Edrag watched himself devolve from a state of slight agitation to a complete mental breakdown.The news that reached him would make anyone crash out, and he was no exception. Everything he thought he was, Sylvester was reported as being better, and as far as he knew, he wasn’t even grandmaster yet.No one could recover back to grand-master after such an accident as Sylvester had.It was impossible.And yet, his spy was in front of him, trembling with news that made his ears bleed.“Say it again,” Edrag commanded.The spy’s voice trembled. “S-Sylvester’s students… they’ve recruited more men. There was a clan that had been involved in some shady deals. Another sect master had been investigating them, and he was being dealt with, and as soon as Sylvester got wind of it…he and his men went in. Not one single unintended casualty.”Edrag hated the last part of the statement.It was almost a mockery…a praise on how efficient of a job Sylvester could do.He didn’t need to know that.Edrag exh

The sun hadn’t yet kissed the horizon when Sylvester pulled on his cloak, the thick black fabric brushing against his ankles like a shadow trailing his steps. The hood draped low over his eyes, just enough to distort his face. His steps were deliberate, the weight of his dagger hidden beneath his coat adding a subtle rhythm to his gait. But he wasn’t going in for a fight.He was going to find the truth. He only needed a weapon because the black market was that evil.The black market lived beneath the city’s bones, tucked into catacombs and alleyways most wouldn’t dare to whisper about.He didn’t like how coming here always meant he had to be on guard.He really wished he could help the place, but the black market was different from the slums. It was the place purpose built for evil, masked with a rough enclave to make it unappealing to anyone who wasn’t desperate.Because that was who the black market served.The desperate.Stalls stretched endlessly, lined with cursed trinkets, be

The night was quiet, but Katherine's mind was anything but quiet. She sat alone on the roof of the guest quarters, her legs dangling over the edge, eyes tracing the silver lines of moonlight on the estate walls. A gust of wind brushed her face, cold enough to sting her eyes. Or maybe that was just the guilt clawing its way back into her chest. She had made a mess of her mission, of her loyalty, of her feelings.And of Sylvester.He’d trusted her. Placed his wife under her protection. Yet here she was, answering to a man whose goal was to destroy everything Sylvester stood for. A man she didn’t even know, except for the fact that they shared a common goal.Her fingers trembled as she typed a message on the encrypted device: “We need to talk. Urgently.”She waited.Minutes ticked by.Then, finally, a reply blinked across the screen.“Meet at the usual place. Come alone.”“Come alone,” Katherine rolled her eyes and scoffed. “So typical.”Katherine stared at the message, heart thumping

The journey to the outskirts of the black market felt heavier than usual. Sylvester didn’t say much as he followed the old woman’s son down the narrow, winding path leading to their home. His boots crunched against gravel, his thoughts weighed down by everything he had just learned. Edrag had the Bringer of Death. Flyn was gone. And now, the only person who might hold more information about this cursed amplifier was fighting for her life.When they finally reached the small, leaning house, Sylvester paused at the entrance. The air around it felt different. Thicker. He could sense it…dark magic. The sort that made his skin crawl and instincts flare.“Wait here,” Sylvester told the young man.He closed his eyes, whispered an incantation beneath his breath, and extended his palm outward. A soft, blue shimmer formed around him. “A protective shield,” he told the boy, when his eyes asked the confused question.It was one of the lesser-used abilities he had acquired during his earl

The first step into the mountain path came with a gust of cold wind and an immediate jab of regret in Otto’s voice.“Whoever said adventure builds character clearly never had to hike up a cursed mountain,” he muttered, adjusting his pack for the third time in five minutes.Geral chuckled from up ahead. “What’s the matter? Missing your spa days already?”“Spa? Please,” Otto groaned. “Back at the base, I had a mattress. Do you know how rare that is out here? A real mattress. I was somebody.”Sylvester smirked but didn’t turn around. “Then why did you come?”Otto answered without missing a beat. “Because you asked. Doesn’t mean I can’t complain while doing it.”Even Hozert laughed at that, though he was usually the quietest among them. “Keep your eyes open while you whine. If the legends are true, the Rose of Life is somewhere on this mountain, hiding in plain sight. I doubt it'll bloom next to a welcome sign.”“Yeah, yeah,” Otto grumbled. “Magic rose, world-ending darkness, giant evil.