Impure

Chapter 3: Unbound

It was an early morning for everyone. As the morning mist rose, Lin stood and looked out the window. She could see a garden outside, where some crops were growing. She turned to see Leo asleep on the floor, on his stomach with half of his body hanging from under the covers. Martin walked into the doorway and looked at her from across the room.
        “Good Morning.” He said. “Darren and Garret said they had something prepared for us, once Leo wakes up we can head out.” He walked over to Leo, and thumped him on the head with his foot, Leo moaned.
        “I say we have about ten minutes.” Martin said. “There are some fresh clothes for you downstairs. Come down when you’re ready.” Martin finished. He turned to leave, and an emblem could be seen on his back.
        “What does that symbol mean?” She asked him. He turned back around.
        “It’s the Dunshire Family Crest. Garret and my father decided to put our crests on the back of our uniforms last night. They’ll explain when we’re all down there.” He left the room, his footsteps could be heard as he went downstairs.
        “I wonder what they’re planning.” Leo said. Linda was shocked at his sudden speech.
        “I thought you were asleep.” Linda replied.
        “That was the point.” Leo chuckled a little. He stood up and stretched.
        “We should go on down. They’re expecting us.”
        “Yeah.” She replied. The headed toward the door and made mild noise as they headed downstairs. They entered a kitchen-like area. It had a small cooking spit, a couple shelves, and a table with four seats.
        “There we are!” Leo said enthusiastically as he pointed towards two sets of clothing on it. Either pile had a piece of parchment with a name on it. Either “Leo.” Or “Linda.”. They both took their respective piles.
        “There she is.” Darren walked up from the back of the room. He sounded surprisingly calm.
        “Now, I don’t do this normally,” He looked at Linda. “But I apologize towards the way I acted yesterday. I was quick to judge and hope you will forgive me.”
        “Oh…” Linda replied. She smiled. “I-it’s alright.”
        “No, it’s not. I acted out of line a because of this we all suffered. Please take this as a symbol of my apology.” He handed her a small dagger. It had odd symbols inscribed on the side.
        “Use it well.” Darren turned and walked off.
        “Well, that was… unexpected.” Leo said. “I thought I would have to intervene.”
        “We should probably get dressed.” Linda said. She gestured to the worn outfits they were wearing. The two headed off into separate rooms.
        
        The two emerged from a back door to see Martin and Garret working in the Small garden. The two looked up at them.
        “How do they feel?” Garret asked.
        “They’re a little heavier than I’m used to.” Leo replied.
“They’ll take some getting used to, but they’re comfortable.” Lin Said. Their outfits consisted of Dark green pants, a dark green shirt with long sleeves and a hood, a leather vest over top of the shirt, a bright green hoodless jacket over the top.
        “If you’ve noticed, the Wallace family crest is on the back of those. I put it on the back of your too, miss Baroo, because I am not sure of your family, and seeing as you are closest to Leo, along with the mark, it seemed to fit.” Garret spoke. He turned around.
“Alright, follow me.” Garret said. Lin looked at Leo.
“How did he know how big to make the clothes?” She whispered.
Leo shrugged. “He surprises me sometimes. Maybe he measured us in our sleep.” He said. Lin’s eyes grew with discomfort.

        Garret lead the group to a small clearing in the forest. A couple tables and targets were laid out. A large tent was sitting near the edge of the forest. Garret walked over to one of the tables, and picked up a couple items.
        “Alright, today we’re going to learn how to use your newfound abilities.” Garret turned towards the three.
        “But first you’ll need these.” Garret went along and handed items to the three of them.
        “For Linda, a scout’s skirt.” He said. He handed the girl a bright green skirt with several pockets, and a small pouch on the side.
        “Seeing as how you’re a mage, having items like this always come in handy.” Garret advised. He walked on to Leo, and handed him two belt-like straps.
        “These are very special baldrics, I must show you how to use them, along with the new form of your blades.” Garret instructed. Leo nodded to his grandfather, and he walked on to Martin.
        “And for you Martin, this deck of cards.” He handed Martin a small locked box. Martin looked up in confusion.
