The next day came relatively quickly. We had gathered our things over the rest of the day and slept in our inn. The next thing I knew, I sat upon Kel, with Rishka on my lap, and trotted over the exit gate with Sora, Arce, Briar, and Marishka. Kacee had decided to stay with her company to help continue packing everything away, though I could tell she wanted to come with me. As such, though, she had sent Briar with us with a communication stone so we could keep in contact.

Getting through the checkpoint proved simple enough with Alba’s deception, so we quickly found ourselves galloping away from the city and through the vast fields outside Xadria with Sora and Arce leading the way. The wind whipped through my recently cut hair as I rode next to Briar. As we rode, I couldn’t help but notice something flicker of color in my periphery. I spared a glance at the source but didn’t linger on it.

“Joey?” Briar asked me, pulling my attention to her. “What is it?”

I frowned as I turned from her to scan the surrounding area. I furrowed my brow and narrowed my eyes, trying to will whatever sight power my mantle gave to activate. Colors flickered in my line of sight; Sora, Arce, and Briar each gained a bright white outline, though it wasn’t blinding. My temples began to pulse as pressure started to build. Flashes of ‘nonhostile colors’ danced in and out of sight, before dying out into a colorless void. With a grunt of pain, the colors washed out, and the throb in my skull reached a crescendo. However, just as the colors died, a flicker of a dark and angry red pulsed notably in the distance on the left.

“I think…” I groaned as I pinched the bridge of my nose to alleviate the drumming headache focused on my temples. “We’re probably being followed.” My voice felt and sounded strained as I tried to breathe slowly. Soft, wet licks caressed my chin from below as Marishka wanted to soothe me.

“Followed?” Shocked, Briar let out a shaky breath. “How do you know?” Her expression twisted as she no doubt felt my frustration. “Is it from your…?”

“The previous Demon Lord could see and decipher emotions, making it easier for him to manipulate others,” Sora explained as she continued to lead us. She continued to face forward but turned her head to look back towards us, lips curled upwards into a smirk. “We want them to find us, to meet us. If only to gain the answers we want.”

“Whoever they are, they’ll likely attack Xadria in the future,” Arce spoke softly, her voice barely heard above the billowing winds flowing around us. That got a strangled gasp from Briar, to which Arce nodded. “I spoke with Kacee about such an eventuality after escorting your brother back. She’s organizing your people as we speak, preparing for the inevitability.”

“Then…” Briar looked towards me as my headache finally began to decrease.

I nodded once. “We’re out here for two reasons. To keep from running into the delegation from Veracity and to intercept some of the forces that are circling the city.” I adjusted my posture on Kel, pushing her to move faster. “From the information Alba supplied, they’ll likely attack sometime tomorrow.”

“The last day of the celebration for Joey’s sacrifice.” Sora smiled playfully at my grunt, clearly amused by how uncomfortable that made me. “With that amount of time, Miss Fitzgerald will have time to contact the garrison of knights and coordinate her efforts with them to best fulfill her chosen task.”

Briar hummed, her expression twisting in discontent, brow’s furrowing and lips pursed. “I don’t like secrecy, but I understand. This is a delicate situation.”

“Precisely.” Arce nodded; her braid caught in the wind of our charge. “However, we’re still in need of more information.” She whispered into the wind, my enhanced hearing just barely picking up her voice. “Once we’re a good distance away, we’ll set up a base camp and wait for an inevitable ambush.”

“How will we know if they’ll attack?”

“Because I’ll be there,” I answered her with a stern frown. “I’ve been told that they’re dissatisfied with how Lady Regent is running Terras.” I noticed the discreet backward glance from Sora, approval dancing in her gaze.

Briar nodded to my answer, though she still appeared lost. “I think I see. But, how are we sure that they’ll attack tomorrow?” No one answered her, and we continued on our route. It didn’t take much longer until we finally reached an area near where the dungeon. Pulling our horses to a nearby lake, we climbed off and grabbed our equipment. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked over to where Briar struggled to heft her more substantial travel bag. Taking the roll, I held it under my arm and watched as she jumped in surprise at my intervention.

