“Aurora Borealis!” Nora exclaimed as she burst into my tent later that night.

“Ah yes, the answer to ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ for a thousand,” I replied, bookmarking my spot in the hero manual with slow reluctance. I was almost to Raedine’s part of history now, hoping that reading about her thoughts might provoke her to speak to me again as the 4th hero of legend. I wasn’t sure if she was busy or annoyed about my callous dismissal, but surely, she’d have something to say about her life once I started reading about it.

Nora sat down across from me, practically vibrating with excitement. “That’s what your final attack looked like against Epiales! At least, that’s what Relias said during his recitation to the troops. It went alright, by the way. Some of the haze even wandered off as a result.”

I tilted my head. “Back up a moment. Relias said Aurora Borealis? Are you sure?”

“Okay, fine, not those exact words,” she admitted, waving her hand dismissively. “He said.. uh, well, you know how he drones on.” She scrunched up her face and then exhaled. “It was…waves of light, like sunlight shimmering on oil… bands of blue, emerald, magenta, violet, and gold spiraling together. That’s close enough to Aurora Borealis, right?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the description. “My aura doesn’t look like that. It’s gold. It’s always been gold.” Every single attack I’ve ever made with Amity always came out gold. One might even think I was obsessed with the color, but really, it was just the default. To my knowledge, I couldn’t customize except through accessories, like the sword I was borrowing from the Order of the Blue.

“Yeah, well, this wasn’t just your usual glow,” she pressed, leaning forward like she was sharing a secret. “You attacked with rainbow swirls!”

A shudder ran through me. “Like some magical girl…”

“If it worked on Epiales, it would probably work on the General. Why don’t you check that book for rainbow-based attacks? She tapped her temple. “Or maybe just ask the others up here?”

I stared at her, mentally ticking off the seconds. She kept eye contact past the count of 5, so I had to presume at that point that she was serious.

“Alright… Alright…”

I figured asking was easier than skimming, but there was no answer regarding my mental question to the heroes of the past. The book also seemed light on amity discussions, at least in the first half. I kept rifling through pages until I reached Raelana Demonslayer’s section at the end. Her handwriting was immaculate, using a tight, flowing script that bordered on professional calligraphy.

“Looks nothing like yours,” Nora noted, her eyes twinkling. “Are you sure you’re her direct reincarnation?”

“You know, I’m sure I could research this solo,” I replied, moving the book out of her direct sight.

“I’ll behave, I’ll behave!”

“Yes, poorly, it seems.” I did, however, move the book back so she could follow along. A few pages in, she had labeled a single page as “The Codex of Amity: Reflections in Practice.” The introductory paragraph read more like a disclaimer, stating that what followed was her personal understanding of the power of amity. While basic definitions were almost universally agreed upon, she noted that the subsequent insights reflected her perspective. It was not guaranteed, as all users must discover their unique understanding and meaning to truly harness these skills.

“Look!” Nora squealed, grabbing the book. “She even named them! You can add them to your resume! Look!”

“I’m looking, I’m looking.”

“Golden Resolve,” Nora announced. “By calling upon positive feelings to empower the body, the user bolsters their physical strength, speed, and resilience.”

“That’s just how I summon my aura,” I muttered, not wanting to admit her naming convention was cooler. “Next one is Radiant Strike, which allows the user to channel the strength of amity into a weapon, imbuing it with light to strike with enhanced power and precision. I’ve got that one down, too.”

“Well, what’s next on the skill tree?”

“Well, she mentions the Will and Faith of Euphridia…” I mumbled, silently noting that while the naming scheme was top-tier, the attacks were all variants of what I had already learned. “Nothing here about punching the animus out of people, though,” I murmured before adding, “I don’t know what name to give to that.”

Nora’s face lit up. “How about Compassionate Smackdown?”

I snorted. “You can’t be compassionate while smacking someone.” Righteously indignant? Sure. But compassionate..?

