“Here.” Garder handed Simon a small, solid black rock. “Hold that tightly in your hand, and I’ll tell you what to do next.”

  “What is it?” Simon asked.

  “Unrefined alchemagi rock. They’re plentiful. It’s neutral alchemagi in raw form that’s buried in Aurra, kind of like coal. It’s practically useless, really, but we use it when we’re four or so to determine our alignment.”

  Simon looked at the rock, and then at Milla and Jeryn. Lechi was in the back of the suite’s master bedroom, playing with the new companion.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me all of the alignments first?”

  “Nope. See, you’re lucky—as a newsoul, you’ve never done this before,” Garder explained. “Once you know the alignments, you tend to choose one you ‘want,’ and it makes it difficult to see what yours actually is for that life. This is the only time it’s going to be easy for you, so enjoy it.”

  “Clear your mind and squeeze the rock,” Jeryn said. “An image will gradually filter into your mind. That image depicts your alignment.”

  “Okay…” Simon closed his eyes and grasped the rock. “Okay… I see… um, well… Hey, something is starting to…”

  They waited for a moment as Simon concentrated. He then opened his eyes and looked around the apartment before describing what he saw.

  “A sun… A bright sun…”

  “A sun?” Jeryn asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah… So… what is that, fire?”

  “No. A flame or candle is fire. Something warm, red.”

  “He’s actually a solar?” Milla wondered, her eyes wide. “I’ve never even seen one except as Queen.”

  “A… solar?” Simon questioned.

  “D-do it one more time,” Garder asked.

  Simon went ahead and did so. The picture of a shining sun almost instantly appeared to his closed eyes. He opened them again and nodded.

  Milla breathed. “That’s the rarest alignment. I… I don’t believe it.”

  “Really? The rarest?”

  “Yes. About one in every ten million is a solar. That’s incredible.”

  “So… what can I do?”

  “You can control light,” Jeryn explained.

  “Oh. Is that all?”

  “It’s actually a powerful gift. Masters of the alignment can cause a Citywide blackout. Or bend the spectrum around them to make themselves invisible. They can even weaken the strength of other nearby spells.”

  “Wow… I, um… You know, being a photographer, light has always interested me, so… Anyway, what are all the alignments?”

  “There are three tiers of power and rarity,” Jeryn answered. “The most common are watairre, or water-air, iron, earth, plant, and mind. The first is the manipulation of water and air molecules, which can also lead to the creation of ice. Common, but quite powerful in talented hands.

  “Iron and earth allow you to control minerals. They’re the same to a degree, but iron controls metals while earth controls sand, clay, or rock.

  “Mind isn’t physical alchemagi, but it’s still very potent. Masters of it can inject hallucinations into others. Telepathy is a minor form of mind manipulation we all have. The alignment also lends to one’s intelligence.

  “Plant is like having a super green thumb; you can make seeds sprout instantly and control their growth. Plant users are employed to keep a City’s greenery maintained. And being a silver means you have no large strength in any alignment, but you have equal potential in any within the first tier.”

  “These alignments, we can all practice,” Garder added. “I’m watairre, making that particular manipulation far stronger than any other for me. But, I can still use iron, for example, to some degree. You get better as you age. Milla isn’t of my alignment, yet she’s better at freezing things than I am.”

  “And Lechi is an iron… What’s above those five?”

  “Tier two alignments, that are especially uncommon and potent,” Jeryn continued. “They need specific characteristics of the mind to use at all—in other words, they aren’t universal to everyone. Milla is a vector, which gives her the ability to manipulate on an atomic scale. She can align and energize atoms to generate cut-through-anything bands of particles.

  “Mine is fire. Its abilities are obvious—we can produce flame with alchemagi, control fire, and heat up the air temperature.”

  “Lightning is rarer still. It gives you the power to control electricity, from static to actual lightning bolts. City power plants usually have at least a couple of lightnings around to keep things going and even provide backup energy. You are a solar—the rarest of all. You can control light waves. See the lights in this room? You can bend the rays they emit. Compact them, move them, even phase them out of the visible spectrum.”

  “Solars can be frighteningly powerful, Simon,” Garder mentioned. “Aurra history books are full of talented wielders. I don’t know how to say this any other way, but we could use your help, really.”

  “If…” Milla quickly interjected, “you can become skillful with alchemagi. We wouldn’t want to put you at risk.”

