Princessa saw Amy packing her things but walked out of the dorm like it didn’t mean anything — like Amy didn’t mean anything. Bennet didn’t even look at her as she left. He laughed with Fara, who glanced at Amy and snickered. She whispered something to Bennet.

Amy looked away. As she walked down the hallway, she looked both ways. There was no sign of Libbet. So she stepped out. No one was going to stop her until…

“Wait!”

Princessa’s voice froze Amy on the spot. Amy’s heart lept. She turned, breath catching, her friend’s name half-formed in her throat.

“You have my gloves in your bag.”

Amy blinked. “Oh.”

Her shoulder sagged as she dug through her things and handed over the gloves. Princessa took them and turned without a word. Amy too turned to go. But quietly, she waited.

Time ticked by as she reached the door, glancing back once more. Why? Even she wasn’t sure.

Princessa was gone. And Bennet? Nowhere to be seen.

I didn’t even hear her leave.

She stepped out into the snow.

She squinted as the cold bit her cheek. The wind whipped white flurries across the endless snow. It looked beautiful, like a painting brought to life, though the wind stung her eyes.

“Hey, you!” A man in thick furs and fogged-up goggles waved her down.

Amy’s heart sank further down. “Yes?” Her voice was small, piteous.

The adult looked her up and down. “You’re Amy, right?”

She nodded.

“Commander’s orders,” he said. “He said if you ever stepped outside, I’m supposed to take you to the mainland.”

“Oh,” she followed him as he gestured her to step onto the sled. Was this Karl’s way of showing kindness? No…it must have been Julius who got the man to do this. Or…maybe this was a kidnapping attempt. She shrugged. The only thing for miles around was ice and snow. She had nowhere else to go. Thankfully, the man was true to his word and dropped her off at the edge of civilization.

“Bye!”

Amy waved back as she turned toward the city — and gaped.

Her hometown Kristo had raised her in was very different. Sunji’s markets had been made of wood and straw. It had cramped stalls and shouting vendors, and it constantly smelled of fried fish and burning oil.

This… wasn’t Sunji.

Rich, glossy black stone buildings rose into the sky. The streets were quiet as people milled about. But Amy’s muscles tensed. As she walked in, she saw strangers keeping a distance from each other, eying the other carefully.

She heard whispers and sensed everyone’s feeling. The folk were on edge after the empress’ death. Yes, there were celebrations, at first, but who would rise to power now? The throne remained empty.

Where is Karl and Julius? She remembered they had traveled to the city.

She passed storefronts with real doors. She remembered the wooden ones of Sunji. The ones here were made of the same glossy, black stone of the buildings. She passed a window that displayed colorful paintings. Another that featured weird clothes.

Further in, she noticed rubble from a shattered statue. Judging from the fragments, it was probably the fallen empress. Her mother. And in the alley, slumped against the wall, sat a woman. Her hair was unkempt, big, and angry. A bottle was cradled in her hand. The woman wasn’t begging or crying. No, instead she just stared at the wall, transfixed, as if it whispered something. To Amy, she looked like a ghost in this foreign city.

Amy shook her head and looked away. Her stomach growled. She clutched her bag tighter, though it didn’t carry anything. Just her old clothes and an almost empty water canteen. Panic rose in her throat slowly, eventually settling in her stomach. She scanned the street and saw people slipping into a building with a symbol she couldn’t read. But from the smell alone, she knew: there was food.

Her eyes flicked back to the alley. The wall still whispered to the woman. Apparently.

That could be me.

I don’t want her to be me.

What am I supposed to do now?

She thought of Julius. Of Karl. They were somewhere in this city, maybe.

She thought of Princessa. Of Bennet.

Then—

A cold force slammed into her back.

Amy screamed as she was launched forward, her body hitting the ground violently. She rolled three times before crashing onto her side.

The hard stone pavement scraped her hands, knees, and cheek. Her bag skidded, lost, far away. She groaned, pushing herself up on shaking arms.

And like the devil himself, Bennet stood in front of her, blue sparks flickering at his fingertips.

But unlike the devil, he wasn’t smiling. Instead, his eyes were blank—like he was trying not to feel anything at all. But he couldn’t hide from Amy. She had a strange superpower, she could feel what others were feeling. And looking at Bennet, her skin buzzed with hesitation.

Then she heard footsteps behind him.

Princessa rounded the corner. Red light curled at her palms. Amy could feel Princessa’s emotions clearer. They were laced with…grief. But her expression somehow managed to be bright. But the glint in her eyes were dimmed.

“It’s nothing personal,” Princessa exclaimed, chipper but tired. “And it’s not my fault! I didn’t piss on Libbet. You should’ve made up with her. You—” her voice caught, then Amy felt her rage. “Why are you looking at me like I did wrong?”

She felt a pang of hurt from Princessa. It sent a wave of annoyance and anger through her. Amy stared at her, stunned.

Princessa flinched before her jaw set. Her voice lost the chipper. “Whatever. It’s too late now.”

Amy’s breath hitched. She turned her face away as Princessa and Bennet raised their hands, rooted to attack.

