Having spent his life defending his brother, Regal stepped protectively in front of Lloyd. Sheena’s eyes never left Lloyd’s. Lloyd’s mind spun, still reeling from the relentless back-to-back fights. The adrenaline that had fueled him was now fading, leaving his anger to ebb into a creeping panic. The memory of killing that man, so coldly and without hesitation, churned in his chest, the weight of it sinking deeper with every passing second.

  Caught in a whirlwind of regret and chaos, Lloyd forced himself to move. He stepped forward, his hand rising to rest gently against Regal’s chest. The gesture was meant to calm his brother, to reassure him, but it only made Lloyd’s own dread swell. The single step brought him dangerously close to Sheena and her poised blades, gleaming and ready. He could feel the lethal tension crackling in the air between them. Lloyd’s breaths came shallow, his body drained of strength, his mind too exhausted to weave another lie.

  “All right, here’s the truth…” Lloyd said, his voice unsteady. He paused, inhaling deeply, desperate to calm the wild thundering of his heartbeat. “Until just before you found me passed out on Regal’s shoulder, I didn’t have any powers,” Lloyd said, his heartbeat thumping in his ears. His eyes scanning the reactions of Sheena and Colette.

  His words hung in the air like a storm cloud. His pulse roared in his ears as he scanned Sheena and Colette’s faces, searching for any sign of their reactions.

  Sheena’s piercing emerald eyes remained cold and unreadable, her expression as sharp as the blades she carried. Colette, however, gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

  “I made up a story about me gaining my powers. I’m actually older than Regal… though I don’t know by how much. I wasn’t lying about being left on a doorstep as a baby—that part’s true. Every day since Regal got his powers, I wished mine would come along,” Lloyd said, shaking his head, which still raced with thoughts and doubts.

  Lloyd glanced around, noticing the tension had eased slightly, though Regal and Milla still stood as barriers between him and Sheena. Colette had stepped forward, her fear seemingly diminishing. Even so, Lloyd knew the hardest part of his confession was yet to come.

  Fuck, here we go.

  He stared at the dirt beneath his feet, the weight of the next words pressing heavily on his chest. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, burdened with guilt.

  “The day Cassius died…” Lloyd began, his throat tightening. “We were attacked by bandits. They wanted a toll to let us pass—or threatened to kill us if we didn’t pay. We fought back, but their leader… he had telekinesis. He was unbelievably strong. He killed Cassius first and slammed me against a boulder like I was nothing. My bag… it was completely crushed. Everything inside was destroyed.”

  He hesitated, his breath hitching. The memory burned, as vivid and raw as the day it happened.

  “There were potions in that bag. Ones we’d gotten from an Alchemist in the last town. They were supposed to help me heal, boost my strength and agility… and was supposed to make me feel like I was Ascended—for a minute, anyway.”

  Lloyd’s hands curled into fists at his sides as his voice grew quieter, more uncertain. “As my vision blurred, I saw Regal… I saw him getting cut up. I couldn’t just watch him die. I wouldn’t. I saw red liquid spilling onto the ground. I didn’t know if it was the health potion or that other one—but I drank as much as I could before it soaked into the dirt. And then…”

  He faltered, swallowing hard. His eyes darted toward Regal, who stood silent and grim, before shifting his gaze back to the ground.

  “All I remember was my strength coming back, my vision sharpening just enough. I fired an arrow straight through the leader’s skull, and suddenly… this beam of light erupted from me. A massive warrior charged at me, and out of sheer desperation, I threw my arms forward and shoved with everything I had. The force… it sent him flying.” Lloyd shook his head. “I blacked out shortly after that.”

  Throughout his explanation, Lloyd avoided Sheena’s gaze, too nervous to see her reaction. He immediately regretted it as the tension, once easing, now surged back stronger than ever. Sheena’s emerald eyes no longer blazed with anger, but pure killing intent. She stepped forward; Regal was finally forced to draw his blade.

