In the kitchen of Lucius' island estate, he himself, Rumi, Ragnar, and Kai speak about Teon's mental breakdown from around three days ago. He never left his room and locked the door ever since. The four consider calling family members. Kai thinks loudly, wondering how big his family is, which confuses Ragnar.

  "You're his best friend and don't know anything about his family?"

  "We never talked about such things."

  Rumi interrupts them and snarls at Ragnar.

  "Don't scold him. You don't talk about your family either. It took me months, just to get you to introduce me to Nova."

  Ragnar is taken aback by the his wives comments and pouts. In this moment Nova enters the kitchen, asking what kind of meetup she just stepped into in her typical manner. Not answering her question Ragnar asks since when she has arrived on the island. He just gets an angry look as a response.

  Kai takes the word, explaining what they were talking about. As he finishes, Nova turns on her heel wordlessly and walks off. With quick steps she struts through the long hallways towards Teon's room, closely followed by the others.

  "Nova, what are you doing?"

  Kai sounds worried.

  "I'm going to get the brat out of his room!"

  They try to stop her, but it's too late. She just kicks the door to Teon's bedroom in and enters. She looks around for a while. With the exception of his furniture, it's empty, with no person inside.

  "Well, looks like he left."

  Lucius notices the open window first. To Kais question if they should search for him he just yells of course. Kai sprints out of the room to get the others.

  "First Kaia runs off now, Teon? Whats going on in these kids minds?"

  Rumi asks him where he think Teon could be. Lucius remains silence for a few seconds, trying to located the boys Soul-pressure.

  "I don't know. I can't feel him at all."

  The two turn to look at Ragnar, who is just strolling around the room, inspecting everything, until he notices their looks.

  "Oh, I can."

  Lucius rubs his eyes with two fingers while shaking his head. At the same time Rumi slowly walks towards Ragnar, visibly fuming with anger. His stature shrinks with each step she comes closer. She grabs him by the collar of his shirt and picks him up before carrying him towards the window.

  "Go find him!"

  Head first Rumi throws him out of the window and closes it. As she turns around she murmurs, cursing why he has to be like that at times. Nova and Lucius look at her in shock, confusing her.

  "What?"

  Without waiting for a response, she walks past them and leaves the room. The eyes of Lucius and Nova follow her. Nova breaks the silence after Rumi leaves listening range. Stating that Rumi forgets that she is the only one Ragnar tolerates treating him like that. Her only response is an agreeing nod from Lucius before both leave the room in silence.

  Far away, high up in the air, Teon flies over the sea.

  "I have to get stronger. And if they won't train with me while giving their all... I'll find someone who does!"

  With unbelievable speed, a speed she could never reach before, but now achieved because of his determination, he shot over the face of the earth, past deserts, jungles, cities, and mountains.

  "How is that possible? I can't find a single Nightmare. How high is the chance that right now there are no appearances?!"

  He stops his search above the North Pole, panting from exhaustion. Suddenly, as he looks down at the icy land, a massive black axe flies towards him. He evades the attack and look at the one who through it. Under him and a sizable distance stands Cynder.

  "Hello there, little one!"

  She yells. In less than a blink of an eye, the axe comes flying back, its handle hitting Teon in the back, throwing off his balance, and causing him to crash into the ice. While trying to stand up on the slippery ice he mutters one word: Finally.

  "Finally what?"

  He doesn't respond to Cynders question and goes straight to offence. She blocks each of the incomming punches with the flat side of her axe. The surprised expression from Teons sudden attack turns into a big gruesome grin.

  "You look really fun. Much more than the white-haired lady. You're weaker."

  Teon glares at her comment. Laughing, she mocks his expression, asking if she hurt his feelings. Following up her words she swings her axe sideways. Teon ducks backwards under it, propping himself up on one hand and kicking kicking the tall nightmare in the gut. Cynder slides a few meters over the ice before borring her claws into it to stop herself. Once she stands still her eyes scan Teon, who took on a agressive stance, and he grins widens.

  "This is gonna be so much fun!"

  With heavy steps, that break the ice beneath them the nightmare charges at Teon with the intend of tackeling in. Right before the impact, Teon sidesteps the attack and slips past her. In a smooth rotation Cynder turns, her axe aimed downwards to split him in two. He weaves the attack by simply taking a step backward, and the blade gets stuck in the ice. Using the short period in which Cynder tries to pull her weapon out of the ice, Teon runs up its handle and delivers a punch straight to her face. While they're still in contact with each over, Cynder fells 5 more times the froce of the punch, each one twice as hard as the one before. As Teon lands back on the ground, Cynder just smiles, not a single mark of injury. Slight panic spreads through Teons body for less than a second before he forces it aside and begins to use everything in his arsenal. Nothing seems to show any result. Cynder just stands there tanking it. Even as he summons Cerberus she beheads it in an instand without any seeming effort. Resting her axe over her shoulder, the beast smirks cockily.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  "You're versatile. What else doyou have up your sleeve?"

