"Things get better, right?"

As Myles walked across a thin, magically conjured platform within a volcano, a Commander from the Verdant Colony and Obsidian Hunters at her back, a conversation with her sister Kit flashed through her mind, as though her sister's voice echoed all around her.

"It won't be like this forever, will it?"

Her sister of course was not there with her, she was currently stuck in a student district waiting for her chance to attend a training school.

Back then, before Myles left, the two had been listening to a broadcast from the Verdant Colony. Hearing representatives bragging about their tyranny made Kit ill after she was already bedridden recovering from an attack by Colony enforcers. The representatives proudly described their conquests of weakened people, tearing down others, proclaiming those they deemed unworthy and needing to be disposed of. Trying to comfort her sister, Myles told her simply, "It'll get better. I promise."

"...and this is the start of it," Myles said as her group reached the end of the walkway, where a dimly lit cavern waited for them.

"What was that?" Raytris asked.

"Just something I used to tell my sister." Myles said.

"Now isn't the time to reminisce," Raytris said. "Unless your platitudes can illuminate the way."

"In a way, they do," Myles said.

Sev lit a torch. Myles tried to take it so she could lead the way, but was denied and reminded they could easily put her back in her restraints.

Sev looked to be a hardened soldier who'd been through plenty of battles. But he also had a bit of a baby face, which made him suitable for poking at. Myles made it about two seconds into the cave listening to nothing but the sound of loud thunking boots before beginning her jabs.

"I'm probably way better at spotting traps than you," Myles said. "You may want to be in front, but one wrong step and–" She imitated the sound of arrows whooshing out from an unseen trap. "Wait, wait, stop, seriously."

Myles put a hand on Sev's shoulder, then pulled it back as his armor almost burned from being exposed to the volcanic heat around them.

"What?"

"Oh, never mind," Myles said. "I thought I heard a howling wind, but I think it was just air going through the hollow space between your ears."

"I didn't know we brought a twelve-year-old along," Sev said, rolling his eyes as he turned back.

"I've seen twelve-year-olds way better survival skills! If this place did have traps, you would have stepped on at least three of them already."

"Enough." Raytis said, her steely voice putting a stop to Myles' scheme for the moment. "Say another inane comment or touch him again, and I will forget how unfortunately useful you are to this mission and allow these hunters to slaughter you." Raytris said.

"Sorry, Commander." Myles said.

There was a method to this childish behavior. It may have just raised the temperature of the mood slightly, but each fraction of a degree more steamed this group got, the more careless they got as well. And in dealing with Obsidian Hunters and the Verdant Colony, every miniscule bit they could be careless could mean the difference between life and death.

The path through the cave was uneventful in spite of the potential treasures held inside. Even reaching the end of it, with a small enclosure seemed disappointingly barren. The only notable feature at first glance was a few carvings in a wall of strange masks, with old wares resting in front of them. There were six masks in total, all with angled, determined expressions despite their inhuman features.

"It's a bunch of crusty pots," Sev said. "And some statues of armor?"

After one of the Obsidian Hunters picked up a pot and immediately dropped it, smashing it on the floor, they all had to stand in the back of the room, guarding the exit.

"Is this a dead end?" Raytris asked.

"No," Myles said. "This is exactly what we wanted."

She got out the glass artifact again, approaching the wall. Raytris took the torch from Sev to help Myles see. The adventurer gently felt around the wall and the mask carvings, looking for any grooves that felt different. She beamed as she felt something right on the forehead of the mask closest to the center of the room.

"Sometimes it really is the most obvious spot," Myles said, placing the artifact against the mask. After a few seconds of fidgeting and finagling, she whipped her hands back as the artifact was pulled in. The room shook as the mask went backwards into the wall as well, leaving a hole behind it.

"Could you shine that torch a little closer?" Myles asked.

Raytris obliged, lighting up the new gap in the wall. Myles held back a gasp when she saw what was inside. A hilt of a sword was visible now.

"Is that it?" Raytris asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Let's hope so," Myles said.

