The sun was beginning its slow descent bleeding a bruised purple into the horizon as we walked. The silver leaved trees acted like millions of tiny mirrors catching the fading light and casting long flickering shadows that danced across the dirt path like restless spirits. My hand was still firmly tucked into Malphas’s. His grip was steady and dry a constant anchor despite the way he sighed every few minutes. He looked utterly bored in his merchant gear though the rugged tunic actually made his shoulders look broader than they did in his usual obsidian armor.

  Beside us Valerius moved with the grace of a man who had spent centuries walking on eggshells and marble. Even in the dusty boots of a caravan guard he managed to look like he was about to serve high tea. My own dress that lovely shade of light pink that felt like a soft sunrise swayed with every step. I kept adjusting the traveler's cloak around my shoulders terrified that a stray breeze might reveal the faded hospital gown I still wore beneath. It was my only tie to a world of white walls and the smell of antiseptic a world that felt like a hazy dream compared to the vibrant danger of this one.

  Malphas suddenly slowed his pace. He didn't look at me but I saw his jaw tighten. He leaned back slightly his voice dropping to a low gravelly whisper intended only for the butler.

  "This walk is becoming tedious" Malphas muttered his eyes tracking a bird circling high above. "It is a perfect opportunity. The girl needs to understand what she is carrying before we reach the next province. Better she learns to handle it now than have another screaming incident in a crowded market."

  He glanced at me for a split second his red eyes cold before nodding to Valerius. I felt a sharp prickle of annoyance. Did they think I was deaf? Or just part of the luggage?

  "Time should not be wasted Miss Vespera" Valerius said stepping seamlessly into the space between us. His voice had lost its grandfatherly warmth replaced by the precise clinical tone of a professor. He acted as if I hadn't just overheard the Demon Lord calling me a liability. "Since your original world lacked the gift of mana you are at a distinct disadvantage. You are essentially walking through a den of vipers while wearing a blindfold."

  He walked in step with me his eyes sharp behind his spectacles. "Malphas mentioned you were quite ill in your previous life. A heart disease if I recall correctly?"

  Beside me Malphas stiffened. He shot Valerius a look that could have turned a waterfall to ice. It was the first time I'd seen him look genuinely caught off guard as if he hadn't wanted me to know he’d been gossiping about my medical history.

  "The lesson is simple in theory though difficult for the uninitiated" Valerius continued smoothly ignoring his master's silent death threat. "Mana is not a tool you pick up it is a rhythmic pulse within the soul. You spent sixteen years of your life hyper aware of the rhythm of your own heart and the labor of your lungs. You must now take that same desperate focus and apply it to the energy hummed into the air around you."

  I tried. I really did. I squeezed my eyes shut nearly tripping over a tree root in the process. I focused on the warmth of Malphas’s palm against mine and the steady thud thud in my chest. I searched for a hum a spark or even a tingle beneath my skin. But the more I looked the more it felt like I was trying to grab a handful of smoke.

  "I get what you're saying!" I huffed after a few minutes my face turning pink from the effort. My brow was furrowed so hard it hurt. "But it's not working. I can feel my heart just fine but I don't feel any magic pulses! I just feel like I'm about to walk into a tree!"

  "Patience Miss Vespera" Valerius teased a small knowing smile playing on his lips. "Even a natural must learn to crawl before they can fly. Or in your case learn to breathe before you accidentally blow up a bakery."

  ─── ??☆?? ───

  The quiet lesson was interrupted by a rhythmic thumping from up ahead. A merchant appeared around a bend leading a pack mule so laden with crates that the poor animal looked like a walking mountain of wood. The man looked exhausted his clothes stained with travel dust but his eyes went wide the moment he saw us.

  We must have looked like a bizarre sight. A wealthy merchant and a deadly looking guard traveling with a girl in a soft pink dress that probably cost more than the merchant’s entire caravan. He slowed his mule his hand hovering nervously near a small rusted dagger at his belt.

  "Good day to ye" the merchant called out his voice wary. He stayed on the far edge of the path. "You’re either very brave or very foolish traveling this route with so few swords at your back."

  Valerius stepped forward the picture of a concerned servant. "We are merely passing through to the South Gate. Is the road ahead not clear friend?"

  The merchant spat into the dirt his eyes darting toward the silver trees. "The roads haven't been safe in a fortnight traveler. There’s talk of a Black Rider. A man on a dark horse who leaves nothing but silence and empty pockets in his wake. He was seen near the gates of the South Town just two nights ago. If I were you I’d make for the walls before the sun dips any lower and the shadows start biting."

  I felt Malphas’s grip on my hand tighten. It wasn't a squeeze of fear it was the tension of a predator scenting prey. Valerius reached into his coat and pulled out the folded parchment of the bounty poster.

  "A Black Rider?" Valerius asked holding it up. "Would this happen to be the man you saw?"