“Sure you can,” she replied. “You just say, ‘This hurts me almost as much as it hurts you!’”

I groaned and shook my head, all while not admitting the name was growing on me. “But seriously, don’t see anything about color-coded attacks or…” I stopped, the last entry catching my attention.

“Or?” Nora echoed.

“Look here.”

“Amity Bolt,” Nora read aloud, the book no longer in my grasp. “The user releases a radiant energy projectile by channeling a short burst of concentrated amity through the Will of Euphridia. A successful hit with the bolt damages a demon’s core while passing harmlessly through other sentient beings.”

“A ranged attack!” I shouted, startled by my own excitement at the thought of not having to rely on close combat. “Oh, and a note…”

This technique, only successful through Euphridia’s blade, finally allows me to identify the Second of Evil whenever he interferes with my quest to kill the demon king. Someday, hopefully, by my hand, his tainted, corrupt soul will forever burn within Naught, for his twisted, relentless attacks on my companions and me—often cloaked in deception—have drained all possible compassion I had for such foul, irredeemable creatures.

I remained silent for several moments, re-reading the passage. After a few deep breaths, I said, “Forget the ranged attacks… I don’t have the right equipment to unlock that skill.”

Nora cleared her throat. “We’re… not going to acknowledge that last sentence?”

“Oh, I saw it,” I replied as I stood up. “It’s way too long, with too many ideas tacked together. She should have hired a copy editor.”

“Rae, I was talking about the contents.”

Of course, I knew what she was talking about.

“She said it was her perspective, right in the disclaimer. I don’t need to acknowledge anything beyond that.” I was already halfway out of the tent. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Aurum and I need to go for a little ride.”

Operating under the official excuse that I was looking for concentrated clouds of animus and silent cracks in the night sky, I fled with Aurum to process my chagrin at Raelana’s note.

The Second of Evil.

A tainted and corrupt soul.

His twisted, relentless attacks often cloaked in deception.

I couldn’t even delude myself into thinking she was talking about anyone else. My argument to Nora aside, Raelana Demonslayer’s perspective was probably her truth.

Right? You wouldn’t lie about something like that, would you?

Silence.

I’m sorry. I should have never interrupted you. I must have made a terrible first impression.

Again, I received no answer.

Distracted by recent events, I let Aurum choose our path and speed. His instincts at that moment were probably much better than mine. He alternated between a walk for most of our trip, as the terrain was a bit rocky, and a trot, which he saved for stable stretches. He clearly wanted to work out some kinks, and I wasn’t in the mood to hold him back.

“I’m the biggest idiot of both worlds, right?” I asked him after stopping to take a small break. Lucky for me, he couldn’t answer. Instead, he simply nudged me. I hugged him, only for him to snort and then sneeze into my hair.

“Thanks. That’s very supportive of you.”

He nudged me again, and I relented, pulling out the apple I had been concealing. It was getting very late, and I knew I had to return to camp soon. I sighed and closed my eyes, only to see a wave of white stars stretching before me. I opened my eyes with a start, staring at the large, dark cliff looming over me.

“I think we’re somewhat close to the frontlines. You want to check it out?”

Having finished his apple, Aurum let me mount without any real fuss, his ears twitching as if he’d heard the question and agreed. Together, we moved around the cliff, the rocky path giving way to a sudden expanse that stole my breath.

The world opened before us, revealing a long, vast line of bonfires stretching across the evening horizon. Their sooty glow flickered and swayed in the distance, broken only by the jagged shapes of wooden watchtowers rising at even intervals, making the border appear as though it had been stitched shut with a thread of angry red fire. Beyond the bonfire barrier that was Bastione Bianco lay an endless, oppressive void of darkness that seemed almost hungry.

Aurum shifted beneath me, his weight rolling in nervous twitches. I reached down to stroke his neck. “Yeah,” I murmured. “I don’t like it either. But that’s our destination. At least we’ll reach it during the daytime tomorrow. Let’s hope the sun comes with us, shall we?”