“SHALL WE CONTINUE?”When Rios asked the question, he felt a strange wave of both restlessness and relief.“You know it’s not fair, right?” Nelry asked. He shifted, sitting more comfortably on the dirt as he let out a heavy sigh. “I threw everything I had at you. I exhausted my Iora and my stamina... and all I managed to get was a reveal?”Rios eased his stance slightly, sensing that Nelry had resigned to his fate.“Although your methods of war are cruel and inhuman,” Rios began, pinching the bridge of his nose, “no—that is just a way of justifying myself. You are a soldier and you don’t make the decisions. Cruel as you are, you deserve to be remembered.”“I can’t believe I actually went one-on-one against the great Rios.” Nelry sat cross-legged and faced Rios directly. He looked almost at peace. “They teach children about you in songs, you know! Though,” Nelry scratched the side of his face, “the lyrics aren't exactly kind.”Nelry looked out at the devastation surrounding them.“You

The day of Blitz's army arrival.°°°Inside a tent pitched just behind the vanguard, right at the edge of the Moss Trees, Rios gathered every soldier capable of wielding Iora.Including Rios, there were only five of them. Bronze stood in the corner, refusing a chair; he felt it was his duty to guard the supernaturally gifted soldiers who could level entire armies on their own.Rios sat beside Mage, a woman with sharp features and shimmering purple hair. She was slim, barely over five feet tall, but her presence was felt.Then there were the twins, Fren and Fran. Fren was the elder, her maturity a stark contrast to her younger brother, Fran, who treated almost everything like a joke.Fren’s black hair shimmered as she turned her head. Her skin was pale and soft, but much of it was marked by golden scars that hummed with power.Her brother was her polar opposite. Though his features mirrored hers, he stood nearly six feet tall. He sat cross-legged, his feet tapping a restless, ticking r

High on a mountain range that stood thousands of feet tall, jagged peaks tearing through slow-moving clouds as cold winds howled across the stone, two men looked down at the war from a bird's-eye view.One stood six feet tall, dressed in baggy grey-green and black trousers. His layered top was a complex arrangement of two garments. He had bone-white hair and a familiar face: Vox.The other wore black clothes, a mirror image of the man beside him. His hair was as red as fresh blood: Pyros.They watched silently as Blitz’s army maneuvered, decimating the right and middle flanks of the Ignis force. They observed as Nelry—one of the most talented warriors in Ignis—challenged Rios to a duel only to be humbled without Rios even breaking a sweat.It was obvious this was not the best Rios had to offer. If they followed Vox's original plan, they could be put in a slight bind."Is this what Serus meant when he praised Rios as one of the most cunning humans he knew?" Pyros asked. He folded his a