The transport back to the Armoury was a silent one, more so than their first transport to the Grounds. Even if she didn't account for the short conversation she had earlier, the ride back simply felt heavier.

Though the thought of being relieved of her Guardian duties still filled her with hope, the thought of the metal pellet being embedded in her flesh from so instantaneously and from so far away filled her with a sense of sick dread.

It was too difficult not to imagine the dreadful object eating away at her from the inside, burning a hole her body until it burrowed its way out.

She shuddered at the thought and willed herself not to think of it.

"Aberthan?" she said, hoping that the lack of silence would help dispel some of her thoughts.

"What?" he asked.

Her mind drew a blank. She didn't want to ask any questions about what he thought about the weapon, but she couldn't think about anything else.

"Nothing," she said. "Sorry."

She didn't try to start a conversation again.

Once the carriage arrived at the Armoury, Belwyn opened the door for them, his own thoughts being shielded by a grim expression of indecipherable professionalism.

"I've got to hold a meeting with all of the government folks that watched that with us," he said. "I don't know how long it'll take but look for me after. We'll talk, alright?"

Kara nodded and tried to smile at him. She wasn't quite sure if it was successful or not. Behind her, Aberthan didn't react at all.

Belwyn nodded back at them and turned to walk out the still open gates of the Armoury walls. The guards on the outside eyed her, as if she would try to follow him for whatever reason, but made no move when they realized she wasn't acting suspiciously. When the gates closed with a dull thud, she turned to Aberthan.

"Are you going to be okay, Aberthan?" she asked.

He turned slowly towards her. "I should be asking you that."

She smiled up at him. "Big talk from a man who just cried on my shoulder on the ride to the Grounds," she said, trying to inject a humour that she didn't quite feel.

The jab felt awkward and forced, and for a moment she couldn't help but feel like her words had simply been rude, but Aberthan flashed her a shaky attempt at a grin.

"I did say sorry," he said.

"Yeah."

Kara kept her smile up as long as she could, but felt it fall quicker than she hoped.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked again.

Aberthan shrugged. "Probably. Made me feel sick to watch, but at least that thing isn't going to be pointed at us any time soon. Range on it was pretty bad."

"Yeah," Kara said, with the awkwardness that came with the casual discussion of a device that seemed designed to torture and murder Soulblades.

"But seriously," Aberthan said. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"You don't need to mother me, Kara. I'm more than twice your age."

"And I'm more than three times your senior," Kara snapped. "Don't push me away when I'm trying to make sure you're alright."

Aberthan backed away from her, in what she quickly realized was shock.

"I was just joking," he said, attempting another weak grin. "Sorry if it wasn't funny."

Kara felt her face flush as she realized her mistake. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"If it's alright, I'm going home to take a nap before Belwyn calls us to talk about what we both just saw. I think we could both use a little reset."

The implied meaning wasn't lost on her. "Alright," she said. "That's a good idea. I'll see you later."

Aberthan nodded slowly and walked away.

After watching him take a few slow steps, Kara walked in a different direction, taking a detour to her house to avoid walking the same way as Aberthan.

Passing by the bell tower, the idea of retrieving her book crossed her mind, but was quickly dismissed. All she wanted to do at the moment was to sit on her bed and try to fall asleep.

As she got closer to her house, she was surprised to hear a din of activity in front of it. As she got closer, she recognized the familiar faces. Nia's head perked up, her teal eyes focusing onto Kara.

Though the shy girl wouldn't shout out her name and risk drawing attention to herself, she tapped Newlyn on the arm and the man excitedly turned around and waved.

"Kara! Over here!"

Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, unsure of how she would deal with Newlyn. Though his easily excitable personality was often something that could brighten up any room that he was in, Kara wasn't confident that it would be quite enough to raise her spirits.

She stopped in her spot. Though Newlyn’s bright mood was infamously bright and Sian would be mature enough to forgive Kara’s bad mood, with Nia's timid personality, and Gareth possibly still being afraid of her, Kara knew that she couldn’t afford to stay upset.

She stood still for a second to ready herself to push a smile on her face and her feelings down into her gut. Once she was confident in her smile, she started to walk again.

