A breeze swept into the small village of Sononcoly. Usually active in the afternoon, silence filled the small roads as the cool summer air carried caution everywhere. The settlement appeared more like a ghost town with very scarce foot traffic.

  Even the pastures were devoid of any cattle, them and the strong odors they exuded held back indoors.

  One person on the road wasted no time with their travel, seemingly unburdened by the large buckets in each hand.

  They briskly walked to their destination when over the hills in the distance, a blast commanded their attention.

  After the briefest of looks at the dust and smoke, they hauled it to shelter with widened eyes and a complete disregard for any spill.

  Though a minor village entirely populated by Yerps, it was off in the mountains where the town received its fame.

  The site of a decisive battle between Sentar’i many years ago, it now hosted a new engagement. One that involved many in cloaks.

  At the base of a large mountain, the Cosondera guided their eyes upon the destructive force that busted out.

  A clash already ensued inside the many cave networks as the Black Nails skirmished within, conceivably unaware of enemy reinforcements outside.

  In front of the reserves stood the imposing Axerick. The red cloaked Cosondere turned back to his associates in blue and black.

  Anxiety hovered over them as they gave the Deraviv their eyes and ears.

  “Remember who we are,” he told them with a raised fist. “We have the experience, the coordination, and the skills. Most of all, we have the advantage. This is exactly why the Cosondera exist and today, we’re going to remind everyone.”

  An assortment of Tyrovivs and Neravivs were present (including rarity of rarities: Neravivs in masks).

  In attendance was Ythan as well as Onyl and Conon, but no Quin. Also in attendance were the Shanli Menders.

  The soul artists in green and white arrayed themselves next to the Cosondera and shared a similar anxiety. The older women among their ranks blended it with a display of stoic calm.

  The young ladies however, conveyed a look of reservation and apprehension. Their eyes and lips moved restlessly as they tried to keep a composed appearance.

  “All of us,” Axerick stated. “Every single one of us, Cosondere and Shanli alike, have trained for this moment. Today, we will earn our titles.”

  An explosion filled the air above them all. A family of rocks flew down to the base. Everyone stepped back to avoid the debris. They retreated no further.

  Axerick simply gave the cue with a nod. In an instant, the Cosondera leaped up the mountain and charged into their destinies.

  Despite the massive cloak presence, plenty of Tyrovivs roamed far from the battlefield. Tyrovivs like Quin who couldn’t be any closer to yet further from the action.

  Just outside of Comi, he stood off the road on top of a small boulder. He figured fewer people would bother him than if he sat down.

  Nearly two weeks with his new team, it already became his former team. A list of factors played in his head.

  From the start, Quin repeatedly put himself on his boss’ bad side. Perhaps time would have helped mellow the relationship between himself and Ythan.

  If that was his hope, then they were dashed after the multiple occasions when he delayed the mission.

  Quin knew about the Neraviv’s efforts to redeem himself. How good would it do the blue cloak to have an underling hold him back and hinder that goal again and again?

  Onyl and Conon had been more than helpful to Quin, the latter from the very start. Surely, they were hopeful to find a proper teammate to aid them.

  Instead they received a barely trained Tyroviv who had to learn on the go. How much longer would they be willing to carry him?

  That led to what Quin considered to be the biggest factor for his ouster, his lack of experience.

  Quin learned much since he stood out and not just about life as a Cosondere, but about being a Sentar’i. That said, most of his lessons had been learned the hard way.

  From his lack of knowledge to his lack of skills, Quin despite his efforts had been a liability. All of that culminated with his worst offense, his inability to save Yach.

  Granted, he realized his circumstances were definitely unique compared to the average Cosondere.

  He had no control over the abrupt end of his training in the Pit. He had no say in the team he’d eventually joined.

  He could have however done more to avoid this outcome. In the end, Quin ended up in his predicament because of himself and his decisions (or indecisions).

  If anything, it should be a wonder that he still had a place among the Cosondera, though he might be on borrowed time at this point.

  Quin gave the sky the brunt of his frustrations with a long shout. His mask muffled much of the noise.

