed towards the island, already being welcomed by arrows coming from Rayra and the orc allies. The enemies were severely outnumbered, and still, the dragonborn didn’t seem bothered at all. In the distance, Julian couldn’t see a single pair of wings coming to aid Fenrir’s allies.

“We’ll end this now,” Julian muttered, feeling the beast beneath him falter. He would need to use an arcane blast to gain momentum and fly toward the dragonborn before him. That wouldn’t be a problem.

Julian started to gather the power in his hand, but before he could finish, the foe at the distance started to sing. Or at least it was what Julian thought at first. The monster’s words lost themselves in the air and were strangely angelic as if the creature was chanting for a long-lost love. The voice was low, and the tone was beautiful, yet the words were unrecognizable. Whatever the creature was doing, Julian felt he would be better off silencing it.

He released the power and felt the momentum of the explosion throw him toward the coral dragonborn. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Makao doing something similar. The limp body of the dragon beneath the tracker plummeted fast into the sea as he used it to gain momentum and be thrown toward the common enemy.

They would hit the dragonborn at the same time.

I’ll shut your devious mouth, Julian thought as he felt the edges of his clothes burning with the mana explosion. He would burn, but he would save his father before it. Julian prepared a mana whip in his hand, concentrating on using it as soon as Makao crashed against the monster. He would need a distraction to kill the dragonborn, and the body of a man that looked more like a bull would be perfect.

The coral dragonborn showed no reaction upon seeing Julian approaching. It paid even less attention to Makao behind it. All its focus was on the chanting. Then, when Julian was midway, he heard the sea revolting. Just beneath the dragonborn’s position, waves formed from the center to the edges of a giant circle. It was like something slowly pulled itself from the depths of the sea. Near the beach, a similar movement happened, but instead of a large, single pattern of waves, there were several small ones.

The chanting grew louder and more aggressive. The dragonborn kept chanting the same word over and over.

“BUMPAP, BUMPAP, BUMPAP!” Soon, it wasn’t a song anymore. It was a calling. Whatever moved beneath the waves, Bumpap was its name.

Julian watched as the seawater slowly fell inside something that erupted from the water. Then, he realized they were fangs inside a giant mouth. The creature’s jaw was wide open and had thirty feet from one side to the other. A forked tongue slipped out of its mouth, searching for something in the air as if smelling its prey.

Soon, Julian saw the creature’s scales erupting from it. The battle rush in his veins made Julian see everything as if time was passing ten times slower, while his heartbeat only grew faster. The creature had scales like the ones of the dragonborn above them. Maybe it’s a hallucination, Julian thought midair. Still, he couldn’t bet on that because the creature’s prey was his father hanging by the thread of a rope.

On the beach, dozens of snakes crawled their way to the heart of the forest. From the distance, Julian couldn’t say how big they were. Still, the spots were large enough to make Julian wary for his companions.

Time seemed to run fast again. Julian was about to crash against the dragonborn. In seconds, he would collide with the gargantuan body of the creature, and his father would be eaten by the creature emerging from the waves. He felt a gush of energy pushing him down, redirecting his flight. Julian gripped his whip tightly in his hand. Realization hit him like a boulder. Makao could really link two things in the sky, and he chose to change Julian’s trajectory to that of his father. The movement was so fast that it caught the dragonborn by surprise. Julian swung his whip but didn’t try to hit the enemy; instead, he cut the rope at lightning speed, crashing his body against his father’s and dodging the creature’s jaw snap by mere inches.

The sea snake hissed in frustration, its body descending into the sea as Julian fell in its direction while holding his father in both arms. They crashed against the rising sinuous and gargantuan body of the sea snake, the greasy scales making it hard for Julian to find his feet. Instead, they slid down the monster as if on a child’s playground, except that the seawall awaited them down below.

Julian held his breath and gripped his father’s limp body firmly against his chest. The old man was as thin as a man could be, and his breath was almost imperceptible. Even in the face of death, Julian couldn’t be happier. How many days had he dreaded his father after his mother had disappeared? How many days had he regretted that? We’ll be home soon, old man. Julian thought, feeling the saltwater splashing against his face. The monster below him had halted, half of its body underwater and the rest above it. It didn’t seem to recognize Julian’s weight on it, and it kept swimming fast toward the beach ahead.

The smaller snakes kept erupting from the water, their crawling vicious and fast, mimicking the movement of the monstrous body Julian was involuntarily riding. In the sky, he saw the small dot of the coral dragonborn soaring, calculating its next step. Julian searched for Makao in the sky and for a moment thought the man had fallen into the sea until he looked to his back and saw the tracker walking slowly along the snake’s body.

“Great throw,” Julian said with a smile.

“Is he dead?” Makao asked, pointing at Julian’s father. The tattoos on the giant’s body were shining with a strange light that made the black even darker, consuming the light around him.

“No, but he won’t survive much longer if we don’t find Rayra.”

“And the thing in the sky?”

“I don’t know... he’s acting strange.”

“Definitely. Nothing normal about summoning snakes from the sea.”

Julian smiled and adjusted his feet as the snake turned its body from side to side, almost dropping them into the water.

“I guess that he’s trying to figure out what we know. If we have the shard or not.” Julian’s eyes fixed on the dragonborn in the sky, its flight slow, following the same path as the giant snake, but its eyes directed toward Julian. “The snakes are probably scouting for him if they have any intelligence. Or he’s trying to pull off another one of those illusions.”

“He’s indeed performing some magic now, I can smell it. But it’s not the same as he used to fool you before. Look.” Makao pointed at the sky, and Julian saw the dragonborn outstretching his two hands, a smaller dot flying at lightning speed toward the sky.

Whatever Fenri’s general had done, it seemed to fly directly toward the shard above the hill. The dragonborn looked down at Julian and spoke inside his mind.

“I found it. Now, the fun will begin.” The hissed voice reached his mind, making Julian’s heart race.

“We need to go. Now!” he shouted to Makao, who reached for Julian’s father with one arm and held the Lord’s right one with the other.

“I’ll make sure he’s safe.” The masked man stopped, and Julian could swear he was grinning beneath the golden adornment. “This one will not be pretty.”

“Do it—” Julian said and felt the world spinning around him as Makao pivoted on his heels. He probably did it five times before releasing Julian’s body. The world became too blurry for Julian to count right, and as he flew through the sky, he kept spinning. He closed his eyes to suppress the nausea, and an idea flashed in his mind. If mana was everywhere and he could manipulate it at will, he only needed to command it to keep him in the air. Still with his eyes closed, he tried to do it, just to realize he didn’t have enough energy to command all the mana in the air to obey him. The mana in his body almost drained completely from his core as he tried it.

And if I use it on just some parts of my body? Julian mused as he gathered some of his mana in his abdomen and made the energy in the air push the mana on his skin up. The feeling was instant. The spinning stopped, the mana halting him in position and creating friction to impede his body from gyrating further. He opened his eyes and saw his trajectory directed toward the dragonborn who was now flying at a speed Julian had never seen.

Makao’s magic was strong and unique, but the creature’s wings were made to fly Shit! Julian cursed. Theoretically, even if the monster reached Fenrir’s Soul Shard before him, Julian would still have a chance to fight before he delivered it to the god. However, he feared the creature had no intentions to give it back to his overlord. There was something about that monster that didn’t strike Julian as loyal. He could’ve been a loyal general in the past, but millennia in exile could change one’s mind. If it did consume the heart, Julian would have two gods to fight instead of one.

“Tell me I’m right about this,” Julian muttered between his gritted teeth as he thought about his grimoire and how he had learned to stabilize himself in the air. Maybe if he applied the same force in a way to increase his speed, he would be able to reach the creature.

Julian concentrated on the palms of his feet, trying to gather some energy there. He felt a small platform forming beneath his feet, but when he tried to get some momentum, he had already flown past the platform by several inches. The distance between Julian and the enemy was growing. The beach was in complete sight, and at the horizon, he could see the slope standing tall with small dots fighting the two dragons and their orc riders.

One more chance, Julian thought, determined to change his strategy. Instead of creating the platforms at his feet, he created them at his hands, grabbed them, and used them as a momentum shifter. He gained some speed, but it wasn’t enough yet. He reached for the platform again as he passed it, but now with his feet, and that gave him enough speed to see the gap between him and the enemy getting shorter. The platforms were so solid beneath his feet and around his hand that he felt he could stand on them forever and move freely between them.

“That’s it!” Julian shouted, “I’m flying!” It was more like climbing the air than actually flying, but he wasn’t using Makao’s energy anymore. Soon, he was faster than the dragonborn ahead of him. So fast that he could now see the broad and thick body of the creature in detail. Its muscles stretched with every flap of its wings, its back a monstrous amount of muscles and scales. The monster was the biggest dragonborn Julian had seen, and the fact that it didn’t rely on weapons made Julian’s hair stand on end. He knew, deep in his heart, that this fight would be the last one for one of them.

Julian pushed himself against the last platform in the sky and stretched his body. The distance between them was only a memory now. Julian gathered an arcane blast in his left hand and released it. The monster sensed it coming and tried to dodge to the side. The blast hit the tip of its wing and made it spin in the air. Julian didn’t wait for it to counterattack. With his right hand, he swiped the whip and cut the air close to one of the monster’s pointed ears. Julian saw the edge of its circled horns torn apart and fall to the sea.

“You keep cutting small parts of me, little lamb. I’ll want some of you as well.” The creature’s words traveled through the air this time. The monster halted for just a second and then flew toward him, both clawed hands aimed directly at Julian’s heart. If Julian had been relying only on Makao’s magic, he would have been doomed. The monster's sharp, natural weapons were a testimony to the confidence in its smile.

Julian used the air as a platform again, now completely stopping Makao’s force against his body and instead using his strength to jump into the air. The dragonborn traveled inches beneath Julian. Still, he had time to draw his sword. The attack came fast and clean. The silver blade, covered in mana, cut the monster’s back along the spine. If Julian had a better angle, he would have severed the creature’s vertebrae. The movement made Julian spin in the air again, but he was able to place his feet above the invisible platform once more. His instincts served him well.

The dragonborn spun back to face Julian, blood dripping from its back and down to the sea. Julian could hear the giant snake crawling on the beach. The dragonborn looked eager to fly away towards the shard, his facial expression telling Julian he already knew exactly where it was.

Julian heard something cutting through the air and then saw the monster before him moving its head from side to side. Arrows flew where its head had been moments before. Julian didn’t need to look at the slope to know those arrows were coming from Rayra’s bow.

“You’re starting to bother me,” the monster said with annoyance in its voice. Its yellow eyes blinked with hatred. “I can’t have fun when I’m bothered.” The last word seemed like an offense as it escaped the general’s mouth.

“I’m just starting.” Julian made the whip surge into his left hand and spun the pommel of his sword in the right one.

The creature flew again, but this time Julian didn’t dodge. Julian swiped the whip in the air, aiming at the creature’s chest. It dodged to the side, flying with one wing to the sky and the other to the sea. Julian released the whip, grabbed the sword with both hands, and struck. The point of the blade increased with the mana he injected into it, but the creature was ready for it. It spun again in the opposite direction as if it was giving up on the attack.

When Julian’s blade missed the target, the creature’s severed tail flew in his direction. The clean bone at the edge hit him on the chin, and the muscular part crashed against his neck and chest, slamming him to his back and towards the beach below. The monster dove to Julian and grabbed him by the coat, not giving him time to create another platform and move in the air. Julian had to grip his sword with immense will not to let it drop.

As they traveled through the sky, the monster raised its right hand and punched Julian in the face. It was hard to see, but the creature had an enormous grin that only grew larger with every punch it delivered to the lord’s face. Its vicious and pointed teeth dropped saliva over its lips, the violence making the creature enter a battle lust. Julian raised his sword hard and swung, but it was hard to strike the creature behind and above him while dangling in the air

He tried to focus on his breathing, but it became harder and harder as the creature kept swinging its fists at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Julian saw the trees appearing below. He heard the little voices of the orcs echoing through the woods as they fought the snakes that covered the ground of the island. The dragonborn was now laughing hard, its voice resounding loudly in Julian’s mind.

It can’t end like this, he thought as the monster hammered its fist on his face again. His right side was in shambles. It will not end like this, he thought as he gathered energy in his left hand. With every punch, the power diminished a little until Julian gave up on making a big explosion. He needed to stop the monster from killing him.

“You’ll die just like any other animal at the slaughterhouse!” the creature screamed with its raspy and hissed voice, raising its hand high in the sky. Julian felt the air being cut by the monster’s hand at the exact moment he pushed his left palm against the creature’s elbow and exploded the blast.

“ARGH!” the dragonborn cried as its grip on Julian’s coat was lost, and he plummeted toward the woods below.

Julian watched the dragonborn flying to the skies as he tried to create a mana platform beneath his feet, but he was falling too fast. He slipped on the mana platform and spun once more in the air. He stretched his hands, trying to reach the big branches of the trees. If he was lucky enough, he would be able to reach the ground alive.

When the first canopy became visible, Julian realized there was no good branch for him to grab. He didn't have time to curse. As he broke the first branches, he saw a figure racing through the trees and jumping over the branches to reach him. Before Julian could be hit by a second, bigger branch aimed at his head, he was snapped out of the air.

An animal jaw grabbed the fabric of his coat and the chainmail beneath it, saving his skin and muscles. The creature swiped its head to the sky and leaped, lifting Julian into the air. A pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him to the back of the beast.

“Are you okay, babe?” Liz asked with a gentle smile. “We saw what that monster was doing and came to your rescue.”

“The Shard?!” Julian asked with preoccupation.

“Thalia is protecting it, and Makao is already returning. We couldn’t let you die.”

Rayra trailed the woods at immense speed, turning her body toward the slope and running on her four fox legs. She looked over her shoulder and chirped loudly and happily. At the corner of his sight, Julian saw snakes coming close. Now, he could see their size.

The snakes were as large as shepherd dogs, and when they saw the trio running through the trees, several halted with their heads high, as if considering what to do next. They were fast, as fast as Rayra.

Liz let some of her water daggers fly and hit the snakes. As soon as she hit them, they turned to dust and left soul shards behind. Still, there were just too many for them to handle alone. Where Liz had hit one, three appeared in its place, and the sound of the others snapping the tree branches only grew louder. They would be surrounded soon. Julian didn’t want to use the rest of his mana to fight these snakes, but if that was what he had to do to have another chance against the dragonborn, he would do it.

As he prepared an arcane blast in his hand, he felt the air swirl around him. Something changed. The trees disappeared, and in their place, a rocky ground was now visible. Julian looked over his shoulder and saw one of Thalia’s portals disappearing behind him.

“I did it! I was afraid I wasn’t going to hit the right spot, but I felt where you were.” She cheered with both hands in the sky.

“You did!” Liz replied, jumping from Rayra’s back and rushing toward the blue-haired girl. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, they are still fighting the orcs. The snakes haven't reached the slope yet.” They held hands for a couple of seconds, and Julian couldn’t help but smile at that sight. When he dismounted and looked at Rayra, he saw she was also smiling as she turned back into her normal form.

At one edge of the slope, the two dragons were surrounded by dozens of the small orcs, with Ubu at the front. They all had swords and axes in hand and kept dodging the snapping fangs or the swings of the orc’s axes. Julian saw one of the disfigured creatures raise its hand over the air and bring it down directly at Ubu’s face.

“No!” Julian shouted, but the scream died in his throat as the monster hit Ubu right in the cheek. Julian felt his heart sink into his stomach for a couple of seconds. A sudden cold crept over his body. It didn’t seem fair for Ubu to die that way.

As Julian prepared to run and avenge his newfound ally, the oddest thing happened. Where the shaman had been hit, an explosion of red energy erupted. The axe was glued to the little orc’s skin, and all the efforts to remove it were in vain. Ubu’s hand raised to the weapon and grabbed it strongly, pulling the orc from the dragon’s back. The creature was too busy fighting the other orcs to realize its rider had just fallen into a trap. Even Julian thought Ubu was doomed.

The blood poured from Ubu’s wound and seemed to infect the weapon, turning it to rust and then making its way to the orc’s arm, who watched in dismay. The orc’s body rotted as Ubu finally removed the blade from his face. The wound, which seemed deep, was in truth only superficial. The shaman would get only a scar after it, while the orc beneath his feet got an axe to the back of the head.

Contrary to the shaman, the monstrous orc didn’t rise to fight again. Upon seeing the display of strength from their leader, the other orcs chanted a war cry they probably hadn’t had an opportunity to use in centuries.

They overcame the enemies in seconds, not even needing the help of Julian and his companions. Only three of the Rust Orcs lay dead on the ground, their faces torn by the jaws of the dragons, but not a single one was wounded by the other orc’s weapons. They raised their weapons and celebrated their victory against the enemy.

This day will require more of you, my friends. Julian thought as the smile on his face slowly died. Makao stood near the archway with Julian’s father in his arms. When he saw the lord, he lowered the older man to the ground with a softness Julian didn’t know he had.

Rayra promptly crouched at his side and examined him.

“He’s severely malnourished, dehydrated—” She opened his eyes and mouth, searching for something only she knew. She looked at Julian, and he saw sadness in her gaze. “I don’t think I can wake him up, Julian. He’s way past my abilities. He seems to be in a coma.”

Julian gritted his teeth. Frustration and anger washed over him as he looked at his father.

“Do what you can now. Ranabi will take care of him,” he said, his fists clenched.

Rayra nodded and dropped water into his father’s mouth, slowly massaging his neck for him to swallow it. When she thought he had drunk enough, she started performing her magic. Color seemed to slowly return to the old man’s body, yet his breathing remained labored and there were no signs of him waking up.

Julian suspected that the shock of spending the last three years under the terrible care of the orcs, only to be passed to an even worse captor, had taken a greater toll on his father’s mind than his body. Still, the only thing he could do for him now was to guarantee he would have a chance to live again and put all the horror behind him.

When Rayra got up, they could hear the sounds of the snakes nearing the edge of the slope. They surrounded the little mountain, slowly climbing it from all directions as if waiting for an order to launch a complete and savage attack.

“Why aren’t they coming?” Thalia asked. Her sword in both hands and fear lingering in her eyes.

“They're waiting for him,” Julian said, pointing at the horizon. The giant sea snake crawled its way through the woods, its body crashing tree trunks, and its head soaring over the remaining canopies. At the top of its head, the dragonborn stood tall with both arms crossed and a grin on its face.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Makao, get my father to safety. We’ll hold this position. You can join us when you’re sure he’s alright,” Julian said. For a moment, he thought the giant would protest. However, Makao grabbed the old man once more and jumped toward the beach in the opposite direction the sea snake was trailing.

“How can we help?” Julian looked below and realized the voice had come from Ubu. The small orc held the axe he had used to kill the monstrous orc from before.

“Keep doing what you’re doing, and if you have any other tricks, pull them off now.”

“I have one more.” Ubu waved for Julian to incline his head toward him, and he promptly did so. The shaman touched Julian’s forehead, and he felt it burning and cutting his skin. Strangely enough, it didn’t hurt. Julian knew a pattern had been drawn into his very essence.

“I’ll be able to do what you did before?” Julian asked.

“Sort of. Your blood will now act as an armor of sorts. Just like the dragonborn do when you attack them with a normal weapon.”

Julian’s face showed surprise for a couple of seconds before he smiled. “I keep forgetting you already know them.”

“I wish I could forget that, honorable one,” Ubu said with a sad grin.

“We’ll defeat them again. You can be sure of that.” Julian put a hand on the shaman’s shoulder.

“Oddly enough... I believe in you.” Ubu stared directly into his eyes.

“Great. Now prepare yourself to kill a giant amount of snakes while I deal with that monster.”

“What do you want us to do?” Rayra asked, with Liz and Thalia at her side as if endorsing the question. As if reading Julian’s mind, she continued. “And don’t even try to ask us to stay out of the battle. That’s not going to happen.”

Julian sighed, looking at them with a tired smile.

“The sea serpent is just like any other monster. It will be hurt by every single one of your attacks. Strike as much as you can and, if possible, create openings for me to fight the devil riding it,” Julian said with burning determination. “Don’t flinch for a second. He’s cunning and is keen to find small windows to attack. I don’t want to lose any of you.”

The girls nodded in agreement. A strange mix of worry and hope stamped their faces as they rushed towards him for an embrace. Rayra and Liz grabbed his waist in a tight hug, almost making him lose the air from his lungs. He smelled and kissed the top of their heads before they loosened their hold on him. Right beneath them, Thalia stood with her eyes on the ground and one of her arms crossed against the other outstretched as if she was embarrassed.

“Hey,” Liz called her, who eagerly looked up. “Come here.” She waved a hand, and Thalia rushed with big strides towards them. She joined their embrace, and Julian felt Liz holding her hand on his back. That simply felt… right. Julian smiled as they watched the sea serpent get closer.

“Let’s continue this later, ladies. We have monsters to slay.” They all smiled at each other, any semblance of friction between them becoming just a distant memory. It was a strange feeling to have before battle, but Julian was eager to end this and have all of them in his bed.

One of Rayra’s arrows flew, imbued with arcane magic. Before it hit the monster, Julian knew it was going to hit. She had pulled the string close to her lips, and when she released it, she had an immense smile on her face.

Thalia grabbed him by the arm and, with a hurried tone, asked, “When I open a portal, jump through it, okay?”

Julian stared into her eyes, trying to understand what her plan was, but she didn’t have time to explain it. The arrow hit the mark. Julian saw the blue hue explode inside the creature’s left eye. The sea snake shrieked and thrashed in the sky. Tree trunks flew to the side, but the dragonborn above its head seemed undeterred by the movements. The snake hissed loudly, venom dripping from its fangs. The other ones slowly climbing the hill could also be heard screaming in pain for their leader.

“Prepare yourselves!” Julian shouted, with his sword in hand. “Defend this hill at all costs. The fate of the realm depends on us! Orcs, of all people, will save the world from the claws of Fenrir and his minions today. When all of this is over, you’ll be greeted by a feast never seen before!”

Julian shouted with all the air in his lungs and was met with the same enthusiasm. His girls smiled at him, proud of his leadership, and the orcs seemed eager to show they could live up to his expectations.

“Cerulex gave his life to end their reign of terror. Let’s honor it today. For the Rust Orcs who had to die for you to be here today and for all the ones who will live in a world where the threat of Fenrir is only a memory!” Julian shouted his last encouraging words as the snakes reached the top of the slope.

The orcs formed a semicircle around Julian and his companions, defending all sides of the hill except the one from where the giant snake was coming. Its thrashing had stopped, and in its place, a vicious determination seemed to burn inside the creature’s eyes. The arrow could be seen protruding from its pupil, the eyelid fighting to close but encountering the small obstacle inside the eye. From afar, it looked like the snake was crying drops of blood. The eerie sight sent a shiver down Julian's spine, yet somehow he felt even more eager to fight.

“Whatever you want to do, now’s the time,” Julian said, holding Thalia by the arm as he watched Rayra and Liz preparing their projectiles to throw at the monster ahead.

The girl wasted no time. She tore the sky with her sword, making the portal appear, and Julian leaped through it, not waiting to see where the other part would appear. When he met the other end, he saw the top of the dragonborn’s head below him.

Great idea! Julian thought as he raised his sword and struck, falling over the head of the enemy. The strike hit the creature on the shoulder, severing a good amount of its flesh. Before Julian could complete the movement and sever the arm from the body, the creature flinched, crying in pain and moving the opposite arm to strike Julian. The dragonborn could match Julian in strength and speed, but Julian’s arcane power was the deadliest among them.

Julian landed on the serpent and stepped back, and in the corner of his vision, he saw a portal appearing in the air just below the sea snake’s right side. He leaped towards it only to discover there was nothing there. At least, not at that moment. Just as Julian started to fear he had been tricked by his mind, the portal engulfed him. He turned, and when he exited the portal, he was at the back of the dragonborn. He struck again, and his blade severed half of one of the creature’s wings. He nearly severed the creature’s whole left wing, but it dodged in time to avoid its wing being completely sliced off.

The monster turned, its hands waving in a frenzy of violence, trying to hit Julian.

“You never struck me as a coward!” the dragonborn cried, then slid to reach Julian, wanting to drop him to the ground below with a sweeping kick. Julian was already falling through the sky again, where he instinctively knew a portal would appear. Somehow, Thalia’s mind seemed connected with his.

When he fell through the portal, he was once again above the dragonborn’s head. Julian thrust the sword down toward the creature’s heart. The monster predicted Julian’s position and struck with its good arm. The creature’s strike hit Julian’s hand with mighty force. The blade still cut deep into the creature’s arm, but Julian had taken the worst outcome. He plummeted to the front of the snake, and as he fell, he saw the creature’s eyes following him and its jaw opening.

Venom dripped from it, making smoke appear as it touched the ground below. Julian created a platform in the air where his hands were and hung there by fierce willpower, the points of his fingers sustaining all of his body. The snake was getting ready to eat Julian as he saw the portal appearing below him, close to the tree canopies.

He released his grip on the mana platform just as the creature snapped its jaws. Now you die, Julian thought as he entered the portal, ready to deliver the final strike at the dragonborn. The fight was taking too long already. They needed to end it before any other dragonborn or dragonkin appeared. Or worse, Fenrir himself could come to check what was going on, and Julian wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to stop the god from taking the heart.

As the head of the giant snake appeared again and Julian prepared to strike, he saw no one there. He fell directly onto the creature’s scales and searched all his surroundings, looking for the dragonborn, but it was nowhere to be seen. Is it a trap? Julian asked himself. He looked toward the hill and saw the creature flying directly toward Thalia. Its flight was gangly and strange, yet it was fast and would reach her soon.

He wanted to scream for her to create a portal, but she wouldn’t hear. He had no way to reach her before the dragonborn. He would need to find his way to the monster and hope Thalia and the other girls could handle it in the meantime.

Julian saw several water daggers and arrows flying toward the monster below his head and was glad to see more than one reaching the target. As soon as the creature was struck, its speed and thrashing increased, making Julian almost fall from it again. If they kept shooting at the snake, he would soon be close to the hill. However, in the distance, he saw the girls having to both evade the small snake attacks that slowly made their semicircle smaller and simultaneously shoot at the dragonborn approaching Thalia.

The shock in the blue-haired girl’s eyes could be seen from miles away. Her hands halted in a fight position, and still, Julian knew for sure she wouldn’t strike. Whatever had happened to her was too deep to overcome in that small window of time.

Julian brought his sword close to the creature’s nostrils and thrust it. He wanted it to crawl faster toward the hill, but not kill it. The monster thrashed, moving quickly as it tried both to reach its master and drop Julian. The sound of the immense jaw snapping the air rang in Julian’s ears, but he kept thrusting the sword over and over at the monster’s head until he was close enough to the slope.

The creature hissed and thrashed its body violently one last time. Julian pierced the sword into the top of the creature’s head as it lunged its body at the side of the hill, making the entire slope tremble with the impact. Julian fixed his two feet on the creature’s scales and let inertia do its work. He was hurled from the giant snake’s head just as it disintegrated into dozens and dozens of soul shards that dropped to the ground of the island.

Julian watched the world spinning as he collapsed against the hill. Dust entered his lungs and rocks invaded his mouth as he tried to heave himself up. His vision was blurred, and as he slowly started to identify what was happening, he saw the silhouettes of Rayra and Liz fighting fiercely with at least ten snakes at the same time, every single creature was taken care of with immense speed. Close to them, the orcs weren’t having the same luck. He saw several of them sprawled on the ground, most dead but others still thrashing and fighting the venom of the creatures.

Julian crawled a few feet before he was able to stand. In the meantime, he saw Rayra and Liz save another handful of orcs from the snakes’ fangs. The hill was covered in blood and venom, but Thalia and the dragonborn were nowhere to be seen until Julian looked in the archway’s direction.

There, the monster stood with his feet over Thalia’s neck, and his left hand slowly moving toward the covered soul shard at the girl’s side. Her face became redder by the second as the grin on the monster’s face broadened.

Julian rushed toward the creature with the sword in hand, not a single thought passing through his mind. He unleashed an Arcane Blast after another, but the monster dodged all of them with an ease Julian hadn’t seen before as it kept downing its hand towards the Soul Shard and dodging by mere inches as if he knew where Julian was going to shoot before he did. The creature paid no attention to Julian and even less to Thalia who kept suffocating under his feet, her nails trying to pierce the monster’s ankles but failing miserably.

He was near enough to strike, and using the rest of his mana, he increased the size of his sword to catch the monster off guard. The blade struck true. Julian hit the monster’s chest with strength but couldn’t go all the way through. The dragonborn stopped his arm with his left hand. His reptilian face grimaced in pain. He kept hold of Julian’s hands as the lord tried to push the sword further into his flesh. Julian stared into the creature’s eyes and saw a smile blossoming on its face.

With its other hand, the monster pierced Julian’s chest. He felt a searing pain travel through his body, and a sudden weakness took control of his limbs. Suddenly, he couldn’t press the sword any further. The grin on the monster’s face expanded from ear to ear as it released its grip on Julian’s sword hand and moved to get Fenrir’s Soul Shard on the ground without ever removing its claws from Julian’s chest.

“In the end, I was still amused,” the dragonborn said, revealing its forked tongue. “I’ll be even more amused when I watch life fade from your eyes as I kill your loved ones one by one. This one here didn’t even swing her blade.” It twisted its foot over Thalia’s face, which was starting to turn purple. She had both of her hands on the creature’s foot, but her strength wasn’t a match for the monster’s.

“I’ll kill you,” Julian said through gritted teeth.

“No, you won’t,” the monster said dismissively. “With luck, you’ll not die right now. It would be a shame.” The dragonborn took the Soul Shard to its mouth and let out the fabric with its pointed teeth. It removed the cloth piece by piece with precision until the heart was visible. As soon as the heart started to pulse before their eyes, the red hue shone in the creature’s eyes. It was full of desire for it.

A yellow cube slowly materialized beside the red heart, as if following some strange command. The sight of the compartment made the dragonborn shake its head as if contemplating what to do next. Julian saw the questioning in its eyes slowly being replaced by anger and then greed.

“Why should I give this to that ungrateful, untrustworthy, broken god? He doesn’t even have a dragon body anymore.” The dragonborn’s face, full of conviction, betrayed its words, which were full of doubt. “Maybe it’s time for the world to meet a new god.”

The dragonborn turned its head and looked directly into Julian’s eyes. As its claws pierced deeply into his chest, Julian felt the hair on his body stand up all over as the monster smiled broadly.

“I can feel him. He’s coming here. Oh, how delightful this surprise will be.” The creature licked its lips and hissed in pleasure. “You’ll be my witness. Cerulex’s offspring will see the birth of Kael, the new god of this wretched world.”

“So that’s your name,” Julian said between labored breaths.

“Were you curious about that, little lamb? You could’ve always asked… we’re close.” Kael brought the heart close to its mouth, its forked tongue traveling slowly toward it.

“It would be a shame not knowing the name of the devil I killed today.”

A glimpse of confusion crossed the creature’s face, and Julian even saw one of its brows raise before the explosion. The arcane blast hit Kael like a giant boulder. In the last second, the creature’s eyes searched for Julian’s hand. The dragonborn had ensured that they were out of reach. There was no trace of magic on Julian’s hands.

Thalia performed the arcane blast in her hand and exploded it directly at the monster's crotch.

Instinctively, Kael released his grip on Julian’s chest. The lord should’ve been dead now… except the blood magic had worked wonders. His blood protected the claws from reaching his heart. It wasn’t enough to avoid the searing pain he had felt, but it kept him alive and ready to strike.

The dragonborn’s thick scales and magic were able to hold some of the explosion, but not all of it. The blue flames burst at the dragon’s crotch and threw him at the sky, but before it could keep going up, it hit the top of the red archway. Julian heard the walls creaking and then the monster fell, with its back to the wall.

Julian felt his own back crashing against the ground far away from the creature, but he had no time to waste. He heaved himself up and dashed towards the monster.

His blade was still stuck in the monster’s flesh. Julian pulled the sword from the creature and thrusted it directly at the creature’s heart. Just to be sure, the lord expanded the point of it and only stopped when he felt it tearing flesh, bone, and the rocks of the archway behind the devil.

The grimace of fear and surprise on the monster’s face would be forever carved in Julian’s mind.

He gritted his teeth and twisted the blade to the side inside Kael’s heart. The monster released a grunt, and before its last breath came out of its mouth, it smiled broadly. With blood dripping from the corner of its mouth, it muttered, “Almost.”

Julian felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders as he softened his grip on the sword and released it from the dead creature before him. The monster had been the biggest challenge Julian had fought until now, not because of its magical powers, illusions, or summonings. It was its simple will and unpredictability that made it a difficult foe to deal with. However, when it became obvious what its intentions were, Julian only needed a small window to win. And win he did.

Close to the creature’s dead body, Thalia stood on all fours, panting. Julian approached her and, with a gentle touch on her shoulders, asked, “Are you alright?”

“I did it, Julian,” she replied, her eyes full of unreleased tears and her voice loaded with emotion.

“You did. You saved my life,” he replied with a smile. “I’m proud of you, and I’m sure your friend would be as well.”

Upon hearing those words, Thalia’s expression was petrified. Julian feared she was going to start crying on the spot. However, she swallowed it and looked at their surroundings.

“We have work to do,” she said, wiping her eyes with one hand and grabbing her sword with the other.

“Yes. We have,” Julian replied with an immense smile. The snakes were still fighting the orcs and Julian’s wives. Even Makao was there, kicking and punching the reptiles. They were slowly being pushed away from the hill; the monsters seemed weakened after their leader had died. Julian wanted to join the fight and ensure as many orcs survived, but he still had something to do. “Go ahead. I’ll join soon.”

Thalia didn’t waste time. She rushed toward Rayra and Liz, and with her sword high in the sky, she swung it and struck one of the snakes, cutting it in half.

“That sword must be a happy one right now,” Julian muttered as he slowly approached the yellow cube and the Soul Shard on the ground. The thing had the exact proportions to fit the heart inside it. Julian grabbed it and dropped it on the pulsing Soul Shard. Then, he used the chain mail to turn it, and when the cube was facing the sky, it closed by itself and disappeared.

Like his grimoire, Julian knew he could bring the thing back whenever he wanted. It was a connection with his magical core that he still didn’t understand, but that it was ever-present.

“I still have some fight left in me,” he muttered one last time before rushing to the aid of his companions.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Is everyone ready?” Julian asked as two portals stood open behind him, facing the sea in the capital’s direction.

“Yes, Lord Julian,” Ubu said with a grin from ear to ear. The small orc had patches all over his face, but he seemed as happy as anyone could be. Behind him, several other orcs stood with hopeful faces. It was odd seeing them so happy even with the little dots covering the sky in the opposite direction they were heading.

An army of dragons and their riders were coming to get them, but they would find only Kael’s corpse lying on the hill near the red archway. It took some time, but they gathered all the Soul Shards sprawled on the island and all the belongings the orcs could carry.

Thalia had opened two portals. One would send the orcs directly to the Flying Pearl, and the other would take them straight to the sewers where Ranabi was in deep slumber.

“Makao and Liz, you’ll lead them to the Flying Pearl. Both of you are known by the royalty and the army. Lead them to the princess and explain what happened here. I’ll meet you when we wake up Ranabi and heal my father,” Julian said, knowing very well that Liz wouldn’t enjoy parting ways with him, but she would fulfill his request, nonetheless. “Thalia and Rayra, we’re heading directly to the sewers.”

Everyone nodded and started to enter the portal. Liz went first, guiding all the orcs with Makao at the end of the tail. Rayra and Thalia entered the second portal, and Julian stood behind, watching the sky slowly filled with dragons and their riders. Are you in there, Fenrir? I hope you can see this. The next time we meet, it will be your end. Julian thought, summoning the cube in his hand and raising it to the sky. Then, he turned his back to the twelve islands and walked inside the portal.

They didn’t take too long to see the end of the portal on the bricked road. This time, there was no griffin in the skies searching for them. In reality, the place was as peaceful as it could be, just a cobbled road leading to their destination.

Julian felt at peace with his father in his hands and Rayra and Thalia walking in front of him. He had done it, and it had been as fast as it could’ve been. They only needed to give the cube to the god waiting for them, and everything would be settled. As soon as they saw the portal in the distance, their walk turned into a stride, and the smiles on their faces expanded.

“I’ll go ahead and scout,” Rayra said, already turning into a fox and rushing towards the strange light ahead. In some way, Julian could see the other side of the portal, the dim light that entered through the cracks of the sewer’s ceiling poorly illuminating the room. Julian never thought he would be happy to arrive at a sewer, but he was.

He watched Rayra jump through the portal, and something snatched her midair, pulling her to the ground.

“Rayra!” Julian growled, but she was already out of sight.

Thalia rushed in fast motion through the opening, and Julian followed close behind. She was also grabbed by something on her way. Julian breathed deeply before jumping. For a moment, he thought about dropping his father to the ground and getting him afterward, but he couldn’t risk losing him again, even less inside a realm he didn’t know the rules of, and that Fenrir’s minions had access to.

He heaved his father to his left shoulder, unsheathed his sword, and walked through the portal, already ready to strike with his blade or his magic.

When his eyes adjusted to the dim light, his jaw almost dropped to the ground, and his eyes widened. On one wall of the room, one of the trackers sat slumped against the wall, its head limp to the side and an immense hole in the middle of its chest. Julian could see the blue flames burning its clothes. At the body’s side, Rayra stood with crossed arms. She waved her head to the end of the corridor with a sly smile on her face.

Julian followed her gaze and heard the sounds of metal clanging against metal echoing through the sewer. Thalia fought fiercely against a foe Julian couldn’t identify. She advanced with thrusts and swings, guttural sounds erupting from her mouth.

“Stop!” a familiar voice called, full of fear. “Please! I’m just doing what Father asked.”

That seemed to ignite something inside Thalia. The girl started to swing her blade more violently through the small corridor. Julian saw it cutting parts of the wall and sprawling debris at the enemy she fought. It was clear now that the foe was her brother, Lok.

She changed the grip of her sword midair, holding it with only her right hand and performing an arcane blast. The blue hue exploded against the enemy’s side, hurling him to the side. Now, he was in full view.

Crashing against the side wall, the elf screamed in pain. In the place of the severed hand Julian had gifted him, there was a prosthesis with a dagger at the edge, and in his right hand was the bracelet that granted him powers over the wind.

“I beg you! Don’t kill me!” the elf said, raising his right hand. However, as Julian expected, he was bluffing. A gush of wind erupted from his hand, searching to find Thalia’s chest while another one was born from the ground.

The girl dodged both strikes at a speed Julian had only seen her use to run. She sidestepped to dodge the first wind strike and then jumped ahead to avoid the second, already swinging her blade and striking her brother.

“My hand!” the elf screamed at the top of his lungs as he watched his right hand crash against the dirty floor of the sewers. Thalia’s cut was clean and precise. Julian couldn’t see her face, but he could hear her cold voice.

“I won’t kill you, big brother. You don’t need to search for me anymore either. Tell father he can find me whenever he wants. He’ll just need to ask where Baron Julian Lionheart is.” She walked with her blade down and pointed it toward the chest of her agonizing brother. “Now go and never show your face to me again, unless you’re desiring to lose both of your feet as well.”

“How,” he stuttered, his voice raspy, “how will I get out of here?”

“It’s not my problem.” She kicked him right in the guts. The elf grunted in pain, and she turned her back to him, facing Julian with a smile on her face. “I feel much better now.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ranabi didn’t take long to wake. Julian put the cube in front of her nostrils, and after a couple of minutes, she started to slowly regain consciousness.

Julian was still in shock from what he had witnessed Thalia do inside the tunnel. Her sword prowess and her use of arcane magic struck a chord in his heart. Somehow, he was even more attracted to her now. While the god awakened, they traded glances. She seemed eager to hear what he had to say.

“Did I scare you?” she muttered.

“Not at all,” Julian replied, though he wanted to say much more.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do it before.”

“That’s okay. You acted when we needed it the most.”

“When Ariel died, I blamed myself. I couldn’t fight anymore. It was easier just to be afraid and run. My father’s trackers are stronger against afraid enemies, so I was the perfect prey.”

“You did very well today⁠—”

Before Julian could continue the conversation, he realized Ranabi started to move her head up slowly, and after some time, she opened her eyes. She took her time to adjust to the light and searched the room as if expecting to see someone who wasn’t there. A sad look washed over her eyes. Julian knew what she was thinking.

“Liz is okay. She’s with some of our allies,” Julian said with a gentle smile.

“That relieves me profoundly,” the god lowered her head again as if she were going to sleep a little more. Julian saw she had to fight to keep her eyes open. She was indeed near death. “You made it, didn’t you?”

“Here it is.” Julian summoned the cube and showed it to Ranabi. Her eyes glimmered with emotion. “What now?”

“Bring it close to my hand and drop it to the ground.”

Julian followed her dazed commands and dropped the Soul Shard near her right paw. The thing seemed to pulse harder now as if it recognized the danger. She moved one of her claws and touched the heart, then she pierced it, and Julian saw green energy flow from the center of her back towards the magical object. Her other arm sprawled on the ground as if she had just lost all her strength.

“When it’s finished, feed me if I’m not responding.”

“Please, don’t die,” Rayra said, her hand caressing the bear’s fur. The god didn’t reply, but her eyes had a warmth to them that seemed to calm Rayra down.

The Soul Shard started to transform in front of their eyes. The glowing red light began to fade, and after some time, there was no more light in it. Instead, where the cracks of devoidic power were, veins started to pop, then more muscle and even some fat around it. The magical shard slowly turned into a real heart that mimicked a human one, except it grew to be triple the size of a normal one. It was turning into Ranabi’s heart.

The god’s breathing became labored, and when her claw dropped from the heart before her, she seemed dead. The only sign that she was still alive was the sparse movements of her back going up and down.

“Ranabi?” Rayra asked, her eyes full of water.

“Open her mouth. Fast.” Julian commanded, and the two girls rushed to pull her upper jaw to the skies. Julian grabbed the pulsating heart into the palm of his hand. He was instantly consumed by the uttermost peace. It was like being struck by the wind of the sunset on the most beautiful beach.

Suddenly his feet faltered, and all he wanted to do was lay down and relax. However, he bit his lower lip and forced himself to walk. His vision adjusted, and he was able to put the heart above the bear’s massive tongue and then push it down her throat. When the world became the same as before again, he crouched in front of the god with his companions at his side.

“What now?” he asked, and as if reading his thoughts, Ranabi’s eyes opened wide. They searched the room in a frantic motion and then stopped at Rayra.

“Mother?” she asked, and then the god exploded in green light.

Julian stepped back, the green hue consuming the whole room and slowly becoming mist. He had to cover his eyes as he moved towards the far wall. The girls at his side followed the same gesture as they watched the bright dim and the mist slowly take over the room.

When they were finally able to see through the cloud of mist, Julian watched something moving inside it, a silhouette slowly walking towards them. It wasn’t a bear at all.

A mature woman, probably close to her seventies, exited the mist. Her hair was grizzly and straight, falling to the height of her waist. On her back, an enormous bear fur adorned her features, trailing on the ground and following every step. She wore a simple white wool dress with small leaves forming a belt waist high. Her face had wrinkles near the eyes and on the forehead. When she smiled, her eyes closed naturally, and her thin lips formed a beautiful line that showed only happiness.

“Hello, children,” Ranabi said. “It’s great to be able to change my shape again. I was getting tired of being a bear.”

“I thought—” Julian started.

“That I was a bear all the time? That would be very tiring. How would I get out of here in my primal shape?”

“Good point,” Thalia said, pointing at the goddess, whose eyes searched the room and found Julian’s father lying with his head on the pillow of Thalia’s bed.

“He requires my care, doesn’t he?” Ranabi asked, already moving towards Julian’s father. She didn’t wait for Julian’s hand. She crouched at the old man’s side and extended one hand to his forehead. Julian followed her and sat behind his father, holding his hand firmly.

“Is he going to be alright?”

She stared into Julian’s eyes and was silent for a couple of seconds. “There are some wounds I can’t heal. He’ll awaken; I’m sure. I don’t know if he’ll be the same father you remember.”

“I understand.” Julian nodded, and then he felt her performing her magic.

A subtle green hue soared between her hand and his father’s forehead. It didn’t take more than one minute for the old man’s eyes to open. It was slow at first, but after a few blinks, he opened his eyes wide and sat up on the bed, clearly frightened.

Julian grabbed his hand again, and before the old man could retrieve it, he pushed it to grab his attention. The old Lionheart finally realized who was in front of him.

“Julian? Is that you?” He sounded raspy and more like a grunt than a real voice.

“Yes, Father. It’s me, you’re safe.”

“How? When?” He removed Julian’s hand from his own and moved far away from the bed. “I don’t believe it. You’re just in my head. Just like those demonic creatures.”

“No, Dad. It’s really me,” Julian said, his heart pounding against his chest. “Look. I have mom’s bracelet and sword.” He showed the objects to his father without unsheathing the blade or conjuring any magic. His father was afraid enough already.

“It can’t be. Where are the orcs? If it’s really you, you need to go now, son. You have no idea what they do inside these dungeons.” His father’s voice became a hush, and a part of Julian suspected he still believed Julian to be a mere illusion.

