The world was a mass of silver light as Mark felt the waystone in his hands pulling them forward, faster than light. Countless strands connected him to their destination—but there was a problem.

Sam had linked them to all the captives with strands of her own, and it felt like being torn in two directions. The extra weight of the jump placed an immense burden on the spell, threatening to unravel it. If not for Sam's intervention, it would have. She was siphoning Mana from Mark through their shared link, and he gave it willingly, but they were both burning through their reserves at an alarming rate.

They had never remained in this state for so long before, and Mark could feel his mind beginning to fade under the strain. Just when he feared they wouldn't make it, the spell locked onto their target and completed the jump.

The silvery spatial magic faded, and they arrived on the roof of their home, prisoners in tow. Nearly everyone collapsed from exhaustion—except for Sam, Jonathan, Wesley, and himself. Jason had lost consciousness at some point, and close to twenty people now lay sprawled across the rooftop.

As luck would have it, they were not alone. Several workers were assembling the frame of the dome Mark had planned, and at the sight of their arrival, they immediately moved to help—but then froze.

"Get them to the medical room, but I want guards posted at the doors until I've had a chance to inspect everyone," Mark ordered.

He wasn't taking any risks. Corrupted humans could blend in too well, and he couldn't rule out the possibility that one had slipped in among the captives.

Yet despite his command, none of the workers moved. Hesitation was written all over their faces. Most of them were Aura users, strong enough to carry two people each with ease, but still, they remained rooted in place—as if afraid.

Mark frowned. "What's the matter? These men and women could be injured. I need your help—"

He cut himself off, glancing at Sam and Jonathan, who flanked him.

One looked like a titanic avenger, capable of tearing the building apart with his bare hands. The other hovered above the ground, exuding an almost celestial presence, like a being descended from the heavens.

Mark pursed his lips and drew on what little Mana he had left. Sam had drained almost all of it, but there was enough to weave a faint cloak of concealment.

'Get inside and change back,' he sent through the link. 'We don't need rumors right now.'

[Light Control] shimmered around them in a warped veil. Fortunately, both took the hint and headed for the stairs.

Mark turned back to the workers and called out again. This time, they reacted. They still had questions, but he deflected as best he could.

"For now, just help me get everyone to the infirmary. I'll explain later."

On the way down, he found Jackson and had him alert the other pillars of their return.

They had been keeping Ethel and Karter informed via radio, but they hadn't had a chance to warn them they'd be teleporting in.

Mark was still in the infirmary when Gibby entered the room. The moment Mark saw him he knew something was wrong. The large man looked flustered and moved to Mark's side.

"Mark am I glad to see you. I was about to break the radio silence on our end. Ethel and Karter went to try and help but I don't know how much they can do in this situation."

Mark's sinking feeling got worse and he turned to Gibby.

"What's going on?" he asked

Gibby looked around.

"Where's Samantha and Jonathan, they'er going to want to hear this.

Mark closed his eyes and reached out to the two of them.

They were both in Sam's room recovering from the fight. Mark called them and opened his senses to them, nodding to Gibby at the same time.

"They coming now, but go on they can hear you through me."

Gibby pressed his lips together and nodded.

"A… right. Well, first, everything is good on our side, we even have some good news. The problem right now is NAS."

Wesley who had been helping Mark suddenly looked up.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Gibby glanced at the man and cleared his throat.

"They are currently at city hall on trial. The religious district is demanding reparations. While you were gone there was an incident with Lisa, Nathan, and Patrica Williams."

Mark immediately knew what was going on. Before they left Lisa had promised to get Patrica out of the church of brilliance. Whatever happened it had clearly not gone well.

"They are at it right now?" Mark asked.

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Gibby nodded solemnly.

"Karter and Ethel went to show solidarity for our ally, but Mark… They're out for blood."

At this point, Wesley was already heading to the door and when he opened it Jonathan was already standing there blocking the way.

"Jon, do not try and stop me!" Wesley growled.

"Who's stopping you, we're coming," Jonathan said firmly.

Sam poked her head in and winked at Gibby in greeting.

"Mark, wake Captain Price, we're going to need him," she said.

It was good to see them in their human forms but he wasn't sure how they were going to explain things to everyone.

Mark nodded and turned to the man in one other cot, hitting him with a jolt of Prana. Jason bolted up in bed and Mark turned to Gibby.

"Watch over these men and woman for us, they had it rough. For now, we're going," Mark said.

Gibby smiled fondly and wished them good luck as they left.

As one of their pillars, Gibby needed to remain behind to hold down the fort, so the five of them hopped into a car and headed for city hall. They explained what was going on to Jason and the man paled.

