They were heavy, kinetic attacks from above, each burst preceding the sound of a small explosion. Eight shots in total, all of them aimed at the Guard’s forces, came down with four hitting the street, and the others taking out a schutz, a rairer, and two groups of Guardsmen. Charles put up a dome to protect himself—as did Osk for his group, reinforced with iron. He released it once they saw that they weren’t the target.

  Before the dust had settled near the tower, Rivia and his officers looked up at the sky, to see and hear a gunship of incredible size fly by, its wingspan as long as a football field, with six industrial turbine engines keeping it aloft. The aircraft was painted a sapphire blue color, and under its belly were the eight heavy cannons that had aided them.

  “Who the hell was that?” Viktor was the first to ask, once the gunship passed by and began to roll to circle in for another run.

  “I don’t believe it…” Osk muttered. “That was the Royal Lapis. I wasn’t informed that F’s air navy would be reinforcing us.”

  “Neither was I,” Rivia replied. “But, quickly. We have to move in!”

  “Let’s get as close as we can, and I’ll dig us a trench,” Osk said once they started charging ahead, and then checked his radio again. “Come on, people… Clear the bloody air waves already.”

  The moment that schutz fire and mortar-like rairer spines came from the dissipating dust cloud ahead, Osk used a powerful spell to instantly depress and flatten the road in front of them, deep enough to protect them. They slid into cover; the surviving enemy firepower still too strong to risk further advance.

  “Colonel, don’t overexert yourself,” Tabi cautioned Osk when she saw him concentrating to bring forth his centipede again.

  “I’m fine…” he assured the others. “This, right now and here, is all that matters in this fight. We can’t wait for that gunship to come back.”

  Ahead, Renek emerged from his barrier and watched as a serpent made out of dirt, concrete, and asphalt sprang up from the ground and clamped down hard on one of his mechanized weapons.

  He ordered his riflemen and alchemagists to open fire on the elemental, and they began to tear it apart—but not fast enough to keep it from forcing the schutz in its grasp to rotate, causing its chain gun to perforate one of the other machines.

  A rairer finished off the centipede, whiles its brothers in arms continued their barrage of spines that kept the group suppressed and covered the street in caustic acid. The Angels knew the opposition was still too strong, and would have to wait for at least a second air strike.

  But they only felt much more pressure upon seeing a large workhorse rairer make its way down the street in front of the Pisces, with a spool of wires and a hefty datastone carriage on its back. Charles directed it with hand signals to begin climbing the tower, but with its lumbering and cautious movements, the vertical trek would still take time.

  Garder looked ready to run ahead regardless, unwilling to wait any longer for help. Milla didn’t think she’d be able to stop him.

  Then rockets fired out from somewhere behind them. They soared overhead before hitting the street and exploding into thick smoke. Another veil formed in seconds, with the organic mortars still pushing through it that now went off course and hit buildings. The Mezik L slowed down as it passed by and settled just in front of the trench. Leovyn, and no one else, leapt out after opening the side door. He banged on the fuselage, and Xidona piloted the bird back up without it ever touching the ground.

  “What are you doing on the front?” Osk exclaimed. “Leovyn, if anything happens to all of us, we’ll lose our leadership!”

  “N is too important,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the smoke. “Taking it is worth the risk. And… have some faith in our new friends.”

  Once the Mezik L was eighty feet in the air, Xidona fired her signal lights, which reached above the smoke and would be visible to the local military in the lower floors of the Pisces. She then fired the four onboard incendiary rockets at the acid in the street, which after igniting, began to burn it away to make the remaining distance much safer to cross.

  “Major Nylus… Do you copy?” Leovyn spoke into the radio on his shoulder. “Come on… We signaled you, open the airwaves…”

  “Dad, why is F here?” Milla asked him from down in the trench.

  “Side project I worked on with Wendell—getting them to commit. They didn’t want to instigate the invasion they always feared, but I think once they heard about Fordein’s ships, and what happened here, they got spooked and knew it was time. That, or Wendell’s a very good negotiator.”

  “Wait, is he here?”

  “Right above you, Captain!” Wendell’s voice suddenly came in clearly. “I’m on the Lapis—we’re coming back in, ETA two minutes.”

  “Thank God you’re here,” another, unfamiliar voice followed before the others had a chance to respond to Wendell. “We can’t hold them back any longer; they’re about to get inside.”

  Leovyn replied, “Major, can you spare any men to try and, I don’t know, jab spears at that rairer climbing up the side from the windows? Anything at all? Or anyone you can put on the roof to shoot down at it?”

  “Sorry, sir—we don’t even have any ammunition or sharp weapons left in here. All we can do is physically keep the doors closed at this point.”

  Leovyn, watching as the hauling rairer emerged above the smoke cloud and punctured the tower with its claws to drag itself up, grumbled and raised three fingers. An intricate barrier of glowing vector lines formed in front of him, like a complex maze drawing itself between the buildings. It reached an incredible size and height, leveling out a few feet higher than the Mezik L. With such complex, tight, and seemingly random patterns, no projectile would be able to get through without being shredded—and no one would ever find the barrier’s weakest link that could unravel it.

  “A Jericho barrier?” Milla exclaimed and looked at her father. “You know how to create vector’s strongest spell?”

  “Don’t act so surprised,” Leovyn huffed, his forehead already covered in sweat. “But we do have to hurry. Watch our sides…”

  He began to propel the immense wall ahead, but could only manage a walking pace for it. Every incoming rairer spine, mortar, rocket, and chain gun or rifle bullet was sliced apart by the maze-like lines.

  “I have to tell you something,” Leovyn said as he strained himself. “If that rairer looks like it’s about to make it to the top, I’m going to warp back to the Lapis and use my Guard implants to level the building.”

  “There are over a thousand N military soldiers in there,” Tabi said.

  “I realize that. But it will be even worse for the rest of us if we suddenly can’t shoot at the Guard. Consider it a motivator.”

  The Mezik L hanging over their heads, they stepped onto the last remnants of the acid on the street. It sizzled against the soles of their boots, but was no longer concentrated enough to eat through.

  “We need backup now!” Charles yelled into his transmitter. “Hit them from the sides, or the air, anything! We can’t stop their advance!”

  Osk summoned his centipede once more, but it barely managed to scratch one of the remaining schutz on the other side of the wall before it was torn apart. When his alchemagi returned to him, he looked exhausted.

  “I’m out…” he breathed and unholstered his sword. “Can’t anyone hit that rairer with a spell? Mr. Xin? General?”