As she walked closer, she noticed a disheveled Normal, wearing a set of strange clothes that somehow looked familiar. The man's face was covered by a thick beard that didn't look like it had seen a shave in several years but it wasn’t nearly as unkempt as his hair. Kara couldn't decide whether it had been hacked off by a blind barber or simply chewed off by a wild beast.

The man's pupiled eyes looked into hers, and she had the sudden urge to look away.

"Hello Newlyn, Nia, Sian, Gareth," she paused, wondering if she should acknowledge the strange Normal among them. "What are you all doing in front of my house?"

"This-"

"A new guy wanted to see you," Gareth said quickly, cutting off Newlyn's words and sticking a tongue out to add insult. Though Kara didn't quite understand why Gareth seemed so determined to annoy the older man, it was nice to see him unafraid to talk to her.

"Why?" Kara asked, looking back at the Normal. His brown eyes had never left hers, though his previous look of contemplation had been replaced by a polite smile. Though the beard hid most of his lips, the crinkle of his eyes gave off a friendly image.

"We don't know," Sian said, crossing her arms and pointedly glaring at the man.

The man directed his smile towards Sian for a second, but when it didn't change her frosty demeanor, he looked back to Kara, unperturbed.

"Hello Ma'am," the man said. His gruff and scratchy voice fit his rough appearance perfectly. "My name is Cassian. I'm told your name is Kara."

"It is. It's nice to meet you, Cassian. Why did you want to meet me?"

"Nothing nefarious," he said, resulting in a wide grin from Newlyn for some reason. "I just wanted to meet the strongest Soulblade in the Armoury and talk for a bit. I want to understand how you feel."

Huh. Kara searched the man's eyes for any hint of a joke, but couldn't find anything to suggest that she was being pranked.

"Are you a researcher?" she asked. Sometimes academics were allowed into the Armoury for the purpose of studying the bodies and health of Soulblades, but it was the first time one had looked so... messy. "Also, I'm not sure what you mean by 'the strongest Soulblade'."

"Before we continue our conversation, should we move this discussion inside?"

Kara hid a grimace. It seemed like she wouldn't be getting that nap after all. Well, it was a distraction at the very least.

"Of course, Cassian," she said. "You must be tired from your journey."

"Oh no, I was more worried about you, Kara. I assume that your trip was a harrowing one. I just thought it would be more comfortable for you to sit."

"You were at the demonstration?" she asked, uncertain of whether she remembered him being there. With how unkempt he looked in comparison to the other government officials that were present, she was sure she would have remembered him.

"I was," he said. "It was quite a horrific display."

Kara looked nervously at the four Soulblades around them, who seemed confused but interested.

"Alright, we'll talk inside. Thanks for showing Cassian around, you four. You can go."

"You're sure?" Sian asked.

"I'm sure," Kara said. "Now run along."

Kara opened the door to her home and let Cassian walk inside. With a quick scan, she was relieved that her home wasn't as messy as she might have expected, with a few books sitting on random surfaces being the only significant mess. The only thing she noticed was that one of the two chairs in the kitchen had a thin layer of dust that had collected over the weeks since she had last dusted it. She quickly sat in the dustier chair, motioning for Cassian to take the chair across from her.

As Cassian sat down, she became increasingly certain that she had seen his clothes somewhere. Perhaps she had noticed him at the inventor's demonstration.

"Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine," Cassian said.

That was good. Kara wasn't sure she had anything besides water. She didn't often bring guests to her house, preferring to visit others than to host. "So, Cassian. What sort of questions did you want to ask me?"

Cassian shrugged. "I'm not sure. I simply wanted to talk."

"You're not a researcher?" Kara asked.

"I’m not."

Kara hid a frown. "Are you a government official?" she asked. "You're expected in a meeting with the Quartermaster now."

"Oh is there a meeting?" Cassian asked. After a short moment of concentration, he nodded. "It seems there is, but there’s no need to worry. I'm not expected there anyways."

Kara was confused, but decided not to question it. It was possible that the man was lying about not being a researcher. There was little else he could be. Though usually researchers were mostly interested in trying to find out what made Soulblades able to use magic, it was possible that this man was a psychological researcher, trying to build a rapport to get more honest answers from her.

"Well, I guess that's fine then," she said, deciding to play along. "Why did you call me the strongest Soulblade?"

