Upon their return, they held a small meeting with all the others. Sarah’s eyes glimmered upon hearing the news, while Charles’s expression kept growing darker and unhappier. Once the briefing was complete, most people left. Clara went to help Harriet, while Jason and his friends left to help with the waterway. Ava, Charles and Sarah were the last three people who remained, along with Alaric.

  “Why didn’t you use your mark on the necromancer?” Charles’ words startled everyone.

  “Excuse me?” Ava asked wide eyed, while Sarah’s smile shattered. “Charles, it’s a person.” While her voice was kind – a reminder – her gaze turned cold as ice.

  “I’m out of mana, remember?” Alaric touched the back of his hand, revealing his mana pool. Only one quarter of it was still blue. “That’s the exact problem I went there to solve. And it seems he gave us the way to do it. Why would I use it on him?”

  “He could have been a powerful ally.”

  “He is a powerful acquaintance.” Ava’s voice grew louder. “And a person. And probably more powerful than all of us combined. Brother, we came back with invaluable knowledge. Why are you unhappy?”

  “You know exactly why. The Mark of Command was a promise of a great army that would protect our people. Yet it’s once again the people who are constantly sent out.”

  “It comes with limits, Charles. And no one got even a scratch this time. And they even made friend, dare I say. Now, calm down and focus on the task at hand – we need to help Alaric build a Core Nexus.” Sarah’s words ended the discussion there, as she pulled him out of the room.

  ***

  Dusk arrived along with the thick, otherworldly fog. The wolves’ howls broke the silence of the night. Stars glimmered in the sky above.

  Alaric looked up in awe. He hadn’t really paid attention to the sky until now. Not unless he was trying to figure out how much time he had left before dawn or dusk. Now that he watched the surprisingly clear sky, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

  He could see part of the milky way stretch along the night sky. Millions of stars, so very far away. Now that there was no large city nearby, no lights to drown out the faraway glimmer of stars, he could see them. He felt small and insignificant.

  Footsteps approached from behind, prompting him to sit up. A cool breeze sent a shiver down his spine. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to lay on the bare stones of the castle walls. He looked back over his shoulder to see Laura sheepishly stand a dozen steps away, by the door.

  She was white as a sheet of paper, her eyes fixed on the ground. She was constantly rubbing her left palm with her right thumb and was biting her lip.

  “Laura?” He asked as he quickly got up on his feet. “What happened? Is something wrong?”

  The woman flinched. “Martin said I’d find you here.” She took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. Had we not been late that day – when the knight challenged you… maybe it wouldn’t have happened. It’s all our fault. I said we had a bit more time, but then Cristie sprained her ankle and couldn’t walk at all…” She blurted the words out, not stopping even for a breath as she quickly tried to explain. Her gaze never left the ground. Her nails dug into her left palm.

  Oh. He hadn’t gotten the chance to speak with Laura since that incident. He’d been busy, and she was always outside, gathering food. She must have been feeling guilty since then.

  “..and I couldn’t carry her, so I had to find Angelica-“

  “Laura,” He spoke softly, but she still flinched. “It’s not your fault.”

  They would have found a way to challenge me, nonetheless.

  “But if we weren’t late-“

  “They would have called out from below the walls. Or found some other way. This is all a cruel test made for the gods.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  She clenched her fists. “But-“

  “Laura, please.” He cut her off. “It’s not your fault. But if it will make you feel better, I’ll take all the help I can get. Martin must have told you about the Nexus. If you can think of anything I can use-“

  Her eyes shot wide open, and she finally looked at him. “I have an idea. Um… that’s part of why I wanted to speak to you. Can you come with us tomorrow? I want to show you something.”

  “With you?” He hesitated. “Won’t you be gathering food?”

  “Yes, close to the place I want to show you. Please.”

  I don’t have much time left. Yet, he couldn’t say no. He’d only seen Laura so sure of herself a few times. He was inclined to trust her. “Sure. When do we leave?”

  A faint smile of relief touched her lips. “As soon as dawn breaks.”

  He checked in with Martin on the progress of the waterway, then with Sarah and Harriet on their food situation before making his way back to his room. Sol and Luna were already on the large bed, taking up most of it. He somehow managed to squeeze in between them.

