Kai studied his companions, wondering if they would soon become his enemies.

  Alira and Rusk looked as if they hadn’t slept in days. Their limbs drooped, their skin grey with exhaustion, though Rusk kept a bright smile on his frustratingly handsome face. Alira didn’t bother to keep up a facade - her beautiful eyes were half-closed.

  The screaming and metallic clanging Kai had grown used to came only intermittently. Sparse grey patches marked the unsullied sections of the courtyard’s red-stained floor.

  The death toll of the First Trial was clear.

  Kai sighed. It made little sense for his bodyguards to betray him - but who could know for sure? He wasn’t foolish enough to trust blindly in people he’d only known for a few hours. He had to prepare for the worst. The problem was - he barely had enough soul essence for one more teleport.

  Was saving that woman worth it?

  His calculations weren’t an exact science, but his movements felt like wading through liquid. His spatial sense was getting blurry; his mind was getting dull.

  He was in a poor state.

  If Alira and Rusk turned on him…he’d have an unscheduled reunion with his Father.

  If he couldn’t escape or fight, there was only one thing to do - remind them why he was an asset. They both wanted something from him, didn’t they? Alira wanted knowledge; Rusk wanted riches.

  Neither of them had a good reason to kill him…yet.

  The points were almost meaningless, and being in a strong team gave them a better chance of surviving this hellish trial.

  This situation isn’t hopeless…

  Kai had to be upfront and honest.

  His jaw clenched as he glanced at the two ruthless monsters holding his life in their hands. “Guys…” He cleared his throat. “I’m low on essence and…”

  He watched their faces for something to go on, some sign, some reaction. Nothing but stares met him in response. Alira remained stern, though tired; Rusk’s ever-present smile told him even less.

  He’d seen the man kill with a grin and had even cheered him on.

  “You’ve realised I’m the Target, right? Will you…help me?”

  He scanned them for any signs of aggression.

  Alira scoffed and returned to storing her Drakmar meat in the bag on her waist. “Haven’t I been protecting you all this time? Do you think so little of my word?” She shook her head. “You still owe me, and I intend to collect.”

  Rusk raised his eyebrows as though the thought of betrayal hadn’t occurred to him. “Of course I’ll help you! You’re my path to riches, aren’t you? The noble spider hasn’t steered me wrong yet. And she wouldn’t like it if I diced you up before she met your brother…”

  The tension in Kai’s muscles relaxed. He allowed himself a smile.

  His wise bodyguards understood his immense value!

  Whether they’d betray him after they got what they wanted was a problem for another day. The bad news was they had used a lot of soul essence in their last battle. They needed to rest, and other Marked were unlikely to be considerate enough to let them.

  “You both have a good eye for valuable connections. I’m impressed by your foresight.”

  Alira shook her head. “Pfft! I said you owe me. Who said anything about being valuable?” Her icy glare bore into him. “And how did you teleport us here? Were you hiding the limits of your range earlier?”

  Rusk’s curiosity also erupted. “Can you teleport us away from the courtyard? This spot is a little inconvenient.”

  Kai sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t teleport us. The system or whatever moves Targets to the courtyard did…I think.” Kai shrugged his shoulders. “It didn’t drain my essence, so that’s my theory. I only…felt the ripples in space before it happened.”

  He rubbed his forehead. “So, no. I can’t get us away from here. But we have feet - we can walk.”

  His legs complained and he grimaced. “Or run.”

  Rusk looked him up and down. “No offence, Kai. But you look like ash. Can you even run? Maybe if I turned you into a puppet…” He frowned and shook his head. “But my essence is too low for that.”

  A shudder swept through Kai’s body, and his heart raced.

  He can turn people into puppets? Damn those enviable thread powers. When did threads get so powerful?

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Kai cleared his throat. “Do you think you look any better? We all look like ash. That Drakmar bastard was no joke.” He let out a heavy breath. “But…I doubt I’d get far if we have to run.”

  Alira’s frosty glare locked onto Kai. “We all look like ash?”

  Was this really the time for petty vanity? Kai needed to give this princess a piece of his mind.

  But his situation gave him pause.

  Her Curse was bad enough, but he was a walking bag of points right now.

  He shook his head and lied without missing a beat. “I misspoke - you look as beautiful as ever, my lady.”

  Alira gave him a curt nod. “So - we set up traps - fast. Rusk, can you cover the entrances?”

  “Just about…but I won’t be able to do much after.”

  Alira gripped her icy sword, her back straight and chin held high. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Kai’s heart swelled.

  Impressive.

  With Rusk’s deadly threads blocking the courtyard’s entrances and the unbeatable - but unfashionable - noble lady protecting him, he might actually survive this.

  The trio moved to a corner of the courtyard, protecting their backs while getting the best view of their surroundings. Rusk’s clothes unravelled as his threads thinned, vanishing into the spaces between worlds. While Rusk set traps, Kai focused on his spatial sense.

  Alira stood in front of them, daring all challengers.

  Kai flinched. Someone was coming.

  A pitiful-looking Marked neared one of the courtyard entrances with his hands raised. Alira gripped her sword. Rusk twitched his fingers. Kai narrowed his eyes.

