Kendrick didn’t even have time to brace for death.

He flipped the Psysword and plunged it into the dirt as the Prime Sin’s destructive breath dug out the ground beneath him... and when he opened his eyes again, he was unscathed.

Outside the body, Sahni had explained to him once, light aura and dark aura naturally repel each other. Creatures of the Underworld need to digest light aura before they can use it—otherwise, too much of it would infect them and burn right through them. That’s why the Psysword is so effective against shades—the blade is literally disintegrating them, since they’re made of dark aura. Does that make sense? Sorry, I probably didn’t explain that very well...

Adrogan’s black energy beam forked in two when it made contact with the Psysword, which was now nearly as long as Kendrick was tall. The halved beams dug up smaller, shallower trenches in the dirt road, with one careening off into the woods and felling two trees.

His lens picked up the Psysword’s aura reading.

KENDRICK {242}

Still alive, he thought. Hardly lost any aura, too.

“Kendrick!” Bellara shrieked. She and Gydeon each grabbed one of his wrists and led him to cover on the side of the road. “You... deflected that. I didn’t even think that was possible!”

“Aura repulsion,” Sahni muttered. “I mean, I think... That’s what it looked like, right? You really did it, Kendrick! That was amazing! How did you know to do that?”

“I don’t know,” Kendrick answered truthfully. “I just... it was instinct. I thought it would protect me somehow.”

“You, fellow healer,” said Tanathil. “What say we have a chat about that hand of yours for a moment?” The elf led Sahni a few steps deeper into the thicket. “Buy us some time if you would!”

“Obstrae dynamus!” Gydeon shouted. The Prime Sin was such a towering beast that the wizard could barely get the rings around its neck. Rather than the durable, arm-thick structures they were when trapping a demon, they were stretched thin to the point of ineffectiveness around the reptilian titan’s neck. A single turn of its head disintegrated the bindings like old cobwebs. “Nothing.”

“That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?” said Kendrick. “Bell, got any bright ideas?”

She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders. “I suppose I’ll have to think of something, won’t I?”

That’s the spirit, Kendrick cheered her on internally. “I’m going for the demon strat. Easy enough to stay low on that thing. Gonna see if I can bring down a leg. You two watch that breath!” He took off running at Adrogan, heart still thumping as it had been since he’d heard the first demon roar while they were fixing the wagon on the side of the road. That already felt like a lifetime ago. He wondered how long he could keep this up.

“Ekom illacta!” Bellara called out. A chunk of the ground separated from the dirt road, hovering with a coating of white aura. “Ekom fragomentum!” Just like she’d done at the Rift against Zorgen, Bellara used her spell to break up the rock into sharper pieces and pelt the underside of the Prime Sin. Unfortunately, it was similarly ineffective. “Very well then. I might have to get a little more creative.”

Meanwhile, Kendrick zeroed in on one of Adrogan’s legs, which was tall and thick as a tree trunk. He wound up his right arm and swung the Psysword with all his might—clang!

His sword hit solid resistance and the impact rattled the weapon out of his hand, sending shockwaves up through his shoulder. Ow! Son of a... Wait, the sword! He fetched it from the ground and ran to avoid the creature’s next footstep. Those scales are a lot tougher than demon hide. Maybe I need to make the edge sharper?

Kendrick studied the blade. He squinted at it, turning the weapon over in his hand, trying to focus the utilization of his aura even more tightly. His lens took this opportunity to gauge a new reading.

KENDRICK {409}

Whoa! Kendrick thought. That shot up fast! Is that my highest ever? Never mind—focus!

He ran after the leg that had just planted a thunderous footstep in the dirt. This time, he tried stabbing it in the ankle—clang! Still no good. All this progress, and I’m still not even 1% as strong as this thing anyway. Is that why I keep failing? Kendrick ran out from under the monster’s path to avoid being trampled.

