—Cassie—

  Cassie paced around the forge, bat resting over her shoulder.

  Xia touched the glowing runes covering the walls. “What’s going on?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is Ben was dead serious.”

  “Serious enough you didn’t argue at all?”

  Cassie pinched the bridge of her nose and sat down. “Yeah. Maybe the element of surprise will be useful.”

  Cassie said, “What’d you and the knight talk about?”

  “Allos? Um, it seemed personal to him.”

  “I respect that. By the way, well done sneaking aboard the truck.”

  “Oh! Ki helped hide me while everyone was distracted.” Xia hopped up and sat on a workbench. “I’m not gonna wait around and pray for your victory like a princess or whatever.”

  Cassie chuckled.

  “Did anyone ask about my magic?” Xia asked.

  “No clue. I didn’t know you could use magic until just now.”

  “Oh.”

  “…Are you going to show it off or what?”

  “I’m not sure I should.” Xia squeezed her hand and grew quiet.

  —

  “Don’t worry Xia, whatever is protecting us won’t let any trace of our presence escape.”

  “Ok, but Ben might not be happy. How about you do me a favor in exchange? I’ll tell you what happened with Allos if I can explain my favor AFTER you agree.”

  “Interesting. Deal.”

  “I’ll start by showing you my ability.” Xia grimaced and created a red, shadowy rat in the palm of her hand. Examining the entity intently, Cassie felt an eerie similarity to creatures she’d dodged while running through the Mugen Mori.

  “How long have you been able to do this?”

  Xia let the rat dissipate and looked away.

  Leaning around and catching Xia’s attention, Cassie said, “Do I look like a blabbermouth to you?”

  “No, It’s just—it’s hard to explain. I only really remember the past year or so with any clarity. My memories are a jumble before that.”

  Xia slid off of the workbench and sat near the fire. She continued, “I spent six months trying to run from these things, but no one wanted to help a grimy, abandoned oni. No one trustworthy, anyway. I eventually holed up in an abandoned train station before getting lucky and meeting Ben.”

  Cassie said, “Damn, you’ve shown real guts making it this far. Can you control your magic now?”

  “Sort of, but Ben’s only trained me to contain this power. He’s definitely hiding something.”

  “I know what that feels like.” Cassie gripped her bat tightly. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Xia’s eyes sparkled with a sudden burst of life. “Thank you! Kossetsu, Ki, and you have all treated me way better than I expected. Ki even said I could join your party—do you think I’d be helpful?”

  “Seems like Ki’s doing a lot of things on her own.”

  “Are you two fighting or something? You two were training a ton, now suddenly you don’t even seem like friends.”

  “I spent a lot of time helping her, and now it’s my turn to improve. That’s it. You can be rivals and still like each other.”

  “O-oh.”

  —

  Xia grew serious again and rubbed her hands together. “Why is everyone rushing to do the Vault? Why only a two-week deadline? I understand wanting to get out and explore, but…”

  “We added a week because of the recovery time everyone will need. It’s not like we are going to try and beat the entire realm at once.”

  Xia put her hands on her hips.

  Cassie smiled and said, “Believe it or not, I originally suggested three weeks. Myrah was the one who negotiated to two weeks. Ki suggested going part of the way on foot to extend the training time.”

  “Sorry, MYRAH negotiated ??”

  “Yeah, not that it matters now. Ki decided to put us on a timetable.”

  Both of them spent some time in reflection; a few minutes later, Cassie stopped in place. “You gave me a great idea.”

  “About Ki, or about the training length?”

  “Neither. About you being helpful!” Cassie grinned. “We’re gonna have some fun!”

  —Benjamin Orthos—

  Ben locked Myrah’s door.

  He gritted his teeth and poured boiling tea over the back of his hand.

  Ben dried his hand, then grabbed his alchemist’s coat, white gloves, and slipped on a wooden bracelet bearing the image of a sparrow. Rummaging through his pockets, Ben put various materials into a plastic water bottle.

  He kept moving while flipping through the imagery provided by his wards. By the time he arrived at the gate, he’d confirmed the two “visitors” didn’t bring backup. The early warning served another use: allowing him to choose a suitable selection from his internal library of poisons and explosives.

