Ethan looked at Bella expectantly.

  “Well, what is it?” he questioned.

  Bella had just returned from the Shadow Realm. For the last hour or so, she had periodically been disappearing. Apparently, she could only bypass the ward while in that strange realm.

  Ethan didn’t know the logistics of it, but as long as she led him to where he needed to be, he wasn’t too worried.

  Bella wiped her brow. While she could travel in that realm far more frequently without carrying him, it looked like it still took a toll on her.

  “I’ve found it. At least I’m pretty sure I have.”

  “What do you mean by that? I thought you knew where it was?” Ethan questioned.

  “It’s complicated. The ward is powerful. It muddles with your mind when you leave its influence, making it hard to pinpoint its exact location. But I think I’ve found it. I’ve definitely found something anyway.”

  Ethan nodded, feeling relieved. “Okay, good. Let’s go then.”

  They had been in the gorge for a day now. The long slash in the earth seemed never-ending, and they were slowed down further by having to look for the damn place while staying hidden so they didn’t get spotted.

  “I’ll need to regenerate my mana first. To get through the wards, I’ll have to bring you back into the Shadow Realm.”

  “Okay. Let’s rest here for a moment then. But as soon as you’re ready, let me know,” Ethan agreed easily. The thought of entering the Shadow Realm again made him slightly nervous though. The place wasn’t natural. Only days prior, she had said the beings in there would attack him and only him. But he was willing to risk it.

  Bella found a stone protruding from the ground and moved over to sit on it. She then closed her eyes and fell into meditation. Ethan decided to take a seat as well.

  They were tucked into a crevice in the gorge. It was handy because they were finally getting a respite from the endless wind. For the most part, Ethan had followed her lead, listening as she told him to hide or to move. He recognized he wasn’t the stealth type, but she clearly was. Ethan wondered about her class. She had obviously started out as a mage, but after being around her for a couple of days he had come to realize she had likely passed the level twenty threshold and upgraded her class. Now it seemed she had taken a more stealth-focused approach, evident by the fact they had yet to fight anything.

  As he rested his back against the rock wall, he pulled out his sword and wiped the blade, coming to terms with his thoughts. In a few hours, he would likely be forced to take lives. He had already realized that was a necessary action long ago. But still, he had to prepare himself, it was never easy to take a life, even if it was a mercy killing like the lone Valkyrie. He wasn’t under any illusions that this would go peacefully. Hell, he hardly even trusted Bella. Though that was mainly because of who she used to be. But was that still who she would become? He didn’t know.

  So Ethan waited, preparing his mind for the task at hand. It didn’t take long for Bella to open her eyes. When she did, she gave a slight nod.

  Ethan stood and sheathed his blade, wiping the sand from his pants.

  “Let’s move up a little further so I don’t have to jump so far.”

  Ethan agreed and followed Bella. She stayed low, hugging the shadows of the wall. Ethan crept behind her. They traveled another fifty or so yards until she came to a stop.

  Ethan looked around. On both sides he could only see walls of stone. Nothing out of the ordinary. But as Bella extended her hand, Ethan understood.

  He clutched it, feeling her cool-to-the-touch skin. Before he knew it, he felt her mana envelope him once again. This time it was expected, so he didn’t panic. He willingly let it happen, and after blinking, the world faded into shades of grey and black.

  Bella stood beside him, her hand grasping his own. Again, she looked to be struggling, but Ethan knew she would be able to hold out. He extended his senses once more. He needed to know what was going on around him, even if it was muted. He also kind of hoped it would level his skill again.

  Unfortunately for him, it didn’t. But it did save his life.

  Ethan’s eyes shot left as something pounced from the shadows like a nightmare. He couldn’t see it perfectly, but it stood on two legs, its arms extended low enough to align with its feet. One arm dangled while the other swiped at him. Its large claws were drawn back behind its head, ready to descend.

  For a split second, Ethan considered letting go of Bella’s hand or ducking. But what would happen to her? He knew it wouldn’t attack her, but it was already swiping at him. If he dodged or disappeared, it would hit her instead.

  He thought about that in the blink of an eye and came to a decision. He grabbed the hilt of his blade without thinking any further and pulled it from the sheath with his left hand. He couldn’t get it all the way out due to the awkward angle, but it was enough.

  Impact battered into his side. The claws struck his blade and smashed the sword loose from his flimsy grip and into him.

  Ethan felt his feet lift off the ground as he collided with Bella. He felt something give at his side where the creature had struck.

  Bella and Ethan hit the ground. Ethan was wheezing. Bella tried to fling him off her.

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  “Get up. Get out of here!” she shouted.

  Ethan rolled off her and looked up into the darkness. The creature loomed above him, its claws descending with finality. Ethan knew he would be too slow to move or reach for his blade again. But just as he expected claws to rip him to shreds, he was expelled from the realm.

  Like coming up from the depths of the ocean, Ethan took a deep breath as the world materialized around him once more. He barely had a moment to look around. Pain lanced up his side. He clutched it in agony but forced it aside.

  He forced himself to look around. He was in some kind of hallway. It looked carved from rock, like he was in a tunnel, apart from the walls and floor both being completely smooth. It was lit with wires of lighting that ran along the seam where walls and ceiling met.

  Bella was nowhere to be seen.

  Ethan sucked in a lungful of air, the movement making him wince in pain. He looked down at his sheath. The blade was half hanging out, something stopping it from slipping all the way back in.

  Ethan shifted from his hands and knees and sat down, his back pressing against the stone wall. He looked down at his side. His top was shredded, but there was no blood. Ethan took it off slowly. Underneath, his vest was also shredded and almost dangling off his body. Ethan unstrapped it, letting it fall away from his body in relief.