  “Too much metal in the Pisces,” Masayuki replied. “It’ll just absorb anything I fire at it. But the Lapis should be back by now…”

  “I can hear Guardian aircraft approaching,” Rivia said. “She’ll have to target them this run instead—we won’t survive if they reach us.”

  “Damn it,” Leovyn muttered. “Wendell—hit any birds heading our way instead this go-around. Do you copy?”

  “Are you sure, sir?” his voice replied. “What about the rairer?”

  “No, we can’t risk hitting the tower. We’ll take care of it.”

  “Affirmative. Angel airships are on their way, maybe ten minutes out. Xavier’s team is moving in with other forward platoons. You won’t be alone much longer…” his voice faded amid the sounds of firing cannons.

  Around them was the sound of shot-down chariots crashing into buildings—and then they watched as one with a damaged engine came in fast overhead, nearly hitting the Mezik L before it was cut into small ribbons and exploded upon hitting the glowing barrier. The Royal Lapis soared past far above, and the Pisces was only a block away.

  “Keep firing!” Charles ordered his rairer, machines, and men. “The barrier can only take so much punishment—we can bring it down!”

  Leovyn pushed on with the others, but with trembling knees and a shaking hand seared by alchemagi burn. Keeping the barrier going against so many impacts was taking its toll, but the surviving enemy was now within attack range—though that in turn meant that Charles could reach them, as well. Garder’s thin patience broke the moment that Mr. Renek attempted to drag Leovyn down into the street from afar, turning the asphalt into liquid, and subsequently flinging a piece of rotor blade shrapnel up and over in an attempt to cut off his casting hand.

  Garder stuck his sword in the right place in time to deflect the sharp debris, and then charged ahead, even with a vector barrier in front of him. Forced to drop the wall regardless of having been saved, Leovyn did so and watched as his son made an air-powered running leap ahead, blasting away the storm of bullets that was directed his way. With no choice but to make a run for it, the paradigms rushed in to join him, as Rivia aided the four of them by uplifting the ground under the rairer and schutz, jolting them up several feet and throwing off their aim for a needed moment.

  Again filled with anger, Garder propelled himself above the enemy, twisted around, and swung his sword hard to create a blade of air strong enough to slice right through the lightly armored neck of one of the attack rairer. Its body began to turn into smoke before the head hit the ground.

  Viktor reached over and pulled the shield off his back to defend against a schutz chain gun, while Tabi ensnared another with a burst of growing vines—capturing a rairer at the same time. Masayuki managed to puncture a schutz with his sword and fry its insides with lightning, before being knocked away by another rairer’s fifth leg and crashing into Tabi.

  With the paradigms pinned by heavy fire and Milla still forming a large vector mandala, Garder held onto a second story windowsill and calculated his next move. The Guard soldiers below would get a bead on him and open fire in seconds—his only options were to start attacking from his spot, or launch backwards and rejoin his group. His choice came to him once he heard moving air, saw a big shadow, and looked up.

  Zala, with Poret on her back, had just leapt off of a nearby building and was ready to grab onto the Pisces, her landing position too close for comfort. Garder blasted himself back and away to give her room, returning to his team. With a determined shriek, Zala dug her claws into windows and the fa?ade itself, and Poret ordered her to climb upwards.

  “I’ll take care of the rairer!” he shouted as they began the ascent.

  “Shoot them down!” Charles commanded his men, but then looked back down and realized that his assault team was nearly gone.

  Leovyn used the last of his energy to slice apart a schutz, Milla’s mandala had launched and taken out a rairer and sizeable portion of the Guardsmen, and Viktor had just plunged a blade into another rairer’s chest after a brief bout. Charles then watched as Rivia impaled the last remaining schutz with an iron-reinforced icicle, and then sunk what soldiers Masayuki and Tabi hadn’t dealt with into and then under the street.

  By the end of the attack, he was left not terribly surprised that such a group of Angels had made short work of his team—but had hope that by now, they would be too exhausted to stand a chance against Kae, guarding the top of the tower. As they surrounded him, he assumed he wouldn’t be around for much longer to see if that would be the case.

  “Garder, don’t,” Rivia urged him, already pointing his blade at Mr. Renek—and it looked like Milla was about to try and stop him, too.

  Garder replied, “Are you serious? We at least need to capture him.”

  Through telepathy, Milla told him, “We may still need him.” After he looked over at her, she added, “I can’t explain it right now, but he’s one of our best assets in the Guard. He… might help us.”

  Garder didn’t understand, but lowered his sword nonetheless, as did Masayuki. Osk and Tabi stepped aside to let him go.

  “I…” Charles murmured. “You’re just going to…?”

  “Before we change our minds,” Garder threatened.

  Mr. Renek looked at everyone’s faces, and didn’t hesitate any further before running off. Only Leovyn looked particularly befuddled by the choice and orders of his old friend.

  “Are we suddenly working with pretorians now?” he muttered. “Just because he’s among the only honorable two, doesn’t mean…”

  “Please trust me on this,” Rivia replied.

  “Fine. We don’t have time to argue, do we?” He paused for a radio message and listened to his headset intently. “Copy… I’m on my way up.” He signaled up to Xidona for a pickup, and she began to lower the Mezik L. “The Lapis is coming in for another strike, but her missile defense systems are nearly depleted. That means this is her last run—and I don’t have a choice. I’m going to level the tower when she comes back.”

  “We have to empty the building!” Milla protested. “Dad, there are so many people in there!”

  “You do what you can. You have eight minutes. I’ll abort if you can signal us from the rooftop. Otherwise… you open a scroll and get out of there.” He looked up to see Zala still tailing the Guardian rairer. “All of this might be for nothing if they get suppression. I can’t let that happen.”

  “Then we’ll hurry,” Rivia said and turned towards the alchemagi-sealed metal barriers over the building’s front door. “Good luck up there.”

  With a nod, Leovyn stepped aboard the Mezik L, banged on its side, and took to the sky before closing the hatch.

  “Major Nylus, you’re clear,” Tabi said into her headset. “Open up.”

  The officer inside ordered his men to do so without needing to hear anything else, and after the sound of some moving heavy objects, the armored doors were pulled inward with heavy groans. An acrid smell of bodily odors wafted out from the lobby, and they could see the reason.

  Inside the building were hundreds of soldiers, many with barely treated injuries, and all of them tired, dirty, and hungry. A few of the most desperate made a break for the opening right away, just to feel the sunlight. The others looked too exhausted to feel or show relief.

