Kamsa stepped into a long, dark tunnel filled with unfamiliar faces. Most walked faster than her, and the narrow, compacted line of people never stopped moving. She wasn’t aware when she started walking, but she did know that she had been doing it for quite some time. She had no idea where she was going, and while she felt uncomfortable, she wasn’t scared. Somehow, she felt more alive than she ever had before.

  The line slowed as it reached its exit and curved out from the long tunnel, and Kamsa emerged into a white world lit from seemingly nowhere. She looked down at her hands and saw how clean they were. Her wounds had disappeared, and her clothes had been replaced by a white robe that reached down to her ankles. Looking around, she saw that she was picking up a few looks—probably because of her unusual silvery hair.

  She poked her head out and looked back. The line behind her was full of Aurrian Guardsmen. Hundreds of them. Hold wasn’t used to such a heavy influx from Aurra’s side. The line would no doubt be slower than normal for some time. There were also soldiers ahead, but the people closest to her didn’t seem to be part of the Guard.

  The soldiers were easy to pick out. Most were scared, some angry. The ones that had come after her were especially terrified of something. She couldn’t quite believe it—had Garder really done something to all of them? How did he manage to kill so many people in such a short space of time? The thought of what he had gone through saddened her. She couldn’t be there to help him get past whatever he was experiencing right now.

  She then looked away from the long, curving line, and out to the crowds far off in the distance, forming a horizon of sorts amid the bright yet abyssal world. There was a large clump of moving white fabric and faces some ways back—the people who had come from Earth and were waiting to be judged, or had been already and were just waiting to leave Hold and be reborn. Kamsa swallowed and trembled as the thought of truly being alive came to her for the first time. Soon, she’d be living on Earth.

  Right? She wasn’t sure. She was different, and something could go wrong. She wished that she could talk to someone, but the people who were helping others in Hold were more concerned with keeping the line moving, and not answering questions or speaking directly to anyone. She knew that it was because in everyone else’s case, they had done this already. But she had yet to live a single full life, and now felt like a scared child separated from their parents. No one seemed to be here to help her.

  She looked through the line, trying to spot anyone that might be able to simply tell her what was going on—even if she already had a clear idea. She spotted someone familiar far ahead, where the line curved again and headed to the tunnel on the other side. It was Jeryn, his height making him stand out. Kamsa couldn’t fight back the impulse, and within seconds of seeing him, she ran out from her position and began calling out.

  “Jeryn! Sir Jeryn!”

  “Hey!” a man in line shouted. “You can’t do that! Get back here!”

  Jeryn turned around, and after seeing Kamsa running towards him, he suddenly took off just as she had. They met in the middle, where they made quite a sight. Nearly everyone in the line was looking at them, though they were too far away for them to hear a word they were saying.

  “Oh, Kamsa… they got you too, huh?”

  “It was Trinqit…” she murmured. “But I’m okay, I think.”

  “What about Garder?”

  Kamsa gave the back of the line a quick look. “I don’t see him. I hope he’s okay. I… probably made him sad. But I wanted to—I mean, I…”

  “You wanted this?”

  “Maybe… Not that I would’ve sought it out, but I just thought that it was the right time… We were surrounded by Guardsmen, and…”

  “Look at all those soldiers that came after you,” Jeryn observed. “God damn… Look at that, Kamsa. There’s a whole regiment there, one after another. You can tell. I wonder what Garder did.”

  “I don’t know. But, yes, there are so many people here. I’ve never seen so many in one place before.”

  “This? This is nothing. About six hundred come through an hour. From the Earth side, it’s more in the range of six thousand an hour.”

  “Oh, my… There must be so many people there…”

  “Yes, far more than the number in Aurra. I hope you like it there, Kamsa. But it’s completely random where you’ll be born. I’m hoping for anywhere in Europe myself. It’s been a while since I’ve lived there. Oh, and there’s also a chance that you’ll switch genders and be a boy instead.”

  “Europe? That’s… an Earth continent, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s—”

  “Excuse me!” one of the uniformed Hold workers said sharply as she marched up to the two. “You can’t be here! Get back in line at once!”

  “It’s okay, we’re—”

  Not letting Jeryn get a word out, she continued, “Sir, miss—I’m going to need you to get back in line right away. If you stay here, you will cause problems for everyone behind you.”

  “Will you just—”

  “Failure to abide by Hold’s rules will result in harsh penalties the next time you are here. I highly suggest that you—”

  “Just shut up, okay?!” Jeryn yelled angrily. “Give us a damn minute, would you? We’re pretorians, for God sake.”

  “Oh… I’m—I’m sorry, I had no idea…”

  “We’ll go back in line shortly. You have my word.”

  “I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

  “Are you okay, Kamsa?” Jeryn asked after she left.