“Obstrae dynamus ampla!” Gydeon shouted. From this vantage point, Kendrick could just barely make out two slightly chunkier rings of white aura attempting to bind the Prime Sin, this time on its snout. The creature flexed its jaw muscles once—the bindings held. On its second try, however, they snapped like twigs. Now Adrogan drew in a thunderous breath and blew it out with a grinding, ghastly wail.

The dark aura beam crunched through the ground and cut a burning path into the woods. Even when the screech had passed and the breath had ceased, purple-black flames still licked at the scorched trees and forest floor in its wake. Thankfully, Gydeon was able to dodge the initial attack. Bellara was concentrating on her next spell.

Hey, that’s progress, Kendrick thought, replaying Gydeon’s strengthened binding spell in his mind. Took it a second to break free. Was the spell that strong? Or was this abomination just not expecting it?

Bellara pointed her right index and middle fingers, clenching the corresponding wrist with her left hand. She took aim at the side of the creature’s head. “Synkentronai zin ampla!” A white beam crackling with electric energy rocketed out of her outstretched fingertips. Then it ricocheted off the Prime Sin’s head and blasted a hole straight into the ground at Kendrick’s feet. Even with his heightened, adrenalized senses, he couldn’t follow the speed of it until it was over.

He peered into the hole. It was perhaps two fingers wide; steam from the heat of the impact rose off the rim. Even shining the light of his Psysword over it, he couldn’t make out the bottom of the hole. He wondered how much momentum the attack lost when it rebounded off the Prime Sin’s scales. Even still, it dug deep into the crust of the Ecumene. And yet Adrogan trudged forward unfazed.

If brute force can’t scratch this thing, what good am I? Kendrick wondered.

The futility of their struggle began to set in.

He tapped his lens for an update on the Prime Sin’s power.

PRIME SIN ADROGAN | {61,#00}

PRI#E SIN AD#OGAN | {#1,#00}

{CALIBRATING}

PRIME SIN ADROGAN | {61,00#}

{CALIBRATION ERROR, RECALIBRATING}

PRIME SIN ADROGAN | {~61,000}

Don’t die on me now, old friend, he pleaded silently with his lens. I know this is some crazy shit we’ve found ourselves in the middle of, but hold on just a little longer. This’ll all be over in... He remembered that the solar eclipse was less than a day away. ...Tomorrow? One way or another, he reasoned, it would be over very soon.

Kendrick did some quick calculations in his head. The Prime Sin was down about 20,000 aura from when it first approached them. It had also used its primary beam attack twice. 10,000 aura in every blast? No wonder it’s tearing up the landscape! He remembered when Sahni had first told him about the Prime Sins and the power hierarchy of the Underworld; it was thought that the Prime Sins and the Great Virtues, the titans of the upper and lower realms, did battle on the Ecumene’s primordial supercontinent and cut it into four pieces. That legend seemed far more believable to him today.

Bellara barked strategy at him. “None of my spells are getting through those scales! I doubt fire would fare any better. Any luck for you?”

“Nope!” Kendrick answered.

“The only hope might be its mouth!” Gydeon offered.

Bellara threw up her hands. “The question is, how do we get around that blast? Speaking of...” Adrogan opened its mouth again. “Synkentro—” Before Bellara could fire off her next spell, the dark aura shot out of the creature’s gullet in her direction. She rolled out of the way at the last instant. This attack narrowly missed their wagon and horse, the latter of which was tied to a tree; the horse stood on its hind legs, kicking and neighing in terror.

Kendrick ran to keep up with the monster. Now that he was able to glimpse its full body, he saw it did resemble a malformed alligator of sorts—six legs, a long, swinging tail, and a misshapen reptilian snout. That, and all the extra claws, spikes, and fins. A distorted alligator was the closest approximation he could conjure in his mind.

It takes a second to charge it, he thought. At least a second between when it opens its mouth and when the beam shoots. That would take some serious precision and timing!

“We have to time it right!” Kendrick shouted. “One concentrated attack down the hatch! Right before it does its thing!”

“You two go for it,” said Gydeon. “I’m no battle mage. I’ll draw its fire if you two can attack while it’s distracted!”

