How did the blade go through that time? Cass asked.

  Behind her, she could hear gasping as Salos’s claws dug into the lightning-stunned lvl-29. Abyss if I know. The kid said I should stab him. I stabbed him.

  Cass pulled the blade free as the man’s heart exploded from the blood freezing and expanding within. “What did you do?”

  Ahryn stood a little straighter. “Debuffed his Fortitude.”

  The kid’s an afflictionist?

  Is that unusual? Cass asked.

  Yes. Well, uncommon, at least. Especially among humans. Especially at his age and level. Is that important right now?

  The sword of lvl-30 swinging past her face as she dodged out of the way answered that question.

  Lvl-33 was out of the ice field too and quickly approaching.

  Across the cathedral, the demon stood over a concerning number of corpses. Its soul—or the twisted, writhing, pulsing thing that sat in the place of a soul—burned like the sun, hot and hungry and feasting and pressing fiercely against the defenses of Soul Guard.

  The dragon unleashed another blast of flaming breath, the heat a tangible force even at this distance.

  And, despite the number of corpses, the number of paladins and priests in the room had only grown. Another wave was already on their way to reinforce the two still attacking her and Ahryn.

  Was there an end to them?

  Cass shook her head. That was the wrong question. It didn’t matter how many paladins there were. Killing them all wasn’t the goal. Getting Ahryn, the dragons, and herself out of this mess was.

  All that without letting a starving demon loose on the city.

  Even if there was, would exhausting that supply be helpful? She just needed to get Ahryn, herself, and the dragons out of this mess without letting a demon run wild in the city.

  ‘All’ she needed to do was kill the demon, break the captain’s skill, and then run. In that order. Critically, in that order.

  But the demon wasn’t any weaker than he’d been a minute ago. If anything, he was just getting stronger by devouring the souls of the paladins.

  Would killing all the paladins keep him from doing that, or would he just try to eat her instead?

  She shook the thoughts aside as she Dodged around another attack from lvl-30 and tossed a pair of Tempest Blades at lvl-33, one of wind and one of lightning.

  The wind blade struck his armor, breaking on the metal plates and against his exposed face. The lightning blade he blocked on his shield, the electricity running ineffectually through the metal, unable to make the jump to his body.

  Salos appeared on his shoulder, his claws sliding uselessly over the plate metal.

  Why? Ahryn had thrown his debuff attack at 33 first. Cass watched it hit as she’d run up. Did the debuff have a limited time? A set number of attacks before it wore off?

  Was 33 just that much stronger than the others?

  There was no need to wonder. “Why didn’t my attack go through?”

  “Ah, the debuff timed out,” Ahryn called back.

  “Can you do it again?” Cass asked.

  The boy’s hand twisted as he began casting.

  Status Effect Spell

  [Purpose: Debuff?]

  Well, that was an answer. How did it change her next move?

  He could help fight. With him, they might hurt the captain. But that still left the demon. Should she just throw what was left of her Focus at killing it? Would that even be enough?

  Ahead, lvl-33 raised his shield, the green glow of aura accumulating over its surface. He was charging an Aura Bash. Just negating one clipping her shoulder had cost her 50 Stamina. Partially negating a direct hit had been 75.

  Stamina: 42/141

  Focus: 103/549

  She couldn’t afford even that much right now. If he hit her with that, she would feel it.

  Just don’t let it hit, then.

  The blast was fast, but she was faster.

  And Ahryn’s spell was already done. The boy pointed, and a white light shot from his hand, flying across the gap.

  Salos, all you, Cass said, Shifting them.

  He bolted after the spell in her body, his dagger gleaming.

  The white light hit lvl-33.

  A burst of slate-grey mana exploded in front of Salos.

  [Unknown Spatial Warp Skill]

  Lvl-30 appeared in front of him. His dagger slammed uselessly into the man’s shield.

  Cass would have screamed in frustration if she were still in her body. That skill was getting in the way again?

  But, no. This was fine. This was just an inconvenience. The debuff wouldn’t wear off in the time it took him to slip around lvl-30 and stab 33.

  Lvl-33 took a step to the left.

  Lvl-30 swung at Salos. He dodged back.

  Lvl-33 released the Aura Bash from his shield.

  And Cass understood what the paladins had planned.

  Ahryn was by himself. Flatfooted. Alone.

  Salos was too far away to push the boy out of the way. He’d have to step into the attack’s path if he wanted to stop the attack. And he wouldn’t survive it either.

