March 14th, 2012 — 1:30 PM
Sunken Isle — Class A Command Booth
Perspective: Rose Valentine
Something was wrong with Victor Sterling.
I stared at Elfie's map. The blue projection covered nearly the entire desk now, layered over the paper map I had spent the first 23 minutes drawing by hand.
Class B — yellow points moving through the center. Class C — green. Ours — white.
I tapped my pencil against the edge of the desk. Once. Twice. Then stopped.
Victor isn't attacking Elfie.
That was the problem. He had two routes into Class C's eastern territory. Both were open. Both were ignored. Instead, Stolas and Virian had crossed the southern river almost 12 minutes ago and were moving west.
Toward Christian.
I pressed the communication rune. "Christian."
Static. Then his tired voice.
"Still alive, Princess."
"Report."
"Two signatures in the trees. One demon. One elf. They're not approaching the booth directly."
My eyes narrowed. "Distance?"
"800 meters. Maybe 750."
Too far to breach. Which meant they wanted to be seen.
I looked toward the opposite side of the map. Class B's central Soul. Victor Sterling. 100%. Untouched.
Then Class C. Elfina Lunaris.
100%. Also untouched.
Of course.
The pattern was becoming obvious. The exam had given each class two Soul Anchors. Everyone had initially treated that as two equal targets. They weren't. If one anchor survived with higher health, damaging the weaker one farther accomplished almost nothing toward final placement.
The real value of the 2nd Soul was not destruction. It was pressure.
Hit the weaker Soul. Force the stronger Soul to react.
Watch what moves. Learn the defense.
Victor figured it out. So did I.
My fingers stopped against the map.
"Christian, do not pursue them."
"Wasn't planning to. I enjoy being alive."
"Vyora, Cecily." Two lights blinked.
"Here," Cecily answered quietly.
"Listening," Vyora said.
"Tighten Booth Two. Do not chase anything farther than 100 meters."
"Understood."
A 3rd light remained dark. Lucas. I looked at it, then pressed it.
"Lucas." Nothing. I waited.
"Lucas Reindhardt. Report."
Static. No answer.
My jaw tightened. Thank you for making yourself difficult.
I opened the individual tracking window. Lucas's Allied IFF signal was gone. Not weak. Gone.
I stared at the blank line for two seconds. Then three. My voice became softer.
"Beatrice."
"Yes, Rose?"
"Can an Allied badge lose its signal accidentally?"
Paper rustled on her side. "Not without catastrophic damage to the enchantment."
"Understood. Thank you." I closed the channel.
He destroyed it. Of course he did. The idiot had spent 3 days screaming that alliances were cowardice. I had somehow convinced myself that once he agreed to follow my orders, he would at least remain irritating in predictable ways.
Apparently, I had overestimated the lion's common sense.
A warning flashed. [CLASS A — SOUL 2 PERIMETER CONTACT]
Christian's voice crackled through the channel, sharp. "They're moving!"
I looked down. Virian's signature split left. Stolas went right. They weren't circling the forest. They were closing on Booth Two directly — coming from angles that avoided Cecily's patrol line.
Why both angles at once?
A tiny violet light flickered high above the southern ridge. My eyes widened. A prism. Ivy.
"Christian — barrier, now!"
A black spear tore through the forest. It missed the observation slit by centimeters and detonated against the outer wall of Booth Two. BOOM. The entire structure shuddered. The shockwave burst through Christian's channel as static.
Then his voice returned, rattled but intact.
"Still alive. Outer wall took it."
He was inside. Anchored. He hadn't moved. Of course he hadn't — he couldn't. The booth itself had absorbed the blow.
"Cecily, intercept Virian. Vyora, Stolas."
"Moving."
The white dots moved. Virian retreated. Exactly as expected.
Stolas didn't. He stepped farther into range.
Bait.
"Vyora, stop."
Too late.
A second attack came from the opposite ridge — not at Christian's booth. At mine. My Citadel Barrier flashed gold around the command booth. A compressed bolt of black fire appeared out of empty air barely 10 meters from the wall. Spatial redirection. Ivy. The bolt struck. The entire booth lurched. Glass cracked.
A gold status line appeared above my desk. [ROSE VALENTINE — HEALTH MATRIX: 94%]
6%. I stared at it.
Then a warning came through Christian's channel. "Rose — left approach! Wind arrow!"
Virian's wind arrow split into 6. Cecily blocked 3. Vyora shattered 2. The last drove into Christian's Soul shell. [CHRISTIAN FINCH — HEALTH MATRIX: 82%]
One attack. Two targets. Victor wasn't choosing between us. He was making me choose.
Christian's barrier buckled again. "Rose!"
I raised my hand. My own Citadel dimmed. Mana poured through the anchor relay straight into Christian's booth. His damaged outer shell hardened. Gold lines raced over the stone.
And somewhere behind the trees — Ivy's prism flashed again. There.
I understood one second before the next bolt arrived. Victor had never wanted Christian dead. He wanted me to weaken myself.
"Brace!"
The black flare curved through another tiny spatial opening. My Citadel caught it. This one hit harder. The floor jumped beneath my boots. Stone dust poured from the ceiling.
[ROSE VALENTINE — HEALTH MATRIX: 88%]
Silence. My fingers rested against the desk.
Across the map, Christian's health continued falling under Stolas and Virian's pressure. 77. 69. 61. I kept feeding the booth enough power to hold its walls. Finally — 53%. The attack stopped. Just stopped.
Virian withdrew. Stolas followed. No attempt to finish Christian. No attempt to push his booth below 50%. They had taken exactly what they wanted — information, damage, my response — and left.
I slowly exhaled.
Very good, Victor.
Not perfect. But very good.
One attack against Christian had forced me to expose the relationship between both Souls. Now he knew how much mana I would sacrifice to protect the weaker booth. He knew how quickly the Citadel weakened.
He knew where my limit was. And I knew something about him too.
Victor Sterling did not need to defeat you immediately. He was perfectly happy to walk away with an answer.
My eyes drifted east.
Elfie's booth remained untouched.
100%.
I almost laughed.
He's scared of her.
No. Wrong word.
Victor did not strike me as someone ruled by fear. Cautious. That was more accurate.
Elfie had mapped the island in 2 minutes. She had already trapped Sylvia once. Her people were appearing in places where Class B's map said they shouldn't be. Victor had information inside Class C. Even with that — he still didn't understand everything. So he wasn't touching her.
