Why did it bind itself to me when I was the one who started the war?! Tears welled in my eyes as the thought carved itself deeper into my consciousness.

  That was not your fault. The Rulers used you.

  Aureus’ whisper rang true.

  As lethal as the seven-meter-long monstrosity of a beast was, the Earthheart was smarter than his physique suggested. He was everything I could have wished for as my first Soulkin. Aureus changed my fate and grew alongside me into the power that made us who we were. But no matter how true his words were, a part of me didn’t want to acknowledge it.

  I now knew the Rulers used me, but that didn’t mean I could accept that I wasn’t at fault. The Rulers’ betrayal that started the war with the Caldera was still my fault, no matter how minor my part had been. No matter how much I wished it never happened.

  The Rulers were fucking assholes. I looked up to them, revered them for their desire to protect humanity, and I wanted to be just like them. Like many others, I had dreamed of growing strong enough to join their ranks and protect mankind together. Ensure no more Bastions would fall.

  That was over. Becoming like the Rulers was the last thing on my mind after what happened. The Bastions and the innocent lives living under their protection were not at fault, but doing one thing right didn’t mean they were allowed to act as they pleased. Attacking the Caldera’s sacred beast had been too much. They crossed the line.

  “How about we stop here?” I asked, stirring. “I think you took enough blood and soul energy to research for weeks.”

  Several researchers waved me off. They denied my request without any regard for me, but I was done playing nicely. Several days filled with examinations and research ought to be enough to ensure my well-being.

  “You said I was healthy, and you heard my story about a dozen times by now. That is more than enough,” I said, coldness creeping into my voice. “Or do you want to keep me here by force? Do live experiments with an unwilling patient?”

  Nobody responded right away, which was enough of an answer for me. I snatched the needles stuck in my arm and the pads attached to my chest and sides and ripped them out. Predator activated when a wave of frustration struck me, trying to compel me to stay in the research facility. The presence around me grew heavier as I turned to the young man using his trait on me.

  He blanched and stumbled backward, his trait deactivated.

  The older man stepped forward with a calming gesture and a smile even faker than Ruler Kazriel’s had been.

  “There are a few more things we’d like to research. Just to be sure.”

  “No, you don’t,” I snapped, the frustration of the last few days boiling over at last. “Do them later. I’ll still be in the Grand Camp for a while.”

  Several Blessed rushed into the room, weapons drawn, ether circulating. They were guards of the Sanctuary – one more reason I hadn’t left earlier. As kind as some of these guards were, I did not doubt for a second that they would report my departure to the higher-ups. Said higher-ups were still looking for the Elemental Phoenix, and I did not want to give them any reason to doubt me.

  Anyway, staying in the research facility for a few days was more than enough. If they didn’t find anything now, they wouldn’t find anything later. Also , I was getting impatient and frustration was bottling up from doing almost nothing all day.

  “Is there a problem?” The taller, and also stronger, guard asked sternly, his gaze drifting across the researchers and me.

  “I want to leave. The Grand Camp is still not over, and I’m here wasting precious time when I could be training instead,” I told the guards before the researchers could get a word out. “They told me I’m healthy, but they don’t want me to leave. They used their traits on me to keep me here when I told them I wanted to leave.”

  The guards turned to the researchers, scowling. “Is that so? As far as I know, your patient does not have a reason to stay here if he’s well and not afflicted by a curse or disease. Is that the case? If not, Adam Savier may leave the precinct.”

  The researchers swarmed the guards, engaging them in a heated discussion. To their misfortune, the guards were no-nonsense and straightforward.

  A groan drew my attention back to the older researcher. “Leave. Just make sure you comply when we ask for your service again.”

  That’s a hard no. There won’t be a next time. I growled inwardly, snatching my clothes from the chair beside me. Since the guards were still present, I didn’t rush as I slipped into my pants, secured my belt, and pulled my shirt on.

  Kill all?

  Nox asked, and part of me felt inclined to accept the Ferronox Mantis’ proposal. The rational part of me emerged victorious – fortunately. It squashed my Soulkin’s bloodlust before anything worse could happen.

  Wasting no time with the researchers and their facility, I left. The guards stepped out behind me, their weapons sheathed once more.

