In the settlement of the Frontier, dawn had just broken. Hansen and Arama had returned from their journey to Heston City, their moods light and satisfied. The trip had been a resounding success; they’d managed to trade the mana crystals gifted by Kai and Nerva for enough food and supplies to last the village several years. On top of that, they’d secured upgraded weapons for their warriors and a few storage rings to ease the burden of hunting.

  The remainder of the crystals had been exchanged for mid-tier mana stones, intended not only for training Bjorn and his group but for the benefit of the entire village.

  “I must say, I didn’t expect your illegal little trip to be this fruitful,” Arama chuckled.

  “Tell me about it,” Hansen replied with a grin. “I was hoping to bag a beast or two, not stock the village for years. Meeting Lord Kai was a stroke of luck.” He smiled to himself, thinking of the gift he’d found for Harrietta. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

  “Go on, then, see your crazy mage,” Arama said with a smirk. “I’ll handle the supplies and make sure everyone gets what they need.” With that, he turned and headed off to find Bjorn and his group.

  Hansen didn’t waste a moment. He dashed across the village toward Harrietta’s cottage on the far side, eager to see her.

  ***

  Harrietta and Lisa were already awake, sharing a quiet breakfast. Harrietta had prepared the meal herself, and Lisa was happily enjoying it.

  “How is it?” Harrietta asked, watching her with a curious smile.

  “It’s tasty,” Lisa said between bites, “but not as good as Brother Kai’s cooking.” She chuckled.

  Harrietta rolled her eyes. “I have nothing to say to that. That little bastard really does know how to cook.” She smiled as her fire spirit suddenly leaped onto the table out from her inner world, crackling with energy.

  “Who called you out, you wild thing?” Harrietta groaned. “I swear, he likes you more than me, his contracted partner.” The spirit had clearly grown fond of Lisa, who showered it with attention.

  “Hey, Sparky! Here, eat this,” Lisa said, offering the spirit a piece of food.

  “Oh gods, Sparky? Really?” Harrietta muttered. “And he even likes the name… or is it a she?” She scratched her head, puzzled.

  “He said he’s male,” Lisa replied with a grin. “And he does like the name. He also said he won’t teach you any spirit magic if you keep complaining.”

  Harrietta sighed. Turns out Lisa had a remarkable talent for spirit magic, strong enough to help Harrietta understand what the spirit wanted. Lesser spirits couldn’t speak the human tongue until they evolved into mid-grade spirits, a process that took thousands of years of absorbing elemental mana.

  Harrietta felt her temper flare, but forced herself to take a deep breath. She needed this spirit desperately. If she wanted to deepen her research into fire magic and unlock the secrets of sixth-circle spells, she had to reach Grand Magus level. Sparky was her best chance.

  Just as she was about to respond, the door burst open.

  Hansen strode in, beaming. “Good morning, ladies!”

  “Well, well, you came back fast,” Harrietta said with a smile, clearly glad to see him.

  “Welcome back, Uncle Hansen!” Lisa greeted him cheerfully.

  “Well, aren’t you two a lovely sight. I brought presents.” He pulled out two small boxes, one for Lisa and one for Harrietta.

  Lisa opened hers first and exclaimed, “Wow! I love it!” Inside was a simple silver bracelet adorned with engraved jade stones.

  “It’s a mana restoration bracelet,” Hansen explained. “It should help you train your channels better since you’re still young.”

  Harrietta opened her box to find a small golden ring with a fiery red gem that radiated soothing heat.

  “I’ll be damned,” she said, smiling brightly as she slipped it on. “This is a power-boosting ring, and a good one at that.”

  “It’ll boost your fire magic by ten percent,” Hansen added. “And it has storage for mana crystals, so it can help you restore mana faster during battle.”

  “You really spoil me. I could get used to this,” Harrietta said with a wink.

  “By the way, have you seen Kran anywhere?” Hansen asked. “I got a nice dagger for him.”

  “Not since yesterday morning. He should be at his shack,” Harrietta replied, still admiring her ring.