  “Is it safe out there?” asked Major Nylus, the most senior officer in the building. “You arrived… just in time…”

  “Yes, but I’m afraid you’re out of it,” Rivia replied. “Major, you need to evacuate as many of your men as possible. If we can’t stop the rairer scaling the building, we’ll have to take down the tower.”

  “That’s… a tall order, General.” Nylus looked back at the desolate masses with whom he had spent the last several days fighting for survival.

  “You have to try. Head towards the Velkinson Bridge. I’ll have some of our soldiers escort you back to our forward base.”

  “I understand… We cut power from the building so the Guard would have to find another way to power the radio mast…”

  Tabi took a deep breath. “Then we have to take the stairs. Viktor, you should stay here and assist them.”

  “You’re assuming I can’t make the trip,” he grumbled.

  “It’s not always an age thing, old man! That armor isn’t meant for a rapid vertical ascent. You wanna debate that?”

  He looked down at his metal plates and then nodded. “Very well. But prove you’re fast. We only have a few minutes left.”

  The others rushed right over to the stairwell entrance, Rivia the slowest but still able to keep up despite his own age. It would be a long trek to the top, but luckily there was a window on each floor to provide light.

  Far above, the rairer made their climb up and created a rhythmic shaking that knocked down dust every few seconds. The six knew that they would never make it in time just running upstairs like Earthens, so while being careful not to ram into each other, they utilized alchemagi to make their climb as quickly as possible—which would still be quite the challenge.

  Garder used his flutter abilities to propel himself ahead of the others, flying over each flight of steps and then taking a moment to reposition for the next segment. Rivia soon caught up with him, using his own version of the travel spell to cover two or three floors with each jump, and hanging onto railings before his next vertical leap. Milla, the slowest in this instance, simply climbed the vines Tabi used like grappling hooks and left behind; it was still a little faster than running up each flight.

  Only Osk and Masayuki remained on the bottom at first, which the others didn’t seem to question.

  “You good?” Osk asked the paradigm, who was stretching a bit.

  “Yeah. Just giving them a head start before I catch up. You?”

  “Waiting for bit more alchemagi recovery first.”

  “Your elemental is quite something. I’d use the hawk more, but I just prefer relying on a sword and good, old fashioned lightning bolts.”

  “Mm-hm,” Osk murmured and adjusted his gloves.

  Up above, the others made it to the thirtieth floor and were closing in on the rairer, the beasts’ shadows on the closest window. The sounds of growls, snarls, and metal claws tearing into flesh preceded a sudden and powerful strike straight into the building, and they watched the bull rairer’s rear leg rip off a portion of the stairwell wall, which exposed a sizeable segment to the high winds outside. It hurled the stone slab down at Zalatrya, just missing her. She howled and chomped down on the leg, only to have it ripped out of her grip. She had slowed down her foe, but was having a tough time getting into any sort of proper offensive position.

  “She’s having a tough time,” Tabi said and aimed her crossbows at the writhing rairer’s three back legs. “If we could just stop it here…”

  Masayuki used his clan’s Lightning Delta technique to traverse the stairs, stopping at the top of each flight for only a tiny moment in time. With several dozen small thunder cracks, he rejoined the group—and beat Osk by a few seconds, whose centipede gave him a ride up and vanished. After nearly another minute of rairer combat, Milla finally arrived.

  Tabi fired off two bolts, but they couldn’t pierce the tough skin of her large target. Milla began to build another mandala, but before she could launch it, the bull rairer managed to get its fifth leg’s claws around Zala’s neck. Following a desperate attempt at a stab at the leg with his spear, Poret was nearly knocked off. As he held onto a single rein, Zala was pulled off the side of the building, lost her grip, and was then dropped.

  “Zalatrya!” Milla yelled out and rushed to the side, where she looked down and saw the beast trying to grab onto the tower again as she and Poret tumbled downward and disappeared beneath a smoke plume.

  “Damn it!” Tabi muttered and fired again at the bigger rairer, already moving upward again. “… Guys, we gotta keep moving.”

  “We can still beat it up there,” Rivia said. “You know we can’t worry about those two right now.”

  Garder sighed, shook his head, and took the lead again. Over the next twenty floors that they covered, they were able to get far enough ahead of the rairer and its dangerous cargo, and seemingly had time to secure the rooftop—so long as they didn’t encounter any resistance.

  “We have maybe a minute,” Osk huffed as they went up the final flight. “We only have to signal the Lapis. The rairer won’t be a problem.”

  “No…” Garder replied after blasting away the rooftop access door and getting a look outside. “But she might be.”

  Kae Anneise, who had been observing the encroaching Angel forces as they grew closer, turned towards the access door to find Tabi, Masayuki, Garder, and Osk glaring at her, weapons at the ready.

  She knew why they were here, and that this wasn’t the moment to waste time with remarks. She pushed back her concerns, and without hesitation drew her battle staff and immediately traveled via light, aiming to warp right in front of Garder—the most dangerous among them—and get off the strongest attack she could muster on his rib cage; with any luck shattering bones to incapacitate him, or even blowing him off the roof.

  Masayuki, one of the few Aurrians who could rival her speed and reaction time, cast a powerful spell the instant she had vanished. To Kae, it felt like she had been violently ripped out of elemental space. She forcibly reappeared after only crossing half the distance, her body surging with electricity. Attempting to tolerate the pain, she looked around at the large sphere of swirling chaotic energy that had been projected around the roof.

  “What is that?” Garder asked Mr. Xin.

  “Wave disruption field—makes non-lightning elemental travel inside it impossible. Now she can’t run circles around you.”

  “Good,” he replied and approached her, sword at his side.

  Kae recovered and brought up her staff defensively.

  “I can still take you,” she assured him. “If you actually cared about your home, you’d let us put up suppression, so we can end the chaos here and bring aid. All you do, Mr. Nolland, is prolong the violence.”

  “Are you assuming I already killed your friend down below?”

  Reluctantly, she replied solemnly, “I can’t imagine you let him go.”

  Rivia arrived, with Milla right behind him. Kae was beginning to feel overpowered, and Tabi saw it in her eyes—so she went ahead and fired her flare gun into the sky to signal the incoming Lapis. Instead of aiming at the tower, its cannons fired at Guardian aircraft as it went by overhead, the last of its flares and anti-missile flak cannons keeping it intact.

  “Traitors, everywhere…” Kae said, watching the air fortress fly by.