Not yet. He was testing everything around her first.
A tiny smile touched my lips.
Smart.
My eyes returned to Lucas's dead IFF marker. Then the smile disappeared.
And where exactly are you?
---
March 14th, 2012 — 1:33 PM
Sunken Isle — Northern Volcanic Skirt
Perspective: Rigel Ravin
I had been sent across half the island for a wall. Not even a useful wall.
A broken wall.
I stood beneath a slab of black volcanic stone, breathing hard, staring into what used to be some kind of underground room. Most of the ceiling had collapsed. Ash covered everything. Three rusted pipes stuck out of the back wall. A rotten wooden sign lay face-down beneath a pile of stone.
Elfie sent me 7 kilometers for this.
My hand tightened around the strap of my broadblade.
No. Don't start. That was the old habit. Something went wrong.
I got angry. Then the anger turned inward.
Then suddenly the useless room became proof that I was useless too. I'd spent enough nights doing that.
Think. What did I actually know?
Kaiser most likely — or whoever had provided Elfie that ridiculous satellite feed — had identified this place beneath old volcanic deposits. Something had once been built here. Therefore someone had once wanted access to this location.
Why?
I stepped inside. My boot scraped through ash. Broken shelving. A stone bench. Chunks of metal.
Then my sword moved. Not much. A tiny pull against the strap. I stopped, looked down. The heavy iron broadblade was leaning toward the wall.
I pulled it away, released slightly. It moved back.
I crouched. Dark grains glittered through the fractured basalt. Iron. A lot of it.
I dug my fingers into the ash. Something metallic scraped beneath my glove.
I pulled.
A curved piece of blackened bronze came free. It looked like half a gauntlet. Three narrow channels ran around the forearm — red, blue, white. A thick clamp sat near the wrist.
No blade. No crystal. No mana core. Just old metal.
I wiped dirt from its side. A faded symbol had been stamped into the bronze.
Hammer. Mountain. Three lines entering a tool.
Mining equipment?
I slid it over my left forearm. Too big. A leather tightening strap had somehow survived inside.
I pulled it until the brace sat firmly against my arm. The clamp rested directly beside my sword hand.
I stared at it, then at the glowing crack in the ground. Heat shimmered from the volcanic stone. An idea came. Probably a stupid one. Most of my ideas involving mana were.
I held the brace against the warm basalt. Nothing. Then — click. The red groove glowed. Faint. Barely visible.
I froze. Heat crawled across the metal. Not into my arm. Toward the wrist clamp.
I slowly drew my sword and placed the flat against it. The clamp snapped shut around the guard. A thin orange line ran down the blade. My breath stopped.
No.
I swung once. The sword cut through a wet root hanging from the ceiling. Hssssss. Steam burst from the cut. The edge glowed dull orange.
I stared.
I hadn't cast a fire spell. I couldn't cast a fire spell. My mana would dry out before I produced enough heat to boil soup.
But this — I didn't cast anything. I looked at the brace, then shook my head.
No. I did. Just differently.
I'd spent weeks training with Elfie, forcing my weak mana directly into steel because trying to throw magic outward was pointless. The brace wasn't giving me power. It was doing the same thing with power that already existed somewhere else.
Source. Brace. Blade. Simple.
I laughed under my breath. "Oh, this is disgusting."
Something clanged deeper in the ruin. I spun. Sword up.
Grey metal moved behind the broken wall. My body tensed. The armored Knight — the same one who had helped us trap Sylvia. No insignia. No visible mana. Nothing. He was crouched beside the wall with a black metal rod in one hand and a coil of copper wire in the other.
Clang. He drove the rod into a crack filled with iron-rich stone.
I stared at him. "What are you doing?"
The dark visor turned toward me. A distorted voice answered.
"Setting something up."
I waited. That was apparently the whole answer.
"Setting up what?"
"Something."
I stared harder. He went back to tightening the coil. I hate mysterious people.
My collar rune flashed. Elfie.
"Rigel!" Her voice filled my ear. Bright. Fast. Way too cheerful for a war.
"Novenol and Rinsha are regrouping near the central forest! Victor's main booth is open! I want Unit Two to hit it before Sylvia comes back!"
I looked at the old brace. Then at the grey Knight. "Understood. Moving."
I started toward the exit. "And Rigel?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't die!"
I blinked. "...I'll do my best."
"Good! 🌸" The line cut.
I looked over my shoulder. The grey Knight had already driven another metal rod into the stone. A tiny compass was sitting beside him. Its needle trembled, then stopped. I left.
---
The central forest was worse than the volcano. At least the volcano admitted it wanted to kill me. The forest lied.
I found Rinsha first. She stood beneath a cedar tree with her arms folded, emerald hair tied high behind her head, thin glowing threads running from her fingertips into the branches around us. She looked at the filthy state of my uniform. Then at the strange bronze brace.
Then back at me.
"You were gone for 17 minutes."
"I went to a volcano."
"Did you defeat it?"
"Barely."
Novenol slid silently from behind a moss-covered boulder. He didn't walk — his passive gravity magic carried him over the dirt without disturbing a single leaf. Silver-blond hair. Jade eyes. Clean uniform. Of course. I had volcanic ash in my mouth. He looked like he had come from a tea party.
"Lady Elfina ordered us to accept your coordination," Novenol said smoothly. "Do not misunderstand that instruction as an acknowledgment of your superiority."
"Wasn't planning to."
His eyes dropped to the brace. "What is that ugly thing?"
"Something useful."
"Those qualities are not mutually exclusive."
Rinsha looked between us. "If you two intend to reproduce your mating ritual from the clearing, do it after the exam."
I nearly choked. "What?!"
Novenol's face twisted in disgust. "How revolting."
"Then move." Rinsha turned away.
I followed.
Good. Same people. Still annoying. At least nothing had become magically easy because we were working together.
Elfie's voice returned. "Victor is still at 100 HP! Ivy is with him. Sylvia's farther southeast, and I can't see Lucas anymore because he broke his alliance badge like an idiot!"
Novenol's eyebrow lifted. "He destroyed a divine enforcement artifact because he disliked cooperation?"
"Apparently."
"How... human."
"You're currently following a human," I reminded him.
"Under protest."
Rinsha pointed ahead. "Fog."
White mist moved between the trees. Not natural. It rolled sideways against the wind. Class B's wish.
I slowed. "Stay close."
