The earth beneath my feet and the air around me trembled, threatening to tear apart. I was a volcano, waiting to explode and destroy everything in its path.

  As my feet lifted from the ground, the wooden shack, along with all its cloth walls, exploded outwards in every direction. A feeling of freedom washed over me; I could feel it clearly… I was floating above the ground, hanging in the air like an almighty god. I was all-powerful, yet at the same time helpless, because my entire being yearned to unleash this monstrous force—to destroy this world and plunge everything into the deepest darkness.

  But the one thing that held me back was the knowledge that such an act of destruction would only desecrate the small being at my feet, whether she was dead or alive.

  My beloved Pip lay before me… defiled… broken… gone.

  The memories played again: the first time I lost her, the hellish pain that broke my heart and threw me into an endless darkness. Only the grace of a deity had brought us to this world together. We hadn't even been here for six months, and now I was going to lose her a second time? If my heart would simply shatter and this nightmare would end, then at least the pain would stop.

  This world, these gods… I hated them for their cruelty. But most of all, I hated myself. Even with all the blessings, gifts, skills, and whatever else, I had failed once again to protect my little angel.

  Unable to bear the sight of the horror before me any longer, I closed my eyes. Pip certainly wouldn't have wanted me to endanger innocents, let alone hurt or kill them…

  The screams of the people, the rushing of the wind, the shaking of the ground, and the pleading of the woman below me roared in my ears, everything blurring into a cacophony.

  But in all the chaos, I heard one word clearly. "Bulwark…"

  Shocked, I tore my eyes open, but my vision was drenched in a red film. I desperately tried to blink away the blood, and when I could finally see clearly, a translucent blue sphere was forming around me. Panicked, I searched for the man responsible.

  Lord Augustus Rockford… the most powerful mage in Aegis, stood only a few meters away. Behind him was an elite unit of mages, melee fighters, and archers, every single one of them looking like an absolute master of their field.

  And facing them was a 12-year-old boy.

  Raising his arm, Lord Rockford pointed to a spot behind me. His voice barked, "Get the woman, the child, and that cat."

  I watched as the unit split up and ran, but as they entered the effective range of my gravity magic, they slowed dramatically. The air filled with the clang of steel as some fell heavily to the ground, their armor groaning under the immense pressure. Cries of pain and strained grunts followed as they fought just to stay on their feet.

  My gaze snapped back to Pip's broken form. When I saw someone approaching her, I lost control.

  Something uncontrollable broke loose inside me. Like a ruptured dam, a torrent of raw, unadulterated power surged forth, threatening to drown everything in its path.

  I watched as the blue veil around me shattered, revealing the dark night sky with a high-pitched, crystalline clang.

  Like a rabid animal, my head snapped towards the Archmage. Lord Rockford's eyes widened in shock as a murmur went through the crowd. "H-he shattered Lord Rockford's barrier?! IMPOSSIBLE!"

  But I didn't give a damn about any of that. A raw, almost animalistic roar tore from my throat.

  "DON'T YOU DARE DEFILE HER REMAINS!”

  The range of my magic doubled. Huts collapsed, people were pressed to the ground. Pained screams filled the air and, at the edge of my perception, I could hear panicked cries like, "Please have mercy!" or "Mamaaaaa, don't hurt my mama!"

  My gaze wandered over the destruction and the people who, with worried and frightened faces, tried to free their loved ones from my magic’s crushing field. But ultimately, my gaze remained fixed on Pip, and the rage swallowed me again.

  “SH-SHE IS…" but my voice failed, and I could only sob with infinite sorrow, "…all I ever had…"

  I couldn't bear the sight any longer. From the corner of my eye, I saw the woman who owned the hut crawl with great effort towards the injured boy. When she finally reached him, she lay protectively over his body but looked up at me, her face red with exertion, blood running from her lips, her eyes full of tears.

  "MY BROTHER IS ALL I HAVE, AND THAT'S ONLY THANKS TO YOUR CAT! HE WAS ABOUT TO DIE, BUT SHE HEALED HIM EVERY DAY. JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SLUMS. I, AND MANY OTHERS, OWE YOUR CAT EVERYTHING. SO I'M BEGGING YOU… PLEASE, DON'T LET THE LEGACY OF THE WELL OF SOLACE HAVE BEEN FOR NOTHING!" she screamed against the roaring tremor.

  Her words pushed back the blinding, impotent rage just enough for a sliver of rationality to return.

  I looked around in disbelief. I had heard that the slums had changed miraculously, and Pip was the cause of it all? The people looked at me with fear, while some looked towards Pip and prayed.

  A morbid laugh escaped my throat as I roared back at them, "Well of Solace?! BUT SHE IS MY WELL OF SOLACE—NO MORE!"

  The eyes of the woman protecting her brother filled with shame, and she lowered her gaze powerlessly. I searched the eyes of the people standing around, but they all avoided my look. All but one.

