Corrin looked back and forth between Luscien and the newcomer. For the first time, Luscien's usual composure faltered as his eyes narrowed with fear. The man with the spear, Kieran, leaned casually on his spear as he smiled across the stilled battlefield, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He exhaled, and mist trailed from his lips.

In the silence, Azni knelt over Lesia's limp form, desperately checking for a pulse, but Kieran didn't spare her so much as a glance.

Luscien's flames sputtered with uncertainty as he fumbled for words. "You joined the cult? Why?"

Kieran laughed once, sharply. "You of all people shouldn't ask me that. After all, you're the one to blame."

Thestor shouted, his voice already hoarse. "Hurry up and kill them already! If you don't I'll—"

Kieran's spear embedded itself in the wall inches from the acolyte's head, cracking the stone. His face twisted with rage as he spat. "Try to order me around once more and I'll kill you where you stand."

Sloth jumped away from the spear. "I—I am an acolyte of—"

"A sect that isn't mine," Kieran finished contemptuously. "And you're a poor representation of your own. If your sage wasn't so… well nevermind."

Corrin muttered under his breath. "You know this guy Luscien?"

Luscien nodded tensely. "The Dunet's are a minor noble house, much like my own. Kieran participated in the academy entrance exam the same year I did."

"He's a student at the academy too?" Corrin exclaimed.

"No," Luscien's fist tightened. "We only took the exam together. He failed."

The spear tore itself free of the wall, snapping back into Kieran's grip. "And who do I have to thank for that?" His tone curdled, his mask of nonchalance towards Luscien slipping.

"You have only yourself to blame." Luscien lowered his stance, claws of fire blooming back to life as his tails whipped behind him in arcs of red and gold.

"Can you beat this guy Luscien?"

Corrin didn't like the look he got in reply.

"Oh I'm sure he remembers what happened last time." Kieran spun the spear lazily, recovering his cool as he stepped forward past the frozen adventurers. The frost on his skin thickened until it had formed a jagged icy armor, gleaming in the sunlight. "Keep the rabble distracted for me! I'm going to see if the little fox here has gotten any stronger."

Thestor grumbled a rebuttal, but raised his hands nonetheless, and as the monsters which had pulled back like shadows under the afternoon sun, began to creep back in. They formed a wall in front of the acolyte, blocking him off as he slowly backed away.

The Kegslayers stirred along with them, urgency pushing back against despair as Kevs beat his shield. Anzi was still clutching Lesia's body as the other three formed around her, and Reken yelled for her to get up, grabbing her arm. But Corrin couldn't continue to watch.

Kieran held out his spear, pointing it at Luscien as the ground froze beneath his boots. "Show me what two years brought you."

The air cracked as fire met ice. Luscien darted in, claws flashing, but Kieran barely shifted his feet as his spear turned aside a flurry of blows. The icy haft slammed against Luscien's ribs, knocking him back. He attacked again with his tails, and steam hissed as the met the armor to little effect.

Kieran thrust the spear out, and Luscien twisted as it tore a line across his side. He staggered back, blood soaking into his tunic. Kieren stepped back instead of pressing, disgust twisting his face.

Luscien dashed back in, turning a thrust with his tail, blocking a strike with his hand, and raking his claws across Kieran's chest. This time the claws cut deeper, piercing the ice, but not breaking skin. Kieran hardly reacted other than by knocking Luscien back with a quick counterstrike.

Corrin lunged in, sword flashing as mana burned down its edge. A shard of ice formed in the air, catching his sword before it could get close. Ash cut through it, but one of its halves shot towards him, and he had to jump back and defend.

Kieran didn't even look at him. Forgoing the spear, he drew a gauntleted fist back and hammered it into Luscien's guard, driving him to the ground.

"You've barely changed," Kieran snarled. "Two years have passed, and you're still the same weakling. This is what they chose over me? Come on Luscien! Show me why!" Another punch slammed down, and Luscien's blood spattered across the stone.