Novenol scoffed. "I am capable of walking through fog."
"I'm aware."
Ten steps later, the river appeared on our left. I stopped.
Novenol stopped too.
His expression changed. Barely. But I saw it.
"The river is east," he said.
I looked at the slope beneath my boots. We had been moving west. The water should have been behind us.
Rinsha looked toward the sound. "It isn't water."
A bird called from somewhere ahead. The sound came again from behind us. Then above. Then to our right.
Novenol's eyes narrowed. "Fairy glamour."
The trees seemed normal. That was what made it bad. No giant fake monster. No glowing maze. Nothing obvious.
Just enough wrong information to slowly bend our route.
I took another step. The ground looked flat. My boot dropped half a foot into a depression. I caught myself.
Novenol sighed. "Graceful."
I ignored him.
Don't react. Focus on our resources. Wind from behind.
moving right. Slope descending left. River should be east. Light says one thing. Sound says another. The ground doesn't care.
I drove my sword straight into the dirt. CLANG. Stone.
I dragged the tip forward. The blade struck something that looked like empty grass.
Another stone. I looked up. The illusion showed open ground.
"We're being turned."
Rinsha crouched. Two thin threads left her fingers — one tied around a real cedar trunk, the other around a boulder.
She closed her eyes. "The tree is 3 meters farther left than it appears."
Novenol raised one hand. A small blue ring opened in the air. The portal formed exactly where he pointed — and immediately collapsed.
His gaze sharpened. "Solid matter." He moved the ring one meter right. It opened cleanly.
I looked between them. "What can't she fake?"
Novenol's eyes moved to me. This time, he didn't answer with an insult. "Coordinates."
Rinsha tugged her thread. "Tension."
I stamped my boot against the ground. "Weight."
We stopped looking at the forest.
That felt stupid.
Then it worked.
Rinsha walked with her eyes half closed, laying threads between physical objects.
Novenol opened tiny portals ahead, testing empty space.
I followed the slope under my boots.
A tree appeared directly in front of us. Rinsha walked through it. The illusion dissolved around her shoulder. Nothing there.
Novenol gave a quiet, offended breath. "Fairies."
"Thought elves respected them."
"We respect culture. Not tricks."
A faint violet flash flickered above us. I looked up. Gone.
20 seconds later — another. Farther ahead. Then another.
Not random. I stopped again. "She's checking us."
Rinsha looked up. "Prisms."
Novenol nodded. "Temporary observation windows."
I thought through the timing. First flash — about 6 seconds. Nothing. Second. Same. No continuous light. No permanent eye.
"She can't see us all the time."
Novenol's gaze slid toward me. "Obviously."
"Then let her see what she wants."
For the first time, his mouth almost moved into something that wasn't contempt. Almost.
Rinsha laid three threads through the branches. I cut a dead limb.
Novenol opened a portal and sent a weak stream of water through the leaves. Movement. Noise. Footprints. Enough.
The next violet flash opened. We kept walking down the false path. One. Two. Three. The light vanished.
"Now!"
We turned hard downhill. Rinsha pulled the threads behind us. Branches shook along our old route. Novenol sent another water pulse. We moved the opposite direction. Fast. No talking. No light. No sound.
Three minutes later, the trees opened. And there it was. Class B's central keep. Closer than I expected. Old black stone. Broken towers. One wide courtyard.
Victor Sterling stood beside the glowing Soul.
Ivy floated beside him. Her wings were trembling. She saw us. Her eyes widened.
"Oh." Even from 50 meters away, I heard her.
"That's rude."
Victor turned. No panic. No shouting. Just one small change in his face. The smile disappeared.
"They broke through?"
Ivy's hands came together. Six violet lights snapped into the air around us. "First layer, yes! Second layer..." Her eyes sharpened.
"...not yet."
The ground moved. Not physically. My left foot suddenly felt too light. My next step went farther than expected. I stumbled. A water blade from Novenol shot past my shoulder — then bent one meter sideways. It missed Ivy.
"Spatial shift!" Rinsha snapped.
Ivy grinned brightly.
"Hi!"
A tiny portal flashed beneath my sword. The blade's tip dropped. I corrected. Another distortion caught Rinsha's thread. The line snapped against a stone edge that had not been there a second earlier.
She's not changing the forest anymore. She's changing us. Centimeters. Small enough to ruin timing.
Novenol stopped moving entirely. Of course. I almost laughed.
His entire combat style was built around refusing to move. He raised both hands. Six water portals opened around Victor's courtyard.
Ivy shifted one. Then two. Then three.
Novenol opened six more.
"You may move the window, fairy," he said calmly. "The wall remains where it is."
Water exploded from every angle. Ivy's smile vanished. Solid light flashed. Victor's barrier caught the first wave. Another portal opened beneath it. Then another above. Novenol wasn't aiming at Victor. He was flooding fixed points. Forcing Ivy to spend mana.
Rinsha understood immediately. Her threads shot toward my waist.
"Do not complain."
"Wasn't going to."
The threads tightened around my armor. Ivy shifted my weight again. Rinsha's line pulled first. I corrected before my foot slipped. There. Again. Left. Pull. Correct.
The brace on my arm clicked. Blue channel empty. Red nearly empty. Novenol's water passed beside me. I looked at it. Then at the brace.
"Novenol!"
"What?"
"Hit my sword."
He stared. "Excuse me?"
"Water. Sword. Now!"
His face suggested he'd rather drown me. Then a portal opened. Water slammed into the brace. The blue groove exploded to life. Cold rushed over my forearm. The sword changed. Steam vanished. A layer of moving water crawled along the steel, held tight against the edge.
I stared at it for half a second. Novenol stared too.
"...Crude."
I tightened my grip. He added, very quietly:
"Effective."
I almost smiled. I'll take it.
"Rinsha."
"Ready."
"Pull me on three."
I lowered my body. One.
Two. Ivy opened another spatial shift.
Three. Rinsha pulled. Instead of fighting the altered distance, I used it. My body shot forward.
Ivy's eyes widened. Thirty meters. Twenty.
Victor raised his barrier. Novenol hit it from behind with water. Rinsha pinned the right support rune. I drove straight through the center.
Fifteen. Twelve. Ten.
Victor still hadn't moved. His hazel eyes stayed on me. Calm. Too calm.
Ivy's wings were shaking now. Sweat ran down the side of her face. But — she was smiling again. Why?
