Cassius paced along the stream, his brow furrowed in thought. In the distance, Dreu tended to Aliss while Seraphis tracked Cassius' restless movements with sharp eyes.

"You're making me dizzy," Seraphis remarked for the umpteenth time.

"Then stop watching me," Cassius grumbled.

"Leave him be," Dreu interjected. "Let him gather his thoughts and determine where we’ll go next. He's our only lead."

"No pressure," Cassius muttered under his breath.

Adelard was gone; I mean, dead. Zenior and Lard had used their control over him to eliminate him. And if Dreu was right, this meant that Lard had a hold over everyone who had struck a deal with him. So what made Zenior different? Cassius believed they needed to gather more information before charging headfirst into danger. Seraphis, however, insisted they keep moving because time was running out. Then there was Aliss, who swore she was fine, but the pallor of her skin and the sweat beading on her forehead told a different story. 

Cassius exhaled, shoving his chaotic thoughts aside. If nothing else, he could focus on what was truly irritating him: Seraphis' presence.

"You never did tell us why you're here," he said, facing him.

"I was sent here by my order," Seraphis replied with a shrug. "Surely you've heard of the Aetherguards?"

"The ancient order of the Thunderbornes," Aliss murmured weakly, opening her eyes just a fraction from where she lay on the ground with her hands resting on her stomach. "We thought your kind had forsaken Adaria."

"In a way, we have," Seraphis admitted. "When Adaria was overrun by wizards, dwarves, elves, Amazons, and monks willing to trade years of their lives for unimaginable powers and striking deals with the evil entities on the other side of the veil, our existence threatened them. Things only got worse when those races turned their hostility on us. Many of our kind died because we refused to take up arms against them; that is our code. The only choice left was to retreat into the shadows, to live where they could not reach us, and fight the darkness away from the frontlines. We've never been blind to the darkness spreading over Adaria. The darkness that thickens with more people striking deals with the evil."

Cassius studied him, his jaw tightening. "If your people have always been threatened, why were you out on the streets years ago? Playing with human children, showing off your magic?" His voice was steady, but he forced himself not to think about the day he had first run into a much younger Seraphis.

Seraphis grinned, his eyes gleaming with an ethereal glow as he met Cassius' gaze.

"I wanted a friend."

Cassius exhaled sharply, resisting the urge to groan. He said nothing.

"No one among the Thunderbornes played with you?" This question came from Aliss, who appeared to be deeply invested in Seraphis’ story.

"They did. But since humans are the most fascinating creatures, I wanted a human friend. And just when I thought I had one, so very human-like, I was deceived. "

Cassius averted his gaze. The memory gnawed at him. The interest and excitement in Seraphis' eyes were the same as they had been all those years ago. Cassius first met him when he was just a boy abandoned by his mother, running barefoot through the streets to look for her. Seraphis had been different, not this radiant, almost celestial figure he’d become now. Though he had the same pale and nearly translucent skin, his cloud-like hair was wild and weightless. His irises had glowed a vivid blue, shining even brighter with unrestrained wonder at the sight of Cassius. He had been too bright and hopeful in Cassius’s bleak world. And that was why Cassius had left him.

"So, you're here under orders to stop Zenior and Lard?" Dreu asked.

Seraphis sighed, nodding. "Yes. A wizard, a monk, and a seer won’t be enough to stand against Lard. Over the years, he’s grown too powerful, and with the right wizard at his side, he’ll become unstoppable if he hasn’t already. The Thunderbornes have always aided the other races in their fight against darkness, no matter where it emerges. And we still do."

"If you’re done with the chit-chat, can we plan our next move?" Aliss said, hissing as she struggled to sit up. Dreu had healed her, but the lingering ache in her muscles made every movement painful.

"Can you tell us exactly what you saw that made Zenior afraid of you?" Dreu asked.

Aliss bit her lip, her gaze shifting from Dreu to Seraphis before settling on Cassius.

