“I’ve looked like this since the day I was born.” Elach said, eliciting a stifled laugh from Y’talla. “What’s so funny?”

“You must have been one ugly baby.”

“You know what I meant, you brat.” Elach smirked and flicked Y’talla on the shoulder. “You’ve got the wrong man, lady. I’m pretty sure promised tomorrows wouldn’t set foot near me unless it was to stick a knife in me.”

Icicle woman tilted her head to the side and said nothing. She didn’t need to, as her Issi spoke for her. It roared forward with the force of an avalanche, launching the shards orbiting her one by one in a steady stream of oncoming death. Elach chained himself off to the side, gestured for Y’talla to take cover, let Flow take to the air, then chained directly at his icy attacker.

His knee collided with her shoulder before she had time to be surprised, knocking her off balance with a yelp of pain as Elach let go of his chain. Her eyes were dull, as if he was seeing them through a thick coat of ice, widening in surprise as Elach threw a punch at her stomach. Seeing as she had a plethora of Icicle manifestations, Elach reached out an arm to the side for when she tried to defend.

Issi spewed forth from her container and coalesced over her stomach, the first warnings of some sort of active defences put in place. He solidified his connection to his chain and pulled himself so his fist was instead hovering over the ice practitioner’s face, her eyes shifting from victorious to defeated in the split second before his knuckles met her jaw. Her head slammed against the ice she’d created, splintering it like weak wood, softening the blow just enough that she didn’t take too much damage. Elach felt Flow warn him that it wasn’t over through their bond and a cheer of encouragement from Y’talla.

“Holy moly, you can throw a punch.” The ice practitioner groaned as she struggled to get out of her own icy entrapment. “You promised tomorrows goons are the tippy of the top, eh?”

“Again, not from promised tomorrows.” Elach said, readying himself for whatever the practitioner would throw at him next. “Fair warning, the next hit’s gonna put you in the sand. And if you survive the drop or not isn’t my problem.”

“Then why are you forcing two manifestations along, huh? Answer me that, mister not-from-a-manifestation-abusing-cult.” The practitioner mocked, a cracked tooth melting into a thick, white liquid that dripped down her chin.

Elach watched in fascination as ice filled in the spot where her tooth had been, clear at first, but slowly filling in with the milky white of a new tooth. “I’m not forcing anyone to do anything. The person-like manifestation is my patron, and the bird’s my friend.” Elach sent a mental command to keep the truth hidden through his link as he felt Flow bristle at being downgraded to ‘friend’. They sent back embarrassed understanding. “You can ask either of them if you want, but if you hurt a hair or feather on their heads, then you’d better hope your ice can fill in for splattered grey matter as well as it can a tooth.”

The practitioner looked up at Flow, circling high above, and Elach felt them starting to summon their Issi while trying to look nonchalant about it. He manifested a chain right above her neck and let it settle on her throat, startling her enough that she dropped her technique and clutched the chain that was lightly pressing against her windpipe.

“You throw one thing at Flow and your head rolls.” Elach said, kneeling down next to the practitioner and putting a finger to her chain. “Are you going to leave us alone now?”

Her eyes locked on Elach’s, her face a writhing mass of hatred he had no hope of quelling. “Screw you.”

“Alright then.” Elach sighed, standing to his full height and starting up his technique with a single thought. The practitioner struggled against the single chain over her neck as Elach locked her in place, feeling her Issi instantly rebelling against his technique. She beat at it as hard and as quickly as she could, but he held strong. He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her expression, frozen in rage. “I thought you’d be a little stronger than this.”

He’d been constantly told he was far behind his peers, barely stronger than the average newly minted practitioner, but this woman was weak. He stepped forward, pressing his boot down against her stomach, and chained himself as close to the sand as he could. He raised his arms and jumped, pulling himself down to her stomach to make sure she wouldn’t bother him for a good long while. Maybe permanently.

That was what he’d planned, at least. His feet slammed into a disk of pure darkness, his knees straining under the pressure of his own pull, and he let it go just before he could hurt himself. The disk held strong.

“Practitioner Elach.” A hand cloaked in shadow rested itself on Elach’s shoulder. “Undo your technique and step away from practitioner Ayo.”

Elach shrugged and undid his technique, stepping back from practitioner Ayo as the hand on his shoulder melted away into a thin liquid that was greedily lapped up by the sands below. “She attacked me and tried to go for my bird. Not my fault she’s aggressive as the hells themselves.”

A splotch of shadow Issi zipped along the ground, coming to a rest at Elach’s feet where it erupted into a person. “You don’t have to explain yourself; we saw everything from our observation chambers.” The liquid shadow person raised an arm and gestured at Ayo, who had traded Elach’s chains for gloves of shadow that bound her to the ground. “Her patron was screaming at her to stop as she attacked you, and borderline hysterical as you fought back unhindered. Anyone who can sense Issi as you can should know how to hold themselves back.”

Elach almost said something in confusion, but caught himself as his link to Flow and Y’talla blossomed with caution. “Noted. Next time someone tries to kill me, calling me part of a cult that offers wisp manifestations as a prize for the equinox trials, I’ll be a little gentler on them.”

“You looked like him from behind.” Ayo muttered, turning her head away from Elach and the enshadowed person.

“Flow, Y’talla, let’s go get this course done with.” Elach said aloud, filling his link with the same message. “I promise not to start any fights, shadow person, but I’m not going to lie down and get beat up if one of these kids decides to fight me.”

“And we wouldn’t expect you to. Just don’t do any irreversible damage to them, please. They are still young, foolish, and have a lot to learn.” The shadow cast a glance down at Ayo, who was still refusing to look at them or Elach.