        “These aren’t ordinary cards, they’re imbued with powerful magic, which will allow you to cast certain spells until you get the hang of magic. However, do not use them for combat unless absolutely necessary, as they will serve no use, these are for training primarily.” Garret looked to Martin. Martin’s eye grew a bit.         
        “What do you mean by until I can use magic?” Martin asked.
        “You suffered from mana exhaustion, boy, only somebody who has incredible potential will suffer through that without casting the spell themselves. I’m sure miss Baroo here will help you with learning the classes of magic.” Garret Gestured to Lin, who nodded to the thought. He then headed back to the tent, gesturing for Leo.
        “Miss Baroo you may start teaching him. Leo, follow me.” Garret instructed. They did as they were told.
        Leo followed his grandfather to the tent. Inside stood a large table with several tinkering gadgets strewn about. In the middle lie his distorted blades.
        “These are no ordinary swords.” Garret spoke up. Leo looked at him.
        “What happened to them?” He asked, he picked one of them up, and started inspecting it. He poked the tip of the hooked end.
        “They’re sharp.” He said.
        Garret looked back at him. “And incredibly fast, you should consider yourself lucky my boy. When I had that sword made, and Scott made an extra, they became linked. There were specifically for you, but when the mark of the blades met yours, they became linked to you, and thus to each other. They became “Twin Blades”.”
        “What does that mean?” Leo asked.
        “It means that whatever supernatural effect happens to one, happens to the other, such as the form change. I was inspecting the scratch marks at the door when the blade you left with me started emitting a harsh light, and it changed.” Garret paused for a moment. “These particular blades are the Twin Totems.” He stated.
        “Twin Totems?” Leo asked.
        “That’s the form they took. The totems are unlike any other pair; they’re lighter, faster. The ends are hooked, as you can see, and the guard on the handle spikes down past the fingers. A type of Saber, if you will.” Garret explained. Leo shook his head.
        “How do you know about this?” He asked
        “Because your father had a pair just like them. The true forms, Heart and Soul, these blades here, only bear themselves to those whom have endured pain to themselves to save someone else.” He said.
        “But grandpa, I haven’t done anything like that.” Leo replied.
        “No, but your friend Linda did. She cut herself trying to revive you. The blades hold the entire history.” Garret said.
        “How did you know that?” Leo asked. He set the sword back on the table.
        “Like I said, the blades hold the history, my boy. I can see from this one,” He said, gesturing to a totem. “That it was broken, and that girl repaired it, but that was the only moment it was able to change.”
        Leo gave him a puzzled look.
        “By this point you’re probably want to know what I mean by that, right?” Garret asked. Leo nodded
        “Hehehe, alright. So in order for a blade to change its form, it must have something called Chi flowing through it, such as a spell used to repair it. The mark the resonated with hers, and realized it was in safe hands. It then revealed its true form.”
        “And because they’re twins, the other one changed as well?” Leo suggested.
        “Now you’re getting it. but these blades are only truly powerful when in a Morphis state, a state between Kendred and Shedan. In other words, your mark must resonate with those on the blades.” Garret pulled out his arm.
        “hold out your arm and chant the spell I taught you last night.” Garret instructed. Leo held out his arm.
        “Nos Vulpes!” Leo shouted, almost as if he had done it a thousand times. His mark emitted a white light, and his form changed. He once more had the form of a Shedan Fox.
        “Now, pick up those blades and try attacking the posts I set up outside. I should probably go check on the other two.” Garret instructed.
Leo picked up the blades, in which the marks started to glow faintly. Garret and Leo stepped out of the tent.
        “Well, that was a while, and I can see why.” Martin said as Leo walked out of the tent.
        “Well, its confirmed, I will never get used to having a tail.” Leo said. “I’ll be back, I have to go do something, you two done with your magic?” Leo asked
        “Yeah,” Lin replied. “He’s a fast learner.”
        Garret smiled “That’s good to hear. You see, I told you that you’d get the hang of it”
        “Yes sir.” Martin said. Garret looked over to Leo.