  He patted a side pocket in his coat.

  The mist inside the gate cleared, revealing a man and woman wearing gray overcoats draped over their shoulders.

  It felt like a lifetime since they’d met and decided Horizon needed a signature look. Helping his daughter with the enchanting and the back engraving—a sunrise that lit up based on individual auras—was one of his most cherished memories.

  Of course, once Horizon became famous, their unique fashion became standard fare. Their influence carried to SCALE, thanks to the adventurers that joined the new international agency. Unbeknownst to the public, SCALE gave their special agents a unique look of their own by combining the classic trench coat with a double-breasted military jacket.

  Ben rubbed the back of his burnt hand, bringing himself back to the present. He couldn’t afford to get lost in his memories.

  SCALE’s Judges typically wore formal clothing and avoided standing out, but the two young agents in front of him seemed to have missed the memo. The first—a muscular, sun kissed man—wore ripped jeans, heavy boots, and a red athletic shirt that matched his fingerless gloves.

  The man slicked back his shaggy white mullet, revealing diamond studded earrings. “Hey Mr. Orthos. Name’s Samson.”

  Ben shook Samson’s hand, unnerved by the rough feeling of the metal stars sewn onto the agent’s gloves.

  The woman looked into the distance, more focused on speaking into something held against her ear. “Yeah. Yeah… Yeah, we’re here.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  She wore a wrapped top and a red, ankle-length skirt tied off at the waist—the uniform of a shrine priestess. Her adherence to tradition ended at her clothes, though: she had half-blonde, half-pink hair reaching to her shoulders, a spray-on tan, a pack of cigarettes visible inside her overcoat, and a prominent infinity symbol tattooed underneath her right eye.

  She didn’t offer a handshake. “Hi. Erika.”

  “Benjamin.”

  “Ignore her, she’s always like that,” Samson said, trying to put an arm around Ben.

  Ben moved away. “Identification.”

  Samson patted his pockets and frowned. Erika sighed and tossed a badge to Samson, then started fiddling with the glowing device she’d been speaking into.

  Ben said, “I’ve been around a while. I’ll need something more definitive.”

  Samson pulled off his left glove, revealing a sapphire-blue butterfly tattoo.

  Ben eyed the multicolored wings.

  “Serious business, can’t be too careful,” Ben said, stepping aside and leading them into the inn.

  Ben half-listened while continuing his evaluation, more fixated on the phone-like object in Erika’s hand. Manipulating and tapping the screen was intriguing on its own, but the unmistakable feel of an Edge took priority.

  Erika continued to barely acknowledge his presence—until they crossed the inn’s threshold and her screen went black.

  She clicked her tongue and stopped in the entryway. Samson, already on his way to the couches, laughed and cracked his knuckles, sending small bolts of electricity dancing across his hands. “I told you!”

  Ben remained calm despite the tension-filled air.

  “Apologies, but my wards must have reacted by putting a Rule in place. It’s for the best; I have no interest in seeing those special ‘Pacts’ of yours. ”

  “…”

  Unable to handle the silence, Samson sprawled on the couch and gestured at Erika. “Thanks for proving her wrong; she said you were a washed up nobody! I’m actually a big Cipher Dawn fan. It's too bad you guys didn’t stick together.”

  “Indeed. Water?”

  Erika moved behind the couch, arms crossed. She put a stick of gum in her mouth and said, “We’re good.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Samson poured himself a glass of water. “Alright, let’s get down to business. What can you tell us about the Mugen Mori’s reaction to Surtyr losing his shit?”

  Erika sighed again.

  “As far as I can tell, it was a forced Creep reaction,” Ben said.

  Samson crossed his feet on the coffee table. “Can you humor me and elaborate?”

  “As you know, Creep is the outward growth of the forest and the monsters that follow. Even with adventurer shortages, we’ve been able to maintain public security and plan operations ahead of time, thanks to careful observation of the ??[????_???????????????????_????????????????

  Samson interrupted by gargling water before swallowing, prompting him to break out into a coughing fit.

  Erika ignored him and looked at Ben. “You’re humoring him too much. What do you know about Creep ?”