  “I’ll go check on him. He must be feeling down since Eira left. Lisa, wanna come with?”

  Lisa smiled and jumped off her chair. “Let’s go!” Sparky leaped onto her shoulder as she grabbed Hansen’s hand, and they headed out.

  “Don’t lose that damn spirit,” Harrietta muttered. “Damn thing…”

  ***

  Hansen and Lisa walked through the village, greeting the locals as they passed. Smiles lit up the faces of the villagers at the sight of cheerful little Lisa.

  Eventually, they reached a tucked-away wooden shack, Kran’s little haven of freedom.

  Hansen pushed open the unlocked door.

  The place was empty.

  He scanned the room, but there was no sign of Kran or his backpack. A bad feeling stirred in his gut.

  “Uncle, look at this,” Lisa said, picking up a piece of paper from the floor.

  Hansen took it and read. His face darkened.

  “I’m off to track Eira and Kai. I’ll be careful. Bye, Kran.”

  “Goddamnit, Kran! You idiot,” Hansen muttered, clearly upset.

  “Uncle, don’t be mad. Brother Kai will take care of him,” Lisa said, trying to console him.

  Hansen took a deep breath, calming down, at least partially. “Harrietta won’t be happy,” he frowned, gently patting Lisa’s head.

  Lisa giggled. “Aunt’s good, just a bit loud. I can talk to her if Uncle’s scared.” Her mischievous grin showed Scry’s influence.

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  Hansen sighed and led Lisa back toward Harrietta’s place, walking slowly as if delaying the inevitable.

  They found her outside, reading a spellbook in the warm morning sun.

  “Why are you two back so fast? Where’s Kran?” she asked, puzzled.

  “Well…” Hansen hesitated, his stomach churning.

  “What is it? Spit it out,” she snapped.

  “He left to follow Eira. I don’t know when he left or if he found them,” Hansen said quietly.

  Mana flared around Harrietta, her hair lifting in the surge. “That stupid bastard. Always so bloody stubborn. Aah, he’ll be the death of me!”

  “Aunt, it’s fine. Brother Kai and Uncle Nerva will protect him. We can wait for him,” Lisa said calmly.

  “There’s nothing we can do now,” Harrietta muttered. “But once he’s back… he’ll feel my rage.”

  “Dear, it’s going to be okay,” Hansen said, trying to soothe her.

  “Sparky says he can help you with some spells, if you’d like,” Lisa offered, having bribed the spirit with bacon to take her mind off Kran.

  Harrietta let her mana settle. “Fine. I won’t say no to that. But I swear, if he dies… I’ll beat his ass in the afterlife.”

  ***

  The morning sun had already settled over the Dead Lands as the group prepared to leave. It was high time to escape this cursed place.

  “Kran, how did you even get here? And how were you planning to get back?” Kai asked with a smile.

  “I took a Moa bird, but the battle scared it off. It’s probably already returned to Frontier,” Kran chuckled.

  “You can ride with us on Umbra,” Kai offered. “But what were you planning to do once we got back? I doubt Harrietta will be thrilled.”

  The rest of the group laughed.

  Kran cleared his throat. “She’ll probably beat me up, but I can handle it. I don’t care, as long as Eira’s safe.” He blushed.

  “Eira won’t save you from your crazy mother,” Eira teased.

  Kran shivered, and the group burst into laughter again.

  Once everyone was ready and Nerva had packed up his camp, he whistled to summon his gryphons, which were circling outside the now-broken barrier.

  “Everyone, let’s go! We fly to Frontier, then to Fallhaven. Our mission is complete!” Nerva shouted as the group mounted their gryphons.

  Umbra grew large enough to carry Kai, Eira, and Kran, then soared into the sky. Scry sat comfortably on her head, enjoying the breeze. He was still too tired to fly on his own and refused to rest in Kai’s world.

  ***

  As they flew toward Frontier, the toll of battle was etched into every face. Though most wounds had healed, they all felt like they’d been trampled by an army of giants.