        “You best go train. You need to get used to that form if those blades are going to be effective.” He turned to Lin. “I’m going to guess that’s why you’re still in a Shedan form? Your more comfortable moving in that form, am I correct?”
        “Yes sir.” She replied.
“You may need to teach Leo how to balance.” Garret advised. “And Martin”
        “Yes sir?” Martin asked.
        “Make sure you get some training in with your spells as well. They’ll come in handy you know.” Garret ended his statements and turned to the entrance to the clearing. As he walked off, Leo and Martin looked at Linda.
        “Well, I guess you’re our teacher now.” Martin said. Lin smiled.
        “I guess.” She replied. She looked to Leo. “Could you try to walk in a straight line?” She asked. Leo di as he was told. He stumbled a couple times, but he was able to walk.
        “I’d just try to walk and get used to the balance.”
        “Yeah, but the hearing throws me off too, my ears are a bit higher like this.” He replied. “Though I’m sure I’ll be able to walk without stumbling soon enough, I mean I didn’t stumble when Darren led us up.”
        “That sounds good.” She replied. She walked over to a table and sat down the skirt Garret had handed her.
        “I wonder what he meant items like these.” She said.
        “Check the pockets, he may have hidden something in there.” Martin stated. “He’s done that with old uniforms before.”
        “What do you mean?” Linda asked.
        “Garret makes the outfits for the scouts and guards, while Scott, our blacksmith, makes the armor for the soldiers.” Martin replied.
        “Oh.” Lin ruffled through the skirt, and pulled out a small object. It was rectangular in shape and wrapped firmly in a hide. The three looked at it, Martin smiled.
        “See? I told you.” He said. Lin started to unwrap the package, and pulled a small book from the hide.
        “What is it?” Leo asked. He looked at the cover, studying the strange markings. Linda’s tone was one of amazement when she replied.
“It’s a spell tome.” She ripped open the cover, and started flipping through the pages. Martin looked up at her
        “What are those markings?” He asked.
        “That’s the table of magic.” Lin replied. “It shows the direct flow of magic into its sub classes, from Zen, the highest rank. Only masters of both Mana and Chi can use it, to Matter and Aura, subclasses of Mana and Chi.” She flipped through the pages, Leo stopped her when a black page passed by.
        “What class of magic is that?” Leo asked.
        “I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look good.” She replied. “There are spells to raise dead bodies and destroy the internal organs of enemies.”
        “so you can bring people back to life?” Martin and Leo asked in sync.
        “No, it says here only the body, it’s bound to an artificial soul. There is no spell that can truly bring someone back. Restoration spells stop after healing mild injuries, such as fractures.” She replied. She sat the book down. The looks of hope and happiness quickly fled Leo and Martin’s face.
        “Oh…” Leo said. “Well, we should probably get to training!” He suggested. His upbeat tone returned. He grasped his blades firmly and turned toward the target. The other two watched him in shock as his speed steadily increased.         
        As Leo ran toward the target dummy, he jumped and spun, slashing the target with the first blade, and hooking onto it with the second. He swung around behind the target using the hooked grip, and slashed once more with the blade in his right hand. He spun once more to break himself free from the hook, leaving two more tears in the target. He flew through the air and landed on his feet. He crouched when he landed, and stood back up.
        “Well, that’s new.” He said looking at the blades.
        “Leo… Where did you learn that?” Martin asked as he ran up to him.
        “I-I’m not sure. It just felt… Natural.” Leo replied.
        “Here, let me try something.” Martin said. Martin took a few steps back from the training dummy. He extended his arm toward the target, and opened his palm.
        “Ignisio!” He shouted. A small ball of fire formed in front of his palm, and leaped a few feet before fizzling out.
        “Let me try.” Lin said. “Ignisio!” She shouted as she extended her hand. A blast of fire shot from her hand and engulfed the target. Martin looked at his hands in disappointment.
        “It’s alright.” Lin reassured. “You just need to learn to hone your mana.”
        “Yeah.” He said. “Hey, what about that fire that girl used on me yesterday? Isn’t that the same spell?” Martin asked her.
        “No, That’s “Ignisio”, a more powerful version of that spell.”
