I wake up only to pull my blanket over my head. It's cold, far colder than it should be. I could have sworn Clarence started a fire last night, so why was it so cold? I peek out from underneath the blanket, and there is no fire. There is no Clarence, no Terra, and no Sen.

  I'm in my bedroom again. Was I dreaming?

  "Aetheria?" I call out, but there is no response.

  The room is still. The only noise that can be heard is the rustling of the frigid air coming in from the window.

  That's right, Aetheria said she'd be busy the next time I came here.

  "In that case… Annia? Are you there?" I whisper, but the result is all the same.

  I wait for her to climb up from the side of the bed and jump out at me, but this does not happen.

  I slide out from under the covers, and throw my legs off the bed. Once at the window, I look outside. It's a full moon, just like…

  There’s a sound. It's barely audible, but I recognize it immediately. The deliberate scrape of boots on hardwood.

  The rhythm is off. It's too slow, too careful and I can picture the measured gait of its owner without seeing him.

  Valerius Blackthorne.

  My fingers twitch, I try to summon an Aetheric Needle, a blade, anything to protect myself. But… Nothing happens. My magic fails me and I flatten myself to the wall, every nerve in my body desperate to escape. I look out the window, but I’m five stories up and there is nothing to break my fall. That leaves the door.

  He doesn’t knock. He doesn’t have to. He knows it isn’t locked. He knows I have no magic to defend myself. He knows everything he needs to ensure my death.

  The handle rattles briefly and then the door creaks open.

  He’s a silhouette at first. The darkness wraps itself around him, and his masked face is hidden by the brim of his hat. The only thing I can make out is the glint of his eyes from behind his mask, bright and unblinking. He's ready for the hunt.

  He's the first to move. In a moment he's halfway through the room, and past my bed.

  I knock my end table over, but Valerius doesn’t so much as flinch. He simply steps over the fallen table, as if he’s done this a thousand times before. I find myself in a corner as Valerius hovers over me.

  "There there, my little bird. There’s no need to lash out like that. If I didn't know better, I’d think you were scared of me," he whispers, and places a hand on my cheek.

  I’m certain he’s going to use his magic at any moment. That acid will coat his hand, burn through my flesh, and down to the bone if I let him. But I won’t let him. I turn, and bare my teeth. I don’t know what my teeth sink into, but I dig down until they connect, and my mouth fills with blood. Valerius lets out a scream, and I duck underneath him as I throw myself across my bed. I spit his blood out of my mouth, and reach my door, slamming it shut behind me.

  Now in the hallway, I run even further. I don’t know where. I don’t have time to think, so I just run.

  "Ethel!" I cry out, but I see no sign of her.

  "Ethel, help me! Please, Ethel, I’m scared! Ethel!"

  Behind me, the sound of Valerius’s bootsteps grow louder. Closer, even. I risk a glance back, and he’s much closer than he should be. I won’t be able to outrun him. He’s going to catch up to me, and when he does, he’ll kill me again.

  The banister is my only salvation. I vault over it as best as I can, and hang on to the other side of it. I look back down, and I can see the Grand Hall. Even five stories up, I can tell who’s who. Ethel’s not there, but most of my family is.

  "Clara, that’s incredibly dangerous. You wouldn’t want to fall, would you?" Valerius says, and rests a hand on the railing. He inches closer as he speaks.

  Pulling his hat back, I see there is no anger on his face. On the other hand, he actually looks worried for me. Likely worried that he can’t skewer me on the end of that blade this life.

  "Don’t come any closer," I whisper, my voice hoarse with desperation.

  He takes a single step, and it's enough to push me over the brink. I wouldn’t meet that end again, not again.

  I jump.

  Time crawls to a slow as I watch Valerius lunge for me. He just narrowly misses my wrist as I pull away, and smile at him. His expression is one of disappointment. It wasn’t much, but it was progress. This time, I had managed to get out of my room. I denied Valerius his hunt, and if I was lucky, I would be able to warn the others.

  At least this is what I thought before my heart climbed into my throat from the freefall. I had always been scared of heights, and now was no different. When I was little, I would always walk nearest to the wall. Of course, Clarence would always try to pry me closer to the edge to try and scare me. I’d cling to his leg with all my body weight so that he couldn’t move me.

  Why was I having such thoughts now? Is it because of how long falling is taking? I knew I was going to die. I knew it was going to hurt. I regret jumping the moment I did, but the look on Valerius’s face made it all worth it.

  I don’t know how fast I’m going now, but I must have overshot it. My leg collides with the chandelier, and no longer is this a simple freefall. I begin to spin out of control, and my thoughts leave me as pain, red and hot, reaches every corner of my mind.

  A moment later, I hit the table shoulder-first. The wood splinters, driving a spike of agony through my body. I hear dozens of loud snaps follow, and I try to scream, but I’m unable to.

  "Clara!?" A voice calls out, but it sounds so distant now, hollow even.

  Numerous voices can be heard echoing in the distance, but they don’t matter.

  I’m unable to turn my head, I’m unable to do anything. I watch as my leg that had been dangling from the chandelier, falls. It lands somewhere nearby with a wet, distant slap. My head falls to the side, and I see Nathaniel, magic in hand, and he’s reaching for me. Everything begins to blur, and my vision narrows, tunneling to a single point.

