[Sanity Level: 100%]

  Eyes wide, the prince opens and shuts his mouth. Then he opens it again. “Are you, um, quite sure you’re not here to kill me?”

  His voice is quaky and ridiculously posh. I ugh, but the sound that es out of my mouth is fn, with a slightly crazed edge. I snap my mouth shut just as quick, amusement turning into arm. The mental fog that had been clouding my mind is lifting rapidly now, and everything that had happened—everything I did—hits me like a truck.

  “Oh my god.” I sit heavily back. “What just happened? What did I do?”

  “Ah, was it a Bloodlust, perhaps?” the prince hesitantly suggests.

  He hasn’t tried to get up yet, but I suspect he’s too scared of me to run. I’m scared of me.

  “Those people,” I croak. “The Umbral Bdes.” Memories that don’t feel like they should be mine fsh through my head. Blood. Body parts. All the screaming. “God. I think I killed them.” I run my hands down my face, but my skin feels sticky and the gesture unfortable when it should have been soothing. I stop, looking down at my hands. They’re dark with a dusty mixture of blood and dirt.

  “So, you’re not with them? You’re not from Moonfall?” the prince ventures, his voice soft aant. Like someone approag a feral dog, unsure if it will snap.

  I shake my head, trying to process it all. Shouldn’t I feel sick? Horrified? Sad? I feel a little bit of all those things, but mostly I’m just numb. Maybe shock. Maybe my mind doesn’t wao process it yet.

  “Of course not,” I say. “Why would I kill…” I stumble over the word. “Why would I attack my own allies?”

  “Bloodlusts make things like that hazy,” the prince says. “But if you’re not with them, why are you wearing their armor?”

  “What?” I look down at myself. The dual crest moon symbol is carved into my chest pte. And those people were from the Moonfall Dynasty, Echo had said. I frown. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I got here. Or in these clothes. I just want to find my brother.” I look up at him sharply. “Have you seen him? His name is álvaro. A een-year-old boy, brown skin, bck hair—well, that’s what he looked like st time I saw him. He was a human.” I look at my hands, ashen-gray beh the blood. “I was human.”

  The pris there quietly for a moment. When he shifts, my attention snaps ba, and he freezes. Holding up one pg hand, he slowly reaches the other into a pocket to withdraristine, silk cloth.

  “Here,” he hesitantly offers, holding it out at arm’s length. “Your face is still… well, all of you, I mean…”

  The blood. I defte, taking the offered cloth. “Thanks.” When I wipe it over my face, it es away dark and stained. My stomach ches, and I keep scrubbing.

  “Is this your first time suffering from Bloodlust?” the prince hesitantly asks. “It be very disorienting, I’m told. A battlefield is a terrible pce for someone like you to be.”

  “It’s not the Bloodlust,” I growl, and he ges back. I collect myself a out a breath. “Sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed with everything that’s going on.”

  I finish ing up by wiping my hands with the now-dark cloth and hold it back out to the prince.

  He eyes it dubiously. “Ah, you keep it. And by everything going on, you mean…”

  I absently tuck it in a pocket, looking up at the moons. “This whole world,” I say. “And then being a dhampyr, and the shield, and the Role Requirement, and—and those people.” I drag a hand through my hair, scraping my pointed nails along my sandy scalp. “At least I have my Sanity back.”

  The prinods empathically, but is still regardih a look of extreme caution. But I ’t bme the guy—I do sound like I’ve lost it.

  I sigh, closing my eyes as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

  “So,” the prince ventures. “If you’re not with Moonfall…”

  “ you just give me a minute?” I say. “I could really use a breather.”

  “pletely uandable,” the prince agrees quickly. “However, there is a battle going on, I just survived being abducted, and my soldiers are almost certainly tearing the dunes apart trying to find me. I really should get back to them.”

  I take a few, steadying, deep breaths. Even without the prince babbling on, I don’t think I’ll be able to process everything right this moment. There are too many things running through my head. Too many unanswered questions, and too much weight to all my as to carry. Right now, at this moment, I just o pull myself together. Which means doing what any reasonable person would do in a situation such as this: I gather up all the trauma, pack it nicely away, and shove it way, way down.

