Kyrion woke up, popped his neck, and walked out of his room in the inn. He felt like it had been forever since the last time he could sleep. Rie and Ra were busy trying to break a seal that had placed itself on Kyrion’s memories. A small gap but clearly an important one, as they needed to catalog the changes in his body.

A snake formed of small red triangles wrapped around his left arm like a tattoo. From within, Rion could sense that it had gone docile and was under his control. Curiously, he traced a triangle in the air with dimensional mana and found that he could form a portal with it; he just needed to set a target. “I haven’t checked on Eden in a while. I wonder what she’s up to.” Kyrion concentrated on a theater he had placed on her through a flower and found her in the red district.

“That is no place for children.” Curiously, he found Bastion’s tether as well. He was with her.

Kyrion took a minute to think. Had they been in danger, the flowers would have released a paralytic poison and alerted him. So he willed the portal thirty feet above and to the side. From there, he slipped through and watched the scene with bemusement.

Bastion held out a silver vial in the air. “Get your Sick Begone! We have the sick begone! Two copper a bottle! Warts, blisters, cysts, coughing, itching and more! Gone with a drink or your money back. This does not work on curses.”

On the other hand, Eden had been given tiny bird wings as she sat behind a counter with a bowl in front of her. When people made a purchase, she would whisper something, and light would pass over them briefly and somewhat stick for a bit.

Sitting next to Eden was a thin woman with short red hair, a small scar across her nose, and emerald eyes. She was much shorter than Kyrion but much taller than her sister, Thalia. Dwen, short for Dwenevere, was one of Kyrion’s older sisters who had been missing for some time. And yet here she was, sitting with a petite brunette with a soft but familiar face and timid countenance. Yet by instinct, he knew that this person was a healer with great skill.

Deciding that he had snooped enough, he fell from the ceiling in armor made from flames and approached the front, avoiding the line. No one touched him as he was covered in fire, and to them, Rion murdered someone for less the day before.

“Mr.Rion?” Bastion said as he, of course, noticed him first.

“Right. Bastion, I came here to check on you, but I hadn’t expected to see you here. Cecil’s semifinal match will start soon, so I was coming to fetch you all. Although, it seems your friends are busy.” Rion spoke a bit loudly to get the point across.

“Ms.Dwen and Mrs.Mary are getting money for the orphans.”

Rion almost asked, “what orphans?” but decided now wasn’t the time. “I see. Well, we should get going. The first match will begin soon.”

“Who will watch the shop?” Dwen asked.

“Take your coin where you need to and I’ll make you a new stand if I need to. Half of the letters are backwards anyways.”

Bastion spoke up. “I was told that it makes the stand look cute. I drew it by myself.”

“Before or after you did the sign.” Kyrion looked at Bastion’s face and knew it was a way to cheer him up. It wasn’t Bastion’s fault letters tend to run away from him.

The brunette was standing and ready to go with a somewhat excited expression. Yet Kyrion couldn’t recall who she was and why she would be excited.

Dwen scowled. “Do you really not remember what happened? Hearing you say that and seeing your visible confusion are quite different.”

“The memory is locked behind a seal. I won’t be able to break through it for a little while. Which is quite annoying , but probably for the best. Although I seem to have picked up quite a few interesting books. Interesting, I don’t remember putting any of them in here.” Kyrion sighed as he had managed to fill three sets of bookshelves. One contained an absurd assortment of cookbooks, another contained a hoard of thin black and white picture books, the words “I’m sorry Cecil” painted on the side of the shelf, his last shelf contained a mix of engineering history books, medical texts, martial arts primers, and textbooks.

“We should get going. See ya Rion.” Dwen left momentarily.

“Hmmm…Bastion, Eden. Come here then close your eyes for a second.” Kyrion ordered.

Eden got close and closed her eyes as she was asked.

Bastion got close but refused to close his eyes as though trying not to blink.

“Suit yourself.” Rion surrounded them in a storm of fire before summoning a portal below them. The portal moved upwards, moving both Eden and Bastion simultaneously. From there, Rion and the flames around him vanished, leaving behind a haze of heat and ash.

The two reappeared through a portal that exploded in harmless flames shaped like feathers that dissipated. Those who could sense portals being used would have sensed what Rion just did. Unlike his other hops, this one left a footprint. As he’d taken two others with him, it would make sense that some strain was noticed. All of it, however, was as fake as Rion. A rouse to make those with similar abilities alert to his ability to teleport and suspect that that is how he can move around quickly.