  “Mr. Renek is alive,” Rivia told her, while keeping three fingers out at his side. “Leave this rooftop now, or we will bring you in.”

  “I can keep this going for a long time,” Masayuki said of his field.

  As Kae weighed her options, the rairer’s two front arms reached up, and it pulled itself onto the roof. Flying low over the street and coming in were the chariots carrying the tech team that would install the transmitter and data stones, but she knew it was hopeless to have them come in or attempt to fight back. She couldn’t win, not against such foes. And they would only slaughter the technicians—perhaps shoot them down before they could even get close. The rairer looked at her and chirped, awaiting an order as it loomed over the enemy, which it wasn’t trained to attack.

  After giving the others a few seconds to act, Garder took it upon himself and, without turning around, used air manipulation to blast his sword backward and impale the beast in its primary heart. Kae let out an exasperated gasp of disbelief as she watched the beast tumble back and fall off the tower, after Garder callously recalled his blade and caught its hilt.

  “You didn’t have to…” she muttered. “You’re all so bloodthirsty.”

  “Not all of us,” Milla replied, though she kept a hand on her own sword. “But I do disagree with the general on this. You do need to come with us. Surrender, and maybe you can… help us negotiate a few terms.”

  “I will never let myself be held hostage,” she growled back furiously.

  They saw it coming and closed their eyes or looked away, but the sudden, bright flash Kae generated was still powerful enough to stun them all for the second or two she needed. With Masayuki keeping a grip on his disruption field, she leapt back and jumped off the building.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Following a short fall, she left his anti-elemental travel area of effect, turned into light, and disappeared. The Guard’s attempt at suppressing N had failed; she had no need to risk her life further.

  Those on the rooftop felt relief wash over them for the first time in days, and they all stepped close to the edge for a better look at the City.

  The majority of the Angel forces were in full advance, about a third of them coming to help secure the Pisces. The airships, with the Red Tenor leading, were able to safely cross the Ozarus, and the sounds of fighting were starting to diminish. Between and around them all were smoldering ruins, buildings with walls missing, and the dog tags and uniforms that were all that remained of fighters on both sides. Black smoke polluted the sky as fires burned, but N, scarred as it was, now had a chance for liberation.

  “The battle here could still last another month, if not more,” Rivia cautioned them as his eyes searched for old familiar locales, or what was left of them. “But we can counter any further attempts at suppression more easily from here out, and maybe… once word gets out about what all has happened here, we may find more allies.” He turned to Osk and, seeing a chance to affirm his dream, added, “And perhaps a unified Onasia.”

  “This isn’t even the worst I’ve seen a City…” Garder muttered. “Still… I never thought I’d see home like this.”

  “Nym says Poret’s alive, but in rough shape,” Tabi reported after listening to her headset. “Zala saved him down there.”

  On the horizon, the Royal Lapis was heading off towards a safe airstrip, and the Mezik L left her docking bay to bring its occupants back to the Angels. With nothing left to say or think about after all he had just been through, Garder found a spot on the roof and took a seat, with Milla and Tabi following his lead. They used their much-earned moment of rest to watch those who still had work to do, as the tanks, carriers, and aircraft that were still sometimes called Rivia’s war machines rolled on.

  After knocking on her old front door and waiting an appropriate amount of time for a response, Milla ran a vector line down the gap to slice off the lock’s cylinder. She pushed the door open and found, to little surprise, that their apartment was empty. The building itself, just a few miles east of the war zone, had been evacuated some time ago, but their former home had been without furniture or occupants for a year or more.

  “It looks… more spacious than I remember,” Milla noted and stepped inside. “And we never exactly filled it up ourselves.”

  With the setting sun coming through the large windows and filling their former residence with orange light, the twins meandered about for a few minutes—not looking for any sense of a return to normalcy, but rather, simply remembering and reflecting on the passage of time.

  “Whoever had this place last put a rug where our dining table used to be,” Garder said, closely studying the subtle off-color edges on the parquet floor. “Do you think they knew who lived here?”

  “I doubt it,” Milla replied from near a window.

  In the distance, airships were being moored and flying tenders around in order to shift crews and supplies, while the day’s rewards were locked down—including everything between the Pisces and the Ozarus.

  Garder stood and sighed. “As much trouble as I’ve gotten into over my lives, I don’t think I ever suffered criminal forfeiture. Bet they tore the place apart looking for ‘seditious materials,’ before we realized ourselves what we were deep in. Had a few things I would’ve wanted to keep.”

  “I bet our stuff is somewhere out there, if you want to look,” Milla joked. “All these years, after everything, it still almost feels like home… Oh, before I forget…” She looked around the room. “Now, where…”

  “Looking for something?”

  Milla went over to the half-wall partition that separated the kitchen from the main room and searched the baseboard, quickly finding a well-disguised loose panel that blended in with the surrounding wood. She jostled and loosened it, and then pulled off the portion and dug around inside the wall. After a few moments, she took out a small metal lockbox.

  “Did you hide that from me when we were kids?” Garder asked and came in for a closer look. “Memento box, diary, or…”

  “It’s not ours,” she replied and got to work on the combination lock. “Let me get this right… They said it’s rigged to burn the contents if I try to brute force it or try to open it on a wrong combo…”

  “They?”

  “… Bired and Vadaka,” Milla said as they heard a latch disengage.

  Carefully, she opened the black box and revealed its sparse contents: a worn brass pocket watch, a single alchemagi stone, two pairs of baby socks, and a photograph—probably the only one—of Bired and Vadaka holding a second pair of much smaller twins. Without their goggles, and dressed in more typical Aurrianwear, they looked almost ordinary.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Garder muttered and took the photo. “Do you want to call up Caeden and burn this, or should I do it myself?”

  “Garder…” Milla exhaled and swiped the photo back. “This might be all the proof there is that the four of us were, at one point… something you could almost call a family. Also, they asked me to bring this to them.”

  “Huh. For being erasers, they’re sentimental. That’s irony, right?” Garder slumped against the kitchen wall. “We’re never going to get to have anything like a normal life this go around, you know. Even if we survive all this… That photo is a part of us that just… disappeared.”

  “Yeah.” She removed the fire-starter at the top of the box, closed it, and slid it into her satchel. “But we could still try our best.”

  “Would you still want me around, after all I’ve done…?”

  “Of course. No one’s going to abandon you, Garder.”

  “Right… I know what you’re all thinking, that I’d finally really lose it if everyone turned on me, or just gave up on… I don’t know, my chance at recovery, I guess you’d call it? If such a thing can exist at this point. So, what’s the plan after the war? You still want to move to City B? Get in some terms when the treaties are signed, make it so I can live there?”