“We are not on the orc island anymore. You’re safe, Father. You’re among friends and soon will be at home with Mom and Tarav.”

“Your mother is at home?” the old man asked, grabbing Julian by the coat with both hands. The desperation in his voice almost made Julian cry on the spot, but he held it inside himself. Crying wouldn’t help the older man. Julian needed to be strong for him.

“Yes, Father. Calm down.” Julian touched both of his hands. “You went through a lot. Take your time. She’s well, and we’ll see her soon. Now breathe. Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving!” the old man replied, and for a moment, Julian saw a glimpse of his old self. The lord was as strong as a bull with a matching appetite.

“Alright, I promised some friends of mine a feast, and I intend to throw it today. You’ll be more than welcome to join,” Julian said with a smile as he slowly removed his father’s hands from his coat and held them dearly.

“You have grown so much, Son,” his father said, and then he hugged him tightly. When Julian embraced him back, the older man parted from him and held his face with both hands, his eyes full of tears. “You’re really here!”

“Yes, I am,” Julian replied and embraced his father once more.

Chapter Twenty-Five

They walked from the sewers straight to the Flying Pearl. They thought it wouldn’t be wise to make his father walk through a magical portal when he was constantly questioning reality. Seeing the houses and the streets full of vendors made Julian’s father realize that he was far from the grasp of his captors.

When they reached the Flying Pearl’s elevator, the older man couldn’t keep away the smile from his face. They didn’t talk much as they walked. Julian had told him in a very succinct way what had happened in the last few years, and that brought all sorts of emotions to his father. Shame for the way the estate had turned out in his absence, anger towards Baron Strazz, pride for Julian’s accomplishments, and hope of seeing his dear wife once more.

He talked a little with Rayra about her bow and arrow, and he promised to teach her one of his tricks. She smiled but didn’t protest. Little did he know that she was probably ten times better than him with a bow and arrow. Thalia held Julian’s hand tight on the whole walk to the Flying Pearl. It was as if she wanted to ensure him she was there if he needed emotional support, and he was glad about that. The girl walked with her chin held high and a smile on her face, the total opposite of the first time they traveled through those streets.

“I didn’t see her giving you anything,” Julian said, pointing his hand to Ranabi, who stood leaning against one of the cords of the elevator.

“She didn’t. I asked her to give me the courage to fight again. I was tired of being in fear.”

“Are you fearless now?” Julian asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Far from that. I just have a good reason to overcome it again,” she said and raised to the tips of her feet to kiss him on the cheek.

Surprisingly enough, Julian blushed with the gesture and smiled broadly. When he looked at Ranabi’s direction once more, she was also smiling at them. The goddess had grown into Julian’s heart. There was such wisdom inside her that he doubted she could stop surprising him. She also emanated power now; her magical aura was the biggest Julian had ever seen, but it somehow blended with her surroundings. As if her mere presence gave more life to the world.

The elevator reached the top of the Flying Pearl, and when Julian turned to see the streets, he found some familiar faces waiting for him.

Princess Anasthasia, Liz, Ubu, and Makao all stood with welcoming grins. Or at least Julian suspected Makao was smiling beneath his golden mask.

“Welcome back, Baron Julian,” Anasthasia said with open arms. “I heard your mission was a success.”

Julian knelt in front of her, and the others followed his gesture, even Ranabi did the same.

“Please, rise. None of you need to bow to me today. I’m now aware that if we have any chances of surviving what’s to come, it’s because of what you did today.”

“It was a team effort, Your Grace,” Julian stated.

“I’m sure it was. Except that, our friend Ubu told everything about your command and leadership capabilities, which were heavily endorsed by Makao.”

“I’m pleased to hear that, Your Grace.”

“You’ll have much more to hear. Let’s go to the castle. The feast waits for you.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Julian said, extending one hand and stopping the princess from going ahead.

“What?” She asked with a gentle smile.

“This is Ranabi, she’s the… the one who will help us deal with the enemy.”

“Is she the… you know.” Anasthasia said in a hush and when Julian nodded, she slightly bowed to the goddess who returned the gesture.

When they started to walk towards the castle, Julian’s father approached him and elbowed him in the ribs to catch his attention.

“You didn’t tell me you’re a big shot now. Talking with princesses and such.”

“I’m not.”

“He is,” Rayra chimed in as she pulled him slightly. “Can I borrow him for a while?”

“Of course, of course,” the older man said, moving to the front of the group where he met Liz, who embraced him tightly and started a warm conversation. The sight made Julian’s heart fill with compassion. He couldn’t wait to see his parents’ reunion.

“We need to prepare to go. The trip to my home will take a while,” Rayra said in a pressing tone as Ranabi got closer.

“Can’t you just teleport to the place? You’re way more powerful now,” Julian asked the goddess, feeling tired.

“I’m afraid this is outside of my powers. We could find a portal to Marimar. Some places serve as gateways; they mimic Thalia’s power. People use them to travel, and I’m aware Fenrir is using them already. I know of one that connects these two realms, but I’m not sure if it is safe.”

“We found one of his minions at the beginning of our journey inside that traveling realm. It doesn’t seem safe for a long journey,” Julian said, grabbing Rayra by the waist. “Can we discuss it later? I’m tired.”

Rayra seemed to want to protest, but when she saw Ranabi nodding in agreement, she acquiesced.

“Alright, alright,” she finally said, reciprocating the hug and letting her head rest on Julian’s shoulder. Thalia was still at Julian’s side, but walking a little behind them as if wanting to give them space. “This ended better than you thought, huh, Thalia?” Rayra asked with a wink.

“And I didn’t run away once,” the blue-haired girl replied, joining the conversation.

The streets of the Flying Pearl were crowded with people. Their eyes kept following Julian and his companions. From time to time, one or another approached the princess to bow and say some words, and every time she stopped to salute them. The walk that was supposed to take only a few minutes prolonged itself for half an hour, but Julian didn’t care.

When they reached the castle, the main hall had an immense table, and around it, all the Rust Orcs stood in their seats. The chattering was almost as loud as the chanting of the bards at the end of the room. The place was full of laughter, songs, and the good smell of roasted meat, fried potatoes, and good wine. Julian’s feet involuntarily walked towards the table as he felt a gentle touch on his arm. It was Princess Anasthasia.

“Can you follow us to the throne room first?” Anasthasia asked, and Julian understood immediately that this was her gentle way of commanding. He followed her while his stomach growled. “All of your companions are welcome to come. They’ll want to see it.”

“Right,” Julian said, waving one hand for everyone to gather and climb the stairs.

The throne room was well-lit, and in the front benches, Julian could see five men wearing army uniforms. They all had several insignias and medals on their coats. All of them were nearly fifty years old and had severe grins on their faces. They nodded when Julian and his companions arrived at the room.

One of the guards asked for Julian and his wives to stand at the side of Princess Anasthasia close to the throne while the others waited, seated on the benches. When Thalia moved to sit, Liz grabbed her hand and led her to her side. The confusion on the blue-haired girl’s face was quickly replaced by an immense smile. Julian was more than happy with the gesture. The only thing surpassing his happiness was his curiosity.

“Thank you for waiting, gentlemen,” Princess Anasthasia began, and the men before her bowed their heads in acknowledgment. “I believe there’s no need to recollect the facts that Baroness Liz Lionheart so promptly told us before. I’ll get straight to the point. The Twelve Islands didn’t attack, but it’s clear from the reports that they’re preparing to do it soon, and their force will be one we’ve never seen before. We took too long to react, but there’s still time. We have again the power to mobilize troops throughout the whole continent.” The princess stared at Thalia with a severe look, but the girl didn’t flinch. She nodded in agreement.

“So, I need you to raise your banners. All of you. Dukes of Phaeka, Thornspire, Newshire, Ragecoast, and Grimacre, call all men and women of age to fight and be prepared to receive orders to defend our land.”

They all said ‘Ay!’ in unison, making Julian’s hair stand tall. War knocked on their door.

“That’s not all. As you know, this isn’t a conflict between humans and orcs. This will be a fight between the forces of evil and all living beings. The orcs and their new allies will not be satisfied with the destruction of our realm. The whole world is in danger now. That’s why we need all the mages on our side, all the tamers, and the most difficult part… I need everyone in this room to work as hard as possible to unite all the races to fight on our side.”

With those words, the men in front of the princess seemed to doubt for the first time. Julian saw more than one trading glances. The princess wasn’t innocent; she realized it as well and stepped ahead.

“Don’t fear, my loyal Dukes. Your wariness is a quality, not a fault. Did you see who is sitting at our tables? The feared Rust Orcs of the Twelve Isles are our allies. At my side, I have a representative of the beastfolk, a half-elf, and two humans. All of these people gathered around one man and his desire to do good. Baron Julian Lionheart is living proof that we can work together for the greater good.”

All of the dukes nodded their heads, smiling in agreement, the mood of the room slowly shifting. Julian even saw some admiration in the older men’s gaze. His father couldn’t contain his pride as he sat beside Makao on the benches.

“With his knowledge of the enemy and his magical prowess, we can stand against the enemy. With his connection to the beastfolk of Marimar, we can find new and powerful allies. And with my union in marriage with him and his family, we can unite the parts of the realm that aren’t happy with the absence of a king and put a prepared soldier in command of the realm.”

The dukes rose and clapped their hands, as did Julian’s companions on the benches. Some of the older men weren’t as happy, but they all hid it as well as they could. Julian could only guess how much some of them wanted the princess to marry them, instead. Ranabi stood at the end of the room, leaning against the closed door, also clapping her hands.

Julian and his wives all traded glances. Our union? he asked himself but didn’t protest. The dukes’ commotion was too high for him to say anything.

The princess looked over her shoulder directly into Julian’s eyes, smiled, winked, and turned her attention back to her subjects. Julian watched in surprise, feeling the eyes of the girls on him. He only shrugged as he took a good look at the princess’s curves from the back, and then the room filled with people who admired him or at least recognized his recent feats.

That’s not a terrible idea at all, he thought with a smile on his face as he and his wives held hands with Princess Anasthasia.

The Arcane Lord

Book 3

Chapter One

“Are you sure you want me to cut it?” Thalia asked with a pout, her eyes darting from his eyes to his mouth and beard. She stood before him with the razor with her blue eyes glimmering in the sunlight.

“I need you to cut it,” Julian replied with a gentle smile as she caressed his beard. He hadn't had time to cut it himself in the last few days, and it was looking quite scruffy.

Liz heaved herself up and stared into his eyes while she adjusted his belt.

“This beard is starting to grow on me as well,” she said, kissing him on the neck and making the hairs of his thin beard stand on end. She noticed it and smiled broadly, kissing him again.

“I don't think our future sister-wife likes it,” Rayra said in a voice from the end of the room, where she stood with her arms crossed. Of the three girls, she was the most bothered by the situation.

“She’ll have the time to grow used to it. Anyway, she asked me to tone things down. She likes all of us and besides that, it’s needed. We’ll have the time to get to know each other.” Julian said, gesturing for Thalia to cut the beard. She promptly cleaned the razor and applied a mixture of different soaps to his face. She had a good hand for it, and Julian almost felt nothing as she slowly removed all the hair.

“It's outrageous. At first, I thought she was talking about a military union … and now this. We’re going to be shown like circus animals to the people.” Her voice echoed through the room, which was full of discontentment. Julian had never seen her that angry. Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he saw her averting his gaze, ashamed.

“It must be done if we intend to overcome Fenrir's forces. Who do you expect to fight in the war? Us and only half the kingdom? The princess has shown nothing but support for us until now. Can you please try to understand that?” Julian asked, taking care to hide his annoyance. Rayra was always the one who rationalized everything alongside him. He wasn't used to her having such strong opposition to his plans.

“That's the problem. It's a political marriage. That's what's wrong with you … with all of you,” she said, moving to the end of the room in long strides and exiting the bedroom with a loud thump of the door.

“Wow.” Liz moved to the side and sat on the bed. A dumbfounded expression stamped on her face. “She's really offended.”

“Do you have any idea why?” Julian asked, trying to look at her but failing.

“Stay still. I just joined your family. I don't want to kill you in an accident,” Thalia chimed in, pulling his head and making him look ahead again.

“She hasn’t told me anything,” Liz replied, leaning against the immense bed Princess Anasthasia had arranged for them. “I can try to figure it out.”

“No, I'll speak with her.” He gazed into the room's far end as Thalia moved to the right side of his face. “Are you girls ready?”

“What do you think about this dress?” Thalia asked, moving away from him and expanding her arms to show him her look.

She wore a silk blue dress that fit her curves perfectly. The small strap on her shoulders highlighted her athletic arms. Her round breasts were covered by an intricate lace bra that could be seen if Julian looked with attention, and it only made her look even more beautiful. The dress glimmered with light, as did her blue eyes and blue hair.

“The color matches you.”

“I fought it for a long time. Now I've embraced it.”

“You're gorgeous, Thalia,” Julian said earnestly as he watched the girl walking his way again. She cleaned his face with a towel and then kissed his lips passionately. She never missed an opportunity to kiss him, and Julian loved the sweet flavor of her tongue. When her hand reached his neck and he felt his arousal slowly rising inside his pants, he heard Liz coughing on the bed.

“As much as I would love to watch you, we don't have the time. We're already late.” A smile stamped her face as she tried to hide her desire. Julian sincerely wanted to jump on that bed and spend the day making love with them. However, he had a duty to fulfill. As if reading his mind, Liz heaved herself from the bed and started striding towards the door, holding Thalia's hand and walking her to the door. “I won't give you any chances, Lord Julian. I'm well aware of your tricks.”

“It's hard not to think about that when I'm surrounded by the most beautiful women in the world,” Julian said as he watched their backs walking to the corridor. How lucky I am, he thought as he contemplated their delicate waists as they grinned over their shoulders.

“Later, we'll give you a special treatment. Right, sis?” Liz asked at the front of the door. The other girl had a naughty smile on her complexion when she was about to leave the room. Thalia didn't reply, resorting to a slight wink before disappearing through the door and into the corridor.

Julian watched them go their own way and gathered his coat, dressing it in front of the mirror. His black hair was well combed to fit behind his ears, and the length of it gave him both a regal and a hard-worker appearance. Only the Last knew that Julian had zero time to care for his appearances in the last weeks. His hair always seemed to find a way to look fine, and he was grateful for that.

He adjusted his coat and smiled at the mirror. It was still hard for Julian to understand that the figure he was watching was indeed him. His muscles had grown since becoming a mage, and he felt a bit taller. He could also see his magical aura swirling around his body, mixing with the environment and making him pridefully smile.

New medals stamped his coat on both chests, symbols of his latest accomplishments. Anasthasia had told them that the common people loved an experienced soldier and that this would strengthen their bond in the masses' eyes. Julian had studied politics at the Iron Fist Academy and saw the reason behind the princess's words; however, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't deserved.

Inside the lord's head, he had just done what needed to be done and nothing more, and now he was on the verge of becoming the king for his feats. Someone else might think Anasthasia was desperate to unify the kingdom, but Julian thought otherwise. He saw that the princess could handle it, but she couldn't miss the opportunity to make things work smoothly. Julian respected that and couldn't deny that he admired her profoundly and felt attracted to her in multiple ways.

At the end of the day, there would be no losers in this union. Julian would be king, and the realm would be unified to fight the common enemy. Nevertheless, Julian couldn't shake Rayra's reaction from his mind. He needed to speak with her and ensure they were on the same page. He wasn't ready to put his relationship at stake. Princess Anasthasia would need to find another way to unify the kingdom if one of his wives wasn't on board.

With those thoughts in mind, Julian strode out of the room and exited the castle, where a carriage awaited him and his wives.

When they arrived at the rally, and everyone else started to descend the carriage steps toward the stage, Julian gently held Rayra's hand.

“Can I have a word?” She nodded without looking him in the eye and sat again on the seat before him. “What's happening, my love? What did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong. It was my mistake not to consider your nature.”

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t get together for political or any other reason except love in my homeland, Julian.”

“I see. Do you want me to cancel it? We can find⁠—”

“No!” she interrupted him, raising her eyes to glare at him and her hands apologetically. “I understand why you need to do it, and I'm not trying to impede it. I’ll support you; I just need time to adjust. Can you understand that?”

“Of course, and who knows? Maybe this will lead to love. We really don’t know each other at this point, but we respect and are attracted to each other,” Julian said, moving one hand to her cheek and slowly raising her head.

Rayra had a look he had never seen on her. She used to be the face of security, confidence, and power, and now she looked as frustrated as anyone could be. Her eyes darted away from his, and Julian saw her body contract back into the seat.

“I’ll give you all the time you need. You can always talk to me, you know that, right?”

“Yes,” she replied, finally looking him in the eye. With their gaze locked, she said, “You have no idea how much I love you, Julian Lionheart. I’m carrying your child, and I'll fight anyone to see our baby raised in a world without Fenrir's influence. I'll always be on your side; I just need to get accustomed to having her, too.”

“I understand.” Julian smiled and clasped his hands with hers, gripping them firmly. “I promise there will be no more political marriages.”

“You better be right about this, Julian. For your own sake,” she said with a wry smile as she kissed his lips warmly and moved outside the carriage. “Let’s go. It would be rude to make the people wait.”

Julian didn't recognize exactly where they were in the city. There was no smell of good food from the market or the stench of fish from the docks, so he assumed they were deep inside the town. The houses weren’t as big as the ones close to the commercial district, but they weren’t the shacks he could see in the distance while he climbed the Flying Pearl.

If he had to guess, they were in the middle of the Capital of Alinera. The street where the rally had been organized was vast and extended for several feet. Julian suspected they were on an avenue used to transport goods to the port and the royal roads. However, the street was now occupied by people of all races, who all gathered on it.

As Julian climbed the steps of the improvised stage that the royal workers had so quickly constructed, he looked at the crowd before him. They were mainly humans, with clothes varying from rags to well-tailored suits and dresses. At the far end of the street, he saw elves with their pointed ears and fine silk clothes, and amidst them, some of the twin snakes stood with their green coats and well-tailored shirts and pants. They weren’t trying to hide but weren't standing out on purpose, either.

There were goblin vendors and watchers sprawled through the crowd. Even one or two dwarves were present, though those were rare in Alinera due to their exile in the mines of Mandolor. What he couldn’t see were orcs amidst the crowd. Were the rumors of war finally confirmed to those who still traded in Alinera’s ports?

Julian looked to his side and saw that the buildings around the street were also full of people who couldn't find a spot amidst the crowd. They leaned against the windows and waited patiently for Anasthasia's speech. Seeing so many people watching them, a wariness took control of his heart.

He slowly moved to the chair beside Anasthasia and sat alongside the princess.

“Are you sure it's safe here, your grace?” he asked, smiling tenderly at the princess, who feigned stoicism.

She looked him in the eye for a couple of seconds before replying. Her hair was perfectly braided on the back of her head, and her crown fit perfectly above her head. Her eyes were like pools of indecipherable water, but when she replied, she had a smile on her face.

“I can’t be always sure, Baron Julian. My guard is ready, and we searched all the buildings before we arrived. However, I'm under some risk whenever I’m outside the Flying Pearl.” She returned the smile as if grateful for his worry and let one finger pass over his hand, taking care to not show their proximity before the announcement.

The fact that all of her soldiers seemed to be unarmed didn’t make Julian's heart feel any better. He could see a magical aura around them as they stood tall in a long line behind the chairs, but in Julian’s eyes, nothing could replace the sharpness of a blade. If his mana ended, he was still a fine swordsman and could always rely on his sword. Julian kept these thoughts to himself as he watched Princess Anasthasia lost in thought about her speech.

“Let’s do it?” Julian asked as he noticed the people getting anxious before the stage. The chatter was already loud enough to hamper his hearing.

Anasthasia nodded, and one of her guards moved to the front of the stage. The man had a grizzly beard behind his helm and a grave voice that echoed through the whole street.

“Princess Anasthasia Frent, Regent of all Alinera and its conquered lands, will now speak!” The older man spoke as loudly as he could and stomped his feet on the wooden tables beneath him three times until everyone was silent. Princess Anasthasia slowly rose and moved to the front of the stage. She wore a dress made of deep purple silk with a long skirt and sleeves. The dress had several silver details resembling armor. At her belt, a dagger was sheathed. The pommel of it shone with a single black jewel, giving her a threatening aura.

The princess looked regal and confident. When she walked, her eyes scanned the crowd below with respect and authority. She had selected the right outfit for the occasion, and Julian was again impressed.

“My loyal subjects,” she started in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear but low enough that she didn’t need to scream. “I bring you both good and bad news. I wish I could address you only with fantastic news as we did before, with the port's reconstruction, the commercial district's expansion, and the building of new homes for the people affected by the dry mines. We have had plenty to be thankful for in the last few years. However, now we must use all the force we've gathered to fight a common enemy.”

Before the princess finished her words, the crowd was already erupting into hushes. Julian could see people elbowing each other, and more than a dozen had their eyes watered. Alinera's people weren't fools, no matter which city they lived in. They knew when the news was dire, and it was hard for them to calm down. Anasthasia silenced herself and waited several seconds until her severe look brought the people into silent waiting again.

“I owe each and every one of you honesty, and I'll give it to you as straight as possible. The rumors are true. There’s an army being rallied at the Twelve Isles, and they are getting ready to attack us.” Before the crowd could erupt into questioning and despair, the princess raised her hands and demanded they be quiet again. “All is not lost, my loyal subjects. Yesterday, our brave Baron Julian Lionheart arrived from the Isles with a significant victory. We'll face terrible odds against the enemy, but have already won the first battle.”

“Who?!” one voice yelled from the crowd, and others followed it. Julian rose from his chair beside the princess, and when he faced the crowd, he heard several gasps and some unimpressed smirks.

“Baron Julian Lionheart, a graduate from the Iron Fist Academy, Lord of the Lionheart lands, Baron of Silverhold and its adjacent lands, and like our First King, a Primordial Mage.”

Upon hearing those words, the crowd silenced itself instantly. It was as if the princess had herself covered their mouths. Julian had never heard anyone speaking about his powers as those of a Primordial mage, but he thought the title was fitting if he had the powers of Cerulex.

“Impossible!” one of the crowd screamed, and others started to echo those words.

“It can't be! He's no king!” another one called.

“That's why we are here today,” the princess said, addressing the crowd. “It’s already been two years since the King and Queen tragically passed, and I’m honored to announce to you that I’m following the first king’s tradition and forming a polyamorous family. Baron Julian Lionheart will be King Consort of Alinera in two weeks, and I and his wives will be the queens.”

Silence was replaced by utter shock as the jaws of the people in the crowd threatened to reach the ground. Julian watched everything calmly as Rayra, Liz, and Thalia moved to stand next to him and Anasthasia. The first was doing everything possible to hide her discontentment while the other two smiled broadly at the crowd. At the gathering's far end, the twin snakes' goons were nowhere to be seen.

The eyes of the crowd were aimed toward the new members of the royalty, and Julian saw dozens of pairs of eyes halting at his medals, just like Anasthasia had predicted. They hadn’t booed him, so he thought the people hadn’t rejected him. Maybe I need to show them I’m a real Arcane Mage? Julian asked himself as he watched some shocked faces turn into grins.

Suddenly, it didn’t look like Anasthasia had just told them about the coming of a war. The crowd seemed about to cheer when he heard the screaming coming from the right side of the street, just above the stage.

“For the Isles!” a voice screamed.

“Freedom!” another one joined it, and then several loud clicks echoed before an explosion erupted from the buildings.

Julian had only time to look at his side as he heard the projectiles piercing the air. He knew instinctively that the weapons that had just fired were the same ones he had seen the twin snakes using; however, the shooters' voices sounded as rough as the orcs.

In less than one second, soldiers were surrounding Julian’s family and from the ground, a metal dome erupted. The soldier’s armor glimmered with magic as well as Anasthasia’s crown. They’re all metal mages! Even the princess! Realization hit Julian, but he hadn’t the time to think more about it.

The projectiles that hit the dome could be seen threatening to pierce it, but stopped at the metal.

“Attack!” another voice called from the building, and Julian heard the rush of several feet moving toward them. Julian heard the crowd below him start to panic.

“Are you alright?” Julian asked Anasthasia, who needed a few seconds to answer with a nod as her eyes searched their surroundings. There was only a small hole at the top of the dome, and all they could do was hear the commotion.

“The evacuation plan is in motion, princess. I can hear the carriage approaching. We’ll move the dome and protect the royal family,” the grizzly soldier said as he outstretched his hand, making the dome vibrate with more magic.

“No.” Anasthasia replied automatically, making the soldier raise his eyebrows.

“With all due respect, your grace⁠—”

“I’ll not be frightened by mere orcs. If we don’t fight, how the people will believe in our cause?” she asked, looking directly at Julian’s eyes, who nodded and looked at his wives.

“We'll fight. Protect the princess, but be ready to open a portal as an escape route.” All the girls nodded and assumed their positions. “I admire your courage, but you can’t die. Try to stay safe.” Julian told Anasthasia as the wall of metal crumbled before his eyes, and the orcs arrived at the stage with a loud thump, jumping from amidst the crowd as others kept shooting them from the buildings.

These weren’t transformed orcs; they had no dragons or dragonborns to help them. However, they didn’t seem scared at all. Their tusks were watered with saliva, and their red eyes were full of malice behind the black masks and robes they wore. At the top of the building, Julian could see another volley of projectiles being prepared to be used against them.

Before Julian could open his mouth to warn Rayra, she was already shooting at the enemies.

“Shit!” she muttered, aiming an arrow toward one of the windows and shooting. Julian heard a scream but didn’t look to see who had been hit; he was too occupied running to face the orcs before him.

Five soldiers joined him, slashing and thrashing at the orcs that slowly crowded the wooden stage. Julian counted at least ten orcs already in the fray from where they had climbed, while others were forcing themselves through the crowd from the surrounding buildings. Whoever had searched the rooms around the rally and the crowd did a terrible job or was a traitor.

A giant orc with an axe swung its blade toward Julian’s head. He ducked it and struck it with the pommel of his sword. He heard the creature’s jaw snap with the attack as it fell to the side of the stage. Another enemy followed, but before it could reach Julian, it was hit by one of Liz’s drowning bubbles. Julian shoved the creature aside and struck the next one, severing its arm with his enchanted blade and punching a third one in the temple with his gauntlet hand.

He kept fighting every one of the orcs, but they didn’t stop coming. Julian wanted to use the whip of arcane magic or even a blast, but it was too risky with that many soldiers and civilians close by. He would need to keep striking them in the old-school manner. He gritted his teeth and smiled as he gutted another orc. It turned out that Julian loved relying on his sword.

One of the soldiers shoved an orc toward Julian, and it was met by Julian’s sword at the chin, piercing the skull and exiting on the other side. Julian quickly pulled the sword away, already ducking another blow from a giant orc who had just jumped before him. As he swung his blade, the orc was hit by an arrow in the eye and fell to its back.

Julian heard the clicking sound coming from the opposite side of the building and turned his head to see orcs firing from one building that seemed unoccupied until the last second. He prepared a blast to throw toward the buildings, but before he could release it, another metal wall rose before his eyes, intercepting the projectiles from above.

Anasthasia appeared at his side, her brow full of sweat and her hands raised. She had performed that magic, which had taken a toll on her. She wasn’t experienced in performing it, but Julian could see she was talented.

“I thought you were going to stay safe,” Julian said, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

“I can’t. I need to be here to squash this little rebellion,” she said. Thalia strode past them with her sword held high as she prepared to swing at the enemies still mounting on the stage.

“Right. Don’t put yourself at more risk; use your walls,” Julian commanded. The princess nodded, staying close to Rayra, who released another volley of arrows toward the reloading orcs at the buildings.

More screams came from the building, but the enemies didn’t stop their attack. Julian dispatched three more orcs alongside Liz as he watched Thalia dismembering at least five of them and helping the soldiers to stand their ground. Some soldiers now had maces, shields, and spears made out of the strange metal the princess had used to save their lives twice that day.

When they were about to overcome the enemy, another volley of arrows reached the stage, only to be again rejected by Anasthasia’s metal wall. Julian heard three creatures stomping on the stage, and they seemed to be the last ones. When the protection wall was finally depleted, three immense orcs stood their ground before them. They were at least seven feet tall and carried immense two-handed swords. Wearing full armor, the orcs looked even taller. These didn’t seem angry; if anything, they seemed bored, which, in Julian’s eyes, was more threatening than any rage.

The shots from the buildings stopped as the orcs rushed against the soldiers at the front. The monsters hurled the men away with sudden and violent movements, making three soldiers fall from the stage without having time to react. Thalia was the next in line, and the girl stood her ground, holding her sword with two hands and preparing to face the three enemies. However, only one stopped to face her, while the other two ignored the girl and rushed toward the Princess and Julian, barreling through the soldiers, who tried to stand their ground and block their path.

Rayra aimed at them, and Julian started to dash toward the orcs when he felt the gush of wind hitting all of them. Both orcs and humans were hurled by a strong wave of air that brought debris and dirt to Julian’s eyes. He shook his head, trying to stand his ground, but the magic hurling them away was too sudden for him to react.

They flew toward the end of the stage; the wind getting increasingly violent. If they didn’t stop, they would crash against the opposite building, and Julian suspected that they wouldn’t get away from it with only superficial bruises. He outstretched his hand, trying to hit the wood and use the sword as an anchor, but the wind was too strong. He lost the grip of his sword and grasped for a loose wooden board; he held it firmly. He stood his ground while watching Liz trying to use water to stop the wind, but the magic repeatedly dissipated her wall. She had one hand with the princess while the wall protected them from flying.

Rayra and Thalia flew by Julian at an immense velocity, and he wasn’t fast enough to grab their hands. The three orcs were somehow still on their feet, but only barely, as they stumbled toward Julian. Soon, they would crash against them, and everyone would be smashed against the opposite building. In the crowd, several people screamed in despair.

“Make a wall!” Julian screamed, trying to make the princess listen to him. “A wall!” he repeated and watched Anasthasia turn her head toward him, as the realization struck her. She released Liz’s hand, and as she was caught by the wind, she raised an enormous wall of metal that blocked the wind on the whole stage.

She fell to the ground as Julian and all the others did. The orcs on the other side of the wall collapsed against the metal. Julian prepared a blast in his left hand and aimed it where he believed the wind mage was.

“Release the wall,” Julian commanded the princess.

“What? No, they will kill us.”

“Release the wall,” Julian insisted, and as the wall crumbled and the air passed above it, he released the blast. The ball of energy cut the air as if it were nothing. It traveled at immense speed, flying toward the origin of the attack. The explosion hit the building, and the sound was almost deafening. As the wind halted, the wooden and rocky walls of the building became a sea of blue flames.

The inertia dropped the three orcs with a loud THUMP onto the wooden boards. Julian exploded a blast on the far left one before it could get up as the second one drowned in one of Liz’s water bubbles, but the third heaved himself up and rushed towards Anasthasia with murder in its eyes.

He prepared to grab the princess and duck the attacker when a steel wall appeared beneath the orc just as it neared them. The thing raised the orc into the sky and dropped to the ground. When it reached the ground, the metal had become a spear. Gravity made the magic spear transfix the orc’s body, but surprisingly enough, it didn’t die. Julian heard the orc grunting and trying to touch the ground with his feet, but the princess had other plans.

She unsheathed her dagger and pierced the orc’s throat right in the crack between the armor and the breastplate, making the creature gurgle and die agonizingly. The other orcs were all dead on the ground, and Rayra had just shot the last attackers on the far building.

The sounds of the crowd slowly returned to Julian’s ears, and gasps of surprise quickly replaced the panicking screams. After a few seconds, not a single voice came from the crowd; all he could hear was the labored breath of Princess Anasthasia, who stood tall and proud with her blade bathed in the enemy’s blood.

The crowd’s eyes flooded with pride and hope.

Chapter Two

Julian again smelled the lavender as he rested his head on the bathtub's edge. He closed his eyes and let the lingering feelings of battle slowly fade away. His hands were still shaking, and his eyelids throbbed with the adrenaline pulsating through his veins. The hot water and the caressing hands cleaning his body hadn’t been enough to ease his heart completely.

“Do you want anything else from us, babe?” Liz asked as she slowly passed the soap along his left arm.

“We’re worried,” Rayra said, cleaning his other arm with a light touch.

“Everything is fine,” Julian replied, opening his eyes and trying to reassure his wives. “It’s just the realization that war is really coming for us. They attacked in the middle of the day on a crowded street.”

“I heard a report before I entered the room saying it wasn’t the orcish army from the isles but a coalition between the Twin Snakes and an orc gang. They united to strike the princess at what they considered her lowest point.”

“One of the captains told me the same. It doesn’t matter who did it, though. Fenrir will know, and he’ll read it as one of our weaknesses.”

“I’m not seeing weakness at all,” Rayra interrupted, catching the water with a clay pot and removing the soap from Julian’s limbs. She smiled gently as she passed her clean hand over his pecs, arms, and abdomen. “Our future sister-wife showed prowess and determination. If anything, the realm will stand more united under her banner now. You and she fought fiercely to defend the common folk.”

“As did all of you. I’m deeply proud.”

“Are you more alright?” Liz asked, getting close and passing a wet hand through his hair. The sweat from the fight had made it oily, and she carefully removed all the dirt from him, making him feel like a renewed man.

“I am,” he replied, getting ready to stand. After all, they had a journey ahead of themselves.

“Where are you going?” Rayra asked, slowly pushing him back to lean on the bathtub.

“We need to prepare to travel to Silverhold,” Julian said, his eyebrows rising.

“We’re not going anywhere today. Princess Anasthasia will join us and asked for the rest of the day to prepare.” Liz’s hand entered the bathtub, and under the soap bubbles, Julian felt her grip finding his balls, and she started to massage them gently.

“Oh, is that what we’re going to do, then?” Julian asked with a grin as he watched Rayra imitate her sister-wife and grasp his cock with both hands underwater. She stroked it up and down vigorously, looking into Julian’s eyes, savoring every reaction he showed.

“We’re just preparing you for the big event tonight,” Rayra whispered in his ear as Julian felt his cock hard and throbbing under her firm grip. His hair stood on end with her breath close to his neck, and he searched for her lips, turning his head and finding her wet mouth and tongue eagerly waiting for him. He fought the urge to cum with the explosive sensation of his balls and cock being stroked while he savored Rayra’s tasteful tongue.

He parted from the kiss, not to explode, as thoughts hardly stayed in his mind.

“I thought Thalia wanted to participate tonight,” Julian managed to say as Rayra released his member, allowing Liz to assume the same position. She was faster than Rayra and stroked him from tip to base quickly and firmly, as if she wanted his blood to fill every inch of him. She was more than successful in her task; Julian could feel the head of his cock swollen with blood. His mind eagerly awaited to fuck them both on the spot, and as if reading his mind, Liz stopped the strokes and kissed his lips.

“You’re ready now. We hope you like it,” Liz murmured in his opposite ear, and both girls helped him get up from the bathtub, their eyes glued on his erect member as he walked from the bathtub.

“What did you prepare?” he asked with one eyebrow raised, desire consuming him.

“You’ll not need to wait,” Rayra said, opening the doors from the bathroom. The door led to their room, bathed in the sunset light. The light pierced the room, creating a beautiful orange canvas. However, the blue-haired girl on the giant bed in the middle of the room was what really caught the lord's attention. Her blue locks were loose and fell over her shoulders, almost touching her perfect breasts. Her face was reddened in shyness, making her cheeks pink like the color of her nipples. She darted her gaze from Julian, Rayra, and Liz, not knowing where to halt them.

She was completely naked, her crotch adorned with blue pubes, and her pink pussy glimmered with her excitement in the sunlight. Julian’s mouth watered upon the sight of her athletic thighs slightly opening as she finally locked eyes with him.

“Do you like what you’re seeing?” she asked, her voice low and embarrassed. “We can close the curtains,” she uttered the last part quickly, as if ready to hide under the sheets.

Julian didn’t reply, but his smile seemed enough to calm down the girl, who returned the smile as she slowly slid to the headboard, leaning back on the mattresses. Liz and Rayra walked to the sides of the bed and sat beside Thalia, but didn’t say a word. They knew this was her moment and didn’t want to intervene.

He climbed onto the bed knee-first, as his eyes locked with hers. He approached Thalia, holding his weight with one hand and opening her legs with the other. He felt the heat of her body as he moved up her body until he was close enough to lean in to kiss her. He moved one hand to the back of her neck and kissed her passionately, savoring her lower lip and eliciting a small moan from her lips.

“I love what I’m seeing,” he whispered. She tasted sweet, and when he found her tongue, she pulled herself into him and embraced his waist with her legs. He immediately felt the heat of her pussy against his crotch, and a shiver ran down his spine. He could feel her hot, wet pussy and his dick throbbed violently as it was pressed on her sex. He closed his eyes, enjoying the kiss and feeling the warmth of her embrace and the flavor of her mouth.

He moved his waist slowly, searching for a way to enter her. He felt his member completely wet from her juices as she tightened her grip on him, and he only had to move two or three times until he found her entrance. She was so wet that his cock slid inside with ease at first, and then it found a small barrier waiting for him.

She gasped for air, stopping the kiss and holding his head with both hands. Her face was a grimace of pleasure and shock. He knew she wanted to say something, but she could only nod while her body was washed with lust. He thrust his cock inside her and felt it going all the way through.

“Oh, by the Last!” she screamed, her arms embracing Julian beneath the armpit as he kept moving back and forth inside her. “Oh! Fuck! That’s feels fantastic!” Her words kept getting lost amid all the moans and screams she released. “More, Julian!” Julian groaned in pleasure at how tight her pussy was. It fit his cock perfectly, keeping him on the verge of exploding over and over again.

He bit his lip and stopped his waist movement, trying to catch some air and not end the fun so early. She wasn’t ready to quit, though. Just as Julian halted, she started to swivel her hips on his dick from one side to the other with it all inside her. It was almost maddening, but he suppressed his urge to cum and enjoyed her movement. He even caught a glimpse of Rayra and Liz, who watched everything with eyes full of desire.

He looked back at Thalia, her eyes rolling back as he suddenly removed his cock from inside her.

“No, please! Don’t stop now,” she pleaded between breaths, her voice husky, and her brow full of sweat.

“I’m not stopping,” he said, removing her hands and arms from around him and pinning them above her head. “Raise your legs,” he commanded, and she obeyed promptly, both legs outstretched to the side, making her pussy in full view. Her clit was pulsating with desire, and before he penetrated her again, he massaged it with his cock, making her moan as loud as the day they had made their magical tie.

As the memory flooded back into his mind, he decided to try to do the tie again. He breathed deeply and commanded his mana to surround his member as he thrust inside her.

The feeling was immediate as a wave of pleasure suddenly washed over him. He felt her tight channel trying to milk his cock inside her and knew he would not be able to control it for much longer. Thalia was speechless on the bed, with her eyes once again rolled back, and her mouth opened as Julian kept thrusting and thrusting all the way into her. He matched the rhythm of the movement and shared all the sensations he was getting with her while she did the same.

“Hold her hand, and concentrate on the mana,” Julian commanded, and Rayra and Liz each grabbed one of Thalia’s hands. He kept thrusting into her, using his whole lower body until he couldn’t take it anymore. The sounds of Thalia’s groans suddenly mixed with those of Rayra and Liz. He felt the head of his cock swell up with cum, and when he couldn’t take it anymore, he exploded inside her.

The three women screamed in pleasure as Julian came. Thalia’s legs shook violently from her own climax, but he didn’t stop. It was hard to keep going, but he persisted, determined to give them all the pleasure he could. As he continued thrusting, he could feel his cock spilling more and more cum inside her wet pussy. She was full of his seed, and both of their crotches were a sloppy mess when he finally stopped his movements and collapsed over Thalia's body.

“That was amazing,” Liz said with a surprised voice at his side.

“I've never felt anything like this,” Rayra added, holding his hand.

At that moment, it was hard for Julian to think. He only felt his heart slowly returning to normal as Thalia’s breathing became less labored. She embraced Julian firmly, kissing him wherever she could reach from their position.

“It was so much better than what I dreamt it would be,” she whispered, kissing his ear and slowly sinking into the bed. Julian rolled to her side as he watched her gradually succumb to exhaustion and sleep. His other two wives moved to lie by his side.

“Do you still have something for us?” Liz asked with a pleading pout.

“Always,” Julian replied, preparing to continue with them for the rest of the night.

Chapter Three

The entire entourage waited for the princess in the castle's main hall. The attack at the rally and the short time until the marriage made traveling through Thalia's portal a necessity rather than a convenience. They didn’t need to cross the city gates or travel to a dock; Thalia knew the way to Julian's house and only needed to open a portal. They would then walk along the bricked road to Silverhold from his manor.

They brought inside the castle two small carriages, six horses, ten soldiers—which Julian now knew were all steel mages, like the princess herself—and two servants. There weren’t many, but the plan was to travel in disguise. The princess would reveal herself when she arrived at Silverhold and Marimar—if they found it—but not before.

Besides, if Julian needed more men to enforce their power, he could recruit some from Silverhold’s stronghold or his own manor. He stood tall beside one of the carriages, all of his wives solemnly waiting by his side. Inside one of the carriages, he could hear the chuckles coming from Ranabi and his father. Surprisingly, the goddess found the old Lionheart’s jokes quite amusing, and Julian couldn’t be gladder his father was distracted from the trauma he suffered at the orc isles.

Their mission was simple: gather the banners at Silverhold and ready them to march to the capital, check on his estate to ensure it was working and being reconstructed, and also reunite his parents. They would leave the next day to investigate a tip Ranabi had discovered about a shortcut to Marimar. Originally, Rayra had alerted them that their journey would take at least three months by horse or foot. When Ranabi suggested she could command a whale or a giant eagle to get them to Marimar directly, the family had dismissed it. The trip would be faster, but they still couldn’t return before the wedding date. So they would investigate the shortcut and return to the capital via Thalia’s portal if it took too long.

Fenrir could very well discover they weren’t in the capital anymore and attack them again. Julian doubted that would happen, fearing that Fenrir could retaliate now that they had given his shard to Ranabi. However, he considered it wiser not to gamble with an elder and evil god.

Julian didn’t want to, but a part of him was already doubting the help Ranabi could offer. Since her arrival, the goddess had done nothing but talk and watch nature in the gardens of the Flying Pearl. Whatever she planned to do to defeat Fenrir, Julian was starting to agonize over the possibility that she might not be able to.

As his thoughts absorbed him, a pair of feet descended the immense staircase. Julian shook his head and looked up, only to find Princess Anasthasia descending towards them. She wore tight black trousers, leather boots, a loose silk white shirt, and a small blue coat. At her side, her dagger glistened with the room's lights. Her chin was high, and her expression severe. She looked more like an experienced soldier than a princess.

When she walked, her busty features became more apparent, her breasts bouncing freely beneath the blouse, and Julian couldn’t be gladder that was the fashion lately. She was gorgeous! He couldn’t believe his luck. Liz elbowed him.

“You’re staring,” she whispered, and when Julian looked at her, he noticed Rayra at her side with a grim expression stamped on her face.

Even after the princess displayed skills at the rally, Rayra hadn’t set aside the fact that they would all be married in two weeks. She was smart enough to understand that it was best for them, the realm, and her people, though it wasn’t easier to digest.

When Julian looked back to the princess arriving, she was already at the edge of the steps.

“Everyone ready?” she asked as the soldiers and servants bowed to their commander. Julian and his wives only nodded. Theoretically, they didn’t need to show her deference before others, but they found it wiser to maintain at least a part of it for now. She was the original member of the royal family, and her subjects wouldn’t receive it well if the new family members appeared smug or felt superior to her. “Let’s go, then,” the princess said after no one presented a protest.

Thalia walked to the front of the group and opened a giant portal with her two-handed sword. The spectacle never ceased to impress Julian. He saw the wariness on the soldiers' faces as they saw reality being ripped apart before their eyes and a strange bricked road in a purple world suddenly appearing.

Knowing it was their duty to walk in front, the soldiers stepped into the portal and started walking on the road that would lead them directly to the Lionheart manor.

“We’re going home,” he whispered, his mind trailing from Tarav to his mother and then to all the residents of Silverhold and his servants. All of them relied on Julian, and even with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, he was coming to realize he deeply cared for every single one of them. He wanted to be a good lord, a good mage, and now a good king. But beyond all that, he tried to protect everyone he could.

Julian strolled towards his carriage with his heart warm and determination set. The previous night had tired him endlessly, and all he wanted was to sit for a while and let the horses do the heavy lifting. As he started to open the small door, he felt a warm touch on his skin. The hand quickly withdrew itself, and when he looked over his shoulder, he realized it was Princess Anasthasia looking at him with inquiring eyes.

“Everything is going according to the plan, your grace?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. I just wanted to thank you for supporting my decision back in the rally,” she said in her usual, regal tone.

“It was my pleasure.” Julian moved his hand back to the handle, but then turned to look at her. “Do you want to join me, princess?”

“Oh,” she said, surprised. “I would love it.”

She hesitated, her face slowly turning red. Julian had never seen the stoic princess show such emotion, and he couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his face. He fought it, not wanting to embarrass further the princess, who cleared her throat and made every effort to return to her regal posture.

“To be honest, I thought it would be wise if we got to know each other better. Our union is nigh.”

“Indeed, your grace,” he said, waving his hand for her to enter the carriage first. She slightly bowed her head and entered the vehicle.