  Lord Rockford.

  With his piercing, glowing eyes, he looked deep inside me. "Grim… please… you have to stop this… Pip… she is not dead… I can feel her soul. She is still here… with us," he said gently, and his eyes did not deceive… in them was a shimmer of trust and confidence.

  Pip… is alive?

  My head was a black hole in which those words echoed, silencing the roar of my magic.

  The crushing weight vanished instantly. Unnoticed, my feet made contact with the ground again. Lost in a daze, I staggered towards Pip's lifeless form, and the people in my path scrambled to get out of my way, a tide of fear parting before a force they didn't understand.

  Step by step, I went on, until I passed the young woman, who was now clutching her unconscious brother even tighter. I paid her no attention and fell powerlessly to my knees before Pip.

  Trembling, I stretched out my hand and laid it gently on her fur. It was matted, covered in mud, dust, and blood… but it was warm.

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  My eyes shot around wildly and filled with tears that ran hot and sticky down my cheeks. "She… is alive…" I sobbed, broken.

  Carefully, my hands slid under her head and her lifeless body. Lifting her with the utmost care, I held her against my chest and gently pressed my head against hers. Countless drops landed on her fur. I wept, I sobbed… I wailed. I was so infinitely sad, but also so infinitely grateful; so desperate, but also so hopeful. I was in a state of absolute extremes, with no sense of time or space, for I closed my perception to everything that was not Pip.

  A warm hand on my shoulder brought me back to the present.

  "Grim… let's not waste any time. Come with me to the Arcane Sanctum, so we can examine Pip and help her as quickly as possible, please…" I heard the powerful and, above all, kind mage speak beside me.

  My gaze wandered up to him, and with tear-filled eyes, I sobbed, "L-Lord Rockford… I'm so incredibly sorry. I'm so sorry for what I've done to these people, and so unjustly…"

  Lord Rockford just shook his head and assured me, "You have given many people a great fright, you have damaged a part of the city, and worst of all, you have destroyed people's homes. But you know as well as I do," and with that, his gaze fell on the young woman and her brother, "that our home is with our family and does not reside in an object. Houses can be rebuilt, and your time to atone will come. But for now, let us attend to Pip."

  With tears in my eyes, I gratefully nodded to the great mage and somehow scrambled to my feet.

  Lord Rockford spoke a few words to his subordinates, and they promptly dispersed. Two men came with a stretcher and laid it next to the injured boy. The woman lying protectively on top of him released him with a heavy heart so he could be moved onto it. Pushing herself up with all her strength, she watched with an exhausted and sad expression as the boy was carried away.

  Carefully and uncertainly, I took a few steps towards her. My steps were wobbly, and for Pip's sake, I tried not to stumble and fall on her.

  The young woman looked at me reluctantly, her expression unreadable. A huge lump formed in my throat, which I swallowed hard. "M-my name is Grim, and I want to humbly apologize for my actions. Words fail me, and honestly, I lack the strength to say how sorry I am for all of this, and that I want to do everything I can to make it right."

  With a worried, furrowed brow, she looked at the ground and then said quietly, "If I had your power, Grim, I probably would have reacted the same way if it had been about Ivo, my brother."

  Her gaze lifted to me, her eyes shining with determination. "Your cat, The Well of Solace—saved the people of the slums. She gave many of us not just another day, but a real chance at a better life, and no one here will forget that. But now I have to take care of my brother. So go, and take good care of your cat. When she is better, you will come back, and we will close this tragic story."

  After that, she paused briefly and gave an unreadable nod. She disappeared with shaky legs into the darkness of the slums and behind me, I heard footsteps moving away and the voice of a familiar drunkard slurring, "I'm getting too old for this shit…"

  Exhausted, I turned around and saw Lord Rockford standing directly in front of me. In his hands, he held something that looked like a pair of medieval handcuffs, adorned with glowing runes.

  Tiredly, I glanced from the handcuffs to Lord Rockford. The obsidian tip of his staff glowed briefly, and with a soft pop, a floating, translucent blue object that could be mistaken for a cat carrier appeared.

  "Grim," Lord Rockford said, his tone serious but not unkind. "I must ask you to wear these handcuffs, for your protection and ours, until this matter has calmed down and been clarified. Please place Pip in the construct; it will transport her safely."

  Understanding dawned on me—the blue box was a magical stasis carrier, the safest way to move her. Too exhausted to protest, even if I had wanted to, I just gave a weak nod and placed Pip as carefully as I could into the carrier. I could only hope that Lord Rockford was telling the truth and that they could help her.

  Dejectedly, I stretched my arms forward, and the manacles snapped shut promptly. The magic in my hands was sealed away. I looked down at my hands and felt the mana not flowing into them, but damming up before the cuffs. These shackles apparently blocked mana, and for good reason.