  “Well,” she took a deep breath, “anything’s possible.”

  “You and Pip were together at some point, right?”

  “The war… changed things.”

  “Ah… But the fact that you still managed to have anything during a war—that’s a good sign, I think. You’ll find someone. Maybe it’ll be him again. You deserve at least that much. You always did…”

  “And what about you? We’re all here for you, but we’re concerned. You need to open up before it’s too late, tell us what you’re experiencing, even if it’s purely internal. Painful as it might be, it will help.”

  “There’s never time… Even just to find the few hours I’d need to get it all out, in a quiet, safe place, in a moment when I’m really ready…”

  Milla looked around and gestured to the empty room. Garder hesitated, opened his mouth, but didn’t get a chance to speak, even if just to say he still wasn’t ready. His hands in his jacket pockets, Leovyn walked in through the opened door, glanced at his kids as he passed by, and stood at their window. On the way, he had clearly noticed the opened hiding spot.

  “I used the stone in that box to read your alignments,” Leovyn said, not taking his eyes off the City. “You were three days old the first time I had a chance to see you outside of Hold. The erasers already looked overwhelmed with you, but… you both grasped the stone calmly, like you remembered what it was for. Aurrian babies radiate a ‘colorful’ but wordless telepathy, of course. You both told me what you saw, in your own ways.”

  “I never got around to asking…” Milla said and got to her feet. “Why Bired and Vadaka? How did you know those two?”

  “They served the pretorians.” Leovyn turned to face them, the sunset glow hitting his shoulders. “You know that they’d later alter Jeryn’s memories, but they were never loyal to the Guard. For them, it was always about information gathering in the end. Connections and secrets, for this life or the next—that was their currency. They were both erasers in past lives, and after being born together by chance, they chose to use their latest cycle to become the very best in the trade. No surprise they attracted the attention of the Guard. They’ll never admit it, but the Aurrian ruling power has been employing erasers for centuries to manage their secrets. They only jail them when they get caught by the lower ranks.”

  “And you became… friends with them, during your brief tenure?”

  “‘Friends’ is a strong word. But they took an… interest in you.”

  “We were raised by two people who still officially worked with the Guard, but they never found out who we were,” Garder remarked.

  “A lot of people are raised by those who serve the Guard; that doesn’t mean much on its own. But Rivia kept you safe, watched you from nearby. They were out of your lives by the time you were six, and erased themselves from your memory. I visited a few times when you were very young, but since I was being actively hunted, it was risky… And N was getting more dangerous for me in any case. Temki’s presence below made Lontonkon send more Guard soldiers here, to keep his ‘asset’ safe. Project Renascence. Heh. Compared to what’s happening now, a ‘reborn Guard army’ sounds humble all of a sudden. A ‘cute pet project,’ I’d even say.”

  “So, did they… volunteer to take care of us?” Milla asked.

  “Yes, more or less. They knew you were special, maybe even capable of changing the world. Those two are basically nihilists, usually, so to say that you gave them something to believe in…”

  Milla processed his words for a moment, and then reached back into the box and took out the brass pocket watch. Leovyn saw it, walked over, and took it gently so that he could feel it in his hand.

  “Rivia gave me this as a gift when I was accepted into the pretorian circle. That was back when we thought, just maybe, we could convince them to take our side should we ever begin all this. And then Lontonkon began getting his appointments in. People like Palar, and then Trinqit, after me… Anyway, it’s 18th century. He claims he found it in a pawn shop, and that it was mine from three Aurrian runs ago. I don’t know if I fully believe it.”

  “You two… and Caeden—you never drove each other crazy, after being friends for, what, thousands of years?” Milla asked.

  “Oh, we definitely did. But we were always inseparable, once we tracked each other down through our ‘soul names.’ Jack, Theo, Peter…” Leovyn coughed. He took out his current watch, checked the time, wound and set the old brass model, and gave it back to Milla before changing the subject. “There’s a war council meeting in an hour. A big one. Rivia’s called everyone in, and it’s taking place at his old haunt. That we just liberated. He always has tended to rush into things… But, we don’t want to be late.”

  “Garder…” Milla murmured and reached for his arm as he stood up first. “We’ll find time, soon.”

  “… Yeah.” he muttered back, showing no confidence about it.

  “I’m sorry you kids have to see your home like this,” Leovyn said and headed to the door to wait for them. “There aren’t many Cities left that haven’t been touched by the war. It was bound to come here eventually.”

  “At least we may keep it out of Guard hands,” Milla replied as she headed out with her family. “But, one more responsibility for our side…”

  The old military council building was in good condition, with only its Taj Mahal-like central dome having suffered damage, its surface cracked by shrapnel. Angel soldiers were posted across the grounds, with tanks and patrolling chariots above adding to the heavy security. The twins and their father, after getting past three different checkpoints, eventually stepped into a building that none of them had visited in nearly eight years.

  The first floor’s rooms had already become makeshift medical wards filled with wounded soldiers, including some captured Guardsmen, most of whom looked more exhausted than their counterparts. Mesette and the other doctors and nurses were far too busy to stop for a chat, but as the three walked through the ornate wood hall towards the stairs, they found the Finx siblings, just leaving an office that had become an operating room. Izae was pushing Poret out on a wheelchair, his right leg in a large, braced cast, complete with tighteners; evidence of badly damaged bones.

  “Oh, Garder, Milla! Sir Rivia…” Izae exclaimed and came to a stop. “Ah… Um, congratulations. That was a big victory today.”

  “We owe it to everyone’s efforts,” Rivia was the first to reply.

  “I hoped I was at least of… some use,” Poret said with an agitated groan, as he tried to reach an itch under his cast.

  “Poret, don’t be an idiot,” Izae scolded him. “You’re lucky to be alive after taking a huge risk like that. But you slowed down that rairer enough to give the others the time they needed to secure the roof.”

  “How bad is it?” Milla asked.

  “Shattered in multiple places,” Poret grumbled. “I won’t walk for at least a month, even with alchemagi therapy. All I can do is see if I can still take care of Zala in this… pathetic state.”

  “She liked you enough to risk her own life to save you,” Izae told him. “So, yeah, the Rosely’s captain better let you give her extra treats.”

