SIGILBORNE: The World Beyond

The Measure of Strength

The creature's foreleg jerked forward.

Eiran's concentration nearly shattered.

"Hold on!" Arthur shouted, though Eiran wasn't sure whether he was speaking to him or the beast.

The dark purple light flickered again. The creature's enormous body strained against the invisible restraint, and the ground cracked beneath its claws as it fought to regain control of its movements.

Eiran gritted his teeth.

He couldn't hold it for much longer.

Then a voice rang out from the road behind them.

"Get down!"

Eiran barely had time to turn his head.

A massive ridge of earth erupted beneath the beast's body, lifting one side of its enormous frame. Its forelegs slammed against the raised ground, and its charge was thrown off balance just as the purple restraint finally gave way.

The beast roared.

Before it could recover, a second wave of earth surged around its limbs, locking them against the ground. Thick stone rose over its forelegs and tightened around its joints, forcing the creature to struggle against the sudden restraint.

A man stood several paces away, one hand extended toward the earth. He wore practical traveling armor, and a weathered cloak hung from his shoulders. His expression was calm, almost bored, as though holding back a creature four times the size of a horse was an inconvenience rather than a life-threatening task.

"Still as troublesome as ever," he muttered.

The beast thrashed.

The ground trembled beneath its weight, but the man only shifted his stance and pressed his hand lower. The earth tightened around the creature's limbs.

"Don't let it turn its head!" he called.

A woman stepped past him, raising one hand.

Water gathered around her fingers, drawn from the moisture in the air and the water carried in a flask at her waist. Rather than sending it toward the beast's hide, she directed it straight toward its open jaws.

The water rushed inside.

The creature snapped its mouth shut and shook its head violently, trying to expel the liquid. The woman maintained her control, directing the water deeper and forcing it into its breathing passages.

The beast's roar turned into a muffled, furious bellow.

At the same time, another figure moved along its flank. The young man raised his hand, and the air around the creature began to twist. A sudden pressure struck its head from the side, forcing it back toward the ground whenever it tried to lift it. The swirling current also carried away the loose dirt and debris that might have interfered with the others' movements.

Their actions were precise.

The Terran user controlled the creature's footing and restrained its limbs. The Aqua user prevented it from breathing properly. The Aeris user controlled its head and disrupted its attempts to fight back.

None of them wasted a movement.

Eiran watched in astonishment.

This was nothing like his and his friends' desperate attempts to keep the beast away. These people weren't simply throwing their Sigils at a dangerous creature and hoping something worked. Each of them understood exactly what the others were doing, and their abilities fit together as though they had practiced the same sequence countless times.

Even the beast's immense strength wasn't enough to break through their coordination.

"Keep it there!" the Terran user called.

The woman nodded, her expression tightening with concentration. The beast's movements grew increasingly erratic, its enormous chest heaving as it struggled for air.

Then the fourth adventurer stepped forward.

Unlike the others, he had not yet used his Sigil.

He was a broad-shouldered man carrying a long sword at his side. His armor was better maintained than the others', though its scratches and worn edges made it clear that it wasn't merely decorative. Four luminous rings of Aura revolved around him, each one distinct enough that Eiran could recognize them even from a distance.

Four Rings.

Eiran had heard of powerful Aura users, but seeing one fight at close range was an entirely different experience.

The man drew his sword.

He didn't immediately attack. Instead, he lowered his stance and held the blade with both hands, his attention fixed on the beast's neck.

The air around him seemed to grow still.

His Aura gathered around the sword, becoming denser with each passing moment. The four rings brightened, and a faint vibration passed through the blade.

Eiran could only stare.

The man's movements had been unremarkable until now, but the concentration of Aura made it difficult to look away. He wasn't merely preparing to swing a sword. He was gathering enough power to end the fight with a single strike.

"Hold it steady!" he called.

The Terran user drove his hand toward the ground.

The earth tightened around the beast's limbs, while the Aeris user forced its head lower. The Aqua user maintained her hold, refusing to give the creature enough room to recover.

The Aura user took one measured breath.

Then he moved.

For an instant, Eiran couldn't follow the motion.

The man crossed the remaining distance in a blur, his sword sweeping through the air with a sharp, ringing sound. The blade flashed once beneath the fading sunlight.

