“Damn fool! I should have woken up an hour earlier.” Reza cursed himself as he rushed through the grand entrance of the Rewan Estate, his mood soured by the realization that he was on the brink of being late for Lukas’s first day of training.

  Reza came to a halt, recognizing the need to compose himself before proceeding. These emotions could ruin the start of Lukas’s training, and he didn’t want either himself or Lukas to begin on the wrong foot, potentially jeopardizing the foundation they would lay. Reza stopped before the painting of the Broken King, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Calm yourself. You will be there on time.”

  Opening his eyes, Reza took one final glance at the painting and slowed down, knowing that he could summon Elana and arrive in mere moments.

  Continuing to the front door, Reza acknowledged the few servants who were already awake at this ungodly hour. Nodding to each as he passed, he made it a point not to be rude to those employed to maintain the smooth functioning of his household. This was a lesson he had learned from his parents, and he would continue to uphold it here as well.

  Sabine was nowhere to be found in the entryway, despite the fact she lived in the main house, and he had to walk from the guest house at the back of the estate. Reza hadn’t anticipated her coming with him, but she had awakened him in the middle of the night to warn him and inform him that she would join him in the morning. She sought one final session before her duel.

  Reza planned a relaxed day, prioritizing Lukas’s training. He wanted to grasp Lukas’s knowledge and establish a baseline of his student’s abilities. However, he exercised caution due to his match the following day. There was no reason to risk an injury, especially considering the high stakes involved. While he could heal most injuries, healers couldn’t mend significant wounds in a day, and Reza couldn’t afford such skilled professionals.

  “Where in the abyss is she?” Reza muttered under his breath, growing impatient. They needed to hurry, and if she didn’t appear soon, he would have to leave her to fend for herself. Opening the door, he peered out the front to see if she was waiting—unfortunately, only a single soldier guarded the porch. The man’s eyes quickly caught Reza’s, and his hand instinctively reached for the weapon at his waist, ready for any potential threat at such an early hour. It took only a moment for the guard to recognize Reza and nod in acknowledgment.

  Reza waved in recognition and returned to their entryway. He had been impressed by the guards the Rewans employed. They had keen eyesight and ears and were ready for any unexpected events, even in the darkest of nights. This demonstrated good discipline, and they were people you could trust to carry out their duties.

  Closing the door, Reza hurried up the stairs to the Rewans’ living quarters. He hadn’t been up here frequently, but he had visited Sabine’s quarters several times.

  He quickly made his way down the hallway to Sabine’s door, which led to her suite, which was essentially her bedroom. He knocked three times rapidly.

  “Sabine, we need to leave; Lukas will likely be waiting for me already,” Reza tried to ensure that Sabine could hear him without waking up the rest of the

  Rewan family. His nerves were already on edge, and he didn’t want Lucien to start something because he had woken him up.

  The door opened unexpectedly, and Reza jumped. He hadn’t heard Sabine moving towards the door.

  Sabine chuckled and closed the door behind her. She adjusted her weapons, relocating her unstrung bow and quiver to her back before focusing on Reza with a stern expression.

  “Reza, calm down. It’s a mere ten-minute walk to the residence. We’ll arrive there in no time.” She set off, and Reza followed, quickening his pace to walk beside her.

  “Well, let’s get going. My sisters would likely dismember me if I jeopardized our connection with the high families. Tavia has already secured a contract with Sulli, and I anticipate her pursuing more with others. I wouldn’t be surprised if your father becomes entangled in one with her now that she’s infiltrated the Sulli business.” He remarked as they left the house and ventured onto the street. We should have opted for the horses. It’s been weeks since I last rode him; the poor creature needs his legs stretched.

  Reza glanced towards the stables. “It’s too late now.”

  “Stop worrying,” she laughed. “Besides, my father will likely look to make a deal now that Sulli did, so I don’t doubt Tavia will seize that opportunity. It does not matter as the families will seek connections with you if you continue to rise in the contest.” She placed a hand on Reza, halting him, the smile fading from her face. “Just remember what I told you last night: don’t trust any of those inquiries.”