        “Then why don’t you use that spell instead?” Martin asked her.
        “Because it’s standing magic. Each spell requires more than just an incantation for Mana users. It requires you to absorb Mana from your surroundings too, not just your own. Some also require specific stances when used with mana.”
        “Then what kind of magic are we using?” Martin asked her.
        “Unbound. But you can use standing magic with chi and be moving. But since the spell typically calls for mana, it will be weaker and cost more Chi.”
        “So why don’t you use chi?” He asked.
        “Because if you run out you can no longer move” She said. “That’s why chi is used primarily through something called a vessel, but you don’t need to worry about that, lets focus on what’s at hand.”
        “Alright.” Martin replied. He stuck out his arm, and closed his eye. He then took a deep breath and reopened them. He stared at the target dummy with intensity.
        “Ignisio!” He shouted, a ball of fire spawned in front of his hand. He darted his arm forward. The ball of fire launched sideways. Leo Ducked and covered with his blades. The fireball flew over him, and grazed his hair.
        “Woah, careful!” Leo shouted. He stood back up
        “Yeah, sorry about that.” Martin said.
        “It’s alright, you’ll get the hang of it.” Linda assured him.
        “Try again.” She instructed. “But try using one of those cards.”
        “Aren’t those one use only though?” Leo asked.
        “Yeah, but I have a few.” Martin said. He held the card up, and shouted.
        “Ignisio!” The card lit ablaze and a fireball formed. Martin flung his arm, and the ball shot into the middle of the dummy’s chest. The dummy engulfed into flame, but then quickly went out.
        “Nice!” Leo congratulated him. Claps could be heard from the edge of the forest.
        “Congratulations, Martin.” Garret said as he stepped from the brush.
        “Were you watching this whole time?” Linda asked.
        “No, my dear, I just happened to have forgotten something, and I saw him pull out that card. So I decided to stay back and observe.” He smiled.
        “What did you forget?” Martin asked him.
        “That isn’t important at the moment.” Garret replied. “But I can see that Leo can walk straight now, but his time is almost up.” He finished.
        “What do you mean by that?” Linda asked, slightly concerned.
        “Just watch.” He said. They turned their attention toward Leo. Martin and Lin seemed concerned, as Garret was smiling. Leo flashed with a violent light, and as the light faded, his form reverted to that of a Kendred.
        “What just happened?” Leo asked.
        “You’ve reverted.” Garret said. “As a Morphis, you and Miss Baroo will have a limited time in those forms. It is only one of five ways to be reverted, however.” Garret said.
        “The why didn’t we revert yesterday? I was like that for much longer yesterday.” Leo asked.
        “Because that was a special transformation.” Garret said. “Your spirit was getting used to the alternate form. Let me explain.” Garret sat down and started speaking.
        “When a Morphis is born, their body is linked directly to their soul, so anything that alters in the soul alters in the body. When you change your form, your changing your very soul to have a specific curse. Traditionally, the parent shares his form with the child. As your father gained his form from your Grandmother. But your father was not here for this, Leo. So you had to get your form from somewhere else.” Garret said. He looked toward Linda. “For example, the blood of a fully influenced Shedan.” There was a small moment of silence before Garret spoke again.
        “Leo, you took a part of her animal aspect, but that left a void in her soul, something that needed to be filled. And your power had built up from the all that time it had been neglected. Everything is a trade in this world, may it be a soul for a soul or a curse for a blessing, since she gave you a part of her curse, you gave her a piece of your power, making her a Morphis. And since it was your power, her mark was on her wrist.” Garret stopped so the others could take a moment to understand.
        “But Grandpa,” Leo said. “This doesn’t explain why the first transformation was longer. Why are you telling us this?”
        “Because like you, Martin has a power that sleeps deep within him, one that far surpasses yours. You all need to understand what it takes to trigger these things, so you may understand them at the times the come to light.” Garret said, he then looked back to Leo and Linda.
“But as for the reason your first transformation was longer, your soul was linked to Linda’s, doubling the duration of the transformation. But these “Links” have very specific requirements, ones we will not go into for now. But please heed my warning when I say after the first Link, you start to pay a terrible price.” Garret’s tone went into a dark, serious one. Martin rose and spoke.