The beast's head separated from its body.

Its enormous frame shuddered before collapsing onto the road, sending dust and loose stones scattering in every direction. The earth around its limbs cracked under the weight, and the water surrounding its head spilled across the ground.

Silence followed.

The Aura user lowered his sword and flicked the blood from its edge before returning it to its sheath.

"Finally," he said. "I was getting tired of chasing this thing."

The Terran user released his hold on the earth and rolled his shoulders. "You say that as if you weren't the one who insisted we follow it beyond the eastern ridge."

"Because it kept escaping."

"And whose fault was that?"

The Aeris user let out a tired laugh while the Aqua user shook her head.

"You two can argue after we've collected the bounty," she said. "I'd rather not spend another night listening to you."

Arthur stood frozen beside the carriage, his mouth slightly open.

Seren had one hand pressed against her chest, breathing as though she had only just remembered how to do so.

Eiran lowered his arm. The purple light had vanished from his palm, leaving the unfamiliar mark hidden beneath his fingers.

He looked at the dead beast, then at the four adventurers.

They had defeated something that had nearly killed all three of them in less time than it had taken Eiran to understand how desperately outmatched they were.

And they had made it look easy.

The Aura user approached first, followed by the other three. His gaze moved over the damaged road, the shattered earth walls, and the frightened horse.

"Everyone still alive?" he asked.

Arthur finally found his voice. "I think so."

"Good. Then you're doing better than most people who run into that thing."

The man offered a hand to Arthur, who accepted it after a brief hesitation. His grip was firm, and he helped Arthur regain his footing.

The Terran user glanced at the holes in the road and the remains of Arthur's barriers.

"You made those?"

Arthur nodded. "I did. They didn't help much, though."

"They helped enough." The man gestured toward the creature's body. "You kept it occupied until we arrived. If you hadn't slowed it down, it might have reached the town before we could catch up."

Arthur looked toward the dead beast, still struggling to comprehend that his desperate attempts had actually mattered.

"That thing was heading toward the town?"

"We've been tracking it for days," the Aura user replied. "It kept moving between the woods and the main roads. We lost its trail more than once, and every time we got close, it slipped away."

He looked at the shattered barrier again.

"You three managed to hold it off longer than some people with more experience might have."

Eiran didn't know whether that was genuine praise or an attempt to make them feel better. Either way, he appreciated that the man hadn't mocked their performance.

"Do you know what it was?" Eiran asked.

"A Corrupted beast. A-grade."

Eiran's expression changed.

A-grade.

He had been uncertain whether the creature belonged to the lower grades or somewhere far higher. Now he understood just how badly he had underestimated the danger.

The Aura user noticed his reaction.

"First time encountering one?"

"First time fighting one," Eiran answered. "We've seen beasts before, but we were traveling with our families then. Guards and mercenaries usually dealt with them."

"That explains it." The man nodded. "You can read every book in a library and still have no idea what a beast is capable of until one tries to tear you apart."

The Terran user chuckled. "That's a rather unpleasant way to put it."

"Is it inaccurate?"

"No."

The man turned toward the others. "I'm Rovan. This is Bram, Liora, and Seth."

He indicated the Terran user first, then the woman who had used Aqua, and finally the Aeris user.

"We're an adventuring party from the town ahead," Rovan continued. "And judging by the direction you're traveling, I assume you're heading there too."

Arthur nodded eagerly. "We are. Our supplies are running low, so we were planning to buy some food."

"Then you're in luck. The road should be safe for a while now."

Bram glanced at the creature's body. "Assuming nothing else decides to claim its territory."

"Don't tempt fate," Liora said.

While they spoke, Eiran quietly slipped his hand into the carriage.

His fingers found a familiar piece of leather among their belongings. It was an ordinary glove Arthur had bought at the first settlement they visited after leaving home. Eiran had barely used it since then, but he remembered keeping it in their supplies.

He pulled it on.

The glove covered his palm and concealed the unfamiliar mark.

He wasn't ready to explain what had happened, not when he barely understood it himself. The adventurers had already seen enough to know that something unusual had occurred during the fight. He would rather keep the mark hidden until he had a clearer idea of its nature.

When he returned to the others, Rovan was explaining why they had been hunting the beast.