  “Okay, maybe…” Simon replied. “Is that all of them?”

  “Well…” Jeryn sighed. “There is one more, but it’s been prohibited from use via suppression. Even if we could use it, no one has knowledge of any usable spells. It’s called nova. It was always exotic, but its destructive capabilities are just beyond extreme. It’s like vector, but stronger; it destroys atomic particles. I’m actually old enough to remember when nova was still legal. Its masters could clear entire mountains—that’s how strong it is.”

  “Tell me again, how do I cast spells in the first place?”

  “Memorize the words and use them to form an image in your mind. That creates the spell—a specific blend of energy forms. Then you release it from your fingertips. Everyone can do level one spells, which usually aren’t strong enough for combat. Knights, like Milla and Garder, can perform level two spells, while an alchemagist like myself is cleared for level three.”

  “And how do you get ‘cleared?’”

  “You have to have a tiny alchemagi organic implant in the back of your casting hand.” Jeryn looked at the back of his right, gloved. “It can only be done at an alchemagi center. It’s nearly impossible to do it yourself. And there are requirements. You have to be at least three-hundred universal years old to apply to be a knight, and one thousand to be a ‘mage.’”

  “Oh.” Simon looked disappointed. “So, I guess I can’t do much.”

  “You have limits. But solar is still quite powerful. And it is possible, in certain circumstances—if you’re practically a genius, to bypass the age requirement. Now, try this: raise a finger, right near your mouth, and in your mind, whisper these words sharply. Spectrum. Arc. Ray.”

  “Spectrum, arc, and ray?”

  “Yes. Try it, and then keep your concentration and your finger out like that, or else the spell will break.”

  Simon took a deep breath and lifted his index finger. He recited the words and opened his eyes. He noticed the lamp in the room flicker.

  “Good. That’s base control. It allows basic manipulation, sort of like latching onto common elements. Now you can continue with spells or try moving light around. Just remember that alchemagi is a continuous manipulation. Once you release it, everything reverts back to its previous state minus any damage or physical changes you caused. The exceptions to that would be plant creation, and any lingering flames from fire.”

  “Got it,” Simon said.

  He concentrated on the light coming out of the lamp. Without truly knowing what he was doing, he squeezed the rays into a glowing, narrow beam for a moment, and then released it.

  “Whew…” he exhaled. “That was something.”

  “With light, when you compact it, you make it more intense and therefore increase its heat. It’s like a magnifying glass—what you just did.”

  “Here…” Simon picked up the rock from the bed and gave it back to Jeryn. “I’ll be careful, of course. Thanks for teaching me…”

  “Now that you know about it, you should see it in action,” Garder said. “Hey—that’s an idea. If we have time here, I’ll take you to a dueling stadium. It’s the big sport of Aurra.”

  “What is it?”

  “Oh, they’re amazing. You get to see the real pros at work. They duke it out, colosseum style, to huge audiences. Really gets you pumped. Some Cities don’t have a stadium, though… like the current one I live in. I could really use a good showing. It’s been a while.”

  “If there’s time,” Jeryn replied. “I wouldn’t mind seeing one myself.”

  “That sounds cool,” Simon replied in a daze. “Hey… um, by the way… why do Aurrians wear such strange clothing?”

  Garder looked at his uniform and replied, “I don’t know. It’s just the style. No one dressed like we do on Earth. The overly large, multi-layered clothing is just the trend here. Always has been. Helps show… personality.”

  “Do they have stores or something? I feel a bit out of place.”

  “Ha, we can get you some, sure. Maybe tomorrow we’ll hit the town. That is, if we don’t have to go off and fight this demon or something…”

  Milla yawned. “So… who’s making breakfast in the morning?”

  “I will,” Jeryn replied. “Try to get some sleep, everyone.”

  “I dunno if I can,” Simon said. “My head’s still full of questions…”

  “I’d bet,” Garder said. “Oh, one more little thing. The dreams on Aurra—they’re great. Really lifelike, always lucid. You’re going to love it.”

  “I rarely even remember my dreams.”

  “Bonus of the mental shift. You just went from actively using a portion of your brain to using most of it. You shouldn’t have a problem.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot. Um, well, I’ll sleep on the couch. I’m used to it.”

  “I’ll take the other one. Hear that, Jeryn? The bed’s all yours.”

  “Joy of joys…” he said sarcastically. “Doesn’t do a thing to stop me from hearing your permeating snores.”