I saw it. Not in her. In the barrier. Victor wasn't spending enough mana. He should have been throwing everything into defending one hundred percent health. He wasn't.
Rinsha saw it too.
"They're not trying to stop us."
Novenol's water portal closed. His jade eyes narrowed.
"They are delaying us."
My stomach dropped. Buying time. For what?
The answer came through my collar. Static. A crash.
Then a breath — small, shaky, familiar.
"Rigel...?"
Everything inside me stopped.
Leena...
---
March 14th, 2012 — 1:43 PM
Sunken Isle — Eastern Cypress Lowlands
Perspective: Sylvia Somerset
Lucas Reindhardt was a very strange creature.
I had known this already. Knowing something academically and walking beside it were apparently different experiences.
He had accepted my payment. Taken my gold. Taken my access route. Taken Xeno's spare tracking lens. Taken the food from Belial's ration pouch without asking.
Then spent the last 12 minutes behaving as though I had been fortunate enough to accompany him.
I found this offensive. Useful. But offensive.
"You walk too slowly," Lucas said.
I looked at him. He was six steps ahead.
"You are inside my operation."
"Still slow." Belial snorted behind me.
I ignored both of them. Mortals.
We moved beneath the cypress canopy. Xeno remained a hundred meters behind with the field terminal. His visor fed us the route. Leena's secondary Soul sat less than 400 meters ahead.
Victor had been very specific. Do not touch Elfina. Yet.
I had objected. The child was the reason half this ridiculous exam had turned into information warfare before lunch. But Victor's reasoning had been sound. Annoyingly so.
Elfina Lunaris had mapped the island in VERY QUICKLY. Then somehow placed a grey-armored unknown directly inside my sensor blind spot. Then used my own chokepoint rule to trap me. Attacking her before we understood how she was creating those outcomes would be stupidity disguised as courage.
I did not commit stupidity. Even when I disliked the alternative.
So Leena would do. The disgraced little elf was isolated.
Rigel had moved. Novenol and Rinsha had followed.
Exactly as our source promised.
Our source had made one peculiar request. Do not seriously injure Sophia. Victor hadn't explained why. I had not asked.
A spy who began negotiating affection in the middle of an exam was already pathetic enough. The useful part was simple: Class C's defenders were gone.
Lucas glanced sideways at me. "Your attack on Christian worked."
I looked at him. "Naturally."
He shrugged. "My information was accurate."
I smiled sweetly. "Do you require applause?"
"No."
He held out his hand. "More gold."
I stared. "You received 200."
"Used 150."
"You have 50 left."
"I want 50."
Belial started laughing.
I slowly handed him 150 more.
"You are remarkably expensive for someone who insists he belongs to no team."
Lucas pocketed them. "The lion accepts tribute."
I smiled. There it is.
The absurd little philosophy that could apparently justify anything from unpaid coffee to betrayal.
Still — his information had been exact. Rose's mana rotation. Christian's response time. Which side Cecily favored while defending. How long Rose would tolerate pressure against the second booth before weakening her own Citadel. Victor had used every piece.
Class A had bled. That was what mattered.
Something metallic glinted beside the path. Xeno stopped. "Wait."
I turned.
He crouched beside a small hollow between two roots. Thin wire. Black powder. Two glass ampoules. A metal strip. He adjusted his visor.
"Trap."
Belial raised her axe. "Want me to smash it?"
"Don't."
Xeno leaned closer. A thin beam scanned the mixture. He frowned. Then frowned harder. "...This is wrong."
"Meaning?"
"The two compounds won't do anything useful."
I looked at the little device. "Poison?"
"No."
"Fire?"
"Not enough heat."
"Explosion?"
Xeno actually looked offended. "Absolutely not. Whoever built this mixed the catalyst backwards. At best, you'll get a little warmth and some ugly foam."
Belial scratched one horn. "So Class C planted a bath bomb?"
I stared at the device. The wires were carefully hidden. The bottles sealed. The iron-rich powder spread deliberately around the base. Too much effort for incompetence.
"Mark it."
Xeno blinked. "But it's useless."
"Then marking it costs us nothing."
His visor flashed. A red symbol appeared on the map.
Lucas didn't even look. "Can we go now?"
I stepped past the trap. "Yes, little lion. You may continue pretending this is your hunt."
He glanced back. His green eyes looked different — sharper. Too bright. "It is."
For some reason, I stopped smiling. Only for a second. Then we moved.
Leena's booth appeared through the trees. Stone. Low walls. Wind runes glowing around the entrance. No Rigel. No Rinsha. No Novenol. Exactly as promised.
Leena saw us through the slit. Her face went pale. Then she inhaled.
The fear disappeared. Not completely. Enough.
"Oh." Her voice came through the open battlefield channel. "You guys."
Belial cracked her knuckles. "Miss us?"
"Not even a little."
Wind exploded from the booth. I shifted aside. Belial was launched backward hard enough to rip two roots out of the ground. Lucas didn't move. The gust split around him. His messy hair blew back. He looked mildly interested.
Not bad.
Leena couldn't leave the booth. She didn't need to. The narrow openings became cannons.
Wind compressed through them. Stone shards ripped from the floor. A broken branch became a spear.
Belial blocked one and swore. I raised my rapier. Silver light bent around the next gust. "How spirited."
"Thanks!" Leena shouted. Another blast almost took my head off. "That wasn't a compliment."
"Still taking it!"
I smiled. Annoying.
I cast. The world around Leena's slit shifted half a meter. Her next spell fired toward the wrong point. Belial charged. Lucas disappeared.
That was the first time I understood how fast he had become. One moment beside me — the next, on the booth roof. Twin swords formed in his hands. Not ordinary steel. Celestial light compressed into two narrow green-white blades. He drove both down.
CRACK. The outer shell split. Leena screamed. Her Health Matrix flashed. 92%. 86%. Belial struck the left barrier. 78%. I cut through the exposed rune. 73%.
"Stop!" Victor's voice.
"73 HP is enough. Rigel has turned back. Retreat."
I looked at my visor. Three Class C signatures were moving toward us at full speed. Then two more appeared behind them. Axel. Sophia.
Good. The bait had worked.
I looked at Lucas. "Withdraw."
He didn't move.
"Lucas."
His head tilted slightly.
Then the forest exploded. A broad iron sword came straight for his neck. Lucas crossed both celestial blades. BOOM! The impact cracked the stone beneath them.