"You have the largest magical aura."

"I don't understand."

"You wouldn't," Cassian said, with a smile. "Not yet, maybe not ever. That is yet to be seen."

If this was a psychological evaluation, it was the strangest one she'd ever been a part of.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"It's too early to say. I'll tell you after my discussion with the Quartermaster. Tell me. Is he a reasonable man?"

"He is."

"That's good to hear."

A silence fell over them as Kara struggled to find the reasoning behind the strange questions.

"I'm sorry, but why was I chosen for your research?" she asked.

Cassian looked genuinely confused. "I thought I told you I wasn't a researcher."

"You're not?" she asked. "Are you a worker here?" Though the Normal workers typically avoided contact with Soulblades, it was possible that the Armoury had simply hired some Noble's eccentric son to take the high paying job. She hoped he was a janitor and not a barber.

"No. I'm not."

"Then what are you?"

Cassian smiled. "I'm a Soulblade. Just like you."

As Kara looked into his pupilled eyes, she saw no hint of deceit there. It would have been easy to believe that he was insane, but there was a clarity in his eyes that made it hard to believe. Either way, she sighed. Insane or not, this wasn't something she could deal with by herself.

"Alright," she said. "You said you had a discussion set up with the Quartermaster, didn't you. I've got a meeting with him too, so why don't we just go to his office and wait there for the moment? The waiting room's much nicer than this dingy old house anyways."

"Your home is lovely, Kara. There's no need for modesty."

"You want to stay here, then?"

"Oh no, the location we talk in doesn't matter to me. I was simply complimenting your decor."

Kara wondered what his idea of decor was if he was so easily impressed by her mostly barren house. Aside from the table set, her bed, and several bookshelves, the rest of the house was barren.

Leaving her house, Kara led the way towards the Quartermaster's office. It was midafternoon and the streets were populated by a few Soulblades who all gave friendly waves to Kara and curious looks to Cassian.

Cassian smiled at all of them, not shying away from the attention in the slightest.

As they approached the walls Cassian spoke. "Is it stifling to live in a cage?" he asked.

"Excuse me? What cage?"

Cassian pointed up. "These walls. They keep you shut away from the rest of the world. Is this not a cage?"

Kara shrugged. "There's a difference between a cage and a barrier. All the Kingdoms have walls to the Dead Zone."

Cassian thought for a moment before nodding. "That is true."

Though she thought he may continue his thought, Cassian fell silent afterwards in what looked like deep contemplation.

Once they got to the Quartermaster's building, Kara held the door open for Cassian.

As Kara led them down the hallways towards the office, a familiar face appeared as they turned the corner.

"Kara?" the young boy asked, before quickly shifting his eyes down. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Mascen," Kara said. The young boy flushed at the sound of his name and though Kara reminded herself that he was a few years older than her, his timid and nervous nature made it difficult to think of him as anything other than a boy. "Is Belwyn nearly done with his meeting?"

Mascen shook his head. "They've barely started. I'd reckon Dad's not gonna be finished for at least a few hours," he said, still staring at the floor. Unlike his father, the apprentice Quartermaster never looked her in the eyes.

"Would it be possible to wait outside his office?" Kara asked.

"You could wait in his office if you wanted. Dad's holding the meeting in the outer building. Makes the Normals less anxious."

"Is that really fine?" Kara asked. Belwyn's office was certainly more comfortable than the waiting area, but the thought of sitting there unsupervised made her uneasy. "Aren't there confidential documents in his office?"

"Well, yeah," Mascen said, looking down at his own shuffling feet. "But it's probably fine if I waited with you. You know, if you're okay with hanging out for a bit. You don't have to."

With how anxious Mascen seemed about being trapped in a small room with her, she decided that she wouldn't subject him to something that made him so uncomfortable. "I'm fine with waiting out here," she said.

"Oh," Mascen said. "Well, I could still wait with you if you wanted."

Kara shrugged. "If you want to, that's fine with me."

Mascen nodded once then paused. For a moment, she thought he was staring at her face, but quickly realized that his attention was directed behind her.

Cassian smiled and waved. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," Mascen said hesitantly. "Who are you?"

"My name is Cassian."

"I don't recognize you. Are you new?"