  But I said nothing and looked up again. Lord Rockford just gave a curt nod and turned around. The flying carrier with Pip followed him silently as I trudged along behind. The people we passed looked at me, some with disgust, some with astonishment. A queasy feeling grew in my stomach. I felt like a criminal… like a terrorist.

  The walk to the Arcane Sanctum flew by, my thoughts solely on Pip. Only when we arrived in a room and Lord Rockford carefully lifted Pip from the carrier onto a fine wooden table was I present again.

  I blinked away the brain fog, seeing we were in a simply furnished room with a few desks, chairs, and shelves filled with books, various apparatuses, and plants. In front of the wooden table where Pip lay, stood Lord Rockford and an older lady with gray hair whom I didn't know. She had fine glasses on the bridge of her nose and calm, intelligent eyes.

  "Grim, this is Lady Elara. The best healer in Aegis. She will take care of Pip," Lord Rockford explained in a gentle voice. But the woman? She didn't spare me a glance, her gaze resting solely on my poor little Pip, her expression focused and intense.

  I looked at her intently. The best healer in Aegis? If anyone could help Pip, it would be her… but how could I possibly pay for this? She surely only attends to the royal family or high-ranking officials. Why is Lord Rockford doing this for me? I looked at him questioningly, but his gaze remained on Lady Elara, who circled the table with practiced eyes, examining Pip from every angle.

  At some point, she stopped, and a silver light shone from her fingertips. The light traced the outline of Pip’s still form before fading away. She rubbed her hands thoughtfully, her brow furrowed, and finally, she let out a heavy sigh.

  Nervously, I wrung my hands and swallowed hard. "Is she… is she gone?"

  With an unreadable expression, she stepped away from the table and gazed into the distance. Taking off her glasses, she cleaned them on the hem of her robe. "No. Not in the way you mean. There is no decay. No departure of the soul. I detected a faint, cyclical hum of mana within her. But…"

  Unsure of what that meant, I stammered, "But what? Please, help her!"

  Lady Elara raised a calming hand and then put her glasses back on. She looked at me intently before explaining, "Her heart is not beating. She is not breathing. By all physical definitions, her body has ceased to function. And yet, she does not perish. I have only read of this phenomenon in the most ancient of manuscripts, so I cannot even say with certainty if it is truly what it appears to be."

  Confused, I furrowed my brow and started to speak, but no words came out as my gaze shifted to Lord Rockford, who was studying Pip with a cryptic look. "Wh-what's wrong with her?" I finally managed to ask.

  Meanwhile, Lady Elara returned to the table and followed the Archmage's gaze. After thinking for a moment, she explained, "Imagine an intricate clock, one that runs not on gears of brass, but on channels of pure mana. Her body… her very life force… is that mechanism. She exerted herself so completely that she didn't just let the spring unwind; the entire mechanism has seized.”

  The more this woman explained, the less I understood the gravity of the situation. “Seized? Can't we just… give her more mana then?" I asked, wide-eyed with childish naivety.

  Lady Elara observed me for a moment, then Pip, before continuing, “That's the crux of it. A normal body would have simply… perished. But hers, being so deeply magical, did something else to protect itself from utter destruction. It initiated a perfect, perpetual stasis. Every magical channel, every vital process, is frozen in an unbreakable state. She is, for all intents and purposes, locked. The ancient books call it an Aetherial Lock."

  Aetherial Lock? A cold shiver ran down my spine. That sounded damn serious. My hope took a nosedive, and my thoughts drifted until I heard Lord Rockford's voice.

  "Locked? So… she's trapped? Will she ever wake up on her own?"

  Lady Elara just stared at the ceiling and exhaled thoughtfully. "Not on her own. No. The lock is too perfect. We can sustain her in this state, keep the faint mana signature stable indefinitely… but we cannot break it. It is beyond our ability to simply 'push' more mana into a system that has so completely sealed itself."

  My head drooped, and tears once again filled my eyes. Why was my life always so hopeless? Why were Pip and I always confronted with insurmountable obstacles?

  But Lady Elara's voice sounded cautiously, "There is… a theory. A legend, really. A theoretical counter-agent. To restart a seized watermill you don't just need a few drops of water. You need a torrent. A powerful jolt of pure, untamed life force. An ingredient so potent with the essence of rebirth that it can shatter the stasis on a fundamental level."

  Lord Rockford's eyes widened in surprise. Apparently, he had never heard of it. Lady Elara said it's probably just a legend, I thought. But I've crossed worlds to be reunited with Pip, so I certainly won't be stopped by a mere legend.

  Gathering all my courage, I asked, "What is it called, and how do I get it?"

  The old healer looked at me intently, her expression serious. "I don't want to give you too much hope. This ingredient may not exist, and even if it does, that doesn't mean it will work. But… the ancient texts refer to it as the Phoenix Ember Root."