  He looked down, expecting to see blood or something, but everything looked intact. But bruising was already beginning to form, and his skin had a visible bump where his ribs were. He ran a hand along it.

  “Fuck,” he hissed, taking a laborious breath.

  At least one rib was definitely broken. Before he could worry about it, he heard movement coming his way. At first he hoped it was Bella, but as he focused further, he could hear multiple people approaching.

  Ethan took a deep breath and forced himself to stand, throwing his bag back over his shoulder. The pain was bad, but it wasn’t life-threatening, he could still breathe, so he knew nothing had been punctured, and his vest had saved him from being cut to ribbons. Even if it was no longer any use to him, it had done its job well.

  He turned, looking for somewhere to hide, but he was in a long, straight hall. Before he could even move to retreat, people came running around the corner. From a glance, Ethan could tell they weren’t reanimations or undead.

  It was a group of two men, and both of them spotted him immediately.

  “Don’t move!” one shouted, his voice deep and vibrating down the hallway.

  Ethan let out a curse. He hoped Bella was right and these people were kidnappers. He reached for his sword and pulled it from the sheath.

  “Don’t do it. Just come quietly,” the man continued.

  Ethan looked them over. They were both in dark robes, though their faces were visible. One had dark stubble, his face wrinkled slightly with age. He was the one speaking.

  The other was a younger man, maybe in his mid-twenties. His blonde hair sat like a bowl cut on his head.

  Ethan raised his blade. Like hell he would come quietly. But when he saw his sword, he winced. The thing was bent. It curved in a slight C shape. Immediately, Ethan knew its strength would be nonexistent.

  Still, he would make it work.

  The older man sighed loudly. “Lukas, do it.”

  The boy nodded. They were still moving toward him at a slight jog. Ethan, for his part, hadn’t moved. He wouldn’t be able to outrun them, and he wasn’t going with them. So the only other option was to hold his ground.

  He could feel mana gathering in the air, pulling into the bowl-cut man as he activated a skill. Ethan prepared himself.

  He felt the temperature in the room rise. Ethan paused. He wouldn’t be that stupid, would he?

  It turned out he was.

  Fire erupted from him in a wave. It came toward Ethan, covering the entire hall.

  Ethan felt his breath tighten as everything was swallowed in the fire’s wake. He dropped into a crouch, tucking behind his pack. Fire enveloped him, heat licking the back of his neck as he curled into himself. Luckily, it didn’t last long. In fact, it only lasted a second before passing over him.

  Ethan stood and twisted back toward the duo, already extending his blade. The older man’s sword came down in an arc, trying to catch him off guard. Their blades met, and Ethan prayed his wouldn’t snap. Fortunately for him, it held.

  He redirected the attack and let it slide to his left. In the same movement, he drove his elbow into the man’s temple. He staggered back. Ethan stood to his full height. He could smell his bag sizzling, and his skin was red-hot from his missing shirt and vest.

  The mage was extending his arm again. Ethan slung his bag off his shoulder and threw it at him. It was enough to break the spell and smashed into the man’s chest, disrupting his focus.

  Ethan was keenly aware he had no protection. He felt for his mana in his core and tried to force it outward into his body, hoping for it to protect him. He only focused on it for a moment before bursting into action, sucking in a breath from the painful movement.

  The older man had recovered from his failed attempt and was readjusting. Ethan didn’t give him time and attacked. His blade came down but was parried effectively. He attacked again and again, forcing the older man back and closer to the mage, who had thrown the bag aside and looked ready to re-engage.

  Ethan needed to close the distance so he couldn’t let off any more spells unless he was willing to sacrifice his partner.

  Said partner was struggling to keep up. Ethan could tell from the way he blocked that he was a higher level, his attacks were slow but powerful. He probably focused on strength, just like Ethan, which actually gave him the advantage. Because unlike Ethan, who was keenly familiar with the blade, the man wasn’t. Their skill difference was obvious, so when Ethan kicked out, catching the man off guard, he felt the guy’s knee give way.

  He let out a yelp as he fell to one knee. Ethan tried to capitalize, but his senses screamed at him. He looked up just in time. The mage had realized he had to commit to physical combat unless he wanted to injure the older man, so he was slashing out with a dagger.

  Ethan brought his sword up just in time. The dagger glanced off his blade, but against all odds, Ethan heard it crack. As the blade was deflected, his came apart, snapping close to the hilt. Despite it happening at a quite frankly ridiculous time, Ethan had kind of been expecting it. So he didn’t hesitate as he used the kneeling older man as leverage.

  He rolled over him, half regretting it as pain laced up his side from his broken rib. But it was enough to close the gap between him and the mage.

  Ethan grabbed the man’s arm as he tried to strike again. He twisted, throwing him into the wall. He easily overpowered the mage, his enhanced strength coming into play. The mage hit the wall hard, Ethan still holding onto his arm with the dagger. He clamped his hand over the stunned mage’s wrist and forced him to stab himself in the neck. The mage tried to release the blade, but Ethan wasn’t having it.

  He felt the blade puncture skin and come to a stop as it hit bone. The mage let out a gargling sound.

  Ethan pushed him aside, making sure he kept hold of the dagger.

  The injured older man was a couple steps away. He was turning around, to join the fight once more. Ethan didn’t give him the opportunity to attack. He threw the dagger just as the man twisted. It embedded deep into his chest.

  The man stared at him, blood slipping from his lips. The grip on his sword loosened and slowly he crumbled to the ground, joining bowl-cut as they both bled out and died.

  Ethan’s breathing was ragged. His broken sword lay useless on the ground.

  Ahead, he could hear more movement. Ethan let out a breath and reached down, grasping the older man’s sword, no longer paying attention to the dead bodies at his feet.

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