  “What happens now?” she wondered.

  “All you can hope for here is that you get a nice family and live a long, happy life. The rest is out of your control.”

  “Will I really have that chance? Even though I’m a clone?”

  “I don’t think that matters. You’re here now, and I think that should be enough proof that you’re a real, living person, Kamsa.”

  “How… how did you end up here?”

  “I gave my life defeating Palar.”

  “Sir Palar, as well?” She looked back near Jeryn’s place in line.

  He stood out right away. Kamsa averted her gaze and hid behind Jeryn before he saw her. She could see how angry he was, and wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to somehow force his way out of Hold a second time.

  Jeryn looked down at her and continued, “I wasn’t betraying my friends—you have to know that. I was trying to go after Drides, and I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger… That’s all.”

  “Do you think… our friends will be okay, without us?”

  “I have no regrets. They won’t stop fighting just because of us.”

  “I hope not.”

  “I wasn’t sure, but I think I might’ve seen Breen ahead of me. Of course, I don’t think I’d recognize him if he looked like a healthier person again. But if it was him, he certainly didn’t look happy, either.”

  “Four pretorians in a day… It’s probably never happened before.”

  “Kamsa?”

  “Yes?”

  “Would you like me to walk you out? I’ll stay with you until the end, if you want.”

  “Oh, please, would you? All of this seems so unfamiliar.”

  “I know. I was nervous the first time I came through here, too.”

  “This isn’t what I expected Hold to look like…”

  “No one knows what to expect the first time they walk the tunnels. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it on your return trip. Sometimes, you can be here for weeks before anyone even meets with you. From this side, we go straight to Earth. It’s just this line that keeps us here for a little bit.”

  She took his hand, and they walked side by side to the front of the line. Kamsa looked at the others in a simple attempt to understand them.

  “When I come here again, will I look like one of them?” she asked. “I want to. I want to be my own person next time…”

  “Of course. You come here as a ‘perfected’ version of the body you just left.”

  “So… I’m about to have an actual life, then… on Earth…”

  “I see no reason why you wouldn’t.”

  “Will I ever see Garder again? And the others?”

  “Eventually. Everyone sees everyone again eventually.”

  Kamsa held onto Jeryn’s hand more tightly as they entered the tunnel connecting to Earth.

  “Just keep walking,” he said. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

  “Don’t let go.”

  “I won’t, I’ve got you.”

  “Thank you, Jeryn…”

  They continued down the tunnel until there was no longer a need to step forward. They separated at the last moment, both entering the slumber that came before starting over. Their worries vanished.

  Drides said nothing at first as he looked over at Trinqit and Viveri. They looked back, and waited. Both of them had been changed by the recent events. With the pretorian arm of the Guard in tatters, the two appeared lost and confused as to what to do next. Drides tapped his fingers on the throne made of cold stone and sighed deeply.

  “Well. Let’s thank Lontonkon, for another failed attempt. It seems that his new army did not match my expectations in any regard, and now I’m down to half my men. Truly, an unfit commander.”

  “I’m sorry…” Trinqit muttered. “The situation was out of my—”

  “I don’t care. This is all on the king. Sure, I enjoy being contacted at the last possible moment from a man I haven’t seen in a month, requesting the services of my loyalists for an all-out attack. To think I actually thought it’d work for a second… Honestly, I’m glad it failed. Maybe he’ll stop being so damn stupid. He doesn’t even know what’s really going on.”

  “Jenera, please tell me…” Viveri spoke up. “Did you deal with Kamsa… Did you put her through any pain?”

  “No,” she lied. “Clean, quick, painless. Didn’t even know what hit her. I did it that way out of respect for her—and you.”

  “And then you say, quote, ‘Garder went crazy.’ Do you mind elaborating?” Drides asked smugly. “How did that boy manage to completely wipe out a battalion? I am curious.”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps we simply underestimated him. Kamsa must’ve taught him a variety of forbidden techniques.”

  “Right. I’m sure that explains everything.”

  “I… I don’t know what else to say, sir.”

  “What are we going to do?” Viveri asked. “It’ll take time to replace the pretorian league. We can’t rush into decisions, given current events.”

  “Leave that to the two of us,” Drides replied. “We’ll be sure to find suitable replacements. Kamsa failed us, Breen could’ve keeled over any moment, and Palar was a power-hungry psychopath. We have a clean slate now, a chance to do better. And this time, I won’t let the king choose for me. I wish to surpass him and this pathetic new army of his.”

  An alarm went off, and a red lamp above a door off to the side lit up. The room beyond it contained one of the island’s two fibrocators, and it now held an expected visitor. Lontonkon himself, with councilor Delqua at his side, walked into the dark chamber. No one said anything for several seconds. The king seemed almost embarrassed to speak, but when he finally did, it was without remorse.