Upon seeing the scene, his wives moved towards the second carriage without saying a word. Julian didn’t have the opportunity to examine Rayra’s expression, but he could bet she wasn’t happy.

Julian followed the princess and sat across from her. She kept her hands on her knees, tapping them occasionally. Her shaking legs betrayed her stern grimace.

“So, what does your grace want to know about me?” Julian asked, fighting the urge to sprawl on the seat and rest his back.

“Please, if there was no reason before to call me your grace, there’s close to none now. We’re about to be married.”

“A marriage I didn’t know about until it was announced.” Julian let the words slip from his mouth, but he didn’t regret them. He thought the idea was good, and he was totally on board. However, he wasn’t the kind of man who didn’t stand his ground.

“For that, I am sorry,” the princess said, and Julian felt the earnestness in her words. “I was afraid you would deny it. I devised this plan on the night you left for the Twelve Isles; in my mind, it was our best chance to unify the kingdom. I was going to discuss it with you, but when Liz arrived and told us what happened, I needed to act while the dukes were here.”

“I understand, your grace,” Julian replied stoically, and the princess shifted her head and weight on the seat, clearly bothered by his insistence on calling her by the title.

“I see you’re not so prone to forgiveness.”

“I mostly am,” Julian replied with a smile. “How could I get angry at the woman who wants to crown me the King of Alinera?”

“Still, you’re displeased with the way things were dealt with, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”

“Being pleased is outside of my duties. I am a subject and now a soldier, and I’ll follow the commands given by my superiors.”

“I see,” she said, seeming to understand what Julian really meant. “In the future, I’ll consult you before I make any other decisions that involve you or your wives. I want us to have a real relationship. I know I’ve messed it up with my declaration, but please forgive me, so we can work toward a loving marriage.”

“That would please me profoundly, Ana. Thank you for saying you’re sorry. It means a lot to me, and I want our marriage to be a loving relationship as well,” Julian replied as he felt the carriage shift its wheels from the smooth floor of the castle to the tortuous one of the cobbled road.

Upon hearing her name, the princess grinned, and Julian saw her release a deep breath.

“I’m relieved.” She let the words slip as her back sank into the seat, and he allowed himself to do the same as she closed her eyes and faced the carriage ceiling. “I’m so tired,“ she sighed.

Upon hearing those words, Julian moved to the princess’s side while her eyes followed him all the way through.

“Turn your back to me.”

“Why?” she asked, already turning in a surprisingly obedient way. Julian liked it.

“Maybe I can relieve your stress a little.” Julian moved his hands to her shoulders and watched her back instantly stiffen. “It’s fine; it’s just a massage.”

“Those never worked with me,” she replied. Even though he couldn’t see her face, Julian knew she was smiling.

“You’ve never had one of mine.” He moved his fingers along her shoulders, gently pulling the straps of her dress to the side. Her skin was soft and pale, and when he moved her hair out of the way, he saw the small hairs on her back stand on end. She turned her head and looked at him from the corner of her eye. There was something there he hadn’t seen yet.

He savored that gaze and let his hands travel across her back, massaging it with his thumbs in slow waves, feeling the tension escaping her body. He let his hands move deeper inside her dress, feeling the curve of her lower back as he worked on his massage.

“That’s divine,” she moaned, and her voice reached his ears like a siren’s song.

He could smell her perfume, and it was intoxicating. Julian kept massaging her skin as he got closer, feeling the aroma entering his nostrils. He inhaled near her neck, watching her shiver, and rested a small kiss there.

“Julian…” Her voice seemed lost in time, his name becoming longer than it was, and when he felt the urge to kiss her again, she moved away. She raised the dress’s straps and leaned her back against the carriage door.

“We can’t,” she said, her face red and her breath shallow.

“Can’t we?”

“I mean … I really want to, but not until your wives accept me. I don’t want a rift in our family even before it’s been finalized by us moving too quickly, physically,” Ana replied promptly, staring at Julian.

“I can understand that. There’s some … conflict, but they’re ready to accept you.”

“I want more than a grudging acceptance. My goal is for us to have a loving family, so I’ll need to see it with my own eyes.”

“I agree and respect your decision.” Julian replied with a smirk.

“Don’t smile at me like that,” she said, averting her gaze. “You have no idea how hard it is to resist you.”

“And you have no idea how much I want you,” he said, caressing her face. She leaned towards it like a cat demanding affection, only to realize it and move away again.

Julian crossed to the other seat, feeling the commotion in his body slowly easing as he looked towards her.

“Your back … you’re really under a lot of stress.”

“You have no idea,” she said, and upon seeing Julian’s raised brows, she apologized. “Honestly, you’re probably the only one who knows it.”

“Yes, I can imagine it. That’s the duty of the strong, though.”

“What?”

“To help those who cannot help themselves.”

“It’s a heavy burden,” she said in a low tone, the words seemingly reluctant to leave her mouth.

“And you carry it, anyway.”

“I have to, even if I don’t consider myself strong.”

“I know a thousand people who were rallied in the street yesterday who would disagree.” Julian focused back on her and adjusted himself on the seat, locking eyes with the princess again.

“It was a lucky strike,” she blushed and leaned her elbow against the carriage window as she looked at the purple world outside.

“Have you ever been here?”

“Many times,” her voice was distant, and her gaze totally devoted to the far horizon.

“She loved this place.”

“Ariel?” Julian asked, shifting his weight on the seat and paying attention to the princess. Ariel was a friend of Thalia, who had died at the hands of the Twin Snakes as a way to punish Thalia. For all Julian could see, they had struck the princess as well. She changed her look towards him again, and any semblance of stoicism was replaced by a sudden grimace of pain that traveled through her until she appeared normal again.

“Did she tell you?”

“Not quite. Makao told me a bit, and I pieced a few things together,” Julian replied, and that seemed to bring some peace to the princess, who shifted her attention back to the road outside.

“She was a noble from one of the Flying Pearl families, but despite that, she had no plans to be a court member or marry. While the other girls and I talked about our teenage crushes, she bombarded me with her dreams of becoming a member of the Royal Guard.”

“I bet that caused her a lot of problems.”

“You have no idea,” the princess said with a grin. “Our numbers are mostly composed of men, but we have no rules against women joining. Officially, she could do it, but her family stood in the way. Her father tried to appease her by giving her a sword tutor and then a mage one, hoping to see if she would get bored and give up.”

“But she wasn’t the type to give up.”

“No, she wasn’t. When she met Thalia for the first time and saw a girl her age joining the training for the Royal Guard, she was thrilled. She was such a sweetheart that she never felt jealous of Thalia; she was happy for her even before we became friends. She came to visit me all the time and used any excuse to ask Thalia to join us. In the end, maybe it was my fault,” she concluded with a deep sigh, and Julian could see her eyes watering.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Julian said, stretching his hand and touching hers. “Thalia blames herself as well. It’s destroying both of you.”

“I blamed her for so long. Now, I see…. If I hadn’t pressured my father to have Ariel to join the Guard, she would never have been on that patrol with Thalia, and those monsters would never have done what they did.”

“You had no way of knowing,” Julian insisted, gripping her hand firmly. “You did something good. You helped your friend fulfill her dream. Neither you nor Thalia could have predicted she would be the one to suffer the consequences of actions you didn’t know would have such extreme consequences. This cycle of guilt needs to stop.”

“You’re probably right,” she finally said as she returned the gesture with her eyes clear of tears, and she managed a smile.

“You should talk with her.”

“Maybe,” she replied, caressing his hand gently. “Now, I know why you have such amazing women in love with you.”

“Oh?” Julian said, unable to hide his surprise. “And why's that?”

“Everyone is obliged to listen to me. Since childhood, I could borrow anyone’s ears, until I realized that and found they were only appeasing me with a facade of attention. Suddenly, talking didn’t seem so pleasant anymore. We’ve only spoken a handful of times, but on every occasion, I felt you were really listening to me.”

“Isn’t everyone like this, princess?” Julian asked with a smile.

“You’d be surprised, Julian,” she said before returning her gaze to the window and releasing his hand.

Julian watched her for a few seconds before gazing at the window at his side. He couldn’t see the cobbled road below the carriage, but the endless purple sky was everywhere. He didn’t even realize when he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, half an hour had passed, and they were already crossing through the other end of Thalia’s portal. Julian's eagerness to see his house again and hug his mother was quickly replaced by a sudden chill on his skin. He felt like his heart had sunk into his stomach as he watched the Lionheart Manor burning before his eyes.

Chapter Four

“Move! Move the princess to safety!” The voice of the grizzly soldier, whom Julian now recognized as the Royal Guard’s captain, echoed through the open air. It was almost drowned out by the sound of wood crackling and walls falling. Julian jumped out of the carriage as the soldiers made a U-turn, trying to bring it back inside the portal.

“Make sure the portal stays open in case the danger is still near,” Julian instructed Thalia, who was already out of her carriage at the front of the queue. He dashed towards the manor as if hypnotized by the terrible sight. They had been teleported to the middle of the crops, the same place he had first met Thalia. From there, he could see the flames had already engulfed parts of the whole manor.

He saw something thrown from inside the manor’s outer walls towards the roof, but if the person was trying to extinguish the fire, they were failing miserably. I hope it’s not you, Tarav. What are you thinking, standing in the middle of a fire? Julian thought, already running towards his house.

Before he reached the midpoint, a figure caught up to him from the side. Rayra, already in her fox form, was running fast towards the flames with Liz at her back. The brunette extended one hand to Julian, who grabbed it and launched himself onto Rayra’s back.

“Liz, you’re on the fire. Use all your mana if needed. Rayra, you’re with me to rescue them.”

“I’ll do it, but I’m not sure if my mana is enough.” Julian barely caught Liz’s voice beneath the gust of wind.

“We have lots of Soul Shards from the beach. Use what you need, and don’t worry about it,” Julian said, gripping his wife's waist as Rayra accelerated. As they approached the blazing scene, it became clear that the man standing in the middle of the fire was Tarav. Near him, other figures rapidly ran with buckets of water from the well and threw it on the manor stairs as if they could prevent the flames from spreading.

Julian appreciated the loyalty of his servants, who chose to try to extinguish the fire at the manor instead of saving their own houses. The stable was already burned to the ground alongside the workers' quarters and the garden.

The smoke clouds weren’t as thick at the manor house, giving Julian some hope that they could still manage to save most of it, but not with the workers risking their lives so close to the fire.

“Tarav!” Julian yelled, but the butler didn’t hear. He kept receiving buckets and throwing water vigorously against the manor walls and steps. “Tarav!” Julian called again, and amidst the flames, he saw the butler’s face turn in his direction. The workers carrying buckets stopped in the middle of the way and stared at Julian, unable to continue their efforts. Julian could only guess their thoughts, but he bet they considered him an illusion. He was there, though, and Tarav realized it soon. “Where’s Mom?” Julian yelled, ready to continue to the flames and into the building if necessary to save his mother.

“She’s safe, sir!” Tarav shouted as loud as he could, then addressed the people near him, “Fall back! Fall back! Baroness Liz is here!” The workers, relieved, started moving towards Julian and Rayra, who had halted near the scorched ground. Rayra danced on her four legs, whimpering. The ground was too hot for her form to travel on, but Julian was as close as he dared to go. Tarav rushed quickly, waving his hands for the workers to proceed.

Julian dismounted from Rayra’s back and rushed toward them. Come on, Tarav! They know the way! he screamed inside his mind, already knowing very well the butler wouldn’t move a foot before ensuring the safety of the other people.

However, the fires and old walls didn’t care for the old butler’s desires. Just as Tarav moved the last worker toward Julian and his companions at the gates of the Lionheart Manor, the wall he had fiercely fought to keep watered started to crumble rapidly. The crackling sounds masked the noise of the rock and wood debris falling toward Tarav.

Julian wasted no time as he outstretched his hand and prepared a powerful arcane blast. The ball of energy flew fast, passing mere inches from Tarav’s shoulders before finding the exterior walls of the manor falling to the ground. Tarav leaped to escape the collapse, but Julian knew instantly he would have been hit if he hadn’t blown up the wall. Nevertheless, Tarav was struck. As the wall turned into hundreds of pieces of debris, one of the rocks flew directly towards Tarav’s head.

Even amidst the crackling flames and crumbling walls, Julian thought he heard a chilling CRACK sound as the rock reached Tarav and dropped him limp to the ground. Julian felt his heart sink to the depths of his stomach as he rushed towards the old butler lying on the ground. Rayra tried to follow him, but the ground was too hot to walk with her fox paws. The workers rushed past Julian, but he didn’t see their faces; all his attention was on the man lying on the ground.

When Julian reached Tarav’s position, he grabbed him with both hands and heaved his limp body onto his shoulders, carrying the man with speed and force, not wanting to think even for a second that he couldn’t be all right. The butler’s hands dangling limply from side to side weren’t helping.

He reached the spot where Rayra waited for him. Rayra helped Julian put the old butler on the ground while Liz gathered immense amounts of water from the ground. She had already extinguished some of the fire, and Julian could see everything becoming wetter by the millisecond as the water poured from the ground and created an immense and dense wall.

At that moment, Julian couldn’t care less about the magic. The house could burn if that meant Tarav wouldn’t die. Not like this, Julian thought, finally looking at the old man’s face. He was serene, but behind him, a pool of blood began to form.

“Do something,” Julian pleaded with Rayra, who was already working her magic, passing her hand over the older man’s forehead.

“I’ll do my best,” Rayra said, but her grim expression betrayed her words. Julian scanned his surroundings, looking for help, and saw the princess close to the carriage with the soldiers around her. Ranabi and his father strode towards them.

“Quickly! Here!” Julian waved to the goddess, who ran at full speed, nearly matching her animal form. However, when she stopped before Tarav, all semblance of urgency died. She looked down at Julian’s eyes, then at Rayra, and her expression was compassionate.

“No!” Julian shouted, looking at Tarav again. He could see the old man’s chest barely moving up and down. He wasn’t dead; he knew it. “He’s still alive! Save him.”

“He’s already making his way,” she muttered so quietly that Julian almost didn’t hear.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s breathing. You can do it, can’t you?”

“Life must follow its course.”

“It didn’t matter when you were the one on the line, right?” Julian snapped, standing up quickly and facing the goddess. His face was flushed with sudden anger he wasn’t sure he could contain.

“You’re right.”

Julian started to raise his finger to point at the goddess, prepared for her to deny saving Tarav for whatever godly reason she might have, but she followed her words with a quick crouch and a wave of her hand. Green magic poured from her fingertips and traveled across Tarav’s face like water. The liquid moved from his cheeks to the top of his back, and the blood that had pooled on the ground slowly started to disappear, almost as if it was returning to the inside of Tarav’s body.

Tarav’s breathing accelerated, his face reddened by the second, while Julian stood frozen, watching everything with conflicted feelings. He felt someone approaching and realized it was his father, who wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“I suppose your mother is okay, right?”

“Tarav told me she’s safe,” Julian muttered, his gaze locked with the goddess, bringing life back to Tarav before his eyes.

“I asked only to be sure. Tarav wasn’t going to leave her in danger.”

“He wouldn’t,” Julian said again, watching the older man slowly open his eyes. “I need to change this,” Julian muttered.

“Change what, son?”

“Nothing, Father. I’m just thinking out loud,” Julian lied, reassuringly smiling at his father, who only nodded.

At that moment, Julian decided he wouldn’t strive to become stronger, to prove something to himself or others, nor would he do so merely out of a desire to protect. Liz crashed a giant wave against the manor and extinguished the flames into a giant hiss that erupted into a massive gray cloud. Julian realized he needed to be stronger, to not depend on the whims of a god.

Chapter Five

“Where’s Mother, Tarav, and what in the Last happened here?” Julian asked, slowly giving Tarav some water.

The old man drank diligently and gripped Julian's hand tightly when he gulped the liquid down.

“We received news of an attack on Silverhold. A horde of monsters destroying the city and slaying the denizens. Your mother went as soon as she heard the creatures’ descriptions.”

“Dragonborns.”

“Yes, master.”

Julian could see the old butler had no idea he had nearly died less than a minute ago. When Ranabi asked if he felt good after she ended the cure, he laughed, saying he felt more than good upon seeing such beauty. Julian would’ve laughed if he hadn’t had other things to care about. “She went with the soldiers and many workers who wanted to fight.”

“She had the enchanted weapons?”

“Yes, my lord. I stayed here to keep everything in order, but we were attacked as soon as they disappeared on the horizon. A monster came from the skies, its wings larger than the manor. When I looked up, I saw it spitting waves of fire on our walls. The fire was so hot that it melted some of the rocks.”

“Anyone died?”

“Some of the workers who were sleeping are most certainly dead, my lord. It happened so fast and was so violent that they didn’t even scream. I’m sure they were there because I organized today’s schedule myself.”

“We’ll avenge them,” Julian said with determination as he gripped the old man's hand more tightly. “Now, you rest and help salvage what you can. I’ll head to Silverhold, and if this creature comes back, just run.”

“Right, sir. I’m glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad you're back as well,” Julian said. The butler raised an eyebrow in surprise but said nothing. Julian patted him on the shoulder and heaved himself up, walking towards the princess’s carriage in the distance. Thalia still held the portal open, but no one was close to it anymore. There was no sign of danger, and Anasthasia seemed eager to move ahead and understand the situation. Julian gave her a quick report of what had happened, and she assumed a thoughtful expression.

“What do you suggest we do?” she asked.

“I’ll go to Silverhold now with my companions to help in the city. We should send Thalia back to the capital with someone else to alert your guard and make sure this isn’t a coordinated attack.”

“That sounds like a good plan. My soldiers and I will join you.”

“Are you sure?”

“The safest place I can be right now is around you. We have capable soldiers, and nearly everyone here is a mage.”

“I agree.” Julian smiled, and she returned the gesture. He liked how she thought and looked when she was pleased. Her cheeks were adorned by two small dimples that gave her an almost naughty look without detracting from her regality. “Can you join Thalia, Liz?” Julian asked, and Liz seemed surprised for a second before nodding.

“What if there’s a fire in Silverhold?” Liz asked, raising a good point. Before Julian could come up with a solution, Ranabi chimed in.

“I’ll deal with it if it comes to that. I have a few ways of extinguishing a fire.

“Good,” Julian replied, trying to show some gratitude to the goddess. She was trying to help, nevertheless.

That would be perfect. With just one move, Julian made Rayra and the princess closer to each other on one mission, while Liz and Thalia would have some opportunity to bond more. Only the Last knew how much trouble Liz had had accepting Thalia’s company around them when they first met.

“Be careful,” Julian said to Thalia and Liz, who came close and kissed his lips before waving and entering the still-open portal, which closed seconds after they passed through it.

Rayra stood a few feet back, talking with Julian's father and Tarav. She checked his wounds and ensured Ranabi had not missed anything about the older man’s injuries. On the other hand, the goddess stood away from everyone else, her eyes contemplative, as if the horizon held a secret for her.

Upon reaching the captain, he spoke in a firm and loud tone.

“We’ll head to Silverhold now. Command all of your men to raise their weapons for me to bestow upon them an enchantment. We are about to fight mighty beasts, stronger than any man. They will gladly tear you in half. However, you’ll be the first soldiers in the army to kill these creatures. Let’s create something worthy of the bard’s songs today.”

“You heard the Baron, men. Raise your weapons!” the grizzly captain commanded, and the soldiers with metal blades raised them while the mages—the majority—created their blades by hand. Julian let a string of his power travel toward the weapons and felt it energizing them. The blades would now be capable of dealing with the dragonborn's thick skin and scales, but the soldiers' bodies would still be fragile compared to the mighty beasts.

“I love your determination, soldiers, and the power I gave you is one to be reckoned with.” Julian grinned, and the soldiers replied with an 'Ay!'.

“However, you must be careful when dealing with those monsters. They can end a man with one well-executed attack. Tread carefully in the fight, strike wisely, and do not die.”

Julian saw pride in the soldiers’ eyes; even the captain smiled at Julian, showing no sign of inconvenience at him giving the orders.

“Great! That's the spirit,” Julian cheered with a smile that slowly died as he moved back to his father, Tarav, and Ranabi.

“You’ll stay here with Tarav, Father, and⁠—”

“No, Son. I need to go. If your mother is in need, I must be there.”

Julian let the protest die in his throat and only nodded to his father before shifting his gaze towards Ranabi.

“I respect you, Ranabi, and all you did until now. Still, I need you totally on board here. You can’t waver like you almost did before. When we face Fenrir, there will be no time for consideration,” Julian said, and the goddess nodded with a knowing expression.

He tried to be understanding with Ranabi. For all Rayra had said, the goddess had always been a pacifist. The beastfolk considered her the goddess of Life, the one that preserved the cycles and promoted peace. Julian asked her to become the herald of life by using her power to protect the greater number of people, or to help him, at least. It was hard to do, but he preferred that the goddess was unhappy with her involvement in a world where the dragonborn didn’t rule, rather than the opposite.

Rayra smiled reassuringly to the goddess again, but Julian felt her wavering hadn’t sat well with the kitsune, but she understood Ranabi way better. Rayra looked back with a frown over the destruction the dragon had caused to the manor through the fire. They hadn’t been together long, but she had grown fond of the Lionheart manor. It was there where they discovered she was pregnant, where they had fought and laughed. In the middle of Silverhold, he had met her for the first time, and now Fenrir threatened to destroy all of it, probably on a whim due to Julian frustrating his plans.

“Are you ready?” Julian asked Rayra, who didn’t reply. Instead, she changed to her fox form and waved her tail, beckoning Julian to get on her back. “We are going to run ahead, just follow the road,” Julian commanded the troops.

The road was as it had always been. If any bystander passed there, they would never have thought the city was under a terrible attack. Julian felt the gush of wind on his face and remembered the day he arrived at Silverhold for the first time after exiting the academy. Everything had changed since then, and at the same time, nothing seemed to have changed. His house was crumbling again, and he was heading to Silverhold, hoping to save not just it but the whole world. His mother was somewhat missing again, and he had no idea what awaited him when he crossed the next hill.

“I have you now,” Julian muttered, caressing the fur of Rayra’s fox form as hers, Liz's, and Thalia’s faces flashed in his mind. That was different now; he had been gifted with three amazing people in his life, and soon there would be a fourth. It all came with a lot of hard work with his heart in the right place. That moved Julian away from any despair, knowing that they would persevere together and overcome the obstacles. That, and the excitement of his mana core bursting with the desire to burn the dragonborn's scales.

He felt Rayra purring under his touch and could feel her heart pumping against his body. He felt her excitement and gripped her fur firmly as she sped towards the city. Julian considered using his new ability to create mana platforms in the air to scout from above and see what was happening in Silverhold. However, as soon as he reached the top of the hill, he was confronted by the sight of three pairs of wings soaring above the city’s buildings as if searching for something.

Only three? he thought as he watched the creatures. Rayra continued rushing toward the city on her four legs. At that moment, he saw another creature erupting from the middle of the streets into the air, carrying someone in its claws and flying high into the sky, much higher than its companions. As the monster reached the clouds, it released the person in its grip.

The screams echoed for moments that seemed to last endlessly. Julian gritted his teeth as he heard the person collide with the ground, instantly killing them. The monsters were seemingly having the time of their lives.

Another dragonborn appeared in the skies and performed the same disturbing action. This one even dropped the victim, only to grab them again in the middle of the fall and re-release them, just like Thalia had described her experience with the general dragonborn before.

Julian looked over his shoulder and saw his entourage slowly catching up with them. He was worried about his father's reaction upon seeing the creatures, but he knew very well the man wouldn’t give up ongoing with them. Be careful, Father. I’m coming, Mom, Julian thought as he leaned on Rayra’s back and moved his mouth towards her fox ears.

“Go as fast as you can, love. I’ll keep an eye on those in the air.” As if proclaiming something she was already profoundly waiting for, Rayra somehow found the strength to bound forward even faster, her legs not touching the ground for several seconds and only slowing her movement as they approached the cobbled stones that signaled the road ended, and Silverhold’s streets began.

The dragonborn in the skies seemed oblivious to Julian’s approach, their eyes fixed on the streets below. According to Julian’s calculations, they were near the castle where Julian’s administration of the barony took place. They acted as if they were fishing. While near the city’s entrance, Julian could hear the sounds of fighting—and those weren’t the sounds of dragonborns easily winning their fights.

“Foul creatures. They don’t care if their kin are dying as long as they are pleased,” Julian muttered as Rayra finally arrived at the city gates sprawled to both sides. No soldiers were stationed on the walls, but on the first street, Julian heard swords clashing—or at least, that’s what he thought it was.

As soon as he turned the corner, he leaped from Rayra’s back, and she turned herself into her standard form. He created a blast in his hand as the kitsune nocked an arrow toward the sound ahead. In front of them, Lady Marcella Lionheart stood tall with two short swords, one in each hand, dancing around two dragonborns. One was a female with green scales and eyes, while the second was a male with pitch-black scales. They were both the same size as Marcella, but they had immense weapons seemingly made out of bone, and when they moved, they became blurs. Julian thought several times about releasing the blast, but it seemed clear he would miss every time, and he couldn’t risk hurting Marcella.

He decided to aim on two figures flying above Marcella. Two other dragonborns were approaching the fight. Julian aimed at one and Rayra the other. The creatures kept dodging and advancing over and over while they rushed towards his mother, but she didn’t seem to need help. When the approaching creatures realized the same, they flew away in fear of closing on the arcane wielder.

His mother kept dancing and dodging the enemy attacks. A stranger could even consider her having fun, and Julian didn’t doubt a part of her really was.

The years she had spent inside the mirror realm had given Marcella proficiency in fighting dragonborns that no one else had. With a weapon that could hurt them, she was unstoppable. The creatures rushed towards her together as if they had rehearsed the movement. They struck their bone weapons down, aiming at both of Marcella’s shoulders, but she stopped both attacks with her swords and, as the monsters exerted force against the blades, rolled the two weapons over the bone blades and shoved them aside.

The movement caught the dragonborns by surprise, making them lose their footing. Marcella sank her feet into the ground and leaped with the two short swords, slicing through the air. Julian counted five swings until she finally dropped to the ground. The monsters before her raised their weapons to counterattack. The male’s sword fell with a loud THUMP as it realized its arm tendons had been sliced, and it couldn’t strike with the sword or its claws again.

The female one didn’t even lower her sword as well. A sea of blood poured from her neck as she watched in shock, a cut deepening and widening at the middle of its neck. Before the female could reach the ground, Marcella ran towards the other dragonborn and slashed its neck as it was about to flee to find its friends.

“Sometimes I forget how amazing your mom is,” Rayra said in a mutter.

“Me too,” Julian replied, realizing his eyes were wide upon seeing the display. “I wish I could do something like this.”

Rayra had a confused expression on her face. “You do just like that. Maybe faster.”

“Really? It’s hard to see that way.”

“I know,” she said with a smile as they watched Marcella approaching. She had a cut near her right eye, a claw mark. Besides that, she had no wounds.

“Son! You arrived. Thanks to the Last,” Marcella put her hands on her knees and panted, looking to the ground and then to Julian. She then stopped, realization dawning upon her as her eyes widened. “Your father?”

Julian smiled broadly. “We did it, Mom. He’s on his way here now. We have more soldiers on the way as well.”

“That’s great, son,” she said, sheathing one of the swords and putting one hand on his shoulder. She darted her eyes to Rayra and nodded. “I was starting to get worried. There were at least twenty when we arrived. I killed five and saw my men killing the other three, but we got separated. The last time I saw them, they were near the Mages’ Guild on their way to the castle.”

“We saw some of the monsters flying above there torturing people for fun.”

“Son…” she said, and Julian watched her eyes slowly inundated by sadness. “What they did to the people … They are worse than cats playing with mice. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“That’s why we must end this before they hurt anyone else.”

Marcella nodded, and they started moving towards the Mages’ Guild's direction.

They checked every corner of the city, trying to find any signs of the dragonborn on the ground while also checking to ensure that none of the creatures in the sky had spotted them.

Julian found no dragonborn, Silverhold’s soldiers, or anyone from his estate. All he saw were dead bodies. Some had been smashed against the ground, others had severed limbs, and some were without a single wound. What connected all of them was the certainty of their death. Marcella gritted her teeth and let out a low growl as they walked past a market full of corpses. With each step, Julian’s anger grew.

They kept advancing on the side streets, avoiding the broader ones where the airborne dragonborns would get a better vision of them. Julian was confident in their ability to defeat all the dragonborns inside the city. However, he wasn’t sure what else Fenrir had in store for them. If the creature Tarav had mentioned was still nearby, it would be best if he was the one making an ambush and not the contrary.

“Three on the next corner,” Rayra whispered as quietly as she could, but Julian and Marcella heard. She pointed to the corner that connected the street they were on to the main one. Three blocks ahead, they would be in front of the Mages’ Guild and beneath the five dragonborns dropping people from the sky.

“Fast and clean,” Julian instructed as he put another string of arcane magic on their weapons, ensuring they could kill with the right strike.

Julian raised a whip in his left hand and turned the corner with Marcella and Rayra. As Marcella dashed with long strides toward the enemies, the arrow flew from the kitsune's bow. Julian whipped his weapon at the creature in the middle, hoping to slice it in half.

The creatures were only a blur to Julian. He only noticed their gender or scale color when he realized their bodies were already falling to the ground.

Rayra’s arrow reached the first one's brain with a gruesome sound while Marcella cut the throat of the one on the far right in a fast and precise move. The one in the middle had its guts sprawled on the street as Julian’s whip cut it in half perfectly—the mana burning its skin and sending a nauseating stench into the air.

They held their breath and waited. The next step would be to do something similar to the ones soaring above on the main street. They only needed to be sure they were safe.

Marcella and the soldiers had killed eight dragonborns. They killed three more, and in the skies, five soared. Out of the twenty Marcella had initially seen, only four remained unseen. They’re probably fighting the soldiers, Julian thought as he prepared to move toward the soaring monsters on the main street. They were all made of red scales, and Julian couldn’t wait to mar them with their blood.

However, as soon as he stepped out from cover for the first time, he heard something crashing against the ground. He felt his heart sink into his stomach as the monsters in the sky started to flap their wings towards them. The object thrown towards them revealed itself just as he realized the approaching threat. Before Julian, the head of one of Silverhold’s soldiers bounced over and over until it lay lifeless with its glassy gaze, looking directly at Julian’s face.

The cut on the man’s neck showed the precision of a surgeon or the sharpest weapon of a weapon’s master. Julian knew the dragonborn well enough to know the second was more likely. Four pairs of yellow dragon wings flew furiously towards them from where they had come.

Well hidden beneath the shadows of a nearby alley, four additional creatures dashed towards them with immense speed. Rayra’s movement to nock an arrow stopped midway through as one of the beasts collided with her, their bodies twisting and rolling as she tried to find her footing on the ground again. Before Julian could make a new spell or swing his blade, he, too, was struck by the creatures. Two of them, though. Julian felt the horns of one of the creatures piercing his shoulder while the second one descended a bone sword towards his head. The momentum of the first creature crashing against his torso helped him dodge the second attack, but only increased the searing pain from the monster's attack. Julian could hear its heavy breathing close to his body as he pulled away from the beast.

The creature released Julian as it swung its claws upward, aiming for his chin. He raised his weapons and held them with both hands in a defensive position. The monster’s hand sliced towards Julian’s blade as if it could break it, because the creature was so accustomed to its scales protecting it from every attack that it didn’t expect the sword's edge to be enchanted with arcane magic.

As the monster severed its own fingers on his sword, Julian watched its face become a grimace of shock, pain, and then anger. Julian prepared to strike it with his sword held high and ready to be extended by his spell. As the creature was about to be hit, the second dragonborn deflected the blow with its blade, striking Julian’s sword on the flat part and sending a clanging shake through his right arm.

The injured creature fell back, its wings helping it to hug the distant wall. The one who deflected Julian’s blow wasn’t so lucky. Julian took advantage of his excellent position and struck again, thrusting the blade towards the creature’s chest. The monster imitated Julian’s previous move to defend the strike, but the piercing point of his sword met it. The blade cut through the bone like butter and kept on its deadly path, reaching the creature’s scales and then flesh.

This dragonborn was more intelligent than the other one. As soon as the first drop of blood started to pour from its skin, it raised its feet and kicked Julian away, moving itself towards its wounded friend.

Julian checked his surroundings, searching for Rayra and his mother. Rayra dodged the dragonborn before her, trying to find a window to put an arrow inside its head while Marcella dashed hard toward her enemy. She kept the dragonborn at bay, making Julian’s choice to help Rayra easy.

When she dodged one more strike, Julian came to her aid. His ears were attentive to the other two enemies' movements, and his eyes fixed on the target. She fought a yellow dragonborn with close to no horns, and its body was enveloped by protective scales. This particular monster was thin and fast, just as fast as Rayra herself, making it impossible for her to strike. He needed to upset the balanced scales in her favor. Julian came in swinging, extending his blade and allowing Rayra to fall back.

The monster ducked Julian’s strike, rolling on the ground with its wings enveloping its body. As soon as it stopped moving, its wings spread, and it dashed towards Julian at full speed. The lord dodged to the side, swinging his blade in a wide arc, but the creature was too fast. It didn’t hit Julian, but it wasn’t hit by his strike either. Rayra finally released her magic arrow, and it flew fast towards the monster's head. But the creature was too fast and dodged again.

Just as it was about to fall on the ground and roll again, Rayra’s second arrow found its mark at the top of the creature’s bald head, killing it.

“Great shot,” Julian grunted, turning to see her nocking another arrow to shoot at the enemy Marcella was fighting.

Julian could swear the dragonborn was about to soil its scales. It kept dodging and using its wings to step back, but Marcella was relentless in her pursuit. Rayra stopped for a second, considering whether it was right to end her mother-in-law's fun. Before she could decide, the two wounded dragonborns rushed towards them again. Rayra changed the direction of her arrow and fired it, but didn’t find its mark. The creatures flew fast, but not as fast as Julian’s whip.

He summoned the weapon and struck quickly to the side, cutting their line to attack them. They halted in position, measuring the distance they could cover to reach them. Julian didn’t give them time. He started walking forward, swinging the whip from one side to the other and giving room for Rayra to shoot another arrow.

The monsters seemed to realize what was happening and prepared to act. What are you going to do? Julian asked himself, ready to strike upwards if they tried to fly to the skies. However, they held their position as the other five dragonborns in the air reached Rayra and Julian from behind.

Julian felt the weight of his chest crashing against the ground as two clawed feet struck his back with force. He heard Rayra’s arrow flying away and watched her fall at his side.

They quickly reacted. Julian turned, already swiping his whip, creating space for him and Rayra to get up, but their advantageous position was now gone. Instead of two dragonborn before them, now there were five, and the one Marcella was fighting turned into three.

The monsters slowly started to move towards them, their eyes attentive to Julian’s left hand holding the whip. They knew he couldn’t kill all of them with one strike. They only needed to attack from different directions. The other three monsters pushed Marcella back as she retreated to join Julian and Rayra.

The trio had their backs to each other while the dragonborns formed a line around them. Suddenly, they, who had been cornering the dragonborns, were the ones being cornered.

Julian was confident he could end the monsters, but he wasn’t so optimistic that he could escape this situation with all his companions alive. That was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. It will be all or nothing, he thought. His knuckles whitened as he gripped his sword and sent waves of mana toward his whip. The weapon shone with a bright blue hue, making all the creatures' eyes glimmer with fear.

“Hold your position. No heroism. Stand together, and we'll slowly push them back,” Julian said. His eyes were focused on the enemy ahead as he shifted his weight from one side to the other, preparing for the worst. He swiped his whip again, enlarging the point, and hit the first of the dragonborns at the line's left edge. The movement was so quick that the creature had no time to react. The mana whip severed the monster's arm at elbow height and then rippled through its stomach. The movement slowed upon slicing through most of the dragonborn’s middle and almost touched the second dragonborn in their improvised line. The wounded dragonborn dropped to the ground in agony as its life slowly bleed out.

Rayra shot an arrow toward the second enemy and hit true just as it was set to fly into the sky. The other six, however, were able to fly in different directions. That was precisely what Julian had feared, and when he swiped his whip once more, he found nothing waiting for him. The enemies scattered in the sky, dodging his swipe and the arrows as they tried to reach him.

Julian dismissed his whip and started throwing Arcane blasts at them. Marcella covered his back while Rayra aimed at the other targets. Julian hit one leg, then three pairs of wings, but the places he hit the creatures only slowed them. For each spell he connected, for each arrow Rayra struck, and for each dragonborn Marcella repelled. Another one came to their aid, slipping an attack through their defense—gifting Julian with claws to the shoulders, face, and chest. If he kept firing Arcane Blasts at them, his mana would eventually end, and he wouldn't have time to reach for his newfound Soul Shards.

As Julian hit one of the monsters right in the chest, exploding its heart, three jumped on Julian, while the fourth and fifth crashed against Rayra and Marcella. Claws, horns, and fangs wounded the lord as he swung his sword violently. He severed one hand just as one of the creatures pierced his arm. He severed one wing as a monster tried to swipe his legs from the ground. He pierced and exploded the third creature as it came close enough to him. The blast pushed the other two away, but Julian was already breathing laboriously.

He still needed to help Rayra, who held her bow tight in one hand as the dragonborn tried to remove it from her and kill her. Marcella faced terrible odds as well due to her injuries. Her foe had managed to make a big cut on her right wrist when she leaned to strike it with a deep thrust. As soon as she was hit, he saw the blade slipping from her hand and the arm not going all the way up.

Shit! Julian cursed inside his mind as he gritted his teeth and rushed toward the dragonborn fighting Rayra. The monster was in a perfect position to have its heart pierced by Julian's sword. However, a blazing light hit his eyes before he could reach it. The hue was so intense that Julian had to cover his eyes. He heard some dragonborn screaming and blinked several times, trying to get a good glimpse of what was happening.

The light slowly faded as he pressed his eyelids against each other. Then he heard a battle cry coming from one end of the street. The guttural voice echoed in his mind, almost recognizable. When he could finally see again, the city had somehow changed. Trees emerged from some of the windows, and the bright sun was covered by tree canopies.

The light and the sudden appearance of the trees kidnapped Julian's attention. Hence, he didn't notice the figure approaching. When he turned his eyes toward the dazed monster he was about to strike, he only had time to see the creature's skull being smashed by a gigantic hammer.

The weapon, seemingly made out of intertwined roots forming the shape of a rough and apparently heavy hammer, smashed the dragonborn's head as if it were a pumpkin. The head of the hammer glistened with the blood that exploded from the creature's skin. The thing looked just like a log of wood enveloped by thick roots; however, the damage it dealt was impressive.

The hammer wasn’t as impressive as the figure holding it.

When Julian's eyes reached the arms of the hammer bearer, his jaw almost dropped. Holding the weapon, his father stood tall, and for just one second, Julian saw the warrior his old man had been. He had never seen him in action, and despite his thin silhouette, simple clothes, and grizzly beard, he had the eyes of a warrior, not those of an old lord.

“Get away from my family!” he yelled as he brought his hammer down once more against the remains of the monster's head. The creatures that weren't still blind had grimaces of pure terror.

“Kill them all!” Julian heard another voice coming from behind his father. It was the captain of the Royal Guard rushing in. They had a powerful aura around them that seemed to repel the dragonborns. Julian watched as more than one of the creatures flinched as the soldiers approached them. The surprise was that they didn't stand a chance against the overwhelming force of Alinera's soldiers.

Julian only watched as the ten soldiers surrounded the dazed dragonborns and killed them with their glowing aura and enchanted weapons. His mother was even more shocked than himself. She stood with both arms aiming at the ground, eyes wide open, and mouth ajar.

“Adrian,” she muttered in a low tone. It had been ages since Julian had heard his father’s name. For him, he had always been Dad, then Father, and in the end, he had become just the old Lord Lionheart. That was the man who had gone mad after losing his wife and pushed away every other person that showed him love. Julian had no idea how he’d react if something similar happened to his wives. Now, Julian finally understood his father.

Amidst all the chaos of the battle, the sun piercing the tree canopies, and the sounds of swords crashing against scales, Julian watched his parents drop their weapons to the ground and dash to meet in the tightest of hugs. Julian could almost feel it. It was hard for him to believe that this was actually happening, but not even a dream could be this happy.

Julian looked at Rayra and saw tears in her eyes, only to realize he had dropped one without even noticing.

“I’m glad I found you,” she whispered, grabbing his hand as they watched his parents embrace. They cried, kissed, and embraced again, and Julian thought that moment would be forever imprinted on his mind.

The sounds of battle slowly faded away as Julian finally took a good look at his surroundings. On the street, the dragonborn corpses lay sprawled. Not a single one of Julian’s companions had perished, and his wounds were all superficial. At the edge of the street, Princess Anasthasia stood tall with one soldier at her side. She had her dagger in hand and a gigantic smile on her face. Julian followed her gaze and realized she was looking directly at his parents. He elbowed Rayra to look in the princess's direction, and when she did, she glared back at Julian, before losing the glare to smile with gentle eyes.

A promising sign, he thought as he kissed Rayra on the cheek. Her ears twitched with pleasure, and she returned the gesture, before gently pushing Julian away, knowing he had work to do.

“Where’s Ranabi?” Julian asked, but a light pierced his eyes before anyone could ask. He looked in the direction it had come from and saw what seemed to be a small mirror reflecting the light toward him. At the top of one of the newborn trees, Ranabi stood on one of the branches, looking down at them with her features hidden by the shadows.

“What do you want from me, Julian Lionheart?”

“Are there more in the city?”

“Orcs fighting at the castle.” She pointed at the castle not far away and then pointed to the sky. “The big one is up there.”

Julian could see nothing in the sky besides the fluffy clouds that adorned the place. If the only indication of a good day was the sky above Silverhold, today would have been perfect, not bloody. However, Julian also knew there was something behind those clouds. They seemed too perfect to be soaring over all of Silverhold, and upon close inspection, one could see they weren’t moving as fast as the wind blew them.

“Come here,” the god whispered, and Julian raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask if she wanted him to climb a freaking tree, he felt his body being elevated to the sky. Roots were being born out of the ground and carrying him to see the goddess at the top of the tree.

“How can you help?” Julian asked bluntly, and the goddess didn't seem bothered by it.

“The next time you want to reach the skies, think about how the wind guides the leaves. Become the wind yourself.”

“That’s too cryptic, Ranabi,” Julian protested, but the goddess raised one hand, looking at him with grave eyes. It was so different from what he was accustomed to.

“That’s not easy for me, child. You are too young to understand, but what I’m doing here right now is something I never thought possible.” She looked into Julian’s eyes and addressed him firmly. “I am trying.”

“I can respect that,” Julian replied in the same tone. “Alright, I need to become the wind. What else?”

“All of you are under my protection now. Your natural healing increases, and the sight of you will hurt Fenrir’s minions. Your father asked me for a hammer, so I gave him one. He’s pretty good with it.”

“He is,” Julian said, looking down and seeing that his parents weren't embracing anymore. Instead, they looked up at Julian apprehensively, while holding hands firmly. He shifted his gaze to the sky again and asked, “What's up there?”

“A primordial dragon,” she said with a sorrowful tone. “A majestic beast who Fenrir forced to join his cause. She was here before Fenrir or even me.”

“I thought you created the world.”

“We didn’t. The world was already here when we gained consciousness. Magic was already here when we woke. Why do you think your friend Makao did magic without a bracelet connecting him to one of the gods? Why do some creatures drop Soul Shards while others don’t?”

Those were all valid questions. Questions that Julian hadn't had the time to ask himself.

“Because there are other forms of power.”

“Exactly, child. You are the purest connection to Cerulex, who mimicked the natural power of this world using his creation through mana. The drake above us is what Cerulex used to understand fire itself and the creatures upon which Fenrir based his twisted idea of a perfect world. The dragonborn believe the mighty beast soaring above us is their god, just as Fenrir is; little do they know Fenrir cares only about control.”

“The creature that burned my house is a god, then?”

“Many called it a god. You can call it that way if you want.”

“I call it an animal on the verge of death,” Julian replied with gritted teeth, his eyes still on the clouds and his thoughts on the dead workers on his estate.

“It’s as ancient and powerful being … some of her kinds were animalistic, but she’s probably not. They can be taught the right ways or be bent by an authoritarian master,” she said, making Julian's mind swirl with ideas. Still, before he could ask more, she put one hand on Julian’s shoulder. He felt a rush of energy traveling through his body and his mana core being washed with life. From the roots beneath him, other ones were born, and they slowly spread towards his feet and leg.

As the roots grew, his armor seemed to melt and integrate itself to the roots, which were bringing new metal plates that closed around his ankles, thighs, and then torso and arms. After a few seconds, his body was completely enveloped by the oddest of armors. Several seemingly disconnected metal plates were intertwined by the thick roots she had summoned. Surprisingly enough, the armor felt light on his body. When he searched for the wounds beneath it, he realized they had healed.

He moved his arms from one side to the other, twisting his waist and testing the armor’s flexibility. It was like being naked, but he had never felt more protected in his whole life. When the last root closed the last gap of metal on the armor, he felt it adjusting one last time on his body. Upon looking at the breastplate, he realized it had a lion printed on it.

