Adrian kept looking at the golden flame in his palm. It was warm and steady, and it lighted once with every beat of his heart, the same way the Mark did under his glove. He had seen this light many times in his first life, because Jenna used to throw it across whole battlefields, and he still remembered what it looked like when it hit a demon. This was the same Holy Mana she had. It had the same color and the same feeling to it, and it was just as strong, even though it was coming out of a Dark Mage's hand. He felt proud for a few seconds, and then he noticed the problem.The Holy Mana was moving up his arm and into his channels, and everywhere it went, his Dark Mana was pushed out a little more. He could feel his reserves getting thinner with every pulse. Adrian understood what that meant right away. If he let it continue, the Holy Mana would replace all of his Dark Mana, and he would be standing in the middle of enemy territory with a Cardinal in front of him and no idea how to cont

Sister kept walking like he told her to, but every few steps she turned her head to check his face. Adrian pretended not to notice. The Archon Blade was wrapped in the spare cloak from his pack and tied across his back, and he could feel it warm against him with every step. He wanted to test it so badly that his right hand kept drifting toward his shoulder, and he had to put it back at his side more than once. Nobody in the Dark Empire knew what it could do, and he only knew what Jenna had done with it in his first life. One swing in an empty clearing would tell him a lot, and that was exactly why it was so hard to wait.But he couldn't do it right now, and he knew why. The Anti Holy Mana spell had covered a huge area, so the Dark Empire's border watchers must have felt it too. Soldiers were probably already on their way to Pandora's Rainforest, and a sword that answered only to the Serpent of Time would be very easy to find if anyone was looking for it. How many patrols are coming, a

"Adrian! It's tomorrow. Open the door."Adrian woke up in the leather armchair with a sore neck and his glove lying on the desk. He had only meant to sit there for a few minutes after the light went out, but now the curtains were turning gray and somebody was hitting his door with a flat hand. He knew who it was without asking. Only one person in the house knocked like that.He pulled the glove up to his elbow and went straight to the wardrobe. The Archon Blade was still wrapped in its cloak under his winter coats. He knew it would be, since nobody could get through his locks, but he checked anyway. There was no way he was losing it this time around, not after how hard it was to get.He opened the door. Lilly was already dressed for the market with her arms crossed, and Maya stood behind her with both hands in her coat pockets, looking like she had been awake for hours."It's barely morning," Adrian said."It's nine o'clock, and I told you yesterday." Lilly looked at him from his mess

Adrian didn't answer her right away. He kept looking at the dark core in her chest, and he could still hear the voice saying somebody else always paid. He never once asked who was paying for his return. He was only grateful for it, and he still felt like that was wrong, even though he couldn't have known back then. Jenna went through two regressions before him. Who paid for those, and where are those people now?"Someone cut that message," he said finally. "They took out the part with the location and left the rest. You didn't know it was inside you, so it isn't your fault.""I would still like to know who did it, Lady Sera.""So would I."He held his hand over the core, but the runes did not come back, and the opening stayed empty. He decided to leave it alone for tonight, since he couldn't think straight about it right now. The door opened and Thalia came in with the tea tray. She stopped one step inside the room."Great Master, Lady Lilly is coming down the corridor. She has a deck

Adrian slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor with one hand pressed against his right side. The blood was coming through his fingers faster than he liked. His sword was somewhere near his boot, and he didn't reach for it, because he already knew a sword wouldn't help him now. His left sleeve was open from the elbow down and the glove was split across the back, so he kept that arm tucked against his body. Lilly dropped to her knees behind him and grabbed his shoulders with both hands. She was shaking so hard that he could feel it through his shirt."Adrian, you're bleeding. You're bleeding a lot.""I know. Stay behind me.""I'm not going anywhere," she said, and her voice cracked in the middle.He went through everything he had, and none of it was enough. Gluttony had filled his reserves more than before, but the pool still belonged to a sixteen year old, and the Retainer was faster than anything he could do in this body. Dissever needed both hands and a clear line, and t