  "Stop holding back, and I'll show you!"

  Cynder laughs at the response, praising Teon for his fighting spirit and asking for his name.

  "Teon."

  Cynder nods, repeating the name one time.

  "Sorry to disappoint you, but as it stands right now, if I go all out, you die before you can land a single attack."

  The refusal of Cynder to go all out begins to infuriate Teon. He transforms into his angle form and without giving Cynder a chance to react, attacks her. After he lands a few hits, Cynder perfectly matches his speed and takes the upper hand. Even though the wings block any incoming attack, the strain Teon's emotions take on his mind and soul at the moment tires him out faster than he should. As soon as he notices it, he gathers enough distance to be out of the nightmare's range.

  "You look amazing, little warrior. That's exactly how I imagine Lucifer has to look. BUt its still not enough."

  Just as she is about to attack him again Teon snaps with his fingers and the blood that splattered over her left hand, which wasn't holding the axe, burst into black flames. Cynders's face contorts in pain, but she makes no sound. Bringing the burning arm up to her mouth, she bites into her own flesh and rips it off. Her regenration take immediet effect and the arm grows back.

  High above the two in the air stands Ragnar, watching with interest the fight unfold more and more.

  Cynder throws her axe and sprits after it to land a strike with her fist right after. The axe is blocked by a wing, and her strike hits empty air as Teon weaves it. Cynder walks over to where her axe landed to pick it up, getting ready to swing it again. But while her body moves to turn a giant hole, with the form of a turned cross gaping open in her torso. She spits out blood and falls to her knees. The cocky expression that decorated her face over the whole fight was gone, switched for one of surprise.

  "It was unwise to hold back. You're going to die now."

  "Fucker!"

  Cynder spits it out. As Teon prepares to deliver the final blow, Cynder's expression changes again. This time is one of pure terror, but not because of her impending death. No. Her eyes are directed at something behind Teon. A rift has opened without any of the two opening. Teons body begins to tremble uncontrolably.

  "What is this present?!"

  Then something pierced through Teons body right under his left lung wing. The boys falls with a agonizing scream of pain and looks behind him. Out of the rift stepped a monster beyond any this wolrd had ever witnessed. A nightmare with pale skin. Even taller than Cynder, athletic and a presence that would hunt even the best warrior in his dreams. No eyes were visible in its face, just a big mouth, lips tightly pressed together. From his head falls long tendril like hair. similar to Cynders, just completely white and from between them sprout two long horns, pointing backwards. The left arm has a strange form. Looking similar to firearms, Teon knows, but at the same time it had something strange in it. From its end steam were rising. With no doubt in his mind, Teon knew that this shot him just now. Ignoring him, the thing opens its mouth to reveal rows of terrifying teeth and speaks to Cynder.

  "It's going to be your end one day if you don't stop holding back just to have fun."

  Cynder, her face still contorted in absolute fear nods.

  "I'm sorry, Agnarok, sir... It won't happen again."

  "I know."

  The attention of the thing called Agnarok switches to Teon, whos is covering his wound with both hands.

  "Not worth my attention. You'll die from your wounds. But you..."

  He aims upwards, his face never turning to look away from Teon, and fires a shot. In a time period so short neither Teon nor Cynder are able to comprehend the bullet suposiadly hit its target and in even less time Ragnar stands on the ice between Teon and Agnarok, holding the projectile between two fingers, inspecting it.

  "You don't want that fight."

  He murmurs without taking his eyes from the strange thing in his fingers.

  "No. At least not now..."

  The white nightmare responses and walks past Ragnar and Teon. His right, normal, hand entangles in Cynders hair and he drags the whimpering beast behind him towards the rift. It disappears with both of them, and silence falls on the surroundings.

  "Why didn't you kill both of them?"

  "Why were you searching for nightmares on your own?"

  Ragnar replies. Teon looks ashamed at the ice and remains silence. Putting the pullet in its pocket Ragnar grabs Teon by the back of his shirt. Suddenly both are in the living room of Lucius island estate. Teon looks startled around. He didn't even notice that they moved, and Ragnar took him from the North Pole all the way back to the island.

  "I brought him back!"

  He yells, and quickly everyone gathers there. Kai runs up to his friend and hugs him. After etting go he notices the blood and wound. Kaia kneels down next to them and inspects it.

  "Why is it healing so slowly?"

  "Thats why."

  Ragnar pulls the bullet out of his pocket and hands it to Nova. Turning to his wife and Lucius, his voice lowers.

  "I'll explain what happened when we're alone. We might have a problem far beyond Aziel, Julius or number 3."

  Lucius and Rumi freeze, and even though she didn't hear everything, Nova flinches at them mentioning Hyper-Lethal number 3.

  Patreon members:

  Free:

  - HausCheck .

  - ….