The tears had appeared mostly to the west of the fort, short distances away from the wall itself. Each site was guarded by a handful of soldiers from the Third Division of the Imperial Army.

  Midhir followed the young soldier that led them to the first site that needed to be cleansed. The two honour guards – Lieutenant Haarkos and Rhoan trailed behind the group, while Arwen, Willow and Alistair walked next to Midhir. A few other first-year students from Solus were also coming with, though they made sure to keep out of Midhir’s way.

  He had given up on attempting to be friendly with them – after his identity was revealed, they rightfully feared him. Instead, he treated them as subordinates. It made things easier for everyone. “June,” He spoke up as they approached the first tear-site that needed to be cleansed. “You and your classmates will prepare the bags and start from the north. Make sure not to touch anything directly.”

  The blonde woman from the Medical and Support class nodded. “Yes, sir.” She hastened her steps, and the other students followed.

  Midhir turned his gaze towards the tear-site. Unlike the rest of Eldoria’s lands, the overgrowth steered clear of the very north. No matter how little the lands of the northern border were trekked, the all-consuming forest never attempted to take over them. As such, the northern wall was bordered by a strip of grasslands.

  The lack of trees provided them with ample line of sight, so the tears were easy to spot. This was the first one that had appeared the day before. While the tear itself had already been healed, parts of the otherworld had seeped into theirs, tainting the lands and life all around it.

  He scrunched his forehead as he let out a sigh.

  The knee-high grass had been turned into dark brown thorny vines, and there were pools of white liquid on the ground.

  “We should burn the thorns,” Alistair suggested. “I don’t know about the white stuff though.”

  “June!” Midhir called out. “Have the others start burning the thorns. You’ll help Alistair.” He then glanced at the young Orlein. “Wrap it in water and fill the containers. Surely the scholars will wish to study it.”

  “I wonder what it is…” Arwen muttered. “I didn’t think the water on the other side was white.”

  It was not. Though Midhir didn’t wish to speak of it while there were others with them, he still remembered what he saw. This wasn’t water.

  “I believe it’s blood,” One of the soldiers guarding the tear-site spoke up. “Your Highness,” he quickly added, shooting Midhir a sheepish glance. “A few bug-like things appeared, Commander Morrigan instructed us to kill them. They didn’t bleed at first, but then we noticed these pools appear where their bodies were.”

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  “What happened to the bodies?”

  The soldier glanced at Willow as he answered her. “They rapidly rotted away. In minutes.”

  Flames roared as the students set the thorns on fire. As soon as all the thorns were burnt, Alistair and June began to wrap the pools of white liquid in water, and transport it into the glass containers they brought along.

  “Arwen, Willow, help me out.” Midhir unsheathed his blade and circled around the tainted area. “Stand here,” he told Arwen, then also pointed a spot on the opposite side of the site to Willow before finally taking his place. He struck the ground with his blade, and watched as Willow did the same. Arwen hit the ash-covered floor with her staff’s haft.

  He reached within, catching that thread of power. His right arm tingled as power flowed through it, into the white gem embedded in his blade’s hilt. A faint silver light shone through the wraps. The gem embedded into Willow’s rapier’s pommel shone green, while Arwen’s staff let out a golden light so bright it could rival the very sun.

  Borrowing much of their power, he weaved the resonance into existence. Threads of spiritual power touched the tainted earth, the ash covering much of the tear-site, and spread across the air.

  Willow drew a sharp breath as the resonance spread across the area. “It’s working!” She exclaimed.

  He couldn’t see it. He had never been good at seeing resonances, but he could feel it do its work. He guided the threads of power across the area, slowly cleansing it of any trace of the otherworld. Seconds turned into minutes as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His power drained rapidly despite using it sparingly.

  He gritted his teeth and endured until the cleansing completed. Only then did he let go of the hilt of the blade and allowed the complex resonance to dissipate.

  A hand caught his shoulder as he stumbled backwards. “Are you alright, your highness?” Lieutenant Haarkos asked, clearly concerned.

  Midhir quickly regained his balance. “I’m fine,” he reassured him. “The resonance was somewhat taxing.”

  He couldn’t cast it again. He simply wasn’t strong enough. Instead, he turned his gaze to Arwen. “Did you see it properly?”

  The young witch nodded. “I did.” She approached him, along with Willow. “I did too,” the other woman exclaimed with a shine in her eyes. “I hadn’t realised how damaged the land was until you started healing it.”

  Midhir shot her an odd glance. “What do you mean?” There was no visible damage – or healing, for that matter.

  “I meant the scar-like thing in the air…” Willow’s voice faded away as her gaze darted between Midhir, Arwen and Lieutenant Haarkos. “Why are you looking at me like that? It was right there!”

  “I don’t see a scar, or anything like it.” Arwen softly spoke. “Just Midhir’s resonance.”

  “Neither do I, Lady Aulorn.” Lieutenant Haarkos shot Midhir a glance.

  “Did you see something similar where Ilya closed the tear in the veil near An’Larion?” Midhir asked. “When that… thing came out and attacked us?”

  Willow flinched. “I think so.” Her upbeat voice turned mellow. “I… I was a bit too panicked then. I didn’t really pay much attention.” She scrunched up her forehead as she rummaged through her memory. “I think I saw it, though. It was much bigger than what I saw here.”

  Of course it was. The tear had just been mended, and it was a much larger tear.

  “That’s good,” he said with a smile. “Ilya can see them too, and so can some of our enforcers. It’s a somewhat rare ability though.” He gestured at them to start walking as he pulled his blade out of the ground and sheathed it. “When we arrive at the next tear-site, you and Arwen will work on that resonance.”