  “Don’t take their antics to heart, kid. Most researchers have more in common with mad scientists than mad scientists,” one of the guards laughed, slapping my back.

  “I’m just happy the Outsiders didn’t curse you and the other kids.” The other one sighed deeply. “It’s unfortunate how badly the Rulers were mistaken. The Outsiders are not to be trusted. We should never have given them the benefit of the doubt. Now we paid for it and lost several Rulers. Our defenses are–…”

  The talkative guard didn’t stop sputtering nonsense until we reached the flight of stairs leading out of the underground Sanctuary and back to the Grand Camp. I tuned him out, forced myself to smile through the lies the Council fed the Sanctuary guards, and waved them goodbye when they had to return to their station.

  “Is that what I have to deal with now? Living in the lies and nonsense the Council sells to the public?” I asked, but nobody was there to answer me.

  But even if there were others, what were they supposed to tell me? That everything was going to be fine? No, it wouldn’t. There was no chance the Caldera would ignore the Elemental Phoenix’s death. Our betrayal–the attack–was an act of war, and I knew the Caldera well enough to know they would reciprocate in kind. They were the last to shy away from bloodshed. To them, it was an honor to fight, to bleed for their people, and to kill their enemies. As for those who attacked their sacred beast, forcing it into suicide, I did not think for a second that they would spare them.

  ***

  I hadn’t been in the dorms for months. Training with Ruler Kazriel kept me away from them, and I honestly didn’t want to return. But I needed a place to sleep and stumbled back into the dorm room, where Scott was already waiting, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips as I stepped inside.

  “Look who’s returned,” he said with a smile. “Glad to have you back.”

  The bed in the far corner of the room stirred, and I expected to see Wesley. However, there was no charismatic piece of shit. It was my best friend instead. Daniel Zerog leaped to his feet the moment he saw me and rushed over, ignoring the snoring figure in the bed beside us.

  “I was so worried, dude!” Daniel pulled me into a tight embrace and clapped my back with enough strength to crush a few skulls.

  As much as I enjoyed Daniel’s embrace, I was even happier that I didn’t have to see Wesley. The last few days kept my mind occupied with the horrors of the Phoenix’s fight with the Rulers, but now that I was no longer in the research facility, memory fragments resurfaced.

  Wesley had been part of the Rulers’ plans. He used his trait to charm several Caldera and searched the Elemental Spires for the Emperor-ranked beast. He did not find the Elemental Phoenix, but was that really important?

  “I expected the worst, man. But look at you, alive and well!” My body cracked and crunched as Daniel pulled me closer. “They told us you were alive, but wouldn’t let us see you. I was sure you sustained some heavy wounds and–no, it doesn’t matter. You’re fine, and that’s all that matters.”

  It took Daniel a while to release me, but the cascade of words flowing from his mouth didn’t cease.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “The whole situation was such a mess. You cannot believe how fucked up it was,” he hissed in a whisper. “After the Spiritcaller led you and Ruler Kazriel away, I went to eat something with our friends. The Caldera were in a good mood and all, but something about the Scions was odd. Ruler Maximilian vanished into a portal, and the others followed shortly. Then… honestly, I’m not sure what happened. The cavern started to shake, the temperature increased really quickly, and the Caldera disappeared, leaving me alone with a frantic Scott.”

  He motioned to Scott, making a face that could mean just about everything. “He was crazy, running around like a headless chicken, while his eyes turned white. Not milky-white, but completely white. They glowed like he had turned into a divine creature. Except for the power. He only looked divine; Scott is definitely too weak to be mistaken for a divine creature.”

  Scott and I turned to each other with the same grimace. Meeting his gaze, a chuckle escaped my lips.

  “Anyway, Scott pulled me out of the cave. He tried to convince the others to leave as well, but they wouldn’t listen.” Daniel shrugged and continued talking, his mouth never closing. “A heatwave – terrifyingly hot, if you ask me – burst from the cavern tunnel not even a minute after we made it out of the Caldera’s home. The others rushed out as well, clothes burned, skin blistered, and, well, some are still fighting with death. They might not survive the week.”

  It was nice to hear Daniel’s side of the story, but that was not how I expected him to greet me.

