The mage enforcer stared Amelia in the face, laughing with the arrogance that he was about to destroy her, that he was about to score a victory that would propel him high up in the ranks and give him the fame he so desperately craved.

All without realizing he was about to die.

Amelia was no longer fighting for survival. She was fighting for domination. For power. Ed was alive, and she knew where she was, thanks to his loose lips. The promise, the plan, their love. All of it could return if she gained the strength she needed to destroy her enemies.

Her eyes narrowed. It was time to stop toying with the boy and give him her all. She learned forward.

This golemancer in front of her seemed to realize something shifted in Amelia’s stance, because he took a step back and held up his arms in case he needed to launch a new spell.

Amelia stepped forward, casually, slowly. She held up her right palm and unleashed [Overload] once more, this time at the tree constructs attempting to overwhelm her. She hit one, and its beam reflected off and angled into the soul gem of the one beside it. Then another—she had captured three of them, trapped them in place by feeding them her own energy. Before the other two could reach her, she had done the deed.

She barely had enough time to escape the next blast, with all three blowing up at the same time. But when the wood chips settled, the golemancer had managed to avoid it too. He stood before her, panting, still flashing her that shitty grin.

The fight had already ended. Amelia raised her hand and sent a [Mana Burst] his way. Sprinted towards him and closed the gap. He held up a large, translucent magic shield and blocked the tangled beams of energy, but it shook, lost its size. And by the time she had reached him, it had already cracked.

She switched to [Slice] and her arm turned into its sharpened shape. She slashed at the shield once, twice. The crack spread, then the whole thing shattered and faded into the etherflow.

He started to speak, maybe begging, maybe one final taunt, but she had no desire to listen. She cut open his throat and pushed him down.

Amelia looked down and watched as the young man bled out on the forest floor. Made sure he was dead before she bent down, took out an empty soul gem of her own, and absorbed his soul into hers.

Mana reserves at 20%.

Please rest, Amelia.

Error.

Combat Module not responding.

Mana reserves at 19%.

Please rest, Amelia.

And that was after she took the human’s soul.

Her walk turned into a stagger. Exhaustion set in.

No telling how far away other mages might have been. A week, a day, ten minutes. She wanted to absorb the man’s soul, but there was no time. No energy left to fight if someone else dropped in.

So she decided to leave town as soon as she could.

***

The local tavern. The only place around where people could go once the sun set. Between the farms and mines, the only revelry the people of Netherhill had was in the shared spirits of drink and food. It was miserable in here, with a dry, rank odor and lights so dim one might think they were candles instead of mana lamps. But, being the only option, people found it in them to come around anyway. Dwarves, most of them, but a few sun elves, a few humans. One old felid lady working the bar.

When Amelia entered the tavern, everyone paused. Stopped what they were doing. Looked straight at her.

She lifted the body resting on her back and dumped it on the wooden floor. It creaked. Gasps and swears.

“You aren’t safe in Netherhill,” she said. “The North Sunwell Company is coming.”

“Who the hell are you?” A dwarven man asked.

“I just got here this week. Now Gyorien’s dead, and it’s my fault.” She wanted to take him here, to show them what had happened, but his body was charred beyond recognition. Impossible to recover.

The people in the tavern began to panic. The bartender sat down in a chair in shock.

“A mage enforcer tracked me here and ambushed me,” Amelia told them. “I killed him, but they’ll send more. They might send a whole platoon. You ought to make yourselves scarce. Leave town if you can.”

“Where will we go?” A human asks, gripping her skirt in fear. “We have the harvest festival next week!”

“I’ve ruined your lives. I’m sorry.”

“Where will YOU go?” the bartender asked. “Are you going to pay for what you’ve brought? Or are you going to run?”

Not run. She was done running. Done for the rest of her life.

“I’m going away.” She set her purse, overflowing with coin she nabbed from the golemancer, down on an empty table. It should have been a few months’ pay for a family. A couple of weeks for the whole town. “For your troubles. I’m sorry.”

She left Netherhill, just days after her quiet arrival. Nothing she could do here would help bring these people more peace.

Her sights were set, then, on saving the whole continent. The only way to bring a better life to Netherhill and all the places like it was to destroy the colonial corporation that exploited them.

The North Sunwell Company.

***

It was summer, in her house in the village. Hot enough to make her sweat just by existing. No fans, no conditioned air. Amelia opened the window and let the breeze inside.