Elach nodded as Y’talla ran up alongside him, Flow still circling above but much lower and slower now. He turned to leave, but the shadowy hand caught his shoulder once more then moved up to tap his ear.

Liquid shadows wormed their way into Elach’s ear, blocking all sound for the briefest second before it all came back. “Emperor Hoalt has informed us of your mission. We are not watching at all times, since it would be impossible to do so, but our systems are set to react to a specific set of words that differs from floor to floor. Reach out to the administrators of each floor group and get these words so you can call for help if it is needed.”

Elach said nothing and waited. And waited. He put a hand to his face and chuckled when a minute or so later the liquid shadow crawled back into his ear and spoke with an embarrassed note. “I have just been informed that I forgot to tell you this floor’s code. My apologies. The code is ‘Shadow Morality Eleven’. Do not speak it yet, and warn your companions not to speak it unless you absolutely need to.”

“Will do.” Elach said aloud, feeling the liquid shadow dissipate as the Issi powering it ran out.

“Will do what?” Y’talla asked.

“Secret code words.” Elach answered, pointing to his ear. “Whispered to me by the shadow person. I’ll tell you through the link, but don’t say them out loud unless you’re in real trouble.”

“The last man has left for the pillar.”

General Temery nodded along absentmindedly as she skimmed through runner Paui’s report with a melancholy smile. Paui had been one of the best runners she’d ever seen, but the girl was useless in combat, and Temery would not let her die under her command. It had been a heart-rending decision to let one of her few loyal soldiers go back to the Gilded Night where she would grow strong but never return to her. Falling out of favor with Hoalt had ensured her numbers could only bleed over time, never to be transfused with new blood.

“Elach was a breath of fresh air compared to that man.” Hoalt sighed, his golden projection pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke. “If he’d been all attitude, I wouldn’t have hesitated to have him barred from the Gilded Night permanently. He unfortunately proved an asset we could not overlook.”

“So he was a constant?” Temery asked, dog earing the page on Paui’s report to give Hoalt her undivided attention. “How did all of our searches skim over him?”

“I have no idea.” Hoalt admitted. “But one thing is for certain; he is old. Very old. He bears the mark of Cavress and a bond to match, so he has to have been a constant for at least five hundred years. Before even your time, Temery.”

“Cavress…” Temery trailed off, then shook her head. “I’ve never heard that name before. Who were they?”

“Someone who got what they wanted, threw away those that helped them get it, then paid for their sins. And the main catalyst for my change of heart.” Hoalt fiddled with a small vial on his desk, a faraway look in his eyes. “Is Atrem giving you trouble?”

“We only see representative Atrem for an hour or two a day. He spends most of his time dealing with Glasrime and their inner circle.”

“I hope that is a good sign. If Atrem shows signs of being corrupted by Glasrime’s influence, you must inform me at once. Losing one of my children to that monster is something I am not willing to humor.”

“Of course, my Emperor.” Temery said stiffly. She wasn’t worried about Atrem falling to Glasrime’s influence; the man was already as corrupt as he could get. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes, in fact, there is.” Hoalt sat up straight, his entire demeanor changing with that one motion. He was scarily intense, even through the projection, and Temery’s spine straightened to attention as she saluted. “You are to resume your training to become a constant. If what the man who calls himself Prisoner told me is true, the change I’ve wished for for so long is finally coming to fruition.”

“Sir, I don’t have access to any of the Gilded Night’s resources. I am out of favor.”

“And so you will have to find your own path, General Temery. This is not an order from your Emperor, or a suggestion from a friend. This is a warning that nothing you have ever done will matter in a matter of years; months, perhaps, if you do not gain the strength to resist what is coming.”

Temery shivered at the intensity of Hoalt’s words. “Sir?”

“You are removed from all duties, Temery Hoalt. Your unit is to fall under control of representative Atrem beginning at sunrise. Is this clear?” Hoalt asked, leaning forward and glaring at Temery when she stood there dumbfounded. “Am I clear, Temery?”

“I… I don’t understand, sir. I haven’t done anything wrong since then. Is there anything I can do to...” Temery pleaded. Hoalt held up a hand to silence her.

“That is the problem, Temery. You became an unthinking puppet ever since you fell out of favor. The freedom I granted you, and you squandered it by wallowing in self-pity.” Hoalt shook his head. “You are not banished from the city, nor have you lost the privileges being my adopted daughter affords you. Use them to their fullest to unlock your potential you never managed to attain under my command.”

“What about my unit? Atrem will run them into the ground!”

“Do not raise your voice, Temery.” Hoalt chided. “Paui leaving was a stroke of good luck, as she will most likely be out of harm’s way for what is to come. As for the rest of them; they will be given the chance to return to the Gilded Night if they do not wish to be under Atrem’s command, and replaced with elite soldiers who can deal with the Glasrime situation.”

Temery blinked in surprise. This was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. “Sir, what will happen to them at the Gilded Night if they want to leave?”

“The same thing that has already happened to Paui. They will train to attain a second or third bond while ascending the pillar. And once they have, they will be assigned to a new unit.” Hoalt explained. “You, however, do not have the luxury of returning home at once. I have one last assignment for you, though it is for my daughter, not my general.”

“Of course, sir.” Temery said, bowing at the waist. “What do you need of me?”

“Prisoner has confirmed the reports that Glasrime is hunting the manifestations known as Revelation and Rainshear, along with the suspected group the latter is working with.” Hoalt gestured, and a smaller projection of the two women appeared on his desk.

“And you want me to bring them to you before Glasrime can get to them?” Temery guessed.

“No.” Hoalt said, his mouth drawn into a grim line. “The situation is far more complicated. They completely disappeared somewhere off to the south, and none of our scouts have turned up a single lead since. There is something more going on here, Temery, and I need you to uncover it.”