  Even as a liability, he could have done things differently. Small things that could have bought him more time to figure out his job.

  Had this all happened a month ago, Quin wouldn’t have put much thought into it. After all, he was still a Sentar’i and he never dreamed to be a Cosondere to begin with.

  But in that month from his dealings with Wordy, to his meetings with Fyful, to his interactions with other Yerps, Quin articulated a goal that deeply resonated with him.

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  He wanted to change Sentar’i perception and regard toward Yerps. He wanted to see more of what happened the prior night, with the two peoples in collaboration with one another. It shouldn’t require a disaster to force them to cooperate.

  To that end, he knew he couldn’t do it alone. He had the Aerviv himself on his side, but that meant nothing if everyone else stayed away.

  The cloak wearing folks had a lot of lateral in this world, even more with a higher rank. If Quin wanted to use the full resources available to them, then at the very least he had to show his reliability.

  The breeze increased. Leaves brushed up with each other. A calm and cozy feeling surrounded Quin as he seated himself.

  It felt as if the wind embraced him, as if it reassured him that everything would work itself out. He lifted his mask to fully take in the tranquil air.

  It would lead to a bad impression if Quin’s associates found him unreliable and eventually, they’d cast an ill-regard towards him.

  Even before he stood out, he knew the Cosondera could make life difficult for Sentar’i and Yerp alike depending on their mood. Of course that would extend to their own ranks, especially the lower ranks.

  No matter how much he committed to his goals, nobody would take him seriously if his peers treated him unfavorably.

  Quin needed them on his side, not just his teammates and captain, but the Cosondera in general.

  Otherwise, the path to his dreams would turn into a road more arduous, onerous, and downright impossible to navigate.

  His thoughts went back to the time he was kidnapped by an unstable Sentar’i. Quin saw firsthand what ill-regard could do to a person and their mindset.

  The lengths that person went just to get back in the good graces of his fellow Sentar’i. That person desired to be better, willing to risk it all to achieve it.

  But whereas that man believed he could do so with indiscriminate slayings of Yerps, Quin knew the real way to achieve that is with proof of his skill, merit, and mettle.

  In a warrior world, that meant one thing: Victory against his opponents.

  He stood atop the boulder again, his eyes zeroed in on the mountains in the distance. An about face pointed his eyes toward Comi’s towers in the horizon.

  Quin stood at the crossroads. For a few seconds, he pondered over his next choice.

  The breeze returned.

  The mobile air approached from Comi through the trees and up to Quin’s face. Not a distraction nor a displeasure, Quin nonetheless felt compelled to turn away.

  The wind felt cozy again as he looked on at the heights, then it came to him. The wind had given him a sign.

  Ever since he stood out, Quin became much more attuned and aligned with the natural currents. His mind repeatedly told him it had to do with his wind arts, but now it became clearer than ever.

  As it continued to flow up to the mountains, Quin’s doubts and concerns subsided. Both an external and internal force told him to move and gave him a direction to go.

  With or without the Cosondera, Quin’s dreams would remain dreams until he proved himself and won his fights. The time for thoughts were over and the time for action was at hand.

  He placed his mask down and returned to the road with a leap.

  He moved forward but not to Comi and onward back home. Instead, the towers shrunk further behind him as he raced toward the mountains.

  This move directly violated the order Ythan gave him but since Quin currently had no team, that also meant no captain.

  In a state of flux, he could take advantage of the moment to act independently. That was the reasoning he gave himself as the heights took up more of his vision.

  As he sprinted closer and closer, stones and hills replaced the greens. More Tyrovivs popped in and out of his view.

  None of them seemed inclined to stop him as they might have misinterpreted his rush as a delivery of urgent news.

  In a way, it kind of reminded him of his courier days and the relentless dashes he made to get from destination to destination.

  This destination however, was much different and carried a much graver risk. It started to creep into Quin’s head that more would be on the line than perceptions of him.

  The job of a Cosondere always came with danger, but this upcoming clash had a very real chance of certain death.

  Anxiety coursed through Quin’s body. He remembered the twinge in his heart after it sank when he realized he wasn’t strong enough.

