The warmth of Amanda’s light caressed my cheek as she walked through the doorway. Her shadow fell beside me, and I could hear her footsteps falling calmly onto the floor of the study. A waving hand came into view, then a pair of bright eyes and a head of crimson hair.

Her entrance drew my attention away from the green tumor floating beside me, its sickly light pulsating across my features.

“Hey Alexis, have you seen Andross?” Her voice echoed across the room. “Gold is worried.”

She was talking to the chair at Alexis’ desk. The one he had sat in when speaking to me.

It was empty.

Amanda tilted her head and scratched the air beside her.

“The kitchen?” She gazed at her shoulder. “Gold- oh, you’re already going.”

She giggled and her eyes traced a pattern in the air as she followed the illusion. Then she turned back towards the chair, a mischievous smile on her face.

“So, did you get to talk to Unice? C’mon, you can tell me.”

A shadow crossed over her as a figure stepped to her side. It was Oubliez. Amanda’s mother looked down at her daughter with a cold expression.

She raised a single hand to Amanda’s hair, lifting a strand of flames. My friend’s eyes rolled, and she raked a hand through her hair.

“Just because you can control flames now doesn’t mean you can annoy me. I’ll blow your hair up in the middle of class and see how you like it. I bet Unice will laugh.”

Amanda raised her hand and her fingers shifted into flames. She smirked at the illusion of her brother only she could see.

Oubliez shifted her posture towards me, and I narrowed my eyes.

She said she could kill Amanda with a thought.

She could be lying.

My fingers tensed and the mana in the stone block waited in response. Oubliez hadn’t noticed it.

Then the tension drained from my muscles. I kept my connection with the stone but didn’t act. Oubliez could be lying, but if she wasn’t then the price was too high.

I could think of another way.

The elderly woman turned towards me, her clothes rustling as she moved. Her features were expressionless, and she gazed into my eyes with confidence.

She knew I was trapped.

There was a flicker of light behind Oubliez as she faced me. I looked behind her and paused as I saw Amanda move her arm from side to side.

She was looking at her fingers, each digit ablaze with flames.

Amanda raised her hand towards her face, the fire shifting in subtle ways. Her gaze was pensive as she watched the flames flicker and twist before her eyes.

Then she frowned.

Oubliez saw my line-of-sight shift and looked back towards Amanda.

“Your offer.” I spoke quickly. “What is it?”

That grabbed her attention. She turned away from Amanda, leaving my friend talking to the illusion.

Amanda hadn’t noticed my words.

She was still staring at her fingers.

The green mana tendrils clinging to my body flashed with joy, responding to Oubliez’s emotions. She shifted her entire body towards me and took a step forward.

The green tumour she controlled wriggled with life and power.

All I had to do was accept it, and it would flow within me.

“I offer you power.” Her voice rasped as she moved towards me. “You know what I have done for others. What I can do for you.”

I jerked my head towards Alexis, his flames dimming as time passed.

“You unlocked his bloodline. And you helped Unice attune to metal.” I took a deep breath. “How?”

“Alexis was the first. The test. Who he connected with was his choice.” Oubliez drew close to me. “Your mana is precious. You will be much more than he was.”

Memories of what I had experienced and seen over the past weeks entered my mind. Unice’s attunement. My first meeting with Oubliez. Every time something happened, mana disappeared.

At the heart of it all was the sickly green in front of me.

“You’re not Amanda’s mother.” I pursed my lips.

It was a statement, not a question.

Oubliez’s fingertips glowed with magic. Then she paused, and pressed a hand to her neck, drumming her fingers against her throat.

Something shifted under her skin, lumps crawling beneath her flesh. A hearty chuckle exited her mouth, a stream of sound that reverberated around my ears.

Then she stopped.

For a brief moment the world was quiet around us.

“No.” Her eyes glowed green. “I’m not.”

There was a shift in the mana around me and the room shimmered and twisted, darkness and green light merging together and then disappearing as Oubliez’s spells began to break.

“But perhaps now you will finally realise the true value of my offer.”

It was slow at first, green mana appearing in the air and returning to Oubliez’s body as she retracted her magic.

Then the room started to change.

Around me tendrils of green and white appeared, each one seeped with green mana. They were an illusion, and they were real at the same time. It wasn’t part of a spell, the green mana was inlaid within it, as much a part of it as its skin and flesh.

This was why I hadn’t been able to see through them. Like Alexis, the mana had become one with them.

I could see my restraints now. Thick and pale plant roots that locked me in place.

“I am beautiful, am I not?”

Oubliez caressed the roots trapping my wrist, a single finger tracing a line across the green and white.

Her flesh rippled, lumps jutting out underneath her flesh towards the roots, trying to reach them.