  “But what if she gets a replacement rider that mistreats her? Or won’t listen to her, argues, doesn’t prioritize her safety, won’t—”

  Milla stopped him, “If you’re so worried about all of that… maybe she could just spend some time with Lechi. They’re old friends.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Poret sighed. “I suppose I shouldn’t complain. I spend most of my time on the Rosely, and meanwhile, our people on the ground take the brunt… I hear that we suffered egregious losses here.”

  “Possibly as many as we did when we fled H,” Rivia said. “But we will recover, and I believe, find new allies over the coming days.”

  “Y-yes, I saw the F air fortress gracing the skies. I’m sure the others are waiting for you, General. The entire council passed by earlier.”

  “Take care of yourself, Lieutenant,” Rivia said, resuming their journey to the third floor, from where he once worked.

  After taking the stairs up, they stopped to meet a second set of visitors, enjoying a moment of quiet that the top floor could provide. Still with the Burrow’s youngest soldiers was Corus, who was having a talk with a man that the twins couldn’t quite identify—until they heard his voice.

  Wendell stopped mid-sentence and turned toward Rivia and the twins, his once long and wild beard reduced to a shrub under his chin. Though with his mouth more visible, his friendly smile was easier to see.

  “It already feels like it’s been too long,” Milla greeted him. “But, Wendell, your beard… It’ll take years to regrow.”

  He scratched at his chin and replied, “Maybe it was time for a change, anyway. This is just how it came out when I returned.”

  “Facial hair sometimes doesn’t regenerate with us at all, from my experience,” Rivia said. “Mr. Celin, you may have saved the day. I wasn’t certain that you’d be able to get anyone in F to help us.”

  “They said that they can devote more air power should we retake N. But, it didn’t take too much convincing on my end when they heard about the governor. Lechi, Milla, Garder—we’ll free your home. We will.”

  Lechi, who appeared desolate despite the day’s major victory, somberly spoke up, “I only just heard about Hescuro recently. I’m so sorry. I was once planning to attend sometime, before we left together so many years ago… The school… It just seems so senseless.”

  “We’ll get justice for its students and teachers,” Milla assured her. “Its story will also move people to act. That’s all we can hope for.”

  “I heard Phisa’s facing a tribunal for it, so there’s that,” Rhys said.

  “If she ever shows up,” Brim argued. “The pretorians seem to be totally defiant to the council. Other than Anneise and Renek, of course.”

  “Rayna? You okay over there?” Milla asked her.

  She was on a bench with Norria, looking pensive. She glanced up at Milla, but seemed too tired to really speak to anyone.

  “She wore herself out today,” Norria explained.

  “Nova bursts all over, one after the next at one point,” Corus added. “I don’t know how long a nova adept could normally use alchemagi, but the kid was like a bottomless well until the last hour of combat.”

  The twins looked at one another, Milla a little worryingly. They then noticed Temki towards the end of the hall, a book in one hand as he waved them over. After telling Rivia that they’d be right in, they walked over as the general pushed open the door to his old, spacious office.

  “I’m concerned about Rayna,” Temki said to them in confidence. “Whenever she pushes herself really hard, I sense… a familiar presence emanating in the air. I’m sure you know what I mean.”

  “But we killed the demon. Twice,” Garder replied.

  “Yeah, well…” Temki sighed and cleaned his glasses. “It took around six or seven years for her to ‘develop’ the demon the first time, and it’s been almost that long again. You remember what Lontonkon told us, right? It's always seemed like she’s… a computer, and the demon is just a program that takes time to compile. I hope you, um, get that.”

  “Enough of an idea,” Milla replied. “It’s not so much that it still lives in her, or was reborn and takes time to regrow, it’s that… she could always, eventually, recreate it. And we probably can’t stop it.”

  “She is a walking datastone, basically,” Garder added. “Look, another demon is the last thing we need right now, but if it comes back, I’ll kill it again. No problem. We should just warn Pangs, that it might come to life again under C like it did the first time. If they’re ready for it, maybe they can deal with it as soon as it appears and save us the trouble.”

  “Mm, that’s if it’s bound to a location,” Temki concluded. “We’re heading back to the burrow soon for some R&R. I’ll pass on the message.”

  After the temporary goodbyes, Garder and Milla joined Rivia and the rest of the Angel’s war council in his office, which had previously been turned into a conference room at some point by the local military. Rivia’s desk, furniture, and bookshelves were all gone, replaced by a long table lined with chairs. The fireplace was already going, but without his two dogs and the warmth of his musty old tomes, the room felt cold and drab.

  “Come in,” Tess said from her chair. “Please, get comfortable.”

  There was space for everyone, this being the first time in a long time where the entire council was present, plus Garder who now felt like he was an unofficial member whether he wanted the position or not. Once the twins took their seats, Rivia became the only one still standing, running a finger along the fireplace mantle to see how much the dust had built up.

  “I only found out about what they did to Linksy, a year after they did it…” he said regretfully, rubbing his finger and thumb together. “It took that long for word to get out about the council’s ‘secret’ executions. He was a dedicated civil servant and nothing more, knew nothing about my plans. The Guard didn’t care, as long as they had someone to blame.”

  “If he were still here…” Milla hesitated, “would he be happy to see the Angels take the City? It can’t go back to being ‘neutral’ now.”

  “We’re still taking it, but, yes. He kept track of the Guard’s crimes and reported them to me. He was no activist, but he knew what they did.”

  “What are we going to do with the Pisces?” Simon asked.

  “Leave it standing, for now. I’d like to try and boost its power so we can send a message to D and any remaining Angels in E. Get the word out, about everything that happened here. And on that note, my dear friends…” Rivia gestured to the Guards to close the door. “Let’s begin.”

  Hours passed and it felt like the council lost track of time. Before they knew it, the light of the next sunset was pouring in through the office windows. Garder was more invested in the meeting this time; the stories of triumph and small defeats alike kept his already hot blood boiling, and only made him more anxious to learn the next plan of attack.

  In the distance was the renewed sound of fighting, and small tremors rattled the water glasses and pens on the table—serving as a reminder that the battle for N was still very much ongoing. The Guard wasn’t even ready to let go of the Pisces just yet, so Rivia’s plan to use its radio spire wasn’t set in stone, despite the major victory in winning it.

  “Then that concludes the new stratagem for N…” Daschel finally brought their first topic to an end. “We’ve still got so much work ahead of us, but the importance of holding this City can’t be understated.”

  “It makes D more secure, as well,” Sasoire added. “And I’ve heard good news about our forces there—our support from its citizens has only gone up in recent months, and if F can provide food shipments both here and there, we may reach critical mass, and the citizens will never accept Guard rule again. If only J could make up its mind about what side it’s on.”