"I had the vision. Or, at least, that's what Adelard called it when I was alone with him in the barn. I was furious at him, at his master, for taking my father away from me. I wanted to know what they’d done with him. When Cassius left, I turned my dagger on Adelard, demanding answers. He tried to fend me off, and the moment he touched me, I was pulled into the vision."

"What did you see?" Seraphis asked, his voice calm, though Cassius caught the tension beneath it.

"An army," Aliss whispered, her eyes wide with genuine fear. "Thousands upon thousands, their faces twisted and inhuman, and at the head of it, I saw Zenior."

Art above by Nelson Oga

"And Lard?" Dreu's voice was quiet but urgent.

"He was at the back of the army, towering over them like a mammoth, his body shifting and writhing like smoke. The world around them burned red and black. It was the end of the world as we know it."

Fear seized Cassius' chest and refused to let go. He was not accustomed to the feeling, yet Aliss’ words painted a vision so vivid in his mind that he couldn't shake it. And worse, he believed it. He could feel the truth of it deep in his bones.

"This is not good," Seraphis muttered, rising to his feet. The playfulness had vanished from his face, replaced by the same fear and urgency that churned in Cassius' gut. Beside him, Dreu was no different.

"She may not be an experienced seer," Seraphis continued, "but a seer’s visions should never be taken lightly."

Cassius swallowed, forcing his mind to focus. "Are you saying this will happen?" He hated how uncertain he sounded. He once prided himself on knowledge, but now he realized just how little he knew. How foolish he’d been to desire to work for the Axis of Seraphim.

"Not if we stop them." Dreu stood, brushing stray grass and dust from his clothes before extending a hand to Aliss. She took it, wincing as she pushed herself upright.

"Cassius, you are a spellblade," Seraphis said.

Cassius searched his face for a hint of jest, but there was none. He was serious.

"I knew it the day I met you," Seraphis continued, "but you ditched me before I could tell you more about yourself and why your mother abandoned you. It’s because of what you are."

"I told him," Dreu said from behind Seraphis, "but he refuses to believe it."

Aliss stared at Cassius, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Spellblades died years ago. They were hunted by wizards and every other race because they were the only ones who could track rogue supernaturals and eliminate them."

She spoke as if recalling a lesson from her father, and her voice tinged with awe and nervousness. "They were the only warriors capable of bringing even the Amazons to their knees. They were also the only ones who could stand against the supernaturals, nature's weapon against the otherworldly. They were special, their true power an unknown force. Every supernatural being united to wipe them out, feeling threatened, unable to breathe under the Spellblades' scrutiny, law, and order."

Cassius felt their eyes on him, three sets of unwavering gazes pressing down like a weight on his chest. His knees threatened to buckle under the weight of their implications, but he held firm. He had spent his life surviving. He would not break now.

Once again, the image of his father battling seven men flashed behind his eyelids. He shut his eyes, forcing it away. Not now.

“The Thunderbornes had no hand in it,” Seraphis said quickly. “We were pushed back before the spellblades were targeted. If they had survived, they would have fought beside us, as they always did. But by then, they were already so few.”

Cassius met Seraphis' gaze, now seeing what he had missed as a child: their warmth, camaraderie, and unspoken bond. Thunderbornes and spellblades had once stood together, keeping order among the supernatural. That pull between them still existed, a connection Cassius had feared all those years ago. Back then, Seraphis had terrified him. He’d been too bright, too eager, too much when Cassius had just been abandoned, left to fend for himself by his mother. So he had run. He wondered momentarily, “What if he had stayed?”

No. It was useless to dwell on the past. He had no regrets. He had made himself into who he was, alone, without help. And he was proud of who he was.

Straightening, he pushed away the haze of doubt clouding his mind. The weight on his chest lifted. He knew what needed to be done. He knew where they had to go.

“We’re heading to Sovervale,” he said. “The answers are waiting for us there.”

Stay tuned for Chapter 15 on 08/01/2025