“Do you see you now, how little your struggles mean?” A small smile crossed her features. “From the moment I set my sights on you, you were mine.”

My eyes glossed over the roots, and I thought about her words.

“I know you.”

I saw her pause.

“Oh?” She laid her palm against my restraints.

They tightened against my skin.

I powered through the pain, my mind churning with thoughts. Seeing the plant roots had confirmed the last of my suspicions. Green mana was associated with the life element.

This one was different, but I was sure it had the same origin.

“Agni led me into this study once.” I looked up at the painting of Amanda’s mother that was hung on the wall. “I thought it was a mistake, or that she’d wanted me to see his grudge against William. But I think she wanted me to see your painting.”

My mind placed the pieces of the pattern together.

The cat, Harpo, had hissed at me when I’d walked near him with Oubliez’ pin. Gold had become unconscious when we’d fallen into her illusions, and he had disappeared when Alexis had brought me to his study.

Every one of the animals near me had a strange reaction to Oubliez’s magic.

Including Agni.

“Then Amanda told me a story when we walked across her garden.” My lips parted in a smile. “It was about Agni. She’d lost control of her powers, destroying her mother’s favourite flowers in the garden. Save one.”

Oubliez tensed at my words, and her fingers tightened as they gripped the restraints, forcing them deeper into me. They dug into my flesh, and I bit my lip, holding back a shout of pain.

I remembered the name of the plant, a detail that was inconsequential at the time, but now gripped my flesh in an iron grasp.

The Oubliez flower.

“It must have been terrifying for you when Agni burned you.” My words continued through the pain. “Even if you were a monster.”

My words sunk into her, and I saw anger in her eyes. Her roots twisted my body as her emotions crescendoed, but my attention was focused behind her.

Amanda had turned to face Oubliez. It was brief, but I saw her eyes linger on the space the monster was standing on.

“A human talking about things greater than himself.” Oubliez’ hissed.

My bones groaned as the restraints threatened to snap them like twigs, and I turned my attention towards the creature.

“I know better than most.” I lowered my voice placatingly. “You truly are special. One of a kind, and beyond us humans.”

Monsters could be born anywhere, whether they were mutations from a living plant, an animal, or magic itself made flesh.

Zodiac focused on monster hunting. They had entire armies dedicated to it. That wasn’t for show.

It was done because they needed that strength to stand a chance against their foes.

Every monster was born with a symbol inscribed into their flesh. It was magic unique to them, and it was the job of the Zodiac scriber division to examine and identify what these symbols did.

“There’s a symbol in your body. It allows you to create illusions and alter memories. To hide.” I stared at her. “Agni saw through you when you were born, or near then, didn’t she? Just for a moment, and then your magic worked, but in that moment, she tried to destroy you before you could grow.”

The restraints eased.

“You know some facts.” Oubliez’ lips parted in a smile. “But you do not know the full story.”

She was right.

“How did you steal other people’s mana, and copy their abilities?” I frowned. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

Monsters only had a single magic, dictated by their symbol. They couldn’t overcome that limit. It was ingrained in their very being from their birth. In return, their abilities always exceeded what a single human could do.

If Oubliez could influence people’s minds to hide herself, then that was all she should be able to do.

“The answer to that is the same as the gift I offer you. The power of connection.” Her tone shifted, almost gentle in its delivery. “The ability to surpass those around you by taking what is theirs for your own. And the power to spread these connections to others and reap what they gain.”

“Alexis used his abilities to copy his sister’s bloodline. His friends used their abilities to copy from others they chose. Each of them made monumental strides in small amounts of time.”

Oubliez raised her hand towards me and the green tumor wriggled gleefully, pulled by her will towards me as she looked at my expression.

“You can see the mana in the world around us. You can convert your own into other elements. With your capabilities you could take on the skills and talents of every magician you meet. Don’t you see? I am not offering you illusions or tricks. I am giving you true power.”

“And how do you do that?” I stared at the green tumor.

It was a tempting offer.

She was right. If the only limit to copying abilities what’s the type of mana in my body, then there was no limit for my growth.

“You humans call my gift a bloodline.” The green tumor beckoned to me. “And you will be my second inheritor.”

I blinked in surprise.

Oubliez could grant bloodlines? I looked down at Alexis.

His body was withered, a pale comparison to the boy I had seen only weeks ago. His flesh was pockmarked and torn by the powers he had been gifted.

Unice had been wearied too, her body failing her at times, and her mana disappearing.

Did she have a tumor inside her, granting her power at the cost of her life? No.

She couldn’t have the bloodline, or Oubliez would have mentioned it.

That meant Alexis’ power worked like a parasite, connecting with others and granting them powers in return for their mana.