  “I did not expect this,” he mumbled.

  “Oh, Lontonkon,” Drides greeted him curtly. “Hello. It’s been some time. I’m glad to see that you’re well.”

  “I don’t have time for cynicism,” he replied. “Plans have changed.”

  “Have they now? I don’t know how much I can do for you, I’m afraid. As you can see, there are only three of us left.”

  “Show some respect, you ungrateful—” Delqua began, but was cut off by his superior.

  “Councilman, there is nothing you need to say. No need to rise the tensions further between our friend Drides here. I only came to this old place to tell you that I’m reassigning you.”

  “What is it this time?” Drides sighed. “I thought you had everything under control, my king. You gave Milla’s group access to the suppression device, hoping that it’d allow you to attack the Administration. But then the rebels turn out to be a problem after all, and you’ve diverted your attention to them when you might’ve succeeded in your original mission. So, again, what is it this time? I’d really like to know.”

  “While I detest your tone, your words are not untrue. I did not expect such irritating rabble to make this much progress… I thought that the lower unit of my new Guard would be enough to take on City I. I don’t have the time to attack again—so I don’t believe that we can stop Rivia from coming through by this point. Instead, I want to turn my focus onto dealing with something that will no doubt come up in the future.”

  “Lower unit, huh? Then you’ve got something better than that showing after all?”

  “The new lower unit of the Guard was the high of the old. My bleeding edge line of battalions are almost ready for mobilization. Nothing, and I mean nothing can match them. You have my word on that.”

  “You still fear me, Lontonkon… I can tell. Why else do you let me speak to you in such a way?”

  Delqua looked up to the king with a blank stare as he replied, “I still respect you and your abilities. I have since the day I took you in.”

  “I am not your son.”

  “But you’re still close to one. I do not like making demands of you, but I have one more. Perhaps the last. I… don’t think anymore will be necessary after this. I want you to resume your search for Eden’s Burrow.”

  Trinqit and Viveri froze in place, not even moving to take a breath.

  “Eden’s Burrow… so we’re back to that again, eh?”

  “If you find it before they do, we’ll end this movement before a real war starts. Nothing would be in our way. The Administration will be ours.”

  “The dreams of a foolish old man. This path is not how Aurra should be changed.”

  “How dare you, Drides. After all I’ve done for you—”

  “My ideas would be easier to accomplish, and yet you won’t even give them a chance. You’re too scattered; you’re trying too many things at once. There’s a thousand ways to bring about the revolution we want, but if you’re the one to bring it about, you need to focus on one idea at a time.”

  “You are out of line!” Delqua snapped. “Have you no respect—”

  The king sighed. “Delqua, enough. Drides, your ideas… scare me.”

  Drides glared at the councilman, thinking about how enjoyable it would be it open up his eye patch and tear him in two.

  “But my king, why don’t you defend yourself?” Delqua asked.

  “Because he is correct. I should focus on one part of our countermovement at a time. But perhaps I am only exploring my options, and perhaps this remains the wisest course of action for now. Drides, do two things for me, and there will be nothing left in our way. We can take as much time as we require to reach our larger goals. Destroy Eden’s Burrow and bring me the demon child. Leave everything else to me.”

  “Very well. I’ll criticize you as necessary, but I won’t disobey.”

  “And, only for you, I’ll settle for that. Delqua, come.”

  Drides watched as the king and his newest sniveling “sidekick” turned around and returned to the fibrocator. After they were gone, he sat back in his borrowed throne, leaned over on his arm, and sighed deeply.

  “Sir Drides, what about City I?” Viveri questioned.

  “What about it?”

  “By this point, they can’t have much military strength left.”

  “Lontonkon no longer seems to care about it.”

  “Yes, but with your power, we could take it. N-no doubt.”

  “Possibly. But I’d be exposing my full strength to Lontonkon. I have never done that before, and I don’t want to yet.”

  “You’re planning to kill him, aren’t you?” Trinqit said.

  “Yes, eventually. But I will only kill him when he tries to kill me first. When that time arrives, I will know he is no longer… useful to me.”

  “What happens now?”

  Drides thought for some time in silence. The heavy rain could be heard battering the steel walls outside. Finally, he stood up, stretched a bit, and came up with a response.

  “I think it’s time we paid the Original One a visit.”

  “Now? And you know where he… it is?”

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

  “You’re not the ones I’m bringing, so don’t worry yourselves.”

  “Sir? What do you mean?”

  “I believe it’s time for some diplomacy.”

