Hedwin felt space magic pull and scratch at him. It only grasped grains of ash as the runes on his armor constantly shifted, locking his local area of space in an ever-changing cage. His ashen limbs lashed toward the Royal with terrifying speed. One slashed deep into the labyrinth walls, spraying debris across the room. Walls of ash intercepted spatial torrents while a barrage of ashen spears kept the Royal on the defensive. All while he reestablished the ashen haze.

The exchanges were quick and brutal. Booms rocked the exit room as it was half reduced to rubble.

The Fae prince’s size made it a frustrating target. Its constant teleporting didn’t make it any easier.

Hedwin felt his ash push away from an area behind him. An ashen cocoon closed around the Royal before it fully materialized. Spikes formed inside and pressed down like an iron maiden. The Royal slammed into the cocoon with a focused burst of spatial expansion. A massive boom sounded out as the cocoon was blown apart.

The Royal roared, space distorting around it as it charged.

Hedwin watched the mana currents grow in density around the Royal. A barrier armor like Vivi. The same sort of barrier that Jonah had burned through earlier, he guessed.

He couldn’t allow the spell to complete.

Ash and embers danced in the air, drawing a series of simple restriction arrays. Weak on their own, yet extremely effective when stacked together. The air was set aflame by red light as space was put in lockdown.

Hedwin focused on the travellers in his nearby cocoon. Quantify gave him a list of nonsense that he skimmed through. The woman was stable, though her mana was in utter chaos. The young man was fine, just naked and utterly exhausted. The book was… bound to the young man. Though it was Fae in origin—he’d burn it later.

Wisps of ethereal wind sliced through his ash like it wasn’t there. Hedwin felt the magic seep into him, its effects all too familiar.

The Royal lazily drifted toward him, sure of its victory.

Hedwin activated an array he always held in his mind’s eye.

The Royal shrieked as its eyes, ears, and nose started bleeding. It sputtered out a mouthful of blood as it pulled back the ethereal wind. It looked at him with the terror of a cornered animal.

Hedwin allowed himself a grin under his helmet. Killing any living creature was something to be frowned upon, only to be done when necessary. Torturing one was never acceptable. But even he was not above the joy of seeing a Royal humbled. Taking them down several pegs was one of his specialties.

A titan of fiery light appeared around Hedwin. Its eyes shone with the wrath and pride of Hunters past. Ash swirled around it in an ominous haze.

“One of undeath,” the Royal murmured, its eyes going wide. It channeled an affinity Hedwin didn’t recognize. Pulsing white light enveloped the Royal’s wings.

The spatial restriction arrays shook in the air. Hedwin narrowed his eyes. Some magic related to cause and effect. Intensely mana hungry, a crippling spell unless it immediately ended a fight. The Royal wanted to flee. All Fae were inherently cowards, after all. They would be much tougher otherwise.

Hedwin glanced at the ash cocoon next to him. He could kill the Royal but completely protecting the travellers would become difficult. Their deaths were only a slight risk but Hedwin knew better than to gamble with lives. He’d done it enough as a Hunter.

Sighing, he let the restrictions drop. The Royal didn’t even laugh as it slipped through a cut in space, terror still clear in its eyes.

The titan receded back into Hedwin. His ash dissipated back to mana and returned to his reservoir. His armor stayed on just in case.

He took a change of clothes from his storage item and opened the ashen cocoon. The young man looked at him, then at the destroyed exit room. His hair was black and unkempt. His eyes were a striking blue, Hedwin almost questioning if they were a side effect of some magic. Small scars covered the young man’s body, a number of them remains from more than a few rituals.

“Clothes,” Hedwin said, hovering them over to the young man on an ashen platform.

“Ah, thank you,” the young man said, snapping back to reality as he started putting them on.

“How old are you?” Hedwin asked.

“Nineteen. Or twenty.” The young man paused. “Probably twenty.”

“I’m Hedwin Lorrant. I teach in the city above the labyrinth.”

The young man paused to consider something, then shook his head. “Sidrick Caelum. That’s my older sister Layla. The book is Cyrina.” He paused, then added, “Don’t kill her.”

Hedwin crossed his arms. “It is a Faen artifact. Nothing good ever comes of them.”

“I’ll deal with it if it becomes trouble,” Sidrick said. He sighed and awkwardly extended a hand. “Thank you for saving us, Hedwin. Truly.”

Hedwin shook his hand. “My party came down here because of you. Travelers have to help each other.”

“…I have nothing to pay you with,” Sidrick said, growing tense.

Hedwin waved him off. “You’re both safe. That’s all that matters.” He lifted up the book and Layla on an ashen platform. The woman was… abnormally heavy. “I’ll carry them up. Just grab what you need and follow behind me. No more Fae should bother us.”

Sidrick nodded as he went to pick up the Anchor. His bag was ripped, its contents strewn about the room. A collection of shattered vials lay around a ripped leather pouch—a storage item, probably. Hedwin winced at that, knowing the cost. Though Sidrick didn’t seem to mind. He picked up a knife and started back.

Hedwin watched as currents branched from Sidrick. They replaced the natural mana currents rather than bending and controlling them. Fae blood rose from around the room, gathering in a large silver orb.