  As dawn broke, the group left Castle Lorne. Led by Laura, and accompanied by Victoria and Sarah, the group consisted of those incapable of other tasks. Young children, people too old or unwell to work on the waterway, and a few people to protect them.

  Laura led the group through the forest. It was as green and vibrant as ever, despite the grim, cloudy sky. After a dozen or so minutes of walking, Laura called out to the group to scatter and look for food. Victoria helped them locate some harder to find plants with her magic, while Sarah kept an eye out for any beasts or monsters that would try and approach the group.

  “Come with me please.” Laura pointed north and led him around half a dozen or so berry bushes. The forest opened up to a large clearing carpeted with moss and clover. At the very centre of it was the gigantic tree they’d seen before, on one of the first days they went out to scavenge for food.

  “I visited this place with Martin a few days before the incident.” Laura explained as she made her way across the clearing and stopped a few steps away from the tree. “Look,” She knelt down, and pushed a few intertwined roots aside, revealing a dirty granite slab. “This place has history. The only thing I don’t know is whether you can turn the tree into your Nexus. It’s a living thing, so…” her voice faded.

  He knelt next to her and touched the marble slab. It was old. It’s surface had been corroded beyond repair. Whatever was once carved into it had been lost to time long ago. Cracks ran along the surface. “It is old. Very old.” Older than Castle Lorne. Older than Castle Dorwan.

  He turned his gaze from the marble slab to the tree. It had a dark brown bark, tinted crimson in places. Its branches spread above the entire clearing, creating a thick canopy of large, green leaves. It was both beautiful and ancient. Its roots must have spread far below, and all across the clearing.

  I don’t know if I can use the tree. But the structure below should work, at the very least.

  “Let’s give it a try then.” He stood up, then paused. “Uh, I don’t have a knife.” He gestured at the scabbard hanging from his waist. The knight’s flaming blade was obviously not a good choice – he didn’t want to burn the whole forest down.

  “I do.” She said with a smile and pulled out a small but sturdy knife. “I found it in the armoury. Sarah said it was a worker’s knife.”

  Alaric gripped the bone handle with ease. “You should all be armed.” He wasn’t sure if the other gatherers were armed, but a small knife like this wasn’t enough for self-defence. “I’ll see what I can do about that when we get back.”

  “None of us are fighters.”

  “Neither am I.” He bluntly replied as he walked over the roots and stopped right in front of the tree trunk. “We all just rise to meet whatever challenge comes our way.” It just happens to be a bloody duel this time around.

  With careful motions, he started carving the symbol the necromancer taught him into the tree. The bark was hard and difficult to cut into. It took him a while to finish, and when he did, he stepped back and looked at his handiwork for a few seconds. Then, he pulled out his notebook and compared the carving to the sketch he made yesterday.

  It’s the same. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

  With a deep breath, he brought the knife’s edge close to his palm, then cut with a swift motion. The sudden pain made him flinch.

  Laura gasped, then quickly covered her mouth.

  Clara can heal this. He dipped his fingers in blood, then drew over the carving carefully. He winced a couple of times as his fingertips touched the fresh wound.

  Why the hell do we need blood for every damn spell? He cursed internally, finished his work, and wrapped a piece of torn cloth around his palm to stem the bleeding. Now what?

  He hesitated, then touched the back of his hand to reveal his mana pool. Nothing changed. His shoulders dropped in disappointment.

  “It didn’t work?” Laura sheepishly asked. “Is it because it’s a tree? A living thing?” She rubbed her thumb against her palm. “I’m sorry. I was hoping it would work despite that. Since you have the mark and all…”

  Alaric’s head jerked towards her. “Oh!” He exclaimed. He hadn’t thought of that. “The mark!” Maybe? It was worth a try. His heart beating fast, he removed his glove and rested his right palm against the tree, over the bloody symbol he carved.

  The back of his hand felt hot, though it didn’t hurt. The symbol turned a bright crimson, pulsing in tandem with his heartbeat.

  The world spun around him for a second. He heard a faint sound, and a blue box formed near the edge of his vision. He closed his eyes for a few moments before turning his gaze towards the box.

  YOU HAVE FORMED A CORE NEXUS

  YOU HAVE DRAWN THE GAZE OF MANY GODS AND DEMONS

  YOU HAVE DRAWN THE GAZE OF THE HEAVENLY HOST