"Ugh... my head is killing me."

  I felt the vein throbbing on my temple as I tried to massage the pain away. The drunken racket dowreet kept rising, the sound of which caused me to mutter in frustration.

  "couldn't she have rented somewhere secluded?"

  The half-closed window to my right was to bme, and I g it with disdain for it was out of my reach.

  I was uo do anything about it for now, so I went back to examining the book.

  I still despised snow, even though it saved me at times from thirst. I hated the chill that peed my bones and the sting that it caused in my fingers. And above all, I hated hoy everyone seemed when I snuck upwards.

  Yet when I looked at the pristihick paper that filled my able, and how it shone in the dim light. It trumped my disdain for times now past.

  Even through my untrained eyes, the value of the gleaming parts was evident.

  I took care not to tug too hard on the shoddy seam again, for the will that held it together was gradually vanishing. I turhe page to the test entry and brought the dle closer to better see the words.

  [ 12th of Scythe's peak.

  The rays of su in through the creaks, coupled with a choir of birds that let out a merry song weling the new day.

  Still lyih my cotton b, I thought I could finally enjoy a long sleep after months of grueling training.

  But it was not to be, and before I had the ce to enjoy nature's tune an an unwele guest burst into my room.

  It was Zelea, my you sister, rushing in through the door like water from a dam.

  I gred at Miria (our maid) thinking she fot what I asked of her, and she averted her gaze while holding back a ugh. She was in on it, the traitor!

  My head sunk deeper into the pillows when her rampaging knocked down one of my prized possessions. A hand-crafted marble figurine of The Velvet Prince. His famous sullen head was now flung across the room.

  I'll never uand how she gets this muergy so early in the m.

  Another piece shattered, the small replica of the Fergana I got from my presenind tutor.

  But it was when she grabbed my figurine of the winged general that I burst from my bed in anger. Zelea pa my approad the piece fell from her hand as she ran away to hide behind Miria.

  I never trated on anything before as much as I did on casting that water bubble.

  I had to jure it up exactly around the figurihat was flying in the air. Then I had to focus on keeping it from bursting in.

  Not eveime when I dueled my father or passed the entrance exam to Caehdel pared to the amount of stress of those moments.

  When the bubble was stable in the air I brought it bay palm. I admit I was a bit fed up when I gred over at Zelea and shouted "What do you want?" as I ched my fist in anger.

  I thought if I acted angry she would leave and hoped that she would stop her nasty habit iure.

  As, she came prepared, that little...

  No! Remember Yarina, you promised to stop swearing!

  Ugh! This heavy-breathiion scroll was a sham, what a waste of money!

  All it does is make me anxious and it makes breathing such a chore.

  Anyway, bay (lovely) little sister. Who oisfied with the mess she made pulled out a sealed letter bearing our family's sigil.

  "In order to celebrate your indu - induc"

  "Induy dy" Maria had to step in to correct her stutter.

  "Ahem, indeed. Your indu into the Caehdeli Dome. We will be hosting a gathering of your peers in the region within a month's time. Once you fer about the details of the party with Maria, report bae. Signed by your father, and mine, Zaktel Krosmaa."

  That's it? All this ruckus for an invitation to a tea party? Ugh! If only I could jure up a small cloud to follow her around or throw some muddy sand on her white shoes...

  But I couldn't, even if it was a casual o was still a decree from my father.

  She was well protected, even from some, admittedly petty, pranks.

  After all, the first rule of diplomacy is: Don't harm the messenger."

  I'm sure that includes pellets of mud, what a pity...]

  The flickering dlelight made me strain my eyes to read that st part so I decided to put the book away.

  After reading that, the shred of guilt that lingered in my chest started to lessen.

  It became less puzzling now that the previous owner of this house met that tragic fate.

  This nd is unbound by such rules. The district of Vagren she had unwittingly strolled into has as much diplomacy as a rabid dog's bite.

  I don't know what a figurine is, but if she thought that it breaking was the worst thing that could happen. Then I wondered what she thought as the strays were nibbling on her iines.

  I rocked ba my chair with my feet dangling in the air a out a sigh, what a day it was.

  I stared down at my bruised hands and the blood of many that covered them.

  It would be a lie to say that my previous deeds weighed less on my mind as the hours passed.

  My eyes raced across the room, and in the dark, I started to familiarize myself with its yout.

  The table was in the ter, a few empty bowls sat on top. o it was a small piece of wood, it looked like a cube and stood beside the bed he wall. On top of the cube was an unlit dle and another bowl. And finally, there was the firepce, its fme was unkindled and a fire iron sat beside it.

  This was it, what I dreamed of all my life, what I chose at that moment.

  In that brief lull, the grip I held over my mind loosened for but a moment. But that's all it took for the events of the strenuous day to e crashing down on me. I squeezed my eyes as the visions streamed to my mind, and I remembered the state of her when she breathed her st.

  Everything started at noon, the gnawing hunger numbed my mind and my vision was all but bnk when I stumbled across the ambush.

  Even after reading her book, I was still unsure what she was doing here. But whether it be rotten luck or a venomous curiosity, it led her here all the same. And hiring a local guide to help her navigate through the slums wasn't the only mistake she made that day.

  The trap was already sprung, even before her tongue deepehe hole that her feet dug up. Trying to intimidate them, she carelessly annouhat she was a renewal willer.