  Garder steadily came to a numb consciousness inside a warm, familiar place. Pain riddled his body, and it became a struggle to bear it. He could hear a fire burning in the next room, light discussions, and a lulled conversation over one of Tess’ dinners. He turned his head to see that the bedroom door was opened just a crack, letting a thin glow of light permeate an otherwise pitch-black room.

  He tried to clear his mind, but it felt like he had come down with a fever. He couldn’t concentrate on anything, and he couldn’t calm or slow down the thoughts that constantly drilled through his head. Kamsa was gone, and he somehow wiped out an entire battalion—that was all he could process. Milla came in after some time, and when she noticed that Garder was finally awake, she walked up to him and took a seat on the bedside.

  “Oh, Garder… We were so worried about you.”

  He coughed. “Why?”

  “What do you mean why? You could’ve died, for real this time.”

  “Doesn’t sound like such a bad idea anymore…”

  “Don’t say that. Is… is this about Kamsa? She died, didn’t she…?”

  “Trinqit did it,” he stated with a frozen expression. “Shot a vector beam through her. As much mercy as what we were giving to that army…”

  “I’m so sorry…”

  “I—I can’t look you in the face right now, Milla…” He clutched the covers tightly and turned around in bed. “I couldn’t get Jeryn back for you. I tried, but… I just couldn’t.”

  “It’s okay. It really is.”

  “No, it’s not. I let you down again. You have no reason to forgive me. All I do is screw up. I don’t take anything seriously enough.”

  Milla swallowed, took a deep breath, and prepared for what had to be said next. “Garder, Jeryn is… he sacrificed himself to defeat Palar.”

  After a few seconds, Garder very slowly turned around in bed again, but still couldn’t look his sister in the eye.

  “I don’t know why he did it. He was acting odd, and then he just rushed off to… I think he had other plans, but Palar confronted him.”

  Garder didn’t know what to say. When the initial shock of the news left him, he thought about whether or not to tell Milla the truth. He already knew that he didn’t have the strength for it, and maybe it no longer mattered. Maybe not telling her was the only way he could still help him.

  “I can’t believe it…” he murmured. “Of all the people—Jeryn?”

  “I know. He was the strongest of all of us.”

  “So… Jeryn and Kamsa… both gone…”

  “But there is some good news. Simon defeated Breen. And of course, City I was saved, and…”

  “Who else died?”

  “What?”

  “Pip? Verim? I don’t know, maybe even Temki or Lechi? Killing children isn’t beneath those bastards…”

  “Garder, please, stop saying these things. It’s not like you at all. And no one else died… other than some of the local rebels. The rest of us are still here. Dak got hurt—that’s the extent of it. What’s wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong is that I’m still a joke. The only reason I’m on this mission with you is because we’re… you know, siblings. I don’t compare to you at all. Even Xavier and Lechi have probably been more useful than me. Why did Jeryn… It should’ve been me. I’d make that trade for you.”

  Her patience running out, Milla replied angrily, “I would slap you right now if you weren’t hurt already. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, would you? I know nothing’s happened to that resolve of yours. Stop acting like this, because without Jeryn, it’s time to show some leadership—technically, you surpass me at the moment. And you have more value than just that.”

  Garder silently stared at his bed covers. Milla may have been angry with him, but at the same time, she understood his feelings. She also felt obligated to comfort him, and just seconds after she had nearly shouted, she was hugging him tightly for the first time since she could remember.

  “I’m so glad you’re alive. You have no idea how much we worried about you. We’re your friends and family. You can’t turn our backs on us.”

  “I’m sorry,” he replied with a cough and hid his tears with the blanket. “It’s just… I really wanted to do something right for once…”

  Milla stood and recovered some composure. “We have a lot to talk about. You’ve been asleep for a day now. Simon’s even been withholding some news in hopes that you were there to hear it with the rest of us.”

  “I’m sorry… I want to get out of bed, but I’m in a lot of pain.”

  “Right. Um, I’ll get Kyler. She’s been the closest thing to a medic that we’ve had here. And she can tell you what we know at this point.”

  “Yeah. Okay…”

  Milla left, returning with Kyler moments later.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Like hell, to be honest. Heard Dak took a hit.”

  “He’ll pull through. It’s you I’m much more concerned about.”

  “It’s about your alchemagi flow and biorhythm,” Milla added from Kyler’s side.

  “Right. Physically, you’re okay aside from overworked and maybe bruised muscles. But that’s not that we’re worried about; a trip to Hold’s kingdom and back wouldn’t fix what’s worrisome about you.”

  “Just as well,” he sighed and sat up in bed as much as he could. “I don’t exactly like the idea of going there to get rid of a scratch, anyway.”

  “Well, a few scratches are definitely not the problem here.”

  Kyler and Milla looked at one another, whispered a few words, and then separated. Kyler came up to Garder’s bedside with her arms crossed. He could tell that she was about to tell him something quite serious—not that it surprised him, considering what he had just been through.