        “But sir, as I remember, when they came back, when they came back, Linda was in that form, and has only changed once, wouldn’t she have reverted by now?”
“She wouldn’t have been able to go back to her influenced form, as some of her animal aspect went into Leo, but it is curious as to why she didn’t shift into a Kendred form. I’ll have to think over this.” Garret responded. Linda looked at him.
        “Sir, is I recall you said something about using “Dark Magic” and there being five ways to revert back to your original form.” She asked.
“Ah, yes. Dark magic is a specific magic that can reanimate the bodies of the fallen, obliterate enemies, and even warp time. But it rips the soul out of the body, ultimately ending the life of a Morphis, such as yourself. For others, they slowly descend into madness as they lose their hold of themselves. Independent of whether they are Morphis or not, upon death, dark users are sent to a voided realm, a realm where time runs forward, backwards, and stands still. A realm of blinding light and endless darkness. The realm of Oblivion.” His voice grew grim. “As for reversion, there are five ways. The first way being that of reverting yourself, the same as changing into that form in the first place. The second being a forced reversion, such as the one I performed on Leo last night. The third being a timeout. The fourth reversion is where you willingly give your powers away, usually to save the life of another, this is referred to as a “Heroic Resolve.”.” Garret stopped, and turned to face away from the teens. “The fifth.” He said in a grim tone. “Being death.”
        The eyes of the others widened, for this had not occurred to them.
        “How do you know all this?” Linda asked.
        Garret eyes teared up a small amount. But he stayed strong.
        “I am very old, my dear, and I have had plenty of friends come and go. Some being magic users, some being swordsman, a couple archers, and a few of them were Morphis. One of them happened to be my wife.” Garret continued. “I was always obsessed with books, so I used the knowledge I had acquired through my readings to protect those I loved. My best friends came to me when they needed something, so I would help with what they needed, Atoshi seemed the most grateful. This is why I have a vast knowledge of these things. This knowledge has protected many, so I do not dare forget it.” He concluded, the three nodded.
        “I will meet you three back in the village. I have an assignment for you, but you should get a better hang of your abilities first. I recommend about an hour.” Garret stood and grabbed a small item from a table and headed back down the path that lead through the forest. The three sat down to comprehend what they had just heard.
        “Grandpa, wait!” Leo turned and shouted, but he was nowhere to be seen.

        An hour later, the three decided to pack up and head back. As the were on their way through the forest, Lin looked at Martin and spoke.
        “Don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually.” She said in an upbeat tone. Her ears perked up.
        “Yeah, you couldn’t have failed any worse than I did.” Leo laughed. He gestured to a burn mark on his uniform.
        “Well, you should look out the next time you jump in front of a ball of destructive energy hurling at a rapid speed.” Lin crossed her arms.
        “When you out it like that, it almost makes being reckless sound dangerous.” Leo grinned.
        “Well, at least I can get it to form.” Martin said. He looked down at the palm of his hand, and closed it. Linda stopped walking.
        “Did you hear that?” She asked.
        “No.” Leo and Martin replied in tandem.
        “Leo, change your form.” She insisted.
        “Why?”
        “Because of your ears.” She gestured to the pair of fox ears setting upon her head.
        “Good idea.” Leo said.        
        “Nos Vulpes…” He whispered. As he changed, his senses heightened, but he could feel his strength deteriorate. Large pounds and marching could be heard in the distance.
        “Yeah, I hear it.” Leo stated. “But I don’t like it.”
Linda led the two toward the sounds. They each took position behind a bush, and peeked over. Their eyes grew as they saw a small army of Shedan marching with weapons in hand, all toward the walls of Briarwood, which could be seen in the distance.
“Single file! Not a soldier, mage, or scout out of line!” A woman wearing a full set of plated armor could be seen. She started barking orders.
Martin whispered to Leo. “What do we do? They’re heading straight for Briarwood!”
“I’m not sure, and they don’t look too friendly.” He said.