  “You said the Caldera disappeared. Do you know where they went?” I asked, trying not to sound too curious.

  “No, I don’t.” Daniel shook his head, and so did Scott.

  “I cannot hold their disappearance against them. It’s unfortunate, but honestly, I would have disappeared as well if several Rulers attacked my base,” Scott grumbled quietly in disdain, his eyes drifting to our fourth roommate. Spencer was still asleep and snoring. “To think we’re at war now.”

  Daniel sighed heavily. “Apparently not only with the Caldera either.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

  “Exactly what he says. We’re at war with multiple sentient races.” Scott smiled flatly, his eyes void of emotion. “It’s fucked up, isn’t it? The Rulers are supposed to protect the Bastions, not endanger them.”

  “Looks like nobody told them that,” I whispered.

  “Do you think the Grand Camp will end now?” Daniel muttered to himself, though Scott and I clearly heard him as he added, “I’m not done here yet.”

  My head turned to Daniel, and I stared at him for a long moment. “Is that really the first thing that comes to your mind?”

  There was no anger – just disappointment.

  Daniel sputtered something, but his rebuttal died under my intensifying glare.

  “I know you're desperate. You need the World Aspect,” I sighed, deflating a little. “But please tell me you have at least a little compassion for the mess we’re about to be pulled into.”

  He didn’t dare meet my eyes, but he nodded. “I miss the Caldera too. They were my friends too, you know. I can’t believe the Rulers would do something like that.”

  His head flicked up, lightning crackling in his eyes. “But as much as I want to do something about it, I am too weak. So are you. We are too weak. So what are we going to do about it?”

  Daniel didn’t wait for a response as he continued. “Rulers can do what they want. That only means we have to beat them in their own game. Exploiting them won’t be easy, nor will defeating them be easy, but that is the only thing we can do. Beat them and make sure they get back to their roots – focusing on mankind’s protection.”

  That was ambitious. It was brave, but also stupid. Foolish even.

  Decades would pass before we managed to become Rulers – if we even reached that rank. Finding a Monarch willing to bind to our Worlds was going to be a shit show in its own right, and that didn’t even include the difficulty of pushing our Soulkins to the Guardian and Overlord ranks, or finding suitable Soulkins to ensure we established a firm foundation.

  You no longer have that problem,

  Aureus informed me. The Soulkin fed my mind with images of the Blazing Gates that formed when the bond with the Elemental Phoenix settled, his words ringing in my head like a reminder.

  Just because the researchers couldn’t locate the Gates materialized through the soulbound with the Elemental Phoenix didn’t mean they didn’t exist. Quite the contrary–rows upon rows of Gates resembling wicks that desired to erupt into brilliant flames were now spread through my body. A grand total of forty Gates, five for each Rank the Elemental Phoenix had reached and surpassed in its prime.

  Although I couldn’t sense its presence, the Gates confirmed I hadn’t been hallucinating. The Elemental Phoenix was real, and it was hibernating in my World, lying in wait to rise from the ashes once more. And then, I too would rise alongside the Elemental Phoenix.

  But even with a massive advantage such as the bond with an Emperor-rank beast, I doubted that advancing to stand on the same pedestal as the Rulers would be easy. It would take time and a lot of luck. After all, the Ruler of Fire was searching for the very beast bound to my World.

  “That’s a great plan, but you know that Ruler Kazriel can no longer give you anything?” I pointed out. “He’s dead. The World Aspect I was promised for winning the Katrak won’t be there.”

  The loss of the World Aspect and the other gains promised by the Ruler hurt more than Kazriel’s death.

  “What!? Are you sure?” Daniel’s eyes quivered. “How am I supposed to go through with the plan to dethrone the Rulers and those shitters from the Council without the World Aspect?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Are you sure about that? Won’t they give you the World Aspect anyway for, you know, winning the Katrak? Winning the Katrak led them to their final goal, so you should get everything they promised!!”

  “You’re quite the charmer. Real tactful.” I narrowed my eyes at my friend. As much as I respected Daniel, his face appeared quite punchable at times.

  Anyway, there was nothing to be sure about. Other than Ruler Kazriel’s death. That, I was quite certain about.

