Liara was the first to toss her bow aside and come toward me at an almost-running pace. The others—Dorwood, Ineya, and an unfamiliar elf—followed behind, clearly unsure what to expect. I walked to meet them, instinctively slowing down.

  Liara practically flew up to me, her face a mix of fury and relief. She didn’t hug me. Instead, I got a solid smack on the back of the head. I didn’t even try to dodge—I deserved it.

  “Are you an idiot, Zenhald?!” she snapped, her voice trembling. “You just left without saying a word! No note, no message, nothing! Noxus was beside himself, ready to chase after you. Do you even understand what we thought?! What you did is just… I don’t even have words!”

  But before I could begin to repent, a small whirlwind burst out from behind me—Riza. Her eyes blazed, and her hands were already wreathed in watery steam.

  “Are you out of your minds?!” she shouted at Liara, stepping in front of me like a shield. “Why are you hitting him?!”

  And before Liara could even blink, Riza hurled a water ball at her. The splat was loud—water hit the elf girl straight in the chest, soaking her clothes.

  “Zenhald said you’re his friends!” Riza went on, stomping her foot in outrage. “Do friends act like that?! Do they hit the people they love?!”

  A dead silence fell. Liara stood there drenched, mouth open. Dorwood and Ineya froze, and the new elf in rich clothing suddenly stepped forward. His gaze was locked on Riza—on her eyes, and maybe on the power she’d just shown.

  “You…” the elf whispered, recognition in his voice. “But why are you with him?”

  I exhaled and placed a hand on Riza’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze to calm her.

  “It’s fine, Riza. Liara didn’t mean it. Humans and elves just have this weird way of showing they care,” I said, looking at my friends. “Guys, meet Riza. My student… and, in a way, my companion.”

  Then I turned to the girl. “Riza, look. The one you just soaked is Liara—an elf with a… complicated personality. The man with the huge axe who looks like a fallen tree is Dorwood. And that sweet girl is Ineya.”

  I glanced at the stranger. “And this elf… I don’t know who he is. But that’s not important right now.”

  “Not important?!” Liara finally snapped out of it, wiping her face. “We searched for you all across the borderlands—” She cut herself off, staring at Riza’s dark wings, which she wasn’t hiding anymore. “Zen… do you even understand WHO she is?”

  “I understand perfectly who she is,” I answered, and for a moment that familiar coldness slipped into my voice—the same chill that made the Council of Thirteen tremble. “She’s Riza. And she’s with me. That should be enough.”

  “My name is Elvindor,” the elf began, proudly straightening his back. “I am the greatest mage who—”

  “We found him in the capital!” Liara cut in, still trying to dry her clothes with magic. “And then you just disappeared!”

  Elvindor scowled and continued. “Boy, you are quite talented, if you dispersed my fireball so easily. But you shouldn’t get so full of yourself.”

  I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing. “You’re talking like you’re stronger than me,” I wheezed through my laughter.

  The elf’s face twitched, anger flaring in his eyes. “I am a great mage! I have centuries of practice behind me!”

  “Blah-blah-blah,” I waved him off. “I don’t care. I can already see you’re weak compared to me.”

  “Weak?!” Elvindor grabbed his richly decorated staff. “If you’re so confident, let’s duel!”

  I shrugged. “Sure.”

  We stood facing each other ten meters apart. The others hurried back. Elvindor began whispering a spell; his staff started to glow, filling with thick mana. The air around him trembled. He was clearly preparing something powerful, pouring everything he had into one strike.

  I simply waited until his focus peaked and… snapped my fingers.

  A sharp crack rang out. The elf’s precious staff couldn’t handle the pressure of its own mana and literally exploded in his hands. Elvindor flew backward and landed on his butt in the dust. Riza laughed bright and loud, clapping.

  “My staff!” he howled, jumping up in fury. “Do you have any idea how much that cost?! It’s a relic!”

  I put my hands behind my head. “No idea. You broke it yourself, didn’t you? Look at me—I’m just a little kid. How could I break your great artifact?”

  Elvindor roared, tossed aside the ruined remains, and thrust out his hands. A powerful stream of raging flame blasted toward me, scorching the earth and turning stone to sand. For a good two minutes he poured fire nonstop, trying to prove his superiority.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I just formed a barrier around myself and… lay down on the ground, hands under my head.

  “Tell me when you’re done,” my voice drifted out from beneath the dome. “This is boring.”

  When the flames finally stopped, Elvindor was bent over, panting hard, hands on his knees. I stood up slowly, dismissed the barrier, and yawned.

  “You’re boring.”

  The elf dropped to his knees, bitterness flooding his face. “I… I’m thousands of years old. Thousands of years of experience… and I’m beaten by some human child…” He looked like his whole world had just shattered.

  To let everyone breathe again, I created a large round shelter—a spacious stone tent. We settled inside, and I started telling them about my adventures. In my usual manner: how quickly I tossed everyone aside, how the High Demons weren’t all that “high,” really.

  “Huh,” Liara sighed when I finished. “Looks like we dragged ourselves after you for nothing. You handled everything just fine.”

  “We were at least hoping for one decent fight,” Dorwood grumbled, and Ineya simply nodded, glad it was over.

  Elvindor sat in the corner, still drowning in his gloomy thoughts.

  Riza and I went outside. It was time to continue training. I casually punched a basin into the ground.

  “Fill it.”

  She got to work immediately.

  Liara came out too, and when she saw us, she stepped closer. “So you really did turn into a teacher,” she smirked.