“They have a troll.” Linda pointed toward a large best near the end of the line.
        “Do you know these people, Linda?” Martin asked.
        “No, just because I’m Shedan doesn’t mean I know them all.” She replied.
        “But you aren’t Shedan anymore,” Leo started. “Is there any way we could use our marks?”
        “Not that I can think of.” She replied.
        “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A woman in armor was looking over the edge of the bush. Linda gulped.
        “Traitors, conspiring with the enemy?” She stated. She looked closer at Linda, and pulled up her mask.
        “Well, isn’t this interesting? The runaway got a new look.”
        “Vial…” Linda gritted her teeth. The woman looked over at Leo.
        “That’s odd, I haven’t seen you around before. Have you considered being a test subject?” She asked. Leo felt his ears, and remembered he was still in his Shedan form.
        “Very well then.” She turned her head. “Jason! The troll!” She ordered. A familiar looking boy released the clasps on the troll’s bindings, and vanished.
        “Have fun!” She waved and chuckled as she slowly disappeared. The troll ran toward the three. They each jumped and scattered into the small clearing. The troll grunted as it swiped. Leo bounded from a tree and slashed at the trolls arm with his blades in a single spiral, leaving a single cut. Martin and Linda kept their distance as the troll swept a large claw at the three. Leo was caught in the middle of the swing, sending him flying backward, and disarming him. His form reverted when he touched the ground.        
        “Dammit.” He gasped.
        “Leo!” Linda shouted. Martin jumped back as the beast swiped again. He picked up a sword and shield off the ground, presumably dropped by the troops as they headed to invade his home.
        “My family needs me.” He said. “Lin, get him open!”
        “Right!” She shouted. She shouted incantations, and sent a small flurry of fireballs at the beast. The troll turned its attention to her. Martin ran up to strike the troll from behind, but it swiped from behind. There was a click flash of silver before the beast fell over, dead.
        “Got him.” Leo gasped for air. He put the cover back over the dagger sheathe on his calf. Martin pulled the knife from its chest, and brought it over to Leo. He handed him the dagger and helped him up.
        “That’s the second day in a row that knife has saved our hides.” Martin said. A large bang could be heard in the distance. The looked over to see flames raging over the top of the Briarwood wall. Leo gasped, and ran off toward the flames. Martin and Linda followed quickly after him.

        The three fought their way in through the gate. As the battle raged on, they made their way through the chaos. Martin set his sights on his home, now engulfed in flames. Connor could be seen fighting alongside a small soldier. Martin ran toward their aid. Leo and Linda attempted to follow, but were ambushed by two more Shedan. As Leo’s blades clashed and Lin’s spells began to falter, all they could do was watch as their friend ran into combat. The smaller guard fell, and A Shedan went to strike Connor from behind. Martin saw the distance between he and his dad, and remembered a couple of days ago Leo had pulled off the same. Martin slid in with his shield held high, blocking the fatal blow. Connor knocked the Shedan in front of him to the side, and turned and sent the one from Martin’s side flying. Connor eyes grew wide as he saw his son had saved him.
        “Martin, how did you-” Connor went silent. Martin’s eyes widened as he heard a slight sound, and then the sound of a blade sliding on bone.
Connor looked down at the blade that had impaled him. Everything went silent, timed seemed to move in slow motion as his Martin watched his father as he fell to the ground.
        “DAD!” Martin shouted. Leo and Lin looked over in utter terror, as they were struck to the ground, unconscious.
        “Aw, did I kill the little boy’s daddy?” A girl stood directly in front of him. An unseen force sent him flying through the air, causing him to land on a pile of rubble. Martin attempted to raise his blade. The chaos seemed to freeze around Martin as everyone watched.
        “Ignisio!” The girl shouted. The ball of fire that spawned flung Martin’s blade into the distance. Martin was knocked back down farther. Claire walked out of the smoke, all of her features visible.
        “You…!” Martin mustered. He pulled out a card from his pocket, and pointed it at the girl.
        “Ignisio!” Martin chanted. A ball of fire launched at the girl.
        “Please.” She said. She smacked the ball to the side, and it hurled into the distance.