Not a few moments later, we entered into an open clearing and began to set up camp. As we did, I kept my attention on the surrounding forestry while I worked, building my tent. Marishka wandered off, heading into the foliage on her own with a yawn. “Sora, do you know who’s behind this attack?”

The Witch shook her head as she prepared the fire, circling a space with rocks. “No. I may have met her former comrades, but I can’t name him or pinpoint what he is.” She frowned and straightened her stance, crossing her arms. “He is very militant, though. Diplomacy and subversion aren’t his preferred methods. His division follows his words and beliefs devoutly, without hesitation or fear.”

“But he is no fool,” Arce said, not turning away from setting up her tent. “His experience in warfare and battlefield tactics are tried and tested. Not much surprises him. Likely, he’s already predicted our plans.” With one last stab of a stake, she set her tent in place and rose to stand at attention. “Still, he and his men will assume that we’ve left to keep you away from the DeVere delegation for the remainder of the festival. They’ll likely not expect us to discover his full plans, so we’ll be able to surprise them when they attempt to ambush us here.”

I grunted as I brushed off my knees upon standing. “When we finish, you’ll leave to hunt?” I asked Arce, getting a nod from her. “We’ll have the fire ready for you when you return.” Briar blinked at my non sequitur before her eyes widened subtly.

“I’ll head out now. I noticed a few deer on the way here.” Arce turned and walked into the foliage, disappearing from view.

Briar walked over to the fire. “Let me get it started.” She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a pair of items.

As she went about sparking a flame, I walked over to Sora, who flipped through a small notebook. “What do you think is going to happen in Xadria when they attack?”

“Standard operating procedure is to cause as much destruction as possible and kill as many civilians as they can,” Sora explained clinically as if describing the weather. “They’ve no doubt realized that you’ve left the city and have sent a force to find and kill you. Whether he’ll be a part of the group pursuing us or attacking the city, we don’t know.”

“Do know about what I can do?”

Sora frowned, turning to face me. Her intense amber gaze studied me; lips pursed in thought. “I don’t…believe so. Your skill is known, but so is your old affliction. He’ll likely send his warriors to deal with you while he goes to Xadria himself.” She looked back down at her book. “Variak Timerus. A former subordinate of Lady Mina, before his dissatisfaction with Penny, caused him to leave with his force to act on his own.”

“What is he?”

“A product of Mina’s experimentation with mid-battle genetic adaption.” She flipped through her notebook and placed a finger on a specific passage. “Fighting him is meant to be a slow, gradual defeat as he adapts to the damage inflicted upon his person.”

I frowned as I considered ways that I could potentially defeat him. Honestly, there are only so many ways a person with enhanced physical ability could inflict harm. Even with a sword, I could do so much. I’d have to leverage my Affinity in using different weapons I had available to have a chance. “How would you stop him?”

Sora’s lips curled in amusement, a smiling growing on her face. “Our strengths are far too different, I’m afraid. Your Affinity can offer you many things, Joey, but my powers aren’t among that list.” She turned back towards her notebook, flipping through the pages before she abruptly closed it with an audible clap. “Well, I need to step away for now.” Sora clasped me on the arm as she walked by me. “They’re near.” She whispered in my ear as she strode past me and through the foliage further into the forestry.

I turned and walked over to Briar, standing over a newly ignited, flickering flame. She teased it with a stick, stoking the fire with an occasional prod. “Be ready. We’ll probably be attacked soon.” As I said that, though, I couldn’t help but notice the faint pallor to her expression.

Her gaze flicked to me before her lips curled into a small smile. “I’ll be fine. It won’t be the first time I’ve fought feeling like this. I need someone to cover me.” Her voice shook as she said that to me.

“Stay close. I’ll protect you.” I declared, meeting her gaze confidently. Color flooded her cheeks at my statement, but she nodded mutely. A smile played at my lips, but as I went to continue, movement flickered in my periphery. The foliage moved, disturbed by movement as I turned to face the source. I casually rested a hand onto the hilt of my sheathed sword and put a hand over my mouth. I yawned and leaned back, stretching my back.