Rigel Ravin stood on the other side. Covered in ash. Bleeding from one eyebrow. A strange bronze brace wrapped around his arm. His sword edge glowed red. Lucas looked at it. Then at him.
"You again." Rigel pushed.
"Yeah monkey boy."
Lucas slid backward three meters. Rigel followed. Not recklessly. His footwork had changed — lower, tighter, mercenary style.
Lucas stepped aside before the next swing even started. His eyes weren't watching the sword. They were watching Rigel. Shoulders. Hips. Breathing. Eyes.
"Right." Rigel changed left.
Lucas was already there. One celestial blade tapped the broadblade aside. The second cut across Rigel's armor. Blood sprayed.
Sophia's voice screamed through the rear line.
"RIGEL!"
"I'm fine!"
"You're BLEEDING!"
"Still fine!"
A golden healing pulse hit him from behind. Sophia had reached the ridge. Axel came with her, lightning crawling around both fists.
"BIG MAN!"
Rigel ducked. Axel fired. A blue-white bolt flew over Rigel's shoulder. Lucas crossed his swords. Lightning exploded around him. His body jerked. Smoke rose from his sleeve. He looked down. Then smiled.
A crimson line flickered across his eyes. [HUNT RESPONSE: HOST DAMAGED] [ADAPTATION INCREASED]
Lucas vanished.
Axel's eyes widened.
"Oh shi—" Lucas kicked him straight through a bush.
Sophia swore.
"You idiot!"
"I'M GOOD!" Axel yelled from somewhere in the leaves.
Rigel attacked again. Faster. Lucas blocked. Rigel changed angle. Blocked. Third strike. Lucas ducked. He was learning. No — worse. He was reading.
Every time Rigel committed his shoulder, Lucas moved first. Every time Rinsha's fingers tightened, he shifted before the thread launched. Every time Novenol looked at a point in space, Lucas left it before the portal opened.
He's reading them. Not thoughts. Body Language. The tiny decisions before movement.
Rinsha understood. "Stop telegraphing."
"Be helpful!" Rigel snapped.
Novenol's voice remained cold.
"Perhaps try becoming less readable."
"Also sooooo helpful!"
A portal opened above Lucas. Water fell. Lucas stepped aside — but the water wasn't aimed at him. It hit Rigel's brace. Blue light flared. I narrowed my eyes.
What is that device?
Water wrapped the broadblade. Rinsha's threads locked around Rigel's waist. Lucas's eyes moved to the sword. He expected the swing. Rigel swung. Lucas stepped right. Rinsha pulled left. The movement changed halfway through.
For the first time — Lucas was wrong.
The broadblade struck his shoulder. CRACK. Blood streaked across his uniform. Everything went silent for half a heartbeat. Rigel landed, breathing hard. Novenol slowly lowered one hand. "Acceptable."
Rigel looked at him. "That's all I get?" "Do not become greedy."
Lucas touched the blood on his shoulder. Looked at his fingers. Then laughed. Once. Quiet. Not happy. Hungry.
[HUNT RESPONSE: PREY DAMAGED HOST] [ADAPTATION INCREASED]
The air changed. I felt it. Belial felt it too. Her grin faded.
Lucas rolled his shoulder. The wound should have hurt. He didn't seem to notice. Then he moved. Rigel barely raised his sword. The first strike cracked the water layer. The second knocked his arms wide. The third drove a knee into his stomach. Rigel folded. Lucas spun. The flat of a celestial sword smashed against the bronze brace. Metal broke. Rigel hit the ground. Hard.
"Rigel!" Leena screamed from the booth. He didn't answer. For one second. Then his hand moved. He pushed himself onto one knee. His face had gone pale. His eyes looked at Leena's damaged Soul.
73%. Then at Lucas. Then down.
I knew that look. The look of someone beginning to drown inside themselves.
Rigel's jaw tightened. I'm— He stopped. I could almost see the thought die. His eyes cleared.
"Rinsha." She looked at him.
"Left side." Novenol shifted.
"I see it."
Rigel stood. Blood ran down his chin.
"Leena's alive. Booth's standing. We move." No speech. No rage. He simply raised the sword again.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Lucas took one step toward him. "Better." That might have been a compliment. From him, I suspected it was.
Then Victor spoke. "Sylvia! Objective achieved. Withdraw now."
I looked at Leena. 73%. We had broken the secondary defense.
Forced Class C back. Exposed their response. Rigel had been dragged away from Victor.
Perfect.
I lifted my rapier. "Class B, disengage."
Lucas attacked again. I frowned.
"Lucas."
He ignored me. Rigel blocked.
The collision threw him backward.
"Reindhardt." Nothing. His eyes were glowing. The celestial swords hummed.
I stepped forward. "We are done here."
Lucas cut at Novenol. A light shield caught it. The shield cracked. Novenol's eyes widened.
"Cockroaches!" Lucas attacked again.
I felt irritation rise. No. Not irritation. Insult. I had given him access. Paid him. Equipped him. Used his information. Now he was jeopardizing the operation because he lacked the discipline to stop when ordered. Strength without command was merely an animal.
And animals could be corrected.
I raised two fingers. Space bent. Lucas's next step stretched beneath him. His balance shifted. At the same instant, I drove a thin mental spike into his visual field. Three false Rigels appeared. His head turned. I moved behind him. My rapier flashed. Silver light struck the back of his shoulder. Blood sprayed. Lucas stopped. Completely.
Belial looked at me. "Uh..."
The forest went quiet. I lowered my blade.
"The objective is complete," I said smoothly. "You were compensated for assistance. You will follow the retreat route."
Lucas looked down at the blood dripping from his fingertips. Another red line appeared across his eyes.
[HUNT RESPONSE: HOST DAMAGED] [ADAPTATION INCREASED]
He slowly turned toward me.
I smiled. "Do we understand each other?"
His face was blank.
Then: "You paid for my information."
I tilted my head. "Excuse me?"
His celestial swords brightened. "Not my loyalty."
Belial inhaled. "Lady Somerset—"
Lucas moved. I barely saw him. My magical shield appeared on instinct. His sword struck. The shield exploded.
I flew backward. My boots tore through dirt.
What?!
Belial roared and swung her axe. Lucas ducked. The axe clipped his back. Blood.
His speed increased again. He came up inside her guard.
One sword hit the handle. The other struck her armor. Belial crashed into a cedar trunk.
"YOU LITTLE—!"
Lucas was already gone.