With a ferocious snarl, Kita pounced in defense of his bond, but his teeth found no purchase on the thick armor, gnawing helplessly before Kieran slapped him aside. Corrin tried again, thrusting for Kieran's blindspot, and though ash pierced the rime, the wound it left was shallow.

Still, Kieran turned then, cold eyes finally fixing on him.

Corrin tried to push the blade deeper, but it was held firm, and the armor began to reform around it to lodge it in place. Ice mana crept up the edge, overwhelming his own as a chill reached his fingers. Corrin sucked in more mana, but it came slower than normal.

Is the cold affecting the mana itself? Corrin's eyes widened, and he yanked the blade out.

Kieran held up two fingers, his knuckles red with Luscien's blood. "Stay out of this." He flicked them towards Corrin, and pain erupted in his side as the floating shard of ice lanced into it, burying itself deep. Ice mana began to leak into his body through the wound, and he could feel the flow of his own aura slowing.

Corrin grit his teeth into a maniacal grin. "Eat shit." He rammed his boot into Kieran's shin. Armor didn't help with the blunt blow, and Kieran fell to one knee.

He didn't have time to gloat though, as another shard formed in the air, already inside Corrin's guard. Kieran raised two fingers again, and Corrin brought his arms together. It pierced his mantle, but he'd been ready this time, and the wound wasn't as bad. Corrin staggered back anyways as blood seeped out, replaced by chilling ice mana within.

Before Kieran could finish him, a fiery trail whipped around his leg and hurled him backwards. He tumbled once, then jabbed his spear into the ground, skidding to a stop. He sneered. "You really haven't changed at all. Just as pathetic as before."

Luscien hauled himself upright, spitting blood. "Pull those out Corrin, the longer they're in, the worse it will get. Condense your own aura around what remains to purge it."

Corrin wrenched them free and the flow of ice stopped as his own aura began to break down the foreign mana inside him. "Let'Damn it those things are sharp."

"You're going to lose blood," Luscien kept his tone even. "Hold more mana internally, it will help."

"And if he stabs me?" Corrin chuckled.

Luscien looked over at him seriously. "Don't get stabbed."

"Great plan. Got any others?"

"Take this seriously!" Luscien snapped.

"I am," Corrin said without looking over. "Which is why I do have one."

"You have a—"

"Yes, I do. But it's only going to work if you get your shit together. I can't say I've known you for long, but I do know you're not this weak."

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Luscien's fists balled up.

Corrin jabbed a finger towards Thestor, who was gleefully standing in the back, watching the battle from relative safety. "He's the one controlling the monsters, but he's got a lot to keep track of. If he's busy watching all us humans, then maybe something else could slip through."

Luscien's eyes widened as he understood what Corrin was going for. He nodded, then turned to face Kieran again, refocusing.

"I need you to hold him off for a minute."

"Got it," Luscien nodded. "Go!"

Luscien's fiery claws reappeared, and he charged Kieran again, though his movements seemed sharper than before. Corrin didn't watch any more. He turned and sprinted for the Kegslayers, who were desperately trying to stem the tide of monsters in the absence of their mage.

"Reken!" He shouted as he grabbed the archer by the shoulder and spun him around. "I need the stones!"

Reken's eyes flashed through panic and confusion, but after a moment, he tore the pouch of firestones off of his belt and pressed them into Corrin's hands. A monster leapt at his back, but Corrin was already spinning, cutting it in two and running again.

Ash propelled him across the ground, and he was back at the fight against Kieran in an instant.

Luscien's tails had grown to match the reach of Kieran's spear, thrashing wildly in front of him as their battle continued. Luscien dashed around, striking from different angles, testing Kieran's quiet defenses with each exchange, trying to avoid the ice shards that orbited him in wide sweeping arcs.

With each exchange, Kieran's armor whittled further, but Luscien took glancing blows to his less-defensive mantle, bleeding from half a dozen shallow wounds.

Corrin pulled two firestones from the pouch—not too many. "Luscien!"

Both combatants looked towards him, and Luscien jumped back. Corrin dropped the pouch to the ground and threw the firestones straight for the ground at Kieran's feet.