  Garder scowled before leaving the room to prepare his “bed.”

  Within the hour, everyone had fallen asleep with the exception of Simon. Head still drowning in thoughts, he tried playing with the moonlight entering the room for an hour until he finally faded off.

  Garder awoke to the feeling of something licking his face. He knew what creature owned the tongue even before opening his eyes, and he suddenly would’ve preferred to keep them closed.

  “Tanesh! Down!” Lechi called.

  The dog leapt off of Garder and headed back to the kitchen, where Lechi was helping Jeryn with breakfast. Garder woke up completely and wiped his face thoroughly.

  “Tanesh, huh? That name mean something?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “It just came to me. He’s friendly, though. Responds to it, too.”

  “Do they always have to lick someone’s face in the morning?”

  “It’s just a dog thing. It’s almost time to eat, anyway. Come over to the table—and don’t give him scraps.”

  Everyone gathered in the dining room for a large breakfast perfectly synthesized by Jeryn. The storm from the previous night was gone, leaving it in a cloudless twilight. The low light outside came to Simon’s surprise.

  While waiting for Pangs’ call, he walked up to the apartment window to get a look at the dark red sun and the haze surrounding the landscape.

  “It’s still dark out,” he observed.

  “This is about as bright as it gets in this world,” Garder explained. “I mean, we’re even near the equator.”

  “Well, that’s depressing. What an odd-looking sun…”

  “It’s Earth’s sun’s opposite. It burns a bit more brightly during better times on Earth. Helps thin out the haze. But it’s been that dim for a while.”

  “How does it heat everything, then? It’s like a cool red star.”

  “The haze traps heat in. And when the sun is stronger, it produces more heat. And we have seasons, too,” Milla answered. “So, um… Simon, our mission sounds a bit dangerous now. You can still help us, but perhaps you’d better stay in the City for the time being.”

  “I guess so. Not like I’m trained for big adventures or anything.”

  “It’s for the best,” Milla channeled to Garder. “We have little reason to be afraid of this demon… But if it attacks Simon… I wouldn’t want him to possibly ‘disappear’ forever.”

  “I know,” Garder replied. “And he’d likely just end up getting in the way. But I think Lechi should come. She might be able to talk with this demon… Maybe even calm it down.”

  “Pangs said that Rivia had sent us out under false pretenses… I suppose he had known about the demon the entire time. It’s probably why he assigned us with an animalect in the first place. But why any of us? Why’d he hide this? I’m beginning to wonder…”

  “About what?”

  “Ah—nothing. Never mind.”

  The apartment’s phone rang. Jeryn picked it up, listened, and responded once with an “okay” before hanging it up again.

  “Pangs is ready to see us.”

  “All right. Let’s go meet up. Simon, you can come, too,” Milla said.

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  “Oh. Uh, sure.”

  They cleared the table and threw on their full uniforms. Tanesh tagged along closely to Lechi, and the group was back up in Pangs’ penthouse and office within a few minutes.

  He was sitting quietly at his desk, a pile of papers split in half so that he could still hold a proper conversation between them. Once everyone was seated, with Tanesh on Lechi’s lap, he relaxed his hands and got right to it.

  “We created the demon,” he said with a sharp cough. “We created it, but we didn’t bring it to life.”

  They waited as he scanned a file a couple times, and continued.

  “We were trying to create a creature that could survive in the haze, similar to the Aurrian animals of legend. We finally made something that could do so, but only in theory. We never had the chance to synthesize it—it was a massive, complicated beast made up of engineered organic matter.”

  “Why didn’t you have the chance to synthesize it?” Garder asked.

  “The technology hadn’t been invented yet. The common datastone couldn’t hold all of the inscribed information. It would’ve taken hundreds of them, and our builder synthesizer can’t read that many stones at once.”

  “Datastones… kind of like a computer disk,” Lechi suddenly spoke into Simon’s mind. He had to look at her for a moment to see if she had actually been speaking. “I’m sure one of the twins would’ve told you, but they’re not familiar with new Earth technology.”

  Simon didn’t know how to respond, so he simply looked at Lechi and nodded several times in understanding.

  “City A was curious about our research and sent over something they had just developed—a higher capacity stone. We had never heard of it. It was the same octagon shape with the same kind of relief, but it was made of a completely foreign material.”

  “You mean it wasn’t carbonite?” Jeryn questioned.