  “I’m not sure how to say this, but your internal readings aren’t far removed from Rayna’s. I’m not as talented as Kamsa was at reading this kind of thing, but I can at least tell that it’s a trait you share with her.”

  “The demon? Are you telling me that the demon is part of me?”

  “We can’t be sure. Did you ever have anything… odd happen to you concerning this creature?”

  “Yes… Back in C, it looked at me in the eyes and kind of… separated me from everything else for a moment.”

  “I see. We know about your alchestone. Did it activate in battle?”

  “Y-yes. Right after Kamsa…”

  “I figured. And you somehow wiped out that entire battalion afterwards, didn’t you? How could you possess so much power?”

  “I don’t know. It frightens me. There’s… something in me. There was a force—a presence, a living thing that took over. I could only watch.”

  “You used a maelstrom technique. There wasn’t much left after your next one, but there were reports of a tornado being spotted in your direction, and some telltale markings survived.”

  “Survived? Survived what?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  “No… I couldn’t see anything clearly. It was like I was dreaming.”

  “You, ah…” Kyler took a breath and looked back at Milla before continuing. “You used the most powerful watairre spell in existence. I’m talking about something that shouldn’t be possible unless you’re a level four user—something reserved for the king or queen, or historically, some lead pretorians. Granted, it was weaker than it could be, but what you did…”

  “What? What did I do?”

  “You made a pressurized implosion. Historical references have called it a ‘pressure bomb.’ It’s such a high-level, almost never-used technique that it hasn’t even earned an official name.”

  “This is extremely difficult,” Milla added. “You create an area of very low pressure, and then suddenly collapse it inward while the higher air pressure outside the dome rushes back in. This creates a crushing force that decimates everything within about a hundred feet of impact, and destroys what remains with explosive outward winds. This isn’t something any of us should be able to pull off. It might even give Escellé trouble.”

  “There’s… something else I pulled off before I lost control.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I managed to summon an elemental after the stone activated.”

  “Do you mean a pretorian elemental? The snow leopard?”

  “Yes. I didn’t think it’d work, but it came out anyway.”

  “That shouldn’t be possible,” Kyler said. “Not even remotely. You just don’t have the capabilities. You don’t have the implants to filter your alchemagi down to a pure enough singular element to extract.”

  “Yeah, but by the sound of it, in my case, maybe that doesn’t even matter. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Milla could do the same…”

  “Of course, we’re going to have to keep an eye on you, given all that has happened. There is every chance we could see a repeat of it. I don’t know about this other life force you speak of, but if it comes out again, you’re going to have to try your hardest to keep it back.”

  “The only thing I remember about it was that it was malevolent… I think it enjoyed taking over and causing pain and suffering.”

  “All the more reason to try to focus and overcome it.”

  “In any case, Garder, you’re a vanguard now,” Milla noted. “But you’ve got to work hard. If you don’t use your second stone enough, the power it’s sending through you can wane and atrophy.”

  “I’ll work hard… I promise.”

  “Good. Now let’s go see the others.”

  “I don’t know if I can get up, though.”

  “You just said you’d try,” Kyler replied. “If you’re really that bad, we can leave you in bed, but we really need to see if that’s all we can do. I’ve got a pair of crutches in the other room if you should need them.”

  Garder worked his way out from under the covers, got to his feet, and stood up. He thought he’d be fine for a moment, but he soon realized that his legs didn’t have the strength to keep him supported, and nearly fell. Milla caught him and leaned him on her shoulder before he hit the ground.

  “I’ll get the crutches,” Kyler said.

  “No. I don’t want to look like hobbled. I’ll recover… Just let Milla walk me out this time.”

  “If you say so.”

  “It’s okay, I’ve got him,” Milla assured. “Let’s go.”

  The rest of the group was already waiting at the dining table for the meeting as Milla helped him out of the room. They all looked over at him, and he instinctively turned away to try and hide his regret and shame.

  “Look at them,” Milla whispered. “They’re your friends.”

  He realized she was speaking to him through his mind—something they hadn’t done in a long time. With all of the friends they had gathered, using telepathy suddenly seemed like a way to hide from everyone else. He nodded and looked at his companions as she got him to the table.

  Once he was within reach, he grabbed the back of an empty chair near Lechi and worked his way into it. He turned to Lechi, who steadily gave him a smile. He smiled back, although he couldn’t understand why. He accepted that he was someone who always thought too much about his failures, but he couldn’t comprehend how everyone else could just let them go so easily. And this failure would always be a big one in his mind.

  “Glad to see you’re okay,” Shin said.

  “Okay seems relative…” Garder muttered back.