“What will you do?” Bellara asked. “About the blast, I mean?”

“A shield spell should suffice.” The wizard averted his eyes uncertainly. “A very dense and local one. It doesn’t matter! Do what you’re going to do! Every step brings it closer to all the innocent lives in Dalcaster!”

“How good is your throwing arm, Kendrick?” Bellara asked. “Think you could lob in the Psysword?”

Kendrick shrugged. “I, uh, maybe! But will we get it back?!”

Bellara furrowed her brow. “I don’t know. I—I'm not sure, just—”

They hadn’t finished strategizing when the Prime Sin opened its toothy jaws and readied the next beam of dark aura.

“Pyrios ampla!” Bellara cried out fiercely. Her spell conjured a colossal fireball that soared toward the monster’s open mouth.

Gydeon drew two tight concentric circles with his hands. A white shield of aura began to materialize. “Entei gumentus ha—”

Shooom! The blast fired. Bellara’s flames were consumed effortlessly in the powerful beam.

Part of it was deflected off Gydeon's incomplete shield—it ricocheted and tore through the treetops.

The rest of it pierced Gydeon through the chest.

“Gydeon!” Kendrick screamed.

The Prime Sin bowed its head to sniff at the three of them with flaring, irregularly-shaped nostrils and, disinterested, stomped on down the dirt road in search of a heartier meal.

PRIME SIN ADROGAN | {#2,000}

#RIME SI# #DROGAN | {52,##0}

{CALIBRATING}

PRIME SIN ADROGAN | {~52,000}

Sahni cried out, “Kinestagnai—!”

“Stop, stop,” Tanathil chided her gently. “Stop now, child. The abomination is leaving. I’m afraid this was not a fight we could win.”

Kendrick briefly glimpsed Sahni and Tanathil emerging from the woods. Sahni’s right hand had been mostly restored; it looked badly sunburned for some reason, and a bit bloody, but her flesh and skin were now largely regenerated.

He returned his attention to the crisis at hand. Bellara had already grabbed a fallen piece of wood to prop up Gydeon’s head as he lay motionless in the middle of the dirt road. His eyes were wide with shock and the color was draining from his face; Kendrick had nightmarish flashbacks to Bellara’s face in Dawnfall Valley when Zorgen had impaled her through the stomach.

“Okay, Sahni, Tanathil,” said Kendrick, “I think now is—” Bellara cut him off by raising a silencing hand and shaking her head. “What? It’s time to heal him. Are you two feeling up to it?”

Bell’s voice was low. “Kendrick, he’s been infected with dark aura. His aura can’t repel it in this quantity. I don’t know any spells to extract it manually. Do you two?” The human witch and the elf both shook their heads dejectedly.

“I don’t get it. Bell, you got stabbed with dark aura—”

“Kendrick, it was one human sorcerer casting a single spell. This was pure dark aura from the belly of the second most powerful class of being in the Underworld. There is simply no way—”

“I just don’t get why we can’t—” Kendrick argued, but he was cut off this time by Sahni placing her good hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were damp. She solemnly shook her head at him to let him know the true gravity of the situation. The feeling of futility settled over him once more. “Can we... at least make him more comfortable?”

“K-Kendrick?” said Gydeon. His eyes were still wide and staring straight up at the sky.

“Hey, I’m here,” the swordsman replied. “I’m here, Gydeon.”

“We all are,” Bellara added. “Sahni and I are here, too.”

“I don’t think we’ve formally met, but my name is Tanathil,” said the elf. “I... Do you...” The elf covered his eyes with a hand and flailed the other one. “Oh, I’m terrible with this... I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Sahni whispered to him tearfully, and he stepped away for the moment.

“Good to... see you... all... here,” Gydeon wheezed effortfully. “Who knows? If this is... the end of everything...” He took a wet, crackling breath, probably full of blood, that made Kendrick tense up on the inside. “...perhaps we shall... meet again tomorrow... in the Overworld.” Kendrick bowed his head. Whether Gydeon was right or wrong, it would be tragic. “Thank you for reminding me... of the beauty... of... magic. Mortalkind’s... love letter to Aldiel.”