  “What about E?” Yvell asked the others. “Are we abandoning it?”

  “Of course not,” Tabi assured her. “But half of the Guard’s invasion force is still stationed there, and it’s too far inland for naval support. We’d need to amass more air power first.”

  “This will all undoubtedly slow down our march to K, though,” Viktor grumbled. “And our second stab at Mightoria.”

  “We need to find our footing here first,” Jaraphim said. “We were too hasty after H and lost it as a result. We can’t make that mistake again.”

  “But it’s a different situation now,” Tess replied. “We were on our own back then. Now, we have allies. We do need to keep planning for our next move outside of this City. But, this situation at Evirtide…”

  “It’s heartbreaking,” Rivia lamented. “The young people of Aurra will indeed suffer for our cause. Raised to become soldiers, forced to kill other students… This brings me to another appalling development. Osk?”

  The colonel stood from his seat, indicating the importance of what he was about to say. “There is word from A. Queen Pristil, after all but being forced by the senate… Well. Viterus Luna was one of the few to dissent, but she couldn’t hold back the tide. Mightoria has a draft.”

  The update resulted in nearly a minute of aimless reactions and chatter from the council. Milla remained quiet and gathered her thoughts, reflecting painfully on how towards the end of his attempted revolution, her past-life husband began to recruit child soldiers. Garder seethed in silence.

  “What are the terms?” Shin asked once the council settled.

  “Both men and women, young,” Rivia answered. “Sixteen. Can you imagine? Younger than Garder and Milla when they first set out.”

  “They’re starting with a quarter million conscriptions,” Osk continued. “Portions of L are being converted into training grounds, and we hear that they’re fast-tracking all of this as much as possible. In as soon as a month, we may see an invasion force launching from L’s naval bases.”

  “They wouldn’t be anywhere near experienced enough…” Milla said. “That isn’t enough time. What are they…?”

  “Fodder,” Viktor grunted angrily. “They want nothing but swarms of kids, and they’ll know Angels will hesitate to attack them.”

  “All of Evirtide could be recruited!” Tess exclaimed, and looked towards Hekens, who was staring into an abyss. “Gregory—”

  “I know,” Hekens spoke over her. “General, what do we do?”

  “I’ve already reached a decision,” Rivia said. “I may still be able to talk some sense into Quinlin. He can’t possibly want to send his entire student body to their deaths. Tomorrow, I will head to M. As an old friend, I believe he would at least sit down and speak with me.”

  “Only an old friend in this life,” Leovyn shot back. “Jonan, this is one of the worst plans I’ve ever heard. What do you hope to do? Evirtide’s administrators have sold their souls to the Guard.”

  “I agree,” Masayuki added. “This is a bad idea, General. There must be another way. If we can convince the rest of M to stand against—”

  “All three of M’s senators, their security councilman, and their City magistrate approve of the draft,” Rivia countered. “We’ll never succeed in turning its people around; not in time to make a difference. Our one chance lies in going to the school itself, to convince its students to take a stand.”

  “Damn, delusional fools,” Tabi grumbled. “It’s beyond frustrating, once so-called patriotism reaches a place resembling a death cult. You can never talk them down. I’m sorry to be a cynic, but those students’ parents and M probably are a lost cause. They won’t change their minds unless their souls are broken, and without intervention, by that point it’s only happened because their kids all got sent into the grinder. Insanity…”

  “Do you really think Quinlin could still be convinced to give up his sick project?” Simon asked. “What’s he getting out of this, anyway?”

  “I believe he may be under pressure to provide soldiers to the Guard,” Rivia replied. “Perhaps from people operating alongside, but not necessarily in support of, the current Guard. Lenox Crawn’s role in all this, and his connection with Phisa and possibly Fordein… is all suspect.”

  “I’ve briefly met with Quinlin myself,” Shin spoke up. “It was years ago, before our massacre. I was considering spending a year at Evirtide.”

  “I remember that,” Masayuki said. “But, you never got the chance. Shortly after you returned from M, Lontonkon and his soldiers… Anyway, ah, what was he like back then?”

  “He wasn’t Headmaster yet, and he seemed nice enough. I know I’m not adding much to the conversation here, but he didn’t strike me as the kind of person that would do all this. If he isn’t being threatened, then, sad as it is, maybe he just became a Guard sycophant over time.”

  “I will still hold out for some hope for him,” Rivia stated. “But while I’m on the subject, I must caution everyone here about Lenox. He is a man of pretorian strength, I believe even stronger than the previous fire pretorian—and leader, Jeryn. If he didn’t have a clan to run, or didn’t care about being ‘bogged down’ by politics, he could easily serve right under Drides. Don’t underestimate him; he is a rare breed of Aurrian, a true warrior of exceptional might. I just never thought he’d be an enemy.”

  “His sword and armor seemed… one of a kind,” Milla noted.

  “They very nearly are. He wields a Nocturnus, an ancient great sword made by a blacksmith of the same name. Alchemagi crystal is wrapped around it, and with his strength, he could no doubt wield the beast with one hand. And, as you saw, he rides a rairer, as well.”

  “And are the stories true, about his armor?” Tess wondered.

  “I got a close enough look to confirm it. Though I haven’t seen a full suit since the year, I don’t know… 500 A.D. or so, my memories of what they looked like haven’t diminished. He owns what is likely the last full suit of Jeoliangian Praetor armor in existence.”

  “Can I… get a historical refresher on that?” Yvell requested—although she wouldn’t have been the only one to ask.

  Hekens explained, “Queen Jeoliang’s praetorians—back when the title had its classical spelling, just for the record—were a fearsome bunch. During her last unification conquest, she had six sets of armor created, and then destroyed the designs and had their creators killed to keep them from being reproduced. Even now, we still aren’t sure how they were made, or even how to simply synthesize the alloy that they’re made out of.”

  “Remember the glass alchemagi barrier at the citadel?” Tabi added. “Think of a walking set of that, only, made of metal instead. Alchemagi is ineffective against it; flows down to the armor’s feet and into the ground like water. And anything softer than a diamond isn’t going to pierce it.”

  “Wait, wait, I remember this…” Sasoire murmured and thought for a moment. “Mezik armor was never real, but the folk tale about it was inspired by the queen’s special tin men caskets, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, except it doesn’t trap you or suck out your soul. Maybe it makes you a soulless murderer, but, yes, it was the stuff of legend.”