  Wearily, I look up at the prince. “Abducted?” I ask.

  He raises a skeptical eyebrow. “The rope and gag didn’t clue you in?”

  “I just knew you were in danger,” I admit. “Protect the Prihat’s what Echo said.” But who is this person, really? Who was trying to abduct him? Why?

  [Check,] Echo says as I look the young man over. [Prince Quell of the Duneshade Kingdom. Level 22 human verso illusionist. Third in lio the Sterling throne.]

  “Echo?” Prince Quell repeats. “How did you know I needed proteg?”

  I shrug. “It’s my ‘Role Requirement’ I guess. And I think Echo is like my magical personal assistant?” I tip my head. “Doesn’t everyone have one here?”

  “I think you o get some rest,” Quell says. “Maybe save the interrogation for when you’ve had a ce to recover.”

  I snort. “This is an interrogation?”

  “I’m sure the Captain will have questions at any rate.” He hesitates. “So, I’m free to go?”

  “I already told you I’m not going to hurt you.” I grimace. “Well. Not iionally. I’m supposed to be your Knight. Though if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather we go our separate ways and never speak of this again.” After all, I found the prind protected him. Echo stopped shouting in my head. My Sanity Stat has recovered. This quest is plete, right?

  “That sounds like an excellent proposal,” Quell agrees. He shifts his feet back, still watg me as he prepares to stand. “Erm. Once you’re feeling yourself again—”

  “I am feeling myself.”

  “Right, of course,” he hurriedly says. “Well, if you are perce with Moonfall. I just want you all to know—we end this. We don’t have t this flict out any longer. Please. I’m sure we could rea armistice if both sides were willing. You saved my life; I owe you a great deal. I’m sure my parents would listen if your people wao treat.”

  “Er, right,” I say. I push myself to my feet, and Quell stands as well—quickly, areating a few steps. “Well, like I said, I’m not from Moonfall, and frankly I have no idea who any of you guys are, or how I even got on this p, for that matter. But, uh, I guess good luck with all the fighting. I’m going to go look for my brother.” Too bad the arrow that’s still persisting in the er of my vision—that’s still pointing at Quell—’t be rewired to point to álvaro instead.

  Quell watches me with suspi at first, then bafflement, as I dust off my clothes and start to head ba the dire I’d e.

  Now that I have some space, I check myself over. I sustained a lot of injuries in that fight. Yet, while there’s blood and gashes in my clothes, my skin is smooth and scarless beh. I ’t have healed that fast, could I? Or was it because of the Bloodlust? I Check myself to be sure.

  [Name: Nye]

  [Species: Dhampyr]

  [Css: Guardian]

  [Level: 16]

  [HP: 130/130]

  [Mana: 50/50]

  [Role: The Knight]

  Oh, I leveled up again. I guess that makes sense, given all the… well, given all the fighting. I must have missed it with all the other mental stuff going on. It’s hat a level-up tops off my HP and Mana. Being at full health will help my trek through this desert.

  I should also che on Hans while I’m at it. He seems to be in the same position I am, so at least I won’t sound crazy talking to him. Plus, two heads are better than one; maybe he help me seary brother, once we get out of this battlefield.

  “Ah…”

  I gnce behio find Quell trailing at a safe distance.

  “Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t want it to seem like I was following you. But it looks like we’re both headed in the same dire.”

  I shrug. “Okay.” He’s ly a threat, so I keep walking.

  The siles for about a minute. “Uh, the fight is still ongoing, so far as I’m aware,” Quell says.

  “It was when I started heading this way.”

  “Right.” I hear his footsteps thump faster against the sand as he jogs to catch up. “We might look more, ah, formidable if we aren’t alone.”

  I g him with a snort. He’s several ialler than me, but g any muscle, he looks more like a scarecrow dressed up in armor than an actual soldier. “No offense, but you’re not really the picture of intimidation.”