  I didn't know much, but I knew people weren't created equally in this world.

  Those who maheir thoughts into reality were a rare enough breed. And anomalies such as renewal mages and others were even rarer.

  At the time, I thought she was going to get away scot-free. Willers were not to be trifled with.

  A rule so famous that an ignorant child k. So iron-cd that it still held, even in this hellish pce devoid of w.

  I didn't reize any of the people who were holding her up. And a bunch of no-name vagrants wouldn't dare to mess with a willer.

  But everything ged when he happened upon the se. His long brown hair extended across a bare back full of colorful ink. He walked like a feather, even while ihe red-haired harlot that ed her legs around him.

  It was el the phantom bde, one of the ferents that carved up the Vagren district. At first, he had no i in the affair, simply walking past the now-cleared street.

  But the riffraff who hugged to the wall to let him pass ged that with one phrase when their leader yelled out.

  " Don't get too cocky just because you're a willer!"

  Wheopped, I felt my heart drop. He had with him half a dozen men who quickly circled the young willer.

  "You, e here!" el said to the men who had just spoken. He pointed him out even though he had his back turhe whole time.

  The leader of the three unnamed scum was a man in his forties. Skinny like all rants and with more mud in his head than hair. Even his teeth gave up on him, and what little remained were as dark as coal.

  "Yes, boss! I want to stay that I—no we always admired you, yes, and always looked up to you, yes, and always wao join yang!"

  el had an annoyed gaze, he turo the sed one on his left and said

  "You, e here."

  "Huh? What do you need him f—" The man didn't even finish his sentence before he colpsed to the ground. Even though my eyes never blinked, it was only then that I saw the dagger that lunged into his heart.

  I swear el's arms didn't move. It was as if the bde moved on its own.

  The sean stepped forward as well, and with a frighteone he said "Ye—s boss!"

  "Is what he said true?" He said while pointing at the dead man who bled into the ground.

  "She says she's a renewal willer, whatever the spit that is!"

  "Hmm"

  "You need anything else, boss?"

  "You've done enough as is."

  "Please don't—"

  The third one sprung forward, as soon as the sed one dropped dead. He brandished a dull knife and started cutting the two men's scalps.

  He then opened a sack he had at his waist, and a loud buzz followed as a swarm of flies burst out from i. From it, he pulled out two pieces of human scalp and shook away the worms that crawled all over them.

  The smell of rotten flesh filled my mouth with warm saliva. The only thing that stopped me from vomiting was how empty my insides were.

  "I've only got one scalp missing before I could join. " He said with a maniacal ugh as he presehe four to el.

  "It's the rule you made, You wouldn't renege on your wht?"

  "No, you've got enough."

  "Huh? how—" he stopped mid-sentend extended his arm to catch the blood that dripped down. That's when he saw something familiar in el's arm, it was his own scalp offered to him.

  "Now you have five, wele aboard " el replied in a cheeky tone as he wiped his hand down with a white tissue and swatted a fly.

  He touched the top of his cut-open head ahe insides of his brain before colpsing on top of his friends.

  el finished with the harlot that was still ed around him and tossed her aside. He zipped his pants and then dashed forward to the young willer. His gait was light and graceful and a wide grin decorated his face.

  "Soooo... You are a renewal willer" He asked, skipping bad forth like a toddler.

  "Tha—" her voice faltered, causio clear her throat before tinuing "That's right! So stay out of my way!" the pitch of her voice was still high despite the clear effort.

  "Hmmm" he said as he sed her from head to toe "You are youhan I thought"

  "Ca—careful! She said she was some student but you never know with them freaks" The guide yelled out loud.

  "I'm the one who led the whining bitch here! I 't believe she was a willer. I deserve some sort of prize right?".

  What was that idiot thinking? Weren't the three bodies that piled in front of his eyes enough warning?

  el didn't even shift his gaze from her, but the guide soon colpsed to the ground. I shook my head in astonishment, his death redictable and easily avoidable. If only he kept his mouth shut, but greed got the better of him.

  "Now, where were we?" His eyes remained locked with hers as the smile persisted on his face.

  From where I was hiding, I failed to see what expression she had at the sight of the stream of blood that rah her.

  The intolerable groaning ended, giving way to a silehat persisted for a few moments.

  The dagger flew bato el's hand again, so fast that the mystery of the skill was never revealed.

  "So what exactly is a renewa—"

  "I won't be mad because they were very bad people. But how did you do that thing with ygers?"

  el gritted his teeth so hard. And the squeaky noise as he ground them together caused my stomach to .

  "It's rude to speak out of turn." He said while f the grin to stay on his face.

  "Huh? Why is that?"

  "Why? You ask..." he replied as he inched forward to the woman he cast aside earlier.

  He pulled her by grabbing a handful of her bare chest. He then embraced her in a kiss so long that her foot started twitg.

  "What do you think separates the weak from the strong?" el said in a calm tone. He showed no sign of fatigue while his partner gasped for air.

  "The answer is: permission."

  "Without the sent of the strong, the weak 't even draw breath."

  el then slid his hands upwards, squeezing the neck of his partner while a bulge formed in his pants.

  Still out of breath, her face reddened and her limbs trembled as she scratched his chest with her nails.