Bastion scowled as he was now holding a drumstick belonging to a bird the size of a turkey. “Huh.. That’s new.”

“Bastion… Did you just steal from my domain?” Kyrion asked curiously.

“Maybe. I’m not sure, I just reached out and grabbed at the air while we were moving. I did that last time as well. Though this is the first time I got something.” Bastion swung the cooked meat like a club and nearly lost his balance.

“I see. Now isn’t the time. But we’ll revisit that.”

The weasel around Rion’s neck tightened ever so slightly. “Just stay out of my hoard, tiny human.”

Bastion’s gaze caught the creature’s eye. His odd eye begins to swirl from the pupil moving to the iris. “So long as you don’t swipe my desert, we’ll get along nicely. But if you do, prepare for a war.”

The weasel broke eye contact first for some reason while Bastion relaxed his expression.

Eden looked to the scarf and then at Bastion. “Ummm… Why are you talking to a scarf?”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Yes, human child. Why can you talk to this scarf? The weasel asked with its head turned.

Kyrion stood confused for a long second as Eden revealed that the creature appeared to be a scarf. “Bastion, we’re not crazy right?”

Bastion looked at Rion with a straight face. “Mr.Kyrion, illusions don’t work on me, but that’s not the right question. You, Mr.Kyrion, are the oddest chicken to ever come out of a duck nest, and I’m self-aware to know that I’m just as mad, if not a bit more, due to my ability to hear the nonstop taping.” Bastion looked into a corner of the booth they hand landed in, where four walls met and squinted.

“Not helping our case. Eden, in this situation, two people can hear this scarf and see if, for something else, you should focus your magic into your eyes and ears, slowly pushing outwards as you focus on your target.” Kyrion explained.

Eden was a quick learner when it came to manipulating mana, but this stump here.

“Your scarf is pushing back against my senses.” “Huh? Guess Bastion is just weird. The fact that it has to push back should tell you something however.”

“So something doesn’t want to be seen.” Eden discerned and scowled. “It’s messing with me.”

Bastion rolled his eyes and began to move his hand towards the weasel. Bastion was, of course, too short to reach Rion’s shoulder, but the act made the creature tense and move away.

To Eden, it seemed like the scarf wanted to run away.

“Where is everyone?” Kyrion looked across the booth, noticing he was here with only his two students.

“Five people are outside this room and I don’t know who they are.” Bastion muttered

“Bastion. Eden.Close your eyes and stay behind me.” Kyrion’s tone was dark as he sensed killing intent from beyond the door. He wouldn’t give them the chance to ambush.

Both closed their eyes and covered their ears, knowing this was serious. They knew their teacher hated killing and didn’t know what could happen if he was angry enough to do so.

Rion left the booth, sealing the room with a barrier of solid wind that would prevent sound from the outside from getting in. Kyrion eyed his targets: four high practitioners and an expert. Quickly, Kyrion felt around his oath and found that it was no longer restricting him, yet as he attempted to put a bit of his soul into a wind blade, he found that they were still in place, just loosened quite a bit. Kyrion had found a way to jump into the low expert tier while being a practitioner, and now he knew that Damian was still in front of him. So he’d have to be careful not to use too much power accidentally.

Two black-clad assassins hid near the ceiling, waiting to ambush Kyrion from above, while two archers with poison-tipped arrows stood at the end of two barricaded halls. Past the hall, Kyrion sensed the headmaster waiting silently observing. Which was fine by him; the expert in front of him occupied only 2% of his attention. He was portly, clad in silver robes, and covered in magical trinkets and accessories. The top of his head was balding, and his mustache was a millimeter out of symmetry. The portly man had a poor foundation and would be easy to break.

Around Kyion’s left hand was a purple glove stretched to his elbow. This was all he’d need for these opponents. While stronger in spirit mastery, he had found a way to bypass that barrier and would use it to send a message. Placing his left hand behind his back, Kyrion approached.

“Ah, this Rion greets you. I never thought someone of your esteem would lower yourself to meet with a practitioner of such low renown.” Kyrion decided then and there that the man would be called Banks due to his number of shinies and proceeded to will his own reality over what the man said.