  “You’re alive. That’s the important thing,” Verim replied. “Garder, we aren’t here to talk about what happened with and to you. We’re here to talk about what we’re going to do now.”

  “We will miss Jeryn and Kamsa, though,” Lechi added. “They were good friends. And they wouldn’t want us to give up just because…”

  “Do you even know what happened to me?” Garder continued.

  “We’re not going to pry,” Verim assured him. “Unless we should be concerned?”

  Milla shook her head in effort to protect him.

  “Well, look at the bright side—we have a vanguard,” Shin replied. “There are only five of us at this table with level three abilities.”

  “Um, me… you, Verim, uh, Xavier, and…” he looked over at Simon sitting across from him. “And Simon, right?”

  “That’s right,” he replied. “Vlad and Kerchief trained me very well, and my stones took right to me. Although they focused on solar abilities almost completely. So… I’ve still got a lot of learning to do.”

  “You must have natural talent. Are Temki and Rayna okay?”

  “Just fine,” Tess replied from the other end of the table. “No harm came anywhere near them, dear.”

  “That’s good… I’m relieved.”

  “Simon’s been withholding some big news,” Xavier said.

  “Actually, not that big,” he replied.

  “Well, do tell us what there is,” Wendell urged him. “We’ve all been waiting for Garder to wake up, and now that he has…”

  “I know. I don’t really have any exciting tales to tell about my training. It was quick and professional, and I was devoted to it. And seeing in color again and no longer having to brace for those phase transitions in that place is great. Most of what I have to share is about Rayna’s parents.”

  She looked up from her spot between Lechi and Temki. “My mom and dad? Are they okay?”

  “Bewildered, but otherwise okay. I didn’t meet them until a few days in my training—that’s, I don’t know, like a week maybe here. Rivia discovered them first, wandering the streets of the Fragmented City in a daze. He always makes an effort to find new arrivals in that place, I guess. It wasn’t long before he learned of their significance.”

  “You can’t recall in that place, right?” Garder asked. “They wouldn’t know if they had any past lives or not?”

  “Yes. We told them the basics, but it’s likely they’ve had past lives, so once they enter Aurra they’ll know all about it. For better or worse.”

  “Are they worried or scared?” Rayna wondered.

  “Only about you. They’ve gotten through everything else, but they’re worried sick about you, Rayna.”

  “Can we see them soon?”

  “Now’s as good a time as any, just so long as we’re careful,” Milla replied. “We don’t exactly have any assignments until the City clears.”

  “Simon… Thanks for saving me,” Garder spoke up. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you before… so there you have it.”

  “Yeah. You’re welcome.”

  “And you actually managed to defeat a paradigm pretorian,” Shin added. “That’s very impressive.”

  “Lucky is more accurate. I just did what I could.”

  “No reason to be modest about it. It’s a real accomplishment.”

  “I’d better get going,” Kyler said. “Pip and Dak are helping out in the caves, and I know they need me there.”

  “Is Hekens still down in that place—wherever it is?” Garder asked.

  “He is. Wish I could tell him something about his kid, but there haven’t been any updates from D recently. I guess they’re just too busy holding the fort down there or something.”

  “We’ll keep our ears open. See you later, Kyler,” Milla replied.

  The discussions turned casual soon after she left, on things mostly concerning observations during the last battle or details of Simon’s training. After spending most of her time listening and keeping quiet, Tess finally spoke up about something that had been troubling her.

  “This was all obviously an executive order from Lontonkon himself,” she stated. “The pretorians are inclined to obey, but I don’t think they would’ve come here on their own accord.”

  “That’s what I was figuring,” Shin replied. “The enemy army was stronger than last time, but still not strong enough. Either they underestimated us, or it was just a severe tactical loss.”

  “They might’ve been defeated because of me and Kamsa…” Garder said. “The battalion we fought was really big. It might be because of what happened to me that this City is still standing.”

  “And that was the one with the pretorians,” Milla added. “I can assume that we battled a diversionary force. They got sent first, so we responded and left the other side wide open. Only… you stopped them.”

  “We don’t have enough strength left to hold back a second attack,” Tess explained. “But with any luck, old J will come in before that moment arrives. Evacuations are pretty much complete. Estimates say we need just one more week, and Rivia is free to do what he has to.”

  “This is a critical time, then,” Verim replied. “I think we should stay here until we’re ready. Maybe check in with Shiloh from time to time.”

  “Let’s go out to Trident,” Milla suggested. “I’ll scout ahead, and if it’s safe, the rest of us follow. And we can bring Rayna to her parents.”

  “Really? Right now?” she asked hopefully.

  Milla smiled back. “Sure. I think you’ve waited long enough.”

  At that instant, Tess’ phone rang. With almost everyone out of the City, it was assumed that the call was likely of importance. The group fell silent as she picked it up and carefully spoke and listened.