  The man wore a shabby brown shirt, his face bruised, his features weasel-like. Before Kai could signal Rusk, the weasel-faced man spoke.

  “I’m not here to fight!”

  He surveyed the trio. “I need a team. Maybe you can take one more?” he asked.

  Kai shook his head. Alira’s icy glare froze him in his tracks. Rusk stood by, ready to unleash a fatal blow at a moment’s notice.

  Suspicious.

  His weasel face didn’t do him any favours. His timing was too convenient - or inconvenient, all things considered.

  But the trio had drained their soul essence. They were running on reserves. A fight would be risky. They still had to save their meagre essence for major threats like Gideon.

  Rusk glanced at Kai. “Should I kill him?”

  Rusk had already pushed his limits setting up thread-traps on the entrances. Much better to let intruders run into the deadly threads and take care of themselves. But the weasel-faced man halted near the entrance instead of passing through.

  Kai’s unease deepened.

  “Save your essence.”

  Rusk’s brows furrowed. “I can take him before I pass out.”

  Kai shook his head. “Not worth the risk. And what happens to your threads if you’re out cold?”

  Rusk shrugged, a frown spreading across his face. “I don’t know.”

  “Keep an eye on him,” Kai said. “But don’t do anything unless you have to.”

  Rusk nodded.

  The weasel-faced man spoke again. “I get that you don’t trust me.” His rodent-like eyes darted left and right as if searching for eavesdroppers. “There aren’t many of us left. Soon enough we’ll all need to fight that Gideon fella.”

  Alira’s eyes narrowed.

  “And how will you help?” Kai asked.

  “He and his guys roughed me up earlier.” The weasel-faced man touched a bruise on his face and winced. “But I got away when another group attacked them - that’s when I saw his secret.”

  Kai’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

  The weasel-faced man shook his head. “Every group I’ve met since then has tried to kill me.”

  Prudent. Why risk letting a potential enemy live? They made the correct choice.

  Kai scoffed. “Why should we be any different?”

  The weasel-faced man was a walking bag of points; his information likely a ruse. A dim smile crossed his face.

  “Well, they never gave me a chance to tell them what I knew - and I know a thing or two.”

  Alira took a step closer to the entrance. Kai barred her path, shaking his head. She sighed but stayed put.

  Kai focused on the newcomer. “Why don’t you tell us what you know, and we’ll think about it?”

  The man’s shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy breath. “What’s stopping you from taking the information and killing me?”

  Kai shrugged. “What’s stopping us from killing you without the information?” His thumb twisted the silver ring on his right hand. “At least if you give us the information, we’ll have more reason to spare you.”

  The weasel-faced man’s jaw tightened. “The Ashvale leader can…transform his body into flame.”

  Kai couldn’t stop his eyes widening.

  That shouldn’t be possible.

  Nobles creating something from nothing was one thing; transforming their bodies into their Gift element was beyond the pale.

  Only the most powerful Darkbound and Saints had that ability.

  A heavy weight settled in Kai’s stomach - Gideon was a bigger problem than expected.

  Kai caught Rusk shaking his head; his expression asked, ‘Are you sure we shouldn’t kill this guy?’

  Rusk was right. This man wasn’t someone they could trust. But knowledge was power, and they couldn’t afford to be hasty. If things went south, the three of them could handle him.

  Even if it meant draining their essence to do it.

  Kai stepped closer to the entrance. “How do we know you’re not lying?”

  The weasel-faced man shook his head. “What do I gain by lying?”

  Spreading misinformation could gain him plenty, though Kai kept the thought to himself.

  The man continued, “And that’s not it - he also—”

  A pole-like object tore through space.

  Kai’s soul essence was too low to teleport, his body too slow to evade.

  A flaming steel blade punched through the weasel-faced man’s arm; its burning shaft drove on, rending the wound wider.

  The flaming spear seared through the ethereal threads guarding the entrance and shot toward Kai. His feet left the ground. He was airborne for a moment before landing on one foot and a knee, ready to rise.

  He glanced up to find Alira standing where he had been a moment before. A layer of ice covered the arm outstretched toward him. A faint scratch marred the frozen shield.

  Rusk stood further back.

  The flaming spear lay behind Alira, close enough to reach. The fire swirling around it receded, leaving a bloodied, mundane spear on the battlefield.

  The weasel-faced man stumbled past the entrance, blood dripping from the gaping hole in his left arm. Kai raised a hand; the suspicious man stopped in his tracks, grimacing.

  “Still don’t trust me?” he said, shaking his head. “We need to work together against Gideon!”

  A harsh sniff echoed across the courtyard - the sort reserved for Duskheads and fools who wore too little in the cold. Kai almost glanced at Rusk, but his gaze locked on the undefended entrance when a familiar voice reached him.

  “Ah…how disappointing.”

  “Gideon!” Alira snarled.

  The noble bastard stood in the courtyard’s entrance. “I almost had you. No matter…you’ll all die here anyway. Patience is a virtue.”

  Kai’s heart sank.

  They were low on essence, and Gideon’s Gift countered his bodyguards.

  Gideon’s skin glowed; a smug smirk tugged at his lips. “Shall we begin?”

  Would you let this new arrival join the crew?

  Follow, Favorite, Rating, and Review.