  “After the unification and creation of the early Guard, hundreds of more lives were lost as warriors fought to the death for one of the surviving sets,” Viktor contributed his knowledge. “During my reign as the leader of the League, who would… later see me as their betrayer, I did wield that Nocturnus. But, I wasn’t aware that the armor was in our possession. If it, in fact, was within our castle in the first place, mind you.”

  “Do you really think it would’ve been kept a secret from you?” Masayuki questioned. “Granted, if the rest of Aurra found out…”

  “Someone else would want it. Lontonkon most of all. It was either buried deep in the castle and he stumbled upon it, or he found it elsewhere in the world. I haven’t been home in centuries. I couldn’t tell you what’s happened inside its walls since, what crypts may have been dug up. From what I’ve heard, Lenox is an Aurrian traditionalist, who believes in the old ways and law through power. He’s probably held high positions in multiple lifetimes, I could assume. As Rivia said, heed caution in his presence.”

  “One more maniac to worry about,” Garder muttered to himself.

  “My friends, we’ll end it here,” Rivia said and stood to conclude things. “In the morning, I will leave for M. I’ll be alone, but I don’t want that to concern you. Quinlin will give me safe passage into the school. I’m certain of it. And, after I say what I need to, I will return before the Guard catches on or has a chance to send in its forces. The school may now serve their army, but it is not, as of yet, run by them.”

  “I hope that’s enough of a distinction to keep you safe,” Tess said with a sigh. “If Quinlin has any decency left within himself, he’ll at least hear you out, regardless of how tightly the Guard has a grip on him.”

  Everyone began to leave the room, with the exception of Leovyn and his kids. Once the others were gone, while her father stayed seated and gathered his thoughts, Milla approached Rivia, needing some advice.

  “General…”

  “Yes, Ms. Nolland?”

  “I, um… I’m not normally one to ask for some wisdom as an Aurrian, after being around for so long, but I’ve been thinking about a couple of things recently, and I believe I really could use some perspective.”

  “You’re never too old to ask for that. What’s on your mind?”

  “When I met with Escellé, I told her not to come and help us, even though she seemed ready to. I thought it was the right choice, considering the danger of escalation, but on the other hand… in my past Earth life, I learned of the gains you can make if you put all that aside and do whatever it took to score victories. That’s what we did, and for a while, it worked.”

  “How we win does matter. It’s not always a reward you’ll see in the short term, which can be made harder, but when history looks back…”

  “History tends to look back more fondly on the ‘more just’ side.”

  “That’s what I believe, yes. That foundation is important for lasting change. Cruelty, and acts of war that go beyond the pale—they’re always uncovered eventually, and that can undermine everything the good people on either side fought to achieve.” Rivia noticed a subtle glance from Garder, and after a pause, finished his statement, “As much as we want to, we can’t lower ourselves to the tactics and standards of the Guard.”

  “That’s what I try to hold onto, but so often, I second guess myself because I keep remembering what it was like working with my husband.”

  “He’s locked away in Z. He isn’t a part of your fight. But you can use the knowledge of war that you were reborn with for good; make use of prior tragedy and find redemption. It’s never too late for anyone.”

  “Y-yes… Of course. Sometimes all I need are some words of encouragement to keep going. It’s easy to begin doubting yourself.”

  “And what about you, Garder? Do you need anything?”

  Garder shook his head confidently. “I’m fine, sir. No conflicts.”

  The general offered the two one of his assuring smiles, and they left the room. Leovyn got to his feet the moment the door was closed, looked around the room, and went over to the mantle.

  “Long day,” he told his old friend. “How about a drink?”

  “I’m afraid that it was all seized long ago.”

  “Ah, don’t tell me I know your own office better than you do.”

  Leovyn pressed down on one of the flourish tiles above the mantle and slid it to the side, revealing a crystal decanter half-full of Scotch and two glasses. Rivia expressed some surprise as Leovyn did the pouring.

  “I must have forgotten about that one…”

  “This was a birthday present from Caeden, if I recall,” Leovyn said and handed the general a glass. “Probably his last one to you, before it all happened. Long past its prime, I’m guessing, but now’s the time to check.”

  Rivia laughed after Leovyn had taken a swig and puckered in response. “Well? How is it?”

  “Had worse, honestly. Bet it used to be good, though.”

  The general took himself and his glass over to his favorite window in the room, where he could see a street that was once lined with stores.

  “I do miss him,” he said and tolerated a sip. “Once the three of us found each other, we usually stuck together as much as we could. This time, he’s been missing for over twenty years. I wonder what he’d have to say.”

  “I think he’s living through my children, Peter. Maybe he isn’t exactly awake, but he’s there. As a whisper, or a conscience.”

  “Both of them have reminded me of him on occasion…”

  “He knew it had to be him. As the apostle, he knew.”

  “Do you think that fact made it all work? Helped bring the twins into this world, as the first pair of humans to have been ‘born’ in Hold?”

  “Hm, who can say? That whole part of my life is still a mystery to me. I wish he could’ve at least told us how he learned to split his spirit before he did it. Just out of sheer curiosity’s sake. Was it taught?”

  “By the wise old monk at the top of the mountain.”

  “Maybe that isn’t far from the truth.”

  Leovyn looked into his drink and gave it a stir. “So, is there an actual plan here that you withheld from the others?”

  “It’s not Quinlin I’m after. It’s the students I wish to reach.”

  “A school rebellion, huh? And how are you going to do that? Tape up posters in the halls? I went to Evirtide, you know, five lives ago. Learned more about alchemagi than I ever have anywhere else. If enough of those students already see you as the enemy, they might take you out themselves.”

  “I was known as a hero before I began all of this, and was renown in that school even before the avalanche back home in I.”

  “This isn’t you versus Ultimaeus. It could be you versus a thousand brainwashed kids ready to go and live out their power fantasies.”

  “They can be reached, Jack. I know it. I inspired a rebellion that has lasted over seven long years, filled with strangers.”

  “Who were waiting for the right voice, to turn their centuries of abuse into action. This is different. Kids obey and respect their teachers. You’re the outsider going into their environment, and you hope to…”

  “Give me a chance. You’ll see what I’m still capable of.”

  “All right…” Leovyn finished his drink. “I’ve always trusted you, and we’ve somehow been in worse than this together.”

  “I told you, didn’t I? Near the end of our previous Aurrian lives?” Rivia downed the rest of his spirit as well. “One more go around, Jack. The next time we’re in this world, we’ll change it. You just watch.”