He only had a moment to shout, his voice filling with indignation. "You cowardly—"

The rest was cut off by the explosion, which threw him back across the street, where he slammed into the outer wall. A chunk of his armor was blown off in the front, exposing skin and cloth below, but it was already freezing back over as he breathed more mana into the technique.

"Press him!" Luscien shouted, already rushing into the fading flames.

Corrin sped up, matching his timing to Luscien, and the two of them struck at the same time.

Even still, Corrin fought for his life.

Kieran's spear whirled, deflecting their attacks as the fighting grew only more furious. Shards of ice, one after another sliced through the air, forcing them onto the defensive despite their numbers. Blows rained down on both sides—ash and ice, fire and spear— but Kieran's armor held.

Desperately pulling on more and more mana, Corrin felt his channels burning under the strain. Each breath was heavier than normal, the flow of mana slowed by the prevalence of ice.

Finally, he made a mistake, and the spear's haft cracked across Corrin's chin, knocking him flat as his vision flashed. He tried to push himself up, but slipped and collapsed again.

Damn, is this my limit already?

Kieran was laughing.

"Still too weak, Luscien!" He rammed his spear into Luscien's leg, and the student fell to a knee, groaning in pain. Luscien's tails caught the next strike, but not the foot that followed, striking him in the chest and sending him sprawling.

Kieran bent down and grabbed Luscien's hair, pulling his head back up. Luscien grit his blood-stained teeth.

"Do you know what really pisses me off about you?" Kieran asked calmly. "You don't care if you lose." He leaned closer. "You have the talent, you do the work. But there's nothing behind it. You satisfy yourself with such meager desires. The thought that a person like you could become a spirit knight… it's disgusting."

He spat, throwing Luscien's head against the stone.

"When this is over, go home and quit the academy Luscien." He turned away, his ice-covered boots crunching as he walked away. "Strength is beyond someone like you."

"What are you doing?" Thestor screamed. "Kill them now!"

"I told you what would happen if you ordered me around, didn't I?" Kieran said, voice dangerous. He leapt up to the tops of the walls and sat, the armor slowly melting away. "I don't want to."

Sloth argued back, but Corrin wasn't listening any longer.

He was looking past him, towards the abyss where monsters emerged. Not a moment too soon, a little fox—flames extinguished so as not to stand out—darted away, traveling along the outer edge of the compound. Left behind, inconspicuously, were a scattered collection of glimmering red stones, and a discarded silk pouch.

"Good job Kita…" Corrin whispered.

Head swimming, body screaming, he began to roll a small ball of aura between his fingers, just as he'd done a hundred times before. The energy crackled in his palm, even if it was only about two inches across. He pictured it in his mind, the implosion of force that followed its impact. He drew his arm back, and let it fly.

Distracted arguing with Kieran, and thinking the two of them completely defeated, Sloth noticed too late. A monster dove out of the sky, trying to intercept, but it was too late. Corrin's aim was true, and it landed only about a foot away from the firestones. The acolyte turned to look at him, eyes burning with fury.

Corrin barked a single, wheezing laugh through the pain in his chest. "Boom!"

The explosion ripped through solid stone, stronger than any firestones Corrin had seen before—Eryndor really had some nice ones. Chunks of shrapnel, thrown by the blast, shot out into the streets, tearing through monsters and buildings alike. One of the pieces embedded itself into Sloth's arm, and he stumbled back, howling in pain. Corrin grinned again.

A deep rumbling of earth shook the ground as the archway beneath the root collapsed, wood and stone crashing down from the walls and ceiling, burying the entrance under their mass.

Luscien grabbed Corrin's arm, yanking him away before he could celebrate any further. The Kegslayers were already in retreat, parting the wall of monsters to create a path out, leaving Lesia's body behind.

But still, Corrin couldn't help but look back.

Kieran sat, motionless atop the crumbling parapet, his armor gone, melted away. He gazed down at their flight, but made no move to stop them.

Thestor didn't extend the same courtesy. He snarled and raised the large orange orb once more. Massive cracks split the earth beneath his feet, and horrors crawled up despite the collapse of the entrance. Corrin's sense of victory diminished slightly, and he couldn't help but wonder—as long as Thestor lived, had collapsing the entrance even done that much?

