Grek asked, “Why?”

  “To turn off the protection, obviously. They are mental mages. Without the throne, they could do this all across the fortress. They will make us kill each other and then come pick up the scraps.” The Inquisitor started getting hot with anger.

  The throne key. Why would they do that? The throne key would only be needed if someone with the emperor’s blood wasn’t here to restart the throne’s effects. But what if nobody knew that? That meant that the predators didn’t know that. Father was wise to keep his secrets close to his heart. This meant the predators didn’t know the terrain they were fighting in. That made them an invasive species in calm water. They needed to be exterminated.

  I put a hand on the gray-haired inquisitor’s shoulder and pushed him to sit down on the stair. “No. They will not. They are predators. You call them the damned. They need to die.”

  “The damned?” Inquisitor Asaki asked in shock, and then pieces seemed to fall in line in his mind.

  “The damned,” the inquisitor whispered, and his eyes focused. “Punisher Grisslow, you need to help me get to my bells.”

  I looked at Grek.

  “The sounds help drive the evil spirits away,” Grek explained.

  I snorted. “They are damned. Not spirits.”

  The inquisitor huffed. “I can’t do anything else in this short a time.”

  The two men lapsed into silence and gave me hopeful, hesitant looks. Finally, the inquisitor took in a breath and turned to me. “Your Highness. They say you Truechildren are mana-born and have the emperor’s abilities. Can’t you do anything?”

  Mana-born, yes, we were. But that just meant we could manipulate mana quicker and cast our magic faster. And the emperor’s abilities? I didn’t even know what Father could do or couldn’t do. He was capable of so many things. There were even rumors that he had crashed one continent into another, creating the Voss Mountains. But that was okay. I knew what I could do. And I hadn’t been standing here doing nothing.

  While the two men did their talking, I had been half-submerged in the dark waters. And I knew where the damned were. They were one floor above us, running after the General, the Lady Knight, and another soul.

  There was a way. A way for me to do what needed to be done. It would be risky and if I used this ability of mine the damned would know that they were dealing with one of my kind. They would be able to sense me quite like I sensed them.

  I looked at Grek and ordered, “Stay.”

  “I can… help,” Grek started, and stopped when I started running.

  No, I didn’t need any help. Because what made a reaper like me a dangerous foe to the damned was the ability to meld with the dark waters. With this ability, I became the waters and the waters became me. There was no emotions, no sense of self, there was just a drive to rid the vermin and consume the tainted essence. To cleanse the waters I needed to do exactly that. Order demanded it.

  I sunk inwards and every bit of me dispersed into the cold embrace of death. My memories, my emotions, and my pain were washed away. And through the waters I saw what I needed to see.

  One of the three masked men following General Lloyd shot a bolt of magic his way. At the last moment, the old General turned around and thrust the hand clutching an artifact out. The stored mana in the artifact created a blue pane of magic that stopped the bolt dead. It cracked, but they were alive.

  “Enough. Give us the key, and we will make this quick,” one of the masked men hissed in a strange, echoing voice.

  General Lloyd grimaced. His hand holding the artifact shook. Using a strong mana device took its toll on the human body, but the General’s back remained straight.

  “If you don’t give it, I will make you give it to me.” The masked man looked at one of his friends and pointed at the large female knight in red armor.

  The second man raised his hand and clenched his fist. Lady Agatha’s knife-clenched hand shot up to her face. The blade bounced off her helmet but returned again, this time leaving a deep scratch on the metal plate with a screech.

  The General looked at the red knight and picked up his load. He knew what he needed to do. He had to save the key above everything else. He was going to turn around and run when he heard loud, thudding steps approaching them. They were getting closer. The General took his eyes off the man in front of him and looked past the damned man.

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  From the gloom behind their attackers, a large marble-skinned man charged into view. His black eyes locked onto their nearest assailant, and he sped up.

  The mind mage whirled and threw a red bolt at the prince. The prince didn’t dodge. He didn’t duck. He charged right into the bolt of raging anger. The General knew it was too late as soon as the bolt touched the prince’s skin. Still, he opened his mouth to warn the young prince.

  “Your Highness. Watch out!”

  A loud crack stopped the words in the General’s throat.

  The marble skinned man stumbled. Not when the bolt touched him, but when he drove his ice knife into the intruder’s forehead. For a moment, he staggered on his feet. Then his black eyes flashed an icy blue, and he was back, lifting the dead man’s body to defend himself against more bolts fired at him.

  What?

  I reeled.

  This was not how my ability worked. I was no longer melded with the dark waters. Something had pulled me out of the waters. As my mind adjusted I realized that it was the mana that my body had been made of that had taken control of my consciousness.

  Thoughts, feelings, and emotions rushed back into me and relived the last few seconds once again. I saw myself turn a corner, there was a damned shooting a bolt of roiling anger at me. It was a weak attack from a weak predator. It hit me, and I didn’t even flinch. Instead, I stabbed the man in the head. And before the predator could use its twisted magic to heal itself, I submerged myself in the dark waters.

