Ray stood several meters away from Tucker and Mary. He listened in quietly while standing beside the Head Custodian of the Order, who was fuming moments before. Light failed to illuminate the stone corridor they stood in. The pillars of the Order blocked their figures so that Tucker couldn’t notice their presence.

  “So, it was you two who caused that damage,” Oliver said.

  “And Salamander as well,” Ray added.

  “You bastards, do you have any idea how difficult it is to repair those training rooms?”

  “Not in the slightest,” Ray said dryly. “But let’s be honest here, you’re not that mad about the training room, are you?”

  “You…” Oliver’s expression hardened. “Your mentor’s assumption of you is wrong. You aren’t as dull as you seem.”

  “Nah, I just can’t stand bullshit.”

  “It sounds like you disagreed with your mentor.”

  A faint crease appeared between Ray’s brows, just enough to show his annoyance. He clicked his tongue before exhaling. “We never got along to begin with, and I can’t stand people who use others as if they're disposable.”

  “And you’re saying Stormbearer is better?”

  Ray nodded firmly. “I choose to believe what I see, and after finding out what happened to those children, it only supports my decision.”

  “Your decision?” Oliver couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve seen the reports. Your decisions before Stafford were anything but good.”

  “We’re not monsters; we’re humans.”

  “I’m sure you already know how the Avalon Empire works.” Oliver glanced over at Tucker at the far end of the hall. “Our enemies abuse empathy in every way they can. That’s why the veteran members of our Order are cruel bastards. They have to be because no one else will.”

  “Not Tucker. Not Alex. Those two would never sacrifice their humanity.”

  Oliver couldn’t believe what he was hearing, with the frustration mounting in his body. He shouted, “You should know this by now, Ray! Push a man far enough, and he will abandon his humanity! When will you realize this?!”

  Ray locked eyes with Oliver. “We’re not close enough for you to give me a lecture. Even if you were friends with my father.”

  “Don’t you see I’m trying to open your eyes?” Oliver glared at Ray. “Who do you think our main casualties are? It’s not the Rangers or the Veterans. It’s you, recruits!”

  Ray stood still. “I know; you don’t have to tell me. I can see the empty rooms in the dorms.”

  “Then why won’t you listen?” he pleaded. “There’s no need for heroism, only survival.”

  “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “You need to hear it.”

  Ray clenched his knuckles, shaking his head at his father’s friend. He thought back to the bastion. The men he trained and the friends he lost while holding the inner gates. If it weren’t for Tucker, gathering the stragglers and launching that suicidal assault, then he wouldn’t be standing here.

  “Who would you sacrifice to protect your home?” Ray asked.

  “Whoever it took,” Oliver replied as the light flickered across his face.

  “Even if there was nothing left?”

  Oliver froze, his muscles tightening.

  “You see, that’s the difference between my generation and yours,” Ray said. “If you asked Tucker or Luka that question, you know what they would say?” He paused, waiting for an answer, but seeing Oliver fall silent, he laughed. “They would sacrifice themselves, and I’ve seen it firsthand.”

  “That doesn’t mean it’s right.”

  “Then what is right to you?” Ray shot back. “Because if it’s a world where you sacrifice children, then it’s one I don’t want to be part of.”

  “You’re outrageous,” Oliver declared while gritting his teeth. “Get out of my sight. I’ve already done what I can.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” Ray said, walking away from the Head Custodian.

  Once Ray was gone, Oliver let out a heavy sigh and looked over his shoulder. “Is that good enough of a response?”

  The Head Administrator walked out of the shadows. He stared at Oliver and didn’t utter a word for a moment, falling deep into thought while thinking about what Ray had said. Alex had already told him about their mission, and there were better uses for their team. But within his heart, he wanted to believe they were slowly uncovering an alternative path he had not seen.

  However, their team was already splitting, with Alex heading to Elarindor. It would be far too risky to send two recruits by themselves behind enemy lines.

  “That watchman is fairly devoted, don’t you agree?” Dale asked.

  “Ha... that would be the case, Sir,” Oliver replied.

  “And what are your thoughts about what he said?”

  “They have good hearts, but a good heart isn’t what wins wars.”

  “In a normal world, they would be right,” Dale said. “But in times of war, that isn’t the case. War is an environment of conflict that is designed to systematically dismantle the moral frameworks we use in times of peace. We’re constantly faced with the least-worst decisions where every possible choice results in death.”

  Oliver didn’t say a word.

