-Marek-

  The moment the snatcher switches his attention from me, I see my moment. Without hesitation I strike with all the force these new hands can give me. I pour out everything I have, and just like the first, I blow the fool's head off. However, even as I strike the killing blow, I see a knife leave his grasp, flying by me, and I’m helpless to stop it.

  I drop to a knee panting and turn back, praying that the knife had flown astray or that it was towards Pa. I see Callen slumped onto the ground, and my vision turns black.

  “CALLEN!” I cry in anguish, but that doesn’t stop me as I slide to his side. In barely a moment I ascertain that he hasn’t stopped breathing. Without a moment's hesitation I sweep him from the ground and cradle his limp form in my forearms, where the twisted pieces of his genius hang from my arms. I hold him close and move as fast as I dare through the town, arriving at the healer's home. The healer wastes no time taking him from me and quickly checks over my boy's condition.

  “The boy will be fine.” The healer’s words bring color back into the world, but I wait to hear the rest of their statement. “Honestly, this is a severe case of overreaction. The boy only depleted his mana? He’s more hurt from the whiplash of you dragging him across town at such a speed!”

  The statement grinds me to a halt, and then a giddy joy and disbelief fill me. Only Callen could somehow manage to stop a dagger from a snatcher before his unlocking day. I can’t help it as a hearty and deep laugh forces its way out of me. I swear I was never this emotional before, but ever since I lost my arms, joy and sorrow flow freely. No, maybe it should be; ever since I’ve spent my time with family, my heart has softened.

  “I’m sorry there was a training accident. I ran here without carefully checking in fear of the consequences.” I decided to not mention the snatchers. I knew they would come, but I had hoped news of my injury wouldn’t reach the nobility or that Callen’s arms would be good enough for me to return to my old duties. It seems that I was too optimistic.

  Snatchers are private mercenaries of the nobility that gather high-level cripples to offer them to young aristocrats to help them reach higher early levels. The problem is that when they act, the families and possessions of their victims are usually taken as loot. If it hadn’t been for my new hands, Pa wouldn’t have had a chance. We got lucky because they underestimated a handless man.

  Now that one team had failed, they would definitely mark me as someone who is still dangerous, but that also means only the best snatchers would dare try. Which means I will have more time before another attempt.

  I look down at Callen as he lies there in a coma from mana exhaustion. I promised them I would be in their lives going forward, but if I do that, I’ll need better hands. I turn my attention back to my ruined prosthetics. To be honest, I had heard about injuries like mine being the end-all of someone's future. Even stories of the failures of those who have researched such in the past. Callen’s hands were something incredible.

  I close my eyes and begin to reflect on the fight. The second Snatcher I had fought was a near thing, but at some point my arms stopped collapsing, which meant that despite all the odds, I may have gotten a new skill even at my age. Curiously, I checked my status.

  Well, it seemed more good news than I had expected had come through. Not only did I get a skill for my new arms, but I also finally broke the first skill barrier for Strike Weakness at level 50.

  Looking over my stats always reassured me. I didn’t know if it was something that could be considered vain, but I took great pride in how far my efforts had gotten me. I never would have met Ella if I hadn’t earned a knighthood in service to the lord of Grimmark city. On the other hand, it’s frustrating to think that my family wouldn’t be in harm’s way if I had been someone more ordinary.

  Some time later, Philia the healer let me take Callen home. It was another emotional reunion with lots of hugging and relief. Ella ended up falling asleep while fretting over Callen, so I laid a blanket over her and went to rest myself.

  -Callen-

  The moment I lost consciousness, I was again at the void, but this time only at the edge. A thin, seemingly untouchable barrier separated me from nothingness. However, looking in, I could see that there wasn’t nothing anymore. Just on the other side of the barrier, a throwing knife was floating harmlessly. It took a moment in my current state to realize that the knife had been the one thrown at me previously.

  I reach for it, and it comes to the edge of the barrier, still beyond my reach but moving without resistance at my will. I place my hand on the barrier expecting resistance, but instead a golden glow emanates from my hand, and I slip through with ease.

  I grab the knife and pull it through without resistance. I toy with it briefly in hand before I get the idea to try pulling something else to the edge. I will the void to bring up something else, and suddenly I feel a massive strain. In the next moment a massive eye that I somehow know is infinite stares at me.

  Fear

  I can feel it pressing on the barrier, and for some reason I can feel the barrier strain under its immense attention.

  The next moment I wake screaming, soaked in sweat. It takes a moment for me to calm down enough to realize I’m back in my room. Mom was sleeping at my bedside, and my screaming seems to have woken her, but the first thing she does is hug and comfort me. The pressure I felt begins to feel more like some horrifying dream, and I relax and reassure Mom.

  After she leaves, I notice a weight in my hand. I’m holding the dagger from that space. A flash of the EYE in my memories, and I have an intense migraine. I quickly force myself to think of something else, and the pain fades away just like an illusion. I resolve to put whatever that was behind me and swear to myself never to call into the void again.

  I headed downstairs to meet with my family. Nothing helps you get over things that you can’t change faster than time with people more important to you than IT. Again I flinch, a migraine clawing at my head, but I shake it off. Quietly I hope that whatever happened doesn’t have serious consequences later.