        “You think a little fireball would be enough to defeat and expert mage? I told you to learn your place.” Claire pointed at him.
        “In this world, the weak die, and that’s exactly what happened here.” She stated.
        “Shut up!” Martin shouted at her, and small amount of blood dripped from his bottom lip.
        “Your father was weak. His feeling for you got him killed, but that’s exactly where he belongs.” She insisted.
        “Shut up!” He shouted louder, the fire in his eyes grew with pure hatred. He heard a girl’s voice in his head.
        “Your friends have a power unlike that of yours. Yours is so much greater.” It said.
        “You’re so pathetic. You aren’t even worth killing. But I’m sure you want to be with him, don’t you?” Claire persisted.
        The voice rang in his head once more.
        “She has no idea of the things you can do.” The voice said sweetly. A small trickle of blood now ran down his chin, as he struggled to shift his body.
        “You’re so weak, you can’t even stand, you worthless bottom dweller.” She extended her fingers.
        “Cir…” She said.
        “Martin.” The voice repeated. “Use it.” a drop of blood landed on the pendant his father hand given him. He looked down at it, and gritted his teeth.
        “IGNI!” Claire shouted. A steady stream of fire broke through her arm, and hit Martin directly. Leo and Lin came to, and looked at the horror.
        “MARTIN!” the two shouted, but their shrieks could not be heard through Claire’s sadistic laughter.
        As the fire dissipated, Claire’s laughs stops, and her eyes widened. Martin stood with blood running down his arm, looking at the ground. His black hair covered his facial expression, let for a grin. One hand was clutching his pendant.
        “You’re the one who’s weak.” Martin said. His voice was distorted a great deal. He pointed at her, and sent a ball of fire spiraling into her chest, the impact knocking her down and pushing her back a couple feet.
        “No incantation?!?” Claire thought out loud. Martin’s grin grew wider.
        “How did you…?” Claire was interrupted. Martin looked up at her, and opened his eyes, which now had a golden glow. Claire stopped in her tracks.
        “Be careful of who you piss off.” Martin said. He vanished in spiral of black flames.
Leo and Linda watched in awe as Marin continued.
        Claire took a couple steps back. She turned to run away, only to see Martin standing behind her.
        “Muerenigni.” He said softly. Wind circled around the two, as the sky grew darker. The surrounding area grew silent as the wind extinguished the flames of the village. Shedan and Kendred alike now watched as the confrontation unfolded.
        Claire let out a bloodcurdling scream as a deep black flame surrounded her, and circled her violently. Martin gritted his teeth, and his gaze intensified as the flames began to dissipate.

        He lowered his hand. Where Claire stood remain nothing but a small pile of ash.
Martin turned toward the other Shedan.
        “Leave now, or a worse fate awaits you.” Martin said.
Shedan fled by handfuls through the remains of the village, dire fear in their eyes. He started to smile devilishly. He took a step, and grunted, falling to the ground. Martin shook his head violently and stood up, his hand on his forehead, appearing dazed.
He ran over to his dying father. Kneeling over him.
        “Dad!” He shook Connor. “DAD!”
        Connor opened his eyes, and smiled.
        “You’ve been a good boy.” He managed.
        “Dad, you’re going to be okay. You have to be okay.” Martin said frantically as he kneeled over his father.
        “No, not this time.” Connor said. “Don’t worry, you’ve made me proud, this isn’t your fault.” He spoke. Martins eyes teared up.
        “Don’t talk like that! You’re going to be fine! You have to!”
        “Take care of your sister for me.” He said. Connor closed his eyes, and rolled over.
        “No, come on, you can’t die.” Martin cupped his hands over the wound.
        “Lons Fallas!” He shouted frantically, but the spell fizzled out.
        “No, come on, Work! Lons Fallas! Lons Fallas!” But he had no more mana.
        “Lin! Help me!” He shouted, he hadn’t noticed the others had already grouped around him.
        “I’m sorry Martin, there’s nothing we can do.” Her eyes were tearing up.
        Garret hung his head.
        “This is my fault.” He said.