On a day before the contact with Ethan was made and the young mages departed from the camp: "I have something to discuss with you." With his chin held high and chest puffed out Frey almost seemed to look down on Nathaniel as he blocked the path to the tents. The fire of defiance in Frey's eyes showed that he still mistrusted the other, yet he would not back down until he got what he wanted. "Sure." Frey blinked, obviously surprised by Nathaniel's fast approval. He was not used to adults who listened to him. For a second, his demeanor faltered, then he gritted his teeth. "Don't think I trust you just because Lady Katherine says you're good and you freed us from that torture house. I know you have ulterior motives, just like the organization. You want to use my siblings for your war, right? You want to attack the organization but from what I see you have way too few men for that. Nobles are all the same! You want to exploit my sibling's magic too, right?" Nath

Why does every battlefield I enter turn into a massacre? Nathaniel wondered bitterly when he gazed at his surroundings. The tides of battle had changed with the appearance of his magic power. Well, if one could still call it his. The black magic did not heed any of his commands, regardless of its origin. The only upside was that it did not appear to be on the army's side either, as it just swooped in here and there to eat a few men from both sides. The soldiers were terrified. This was a foe they could not defeat with weapons. If the dark magic picked them, they could do nothing but be obediently eaten.Still, Nathaniel had noticed that the black power didn't dare come too close to him, so he kept his own soldiers closer. If it was as greedy as usual, Blacky would've turned the battlefield into a swamp of death already. Yet it seemed changed somehow. One change was that it was wary, and Nathaniel could guess why: it was afraid to touch its former host, afraid to find out if Nat

Slowly, Katherine drew a step back diagonally, then another until she could feel something hard behind her. The cave's wall was cold and rough, but for now, it was the only support she had. It seemed quite sturdy. Hastily, she glanced at Loki's leader. He wasn't closer than before, his arms still crossed behind his back, seemingly watching the scene with mild interest. At least for now, he appeared to have no ambition to involve himself. Good.Focusing on her cousin again, Katherine noticed with a start that he'd stepped closer. The researcher in her grip also struggled weakly, huffing and puffing in pain. Right, she suddenly realized, though he is in my hands, he's no hostage so long as I can't threaten his life. And even then, would someone here care enough to stop? Especially Ethan? Ridiculous. What can I do? I need to buy time to think! Talk to them! Try to bargain until I find a chance to flee!The first thing that came to her mind was still the same question and she

The ladder creaked ominously under Katherine's hands. Despite Ve and Ethan watching from above, she climbed as slow as a slug, her mind churning. What could she do? What would they do? What would happen if she reached the dark mass? What did Ve want to archive? Could there be another cave further down this rift, one useful for escape? But what then?Her head hurt, yet she found no answers. All she knew was that she wanted her baby to live - and thus, had to live herself. Survive.A cold wind blew in the canyon, unobstructed by the walls that were smooth and flat like paper. Their earthen color was smeared with some kind of soot, turning darker the further she climbed down. Katherine wondered if there had been a fire below before it was flooded by this black mass, but if that was true, the fire would've had to be gigantic. All she could see from the opposite wall of the canyon was equally as smooth and charred as her side. Almost as if the canyon was molten into the mountai

Though it seemed tangible, the darkness did nothing to cushion Katherine's fall. Her body bounced off the narrowing walls once, then twice, rendering her red and blue even before she hit the ground with a dull thud and lost consciousness.The dark world was illuminated by a slight glow when an agonizing pain shook her awake again seconds later. She squirmed. While her whole body pulsed numbly and her head swam, her stomach seemed to burn with white-hot flames. A gasp escaped her throat. She tried to clutch her belly, only for more pain to shoot up her left arm. It was buried under her hip at a strange angle, vastly unresponsive but agonizingly present. Though the right arm moved naturally, the pain and helplessness brought tears to Katherine's eyes. "Not again, please not again..."The darkness above her suddenly seemed to grow wolf maws, feral growls sounding over the tearing of flesh. The memories which she thought she'd locked away, resurfaced together with the pain. He