“It’s beautiful,” he finally said, looking again at the goddess. Her smile made her eyes close all the way through, and Julian swore he saw more wrinkles on her face than he had previously that day. “But I must say, I don’t think wood and metal are ideal when fighting a creature capable of spitting fire.”

The goddess chuckled as she heard the words.

“You’re funny, Julian. At least when you’re not mad at me for some reason.”

“I’m just trying to keep everyone safe.”

“I understand that, and I admire that about you. That’s why everyone seems to be drawn to you. The spirit inside your grimoire cries when you’re sad and cheers when you’re happy. I can feel her excitement inside your mana core from here.”

That made Julian’s heart warm. He had only good feelings toward the woman he saw when he was close to dying in the mirror realm. Knowing she was still there and still cultivating good feelings toward him made a smile born on his face.

“Princess Anasthasia has already fallen for you as well, young man. I can see what all of them see in you. I can also see why the Arcane considered you worthy. This armor you now bear has a piece of my power inside it. It’ll protect you from evil and help when you become too tired to move on. It will make your fight against Fenrir easier, and when he spits fire upon you, he’ll discover that my magic doesn’t burn very easily.”

“That’s amazing,” Julian muttered, looking again at his armor and caressing it with his gloved hands. On his right hand, the gauntlet he had acquired on his first dungeon delving rested above the armor, making it look even more deadly. He felt well-equipped to face the odds ahead, but something still bothered his mind. “Will he be able to consume the armor's power and use it against me? I can see him smashing me inside this armor.”

“He can do it,” she said gravely, “unless you use the spell I told you before you set off to the Holy Isles.”

“Right,” Julian muttered, remembering the spell capable of expelling all the mana from his body. If he executed it, he would be ready to fight Fenrir without magic. However, it needed to be used at the right moment, or Julian wouldn’t be able to fight other foes or use his arcane powers, which were capable of harming Fenrir’s minions or overwhelming the god.

“I promise I’ll aid your army. Everyone will receive a lighter version of your boon. I’ll not be in your way anymore,” she said. Before Julian could reassure her of his support or apologize for his bad manners, she continued, “I understand your position. I assure you. Keep trailing your path. In the end, your powers may surpass my own.”

Julian had heard several statements about his powers, but none had seemed so strong. He could become a god. That realization hit him like a boulder, and he swallowed it hard. He didn’t even know if he wanted it, but the sheer possibility alone made his head travel to faraway places.

“I’ll do my best. I’ll extinguish Fenrir from this world.”

“That’s our best chance,” Ranabi said with another gentle smile. “Now go, and head to the castle. I’m sure the drake in the skies will come for you.” He then started to descend the same way he had arrived, and as he watched the goddess disappear amidst the tree canopies, he called out to her.

“How do I get out of this armor?” he asked as he desperately searched for the gaps in it or the buckles to remove it, but found only roots and plates of metal. He heard the goddess laughing loudly at the top of the trees, and then she said, her voice starting to fade away,

“Just speak with it. The armor can understand you.”

“It can?” Julian asked, more to himself than the goddess. His mind was still wrapping itself around the notion of so many inanimate objects with their own wills around him.

When he reached the ground, Princess Anasthasia, his parents, and Rayra waited for him with worry, happiness, and urgency.

Marcella and Adrian rushed to embrace their son, and he returned the gesture with a firm grip. His father grunted beneath his tight hug, but didn’t ask him to let go.

“Finally, we are together,” Julian muttered, kissing the tops of the heads of his father and mother. When had he gotten so much taller than his father? For all Julian could remember, they had been the same size.

Marcella tried to say something, but her words got lost in her throat, and she started to cry again. Julian had never seen his mother cry like that, not even when they met inside the mirror realm. However, the realization of seeing her family reunited for the first time after almost ten years apart weighed too heavily on her. The woman cried like a child. As if he was the parent and not the other way around, Julian consoled his mother with all the love he could muster. After a couple of minutes of her gasps, she was finally able to say,

“Nice armor, Son.” She sniffled, wiping her tears away. His father had his emotions more under control and helped Julian calm Marcella. “I see you’ve already brought another wife to our home. She’s quite pretty and seems to be a nice lady, but I’m starting to fear we'll soon not have space for all your wives.” She moved her eyes toward Anasthasia and awkwardly smiled.

The princess instantly blushed profusely, and Rayra started to chuckle hard, controlling herself not to laugh. Adrian tried to remain stoic, but he was embarrassed.

Feeling the change in the room, Marcella looked at her surroundings before addressing Julian in a hush.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Mother. You’re fine,” he whispered before holding her by the shoulder and bringing her close to Anasthasia. “This is Princess Anasthasia, our princess⁠—”

“Oh!” Marcella gasped, her face reddening by the millisecond.

“You’re not wrong, at least not entirely. We'll marry soon, intending to unify the kingdom against Fenrir’s forces.”

Marcella’s eyes darted from her son to the princess, shock stamped on her face as she tried to come up with words but failed over and over until she finally said, “It looks like every time my son goes outside, I gain a new daughter,” Marcella said, and for one moment the whole street was silent.

Until one of the soldiers laughed, and then others did the same. After a couple of seconds, everyone shared the laugh, and even Princess Anasthasia chuckled with one hand over her mouth.

“I just hope you’re good with names; soon, there will be a dozen others to remember,” Marcella continued, and everyone laughed even harder, making Julian's cheeks burn. Suddenly, the joke had fallen into his lap instead of his mother’s, but he could take one or another joke. It was better than having a bad mood surrounding them. The situation was already dire enough, but just like people tend to smile at funerals, the crowd gathered on the street seemed—just for a few seconds—oblivious to the reality.

“Last time I checked, harems are the norm,” Julian stated, apologetically raising his hands to the sky.

“You have four wives now, Julian. When I met you not long ago, you had zero,” Rayra said with a grin from ear to ear as she caught her breath.

“Four?” Marcella asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Oh, for the Last,” Julian sighed and then fell into the same laughter as the others.

“What did she mean by four, honey?” Marcella asked Adrian as they started moving away from the street. Their laughter slowly faded away as they faced the castle ahead, but fear didn’t cripple any of their hearts.

Chapter Six

They trailed through the streets as fast as they could. With the death of the dragonborn and none soaring again in the skies, some of Silverhold’s residents started to appear at the windows and doors. They watched as Julian and his companions made their way towards the castle.

The wounded on the street were being tended by Rayra, whose glow was more potent than anyone else there. Julian suspected that Ranabi was still somewhere, energizing her ally, but had removed herself from the fray. Julian didn’t feel bad about it at all. Earnestly, the goddess had just bestowed upon him a great power, and he felt it from the tip of his hair to the point of his toes.

The common folk of Silverhold muttered Julian’s name as they walked the streets. Some kneeled upon seeing him glowing with a faint yellow light and the root armor. Close behind, Anasthasia helped Rayra create metal platforms to move those who most needed it. Julian understood the kitsune; but she didn’t know Ana like Julian did. He knew her heart was in the right place, and she was ready to be a part of their family. Still, Rayra’s problem was more aligned with authority itself, and considering her exile from her homeland, he couldn’t blame her.

Even with those feeling at play, Rayra worked close with Anasthasia, and Julian even saw the kitsune smiling when the princess helped one of the wounded. Slowly but surely, they would get along. Julian had faith in his wife and the smile she portrayed made him remember why he loved her in the first place.

“She isn’t that bad,” Rayra told Julian a few seconds later as she walked towards another wounded.

“I know. So, are you fine with it now?”

“Maybe. Not the time to discuss it, but now I can see how one more person could add to our family.” She finished the conversation and Julian grinned from ear to ear, meeting Anasthasia's gaze at the distance. She returned the gesture before returning to comfort the people.

Some of the folks who exited their houses recognized the princess. Contrary to his mother, they hadn’t been locked in a distant realm for years. Everyone had seen a picture of Anasthasia or seen her face minted on their coins. They kneeled and thanked the princess, who replied with slight bows and smiles. The terror they had just gone through slowly faded as Julian and the Princess’s presence became known.

“The ones who can take the south exit from the town and group there. We’re here to end your suffering, but we still have enemies inside our dear city,” Julian said firmly, gesturing for one of the soldiers to go ahead and spread the news. “An ancient dragon is coming, and I don’t want any of you near when it arrives.” The folks of Silver Hold gulped and nodded. Some entered their houses and grabbed any belongings they could carry, while others ran for the exit.

Good, Julian thought as he watched the city slowly being evacuated. The castle walls were near, and Julian could see its big open gates. He hadn’t spent much time inside the place, considering it more fitting to rule from his manor. He had delegated some of the best people under his command to use the castle as the headquarters for the barony government. He had even allocated a whole wing of the castle for the people who had lost their jobs and lived on the streets due to Strazz’s poor administration.

Tarav had told them not long ago that most people were already preparing to return to their own homes once their confiscated homes were returned. The news had washed Julian’s heart with happiness, but now his heart panged inside his chest. I should’ve been able to help you sooner, Julian thought, realizing way too late that his thoughts were too heavy. He felt a shallow slash of guilt in his soul and swallowed it.

That’s the duty of the strong, he told himself, putting his heart in check as the castle’s keep became close enough for some of the soldiers to rush towards the stairs before the rest of the group. Their instincts to scout and prepare to protect their princess and the future King of Alinera took hold of them.

“You selected your soldiers very well,” Julian said to the captain of the guard, who walked at his side a little behind the soldiers running ahead.

“Me? It wasn’t me. Princess Anasthasia searched the kingdom and beyond for steel mages like herself and built her guard. She gave the army authority to train them, but she participated in it all,” the captain said with pride.

“I’m a lucky bastard, ain’t I?” Julian asked with a smirk, and the captain chuckled, bashing his palm against Julian’s shoulder but unable to make him move an inch.

“You are, Baron. The boys and I were talking about that.”

Julian smiled at the man, holding his tongue not to criticize the way he talked to him. The lack of decorum from the soldier could’ve made other lords take extreme measures. But none of those lords had asked the captain to fight monsters from fairy tales and bloodlust orcs. He could forgive a little lack of decorum.

“Right, men,” Julian said as the two soldiers at the top of the stairs peeked inside the castle and returned a few steps. He climbed the stairs and stopped at the top. “We can all hear the sound of clashing swords and the filthy groan of those orcs. It’s our job to clean the castle. Today, we’ll make a statement. These are the elite soldiers from the enemy, and today, a handful of soldiers and nobles will dispatch them without losing anyone.”

“Ay!” the soldiers shouted, while the other companions only nodded. Julian darted his eyes towards everyone. “This is just the beginning of the war. We have the weapons to win it, but we need the numbers. So, I’ll say it again. No one dies today, do you hear me?”

“Yes!” This time, everyone yelled, even his mother and father.

“Let’s finish this and head to Marimar. Go ahead,” Julian said.

The soldiers rushed directly into the castle. Marcella, Adrian, Rayra, and Anasthasia followed close behind. The captain stopped at Julian’s side and asked.

“Are you coming with us, sir?”

“No, Captain. This command is yours. The thing in the skies is approaching, and I sense it wants me. It’ll be better if I fight it far away from here. I don’t want my people to be cooked inside my castle walls,” Julian told him bluntly, not caring about sugar-coating the situation. Just as he expected, the soldier nodded firmly, content with how Julian dealt with the problem.

“We’ll be back soon to help, son,” Marcella said from the castle door. Julian nodded, but said nothing. He didn’t want anyone’s help; this creature in the sky was his to fight. Rayra seemed to understand that and addressed him without words, while Anasthasia waved a shy goodbye with one hand. Julian smiled at the princess, savoring every moment she showed this other side of her, so distant from the firm and authoritarian one she needed to wear almost constantly.

As Julian rushed away from the castle and towards one of the city's outer walls, Julian heard his companions climbing the stairs and fighting the enemies. Orcs shouted war cries and insults, but Julian kept hearing their grave voices turning into gurgles and screams of pain. He couldn’t contain the smile on his mouth as their numbers decreased, and he heard not one of his companions asking for help or yelling that someone was down.

Anytime now, Julian thought, his eyes glaring from time to time to the giant cloud above his head. The thing covered all of Silverhold and seemed to slowly descend towards the city, making the shadows grow thick, and a strange filter covered the whole town in the penumbra.

As Julian rushed onto the streets, he saw no one there. Good, you are an intelligent folk; he thought as the cloud above his head shifted in the sky and a booming sound emerged. The shadow covering the city started to move quickly, changing its form from a beautiful cotton cloud into a muscular body that flapped gigantic wings, creating a loud song that spread toward the whole town and beyond.

When the actual cloud dissipated, revealing the creature, the most pristine beast Julian had ever seen flew in its place. The creature’s white scales shone against the sunlight, looking resplendent. They seemed to move around its body, trying to mimic the texture of a cloud but slowly turning into the scales Julian had seen on all of the dragonkin. The creature rose in the sky, its immense tail falling toward the city while its two wings were kept high.

The monster had an elongated neck, and its face was directed toward Julian. The white scales flowed up its long neck to its massive head and ended in a gigantic maw with teeth as long as swords, nostrils that emitted white smoke, and big yellow eyes. Even from a distance, Julian could see the intelligence in the monster’s eyes that glimmered with the sunlight. The sight of that glare sent a shiver down Julian’s neck. Something about it felt wrong.

Beneath the monster’s neck, a red dot, the size of one of its scales, shone with a dim light, almost invisible if one didn’t have good vision. Julian watched as the majestic creature puffed smoke into the air and prepared for his next steps. The monster was similar in size to Julian’s manor, with wings stretching for what seemed to be more than five hundred feet and a body almost the same size from head to toe. That monster matched the giant snake he had fought on the Twelve Isles, and the strange creature of the mirror realm he defeated before encountering Ranabi. However, none of those monsters exhaled the power this one did.

The growing light in the creature’s open mouth quickly disturbed Julian's contemplation. Julian saw its insides growing pink and a lump forming at the pit of its neck and traveling directly to its mouth. Thankfully, he was already far away from the castle and the houses near him were all unoccupied. He had just to keep running and leave the city’s proximities before the creature released its fire.

He commanded the air to form a mana platform for him to climb. His feet found it as if he could see them. The monster’s head followed Julian, readying itself to fire death upon him, but Julian kept running to the side and upwards, climbing the platforms as if they were a staircase. He wanted to draw the creature to the semi-arid soil that surrounded Silverhold, where nothing or anyone would be burned by it, but he wouldn’t be fast enough.

He decided to meet the dragon in the sky, as he ran and jumped, landing on one of his platforms. He started his slow ascendance on the platforms, jumping from some that formed beneath his feet to others that formed in the sky, but not even that was enough. He was already far from the castle and nearing the outer walls of Silverhold, but still, the creature could burn the town if it wanted. Julian needed to fly away if he wanted to save the city. Become the wind, he thought, thinking about Ranabi’s words just as the dragon’s fire started to leak from its mouth.

“If you can help me to fly, now’s your chance,” Julian muttered to his armor as he jumped again, not creating any platform beneath or above him. He felt his armor glowing and getting hot inside. The wind pushed him toward the sky, making him fly violently in the sun’s direction. It was completely different from the throws Makao could perform or the magic Thalia’s brother had used against him. It was like the armor sucked the wind toward itself, but Julian couldn’t control it.

The monster finally released the fire from its throat upon seeing the lord travel at super speed. A firewall erupted like a volcano into the sky, following Julian’s movement and trying to hit him. Ranabi had assured him the monster couldn’t burn him or his armor, but he wouldn’t give it any chance to test it. He was glad the wind made him too fast for the monster’s flames, but he was still flying face-first toward the sun at immense speed. Soon, all he could see when he looked down was the giant fire trying to reach him and the houses and castle, which started to become small dots in his vision.

He would probably be the first person to reach the end of the sky if he kept flying like that. He didn’t want to discover what lay there; he would leave this question to astronomers and poets. Julian commanded the wind to shove him to his right, but nothing happened. Become the wind, he repeated in his mind. Become the wind. How did I do that? Julian thought, trying to understand what had triggered the armor to fly like that.

“Stop,” he commanded, concentrating his energy on the mana in his core as if he were disabling one of the mana platforms he could create. Just like that, he started a free fall toward the drake’s flames. “Okay, now to the right!” Julian commanded, and with it, he once again concentrated on his mana core and imagined he was manipulating the mana from his platforms. Just like that, the armor heated again and threw him to the side, far away from the castle and Silverhold. The flames extinguished themselves as the drake prepared to follow Julian.

Become the wind! It was stupidly obvious now that Julian thought about that. He didn’t need to create areas on his body to be pushed or mana platforms for him to climb. He only needed to connect with the mana in the wind. Using the mental commands of the platforms gave direction to the spell he had just learned, and the armor seemed to facilitate that and even exponentially increase it. However, it became apparent quickly that flying itself wasn’t a boon given by Ranabi. She had only given me a tip! Julian’s mind assessed the information as he realized he could’ve pretty much smashed against Silverhold’s cobblestones if he hadn’t been able to use the spell.

He was sure the goddess was laughing somewhere down there. Julian smiled as well. He was freaking flying at last! He pulled the wind like a string that sent him away. He realized he could fly in any position, with his feet toward the ground or to the sky, sitting or facing the ground, as the dragonkin did. He only needed to turn on his axis and not lose the connection with the wind. He turned his back in the dragon’s direction and saw it coming fast toward him, wings flapping violently and another fire attack being prepared inside its throat.

Julian looked like a fly compared to the mighty beast, but didn’t fear it for one second. He kept going away from the creature, taking care not to fly it back to his manor and trying to impart more power into his flight. When he reached what he thought was maximum speed, the world below them turned into a blur, and he and the dragon became the only things that mattered at that moment.

The creature spat its fire again, but it wasn’t a wall of flame this time. Instead, an unstable fireball flew toward him with immense speed. Julian changed his direction to the skies, feeling the pressure of the sudden change in the wind. He dodged the attack by a few feet, only to see the monster release another fireball. Julian dashed to his left this time, and the monster released another one, flying toward the lord, not losing momentum for even a second. If it kept firing the magic toward Julian, he would be caught by the creature’s maw sooner rather than later.

With every dodge, the monster attacked again. Its fireballs became slower and smaller with each firing, allowing Julian to dodge and gain some of the advantage back. Seeing its efforts weren’t paying off, the monster snarled at the air and rapidly released one fireball after another. Julian dodged the first two, but the third hit him in the chest. The fire consumed the breastplate, and he saw some of its roots scorching. When he was about to get worried, the heat and the fire disappeared instantly. What didn’t disappear was the impact Julian suffered.

The impact of the fire was so intense that Julian lost his connection with the wind. His momentum continued to hurl him ahead, but gravity then pulled him diagonally toward the ground below. It was hard to establish a new connection when the world kept spinning around, and the monster’s attack had kidnapped the air in his lungs.

Sensing Julian’s difficulty, the creature flapped its wings in a large arc and stretched its body, preparing for a fast dive. It’s coming for me, Julian realized as he saw the creature’s posture while he spun toward the ground. He tried once more to change his direction, but failed. He could create a platform before him and stop his travel, which could be risky. He had no idea how his magic would react when he crashed against it. Arcane magic had its density, and Julian wasn’t ready to test it now. He had only another choice.

As the monster approached with its jaw opened, Julian fabricated an arcane blast and waited. It was hard to see the creature coming, but Julian calculated the time mentally and prepared. When he heard the monster’s maw snap into a closing movement and some of its fangs were visible in the corner of his eye, he released the magic, aiming at the ground. It didn’t strike the monster, but it sent Julian flying upward. He had gathered so much energy that his momentum avoided the monster’s bite altogether. He barely evaded its second chomp that it did when it realized Julian was again in a new direction.

The creature’s jaw snapped a few feet beneath Julian’s legs just as the lord finally connected with the wind and flew up to the skies.

The drake changed its direction to follow, and Julian could swear he saw the monster’s scales rapidly changing from white to red, as if they were showing its anger. That’s good, Julian thought. A furious beast does not think straight.

Julian watched as the monster’s head reddened by the second, and another ball of fire formed in its mouth. You’ll not be ready for this. Julian smirked, feeling the wind whipping against his head and his eyes watering. Flying was more laborious than one would think. He kept looking beneath, waiting for the monster to be close to release its attack, and then he would surprise it. The clue seemed obvious; the beast would create a lump at the root of its throat before releasing an attack as if something inside launched the magic away. He only had to wait for the monster to perform the movement, and he would strike.

Julian started feeling out of breath as the sky turned darker than it was supposed to be when he saw the lump forming in the monster’s throat. That was when he slid to the side and gave up on his connection with the wind. The fall was so fast and the movement so unpredictable that the monster shot its fireball toward the sun, realizing what Julian had done too late. Unsheathing his sword quickly, Julian pierced the monster’s scales as he fell past its neck. The enchanted sword entered deep into the monster’s flesh, but its size wasn’t big enough to hurt a vital organ of the creature. However, the creature's momentum, plus the sharpness of Julian’s sword, made him cut the giant drake from the neck to where its hind legs touched its body. Julian had to hold firm to the sword to avoid falling.

He wouldn’t give up on that position. The creature started screaming midway through the slash, and its thrashing almost plummeted Julian down several times. The crying of the monster mixed with its spitting of fire as Julian had to hold himself tighter with his hand on the sword, which was still deep inside the dragon. The beast thrashed and flapped its wings, trying to drop Julian and crying loudly.

“You can keep yelling. No one is coming!” Julian shouted between gritted teeth as he extended the reach of his sword as far as he could, depositing all the mana he had on it. The beast’s sound became almost unbearable, but Julian kept inserting all the mana he could into the attack until he felt the point of the blade exiting the other side of the monster’s body.

Like someone who receives a knife in the belly, all the monster's strength faltered, and it started free-falling toward the ground. Julian looked below, certifying himself that he wasn’t near any city or houses.

He had no idea where he was. Nothing was on the horizon, and he found nothing below that indicated his position. The monster fell fast, its weight driving it to the ground as if a magnet pulled it. Julian released the creature’s scales and let the wind care for him. He soared into the sky with his body covered with crimson blood as the creature crashed into the ground.

He slowly descended, taking care to watch the monster. Maybe it was more intelligent than he thought, and it was faking the severity of its wounds to get Julian off guard. However, the creature thrashed on the ground from one side to the other, rolling and smashing its head against the rocky ground. Julian kept soaring over it, looking attentively at its movements.

Julian did not know drake’s anatomy, but if he had to guess, he didn’t believe he had hit a vital spot on the creature. It kept thrashing in immense pain, though. Seeing such an outstanding foe in pain sent shivers down Julian’s spine, and he slowly approached it, ready to end its suffering.

The creature stopped the smashing of its head against the ground, blood pouring from a wound above its right eye. The beast was now almost unconscious, but it kept a low grunt. It was in agony. It stretched its neck as Julian got close, and Julian saw the red light shining more brightly amidst its pristine scales.

The thing Julian had considered to be a scale was, in reality, a necklace. The chain around its neck had been camouflaged in the white of the creature’s neck, but the pendant was blazing. The red thing pulsated, and the monster groaned with every flash. The brighter the light, the louder the monster’s complaint.

Julian flew close to it, all traces of fear exiting his body as he approached the monster’s head. It slowly moved its jaw toward him, threatening to open it and attack but stopping midway without a breath attack left in its body. On the other hand, its strangely intelligent eyes looked at Julian with tears inside them. The dragon blinked, and a tear fell on the rocky ground below. Julian tightly raised his sword in a downward strike just as the monster closed its eyes again.

The blade cut the chain in a single and fast movement. The pendant fell to the ground and stopped its pulsating light. The monster opened its eyes and fell back, seemingly in control of its body again as it stopped thrashing and its breath replaced the grunts and cries of pain. Its eyes fixated on Julian, studying him. Yet, the lord didn’t move. The monster rolled around, its body pouring blood as it stood on all fours. It opened its wings and tried to fly away, but as soon as its tail rose from the ground, it collapsed to the ground again.

It cried and grunted, a moan of pain erupting from the depths of its throat. The creature then fell unconscious on the ground, exhaustion finally taking hold of it.

He raised one hand and traveled it toward the creature's face, slowly caressing it. The drake’s close eye moved beneath its eyelids and a soft whimper exited its mouth. A bright haze formed in the middle of the giant creature’s back as it started to change. A faint white smoke transformed its body.

When the creature opened its eyes again, it wasn’t a drake anymore. On the ground, before Julian’s feet, lay a woman covered in blood from the neck to the end of her back. She was lying with her side to the ground, her face was ashen from the loss of blood, and her eyes were a deep yellow. Her hair and eyebrows were as silvery as the moonlight, and her ears were pointed like an elf's.

She looked into Julian’s eyes one more time before closing them and said in a raspy voice,

“Thank you.”

Chapter Seven

“Tell me again what happened,” Julian asked, sitting in the chair inside his living room as he caressed the cushion with eager hands. He had never been attached to objects, much less luxurious ones. However, he needed to know if it was all real.

“That beautiful lady from before appeared at our doorstep just as we removed what had been salvaged from the manor and asked us to put everything back inside.”

“And you obliged?”

“I’m sorry, master. She was very convincing. After we put everything in its place, she waved one hand, and everything seemed to return in time. The wood became clean and unburnt, the books restored, the walls raised themselves, and even the rocks from the outer walls returned to their place.”

“She’s full of surprises,“ Julian muttered as he looked down at his collarbone. In the middle of his shirt stood a lovely medallion made out of wood and tied on a simple rope. The pendant had a lion on it. When Julian commanded his armor to retreat, it had turned itself into that object he held firmly in his hand.

“Maybe it’s time for you to fully trust her,” Rayra said with a gentle touch as she sat at his side.

“You’re right. I just didn’t want to lose a friend. Sorry if I overreacted.” Julian said, and Tarav raised a confused eyebrow. Julian wasn’t ready to tell him he had nearly died that day. He would do it later and saw no reason for another person to harbor bad feelings toward a goddess. Let him have his fine impressions of her. To be fair, she had healed Tarav. It was just hard getting over the knowledge that she would have let him die if Julian hadn’t fought for his life.

Before Tarav could ask any other questions, Marcella entered the room and dropped onto one of the cushions. Adrian followed with a shocked gaze, the older man probably questioning his sanity upon seeing his home reconstructed after having seen it destroyed not long ago.

“Why are you all so shocked?” Marcella asked. For a moment, Julian was confused until he remembered his mother had no idea what had happened at the manor. She had left before the drake had attacked the house.

The thought of the drake shook Julian on the spot. The strange woman was sleeping in one of the carriages just outside their gates after receiving treatment from Rayra, but she showed no signs of waking up. She had transformed just like Rayra did when she turned into a fox, but into a much larger creature, and Julian almost killed her.

Was she under the spell of Fenrir, or was he hosting an actual enemy? he thought. His face gazed toward the ajar door that showed him the carriage surrounded by five soldiers. His musings were cut short as Anasthasia entered the room. The princess wore a genuine smile as she sat near Marcella. Thalia and Liz followed just behind, having just arrived from the capital with no news of attacks.

Julian let his eyes dart from everyone there and realized this was the first time he had his whole family in the same place. His wives, parents, and Tarav. His eyes stopped at the old butler, and a flash of his face losing color assaulted his mind for a second. There was a man he wasn’t ready to lose, just like any other person in that room, even Ana, who had entered the family more recently.

Watching the princess put a smile on Julian’s face and helped shove away the tragic thoughts that tried to sneak inside his brain. It was probably the first time in years that the princess felt out of place, and somehow, she seemed perfectly fine with it. Her embarrassed and shy expression showed more eagerness to be accepted than any shyness from being an outsider. How heavy is the weight you’ve been carrying alone? Julian wondered in his mind, moving to sit near her. He extended one hand, which she eagerly accepted, smiling earnestly. Julian caught more than a pair of eyes watching the gesture, but not even one had judgment in them, not even Rayra.

If everything turns out for the better, I’ll probably have the happiest family in the world, he involuntarily thought as he felt her grip tightening on his hand, as the room’s silence started bothering her. Julian cleared his throat and said,

“Mom, this is Thalia. She’s an arcane mage like me and a new family member,” Julian said, pointing toward Thalia, who smiled broadly and waved one hand. Marcella seemed confused for a while with her eyebrows raised. Julian imagined she was going to make another joke, but she relaxed her shoulders and smiled.

“Welcome to the family, daughter. We’ll have time to get to know each other better, but I trust that my son only chooses well.”

“He does,” Thalia replied promptly, adjusting on the chair and sustaining Marcella’s gaze until Marcella turned and looked around.

“It’s so nice to have the house full. If it weren’t for the tragedy in Silverhold or the one in our worker’s quarters, today would be the perfect day for a feast.” Marcella received several smiles from the others in the room. Tarav halted in the corner of the room and chimed in.

“I didn’t prepare a feast, but there’s good food already in the pans and the oven. Soon, everyone will have their bellies full.”

“Is there enough for all the soldiers?” Julian asked.

“Of course, master. They’ll be served pretty soon.”

“Great. We’ll leave after everyone’s eaten and rested for a while.”

“Are you sure, son? It’s almost night, and you most certainly are exhausted,” Marcella said, moving to the edge of the cushion, clearly nervous about her son departing so soon after his arrival.

“There’s no other way. We’re not sure if the portal Ranabi found will be able to lead us to Marimar and the beastfolk. The sooner we get there, the better.”

“And where is it, son?” Adrian Lionheart asked.

“To the west coast. A twelve-day trip from here, close to a small city called Raven’s Port. There are sightings of beastfolk and tamed beasts appearing in the region without crossing any roads, and Ranabi is sure there was a portal there. We’re almost certain this is our place.”

“And you’ll be able to reach the place and return in time for the wedding?” Marcella asked with worry in her voice.

“Thalia can travel us from far distances; she just needs to have seen the place once.”

“Except when Ranabi inserted a picture of this manor in my mind. Yet even then, I fell from several feet high in the middle of the crops.”

Julian chuckled at the memory.

“It would have been nice if she could have done the same for us to reach Marimar,” Julian lamented, but he could do nothing about it. That was the first thing he had proposed to Ranabi. Unfortunately, when Thalia tried to perform the travel based on the goddess’s description, the other end of the portal led to a beach in the middle of nowhere, as if the magical city of Marimar had some protection against invaders using jump magic. “That’s why we need to get moving. Time is of the essence,” Julian said, getting up and moving toward his bedroom. They needed to rush, but he wanted to sleep briefly before that.

“If you excuse me, I’ll rest until the dinner is ready. We’ll leave two hours after we eat,” Julian said, already with his hands on the handrail. Everyone nodded and even caught a glimpse of Rayra sitting at the side of Anasthasia before he went the rest of the way up, smiling broadly.

Their goodbye was as warm as their embrace of reunion.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Are you sure you don’t need our help?” Adrian asked, and Julian let one hand squeeze his father’s shoulder.

“You’ll help me if you stay home and sort everything out. Become the great lord you always have been. When all this is finished, I’ll need a new Baron for Silverhold,” Julian said, patting his shoulder.

Adrian raised both eyebrows in surprise and had to clear his throat before speaking again.

“Are you sure, son? Even after all my failures?”

“If you had asked me this question three months ago, I’d probably have said I’m not sure. Now that I know what really happened, yes. I’m sure, Dad. You’re the most capable person to run this place. Mom will keep you in check. Right, Mom?” Julian asked, and Marcella hugged her husband’s waist tightly with one hand, eliciting a grunt from the thin man—who was already gaining a few pounds.

“He’ll be on the line, I promise,” she said and smiled broadly to her husband, who replied with a gentle kiss.

“Right, it’s our time to go,” Julian said, moving downstairs to where Tarav had waited. The other members of Julian’s travel party were already outside the gates, waiting for him.

“Old friend,” Julian said, putting both hands on Tarav’s shoulders as they locked gazes. Tarav’s eyes watered, and he threatened to avoid Julian’s gaze for a second, but then stared at him again.

“I remember now what happened, master.”

“I’m sorry, Tarav. I should’ve used a better spell to stop the wall,” Julian said apologetically, but that only brought a firm expression to Tarav’s face.

“No, sir. I want you to know that if I had died here today, I would have died happy knowing that I served the best man I have ever known.”

“Tarav—”

“I’m being serious, master. Don’t even think about feeling guilty for anything. Do you remember when we were at the top of these stairs after defeating the burrowmaw?” When Julian nodded, he continued. “That same day, I told you could use your mother’s heirlooms because you had the heart in the right place. You still have it, and unless that changes, know you’re doing the best you can. This world would be doomed without you.”

“Thank you, Tarav. I’ll return alive and make you proud.”

“I couldn’t be more proud. I’d never try to steal your father’s position, but⁠—”

“I know,” Julian said, holding back the tears that threatened to leave his eyes. Tarav pulled the lord into a tight embrace that lasted no more than two seconds, then they parted the embrace, looking into each other's eyes—no words needed to be uttered.

“Go save the world and come back. I’ll want to see your babies running all over the house,” Tarav finally said, and Julian nodded, walking toward the manor's gates where all his wives waited.

Chapter Eight

The first three days of travel were almost uneventful. Silverhold sat in an almost desert area of Alinera. All they had to see were plains, lone trees at the side of the road, and the piercing sun rising on one side of the horizon just to set on the other.

If anything, the time they spent in the desert had been great for them to get to know each other better. Mornings and afternoons were filled with conversations about life in the capital or some of Rayra’s adventures before she found Julian and Liz.

All day they traveled inside the carriages, stopped to help cook the food, tended the horses, and got back to traveling, only to stop when it was already night to set up camp. The fact that the desert was well-lit helped them keep traveling for several minutes after the sun had set, and the warmth of the arid place was replaced by the cold nights.

Julian had tried to help the soldiers set up camp every night and pack up in the morning, but they refused his help. They wanted to be useful and considered that it was their job to serve his family. Julian didn’t want to argue with them, and eventually gratefully accepted their proposal. Hence, while they worked on setting up the camp, Julian decided to exercise.

On the second night, the Royal Guard told a particular story around the fire that spooked Liz and Anasthasia. Liz didn’t hide her fear and hugged Julian’s side tightly when the captain told them about how vampires attacked late at night, killing their enemies before they could wake up. Liz had grown to be a tough adventurer, but something in that story spooked her, and Julian was glad to calm her down.

What he wasn’t expecting was Ana’s hand grasping his with force at the same time Liz hugged him. They traded glances, and she seemed reassured when he let his hand travel towards her thighs, caressing them slowly as the captain finalized the story.

Rayra, who stood on the other side of the fire, surprisingly smiled at her, and for the first time, Julian saw them sharing a moment. His heart accelerated in his chest, and he pulled Anasthasia close. She rested her face on his shoulder, and they remained that way for several moments, neither wanting to part ways.

When Rayra went to sleep that night, she kissed him with passion and hugged Anasthasia before saying goodnight to her. Slowly, things were getting better, but they still had a long way to go.

On the fourth day, they kept traveling in four carriages: two for Julian's companions, one for the soldiers to take turns out of the sun, and a final one for the dragon woman who still slept deeply. Rayra tended to her wounds every day. They took turns watching her, yet there was no sign of waking or danger coming from her. However, Julian could feel the uneasiness in everyone's eyes as they neared the carriage where she was.

Julian had told them what had happened, and he saw more than one soldier frown upon his decision. They had all watched some of the fights in the skies and the destruction she had wrought on the workers' quarters. Still, her words, after transforming back into a woman, were carved inside his mind. “Thank you,” she had said, and Julian felt earnest gratitude in her voice at that moment.

He couldn't just let her die in the middle of nowhere or leave her under the care of his family back at the manor. He doubted she was a danger to them, but if she was, he and his wives were the only ones he believed capable of defeating her. He had done it once; he could do it twice.

With those thoughts in mind, he watched her lying on the opposite seat of the carriage. It was the sunset of the fourth day, and he watched as the orange light pierced the window and illuminated her ashen face. She seemed almost translucent beneath the light, her white hair turning silver as the light wavered with the carriage's movement.

She was simply perfect. Like a goddess in an epic tale, she lay there, as still as a statue. The only sign of life was her slow breathing, barely moving her chest up and down. The simple clothes she now wore didn't make her look any less godly. She had a similar aura to Ranabi, but hers was fiery, like that of his mother. He felt something similar from both women, an aura of constrained power. Julian wasn’t afraid of the woman sleeping before him, but he felt deeply in his heart she could set the whole world on fire if she wanted. He would much prefer having this kind of strength at his side and not fighting against him. By now, Fenrir would probably consider her as good as dead. How surprised would he be if she appeared to fight against him soon?

The thought put a smile on Julian’s face. Can’t you wake up already? Julian mentally asked as he heard a knock on the door.

“Enter,” Julian said casually.

“My turn,” Thalia said, sitting at his side. “Everything all right?”

“Yes. Are we still on time?”

“Everything is going according to plan. We’re even a little ahead of our predictions.”

“Right, let’s not put too much weight on the horses. We’ll rest now.”

“The men will love it. I surely liked it when I was part of the guard.”

“Great, I’ll take the news to the captain. I’ll be on my way,” Julian said, rising from the seat and moving to the small door beside Thalia.

The girl held his arm firmly and demanded his attention with an inquiring gaze. “No kiss?” she asked, and Julian leaned down to kiss her lips. Her mouth was as soft as ever, and her breath smelled heavenly. When their tongues touched briefly, he had to force himself to break off her fantastic kiss. She looked utterly disappointed when he smiled and opened the door.

“Can you imagine her waking up to that scene?” he asked with his brow raised. “Later, I promise,” he said, putting one foot outside and smiling at Thalia, who pouted on the seat.

“I’ll remember this promise.”

“No problem,” Julian said, already outside the carriage but certain she had listened. He rushed toward the captain at the front of the line and relayed the news, which he responded to with a broad smile and a quick announcement to the men, who started to stop their walking and set up camp.

Julian stretched his arms to the skies and turned to the side, feeling the cold wind of the evening reach his arms. They were almost reaching the end of the semi-arid part of Alinera, but the days were still hot, and the nights were chilly. Exercising was one of Julian’s favorite parts of the day. He used it to put his thoughts in order and make his blood pump.

With those thoughts in mind, he started the run he did every day as they set up camp. This was a perfect way for him to organize his thoughts and scout ahead for danger. Other soldiers tried to follow him on the first and second day, but soon realized they couldn’t keep up with him. The only one who could was Rayra, but the fox girl was more preoccupied with preparing what she would say to the folks of Marimar when she arrived.

He started to run faster until he began to feel his lungs getting sore, his breath labored, and his muscles aching. When he looked behind himself, he couldn’t see the company anymore, yet he knew how to find them using the stars starting to appear or the sun still visible at the edge of the horizon.

He slowly caught his breath and decided it was time to reach for the grimoire. When he clasped his fingers, the thick book opened in his hands and jumped from a page in the middle even before Julian thought about opening the pages.

‘I missed you.’

The book started to write by itself, putting a smile on Julian’s face. As far as inanimate objects went, this book was his favorite.

‘I’m feeling something different. I’m closer to you than ever. Can you hear me?’

Julian listened attentively, closed his eyes, and waited. He could hear the wind crashing against his face and tousling his hair, a coyote howling in the distance, and just as he was about to say he couldn’t hear her, he heard a whisper in his ear.

‘You’re growing so fast.’ Her voice echoed in his mind, and he almost jumped as he heard it.

“I can hear you!” he exclaimed, surprised, looking to his sides, searching for her. But just as he imagined, she was nowhere to be seen.

‘I’m … changing. It’s hard for me to speak or to explain. Just keep getting stronger. And use your damn Soul Shards!’

The last part had the annoyance so characteristic of the first times they had interacted in the past. The truth was Julian had so many Soul Shards inside Rayra’s satchel from the fight at the beach that he would probably be able to advance his whole level from adept to intermediate mage. With that, he would be closer to learning more powerful spells, and now, apparently, he could also influence the spirit of the book somehow. What would happen if he continued advancing to become an Arcane Lord as mighty as the First King?

“I’ll consume them soon, I promise,” Julian said as the words on the book disappeared and were replaced by the customary words of his information.

Owner: Julian Lionheart.

Rank: Adept (0/20 shards).

Magic Affinity: Arcane.

Beneath the basic information, there were the spells he already knew thoroughly: the blast, the whip, the enchantment, the conjured weapon, and Ranabi’s Blessing, which hadn’t been used yet but she promised would be necessary to fight against Fenrir in the future.

Right below all those spells, he read the lines:

Arcane Platform: Julian can create platforms, transforming the mana in the air into secure places to grab, stand, or swing. The first Arcane Mages used this as an archaic mode of flight. It took some generations for the understanding of Arcane Flight to progress to true flight.

No shit, Julian thought, reading the lines and smiling. Thanks to the Last, he hadn’t taken so long to discover how to fly correctly. That spell was next on the list.

Arcane Flight: Julian can command the wind to adhere to him, pulling it from several directions and making stable flight possible. This spell costs no mana and only needs a connection between Julian and the mana in the air. With each power-up of the mage Rank, the speed of the flight will become faster.

Julian tested his flight daily, and the description aligned with his discovery. Flying was easy and demanded close to no effort. However, flying fast was difficult. The dragon lady had almost killed him several times while he tried to fly from her, and she was an immense dragon. He would have a hard time flying away from a more agile being. Consuming the Soul Shards became an even greater priority.

Passing his eyes to the end of the page, he noticed a different thing waiting for him. It wasn’t an endowment like the one he received in the mirror realm or the messages the grimoire wrote for him.

Magical Gifts:

Ranabi’s Armor: Forged with a piece of Ranabi’s soul, this armor is nearly indestructible and possesses some of the goddess's powers. It repels magic, heals the user over time, and can blind weaker foes or fog the senses of stronger ones. It'll respond to commands and regenerate mana for the user, using the goddess's mana as fuel.

The armor was even more potent than Julian had thought, and what surprised him even more was the fact that the thing had been made with a piece of Ranabi’s soul. It wasn’t surprising anymore that she seemed a bit older when she gave it to Julian.

He looked at his surroundings and smiled. He couldn’t see the goddess anywhere, but he knew she was there with them, watching their trip and waiting for their arrival at Marimar to show herself. Julian only hoped she wasn’t sacrificing herself for his cause. He would accept any help he could get to defeat Fenrir, but would prefer not to have her death on his shoulders. Nevertheless, his promise of finding a way to not rely on the gods' pettiness remained the same. When Fenrir was finished, he would search for a way to ensure the world could be safe without the interference of mighty beings.

Julian flipped a few more pages, searching for more information, but only found what seemed to be written words with almost unreadable paint. Julian narrowed his eyes and tried to read it, but couldn’t. He could only assume it was a spell he was close to learning, but not quite enough to be written down in the book.

He closed the book, excited to learn more, and prepared to fly back to the camp. The spell made him faster than when he was running and had the advantage of not tiring his muscles. He breathed deeply and concentrated on the spell, letting his mana drive the wind and push him to the skies. He looked at the horizon in the direction they had to go next and was surprised by what he saw.

A giant wall of sand started forming a sandstorm at a distance, and it was moving fast toward him and the camp.

Chapter Nine

Julian pressed his energy against the wind and felt a slight increase in speed, but it was almost imperceptible. He was still slower than the approaching storm. Dropping to the ground, he began running with the wind at his back. The storm was still far away, but he accelerated, afraid of the storm picking up speed and reaching them too quickly. On the edge of the next slope, he knew that he would see the camp ahead once he climbed it.

He commanded the wind again, flying up the slope and saving a few minutes he would have wasted in an ascending run. When he reached the top, the storm was much closer than before. “Sand storm!” he yelled, waving both hands as he hit the ground running. “Sand storm!” he repeated, but no one seemed to hear him. He could see a fire flickering weakly and the silhouettes of soldiers enjoying supper, too absorbed to notice him.

When he was finally heard, he wasn't far away. “Sand storm coming! Eye protection for the horses! Set up the tents with extra cover!” he ordered.

“What's going on, sir?” the captain asked as he ran to meet Julian halfway, his voice loud enough for the whole camp to hear. Julian didn't reply; he just pointed behind him and saw the older man gasp and widen his eyes. The sandstorm mixed with the dark horizon, but its wall had become completely visible now at the distance, “Eye protection for the horses! Set up tents with extra cover!” the captain shouted, echoing Julian's commands as he watched the men drop their pots and hastily prepare for the storm.

Growing up in Silverhold, Julian was accustomed to sand storms. He had witnessed one not long ago when Liz visited him for the first time after his arrival. Yet, this was the biggest he had ever seen. It seemed the desert was bidding them farewell in the least pleasant way possible.

He moved to help the soldiers carry out his orders while all of his wives did the same. Soon, the horses were protected, the tents were up, the fire extinguished, and all the food, water, and utensils were stored inside the carriage where the dragon lady slept.

“Good luck, captain. When the storm is over, knock on my door,” Julian said over the loud sound of the approaching storm. Dust flew into his eyes involuntarily, and he had to shield his face with his arm to make it to his carriage. He couldn't help thinking about the irony that he could fly and manipulate mana at will, and yet nature was a more potent foe than any other. All he could do in the face of a sandstorm was wait.

He violently opened the carriage door—not out of a desire to be harsh, but because the wind nearly swept him away as he balanced on the steps. Ana gasped at the noise, placing a hand over her heart, then sighing in relief when she realized it was Julian. He quickly entered the carriage and shut the door with a loud THUMP. He could still hear the storm outside, but now it was bearable. The windows were closed entirely, though occasionally, he could hear them rattle with the wind's force.

