“Yeah, I thought I could check them out first. I was just curious…”

  “Curious? Have you found your answers?” Leon asked. “Don’t tell me,” he said, changing his mind before she could even respond.

  “Don’t worry, Leon. There’s something,” Azeya said. “His presence—it’s got this heavy feeling. The girl fought almost half-out, while Ben...” Azeya trailed off, still rolling her shoulder joints.

  “Don’t spoil it for me; I’ll check it out for myself,” Leon said. “And for precaution, let me do this. It will show me if what Ryke said was entirely true.” He added this while rolling three rings off his fingers.

  The air shifted from a breeze to a stifling warmth. The grass began to surrender its moisture, drying up slowly and turning from a healthy green to a dark, shrinking brown. The air surrounding him began to shimmer like heat reflecting off a summer road.

  “Now, Ben and Sky, how about we have ourselves a good meeting?” Leon said, walking past the trees Azeya had been punched through.

  “I don’t think so,” an unfamiliar voice said to Leon.

  “Kaein, I presume. Hard to miss, based on all the things I’ve heard,” Leon replied. He looked straight at Kaein, who now stood as a barrier between him and Ben and Sky.

  “I thought the rings could show more, not just a reaction from something weak like the environment,” Kaein said, glancing up at the full moon. “I’m disappointed, even if it was just three rin—”

  “Disappointed? Please. Let me show you what true limiters do once they’re off,” Leon interrupted. His next step ignited a ten-foot display of pyrotechnics, flames erupting the moment his foot touched the ground.

  The air around Leon grew violent. The shimmer intensified from a simple road-heat effect to the distorted haze of desert sands at midday, when the sun reaches its peak. “And I’ve heard you are quite quick,” Leon noted.

  “It’s simple: just don’t blink,” Kaein said. Leon smirked and blinked anyway; the next thing he felt was a violent wind whipping his hair into a frenzy, as if he were standing in the heart of a blizzard.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not one to find pride in being protected, but it seems like Azeya wants a fight. Isn’t that right?” Leon said. Kaein’s punch had been stopped dead by Azeya’s hand, the violent wind a mere byproduct of the interception.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “If I weren’t perhaps a future necessity for you, I would have fought you. But tonight, it’s best my spirit doesn’t fracture Azeya—or worse,” Kaein replied, retracting his hand.

  “No, that doesn’t work. We need a good discussion; you did, after all, let Sky and Ben slip away,” Leon said. His pupils lit up with a small, flickering flame. “And this is Veilwood, after all.”

  .........

  “Ryke, seems like we’ve finally met,” Rheis said, panting hard while her knees trembled.

  “Who are you?” Ryke asked. “And how did you get in here?” He stood up from the sofa, hollow manifesting.

  “Come on, Hollow. Are you truly going to kill me? Are you sure that’s advisable?” Rheis said, smiling as she looked at him.

  “What do you mean come on hollow, how do you even know that name” Ryke asked. “And how did you enter?” he added , closing the distance between them.

  “That’s easy. I watched you fight Ben, just as I watched you react to him when you first saw him—completely from the shadows,” Rheis said, taking a seat. “I’m sorry, but if you knew how fast… oh, I almost forgot. Yes, I followed you here. The rest was less of an issue.”

  " You look at me as if they are more of us. What's it you keep on starring at?" Ryke asked.

  “You truly are a tragic paradox,” Rheis said, still smiling.

  “Stop talking about things I don’t understand. Either explain, or else,” Ryke threatened.

  “Hollow… it certainly likes the name,” Rheis began. “Okay then. Before you call Veryn, Sherlyn, and Neyra, I’ll tell you this: You think your sword or the dagger you named Hollow is just some magical thing you call at will. You are wrong." Rheis started, looking around again. "We are special—just like everyone else, but unlike everyone else.” She took a deep breath.

  “That’s why I need you to call them. I can’t explain the same things more than once; it’s tiring,” Rheis said. “And just in case you're wondering, I’m not here to mentor you. Damn it, I’m being mentored myself. But I am here to tell you things you can’t see yet, or sense yet.” she added, looking at the nice living room, the magic lamps lighting it up.

  ..........

  “Hey, is that fire in Veilwood?” a guard asked, seated near the gates and pointing at the smoke in the air.

  “Seems so. But that’s not our problem. Best we let them handle it themselves,” the other replied. They watched multiple plumes of smoke rise as the flames atop the burnt trees became visible.

  “I have entertained you, but this night will be long, so it’s best I leave,” Kaein said, standing a short distance from Azeya and Leon.

  “Let’s remove the abilities and fight. That would make it worth it,” Leon challenged, blood flowing from his nose.

  “I’ve got plenty to do, but don't worry—one day we will fight,” Kaein replied. “And get her to a strong healer. She was moving at some crazy speeds.” Kaein turned around, his clothes half-charred. He looked at his right hand; it was badly burnt. 'He gripped my hand,' he thought, before vanishing.

  Azeya collapsed, gasping for air as her body shivered and trembled violently.

  “Don’t force yourself, especially on the first day,” Leon said, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lifted her up; she was still shaking vigorously, and blood began to leak from her nose and ears.

  “Hold on, Azeya. One last speed-up,” Leon said, kissing her forehead before vanishing. Behind them, the battlefield was a graveyard of broken burning trees and scorched earth.

  .........

  While the confrontation was happening, Varok made his way toward the barrier. Immediately after the Tork interrogation went sideways, he had been visited by four magicians.

  “Varok, the job is tonight. Here is the sword; use it to kill the girl. If you miss tonight, it will have to wait for the next moon,” one said.

  “And such a full moon is hard to come by,” another added in a female voice.

  “Miss tonight, and you won’t have to worry about the money. We can’t kill the girl, but we can certainly kill you,” the third threatened.

  The last one on the far right approached and stretched out his hands. His palms glowed green, and Varok’s wounds were healed.

  'I thought they would wear black coats, but I was wrong. They just covered their faces while wearing normal clothes,' Varok thought, recalling the meeting.

  “Dakota!” Varok shouted. “Sorry, little girl, but it's time to meet Mom and Dad.” He swiped diagonally through the air with the gifted sword, then placed his hand against the barrier.

  “Why not give me that from the beginning?” Varok muttered as he stepped through the breach.