  The feeling of helplessness as his opponent broke his spirit and body. That feeling loomed as he neared the mountains, but something else traveled within him.

  Alongside the anxiety came a drive and purpose. Quin had enough with being carried by others. He had enough of the perceptions of being some weak link.

  For the sake of his goals, dreams, and self-assuredness, he intended to charge into danger and prove his worth. That, or he would die trying.

  Explosive blasts took over his consciousness. Crumbling rocks appeared on both sides of his vision. In between, cloaked figures who zipped up down and all around.

  Quin had arrived at Sononcoly.

  Up on a nearby hill, he had an elevated look at his colleagues and allies. The scene slowed down as he saw people who rushed in and people who were rushed out.

  The Shanli worked on both friend and foe as they tended to lines of people out on cots.

  A number of his associates laid uncloaked and bandaged up, some covered in red. He saw others covered over completely, their affiliation irrelevant at the moment.

  At the center of it all stood Axerick. Whereas everyone who wasn’t horizontal moved with a purpose, he stayed in place like a statue. The lone Deraviv kept his sights at the mass of stone before him, seemingly undaunted by the chaos all around him.

  Quin breathed through his mask at an accelerated pace. He felt back into his cloak as he hoped to find something useful in his possession. All he had were the purple sandals.

  Unattended in the past few days, crinkles and dirt appeared on each side of both as they started to fray at the seams. At this point, Quin would have to start all over with a new pair.

  Despite their undoing, they had survived the journey with him. From his days as a cobbler to his days as a Cosondere.

  From Sirqu to Lysonick, Odlassi and even all the way past Comi, they somehow remained in Quin’s possession.

  Both product and creator faced uncertainty and hard breaks. Moments where it seemed like all would be lost, yet here they both were, roughed up but still in one piece.

  Quin’s breaths settled as fear and anxiety took a backseat to resolve and determination.

  As long as he had a breath in his body, these sandals would find their intended owner someday. If that day were to come, he would have to pass this trial like all the others before it.

  Quin placed the sandals back in his cloak as he assessed the scene one last time. Doubts fully gone, he had to contend with one issue.

  Unattached to a team, he really had no business being there.

  Perhaps he could just run in, he thought, but what if someone stopped him, he wondered. Maybe he could slip in unnoticed, he mulled, but what if…

  The time for what ifs were over. Quin had made up his mind, all he needed to do was make it work. He took one look at the imposing Axerick, then in a blink, he sprung down right next to the Deraviv.

  With stern and direct eye contact, Quin blurted, “Sir! Awaiting your next order!”

  At first, the red cloak appeared nonplussed to see some random Tyroviv approach and speak to him at a moment like this. His face scrunched in anger, but his eyes looked lost.

  Then, Axerick’s eyes picked up on the white hair and recognized it from earlier. His muddled expression became more miffed.

  The Deraviv snapped an arm out to the mountain ahead and barked, “GET IN THERE!”

  That was all Quin needed to hear.

  In an instant, he vaulted off the ground and up the mountain, officially a participant in the battle.

  Quin wasn’t sure what would happen if he ran into Ythan, but he’ll cross that bridge when it’s presented.

  Hopefully, based on his performance today, he might be able get away with his disobedience and could perhaps even be forgiven. Quin could only hope as he approached one of the cave openings.

  His mind wandered off one last time. He thought about Conon and Onyl and all they’ve done for him up to now.

  Then his mind went to Tris and Mia and how upset the former would be that he couldn’t join the battle while Quin could.

  All the Yerps he’s seen and interacted with in his journey appeared in his head too, including the servants he met in the Pit, the historians, and of course the late Yach.

  Images of his sister popped into his head too. Quin would hate himself if he never saw her again. Even more than that though, he wanted one more chance to see the woman he loved.

  He felt back at the sandals and closed his eyes. As Aesther’s smile greeted him in his head, a warm comfort filled his heart.

  Quin opened his eyes and took one final breath. As ready as he’ll ever be, he bolted inside the cave and charged into his destiny.