  “No. But trusting in A’s advances, we inscribed all of the information for our demon on it, at a microscopic scale, with just a little room left to spare—that’s how complex the beast is. City A also gave us some changes to be made, and said that they’d give us a large commission for the research. We were thrilled, and made the adjustments, which made it even stronger.”

  “So, what are we talking about here? What can this creature do?”

  “In appearance, it is something of a large, flying centipede… eel. It has two forearms, but no back legs. It also has gills so that it can breathe in the atmosphere. It looks terrifying, but it is, by all definition, a success.”

  “And these changes that were requested?”

  “A had its top scientists look at our genetic code, and they merely optimized it. That’s what they told us, at least. We went ahead and finished up the coding procedure and locked up the datastone.”

  “How is it that it lives and even attacks the City if it was supposedly never synthesized?” Garder questioned.

  “Someone must have done it for us. The datastone was stolen or lost, and we’ve never been able to find it. We’ve looked everywhere, so it’s either not on Aurra, or it’s been destroyed.”

  “And why is it so dangerous? Why is it attacking you?”

  “We don’t know why it’s attacking us, honestly. It’s also undergone several mutations, and can do things we didn’t program. It now has twelve claws on either of its frontal limbs, and six eyes. We think it may be able to see something different with each pair, but, again, we don’t know for sure.”

  “Twelve claws?” Milla said. “Why does it have so many?”

  Pangs opened one of the drawers on his desk and took out a sharp, ivory object. It looked like a canine tooth, and its tip was colored in blue.

  “This claw broke off of the demon during its last attack. We found it dug into a metal beam from the tower it snapped in half.”

  “What’s so special about it?” Simon spoke up.

  “Watch.”

  Pangs stood and held the claw sturdily. In one quick swipe, he ripped it across the air. A glowing, hot blueish line form in the space he had torn, lingering for a few seconds before vanishing in a smoky trail.

  “Whoa, what was that? Looked like a vector line,” Garder observed.

  “The creature we set out to make was something we officially call a demidemon. It can open up tears in between the worlds. Earth and Aurra at least; we don’t know if it can go to Hold or not.”

  Garder was instantly assured that this demon was the same beast being reported as the mysterious flying object on Earth.

  “You have all the power of a portal in that single claw?” Jeryn asked.

  “No, not quite.”

  Pangs scratched the air several more times. Multiple glowing lines met, but never opened a tear completely.

  “The demon ‘digs’ through the air with all twelve claws. It may need twelve to accompany its mass or length… but I have a feeling we only need two. In a way, I think one claw is ‘negative,’ the other ‘positive.’ At least one from each of its hands is needed.”

  “If that could be possible… it’d put the owner of the two claws in a position of great power,” Jeryn summarized. “These are far greater and more flexible than the old, lost demirriages.”

  “Yes, they would. They allow total freedom.”

  “If this creature can transport itself to Earth, why hasn’t it been terrorizing people there?” Milla wondered.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear that it hasn’t…”

  “But it’s been sighted,” Garder said. “I saw a report. It appears high up in the sky all over the world, and then flies into a cloud and disappears.”

  “Maybe it will start posing a problem there. We should destroy it, but we’ve had no luck thus far. In any case, the truth of Rivia’s mission is that he wants you to possess both claws. He wouldn’t tell me anything further, but I’ve been keeping him updated on the situation, and when he contacted me directly a week ago, he said he knew for certain what he’d do next.”

  “Wait a minute—our mission is to get two of these claws? How are we supposed to do that? Go up and ask?”

  “It’s obvious that this creature sheds its claws, or that they can at least be broken off. Your best bet for getting this done is to find its nest. You may be able to find the other claw there.”

  “It has a nest? Oh, great, is it raising pups, too?”

  “I certainly hope not. We know it holes up near the top of the highest spire in the valley. All you have to do is to get up there and find a red claw.”

  “Sounds easy enough,” Jeryn said, receiving a shocked look from Garder as a reply. “But Pangs, the Guard is after us, and therefore must be after Rivia, as well. Would you know why, exactly?”

  “Likely for whatever reason that motivates his desire for the claws,” he said with a heavy cough. “I won’t postulate on what’s rattling around in that old head of his, but I’m sure that he is relying on you.”

  “Relying on us, huh…” Garder mumbled. “I guess we can accept the challenge. When do we leave?”

  “After the next attack.”