  The merchant took one look at the ink swirled void where the face should be and turned ashen. He practically tripped over his own feet backing away. "I didn't see his face and by the gods I don't care to! They say anyone who meets that one's gaze loses their mind or their memories. Move along now for your own sake!"

  He hurried his mule past us his footsteps turning into a frantic trot.

  The air seemed to grow heavier after that. The sweet scent of the silver leaves turned cloying. Finally the massive stone arches of the South Gate rose up against the twilight sky. Unlike the lonely road the town was a cacophony of life. I could smell roasted meats sugared pastries and the sharp tang of ale. It felt so normal so human that for a second I forgot where I was.

  Malphas stopped just as we entered the shadow of the gate. His red eyes scanned the guards at the entrance his voice dropping into that chilling regal tone. "One screw up Vespera. One slip. Remember that as we enter."

  The transition was jarring. The inner gatehouse was crowded with guards leaning on long halberds. Their faces were grim lacking the usual boredom of city sentries.

  "Another caravan hit just three miles out" one guard muttered to his partner shaking his head. "They vanish like smoke. No tracks no bodies just empty wagons."

  "It’s not just bandits" another whispered looking over his shoulder as if the Black Rider might be standing in line behind us. "The alchemist in the next ward is terrified. They say the Rider isn't after gold anymore. He’s hunting enchanted artifacts. Rare stuff. Things that shouldn't be in the hands of a ghost."

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  Malphas didn’t slow down. "Keep your eyes open" he commanded quietly. His voice was a low vibration that seemed to buzz in my very bones.

  We moved deeper into the town. The cobblestones were slick from a recent rain reflecting the orange glow of the street lanterns. The buildings were tall and narrow leaning over us like hunchbacked giants whispering secrets. We stopped at several stalls Valerius playing the part of the inquisitive guard. Most merchants took one look at the faceless poster and turned away their faces turning the color of curdled milk. One old woman actually crossed herself and slammed her shutter closed.

  Hours bled into one another. The sun finally vanished leaving the world in a hazy amber twilight. We were standing near a large fountain in the market square when the atmosphere suddenly curdled.

  The sound came first. A sharp terrifying whistle.

  Arrows hissed through the air like angry snakes. They arched down from the rooftops thudding into crates and the wooden stalls with a sickening thwack. Screams erupted instantly.

  "Bandits! Bandits in the square!"

  Rough looking men dropped from the balconies landing with heavy thuds. They didn't look like honorable warriors they looked like starving wolves. Two of them massive men with scarred faces spotted us. They saw a "rich merchant" an "old man" and a girl in a delicate pink dress.

  "Give 'em here old man!" one roared reaching for Valerius's gold rimmed spectacles. The other lunged for the dark gem Malphas wore at his throat.

  The bandit didn't even finish his breath. In a blur of motion that my human eyes couldn't track Valerius caught the man's wrist. At the exact same moment Malphas’s hand shot out his fingers locking around the second bandit's arm like a steel vice.

  The sound of bones snapping was like dry kindling breaking in a fire.

  Valerius maintained a polite almost bored smile. With a casual flick of his wrist he sent the bandit sailing through the air. The man crashed through the front of a nearby bakery disappearing into a cloud of white flour and shattered wood. Malphas however was not being "polite." He jerked his hand upward and the bandit attached to him was launched into the sky with such violent force that his scream faded into the clouds before he even hit the peak of his arc.

  The rest of the bandits froze. The square went deathly silent.

  I felt my heart hammering against my ribs a frantic jagged rhythm that made me feel like the sick girl I used to be. I felt small. I felt like a target.

  Suddenly the air behind me shimmered. I didn't even have time to gasp before a man in a tattered cloak appeared from thin air. He was fast. One second I was standing near Malphas and the next a sweaty calloused arm was hooked around my throat dragging me backward. I felt the bite of a cold dagger against my skin.

  "Stop right there!" the leader shouted his breath smelling of sour wine. He was smirking at Malphas. "Since you took out my muscle I think I'll take this little sweet cake as payment. Mmm... she looks even more delicious than a cake." He leaned in sniffing my hair with a disgusting wet grin.

  Valerius let out a long weary sigh and adjusted his glasses. "You stupid poor doomed fool."

  The temperature in the square didn't just drop it died. Malphas stood perfectly still but a dark oily smoke began to curl off his shoulders like ink in water. The sheer weight of his presence expanded a suffocating pressure that made the very air feel like lead. Every person in the square bandit and civilian alike hit their knees paralyzed by the raw abyssal aura of the Demon Lord.

  I was terrified my breath coming in short jagged gasps as I looked at Malphas.

  He turned his head slowly. His eyes weren't just red anymore they were burning with a terrifying mystic light that seemed to eat the shadows around him. The bandit leader met those eyes and his smirk didn't just fade it evaporated. He realized in that final horrible second exactly who he had touched.