"If they try to throw their weight around, the loyalists will have to step in to mediate."

Jonathan was in the driver's seat and gripped the wheel causing it to groan.

"Exactly, and how do you think they will rule against NAS." he asked

Wesley leaned forward from the back.

"But NAS is necessary to the city. They may not like us but they can't deny the need for fighting power."

Sam shook her head from the passenger seat.

"That all depends on how they see your usefulness. I doubt there will be an actual fight but they might try to imprison them."

Wesley's face dropped.

Imprison felt surreal in the situation when they had so few fighters already, but Mark wouldn't put it past them.

"Relax we don't know anything yet," Mark said as they turned the corner at speed.

The city hall was close to their base, but when they arrived there was an immediate problem. The streets were filled with NAS members surrounding the large building. At the front line were rows of Loyalists forming a perimeter around the structure.

Waves of shouts and jeers filter into the car interior.

"Shit, how are we going to get through that," Jason growled.

Sam touched Jonathan's shoulder.

"Exactly like we got through everything else, together. Jason, are you going to be able to get us in?"

Jason had a distant look for a while but nodded.

"Yes, I can," he said firmly.

Nodding to the man Sam opened her door before Jonathan had even parked.

Mark was next out and right away the sounds of the crowd hit him. Thousands of angry voices screamed over one another, trying to be heard.

They were lucky that they hadn't started throwing things yet, but hundreds of people drifted through the air with angry looks on their faces.

The rest of them stepped out of the car but Jason got out last, and when he did, he was in full uniform. Just like the first day they met him.

Mark didn't know if what he had said had reached the man, but they were about to find out.

Wesley and Jonathan took the lead pushing through the crowds in an attempt to get to the front but the number of people here was huge.

At the back, Mark could see soldiers in the air closing off the air space, so flying over was not an option.

The three of them hedge Mark and Sam in as people brush against them. Mark was tempted to just shoulder them out of the way with a construct, but that would cause too much of a scene.

As they advanced people shot them irritated glances, but then they noticed Wesley at the front, and their expressions changed.

Those nearest to them began to quieten and back away, making room for them.

This caused a ripple effect in the crowd and people began creating a path. Mark was grateful for the sudden change but there went their idea of not making a scene.

Most of NAS recognized Wesley, both due to his high rank and from the walk they had taken through the city when they left.

Unable to help it now they made it the rest of the way to the soldiers unblocked.

As they got there the men and women at the gate braced for them.

Price stepped in front of their group and saluted, coming to a stop at the perimeter.

"Staff Sergeant, I am Captain Price of the Sixth Platoon. I am escorting important personnel and request permission to enter."

The man dressed up similarly to Jason saluted back with respect glimmering in his eyes.

"Understood Captain. We're making way for one of our own, clear the area" the man yelled.

No sooner had he said this than the soldiers stepped forward and surrounded them, cutting them off from the crowd. The people nearby let out loud cries of panic, but before things could get out of hand, Wesley turned to them. Wesley had never been a man of many words, so all he did was flash a smile and give the crowd a thumbs-up. That seemed to have the desired effect, as the murmuring crowds quietened down and backed off from the soldiers.

The Sergent turned on his heel and began to walk up the set of stairs to the halls.

When they got there he opened the door and nodded to Jason.

Their small group slipped into the building and found an empty hall.

"If they are anywhere it would be the main hall, follow me, and be quiet when we enter," Jason said.

He led them down one of the largest corridors until they arrived at a large set of double doors. There were no guards here but Jason didn't wait for permission. He turned the knob and entered.

Mark was the last one in and shut the door behind them. Turning to see the room filled with more people than he expected.

On one end of the room were Lisa and Nathan standing there with Patrica in between them.

On the opposite side was Liam Grantwood, only by the looks of things he'd gotten a promotion.

In front of him was Colonel Rachel Brown who currently spoke.

Beside her was a man who looked familiar, Mark then realized it was Yasha, the new High priest of the Church of Brilliance.

Finally in between them was a haggard-looking man decorated with dozens of medals and accomplishments. He was paying attention to both sides with an unflinching gaze, and for just a second it moved over their group entering. Analyzing them with a critical eye before flickering away as quickly as it had arrived.

Mark followed the rest of them to the stands and saw that it was not just these three parties here. There were dozens of representatives from factions from all over the city sitting in the observer seats. Just watching what was going on. Mark turned his attention to the stand and saw Colonel Rachel Brown still taking.

"With this evidence, along with the destruction of the Church of Brilliance's main building, we move to hand Miss Patricia Williams over to the religious district, that they might deal with her according to their customs. Furthermore, we call for the immediate banishment of Miss Lisa Howl and Nathan Moore from the city."

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