“There’s a price for your help.” I spoke. “You’re taking their lives. I’ve seen it firsthand. Every time they copy someone’s abilities, they lose a little of themselves. From the way he looks I can’t imagine Alexis living much longer if he continues the way he has.”

“You will not pay a price.” Oubliez’s attention was completely on me. “It was necessary to conduct experiments, to see how many connections my inheritor could give, how far my inheritor could spread his power before breaking, and how strong they could become. Each student he connected to was a test. They were coal. Dispensable. You are a diamond.”

My eyes drifted towards Amanda.

I saw her smooth down her skirt, listening to words of conversation from an illusion that didn’t exist. She placed a strand of her hair behind her ear and used the chance to look from side to side.

She was searching for something.

Amanda was watching the air intently, her expression tightened, and a line of flames danced across her hair.

A single chirp resounded through the study.

Amanda turned around as she heard the sound and Oubliez froze, a ripple of emotion crossing over her features.

There was fear in her eyes.

“Agni.” Amanda looked back towards the study door. “Come here, we’re showing Alexis how awesome we are.”

Oubliez turned towards Amanda, the tips of her fingers glowing green. Amanda tilted her head at the chair in front of her.

“Actually, maybe not.”

Oubliez was changing her thoughts.

The sound of flapping wings beat against my ears, and at the corner of my eye I saw a small red ball of feathers and flames fly into the room.

Oubliez jerked away from the light’s touch, her magic faltering as she lost her concentration.

“Welcome back, sleepyhead.”

Amanda smiled and cupped her hands together to receive the bird. Agni landed gently and hopped onto Amanda’s arm, then flapped her wings to reach her head.

Agni nestled onto her hair, chirping up a storm.

“Agni has been squawking into my ear all day about talking with you. She wants to see your transformation and compare it to ours.” Her fingers clicked together. “Tell you what, I want to see whose wings are bigger.”

My eyes watched the two, both ensorcelled by illusion. Then I looked at Oubliez.

I had seen her reaction to Agni, and the final pieces started locking into place.

Oubliez had revealed all her cards to me, but none of them had been offensive magic. The monster was powerful, but she was scared of the phoenix for a reason.

She could fight, but she didn’t specialise in it.

None of the magic revealed to me could kill Amanda instantly. She had been lying about that.

I was sure of it.

“Your offer is amazing.” I spoke, distracting her from Amanda.

Oubliez swiveled back to face me, a smile creeping onto her features.

“Will you accept it?”

Behind her I saw waves of golden flames wash over Amanda as she talked with the illusion, a relaxed expression on her face.

On her head, Agni had begun to transform in the light of the golden flames, and the phoenix’s head turned my way.

Agni gazed into my eyes, and her beak tipped low.

She could see me.

“No.” I looked at Oubliez. “I don’t think I will.”

Without hesitation I moved my fingers and the stone block behind Oubliez twisted into a spear.

Then it went straight for her heart.

The air pulsed with magic as the spear flew towards its target, and I felt something change within the stone. It shot through the space with a bang, guided without my mind and cutting the air as it travelled.

For years I’d been creating spears out of earthen materials, firing them at dummies and live targets alike. This was the first time I’d felt it charge like this.

[You have unlocked the skill: Earthen Spear.]

I brushed the notification aside as my magic flew towards Oubliez.

She twisted her head to face the attack and I saw a pulse of green mana shoot out, blocking the spear with sheer quantity.

The spell continued, blasting past the green mana, and digging into her chest.

Then it stopped.

A tentacle of white and green rose from her wound and wrapped around the spear. It was the same as the roots that held me captive. It wriggled underneath her injured flesh, and I shivered.

Underneath the thin layer of skin there was only green and white underneath the surface.

“You thought I wouldn’t expect something like this?” Oubliez’ eyes gazed down at me. “Patheti-”

A flash of light interrupted her words and blazed across my vision. I blinked, and before my eyes golden flames spread across the room.

Oubliez’ eyes widened as flames caressed her body, scorching her flesh.

Amanda stood behind her, eyes cold.

“There was something here after all.” Amanda stared at the space in front of her. “Agni, you were right.”

Oubliez looked back at the fire magician in disbelief, and then her gaze was drawn down to her torso.

A flaming metal claw ran through her chest. Five more claws hovered in the air around Amanda, each one waiting to strike.

I stopped watching and sprang into action.

With a twitch of my finger the stone spear sticking out of Oubliez melted and spread out over her burning body.

It was searching for something she had taken from me.

The stone touched the object and I smiled.

My inventory box.

Oubliez grabbed at the flames surrounding her body, and I willed the stone to me. It unwrapped itself from her, allowing Amanda’s flames to penetrate further, and it reached my palm.