  “I won’t,” Reza affirmed.

  Sabine had arrived at the guest house late last night and woke Reza up. Sound asleep, he had almost stabbed her with the dagger hidden under his pillow, having unleashed his power and positioned himself behind her.

  Had she not screamed out, it could have been disastrous. “Reza, stop! It’s me.”

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  “What?” He rubbed his eyes, dropped the dagger on the bed, and lay back. “Why are you here?”

  She moved and sat at the edge of his bed. “You’re in danger. There was talk about murdering you tonight.”

  It took him a moment to comprehend her words. “Why? And where did this come from?” Reza asked. He would be dishonest if he claimed he was surprised that somebody was after him. The contest, and saving Lukas had made him a person of interest, which inevitably brought many eyes upon him, good and bad. He had anticipated this might turn into a perilous situation, but he was willing to take the risk for the chance.

  “The contest, what else?” She gave him a look as if there was no other possible reason. She was probably right about that. “Just an hour ago, during a meeting of the closed council. Many of the council members are open about keeping the Archons confined to their families, but Lord Kejek was blunt in his opinions. He attempted to push his agenda, but he was defeated. My father and Lord Sulli supported you.”

  Kejek. Reza would never trust the man and his allies again. He pushed his hair out of his face. “Thank you for the warning. I’m not sure what else I can do except avoid dealing with the man himself and be constantly aware of the possibility.”

  Sabine grabbed his hand before moving to the door. “I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

  She left after also letting him know she would join him tomorrow morning, with Reza awake for a bit longer to think. He would send a message to Tavia not to do business with him, his family, or maybe even his allies. It was one less chance to make money, but Kejeck was openly pushing my murder, so we wouldn’t want to associate with such a family.

  Realizing he had been deep in thought, Reza tried to regain his composure. The road was unusually crowded today; more people were in the district than ever, even at this hour. It wasn’t surprising, he thought, considering the contest was in full swing and the possibility of war looming over Arkhen’s territory. Many were likely returning to the city. With so many more people back, the servants of the numerous nobles’ houses were already busy starting their daily routines.

  Reza swiftly approached Sulli’s house, skillfully navigating through small groups as they traversed the noble district.

  Turning a corner, Reza collided with a man walking down the opposite street. The man remained unperturbed, while Reza stumbled backward, startled by the man’s immense strength, which knocked him into another person. Disoriented, Reza barely regained his composure when something tightened around his neck, suffocating his air. What is this abyss?

  With a quick motion, Reza brought his elbow back, attempting to drive it into the person holding the cord that was cutting into his neck. He could feel blood seeping down his body. Undeterred, Reza tried again, finally connecting with the man with an elbow, causing the cord to loosen briefly as he seized control of his power. Before Reza could unleash his energy, another man arrived, striking him in the ribs with a powerful punch. A searing pain shot through Reza’s body.

  As Reza flared, people around him erupted in screams. He swiftly moved to the side, approximately ten feet away from the attackers. Reza noticed multiple men armed with weapons; one held a thin, bloody blade, while another man wielded a cord, standing beside Elana. Damn, man stabbed me.

  Reza, not feeling the wounds because of the magic flowing through his body, knew he’d be in trouble after the fight. He tried to grab his daggers, but his numb hand couldn’t grip the hilt of one. He abandoned the second dagger and held the first with his good hand, flaring and coming in close to slash deep into the man with the garrote’s neck. He collapsed, clutching his bleeding neck. Reza flared again, his mind only focused on Sabine.

  Where was she? He found her against a wall, flanked by two men. She held them off with her unstrung bow, using it like a quarterstaff. Reza flared behind one of the men, kicking his knee. He cut deep across the man’s neck, leaving him to collapse on the ground, dead.

  Reza breathed heavily, flaring once more. He moved away from Sabine, leaving her to deal with the remaining man. Unfortunately, the few seconds it took to help Sabine had given the three men time to prepare. They were now in a tight formation, facing each other’s back and ready to protect themselves.