  “Wait, wait! We don’t have to fight!” Lloyd pleaded.

  Sheena halted, her glare snapping to him. “Don’t have to fight?” she spat, venom dripping from her tone. Her blades sliced through the air with each word, her gestures sharp and aggressive. “You killed him and stole his powers, didn’t you? Just like you did with that bastard back there. What’s stopping you from doing the same to us?”

  Lloyd opened his mouth to respond, but Sheena and Milla were already in motion.

  Milla leapt at Regal, forcing him backward as the agile fox went for his throat. With swift, deadly precision, Sheena charged, eliminating the distance between them. Both hands clenched around his staff, Lloyd directed all his concentration toward Sheena. His magic wrapped around Sheena’s limbs and torso, encasing her in a telekinetic hold. As always, he felt everything his telekinesis touched. But this time, the connection felt too real, too intimate, as if his own hands were holding her back.

  Heat rose to Lloyd’s face, causing his focus to falter briefly. Sheena didn’t hesitate, closing the gap, and slicing one dagger toward Lloyd’s throat, and thrusting another toward his stomach. Inches away from her connecting, Lloyd barely managed to regain control, halting her advance with a desperate surge of magic. The strain of holding her back was immense, like trying to hold back a tidal wave with nothing but his bare hands.

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  Somewhere behind Lloyd, Milla ignited into a fiery inferno, and a pained cry tore from Regal’s throat. Lloyd’s attention stayed locked on Sheena, but the snarls and Regal’s pained shouts threatened to break his focus.

  The weight of his mental effort left him gasping, his body trembling under the pressure. He felt like a man dying of thirst, so close to salvation yet dragged back into the desert just as relief was within reach.

  His Mana reserves were nearly drained, the magical tether binding Sheena beginning to slip. Her strength surged, and he could feel her shaking free of his hold. A faint crack echoed from his staff, drawing his attention upward. The Manarite crystal at its core fractured, splintering into shards before disintegrating into a fine, glowing blue dust. The fragments hovered in mid-air, caught in the web of his telekinesis.

  With no time to think, Lloyd inhaled deeply, drawing the shimmering powder into his lungs. The effect was instantaneous and overwhelming. Energy flooded his body, doubling the intensity of a Mana potion. His magical grip on Sheena strengthened, allowing him to push her back a few feet, her boots dragging in the dirt.

  “Please, I don’t want this fight! I don’t want anyone to get hurt!” Lloyd yelled, his words thick with desperation. “I just want to stop the Corrupted beasts and keep people safe.”

  Pain coursed through Lloyd’s body like wildfire. Each breath came in sharp, ragged gasps, while sweat gathered on his brow and trickled down his face. Sweat trickled into his eyes, stinging and worsening his vision.

  “I want to save people,” Lloyd said, the thought weighing heavily on his mind. Though true, it wasn’t the full truth. For years, he had tried to deny the deeper longing within him. But now, with exhaustion gnawing at his limits and Sheena’s killing intent looming over him, he couldn’t deny it anymore. He began to understand Sheena’s fears. With nothing left to give, he laid everything bare, hoping she would relent.

  “I admit it, I want to be powerful. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of being like my brother. Now I am. I’m determined to train relentlessly, every single day, to grow stronger. I…” Lloyd’s voice trailed off as his powers gave out. How ironic they choose now to fail on me.

  Freed from the telekinetic hold, Sheena advanced, daggers drawn. Lloyd met her gaze, silently pleading for mercy. He didn’t resist or attempt to dodge. He stood still as the blade bit into his skin. She held the blade to his throat, just enough to draw blood, yet stopped short of driving it deeper. Lloyd seized the moment to speak again, his voice steady despite the blade.