  I didn’t smile. I didn’t laugh. I just acted in the dark waters. The predator was young. Too young. It was barely out of its larvae stage. And it was writhing senselessly just inches from me in the blue black water. Apparently, holding the predator in the world meant holding it in the waters. I didn’t wait. I stabbed it once again. This time in the dark waters and split it head to toe. My soul sucked up its essence like a dry sponge and the waters washed away all the negative emotions.

  And then the mana in my veins pulled me out.

  All this happened in a second or two, and I didn’t have the time to react.

  Thankfully, the other predators were as young as the first one. But, he had better tools.

  The damned man took out a wand. A bright red bolt of lightning flew at me. I raised the dead body in my hand. It shielded me from a direct hit. The electricity rushed through the body and into me. My body stiffened and locked in place.

  Another bolt flew in. It hit the carcass of the dead damned and sizzled his dead skin. I grunted in pain and almost fell to a knee. My foe decided to change tack. He threw his wand to the side and took out a glove. Before, he could use this new weapon I acted.

  I threw the lifeless carcass at the bolt throwing man and rushed to the man at my side. This damned was lost in his lust for violence. He hadn’t given up on making lady Agatha stab herself. His face was locked in a gleeful grin.

  My footsteps thundered as I approached him. The man’s grin faded. His eyes widened. He let go of his magic and pointed a finger at me. His fingers glowed and shot a black bolt. I dropped and slid underneath the death magic.

  That was close. If that bolt would have hit me, I would have been dead.

  I had misjudged my enemy. This one was far more powerful than the others. I needed to end him quickly. Before I tackled the last one.

  With a slap on the floor, I shot back up and head-butted the man. I heard a crunch as his nose broke. He didn’t expect that and crumbled. I followed him down and stabbed him in the throat.

  I plunged myself into the waters. This predator was the leader of the damned crew. He was bigger and far more fierce. He regained his senses within seconds in the dark waters. I stabbed. The damned snake brought its tail up and deflected my blow. I sliced at it. Once again it parried my blow. I tried to swing again. This time the creature dodged and attack. I felt its teeth bite into my shoulder and pull. Making me wince in pain.

  My mana pulled me out of the dark waters again. I looked down. Just in time to see the damned’s nose pop back into place. It’s neck began to heal and push my dagger out. The man opened his eyes and looked at me with an angry glare.

  I gritted my teeth and pushed myself back into the waters. If my dagger wasn’t going to do the job then I would have to use a new weapon. The dagger in my hand transformed into a sword. Before the damned could react, it dug into the snake’s eye. It opened its mouth to scream. I didn’t give it a chance. I grabbed it by its throat and gutted it. My soul wrapped around the vermin and sucked out its essence.

  With a long breath I came out of the waters. A sickly green ball of magic splashed my back. The hit made me stumble. The magic latched onto me. It hissed. It whispered. The General was keeping my birthright from me. The old man did not trust me. He had the key. My key. For my throne. I needed to beat the old bastard and take it. And rule without peers.

  I snorted. It only took a slight dip and the mental magic washed off me. I surfaced again and looked at the last intruder.

  He stuttered, “Re… Re… Reaper.”

  I cracked my neck and looked at the astonished predator. He gulped and ran past the General. I looked at the lady knight and the general. They were so astonished that they didn’t even stop him. I looked at them and got up. I couldn’t let the creature run away and inform others of its kind.

  “The… The damned ran? From you, my prince?” Lady Agatha asked.

  Exactly! And how dare it show me its back.

  I growled wordlessly and sped up after it. I took the stairs four at a time, but I was too late. I couldn’t see the damned man anywhere. The man had disappeared into the storming blizzard. I stood there for a few seconds. Looking into the darkness. Trying to contain the bubbling anger in my stomach.

  Before I could turn back, a body flew out of the darkness and flew at me. I dodged right and clenched my hand around a forming ice dagger. I looked at the snow for an answer with narrowed eyes.

  “Up here, brother.”

  I looked up and saw Ilya. All fourteen feet of her, flying in the air.

  She pointed at the man with disgust and accused, “This thing won’t die.”

  I heard the cracking of bones setting and looked down. The man’s neck twisted back into position, and the predator opened its eyes. Before it could do anything else, I plunged my dagger into the man’s heart. A trip to the dark waters, and the predatory larvae was dead.

  Ilya landed next to me and looked down at the man. He didn’t get up. She looked at the dead damned and back at me. When the damned didn’t move she finally relaxed and leaned back on her heels.

  Ilya finally nodded, and in a casual tone asked, “So, what happened?”

  I pointed at the dead body and answered, “Damned.”

  “Yes, I can see that. But I am not talking about that.” She turned to me. “What happened between you and Saha? People don’t really three thirty in the morning, you know?”

  I stiffened.

  Ilya sighed. “So, I guess you, did it?”

  I turned away.

  “So, how was it?”

  I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say.

  My big sister walked to me and sat down next to me. “Okay, let’s take baby steps. How was your first time?”

  I grimaced. “Awkward.”

  Ilya crossed her arms "Care to explain brother?"