“If he continues to grow, he will soon eclipse you in strength, my dear. And once he passes you… well, I don’t have to explain, do I?”

Vualla wasn’t particularly surprised by Cail Tweocs’ sudden arrival, nor did she worry overmuch about the fact that she hadn’t noticed him approaching. Of all the things that she had learned from the long six months training with him, the obvious lesson was that Cail Tweocs was much more capable than he let on. He might very well be the most powerful individual on the front lines, aside from the newly arrived Nether King.

“You are smart, girl.” Cail Tweocs purred. “I know what I’m talking about. More than anyone else in this fucked up war zone… I can see how these events are going to play out. Right now… you are about to be left behind.”

And sometimes she wondered how vast that difference in power between Cail and the Nether King actually was.

Vualla stayed silent, simply casting Cail a sidelong glance. He stood with his arms behind his back, obviously intending to seem like a wise and trusted teacher to her. After clearing his throat, he continued, “But competition is the spice of youth! It is not too late to act. Use this opportunity to pull forth your vast potential. Because I know that you have an advantage over that foolish boy.

“You, Vualla, are a killer. Raised on death, homegrown to seek vengeance against the Nether threat. As long as you embrace those parts of your personality, this so-called competition...”

Cail trailed off, giving Vualla a knowing smile.

A killer. Raised on death, grown to seek vengeance… Vualla’s mind slowly turned those accusations over in her mind. They were heavy like that had been cast from lead. But she dutifully kept withheld her judgment and carefully inspected them.

When she continued to remain silent and watch Randidly fighting amongst the Nether Beasts, Cail favored her with an indulgent smirk. “Oh, come on now. Be honest with yourself. Seizing strength… strength enough to avenge your father has been your dream. I know you, girl. Your current capabilities… isn’t it embarrassing? How can you feel adequate when you keep watching people around you die? And didn’t that boy save you from death yourself…?”

That finally got a reaction out of Vualla. The muscles of her arms flexed and spasmed. Clenching her jaw, she lowered her gaze to the ground.

Cail noticed her distress. “I honestly don’t know how you act friendly with him when there is a sea of jealousy seething inside of you. Suppressing that darkness is not a smart choice, girl. You crave that power he has. You would do anything to possess the same. It galls you that you can’t even protect yourself. You hate yourself for being weak. Just admit it.”

Vualla could see exactly what Cail was talking about. The same way that she sleepwalked through her life before she met Randidly Ghosthound, she saw how she could slip back into that same dozing state and follow Cail’s logic.

Her dream was to reunite with her father. Yet he had died. Her ultimate goal was to destroy the System. And yet even these minor figures within the hierarchy of Nether were enough to wound her so much that-!

Vualla’s right hand tightened. Her Fate throbbed.

It would be so easy to hate herself for her weakness. To pick at all the chances that Vualla had to grow stronger or to make some other choice and be stricken by fear that the next time that those chances would come around that she would miss them just as surely. It would be simple to let the fear of failure and her sense of inferiority drown her.

It would have been so easy to be swayed by the threat of punishment and not go on that walk to visit her father after the first time his camp had been attacked. And if she hadn’t gone, she likely would have regretted it for the rest of her life. Had she been alone, she likely would have been too worried about the consequences to move from the camp.

But Vualla hadn’t been alone. Randidly had been there. And to him, it was the most natural thing in the world to follow her on a walk for now more reason than she wanted to go.

It was an affirmation that Vualla had needed for years without even noticing it. And it had changed her life.

“Not that you should worry about this shitbag surpassing you for long,” Cail Tweocs chuckled. “I’ve seen thousands of fools just like this. They flash brightly now, but their luck always runs out. Someday soon… Randidly Ghosthound will die.

“And you… you might be weak and jealous now, but I’ve seen the Path you can follow. As long as you are willing to listen to me and put in the work-”

Vualla forced her fingers to loosen her grip on her arms so they dropped and swung at her sides. Very carefully, she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. “That’s not true.”

Immediately, Cail’s expression turned gloating. “The more you deny it, the more you hurt yourself. Are you so immature that you feel threatened by honesty? You are jealous and weak. Heh, and here I had thought-”

“Randidly won’t die,” Vualla said quietly. She raised her gaze and found him immediately, blazing like a verdant sun as he led his strange riders back around toward Lady Iellaya’s camp. “I’m not saying I’m not weak; I am. But you know… I’m getting stronger every day. Because of him.”

That part of me that cares, the motivation for my growth… That’s growing stronger every day. Vualla’s Fate throbbed again, but it was the warm itch of a scab slowly starting to heal over.

“Are you doubting me?” Cail clicked his tongue. “I know you better than you know yourself. You think this random boy knows how much you cried for your father after he left you? How you sobbed as brother after brother went to the front lines and never returned? I know how your mother’s soul left her body and you were raised by a husk of a person. And that’s why you need to listen to me-”

“Oh shut up,” Vualla said in irritation. “I’m not following the Path you want. Do you really think that my entire life is defined by the fact that my daddy left me? Please. It fucking hurt, of course. And now seeing father die… I don’t know if I’ll ever fully heal. But… life goes on.”

Cail looked blankly at her for several seconds. “S-so you admit it. That you… All that pain you have, that’s what you need to turn into power. And not just your own pain, everyone’s. Every soul on this battlefield. You know how to grasp it, don’t you? I bet if it’s you, you can sense their lingering emotions. If it’s you… they can become fuel. You’ve likely already felt-”

“That’s what this has been about the whole time,” Vualla said in wonder. “You… you’ve always known. You’ve always pushed me toward that realization. That I can steal the life energy of beings as they die and take it for my own. And you’ve pushed me to stretch myself so I would feel like I would not have any choice… that I needed it. And that it was justified to take that energy. That since they were dead anyway, there was no ethical dilemma to speak of.”