  “Rachester here. What? Do… do you know who it is? No name? I see… Why should they go down and greet this person if… Okay. We do want to avoid an incident, don’t we? Yes, we’d better comply. Thank you.”

  “That didn’t sound good,” Verim commented after she hung up.

  “It seems someone is here to… negotiate,” Tess said worryingly.

  “So, the enemy has returned,” Garder sighed. “Any idea who it is?”

  “Could be a Guard diplomat… or a pretorian. I don’t know. You’d better go meet with them in any case. If we can avoid a fight, all the better.”

  “I’ll go,” Milla said. “Where are they?”

  “The City gateway. Have you been there?”

  “A couple of times, yes. Who’s coming with me? I want someone to stay here with Temki and Rayna.”

  “But Milla, you said…” Rayna murmured.

  “I know, dear. Maybe we can go right after we see this visitor.”

  “Oh… okay…”

  “I’ll go,” Garder replied.

  “Strength in numbers,” Shin added. “Bring me and Verim, too.”

  “I’m in,” Wendell piped.

  “Same here,” Simon volunteered.

  “I’ll, uh… stay here,” Xavier said. “I know, big surprise.”

  “Hurry back,” Lechi finished.

  Milla powered up one of the two demirriages, with some help from Simon’s light redirection to speed up the process. The six momentary ambassadors stepped in, and Milla piloted the carriage straight to the City’s gateway. They were tense, and utterly unsure what to expect.

  The carriage appeared right in the middle of the lobby of the marble building. To one side was a large desk, under the wall’s large inscribed words, “City I Immigration and Visitation Center”. The only person at the desk seemed shaken and too afraid to move, almost as if someone was keeping him pinned to his chair.

  The only other figure in the room, their back facing the group, was tall and draped in black robes. Shin, Verim, and Wendell could sense the same presence they had felt firsthand once before.

  The visitor turned around after hearing the group arrive, and they all froze in place. They didn’t know whether to run, stay put, or draw their weapons—a move which would likely be meaningless. Garder could barely stand, and he knew that this person could kill him without even trying. It was already too late to do anything but wait, though Scud chose to hiss angrily after detecting the boy who once shared a connection with him.

  “Easy,” Drides said. “I’m not here to fight. I could, but I won’t.”

  “Why are… why are you here?” Milla asked, calmly.

  Drides took a step forward and replied, “To tell you a few things. And ask for your service in a task I must complete.”

  “Why us? What’s wrong with your pretorians?” Shin questioned.

  “Well, for one, there are only three of us left. Secondly, I do not wish to have them involved in this particular matter.”

  “We have no reason to trust you. You’re our enemy. And you’re after Rayna.”

  “That isn’t exactly true. In fact, it may be better that you keep her for the time being. Just so long as you think that you’re capable of keeping her out of Lontonkon’s grasp. He’s the one that seeks that child. But I’m not here to discuss her. You should know something. I’m not your enemy, at least not yet. I lead the pretorians, yes, but I see myself as disconnected from them. And disconnected further still from the Guard.”

  “What are you talking about?” Milla asked.

  “You don’t know me. It’s easy to assume I’m like the others, but I’m not. I’m a unique person with a unique set of ideas, some probably not so far off from your own. Tell me, Garder, what is it you seek to change?”

  “I, um…” Garder coughed weakly. “I want to see judgment ended. Really, that’s all I want. Sure, the haze being gone would be great too, but I think I should keep my desire more tenable, and straight forward…”

  “Yes, I like that. But if you work with me, I may be able to do both. I would like to do both. What about you… Simon, was it? You all can speak to me openly. I’m here as an equal today.”

  “I… I don’t really know. I haven’t been on Aurra for long, so…”

  “Ah, yes. You’re from Earth. I guess we have that in common.”

  Milla stuttered, “W-what? What do you mean you’re from Earth?”

  “My body still belongs to it, just like Simon’s. And I’m not much older than the twins. Let me tell you something about the king… and what he wants. He’s trying to take over and reform Aurra, and the plan involves the destruction of the Administration. He seeks to simplify the system, with a single ruling government. Because he is simplistic. In his worldview, he thinks this is all he needs to do to achieve his vision. My goals are closer to Garder’s. I want to restore Aurra to its former glory long lost, with no haze or judgment. But he likes the current system. He only wants to control it.

  “The truth is this: I do not agree with the king. He and I have been bordering on killing one another for the last year. Our alliance is thin and could be broken at any moment. Thus far, everything you’ve encountered, everything you’ve experienced—it’s all come from the hands of the other pretorians or the king. This is the first time, outside of my attempt at capturing Rayna, that I’ve directly interacted with you in any way.”

