It had been a long month for Tyler since Mira left. He thought she was dead and over and over again, he kept saying, “How do you know she’s alive?” and Malo kept saying, “The soul pact would tell you if she died.” Then, he would say, “But Mira has a diamond-level information suppression request,” and Malo would say, “Soul pacts are made by magic, not the Oracle.” And so it went. He had asked everything—but now, he was calmer.

  He had become a leader. He managed the guards, and Malo even let him make serious decisions—even on the edge of life and death.

  “What if it’s the wrong move?” Tyler had asked about letting the guards enter the forest without riding the lurvine.

  “People may die,” Malo said. “But someone has to make the decision, right or wrong, and people will live or die because of it. As a leader, you must make such decisions. There’s no way around it.”

  Tyler didn’t take kindly to the news. He asked, “Did anyone ever die because of your orders?”

  Malo said: “Hundreds of thousands.”

  Tyler didn’t believe his ears. “Is that why…?”

  “No,” Malo said. “That’s not why I’m so broken. War is war—and decisions are decisions. Only personal things can hurt you the way you fear most.”

  Tyler made the decision that day to let guards enter the forest, but he forbade it during the winter. Mira warned of the blighted snow, and he did his research. But he declared that they would do drills in the spring—and that was it.

  There was nothing to do but talk during the winter. The snow had forced everyone into the community buildings, huddling for warmth and drinking. They had brought stockpiles of alcohol that year, and they told stories and got angry with one another, and at one point, Tyler had to step in to break up fights.

  Winter was hard.

  But he had become respected and cherished. Everyone thought of him like a kid, but he was kid, and they all respected him as a future leader.

  It helped his confidence grow. It helped temper his rage. He eventually started to realize that the reason he was so angry was because he couldn’t do anything about the injustices in the world. Now that he had power, it helped him think clearer—more strategic.

  Tyler grew a lot and liked the person he was becoming.

  But there were only so many gains he could make before his fear of Mira dying took over, and he started pacing again.

  “Relax,” Cassain said. “She’s wintering wherever she is. It’s dangerous to walk in the snow.”

  “So what?” he asked. “She’s in a cave somewhere?”

  Cassain nodded. “Yeah.” He didn’t yield, so she sighed and added, “She’s probably staying with the Drokai. They do live somewhere.”

  “True…”

  Felio fidgeted nervously. “I just wish she was here.”

  “We all do,” Asail said. “But we just have to place faith in her.”

  Tyler gulped. “What if she’s not back before the harvest? What then?”

  “Then we’ll handle the harvest without her,” Trigan said from across the table. “We’ll bring valuable resources, we’ll negotiate—the guards will manage the harvesters. That’s what Mira tasked us with—and that’s what we’ll do.”

  “So she really did pawn off her work on everyone,” he grumbled.

  “But it worked for you, right?” Asail said, pinching his cheeks.

  “Stop,” he groaned.

  “Whatever the case, we’ll be fine without her,” Cassain said. “The only thing I’m worried about is Aiden.”

  Tyler narrowed his eyes. “What about him?”

  “You shouldn’t be so distrustful,” Felio said. “We’re worried because his tribute’s harsh this year.”

  His eyes widened. “What’s his tribute?”

  “To negotiate with a third evolution beast,” Aiden said, joining their table with a drink. “It’s a charming requirement. I’m simply to meet a beast that can kill me in three seconds and try to talk to them.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Tyler said.

  “Dead serious.” He looked up at the ceiling distantly. “I’m pretty certain that my god gave me this request expecting Mira to help me.”

  “Don’t the lurvine count?” Felio asked.

  “They don’t. Because I tamed them when they were second evolution beasts—and Mira was the one who helped them into the third evolution. So my god cut them out and said I couldn’t use them. It’s just me versus the wolves this spring.”

  Tyler suddenly felt ashamed of his anxiety. Aiden was facing down death if Mira didn’t come back—his bitterness for Mira leaving during his year felt truly insignificant.

  Tyler opened and shut his mouth, thinking about what to say. Then he said, “Malo and I will help you. No, all the guards will help you. The lurvines will protect Wraithwood.”