A sudden flash of light raced through the greenery caught my attention. I threw my hand outwards from my face, catching a soaring knife by the hilt inches from my face. Seconds after I found it, a tingle raced down my arm, and I retaliated by throwing it back where it came from. The crumble of leaves and crack of broken branches let me know I hit.

Before I could do anything else in response, I felt a chill race down my spine and dropped to the ground, rolling to the side. A figure flickered into sight above me, a polearm mid-slash aimed at where my neck used to be. I rumbled along the ground, getting to my feet mid-motion as I drew my sword. The figure dropped to the ground in a crouch, lunging towards me with a sweeping slash of their halberd. Moving my sword to the side, I blocked another sweep of the polearm and finally managed to catch sight of my assailant.

They appeared to be an androgynous figure clad in leathers colored brown and green with the hood up. What little I could see of its face seemed almost unnaturally pale, the expression flat and unmoved. I held them back as our weapons pushed against one another. “I hear you don’t like your new management. I suppose listening to your complaints is the least I could do.” I jerked my left shoulder forward and punched forward, but missed as they jumped backward. Pointing my sword downwards, I nearly charged forward, but another chill led me to lift my sword and to slash to the side. An echoing clang resounded through the clearing as I slapped aside the arrow aimed at my temple.

Before I could respond to that attack, the polearm wielder stabbed at me, fast enough to part the air itself from the force of the strike. I parried the thrust with the flat of my blade but had to duck and give ground to avoid another arrow. The earth cratered from the impact of the shaft. Movement in my periphery caused me to tumble to the side, dodging a hammer blow that parted the land where I once stood. Another hooded figure stood before, a hammer as long as I was tall held in both of their hands.

Once more, I had to move to avoid another concussive arrow, rolling along the ground with a frown. Again, I dodged another attack on my person, but before I could retaliate, one of the remaining two struck in the opening and prevented my attempt to counter. On my own, they had my number; I wouldn’t be able to win. Alone against this team, I’d likely lose and die.

Thankfully, I’m far from alone.

An uplifting melody settled into the clearing, and my thoughts cleared; my heart began to pound as strength filled me. Colors gained a vibrant tint in my vision, becoming more precise and more natural to notice than before. Everything became sharper and more defined as I could see everything before me in a new light.

In my periphery, I saw Briar holding an oddly shaped flute to her lips. A hilt grasped in her left hand and blowing into a pronounced guard. The blade of her dagger seemed around seven inches long and thicker in width than a typical knife.

The figure with the polearm leaped towards me, blade held high and quickly slashing downwards. Simultaneously, an arrow rocketed through the air towards me. In my periphery, I noticed that the hammer-wielder took notice of Briar and chose to target her.

I lunged forward and twisted my body first to dodge the halberd user, managing to slip around behind him. Amid my footwork, I evaded the arrow by a hairs-breadth, the echo of its impact masking a distant snarl. A grin escaped me as I attack my opponent’s open back. They suddenly interposed their polearm between them and my sword, blocking my attack. My arms gained a faint glow as I augmented my strength, lifting the person off their feet and sending them flying forwards.

As that happened, the figure with the hammer raced towards Briar. The girl never stopped playing her flute, watching as her opponent ran towards her, hammer held aloft. Seconds before they reached her, a black blur hurtled through the air and collided bodily with them. The hammer flew from their hands and slammed into the ground with an echoing thud. The two bodies rolled along the ground for a few feet until they came to a stop. Marishka, in her adult form, stood atop the hooded figure with her jaws clamped around their neck, her slender, yet deceptively powerful limbs holding their body down. With clenched of her jaw and a vicious shake of her head, Marishka bloodily tore into the figure’s neck. A visceral crunch echoed into the clearing as she shook and pulled at her prey, angrily growling and snarling with her mouth full.

Another arrow pierced through the air towards Marishka, the air itself distorting from the force of the soaring arrow. With my free hand, I quickly reached behind me and threw Kato towards the ground in front of Marishka. As if from nowhere, Kato flashed into existence and slashed at the arrow with her weapon form. The impact caused an explosion of concussive to erupt outwards, destroying the ground in front of Kato.