  “Er…”

  “I know how it sounds, but it’s the only way we know for sure that it won’t be at its nest. It goes into hiding after every… tantrum. For now, I’ll just keep this with me,” Pangs said and placed the claw back into his locked drawer. “But, in the case that it does go right after you, Lechi here may have the chance, however remote… to calm it.”

  “Then we’ll go right after its next, uh, ‘showing,’ and find one of its claws. How hard can that be?”

  Pangs smiled slightly and got back to his previous work, signaling that the group was dismissed for the time being.

  That night, Garder and Jeryn brought Simon along with them to the local alchemagi arena, one of the largest stadiums on all of Aurra. They had offered Milla and Lechi to come with them, but the two decided on a quiet night at the apartment with a dog instead.

  The dome was packed to capacity with City C’s citizens. Despite their troubles with the demon and the transfers being cut off, they were in high spirits for the upcoming match. The massive sporting dome was abuzz with the sounds of an excited audience, complemented with thundering bass from a live band down below.

  “Does anyone die in these things?” Simon shouted over the audience to Garder, who was seated next to him and enjoying a bag of popcorn.

  “Not very often, no. And only by accident. The suppression is nearly flawless. The duelers only attack to a certain power if the other can survive, or defend against it. They beat each other up, sure—maybe a broken arm or leg sometimes, but it’s all in good fun. It’s more about the display—you don’t get to see alchemagi in its full might most of the time.

  “People love a good show more than anything. Winning is great, but everyone is happy if it’s a close, intense match.”

  “When does it end?”

  “When the referee says so. They can’t do anything that’ll hit the audience, either, so just sit back and enjoy the show.”

  “I haven’t been to one of these in a quite a while,” Jeryn said and lowered his goggles. “I wonder how much has changed.”

  “We’re just lucky C’s still having battles in its current state. Nothing like a good violent sport to make you forget your troubles.”

  The band performing below finished their current song and left the stand before it lowered into the ground. The crowds quieted a bit as the spotlights all took aim at the upcoming battlefield below. Far above, the info cube cleared its advertisement images and turned to a solid black.

  “Fellow City C friends, are you ready?” came a booming voice.

  The crowds went into a small uproar.

  “Good, good! We may not be in the best of times down here, but we still know how to entertain ourselves, isn’t that right?”

  The crowds responded once more.

  “Tonight, we have something special. Two of our greatest duelists, sharing the field for the first time in a decade! First up, Yunin Feris!”

  Simon and Garder repositioned themselves to see a tall, caped alchemagist come out onto the field. He waved to the audience, much to their delight, and then threw his cape off. It was caught by one of his assistants who then scurried off the field.

  On the info cube, his profile appeared, along with his current age and alignment: “Plant”, written alongside a circular icon of a sprouting tree.

  “Plant, huh? They’re always interesting,” Jeryn commented.

  “A C native, Yunin also comes to us from good old Los Angeles this evening. In his recent first half-life, of all things, he was a dentist. He’s gone from fixing teeth to knocking them out again. Give it up for this thirty-year-old rising star…”

  Yunin smiled and waved again, taking in a few chuckles from the audience as the competitor on the other side walked in. He was a smaller man, but looked equally determined. He soaked in the applause he received, and the info cube changed to display his profile. The icon near his picture was that of a flame, making it obvious what his alignment was.

  “Coming to us from City L and Madrid tonight is the youthful Leon Chambire. This guy was a police officer, ladies and gentlemen—and he certainly has some takedown moves to show us.”

  Heavy bass emanated throughout the stadium, getting the fighters pumped and riling up the audience even further.

  “This is going to be great,” Garder said to Simon. “You’re about to be truly amazed. Few things in Aurra match these fights.”

  “All right, let’s have a clean match, you two. But most importantly, impress your loving audience! And without further hesitation, let it begin!”

  The duelists wasted no time. Immediately, each lifted three fingers and summoned a spell from opposite sides of the battlefield. Yunin was the first to complete his attack, two seconds after starting his spell. Raindrops formed above the field, drenching the ground with water and softening it.

  Leon then covered himself with light battle armor and repositioned himself on the field as Yunin took out a bag from his side and threw it with force in the center of the dampened area of the field. Simon could barely make out what was inside—seeds, hundreds of them.

  “Remember,” Jeryn said, “they have to keep control of whatever they use. The more elements they put into play, the stronger the fighter can become—but the harder it is to maintain each of those elements. These battles always have similarities to a chess match.”