  Aiden’s eyes widened, and then he smiled, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll have to refuse. You might think Mira is dead, but I think she’s alive and well. And if she came back and found that you’re dead, I’ll have wished that I were eaten by wild beasts.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Tyler shook his head. “I’m the leader of the guards. Mira put me in that position—if I die, she’s the only one she can blame.”

  —-------

  Memories are stored in the soul core. That’s something that I learned after the fact. Memories are nearan impulses, so they’re copied and kept. For that reason, I got the express pleasure of feeling my eyes and brain and skull liquify and regrow before my mind snapped back into my body. It was awful. But I survived.

  And then it was all over.

  I spent one last day after that, threading in the lake. I wished that I could thread more, but I could feel my body rejecting the water, and Tinus was insistent that I come out.

  So I did.

  I was so weak that I barely heard the music and cheering as I walked out of the water like a mangy swamp monster, wild, wet, and exhausted, as Drokais helped me along. Tinus said some words, people cheered, and soon I was in a bed. The last thing I heard him say was, “Rest. It will take some time before your body sets.”

  I fell asleep.

  —-------

  It was mid-spring when Tyler stopped expecting Mira back. Everyone kept saying she was alive, so she was probably out there picking flowers or something. Whatever the case, the time was here. He had to leave with Aiden.

  There was no choice. If Aiden didn’t find a third ev before the harvest, he would lose his patron god—and he didn’t want to.

  According to Aiden, if he didn’t have a god, he wouldn’t be useful. Despite all his new charm, the idiot was still a self-conscious weeb that was afraid that Mira of all people would just ditch his ass if he couldn’t fight an army. Or something. Tyler didn’t understand his reasoning. Then again, he didn’t understand his sister.

  Whatever the case, it was time to leave. He loaded up on one of Aiden’s freakish land otters and grabbed its thick fur.

  “Are you sure about this?” Trigan asked. “You don’t even have Poison Sense.”

  “Aiden does,” Tyler said. “And he can see the poison, too.”

  “And what happens if you’re separated?”

  He patted the flask on his hip. “Diktyo Water. Heals all.”

  Trigan turned to Aiden, but found him with a wry smile. He didn’t want Tyler to come, but he needed Malo there if he wanted to survive. And Tyler was in charge of Malo.

  In truth, Tyler didn’t want to go. He wasn’t strong enough. He was weak, and he was used to others saving him. But. He was a leader now, and Aiden was in trouble. It was what he had to do. Even if he died, he would have done his duty to his people. So he said, “I know it’s dangerous, but Aiden’s a Wraith. Wraiths take care of their own.”

  Trigan smiled thinly. “So you’re a Wraith, huh? Since when?”

  Tyler shrugged. “Well, while I’m here. I’m definitely gonna stay another year.”

  Trigan sighed and turned to Malo. “I know leaders learn to lead by making decisions, but Mira expects you to override bad decisions. You confident about this?”

  Malo looked between the Dante guards. “We can handle a third ev. Multiple, no, but that’s not common. Tyler bought a book and did research.”

  “As did I,” Aiden said. “Mira told me that she thinned the third evs brutally. Did you see her core collection?”

  Trigan nodded. “Okay. Be careful. There’s no point in having a god if you’re dead.”

  Aiden smiled. “Where I’m from, that’s the time you need a god most.” He nudged his head to Tyler and the rest. “Stay on your henkos. I know you’re in control of the guards, and you’re using them, but when you’re with me, you’re following my orders.”

  Tyler gulped. “Okay.”

  With those words, they traveled north toward the border of the Fifth Ring.

  It only took three hours of stalking the forest before they found a third ev. Malo found it with a mana scan and stopped them.

  “There’s a large beast half a mile out.”

  “Do you think you can take it?” Aiden asked.

  “It’s alone. If it’s a heavy, yes. And judging by its size, it’s likely. Speed types are usually small. Agile.”

  “So we’re good?”

  Malo turned to Tyler.