“Why are you being difficult?” Cail Tweocs snapped. He leaned toward Vualla and leered at her. Vualla could see his mind spinning as he backpedaled to a past conversation. “Can you not see it as you look at him? In a short amount of time, that boy’s power will grow explosively. Everything you’ve ever wanted will be his. How long have you lived with the absence of your father? How long have you craved for him to notice you? And before you got the chance, your father was killed. Everything is lost. Fight for what you want, you stupid bitch.”

“Hah! Again… do you really think that people are so simple?” Vualla said with a flinty smile. “Is this the best you can come up with? Was I someone who responded well to threats?”

But now Cail’s temper had been ignited. When he jabbed his finger at Vualla, she couldn’t help but grunt as some of his formidable power leaked out and smashed against her. “ I know your life! You stupid cunt, everything you are, everything you could be… All these souls are in the palm of your hand! And you are wasting it! If you know about the path to power, what are you waiting for?”

Cail’s lip curled upward. His aura began to rumble ominously and Vualla was forced to grit her teeth. Her Fate spasmed once more. “Are you going to tell me it’s love? That you fell in love with this foolish Earthling and suddenly you are willing to waste all of your potential? To throw away every bit of your dreams? What fickle creatures are women! How flighty and emotional. Don’t mind me, then, if I squash you like a bug so I don’t have the distinct displeasure of staring at the disappointment of your existence any longer.”

“You’ll regret killing me,” Vualla said softly.

“Heh, if I don’t know you, there is no way you can know me. I already regret making you,” Cail muttered as he raised his hand. “A very rare mistake, indeed. I suppose it was always a risky gamble…”

All the palpable energy of Cail’s aura concentrated on his hand. Her instincts immediately began to hum, warning her away from that hand. Yet for a split second, Vualla considered remaining silent in the face of her imminent death.

She was so tired. All her life had been building toward a reunion that could no longer happen. Her father was dead. All her strength ended up being useless. It was likely due to the damage to her Fate, but for the last few days, Vualla also couldn’t seem to muster up much of a will for revenge. This was a war where the lines might shift but tragedy was inescapable. Hating the enemy that only fought because of its obvious hatred toward the forces of Aether left Vualla numb and tingling.

And yet…

And yet, as Cail Tweocs’ had his hand raised high above his hairless head, some part of Vualla stirred. When her Fate trembled, it was that same warm itching of a healing wound. And she saw Randidly’s solemn eyes.

If I can be wounded, then I can heal. I cannot just give up.

No.

Not now.

This life is finally mine. That Path Cail Tweocs wants me to take… he can’t force me to choose it.

I can live how I want. I can live without sacrificing everything for strength.

Yet to get Cail to stop… only one method came to Vualla’s mind. To prove him wrong. If she could just prove she was right about one thing, Cail would withdraw and reconsider. And with that chance…

Well, Vualla wasn’t sure what would change. But she was absolutely sure that something would. All she needed was the opportunity. A secret floated to the surface of her mind in that long, drawn-out moment as Vualla looked at the execution hanging over her. A secret of Randidly’s. One that wasn’t hers to share.

And as she opened her mouth, she hesitated. If I say this, and people learn about this, Randidly-

There was a warm hand suddenly on her back. Her Fate began twitching rapidly. Vualla could hear Randidly’s voice in her ear.

If the situations were reversed, and there was a secret about you that I could share to survive, would you want me to say it?

Vualla’s jaw clenched. Obviously, but would you do it? Would you betray my trust?

The warm handprint on her back intensified. Wouldn’t you want me to? Is that desire less important than our individual pride?

Vualla closed her eyes.

Just before Cail was about to strike, Vualla spoke softly into the air, freezing the man who was much, much more powerful than she was even though she didn’t open her eyes. “Do you know why Randidly is so strong? And why he won’t die?”

Cail paused. He slowly raised his hand back toward its starting position and looked toward the battlefield with a serious expression. For a second, the duo considered the form of Randidly Ghosthound, easily ripping through the three and four-star Nether Beasts. Then a wicked smile that stretched from ear to ear emerged on Cail’s face. “Yes… yes I do. That boy has a secret so powerful that even someone like me was tempted. His body is an entire world. He-”

“You’re wrong.” Chuckling, Vualla shook her head. Then she shrugged as her eyes opened and she faced Cail with a clear gaze. “Well, perhaps you are not. But I think you are missing the point. Look at how the power flows through him. He is entirely connected with his subordinates. With his body, with his images. Everything he does is slippery smooth. When he fights, he doesn’t have several independent images, they are all woven together.”

“...what is your point?” Cail said quietly. But Vualla knew that he saw it now. Slowly, his hand began to drift downward toward his side.

“I don’t know much about the Xyrt Brigade, but I bet you have a lot of strategic grade intel on the fight against the Nether,” Vualla said casually. “Like the greatest strength of the Nether… the connections between its forces. That they can move their entire force across the entire Nether empire in a split second because of that powerful interconnective infrastructure. If you unfocus your gaze… can’t you see the same qualities present in Randidly?”

Finally, Cail Tweocs fell silent.

“You don’t know us, Cail,” Vualla said quietly. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened. “Maybe you are very, very good at predicting. Maybe you can see our pasts with perfect clarity. But the past isn’t the future. It has to pass through the present first and this present… it's a magical thing.”

Cail spat to the side.

“Now, if you will excuse me…” Vualla flashed a bright smile at Cail. “I need to go offer my congratulations. We won this battle. And the war is a much bigger thing than the two of us… but I think that one victory in this battle is exactly how we want to start.”