“What are you doing?” Hedwin asked.

“Gathering materials,” Sidrick said.

Hedwin had some reservations about the purpose but recycling Fae corpses barely pricked at his conscience. He was more interested in Sidrick’s magic and Quantify’s identification.

[HuFmaean - lvl 203]

“You replace the currents instead of controlling them?” Hedwin asked as he started up the stairs.

“Currents?” Sidrick asked.

“Mana currents. The flow of all things, the laws that bind yet bend,” Hedwin said, halfheartedly gesturing around them. “What did your world call them?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Hedwin stopped and stared.

#

Jonah flexed her hand. “All fixed up. Great work.”

Vivi smiled. “Of course. Who do you take me for?”

“Can you do the armor too?” Jonah asked.

“After a few decades of training with Draenec, certainly,” Vivi said.

Jonah snorted and stored her armor away before a brand new set appeared on her.

“How many of those do you have?” Vivi asked, following Jonah as they started going down the stairs.

“Five of these sets and a whole lot of weaker ones,” Jonah answered. “Fighting anything strong tends to wreck whatever you’re wearing.”

Jonah smiled as she saw ash enter the room through one of the corridors. She always knew Hedwin was a lot more capable than he let on. One day, she’d convince him to have a serious bout with her.

Hedwin entered the room a minute later. A young man followed behind him. A woman and a book were being carried on a platform of ash. Behind the young man was… a large orb of Fae blood. A blood mage was potentially problematic but not super rare in Centralis.

Jonah observed the currents around him. Quite the interesting magic, replacing the currents. Impossible to hide, however. Both of the travelers would need guidance before leaving her watch.

She stored her helmet. The young man widened his eyes, staring for a second before looking away. Jonah smiled. Ah, the burden of the beautiful.

“I’ll heal your companion if that's fine,” Vivi said to the young man as she approached.

“Please go ahead,” the young man said almost immediately. He paused to consider something, then asked, “Is your healing arcane, physical, or sacrificial?”

Vivi stared. “It’s… healing.”

“Wait a moment.” The young man drew his knife and cut his hand. He held it toward Vivi. “Sorry, but I need to know.”

Vivi rolled her eyes. She probably thought she was dealing with another headcase traveller.

Jonah saw that the young man’s blood was just a tad thicker than a normal human’s. Body enhancements?

The young man concentrated on Vivi’s magic as his hand healed.

“So?” Vivi asked.

“Physical. Go ahead,” he said, giving an apologetic smile. “It… might take some time though.”

Vivi shook her head and knelt next to the young man’s companion.

Hedwin patted the young man’s shoulder. “Introduce yourself.”

“Ah, right. I’m Sidrick Caelum,” the young man said. “That’s my older sister Layla. The book is Cyrina.”

Jonah came over and extended a hand, storing her glove. “Jonah Kalstus.”

Sidrick shook her hand. “Thank you for coming down here for us. Hedwin said I don’t owe you anything, but if there’s anything I can do, please just ask.”

“Well I’ll need to teach you about Linea. Just don’t complain. And listen,” Jonah said. “Travellers aren’t exactly safe up there. Though you landed in the best labyrinth you could have.”

“Hah. Finally, some luck,” Sidrick said, his smile wavering. “Travellers are hunted here too, then?”

“Are they ever not?” Hedwin asked.

“Ours were welcomed for a time. Well, the human ones,” Sidrick said.

“Ah,” Vivi said. “One of those lovely supremacist worlds.”

“It was before my time, but yes,” Sidrick said.

“How badly did you lose all the wars?” Vivi asked. “I bet the dragons alone were enough.”

“They weren’t,” Sidrick said. “Nor were the leviathans, elves, sphinxes, unicorns, or elden. Humanity won. Handily.”

Hedwin shifted uncomfortably.

Jonah crossed her arms. “That… sounds like an interesting story.”

“Our ecosystem was in ruins, we had too many powerful weapons left over, and an abundant power gap was left by all the dead Sovereigns. You can imagine the rest,” Sidrick said. “Whatever supremacist values my world had evaporated quite quickly.”

“Maybe don’t mention that unbelievable genocide to anyone else,” Jonah said. “Some nonhuman folks may take it the wrong way.”

“I… Yes. I’m usually not this talkative,” Sidrick said.

Jonah shrugged. “We’re the first new people you see in, what?”

“A few months. We were stuck in the forest layer for… a long time.”

Jonah and Hedwin nodded with understanding.

Vivi rose. “All done. What the hell is your sister made of?”

Sidrick just smiled.

A burst of force slammed the floor as Layla shot from her back to her feet. Her black hair turned crimson as she took a deep breath, the ambient mana flooding toward her to fill her ridiculous reservoir.

Jonah whistled. Hedwin watched with curiosity. Vivi moved a little closer to him while conjuring a few more layers on her armor.

Layla breathed out, the room thrumming with raw arcane power. She crackled with energy as the dust and grime covering her was disintegrated. She stretched a bit and cracked her neck before turning toward her audience.

She beelined to Sidrick and pulled him into a hug, laughing as he froze in surprise. He hugged her back after a moment.

