Luther’s smug grin never dropped.

  “Training,” he said simply, as if it were obvious. He reached up, brushed a speck of imaginary dust off his sleeve. “The Galepass range has thin air and colder nights than most are comfortable with. Excellent conditions for building Resilience.”

  Keagan blinked, glancing at the massive creature behind him. “You’ve been training Velleigh up here?”

  “Correct,” Luther said, with the faintest hint of pride. “We were about to set off. I wanted to watch the tournament before we trained for the night.”

  I growled at him.

  Luther’s gaze returned to me and he led up a hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not here for you. Fate just has a talent for overlapping our paths, it seems.”

  “Right,” I sneered. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

  He smiled, that same too-perfect smile that made my fur prickle. “You can believe whatever you like. But you know how I am about lying. Lest you forget, I have held your secret safe.”

  You’re not one for telling the entire truth though either. I haven’t forgotten, and that’s why you’re still breathing.

  Keagan stepped forward before I could. “If you’re really just training, do you have any tips for Resilience training? Lucia could use it after that fight with the wyverling.”

  Luther’s eyes flicked to the boy, expression softening into something almost fatherly. “Ah, yes. I saw that. Those were some nasty burns. I had figured you about to lose in that fight. But she is a creature of otherworldly talents, isn’t she?”

  Something about how he said that itched at the back of my mind.

  Keagan’s chin lifted. “She’s not just a creature.”

  “Of course.” Luther bowed slightly. “Forgive me.” He turned, pointing toward the north side of the mountains. “If you follow the ridge road for about an hour, or two, you’ll find an old quarry. Winds are strong there, and the air pressure fluctuates wildly at dawn. Perfect for testing one’s body under strain. And things are quiet and you won’t have to worry about being interrupted.”

  His tone was casual, but too precise. He gave a shallow bow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Velleigh and I have work to do. Best of luck, Miss Lucia and Mister Keagan. Try not to bite anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”

  He turned, cloak brushing the dirt, and the reaper followed him silently, leaving behind the faint crackle of static and that sickly sweet scent of ozone.

  The arena had quieted as everyone meandered to their homes or an inn. The last of the workers were dragging away hydra remnants and washing away the blood.

  Keagan watched him go. “You think he was serious about that training spot?”

  “I think,” I said, voice low, “that if we follow his advice, we’ll end up very dead, or very missing.”

  The boy frowned. “You don’t know that for sure.”

  I started walking toward the inn. “I don’t need to. Everything that man says drips with hidden meaning. If he told me the sky was blue, I’d check twice before believing it. It’s hard to believe he’s given up on killing the gods, but at least he’s acting like a normal trainer.”

  Keagan jogged to keep up. “Still… the air here really could help your training. Maybe we can find a different ridge? Just not the one he suggested.”

  “That… is very sensible thinking.” I smiled at him. “Well done, kid.”

  We reached the steps leading up to the inn. My tail still ached from the fight with Sereth, but the chill in the air soothed it. The wind carried the bite of snow from higher up the mountain.

  Keagan glanced sideways at me. “You’re sure you’re okay? I mean… after all that?”

  “I’m standing,” I said.

  “Still…” His voice softened. “You scared me in there.”

  I slowed just enough to look at him. “How?”

  He frowned and lowered his head. “I know you said that you were going to stop holding back, but I think… maybe you should hold back just a little bit. Garuuk didn’t deserve that.”

  I sighed. “Oh, that. I kept my attacks to his heads, where I knew he could regenerate. Nothing I did would permanently maim him. The fact the crowd enjoyed it is the part I have the biggest problem with. There wasn’t a hint of remorse from them when I confronted them about it.”

  The boy swallowed hard. “Then why ask them about it? They probably mistook it for an act.”

  “If nobody shows them what they’re doing is wrong, they’ll keep pushing for more and more.” I shook my head. “I’m desentized of violence, but even I know there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. If the crowd gets to the same point that I am, the rules against killing won’t last very long.”

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  Keagan visibly shuddered as he turned away.

  At the door, I stopped and looked back toward the mountains. Luther was walking out towards the mountain path he pointed to earlier.

  I muttered, “He’s planning something. He has to be.”

  Keagan’s voice was quiet as he pushed the door open. “Then we just stay out of his way.”

  “I agree completely.” I turned to walk in. “But he might not make that easy for us.”

  The warmth from the hearth hit like a soft wave. The sound of laughter and mugs clinking cut through the tension in my chest. I exhaled slowly, long and tired. Keagan didn't waste any time getting us a room.

  For the first time, I fell asleep before the boy.

