The walk shifted into a jog. The jog into a near sprint. Vin looked back—instinct overriding sense— Both guards behind him shouted simultaneously. He didn't know their language. He didn't need to. The message was clear: Don't look. RUN. His pulse launched into his throat. He ran. Behind them— One sound became ten. Ten became a hundred. Hundreds of footsteps, breaths, things—closing fast. The woman fumbled for something, then blew a piercing whistle. A distant crash echoed forward—heavy, metallic, like a gate being slammed open. Voices carried next—shouts, clattering armor. Their home had to be close. Vin's instincts spiked when the terrain ahead leveled out unnaturally. Far too smooth. His eyes scanned— A telltale dip in the earth. "Left!" he barked, yanking the woman's arm. She looked toward him with fury—until the ground where she would have stepped exploded upward with writhing tendrils. Her expression faltered. No thanks given—but none needed. She pointed ahead— A dim light in the distance. They sprinted until the trees broke and a towering stone wall rose before them, ringed with red torches. A fortified town.

Five Ravenours guarded the entrance.

Two knelt before a shrine—a stone phoenix surrounded by purple flame.

Vin barely stopped himself from colliding into them as he skidded to a halt. He grimaced at the heavily robed Ravenours, who knelt in prayer. "What are you doing praying to that thing?" He recognized the shrine's magic. It matched the phoenix's, the same fire that burned him to ash. Before he could question further— A freezing shriek cracked through the dark behind them. Vin turned toward the treeline. Hundreds of red eyes glimmered beyond the torchlight. Waiting. Watching. Refusing to cross the flame barrier. He looked at the shrine again. Then at the Ravenours praying. "…They're praying to that thing for protection?" Everything began to click. The ice fairy. The phoenix. The Astral Plane. These beings weren't just monsters—they were worshipped. Deified. "If they've got followers," Vin muttered, "why the hell do they need kids for their missions?" He didn't expect an answer. Even if the phoenix was watching, it rarely spoke. And even when it did, Vin rarely understood. Though the forest was behind him, swords still flashed as the armed Ravenours pulled Vin away from their priestesses. The young woman who'd led him spoke sharply to the gatekeepers, gesturing to Vin's ears. The realization hit quickly that he wasn't their enemy. More Ravenours poured out from the gate, exchanging hurried words. Vin barely followed their commotion—his mind was somewhere else. Praying wasn't unfamiliar. Humans had prayed to icons like Christ and Buddha. The strange part now was that these people prayed to something real. Something physical. Something that had already destroyed him. The Ravenours finished their exchange with surprising humility—every soldier bowed to the young woman. Strange, considering many of them were twice her age and looked twice as strong. She flicked her fingers, commanding the two escorts—Jazz hands and Antsy—who closed in behind Vin and ushered him through the gate.

The town unfolded immediately.

Vin's feet touched extraordinarily smooth gray stone. A massive street cut the settlement perfectly in half, one and two-story buildings marching down both sides like tidy rows of soldiers. Far down the road, the path widened into a circular plaza—large enough to hold thousands. A gray statue, possibly a fountain, stood at the center. Beyond that… a dark stone fortress. Black and purple banners with the crest of a black phoenix hung with pride. As Vin walked deeper into the town, the atmosphere shifted. Dozens of Ravenours—winged, scaled, and towering—went from casual to stunned in an instant. Their eyes widened. Their jaws dropped. A naked human being escorted into their city. Not shackled. Not bleeding. Not dead. Just… there. The disgust came quickly. Shopkeepers froze mid-business. Coins clattered to the floor. People stared holes through him. Vin kept close behind his handler, ignoring the scorn. He'd expected food, shelter—maybe the clichéd fantasy tavern. Instead, he got hate. They reached the first intersection when the woman abruptly stopped. Vin almost bumped into her. He followed her gaze. An entire squad of Ravenour soldiers approached, armor heavier, their uniforms shifting from purple to deep red. Their leader—a sturdy, box-faced man with rich scarlet scales and a warlike buzz cut that showed the entirety of his rear curved horns—marched at the front, face burning with fury. The woman straightened, shoulders firming, chin lifting with practiced authority. Vin didn't know what made her important—only that people moved when she did. Royal blood? Noble rank? Something like that. Vin had never met royalty. Closest thing was Macy's fourth birthday when she wore a paper crown and declared herself Queen of Brownies. The General stopped in front of the young woman. She opened her mouth— A sickening, heavy SMACK echoed across the street. His palm slammed into her face so hard her head snapped sideways, and she dropped to the ground. Gasps rippled through the crowd. Vin's expression didn't shift, but his eyes followed her fall. The General of that unit barked something cruel and stepped over her like fallen debris. Then he drew his sword and stepped toward Vin. It was immediately evident that the man wanted him dead. Alright. He could try.