Julian sprawled out in the carriage and sighed deeply. The interior was spacious, comfortably accommodating Julian, Thalia, and Ana on one seat with plenty of space on either side. In the middle, there was a spot for one person to sleep, and Rayra and Liz sat with even more space on the other seat. If they needed to sleep there all together, it wouldn't be a problem.

“Are you alright?” Julian asked Anasthasia, who seemed to grip her knees firmly, shaking her hands. “I'm afraid of storms,” she admitted, looking down. Two lamps dimly lit the carriage's interior on each side, but Ana's fear was almost palpable. Rayra moved towards Anasthasia by sitting on the edge of their seat, placing her hands over Ana’s.

“Breathe, princess. Three deep breaths, hold and repeat,” she instructed, demonstrating the movement in front of her. Julian mirrored the action close to Ana's face, and slowly, she began to calm down.

“It's just the wind and sand. They aren't mad at us; nature is taking its course. Breathe,” Julian whispered near her ear, noticing the hairs on her neck stand on end. She shifted slightly, wanting him to continue speaking close to her. “I'm here with you. Thalia, Rayra, and Liz too. You're fine,” he reassured her, watching her anxiety ease.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked, placing one hand on her waist and feeling the curve of her hip. She slightly trembled at his touch, but feigned indifference. She blinked and focused her eyes slowly on his, gazing deeply into his eyes. Her gaze was a pool of unsaid intentions.

“Yes, thank you,” she said with a smile, then turned to Rayra. “Thanks as well.”

“No problem,” Rayra replied, smiling and moving back in her seat, where she resumed holding hands with Liz.

Thalia searched for Ana's hand, and the princess smiled sheepishly when they touched. “I wish things were different,” she began, then looked around at everyone inside the carriage. “I barged into your lives without asking, and I'm even joining your family. Yet, all I’ve found is love and openness flowing freely to me and accepting me.” She looked down before meeting Thalia's gaze directly. “Even from you, someone I hurt so much.”

“No more than I did to myself,” Thalia responded, tightening her grip on Ana's hand. They continued to stare at each other with half-smiles and tearful eyes.

“We are a family, aren't we? That's what we do,” Liz said with a sincere smile, trying to ease the tension.

“Political marriage or not, we're here for you,” Rayra declared, crossing her arms and attempting a smile. Ana was astute enough to detect the annoyance hiding beneath her polite facade.

“I'm sorry, Rayra. I'm not accustomed to saying things like 'sorry,' 'excuse me,' or anything like that, but I really am. Yes, it was a political marriage, and indeed it is. But now that I've spent this time with you, we've saved the people of Silverhold together, eaten together, and spent time as a family….” She sighed deeply. “You have no idea how much I missed this.”

Julian empathized with her. He knew what it was like to have parents no longer. He was lucky enough to recover his, but she had lost hers forever, and that pain would likely never fade.

“And most of all, I can see now that all this is real. I don’t want this union to be just a political marriage. I want to be a true part of this family. I want you to know that I’m ready.”

“We’ve already agreed that we want you to be part of our family. What are you ready for?” Julian answered, gazing into her eyes and smiling. She returned the gesture, and it seemed she was looking into his soul.

“I want to prove to you how badly I want to join your family in truth,” she insisted, grasping the hand he rested on her waist and pressing it firmly, making her shudder with the contact. “I've never done this, but I want my first time to be here with you all. I want you all to know that I'm serious. I think I’m in love with you, Julian Lionheart, and I want to join your harem right here and now.”

The words caught Julian off guard; he almost gasped. From the corner of his eye, he saw desire stamped on Liz's and Rayra's faces. Thalia was obscured from Ana's view, but if she were anything like she had been in the morning, she would be on board. Seeing a member of the harem satisfied was as pleasurable as being satisfied himself; he had learned quickly from Liz and Rayra, and it was no different from Thalia.

His heart raced, and his arousal began to strain against his pants. Noticing this, Ana moved her trembling hand to his crotch and grasped it with unsure hands.

“What do you say?” she asked, massaging his cock.

“Show me how much you want to be a part of this family,“ Julian said, his eyes darting from her perfect eyes to her mouth, desiring her to swallow his cock.

“Can you help me, sister?” Ana asked, looking at Thalia.

The blue-haired girl was more than eager to help. Her hand moved on top of Ana’s, guiding it along his cock, moving it up and down on top of his pants. If they kept doing that, he would either tear his pants apart or cum in them.

“You’ll do just fine, but I’m happy to help,” Thalia whispered in Ana’s ear, and Julian saw her shiver again. She was so inexperienced that any touch made her shake on the spot. Julian couldn’t wait to feel his cock inside her.

Thalia moved her hands to Julian’s belt and unbuckled it, opening his trousers in a sudden movement and revealing his cock, which pointed firmly at the ceiling of the carriage. The surprise on Ana’s face upon seeing it was delightful. She licked her lips, showing an eagerness Julian didn’t know she had.

“May I?” she asked, gently holding it by the root. Her eyes were up and facing his, and her blonde hair and striking eyes carved themselves into his mind.

“Sure, sure,” Julian replied, cursing himself internally. Sure, sure? To a princess who wants to suck you? Anasthasia didn’t seem to mind his words and eagerly took it into her mouth.

“Don’t use your teeth,” Thalia said, moving her hands to grip Ana’s hair, avoiding it falling on her eyes or mouth. Only her fringe wasn’t pushed to the back of her head, making her look even more gorgeous. She worked hard on his cock, letting her tongue travel all around it but giving special attention to its head, which started to throb in response. She let the point of her tongue pass by the edge of his member’s head, traveling all the way and making him grip the seat of the carriage. On the other side, Rayra and Liz watched everything keenly, knowing it was Thalia’s and Ana’s moment to bond with him.

“He likes when we go all the way,” Thalia whispered in Ana’s ear, and Julian watched her open her mouth wide to swallow all of his dick. He could see saliva covering it, and a sudden shiver ran down his back as she descended. He could feel her throat engulfing his cock, and the feeling was simply heavenly. Thalia ensured she reached the tip of it, gently pushing her head until she couldn’t take it anymore.

Ana raised her head, and Julian thought she would stop to take some air. Instead, she dove back onto his dick, eagerly devouring it again, and when it started to enter her throat, she sucked it. It was like his soul was being removed through his dick because the pleasure was almost too much to handle. He grimaced and moved his hand to her hair, raising her and pulling her mouth from his cock.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked. Her face reddened with her eyes watery and filled with desire.

“I want to fuck you. Hand me your panties. Let’s see how excited you are,” Julian said in a husky, need-filled voice, looking into her eyes. She smiled broadly and raised herself, quickly slipping her panties off.

She wore a simple skirt and a blouse, but Julian was so eager to enter her that he didn’t wait for her to remove them. He lowered his pants to his ankles and pulled her over his lap. When his hands took her underpants, they were soaked. Julian could smell the sweet aroma of her pussy filling the air as he gripped her ass and lifted her up. She moved to straddle him as he adjusted her skirt out of the way. As he lowered her, he thrust his cock up inside her.

She gasped, holding him by the neck as he did all the work, thrusting up and down inside her and feeling the heavenly sensation of her pussy closing against him. He moved his hands to her waist, gritting his teeth and thrusting over and over. She moaned and gasped, trying to breathe while he kept giving her all the pleasure he could.

When his breath started to become labored, and his movements slowed, she picked up the rhythm for herself, shaking her ass up and down on his cock in a clumsy way, almost letting it slip out of her. Julian couldn’t let it happen; he wanted to be inside her as much as possible. As if reading his mind, Thalia put two hands on Ana’s waist and helped her do the correct movement. The change was immediate, and Julian leaned back on the seat, letting her do the magical work.

“I’m doing it right, sisters?” Ana asked between groans, looking at Rayra and Liz, whose hands were already massaging their pussies inside their pants.

“You’re doing great. We’re proud of you,” Liz replied, her voice full of desire.

“Let me do it myself, Thalia. I think I get it,” Ana said as she rested with all of Julian inside her. Julian took that moment to breathe and looked into Ana’s eyes.

“You’re so fucking hot.” He ran his hands up her sides, caressing her neck, before he moved her face to touch his forehead.

She didn’t reply. Instead, she locked gazes with him and started to bounce on his cock almost violently, her ass clapping against his thighs in a fast and rhythmic motion.

“Cum inside me,” she whispered, still looking into his eyes. Feeling her sweet breath on his face, sweet and hot as her pussy, he realized he couldn’t deny that kind of request. She jerked in a climax before he groaned and moaned as his seed exploded inside her, filling her with his cum. She beamed in joy and kept bouncing up and down, slowly but surely. As the seconds passed, he gained back control over his body and kissed her lips passionately. Realizing only now, this was their first kiss, which couldn’t have been better.

When she slowly lifted off of him and moved away from his lap, her legs were wet with seed dripping from inside her, but she didn’t look bothered by it in the slightest. She only smiled and sat beside him, with Thalia slowly cleaning her sweaty forehead and smiling broadly.

Julian raised his pants and looked around.

“That was fun,” he said between breaths as he searched for Ana’s mouth again and kissed it gently. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

“Indeed. Way better than I thought it would be.”

“I said the same,” Thalia said, holding Ana's hands.

“It’s good to have you by my side again.”

“It is,” she replied in a mutter, the two girls sharing a gaze that told a story of a lost friendship being remade by a different kind of bond. Julian was glad he was a part of it, even more so that he could help, love, and fuck them. Not even in his deepest dreams as a teenager would he have assumed these four remarkable women would be at his side. He smiled and waved his hands for Rayra and Liz to come closer. They sat on his left while Ana and Thalia were on his right and embraced him, his arms touching their shoulders.

“I’m the luckiest man alive,” Julian muttered as Rayra came closer and kissed his lips.

“I’m glad you know that,” she said with a sly smile as the other girls took turns kissing him. The storm outside became only a memory amidst the joy they shared at that moment.

“I’ll make sure you all know how grateful I am,” he said, grabbing Rayra’s chin again and kissing her again more passionately. He could feel his cock already moving again in his trousers, but not yet firm enough for another round.

“Will you?” she asked in a whisper, her thick accent making him shiver with pleasure.

He didn’t reply. Instead, he got up, pushed her back to lie down on the seat, lowered her pants, opened her legs, and kneeled in front of her. Rayra gasped with the sudden motion. She smelled great down there, and with his mouth watering, he prepared to give her as much pleasure as he could. The night was only beginning, and he still had three women to please.

Chapter Ten

The sun barged into the interior through cracks in the small windows, waking Julian up. He lazily groaned as he stretched his limbs. The light entering the carriage was dim, but enough for him to inspect his surroundings. The girls had slept in a myriad of positions.

In one seat, Rayra slept with Thalia. In the other, Ana was by herself, probably too accustomed to sleeping alone and searching for a place to rest. On the ground in the middle of the carriage, Liz embraced his body firmly as she slept with her mouth ajar and her eyes closed. They looked amazing.

“Time to wake up, loves. We have a lot of ground to cover,” he said with a raspy voice as he prepared to sit up, removing Liz’s arms from him as gently as possible. She grimaced as the sunlight hit her closed eyes and refused to open them.

“How do you expect us to travel after last night?” she asked in a moody voice, the other girls moaning in the same fashion in their positions.

“You can rest inside the carriage for a few more hours. I’ll wake up the men and help with the breakfast before we set off,” he said, searching for his clothes and putting them on as fast as possible without caring to button the right spots. When he opened the door, the sun hurt his eyes, and he had to adjust his vision for a while.

When he could finally see again, the figure standing before his eyes almost made him drop to the ground.

Ranabi stood there, halted with her typical smile, eyes closed, and a cane fixed on the ground. It looked like she had been standing there for some time.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Julian said, moving past the goddess while chuckling at the strange appearance.

“Sorry, but I thought I should be here due to last night's tragic events. I only saw it when the storm was gone. I’m sorry.”

“Tragic events?” Julian asked, halting and turning to look at the goddess.

“See for yourself,” she said, waving for Julian to look at his surroundings. There were some shadows on the camp, but most of it was in plain sight. Close to the carriages, the horses that had been so well-treated lay dead on the ground with their throats slit. Their eyes were still covered by the protection he had ordered the men to put on them.

Their bodies left no clues about what had happened other than someone efficiently and quietly killing them. Julian looked again in the sun’s direction, realizing it was too high. They were used to waking early, and when they didn’t, the captain had been the first person to knock on their doors and politely inform them breakfast was ready. No, Julian thought, already knowing he wouldn’t like what he was about to confirm.

Moving towards the tents still set up, he removed the cloth covering the entrance of the first tent. The flapping sound rang in his ears as the acrid smell of death inundated his nostrils. Crumpled up inside the small tent, the bodies of the soldiers lay sprawled in all directions. Some of the men had their uniforms on, and others were in full armor. None of them seemed to have fought for their lives. Their throats had been cut just like the horses. And like the horses, they didn’t stand a chance against the foe.

Closing his nostrils with one hand and counting with the other, Julian quickly realized one of the men was missing … the captain of the guard. Where are you? Julian asked himself, already moving to different parts of the camp. He opened the other carriages, but the one for the soldiers was empty, and the one where the dragon lady slept was intact, her sleep undeterred by the dreadful events of the night.

Is this your doing? Julian contemplated her ashen face, trying to get anything out of her, but he could see nothing. Chances were that she had slept the whole night. If she were going to kill them, she would set them on fire, not slit their throats like a coward.

“It was him,” Julian said through gritted teeth. The realization hit him like a boulder. Calling the captain a friend would have been an exaggeration, and although Julian didn’t even know the man’s name, he had grown to respect him. If he wasn’t there, he had either been kidnapped, or he was the perpetrator of those crimes. The latter looked more likely, and it made Julian’s blood boil.

“It looks like it,” Ranabi said. “I noticed his absence as well. I’m sorry, Julian. I didn’t see it happen; even gods aren’t omniscient.”

“You’re fine. It’s not your fault,” Julian replied, moving away from the carriages and trying to think. He walked towards his carriage and knocked on the door. “Girls, I need to warn you…. Everyone in the camp has been slaughtered,” he said in a grave tone, hearing them move to grab their clothes as he waited.

His women exited the carriage and stared at all the bodies surrounding the camp. Rayra was the only one who moved to examine the bodies attentively before she moved to the carriage where the food and drinks were stored. Thalia and Anasthasia were the most affected by the sights. Some of the men had been acquaintances of theirs for years, and the sight of them dead like cattle shocked them to their cores.

“I wouldn’t eat or drink any of this food. It could very well be poisoned,” Rayra said, pointing at the carriage. Julian had thought about that possibility, but decided to say nothing for now. He had wanted to assess their mental health situation in light of how they were handling the slaughter.

“It can’t be true. He’s been a member of the Royal Guard for decades.”

“Maybe it wasn’t him,” Julian said. “We found a creature that could enter others’ bodies and use them at will. Maybe it was one of them.”

“Which would mean he’s also dead.”

“Yeah…” Julian said awkwardly. His attempt to help her was not working as he intended. “Whatever happened here, they didn’t attack us because they knew we would’ve killed them. We’re facing an army of cowards. We need to keep an eye open and continue the mission.”

“How?” Ana raised her face from the ground and looked at Julian.

Thalia held her hand tightly, trying to calm down the anger of losing the men that seemed to be born on Ana’s heart.

“We lost everything and everyone except for us,” the princess completed.

“In my head, we have two options. We can go back to Silverhold and organize a small party, bring fresh horses and provisions just for us, and continue our way…. Or we can go to the capital and organize a bigger expedition with more soldiers and equipment to secure us from these attacks. Even if I need to stay on guard the whole night, I’ll not allow other soldiers to die under my command.”

Thalia nodded at him, and Rayra did the same while Ana kept looking down, still having difficulty putting her feelings on hold.

“The storm and this killing have already made us lose half of the day,” Liz chimed in, looking at the sun almost at the top of their heads already. “If we go to Silverhold, we’ll lose another half-day. If we go to the capital, it’ll take at least a full day to set everything up. There will still be the risk of this happening again on a smaller scale.” She looked at Julian apprehensively before continuing, “I’m not saying I don’t trust your judgment or promise, but we need to prepare for the worst.”

Julian couldn’t agree more, but he had no other alternative. He had to find Marimar and the beastfolk if he wanted to have any chance to equal Fenrir’s numbers.

“What can you do, Mother?” Rayra asked, and they saw Ranabi shifting her weight uncomfortably.

“Nothing faster than what Thalia can do. Maybe I can summon griffins to come here, but they will take a while, and none is close to Silverhold or the capital.”

“We’ll have to risk it going with the least amount of support,” Julian said, pondering the wiser choice. They didn’t attack us, so they feared me and only wanted to delay us. With each day, Fenrir’s army of changed orcs increased. What will he accomplish if he convinces some humans to join his cause? In the end, even the captain of the guard seemed to have been bought or controlled.

“Time is of the essence,” he repeated the expression he had used several times on that trip, but it couldn’t be more accurate. “We’ll head to Silverhold via jump and return here to travel as fast as possible. With Thalia’s portal, we’ll be able to always return to sleep in the town and return in the morning with new horses. We’ll do that if the roads inside Thalia’s portals are safe.”

“We’ll avenge them, Ana,” Thalia said determinedly as she gave the princess a side hug. Ana swallowed her tears as she locked eyes with her old friend.

“We will,” she repeated in the same tone.

“And what about her?” Rayra asked, pointing one finger towards the carriage where the dragon lady rested.

Shit, I didn’t think it through, Julian thought, pinching his forehead and trying to come up with a solution to the matter.

“We can leave her under the care of Tarav. He knows how to tend wounds and will not harm her,” Liz said tentatively.

“What if she turns into a dragon and kills everyone at the manor?” Thalia asked sharply.

“I don’t think it’s wise to put her so close to the families she destroyed,” Rayra said, her arms crossed. Julian threatened to protest, but she continued. “I know you don’t believe she did it willingly, but it will not matter. Husbands lost their wives, and wives lost their husbands. It’ll be hard to explain that a god controlled her. If word of her being the dragon spreads among the workers, we could see discontentment or outrage in a house where it never flourished before.”

“So what? Should we just ditch her in the middle of the desert?” Julian asked sarcastically, and the silence was almost deafening in the camp. Their reaction dumbfounded Julian, disappointment barging into his heart. Until he realized their silence had nothing to do with the question. Their eyes were directed to the carriage where the ashen elf lady had slept for the last few days.

At the front of the door, she stood tall and completely naked. No traces of her clothes could be seen. Her pale skin was again seemingly translucent in the light. Her breasts were big and fell perfectly above her elbow line. She looked serene and calm, and a thick and melodic accent escaped her lips when she spoke.

“Where do you want to go, my mate? I’ll take you wherever.”

Chapter Eleven

Julian’s jaw almost touched the ground as the woman started walking towards him with a stroll. Her breasts slightly bounced as she moved, and Julian had to turn his head slightly to the side not to stare. He noticed Liz and Ana doing the same while Rayra and Thalia held their swords at hand.

“Why are you naked?” Julian asked, feeling his cheeks burning.

“Why was I dressed in lowly clothes? I don’t need them,” she said in an almost bored tone.

Julian stared at her in the eyes as she moved towards him. Her yellow eyes glowed with fiery intensity, while her magical aura expanded in all directions. It only competed with his own and Ranabi’s, who was close to Julian. The goddess remained calm and halted with her never-changing smile, showing no fear or wariness.

“But can you wear some? It would be easier to discuss.”

“You don’t like what you see?”

Julian swallowed dryly as he captured some inquiring eyes coming from his wives.

“It’s not that. It’s just not common to be undressed, at least not in this situation.”

“I can make the situation more fitting,” she whispered, and Julian realized she was already before him. “Why are you ashamed? We are already bonded. You defeated me in a fair duel. I’m now yours to breed.”

“What?!” Julian asked, the words escaping his mouth faster than he imagined.

“Do you have problems with your ears? Do I need to speak in a different volume for humans to understand?” she asked, looking at Ranabi, who was chuckling in her place. They clearly understood each other, at least as deities, and Julian could feel some measure of respect.

“He can understand you.” She lowered her head slightly. “Greetings, Zilri, The Primal Flame.”

“It’s good to see some respect. You are one of the new ones, aren’t you? Are you the big blue dragon? The one that despicable Fenrir hates so much?”

“No, this was my brother Cerulex. I’m Ranabi.”

“The bear.”

“The bear,” Ranabi repeated as they stood staring at each other. Julian could see their auras almost touching each other, as if sparks could come from it.

“So … he can understand me,” Zilri started, talking again to Ranabi.

“I’m right here. You don’t need to speak as if I wasn’t around.”

“This is better. Closer to the man I saw fighting in the skies,” she said, stepping up right next to him. Her large firm breasts were almost touching his chest, and Julian wondered what she was planning on doing. She smirked, and he thought she was going to give him a jab, but instead of hurting him, she grabbed his cock firmly. He hadn’t realized, but his member was hard as a rock beneath his trousers. He could feel it sore and sensitive from all the work he had put in yesterday, which only made the sensation even better.

The sudden action rendered the lord speechless, and he gulped at the moment—conflicted about whether he should feel bothered by the invasion or entirely on board with it. He was leaning more toward the second one. The goddess was smoking hot.

“Get your hands away from my man!” Rayra exclaimed with her bow raised and an arrow ready to be released.

“He’s not yours to touch, to breed, or anything else,” Liz said between gritted teeth.

Thalia and Ana said nothing, but their faces weren’t amiable. The elf-like woman licked her lips and before releasing the grip on his cock, she massaged it one more time, looking into Julian’s eyes and knowing he was enjoying it.

“He is the kind of male I’ve been waiting for,” she whispered, then moved away, raising both hands to the sky and looking at his wives. “I see that you are already his mates. Two of you already carry his offspring inside your womb, while the other two will soon be in the same position. I’ll not be in your way, but I’ll not be denied my right. This has been the law since before any of you arrived in this world. He won in battle, so as the law commands, I’m his to carry his seed and give him all the pleasure he wants.”

“Oh, for the Last. You’re not helping yourself,” Julian muttered, but the goddess looked sideways at him. “Can we change the subject? We can trade threats and discuss all the breeding parts later, alright?” he asked, but his cock was screaming in his mind for him to start discussing the breeding part now! The woman, who seemed to be called Zilri, grimaced but didn’t protest. Julian sighed and then looked at everyone.

“Can you please lower your weapons? She’s unarmed, for the Last’s sake.”

“She’s fucking naked, Julian!” Liz protested.

“I know!” he replied, and Ranabi chuckled once more. She was the only one having any fun at that moment.

“Can I provide you with some clothes? I promise they’ll be of the finest order,” Ranabi said, looking at Zilri, who, after some thought, nodded positively.

“Anything to not upset my mate,” she said in a playful way, and Julian pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard his wives twisting in place, jealousy taking over them as she looked slyly at him.

Ranabi waved her hand, and her typical green mist appeared. From the ground, roots sprouted, and then what seemed to be a small tree of several white flowers blossomed on the dry earth. Flowers transformed into what appeared to be fabric. They became a delicate dress, seemingly made out of silk but with intricate lace all over it. When the goddess put the dress on, Julian could still see a good part of her fantastic body beneath the almost transparent dress.

“You weren’t lying. This is perfect,” she said, looking at Ranabi and the other girls. “Do you like it, sisters?” she asked almost ironically and got only a grimace in response.

“Right. You said you could take us anywhere. I want to reach Marimar, the city of the Beastfolk. We know a direct way to do it, but it’ll take too long. We need to arrive there in less than eight days.”

“Is it your sanctuary?” Zildri asked Ranabi, who nodded. “I know how to reach it. After Fenrir tricked me, one of his missions was to guard the place and be aware of any movement there. Your people are known for the power to tame other animals or bond with them. Fenrir was secretly scared of it. However, I never needed to do anything. Before he commanded an attack, he disappeared.”

“Were you under a spell?”

“A leash, to say the least,” she said, her voice distant and full of pain and anger. “He tortured me for decades, using my power to strike terror upon the world. I, who had once been a goddess worshiped for my ferocity and raw power, was reduced to being the slave of a petty criminal. When he disappeared, I exiled myself, thinking I was lucky to escape his tendrils.”

“Until recently,” Julian said between gritted teeth, remembering what had happened in his home. His workers had died, and Tarav could’ve been one of them if Ranabi hadn’t been with them when they arrived.

“I only kill to eat, and I’m not a fan of human meat, mate,” she said, lowering her shoulders and looking directly at Julian. She moved towards him slowly. “I felt no pleasure in what I was forced to do. I’m sorry.”

Julian didn’t reply. He couldn’t forgive her at that moment, and any word he said would only make the situation worse.

“What’s the way you know?” Rayra asked, getting close and holding hands with Julian, giving him the emotional support she knew he needed.

“That direction,” she said, pointing to the south. “There are mountains at the edge of a giant valley inhabited by elephants and humanoids with lion faces. There’s a portal in the sky. I can fly inside it and reach your destination.”

“How much time?”

“One day.”

“Can you carry everyone?” Julian was finally able to ask.

She examined him, a sly smile forming on her face. “Can it not be only the two of us? It wouldn’t be wise⁠—”

“Can you carry everyone?”

“Yes, mate. I’ll do as you please. It will be dangerous and fast, but I’ll do it.”

“Great, we’ll prepare to travel as soon as possible,” he said, extending one hand to the goddess, who seemed disappointed with the gesture. “My name is Julian Lionheart.”

“It’s my pleasure to meet you, my mate,” she replied, kissing his hand.

Chapter Twelve

Putting all the soldiers inside one carriage wasn’t as tiring as he thought it would be. When Julian finished dumping the last one inside the more extensive carriage, his mind was exhausted. Ranabi offered to help and use her roots to move the soldiers from the tent to the vehicle, but Julian declined.

He felt responsible for the men, and while all his wives were feeling for him, he only thought it was right to let Ana help with the task. With that in mind, the slender woman gathered them by the feet before he could propose anything, while Julian caught them by the arms.

“It’s my fault,” she whispered as Julian closed the carriage door. Ranabi cast a spell on their bodies, a thin layer that seemed to be tree sap covering all their bodies. In Ranabi’s words, it would keep them conserved for a proper burial in the capital.

“It’s the traitor’s fault,” Julian said, sighing as they moved towards the center of the camp, where everyone waited for them to depart. He outstretched an arm for her, but she refused it. She grabbed his arm instead and said, “It is my fault. I recruited them because they shared the magic I own, because I thought I would be safe around them, and now they’re dead⁠—”

“But you had no way to know⁠—”

“But they died anyway. It’s my fault, and I’ll have to live with it. Now, I understand it clearly.” She straightened her back, and Julian saw her as the ruler he had almost forgotten she was. “It will be better if you understand it as well, Julian. I won’t dwell in guilt, but their lives were my responsibility.”

Julian let the words sink in as she held her hand firmly against his arm. He looked at his skin changing from pink to white around her fingers and felt she was more than serious.

“They were our responsibility. Don’t carry this weight alone. I’m here for you. Let’s make this right, together. We’ll punish the traitor and defeat Fenrir. We owe them that,” he said, trying to smile. Her face twitched briefly, and then she repeated the same awkward smile.

In that brief moment, Julian saw himself in her eyes and was sure he was also a mirror to her. Both had been brought into power earlier than anyone would expect, both were learning along the way, and both carried a weight too heavy.

“Let’s make this right,” she repeated in a mutter. She awkwardly stood on the tip of her toes and kissed him. Before he could say anything, she moved to the center of the camp where the others waited.

Zilri, the goddess of flames, sighed deeply and stretched her limbs before saying, “Can we go? I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“Aren’t you immortal?” Rayra asked, annoyed.

“So?”

“Time shouldn’t be that important to you.”

“I spent centuries bound against my will and forced to do another’s evil desires. Every second matters to me now.”

Even with the irony in the goddess’s voice, the truth and sincerity of her words seemed to leave an impression on Julian’s wives. He saw them sharing glances as she spoke. They all knew to some extent what Fenrir and his minions represented, and could imagine what it could feel like being forced to work for him against their volition.

Even being an immortal, Zilri didn’t seem the best with human expression. She didn’t catch the eyes of the girls, and her attention was devoted to Julian. When she spoke, her voice was strangely full of desire, even if there was nothing sensual or sexy in what she asked.

“May we start traveling, mate?”

Julian felt the hair on his neck stand on end as she spoke the words and saw all his wives frowning, shoving away any trace of sympathy that had previously appeared. If they still had problems with each other, it had seemingly disappeared when Zilri arrived with her strange ways. Julian was as aroused as he was embarrassed by it, but he swallowed the former and nodded in agreement.

“Excuse me. Please wait where you are,” Zilri said while she walked away. When she finally halted, she removed her nearly transparent dress and opened her arms. With her back turned to Julian, he could see the scar that went from her right shoulder to the base of her round ass. The scar was still red, but it seemed healed entirely, nonetheless. The end of it shone brighter as she outstretched her arms, and Julian suspected she had cringed in pain as she started her transformation.

Julian suppressed any guilt. He was trying to protect his family and the residents of Silverhold. At the time, he had no idea she was fighting against her will. He watched the white scales of her draconic body born inside the scars and then cover her whole body. The transformation was as quick as it was incredible. It wasn’t as magical as Rayra’s or even the same as when Zilri became a human. This one was more animalistic, and both Julian and his wives saw her bones cracking and rebuilding, changing shapes and sizes as she leaned on the ground, standing on all fours as her body became wholly white and expanded its proportions.

Julian saw her fingers turn into claws, and her back grew an immense bone that turned into her tail seconds before the first sharp vertebrae pierced her flesh. It was mesmerizing and disturbing, but he didn’t move a finger. She cried, first in her human tongue and then in her bestial form. The first was guttural, like that of a mother giving birth, while the second was as painful as a bird reacting to an arrow shot.

And then, silence. Julian assumed her transformation had ended when he saw her wings at the same size as on the day they fought and watched her pivot on her axis, as if she tested her dimensions and stretched her limbs. She halted and looked directly at them, then bellowed once more, this time not with pain or threats but with a welcoming gesture.

You can climb up now. Make everyone place both hands on my back and let me know when they do it, she said in her human voice in his mind.

“I can do it, but you can say it to everyone,” Julian said, confused as he turned to watch his wives, who looked even more confused. Ranabi stood as impassive as ever. “They can’t hear you?”

No. I can only talk to you. We share a bond older than time itself now. If we copulate together enough times, they can hear me as well.

Julian probably blushed because he noticed his wives' inquiring eyes as they approached him.

“What did she say?” Liz asked, her arms crossed as jealousy made her eyebrows almost touch each other. The others weren’t that far ahead in their grimaces.

“Only I can hear her because we’re now bonded as mates,” Julian said as firmly as possible. He understood their reactions and even somewhat enjoyed how much they cared for him. Still, they had a mission to fulfill, and Zilri had the possibility of becoming a great ally to their quest. The less they antagonized her, the better.

“Oh, by the Last. It’s real then,” Thalia said, her voice tinged with annoyance as she moved towards the dragon. “I’m late to this party, and I respect both those who came before and those who come after. But none of us barged our way in.”

“Exactly,” Rayra said, her arms lowered and her eyes piercing Julian’s. “We are ready to support you, Julian. But this can’t keep happening.”

“Ladies,” Julian started, his hands slowly moving from up to down as he gestured for them to pay attention and be as calm as possible. “I had no idea I would be bonded with her when I defeated the dragon that threatened to destroy Silverhold. She, of all people, didn’t ask for it.”

“But she doesn’t seem uncomfortable with it,” Rayra interrupted.

“It’s her nature. When you told me your most recent worries, wasn’t I understanding?” Julian asked firmly, and Rayra looked down with a rare blush as she held one arm with her other hand. The other girls all looked towards her, not understanding what they were talking about, but Julian wouldn’t expose Rayra’s personal questions. He just needed to stand firm in this situation.

“She’s different. I know. Give her some time. No matter what you think about this situation, we need her now, and she’s willing to help.”

They didn’t reply, but nodded in agreement, swallowing their pride and acting as adults.

“Good. Now, we must go. Climb on her back and put both hands on her scales. When everyone is ready, tell me.”

They started walking, and Zilri turned her back to them, lowered her tail, and slightly swung it from one side to the other as if showing them that they should climb from there.

Ana was the first to climb, and the other girls followed.

“Are you coming with us, or do you have other ways to travel?” Julian asked Ranabi as he put one hand on Zilri’s scales and felt their heat warm his already hot palms.

“I’ll go with you. I can only turn myself into a bear. As you know, I’m pretty fast in that form, but not as fast as her.”

“Great. Go ahead, then. I’ll be right behind you.”

Please, Julian. Ride at my neck, Zilri said inside his head as he was preparing to jump on her back, close to the tail.

“I don’t want to create more problems. They’re all angry already,” Julian muttered.

Please, it’s the tradition. There will be nothing wrong with it, I promise, Zilri said inside his mind, and he could feel her voice shifting. It wasn’t pleading, but almost sensual once more. She really cared about them doing the right thing at that moment, so he walked to her front. As she lowered her head, he climbed on her neck and put both hands on her scales.

“Everyone has their hands on Zilri’s body?”

“Yes!” they called from behind, and Zilri nodded her gargantuan head as she flapped her wings and prepared to fly to the skies. At the start, it was slow and in a low rhythm, but as they increased the height, the flappings became almost as violent as waves in a storm. When they reached close to fifty feet, Julian felt his hands getting even warmer. When he looked down, he realized her scales, just like the ones from the dragonborns, had grown to envelop them.

He felt a tinge of wariness crawling in his heart for a moment. Is she imprisoning us? Julian thought before trying to move his hand. When he did, he quickly realized he could remove his hand from the strange scales and put them back again. It was like holding a horse’s reins, but made of almost alien material. Nothing in the gooey touch Julian felt in his hands reminded him of his other life experiences.

He looked over his shoulder and saw everyone with their hands and their feet locked. Julian hadn’t even realized his feet and legs were in a similar situation, but when he did, he felt safer.

He smiled, and Zilri seemed to sense it because she snarled close to him, which Julian suspected was a chuckle.

“What?” he asked, but didn’t hear his voice amidst the wind.

I can feel your excitement. It’s almost as equal as when you saw me naked before, she said bluntly, and Julian felt once again his cheeks burning. Are we going to mate when we arrive at Marimar?

“We can’t. I’m faithful to my wives, but they haven't accepted you yet. Besides, you need to stop talking about these things so openly.”

Hum … She hummed in his mind. Yes, I came to the same realization, she said, her voice pondering inside his mind as she flapped her wings toward the south. I have socialized with several species in the past, but in the end, I always chose to be alone. I don’t quite understand the dynamics of power in your society.

“You speak very well for someone who didn’t socialize much.”

The dragon chuckled at his comment and had to take some time to readjust and speak again, making Julian doubt if she had said something or if the wind was just too loud for him to hear.

That’s a magic I never quite understood. I can communicate with almost any creature. It’s a ‘skill’ I learned long ago, she said, enticing Julian’s curiosity, but she was quick to change the subject. What I want to say is: the bond is sacred. I can feel it as I can feel my wings. We established it when you defeated me in combat. However, I understand that can be quite overwhelming for the other females in our pack.

“My wives,” Julian corrected her.

Of course. I can get you into Marimar and head my way. I prefer to stay close to you and work against Fenrir, but if you want, I can come back later when they understand.

Julian let the words sink in as they kept flying. She didn’t press him, flapping her wings and maneuvering her enormous body to dodge one cloud or another loaded with rain.

“The farther you get from our family, the harder it will be to accept you. My wives are the best people I know. They’ll like you if you show them some of this side you’re showing me now,” Julian finally said, gripping the scales with more force as she turned her body again. He was completely safe, but when his side faced the ground below, it was impossible not to feel his heart racing and his stomach growing cold.

And you? Zilri asked. Her voice seemed to falter, almost as if she was scared of the answer.

“Give me some time,” Julian said gently, and she seemed to snort.

Your cock doesn’t seem to need time.

Julian chuckled at the joke, looking at the horizon with a smile. “My cock is quite determined on that matter,” he finally said, and that seemed to calm down the dragon.

I’ll win over the other pack females. Soon, we’ll all mate together. Even if I need to stop inviting you to fuck me. Her words rang with her burning determination. Julian grinned as they kept traveling through the sky.

Chapter Thirteen

They reached the vale the following morning. Zilri asked several times if they wanted to stop to eat or rest on the ground, but they kept denying it. Julian slept on the back of the dragon, finding comfort in her warm scales as the howling, cold wind threatened to disturb his peace. His wives were able to sleep as well and were in a similar humor, wanting to return to the capital with something to show as quickly as possible.

Zilri didn’t seem bothered or tired from flying for almost a whole day. When they arrived at the vale and Julian saw the semi-arid landscape being replaced by a green one full of rivers and wildlife, his eyes glimmered, and a smile barged onto his face.

He saw a couple of elephants down below, other creatures with horns above their nostrils, and many more strange animals. None were the humanoids with lion heads, but Julian didn’t doubt there was one of them waiting down below. Zilri slowed her flight for him and his wives to contemplate the view and hummed with pleasure with any reaction one of them expressed about how lovely it was to fly on her back. She didn’t seem like a murderous beast in Julian’s mind as they descended and soared over the animals who kept minding their own business as if they weren’t there.

Are we close? Julian asked in his mind, testing if it would work. Zilri didn’t seem to hear him, and he tried again, putting intent into the words reaching out to her. This time, he noticed she glanced back at him as if his established connection scratched something inside her head.

You learned how to use telepathic communication. That’s impressive.

Thank you. So, are we close? Julian asked, having difficulty putting emotion or tone into his internal voice.

Behind the mountain at the edge of the valley, she said, and Julian looked toward where her eyes were aiming. The mountain was as high as the flying pearl, so high that its peak was covered in snow, creating a beautiful contrast with the vale below.

At the top?

Above the top, she completed, and Julian leaned against her scales as if wanting to absorb as much heat as possible before they had to go so high into the sky. She seemed to like it, but didn’t say a word.

When Julian looked over his shoulder, he realized all his wives were doing the same. Ranabi, on the other hand, kept looking at the ground below, undeterred by the cold wind or the immense speed Zilri traveled.

Anything we should be prepared to face?

The mountain is full of apes. The few times I landed there, they were aggressive.

We don’t plan to land there.

Exactly, she said, and Julian felt the wind becoming more violent as she increased her speed. The previous slow and contemplative flight had become an immense blur of speed and action. Julian couldn’t hear anything. It was tough to keep his eyes open, but at least he was sure they were close to their destination, and that was enough to make him endure.

He peeked with his eyelids barely ajar and saw the white mountain growing more extensive as the seconds passed. Julian saw rivers of blue water falling from the hill and freezing along the way. Strange goats climbed the rocks, only to fall from massive heights and start again. And then there were the apes.

As they approached the mountain, Zilri banked again and started to circle the immense hill as she rose in the air gently, making the heightening less abrupt. Julian wasn’t the best student in engineering. Still, he remembered his tutors at the Iron Fist Academy talking about the strange effects of using magic to construct objects that could reach great heights. He knew he had felt some of those effects when he fought Zilri the other day and was glad she was sparing his wives from it.

The apes on the mountain almost blended in with their surroundings. Their fur was so white that it nearly highlighted them against the not-so-pristine white of the snow. They were only distinguishable amidst nature because their faces could be seen from a greater distance. They had dark-as-night snouts, with red mouths and big black eyes. From a distance, the gargantuan white mountain seemed to be filled with tiny black dots, and for each pair of dots, an ape halted to see them circling the hill.

Why are they climbing down the mountain? Julian asked Zilri, whose head lowered to look down as she realized the same as Julian.

That’s … strange, she finally said, changing her eyes to the target above them. Maybe a seasonal habit. I never saw them going down like that.

It was definitely strange. Not exactly because the monkeys were climbing down the mountain, but because they were all together, really close to each other. They descended the hill considerably faster than expected, as if they were being forced to migrate or escaping from a disastrous bitter wind or cold at the top of the mountain.

Julian had heard that apes warred just like humans and other races. They killed, enslaved, and tortured enemies. Several news articles talked about those discoveries, and when Julian questioned his teachers, they said they were true. Was that what he was seeing? A tribe being outcast by another one? He knew one or two professors who would enjoy investigating it.

Zilri kept flying around the mountain, with the peak becoming closer. They were still at the beginning of the morning, probably two or three hours away from noon, and the sun seemed quite satisfied with hiding behind the immense trees covering the mountain’s peak.

The portal is above the clouds, Zilri said inside his mind, and Julian passed the message to the others, who nodded and smiled. Everyone was eager to get down from the dragon’s back and feel the land under their feet again.

The only person who didn’t smile was Rayra. Julian couldn’t imagine how nervous she was about returning to her family. Amidst the war and the need to find new allies, Julian had forgotten about this side of their trip and felt terrible for it. We’ll talk as soon as we reach the city, Julian promised internally as he looked again at Rayra. Her eyes weren’t looking towards him or the edge of the mountain—now covered with pairs of eyes—she looked to the top of the giant hill and even pointed one hand towards it.

Julian couldn’t hear the words, but could decipher them by how she moved her lips. The message was clear.

“What the fuck are they doing?” she asked loudly, trying to make her sister wives listen, but only Julian was paying attention.

When he looked in the direction she was looking, he saw what had claimed her attention. Julian could see a great line of apes that seemed to be almost holding hands on one edge of the slope because of how close they were to each other. They were all halted, as if waiting for something. Zilri flew them close, almost hugging the mountain’s wall. When they turned to circle it again, passing just below the animals in line, the apes on the mountain edge leaped off directly towards them.

Julian’s eyes widened as he saw the apes jump willingly to their death, but then he saw the truth. These apes’ eyes were red as blood, and from one of their eyes, a snake of different colors seemed to be escaping the eye socket and entering the mouth in an eternal movement where the head never appeared. Julian had seen these creatures before.

“Careful!” Julian shouted. “Above us!” The dragon had time to react and turned her body to the side just as more monsters jumped from the mountain. Most of them fell to the ground, where the mind-controlling snakes would probably find another creature to kill and inhabit the body. Another handful of apes tried to grab hold on the dragon’s scales with force and sharp nails. Some even had rudimentary weapons made of rock and wood that they tried to use to gain purchase on the dragon. Given Zilri’s size, a few of the apes were able to gain purchase and scramble up.

“They were taken!” Julian screamed, and the dragon seemed to understand the message. She had been a member of Fenrir’s army, and even being against her will, she probably knew what they were facing.

Julian counted five apes over her left wing, slowly reaching the bulk of her body while trying to strike her wings. Even though they attacked Zilri, they seemed more interested in catching Julian and his wives.

The lord gathered energy in his left hand and prepared to attack, but as soon as he felt the small energy forming in his hand, he realized he couldn’t shoot it. He and Thalia were probably the only two who could hurt the dragon. The apes were more of a nuisance than a real danger to Zilri, but if he released a blast, and it burned her wings? They would crash against the mountain and probably die.

Julian tried to scream to Thalia not to attack, but his voice didn’t reach her. He saw her gathering energy in her hand, but before striking, she looked at him, searching for approval. He shook his head violently, and she refrained. Good! Julian felt proud of her discipline. He had told her the dangers of arcane magic, and until she was completely confident, she needed to ask for his help. Thanks to the Last, she was a good student.

When she looked at him, his other wives’ eyes seemed to follow, and Julian waved his head for them to attack. Rayra nocked arrows, and Liz prepared her water daggers. They released the attacks almost instantly, aiming at different targets and throwing them from the back of Zilri. There were only two monsters on the dragon’s back, and she prepared to ascend with more speed toward the portal in the sky.

She turned her body, with her belly aiming towards the mountain, which almost made Rayra lose her bow. Then, instead of flying directly to the portal, she spat fire on the hill beside her. Julian couldn’t see where she was aiming as the fire became too bright and too hot. From the flames, he could hear the shrieks of apes and, amidst it, sounds that seemed almost human.

More of the taken creatures were hidden at a higher peak, ready to attack. Even amidst the flames, Julian saw them jumping and falling fast towards them. They didn’t panic with the attack; instead, they just kept jumping with their bodies all covered in flames. Julian saw three falling over the dragon’s face, close to her eye. She shook her head, and one of the apes flew to the ground below, but the second one grabbed one of Zilri’s eyelids.

The monster was on the verge of falling, but its grip seemed strong enough to hold it there for a few more seconds. Sunlight shone against something in the opposite hand of the ape, and Julian shivered as he realized it had a dagger in its hands. Even with Zilri shaking her head violently, the ape didn’t release its grip on her. It would have enough time to strike Zilri’s eyes, and Julian didn’t want to be on the back of a dragon as she was hit in the eye. She could easily crash them against the mountain without even realizing it.

Putting no more thought into it, Julian released his hands and legs from the dragon’s body and let the wind guide him.

He commanded the mana to drive him away before he could hit one of his companions on her back. The pull was stronger there. He wasn’t sure why, but it was making him go faster. In two moments, he was already beside Zilri’s huge head. Her eye was wide open, as if she knew she couldn’t control herself if the monster on her eyelid struck. Julian breathed deeply, unsheathed his sword, and again drove his flight in a new direction.

He had to turn on his axis to strike in the correct position. Just as the ape descended its sharp knife towards Zilri’s eye, Julian severed its hand with a powerful and clean strike.

Zilri shook her head and blinked several times until the hand lost its grip on her eyelid. Julian observed her, searching for wounds as they flew to the skies. She seemed to adjust her speed to fit his flight, and they kept going side by side, watching their surroundings as they went up.

The apes shrieked and started to sing in unison.

“Julian! Julian! We came for you!” they screamed as they jumped from another ledge. These apes were way bulkier than the first.

Back! Zilri shouted inside his mind as she spat fire on the upcoming foes. The top of the mountain was near. They just needed to end these last apes, and everything would be fine.

The wall of flames hit the monsters, and then a blinding light came from Ranabi’s direction. The monsters screamed as they burned, but they kept falling towards Julian. Their bodies were on fire, and their eyes were white as milk with the blinding power of Ranabi, and they kept going. More than ten fell on the dragon’s back, far from Julian’s reach. He threatened to go to the aid of his wives, but watched with pride as they dispatched the apes before the apes could set any of his wives on fire.

The single one who could have hurt Rayra was quickly thrown to the ground below, and Liz quickly extinguished her aflame lock of hair. Julian turned his head to the wall of flame, preparing to fight any foe that tried to deny them the flight to the portal.

He severed one ape in half that flew directly toward Zilri’s eyes and watched her eat another one in full as she snapped her jaws completely open. She tore the creature with fury and spat it away, making another ball of fire and throwing it on the last wave of jumping apes.

Julian’s patience ended as he saw the white silhouettes approaching. He sheathed his sword and made a whip in his left hand. Then he made another and flew, holding a whip in each hand. Julian swiped both whips as he heard crackling hair and flesh passing through the flames as if forming a cross. He swung them so fast and violently that anyone in the valley below could have listened to the two magical weapons touching each other after severing limbs, torsos, and heads in a quick but effective single motion.

The bodies fell to the side of their heads as the wall of flame disappeared, and no apes could be heard anymore.

Couldn’t you do that before, mate? Zilri asked inside his mind with more curiosity than sarcasm in her voice.

Maybe. I had never tried it before.

Oh, she said, her voice tinged with surprise. I thought your looks were due to your magic. You’re indeed young, aren’t you?

I’m twenty-two, Julian said casually. It didn’t matter how old he was. Only the things he had done in the last few months were more critical or risky than thousands of people from Alinera and all the other corners of the world.

Good. We’ll have plenty of time to enjoy each other, then, she said as she started to pick up speed again. “Please go back and sit on my back. We’re near the portal.”

Julian didn’t reply; he flew slowly to her neck, sat, and waited for the scale magic to begin. Only when he felt utterly fixated on her back did he release his hands and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He looked over his shoulder and saw that everyone was safe and sound. His wives smiled at him as they realized their objective was far more reachable than they had thought initially. They had lost good men in the process and probably been betrayed by another one Julian had thought was good, but they made it anyway.

Julian let these thoughts inundate his mind as he felt their bodies passing through a thin, invisible layer of reality. It was like sticking a finger in water that was about to freeze. The layer stretched until it couldn’t take their weight anymore, but never slowed their ascent.

The dragon kept flying, flapping her wings against reality until it was broken like glass. Julian heard it cracking and shattering all around him, but before he could see the world actually in shambles, he saw it changing. He expected to find another brick road before him, maybe one of a different color with a distinct horizon waiting for them, but what he saw was mind-boggling.

He was in a complete void, but somehow, he could see his surroundings. Everyone seemed to change. Their features weren’t distinguishable anymore, and their silhouettes were a fine line of white that marked them inside that black immensity of reality. He tried to speak, but his voice didn’t exist anymore. He tried to communicate with Zilri inside her head and even tried to reach out to his connection with Thalia, but he found nothing.

He felt like someone else had borrowed his existence, and he had to wait in the pitch black until it was returned. He saw Zilri flapping her wings and saw his wives moving their limbs, trying to speak in gestures, but nothing made sense. A gust of wind hit him violently in the face, causing him to close his eyes, and when he opened them again, the world had color again.

The sounds of nature assaulted his ears so hard that Julian almost moved his hands to cover his ears to muffle the sounds. He shook his head and looked to the sides. They were still on Zilri’s back, but not in the void anymore. Instead, they soared above the thickest forest Julian had ever seen. He could feel the sun reaching the place from an angle it shouldn’t be by this time of day. He felt beads of sweat form on his forehead, and his nose suddenly felt itchy. The air was moist, and the birds chirped so loudly they could drive someone mad.

It was like they were warning the other animals their group had arrived.

“We’re here,” Rayra said from behind him as Zilri slowed the flapping of her wings with speed and only soared, gliding in the sky. Rayra kept looking at her surroundings with a big smile on her face. Julian suspected it was so big that she was probably in pain. “I can’t believe it! I’m actually here, and I have Ranabi at my side.”

“Congratulations, young one,” Ranabi said with her typical smile. “You can now rest your mind. I’ll make sure your work here is recognized.”

“Where should we go?” Julian asked, looking at Rayra with curious eyes. He couldn’t wait to reach the ground and hug her. He was so proud of her and so eager to finally meet her family.

“We don’t need to go anywhere. They’re already coming,” she said, pointing at the horizon as several dots started to fly fast in their direction.

As soon as the creatures appeared on the horizon, the birds in the trees below stopped their mad chirping, and the ones ahead started their own. Their caws in the distance seemed more like a war chant than a sound birds made. It was rhythmic and loud, rumbling like the drums of a battleship.

Julian didn’t take long to realize they were eagles coming towards him, but these weren’t ordinary eagles. They were at least the size of a griffin, if not bigger. Their orange beaks shone in the light as their white and black plumage made them look regal. However, when they approached, Julian realized the creatures were showing their claws. Each one was as big as a small dagger.

Zilri started to gather fire in her neck, and Julian slowly caressed her scales with one hand.

“Wait.”

She did as he commanded, swallowing the fire back into her belly, and waited. The animals ahead of them recoiled their claws and returned to a routine flight, circling them as they seemed to analyze what was happening. One of the creatures stopped cawing and flew slowly in Julian’s direction, its bird eyes twitching from side to side and examining the lord’s expression with a keen eye.

“I’m not an enemy.”

The eagle looked directly at the dragon’s head and back at Julian as if asking why he was with her.

“She’s an ally.”

The eagle shrieked as if amused by Julian’s words. It gave him a last look before turning towards the other group members. It examined them until it stopped at Rayra’s position. The bird chirped high in the sky, flapping its wings rapidly. Julian couldn’t read every animal’s expression, but he assumed this one could only be very angry or happy. He expected the latter but started to gather energy in his left hand if the first came to fruition.

The bird dashed away fast, approached the others that still circled, and started flying away.

“What was that?” Julian asked, looking towards Rayra, who only pointed towards the eagles already approaching the horizon. “Follow them.”

Zilri didn’t need another word. She seemed as curious as Julian and flew fast towards the other animals. Soon, they were above her as they guided only a little ahead.

The whole flight took less than five minutes. The woods never seemed to grow less thick, but an immense crater appeared in the middle of the forest after a while. There was no sign of trees being cut or anything like that. It was more like a giant ball had been removed from the ground—on the size of Silverhold. Julian slowly realized it wasn’t simply a crater as they descended towards the hole.

There were roads connecting it to the forest above, and a plain city waited below at the center of the crater. Thousands of small cabins made a picturesque scene in the shadow of the giant walls circling the city. Seen from above, it looked like several dollhouses perfectly sat next to each other, but as they descended, Julian realized the houses were big. And even with them being quite similar, Julian saw that some had two floors, while others had three or just one. They were all made of wood and only varied in tones of red.

From above, Julian couldn’t identify the different districts of the city. What he could see was its organization; people and vehicles moved like ants towards the center or its edges. The roads only served one direction at a time. Even the birds flying above the city seemed to follow a strict order not to disrupt the other’s flights.

Julian had never seen an anthill from the inside, but he would bet this looked quite similar. As they descended, the city only grew more prominent in Julian’s eyes, and the same could be said about the crater. Whatever had crashed there was probably the most enormous thing ever on the planet.

The birds changed their direction to the right side of the city, flying low but not low enough to disrupt the birds flying below them. The dragon kept close, but far enough to try not to call much attention. Due to her size, the task was impossible. The other birds and flying creatures flew away in panic as they traveled through the sky.

When they were low enough to catch some people’s features on the street, Julian quickly realized the city was a mix of animals and beastfolk living in harmony. Both species turned their heads to look in their direction as they traveled through the city. They kept walking their way, but their faces kept turning towards them from time to time, and their travel speed seemed to decrease exponentially.

Julian was more than impressed. If a dragon flew above Silverhold, people would be running and shitting their pants before they even thought about their responsibilities. These people were much more than disciplined. Julian understood now why Rayra could be so harsh and why she was so competent. Her people demanded no less.

Their flight lowered to a point where the more prominent buildings were only a few feet from Zilri’s belly, and Julian started to get worried about an accident when the buildings disappeared and they reached one of the edges of the crater.

This place was mostly empty, and Julian saw more than a few perches waiting for the animals. More than half of the eagles went directly to the perches, resting on their feet and lowering their heads to drink water and eat some meat. However, three of the birds stopped, looking directly at them.

Zilri stopped her flight slowly, only stopping flapping her wings when she put her legs on the ground. Julian felt a heavy weight leave his body when she dropped to the ground and lowered herself for them to get down.

When he touched the ground, he thought he would fall with the numbness in his legs, but he used mana to strengthen his spine and make his feet firmer. His other companions didn’t have much more luck. He saw Liz and Thalia almost fall as Ana helped them stay put. Rayra was the only one who seemed to be well enough to walk.

She smiled immensely when she walked towards the giant eagles waiting for her. One of the birds was way more extensive than the others, while the other two were half its size but thrice the size of a normal animal.

Rayra started to walk and then to run.

“Father! Brothers!” she shouted, and Julian heard her voice wavering with each word. A green mist formed in front of the two eagles in front of them and surrounded them. When they were visible again, a man and two teenagers were in their place.

The man was as thin as one could be without being unhealthy. He had a goatee, plenty of wrinkles showing his age, and thin lips. He looked more like a drawing than a real man, but Julian felt his aura when he opened his arms to embrace his daughter. The other two were also thin but had more muscle on their build. They didn’t have facial hair and probably hadn’t passed the sixteen-year mark, but they looked healthy and robust. Their eyes were as yellow as Rayra’s, but besides that, they didn’t look like her at all.

They hugged each other in a tight and quick embrace, and when they parted, Julian saw that Rayra had tears falling from her face. Any semblance of her badass persona completely disappeared as she looked into the eyes of her family.

“Daughter,” her father said in a surprisingly grave voice for his build. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Me too,” she whispered, and he looked at her with grieving eyes.

“I should’ve dispatched you when you arrived, but I had to see you with my own eyes and give you a hug. The council will not take this lightly, my dear. They’ll punish me, but you’ll see your mother, nonetheless. I’ll bring her here before you go.”

The man started to walk away quickly, but Rayra held his hand tightly.

“I need to do it fast, Daughter. We entered here with a dragon; the others will come soon.”

“Let them come, Father. I fulfilled my mission,” she said firmly, and her posture was suddenly strong again.

“You did what?” he asked, his eyes widening as he searched the surroundings, looking for the goddess they had been searching for millennia.

His eyes darted from each party member, but no one seemed to strike a bell in the man’s mind. Until he looked again at Ranabi, and as if finally seeing her aura and serene smile, he kneeled and let his forehead touch the ground. Rayra’s brothers quickly followed, and Ranabi strolled towards them.

“Rise, my sons. I don’t require worship. I didn’t know you needed me, but Rayra found me and brought light to my eyes.” They raised their heads and looked towards Ranabi with tearful eyes. “Jito, go and warn the council of my presence. I’ll address the people from here.”

“Right, Goddess. I’ll do as you command,” Rayra’s father replied as he rose with his head still bowed. “I’ll make sure everyone is here,” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. But before he went, he looked again towards Rayra, who couldn’t contain her smile. “You did it!” he said before turning into an eagle again and flying away.

Rayra ran towards Julian with her arms open and kissed him firmly. It was a reckless kiss, but one Julian would remember forever. He let her happiness leak through that gesture as his hands tightened around her waist, and his smile became as big as hers.

Ranabi turned into a bear before their eyes. And thankfully, her transformation wasn’t as painful as Zilri’s, who opted to remain a dragon for the rest of the event that started to unfold.

“You are so tall!” Rayra patted her brothers on the head with more force than needed. Her brothers were smaller than her and were as shy as anyone could’ve been. When they looked into her eyes, Julian saw they deeply admired her, and he could understand that.

Ranabi walked to the center of the remaining empty place and raised a little stage made of roots beneath her feet. She stood tall and talked with every person that approached her. Soon, a crowd formed, and Julian had to walk to the other end of the space to speak with his companions. Zilri curled into herself inside her wings and tail in one corner, and the beastfolk were more than content to ignore her.

Are you sleeping? Julian reached her inside his mind, and she only grunted a “yeah” as he leaned against her warm scales and talked.

His other companions were also resting, leaning against Zilri’s body. The only person away from them was Rayra, who talked with deep emotion to her brothers. Julian saw them glaring at him more than once with widened eyes. He waved at them, and they seemed almost surprised by it. Julian smiled as he watched another eagle flying towards them. Julian thought it to be Rayra’s father, Jito, and his assumption proved correct as the man slowly became a humanoid again. His looks didn’t make him seem like a beastfolk at all to Julian’s eyes, yet he could transform himself just like Rayra.

“Come here, there’s someone I want to introduce you to,” she said to her brothers and father. Now that they were close, Julian realized one of the brothers was shorter than the other and had a more childlike face—probably the little brother Rayra had told Julian about it in the cave inside the mirror realm. It was only months ago, but it felt like ages had passed.

The group approached Julian, who moved away from Zilri and towards Rayra’s father.

“This is Julian. My husband.” The old man couldn’t hide his surprise when she uttered the words. His eyes widened as he glared from Julian to Rayra at immense speed. “He helped me find Ranabi, saved my life several times, and is the love of my life.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Julian said with a gentle smile and a bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” He looked at Rayra’s brothers, who hid their shyness behind a grin.

“This is Liz, my sister-wife. She’s an excellent battle mage, a fearsome warrior, and my best friend.” Her father’s surprise grew. It wasn’t common for beastfolk to have relationships with humans; it was far less common to have relationships with several ones.

“This is Thalia. She’s an arcane mage like Julian and also my sister-wife. She’s brave and loyal. We are still getting to know each other, but she’s a valuable family member.” There was no more space for surprise on the older man’s face. When Rayra started talking again, Julian assumed her father would take the rest like a breeze.

“This is Anasthasia. She’s a steel mage, my sister-wife, and the princess regent of the whole Alinera Realm.”

The older man’s mouth opened this time, and Julian suspected it would reach the ground.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Daughter?” he was finally able to say. His words were more of a stutter than an actual sentence. “I need time to process it, and please don’t tell me anything more.”

The older man raised both hands in a halt position and looked towards Julian and his wives.

“Don’t take me badly. I’m more than happy that my daughter found love outside our walls. Only Ranabi knows how much I prayed for her to find good companions to help her on her mission, or at least alleviate the loneliness of her duty. I didn’t expect to have so many new spouses!” he said, then laughed. The kids behind him chuckled as well, as they seemed to be amused by their father’s embarrassment.

“I welcome all of you to Marimar, and I want to speak with you further, but I suspect I’ll want to hear Ranabi’s speech.”

“You will,” Julian said as the old man prepared to leave.

“It’ll be better this way. What would be the next thing you’d tell me? That dragon behind you is also your sister-wife? Are you pregnant?” Rayra’s father said, laughing hard and slapping his belly with his palms.

Julian grimaced, looking at Rayra’s brothers, who chuckled harder. Thankfully, Rayra’s father didn’t see it, and everyone laughed when he was far away.

“Oh, by the Last, we need to find a good way to tell him the rest,” Julian said, wiping a tear from his eye as he laughed. “I don’t want to kill your father with news of all things.

“He’ll handle it, right guys?” Rayra asked, embracing her brothers with both arms, but they were quick to evade her and run towards Julian.

“Rayra told us you’re an arcane mage and that you defeated that dragon right there. Is that true?” the older one asked, but before Julian could answer, the other also spoke.

“Is it true you killed a giant sea snake?”

“Your sister already told you all this?”

“And more!” the youngest called with enthusiasm.

“I guess some of it is indeed true. Do you want to hear the whole story?”

“Yes!” they shouted in unison as Julian sat on the ground to tell them some of his tales.

When Julian finished talking about the day, they fought blood goblins and invisible cyclops inside his mining dungeon. The crowd surrounding Ranabi had grown exponentially.

The kids wanted to hear more, but Rayra waved them to get up.

“You’ll want to hear this,” she said with a smile as she grabbed them by the arm and pulled them near the crowd. Her touch might not have been as gentle as any other older sibling's, but the kids didn’t care.

The place that Julian now assumed to be a landing strip couldn’t be described as such anymore. They could be anywhere because, in every direction Julian looked, he saw people crowding around. Julian saw people with all sorts of animal mixtures: some had cat ears and tails, others had elephant trunks, and others looked like the lion people Zilri had described. They were taller than everyone else, and their manes could cover the vision of three or four other bystanders.

Some spectators preferred to fly above the crowd, taking care not to get too close to Ranabi. If Julian had paid real attention to the beastfolk gathered, he would have been sure he could find animals he had never seen before and all the ones he already knew.

That’s why he set his curiosity aside and focused on the giant bear standing tall and regal above the crowd. Ranabi’s aura shone as bright as ever. When she looked at her people below, Julian could swear he could see a smile on her animal face.

“I returned!” she spoke, echoing through the open space. The crowd went silent for a few seconds and then erupted in cheers. “My daughter, Rayra, found me where I had exiled myself willingly. Where I chose to spend the rest of my days. I had considered my exile as the right path to keep the world safe.”

This time, there weren’t cheers or applause. The crowd kept silent, listening to what she had to say. The first words made some of them trade glances, and grim expressions appeared amidst the crowd.

“I wasn’t aware of your search for me. I wasn’t aware you needed my presence. I thought everything was well settled when I left, but I can see my mistake now. I am deeply sorry for abandoning you,” she said. Julian could hear her voice faltering with sadness engulfing her throat as she spoke. The crowd reacted instantly, trying to comfort the goddess, but she raised one of her paws to continue. “Rayra told me of your search, of how you considered me lost to this world and in some way… I was, but I’ll not go anywhere now. I’m here to build a new history with all of you by my side.”

The crowd erupted in cheers, happiness washing over them. Julian saw many clapping while others jumped to the skies and screamed in pure ecstasy. He was happy for them, but it was hard to smile when he knew the following words coming from her mouth.

“However, to bring peace and prosperity to my people and create a new era here in Marimar and all corners of the world, I’ll need your help.”

“Everything for you!” a voice called from the crowd, and others followed. The bear seemed to smile but remained as stoic as possible as the crowd slowly silenced itself again.

“The enemy is once more at our doors⁠—”

“Are the humans attacking?!” a desperate voice called from the crowd, but Ranabi continued, raising her voice and preventing the crowd from getting desperate.

“I know you remember the war you fought against humans centuries ago. I was informed of this by Rayra, and I know there’s still bad blood between you. However, I’m talking about an older enemy that most of you probably only heard of as telltales. Fenrir and his dragons are at our door.”

Several eyes darted towards Zilri and Julian, still resting and recoiling between her tail and wings. Julian saw anger, fear, and wariness in those beastfolk eyes.

“I’m not talking about the elder dragons like Zilri, who’s helping us in this fight. I’m talking about the dragonborns and all the devious creatures Fenrir created to mimic the dragon’s powers. They are back, and they have the orcs at their side. Soon, they will arrive at Alinera, and that will be just the first step in their crusade against life itself.”

The beastfolk started to hush nervously as she said those words. The myth of Fenrir and his evil deeds finally ringing a bell inside the crowd’s mind. There was no doubt the goddess was right, only fear of what was to come.

“Fret not, my children,” Ranabi said, raising one hand and making roots break the ground below Julian and his companions as a new stage was raised. Ranabi smartly left Zilri out of it and raised all others to the sky.

“We’re here in good faith,” Julian chimed in, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear, letting the mana flow through his body, making his hair wave, and a small blue aura covered all of his presence. “The future King Consort and Queens of Alinera are here to ensure you’ll have a lot of company while fighting Fenrir’s forces. We'll send Fenrir back to oblivion with your determination, tamed beasts, your magic, and ours. As Cerulex’s descendant, I swear this.”

Julian said the last words as he crashed an arcane blast into the palm of his hands, which shattered into several pieces. The ball had burned with immense light, and when they looked at him, the crowd was once again utterly silent.

“Did I exaggerate?” Julian asked Anasthasia, who held hands with him.

“I don’t think so,” she replied between gritted teeth as she kept her grin from ear to ear. “Look.”

Julian followed her gaze and saw the beastfolk’s eyes. There was no more fear amidst the crowd, only a silent shock mixed with admiration.

“We have the allies to defeat Fenrir once and for all. This time, I’ll not need to exile myself to fulfill a promise after defeating him. We’ll crush his forces to the ground, and after that, the world will be at peace. You’ll not need to fear anymore.”

“I promise to make this alliance not one of war but one of peace,” Anasthasia stated, her posture the same as that of a queen again, her chin held high, and her smile ever present. “We’ll end the animosities, the old laws, and the sanctions. The beastfolk will have my protection, eternal gratitude, and total freedom to do what you must.”

The crowd erupted in cheers at that moment. Anasthasia’s words rang in their ears like a siren’s chant. Some places on the continent still didn’t permit beastfolk due to the last war, and others where the discrimination was more covert with unspoken rules of not hiring beastfolk. That was why it was so hard to see them around, and when they did appear, animosity often resurfaced.

Most of Alinera’s residents didn’t even remember why there was so much bad blood, but since the beastfolk had returned to their own magical home country almost in full, no one seemed to care. On the other hand, the people of Marimar were tired of being outcasts and had purer hearts than the different races, accepting the idea of ending the conflict with open arms.

This time, no one interrupted the crowd’s reaction. Everyone kept waving hands and smiling at them until the excitement died, and they started waiting for someone else to speak. Their eyes darted from the stage where Ranabi was to the one where Julian and his wives stood. It was Ranabi who broke the silence.

“We just spent the last day flying on the back of an elder dragon, and before reaching this place, we fought some possessed apes. In other words, we’re utterly tired. We need a place to stay and rest. We’ll start the preparations tomorrow.”

The crowd agreed with the goddess and opened a space for her to descend from the root stage. Julian heard more than a dozen voices offering their own homes for the goddess to stay. She declined them with politeness and explained she had a place of her own to go. The beastfolk bowed and let her walk through the crowd to the end of the landing strip. She said nothing to Julian or his companions, but he wasn’t bothered by it.

“And what are we doing?” Julian asked, already suspecting what the answer would be.

“We’re going to my home, of course,” Rayra replied, grabbing Julian by one hand and pulling him. “Excuse me, sis, I have much to show you.” Anasthasia smiled gently as Rayra led Julian to where Zilri waited for them.

She instructed the dragon to follow her brothers in the sky, and Julian’s other wives went on the back of the dragon, agreeing silently to let Rayra have Julian to herself for some moments. She was probably dying to showcase her home to him finally.

“I want to see everything,” Julian said as he grinned and hugged her waist. That elicited an even bigger smile from the kitsune. She looked so radiant and so different from the last few days. Even her aura seemed to shine a brighter light. She kissed him eagerly, but she pulled him with force onto a street connecting to the landing strip before he could kiss her back.

“Let’s get my reward!” she exclaimed, making him almost run to keep up with her rhythm.

“I had no idea there was a reward.” Julian followed her, almost tripping on his feet with the speed at which she pulled him.

Chapter Fourteen

They rushed through the streets, which slowly became crowded again. Most people had resumed their work, walking through the woods and exiting the crater or doing their business in the middle of town.

The crater's walls made the city look darker than it was supposed to be, requiring lamps to be lit in every corner of the streets. The place seemed eerily charming, the total opposite of Silverhold or the Capital. Julian watched the small buildings that looked pretty much the same in every direction he gazed.

Rayra pointed out the tamer’s district, which was strategically placed close to the landing strip. Julian saw several animals walking on the streets close to their beastfolk tamers. He saw jaguars, lions, eagles, hounds, and wolves walking freely on the streets with no sign of aggressive behavior. They minded their own business pretty much like their tamers.

They crossed the commercial district, some residential ones, and one dedicated only to the headquarters of several guilds. Julian read the boards on some of them with a curious eye. He saw an alchemist guild beside a mechanic and the mage guild close to the tamers. There were guilds for the city cleaners, for the administrators, and even one only for midwives.

Marimar surprised Julian immensely. It wasn’t only hidden inside a crater and full of wondrous architecture, but it was as organized as any place could be. It was like looking inside the gears of a watch, not a functional town. Rayra noticed Julian’s gaze and smiled at him.

“Impressive, isn’t it? We had to work hard to rebuild after the war. We used to live a more … natural life. The humans and their inventions showed us we couldn’t deny the world's changes; we needed to embrace them and try to adapt them to our ways.”

“Which are?”

“There is a word for it here. It’s called Natrielis.” She had a distant gaze with a big grin, nostalgia washing over her. “We give back to nature everything we take. There’s a primal difference between humans and beastfolk that most of my people don’t understand. When humans see a fallen tree, they see an opportunity in it. It's a resource, and there’s nothing particularly wrong with that. When we see the same thing, we’ll also use the tree to our needs, but we’ll plant another one in its place and tend its growth.”

“Interesting.” Julian realized he hadn’t spent much of his life thinking from a similar perspective.

“Yeah, it is. We used to think the less we took from nature, the better … until the war. We broke the Natrielis several times to fight the war, convinced that we needed to change our ways,” she said with a specific dose of longing. “I guess sometimes we need to learn the hard way. But we survived, learned, and we’re here,” she said, halting.

Julian looked up at the wooden board of the place they were in. “Searcher’s Guild” adorned the top of the place’s entrance.

“Do you think there’ll be someone inside?”

“Of course. She’s always there during work hours.”

“Who?” Julian asked, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she rushed through the door and entered without knocking.

“Mom! I’m back!” Rayra shouted with the door wide open. The lamp lights entered the small building but showed almost nothing. Julian looked over Rayra’s shoulder and saw the place was similar to the mage’s guild back in Silverhold. One counter in the middle of the room with several books lying around and a few chairs sprawled here and there.

The room was kept silent for a few seconds until Julian saw movement behind the counter. It was slow at first, but as soon as the fox ears peaked above the counter, the face of the person behind the counter became evident. She was nearly identical to Rayra.

“Rayra?” she asked with widened eyes.

As Julian’s eyes adapted to the poor illumination, he could finally discern her features better. The woman, who was quite similar to his wife, was older, probably close to her sixties. She wore a simple yet elegant wool dress and held several books in her hands. Beneath her eyes, Julian saw dark pools that showed she wasn’t sleeping well, and her thin arms and waist showed she wasn’t in her best health.

Rayra rushed to the end of the room, leaped over the counter, and hugged her mother tightly. Julian heard the older woman losing her breath as her hands enveloped her daughter.

Before Julian realized it, he was already smiling broadly, looking at the scene with his heart full of compassion.

“You’re alive,” her mother was able to say. Her voice was full of emotion, her lungs needing some air, but neither of them parted the embrace.

“I am,” Rayra finally responded, moving away from her mother but holding her shoulders.

“You did it?” Rayra’s mother asked in a hushed tone as if she feared the following words to come out of her daughter’s mouth.

“I did it. She’s here with us.”

“That was why everyone was running in the street. I thought about joining them and seeing what was happening, but there was so much to do here.” Her eyes moved down to the counter, glancing through the books and back to Rayra with an almost lost gaze on her face.

“I know, Mom,” Rayra said, but Julian suspected she was lying. “You’ll have the time to get to know her.”

“Will I?” she asked, moving one hand to her heart as if not believing Rayra’s words.

“Of course. I’ll tell you everything, but first, I want to introduce someone to you.” Rayra pointed one hand towards Julian, and her mother finally noticed his presence. “He’s Julian, Mom. My husband. I wouldn’t have found Ranabi or brought her here safely without him.”

“Oh,” the woman said, trying to process the information. “A husband? I see.” Her hand was still on her heart, and her mouth ajar. For a moment, Julian was afraid the bad blood between humans and beastfolk was too deep in her heart, but she quickly turned her mouth into a grin as she moved to the end of the counter where a small passage lay.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, madam,” Julian said with a slight bow.

“You can call me Vera, sweetheart.” She approached Julian and held both of his hands, looking into his eyes. Julian could see the wrinkles getting stretched as she smiled. “What an incredible day. My daughter is back, our goddess is at home, and I also gained another son?”

“And a few daughters as well,” Julian said with an awkward smile.

Vera looked over her shoulder at Rayra, who shrugged. “Oh, by Ranabi’s fur! What a great day,” she finally said, removing any suspicion of discomfort from Julian’s heart. “Thank you for returning my baby home, Julian…. You have no idea—” she started to say, but her voice got full of emotion. If she said another word, she would cry on the spot.

“I need to thank you for raising such an incredible person. I’m thrilled to be a member of your family.”

“Oh, my goddess,” she said, raising one hand to her heart again and looking back at Rayra with her eyes full of water and an immense smile. “You chose well, baby.” She wiped her eyes off the tears that threatened to drop to her cheeks and moved back to Rayra.

“I suppose you want your reward,” Vera said, clearing her throat and moving to the back of the counter, where she started rummaging.

“Indeed,” Rayra replied, looking towards her mother’s frantic search. Julian approached slowly, waiting to see what she would show.

Then she erupted from behind the counter, holding what seemed to be a key in her hand. The object was made of thick iron and was almost the size of her hand. Rayra looked at it with wide eyes, as if contemplating a god’s shard and not a simple key.

“I suspect this isn’t your reward,” Julian said, looking at them. The words seemed to remove both women from a trance. They looked at him and smiled at the same time.

“No, silly,” Vera replied. “You’ll see it.”

Then, she moved away from the counter again and looked towards Julian. “Excuse me, dear.” She waved her hand for Julian to make space, and he did, walking back a few steps and watching her crouch.

There was nothing there on the ground. However, as soon as the key in her hand connected with the ground, it seemed to melt as it entered the floor. She moved it, and Julian saw her gritting her teeth with the strength she put into it. As if the key was almost in a strange lock, she turned it.

A green light erupted on the ground, slowly moving and forming the silhouette of a door. It was like watching drawings of vines being born, but as soon as the door was complete, the silhouette shone one last time, and in the blink of an eye, a trapdoor was on the floor.

“Are you ready?” Vera asked, looking up to watch Rayra’s eyes. She grinned in return, and that was all her mother needed. She grabbed the handle of the door and opened it.

“Come, Julian. You’ll want to see this,” Rayra said, getting close to them and preparing to jump inside the door.

Julian approached the hole in the ground and looked inside. He could see nothing there. He had had his fair share of magical portals in the last weeks, and entering a new one wasn’t exactly in his plans, but nothing in their expressions showed any fear or wariness. So when Rayra jumped inside, Julian followed close behind.

A dim green light instantly replaced the darkness of the hole. When he felt his feet touch the ground, he looked up and saw the door entrance at a distance. The fall was less than seven feet tall, but the entrance seemed to be at least fifteen feet away when he looked up.

“Make space,” Vera shouted from above, and Julian sidestepped just to see her fall the whole distance and land gracefully on the ground. “Let’s go?” she asked, already moving ahead. Rayra waited a few steps ahead, her face still adorned with a seemingly everlasting grin.

“What is this place?” Julian muttered, looking at the walls. The shape of the place reminded him of the dungeons he had entered. This one was enveloped by a green light that seemed to leak from the walls, as if Ranabi’s magic fueled the place. Julian saw carvings on the ceiling similar to those inside his mining dungeon.

The fight between Cerulex and Fenrir, the shattering of their souls, and the imprisonment of the dragonborns were all there. Yet there was more. Julian saw several dragons carved on the rock walls. They were more similar to Zilri than the drawings of Cerulex and Fenrir. They seemed to fight in the sky, some spitting fire, while others seemed to spit clouds of unknown substances.

Julian saw gigantic orcs fighting the dragons, saw the rare dwarves forming immense lines to go to battle, and even saw the drawing of a human holding what seemed to be a Soul Shard. Behind them, the shadow of Cerulex seemed to cover them.

Many more histories were told on those walls, but most of them seemed almost alien to Julian.

“Is this all our history?”

“It’s our best guess. Most of it was lost with time; maybe Ranabi will teach us more about it now that she’s returned,” Vera replied, looking at the carvings but soon changing the conversation back to Rayra. She had probably seen those carvings numerous times already, but for Julian, they looked impressive. When all this ends, I’ll ask Ranabi about this … or Zilri, he thought as the corridor seemed to end.

“We’re here,” Rayra said, looking back at Julian, who kept going to the end of the line. “Come close, babe.”

Julian approached her and held her outstretched hand.

“What is this place?” he asked, looking at the wall at the end of the corridor.

“It’s where our searchers are assigned and where they rest after their mission is complete,” Vera replied with a gentle smile as she put her key inside the invisible lock again. Another door appeared, and she opened it slowly. “You deserve it, daughter.”

The green light extended through the entire room behind the door. The place was immense and circular. A crest waited in the middle of the room, shining with emeralds all over its lid. Facing the crest, a statue of a fox beastfolk stood tall with two hands outstretched towards the crest. The rocky piece of art looked like a woman, similar to Rayra and her mother. Besides that statue, several others rounded the room.

These were of different species. Julian saw cows, crows, cats, wolves, and bulls amidst the many beastfolk statues, all looking solemnly at the center of the room.

“This is a tomb for the fallen searchers,” Julian muttered as the place slowly became more eerie.

“Finding our goddess is a great honor, but also a great sacrifice. It’s a toll all of us carry in our hearts. Here, our heroes rest beside our greatest warrior.” Vera moved past the crest and towards the fox statue, looking at the object in the middle of the room. “Nothing more fitting than a kitsune like Vermax to earn her treasure.”

Julian felt the sweat on Rayra’s hand and saw her other one shaking like a leaf.

“You got this,” he said reassuringly as she moved towards the crest. Julian let her hand go as she looked into his eyes and smiled one last time. Vera stood on the crest's other side and watched Rayra’s hands slowly travel through it before finding the lock and opening it.

Julian’s curiosity was about to kill him, but he let her have her moment. She looked inside the object for a few excruciating moments until she removed something. She held it with one hand, moving it with great care above her head.

In her hands, an immense bow rested. The thing was almost the same size as Rayra herself and seemed to be made out of the connection between two antlers. However, the bow had no semblance of being made out of bone; instead, it shone a bright yellow. When she moved it, Julian could see the other side of it as if the weapon wasn’t really there. The bowstring was invisible, but when Rayra lowered it and grabbed the cord, an arrow appeared there, with the same constitution as the bow.

She pulled the string close to her mouth; her left eye closed, pointing towards a place between two statues, but she didn’t fire the arrow. When she relaxed the string, the arrow disappeared. She moved the bow to her back like she used to carry her regular one, but the weapon also disappeared as soon as the invisible string crossed her back.

“That’s amazing,” Julian whispered, looking at his wife, who turned towards him with an immense grin.

“Isn’t it?” she said, rushing towards Julian and hugging him. She kissed him repeatedly, not able to hide her joy.

“There’s more,” Vera said from behind the crest, looking towards them. “The legend says that when Cerulex defeated Fenrir, Vermax was the one who found the weapon capable of hurting the god. An Elder weapon, older than the gods themselves.”

Rayra returned to the crest, and Julian followed close behind this time. They both leaned to look inside the object and right at the corner of it, almost hidden by the shadows of its walls, they saw a small dagger.

Julian’s wife grabbed it and raised it towards the light. The object seemed made of bone, but instead of the deteriorated state bones tended to assume with time, this one looked pristine and seemed to have its own light.

The object had a small cylindrical pommel that extended to turn into a deadly sharp bone resembling a knife. It was curved, with almost one foot from tip to end. The object could be the masterpiece of a great artisan, but when Julian looked at it, he couldn’t see any marks of work. It was as if the knife was indeed the complete bone of a creature, which seemed almost ludicrous to think about. Still, Julian had not long ago seen creatures in unholy shapes on the Rust Orc Island. If those creatures existed, the owner of this bone could also exist.

Close to it, there was a small sheath to protect it. Rayra grabbed it, put the strange knife inside it, and handed it to Julian with both hands.

“We know that if someone is going to kill Fenrir, it will be you,” she said with a grave tone, looking into his eyes.

“It’s your reward.”

“I choose to share it with you.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded and stretched her hands further, signaling Julian to grab the object. He caught it with a gentle touch and put it on his belt. She kissed him again and looked at her mother as if saying they were ready to go.

“What was that thing about killing Fenrir? The god was shattered millennia ago,” Vera said.

Both Julian and Rayra smiled awkwardly before the former started, “About that … there’s a lot we need to explain to you.”

Chapter Fifteen

Rayra’s mother needed time to process all the information they had thrown at her. By the time night arrived and they were eating around the table together, she had replaced her shocked expression with one of utter joy.

Julian sat beside Rayra, and on her other side, her whole family ate and drank as they smiled and told stories about Rayra’s childhood. Several times, Julian thought they would cry on the spot, but they held back the tears and kept the mood around the table light and fun.

Anasthasia, Thalia, and Liz were also enjoying the moment, their mouths full of the delicious meal prepared for them. Bread, soups, and juices of all flavors were plentiful and distributed across the table. Julian tried some grains he had never eaten before and even a dish that Rayra told him needed to cook for seven days straight before it was ready, or it would be poisonous.

He ate that one with wariness, but she assured him it was safe. The dish was quite popular in Marimar. A good part of the cooking guild was responsible for making it every day, so many of the houses in Marimar could eat it when they wanted. The dish was made of herbs, beans, and meat Julian didn’t recognize. The flavor was strong and hit hard. It was salty and a little sweet at the end. When he swallowed it whole, he felt his tongue numb.

“Rayra, I think I’m poisoned,” he said, feeling the words not forming quite well as his tongue seemed to get heavier inside his mouth.

The beastfolk around the table laughed hard, and Julian’s heart calmed a little.

“It’s intentional, babe. The herbs numb your tongue. Just enjoy it.”

Julian looked at her briefly, wondering how anyone could find this enjoyable. However, as soon as he ate the second and third spoonfuls, he started appreciating that he couldn’t feel his mouth very well. When he drank a gulp of wine, it slid through his throat, refreshing everything and sending a shiver down his spine. The mixture of flavors and sensations brought something entirely new to Julian.

“Thish ish good,” Thalia said, her tongue glued to her mouth, the words forming funnily.

“Perfecsh,” Liz replied, her voice slurred as Thalia’s.

“I could never eash thish back at the capital,” Anasthasia said, her words hard to understand.

Everyone laughed once more, looking at each other and enjoying the moment. In those minutes that Julian spent with his newfound family, he almost forgot about the arduous task he still had to accomplish back in the capital.

Marimar seemed like a dream come true, a place of hard work but also good leisure where everyone seemed to live in harmony he wasn’t familiar with. He was about to throw them into the chaos of fighting a mad god.

He’ll come for them if they don’t help, Julian thought to himself as his smile slowly faded. He felt the bone knife getting heavy on his belt as he adjusted himself at the table. Anasthasia, who sat at Julian’s other side, seemed to sense his discomfort and held his hand firmly.

“The weight is getting heavier, isn’t it?” she asked with a sad look and a gentle smile.

“For you, too, right?” Julian asked as he caressed her hand, which was intertwined with his. She nodded in agreement and then looked around the table before returning her gaze to him.

“But if I’ve learned something from you, we can always find a way to make things right.”

He felt his other hand being caressed and saw Rayra smiling at him. On the other side of the table, Thalia and Liz repeated the gesture and nodded at him. He cleared his throat and looked at Jito and Vera in the middle of the table.

“The meal was fantastic, and the company was even better, but I’m afraid we need to sleep. We’ll travel back to the capital tomorrow, and we don’t want to be tired when we do that.”

“You’re right, Julian,” Vera said, getting up and nodding toward her husband. “I’ll show them their room. We can speak more tomorrow.”

“Sleep well, kids,” Jito said, standing and saying his goodbyes as they all started rising. “I’m just sad Ranabi didn’t appear for dinner. Vera wanted to meet her.”

“She’ll be here tomorrow. I promise you’ll get to know each other,” Julian said, looking at his mother-in-law. She smiled with a certain embarrassment, as a boy would be at the prospect of meeting a war hero. Julian did not comment to avoid further embarrassing her and let her lead the way.

Their room was simple, yet the bed was big enough to fit all of them. For all Rayra had said, harems were common in Marimar, but her family had never found other partners, making the room with the big bed never used. Beastfolk were just that practical; they preferred to sleep in a bed made just for two rather than in a bigger one if there was no need for it.

As Julian removed his boots and jumped on the bed, his wives quickly followed, almost eager to dispute who would sleep closer to him. Julian knew very well that their positions would change during the night, so in the end, it was all just fun and giggles.

“I got here first,” Anasthasia said almost pleadingly as she embraced his left side.

“You’re the new girl!” Thalia complained as she lay beside Anasthasia.

“You’re new as well,” Liz replied, snuggling on Julian’s right side. Rayra embraced her with a caring hug as they accommodated on the bed. Those two weren’t in the mood to fight for positions. Julian even suspected they didn’t care, as long as the three of them were close. He liked it just like that.

“I wonder where Zilri is,” Liz muttered, her eyes almost closing.

“Maybe we were a little too hard on her,” Anasthasia said, kissing Julian’s chest as she also snuggled around his side.

“Maybe,” Julian replied, but regretted it instantly.

“I changed my mind,” Liz said in a husky, yet comical way. “We were too soft on her.”

“I agree,” the others replied in unison and chuckled as sleep slowly took them down.

“Zilri, are you there?” Julian asked mentally.

“Anything wrong?” Her voice came full of worry.

“No, the girls were asking if you are fine. We missed you at dinner.”

“They did? That’s … surprising. I didn’t think a giant dragon’s sight would be good for your dinner. Besides, I don’t have many places that fit me in this form.”

“I see. So you’re good? Can I do something to make you feel better?”

“You just did. Rest well, my mate.”

“You too, Zilri. Good night.”

Julian smiled but said nothing, yawning and grinning as he felt his eyelids getting heavier.

It was midmorning when the first of the beastfolk started to enter the portal. Thalia opened one directly to the Flying Pearl, and the leaders of the beastfolk’s guilds began to gather their members to enter first. They sent the tamers and their animals to the front, then the mages, the regular warriors, the cooks, the blacksmiths, and everyone else they thought was needed during a war effort.

Anasthasia went to the front with Thalia as her guard, and Julian stayed behind with his remaining wives to help organize the waves of travelers. There was both fear and excitement in the air. No one there was eager to fight a war against Fenrir and the orcs, but they were all eager to travel to another country. Only a few of the beastfolk had ventured outside their magical barriers, and many magical stories had been told for generations about the wonders they would find outside.

Ranabi encouraged them as they entered the portal, telling them she would be with them soon to help with the war effort and familiarize them with the town.

Julian drank water in one corner of the landing strip, close to a resting Zilri, who had slept on the spot.

“Are you alright?” Julian asked the dragon, who opened her eyes slowly, as if disinterested.

I’m fine, she said inside his mind.

“Why weren’t you with us last night? You said it would be difficult to join us as a dragon, but you could have transformed into your human form. We ate and drank together, and it would have been nice for you to be there. Even Liz asked for you.”

She did? The dragon asked in a tone of surprise that was quickly replaced by her seemingly faked indifference. Turning into my humanoid form is painless, but turning back into this one is excruciating. I prefer to stay this way if I must transform soon.

“I don’t think you’ll need to be a dragon in the next few hours. If you want to be around, you must make an effort. My wives will only accept you if you give them reasons.”

I’m not the best with human emotions, but that I understand, Julian, she said almost condescendingly. That’s not the problem.

“What is it then?”

I’m afraid we’ll have to fight sooner rather than later, she said ominously as she looked deep into his eyes.

“Continue,” Julian said, putting one hand on her face and returning her gaze.

I wasn’t aware of all of their movements, but as soon as Fenrir discovered you’ve taken the Soul Shard, the troops started to be mobilized faster. He sent me to assert a part of his vengeance, but I’m afraid he’ll attack soon now that he doesn’t have the option to wait and gather more power through his Shards.

Julian listened to everything with attention, trying to see if there was any clue that she was mistaken. However, nothing in her words or mannerisms told him that. She could be wrong, but she believed in every word she said.

“If that’s really the case, I’m glad we found you.”

I’m glad as well, she replied, and Julian wished she was in her human form now so he could see her smile. I just want to ask you one thing.

“Go ahead.”

When we march to defeat him, I want you to be on my back while I burn all of them.

“Fair enough,” Julian said with a smile as he patted her hot scales. “I’ll make sure this happens.”

Thank you. She finally rose, opening her wings and showing all her might to the people still on the landing strip. Zilri, when in her dragon form, was probably the most magnificent creature Julian had ever seen. He saw the same admiration in the beastfolk’s eyes as they prepared to enter the portal.

Zilri flew into the skies, circling the crowd as she prepared to enter a second portal Thalia had made for her. Liz and Rayra approached Julian, and thankfully, they had no gripes about the dragon lady.

“Anything we should know?” Rayra asked.

“There’s a good chance we’ll have to fight before the wedding.”

“How soon?”

“Tomorrow or the day after. Hell, it can even be today if they want to strike. By now, they probably know we are moving troops around the realm. It has been two days since they attacked us. With luck, the news of our success hasn’t reached Fenrir yet, but I wouldn’t count on that.”

“Great,” Liz said, eliciting both Julian and Rayra's raised eyebrows. “I mean, I want to end this as fast as possible while we can still fight.”

She moved one hand to her belly and caressed it slowly. With the kids inside their wombs still tiny, sometimes they forgot about that, so immersed were they in defeating Fenrir once and for all.

“Promise me, you two, that you’ll not put yourselves in more danger than needed. If something happens to me, you two are carrying the future of the Lionheart family,” Julian said, pulling them gently by the hands.

They seemed to want to protest, but when their eyes met, both girls looked down.

“We promise,” they said in unison, hugging Julian tightly.

“Give me the Soul Shards, Rayra. I’ll consume them now.”

“All fifty?”

“Yes. I’ll need every inch of power I can get.”

“Okay,” she said reluctantly, but started taking the Soul Shards from her magic satchel.

“Liz, make sure everyone traveling is inside the portal and moving towards the capital. Wait for me and Rayra; we’ll be right behind you.”

His wife nodded and went towards the portal, helping organize the other small groups of beastfolk gathering to jump.

“Right, here we go,” he said, and he swallowed the first shard. The sensation was as incredible as the other times. He ate one by one, feeling the mana fill his body. After the tenth shard, he started to think he couldn’t take it anymore, his eyes almost burning with the intense light as the mist escaped his body. He endured, and when he consumed the twentieth shard, he felt his mana core expanding like a balloon.

The energy slowly adjusted inside his body, turning and swirling as his mana core expanded, and then he felt peace washing over his body. No more burning sensation and no more mana leaking from him. His vision became clear, and he could see Rayra stretching another shard for him to consume. When he reached the fiftieth one, he was starting to feel the side effects from before, but in a less invasive way.

“How do I look?” he asked, feeling the words funnily escaping his mouth, his voice graver than he remembered.

“See for yourself,” she replied, removing a mirror inside her satchel and showing it to him. His eyes shone a stark blue as if the two globes had become soul shards themselves. His clothes seemed to want to rustle as if a force was pulling them to the sky, as well as his hair, which flapped against an invisible wind. It was as if his magical aura was so strong at that moment that it was being manifested physically for everyone to see.

“Wow,” he replied, noticing his voice was indeed imbued with mana power. He kept looking at the mirror, seeing the aura slowly fading and making him return to his former form.

“Do you feel something different?” Rayra asked. “That didn’t happen to me when I became an intermediate mage.”

“Besides the flying hair and blue aura around me?” he joked, returning the mirror to her. “I definitely feel something different, but I don’t know what it is.”

“You’ll have to test your power, I guess. Nothing better to test your powers than fighting a god’s army, right?”

“I guess so,” he replied with a smile as he prepared to move. Then he remembered one thing. His grimoire had insisted on him using the Soul Shards and had mentioned it was changing her. “Wait, I want to test something.”

Rayra halted, and Julian snapped his fingers to summon his grimoire. As always, the book appeared in thin air, but before Julian could open it, it exploded before his eyes. Rayra stepped back, watching the book slowly burn into a million pieces and then fall to the ground.

“That wasn’t what I was expecting,” she finally said, looking at Julian with a shocked expression.

“Can’t you see her?!” he asked, pointing to where the book had been a second ago.

“No, who?”

“By the Last!” he exclaimed, moving his hand towards the girl’s face right in front of him. The spirit of his grimoire, the one that saved his life inside the mirror realm, was materialized before his eyes. “Her! The spirit from my grimoire,” Julian said, but Rayra only raised her eyebrows.

“Julian, are you alright?” she asked, moving slowly towards Julian—totally oblivious to the gorgeous, almost translucent blonde beside him.

“Hi, Julian,” the grimoire said, and in that moment, Rayra stepped back in shock.

“Wow!” she exclaimed, defensively raising both hands. “I heard her!”

“Hi, Rayra. It’s so nice to meet you.” The grimoire’s voice was packed with emotion, and Julian could easily understand that. She had demonstrated to him how hard it was to live without human connections. Talking to Julian had changed her, and being able to socialize with more people clearly affected her deeply.

“I didn’t know you were … a person,” Rayra said.

“I’m not sure exactly what I am,” she replied with a gentle smile as she turned her attention to Julian. “I don’t have a lot of time, Julian. It’s hard to keep this form, but I believe I can help you in battle from now on. If I can’t show myself, I’ll whisper in your ear.”

“Okay,” Julian said, moving one hand to touch the grimoire’s. He could actually feel her touch on his skin. The arcane energy flickering on her hand shocked Julian’s core and back to hers. “You’re indeed here.”

She smiled as if agreeing and looked into Julian’s eyes. “Be careful, Julian. I feel this fight will be very taxing on you. I’m really close to being able to cross to this world. I’m so close to you, to all of you.” She outstretched one hand and touched Julian’s face. He saw one tear falling from her eyes. It was made of mana. Julian’s heart panged with the realization that she was, in a way, imprisoned with him.

She wasn’t simply a grimoire that helped him. She was a living being with desires and emotions.

“What can I do to bring you here?”

“If you destroy Fenrir, maybe you’ll be able to even out the magical balance of the world. I’m already more here than in the spiritual realm,” she said as her body faded. “Goodbye, Julian.” She kissed him on the cheek and then slowly disappeared.

“Even spirits are falling in love with you now?” Rayra asked, her hands reaching for her waist as she postured herself. She feigned anger, but Julian knew her better than that.

He smiled at her and shrugged. “What can I do? I’m just too incredible, I guess.”

“Maybe,” she said, moving back to his side and gripping his arm. “You’ll need to explain it to the other girls.”

“I know. This is not something I planned, you know. When Strazz almost killed me, it was her who kept me alive until you and Liz healed me. I owe her my life and am very fond of her.”

Rayra looked at him keenly, sighed, and kept moving. “I guess I knew what I was stepping into when I decided to be around the kindest, most handsome, and gentlest man in the whole world.”

“You’re so talkative today and complimentary.”

“I’m always like this.”

“No, you’re not,” Julian said, chuckling. “You’re more: ‘Uh-uh, don’t get anywhere near my family, or I’ll gut you,’ or ‘I’m just too serious and badass to say anything.’” He made a feeble imitation of her voice, and when she punched his shoulder with force, he couldn’t blame her.

“No, I’m not!” she complained as he chuckled, approaching the portal.

“What’s the joke?” Liz asked, turning her back from the portal as Zilri lowered her flight to enter the portal. With the elder dragon inside it, only the three of them were missing from the jump.

“Julian has a new girlfriend,” Rayra said, patting Julian’s shoulders and moving to the portal, leaving Julian to explain to a very shocked Liz what she had just said. “And she doesn’t even actually physically exist!” Rayra completed, already inside the portal as Julian approached Liz with two raised and apologetic hands.

Chapter Sixteen

The walk along the bricked road inside the purple realm was long and uneventful. It was hard to keep track of the hours inside that place, but he assumed they had been inside it for at least two hours. The first hour was all about telling Rayra and Liz the nuances of his meetings with the spirit inside his grimoire.

When he finished the story, there was no animosity in the air. On the contrary, Liz started to worry about her own grimoire. The book wasn’t the most pleasant personality, constantly threatening Liz with passive-aggressive behavior. Still, Liz worried it might be another spirit trapped in her book. She now wanted to meet Julian’s grimoire and ask what she could do to free the spirit from the book.

Julian smiled as her compassion filled her face with worry, feeling grateful for choosing his companions so well.

“We’ll see what we can do,” Julian replied, hugging her by the shoulders as they moved to the end of the group.

Above them, Zilri flew slowly, flapping her wings at long intervals. Sometimes Julian feared she would fall over them, but she kept there in the sky, making him suspect she wasn’t up there only by flapping her wings but also using some kind of magic like he could use.

See anything? Julian asked inside his mind, using the connection he had established with Zilri.

All safe, she replied, her eyes searching the clouds.

Good.

Not actually, she replied, flying higher into the sky to check amidst the clouds. I’d suspect he would send attackers here if his goal was a strategic and slow advance. No one being here probably confirms what we feared.

Julian didn’t reply. Instead, he kept looking forward, waiting for the other end of the portal to appear.

It didn’t take much longer for the bright sky of Alinera to appear in the distance. The portal was big enough for Zilri to pass through it, as well as all the other groups that moved slowly along the bricked road.

They were arriving at Flying Pearl, a decision Julian had endorsed. The leaders of Alinera’s army and any other allies had already arrived. Besides that, the castle stood in the middle of the town, making it easy to command the newcomers to defend different parts of the city if needed.

Julian’s heart raced inside his chest at the prospect of the war being so close. However, he wasn’t afraid of it. Like Liz, he wanted this to end as quickly as possible, and like Zilri, he wanted to burn every single one of them before they could spread their evilness throughout the world.

When it was their time to cross the portal, most of the beastfolk were already being ordered by some of the dukes. Anasthasia oversaw everything with a reassuring smile and a few words here and there. The beastfolk earned their glasses to protect them from the light, but most of them refused. Their animal eyes were already accustomed to both low and high amounts of light.

Thalia approached Julian with fast steps, dodging several groups of beastfolk and reaching him with worry in her eyes.

“They’re mobilizing for the attack. The warships are already on the sea.”

“How much time until they reach the coast?”

“Four hours, maybe six.”

“And the denizens, were they evacuated?”

“Most of them, yes. The rest are still moving to the south, with a caravan escorting them.”

“Great. Anyone else arrived beside the beastfolk?”

In that moment, Thalia’s face became grim, and she shook her head negatively. At that moment, Anasthasia, who was just approaching, chimed in.

“Our emissaries are still running to let the other kingdoms know the danger that is coming. The news of the marriage was effective, though. Most of the men of Alinera are already here, except the ones from far away, like from Silverhold⁠—”

“That’s not going to be a problem. Thalia, go there and bring my men here.”

“I’m sorry, Julian, but I don’t think that’s going to make a huge difference. I have a different plan.” Anasthasia chimed in, looking at Thalia with an apology stamped on her eyes, her face ever so slightly turning to the side.

“What?” the blue-haired girl asked.

“You’ll not like this, but I want you to go and speak with your mother.

“No! They’ll flay me alive.”

“No, they won’t. I’ve already written a letter for you to deliver. You’re the only person who can convince them to come.”

“What are you talking about?” Julian asked, his eyebrows raised and curiosity setting in.

“She wants me to try and bring the elven army to our side.”

“That would be great!” Julian shouted, looking at the girl with wide eyes. “Can you do that?” Upon hearing his plea, Thalia lowered her shoulders but didn’t falter.

“I can’t, Julian. It’s been ages since I saw my mother, and the elves despise my father. There’s a good chance of them blaming me for my mother’s mistakes.”

“Her mother is an important member of the elven council, Julian,” Anasthasia said, putting one hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “If anything can convince them to come, it’s Thalia and her mother.”

“When were you planning on telling us about this?” Julian asked.

“I’m sorry,” Thalia replied, her eyes looking at the ground. “I was trying to put all that behind me. The twin snakes, my stupid father, and all the elven culture, if that was possible. I guess I can’t escape from everything.”

“So, your father isn’t an elf?” Rayra asked. “I thought he was one since all the Twin Snakes we saw are elves.”

“He’s not. He’s just very good with words. He’s probably the first human ever to command elves in anything. That’s why I don’t believe my mother’s people will accept anything I say.”

“Still, you need to try.”

“I don’t know the exact place to open a portal there.”

“But you know somewhere close?”

“Kinda.”

“Go with her, Rayra. You’ll speak on behalf of the beastfolk while Thalia will speak on behalf of the princess and the whole Alinera. Bring them here.”

Thalia looked at him with confusion; she clearly wanted to deny and run away like she always did. But she had changed. She sighed, looked into Julian’s eyes, and said,

“Okay.” She then grabbed her sword, opened a portal, and waved for Rayra. “Let’s go, sis, before I regret this even more.”

They disappeared inside the portal with only a kiss in the air as goodbye, but Julian wasn’t bothered at all. They didn’t have time to waste.

Chapter Seventeen

Julian stood tall in one of the side streets of the Flying Pearl. He looked directly toward the sky on the horizon. It was way past noon, and the ships were only a few hours away from them. With mana improving his vision, he suspected he saw some of the ships already crossing the horizon.

The best course would be to attack the ships while they were on the sea, but Julian knew they were probably expecting this. Fighting enemies both in the sky and in the sea would be impossible for him and Zilri, and he trusted the mages below to deal with the ships when it was the time.

A good portion of the army was already down below, organized in lines along the city’s coast. Most of the battlemages the army had to spare were there, as well as many of the beastfolk archers. The plan was to use their magic and projectiles to slow the sea advance as much as possible, fall back, and deal with the orc soldiers as they descended from the ships that survived the magical attacks.

Liz was down there coordinating the mages, making Julian’s heart pang again inside his chest. Be safe, my love, Julian thought, looking down at the lines on the shore, trying to catch a glimpse of her but failing in the process.

Behind Julian, distributed on the streets of the Flying Pearl, were all the beastfolk who could turn into flying animals, as well as those who tamed the giant eagles they had seen back in Marimar. Their army would probably be outnumbered two to one in the sky and on the ground. However, they had something Fenrir’s forces didn’t: all the soldiers' weapons shone a bright blue that came from Julian’s magical core. He was now wearing Ranabi’s root armor, which slowly but surely regenerated all of his mana as he waited for the attackers to come.

“Look,” Anasthasia pointed to the horizon as she approached Julian’s side. Above them, nested in one of the castle's towers, Julian heard Zilri moving her head up and following Anasthasia's outstretched hand as well.

They’re coming, she said inside his mind.

He didn’t need her words to see the small dots surging on the horizon, but he appreciated the confirmation. From this distance, it looked as if the creatures were capable of turning the blue sky into a myriad of strange colors, reflecting both the scales and plumage of the dragonborn as well as the small dragons carrying transformed orcs on their backs.

Some of the more peculiar dragons he had seen in the mirror realm were probably not joining this fight. Not all of them could fly, and fewer could swim for so long. However, Julian didn’t doubt Fenrir had also brought other sea serpents to his side.

Focus on your enemy, Julian thought, looking at the sky once more. The dots started to increase both in size and in quantity. They were so many and yet felt so little to Julian. He was just an adept mage, but he felt stronger than any mage he had known so far. That was the power of Arcane Magic, one that could only be overcome by Fenrir’s.

Where are you? Julian thought, trying to distinguish the bright red light the god always emitted when he was around. He was nowhere to be seen. Coward, Julian thought again, wondering if there was still a part of Strazz inside that husk. The old man had shown to be a great coward in the past, attacking Julian when he wasn’t looking, spying, and conspiring against his estate.

Him being the receptacle of Fenrir seemed fitting enough, and ending both of them today would be a great pleasure.

“He is not coming,” Julian said out loud. Zilri heard the words as her eyes searched the skies.

She grunted in a low tone for a few seconds, as if sniffing the air. He’s on his way. I can take you to him. She flapped her wings, getting up and moving. Her claws destroyed a good portion of Anasthasia’s tower ceiling, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Not now. Let’s ensure the safety of our troops. Stay sharp, though.”

The dragon said nothing. Instead, she decided to fly around the Flying Pearl, studying the enemy in the distance.

“It doesn’t feel right for me to be here just watching,” Anasthasia said, holding Julian’s gauntleted hand.

“The people here need a leader, and she needs to be seen. You must bestow upon them the courage, and besides that … the enemy will come. We won’t be able to stop them all.”

“And we’ll kill all the bastards,” she said with determination.

“Exactly. Now do the same thing, but with the others who are shaking with fear in the middle of the street.”

“Good luck, Julian,” she said, rising to the tip of her toes and kissing his lips.

“I’ll need some luck. I can’t die before I marry you.” Julian said, staring into her eyes.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her cheeks burning red. “There’s no need now that the war has already arrived.”

“Do you want to be a member of my family?” he asked firmly.

“More than anything,” she replied, letting her hands surround his neck.

“Good, then kiss your king,” he commanded, holding her neck with one hand as she moved to kiss him passionately.

When she parted from the sweet kiss, she whispered, “My king.”

“My queen,” he replied as she moved away from him, grinned, and ran to help the soldiers on the Flying Pearl.

He sighed profoundly, looking at the horizon once again.

Are you ready? Julian asked inside his mind as Zilri stopped before him.

Always, she replied. He jumped, falling directly onto her neck, her scales surrounding his legs and protecting him from falling. He checked all his gear. The gauntlet on his right hand was well fitted, the bracelet on the left felt perfect behind the armor, and both his new knife and his sword were well fixed in their sheaths.

“Get me to the riders,” he commanded, and she promptly obeyed, flying him to the middle of the Flying Pearl where hundreds of giant eagles, eagle riders, and transformed beastfolk waited.

“The battle is near, comrades!” Julian shouted, looking at them intently. Julian could see the wariness in their eyes as they eagerly waited for his words. “They will strike, and they will strike hard. But we’ll strike harder! They will try to kill you and everyone you love, but we’ll face them and show them we’re not easy targets. They don’t know it yet, but they are flying to their own doom!”

He shouted louder and heard several bird snarls and human chants of “Ay!”

“Watch as I fly ahead and be ready to strike anyone who escapes mine and Zilri’s grasp. Your work is to be an auxiliary line of defense before the attackers can reach our foot soldiers.”

The people nodded positively, understanding the plan that had already been passed to them before.

Julian instructed Zilri to fly and stop between the people on the Flying Pearl and the soldiers on the shore. The mana flowing through his body, his position, and the utter silence of the city helped to make his words reach everyone.

“This is not a common war. This isn’t a border conflict, a war for resources, or a dispute over trading grounds. The enemy has no interest in claiming this land, making hostages, or conquering anything. Their only goal is to annihilate us. Even those who their master tricked know what they’re doing is evil. Ask our Rust Orc friends here, and you’ll see.” Julian pointed to the Rust Orcs, who raised their weapons high in the sky close to the foot soldiers on the Flying Pearl. They were tasked with the protection of the princess, Ubu right at her side, ready to bless her with one of his blood spells. “They chose to do right; the ones flying and sailing here now chose evil. They chose violence, and we’ll give it to them all!”

The people on the streets screamed loud enough for Julian’s ears to ring, but he loved the adrenaline rush from giving a speech to a crowd like that. He raised his sword, pointed at the skies, and screamed one last time. “No mercy!”

The people from below echoed his words in a powerful and loud chant.

“No mercy! No mercy! No mercy!” It was so loud that it didn’t take long for the people on the shore to start chanting the same words. Suddenly, the whole town was engulfed in battle lust, filled with the desire to protect their lives from the invaders. In retrospect, that was all Julian had been doing for the last few weeks—fighting those who wanted to violently take what was his by proper and hard work.

Today, he would put an end to that.

With those thoughts in mind, he sheathed his sword and caressed Zilri on the neck.

Great speech, she said inside his mind, no trace of irony in her voice. I never liked Cerulex, but seeing you now, I understand why everyone loved him.

“And why was that?”

He was a fitting creature. Like you. Well molded to each situation. You’re the caring lover to your wives and the raging storm to your enemies. The words made Julian’s hair stand on end and a smile form on his lips. It wasn’t every day an elder god complimented someone. I wonder how our babies will be. She completed with a musing tone, and Julian chuckled.

“You only think about that?”

Of course not, she replied as they flew toward the beasts on the horizon. The dragons became more prominent by the second. I’m also thinking about burning the enemy who enslaved me for generations.

“Great, let’s focus on that.” Julian smiled as she flapped her wings more violently toward the dragonkin ahead. “Let’s make them taste their own poison,” Julian said as Zilri gathered fire in her throat.

Chapter Eighteen

Zilri’s fire distorted the air and made it flicker with the violence of its flames. As soon as she released the wall of fire, Julian watched it travel slowly before gaining speed as she spat more and more flames into it.

Julian couldn’t see the faces of the dragons or their riders, but he would bet they were shocked when the heat reached their scales, plumes, and clothes. The monsters disappeared on the horizon, covered by the flames. Julian knew they would fall back to avoid the fire or even go up or down into the skies. However, he heard at least a dozen of them shrieking and crying as the fire burned them to the bone.

As if the screams were an invitation to more flames, Julian grabbed Zilri’s scales, inciting her to move ahead. She promptly did, never stopping flapping her wings as she moved forward, the fire expanding before her and hitting both dragons and their riders.

Filthy creatures! she shouted inside his head. You’re a disgrace to my kin. Her voice was full of resentment and anger. All the years she had to live close to them, the creatures she considered a mere mimic of the power of the elder dragons, had been too heavy for her.

With every orc and dragon that plummeted to the sea like flies after a strike, others appeared, flying to the skies or the sea, trying to avoid her flames.

“Back!” Julian shouted, noticing the creatures mounting up in the corner of his vision. “They’re preparing a counterattack.” The elder dragon, too absorbed in her vengeance, didn’t notice the dragons soaring above her flames, preparing to strike with anger and power.

Julian wasn’t sure how much they could hurt her, but it would be stupid to wait and see if they had some weapon up their sleeve.

“Fall back!” Julian repeated, and this time, Zilri listened, flapping her wings in a huge arc that propelled her backward, just as a myriad of dragonriders tried to strike her with their axes and swords.

She kept flying back, blasting those in front of her with fire, as they heard the steaming sound of burning flesh falling into the water. The dragonriders continued giving pursuit. Or were they trying to reach the Flying Pearl? It didn’t matter in the end. They kept flying back until he felt the distance was safe enough for a strike.

He gathered the mana in his left hand and released it toward one of the dragons. They were all small, close to seven feet tall from tail to snout, and a similar distance from one wing to the other. That was why, when Julian made the most enormous blast he had ever done, three of them were hit simultaneously, and several more were caught in the blue flames that sprawled from the first explosion.

A good part of the monsters became little pieces plummeting toward the sea while the others burned, unable to extinguish the arcane flames.

“Down! Down!” He heard some orcs crying, trying to make the dragons reach the sea before they were also burned. They were so desperate to extinguish the flames that they didn’t calculate the impact of their fall. Dragons and orcs went silent as they crashed against the water floor below.

The other monsters in the sky halted, looking at the giant elder dragon with desperate expressions. If that was all they had to offer, Julian was sure they would end before the ships arrived at the shore, and then he would burn them to the ground.

“They’re waiting for something,” Julian whispered. Should we also wait? he thought, looking at the enemies in the distance. He had plenty of mana still, and his armor was slowly making it regenerate. He could wait and see, but that would mean he would lose the momentum of the fear in the enemy’s eyes.

“Let’s go,” he muttered, patting Zilri’s hot scales as she advanced again. “Fireballs this time; I don’t want our vision blocked.”

She grunted, a little annoyed. She had quite enjoyed seeing her enemies being hit by the flame wall. They set off to the side, surrounding the wall of enemies as she started raining down the fireballs. The dragons tried to dodge, flying away, but Julian aimed those small blasts that killed the dragons and the riders instantly or by the fall.

“They’re sitting ducks in this position,” he muttered, but he wasn’t complaining. The enemies kept dying as they kept firing arcane and fire magic at them. One by one, they populated the sea below.

Julian heard wings behind him and noticed someone approaching. He looked over his shoulder and realized it was the eagle riders and the giant eagles coming to their position.

“What in the Last are you doing here? Go hold your positions!”

“We thought⁠—”

“You thought nothing! Go back!” Julian shouted, but it was already too late.

Another set of figures emerged from the clouds behind the wall of dragons in the sky. They were similar to the dragons, some bigger and others more minor, but all looked way more ill-intended than the beasts below them. Intelligence and murder glimmered in the dragonborns' eyes as they flew fast towards Julian.

Zilri shot her wall of flames toward the dragonborns up into the sky. They descended nonetheless, while in the distance, the other beasts flew out of the clouds fast towards Julian’s allies.

Julian made several blasts and shot them repeatedly, but Zilri’s wall of flames made it impossible to see if he struck.

“Stop!” Julian shouted to the elder dragon, who didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation. “It will not be enough⁠—”

The first dragonborn hit Zilri in the face. Julian unsheathed his sword and raised his hand to strike as the creature pierced its claws into her scales. Before he could attack, another crashed against Zilri’s left wing, making her lose balance, and Julian’s strike missed by inches, almost severing some of Zilri’s scales.

Shit, he thought, preparing to strike again with his sword, but afraid of hurting the elder dragon in the process. Then came the rest of the dragonborns. They exited the flame wall with mad grins and gritted teeth, their claws grabbing anywhere they could as they slowly but surely crowded Zilri, trying to throw her into the sea.

Julian struck one dragonborn on the head, piercing its skull in a single movement and kicking it to the sea. Another one was on her neck, and he struck this one as well, severing its hand and a part of Zilri’s scales in the process. She cried in pain.

“Sorry!” he shouted, raising and preparing to move towards her right wing. There, four dragonborns tried to bite her. Their efforts brought some success after a while. Julian could see her crimson blood painting the once-pristine scales. “Get the fuck away!” Julian screamed, releasing himself from her grip and flying towards them.

Julian crashed against one dragonborn, and the impact sent the monster to the sea below. He grabbed the scale the monster was holding and, with his other hand, swung his sword towards two other dragonborns, but they were just too far.

He extended the length of his sword as far as he could and watched as it pierced both dragonborns in the chest and waist. Julian retrieved his sword as he watched them plummet down. The last one was hit by a small blast right in the forehead as it tried to make a new bite on her wing.

Julian set off, determined to kill the other dragonborns on her left wing. Zilri kept flying in strange patterns, flying closer to the sea than the sky. Julian looked over his shoulder, wanting to see if there was any other monster close to her core or tail. However, what Julian saw made his stomach sink.

In the distance, he saw the dragonriders fighting the beastfolk and their tamed animals while another horde of creatures flew toward the Flying Pearl. There were just too many for them to handle.

The lack of experience with fighting dragons from the beastfolk and their eagerness to help by breaking their ranks put them in a terrible position. Now, Julian would need to go back and fix their mess while avoiding Zilri's death.

As he walked on her back and toward her left wing, the elder dragon flipped to the side, making the dragonborns lose their balance. She flapped her wings with force, making them plummet down. However, they had wings and would soon return to swarm her again.

This time, it was Zilri who attacked. She opened her jaws wide and snapped as the dragonborns tried to fly up and back toward her wings.

The movement was so fast and violent that Julian heard their scales crack and their organs being crushed by the force of Zilri’s jaw. It seemed like it wasn’t only his Arcane magic that could destroy Fenrir’s creations; an immense amount of force concentrated on their bodies would do just fine. It's a shame Julian had only one elder dragon in his army.

Taking back control of their flight, Julian and Zilri moved up to understand the situation better.

Below them, the swarm of dragons kept flying towards the Flying Pearl, finding Julian’s allies in the middle of the way, but some were already reaching the streets of the bright place.

“We need to slow them down, or they’ll swarm the others and then attack the troops on the ground,” he muttered and projected, knowing Zilri could hear everything he said. He patted her hot scales again, and she turned her massive neck towards the waves of dragons heading towards the island in the skies.

She flew down, burning every creature that passed them while Julian kept an eye open for another swarm of dragonborns coming their way, but not a single one appeared to continue the attack. They burned dozens and dozens of dragons and orcs, but more had flown past them. Zilri’s flames couldn’t reach the enemy without hurting their allies, so she kept firing against the creatures that hadn’t passed them yet.

At that moment, when she was about to raise another flame wall, a few of the dragonriders made a U-turn and decided to attack them instead of the eagles behind. Julian felt the first orc crashing against Zilri’s neck before he saw it. The scales shook violently as the orc leaped from the creature’s torso directly to Zilri’s, its axe shining red.

The creature downed its weapon towards Zilri’s scales, and the axe carved itself deeply inside her. Quickly and effortlessly, the beast made Zilri’s blood spray into the air. The elder dragon cried and shook her body, dropping the orc to the ground. The axe stayed there, fixed amidst her scales as she yelled in pain.

Julian rushed to her aid, exiting his position and flying to remove the axe. Her body relaxed a little, and her yells turned into an angry grunt. Fenrir must have imbued their weapons with his power just as he had done with their bodies. The devoid energy seemingly dismantled Zilri’s magic, allowing the axe to cut freely through her unprotected scales.

Her blood pouring from the wounds seemed to signal an alert to the other orcs surrounding them above their dragons. Their eyes glimmered with ill intent as they raised their axes and swords and commanded the dragons to fly toward Julian and Zilri.

They were surrounded in all directions now, a dozen orcs aiming at them while another hundred flew past them towards the island.

“I’ll take care of these,” Julian said inside her mind as he pointed to the orcs with their backs to the Flying Pearl. “Slow the others.”

Julian didn’t wait for a reply; he jumped from her back and flew towards the enemy ahead. He felt his armor engulfed by Ranabi’s power; he shone brightly, and the orcs noticed it. Some even covered their eyes, while other dragons started to move recklessly, trying to avoid the light source without understanding where it was coming from.

Behind the dragonriders, Julian watched the foot soldiers on the island. The eagles and their riders shone bright, just as Ranabi had said they would.

Seizing the moment, Julian became a whirlwind of death. With his elongated sword in one hand and his whip in the other, he spun in the air, cutting wings, limbs, and heads as he approached the stunned orcs. Their swords, imbued with the evil power, fell to the sea below as Julian removed the life from the evil creatures.

“Keep coming,” he muttered as he swung his blade in a vast arc, killing four dragons in one fluid motion and dropping their riders into the sea. He breathed deeply, stopping atop one mana platform he just created. He felt his mana running through his veins as it regenerated. Ranabi’s armor kept doing its job of providing both protection and durability in the fight.

Julian watched his allies regain control of the fight as the other dragons couldn’t reach them. On the Flying Pearl, weapons clanging could be heard from a distance, but their numbers were still superior to the dragons reaching them. The spears of the foot soldiers were enough to hurt or kill the dragons while the swordsmen fought the orcs that reached the ground.

“If we keep like this, we’ll win,” he said, turning to watch Zilri raining fire against the dragons who kept flying back, trying to avoid the heat. “Wait for me and be careful. There are more dragonborns hidden somewhere,” Julian said before flying back to Zilri’s neck. Her scales were almost too hot for him to stay seated there, but he would endure it as long as needed to end this war.

On the sea below, the ships filled with orc troops kept coming closer to the shore. Soon, Julian would need to deal with them, but he couldn’t risk burning them too far in the ocean, where hundreds of enemies could quickly surround him.

Zilri stopped in the middle of the sky, her flame wall making it almost impossible to see the other side. She kept moving only her neck, trying to sprawl the heat as far as possible, but Julian couldn’t hear any other beast being burned or plummeting into the sea.

There’s something wrong. He heard the grimoire’s voice inside his head and felt it wavering as if a shiver had run down her spine and then passed to his own. I think it’s him. Her voice became deep and almost sorrowful as Julian tried to see behind the wall of flame until he realized what was happening.

“Stop the flames! Move!” Julian shouted, but it was already too late. A bright red light appeared from the opposite side of the wall of flames. It grew as it consumed all of Zilri’s flames, and with each second she poured heat into it, it grew bigger and faster. Fenrir was consuming her energy and creating an enormous explosion.

Julian grabbed her hot scales and tried to pull her to the side; however, he wasn’t strong enough to pull a freaking elder dragon. Still, she noticed his cue, stopped the flames from exiting her lungs, and moved to the side.

The dodge wasn’t fast enough to protect her. It was aimed directly at her exposed chest, but as she moved to the side, the devoidic explosion hit Zilri right at the connection between her torso and her right wing. The blast was so massive and violent that Zilri didn’t even have time to scream before they started spinning and dropping to the ground.

When she was finally able to make any sound, they were already midway to the ground below. The world became a blur as the blue sky, the crimson flames, and the rocky ground below mixed in his sight.

Julian tried to create a platform to ease their fall, but it hurt the elder dragon more. The speed of their fall diminished, however.

“I’m sorry,” Julian said. “I have to do this.”

And then he kept creating the platforms just for Zilri to crash her back against them one at a time, slowing their fall but breaking a good portion of her scales in the process. Julian couldn’t see the wounds on her torso, but if they were even similar to the axe wound, she was in big trouble. He couldn’t risk her falling directly to the ground. They needed time for her to recover her senses.

After four bumps, he finally heard her flapping her wings. She didn’t bump into it or fall to the side when the last platform hit them close to her tail. She flapped her wings, easing her fall.

The ground was just near them, the battle mages watching in awe and despair as Julian and Zilri neared their positions. She flapped her wings again, but it was too slow to stop their fall. She slightly turned to the side just as they crashed violently on the ground. The only thing saving Julian from a concussion or his skull from breaking was Zilri’s scales gluing his legs in place.

He heard gasps from the crowd of soldiers on the shores and moved his head up, holding on to Zilri with his hands and releasing his legs to fall on his feet.

The elder dragon lay with her neck on the ground, her face limp, and her eyes closed.

“Zilri?” Julian asked, moving to see the damage. She didn’t reply. When Julian saw the explosion's damage on her, he understood why. From the connection between her right wing and her torso, her white scales had been replaced by white muscles covered in blood. It was as if the devoidic had erased her scales from existence.

Julian could see her blood pouring from the wounds between the now pink muscle, slowly covering her and staining her pristine scales. Julian could even see pieces of her ribcage here and there, and from her laborious breathing, it was clear something inside her wasn’t working as intended.

“Julian!” He heard Liz’s voice calling amidst the crowd as she rushed towards him. “Are you okay?” She searched his face, looking for any wounds but finding none besides his sorrowful face.

He looked at his wife, and she saw the hatred in his eyes. After enslaving Zilri for centuries, Fenrir still dared to try to kill her. Julian looked at the sky and saw the god standing above a dragon. It was the giant Julian had ever seen among Fenrir’s offspring, but it was still half Zilri’s size. However, what stole Julian’s attention wasn’t the black beast soaring in the skies but Fenrir’s presence there.

The god leaned on the dragon’s neck, almost hugging it, and looked at Julian with a sick smile. Even at that distance, Julian could feel the pleasure on the god’s face and knew that somewhere inside that body, Strazz was also smiling.

Fenrir pointed his finger towards the Flying Pearl, and without a word, the rest of the dragon horde beneath him flew towards the island in the sky.

“Should we help them?” Liz asked, holding Julian’s hand and pulling him back to reality.

Oddly enough, it was Ranabi who replied. The goddess stood beside Zilri’s dying body, one hand on her scales, as a green light exited her hands.

“That’s what he wants you to do.” The goddess put one more hand on Zilri’s body, passing it over her wounds. The light seemed to try to enter the exposed wounds, but could not. “His power doesn’t let me cure her. I’m afraid if I keep trying, I’ll feed the devoidic power still burning her flesh and organs,” she said ominously.

“What can I do?” Julian asked, but Ranabi didn’t answer. She only looked at him and then at the sky. No words were needed.

“Keep holding this position, Liz. The ships are almost here. I’ll help repel the attack on the Flying Pearl and then kill Fenrir. Stay strong until then,” Julian said, grabbing Liz’s shoulder with one hand. “Any news from Rayra and Thalia?”

“Nothing.”

“Find a way to let me know if they arrive. Still, let’s not count on their help. Kill every single one of the bastards you can and don’t let them land.”

Liz nodded, determination burning in her eyes.

A soldier waited for her on the edge of the line of battlemages. He had blue feathers exiting his helm, and when Liz approached, he listened carefully. After a few seconds, he started.

“Members of the Water Legion, prepare yourselves to sink those ships. Fire Legion, you’ll burn the ones we can’t drown. All the others stay sharp and ready to react. No mercy!” he cried out loud, and Liz assumed her position at the front of the line, every soldier looking more than satisfied to have one of their future rulers fighting alongside them.

“They have it all covered here,” Julian muttered, caressing Zilri’s face one last time before flexing his knee and preparing to fly. Ranabi nodded to him as if saying, “You got this,” as she grabbed a few herbs from inside her clothes to give to Zilri.

Julian flew to fight another horde of dragonborns.

Chapter Nineteen

As he went high in the sky, Julian watched as the first battleship sank beneath a giant wave. Liz stood at the front of the water mages, waving her hands as if raising something hefty from the ground. Behind her, the other water mages did the same, moving the sea with all their force. When the wave reached its peak, the first ship was already overturning. They pushed the wave with both hands, and the ship succumbed to the water below, the weight of the magic breaking its hull as the water did the rest.

“Good job,” Julian muttered, returning to the Flying Pearl in the sky, now surrounded by dragons and their riders.

The beastfolk tried their best. They fought the opposing force fiercely, but their numbers were surpassed more than Julian had supposed. There were no more waves of dragons flying on the horizon, only the ones circling the Flying Pearl, hacking and slashing with weapons, beaks, talons, and claws at everything they encountered.

Julian gritted his teeth, hearing the sounds of battle coming from the sky and below. When he looked back at the shore, he saw dozens and dozens of dragonborns erupting from the water. That wasn’t the place Julian expected to find them. Fenrir was indeed a cunning bastard. He sacrificed one of his ships full of orcs to create an opening for the dragonborns to strike the mages. For a moment, Julian thought about halting and returning to Liz’s aid. However, if there were someone able to deal with the dragonborns, it would be Liz and whoever she commanded.

He would need to trust their capabilities to fight there, as he was already committed to helping clean the Flying Pearl.

Julian slashed his sword upward, cutting a riderless dragon flying near him and then cutting another with his magical whip. The flying island covered most of his vision as he approached the rocks that seemed to sustain it in the air. Those enemies weren’t a problem for Julian, but there were just too many. For each beast Julian slayed, he found another two flying towards him. When he reached one street and put his feet on it, he had already killed five riderless dragons and spotted several mutated orcs running on the streets with their weapons.

Julian looked at the sky, watching the beasts swirling in the air with their scales of a multitude of colors. If they weren’t death incarnate, the scene would be almost beautiful. Gathering energy in his hand, he released several arcane blasts towards the monsters. He counted four plummeting to the ground below.

Too slow, he realized, turning his back to that task and dashing towards the direction the orcs had gone. If he helped the foot soldiers stand their ground, they could keep firing their arcane arrows at the creatures and slow the offensive.

In the distance, soaring far and above the sea, he could still see Fenrir on the back of his dragon, watching everything keenly. All those orcs were mere pawns for his evil plan. The coward chose to stand far away from the actual fight, probably searching for the right moment to strike most opportunistically.

“I’ll crush your plans,” Julian muttered, turning his back to the god and striding towards the mutated orcs.

He saw a group of orcs turning a corner and then heard a scream. His steps grew restless and faster as the terrible sound echoed. One orc raised his axe, ready to strike, while the others watched with pleasure. Words started to form in Julian’s mouth, just for him to bite his tongue. His sword would do the talking.

Approaching fast, Julian struck the attacking orc with the pommel of his sword, making it lose its balance and almost fall to the ground. The second orc didn’t even see his attack coming. Julian cut its head in a clean strike, shoving its headless body to the side as he thrust his sword inside the heart of a third one.

The fourth orc was more prepared, even if its eye showed the fear of a dead man. At least one of his eyes, since the other one had become Fenrir’s eye. A poor copy of an amethyst in the middle of a corrupted face. The enemy raised his axe, preparing to deflect Julian’s blow and attack back.

Julian felt the devoidic power on edge as soon as their blades touched, trying to consume his arcane one, but he was prepared for that. As his right arm rattled with the impact of the metal and magic, he raised his left hand toward the orc and exploded a blast that sent the enemy flying away, his stomach with a deep hole carved by the blue flames.

Behind you! the grimoire said inside his mind, and Julian turned, swinging his blade, severing the right arm and a part of the shoulder of the approaching orc—the first one Julian had struck. Again! the grimoire called. Julian prepared to hit just as he had done seconds before, but before he could do it, he heard a loud POP! The eye of the orc had just exploded from an arrow shot.

Julian saw a small soldier looking up from where the projectile had come. He was younger than Julian, and his hand shook like a leaf. His eyes were wide with terror. Only when Julian crouched at his side did the young man seem to relax a little.

“My King,” the soldier said. He wore the army’s attire, and his uniform was blood-filled.

“Rise, soldier,” Julian replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. Julian saw himself in that kid. That could have been him. He was a member of the army, son of a small house, and shitting his pants as the enemy knocked on his door. Life had asked something different from Julian, and now he was the one who needed this boy to grow up way faster than he was ready to. “Good shot. Now get up and do it another hundred times.”

“Yes, sir,” the soldier replied, rising fast. “You can stop hiding!” he called to the end of the street, from where another group of soldiers exited one of the noble houses.

“We ran out of arcane arrows, sir. I secured a place for them to wait while I was going to retrieve more. I saw no need to risk more than one life.”

Julian stared into the boy’s eyes for a few seconds, feeling proud of this stranger as if he were a dear friend. Julian smiled at him, waving for the others to approach. Julian then imbued all their quivers with magic.

“Go and do your job, soldiers. We’re winning,” Julian stated, not caring if his statement was only a half-truth. He smiled reassuringly and started moving.

“Do you want us to cover you, sir?” the first soldier asked.

“I already have cover,” Julian replied, eliciting more than one confused gaze from the men, but he had no time to explain. “Secure a good position, shoot at the dragons, drop them to the ground. Then, do it all again. Clear the skies and the streets as you travel to the main road.”

They all nodded, and Julian turned his back to them once and for all, rushing to the center of the Flying Pearl.

There weren’t as many orcs on Julian’s way to the main road. Still, as he strode through the street, he had some foes to kill. He could fly in the sky, but something called him for a run. Akin to when he trained in the desert, he wanted to feel his muscles doing all the work and not only his magical core. That was why he kept going as fast as he could, even quicker than his flight, but with his feet on the ground. He dropped three dragons on his way and killed another five orcs, always looking for more soldiers to put back in the fight.

When he arrived at the island's center, a few soldiers walked the streets behind him slowly but headed to the same position. Upon seeing the number of orcs fighting and turning the white streets into a crimson mess, Julian knew he had chosen correctly to look for more soldiers.

The beastfolk in the sky had been reduced to only half of their members; several dead eagles adorned the ground while others tried to keep fighting. Their flight was a gangly one. Broken wings and broken riders drove them to the ground.

As the orcs surrounded the archers, the dragons kept fighting as if nothing had happened. The number of fighters almost doubled compared to the beastfolk since the dragons showed way more intelligence than the tamed eagles. Everywhere he looked, he saw orcs raising their weapons and descending them against swords and spears as archers tried to find angles to help their friends on the ground and in the sky, forced to battle at a range way lower than recommended.

Contrary to what he had said to the soldiers, they were losing. And they were losing hard. If Fenrir planned to separate him from this part of the army to swarm over them, he had accomplished just that. However, Julian hadn’t hurt himself in the fall and was back for another round. He wasn’t sure if Fenrir could see him now, but he hoped he could.

Julian commanded his armor to once again shine as bright as possible. The light blinded the orcs, who turned to see who was approaching. As if responding to his own command, Ranabi’s aura circling his allies also shone, turning the light even more unbearable to the enemy. He knew from experience that this power wasn’t a continuous one. Every time Ranabi’s blessing was bestowed upon him and his allies, it ended as fast as it had arrived.

With no time to waste, Julian became death as he dashed through the hordes of orcs. His sword cut flesh and bone as if it were paper. The large street, crowded with fighters, quickly saw the battle turning as Julian’s whip severed orcs in half. He pierced others with his sword and maimed many more.

At that moment, Julian realized he could defeat them all. Orcs, dragons, dragonborns … all of them were nothing before his power. But he couldn’t do it as fast as he needed. He wasn’t sure if Fenrir had a good idea of how powerful Julian had become in the last few weeks, but Julian would make sure he knew.

When the number of beastfolk and soldiers surpassed the orcs, his eyes searched the whole street. Anasthasia was nowhere to be seen. He knew her enough to know she wasn’t one to run from a fight. She was either battling elsewhere or … Julian didn’t even want to consider it.

He looked into the distance and saw a trail of blood moving towards the castle.

“Stand strong! Retake the island!” Julian cried to the soldiers on the ground. One of the beastfolk turned into a giant lion and stopped tearing the flesh of an orc to roar into the skies as the other soldiers followed its primal war chant.

Slowly but surely, they would take the island back, of that he was sure. That was why he dashed towards the castle. Several dragons flew towards him as if sensing his intentions and wanting to stop him. He heard the grimoire’s voice warning him. Julian ducked as they flew past him, not wanting to attack and delay his run.

He ducked again after a second warning, but on the third time, more dragons came to kill him. This time, Julian didn’t duck. When the grimoire warned him, he swung his blade over his head, enlarging its point as it moved and cutting every one of the dragons. The first lost one wing, and as the blade increased, the gravity of their wounds also did. The last one fell to the ground, severed in half.