  She walked up and started rubbing my head, scratching behind my ears.

  That was my greatest weakness. My child’s body reacted instantly—I squeezed my eyes shut and practically purred with pleasure. Every thought about greatness and magic flew right out of my head.

  At that moment Elvindor stepped out of the tent and froze.

  He watched as Riza filled the basin.

  “Nine minutes!” she shouted, bouncing with joy. “Zen, I did it in nine minutes!”

  She ran up to us and stopped short when she saw Liara cuddling me.

  “Zen?.. What’s wrong with you?”

  Liara laughed. “Don’t mind it, Riza. Deep down Zen is the same kind of child you are.”

  I was practically falling asleep from bliss.

  Elvindor approached Riza and spoke to her. “You… you’re very strong. Astonishing for your age.”

  “No,” Riza shook her head. “Compared to Zen, I’m still far behind. But I’ll catch up—just you wait!”

  I only smiled lazily without opening my eyes.

  Later we went back into the tent. Riza fell asleep quickly on the furs, and I lay there with my head in Liara’s lap. She kept combing through my hair, and I felt my consciousness drifting away.

  Elvindor approached. The arrogance was gone from his face—only anxiety remained.

  “Zenhald,” he called quietly. “You do understand she’ll live thousands of years, right? And you, in that body… you’re a moment to her. You won’t be able to stay near her forever.”

  Something inside me tightened painfully. Sleepiness vanished in an instant.

  “She could become a monster that destroys humanity if you disappear,” the elf continued. “Her power is growing too fast. And you… you’re a child yourself. You can’t raise her properly because you still need to live this life. You’re dust in the wind compared to her eternity.”

  I opened my eyes and stared up at the stone ceiling. “I know,” I whispered. “That’s why I’m trying to teach her everything I know right now. So she can make choices on her own.”

  “But you’re a child!” Elvindor insisted. “How can you be her foundation?”

  He’s right, Zenhald, my second self said inside my head. You’re playing father while you’re a mortal boy. When you die of old age, or the seal finally breaks you, she’ll be alone. And her grief will turn this world to ash.

  I closed my eyes. Liara’s hand went still on my head.

  We all knew this conversation would happen sooner or later. That didn’t make the truth any less bitter.

  Morning in the stone shelter began with a low murmur of voices. I opened my eyes and saw Riza sitting beside Elvindor. The elf was talking animatedly, drawing sparkling symbols in the air, and the girl listened, holding her breath. Looks like yesterday’s duel—and his words about eternity—didn’t stop them from finding common ground.

  Liara came to me when I crawled out from under the furs.

  “What’s the plan, Zen?” she asked, adjusting her bowstring. “You’re not going to sit in this stone bubble forever, are you?”

  “I need to get to Mira,” I answered shortly. “The seal… I have to check it.”

  The elf girl nodded in understanding, but a shadow of worry flickered in her eyes. “I see. Then our roads split here. Dorwood and Ineya decided to head home—this year has had enough adventures for them. And I…” She narrowed her eyes mischievously. “I’m going to take a look at your ‘demon capital.’ I want to see with my own eyes how thirteen frightened old men are trying to build democracy.”

  I smirked. “Good luck. Try not to shoot all of them on day one.”

  “And the elf?” Liara nodded toward Elvindor. “He’s going your way. He’s headed to the capital too.”

  Just then Riza noticed I was awake and ran up to me. Her face was glowing—she babbled about the elf’s stories, ancient forests, and stars… but then her voice faded. She stopped and looked me in the eyes seriously, almost like an adult.

  “Zenhald… is it true?” she asked quietly. “That humans live so little? Elvindor said a human life is like a falling star. One second—and darkness.”

  That familiar sense of fleeting time scraped at me again. I crouched in front of her and smiled as warmly as I could.

  “It’s true, Riza. But look how brightly we burn. We can’t afford to wait centuries—so we do things, we love, and we fight right now.”

  The sadness didn’t leave her face. She touched my hand, like she was checking whether I might vanish at any moment.

  “It’s time,” I said, standing up and cutting off the heavy moment.

  Elvindor rose too, brushing off his elegant coat. “I’ll go with you,” he declared. “I’m headed that way anyway, and leaving two children—however… specific—alone on the road would be the height of recklessness. Besides, I want to meet the one you call your ‘magnificent sister.’”

  “We move fast,” I warned him. “Not sure you can keep up.”

  The elf only smiled condescendingly, stroking what remained of his staff (which he’d turned into a short wand overnight). “A master of wind is never a burden, boy.”

  “Uh-huh,” I chuckled.

  We said goodbye to Liara, Dorwood, and Ineya. The parting was brief—warriors don’t like long tears. I promised I’d stop by their tavern as soon as I dealt with my business.

  “Take off,” I commanded.

  I pushed off the ground, and levitation caught me. With a joyful shout, Riza spread her wings and surged into the sky. Elvindor froze for a moment, mouth open, watching a “human child” and a “demon girl” whistle upward in altitude.

  “Told you!” I yelled down at him.

  The elf cursed in an ancient language, flicked his wand, and a furious vortex spun around him. He shot after us, desperately using wind magic to match our speed. His cloak snapped in the gale, his face twisted into intense concentration.

  We raced over forests and hills, returning to the world of humans. Ahead was Mira, a crumbling seal, and the unknown. But watching Riza confidently catch the wind currents, I felt it—whatever comes next…

  It’s going to be one hell of a bright flash.