Meeting at Ailfryd’s cabin was the only thing they could do under the circumstances. Their new guests were exhausted from the journey they undertook to get there, although they were more than willing to throw their fists or swords against the witch.

“Everything will be fine,” Finnian promised. “The important thing is that you rest now, understand?”

“Be careful with her,” Olivia added. “Not all witches are trustworthy.”

After all, they did end up under their influence when they crowned herself as Queen of the forest. Nor is it that he was to vouch for her, although his instinct would remind him that he did not release the malice of his moment. If she continued her domination plans, she would not have even managed to go over there to say hello.

“You’re cuter than I remembered! Would all the Signers have been like you?” Lelile exclaimed as soon as they were left alone with Ailfryd and his partners.

However, when she tried to approach him, she also retreated because Lelile had not forgotten what happened as soon as she reached him. They had not talked about it, and even though she was an elthean with its powers and weaknesses, its strength was not fully known to Finnian and his partners. After all, they doubted that she had used her full power in Ellery, as she would have been weakened by losing the key, but that did not make her less dangerous. However, Lelile took advantage of the silence to do just what he had asked: speak.

The witch came from Myrd, a place not inside Mithra, although it was not a country that everyone had visited.

“It’s a floating island, isn’t it?” Aer said, then shrugs and added. “This is what we have studied in class.”

“Your teachers are right,” Lelile smiled, pleased.

Myrd was always on the move, so finding it was a much more complicated task than flying around where they wanted. Dealing with a very advanced magical society, they had methods to avoid unexpected visitors, and although not entirely infallible, they could face anyone trying to fight them.

“Is it a dorean?” Finnian said, who died of curiosity about a place full of witches and wizards similar to him.

“Not at all, although that doesn’t stop us from growing,” Lelile added.

However, he did not want to lose details about her society or how she was raised, although Finnian would not have cared if she had explained it more. Would they have a magic school similar to that of Galya? What would her day be like? Would Myrd look something similar to Earth? However, she focused on something just as enjoyable. Lelile was part of a particular group called Vortex, a special response team. They were among the strongest eltheans, whose preparation was to protect their city from any danger where their security forces could not cope.

“You were like superheroes,” Finnian said.

“Something like that, even though we spent more time at the academy headquarters training or teaching the younger ones,” Lelile explained.

Yet, neither all its strength nor magical advances managed to control a threat that sneaked among its defences. An elthean who at first sight didn’t seem much but soon showed that he had enough power to destroy their island if he was not stopped.

“The Lord of Calamity?” Rune suggested, to what she denied.

“The Eroder,” Lelile said. “We didn’t know much about his identity, but where he went, he was destroying everything.”

“Was it you who gave it that name?” Aer intervened.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get to that part.”

They fought against that creature, even knowing that they could fall into combat. After all, he had smashed Myrd’s cities without just being injured, so they ignored the real power of that elthean until they had to face him.

“There are battles we don’t win. Even we like to admit it or not,” Ailfryd said.

“This was different,” Lelile intervened sharply. “His power was not standard. Both our leader, the Crimson Knight, and my other companions did not have the slightest chance. “

“Did you go with them? “Finnian said, frowning both eyebrows.

“Not all of them, but the rest disappeared without a trace. That’s why we call him the Eroder,” Lelile said, something to which the rest of Elthea came to the same conclusion.

She was silent and added nothing else, perhaps thinking of her lost companions. There were many mysteries related to Myrd’s witch, and he doubted they would be solved quickly.

“Why did the Eroder attack Myrd?” Ead intervened, taking away the words of those present. “So far, the only thing we know for sure is that it seeks clear goals.”

After all, the way he was harassing them denoted a certain level of intelligence, although they ignored to what extent. Nor is it that it was someone they could talk to, not when energy knives shower as soon as they were nearby. Then, with a sad smile on her lips, Lelile pointed him out with the eyes, those present intuiting her response.

“He was looking for the key. Why?” Finnian said.

“Because of its power?” Lelile suggested.

“Rather for what It can open,” Aer intervened. “After all, it’s a key, isn’t it?”

That story went beyond what they had lived. The artefact ended up in Myrd for something more than fate because it was granted by the previous Signers to hide it and protect it from the great evil that will seek it.