“I am Duke Banks of the Etravoian Empire, you seem to have been given control of MY lands and MY Estate. For such insolence we have taken one of your friends hostage. If you don’t relinquish ownership to me immediately then your friend will never be se… Urk!”

Kyrion had broken the distance at a speed that shook the arena booths. His right hand is around the man’s neck, his fingers subconsciously burning as though trying to tear out Mr. Bank’s throat, finding some resistance.

“Who. Where.” Kyrion demanded

One of the assassins from above jumped down with daggers falling towards Kyrion’s back.

“Immolating Rend.” Kyrion hadn’t turned to see as thousands of wind blades chopped the assassin to bits before a flame created from their mana turned them into ash and scattered.

Two arrows shot towards Rion only to fall short half the way there as an invisible force slowed their momentum.

“Who. Where. Answer before you make me answer them myself.” Kyrion’s fingers dug deeper, caching a vein. From there, Kyrion began to boil the man’s blood.

Banks bulked uselessly as he tried to activate his transformation, only to realize that the grip had severed his connection to his core. Primal fear welled up inside the noble. “Bella…”

Kyrion watched as the life supposedly left the expert as he fell limp. Kyrion let him fall to the ground.

“As you aren’t guild assassins I’ll have to get rid of you.”

“But our employer is dead.” The one on the ceiling stated.

“Is he? Ok, where is Bella? Answer and I may let you live.”

The assassin opened his mouth to speak when two arrows trained at his neck connected with a tiny barrier of wind. Kyrion let the kinetic energy knock the assassin out before turning to the archers.

“Interesting… Aren’t you two naughty. Cross Immolation!” Kyrion held his arms in an X formation, hands facing outwards as two tornados of swirling flames shot outwards like angry dragons and engulfed the two other assassins, leaving ashes swirling as though caught in a tornado.

“No way a duke is this weak.” Kyrion stomped on the expert’s head and smirked as he tried to roll away.

“See. Now who are you really with? Answer truthfully and I’ll give you a quick death.”

“Like I’d tell you anything.”

“That tells me all I need to know.” Kyrion, having built enough power in his left hand, traced a line across the expert’s neck and opened a portal.

All of the man’s bones and organs shot upwards from his torso into Kyrion’s domain. From there, the expert was a floating head kept alive from Kyrion’s mana alone.

“You will die a slow death. As I am the only healer capable of putting you back together, you will die slowly, seeing, hearing, and feeling unimaginable pain instead of dying instantly. No quick death for you. Just a slow and painful one.

The head mouthed the words, “Just kill me.”

“You aren’t worth the blood on my shoe anymore.” Kyrion grabbed the unconscious assassin and began dragging him away.

The headmaster could handle things from here. The expert was being used as a messenger and was now going to die. There were probably more assassins and experts near where Bella was being kept. Beast Blood fits too much here. He knew about their tactic of killing traitors as well as their ability to infiltrate organizations.

The headmaster stood outside the barricade. “You killed people Kyrion. Are you alright?”

“If they weren’t planning on hurting the kids then a little remorse would have been present. They weren’t here to speak, they were here to kill. I could sense the bloodlust coming from those assasins. Keep an eye on that expert for me; he’s dying too slowly for my taste, and I may have to question him later if he survives..”

“Be careful not to jump to conclusions. Today would be the perfect day to sabotage Cecil but it may be a distraction. Be careful.”

“You won’t tell me to stop?”

“They kidnapped a friend of yours; I’m sure if Cecil were in your shoes, that assassin in your hands wouldn’t be unconscious but intact.”

“I see.” The headmaster saw through part of him quickly. Kyrion had been ready to brutally beat them until he heard Bella was kidnapped. He would need to be quick.

Well, he intended to. “Where are you going, kid?”

“What do you want, old man?” Kyrion turned with a flourish, his vermillion eyes burning with a hint of green attempting to break through.

“The match is about to begin. And you have the look of someone on a warpath.”

Rion looked about and shrouded the area with a ward to prevent eavesdropping with skill he didn’t even know he had. “Bella was taken. I need to get her back before the match ends.”

“Experts involved?”

“I believe so. Which is why I should go and someone without a reinforced body should stay safe. I don’t even know who you are.”

The white-haired man combed a hand through his hair. Take me with you anyway; as her guardian, it is my duty to help keep her safe. Fine, but don’t be a hero.” Rion then grabbed the man and began the process of teleporting away.