  Wrath Demon Ancestry increases Power and Arcane stat gains and reduces Toughness and Resilience stat gains. Training summary: Power +2, Agility +3, Speed+4, Arcane +2, Toughness +1, Resilience +3

  — — —

  Name: Lucia Silverbreeze

  Species: Fenris (Dire Wolf/???) [Ice Subtype]

  Level 5 [0%]

  Power: 303

  Agility: 199

  Speed: 226

  Arcane: 161

  Toughness: 122

  Resilience: 121

  — — —

  The boy was even up before I was. Kicking his feet off the edge of the bed, he had a sour look on his face. Even his eyes looked heavier.

  I got up clumsily, my body moving a half step behind my body. “You okay, kid? Did you have trouble sleeping?”

  He nodded.

  I waited for more, but he didn't say anything.

  “Nightmares?” I asked. He nodded again. I nuzzled his chest. “It's okay. We can take it easy today.”

  He gently wrapped his arms around my neck and held my head close to his heart. It was beating far too fast for someone just sitting. But as he held me, it slowed down.

  “You know, I used to have nightmares too,” I whispered.

  “You did?” The boy’s cracked. “Did they go away?”

  “Yes.”

  His fingers tangled in my fur more. After his heart slowed a little more, he asked, “How?*

  “Time.” I answered. “I know that's an awful answer. When I was given that answer, it made me angry. But I was a kid younger than you. Trust me, it gets better.”

  “I hear people say time heals all wounds that magic can't. But right now? It…” the boy’s voice trailed off.

  “It doesn't feel like that,” I finished for the boy. “Yeah, I know. Another saying I've heard is, it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. But I'm still struggling with that one, so take it for what it's worth.”

  The boy chuckled. “You, struggle?”

  “It happens,” I said. “I thought I've made it very clear, I'm not perfect.”

  Keagan hugged me tighter. “But you're perfect to me.”

  Those words stung. What do I say to that? It feels cruel to break his happiness. Yet it might be crueller for me to not say anything.

  “Kid, didn't do that to yourself.”

  He let go and gasped. “Do what?”

  I stepped back. “Idolize me. That isn't healthy for you in the long run. If you want to express your love for me, that's fine. I love you as if you're my own child.” Then I hung my head. “But once I'm gone, you have to move on. If I'm your perfect ideal of a monster, others will not match, and you won't see them for who they are.”

  I swallowed hard. “And that's how you turn into someone like Luther.”

  At the mention of Luther, the kid deflated. But I could still hear his heart stay calm.

  Keagan cleared his through and twisted his fingers in the blanket. “You really think I could end up like him?”

  I sighed through my nose. “Not if you keep going like you are. Grief does things to people. It fills your mind with a thick fog, and you walk in circles, telling yourself you are moving forward.”

  He didn’t answer right away. I could hear the small, uneven breath that followed.

  “I don’t want to be like him. But I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

  “You will,” I said softly. “That’s just life, kid. You lose people, you find others, and you lose them too. It’s not fair. It never will be. I have been on both sides of it. So believe me when I say, those who died, want their loved ones to keep living their full lives.”

  He blinked at me, eyes glistening. “You make it sound easy.”

  I huffed a short, humorless laugh. “If it were easy, this part wouldn't hurt so much.”

  We sat there in the quiet that followed. The inn creaked as it warmed under the morning sun, and the smell of old wood and wintergreens drifted faintly through the cracks in the shutters.

  “Lucia,” Keagan said finally, “when you said you loved me like a child, did you really mean that?”

  “Of course I do,” I said, without hesitation. “You may not be mine biologically, but a family that chooses each other can love each other just as much, and sometimes more than one of blood.”

  He smiled weakly, but I could see how fragile it was. “Then promise me something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When you die… don’t do it alone.”

  I blinked, taken aback. “That’s a strange thing to ask.”

  “I mean it,” he said. “If you ever think you’re going to die, I don’t want it to be like you’re disappearing. I want to be there. I want you to know you’re not just… fading away.”

  That's not going to happen. The Judge gave me a job. My existence is far from over or simple.

  I looked away. “Kid, you’re supposed to live long enough to forget me. And that's what I want for you. A long happy life where you always keep finding happiness.”

  “I won’t forget you,” he said firmly. “Even if I live a hundred years.”

  I smiled faintly. “Then I’ll just have to do the same, no matter how many lives I have. Now let's make our time together worth remembering.”

  He reached up and brushed a bit of dust from my muzzle. “You already have.”

  That did it. I leaned in and pressed my head gently against his chest again, letting his heartbeat steady me.

  “Then that’s enough talk of dying for now,” I murmured. “We have more important things to do with our day.”

  Outside, faint sunlight spilled through the cracks in the shutters. The sound of footsteps echoed in the hall as other guests started their day. We'd get there eventually, but there was no reason to rush. The boy needed a hug.

  I was glad to be there to give it to him.

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