“You’re the best wizard I’ve ever met,” said Kendrick. “And I know I spend most of my time with two witches, but I have met a few wizards, you know.” Why are you trying to crack a joke at a time like this? he scolded himself. He’s dying, you insensitive bastard!

But the corners of Gydeon’s lips curled in a weak smile and Kendrick didn’t feel so bad. “Thank you for being my friends... at least... while we were.”

Bellara held Gydeon’s hand. “Friends can have disagreements. They can even hurt each other.” She looked up at Sahni. “I’ve done things since the Rift was opened that I’m not proud of...” Then she glanced at Kendrick, only a quick one. “...and others that I am. I promise you we’ll save Dalcaster. And I'll tell them they have you to thank.”

Rather than ponder the next battle, Gydeon appeared much more present in the moment. “Could you take me... to see... the horse? I’ve always loved... horses.”

Kendrick smiled sadly and said, “We can do that for you. Friend.”

They carried him as gently as they could to the wagon, placing him in the cart. Tanathil untied the horse and led him over to the fallen wizard. With the Prime Sin now long gone, the animal was more at ease, neighing occasionally and flicking his tail. Gydeon summoned the strength to place a hand on the horse’s muzzle and pat it feebly.

Sahni cast a spell over Gydeon to ease the wizard’s pain as the dark aura did its insidious work. She whispered to Kendrick privately that it could do nothing to save him, but it would make his transition more comfortable.

“You really came in clutch today, by the way,” Kendrick said out of the blue a short while later. “I don’t know if I ever formally thanked you for saving us back there. Again! So... thank you, Gydeon. I know we didn’t know each other long, but you came a long way. And I just want you to know that you’re a good friend...” The wizard said nothing. “Gydeon?”

The young man in the cart exhaled one final breath, a pocket of air tinged with dark aura that blew away in a gust of wind.

GYDEON {0}

The four of them were silent for a few moments. Then Sahni buried her face in her hands and wept. Tanathil put a consolatory arm around her as he cried quietly, too.

“Start digging,” Bellara said in a dry, authoritative voice. “I’ll finish fixing this damned wagon. We’re out of time.”

***

The sun was starting to go down by the time they were ready to get back on the road.

Kendrick, Sahni, and Tanathil all worked to dig an impromptu, shallow, unmarked grave for Gydeon. They lowered him in gently. When Tanathil asked if anyone would like to say a few words, no one did. They buried his body together in silence.

When they were done, Kendrick saw Bellara using her body weight to yank on the wagon wheel. She grunted with the effort. “Okay. It’s roadworthy again. Let’s get moving to Dalcaster.” The three gravediggers were jumping into the cart when Kendrick heard the clopping of horse hooves...

...coming from up the road.

“Halt! Travelers!” a man’s voice shouted. He was riding a white horse, the leader in a group of about two dozen horses with a mixture of single riders and wagons pulling multiple passengers. The horses all galloped to a stop to inspect Kendrick’s party. “You four! Are you hurt? We’ve been tracking a Prime Sin for the past day and a half and it’s likely to be in the area.”

“You’re a little late,” Bellara scowled at them. “It’s probably 10 sunstrides that way by now.” She pointed at the path Adrogan had taken.

“Damn,” said the man on the white horse. “Do you lot practice magic? We’re assembling every witch and wizard we can find to protect every Kanthian stronghold we can.”

“We can fight,” Kendrick spoke for the group. “Two fighters, two support/healers, I mean. I’m Kendrick, she’s Bellara, that’s Sahni, and Tanathil. We can all help.”

“I am Olser, and my friends will dispense with their introductions,” he said with a grin that he seemed to find charming. “We are headed next to Porreigh, to the south, to meet up with the Kanthian Army and prepare defenses.”

“The Prime Sin Adrogan is bound for Dalcaster,” Sahni said softly. “Don’t you think we should help them? I mean...” She sheepishly averted her gaze. “There are lots of people there...”