My illusions filled the clearing. Ten Sylvias. Twenty. Silver hair. Identical breathing. Identical mana. Lucas stopped.
For the first time, I smiled again.
There. No matter how fast an animal became, it still required senses.
He looked left. Right. Then down. My smile faded. His eyes weren't watching our faces. They were watching the grass. Weight. Footprints. The bend of roots beneath boots. He looked toward the only illusion compressing wet soil. Me.
No. I shifted. Too late. His blade passed through my sleeve. Blood ran down my arm. Pain flashed.
He smiled.
I hated that smile.
"Retreat!"
Belial stared at me. "Seriously?!"
"Now!"
I did not repeat commands. I was repeating this one. That alone should have told her everything.
Xeno's voice exploded into my ear. "Sylvia! Lucas's IFF is gone! He destroyed the badge! Victor says classify him hostile!"
"A little late!" I hated shouting. Lucas had made me shout twice in 30 seconds.
Unacceptable.
We fell back. Novenol did not pursue us. Neither did Rinsha. Their attention was Leena. Rigel stood in front of her booth with his sword raised, swaying slightly. Sophia reached him and immediately grabbed his collar.
"Sit down."
"I can still fight."
"Sit down before I break your other arm myself."
Axel stumbled from the bushes, smoking slightly. "That guy hits HARD."
Rinsha looked at him. "Insightful."
Lucas disappeared into the trees. I checked his line. He wasn't chasing us. My chest loosened — then immediately tightened. His path wasn't random. He was heading west. Toward Booth Two. Toward Leif.
"Victor!"
No answer. Then Ivy. Bright voice. No brightness behind it. "We know."
A pause. "He's using our route."
I stared at the map. Of course. We had given Lucas our safe lanes, our recognition marks, our retreat corridors, our prism gaps.
Everything. The lion had accepted tribute.
And we had opened the cage ourselves.
---
Leif's scream arrived 48 seconds later.
"SOMETHING'S HERE!"
The channel erupted.
"Leif, barrier!" Victor ordered.
"IT'S LUCAS!"
A celestial blade hit stone. The sound ripped through every Class B channel. BOOM!
Victor's voice stayed calm. "Ivy. Seal the eastern entrance."
"Doing it!"
"Stolas, rotate."
"Too far!"
"Virian?"
"3 minutes!"
Another hit. [LEIF HAXEN — HEALTH MATRIX: 89%]
"Leif, stay away from the wall."
"I AM!"
Another. 81%. A tiny violet portal opened near the booth. Ivy bent Lucas's next strike away. The blade missed the Soul by inches. Lucas changed angle instantly. 74%.
Victor didn't panic. That irritated me almost as much as Lucas.
"Ivy, collapse every prism except Booth Two."
"All of them?"
"All."
6 observation points across the island vanished. Every scrap of Ivy's available magic focused around Leif. The next strike bent. Then the next. Then the next. Lucas finally stepped away.
Leif's status froze. 67%.
I stared. Victor saved it. Even after the betrayal. Even after giving Lucas our routes. His main Soul remained untouched. His secondary remained alive. The insufferable saint was having the best hour of his life. I wanted to strangle him.
A red mark flashed near my boot. Xeno. Another trap. Same black powder. Same thin wire. Different glass bottles. He crouched beside it. Then went still.
"Sylvia."
I was in no mood. "What?"
"This one is wrong too."
I looked down. "Another useless trap?"
"Yes."
"Then step over it."
He didn't. His visor scanned the device twice.
"No."
I looked at him. "No?"
"One bad mixture is incompetence." He pointed toward the map.
The 1st marker sat almost 2 kilometers north. This one was here.
"Two bad mixtures built differently, hidden properly, both using iron-rich powder?"
His eyes narrowed. "That's not the same mistake."
For the first time since Lucas had turned, something colder touched the back of my neck.
"What is it?"
Xeno slowly stood. "I don't know."
I hated that answer.
Behind us — Leena's alarm screamed again. I turned. Lucas had changed direction. Again.
Back east. Back toward Class C.
---
March 14th, 2012 — 1:52 PM
Sunken Isle — Class C Secondary Booth
Rigel saw him first.
Lucas came through the trees covered in blood. Some his. Most not.
The celestial swords had changed color — green-white before, now darker. Almost red around the edges.
Rigel raised his sword. Sophia grabbed his shoulder. "You can barely stand."
"He gets through me, he reaches Leena."
Leena's voice came from the booth. "Rigel, don't be stupid!"
He almost laughed. "Little late for that."
Lucas accelerated. Novenol opened three portals. Rinsha threw threads. Axel charged lightning into both fists.
This time they did not fight as three people forced together. They moved like a unit.
Rinsha pulled Rigel away from the first strike. Novenol redirected Lucas's long-range celestial arc through a water gate. Axel hit the ground and sent electricity through the wet soil. Lucas jumped. Rigel was waiting. His broken Forge Brace still held one white channel.
Charge. Axel saw it. "BIG MAN!"
Rigel understood. He turned the brace. Axel punched lightning straight into it. The white groove exploded. Rigel's sword screamed. Electricity ran along the steel. He swung. Lucas blocked. The impact lit the clearing blue.
For half a second, Lucas actually stopped. Rigel pushed. Every muscle in his arms shook. "You're not touching her."
Lucas looked through the crossed blades. "Already did loser."
Rigel's eyes changed. That was enough. One flash of anger. Lucas saw it.
Predicted it. He slipped inside. Knee. Elbow. Sword hilt. Rigel hit the ground again.
Lucas moved past him. Rinsha's threads wrapped his right arm. He tore through three. Novenol's light barrier formed. Lucas struck once — crack. Twice — shatter.
Leena stood behind the booth slit. Wind gathered around her. "Get away from my friends!"
She fired everything. A compressed torrent of air hit Lucas head-on. Trees bent. Leaves ripped from branches. His boots carved two lines through the dirt. His uniform tore. Blood opened along his cheek.
Neera responded. Again. Stronger.
Lucas smiled. Then threw one celestial sword. Rigel saw it too late. The blade wasn't aimed at Leena. It hit the exposed Soul shell behind her.
The station erupted in green-white light. [LEENA GRELYNN — HEALTH MATRIX: 51%]
"NO!"
Rigel forced himself up. Lucas formed another sword. Sophia hit Rigel with another healing pulse.
"Move!" Rigel moved. Too slow. Lucas changed direction.