The stone dropped my inventory into my hand, my fingers wrapping around it in triumph.

The mana within the inventory rejoiced as we were joined together again. A tendril of silver flew out of my inventory and stabbed into the roots around my wrists and legs.

With Oubliez occupied the restraints provided no resistance and fell to the ground, broken and wriggling helplessly.

I looked up and saw Oubliez and Amanda locked together, my friend’s spell fighting against the green roots pouring out of the wound.

I needed to act fast.

Within my chest a single burst of power resonated. And then I felt my Mark activate.

Celestial convergence had begun.

I felt my connection to the metal and earth mana around me break as pain wracked my body. A thousand needlepoints made their way across my veins and muscles, threading through my bones and piercing my skin.

As Amanda and Oubliez fought in front of me a sound reached through to me, faint against the clash but distinctive and familiar to my ears.

It was the sound of rain.

And then the flapping of wings.

I fought through the pain and raised my hand, a shadow diving over me, taking my inventory from me. Then it flew into the air, and I smiled.

My eyes turned towards the battle as my spell was weaved.

Oubliez raised her hand, and the green mana in the air was brought back into her palm. The air around her shifted, but I didn’t see anything different.

“My child, what are you doing?” Oubliez spoke.

Amanda’s eyes widened, and I realised what Oubliez was doing. She had dispelled the illusion. Amanda could see her enemy.

“Mama?”

Amanda’s flames flickered and died down as she saw the target of her attack.

“Amanda?” Oubliez’s face fell, and tears appeared in her eyes. “How could you do this to me?”

The words thrust into Amanda, and I saw her hesitate.

“No!” I called out, panic rising in my heart. “That’s not your mum!”

It was too late.

Amanda’s eyes twitched, and her body trembled as her thoughts clashed with Agni’s. She was losing control of her body, her mind fighting against the phoenix’s.

Her spell died down, the claws of flame fading out of existence.

“Foolish.”

Oubliez raised her hand and the flesh of her fingers shredded apart, roots as sharp as daggers taking their place.

She stuck at Amanda’s neck.

Amanda flinched, her hand reaching up towards her throat in confusion. A roar resounded through the air, and I realised it was my own.

“What?” Oubliez’ eyes widened.

Her roots scraped against the air, colliding with it, but no blood fell onto their flesh.

Oubliez blinked and stared at Amanda’s neck.

It was unharmed.

Oubliez’ roots had stopped inches from their target, their momentum blocked by a shimmering orange glow.

It was an earth shield.

No. Not a single shield.

There were dozens of shimmering layers stacked upon each other, each glowing brightly and standing firm against the tide of green.

A loud squawk resounded through the air, and a mass of purple and black feathers dropped down from the air.

Gold landed on Amanda’s shoulder.

He held my inventory in one claw, and a mass of glowing twigs in the other.

“Good job buddy.” My pained voice resounded through the air. “Now it’s my turn.”

Oubliez stared at the shields, and then turned to me with fury in her eyes.

“What have you done?”

I looked down at my body. I was helpless as the pain wracked through me. Purple mist rose from my skin, a thin mist that spread from my pores into the study. It ignored flames and roots and spread across the air above us.

Reality shifted around me as the portal began to form.

I felt a tug in my heart.

Gerial.

A golden light formed from the drops of mana that had gathered together as we’d spoken.

“I’m ending this.” My lips twisted into a smile. “Goodbye, little flower.”

A presence washed over us, its dominance grinding against everything it touched. It was the power of my Mark, overbearing and untouchable.

“No.” She whispered. “You tricked me. You aren’t human.”

She stepped back as the presence enveloped her.

“What are you?” Her voice trembled.

My eyes gazed at her, and she stopped in place, her body frozen.

Waves of green and white rolled out from within her flesh, and roots burst out of her skin, trying to shield her from the presence she was feeling.

Some turned to face me, and flew towards my body, aiming for my heart. They started as a single root, and then they turned into a wall of daggers that blocked my vision and threatened to overwhelm me.

I couldn’t stop them.

A flash of steel crossed my vision, so fast that it could have been a figment of my imagination.

Then the roots trembled. The wall collapsed and plants falling to the ground around me, lifeless.

Standing in front of me was a single figure, a sword resting at his side.

He wore a mask with one eye.

I gazed at Oubliez and saw the monster trembling, her flesh facade destroyed and the roots underneath it revealed.

She wasn’t alone.

Seven figures surrounded her, their magic overwhelming my vision as mana and power beyond any I’d seen before blazed across the room.

The knights of the church of Crijik.

“You made a single mistake.”

I took a step forward, the fury in my heart overwhelming the unbearable pain of my spell.

“You may be a monster.”

My eyes blazed as I gazed down at my enemy.

“But you angered a god.”