  She swapped them back, Alacrity burning for an answer. The world shifted around her. She could feel the whoosh of air as lvl-30’s sword swung past her.

  Could Ahryn survive the attack? Not if she couldn’t. She doubted his Fortitude was better than hers.

  Could she make a shield? Not at this distance. What would she even make a shield out of?

  Could she move him? How?

  Wind. Ahryn was as weak as a quivering leaf in a storm.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Her dagger whipped out, pointed at the boy. She pulled up Elemental Manipulation, grabbing all the surrounding air. Willing more to fill the room. Pushing it into a united front. Willing it to run.

  To run!

  It gusted forward, faster than the aura blast. Like a gale unleashed.

  It knocked into Ahryn. He braced against it, but only for a moment. He tumbled over just as the Aura Bash flew over him.

  He hit the glass floor hard. A surprised yelp escaped his lips.

  Focus: 83/549

  Lvl-33 advanced on Ahryn. Him and four of the new reinforcements—a pair of level 32s, a level 28, and another level 31. They were all closer to Ahryn than Cass was.

  Salos, take out lvl-33, Cass said, Shifting them again.

  With pleasure, he said, slipping around lvl-30.

  The 32s had formed a wall between him and Ahryn. Lvl-30 chased after him.

  Cass leapt up 30’s back, lightning Tempest Blades on her claws. The electricity zapped the paladin as they raked across his armor. She didn’t wait to see him fall, leaping on to the nearer of the 32s.

  But he saw her coming. He slapped her down with a bash of his shield.

  Salos stepped into the opening behind the man’s shield and drove his dagger into a gap between plates, pulling it free with a trail of blood, ducking out again before either man could grab him.

  It wasn’t enough to phase the paladin.

  Meanwhile, Cass hit the ground, coughing up blood from the impact.

  Stamina: 39/141

  Focus: 73/549

  Health: 70/134

  Behind the reinforcements, lvl-33 raised his sword over Ahryn.

  Ahryn lay on the ground where he’d landed. His hands were up. His white force field flickered between them. His eyes squeezed shut. He whispered, “Please.”

  Salos would not make it to him in time. Cass couldn’t either.

  The blade would slice through the boy.

  There was nothing Cass could do about it.

  The roar of thunder shook the cathedral.

  A blast of lightning bolted from the brawl by the door into the side of the attacking paladin, cutting a hole through the man’s plate armor.

  Lvl-33 blinked, electricity running up and down his body.

  Behind him, a figure materialized.

  The demon.

  The reinforcements to either side flinched back.

  “Kohen!” Ahryn sighed with relief, his entire body relaxing.

  Kohen?

  The demon’s phantom hand dove through the man’s chest. It clamped around the soul within and crushed it. Pulverized it. Until there was nothing but a fine powder.

  What?

  The level 31 regained his nerve first, his sword striking for the demon’s neck.

  The demon dodged the sword, summoning its lightning blade to a clawed hand and driving it into the paladin’s chest. Again, the phantom hand pulverized the man’s soul before Cass could stop him.

  The demon moved on before it absorbed any of the particles of the soul.

  Why? Were there too many paladins around for it to stop and eat it now? But that hadn’t stopped it earlier when it had been surrounded by even more paladins.

  One of the level 32s swung at the demon while the level 28 turned on Ahryn.

  The demon ducked under lvl-32’s strike and skewered lvl-28 with his lightning sword. It dragged the man through the air on the end of its lightning blade, hammering him into the lvl-32. A moment later, both souls were vaporized into a fine mist.

  Was he protecting Ahryn?

  Why?

  Ahryn shot a debuffing bolt at lvl-30.

  Salos darted after it, his dagger plunging through the weakened armor and twisting through the compromised flesh underneath. Your turn.

  Cass winced and activated Shifting Minds.

  Blood ran over her hand from the paladin’s wound.

  She took a deep breath, calling astraum along the blade with Elemental Manipulation.

  Cold came for him, freezing the man to death.

  Cass pulled her dagger from the corpse. The body collapsed before her, metal ringing against glass in her ears.

  Focus: 53/549

  The second lvl-32 swung at the demon, slicing a deep gash across its back.

  “Kohen!” Ahryn yelled again. His hands made a series of arcane gestures before clapping together before his chest. A white light enveloped the demon, and its bleeding slowed.

  “Kohen?” Cass repeated. “That’s Kohen?”

  Ahryn hesitated, his hands pausing mid-gesture.

  The demon snarled and struck the paladin. The lightning blade slammed into the man’s armor, knocking him back several feet. The demon surged after him.