"So I've been told."

Mascen seemed to think for a moment. "I don't quite remember doing your paperwork," he mused before his face suddenly flushed of all colour. "Oh shit, did I forget my pick up duties yesterday? Dad's going to kill me. Sorry, Kara. I've gotta go. Feel free to wait out here if you want."

Kara watched as Mascen sprinted down the hall.

"He's a good man," Cassian laughed.

"What makes you say that?"

"He holds no prejudice towards Soulblades."

Kara raised an eyebrow.

"He refused to make eye contact with me," Kara said. While she had no desire to question Mascen's character when he was always polite, if a little awkward, curiosity drove her to try and figure out why Cassian had made such a strange assessment.

"I doubt that's the same with all Soulblades," Cassian said.

"What makes you say that?" Kara asked again, still holding onto the slight possibility that he was a psychological researcher.

Cassian's only reply was to chuckle under his breath.

As the pair sat in the waiting area, Cassian asked a slow but constant flurry of questions about the typical life of a Soulblade. He didn't write anything down, but if he was trying to be candid about his research, she supposed that would work in his favour if he could actually remember her answers accurately.

After a while, Aberthan walked in to join them in their waiting. Though he was confused at first, he likely came to the same conclusion as Kara and quickly fell into the same pattern of answering the endless questions that Cassian posed, many of which being the same questions posed to Kara.

After what seemed like two hours of waiting, the soft padding of footsteps echoed from down the hall and when Kara turned to see who it was, Belwyn's tired face looked back at her.

Belwyn's smile quickly turned into a look of confusion as his eyes fell on Cassian.

"Hello," he said as he approached. "If I may ask, who exactly are you?"

"My name is Cassian."

"You have not been approved entry," Belwyn said. Kara looked at Cassian, whose smile didn't budge. "How did you get into the Armoury?"

"I tunneled in."

Oh. So he was insane. Kara felt a flush of embarrassment at how long she had allowed herself to believe that he was a researcher.

Belwyn's mouth set into a firm line as he reached for the side of his belt where a polished wooden club hung. "Kara, Aberthan. Back away from him. Sir. Please allow me to escort you outside the gates. If you do not comply, I will use force."

Cassian continued to smile. "Kara has told me you are a reasonable man," he said. "Which is why I wish to discuss something with you."

"We can discuss it once you've filled in the appropriate paperwork," Belwyn said.

"My name is Cassian," Cassian repeated, ignoring Belwyn's words with a smile. "First son of the late King Andreas of Astranta, older brother to the current King Darian. It is very good to meet you."

---

Cassian watched, amused as Kara, Aberthan, and Belwyn stared at him in varying degrees of annoyance and embarrassment. He took it all in with a wide grin, unsurprised by the lackluster reaction. They must have thought he was insane. It wasn't an unreasonable assumption.

"I wish to take over this encampment and declare it as an independent city-state from Astranta," Cassian said, unable to suppress a smile at the reaction that received. Despite how serious he was when he said it, it wasn't hard to see that he could be taken as absurd.

"Sir," Belwyn said, his tone taking on a much softer tone as he locked eyes with him. "Are you unwell? We can take you to our nearest city and get you looked at, if you would just come with me."

"I'm feeling quite fine, thank you. But I suppose we could take this conversation outdoors. I am feeling slightly confined," Cassian admitted. It had been a very long time since he wasn’t actively touching earth and it was difficult not to miss it. While he could sense earth below him, through the stone floors of the building, it wasn't quite the same.

"You two, stay here," Belwyn called out. "I'll be right back."

"I don't mind their presence, Belwyn."

"I insist."

"Very well." Cassian shrugged. "Though I do plan to include them eventually, I suppose our initial discussion could simply be one-on-one."

Nobody reacted to that, though Cassian did notice Kara hiding her face in her hands, with what little of her face that was visible being bright red.

Cassian walked ahead of Belwyn, though not far enough that Belwyn would feel the need to restrain him in any way.

"It's a nice building," Cassian commented. "Do you live here?"

"No," the man said. "But it is where I spend most of my time."

"Ah. Being a Quartermaster is a busy job, I assume."

"I suppose so."

"Tell me, Belwyn. Are you experienced in politics or bookkeeping at all?"