  “The Mugen Mori answers attacks in kind. The simplest explanation is Surtyr’s wide-ranging attacks are powerful enough to trigger the forest’s formidable defense—or revenge—mechanism.”

  Samson cleared his throat and poured more water. “It’s normal for the Mugen Mori to send out lots of monsters.”

  “Correct, but we haven’t seen a Creep reaction of that caliber since the war, nor have we had such trouble applying quest ratings to the waves of monsters.”

  “And do you have an explanation to offer us?” Erika tapped her foot impatiently.

  “I need to consult my friends at the Association and Council before I speculate further. If you put in a request, I’m sure they’ll be happy to collaborate.

  Samson snorted. “I’m sure.”

  ———

  After twenty minutes of Ben giving vague and obvious information, the Judges were ready to leave. Cracking his neck as he stood, Samson said, “Why’d it have to be a fucking Six-Star AND one of the three Calamities?”

  Ben made sure his wooden bracelet was within finger-reach and showed Samson and Erika out. “Are you two from around here?”

  Samson said, “I’ve always wanted to say this: it's classified. I think it's only fair, since we didn’t ask why you abandoned the Western Babyl AA.”

  “Hm. ”

  After the Judges crossed through the outer gate, Samson saluted Ben and slunk away. Meanwhile, Erika blew a bubble with her gum and turned to Ben. “You by yourself, old man?”

  “I see the occasional adventurer. I believe Ms. Yeong was planning on stopping by today.”

  Ben continued, “Shall I report that SCALE and [????_???????????????????_???????????????? [????_???????????????????_????????????_???????????????????_??????????????

  “For now,” Erika said, playing with her hair and tapping at her phone.

  She scanned the courtyard one more time and left without a word.

  Once the two special agents were well outside of ward range, Ben walked to the forge.

  —Ki—

  The cool spring wind was gone. Ki shook her head and continued beside the rough path, taking advantage of the cushioning effect of the grass.

  Stopping to survey the area, she said to herself, “Still seeing occasional groups of trees. I guess one more road to cut across?”

  Ki hated to stop ten minutes before reaching the motel, but she was at her limit after leaving in a huff. She took the blanket insulating her backpack and laid it in the shade of a prominent evergreen tree.

  felt warm when compared to a day and a half ago.

  She took her jacket off and let her skin breathe, hoping she’d cool off before the aches worsened.

  She closed her eyes. “Fey, you there?”

  No response.

  During the past week and prior to the ent fight, Ki had relentlessly practiced water imagery and could now physically her current state of mind. In fact, she’d gotten the hang of calming the imaginary waters when others were around, and had even come close to freezing the waters when alone. After experimenting with the imagery and (limited) practice, she’d thought the only side effects of her magic were dampened emotions and cold air radiating from her body.

  Definitely dangerous, but manageable.

  Unfortunately, when Ki surpassed her limits and froze the lake to fire an all-out attack, she solved one problem at the cost of creating two more. For one, the lake’s ice refused to completely break, which blunted her emotions and made her a walking icebox. The second, even more concerning problem was her entire encounter with Song.

  Ki squeezed her eyes and let the light hallucinations dance in front of her. The lake started to come into view, but was quickly obscured by a raging blizzard. Attempts to peer through the snow failed, thanks to the bitter cold keeping a vice grip on her focus.

  Her ears rang from angry waves slamming into cracked sheets of shallow ice.

  An avalanche descended from a distant mountain she’d never seen before.

  Vision, sight, touch—

  Ki forced her eyes open, breaking the frost forming on her eyelashes.

  She laid down and tried to recover from a spell of dizziness.

  Ki’s heart only ached in response.

  She reached out to grab a leaf.

  Gravel crackled behind her, and a voice said, “That tree’s actually—”

  “AH—!” Ki instinctively shielded her face with her hands.

  Heart beating like a drum, she lowered her barrier and found Kossetsu in front of her, wearing his normal mask and heavy, snow-white jacket.

  “—dangerous.” he laughed nervously and said, “um, I didn’t stalk you or anything! I was just on my way back and felt your energy.”

  Ki leaned back. “Sorry Kossetsu, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Can I join you for a minute?”

  “Yeah. Apologies for no usable blanket.”