  Liliya guided her gryphon alongside Umbra and leaned in, whispering, “Kai, you don’t look well. I can smell rich life mana leaking through your pores. Is everything okay with… You know what?” She tried to keep the truth hidden, that Kai carried the soul of a fallen goddess.

  Scry turned to check on Kai, while Umbra’s ears twitched.

  Eira and Kran remained silent. They knew better than to ask questions that didn’t need answering.

  “She’s right, Kai,” Scry said. “I feel our connection growing stronger. Even my energy is being restored faster than usual.”

  “My core is being fed with some crazy pure mana,” Umbra added. “It feels… pleasant.”

  It seemed that pure origin mana was flowing into both Scry and Umbra through their respective bonds with Kai.

  “I feel fine, though,” Kai said, confused. “My soul is still wrapped in emerald light. The only real change is that my inner world expanded a bit. Nothing major.”

  Then, a loud heartbeat echoed from within Kai, so loud that even Nerva and the others heard it.

  “What was that?” Nerva shouted.

  Xarion’s eyes narrowed. “That was a dragon’s heartbeat. I’d never mistake it.”

  “Kai, what’s happening?” Nerva flew closer, concern etched into his face.

  Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

  Two more heartbeats, louder than before.

  “Okay, now I feel it. Everyone, move away from me!” Kai shouted, leaping off Umbra and diving toward the ground.

  “Kai! What are you doing?!” Umbra cried out.

  Liliya watched in shock as Kai plummeted.

  As he fell, his draconic heart thundered louder, and just before impact, the emerald mana within him erupted. The viridian cocoon cracked, releasing even more potent energy.

  BOOOOM!

  Mana exploded outward, with Kai at the epicenter. The blast razed the ground and distorted the air.

  Umbra and the others soared higher to avoid the backlash.

  “What in the nine hells is going on? Liliya, speak now!” Nerva snapped, finally losing his temper.

  Liliya looked conflicted, but Scry stepped forward.

  “Calm down, Nerva. This is delicate. I’ll explain, but afterward, you’ll all be bound by a Spirit Oath. Do you agree?”

  Scry spoke with a serious tone, something they had not seen from him yet.

  A Spirit Oath was a contract made between the parties to keep certain things secret. If one were to break it, their core would be destroyed by the power of the oath. Especially if it was done by a High Spirit like Scry.

  Seeing Scry’s serious expression, Nerva nodded. The others followed.

  “Kai made a pact with the goddess. He absorbed her soul and mana in exchange for ending her life.

  He has an ability to take the souls of fallen beings and rebirth them as part of himself, as one of his Circles. This must remain secret. If anyone learns where he got this ability, it could cause serious problems. The spell itself is dangerous and not something to be taken lightly.”

  Everyone listened, their faces a mix of shock and fear.

  “But his Knight’s body can’t contain a god’s soul,” Nerva said, panic rising.

  “His draconic body might be able to,” Xarion replied, his voice tense. “But yes, it’s very likely he’ll die. Why did you let him do this? It’s insane!”

  “It had to be done,” Liliya said, though her heart pounded. “The goddess promised to help him complete the process.”

  She wanted to observe the transformation, but this time, something deeper stirred in her. Worry. A need for Kai to survive. Observation came second.

  While the others argued, Scry and Umbra felt Kai’s pain and the power tearing through his body. Mana leaked into them as well.

  “Everyone, I need to land. This is affecting me too,” Umbra said solemnly, descending a safe distance from the epicenter.

  Scry floated down beside her and sat on the ground.

  Eira and Kran jumped off as a deep green glow enveloped Scry and Umbra like a cocoon.

  “Well, great. Them too,” Zara muttered.

  “This could be a problem. It might attract unwanted attention,” Nerva said grimly.

  “There shouldn’t be anything nearby,” Eira added. “Florian purged all life in this region.”

  “Still, we can’t risk it. Liliya, a barrier, please,” Nerva requested.

  She nodded and began chanting, casting an illusive barrier around the area. It held, but powerful mana fluctuations still leaked through here and there.

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