  Tyler swallowed down the lump in his throat. His heart beat rapidly, and he suddenly had flashbacks of the torok. He hadn’t forgotten how weak he was. He had trained the whole year and spent the winter threading cores and eating soul meat. But he wasn’t even a fraction as strong as Mira. Even Malo said that despite being a first ev, Mira was than he was. Not with individual skill; Malo was confident that he could win in a fight against her or Kline in a direct confrontation—perhaps both. And with his consistent gains in aura, his strength was starting to match his skill. But even then—Mira had Kira. Kline could teleport. Mira had a surreal acceleration technique and an epic bow. Most importantly, Mira had the forest. She knew the plants and would set traps with poisons and illusions. Mira and Kline were loaded with tools for their environment, and it was those combinations that allowed them to kill third evs—and he didn’t share those advantages. None of them did.

  Malo was a legendary general. He was a famed fighter. He was a lot of things that the other Dantes weren’t. So when he was saying that Mira was strong, it meant everyone aside from him was weak. Tyler took it seriously.

  “If I give the order to go back, will you do it anyway?” Tyler asked Aiden.

  Aiden nodded. “No choice.”

  “Then let’s do it,” Tyler said.

  They pressed on.

  The beast was far more terrifying than they thought it would be. It was something similar to a caribou, but it had long, stringy fur and was larger than a rhino.

  “We’re not going to outrun that,” Malo said.

  “Should we turn back?” Tyler asked.

  “Your call.”

  Aiden kept calm and kept riding forward. “Hey, what are you doing?” Tyler hissed.

  “I’m going to make contact,” Aiden said. “She’s an herbivore, and she’s just minding her business. I think it’ll be fine.”

  The beast turned to face them, and Tyler saw his eyes flash before his eyes—because Aiden was wrong. This beast must’ve had bad experiences with humans because it charged on contact. Malo and the Dantes jumped off their otters before Tyler could blink, crunching ground cover as they set up a ward. Tyler doubted it would last more than one hit.

  The closer it got, the more Tyler was convinced of that. The beast was twelve feet tall, and it was glowing with a freakish golden light. Tyler unsheathed his sword, but Malo pulled him back.

  “What?” Tyler said.

  “Watch.”

  A blast of fear ripped through Tyler, and a sickening feeling of large beasts clung to his skin. He felt like he was surrounded by monsters, and he could even hear sounds of screeching in his mind. He looked up and saw Aiden walking toward the caribou—which had stopped and was looking at the man curiously.

  “Hi friend,” Aiden said. “I’m here to make a simple deal. It doesn’t matter what it is. I can heal you. Tune your core. Whatever you like. In exchange—” He paused and grimaced. “You must be talking about Mira. I’d be wary of humans, too. But… hey. How about this? Make a pact with me. I’ll tell Mira, the next time I see her, to avoid you. Yeah? I’ll even make a pact that I won’t hurt you. … won’t hurt you.” He looked back at Tyler and the guards. “In exchange… you can just show me something cool. Easy.”

  Aiden was calm, and he must’ve been speaking in another method, too, because the beast let him get close. Aiden was a first-evolution human. He was squashable. Not much to lose. So, to Tyler’s surprise, it let Aiden touch them. Five minutes later, the beast pointed its snout to the west.

  Aiden grimaced. “I don’t want to go west… We’re a bit weak. Will you take us?”

  The beast thought about it, and then nodded, and suddenly Aiden was leading Tyler and the apprehensive guards to the west.

  “What’s going on?” Tyler asked.

  Aiden smirked. “I asked it to show us something cool—and she said she saw something strange this morning. I asked if it’s dangerous, but she doesn’t think so. She bet her life on it.”

  Malo turned to Tyler. Tyler looked back nervously and said, “How far is it?”

  “Fifteen minutes,” Aiden said. “Short.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  He regretted going. Everyone regretted going. Because what they found fifteen minutes later wasn’t an incredible herb or pond or lump of gold. No, what they found was Mira’s teleportation circle under a portable ward. And that made them feel safe. That made them feel excited. That made them feel curious. But what they didn’t feel was fear—and that’s what they needed to feel. Because wherever that teleportation circle had gone—it had brought invaders.

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