In the midst of all that, the halberd wielder got back to their feet and looked around stoically, their gaze landing on Marishka at the sound of a final crack. The Amarok climbed off the limp, broken and bleeding corpse, and snarled towards the final hooded figure. Kato ghosted to my side, standing and staring menacingly. As Briar continued to play, I tried not to lose myself to the adrenaline surging through my veins. “Last chance. Let’s talk. Else I’ll have Marishka help me strangle you with your intestines.” Her growled rose in volume to support my threat.

The figure looked to each of us, as measuring our abilities, before they finally spoke. “No.” An androgynous voice that told me nothing of their gender, if they even had one.

As if on cue, when they finished speaking, several figures exploded into the clearing, all wearing the same leather armor. A person with a bow and one holding a pair of knives all flew bodily into the meadow, like ragdolls, crashing into one another with echoing smack, before landing bodily on the ground. From either side, Arce and Sora strode after them.

Arce wielded a silver-colored longbow, deceptively simple looking. She stared after the pair with a stoic glare; her dark grey eyes focused on the figure with a bow.

Sora smirked maliciously after them, eyes dancing with amusement as she held a notched dagger in a reverse grip with her left hand, green energies floating around her right. “Don’t bother trying to talk. Homunculi with no pain receptors can’t be interrogated or intimidated.” Sora’s smirk grew into a grin, eyes narrowing as laughter danced in her gaze. “I suppose Variak has an alchemist in his service now? Your false bodies are frighteningly close to appearing human.” The figure did not answer, merely adjusting their grasp on the polearm.

“Their Affinities are only half-effective this way,” Arce explained clinically, her tone stoic. “Though their bodies have no internal limiter, so be wary.”

All of a sudden, the music in the meadow came to an abrupt halt as Briar gave a strangled gasp. I spared a glance at her to see that her face had lost color, though green-tinged her cheeks. “No. No, no, no. Why?!” She snarled at the figure, ears stiffening and standing on end. The figure holding the halberd smirked in the shadow of his hood, the first hint of emotion he had shown yet.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her, concern bleeding into my words. “Briar! What’s happening!?”

“All across Xadria, people in hooded armor are attacking innocents.” She gritted her teeth, glaring with a tearing gaze. “So many people have died already… You monsters!”

Sora’s grin fell as she cocked her head to the side, brow furrowing. “The DeVere delegation arrived earlier than expected and are lending aid…”

“It won’t be enough.” Arce mused with no emotion in her words. “To attack this early, this effectively, they must have planned this far earlier than anticipated. We’ve played into their hands.”

“No, we didn’t.” All three of them turned their questioning gazes towards me even as I stared at the halberd wielder. “We never factored into it in the first place. This? This is just a chance to clean up a loose end.” The figures slowly turned their heads to focus on me, shoulders tensing. “I’m not arrogant enough to assume every plan the opposition makes hinge on me. No. They've planned for a long time to come. The false bodies, the surgical strikes throughout Xadria, and the leak letting Alba and Sora know about their lost operatives.” I took a step forward, noticing Kato match my movement in my periphery. “Whether or not I was in Xadria did not affect the success of your op. If I happened to die? Great for you. If they captured me? Even better.”

“After it ends, Xadria will be crawling with Royal Knights.” The figure spoke, conceit coloring its stoic tone. “You’ll be one step closer to being removed.”

At that, Sora stiffened, her expression twisting into a rictus of hate before it masked itself.

Arce narrowed her eyes, reaching behind her to draw an arrow.

Briar huffed and heaved, her chest rising and falling as she glared.

Marishka bared her bloody teeth as she growled, hackles raised.

Kato shifted, changing her stance to mimic mine.

What did I do?

I grinned. Excitement filled me as the thought of a challenge, finally reaching me came to mind.

I laughed. Originated from deep in my stomach as my shoulders shook and I shifted my grip on my sword.

I crouched. Strength surging through my legs as I prepared to continue the fight.

“Bring your best.y All of you. I’ll meet it. Match it. Break it.” My heart pounded deep in my chest; lips parted into an excited grin. “No matter who, or what, it is, I’ll surpass it, again and again. I am the Master of my Fate, and none of you Monsters will ever change that.” The ground at my feet erupted as I lunged.

Once again, uplifting music filled the clearing, a hymn of victory, and triumph that sent strength pulsing through my body. I twisted to the side and avoided an arrow as Kato leaped up and over it, the tip of her foot landing on my shoulder before taking off higher into the air. Twin daggers lashed out at my face, but I parried and pushed them downwards, flipping forward and over the figure.

As my body made its arc through the air, the two hooded figures turned their weapons onto me. The first nocked an arrow and aimed towards me while the second reared back a hand to throw.

Arce practically appeared from nowhere, swinging her bow down onto the figure’s arm. The impact jarred their grip and forced them to aim to the ground at their feet. The arrow, forcefully loosed, hit the ground with an echoing concussive force — dirt and debris obscuring the area around them.

In a flash of green, Sora stepped to the knife-wielding figure’s flank, her dagger stabbing into their arm. An orb of green energies flared in her open, right, hand as she clapped the figure on their stomach. Blood flew through the air as the hooded figure flew backward from the impact, losing their right hand in the process. A distance crash, followed by the cracking sound of falling trees, caused Sora to grin playfully. Green energies flared around her body as she vanished from sight.

I landed on the ground in front of the halberd wielder in a crouch, ducking beneath a sweeping swipe. Above us, Kato descended upon the figure, stabbing downwards. The halberd wielder thrust up at her falling form, aiming for center mass. She let the knife go, and as it fell, she disappeared.

I caught the knife and slashed at the figure, aiming for the leg. They smacked my sword aside with the haft and twisted around, aiming a slash at my flank. Flipping Kato to a reverse grip, I deflected the slash and stepped further into their guard. I slammed my shoulder into their chest, forcing a stumble, and followed up with a flick of my wrist. My sword twisted and slashed upwards, carving a trench out of their leather on their front. Blood arced through the air, but before I could follow up, I had to duck and lean away to avoid a slash.

What happened next could only be described as a dance with death. The hooded figure proved to be supernaturally skilled with the halberd, even in the close quarters I preferred. They fought with constant, non-stop motion, with no wasted movements. They flowed from hit to hit, transitioning from blunt to bladed in an instant.

I blocked, countered, parried, and struck every chance I could take. My body burned with exertion, an almost pleasant exertion that forced a grin onto my face. I ducked, flipped, twisted, and maneuvered all around the hooded figure, avoiding every blow I couldn’t deflect by the skin of my teeth. Still, I answered every attempt on my life with a strike of my sword singing for every fight-ending opening I could take. Whether they were faked or not, it didn’t matter, because I used both my sword and Kato. Time and time again, when they blocked my sword, I would always try to slip Kato’s blade into the melee.

It didn’t always work, even if I did inflict the occasional slash wound, but overall, their defenses proved just as exceptional as their unyielding offense. It felt exhilarating and sent my blood pumping; I could hardly keep up, sometimes barely managing to deflect their sudden strikes, but every near-miss made me realize both my lack of overall experience and just how busted my Affinity seemed to be.

I staggered from the blow made to my jaw, tasting blood as I threw my left hand forward. Kato flew lazily from my open palm as I ducked beneath the slash of the blade. I grimaced as I planted my feet and swayed to the side to avoid another attack. My sword stabbed towards an opening but was slapped away by the haft. I dodged another counter and stepped close, punching at their stomach. As they grunted and staggered back, I caught a flicker of shadow behind them. Tasting iron, I grinned and thrust my sword forward. Sword met haft and blade time and again as I began my assault.

Short, fast strikes descended upon them, aimed and explicitly targeted to end a fight immediately, I offered no quarter, no mercy, as I called upon more and more strength. Where I lacked in combat experience, I made up for in sheer, overwhelming physical force and speed. I rained down blow after blow, hitting any and everywhere I could, while maintaining momentum to prevent a possible counter-attack.

With one last clash, we locked weapons, blade to the haft. Feet planted and bodies pushing forward, we tested our strength against one another. “You will not win. Not alone, boy.” They stated evenly, though I could sense a hint of frustration in their tone.

I couldn’t help it. With my pounding and racing heart, I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped me. “Not alone.” All of a sudden, I spat out a glob of blood into the shadow of the figure’s hood. They grunted and flinched from the impact. They cursed and wiped at their face; from behind, Kato stepped out from their shadow and stabbed forward. The hooded figure staggered from the blow, legs buckling. With a twist of their halberd, the figure lashed out at Kato. The blade slashed through the open air as she vanished from sight.

I stepped forward and threw out my hand, latching onto the halberd and locking it into place. I thrust my sword forward and watched as it tore through leather and flesh as quickly as paper. Blood painted the earth behind them as I ripped the weapon out of their hand and tossed it to the side. Kato stepped into existence next to me, her bloodied knife form held loosely in her right hand. Spitting once more, but to the side, I heaved and huffed as I grinned down at the figure, their hood having fallen off. “Damn, you’re ugly.”

Milky white eyes stared sightlessly up at me, a mix of blood and saliva painting their face. “Even if I fall here, I will not die.”

“No,” I said, breathless as I held my free hand out to Kato. She handed me her knife. “But I’m sure it won’t be pleasant.” I then stabbed them in the face, blade tearing into the bloodied, white orb. Ripping it out the side, I tore my sword free and turned to see my friends victorious.

Sora walked over to me, dragging a headless body by the hood.

Arce brushed herself off, slinging her bow over her shoulder. Marishka stood over their beaten opponent, the fur around her head drenched in even more blood.

Briar lowered her dagger flute, staring at the dying flame in horror.

I wiped off my jaw, grimacing as I brushed against a growing bruise. Ignoring that, I walked over to Sora. “Can we make it back to Xadria?”

“Together? Not in time to help.” Sora answered in the negative, dropping the headless corpse at our feet. I noticed a line of blood dripping down her left arm, the sleeve of her clothing shredded. “One of us? Possibly.” She focused on the body, a calculating glint in her eye.

“Send me.” That caused everyone to focus on me in varying degrees of disbelief, though Briar showed hope.

“Joseph.” Arce started warningly. “You’re injured, and the DeVere delegation is there, fighting as we speak.” She shook her head, and I couldn’t help but notice how…unruffled she seemed to be. “They’ll likely survive, though casualties will be horrible.”

“Your intervention will solve nothing, Joey.” Sora stared at me with a frown. “If I could take us all, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But it’s only one person, one trip. It’d take time for all of us to make it.”

I couldn’t disagree. I’m only one man, and something as horrible as what we were told was happening couldn’t be fixed by just one man. But… “I have to do this, Sora. I can go where the fighting is the worst and pull attention towards me. I can’t just stand here and do nothing when I know people are dying.”

Sora grimaced as she stared to the side. The wind picked up, sending her hair flapping. She pursed her lips as she twisted to bare her teeth. Her glowing amber eyes rolled onto me. “On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Hold nothing back.” Sora’s answer surprised me, causing me to blink. “I can tell you’ve been holding back. Physically, emotionally. If I send you back, Joseph, it’s time for you to stop keeping your struggles close to vest.”

I stared at her, my expression a mask. I didn’t reply, uncertainty rolling in the pit of my stomach. Could I… No. She’s right. I can’t keep doing that.

Before I could answer, Briar grabbed my arm. She looked up to me with a begging stare, her lips forced into a smile. “I…my brother… I’m worried about him…”

I stabbed my sword into the ground and placed my free hand on her head. “I’ll keep an eye out. Don’t worry.” I smiled down at her as I ruffled her hair. Then I faced Sora. “I’ll do it.”

She smiled, a fierce expression as she bared her teeth. “I look forward to you keeping your word.” Sora extended her hand, and a green aura overtook it.

I gently pulled my arm from Briar and grabbed my sword. Wiping off the blood, I sheathed it and Kato in their respective holders. I approached Sora and looked down at her hand. Lifting my hand, I looked towards the remainder of my party. “Stay safe on the way back. I don’t know if there’s anything else waiting for you.”

