The rider hurtled toward the encampment, disappearing into the ring of carriages. A colossal shadow stepped fully into the daylight from the forest, dust whisking into the air with each step as the Murasi pursued the rider.

The small, cloaked figure burst out from the far side of the camp, circling back toward the Murasi. As they cut across the field, Erith caught sight of a small crate strapped to the saddle.

The wind caught the rider’s hood and tore it free. Blond hair flared in the morning light.

Moons?

Erith felt the world tighten. He shoved the elder aside and broke into a run toward the camp.

“You can’t mean to go there… It’s certain death!” the elder shouted behind him.

“Moons!” Erith called, but the rider pressed on, veering toward the Murasi before it collided with the outer edge of the encampment.

A horn boomed from the circle of carriages, echoing across the field. The Murasi’s claw came down the nearest wagon, splintering it effortlessly into the air.

Rhymera…

The rider hauled the horse around sharply, barely avoiding the explosion of wood and metal, and circled once more—this time facing the ruins, facing Erith.

His body strained, but it was the only chance he had. Erith lifted his hand and shouted again, casting a plume of hazy black Mura into the air above him.

As suddenly as it rose, the smoke vanished. Erith tried to cling to what little Mura remained within him, but he had poured too much outward. The world fractured. The rider, the Murasi, the camp all dissolved into blurs.

Erith’s side slammed against something hard.

Did I fall?

A weight slammed down on Erith’s back, pinning his arms behind him.

Muffled voices shouted around him, until a heavy groan cut through the noise, and the pressure lifted.

“Erith.”

The voice was right at his ear, urgent, but filled with relief. A hand rolled him onto his back, and Amun’s blurred outline hovered above him. “Erith, you need to eat this. Now.”

Amun forced Erith’s hands around a small sack. It was warm, humming like something alive. Erith knew that vibration instantly—a Murasi, no larger than a rabbit, thrashing around inside.

He tore the sack open and guided Erith’s hand toward the opening.

The creature began to dissolve the moment Erith’s fingers grazed it. The Murasi’s form unraveled into black, metallic smoke that coiled into his palm and slid through him like cold fire. Erith gasped as the tension in his muscles loosened and his vision began to sharpen.

Hands pulled Erith upright. “Can you ride?” Amun asked breathlessly. “Because your friends are pouring out of the ruins over there, and I’d really like to leave them with their gift.”

Erith whipped his head around. Blurred figures moved at the base of the ancient tower. His attention snapped to the elder sprawled beside him, clutching an arrow buried deep in his side.

“That one was trying to tie you up with his robe,” Amun muttered, clambering onto the horse.

“C’mon—let’s get the hell out of here. Rin’s got a spot where we can meet—.”

“Rhymera’s in the camp, Moons,” Erith cut in.

Amun froze. Horror flickered across his face, but no words came out.

The thrash of the Murasi tearing through carriages and the shouts of the Illuminary rushing toward them swallowed the silence between them.

“If you put me close,” Erith said, eyeing over the destructive wake of the Murasi , “I can get her.”

The grim look on Amun remained for a heartbeat, until he shook his head and thrust a hand toward Erith.

“Fine. Let’s die over there so we don’t die here,” said Amun, unease threading through his words as he glanced toward the Illuminary closing in.

He hoisted Erith onto the horse where Erith saw the crate up close—a small box housing a container carved from Kaida gemstone, the kind used to carry small transfers of raw Kaida. A mechanical connector valve still jutted from the top, its filling port exposed.

“Moons…did you lure that Murasi here?” Erith asked, eyeing the contraption in muted wonder.

“You didn’t want to go,” Amun's voice quivered as he grabbed the reins. He cast one last look toward the Illuminary. “And we’re not letting them take you.”

Tears streaked down his face as he met Erith’s eyes.

“Please… keep my mum safe, Erith.”

With that, he kicked off.

The horse had only galloped a few paces when something slammed into its hind legs, lifting it clear off the ground and hurling both riders forward.

With only a heartbeat to react, Erith grabbed Amun, pulling him tight against his chest as they were flung through the air.

Instinct took hold. Kaida and Mura wove around them in a protective sweep just before they hit the ground. The horse crashed down after them, rolling off their shielded bodies.

“How are we alive—wait, are we alive?”

“Just run, Moons!” Erith barked, hauling Amun to his feet.

Behind them, Cerus slowed to a casual walk, drifting past Maeric as he tended to the elder, as though the chaos ahead was simply an inconvenience. Illuminary apprentices veered wide around him, sprinting toward the Murasi tearing through the encampment.

“I assure you,” Cerus said mildly, “he will die by my hand if he tries to run.”

Amun froze. Erith’s grip on his arm tightened.

Cerus continued his unhurried approach, his voice carrying that familiar calm menace.

“Quite the spirit in you, Erith. Even with that fresh Mura stirring in your veins, do you truly want to gamble? In an open field like this, I would only need one shot for the boy. And I do not miss.”

Erith felt Amun’s pulse hammering beneath his hand. His gaze flicked from Cerus to the ground behind Amun—where the Kaida container lay only a few feet away from the collapsed horse heaving shallow breaths.

His voice dropped to a whisper. “Is there enough to lure it over here?”

Amun swallowed hard. “Give me cover and I’ll have it come shake your hand.”

Erith straightened himself, stepping fully in front of Amun.

“That’s enough,” he called out. “Let him go, and I’ll come with you.”

Cerus stopped, and then bellowed a rich, hearty laugh.

“You are quite the gambler.” He tilted his head, smile widening. “Remember this, Erith—the boy’s death will be on your hands. The choice is yours alone.”

Amun bolted.

Cerus did not flinch.

He simply raised a hand.

Mura cracked through the air like thunder—

—and Erith met it with his own.

✦☽✧❖⨁☼✺☼⨁❖✧☽✦