“I knew you could do it!” Layla cheered, grinning as she let her little brother go. She frowned as she examined his face, her eyes softening. “You look… tired. I’m sorry. If I had been more careful—“

“It’s fine,” Sidrick said, forcing a smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Layla looked to the three others. They were all powerful, the one in ashen armor at least her match. The barrier girl was weak but her defenses were impressive. The annoyingly pretty woman in armor made all the hairs on Layla’s neck stand up. She was the insurance. Someone you brought in case a traveller ended up being an evil nutjob.

She smiled. “Layla Caelum, head of House. I am grateful for your assistance.”

“Ah, nobility… Jonah Kalstus, battlemage,” Jonah said.

“Hedwin Lorrant, teacher.”

“Vivi Yenet, healer and teacher.”

“Great,” Layla said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get the fuck out of this hellhole.”

#

Sidrick felt more useless than ever as he watched Layla and Hedwin’s party. They blew through these layers like they were tissue paper. And soon, he faced the labyrinth’s exit. He walked forward in a daze. A glass jug of silver blood was strapped to his back. Cyrina lay silent under his arm. His nightmare ended in defeat, his very best effort a fleck of dust before any real power.

How long would it take Hedwin’s group to traverse the trap layer? Ten minutes?

With the end in sight, Sidrick finally felt the fatigue catching up with him. Each step felt heavier than the last. He found himself imagining feasts and all the comforts of the world. A soft, warm bed… Would he see that creature again in his dreams? Watch himself crushed to paste over and over? The deaths on the forest layer already haunted him.

“Sidrick,” Hedwin said, bringing him back from his thoughts. The man patted him on the back, his armor dissolving to reveal a lanky, unkempt man in faded red clothes. “There is no shame in counseling. The most powerful mages are brought low by traumas left unattended.”

“I am well aware,” Sidrick said. “I still don’t think it would matter.”

Hedwin nodded with understanding. “If you want to get stronger, I’m sure Jonah will teach you a few things. I can too, in between classes. What are your affinities?“

“Space, soul, ice.”

“Hmm… The first two will be difficult. I can help since I’m familiar with the Fae but dedicated mentors will be hard to find. Our resident soul mage is always away on research trips. And space mages almost never use their affinity for battle.”

“…You don’t mind soul magic?”

“Ah. It was illegal in my home too. But no, magic is a tool. There is no such thing as evil or bad magic.” Hedwin smiled. “If there was, I would be in a far worse position than you.”

Sidrick raised a brow but didn’t pry.

“Talkative, hm,” Vivi said next to Hedwin. “Where’s the jitters and rapidfire words?”

“This is how I try to speak with students,” Hedwin said with a sigh.

“You don’t even know if he’ll stay.” Vivi looked at Sidrick. “Will you stay? Or even be a student?”

“I’m not…” Sidrick made a complicated expression. “It depends on what I’m asked for in return.”

Vivi smirked. “Your eternal devotion—“

“You’ll discuss terms soon. They will be more than favorable,” Hedwin said. “Sparklefoot is just trying to taunt you.”

“Sparklefoot?” Sidrick asked.

“Her illustrious title,” Hedwin said.

Vivi turned red and glared at Hedwin. She picked up her pace to walk near Jonah and Layla. The two were discussing something or another about fighting.

#

Cyrlanas, King of Tribe Nodrizal, cradled the remains of his son. He was tiny in his hands, barely 200 years old. Cyrathiir had been stupid. He had ordered his faction to intrude on the Sovereign's territory. Yet still, Cyrlanas could not help but weep. First Cyrina, his noble daughter. Now his youngest son.

Ede Alonse stood before him. The Faen domain was rife with spatial tears and distortions, yet they did not dare intrude where the Sovereign walked. The core winds swirled into Ede Alonse, fueling whatever black hole of magic resided within him.

Ede Alonse looked down at them, his eyes sparkling with golden light. “Do not breach my territory again. Establishing a resource post here would be difficult, yes, but not impossible. Know that you are only tolerated.”

Cyrlanas bowed his head, trembling. “Understood.”

“I have been more than accommodating and unbelievably fair in my dealings with your people,” Ede Alonse said. “Yet still, your citizens constantly try to violate or circumvent our agreements. You are a decent king, Cyrlanas, and I understand the difficulty of controlling your people, but I am now out of patience.

“If another traveller, or, heavens forbid, a student of Centralis is harmed again, I will reduce your tribe to potion ingredients.”

Cyrlanas bowed his head low.

Ede Alonse sighed and displaced himself into the labyrinth’s entry hall. He understood why other Sovereigns just destroyed the Fae in their labyrinths. It was far easier than actually trying to coexist. Ede Alonse had tried. He had tried very hard. Hopefully they listened this time. The smarter part of him knew they wouldn’t.

He took a deep breath and changed to something more presentable, the new suit appearing on him from his storage dimension. He pushed himself to seem warm and inviting. First impressions mattered more to travelers than most, and he wanted to let them know they were welcome here.

Ede Alonse strode toward the massive gates, ready to greet Centralis’ newest citizens.