  Simon gave a nod and kept watching the duel intently.

  Instead of directly attacking with his seeds, Yunin used another level three spell. He changed his entire right arm into a long, sharp vine, much to the audience’s loud approval. He came charging at Leon, preparing to strike with the razor-sharp tendril. Leon leapt into the air and created a fireball.

  Yunin dodged it, letting it smash into the spot he had just barely managed to jump away from. As Leon landed, Yunin swung around and wrapped the vine tightly around his body.

  The armor he had created offered enough protection for him to counter, and he managed to get three fingers up to summon a spell. The spots of his plating the vine ensnared heated up and glowed a molten red, lighting the growth on fire. Yunin quickly cut off his weapon before the fire reached his arm. The crowd went wild.

  “Yunin’s ensnaring vine, the usual trump card that he pulls out at the endgame, has been deflected!” the announcer said. “It’s still anyone’s match at this point. Pay attention now—this is going to be a great one.”

  Leon materialized a sharp blade in the air around him and grabbed hold of it. Yunin launched a barrage of pointed bamboo, but each shoot was blocked or sliced by Leon’s sword. Yunin, still aggressive, decided on a surprise attack and slammed his palm on the ground. Leon read the move and leapt into the air just before a spire erupted from the mud.

  Simon quickly realized that it was only to get Leon in a dangerous spot—right in the middle of the marsh Yunin had created earlier. The fighter had also realized it, but it was too late to do anything. Yunin quickly summoned his spell and concentrated intensely.

  The seeds erupted into thorny sprouts that came at Leon like guided missiles. He cut a few down but was overwhelmed in seconds and took to the air again. Leaping off of the exploding vines, he gracefully dodged every jab and sliced his way through the jungle. But he soon missed a step, and a vine wrapped around his ankle, lifted him into the air, and threw him into a patch of attacking vegetation. Simon could never imagine such a spectacle.

  “Oh no! Has Yunin’s signature move—the ‘Thorn Patch’ brought this fight to a sudden end?”

  The crowd stood and cheered as a dozen large blades materialized in the air above and slashed the vines into ribbons. Leon quickly freed himself from the imprisonment, his armor badly damaged from the attack. His remotely controlled cutlery chopped the plants into small, harmless bits before they too disappeared back into the air.

  More seeds started sprouting, but Leon used the water they were drenched in to his advantage. He rolled out of the thorns and summoned up a chilling breeze that wrapped around the plants and froze them in place instantly. The crowd cheered more loudly than before.

  “They’ve been doing some heavy attacks,” Garder explained. “Neither of them should have much energy left.”

  “Brilliant!” the announcer continued. “Both fighters are giving it their all tonight, and Leon’s adeptness in multiple alignments is paying off!”

  Yunin leapt on top of one of his frozen vines. Leon did the same, releasing his damaged armor in midair. They stared each other down and took defensive positions as the crowd quieted and awaited the next round.

  But before they could continue, a loud, shrieking roar ripped through the air. It was like a banshee scream—ear-piercing, and something truly inhuman. Silence fell immediately. The crowd already knew and dreaded what was nearby. Then the roar came again, somehow angrier. It was so powerful, that the supports on the top of the dome vibrated. The two fighters stood still and gazed around the arena.

  “It’s the demon!” several people in the audience yelled out. “It’s come back! Run!”

  “Everyone—please remain calm,” the announcer urged. “Please—remain calm, and quiet down. It will pass us by if we do not panic.”

  “It’s the demon! Run! Everyone run!” the audience of thousands continued and began to rush as a mass towards the exits.

  The announcer continued, “Calm down! Stay orderly!”

  “Run! Hide!”

  “Uh, Jeryn—I think we’d better get the hell out of here,” Garder said, dropping his popcorn to the ground.

  “Yeah. Come on, Simon. Stay close.”

  The three stood up, but were pinned in by the stampeding audience.

  Another unearthly roar erupted from outside the dome. This time, it was so close that it practically ordered everyone in the area to freeze in fear. There was complete silence for about ten seconds as the audience turned to face the center of the dome.

  The top was ripped open, and a huge, gray serpentine creature slithered in and hissed in rage. Instantly, people started clamoring towards the exits once more, their screams and yells blending into a solid noise of terror. The two fighters below made a hasty retreat, the field filling up with desperate crowd members searching for any exit.