“I’m afraid I don’t know its origins,” Lelile said. “The Crimson Knight, Auren, was the only one who knew its true story.”

But when they lost their leader in the face of that same enemy, the remaining members of Vortex had to act. They decided to leave Myrd and separate, hoping to find someone to guard the artefact, its proper owner. If the previous Signers gave it, only one, in particular, could be done with the key without falling under its influence.

“In addition, we wanted to try to find the disappeared. There were few possibilities, but...”

“Never lose hope, right?” Finnian said, forcing a slight smile.

Something difficult in times of crisis. Leaving Myrd was more straightforward than the following. Vortex members are more potent than most of their level, or if they work as a team.

“Your collective power was weakened,” Ailfryd said. “Didn’t you consider including other members? There would surely be other elthean in Myrd able to cover the casualties.”

“We spent years studying and training. We didn’t have the time in our favour,” Lelile said.

“That’s why you used the key, didn’t you?” Leith said.

“And, in the process, did you go crazy and crowned yourself as Ellery Forest’s ruler?” Aer said.

“And did you want to kill me because you lost control of the key?” Finnian said.

“You’re irredeemable,” Rune muttered, rolling her eyes.

“I was going to that part now,” Lelile said kindly, which made Finnian smile.

She was her protector, or at least after her boss fell into combat, receiving that mission shortly after Auren disappeared for the intervention of the Eroder. Due to the enormous energy the key contained, the artefact was held in a crystal sphere, enchanted by the best sorcerers for no one to be injured.

“The sphere was damaged during the fight and kept cracking after leaving Myrd,” Lelile said. “I tried to repair it, but it went beyond my abilities. That’s why I protected her while I was able, hoping to find its legitimate owner.”

“Until it turned you into… well,” Aer said.

“A twisted version of me, I know,” Lelile said. “Its power consumed me and made me think… I believed I could accomplish anything, no matter what else.”

“Until you lost the north,” Finnian said. “Is that what is going to happen to me now?”

Lelile kept her gaze, watching him with her huge blue eyes. He doubted that she could see through them, or she might be gaining time to answer him. Then she frowned, observing him, and then breathed deep and asked him something that again caught him unsuspecting:

“Have we seen each other on another occasion?”

“Not before Ellery’s Forest,” Finnian replied, uncomfortable before her constant gaze.

“Are you sure about it?” Lelile insisted, getting a little closer to him.

“Finn has been here for a couple of days,” Aer said.

“He only saw you in Ellery, just like us,” Rune added.

“Speaking of that... How did you know we would be here?” Finnian said.

Smiling at them, Lelile pointed out something that was not wholly unknown. She traced his essence, which made him so special and allowed her to perceive Finnian’s magic. He had already been told that he gave off a different smell and if he didn’t at first give it that much importance, seeing how easy it was for Lelile to follow them made him feel more exposed than ever.

“I spotted your trail shortly after our meeting at the Ellery, but I was so exhausted that I could barely move,” she admitted.

The key narrowly ends her life, although their intervention managed to avoid the worst-case scenario even without doing anything to save her.

“I tried to find the Eroder, but it seems that he is following you too,” Lelile said and then came to him and took his hands. “I lost your magic trail days ago, but you create a path that for an expert tracker would not be a problem.”

“Even without me doing magic?” Finnian replied.

“You’re still emitting power, and even if you don’t use it, you’re different from the elthean here,” Ailfryd reminded him.

He lost track of them as soon as they reached the Galya, and although it was evident where they had gotten into, it is not that she knew for sure if he was there or not.

“Anyway, it won’t happen to you like me, Finnian. I waited for a Signer to come, to you, in particular, to take over the key.”

“Don’t you think?” Finnian said, unconvinced.

“There’s something you need to learn and what I can help you to,” Lelile said.

“In addition,” Ead interrupted them, “if you want to solve this crisis that strikes Elthea like never before….”

“You need to do what your predecessors didn’t”, Ailfryd finished.

And if he wanted to have the slightest chance, he needed to learn how to hide. Make their smell and essence undetectable to anyone looking for them. If not, it would only take to step outside to warn their enemies of their location. An excellent way to end the week, right?