And then she saw Ed walk into the kitchen, eyes fixed on her.

The breeze flowed by. Maroon hair flickered across her face. A little bit went behind her glasses. She pushed it all aside. Her lips curved upwards and she placed a hand on Amelia’s cheek.

A daring army of clouds marched in front of the sun. All the light in the kitchen faded except for that blush fixed permanently on Ed’s face.

All Amelia could think as she looked on at the woman was that this, this here on a lazy summer afternoon, was perfect. As Amelia reached out her hand to place it in hers, as she pulled herself closer and planted a kiss on that red-hot cheek, she took a snapshot.

Ed’s face in close-up. So beautiful it took Amelia’s breath away each time she dared to pull the photograph up. Each time she wished to relive that cloudy day and how utterly flawless her life once was. More precious than any physical object. More fleeting than a figure in the clouds.

Now, though, it was winter.

Somewhere in Sunwell.

The second day of a long, dull train ride across the continent.

As time passed in achingly slow speeds, the image on her HUD of Ed in summer was the only thing keeping her steady. Outside, other than the occasional mid-sized town to break up the monotony, the only view was an unending expanse of snow and trees.

If she were smarter, she would rest and clear her mind for the big day ahead of her. But instead, with this memory of Ed literally at the top of her mind, she felt even more focused than ever.

That beautiful close-up cheek was the only snapshot of her girlfriend that Amelia had ever taken. Her memory banks were limited—just a dozen images at a time, and she used most of those slots for reference maps. She had not been a sentimental lover, and she held immense regret for that fact. But the one permanent, never-changing image deep within her system was Ed’s face and that tiny bit of grin whose potency would never dull.

The train came to a stop at a rural station, so small it had only a single covered bench. A kappa couple, carrying so much luggage Amelia almost stood up and offered to help, boarded the train and sat down on the last empty seats. They complained loudly about the cold, about the storm that had cut their vacation short. One of them dug into her bag and pulled out a portable mana heater. And that confirmed to her that they had the same destination as everyone else here: that shining urban jewel of Fleettwixt.

Amelia could see it up ahead. A thin outline of its tallest buildings poking out from just beyond fog and falling snow. It grew closer with each and every stop the train made, but it appeared more like a distant dream. An ice-made mirage.

“Attention passengers,” the train intercom buzzed. “Approximately one hour until the terminal station. Travelers bound for Fleettwixt should prepare their documents shortly. New arrivals, please fill out your permits before you disembark. If you need assistance, contact train staff in Car 3. The North Sunwell Company welcomes you to our humble metropolis.”

Then, the company jingle played: “North Sunwell! Your partner in life and happiness. What wonders we can achieve together.”

What a horrible little tune.

The kappa couple began to argue about where they would stay before their ship back home departed. Should they find a hot springs, or go to the underground casinos, or save the last of their cash? They agreed about none of it, and the spat was boisterous enough that an attendant came to investigate. The two shut up after that.

For all the desperate rage built up in Amelia’s heart, she could not help but smile. Fleettwixt, home to so many wonders and opportunities, all totally taken for granted by the people who could reach it.

The things Amelia had to do just to gain an entry permit and gain access the capital city... Great violence was involved, and two months of tireless work. She could not imagine the pain that normal folk must have gone through to achieve the same.

Out there, beyond the window and those tiny towns in the mountains, laid the real Sunwell. The kappa couple may not have grasped it, but people suffered every day just trying to survive. So many villages with dirt roads and crumbling homes. Sullen faces and thin bodies. And sometimes the conquerors decided to shell them just for weapons tests.

After a year in the wilderness, Amelia understood the stakes.

She was supposed to be a hero. Gifted with the power and will to defeat the conquerors and save Sunwell from centuries of oppression. Like any real golem, she had a directive, and one with tremendous weight.

Soon, she would find her lover. She would reunite with Ed, and together they would destroy the North Sunwell Company no matter what it took, no matter how much Amelia had to grow to make it happen. No matter how many people and things she had to break to achieve it.

Fleettwixt drew near. Just minutes away.

Amelia dug out her ID card, her permit application, her customs forms. Just like a good little subject, she filled it out meticulously. All forged, but forged like a dagger that would soon stab through the fleshy heart of the colonial superpower ahead of her.

Here we go, Amelia thought to herself. Time to become the most powerful being in Sunwell.

Revenge grew ever nearer. And so did Ed.