  The demon, trapped inside the dome, responded to the sounds and began to thrash about in the air. Its tail suddenly struck one of the larger supports, knocking it down and sending it tumbling to an entire section of seats. It crushed at least twenty people, and their Aurrian bodies instantly faded into puffs of orange smoke and dissipated into the air.

  “Damn!” Simon yelled. “The thing’s crazy!”

  Jeryn stood his ground and lifted three fingers to summon a spell, but Garder quickly and forcefully grabbed and lowered his hand.

  “They’ve already tried fighting it! What do you want to do, attract its attention? We don’t stand a chance!”

  Jeryn grudgingly obliged and brought his goggles back up. Neither of them could move yet, so they had to watch as the demon flailed about, knocking the cube down to the field, where it exploded into embers. All the while, the creature continued its wail of angry shrieks.

  Suddenly, as Garder was watching, he felt something enter his conscience. He soon realized that the demon’s six eyes had caught his, and he was instantly petrified. He already felt like he was dead—the feeling was transcending, as if his soul were leaving his body with no effort.

  He was surrounded by pure darkness. The cries of the audience had vanished, and he was left alone as a timid creature, looking up at the powerful otherworldly beast. A vibrant blueish-white flowed around the demon as it stared deeply into him, penetrating his very existence as the creature appeared to be growing larger or closer.

  “It wants to consume me…” he thought. “It’s going to eat me…”

  “Garder! Snap out of it!”

  He awoke to see Jeryn’s hand, holding a bright ball of flame he was using to awaken him, and murmured, “W-what?”

  The demon had become still and was looking in his direction. A moment later, it began to thrash about again. Part of the dome had fallen inward, and it was becoming entangled in the twisted wreckage.

  “It did something to me…” Garder said. “How long was I staring like that?”

  “Just a few seconds, but we could tell that you were somewhere else,” Simon replied.

  “That thing was… trying to enter my mind or something. Damn, what a nightmare creature…”

  “We can’t worry about it now. We’ve got to get out of here and get Milla and Lechi,” Jeryn ordered.

  “Why?”

  “It’s attacking, remember? We have to use this time to find its nest! That’s what Pangs said, right?”

  “But we’re stuck here. We’re surrounded by panicking people.”

  “I know. Hold on.”

  Jeryn summoned a level three spell, and then hit the stadium floor near his seat with his palm. Instantly, the stone arena below them opened up into a narrow vertical tunnel.

  “Escape technique,” Jeryn explained. “Drop down.”

  “You sure?” Garder asked.

  “Yes, just go! We can’t waste time here!”

  Without further argument, Simon and Garder went in first. Jeryn stared at the struggling demon for another moment before going in himself.

  They dropped through the stadium structure, hitting a few small slides that the tunnel had formed along the way to break their fall. After about a hundred feet, they hit the bottom where the concessions were. Once Jeryn got through, the zigzagging tunnel sealed up on its own.

  “Always a bit of a risky maneuver,” he said. “But nice when it works. Come on, let’s get back to the tower.”

  Using the shortcut, the group had mixed in with the front of the fleeing crowds and were among the first outside. The demon’s shrieks echoed through the halls, but eventually quieted and faded completely.

  Outside, City C’s small military unit had gathered in response to the attack, but were having a tough time getting anywhere with the amount of people pouring out towards them.

  When the three finally arrived on the street, the entire stadium trembled several times behind them. They turned and looked up to see the demon tearing out of the arena, several pieces of the roof dangling off its body. It took to the night air, shaking off the attached beams and roofing, sending them into buildings and causing further destruction.

  The din of the night then turned into an uncomfortable quietness.

  “What a creature…” Garder panted. “Who would make something like that? Why would something like it even need to exist?”

  “It shouldn’t,” Jeryn replied. “No one even attacked it. It just… came in and went into a frenzy. I was stupid to think I could actually fight it. Would’ve driven it into an even worse rage.”

  “I don’t blame you for wanting to… Okay, we’ll get the girls and complete Rivia’s insane mission,” Garder said, catching his breath. “And then we go home and I’m never coming to this City again.”

  They slipped through the still-panicked crowds and back towards the City’s main tower. Everyone they passed along the way was on a heightened state of alert. Word must have gotten around fast whenever the demon attacked. Garder was now just thankful for not being assigned to try and kill the thing. He would leave that particular task to someone else.