  “All good!” Kossetsu laid his jacket on the ground. “Ko is fine too, by the way. Whatever feels more personal.”

  Birds chirped in the distance, and a light wind brushed against their faces. Kossetsu took his mask off and laid down, letting out a satisfied sigh. “I love being outside, how about you?”

  “I’m fifty-fifty. Depends on my mood. What was that about the tree?”

  Kossetsu shot upward and looked in her direction, his cloudy eyes wide open. “This is a yew tree, which means it’s incredibly poisonous. Even eating a little could kill someone. You really shouldn’t touch it, either.”

  “O—”

  “But yew trees aren’t just cool-looking and poisonous! They’re great for furniture, instruments, and weapons like longbows. What's more, their bark has healing properties used in the creation of cancer drugs. Their berries can be useful for potions, too. Maybe it’s a risk-reward type of thing?”

  Kossetsu laid back down. “U-uh, so yeah.”

  They sat in silence a while longer and enjoyed the rays of sunshine piercing the shade. Eventually, Ki forced a half-smile and said, “Don’t be embarrassed; having passion is a great thing.”

  Kossetsu absent-mindedly traced along one of his tattoos. “You know, I just told Xia the same thing the other day. Sorry if this is out of line, but that also applies to you.”

  He added, “All I’m saying is you stood up for us, no one judges you for that. I thought it was really brave!”

  “I lost control and went too far.”

  Kossetsu scratched his head, then put his mask on and sat up. “I think I understand what you’re feeling. I’d like to tell you about where I was.”

  “Were you at the motel instead of the camp?”

  Kossetsu reeled back. “Was it that obvious?”

  “I didn’t see everyone’s reaction, but at the very least I could tell you needed to be alone for a while. I don’t know why, but the motel seemed like a prime spot.”

  “Well thanks for trusting me… I’m sorry, I’m sure you’d like to be alone too, but there’s something you should know. I’ve been hanging on to this for a while. If I’m being real, it's a big reason we haven't really talked alone. I’ll understand if you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate my friends, Ko.”

  Kossetsu took a deep breath, “So, I ran into this creature…”

  ———

  Ki let Kossetsu talk without interruption. His story was in complete agreement with Fey’s—aside from one aspect.

  “What did you mean about your magic calming down when you’re around me?”

  “It’s normally hard to control when I overuse it. Even in a neutral state, I constantly feel like I’ve just run a mile… But when I’m around you, I feel like I can breathe again.”

  The echoes of crashing waves were finally silenced.

  Ki said, “You don’t have to share more than you want to. I’ll trust Fey had a good reason to not mention it.”

  Kossetsu smiled. “I hope you know you can talk to me, if you want.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Myrah is another great option. She’s a great listener,” Kossetsu said.

  “I definitely get that vibe from her. I’d love to talk to Fey, but I haven’t been in contact since I received my weapon.”

  “I thought I caught a glimpse of something forming in your hand before. Where is it, anyway?”

  “Now that you mention it, I honestly didn’t know I could summon it like that. Maybe I broke it by not fully summoning it.”

  She turned away.

  “Cassie can store and summon things with Hidden Inventory, right?” Kossetsu mimed swinging a baseball bat. “Can she help out at all?”

  “Good question.”

  “…So when I said Myrah is a great person to talk to, I meant for situations like this as well! She has a lot of experience, is a mage, and won’t judge. You don’t HAVE to say anything, though. I haven’t told anyone else about Fey.”

  Ki blinked.

  “Hey, Ko, I’m sorry. I’ve been feeling off and have been act—”

  Ki’s apology was cut short by Aidan and an oddly familiar woman exiting the treeline. Aidan’s voice boomed, “And then I was able to finish it off with the stored energy!”

  He waved to Ki and Kossetsu. “You were right, Ame!”

  Normally, Ki would have been annoyed that both her sulking AND personal conversation had been interrupted, but the regal-yet-approachable woman next to Aidan captured her complete attention.

  Wheatish skin and feathered wings, elongated ears, and a metal sparrow hair clip.

  Barefoot yet unbruised.

  The indescribable feel of a .

  Ki was meeting her idol: Amelia Yeong, six-star adventurer.