"The guild has been receiving requests to deal with it for a while now," Rovan said. "Farmers reported missing livestock, merchants complained about attacks on the roads, and a few travelers never made it to their destinations. The bounty kept increasing as more reports came in."

"So you were hunting it for the reward?" Arthur asked.

"Partly. We're adventurers. Taking requests is our work." Rovan shrugged. "But an A-grade Corrupted beast wandering near a major town is a problem that needs dealing with whether the bounty is good or not."

Bram snorted. "Though the bounty is good."

"Very good," Seth added.

Liora gave them both a flat look. "You two are proving his point."

Arthur laughed nervously, but his attention kept drifting toward Bram. The Terran user had restrained the beast's enormous limbs with a level of control Arthur could barely imagine achieving.

He had spent the past several days practicing how to shape the earth, but he had never considered using it so efficiently against something much stronger than himself.

Bram noticed him staring.

"What?"

Arthur straightened. "Nothing! I was just wondering how you managed to hold that thing down. Your Terran was incredible."

Bram raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the damaged road. "You were the one who opened a hole beneath its feet, weren't you?"

"Yes, but it escaped almost immediately."

"Because you were trying to trap its entire body instead of controlling where it could move." Bram crouched and touched the edge of one of the holes. "You don't always need to overpower something. Sometimes you only need to take away the ground it needs to stand on, or force it to put its weight somewhere it can't recover from."

Arthur listened as though every word were a secret technique.

"Could you show me how to do that?"

Bram laughed. "You want a lesson now?"

"If you don't mind!"

"We've got a beast to turn in and a bounty to collect. But if we're heading in the same direction, I can give you a few pointers along the way."

Arthur looked as though he'd just been handed a treasure chest.

Eiran smiled at his friend's enthusiasm, though his thoughts had already returned to the fight.

His unfamiliar Sigil had worked.

He had stopped an A-grade Corrupted beast, even if only for a short time. The effect had been exhausting, and he had nearly lost control before the adventurers arrived, but it had responded to his understanding of the word restrict.

That alone opened up more questions than he could count.

Could he restrict something other than movement? Could he reduce the force of an attack, or limit the way an object behaved? Was the dark purple light merely a sign of activation, or did it have a deeper meaning?

He resisted the urge to test it immediately.

He had learned enough from the beast to understand that curiosity without caution could get him killed.

Still, he couldn't stop the excitement building in his chest.

For the first time since receiving the unfamiliar mark, he had discovered something it could do.

And he wanted to know what else it could accomplish.

The journey to the town was considerably calmer with four experienced adventurers accompanying them.

Rovan's party had brought a sturdy cart of their own, and after securing the dead beast, they made arrangements to transport it back to the guild. The creature's enormous size made the task awkward, but Bram's Terran helped stabilize the load while Seth used Aeris to keep the cart from shifting too much on the uneven road.

Eiran watched their coordination whenever he had the opportunity.

They weren't simply strong. Each member understood how to make the others' abilities more effective. Even their mundane movements seemed practiced, from securing the beast to keeping the horses calm.

Arthur, meanwhile, spent most of the journey talking to Bram.

He asked about shaping earth, controlling its density, and creating barriers that wouldn't collapse under pressure. Bram answered some questions while refusing to give him others, insisting that certain things would only make sense once Arthur practiced them himself.

Seren remained quiet.

She had pulled her cloak more tightly around her shoulders, keeping her silver-gray hair hidden as much as possible. Whenever one of the adventurers looked in her direction, she instinctively lowered her head.

Eiran noticed.

He didn't blame her. They had already seen what happened when people discovered her race, and a crowded town full of strangers was not a place where she could easily predict how people might react.

He shifted slightly, positioning himself between her and the adventurers whenever the road narrowed.

Seren noticed the gesture but said nothing. Her fingers simply tightened around the edge of her cloak.

By the time the town gates came into view, the afternoon had begun to fade.

The walls were much larger up close, and a steady stream of merchants and travelers passed through the entrance. Guards stood on either side of the road, inspecting wagons and directing people toward different lanes.

Rovan's party drew immediate attention.

Several travelers recognized them, and some called out greetings. Others stared at the enormous beast secured to their cart, whispering among themselves as the four adventurers approached the gates.