  “And… Kamsa?” Garder asked. “Who is behind her creation?”

  “The cloning experiments are one of Lontonkon’s many side perversities. But she was my subordinate, and one of my… favorites, I would say. Lontonkon was the one who ordered for her termination, and her killer, Trinqit… She’s a vile woman with no respect for human life. I do not respect those who lack it for others.”

  “We’re just supposed to trust you?” Wendell asked. “You want us to think that you’ll, what… end up being some saint of the rebellion?”

  “Far from it. I can’t support the rebellion, as Rivia’s ideas will result in too much destruction and chaos. That said, I never see in black and white, and I use people when I can. And I mean that in a good way. If others do something for me, I remember it. Milla, would you like to know what Lontonkon is doing? He is a blight on your lineage.”

  “My bloodline died out. We’re in no way related,” she said sharply.

  “I know. But some of your ideals survived until his rise, so you are connected to him, whether you like it or not. And the things he has done… He knew that in order for the rebellion to succeed, you’d need to get into the suppression chamber. A mighty task to begin with, seeing as how the Administration presides over it. But he gave you the key to it. He knew ahead of time what advantage you had when you took Temki.”

  “Delqua…” Milla muttered. “He used that weasel to…”

  “And he used you, as well. He had the palace filled with people who knew of the chamber in vivid detail. You just so happened to run into the king’s favorite councilman. Losing providence, the Guard had the perfect excuse to use suppressive force on the people who wanted to overthrow it. It also let the Guard purge its lower ranks and perhaps even attack the Administration, though they have yet to try, likely because the king lacks the competence. I’d tell you more, but time is short, and I need to ask for your assistance on an important matter that may end this war and restore Aurra.”

  “And what could possibly accomplish that?” Shin asked.

  “The Original One. I know where to find him… or it. I’m strong, but I do not think I could take on this being alone.”

  “T-take it on? You want to destroy the Original?”

  “Do you even have evidence that it exists?” Wendell asked.

  “The evidence is all around. It keeps the basic laws in existence—it keeps Aurra in an unnatural state. The Original did not create the haze, but its rules opened the way to its creation. It made alchemagi and Hold. It created rebirth on Aurra instead of keeping it a world where you simply had your Earth life extended. We destroy it, and everything changes. There’d be no need for the Administration, or the Guard, or Hold. Aurra would be… a paradise. The paradise people earn, and expect it to be. Lontonkon could never plan for this. His ideas would be meaningless if we succeed.”

  “The oldest living thing in existence…” Garder murmured. “To actually see it… and then destroy it? This is all too hard to believe.”

  “It really is,” Milla agreed. “How can we even begin to trust you?”

  “There is every chance I could be wrong. It might’ve died long ago. But I have solid theories I believe I can prove and exploit. For what it’s worth, you have my word that I’ll help you do this. Afterwards, there will be need for further conflict and suffering. Aurra will change forever.”

  “But think of the implications. What if its laws really do vanish?”

  “This is why I’m giving you a day to think. In twenty-fours, I will return here for your answer. Even if you decline, I will go after the Original myself. And if I fail—if I die, your one chance does as well. Not to mention that you’ll miss out on learning the truth of Aurra’s greatest mystery.”

  “You’re giving us a day to think it over…”

  “That’s right. Consider everything.”

  He disappeared in a flash of light; something no one questioned. Whatever all he could do, he was likely stronger than all of them combined.

  “So… now what?” Garder wondered.

  “I don’t know,” Shin replied. “This is a… bizarre turn of events.”

  “I don’t think we should stay here tonight,” Verim suggested. “He knows where we are. And he never really did give us a reason to trust him.”

  “I agree,” Wendell replied. “We need to go somewhere he can’t follow us. Just until we think this through.”

  “We could go to my house,” Simon said. “He’d have no idea where it is. My parents are gone this time of year—we’d have it to ourselves.”

  “Are you sure?” Garder asked.

  “I can’t think of any better place. So why not?”

  “If it’s okay with him, then I agree,” Milla replied. “But we’ve really got to focus on what Drides just proposed to us, and reach a consensus. Maybe we should consult with Rivia if we get the chance, too.”

  “Right. And it should only be us going,” Verim added. “We’re a good team, and I don’t think anyone else would believe what just happened if we told them.”

  “I feel bad, though… We’re making Rayna wait again.”

  “The reunion might have to wait,” Garder said. “This sounds much more important. So… to Simon’s house? This ought to be interesting.”

  “Let’s at least tell Tess what’s going on before we go.”

  They looked at one another and mentally prepared themselves for what would come next. The idea of destroying the Original One was so far away from their original plans that they would have never considered it. It sounded almost as crazy as placing any faith in the leader of the pretorians.