  “All I’ve ever wanted is to make my parents proud, even the ones I never knew. I need to ensure that Cassius’s death wasn’t in vain. Cassius once told me he feared my weakness would cost Regal his life. He said Regal would put himself in harm’s way to protect me. Look at him now—fighting a flaming fox to protect me,” Lloyd turned his head to the right, cutting a deeper wound into his neck as he did.

  Lloyd’s gaze shifted to Milla, now devoid of her fiery aura, locked in a fierce exchange with Regal. His brother’s shirt was shredded, revealing clawed and scorched skin beneath. For now, the injuries seemed minor, but every passing moment heightened the danger.

  Lloyd turned his head slightly, wincing as the blade cut a little deeper, more blood trickling down his neck. “I don’t want to be the one who always needs protecting. I want to be the one shielding others. I know no words can sway you. But that’s all I can offer. That’s everything I am.”

  He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple brushing against the blade. “If that’s not enough… then do what you have to.”

  Sheena’s piercing eyes searched Lloyd’s face, fury ebbing with each passing moment. The blade trembled in her hand before she pulled it away, sliding it back into its sheath. With a shove, she forced Lloyd back, her movements stiff with frustration. Lloyd staggered but steadied himself as Sheena took a step away. She jerked her head, and Milla, her ears twitching attentively, obediently trotted to her side.

  Lloyd lifted a trembling hand to his throat, his fingers brushing over the shallow cut. When he pulled it back, it came away smeared with blood. Regal, his movements labored and deliberate, reached down to retrieve his fallen sword. He wiped the blade on his tattered sleeve before sheathing it with a quiet resolve.

  Sheena glanced at Lloyd again, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came. Her jaw tightened, and she snapped her mouth shut, turning away abruptly.

  “Fuck! Fuck!” she shouted, the words ringing out with raw, unfiltered frustration. Her pacing quickened, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. Finally, with a strangled groan, she clawed at her hair and sat on the ground.

  Colette stood frozen a few feet away, her wide eyes darting between Sheena and Lloyd. Fear flickered across her face, indecision rooting her in place.

  Milla padded forward, her movements slow and deliberate, her intense gaze locked onto Sheena. With a soft whine, she lowered her head onto Sheena’s lap, her fiery fur warming the air around them. The flames danced chaotically, then began to flicker like a dying candle, their vibrant heat ebbing as they retreated into Milla’s body. The fiery hues faded, leaving her coat bare. For a moment, her fur returned to its natural deep red, a rare sight that made her piercing blue eyes all the more striking. Then the change began.

  Like ink spilling across water, her fur began to darken. It rippled and flowed, the transition eerily smooth, as though her body was dissolving into shadow and reforming itself. Her coat shifted into pure obsidian, the waves of her night form gentle swaying on Sheena’s lap. Lloyd, unable to look away, felt his breath hitch. He’d never seen her transform before. It wasn’t just beautiful—it was mesmerizing, as though the essence of night itself had come alive.

  Lloyd approached Sheena cautiously and lowered himself to sit across from her. Colette and Regal followed, Colette placing her hands on Lloyd to heal the cut on his neck. Regal, to Lloyd’s surprise, settled down next to Milla. Perhaps their brief scuffle had done more to build trust than it had to break it.

  “I’m sorry. I…” Sheena began, lifting her gaze to Lloyd. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that. Your power… it’s messed up. But we don’t choose the gifts we’re given.” Sheena paused, the rustling of leaves the only sound filling the silence. “For reasons I don’t entirely understand, Milla doesn’t hate you—and she’s usually right about people. I owe you my life, and I haven’t forgotten that. I get why you didn’t tell us sooner. Honestly, I would’ve reacted the same way. The only difference is I wouldn’t have held back. Just… no more lies, okay?”

  Colette, visibly relieved, leaned gently against Sheena, her head resting lightly on her shoulder. The group sat in silence, their collective exhaustion settling over them like a heavy blanket. The air grew cooler as darkness crept steadily closer, the last rays of daylight slipping below the horizon.