  My big brother's face is the only one that I can see clearly. He’s frozen between reaching for me, and stopping as Nathaniel tries his best to mend my broken body back together. It’s too late for me though. I know it, Gabriel knows it. Everyone present knows it, but it’s okay. I understand that it was either this, or Valerius. This was my decision. But I never could have imagined it would hurt this much. It hurts so much, but I have to hold on, for everyone sake, I must hold on. I try to raise my hand, but it’s a strange feeling. I’ve given my body that command so many thousands of times, but now it won’t listen to me. I see a bloody stump where my arm should be, and I frown.

  "Run," I gasp, blood bubbling up to suffocate me. "Please… You have to…"

  The last thing I see is Gabriel’s face looking down at me, stricken with fear as the grandfather clock chimes. The Solstice of Souls was beginning, and with it, my families demise.

  Everyone fades away from view, and I’m left alone on the Grand Hall’s dining table.

  "Gabriel?..." I whisper, looking for any sign of my brother.

  "Oh your influence on the dream is growing stronger by the day," a voice mocks, followed by a small doll clawing its way up the tablecloth. She holds her nubs against her hips as she glares down at me. "Stupid! People are supposed to wake up before they hit the ground in a nightmare. What part of that is so hard for you to understand? Get up! Up!"

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  My body only feels broken for a moment longer before I shoot up right. It’s only Annia and I in the Grand Hall now.

  "It was all just a nightmare?...

  "Yes, it was all just a dream, now wake up already! I’m tired of looking at you!" Annia shouts, and then jumps up, smacking me in the face.

  I gasp, and awake with Terra is at my side. Sen is clinging to my arm, and Clarence is looking at me.

  "Did…Did I scream?"

  Terra nods. "Twice. Sen tried to wake you, but you wouldn’t wake."

  I force myself to sit up, and hug my knees to my chest. I feel myself shudder as I recall the dream. The fall, the taste of blood, the look on Gabriel’s face, they’re all still with me, even after all this time.

  It was a horrible memory. I guess I technically achieved my goal in that life, but it still seemed to haunt me, even after all this time.

  "Sorry, I had a nightmare..."

  *

  The road South is less of a road and more a suggestion. A ragged vein of mud that’s been carved out of the ground due to recent rainfall.

  We spend the next three days in this rhythm, sleeping just as the sun sets, and waking before it rises. This night should have been no different.

  Just before dawn arrives, I’m jerked awake by a horrible screeching. Sen is already up, standing atop a nearby tree limb, and Terra is on his feet, sword drawn, eyes scanning the sky.

  The beast descends in a blur of blue, red, and golden feathers. It’s bigger than a horse, and its wingspan is as large as the Grand Tree. It has talons that are curved like sickles, and it lands with a force that rattles my teeth, scattering embers from the dying fire and sending our belongings flying.

  Clarence is on his feet in an instant, a ball of fire forming in his hand, but the bird ignores him as it charges for the satchel containing our food.

  Terra intercepts the giant beast, and swings at it. It’s faster than he anticipates though, and its claw clashes with his blade. He’s knocked aside, and I’m next. I form an Aetheric Needle into the shape of a blade, and try to pierce its body. The weapon merely runs off of its feathers though, and clips the underside of its wing. Clarence lets his fireball fly, but the bird simply turns, and with a flap of its wing, the ball of flame is entirely extinguished.

  "How are we supposed to kill that thing?!" Clarence shouts, and conjures up another fireball.

  The bird snatches up our food satchel in its beak, and takes off in a whirlwind of dirt and feathers. As it begins to fly away, Sen catches its wing with a stray gust of wind. This stops it momentarily, but it merely flaps its wing again, and it's as if Sen never did anything to begin with.

  Within seconds, it’s nothing but a speck on the horizon, leaving us behind.

  "What was that…giant bird? Is everything in the world that dangerous? There’s dungeons, and oversized chickens that are unkillable!" Clarence screams once more, and then kicks a nearby rock. He nearly loses his footing while doing this, but Terra catches him.

  "That was a Roc. They steal food and livestock anywhere they can find it. You saw that its feathers were three distinct colors. As it grows, and its mana-core reaches that of an adult, it will settle on a type of magic to use for the rest of its life, and its feathers will change to match its element. This can also be a strong indicator of its temperament. For example, a red Roc will have fire magic, and tends to be very territorial and aggressive. Usually they’re only active during sunrise and sunset… We were just unlucky to be around here at the wrong time. We were lucky this one was just a juvenile though. If it was an adult then it would have eaten the four of us, along with our supplies."

  "Wait, so that one was a child?..." Clarence stutters out, and lets out a groan.

  Terra on the other hand is going through Clarence’s satchel and pulls out a map.

  "The nearest settlement is Brindle. We should be able to reach it by the end of the day. We’ll be able to restock on provisions there."

  With no arguments, we set forth for Brindle.