  “When I sent them to the bastion, I did it so that they would dehumanize their hearts and the other side. See them more as monsters than people. With tragedy striking every day in that hell, I thought they would grow numb.” Dale kept a stern expression. “I’m not sure if I should applaud them for their stubbornness or laugh.”

  “Then… what would you do, Sir?” Oliver asked.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “I’ll approve Salamander’s request. He will lead a team of watchmen to Elarindor to investigate spirit evolution, and Stormbearer will be granted permission to head to Gravecourt.”

  “But—!”

  “I know.” Dale raised his hand to silence Oliver. “It is a difficult mission, but for now I’ll choose to believe in those two as long as they don’t endanger their comrades. That will be my condition.”

  “Understood…” Oliver gave a simple salute to which Dale acknowledged.

  Now that Oliver had completed his task, there was no longer a point for him to stay. Dale bid a simple farewell while staring in the direction Tucker had gone. He wasn’t sure if it was an act of omission that was leading his actions, but if it was within his capabilities, Dale swore he would give them every bit of help he could.

  .

  .

  .

  A day had passed since Tucker had last seen Mary. Currently, he was in the scholar’s chamber, looking over Adira and Violet as they helped sort through the books that had fallen from the shelves. It had been a peaceful day with Ray running around the Order gathering whatever materials he could get his hands on for their next mission.

  “Up! Up! Up!”

  Tucker glanced down at Violet, who held a stack of books above her head. He gently picked her up and walked closer to the shelf as she placed each one into its correct spot. Her fingers pushed the spine of the book, barely nudging it in.

  “Need help?” he asked.

  “Nuh uh,” Violet replied, but Tucker didn’t listen and gently pressed the book into position. Her jaw dropped before striking his chest, yet all he did was softly chuckle.

  “You’ll have to get older if you want to injure me.”

  “You meanie!” Violet pushed Tucker’s arm, freeing herself from his hold.

  Charles erupted into a roaring laughter while stroking his beard. He pushed his glasses up. “You have to let them figure things out on their own, Tucker. It’s how children grow.”

  “Is… is that how it works?” he asked.

  “Mhm, children are typically very curious around that age,” Charles answered. “When you have children of your own, you should keep that in mind.”

  Tucker faintly smiled with a nod. “I’m still young, so I don’t plan to start a family anytime soon. Besides, you know how it is in our field.”

  “Ah…” Charles’ bright expression softened. “That’s right, but I’m sure you’ll pull through! In fact, I’ve started working on something that I believe would help you in your endeavors.”

  Tucker raised one eyebrow slowly, curious what Charles had meant.

  “Behold!” Charles reached into his sleeve and pulled out a closed crimson string that had been strung through a series of silver coins. “This is my new contraption, uh, if you can give it that name.”

  “Is it… safe?” Tucker asked.

  “Well, I don’t mean to brag, Tucker my boy, but it so far has a hundred percent success rate.”

  “Did you also only test it once?”

  “Perhaps,” Charles admitted with a smirk. “But I didn’t work on it alone; Daniela helped.”

  “I don’t know if that really inspires confidence,” Tucker pointed out.

  “You haven’t even heard what it does!” The scholar cried out. “Once you know its purpose, you’ll be convinced to give it a try.”

  Seeing no reason not to, Tucker entertained Charles and asked, “So what does it do then?”

  “It’ll prevent mages from casting blink within fifty meters,” Charles answered.

  Tucker stared at him in disbelief. “What?”

  “You heard me,” Charles said with a grin. “It’s an experimental device, and I can’t always guarantee it’ll work, but sometimes you just need one try.”

  Tucker glanced down at Adira as she pulled on his black pants. He slowly picked her up and held her so she could put the books away. “Could you explain it to me how it works?”

  “Of course!” Charles said excitedly. He held one coin under the light for Tucker to see.

  And at that moment the word Ictu raced through his mind. It was the exact same overlapping characters he had seen Pyron and Nox use right before they blinked.

  “Spells are composed of an inner circle and outer rings. But since Alex told me about how that one mage blinked away, that means we only need to worry about stopping him before he gets away.”

  “But what about the repetitions?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Repetition rings only repeat spells within the inner circle, so if we nullify it then…” Charles pointed at Tucker.

  “Then it would repeat nothing,” Tucker answered, putting Adira down as she lightly tugged his white sleeve. “But in that case, why are there so many coins attached to the string?”

  Charles placed the string of coins on the table and slid it towards Tucker. “There’s a slight chance it might not activate, and I know how crucial these missions are for you. So, to guarantee the effects, I created eight variations. Overkill—I know and not my cup of tea personally to develop such a device, but I would rather have something that works even if it isn’t efficient.”