Olser shook his head and his black beard shook with it. “No, Dalcaster has unfortunately already been lost. The Kanthian army has already pulled out of that region.”

“I don’t think that’s true...” Sahni ran a hand through her aqua hair. “Um... I wonder if you might reconsider?”

“It’s not true,” said Bellara. “There are still tens of thousands there. Those too weak to fight.”

Olser shook his head again confidently. “No, I’m afraid you’re mistaken, young witch. Our efforts are better spent in Porreigh and beyond.”

“But what about all the people in Dalcaster?” Sahni asked.

“Did you not hear them?” Kendrick interjected. “Our friend died fighting this Prime Sin today. He just came from Dalcaster. He said it needs help. That thing is going to make a meal of that place and torch the rest. What you should be doing—”

Olser held up his hand to cut him off. “Enough. We stopped here to see if you required assistance. You may accompany us to Porreigh or—”

“HEY!” Sahni yelled. It was enough to give her party pause, as Kendrick realized he’d never heard her be this loud before, and it even quieted the roaming band of witches and wizards, save for a few of their horses’ nervous whinnies. “There are 100,000 innocent people in Dalcaster who need our help. Our friend saw them with his own eyes today. Now are you going to let them die? So you can go somewhere else and wait? Or are you going to come with us? And fight it now?” Kendrick felt his skin prickle with a sudden wave of goosebumps.

“Adrogan the Devourer will likely seek out the closest sizeable source of aura,” said Olser. “If what you’re saying is true, if the Kanthian Army chose to withdraw despite the people there...”

“Then they do need our help,” said the horseback witch at his right hand. “Conventional armed forces may be making difficult choices they feel are right—protecting other settlements. But if Dalcaster falls, it will mean the deaths of thousands, and Adrogan will only become that much more powerful.”

Olser waved a hand to quiet her, clearly frustrated at losing his argument. “Very well then, fine. We will surveil the area of Dalcaster. If we find no sign of the abomination, we will proceed to Porreigh as planned!” He regarded Kendrick’s party with a more disdainful expression the second time around. “You lot, shall you join us or not?”

“We’re coming,” said Bellara. “And we have a strategy that might be able to beat it.”

“We’ll discuss en route. Onward to Dalcaster, then!”

“That was amazing,” Kendrick muttered to the ordinarily soft-spoken witch. “That was just... wow. Really impressive.”

“Oh, thank you, Kendrick,” she said with a nervous smile.

“I’m serious. I got chills.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was probably too loud... My mistake.”

Oh, Sahni, he thought. Never change.

Kendrick watched as Tanathil mounted their horse and merged with the outgoing equine traffic down the dirt road. Many of them had to steer carefully, as the road had been torn to shreds with Adrogan’s black energy. Kendrick reflected on the battle of the day that started with a single demon roar and ended with a Prime Sin taking a life before his very eyes.

He felt fatigued. He felt anxious and traumatized. Snippets of combat, each a few seconds long at most, replayed in his mind again and again. He feared what the next confrontation at Dalcaster would bring. Worse, what Urobius and his dark army would do when they crossed to the other coast of Kanthos and on to Varyngard...

Is it even worth fighting anymore? Kendrick asked. There are a few dozen spellcasters here. What if even they can’t do anything to stop it? What if a hundred, or a thousand can’t do anything? Then what? It’s pointless...

Then he realized the impact that Gydeon’s sacrifice had made. Were it not for the young wizard intervening, not only would Kendrick and his friends be dead, but the passing witches and wizards would never have been redirected to Dalcaster. What’s more, Gydeon gave them the strategy that might be able to defeat the Prime Sin—thereby weakening the Underworld’s invasion force by a considerable margin.

One person made a difference, Kendrick realized. For us. For thousands of others who now have at least a chance to escape. Gydeon did that. Kendrick counted everyone in the caravan—there were at least 30 individuals including himself. If one person can make a difference, we’ll see what 30 times that can do. It’s not over yet!