Miya sat on a bed with her knees pulled close. The room was spacious and well lit by huge windows that reached the vaulted ceiling. It was the first time Owin had seen Miya's quarters at the compound, and he was impressed. She had various trinkets she had made during training scattered around the tables and shelves, along with some scorched books and tools.

As soon as Owin walked in, she leapt from the bed and tackled him.

She yanked him to his feet and held him up before her bloodshot eyes. "You're okay!"

"I'm okay too," Shade said.

"I always know you'll be okay, Shade." Miya set Owin down and hugged him. "I thought . . . maybe . . ." She exhaled slowly.

"I'm perfectly fine." Owin brought Miya back to the bed. He hopped up and patted at his side until she sat down. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Miya ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She scowled as her fingers found knots.

Shade grabbed a hairbrush and gestured as he raised his brow.

"Sure," she said, turning slightly.

Shade started to brush her hair and hum quietly.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We fought. I finally killed her." Owin smiled. "I think I actually feel better." He looked into Miya's eyes and could tell Shade was looking right at him, despite the skeleton's lack of eyeballs. "She has been trying to kill me for so long. It was like she was haunting me. She was never nice. She never wanted anything but my pain. And then she hurt you, and I didn't consider letting her live."

Miya took his hand. "You're okay?"

"I'm okay. I'm good." When Owin thought of the fight, it was barely Nikoletta that he thought of. During his battle, he was sure he would win. He was sure with Shade's help, they would find a way. "I have a lot more to do," Owin said confidently. "Artivan is out there and Shade is still a skeleton."

Shade abruptly stopped brushing.

Miya squeezed his hand. "You only get one wish, Owin."

"And it won't involve me," Shade said.

"You've been suffering for hundreds of years." Owin watched the skeleton's eye sockets narrow. It was so difficult to read his expressions compared to other people, but he could still see the sorrow.

"So have you. And Owin—" Shade leaned on Miya's head. "I haven't suffered once since you summoned me. I've been having a great time."

Miya reached up and patted the skeleton's head.

"It doesn't matter right now anyway. After Nikoletta, Veph tried to kill me."

Shade went back to brushing.

"I saw her watching," Miya said. "I ran past her to get to the portal. I thought she would help."

"I don't know why. But Chorsay—"

"Chorsay will be fine," she said. "He's the strongest person I know, and I know two 7 Shard Heroes now."

Owin nodded slowly. He relayed the rest of the story about Sofia and Void Nexus before letting the conversation drift into happier topics. Miya moved through her quarters, showing off each trinket she had made and the surprisingly intense steps she had to take in order to craft a seemingly meaningless item.

***

Zezog stepped and punched. Just the step alone was enough to make the building quake. He took another step, which held enough power to crack the floor. "The stance makes a warrior."

"Suta said something similar," Owin said.

"Suta has probably studied martial arts nearly as much as Zezog," Chorsay said.

The four of them stood in the practice arena. Owin couldn't sit still, and when Zezog suggested practice, he had immediately leapt into action.

Chorsay was taller and bulkier than Zezog, which almost made the infamous Barbarian look weak. Owin didn't let the thought stick around, especially when he knew that size had nothing to do with power.

Zezog walked around and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shade. "You are all classes molded into one. You will need different fighting styles to match your current class."

"That seems unnecessary," Shade said. "I still use weapons mostly the same."

"Ineffectively?" Zezog asked.

"Well, when you put it that way." Shade stroked his jaw bone. "Yes."

Owin frowned. He didn't even have any weapons anymore. They were all lost during the battle with Nikoletta and were now scattered around Atrevaar. The Security Regime or Void Nexus probably had most, if they weren't somehow destroyed in Sofia's spell.

"When you are a berserker, all you need is your fists. When you are a magus, wizard, or mender, you only need spells. Using a sword at all times won't allow you to use each class to its full potential." Zezog grabbed Shade's arms and forced him into a stance. "Rather than power, you need to use clever tactics and agility to your advantage."

"Are you saying I'm clever?" Shade asked.

Zezog stood across from the skeleton. "If you were to strike me—"

Shade punched and didn't cause Zezog to flinch or move at all.

"If you were to strike me," Zezog continued, "I wouldn't be harmed. You would need to find a tactic around my defenses. Owin or Chorsay could strike me and potentially cause harm."

"A tactic, huh?" Shade pointed a finger under Zezog's feet. "Magma Mine."

The elf's eyes widened as he took a step back. The spell triggered immediately, sending a stream of lava into the air. They all jumped back as the molten rock crashed down and spread into a puddle.

"It's not what I had in mind, Shade, but I do suppose it was utility that forced me out of position. Combat is not always focused on critical hits and killing blows. Positioning, confidence, and awareness play key parts." Zezog waved Owin over. "We all have some frustrations to work through. Chorsay, I want you to show Shade how to be an effective soldier."

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"You got it." Chorsay placed his hand on Shade's shoulder. "If you don't have a knight around, the soldier is the shield."

Shade looked at Owin with wide eye sockets.

"Don't worry," Chorsay said. "This training involves hitting me."

"That makes me even more scared!" Shade flinched as Chorsay laughed deeply.

Even as he laughed, the look of uncertainty never quite left his face. Owin watched the two walk away until Zezog's feet caused the stone beneath them to quake.

They sparred, continuing the training Zezog had started with Owin back on the farm. Fists hit fists, and he dodged the best he could manage without moving his feet, and still he was no match for Zezog.

During their brawl, Chorsay and Shade stopped. At first they watched, but before long, Chorsay left the practice arena.

Owin shielded himself from a fist and was sent back even as he tried to keep his feet steady. Shade walked right up.

"Hey—"

Zezog's fist went straight through the skeleton's head. "Oh, no."