  The trek is long. The sun is already setting and it’s been a day without food. It’s a little uncomfortable, but manageable. Clarence on the other hand has been complaining for the past six hours straight. His feet hurt, he’s hungry, he’s tired, and I do understand his pain, but I don’t dare entertain it.

  "Are we there yet?" Clarence begs, leaning onto Terra who’s practically carrying him at this point.

  "Just about, we should be able to see it any moment now," I answer, and pull him off of Terra, only to have him lean on me now.

  "What kind of place is Brindle anyways?"

  The walls of Brindle come into view just before I answer.

  Brindle is a city in name only. It sprawls across a nearby valley like a scab around a wound. Its buildings are stitched together from mismatched stone and scavenged timber. The streets are clogged with people, mercenaries, traders, thieves, and a handful of locals who regret ever having been born here.

  "If I had to put it as nicely as possible, Brindle is a shithole."

  There are no guards stationed here. Instead, we merely walk into town like we belong there. We push through the crowd, and I catch more than one greedy eye sizing up our meager belongings. Thankfully, Terra’s glare is enough to deter most opportunists.

  In the market square, we find a map nailed to a post, marking the town’s districts and the locations of ‘reputable’ merchants.

  "Terra, you go with Clarence and get provisions. I’m going to look for a place we can stay the night."

  "You want to split up? Will it really be okay? You said that this place is a shithole, right? Some of these people look shady," Clarence asks, and whispers the last couple of things quieter than the first one.

  "It’ll be fine. Murder is actually legal in Brindle, so if push comes to shove, I’ll deal with it. I don’t think it’ll come to that though. There’s a lot of adventurers around for some reason. That fact alone should keep most of the lowlifes in check for the time being.

  The two leave, and I’m left alone with Sen. I get some odd stares here and there. It’s probably from a mix of my clothing, and the fact that I have a dryad perched on my shoulder, but I don’t mind. I find a building that looks somewhat livable, and make my way inside.

  From what I can see, the innkeeper is selling the last room multiple times to the highest bidder. I’ve already seen ten people kicked out of the room in the short time I've been here, and I can’t help but sigh.

  Brindle truly is a shithole.

  I see Clarence in the distance with two armfuls of food. He’s already torn into a strip of jerky, mouth full as he speaks.

  "Did you know," Clarence says, spraying crumbs, "there’s a prophecy that a dungeon’s going to show up here? Everyone’s talking about it."

  "Yeah?"

  "Some seer in the next town over said the earth around Brindle would become a battlefield soon, and that’s why this place is packed!"

  "I doubt anything like that’s going to happen. These people are just wasting their time."

  The only reason I can say this with certainty is because nothing happens in Brindle. The most exciting thing that will happen is 20 years from now. One of the buildings slides into a ravine behind it because a fight breaks out between two A-rank adventurers in a bar.

  I scan the surrounding crowd though. Now that I’m looking, I see it. The hunger in the faces of the adventurers, the way they cluster in packs, weapons close at hand. They really do look like they’re waiting for something. Just what kind of seer could get everyone so worked up over nothing?

  "Come on, I think I found us a room. We'll need to pay a hefty price to keep the innkeeper from selling our room to a third party though. Terra?" I command, and hold my hand out to him.

  He obliges, and reaches into his back pocket. I hadn’t forgotten about the Divine Aspect he got from the Aquifier. Whisper of Luck. Anytime Terra reaches into his back pocket, he finds a coin. He hands me a large coin, the center is gold, but the perimeter is lined with ruby, and the text ‘Welcome to The Crossroads’ runs across the length of the coin. Something about it is familiar to me, but I can't place it. Regardless, it has two precious materials in it, so it would most definitely cover the cost.

  "Looks like luck’s on our side today."

  As we enter the inn, I toss the coin to the innkeeper.

  "One room, and a tip, so that there’s no mix ups with our room tonight."

  The innkeeper's eyes widen at the sight of the coin, and he instantly shoves it into his breast pocket before giving us a nod and sliding a key across the counter.

  Our room is all the way in the back of the inn. It’s more of a closet than it is a room, but the bed is large enough to fit all four of us.

  Barely.

  We eat in silence, savoring every bite. The bread is far from fresh, the meat is stringy and far too gamey, but its food. I feel strength returning to my body with a full stomach, and I’m thankful to be off my feet.

  When we finish, I somehow end up in the center of the bed with Clarence and Terra on either side of me. Sen forces his way into my arms and instantly loses consciousness. Internally, I let out a groan.

  "We leave at first light tomorrow. I don’t want to be in Brindle a moment longer than I have to be."

  "Yeah, you were right. This place is kind of a…" Clarence begins.

  "A shithole."

  "Yeah, a shithole," Clarence sighs, and pulls Sen out of my arms as he holds him.

  I smile at the sight and close my eyes.

  When I open them in the morning, I see something quite surprising.

  You have entered The Radiant March, a field-type dungeon

  To combat this, I spent a little time working on a family tree. It's not perfect, and I had to look through about 130 chapters of stuff to make sure it was all correct. (My notes left a few people out.)

  So here it is! I'm not sure how it'll look on the actual post for today since the chapter notes are pretty small for me on here. Let me know if you can see it or if I should try to reupload it tomorrow (: