I bet their breath smelled absolutely diabolical; best not find out.

  ‘Ephe, there’s one thing I fail to recall, please tell me I have some kind of attack I forgot when I put on the Crown,’ I thought. ‘And please, don’t ignore me now. This is life or death.’

  [No.]

  [Denial is Defensive.]

  [Veilstep is an Escape.]

  [Law of Continuance is too Dangerous to use.]

  “What’s the point of a damn power if I can’t use it?” I groaned as the ugly dogs closed in.

  “Your Grace, stay back!” yelled Enna as she began weaving light in front of me.

  After a second, a web of light shot forward from her hands, anchoring to two colossal trees just as the dogs were about to lunge past, straight into it. The net snapped taut, hurling them backward.

  “Use whatever you have, you damn brat!” Enna hissed as Stevin stood there watching the dogs recover like it was a show.

  “What do you think I was doing?” Stevin clicked his tongue in frustration, stomping on the ground, sending the earth in front of my eyes rippling like waves on a stormy sea.

  It moved too quickly, far quicker than the dogs could react, sending them tumbling around.

  Then he moved.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Stevin followed up with three rhythmic stomps, making the earth under one of the beasts bulge. Then, with a horrendous yelp, a spike burst from the ground beneath it, impaling the creature a few feet above the earth.

  “Are you on the Road of the Earth Dancer?” Enna asked, surprised and panicked as she prepared another spell. “No wonder they want you dead.”

  “Suck it, old lady,” Stevin hissed, stomping on the ground in a rhythmic pattern.

  "I am twenty-four, you beast," Enna replied, offended and clearly embarrassed.

  Somehow, the idiots found this a prime moment to argue.

  But Stevin stopped caring as he jumped on his right foot. Twice.

  Then on his left for the third time. Another spike burst upward, meant for the second Chupacabra. But it missed.

  The creature tore through the barrier of light in the same movement, recovering and quickly dashing toward me at a speed I couldn’t recall ever seeing in a living thing.

  “Your Grace!” Enna shouted, hurling a sphere of light toward it. It missed by inches, exploding like a flashbang, nearly blinding me.

  [Warning.]

  [React.]

  Ah, fuck it.

  I began mumbling the words as fast as I could, praying they’d work.

  “I, Ruler of Calcan Castle, Seed of the Reigncraft, Deny the order of time. Veilstep.”

  The world lost its colors. The beast froze mid-lunge, mouth gaping just a few feet from me.

  I didn’t waste a second. If I had no attacks, I’d damn well make my own.

  [8 Seconds Remaining.]

  I sprinted forward, grabbing the creature by its throat and staring straight into the hellhole that was its mouth.

  [7 Seconds Remaining.]

  Luckily, no smell reached me inside Veilstep. But the sight was enough to make bile rise in my throat, rotten teeth, blackened gums, pus pockets lining its purple tongue.

  [6 Seconds Remaining.]

  Right. Focus.

  Still holding its throat, I tried to grab its larynx and tear it out.

  I pulled with all my might at the frozen beast. I failed.

  [5 Seconds Remaining.]

  “Ephe, give me a damn attack!” I snarled, panicking. “I can’t run too far, and I can’t leave these two to die!”

  [Abilities Free Slot: 1]

  [The Subject is Available to use Reigncraft.]

  [4 Seconds Remaining.]

  “What the fuck does that mean, woman?” I barked, stumbling backward. “Give me something to rip these bastards apart!”

  [3 Seconds Remaining.]

  [Understood.]

  [Do you wish to give Birth to the Law?]

  “Huh?! Yes, whatever! Just give me a damn attack!” I shouted, stopping mid-step to face the beast.

  [Initialized.]

  [...]

  [Updated.]

  [New Ability: Law of Separation-]

  Ephe stopped talking.

  “EPHE!”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  [2 Seconds Remaining.]

  [The Custodians Intervene.]

  [Update.]

  [New Ability: Law of Separation.]

  [New Gifted Passive Ability: Impaler Lord.]

  “I fucking hate you motherfuckers,” I hissed at the gray sky, knowing damn well the Custodians were having the time of their lives tormenting me.

  But fuck it, no more thinking. The words I had to utter appeared in my mind as if they were a lost memory.

  [1 Second Remaining.]

  I turned toward the Chupacabra-looking nightmare, lifted my right hand, and pointed my fingers toward it.

  “I, Ruler of Calcan Castle, Seed of the Reigncraft...”

  [Expired.]

  [Returning.]

  Color flooded back into the world.

  “...Reject your form. Law of Separation.”

  The beast landed where I’d stood a moment ago, roaring as it spotted me again.

  It lunged, and for a second, I thought the spell had failed.

  Then, I felt it, something invisible, light and sharp, shooting out from the center of my palm.

  “Y-Your Grace!” Stevin shouted, half-turned, realizing what was happening behind him.

  The creature was nearly upon me. My body locked up in sheer terror.

  Then it yelped mid-leap, a sound that made my bones rattle. Its body convulsed as if something inside it was tearing it apart.

  It hit the ground, writhing and howling in agony, blood spurting from every pore, cavity, and opening it had in its body.

  And then... nothing. Silence.

  Its eyes dulled, mouth agape, blood seeping slowly into the dirt.

  I breathed out, not even realizing I’d been holding it until I let go, my hand trembling at the sight I thought I’d created.

  ‘Was that me, Ephe?’

  [Yes.]

  I blinked, turning to see Stevin and Enna frozen in shock, staring at the carnage.

  “Focus on the dogs, damn it!” I yelled, seeing the two remaining beasts push back against their magic.

  The trembling earth Stevin commanded finally stilled, failing to hold the monsters once they regained their footing.