  Clever assassins. Reza needed to end the fight swiftly; he sensed the energy draining from something sinister. Despite his severe wound, his power should not be waning as rapidly as it was. Fearfully, Reza finally spotted the auras surrounding the remaining assassins. While their power was not formidable, they emanated a faint red glow around their weapons.

  It wasn’t a wraith pact, but some lower-level magic; he couldn’t discern the exact nature from the limited information he could gather. Reza realized he was running out of time and would have to conclude the fight swiftly. Without his magic surging through him, his body might have already succumbed; fortunately,

  Elana’s power seemed to mitigate the effects of their magic.

  Reza flared his power, materializing before the blood-stained knife assassin. He swiftly slashed twice across the man’s chest. The assassin, knowing he was dead from his wounds, attempted to bring Reza to the afterlife with him as he attempted one last attack with the rest of his strength.

  Unable to retreat, Reza instinctively raised his numb arm, deflecting the assassin’s blade across his forearm. The dagger pierced through his flesh, leaving a deep gash several inches across. Bloody echoes.

  Reza flared his power, escaping the other two assassins’ blades. They had been mere seconds away from ending the fight, capitalizing on the death of their comrade.

  Reza, having switched with Elana twice, swiftly slashed down toward his first target. Before the strike could even make contact, he flared again, appearing in the air above the last assassin. With all his might, he plunged his dagger into the man’s skull, causing him to fall dead. However, the dagger slipped from Reza’s weakened hand and remained lodged in the man’s skull. With the assassin dead, the man’s body fell onto Reza, causing him to lose his balance.

  As Reza regained his composure, a dagger appeared in the corner of his eye, striking out towards him. Instinctively, he lunged forward and grabbed the assassin’s wrist, exerting all his might to keep his grip.

  Fortunately, Reza had enough strength to stop the initial attempt. In the ensuing struggle, the assassin plunged the dagger just below Reza’s collarbone, sinking a few inches in. Reza let out a piercing scream and dropped to his knees, the assassin poised to deliver the killing blow. But the man let out a deafening scream of agony, causing the dagger to slip from their grasp and land beside Reza. The assassin collapsed, his lifeless eyes staring up at Reza, a dagger lodged in the man’s neck.

  A sense of confusion washed over him as he wondered what had happened. Just then, Sabine rushed to his side, steadying him on his knees. Her eyes were wide with fear as she began to examine his body. “Where are you hurt?” she asked.

  Reza felt excruciating pain spreading throughout his body, a testament to the insidious magic wielded by the assassins that had drained his last reserves of strength. His entire body was racked with agony, and he struggled to stay awake, his mind urging him to succumb to sleep. With a desperate attempt to muster his remaining strength, Reza attempted to form a coherent sentence to respond to Sabine. “Stabbed…” he coughed, the corner of his eyes blurring as the pressure to close them intensified. “Magical…”

  Reza was acutely aware of his dire situation, despite his initial belief that nothing significant had been struck. The assassins’ magic had rendered Elana’s power ineffective against them. It was evident that if the first assassin had targeted a more vulnerable spot, Reza would have succumbed to his injuries long ago.

  Sabine swiftly laid Reza down on the ground, her hand firmly pressing against the wound in his ribs to stem the bleeding. She promptly issued orders to the people nearby, instructing them to assist in moving Reza to the Sulli Estate.

  Reza felt the pain intensify, but he resisted, battling the darkness that threatened to consume him. This wouldn’t be his end. He extended his hand, grasping more power and forcing Elana back into the world after momentarily losing their connection. He had to hold onto their connection, not let it slip away, or he would succumb. With his teeth clenched, he felt multiple individuals lift him up, Sabine still pressing against his ribs. Each movement brought forth excruciating pain, yet it served as a stimulant, keeping him awake.

  “Don’t worry, Marius. The Sulli house is nearby. We’ll get you medical attention,” Sabine whispered, drawing closer to him.