  The prince deftes. “I know. I’ve never been much suited for the battlefield. Tactics are more of my thing—safely, from the war room ba the castle. Or better yet, the library. Today wasn’t supposed to go like this. Moonfall troops weren’t supposed to be anywhere around here. We were just supposed to iigate a rumor—visit the Oasis—get our feet wet.” He chuckles darky. “On the bright side, I doubt Mother and Father will be sendi here again anytime soon.”

  I roll my eyes. Poor little prince, forced to get a taste of the actual danger his soldiers probably face every day. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to scurry back to your books soon.”

  He frowns. “That’s a bit rude. What have you got against books?”

  “Nothing,” I say. “But reading about something and doing it are two very different things.” No amount of How-To books and kung-fu movies kept my ass from being bullied. That only stopped when Old Pap door taught me how to throunch. And after a few more years of w out and bulking up, people finally started leaving me alone on-sight.

  “I’d never disagree with that,” he says. “But sometimes you learn about things in books that you would herwise have an opportunity to enter.”

  “Sure.” I’m already bored with this versation. The sooner I ditch this guy, the better. But while he’s here and somewhat not vinced I’m about to rip his throat out and drink all his blood, I might as well try to get some answers about what the hell is going on.

  “So, look,” I venture. “I know these questions sound weird, but just humor me. This p really ish, right?”

  Quell’s eyebrows shoot up.

  “Humor me!” I repeat.

  “Uh, right,” he says. “This world is Lusio. You’re in Dunmora South.”

  “Dunmora South?” I repeat.

  “It’s the south side of the Dunmora ti,” Quell says. “And you’re in the Duneshade Kingdom. Well, tested ween the Duneshade Kingdom and Moonfall Dynasty, to be exact.”

  “Right, okay,” I say. “That’s a lot of names I won’t remember.” Maybe I should have started with something more practical. “How does this magic system work? These levels and csses?”

  Quell’s skepticism turns into a frown. “What do you mean?”

  “You know,” I say. “The words and numbers in my vision. The stat s. You’re a level 22 verso illusionist and I’m a level 16 guardian and… you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

  He shakes his head. “If you’re refereng a field of magic, it’s like none I’ve ever read about. Verso illusionist?”

  I ignore his question. “What about Role Requirements? Is that a thing?”

  “No, sorry.”

  “A magical voice that calls itself Echo?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “Okay. Huh.” What does that mean? Hans could see the stats. He mentioned Echo’s voice. Are we the only ones? Is it because we’re from a different world? “This is crazy.”

  “It certainly sounds outndish,” Quell agrees. “But the more you speak, the more I think you’re sane.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I say ftly.

  He shakes his head. “What I mean to say is, I suspect there’s truth to what you’re describing, it’s just that what you’re experieng is somethiirely outside my knowledge base.” There’s a hungry look in his eyes when he looks at me . “That’s fasating.”

  “Gd I satisfy your academic curiosity,” I grumble.

  “These questions about worlds,” Quell ventures, apparently unwilling to let the versation go now that I’ve started it. “Are you really suggesting that you’re from a different one?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “Not that I expect you to believe me. But I’m from a p called Earth. I was in the sea there when… well, I’m irely sure what happened. It’s all kind of muddled. There was a dark pce. Filled with… a monster, or something. And other people. My brother was there, too. There was a fight of some kind, and I think the monster lost—then I woke up here, otlefield.”

  “And the rest is history,” Quell murmurs.

  “Well, I met Hans, got attacked by a se cactus, and nearly had my blood drained by a cursed shield. But yeah, after that, the rest is history.”

  Quell is back to looking at me like I’m crazy again.

  “At any rate,” I say, “I’ve still got questions about how magic here works. Like, is it all blood and evil shields, or—”

  I hit the sand, skip over the surface, and sm into a rock before I even realize what hit me.

  [17 points of Bludgeoning damage sustained.]

  Quell lets out a shout, and other raised voices join his, but my mind is spinning too hard to make sense of it. I cough, rolling onto my back, and wait for the moons to stop spinning around my vision. Several dark shapes appear in my peripheral, and I try to push myself upright, despite the pounding in my head and the vertigo that threatens to tip me right back over.

  “Don’t move,” a voiaps, and a bde swims into focus in front of my nose. “If you value your life, I suggest you don’t attempt to fight back.”