  “This allows us to use brute force and cancel the spell then.”

  “Indeed, but there is a slight issue in terms of efficiency.”

  Tucker walked towards the nullification coins and stared at the inscriptions. “They drastically drain mana, don’t they?”

  “Correct, I made it in haste because I figured you would head to your next mission soon.” Charles gathered mana in the palms of his hands as a small mana circle formed. Ever since he passed his spirit to his successor, Charles had put all of his efforts towards studying the arcane.

  He looked at Tucker and smiled. “Since Alex told me you had formed your first mana circle, that means you can channel bits of mana through the string and power the ring.”

  “It’s pretty simple, just form a mana circle and hover it on top of the coins,” he said. “Then once you enter within the range of the spell caster and they try to blink away, poof.”

  Charles opened his hand fully as the mana circle burst into tiny azure flares.

  “Does it just need mana?” Tucker asked.

  The scholar nodded. “All you need is a source of mana and proper control to activate it.”

  Tucker turned the string of coins over in his palm, thinking back to when he used to fiddle with the worn silver piece he had before. Each one shone brightly between his fingers. There were eight engraved coins catching the light as they slipped between his fingers. This was what he needed. With them, he could chase down Pyron and stop him from running.

  With each passing day, he was slowly getting closer to killing the one who played God. And yet, as the silver metal cooled against his skin, a flicker of doubt crept in. They were losing watchmen with every mission. So, was it the right choice to chase after Pyron? Or was he still chasing a self-righteous dream?

  “Tucker?”

  He glanced to the side, eyes landing on Adira. She clutched a small wooden bracelet. Tucker smiled softly and gave Adira’s head a gentle pat. “Yes, Adira?”

  “Violet made this for you,” Adira said, quietly nudging Violet forward. “She’s still shy.”

  Tucker stared at the children while holding his smile. He could see the warmth radiating from their eyes as a sudden realization dawned on him.

  The world he was fighting for wasn’t for him, but for them.

  He just happened to be born at a time that needed him to give what he couldn’t.

  “…Thank you,” Tucker said, accepting the bracelet.

  He slid it on his right wrist as the children’s faces lit up, their smiles wide with joy. Tucker closed his fingers around the coins one last time before putting them in his leather pouch. The doubt that clouded his mind had vanished, and in its place was a purpose that was clearer than ever.

  A metallic groan rumbled through the chamber. Tucker’s gaze shifted to the metal doors as Ray walked in, but once their eyes met. The watchman stopped and held out a piece of paper with a clear red stamp.

  Tucker exhaled and nodded. “I have to go.”

  “Already?” Adira asked softly.

  “Yeah…” He forced a gentle smile. “I’ve been called, but don’t worry. We’ll be back before you know it.”

  Adira lowered her head as Tucker crouched in front of her.

  “It’s okay; it won’t be for too long.”

  She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Okay… stay safe. And eat three meals.”

  A quiet laugh escaped him. “I will.”

  When they parted, Tucker joined Ray at the steel doorway. He glanced back once more and saw Charles waving near the wall. He offered a slow, earnest wave that reassured them that the children would be safe under his care. But before the doors could close, small footsteps pattered across the stone.

  “Ray!” Violet ran up and stopped a few feet away. She tightly clenched the other wooden bracelet she had made and hurled it toward him.

  Ray narrowed his eyes while catching the bracelet. He looked at the accessory, then at her. “Are you worried about me?”

  Violet nodded quickly with her hands clenched at her sides.

  Ray’s grin widened as he slipped the bracelet over his wrist. “Don’t be,” he said lightly. “It’s those bastards you need to be concerned about once I’m done with them.”

  Violet’s shoulders relaxed, and a shy smile found its way onto her face.

  With nothing left to stop them, Ray and Tucker left the scholar’s chamber as the steel hinges cried out in protest. Their footsteps echoed through the lonely corridors. The light thinned with each step as they made their way to the main lobby. They left behind the warmth of a future that didn’t belong to them, but with a clear goal in mind. They knew what they needed to do.

  One that would shape the course of the Order in the upcoming months.

  Alright, I've been busy, and I know I said I was gonna do a Discord server, but it has been a rough few days.

  Here is my barebones server. I will add more as we grow.

  Simply Author Server: .

  I also have some fun news that I'll probably release closer to the end of the month, so stay tuned!

  Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya in the next one!