  The boy took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes?”

  Kohen was a demon? How? Why? Since when?

  No. None of that was important. The only question was: What did this change?

  The paladins on the other side of the room were reorganizing. Most still fought the dragon, their captain throwing shields between them and the dragon periodically. Was he leaning on his shield?

  They had formed a tight ring around the dragon, their shields pressed against each other, only separating enough to jab their swords through when the dragon was faced away.

  The dragon was covered in new wounds, blood dripping down his flanks, his scales cut away in ribbons.

  The rest of the paladins chased the demon across the room. They would be here sooner than later.

  Her primary goal was unchanged: escape.

  Her secondary goal was unchanged: escape with everyone.

  The method for completing that goal was unchanged: remove the captain’s skill, ideally through intimidation, but with force as necessary.

  Force looked increasingly necessary.

  There was really only one way that this new information could change anything. And it was her definition of ‘everyone’.

  “You’re sure that’s Kohen?” Cass pointed at the demon.

  The demon—Kohen—was on top of the paladin, pinning the man to the floor. His lightning sword had shrunk to a dagger-length blade. He was slamming it against the paladin’s armor, stabbing it through joints for fountains of blood, even as his phantom hand pressed through his flesh for the soul.

  Ahryn hesitated just another moment before nodding. The core in the boy’s chest flickered. There was something terribly wrong with it. Souls were meant to be round—perfect, flawless spheres.

  Yet, Ahryn’s core was torn open, like a soccer ball ripped apart and turned inside out.

  It looked painful. Horribly painful. How had he been moving at all up to this point?

  “You can see that’s a demon, right?” Cass asked.

  Ahryn paled. Or perhaps his skin was already unnaturally ashen? He nodded. “But it’s also Kohen.”

  Cass ran a hand through her hair. She didn’t like Kohen.

  She didn’t like him at all. Like, he was probably one of her top five least favorite people she’d met in this world. Maybe top five least favorite ever.

  He was rude and manipulative and—well, she couldn’t say she knew him better than that.

  But he was Alyx and Ahryn’s brother. That might not mean anything to Alyx, but clearly, that meant everything to the kid before her.

  “We can save him, can’t we?” Ahryn looked up at her. Something shimmered silver in his dark eyes, like stars on a clear night. That probably wasn’t good. She was certain human eyes didn’t do that. “He’s just protecting me. We don’t need to hurt him.”

  Salos leapt onto Cass’s shoulder. “That is a demon. It has no concept of you as a person. You are nothing but a soul to be devoured.”

  He does seem to be protecting Ahryn, though, Cass pointed out privately.

  Coincidence, Salos muttered. It will turn on the boy as soon as there are no other targets.

  “I don’t believe that,” Ahryn said. If the talking cat bothered him, he didn’t show it.

  “Boy, does that thing look like your brother?” Salos asked.

  The next wave of paladins had arrived. The demon ripped an arm off the nearest one with a clawed hand. His skin rippled as he moved, snarling and cackling in equal measure.

  How is that happening, anyway? Cass asked. He’s got a physical body, right? Is shapeshifting possible for them?

  Sure, it’s just incredibly painful and slow, Salos said. It looks like the raw potential in the souls he’s devoured is reshaping his body as we speak.

  It looked unpleasant.

  “Isn’t there something you can do?” Ahryn asked. Another face superimposed over the boy’s.

  Cass’s hand clenched into a fist.

  Did ‘everyone’ include Kohen or not?

  Every bit of good sense screamed ‘no’. She couldn’t let a mad demon loose on the city. She didn’t have the resources to drag this out until she had another option.

  You cannot save everyone, Salos whispered, his soul heavy against hers. You will only drown if you try.

  “Miss Mage?” the boy’s voice quivered.

  He wasn’t Robin.

  Kohen wasn’t Kaye.

  Not by a long shot. They looked nothing alike.

  But that was the face Robin had made. That night. As she’d been pulled from Earth.

  A desperate face. A terrified face.

  “I’ll do my best.” The words slipped out.

  Hope bloomed in the boy’s eyes, shining like stars.

  Salos shook his head on her shoulder.

  The words were a hollow promise. She didn’t know how she’d save him. They were completely empty of everything.

  Everything, save intent.

  But the intent burned.

  “Your best,” he repeated with a nod. He swayed on his feet, but his body had taken on a silver glow, cold like starlight. “Let’s do our best, together.”

  It was all she could offer.

  It was the least he could accept.

  Now, to find a way to make good on them.