The second sword struck. 37%.
The alarms screamed. Leena flinched inside the booth.
The health number hovered in front of all of them. 37%.
Rigel stopped. For half a second, the clearing disappeared. He remembered the briefing room. Leena shaking. Her hands cold.
What if someone breaks my anchor? His own voice. Nobody touches your station. Then they run into me. I gave you my word.
37%. His throat tightened.
I promised. Nothing. I was wrong. The old thought came immediately.
Of course you were. You couldn't protect—
Rigel closed his eyes.
No.
Opened them.
Leena was alive. Breathing. Angry. Sophia beside him. Axel standing. Novenol's barrier reforming. Rinsha still had threads. Lucas preparing to move.
Think!
Rigel raised his sword.
"Novenol. High portal."
Novenol looked at him. No argument.
A ring opened. "Rinsha. Pull on my left."
Threads tightened. "Axel. Ground."
Axel grinned. "Now you're speaking my language."
Lightning hit the wet soil. Lucas stepped away from the current — directly beneath Novenol's portal. A column of water slammed him downward. Rinsha pulled Rigel sideways. Rigel used the last charge in the brace. His blade hit Lucas across the ribs. Lucas flew through a tree.
Silence.
Rigel nearly fell with him. A light shield appeared against his back. Novenol's. It held him upright. Rigel glanced over. Novenol looked disgusted. "Stand properly, Ravin."
Rigel swallowed. "...Thanks."
"Do not make me regret it."
That was probably the closest thing to friendship he was ever going to get.
The broken tree moved. Lucas stood again. Of course he did. Rigel raised the sword.
Lucas looked at all five of them. Then toward the east. Something else had caught his attention. Elfie. Her Soul was far away. But her mana wasn't subtle. Not anymore. Lucas's head turned. The Hunt followed. Then he ran. Not at them. Past them. Toward Class C's primary Soul.
---
March 14th, 2012 — 1:54 PM
Sunken Isle — Eastern Ridge
Lucas could feel her.
Elfina Lunaris. Rank Zero. The girl who had beaten his dungeon record. The reason he had agreed to Rose's stupid alliance.
The one piece on the island he actually wanted. Her mana signature burned through the forest ahead.
Large. Clean. Impossible to miss. His pulse accelerated.
Then — another person stepped onto the path.
Grey armor. No mana worth reading. No weapon raised. No stance.
The Knight simply stood there. Lucas slowed.
Not because he wanted to.
Because Neera did.
His eyes moved over the figure.
Feet — loose. Shoulders — loose. Hands — loose. Weight centered.
No guard.
No defensive tension
No retreat angle.
Every opening exposed.
Easy Kill.
A crimson window flashed across his vision.
System spoke analysis.
[TARGET POSTURE ANALYSIS]
[DEFENSIVE READINESS: NONE]
[FEAR RESPONSE: NONE]
[ESCAPE PREPARATION: NONE]
[EXPOSED VITAL ANGLES: 17]
Lucas stared. Then move.
Nothing.
The grey Knight looked at him. That was all.
No aura. No pressure. No killing intent.
Nothing Lucas could grab.
No shoulder tightening before a strike.
No eye movement toward an escape route.
No heel shift.
No breath change.
No fear.
Nothing.
The system flickered.
[PREDICTIVE COMBAT MODEL: INSUFFICIENT]
[ATTACK EFFICIENCY: LOW]
[RECOMMENDATION: DEFER]
Lucas's eyes narrowed. He's completely open.
[CONFIRMED]
Then why?
No answer.
The grey visor reflected his own face back at him. For one strange second, Lucas had the uncomfortable feeling that the person inside wasn't preparing to fight him. He wasn't even waiting for him. He was simply — there.
As if Lucas Reindhardt charging through the forest covered in blood was not important enough to change posture for.
Lucas's jaw tightened. The Knight tilted his head. Barely. That irritated him more than fear would have.
Lucas looked toward Elfie's distant mana. Then back at the grey Knight.
"You'll bleed later."
The Knight said nothing. Lucas turned south. There were easier hunts.
Behind him, the grey-armored figure immediately crouched beside a buried strip of copper and went back to tightening a screw. As though nothing had happened.
---
March 14th, 2012 — 1:57 PM
Sunken Isle — Class A Command Booth
Perspective: Rose Valentine
The battlefield had become quieter. I preferred it loud. Noise meant people were reporting. Quiet meant everyone was thinking. Or bleeding.
My desk displayed 6 numbers. I read them twice.
---
### CLASS A
Rose Valentine — 88%
Christian Finch — 53%
### CLASS B
Victor Sterling — 100%
Leif Haxen — 67%
### CLASS C
Elfina Lunaris — 100%
Leena Grelynn — 37%
---
I leaned back.
Victor won. There was no point lying to myself.
He had not won the exam. Not even close. But this phase?
His.
He had pressured Christian.
Forced me to weaken my own Citadel.
Damaged both Souls.
Baited Class C's strongest secondary defenders away from Leena.
Used an internal source to time Sylvia's attack.
Preserved his main Soul.
Then survived Lucas turning against Class B without losing Victor himself.
The man hadn't won a duel. He had won the hour.
I found that irritating.
Which meant I respected it.
I looked at Elfina. 100%. Still perfect. Not because nobody knew where she was — everyone knew.
Not because she was undefended — her outer perimeter was actually thinner than Victor's.
Nobody wanted to be first. That was the strange part.
Class B had attacked everyone around her. Not her.
He had moved east — then inexplicably changed direction before reaching the booth. Even he had postponed it. Elfina Lunaris had somehow turned uncertainty into fate.
I smiled faintly. Kaiser would find that funny.
Then I remembered Lucas. The smile vanished.
A private report from Beatrice sat open. Lucas had given Class B our response timings. Our defensive rotations. Christian's patrol structure. He had actively helped them damage us.
Then attacked Sylvia. Then attacked Leif. Then attacked Class C.
No alliances. No loyalty. Just himself.
I pressed his communication rune one final time. "Lucas Reindhardt."
Static.
Then — his voice. Flat.
"What?"
My fingers tightened. I became very calm.
"Did you give Class B our defensive information?"
"Yes. What are you gonna do about it? Cry?"
"Did you then attack Class B?"
"Yes."
"And Class C?"
"Yes."
I looked down at the table. "Thank you for clarifying."
There was a pause.
Lucas sounded almost confused.
"You're welcome."