  Before the man could even scream gray smoke began to pour from his ears his nose and his mouth. He wasn't burning on the outside. Malphas was incinerating his very soul from the inside out. The bandit’s grip went limp as his pink clad victim was released and the man’s body became a hollow ash filled shell. I scrambled away tripping over my dress as I ran toward Valerius.

  Malphas didn't even watch the leader collapse. He raised his hand and slowly deliberately closed his fist.

  The other bandits who were still frozen in terror suddenly burst into dark violet flames. They didn't die instantly. Malphas made sure the fire moved slowly a deliberate display of his absolute unbridled rage. Their screams echoed through the stone streets a chorus of agony that made me want to cover my ears. Only one bandit was left a young boy who had fallen to his knees sobbing and shaking in his own fear.

  I reached Malphas trembling so hard I had to grab his arm to stay upright. I felt like a burden. A weak human girl who had nearly caused a massacre.

  Malphas ignored the dying screams. He reached out his hand now clear of the smoke clapping firmly onto my shoulder. His eyes searched mine the terrifying glow fading back into a cold protective crimson.

  "Are you harmed?" he demanded. His voice was low and jagged like he was holding back a storm.

  "I... I'm fine" I whispered though my teeth were chattering.

  Valerius stepped past us his face neutral. He grabbed the last surviving bandit by the collar and hoisted him onto his shoulder like a sack of grain. "We must find a spot to hide Malphas" he said glancing toward the gate. "The guards will be here in moments and we cannot have them seeing this mess."

  Valerius led us into a narrow damp alleyway. The smell of the market was gone replaced by the scent of old moss and stagnant water. He threw the bandit onto the ground. The man was babbling his eyes wide with a primal terror but he wouldn't speak. Even when Valerius showed him the poster the man just shook his head.

  "I don't know nothing!" he stammered. "Please... don't let him look at me again! Don't let him burn me!"

  "A pity" Valerius sighed. "Patience is a virtue I possess but my Master... well he's never been one for virtues."

  Suddenly the air in the alley changed. It wasn't the heavy weight of Malphas but something sharp and electric. The temperature rose becoming warm like a desert breeze.

  High above us perched on the edge of a clay tiled roof stood a man. He wore gold trimmed leather and deep crimson silks that looked like they belonged on a king. His hair caught the moonlight and a confident predatory grin stretched across his face.

  Valerius gasped his hand moving to guard me. "Demon Lord Kaelen..."

  The man on the roof chuckled a sound like smooth gravel. He looked down at Malphas who was still holding my hand his expression darkening. "It’s been a while Malphas" Kaelen called out leaning back on his heels.

  Malphas looked up his eyes narrowing. "Was I too obvious?"

  "Well" Kaelen hopped down landing silently on the cobblestones. "Only the part where you literally burned a man’s soul into ash. I felt your power miles away. My castle is thousands of miles from here but who else has that specific sinister scent? When I felt the pulse I knew it had to be you."

  I stared at Kaelen. He sensed us from thousands of miles away? The scale of power in this world was simply impossible to wrap my head around. I shrank behind Malphas my fingers tightening around his hand.

  Kaelen’s gaze flickered to me for a second his grin widening before returning to Malphas. "Normally I’d go straight to violence. You’re in my house without an invite. But you did just clear out a bandit problem my guards have been failing to handle. And you did it with surprisingly little property damage. Care to explain?"

  Valerius stepped forward bowing politely. He quickly explained the search for the Black Rider and the trail leading into this province.

  Kaelen listened tapping a finger against his chin. "Ah the Rider. A serious nuisance. He’s been snatching enchanted artifacts all across my lands. My guards can’t even remember his face long enough to write a report. It's embarrassing really."

  He stretched his arms over his head. "Well I’d love to help but rules are rules. Demon Lords shouldn't stir each other's pots too much. Since you’re doing my work for me I’ll let it slide. Just don't break my town."

  Kaelen winked at us his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Now then I’ve got a date to get to. And it seems you have a date too Malphas."

  He gestured toward our joined hands. I felt my face turn into a fireball. Malphas immediately looked away his jaw tightening as a faint uncharacteristic tint of pink touched the tips of his ears. Valerius just let out a small amused huff.

  "I’m leaving" Kaelen said his body beginning to fade into a golden shimmer. "You have my permission to be here. Just stay in the disguise. If the town finds out a foreign Demon Lord is strolling the market it’ll be a riot. Cya."

  With a final wave the Conqueror Lord vanished into thin air.

  Malphas stood in the silence of the alley for a long moment before letting out a sharp frustrated hiss. "I hate that guy" he muttered adjusting his coat. "He’s always so irritatingly smug."

  I looked down at our hands still joined and then back at the dark exit of the alley. The mystery was getting deeper the stakes were getting higher and for the first time I realized I wasn't just a spectator in this world. I was right in the middle of it.