  And neither did Enna’s light magic; they chewed through her net, their burnt mouths steaming as they charged toward the two idiots.

  Stevin jumped back, each motion pounding a rhythmic beat into the ground as he built his next attack.

  But Enna didn’t have time to prepare. Instead of fighting, she ran, eyes wide, every ounce of her will bent on survival.

  “Can I do it again, Ephe?” I asked, panic bubbling as the beast closed in on her.

  [Once.]

  Good enough.

  I spoke the words again, my hand snapping up, fingers tracking the beast as it darted through the colossal trees.

  It lunged, aiming straight for Enna’s neck.

  Luckily, she was smart enough to realize what was coming, and she dove aside in my direction, out of my line of sight. But the beast lacked her intellect. Despite its frightening speed, it was too slow.

  “I, Ruler of Calcan Castle, Seed of the Reigncraft, Reject your form. Law of Separation.”

  A second later, a sharp, guttural yelp echoed through the forest, followed by a wet, meaty thump as it hit the ground.

  Enna stumbled toward me, clutching my cloak, her eyes wild and breath ragged as she tried to speak.

  I raised a trembling hand to stop her.

  “Not now,” I said, turning toward the last of the beasts.

  Stevin stood his ground, spikes bursting one after another from the earth, but the creature weaved through them with horrifying skill, focused entirely on him.

  He looked fine for now, save for the sweat glistening on his brow. But somehow I knew it was taking a toll on him, exhaustion creeping in.

  And I could already feel mine.

  “I can’t do it anymore,” I muttered, shaking my head toward Enna. “Do your spells. Help him.”

  She nodded, let go of me, and darted toward Stevin, light gathering once more around her hands.

  As for me, I felt my strength bleed away from every pore around my body. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the dirt. The pounding in my head was an unbearable sound now, like a drum behind my eyes.

  “Ephe…” I whispered.

  [The ‘Subject’ Needs Rest.]

  So I lay down, cheek pressed to the wet soil, the blood of the first creature seeping toward my fingertips. It was still warm. It felt… nice.

  Then the darkness of exhaustion took me.

  [Congratulations.]

  [You Won.]

  [Directive ‘Win’ Followed - Registered.]

  [Reign Index Increased: 0.10% → 0.12%]

  [Old Directive Resumed: Escort your Guests back to the Ashtara Kingdom.]

  A dream had caught my hands, pulling my mind to a certain, beautiful memory.

  It was the summer we bought the apartment. Julia was decorating it already, planning the entire layout in her head.

  Where the cats would sit, play, and chew the wireless cables, which rooms would our children take for themselves, and where our computers would go. Everything.

  But there was a small problem: the apartment was empty.

  We barely had enough money to buy it, waiting on my next paycheck to finally eat something other than takeout, using the same pair of chopsticks for everything.

  But God… I sat that night in the corner, holding my knees, just listening to her voice. To her words. To her plans and her ideas.

  And by all that is holy, that was the most beautiful thing I ever saw, that light in her.

  It was the kind of vitality that steals from others just to make her shine brighter. And I was smiling like a child, listening to her monologue about the paint our walls should have.

  I didn’t care what colors they were, as long as she stood within them. With me.

  That was all I needed.

  “Your Grace,” said Enna, shaking me gently out of my wonderful, heartbreaking dream. “Are you well?”

  “Hmm? Mhm,” I muttered, barely awake enough to register her words. “I was having my beauty nap.”

  “What is that?” Stevin asked, genuinely curious.

  “You wouldn’t know,” Enna taunted. “Clearly by your damn face.”

  Stevin clicked his tongue. “I should’ve let the Lundud Dog chew on your face a bit before I spiked him real good.”

  “Mmm.” I pushed myself up, eyes fluttering open, head clear of any pain. “How long have I slept?”

  “Two hours,” Stevin replied, glancing through the canopy for the sun. “Evening will soon come.”

  “The dogs?” I asked next, noticing the missing carcasses.

  “Dinner, you mean,” Stevin grinned. “Lundud Dogs are a delicacy among the noble houses.”

  Every ounce of sleep I had in me vanished the second I heard the idiot speak. Slowly, I turned to Enna, “Do you hear this fool?”

  “They are good, Your Grace,” she shrugged. “A pity not to eat them. I haven’t had meat in weeks.”

  “...Are the two of you mad?” I said, rising to my feet in a panic. “Eating dogs? Those nightmare-inducing Dogs?”

  “Lundud Dogs,” Stevin corrected. “You took the blood of one, Your Grace, and look at you now, all strong and healthy; you have to at least try the meat. Don’t dismiss it just yet.”

  “Blood?” I frowned, not remembering ever indulging in such cuisine, “I took no blood.”

  “We saw you, Your Grace,” Enna said softly, eyes pitiful as she looked at me. “We vowed not to ever reveal it, so you are safe. No need to hide it.”

  Huh???

  What are the wanna-be dog-eaters talking about?

  ‘Ephe?’ I asked in my head.

  [Blood is a good source of Calories.]

  [The ‘Subject’ needed them.]

  ‘You fucking… You what? Why? Oh, haha, I bet you and your Custodians are enjoying it, aren’t you?’

  [What is the ‘Subject’ insinuating?]

  “You’re all weirdos,” I sighed aloud. “And you dare call me one. Enjoy your dogs, I’ll have some fruit.”

  “More for us,” Stevin said with a shrug. “Since it’s late, I’ll gather some firewood.”

  “I’ll make the fire,” Enna offered, drawing light magic to her fingertips.

  “And I…” I groaned, lowering myself on a rock, “...will sit my ass down.”

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