Bram seemed used to the attention, while Liora ignored it entirely. Seth responded to a few greetings, and Rovan spoke briefly with one of the guards before leading their cart through the entrance.

Eiran and his companions followed.

Once inside, the adventurers guided them to a suitable place where they could leave their carriage while Arthur went to purchase supplies.

"We'll take the beast to the guild first," Rovan said. "You should be able to find the market nearby. Ask anyone at the gate if you need directions."

"Thank you for saving us," Eiran said. "We would've been in serious trouble without your help."

Rovan waved away the thanks. "You held on long enough for us to reach you. That's what matters."

Bram turned to Arthur. "Remember what I told you. Control the ground beneath your opponent before you try to control the opponent itself."

Arthur nodded earnestly. "I will."

"And don't go trying to fight another A-grade beast just to test it."

"I wasn't planning to!"

Bram gave him a doubtful look before following his companions toward the guild.

Arthur watched them leave with undisguised admiration.

"I want to be that good someday."

Eiran glanced at him. "You mean you want to hold down a beast four times the size of our horse?"

"I mean I want to use Terran like Bram does. Did you see how little he moved? He barely wasted any effort, and the beast couldn't get free."

"You also saw what happened when it struck your walls."

"Which is exactly why I need to learn more."

Eiran shook his head, amused. "At least you're honest about it."

Arthur grinned. "Besides, if I can learn even a fraction of what he knows, our next encounter might go differently."

"Let's hope the next encounter is something we can avoid entirely."

"That too."

Arthur left for the market, promising to return as soon as he had bought everything on their list.

Eiran and Seren remained with the carriage.

At first, the town's activity gave them plenty to watch. Merchants called out their prices, wagons rattled over the stone road, and people hurried between shops as the evening approached. The air carried the smells of freshly baked bread, roasted meat, and unfamiliar spices.

But after a while, the novelty wore off.

Eiran sat beside the carriage, his gloved hand resting on his knee. Seren remained close to him, her hood still drawn low.

"Do you think Arthur will really ask Bram for more lessons?" she asked quietly.

"He'll probably ask until Bram either agrees or runs away."

That earned a small laugh from her.

"I think he admired him."

"He did. Arthur has always liked people who know what they're doing."

Seren looked toward the road where the adventurers had disappeared. "They were very strong."

"They were."

She hesitated before continuing. "Do you think people would treat someone differently if they became strong enough?"

Eiran turned to her.

Her gaze remained lowered, but he understood what she was asking.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Some people will judge others regardless of what they accomplish. Strength won't change everyone's mind."

Seren's fingers tightened around her cloak.

"But it might change what some people are willing to do," Eiran continued. "And it might give you more choices than you have now."

She remained silent for a while.

Then she nodded slightly.

They waited for nearly two hours before Arthur finally returned, carrying several bags and looking far more excited than someone who had spent the afternoon buying groceries ought to be.

"You're late," Eiran said.

"I have information."

"You were supposed to buy food."

"I bought food, bread, grain, dried meat, lamp oil, rope, and a few other things. Enough to last us about a week if we don't waste anything." Arthur set the bags down beside the carriage. "But that's not the interesting part."

Eiran raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"Those four adventurers aren't just good. They're some of the biggest names in this town."

Seren looked up.

Arthur lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret. "I went to the guild after finishing the shopping. There were people gathered outside, and even more inside. Everyone wanted to see the beast they brought back."

"That many people?" Eiran asked.

"An A-grade Corrupted beast, apparently. The guild has been trying to get someone to deal with it for a while, and the bounty had become enormous. There were requests piling up because people kept reporting attacks." Arthur shook his head. "And the four of them finally killed it."

"Did you speak to Bram again?"

Arthur's expression brightened. "I did! He was busy talking to the guild staff, but I managed to ask him a few more questions. He said I should practice controlling the ground around a target before trying to trap the target itself. Apparently, I keep using too much earth without thinking about where the enemy will put its weight."

"That sounds like something you should have considered before."

"Thank you for your endless support."

Eiran smiled. "You're welcome."

Arthur ignored him and continued. "They're the guild's top party in this town. All four of them are highly ranked, and people here recognize them wherever they go. Bram said they're strong for this area, but compared to the best adventurers in the empire, they still have a long way to go."