But then there was a blur.

“Wait—” Bennet started.

CRACK.

A boot collided with his head, snapping it sideways. He stumbled, sparks scattering.

“Hey—!” Princessa barely managed the word before a figure ripped her backward by the hair and flung her across the square.

Amy’s eyes flew open.

The woman from the alley was moving… fast. She no longer slumped or dazed. She was a lethal flurry of focused movement. She looked… alive.

Bennet raised a hand, but the woman was already in the air. She twisted mid-leap and slammed both feet against the poor boys skull. Again.

He crumpled.

She clearly didn’t care that he was a kid.

Princessa’s fire lashed toward her back. She ducked, spun, and sprinted in a jagged pattern, closing the gap. Princessa fired — and missed. Eyes wide, she stumbled upright, hands ablaze.

But the woman was already close. Too close.

The woman administered a feint, a roll, and a brutal palm to the face.

Princessa’s skull cracked against stone.

But the battle was far from over.

Another arc of ice tore toward her… But the woman was gone again!

Amy had lost sight of her before the woman appeared behind the boy, grabbed his throat, and slammed him down with precise accuracy. Her movements were cold and cruel.

Both teens lay sprawled and silent. And the alley woman stood, panting slightly. Her coat fluttered in the breeze.

It was foolish of Amy to think this was over. Behind the woman, Libbet slipped from the shadows. Her expression was unreadable. Not even Amy’s enhanced senses could discern her emotions. Red sparks crackled in Libbet’s hand.

The woman didn’t turn. Her eyes rested on Princessa and Bennet’s unconscious form.

“Watch out!” Amy shrieked—But the woman already knew.

“Brat after brat after brat…” the woman muttered as a torrent of fire tore toward her. Libbet’s fire was nothing like Princessa — it was hotter and with increased speed!

But woman didn’t block it. No, she skidded back as the earth curved around her feet, launching her in a tight arc. Amy’s eyes widened.

A slingshot escape.

She’s an earth magic user.

But something was wrong. Amy noticed the woman hadn’t used magic against Princessa or Bennet. Even now, it was as if…

She’s holding back.

The woman wasn’t retaliating. She wasn’t calling on magic. She was actively avoiding it. The woman’s gaze swept around before settling on Libbet.

Then, she moved fast, faster than Kristo had—but Libbet matched her, reading the pattern.

She cut her off, scoring a hit.

The woman had barely dodged, but her shoulder had been seared. Though it must have hurt, she didn’t scream or flinch. She just looked at Libbet as if the scrawny teen was a fly that annoyed her.

Libbet advanced, confident now. “What’s the matter?” she snapped. “Too weak to fight me head-on?”

The woman’s lips curled, almost pitying. Then she stepped backward, making Amy suspect a retreat. Libbet was strong, after all. She remembered the grown men sent flying. The woman moved toward the rubble.

But Libbet narrowed her eyes, as if seeing what Amy couldn’t see.

Then, it hit, a second too late. The woman wasn’t retreating. She was choosing the terrain!

Libbet’s nostrils flared in annoyance. She screamed as she released her fiercest torrent, but the flames hit nothing. The woman had already dodged and kicked a chunk of fallen stone toward Libbet’s wide eyes. It zoomed toward the girl, and Libbet jumped away. But the stone was only a distraction as another slammed against her leg. Then a second, in the same spot.

As Libbet let out a curse, the woman didn’t give her a break. Libbet’s eyes shut hard as sprays of dirt hit her face. She screamed as they took her sight. Her magic flickered…

And that was all the woman needed.

She was on her in seconds. She gave a disarming blow to the wrist, a kick to the knee, and a flat-handed strike to the throat.

Libbet crumpled to her knees, choking. But the woman wasn’t done. She wasn’t wasting energy or time.

“Fast reflexes,” she muttered. “But too reliant on tells. Like a sad child, you wind up before every shot.”

Libbet swung blindly, fire flaring haphazardly. The woman simply stepped away, watching Libbet try to open her eyes, but closing them again due to the sting. She coughed pathetically, hand flying where the woman had slammed her throat.

Amy stared, shaking.

Libbet staggered back, breathing hard. Alone.

“I hate fire users,” the woman sighed as she finally neutralized her target.

Amy ran forward, heart pounding. The woman didn’t even look at her.

“Is she dead?” Amy asked.

“Are you dumb?” the woman snapped.

Then she turned.

Their eyes met.

Curly hair. Dark skin. Deep brown eyes.

Amy’s breath caught.

The woman blinked.

“Ah, shit,” her mother muttered.

Before Amy could respond, a blast of ice tore through the square, stronger than what they had just faced. Aurora yanked Amy sideways just in time. They skidded across the pavement, wind screaming in their ears.

Another crash of ice splintered where they’d just been standing.

Aurora twisted, looking annoyed and bored out of her mind.

Amy followed her gaze.

Karl stood at the edge of the square. Ice crawling up his arms. His face? Stone-cold and dead set on them.

Her mother smiled and waved politely at him before turning away.

“Fuckin’ shiiiiit!” Aurora screamed at the sun.