  “Daniel doesn’t mean it like that,” Scott intervened. “We were all rewarded for our performance in the Katrak. I still received the benefits Ruler Kazriel promised.” He glanced at Daniel and grimaced. “But a World Aspect is a little bit more valuable than the serums I was promised. And by ‘a little’, I mean a lot.”

  Scott patted Daniel’s back with a small smile. “I also don’t think they’re going to give me the location of the Divination beast Kazriel located. Not that I’d be able to go there in the first place. My visions of that place are–”

  He shuddered and turned away, trying to hide the pain of having a highly restricted World. Scott had a massive World. It could rival a Ruler’s World, giving him access to the same quantity of ether to wield as the Ruler of Fire and the like. However, his World was vastly restricted.

  Scott had only one Soulkin: a small, white squirrel that allowed him to see into the future. That was his World’s restriction and his greatest burden–a World that only accepted Soulkins with Divination traits or something similar. The exact details were unknown to me; Scott never mentioned them. How exactly his traits and World’s restriction worked was unclear, but it was problematic.

  Not even World Aspects worked on Scott’s World, turning the World of a potential Ruler into a great trouble. Scott would never be able to advance if his one and only Soulkin did not evolve or break through. Thus, he desperately sought more beasts with the right traits, as well as treasures to evolve his Soulkin, Destiny.

  If his visions worked as he desired, finding more suitable beasts shouldn’t have been problematic. Alas, the accuracy of his visions was questionable. Sometimes, he couldn’t see what happened at all. Other times, he saw a scene unfold differently. Or not at all.

  But as powerful as Scott’s traits could be, I believed he had no idea about the Rulers’ betrayal or the Elemental Phoenix. He hadn’t seen anything, and that seemed to hit him harder than knowing the bitter truth. Otherwise he wouldn’t look like he hadn’t eaten anything for days, his eyes sunken like a husk even though it had only been days since we last met.

  “So I am back at zero?” Daniel grumbled under his breath, missing Scott’s pain entirely.

  “Zero? You’re far from zero, my friend.” Scott let out a light laugh, loud enough to stir the sleeping Spencer. “You are a lot stronger than you used to be. If not for that, your scores in the Advanced Combat Class wouldn’t be this incredible. You’ll pass the exam with flying colors.”

  He raised a finger. “Plus, you have access to a Grandmaster Beaster’s teachings as well as the greatest technologically advanced ether devices of our time. Even if your Soulkins do not have the natural potential to advance to Guardian beasts, you will soar.”

  That was news to me. Daniel attracted the interest of a Grandmaster Beaster? That was huge.

  Showing promising talent to a Grandmaster was a massive step in the right direction. Daniel could become an influential Beaster if nothing went wrong.

  Interest alone wouldn’t be enough to receive the World Aspect as a graduation reward, but the Grand Camp would certainly try to keep him in their fold with promises and valuable resources.

  Honestly, becoming a Master Beaster, let alone Grandmaster, would elevate his status greatly. Being able to concoct advanced serums capable of unsealing the dormant potential of strong Soulkins would rake in a fortune but also bring prestige from all over the Bastions. That was how valuable Beasters with the means to unseal traits and evolution strains could be.

  But until Daniel reached that status, he would have to work and invest a lot.

  He had it in him, I was certain, but he had to keep grinding to make it happen.

  “Plus you got a bunch of coins already. The Katrak improved your ranking greatly. Push a little further, and the Grand Camp will do everything they can to keep you by their side.” Scott’s smile widened as he turned to me. “Your ranking should have changed quite a lot as well, Adam. I wouldn’t be surprised if you rank in the top one hundred now, Mr. I-Can-Beat-Scions.”

  Scowling at Scott only made him smile more vibrantly, so I retrieved my watch from my half-molten storage belt, seeking distraction.

  Name: Adam Savier

  Blessed: Journeyman (Physique - Expert)

  Soulkins: 3

  Affiliations: Grand Camp, Ruler Kazriel(Scion)

  – Ranking.

  District – #3

  Grand Camp – #28

  Retinue – #1

  – Rank Benefits: 31,539 Coins/month

  Camp Coins: 509,351 coins

  Tokens: 13