I closed the channel.
For several seconds, I didn't move.
Idiot. No — that wasn't useful.
Traitor. Technically. Still not useful.
I had made the mistake. I had placed Lucas inside a 6-Knight structure because he was powerful enough that excluding him felt inefficient. I had negotiated. Promised Elfie later.
Allowed him freedom. Treated his refusal to recognize authority as a personality issue. It wasn't. It was doctrine.
Lucas had told me from the beginning exactly what he was. I simply believed results would eventually make him compromise.
The lion hunts alone. Ridiculous phrase. Accurate model.
A memory surfaced. Cold white rooms. A black slate. Foundation instructors who never cared what plan you wanted.
Only what remained after reality broke it. One line had been repeated until I hated hearing it.
"In this world winning means everything."
I looked at my roster. 6 Knights.
No. Wrong. 5.
Lucas had never been mine.
I deleted his name. The formation changed.
Beatrice. Julian. Asier. Vyora. Cecily.
We're enough
My eyes narrowed.
Do I need 6?
No. The academy permitted 6. That did not mean 6 were required for victory.
5 people who followed a structure were worth more than 6 where 1 could stab the other 5 whenever he became bored.
I pulled a fresh sheet of paper toward me. Christian needed tighter defense. My Citadel could no longer bleed mana every time Booth Two was touched.
Victor expected me to protect Christian because he assumed Christian remained strategically necessary. Maybe that assumption could become expensive.
I drew a line. Then another. Lucas was no longer Knight.
Ally. Enemy. He was something else.
A moving danger zone. A predator with a preferred hunger. Which meant — I did not need to command him. I only needed to understand what he wanted to hunt.
My pencil stopped. A small smile returned.
Fine.
If Lucas wanted to be weather — I would plan around the storm.
Beatrice's voice came through. "Rose?"
"Yes."
"Should I continue trying to restore Lucas's IFF?"
I looked at his moving dot. "No."
A pause. "No?"
"Delete him from the formation."
Beatrice was silent. Then: "Understood."
"And send Julian to me."
"Immediately."
I turned toward the eastern map.
Victor. 100%.
Elfie. 100%.
Me. 88%.
The exam was finally becoming honest. Good. I hated playing by the rules.
"Victor Sterling," I murmured. My pencil touched paper.
"Enjoy your hour."
---
March 14th, 2012 — 2:02 PM
Sunken Isle — Class C Command Booth
Perspective: Elfie
Everything was fine! Mostly. Kind of.
Okay, Leena's Soul was at 37%. Rigel had been thrown into the ground twice. Axel's hair was slightly burned. Sophia had called 6 different people "incompetent animals."
Rinsha had threatened to sew Axel's mouth shut with magical thread.
Novenol said Rigel's new sword technique was "barely civilized."
And Lucas Reindhardt had apparently decided the entire academy was his personal enemy.
But nobody was dead! So... Pretty good! 🌸
I leaned over the glowing map, kicking my feet under the desk. "Leena, how are you feeling?"
Her voice came through. "Fine!"
Rigel immediately interrupted. "She is not fine."
"I am literally sitting down."
"Your booth is at 37%!"
"My booth is hurt. I am not the booth."
I covered my mouth to stop myself from giggling. "Rigel, she's right."
"Nobody asked you!"
"I'm your commander!"
Silence.
Then: "...Right."
Leena laughed.
Novenol's voice appeared next. "Representative Elfina, I formally request permission to throw Ravin into the river after the examination concludes."
"Denied!"
"Tragic."
"I can hear you," Rigel muttered.
"That was the intention."
I smiled. They were okay. That was enough.
My eyes moved across the map. Class A had taken damage. Class B too. Victor was still untouched. So was I. I puffed my cheeks proudly. Kai promised.
Then I realized something. Kai hadn't spoken for almost 20 minutes.
I tapped `Delta-Seven-Seven`.
"Kai?"
A few seconds. Then his voice.
"Hm?"
I frowned. "Where are you?"
"Island." My eyes narrowed.
"Island where?"
"Sea."
"Kai!"
"Elfie."
"That isn't an answer!"
A faint laugh came through the channel.
I pulled up his private helmet feed. Grey gloves. Black stone. Copper wire. Another metal rod. A small tool box sat open beside him. I stared.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting some things up."
"What things?"
"Things."
I puffed my cheeks harder. "You disappeared for half the exam and your explanation is things?!"
"They're not important yet."
Yet? That sounded suspicious. Very suspicious.
Then I noticed something worse. No food. No wrappers. No empty lunch box. Nothing. My eyes widened.
"Kai."
"Hm?"
"Did you eat?"
Silence. My face went flat.
"Kai..."
"...I had water."
"THAT ISN'T FOOD!"
His quiet laugh came through my headset. I crossed my arms.
"Come back soon! Your princess is bored, Leena's booth got beaten up, Rigel got beaten up, Axel got electrocuted somehow, and Lucas has gone completely insane!"
"Axel electrocuting himself sounds normal." Voice changer made it sound deep and robotic.
"HEY!" Axel shouted somewhere on the open channel.
I giggled.
"See?! Everyone's good!" Kai paused. "That's a generous definition of good."
"Nobody died!"
"Fair."
On his helmet feed, Kai tightened one final screw. The copper line disappeared beneath the volcanic dirt. He reached into the tool box and pulled out a little mechanical compass. The needle pointed north. Then — tick. It moved. Only slightly. Maybe two degrees.
Kai went still. I leaned closer to my screen. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"Kai!!!"
The compass needle moved again. tick. His gloved thumb closed the metal case. "I'm almost done."
I rested my chin on my hands, smiling. "Okay. Then come back when you're finished."
"Yeah." His voice softened. "I will."
I hugged his red scarf against my chest. Outside my booth, the island was full of broken barriers, hidden spies, angry princesses, terrifying fairies, arrogant elves, one completely insane lion, and probably 30 different plans trying to kill each other.
But Kai was still in my ear. My Soul was still at 100%.
And somehow, that made everything feel manageable.
I smiled at the map. "Take care, my loyal weapon."
There was a pause. Then Kai laughed. "I thought I was the Mastermind."
"You can be both!"
"Life Changing."
"Definitely!" 🌸
His feed tilted toward the distant forest. For just a second, the compass needle twitched again beneath his hand. Then the screen went dark.
I happily turned back to the battlefield.
Everything was going pretty well. At least... I thought it was.