“The same could be said for you.” Arce demurred softly, concern filling her gaze.

Marishka whined as she bumped my leg with her shoulder.

Briar clenched her fists, looking up to me. “Fight and come back, Joey. We’ll be waiting.”

I nodded to all three of them, noticing Kato standing at my right and behind me. “I’ll be with you, Milord. Don’t hesitate to call on me.” She then vanished from sight.

I looked towards Sora and reached for her hand. Before I made contact, she said, “Xadria is protected from most popular teleportation options. This is a loophole I’ve found. Stay aware.” She warned me as my hand met hers.

My world twisted, colors shifting, and breaking apart. It felt like my body was being pulled apart and pushed together at the same time. Yet, despite that, my mind remained untouched. It felt like I lived through a kaleidoscopic trip through a drug trip I never asked for. It accelerated, then reversed, before it all snapped back into place. In an instant, I went from having solid earth beneath my feet to having nothing but air below me.

“Wah.” I exhaled as I took in the wide-open sky, feeling the gusty breeze brush against my body. I looked around with wide eyes and filled with disbelief. Below me, I saw flames and chaos in the streets, people running and screaming even as people clad in armor fought with people in hooded, leather armor and tried to escort civilians away. For a moment, I hovered mid-air, trapped in a transient air bubble that already began to flicker.

“It’s you…” I turned towards the source to see a young woman around my age clad in form-fitting alabaster armor. Her waist-length hair waved and flapped in the wind as she sat upon her armored Pegasus. Eyes, the color platinum, remained hidden behind a pair of glasses that made her eyes comically large. Held loosely in her left hand was a bloodied silver spear. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the bubble around me finally popped, and I dropped like a rock.

I heard her cry out to me, but the sound was lost in the rushing wind as I succumbed to gravity. Angling my body downwards, I caught sight of a trio people fighting a single hooded figure, who seemed more substantial than the other warriors in muscle mass, wielding a sword as long as I was tall as though it weighed nothing. I reached behind me and unsheathed Kato, throwing it forward. Kato manifested in my path and threw out her hands, catching both her knife form and my extended hand. She twisted around and released me as my body picked up momentum heading towards the sizeable hooded figure. Kato vanished as she threw her knife form back to me. I caught it and sheathed it again.

Moving even faster, the buffeting winds deafened me and sent my jacket flapping. Grinning, despite the dangerous situation, I extended my right foot into a kick and crossed my arms in front of my face to protect it. I suffused my body with Ki to augment my strength even further.

In my periphery, I noticed that the hooded figure noticed my approach far faster than the trio fighting them. They twisted around to face me, attempting to bring their sword to bare. One of the trio intercepted them, stopping their sword. Still, they lifted their arm and held it in place.

My kick slammed into the hooded figure’s raised arm, and a deafening crack echoed throughout the open-air market. More breaks and pops resounded through its body as a notable pulse of energy surged, a wave of force echoing outwards. The figure grunted, its voice gravelly and rough before physics asserted itself, and the figure rocketed away and passed the knight who attacked him. Their body crashed through wall after wall, stone, wood, and mortar, an unceasing flight that ended after thirty seconds of continuous progress.

I flipped off the kick and landed on a three-point landing, crouching as I placed a hand on the ground. I breathed heavily as I tried to let my legs recover from the sudden strain. The muscles burned and pulsed as they suffered the backlash of my last attack. Rising to stand on still shaky legs, I felt all eyes on me, from both knights and civilians, even as the fighting had temporarily died down.

Squaring my shoulders, I raised a hand and grinned confidently. “Worry not, citizens of Xadria and Knights of Veritas!” I spoke loud enough to be heard without straining my voice. “The Hero of Nyrill stands before you. I am ‘Fallen,’ no more. I stand with you!”

A deafening silence settled upon the open-air market, even as the crackling flames and straining foundations of ruined buildings colored the atmosphere.

“Joey?” Luke’s shocked, and concerned voice pulled my gaze towards him.