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

  He read the three lines of text a few times. Each time, his heart sank further at the last line. “What does that even mean?” He cried out in frustration. Isn’t a duel against a profaned knight bloody enough?

  “It worked!” Laura ran up to him. “Look!” She pointed at the symbol, still faintly pulsing in tandem with his heartbeat. Her excited smile slowly faded as she saw his expression. “What’s wrong?”

  He began to shake his head and motioned to swipe the system window away, but something stopped him. Why am I hiding this?

  “Oh.” Laura read the text floating in the box. Her eyebrows rose sharply. “This doesn’t change much, does it?” Noticing his questioning gaze, she continued. “The heavenly host probably had their eyes on us since we came here. Not to mention the whole duel situation.”

  She has a point.

  “Stop worry about that for a minute.” Snapping her fingers to pull his attention away from the system window, she tapped the back of her own hand almost aggressively. “How’s your mana situation?”

  Yeah. I need to focus on the task at hand. One problem at a time. He touched the back of his hand, revealing his mana.

  Blue spread around him, stretching much farther than it did before. Three small clouds floated freely in the mana pool, crimson. Luna, Sol, and Cinder. They were so small compared to before.

  “I’d say that solves your most immediate problem.” The relief in her voice was palpable. She placed her hand on her chest and breathed out a quiet sigh. A faint smile settled on her lips.

  Alaric stared at the blue around him. It was a lot. With just one simple thing, he had gained more than many of the system’s rewards had given him.

  “There isn’t a chance of you using some powerful spell to end the fight immediately, is there?” Half joking, there was still a hint of hope in her voice.

  “I’ll need to see if I can cast anything at all first.” He admitted. His chest tightened. What if I can’t? Despite all this mana… a knot formed in his throat. If only he could cast spells as easily and instinctively as Victoria.

  Then again, she simply can’t learn new things either… Or won’t.

  “Good idea.” Laura pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ears, then rolled her sleeves. “I’ll help the others now. You needn’t worry about us.”

  “Sol and Luna will stay with you.” He hesitated for a moment. “Laura, thank you. I wouldn’t have even thought to try this tree.” He gently tapped his knuckles on the tree bark. “This,” he continued, gesturing towards the vast blue spread around him. “It’s all thanks to you.”

  The older woman’s lips curled up with a smile. The creases around her mouth and eyes deepened. “I’m glad I was able to help someone.” Her voice was bitter and mellow. “I should get to work now.” She turned around and left to join the others in a hurry, leaving Alaric behind.

  He glanced at the tree one last time. What’s your story? He put his glove back on and jogged back to Castle Lorne. There was much work to do, and time was running out. Less than two months left.

  The courtyard was lively as the Robert and Jason had just returned from their hunt. Two deer and half a dozen pheasants had been neatly placed on the ground. Lochlan and Jason were preparing to carry them to the kitchen When Alaric stepped through the half open gates.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Ah, just the person I wanted to speak with!” Robert laughed. “A word, young lad?”

  He glanced at Lochlan and Jason. “Sure, just give me a second please.” He quickly approached the two young men. “When they’ve got some time, make sure Ava, Victoria, and Clara come see me, alright?”

  Both of them nodded. “What’s going on?” Jason’s eyebrows rose sharply. “Your expression’s telling me you’ve got some good news.”

  Alaric couldn’t hide his smile. “Laura’s idea worked. I’ve started building the nexus.”

  Lochlan let out a sigh of relief. “Bloody finally – you’ve got enough mana now?” Seeing Alaric nod again, he smiled. “I’ll fetch them as soon as I can.”

  Not wanting to keep the older hunter waiting, Alaric rushed after the man. They climbed up the stairs leading to the top of the wall. Robert leaned against the parapets, nodding towards the tall structure looming over them in the distance. “That’s the least of our worries now.” He shrugged. “I know you’ll beat the duel – you should think about what to do after that.”

  Alaric glanced at him with disbelief. “Robert, I’m not even sure how I’ll survive the duel.”

  The older man shrugged again. “Take the knight.”

  I can’t. He hesitated before repeating that out loud. “But putting that aside, what are you worried about?” There had to be a reason for the hunter’s sudden request to talk.

  “Charles filled me in on what the necromancer told you. More survivors to the east.” He gestured towards the mountain range behind Castle Dorwan. “Behind those mountains. So our and Martin’s groups weren’t the only ones left.”

  Alaric nodded. “Yeah. And they’re protected. There are probably more of them. Or at least… they’re not as beat up as us.” I hope, at least.

  Robert let out a troubled sigh. His brows were furrowed, his cracked lips a thin line. he rubbed his scratched up hands together as if he was cold. “Or not. How long do you recon the necromancer can keep them safe? How long before they need to be able to defend themselves?” he pointed down at the courtyard. The first group of gatherers were returning to drop off the contents of their baskets and drink some water before going back out there to scavenge for more food.

  “How long before we need to defend ourselves?”

  I can’t worry about that right now. He shook his head. “I agree. But that’s something you need to speak with Charles about.”

  Robert shot him an annoyed glance. “That lad is as useless as a wet towel in a fight.”

  “I don’t care about how well he fights. People need time to train and get stronger. And Charles is working the schedules.” Some basic training would indeed do wonders, though they didn’t have anyone to teach them. And even if they did, everyone was exhausted at the end of the day anyways. Things would become easier once the waterway was completed, but until then no one had much time to spare, if any at all.

  “I’m well aware who manages what, lad. And you’re well aware what I think about Charles.” Robert grumbled.

  “I get it. You still need to have a chat with him, not me.”

  “He’s no good leader.”

  “He’s trying.”

  “Is he?” Robert shot him an annoyed glance. “Since we came here, he never once left the castle. Once. Didn’t step foot outside. Is he really trying? Or is he just hiding behind everyone else?”

  Alaric parted his lips only to find no words. Did he really never leave? His forehead scrunched up.

  “Even Harriet left to help Laura and the others.” Robert folded his arms. “The woman is eighty years old.”

  “I know.”

  “So no, I don’t think he’s trying. I think he’s terrified. I think he thought he was dead when the Witch’s monsters grabbed him, and I think he never recovered. And I think,” he paused, lowering his voice and glancing around. “I think he’s not fit to lead.”

  Well, what the bloody hell are you expecting me to do? He suppressed the growing annoyance. “Robert, I understand your concerns.” He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “But I need to focus on my own survival for once. Just until this duel is over.”

  The hunter reeled back in surprise. “You-“

  “Listen,” Alaric cut him off. “I know you don’t see eye to eye with Charles. Neither do I. But we’re still people – not animals. You can talk to him about your worries and try to find solutions to them. It’s not as black and white as you make it out to be.”

  “Fine.” Robert huffed.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence on the duel,” Alaric continued with a forced smile. “But I’m not any stronger than I was yesterday. I need to focus on that. Once that’s over though, I’ll help make sure people are prepared to defend themselves.”

  Robert’s left eyebrow raised sharply. “I hope we have the time to wait, lad.”

  “I doubt the Profaned Legion will risk anything before the duel.” It’s supposed to be an execution anyways. They know I don’t stand a chance as I am.

  He refused to accept that and die.

  “Fine. I’ll do some thinking in the meantime.” Robert grumbled, not even bothering to hide his displeasure.

  Alaric waited for him to leave before letting a sigh of relief. Charles wasn’t a problem right now. The man was aggressive and overbearing, sure. He tried to control every decision, but his goal was, in the end, to keep everyone safe.

  He just needs to be calmer about it.

  Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, he also went back inside to hide from the biting wind. His steps took him to the witch’s study. It was time to see just how much of a difference the Core Nexus had made.