"This looks like a trap to me," Sev said. "If you pull that sword out it'll probably kill you, so...be my guest, actually."

Myles had no issue with drawing the sword. She had studied enough about how ancient ones kept their relics to know this wasn't something that would explode, unless her entire education was a lie.

"I can," Myles said. "Unless of course, the commander wants the honors."

"Just grab it," Raytris said.

Myles took a deep breath before drawing the sword.

The sword had a crimson blade that glistened like stardust.

"Is it the one?" Raytris asked.

Myles pulled a small device from a pocket. Raytris grabbed her wrist immediately. "What is that?"

"It just says if it's genuine," Myles said.

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Raytris let go. Myles held a small device near the sword, scanning it, preparing herself mentally for yet another dud after how many of these ancient one sites she'd explored.

She gasped and nearly dropped the blade when it started to glow.

It was the real thing. She'd been searching so long for this sword, the one Ihli Azariah himself wielded. This could be the way to bring him home from wherever he'd gone.

“What is it?" Raytris asked.

Myles sat down, almost too stunned to respond.

"I got it," Myles said, eyes watery. "It's the real thing."

"Terrific," Raytris said. "Hand it over."

The commander held her hand out like a spoiled brat demanding her third allowance of the day.

Myles weighed the odds of trying to escape now. She was more skilled with short knives than a blade. And the Obsidian Hunters would block her escape even if she took out Raytris.

"Before I do," Myles said. "I just want you to know. This is a power you can't comprehend."

"I know the fables of the Xionis." Raytris said, eyes glimmering with the fire of the torch. "I know them very well."

"Shy-o...what?" Sev said.

"The Xionis," Myles said. "That's the power Ihli, Endora, and Auren used. Few people actually saw the heroes use their power, but those who did say it was a great and terrible thing."

"I would never call those three heroes." Raytris said.

"The legends as well," Myles said, continuing no matter what Raytris said. "They speak of people screaming in terror at the ancient ones who used the Xionis, seeing destruction on a scale they struggled to describe. This sword may lead you to the Xionis, but know the risks of what you're hunting for."

Raytris' expression remained flat. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, I'm done," Myles said as Raytris took the sword from her, looking up and down the blade.

"That power being 'great and terrible' is exactly why we need it. There would be no threat the Verdant Colony if we had this. Perhaps we could defend the world from another Verdant Sun incident, or cause something even more conclusive to our enemies."

Myles couldn't help grimacing knowing who the Verdant Colony considered enemies.

"If we have what we're looking for, can we leave?" Sev asked, wiping his sweaty brow. "Please?"

Raytris gazed into her reflection in Ihli's sword. "Yes, let's."

"Are we bringing her with?" Sev asked. "Or are we taking care of this rat now?"

Raytris sighed. "Much as I can't wait to see that, we do need her to figure out how to use this."

Raytris got Myles on her feet, holding the blade somewhat in the vicinity of her throat. "Come along."

It proved more difficult to travel across the long platform with a sword held in front of her. The threat of Raytris using that sword was fairly high, and the lava below seemed even hotter than before. When they were about halfway through, Myles stopped. She could not give the signal and try to swipe the sword at a more opportune point, but her gut said now was the time. She whistled.

Deep breath, Myles thought. Countdown from five.

The Obsidian Hunters, a few steps ahead of Myles and Raytris, stopped and turned their heads.

"What was that?" Raytris asked.

Five...

"Just the start of a friend's favorite song," Myles said.

Four...

Myles heard a whirring sound growing just slightly more distant. It was coming too fast for Raytris and her cronies to realize what it was until it was too late.

Three...

Raytris started to speak again, ready to use the blade, but Myles headbutted her.

Two...

She saw stars as Raytris stumbled back a bit and Myles forward. Raytris snarled and swung the sword wildly, but on instinct Myles dodged the blade. As Raytris' hand and wrist was just past Myles' head, Myles grabbed her and bit down hard, getting her to drop the sword.

One.

There wasn't time to second guess now. As the Obsidian Hunters charged at her, Myles swiped the sword and leapt off the platform.

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