Cassian didn't want to turn around to look at Belwyn's expression, in case the action was perceived as a threat, but he imagined a confused, if contemplative look on his face as he considered whether to actually answer the question.

"No politics," he eventually said. "But paperwork is mostly everything I do here."

Cassian hummed and nodded slowly. "That's good to hear. I must admit, I'm not as versed in clerical work and I imagine running a city-state would involve a lot of it. If it's not too much to ask, would you be willing to stay within this encampment even after I take over?"

If it wasn't so quiet, Cassian was sure he would have missed the groan that rumbled in Belwyn's throat. "We'll see," the man said.

As Cassian pushed one final door open, the rays of midafternoon sun hit his face. As he paused for a moment to bask in the warmth and the comfortable feeling of earth under his bare feet, he felt a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, sir," Belwyn said. "Let's go."

Cassian turned around slowly so he wouldn’t alarm him, and smiled at the man.

"Belwyn," he said. "You clearly think I am insane, and I don't blame you. But unfortunately for the both of us, I'm not."

Cassian felt the man pushing firmly on his shoulder, and in response, Cassian pushed his magic back into the earth below him, becoming one with it. Though he didn't quite sink into the world as he usually did, no force in the world would be able to separate him from it.

Cassian watched as Belwyn, with increasing amounts of force, tried to move him from his spot. He refused to budge.

"It won't work, my friend."

Belwyn's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I don't know what you're doing, but if you refuse to leave any further, I will have to remove you with force, if necessary."

"I suggest you don't," Cassian said, when he noticed Belwyn reaching for his club. "Would you hold onto my shoulder for a moment? There's something I wish to show you."

When Belwyn brandished his club in what was supposed to be a threatening manner, Cassian sighed.

"At least brace yourself," he said, right as he lifted his arm.

Possibly perceiving the action as a threat, Belwyn raised his club up in the air, and immediately stumbled as the ground rose up from beneath him, the steadily rising platform of earth bringing him and Cassian closer to the sky.

Cassian made sure to start lifting the earth slowly, to help Belwyn adjust to the shaky footing, but the man fell regardless. He slowed down enough that Belwyn would be able to stand up if he wanted, but the man made no motion to, simply sitting with his mouth agape.

Once the platform reached an appropriate height, overlooking both the encampment and the walls surrounding it, Cassian lowered his hand, stopping the steady rise of the pillar of earth.

"I would assume that most people would experience a sense of vertigo in this situation," Cassian said. "If you wished to stay seated, I would not be offended."

Belwyn simply stared at him with bulging eyes that darted between his face and the vast height of the pillar he sat on. "What the hell are you?" he asked.

"That does somewhat offend me," Cassian admitted, though he made sure not to put any real anger in his words. The fear was understandable, and he assumed that any Soulblade in the same situation would react in a similar manner. "It's who, not what."

Belwyn didn't respond.

"I don't want this negotiation to be a sour one," Cassian said, hoping that at least some of his words were reaching the stunned man. "But I won't insult you by pretending this isn't a display of power."

Far below them, Cassian heard a faint shout. He didn't move from his spot, knowing that his eyes wouldn't be able to distinguish the shapes from so far away. Instead, he felt in the earth, the small commotion created by both the Soulblades and the bladeless guards that stood around the encampment.

"What are you even demanding?" Belwyn asked.

"I thought I made myself clear. To declare this encampment a city-state, though I suppose you have no say in the matter." He tried not to be condescending, but he still hated the way he sounded. "I suppose I'm more negotiating for you to be under my employ."

"Why?"

"My people seem to like you. You and your son look us in the eyes."

"Your people?"

Cassian searched his memory before shaking his head in embarrassment. "I apologize. I thought I told you, but it seems I've only mentioned this to Kara. I'm a Soulblade."

Belwyn blinked up at him twice. "No you're not."

Cassian smiled sadly. "Yes, unfortunately my assimilation changed my eyes, but I assure you, I'm a Soulblade. This is my magic."

"That's impossible."

Cassian raised an eyebrow and pointedly looked down on the platform they stood on.

Belwyn had no argument.

"Well, I suppose my little display shows you I'm serious," he said. "Will you consider my offer?"