Julian didn’t even look at it, rushing to the castle as fast as he could.

There were no more dragons on the steps, but inside the main hall, at least two dozen orcs tried to break a wall of metal that stood firmly between them and their target.

“Ana!” Julian shouted involuntarily, knowing who held that position.

Upon hearing his voice, all the orcs turned their heads almost simultaneously. The eerie scene sent a shiver down Julian’s spine and simultaneously boiled the battle rush in his veins. They ran fast towards Julian as if knowing their only chance was to surround him.

They formed a semicircle in the hall, blades shining red with blood and devoidic energy as they dashed with speed.

Julian hit three of them with a blast and then three others. The other orcs were already too close to him when he felt the third blast prepared in his left hand.

One of them hit Julian’s armor with the flat part of its axe, making his arm rattle with the impact, and the blast slipped from his fingers, reaching the ground and causing an unintended explosion. The debris caught a few orcs, but most were undeterred by it.

Julian stepped back, deflecting one, two, three soldiers, just to be hit another three times in the ribcage by their powerful blades. Julian felt the devoidic power consuming Ranabi’s as the roots broke under the metal edges. If he kept receiving strikes, they would soon reach his body.

At least ten orcs were trying to swarm Julian. He could only deflect some strikes and choose which ones he would take but never counterattack. They were just too many and too concentrated on killing him.

The instinct to run washed over his mind, but Julian wouldn’t. He’d fly. He used his magic to make him fly backward as if the wind had just separated him from the orcs. Simultaneously, he formed a whip in his left hand and swiped it low. Some of the orcs were struck in the ankles, others in the knees, and a few unlucky ones in the thighs. They all fell to the ground, the third ones already agonizing with their arteries cut and their life slowly being drained.

There were still close to five orcs standing and another three recovering from the debris that hit them. However, their eagerness to fight had magically disappeared. All they showed in their wide eyes was fear. They were proud creatures nonetheless, and Julian could respect them.

All of them died by his blade, and not a single one tried to flee.

When he was done, the ground of the main hall was covered entirely in blood. The sounds of orc grunts had become only a memory, and Julian’s breathing was all he could hear.

Until the wall of metal was dismantled.

“Julian!” Anasthasia cried, her voice packed with emotion, and her eyes watered. Behind her, wounded soldiers, beastfolk, and rust orcs stood as Ubu tended their wounds, applying some of his blood magic to keep them alive. “I ran here to protect the wounded, but they followed. I thought we were doomed.”

She said, despair threatening to take over her. Julian took a few steps towards her, putting one hand on her shoulder.

“Breathe, dear. You did great here. We’re winning.” This time, Julian wasn’t telling a half-truth. Outside the castle, he could hear the sounds of battle, and the victory voices were those of his allies.

She did as he asked, and a single tear dropped from her eyes as she composed herself, holding her nose high again as a queen would.

“Great,” she said, smiling as if nothing had happened. “Ubu, tend to the wounded. I’ll assess the situation with Julian.”

She walked to the steps, her hands trembling. She quickly clasped them behind her back as she walked to the street filled with carnage with her expression stern. Julian followed close to her, and their steps were fast-paced towards the soldiers who still fought.

When they reached the center of the street, only a few orcs stood at the edge of their vision, fighting against some of the beastfolk, while close to no dragon could be seen in the sky.

“Your graces, you’ll want to see this.” The archer Julian had saved waved one hand for them, and they followed him. They reached the edge of the Flying Pearl with a full view of the shores beneath. There, Julian saw the ships landing and hordes and hordes of orcs running to the streets of Alinera.

The line of battlemages was being slowly but surely pushed back to the city's center, their magic solid but unable to defeat the number of dragonborns flying in the sky towards them. The first wave of monsters Julian had seen erupting from the sea below had turned into dozens and dozens of monsters.

They flew fast, using claws and magic weapons as they struck the army. Julian saw fireballs, water walls, and even flying boulders hitting the creatures, but nothing was enough to stop them.

“They need us,” Julian muttered, looking over his shoulder and seeing how few eagles he still had at his disposal. He could descend and help the fighters below, but seeing their numbers, it was clear that Julian’s army would entirely die before he could defeat the enemy. He had only one option now. “I’ll have to face him now.”

“Are you sure?” Ana asked, her face a grimace of pain and fear.

“Organize the descent. Everyone who can help must be on the ground. We defeated most of his winged force; now it’s time to end this,” he said as confidently as he could and loud enough for the soldiers close to hear.

“We’ll push them back,” Ana said with determination, her lips closing into a thin line. “Go kill the bastard.”

Julian nodded, looking in Fenrir’s direction. It was finally time to face him.

Chapter Twenty

Sensing the danger to their master, a few of the dragonborns flew from their position towards Julian. Half of them were fast enough to reach midway, only to be exploded by Julian’s arcane blast. The others halted as if hearing a silent order to stay back.

Julian was counting on them to follow him. Any dragonborn he killed would be an advantage to his army, but none would be as massive as killing the creature that empowered them. For all Julian knew, if he killed the god, they would all be as good as dead.

The bone knife on Julian’s belt grew heavy as he got close to Fenrir. He could now see the creature waiting for him in the distance. The salamander-like creature soared calmly in the sky, its slimy body shining against the sun. The creature’s body was only half covered by scales, but somehow, it looked more menacing than the other dragons.

Julian saw the similarities between it and its master. There was cunning intelligence in those eyes. When Julian approached it, he felt as if it was measuring him inch by inch, calculating the best way to kill him.

“You can try,” Julian muttered as he felt the wind speeding his travel. A blast exploded from Julian’s hand just to be stopped mere inches away from the god and his pet. Julian released another. And another. And another. Every blast had been stopped and helped create an immense sphere of devoidic energy before the god.

Julian was getting dangerously close to the power, but he was confident he could hurt the god that way. He gathered more energy this time, creating his biggest blast. The sphere flew at lightning speed, reaching the ball of devoidic power and being eaten by it. It entered with little to no resistance.

For a few seconds, Julian doubted it would work, but it did. The explosion occurred from the inside to the outside, shattering the devoidic power into a million pieces. The sky flashed with light, and Julian covered his eyes. Fenrir couldn’t take that much energy without getting overloaded. That had happened in the mirror realm and would keep happening here, and even more now that he was weakened after parting his last shard several times to feed his army.

Julian would only need to keep a safe distance, teasing the god to stay on the edge of danger.

Fenrir had other plans.

Julian flew back in the air as soon as he saw the explosion would hit him. The seconds of waiting were excruciating, but he had to endure. However, as soon as the blue and red started dissipating in the sky, he was caught by surprise by a figure exiting the remains of the explosion and flying towards him at immense speed.

It was too fast for Julian to catch a good look at the attackers, but he saw the god had just been injured. His nose was no more, and Julian saw the devoidic power fighting the dying flesh of Strazz. The god sacrificed some of his strength to get close to Julian, and he was more than successful.

Julian commanded the wind to dodge, but the enemy was too close. The dragon’s face hit him first, shoving him slightly to the side with the crashing impact. He felt the air escaping from his lungs as the second attack arrived.

His first instinct was to try to dodge again, and the second was to attack, confident in his armor, to take the strike. Neither option would help Julian. The god’s right hand glimmered with red light as it slashed Julian’s shoulder dangerously close to his neck.

A typical strike would do nothing against his root armor, but as the god’s hand traveled, Julian saw the armor slowly opening as if repelled by Fenrir’s presence. The weaponized hand cut as sharp as a blade would. Julian felt a hard edge slicing his pecs’ skin and muscle as he spun away in the air.

Searing pain hit his body as the world became a blur again. He commanded the wind to stop him in position, and he searched his surroundings as he felt the armor slowly returning to its place and healing his wounds. The pain was almost too much to take without gasping or panting, but the magic under the armor slowly softened it.

The god was nowhere to be seen.

He’s playing with me, Julian realized as he heard the reptilian hiss of the flying salamander in the middle of the clouds. Julian saw the creature’s silhouette exiting the pristine white clouds that slowly appeared in the air and flew fast toward him.

Julian prepared a blast, one of the bigger ones, and threw it at the creature. This time, the monster didn’t descend in a straight line. It kept flying in a zigzag, dodging every strike from Julian instead of trying to attack him.

Julian could feel his heart grow heavier with each foot as the creature approached. The sensation was suffocating; he could feel his skin getting wet with sweat and his chest slowly but surely closing. He had never felt this way in battle. Is this a real fear? he thought before realizing the roots around his body slowly tightened around him as the god approached. A faint but visible red light shone amidst them.

Realization hit Julian hard as he dismissed the armor. The healing on his pecs disappeared as soon as the roots revolved around him, crawling to the inside of his pendant. He felt his flight getting a little gangly as the pain took control of his mind. It was like Ranabi had told him. Fenrir could crush him inside his armor, and Julian couldn’t take that risk.

Deciding it was too close already, the monster in the sky started to fly directly toward Julian, not caring anymore about the mana blasts the lord could throw. Julian, on the other hand, was more worried about that now. The armor regenerated his mana constantly, making him reckless about its usage, but now he would need to take care of it. Overloading Fenrir with the mana would need to wait for the right opportunity.

This time, Julian would have the time to dodge. He repositioned himself as the monster approached. Flying to the right and striking down with his sword, Julian watched as his arcane blade cut through the air.

The enemy was too fast, but Julian could have sworn he saw Fenrir smiling. The god raised his red hand to intercept Julian’s attack. He was fast enough to deflect Julian’s attack if Julian aimed at him.

Arcane power cut the salamander's skin with ease. Julian saw the scales near its neck being severed in half as its blood appeared beneath the cut. The monster was fast enough to avoid a complete decapitation, but the gash Julian made in it was deep and extensive.

Another shriek and a hiss echoed through the air as the monster clasped its wings violently. Julian halted in the sky as he watched the creature violently rock in the air, trying to stabilize its flight but failing as the seconds passed.

Julian could finally take a good look at the god. He seemed worried. The human side of his face had its eyes going all over the place, while the red one, seemingly made out of devoidic power, was more concentrated on the beast below him. Julian doubted Fenrir felt anything for that creature besides fear of losing a good tool. The god disgusted Julian to his core, which was why he decided not to watch that scene for a second longer.

He exploded another blast in the god’s direction. With him halted and the dragon barely able to stay in the sky, that was Julian’s perfect opportunity. Fenrir extended his human hand towards the magical orb and stopped it, turning it into a red and black ball of devoidic energy.

Julian released another just for it to be consumed again. The god had no choice but to drink the power or be hit by it. As if having the same realization as Julian, Fenrir raised his other hand and downed it fast towards the salamander’s skull. The creature didn’t even see where the strike had come from.

The hand entered cleanly inside the monster’s brain and exited without resistance. The god’s hand was immaculate when the dragon’s body plummeted. At that moment, as one of Julian’s arcane blasts flew towards the god, Fenrir decided to act by himself.

He threw the devoidic blast on his own back, creating a big impulse of energy and flying towards Julian. His hand was already ahead of his body to absorb the third arcane blast coming his way.

Julian’s plan was frustrated once more as Fenrir consumed the blast and hit Julian with his corrupted version of an arcane spell. The pain was ten times worse than the cut he suffered on his chest. Julian flew, his hands and feet instinctively moving to the front of his body as the force on his chest grew more substantial.

There was no more air in his lungs, and there wasn’t a single drop of strength in his body as the blast pushed him with force toward the Flying Pearl at his back. He only noticed he was flying towards the island when his back crashed against one of the white walls and then another. Julian stopped counting after the fifth, his consciousness threatening to slip out of his brain as he felt his back touching the external wall of one of the noble houses.

The explosion had been so intense that Julian traversed from one extremity of the Flying Pearl to the other. He saw the yellow, almost orange, sun above his head, felt the dust of the destruction barging inside his lungs as he finally was able to breathe, and felt the blood pouring from a wound at the top of his head.

He blinked his eyes, slowly understanding his situation. He wasn’t defeated yet, but he was close. His chin dropped, and he looked down to his torso. He felt a circular wound covering all of his chest and abdomen, and when he tried to breathe again, all of it hurt. The wound was very similar to the one Zilri had.

Julian felt the energy escaping his body as if it were being stolen by the red and almost invisible flames that burned his skin. His mana core was shaking inside his body, fighting the invasive devoidic power, but it seemed impossible to avoid its spreading.

I’m sorry, Julian heard the grimoire’s voice. I couldn’t predict his attacks. He’s too strong for me. Her voice was full of sorrow. Julian could feel a note of resignation in her tone.

“I’m not done yet,” he was able to mutter between coughs. At that moment, he thought he was going to die, the pain was too much to endure. “He’s just a god, after all.” He tried to stand up, but simply couldn’t.

In the distance, he heard the sounds of fighting on the ground below. No one walked the streets of the Flying Pearl anymore. His strategy of splitting the fight into two parts could’ve ended badly, but his assumption had been fruitful. If they had any chance, even without his aid, it was because they’d finished almost all of Fenrir’s flying forces.

These thoughts barged into Julian’s mind, and he fought to shove them away. He didn’t need comfort created by his mind. What he needed was to get up and fight. He felt his palms touching the grass below him, the debris hurting his skin as his sore muscles and mana core tried to heave him up.

He grunted, trying to raise the strength to get up, but all he managed to do was kneel. He panted, and with each breath, his chest hurt even more.

“You didn’t even wait for me to kneel,” Fenrir’s voice muttered in front of Julian. “Humans are so pathetic.”

“I’ll never kneel to you,” Julian said beneath his breath, raising his head to see the approaching god.

At some point during their fight, the god lost even more of his human composition. The part of him that was still Baron Strazz had turned more skull than face now. Julian could see the bones beneath what was left of his nose and some protruding toward his eye. The sight was terrifying, but it brought anger and pity to Julian.

“He said the same to me. He kept saying it over and over.” Fenrir pointed one finger to his head, knocking it with force. “It was his idea to reach for the orcs. I would’ve thought of it eventually, but when he told me he had sent your father there, I realized it was a good opportunity to start over with old allies.”

The god crouched before Julian, taking his chin with one hand and making him look into his evil eye.

“But you had to be in the way. I should’ve known that you were too stubborn. You have his power at the end of the day, right? And Kael?” the god snarled in frustration. “I’m not even disappointed with that one. I could smell his betrayal from miles away, but honestly, I never thought he would succeed. He was too … emotional.”

Julian coughed again, ignoring most of the god’s words and concentrating on breathing.

“What can I do?” he asked the grimoire and himself, but Fenrir thought he was talking to him.

“You can keep kneeling. I can use you.” Fenrir half-smiled at Julian, feigning some gentleness that was impossible to mimic with his terrible features. “If you die … which will happen at any moment, I’ll just keep going until there’s nothing else for your race to fight for. If you help me, I can assure a safe haven for some of you. You and your offspring would be safe to keep living your pathetic lives, and I must confess I would love to see Strazz’s reaction when he realizes his love and his enemy are reunited, and all only happened because he decided to touch my shard.” The god giggled maniacally as the words slipped from his mouth. “Wouldn’t it be deliciously ironic?”

“What can I do?” Julian repeated the question, and this time, the grimoire replied.

Nothing … I don’t know. She staggered inside his mind. Maybe I can try to reach for Ranabi. She can deal with him.

“No!” Julian shouted, and the god stumbled back in surprise, looking way more human than he was used to showing. “That’s my mess to fix,” he said, remembering the promise he had made to himself. He wouldn’t depend on the whims of a god. Knowing Ranabi enough, she probably knew they were there, and he needed help, but the goddess had a strange moral compass that she battled to overcome. However, Julian believed she didn’t really want to suppress it. She wanted life to follow its course without interruptions. He wouldn’t implore for her help, not anymore.

“It seems you’re already more dead than alive after all.” Fenrir smirked, slowly heaving himself up. “I thought you’d be a bigger challenge. I saw you fighting in the skies. There was so much mana in the air.” He licked his lips; his mouth clearly watered. “You surpassed all my predictions and aren’t strong enough to fight me. All this magic is no match for me. I was made to defeat Cerulex, and even if I couldn’t kill the bastard cleanly, killing you will be just enough.”

“You talk too much,” Julian grunted, feeling blood in his throat. All this yapping had brought memories inside his mind. The grimoire’s agitation also seemed to support the idea. There was one spell, one that he never used before, one that was supposed to work in this exact situation.

“I’ll save you from my words. I have a world to dominate,” Fenrir said as Julian watched him raise his hand covered in devoidic power. As the enemy descended its hand towards Julian’s neck, he felt all the mana in his body quickly slip away. It was like removing a lid from a pot. The mana inside his body always wanted to escape. He permitted it. The spell Ranabi gave to him worked in time.

The devoidic power consuming his body faded away as quickly as the mana. Even with the empowerment of the energy leaving his body weakened, he was still stronger than seconds before. Flushing the mana out through his body somehow restored some of his physical strength.

He raised one hand and gripped Fenrir’s descending arm tightly. The god’s eyes widened as he put more strength into the strike, but Julian was stronger regarding raw physical power. Suddenly, the devoidic power couldn’t reach him anymore. The glowing energy could do nothing against a manaless body.

Julian felt empty, as if he had just lost a limb, but he chose to ignore it as he stood up, shoving the god away with one hand. Fenrir fell back like a sack of potatoes, his surprise still taking the best of him. Julian grabbed his sword at his side, now completely devoid of any traces of arcane power, and slashed towards the god.

Julian struck down fast, and Fenrir rolled to the side. The enemy was fast enough to dodge the first strike, but not the second. Julian pierced his sword into the god’s shoulder, and Fenrir screamed with pain.

As Julian removed the blade to strike again, the god fell back, using some of his energy to propel himself away. Julian had no mana, but mana was still everywhere, and Fenrir had free access. It was easier to fight him now, but it wasn’t a breeze. Besides that, Julian had no more enhancements to rely on.

“How?” Fenrir asked, holding his wounded shoulder as it poured dark blood.

“A little trick I learned,” Julian replied with a smirk as he prepared to attack again.

The god snarled as he waved one hand, and a big brick fallen from one of the walls flew towards Julian. He had time to dodge it and rush towards Fenrir, but the god was already expecting it. Another brick hit Julian in the chest and sent him back. The thudding pain opened his wound and made him grit his teeth, but he was far from giving up.

He could feel the mana wanting to enter his core again, but he fought it thoroughly. If Fenrir noticed Julian using mana, he would be doomed. He only needed a good opening to strike Fenrir.

However, it was freaking hard to find a window to attack while objects flew nonstop towards Julian’s head. He kept dodging almost every single one of them, his training kicking in as he went. He kept advancing forward while Fenrir retreated backward, trying to strike Julian before finishing him.

The lord’s strategy wasn’t much different. He needed to attack with his bone dagger, the one Rayra gave him, and to do that, he first needed an opening.

Julian accelerated his movements, putting two steps between each dodge as he approached Fenrir’s position. His sword felt light in his hand as the distance from his target grew shorter.

A brick flew towards Julian’s chest, and he dodged to the side, already stepping ahead while ducking a pan that flew towards his head. At that moment, a chair flew from one of the houses and almost hit Julian on the ankles, but he was faster. He leaped over it, already striking towards the god’s head.

The tip of his blade connected with the god’s collarbone, making a superficial but long gash. Fenrir faltered at that moment, his control over the objects around him slowly diminishing as surprise flooded him again. Julian took the opportunity to close the gap even more.

He struck in long arcs and deep thrusts several times, and Fenrir kept getting away with minor wounds. The god had trained some of his physical abilities. Or was Baron Strazz still in command of something inside? No, if he were, Julian would be fighting a real fighter, not a runner.

“I always knew you were a coward,” Julian shouted between strikes. Their dance had brought them back to the opposite edge of the Flying Pearl, near the first building Julian had destroyed when the god threw him.

“Who said I was running?” Fenrir asked, as Julian noticed a shadow approaching. He raised his hands to protect himself, and he noticed the building he had nearly destroyed falling over his head. When he looked back to Fenrir’s position, the god was nowhere to be seen.

Julian ran, trying to find a safe space. But he was struck before finding it. A building nearby fell before the one in front of Julian, and one of the bricks flew towards his back. Before he was buried by the one above him, he was sent rolling through the street by the one behind him.

Oddly enough, that saved his life. As the world spun again, Julian reached the edge of the Flying Pearl. His hands desperately searched for a place to hold until he found a falling brick at the end of the road.

Julian’s feet dangled in the air as he felt the searing pain in his back and watched the building fall on the street. He could feel a cramp forming in his left hand, holding him from falling. The sound of bricks falling on the street was almost deafening, and Julian had to hide his face from being hit by other fallen debris.

His right hand still gripped the pommel of his sword, but he couldn’t keep holding it for much longer. He could create a platform beneath him or fly into the skies and be safe. However, he felt Fenrir was near, only waiting to see if Julian would do it and use his mana against him, burning him with devoidic power once more and watching him fall to his doom.

“Sorry, Mom. I’ll get it back, I promise,” he said, letting his sword fall from the skies. When he looked down to see its trajectory, he got a glimpse of the fighting soldiers near the shores. The sight sent a shiver down his spine and made his stomach sink into his belly.

Orcs swarmed the shores as the mages tried to keep them from advancing. With each second that Julian looked at the fight, it became more evident that they were losing by a good margin. The orcs were slowly outnumbering the mages as their ships finally reached the city. In the skies, the dragonborns kept soaring over the army, attacking the soldiers with all their might and breaking all the lines. It wouldn’t take long until the enemy overcame them. Two of his wives were down there; he needed to end this soon.

Julian prepared to heave himself up on the ledge and felt his muscles slowly but surely helping to raise him. It wouldn’t be easy, but he could manage it. Excruciating pain reached his left-hand fingers, and Julian had to bite his tongue not to scream. Fenrir stomped Julian’s fingers with gritted teeth at the edge of the destroyed Flying Pearl.

“You almost got me, vermin,” he spat the words out angrily as he twisted his feet over Julian’s hand. They were on the verge of breaking. Julian gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, enduring the pain before saying.

“What does that say about you?” he snarled as an involuntary chuckle crawled into his throat.

“And they say I’m the crazy one,” Fenrir said, looking at Julian and then down at the army below. “You’re completely doomed. I’ll let you try to get up. Maybe use your magic. I’m eagerly waiting,” the god said with satisfaction, moving his feet from Julian’s hand and moving backward.

Julian’s heart filled with anger as he realized the god wanted to play with him again. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and looked down again. He still had the strength to hold himself for a few minutes. He only needed a plan.

At that moment, looking at the mayhem in the capital's streets, Julian heard the air being cut by a sharp blade. He didn’t know if Fenrir knew that sound, but Julian sure did. After that came the sound of hooves and then the sound of arrows flying.

“You’ll want to see this,” Julian shouted, calling for Fenrir, who finally noticed the strange disturbance below. The god’s face appeared on the edge with a tinge of curiosity on the corner of his mouth.

“What’s that?” he asked, his eyes widening with terror as the horses with golden armor crowded the streets. Archers released arrows from behind them while they found openings to strike the advancing orcs. They shouted in a strange language that Julian didn’t understand but recognized. The elves had come to their aid.

When Thalia exited the portal on Rayra’s back, he saw her glaring at him, their connection probably alerting her that somehow he was in danger. He wasn’t surprised when she entered a second portal and made another one appear in the air beneath his feet. He looked up and saw everything he needed to see above Fenrir's head.

“I’ll see you soon,” Julian said, looking directly at Fenrir, who seemed to be taken out of his trance and moved fast to reach Julian. But he had already released his hands.

“Coward! Come here!” the god screamed, a tinge of desperation in his voice, as Julian fell and felt the portal engulf his feet.

“I’ll go anywhere,” Julian muttered as he exited the portal above the god’s head. He unsheathed the dagger and thrust it towards the god’s torso, aiming for the heart but in a terrible position to strike true.

The bone dagger entered deep, close to the wounded collarbone of the god, but still far from his heart.

“Arrgh!” Fenrir grunted with his distorted, ugly voice as Julian’s weight crashed over him. The lord saw the god’s flesh being burned, torn apart by the bone dagger as if it were cleansing his body, turning into something indeed material and not purely evil. Whatever it was actually doing, it was hurting Fenrir.

Julian raised the dagger again, now with a clear path to the god’s heart, but when he was about to strike, Fenrir grabbed him by the arm and rolled over, bringing Julian to a free fall.

The world spun as mana tried to enter his core as if it wanted to ensure Julian would survive the fall, but he kept denying it and stabbed the god repeatedly. He felt it enter the ribcage, the arm, and the neck, but always missed the heart. Fenrir grabbed Julian in a tight embrace, doing everything possible to deny him the right angle, feeling his death was near.

Dragonborns flew towards them, only to be met by arcane arrows that didn’t miss a spot. Others entered portals when they were about to grab their master, only to be struck by water or metal magic.

Julian’s wives enabled his fighting, and he couldn’t be more glad. He kept stabbing as their speed increased, and the god’s force seemed to falter. The ground was near, and he wasn’t encountering the right angle to strike.

“Portal!” he shouted, unsure if Thalia would hear it, but she did. A portal appeared beneath them. The devoidic energy surrounding Fenrir’s body seemed to respond to the magic as if repelling it, preventing the god from entering the other realm. The jump created by Thalia was of pure mana in the end. Fenrir would never enter it unless it was corrupted.

It was a gamble, but one that paid high. It repelled them, but the god connected more with the corrupting portal than Julian. The lord was propelled with more strength, and in that millisecond, he raised and downed his dagger one last time, reaching Fenrir’s heart. It wasn’t all the way through, but it was enough.

His devoidic energy seemed to disappear for a second, and they fell again, this time going through the portal and landing on the main street of the Flying Pearl. Julian’s body crashed over Fenrir’s as he tried to catch the breath that had once again escaped his body.

He grabbed the knife’s pommel to finish the enemy. He only needed to push it further and twist it. If the beastfolk were right, that would be enough to kill him. However, before Julian thrust the knife, he felt the god's grip on his two arms. His face was a grimace of pure hatred.

“Who do you think you are?!” he shouted as spit escaped his lips between each word. “You’re just a human.”

Julian kept pressing it, his hand trying to push the dagger, but the god showed a strength Julian didn’t know he had. The dragonborns from below slowly approached the Flying Pearl, their wings aimed towards Julian. Without mana, he didn’t have the force to overcome the god so quickly. He would need a few more seconds, but the winged monsters wouldn’t give it so quickly.

Julian gritted his teeth and pressed harder, shouting with anger.

“Die!” he screamed, feeling the grip on his arm softening. He looked into the eyes of the god and saw recognition in his human eye while the red one glimmered with a dimmer red.

“Do it, boy.” Fenrir’s mouth moved, but it was Baron Strazz who spoke. “I can’t hold him much longer.”

Julian realized the god was still there, pushing against Baron Strazz. The old man could only soften his grip a little, but it was enough.

Julian pressed the knife deeper into the god’s heart and watched as his eyes blinked with shock. Julian felt the point of the knife going all the way to almost touch the god’s back. Red light licked from the wound alongside dark, purulent blood. The dark light seemed to be consumed by the bone knife. Fenrir tried to fight back, his hands desperately holding Julian’s arms and trying to push him away. Sweat fell over the god’s face as Julian pressed until he felt the rock ground touching the blade's tip.

Fenrir grunted, teeth gritted, and Julian heard a small pump inside the god’s chest. It was as if something had exploded, but the flesh around it muffled it. Fenrir’s expression softened as they kept staring at each other.

He wasn’t sure whom he was seeing at that moment. The words he uttered were so low that Julian would never know if it was the god or the Baron who spoke.

“Just human,” they whispered before closing their eyes for the last time.

Chapter Twenty-One

Julian let the mana enter his body as he heaved himself up, his instincts keeping him alert. He looked up, trying to see where the approaching dragonborns were, but all he saw was a pair of wings passing past the edge of the Flying Pearl. He had to walk a few steps to see the monsters plummeting down below, seemingly lifeless.

The few dragons still in the air also fell to the ground. There was no scream, shriek, or hiss echoing. It was like life had been removed from them instantly. They collided against the ground with loud thuds while the soldiers watched with shocked expressions.

The orcs, on the other hand, didn’t stop their rampage. Maybe they kept fighting because they were only half infected by Fenrir’s influence. The orcs fought more slowly compared to the violence they were showing just a few minutes before, but still, the soldiers had to turn back and fight.

Julian prepared to descend as he looked again at Fenrir on the ground. The god and the man were gone. Conflicted feelings washed over the lord, but he decided to ponder them when he was finished with the attackers.

He jumped from the edge of the Flying Pearl. The wind flapped his curls towards the sky as he watched the ground become closer. Somewhere down below, his wives were still fighting for their lives, and Julian needed to aid them.

Thankfully, that wasn’t a problem at all. Before Julian could command the wind to drive him to the fray, Zilri’s body appeared below him, catching Julian from the sky in the position he was getting accustomed to sitting in when he went to battle.

“Are you okay?” Julian asked in a mutter, and she replied inside his mind.

He’s dead. I’m more than fine.

And you? Julian spoke internally, trying to reach his grimoire. He got no answer from it. Looking back, he realized she had been relatively silent since he struck Fenrir and even a little before that. Maybe she’s out of energy to communicate, he thought as he patted Zilri’s hot scales.

“Let’s end this,” he said, pointing to the orcs invading the streets close to the shores.

It didn’t take long for all the orc troops to be defeated. Julian and Zilri burned all the ones still crawling toward the army, making the lines of enemies lose their replacements.

Elves, humans, and beastfolk ended the war with their weapons on the front. Half of the unburned orcs died by their blades, while the other half surrendered.

Julian soared the sky on Zilri’s back as he watched the soldiers capture the surrendered orcs. A good part of the soldiers secured the ships still on the sea while Julian flew high in the sky. Most soldiers were far from the shores, their eyes looking directly toward Julian as the sun descended on their backs.

At the front of the soldiers, Julian saw four figures he knew very well. His four wives waited for him, and Julian guessed they had giant grins on their faces.

“I think you can rest now, Zilri. There’s no reason for being a dragon anymore.”

That would be very pleasant, she replied with a tired tone, revealing the last few days had taken a higher toll on her than she showed.

“Take me to them,” Julian said, pointing to his wives.

I’ll do it, but know I’m not in the mood for being ostracized, Julian. I’ll do as I said before.

“Everything will be fine. Trust me. You won’t need to go away.”

Right, she replied, but Julian felt a pang of irony in her tone. He couldn’t blame her for that.

When Julian descended from her back before his wives, she immediately turned into her humanoid form. He didn’t have time to see her with the group hug that followed his approach.

The girls grabbed him with all their force, making him lose his breath and grunt with pain from his wounds. They didn’t seem to care, though. After a few seconds, he ignored the pain as he felt their tight and warm embrace. They took turns kissing his whole face and lips to ensure he was there. Ana was the most eager of them all, her eyes watering.

“I thought I’d lost you,” she said, her voice packed with emotion. “I just found you guys.” Her voice was a mutter as she tried to keep her regal composure.

“I told you I’d deal with it,” he said with a grin as he kissed her gently. When they parted, he noticed the other girls were looking behind his shoulder. Ana followed their gaze in Zilri’s direction. Julian expected their reprimanding gaze, but they only had a welcoming smile.

They walked towards the elder dragon and hugged her tightly, to Zilri’s surprise.

“Thank you, Zilri,” Liz said.

“We talked about this whole situation, and we want to say to you that the family grew too fast, but we want to welcome you into our family,” Rayra said, her eyes full of compassion but firm words.

“You’ll be welcome to stay with us as we get to know each other as sister-wives. What do you think?” Thalia asked while Anasthasia nodded in agreement.

“I…” the goddess started, a strange stuttering born in her throat. “I guess I’m fine with it,” she finally said, smiling from the corner of her mouth as she looked at each of them.

Julian looked at them with an immense grin and opened his mouth to say, “I told you so,” but without uttering the words. Zilri smirked and changed her attention back to the girls before her.

A hand touched Julian’s shoulder. He turned fast, the battle instincts still kicking in as he looked towards the person behind him. The nearly closed eyes, and the smile calmed him, however.

Ranabi looked straight into Julian’s eyes. Her wrinkles seemingly deepened, and her back curved. It was as if she had aged ten years from the last time he had seen her.

“Here,” Julian said, giving her the pendant that stored his root armor. “Thank you, Ranabi.”

“You don’t need to give me this back. It was a gift,” she replied gently, refusing the pendant with one hand up.

“I don’t want a gift that sucks the life out of you. That’s what this does, right? This and all the blessings you gave us.”

Her lips became straight as she finally took the pendant in her thin, long fingers. “Yes. I was afraid Fenrir would kill me if I helped you. It was hard not to fight by your side, but my presence would probably help him more than you.”

“I imagined you were paying a heavy price, but not so heavy,” Julian said somberly. “You could’ve died.”

“I was very close to it,” she replied. “I couldn’t heal our dragon friend, but I spent much of my power keeping her alive.”

“Thank you, Ranabi,” Julian said again, this time more sincerely, as he felt a tinge of guilt crawling into his heart.

“I’m the one who needs to be grateful, son,” she replied, caressing his face tenderly. “Thanks to you, we can finally live in peace.”

“It was a team effort,” he replied automatically.

“Indeed. But without your leadership, that would never have worked.”

Julian nodded, not wanting to argue. Deep inside, he knew her words were valid and felt immensely proud of himself.

“You know,” he started, unsure if he wanted to stay on the subject, “in the end, even Baron Strazz fought Fenrir.”

“I saw it,” Ranabi said, her hand searching for Julian’s and gripping it tightly.

“That’s what’s not feeling right.”

“What, boy?”

“After all this. All he did to me and my family. It doesn’t feel right that he helped in the end,” Julian sighed. “Am I being selfish for thinking like that?”

“You’re just being human. That’s why Cerulex loved all of you, and Fenrir hated you with the same intensity.” She gripped his arm more forcefully, wanting his full attention. “The power to change yourself and the world. That’s what makes you different. Baron Strazz’s mistakes aren’t erased after his sacrifice. It only shows your capacities. Yours and all the other races not created by Fenrir’s evilness.”

“I see,” Julian said after a few seconds. “The baron must’ve suffered tremendously inside that body.” Julian let the words slip from his mouth, not knowing exactly what he was feeling. It was hard not to feel angry towards that man, but all Julian had experienced in the last few months had taught him hard lessons. This one Ranabi was telling him was probably the most difficult until now.

“He did,” Ranabi joined the conversation. “His suffering is over now, and it’s our responsibility to heal the world. There’s someone here who was looking for you.” Julian’s eyes searched behind Ranabi’s shoulder as he slowly comprehended his surroundings again.

Behind the goddess, the spirit that resided in his grimoire stood tall. But she was different. First, she wasn’t blond anymore. Instead, her hair had assumed a black coloration, her eyes becoming as dark as her hair. Her body, before slim and athletic, had become more curvy. Her waist was quite thin, while her hips were large. Her figure was busty, and she seemed removed from a tale.

If Julian didn’t know her innocent eyes or blushed cheeks, he would never have recognized her. However, as soon as his eyes crossed hers, he knew it was her.

“You’re here,” he muttered as Ranabi moved to the side with a giant grin on her face.

She smiled, her eyes averting to the ground. Julian approached her and heard a small gasp as their hands touched.

“You saved me,” she said, finally looking into his eyes. Her gaze was like a pool where Julian could easily drown without complaining. Her lips were full and red, moving beautifully as she spoke in a low tone.

“Did I?” he was able to ask.

“Yes. With the death of both Cerulex and Fenrir, the balance was restored. The mana residing in the grimoire was too much for the book’s form to contain. I needed a new body.”

“Oh.” Julian had no better words to say as he contemplated her eyes again. “What’s your name?”

She chuckled at that question, and Julian did as well.

“I don’t have a name … yet.” She blushed and averted her gaze. “Would you help me with that?”

“Of course!” he said, smiling broadly and moving towards his wives as he held one of her hands. “I need to introduce you to my family.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Julian watched from the top of his manor as the people from Alinera’s capital exited Thalia’s portal. The mana inside his body seemed as much in turmoil as Julian himself. His heart beat against his chest like a mad drummer going to war. Thankfully, he was far away from war.

People from all races wore their best outfits as they approached the wooden benches Ranabi had created and sprawled through the plantation grounds. The seeds hadn’t been planted yet, making it a perfect spot for the thousands who waited for the ceremony. Ranabi had also created a living roof above the plantation, which Liz had carefully watered before. Even at the sun's highest point, Julian could feel a cool breeze coming from the place.

“Master, they are ready,” Tarav said from behind Julian. When the lord looked at his old servant, he smiled. Jet was rubbing the butler’s legs with affection.

“You found her!”

“She found us, sir. The little one was probably enjoying her freedom while we mourned her supposed death.” Tarav smiled broadly. Jet’s absence after the firing had took a toll on the old butler and Julian had shared some of his sorrow toward the black cat.

Jet seemed to understand Tarav’s words and meowed almost pleadingly. The simple scene filled Julian’s heart with joy.

“And you are ready, old friend?”

“I hope so, Julian,” Tarav said, his voice a little on edge. “My apologies. I’ll do my work, master.”

“Of course, you will,” Julian said as he walked past the butler, not wanting to give any other reason for the man to get emotional.

When Julian arrived at the end of the stairs, the portal was already closed, and four silhouettes waited for him on a stage Ranabi had created for the ceremony.

Julian walked to the place nervously, his mouth drying and his palms full of sweat as he approached the chattering crowd. Some of his workers waited inside the manor walls, clapping their hands and wishing Julian good luck. He returned the warm gestures with smiles and slight bows.

Soon, he was close enough to the stage to see them in full view. They all wore similar dresses, varying only in color. Details of gold adorned the edges of the strapless dress, from the long tail to the collar. They all had the Lion brooch close to their hearts, and they all smiled at him.

Anasthasia, with her white dress and pristine smile, looked as regal as ever. Liz, with her deep blue one, already watered with emotion. Rayra feigned stoicism as she stood tall in her green dress, her eyes slowly traveling from one side to the other, revealing her secret insecurities. Thalia, on the other hand, couldn’t hide the jitters. Her feet kept tapping against the wooden floor below her nonstop. But her grin stayed large, and her eyes glimmered with anticipation.

Zilri was the tallest of them all, her golden dress shining brightly and a confident smile on her face. She had confessed to him that she wanted to marry naked, but he convinced her at the last moment to wear a dress. He smiled, remembering it, and turned his gaze to Niv.

The former spirit had chosen that name, and Julian thought it was more than fitting. She wore a black dress that accentuated her curves. The list of things she had never done seemed to never decrease, so it wasn’t a surprise to see her nervous. However, as soon as her eyes met Julian’s and Liz held her hand firmly, she calmed down.

Julian had thought Niv’s presence would be a problem, but on the same night they defeated Fenrir, all his other wives welcomed Niv after hearing her story. Her manners and good nature won the girls over. The fact that they had just saved the world seemed to make everyone’s mood better somehow.

Standing there in the stand, all the girls looked simply amazing. Everyone made sure to tell Julian he was lucky, but in reality, they had no idea how much of a lucky bastard he was.

The crowd erupted in cheers when everyone was on top of the stage. Some beastfolk emitted animal sounds while elves shouted in a strange language. Julian still had shivers from his encounter with Thalia’s mom. If the twin snake elves looked dangerous, the noble ones were simply scary. She was there, though, as regal as Anasthasia. The high elves stood in the first row alongside all the parents who had come to the party.

Julian’s parents were already crying, taking turns to make sure the others weren’t seeing them cry while everyone could hear their low sobs. Julian was eager to chuckle, but his nervousness was more significant than that. Each time he looked at his wives, he got even more nervous.

His heart only calmed down in his chest when he heard the footsteps behind him and saw Tarav approaching. When the old butler cleared his throat, everyone fell silent.

“As the old tradition requires, a family member must officiate the wedding,” he stated, walking towards the edge of the stage. “When I was young, marriages like this weren’t common anymore, and now they are a rarity. I’ll not enter into our society's practicalities, but I remember dearly the few weddings I participated in. Julian’s parents were one of them, as it is more common for nobles.

“The problem is that I no longer have a blood family. In a way, I should never be allowed to do what I’m doing right now if I was a member of any other family. However, I’m lucky enough to be friends with Adrian and Marcella Lionheart and to have raised Julian, who grew to be the best man I have ever known.”

Tarav’s words echoed through the crowd, and Julian heard some gasps as he had to control his emotions with all his force not to cry.

“Julian is…” Tarav started, his voice full of emotion. “Julian is like a son to me, and I’m honored that he and his parents asked me to officiate the wedding,” he finally said, breathing deeply at the end.

“Before I cry in front of thousands, I’d like to start the ceremony.” The crowd laughed hard as Tarav slowly turned his back to them and walked between Julian’s wives and him. The butler removed a white cloth from a small purse he carried on his belt. Julian could see the perfect shape of a Soul Shard surrounded by the fabric.

One of the workers moved a small platform towards them and gave Tarav a hammer. The butler ensured the package was well wrapped and hammered it down once, but the sound could be heard in the wind.

“Please,” Tarav said, waving one hand so they could get near the round platform. “You know what to do?” Tarav asked in a mutter, and everyone nodded. He saw some crowd members rising to catch a good glimpse of the ritual, but it would be complicated with Julian and his wives surrounding the broken shard.

Tarav moved away from the circle they formed and removed his hand from the cloth. As soon as the mist of mana appeared in the air, they all breathed it in simultaneously, each grabbing a small piece of the shard and eating it. At that moment, looking into their eyes, Julian felt the rush of energy in his core and the established connection of an Arcane Tie. They were now connected in more than one way.

“Written by the Lost Soul,” Julian said.

“Sealed by the Last One,” his wives repeated in unison. The crowd followed his words.

“As I seal this union, I declare you all intertwined as a family in a complete shard of love and devotion,” Tarav muttered as Julian grinned from ear to ear, opening his arms and receiving a tight hug from his wives. His military coat would probably be rumpled, but he didn’t care.

The crowd erupted in cheers and claps. The thousands who were there to celebrate their love earnestly shared their joy.

Julian kissed his wives, and his smile insisted on staying fixed on his face. He heard more than one “I love you” and said the same to his wives another thousand times, yet they would never know the extent of his love and gratitude for finding them.

Julian drank a sip of wine with his back to the manor walls. Everyone was more than filled with good food now, and many of them were already more drunk than they needed to be. On the other hand, Julian was just now drinking his first glass.

He still needed to be crowned king later that day, so he needed to be calm and sober. Almost everyone was inside the castle walls, so when he saw Zilri's almost nude back walking away, he recognized her instantly.

First, he thought about not saying anything. She was probably taking some time to think, but he decided to approach her when she deviated from the party’s surroundings and started to move away from the manor.

“Zilri!” he called after shortening the distance by half.

She turned to face him, and her expression was one of shock. She wasn’t expecting to see him.

“My mate! What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same.”

“You could.”

“So…”

“I need to go,” she replied abruptly, her hands falling to the side of her body and her face assuming a grim look Julian wasn’t familiar with.

“To where? We just married. You seemed more than happy before.” he said, getting close to Zilri.

“It’s not that,” she replied, her eyes facing the ground instead of Julian. “Something changed.”

“What? You can tell me,” Julian asked, putting his glass of wine on the ground and grabbing one of her hands while the other touched her chin. When she looked at him, he felt she was ashamed.

“The Elder Dragons felt the change after Fenrir’s death. They’re coming, and they will find me.”

“We can help you.”

“Maybe. I’m not so sure, Julian. Their power is primal, and even though they are not much stronger than Fenrir, they are united.”

“We’ll deal with it,” Julian said, ignoring Zilri's ominous omen. His focus was on not losing her. “When are they coming?”

“Soon. Like in ten or fifteen years,” she said in a hurry.

“That’s not soon, Zilri, and it’s no reason for you to escape. Even five years is a long time.”

“I’m slowly getting my old perception of time. I’m sorry,” she said, caressing his hand and still trying to avert his gaze. “I’ll not be a burden. It’s not my nature.”

“Let us decide if you’re a burden,” Julian stated. “I made a promise a few days back. I promised I’d never depend on the whims of a god, and I intend to keep this promise. No matter if it’s Fenrir, Ranabi, or Elder Dragons. I’ll find my way to stand my ground. You can trust that.”

Those words seemed to strike her heart deeply. She finally stared into his eyes, and he could see her gaze burning. She desperately wanted to cling to him, and he had no objection.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“As long as I breathe, I’ll protect you,” Julian said, holding her arm gently but firmly. She smiled, and they walked back to the party, holding hands with the hope of a better future.

Oddly enough, the prospect of another fight with gods made Julian’s heart pump with excitement. I’ll need to be stronger to face you. Julian pictured dragons as immense and powerful as Zilri. And you better be sure I’ll protect my family no matter what.

About the Author

Hey, I'm Alex Prone, a fantasy enthusiast and aspiring storyteller. When I'm not chasing after my little one or tackling chores around the house, you'll often find me immersed in the pages of fantasy novels. "Game of Thrones" and Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere have been huge inspirations for me, shaping my love for weaving tales of adventure.

In my stories, expect thrilling adventures, genuine connections, and just a touch of spice to keep things interesting. My main goal is to offer you a brief escape from reality, introduce you to worlds where the impossible becomes possible and the guy gets the girl at the end.

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