Before it slipped away though, he clenched it tightly. "We can win," he muttered.

Amidst defeat and bitter victory, they fled.

***

Amidst the rubble of the western entrance, the one known as Sloth pulled a jagged chunk of stone from his arm, wincing as blood trickled from the wound, disappearing into the deep purple of his robes.

It wasn't a serious wound, but he reached into his robes regardless, taking a small vial filled with life elixir, and splashing it on his arm. The skin began to knit back together quickly—a grave expense for such a small wound, but it wasn't as though he planned to get hurt again, and he had no interest in persistent pain.

He glanced up towards the younger man sitting on the wall. He bit down a more scathing remark—Kieran wasn't his master, and despite being an ice channeler, he was hot-tempered. Thestor thought if he said the wrong things, he might find that spear truly aimed at him. Still, he couldn't help but let a little something slip out.

"You could have finished them off."

Kieran scowled. "Shut up you old bastard. It's not like you're really chasing them either."

"I have my duties to the cult," Thestor said dryly, focusing on replacing the countless monsters he'd already lost. He sent a force after the escapees, but it wasn't the best he could muster if he really wanted. "Perhaps you should think of yours."

"Are we not meant to act on our desires? Have we not been promised our ambitions? If I wish for that weakling Luscien to wallow in his own defeat, to know that he is inferior to me, then I'll have just that. It means nothing if I simply kill him."

Thestor took a breath. "I'd expect nothing less from your sageless sect."

"Siege their fortress then," Kieran waved a hand. "Acolyte Callithea will no doubt maintain the north. Nothing has changed, except our enemies are weaker for it. Even if they escape, it won't matter. They've been crippled, and since the ambush of that spirit knight succeeded, there's no one left who can match my master."

"Perhaps there is some wisdom in youth after all." Thestor raised his arms, and began to chant.

Monsters rose.

***

Corrin's side burned, and his whole body protested each step as they fought and ran their way back through the streets. Luscien's grip was like steel on his arm, dragging him forward whenever his legs faltered, though Corrin didn't know how the older boy was still standing—he was certain Luscien's injuries were worse than his own. The rest of the Kegslayers stumbled in a loose knot, half-running, half-limbing, their armor and weapons slick with blood.

The monsters never let up. Their shrieks echoed from the stone, bounding off walls, so close behind that Corrin could see the glinting of their teeth whenever he dared to glance back. Twice, Odem's hammer swung wide, knocking a lunging horror away. Arrows loosed from Reken's bow as blood ran down his arm, buying them another heartbeat of space.

Ironically, it was Kita who was in the best shape of them all, clearing the path ahead with flaming claws and teeth.

By the time the manor's gates came into sight, the monsters were on them, claws tearing and ripping as they fought for every step. Corrin's patchwork mantle had crumpled, and teeth sank into his shoulder, trying to drag him down.

A shout went up from the estate, and the gates were thrown open as the silver-ranked team, Bough's Arrows, took to the battle. They pushed back the horde just enough for them to stumble through the gates and collapse.

They fell into the grass beyond the threshold, one by one. Kevs collapsed immediately, his cuirass crumpled from the force of some blow in the front. Odem fell to a knee next, cursing through gritted teeth. His left arm was badly burned, and he cradled it gently. Reken lay flat, coughing and wheezing for breath. Azni was on her knees, shoulders slumped as she cried into her hands. Luscien leaned back against the wall, head tilted skyward, trickling blood down his face.

Corrin stumbled a few steps further, distantly hearing Kei's cries of alarm as she ran up to him. He looked at her through hazy vision, and did his best to smile.

"I'm… fine," he managed. Then he looked down at the hole in his side, and countless gashes across the rest of his body. "Well, I'll live… just gonna… lie down… for a bit."

His legs finally gave out. Kei screamed. He felt a dull thud, and the sky spun overhead as cool grass pressed against his back.

The sun was too bright, and so he was grateful when everything went dark.

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