Belwyn grimaced, looked over the edge of the pillar and paled. "What choice do I have?" he said weakly.

"You have a choice of yes or no," Cassian said. His eyes widened a second later once he realized what Belwyn meant. "Belwyn. You don't think I'm threatening you, do you? Oh of course you do. I apologize. I haven't talked to another person in years."

"You're expecting me to believe you won't throw me off if I say no?" Belwyn asked, his mouth in a thin line. Though he was still on the ground, his hand rested on his hip, where his club once hung from. It was no longer there, with Belwyn presumably having dropped it when Cassian raised their platform.

"Yes," Cassian said. "Why would I need to? You pose no threat to me, and what kind of example would I be setting if I executed everyone who disagreed with me? I plan to be a king, not a tyrant."

"A king? A tyrant?"

"I specifically said I'm not a tyrant. Regardless, you have my words that you will survive our encounter. The worst I might do is to imprison you temporarily. For purely selfish reasons, I admit. I wish to be the one to deliver the news of my rise on my own terms."

A unique tremor drew his attention from the land below. Turning his attention to it, he realized that one of the guards had gotten on a horse, no doubt ready to race to the nearest city to deliver the news of a strange earthen pillar.

"Pardon me for a second," he said, right before he concentrated on spreading his influence to the land below, making sure to tunnel it deep enough that it wouldn't be burned by the metal within the gates. Once he was sure it reached far enough, he lifted his hands swiftly.

Far below, a set of earthen walls erupted from the ground, cutting off the path of the horseback guard, reaching twice as high as the encampment walls.

"That applies to your men too."

Belwyn seemed confused by the statement, but after he looked into the distance and noticed the newly forming walls, quickly rising to surround the encampment entirely.

"This has to be a dream," Belwyn muttered under his breath.

Cassian thought about denying the thought, but decided it would be a waste of words.

"You're clearly shaken," Cassian said. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation another time."

Holding his hands down, with his palms parallel to the floor, Cassian lowered the platform to the ground.

As he approached the bottom, he smiled at the sight of his people surrounding him, gazing up at him in awe.

"Hello," he said.

There was no response.

"Aberthan," he said. The man flinched at the sound of his name. "Could you please get Belwyn to somewhere he can rest? I think he's having trouble staying on his feet."

Aberthan nodded frantically before inching forward slowly towards Belwyn, who continued to stare blankly up at Cassian.

Cassian smiled and waved as Aberthan retreated with the older man's arm slung over his shoulder.

Once the door to the Quartermaster's building closed behind them, Cassian's eyes swept over the small crowd of Soulblades who seemed to await his next words. At the forefront, Kara stared at him, her solid black eyes seemed focused, but strangely, her large aura pulsed erratically.

Cassian opened his mouth to speak, but a high-pitched shout sounded out before he could.

"Monster!"

He turned his head to look at the man who had shouted, assuming that his people might be perturbed if he didn't rely on sight like the rest of them.

His eyes narrowed when he saw what the shaking guard held in his hands.

The Soulblades around him stepped back in fear of the metal spearpoint pointed towards Cassian. Behind the guard, the gate was ajar, while a few men of less bravery hung back.

While Cassian supposed that he should be praising the guard for his foolish bravado, the sight of his people cowering in fear from the spear drew a low wave of anger from within him.

With a flick of his finger, the ground beneath the guard's feet shifted suddenly to the side and, being unprepared for it, the guard slid to the floor, dropping his spear on the way down.

Cassian drew his magic away from the spot that the spearpoint landed before it could burn him, and clenched his fists, summoning a pillar of earth from underneath the wooden shaft and launching the accursed weapon away.

"Please," he said to the guard. "Don't brandish metal in front of my people."

"Your people?"

A pulse of black aura washed over him along with the familiar voice.

When he turned back around, he saw Kara staring at him, her eyes wide and wild.

The crowd surrounding her backed away, as Cassian tilted his head in confusion. What was she doing?

More curious than afraid, he focused on the feeling of her aura. She was about to use her magic. In such a crowded place, too. Was she like him?

"What do you mean by your people?" she asked again.

Cassian smiled, unsure of why she seemed to be so close to tears.

"Haven’t I told you, Kara? I'm a Soulblade."