Eiran leaned back against the carriage.

That was an interesting thought.

The four adventurers had seemed overwhelmingly powerful beside them. Yet even they considered themselves far from the strongest in the empire.

Just how powerful were the people at the top?

Arthur suddenly glanced toward Seren.

She had been listening quietly, her hood still concealing most of her face. When she noticed his attention, she drew the cloak closer around herself.

Bram's earlier words seemed to return to Arthur.

He lowered his voice. "Bram noticed her when I was at the guild. He asked me if she was a prisoner, or someone hiding from the law."

Eiran's expression tightened slightly. "What did you tell him?"

"That she wasn't in trouble. I said she was just afraid of how people might treat her." Arthur paused. "I didn't tell him anything about her race."

Seren slowly raised her head.

"What did he say?" Eiran asked.

Arthur looked thoughtful. "He told me that if she's afraid of being judged, she needs to become strong enough to be recognized for something other than what people see when they look at her."

Seren went still.

Arthur continued, repeating the conversation as accurately as he could remember it.

"He said strength isn't only about fighting. It's also a symbol of what someone has accomplished to obtain it. People might refuse to respect you for who you are, but if you achieve something they can't ignore, they'll have to acknowledge what you've done."

Seren's fingers loosened slightly around her cloak.

"He also said becoming an adventurer is one of the quickest ways to make a name for yourself. You travel, take requests, accomplish things, and earn recognition for your work. Of course, that doesn't mean everyone will treat you fairly, but it gives you a chance to prove yourself."

Arthur glanced toward the guild.

"Then he said something else. He told me not to think those four are the strongest just because they're famous here. Compared to the best adventurers across the empire, they're still small fish. There's always someone stronger, someone with more experience, and someone who has accomplished more."

Eiran looked down at his gloved hand.

Recognition.

Respect.

He had never thought much about either. As the son of a baron, people already recognized his family name. They treated him differently because of the title he carried, not because of anything he had personally accomplished.

But he had also seen how little a noble title meant when people were determined to look down on someone.

Seren had no such protection. Arthur had his own strength to build, and Eiran himself possessed an unfamiliar Sigil he barely understood.

Perhaps Bram was right about one thing. Power could be more than a weapon. It could become proof of what a person had worked to achieve.

Arthur sat on the edge of the carriage, looking unusually thoughtful.

"I never really considered becoming an adventurer before," he admitted. "I just wanted to travel with you and see the world. But watching Bram today made me realize how much there is to learn."

"You're already learning," Eiran said.

"Not nearly enough."

"No," Eiran agreed. "Probably not."

Arthur gave him an incredulous look. "You could at least pretend to encourage me."

"I'm encouraging you to be realistic."

Seren let out a quiet laugh.

The sound made both boys look at her, and for a moment, the tension surrounding the conversation eased.

She looked toward the guild in the distance, where people were still gathering to catch a glimpse of the beast and the adventurers who had slain it.

"I don't know if I could become someone like them," she said softly.

"You don't have to become like them," Eiran replied. "You only need to decide what kind of person you want to become."

Seren looked at him.

He didn't offer a promise that everything would be easy, nor did he tell her that strength would erase the prejudice she had endured. He couldn't guarantee either.

But she had choices now, and that mattered.

Arthur picked up one of the supply bags and began securing it behind the carriage. "Well, whatever we decide, we should probably eat something before we start planning our future."

"That's the first sensible thing you've said all day," Eiran remarked.

"I've been sensible all day!"

"Of course."

Seren smiled again, this time without hiding it.

The town around them continued to bustle as evening settled over the rooftops. Somewhere nearby, the adventurers who had saved them were receiving their bounty, and people were already talking about their victory.

Eiran glanced at the unfamiliar mark beneath his glove.

He still didn't know what his Sigil was called, what its limits were, or why it had appeared in that hidden chamber. But now he had a small glimpse of what it might become if he learned to understand it.

Arthur wanted to master his Terran.

Seren wanted a world where she could live without fear.

And Eiran wanted to understand the mystery resting in his palm.

None of them had planned to become adventurers when they first left home.

For now, they had supplies to buy, roads to travel, and a world far larger than anything they had known waiting beyond the town's gates.

That was enough to think about for one evening.