Summon the Withered Shade

"—I think Chorsay is upset," Shade continued as if he hadn't been destroyed.

Zezog brushed the gray dust from his hand. He squatted, checked Owin for injuries, then faced Shade. "What makes you say that?"

"He was acting a little odd once we were going." Shade put his hand on Zezog's shoulder and leaned close. "Him and Veph are close."

Owin nodded slowly. "They're family."

"Ah." Zezog stood to his full height and nearly knocked Shade over. "I admit, personal relationships are complicated to me." He stared at the door leading to the rest of the compound. "You all have a lot to think about. Why don't you visit Sofia? She asked about you."

"You were visiting her?" Owin asked.

Zezog started guiding them to the door. "I was. Her and I formed a friendship while you were in the Fortress." At the door, Zezog gently pushed them out. "We can practice more later."

Chorsay stood outside the practice arena like a silent statue, gazing out a window in Vraxridge. When he heard their footsteps, he turned. "Done already?"

Zezog stayed in the doorway and shooed Owin away.

"We're going to visit Sofia," Owin said.

Chorsay nodded once and turned back to the window.

"Chorsay," Zezog said. "Come speak with me." He turned and walked back into the arena without another word.

Chorsay took another minute to gaze, then entered and closed the door.

Long before Owin could reach Sofia, the entire compound shook. It sounded like explosions were going off in rapid succession from within the arena.

Althowin walked down the hall with Basolia on her shoulder. "Chorsay and Zezog?"

Owin nodded.

One particularly big explosion caused even Althowin to widen her eyes.

"I suppose something needed to test the arena for me," she said.

"It will hold," Basolia said from her shoulder.

"We'll see." Althowin spun on her heel and continued down the hall with Owin and Shade. "Sofia or Miya?"

"Sofia. Miya wanted to get back to work," Owin said.

Althowin looked at Basolia.

"She is currently in a studio attempting to craft a saber with an arcane focus," the specter said.

"Does she know what she's doing?"

Basolia vanished.

Althowin stopped them at an intersection and pointed left. Owin had thought he knew where to go, but he was planning on taking a right. Instead, he followed her directions and soon found the medical wing.

Basolia reappeared, forming as a little black ghost on Althowin's shoulder. "Her sword smithing is pristine. Embedding an arcane enchantment into the blade is currently a difficult endeavor."

"You could assist," Althowin said, flicking the specter.

"Yes, ma'am." Basolia appeared to drip down her jacket like dark oil before forming a line along the ground and vanishing quickly.

"How long did it take you to make Basolia?" Owin asked.

"Years. The initial form took me two years of crafting, and the utility and intelligence took another five or six, I think." She shrugged. "We could ask Basolia or Indulf. They have records."

"Interesting." Owin didn't really know how else to respond. It wasn't like he could truly understand the experience. That was longer than he had been awakened and he knew next to nothing about crafting as an alchemist.

"Of course it is." Althowin swung the door open, startling Sofia who had been reading a book.

Her eyes widened upon seeing Owin. "They said you were safe, but I ain't seen you."

"We'll chat later," Althowin said. She smiled and closed the door as she left.

Sofia put the book aside. The medical room she was in was barren. A stack of books sat on a table, likely provided by Althowin, while the rest of the walls were white. Only a small window high on the wall let light in, yet the whole room was bright like the sun shone directly from overhead.

"Are you hurt?" Owin asked.

"Not anymore." Sofia gestured to an empty bottle. "Recovery."

"I've heard those are awful."

Sofia nodded slowly, eyes widening. "Worst thing I've tasted. And I've spent weeks with the claverstan."

"But it worked?"

Sofia grabbed the book from the bed and fidgeted. "It did. I'm all healed up."

Owin picked up a chair and dragged it over. Shade watched for a second before copying him, setting his chair directly beside Owin's.

"They said you used a Power 7 spell," Owin said.

Sofia's face drooped. She reached to the side of the bed, found her raccoon skin hat, and pulled it over her messy hair. "I did. I had to."

"What happened?"

"I'd already pointed my gun at Veph during your fight. She was gonna kill you. When we were in the basement, I'd just shot."

Sofia continued recounting the story with odd details. Most of it included bits Owin was able to piece together from having been there.

"Even with all the work I'd done, I thought it would overheat," Sofia said. As if on cue, her backpack hissed and released steam on the other side of the room. "She's been mad since."

Owin wondered many things about the backpack, but none of it was relevant. "Can you tell me about Power 7?"

Sofia absentmindedly wrinkled the pages of her book. "I could. I can." She moved her fingers, wrinkling the page back and forth. "They exist to stop a battle. Ain't nothing easy about them. Power 6 needs an item. Power 7 needs a human life. Some people like Vondaire or Chorsay can fight someone a shard above, but that ain't me. Veph would've killed me and eaten my corpse. When I thought you'd be out, I used a Void Nexus hero to cast the Power 7."

Using someone to cast a spell seemed horrible, but Owin understood the desperation. Even in the moments that Veph and Sofia stood in front of him, it was difficult to imagine the slightest bit of a plan. If he had access to something like Power 7, he would've considered using it.

"Power 7 exists for war," Shade said. "A hero can't use it against a tower boss since there is nobody to sacrifice. Using it in a city . . ." Shade let his voice drift off as Sofia's sniffled.

"I don't know how many people in Atrevaar died cause of me."

"You did it to protect me," Owin said quietly.

"I did it to protect myself. And now the whole world is gonna want my head. Althowin said she'd protect me, but I ain't staying in a compound like this my whole life." Sofia rested her head back, pushing the raccoon skin hat forward until it covered her eyes. "I'm already the most wanted person in Verdantallis. Forty million dungeon gold."

"I'm sorry," Owin said.

Sofia shifted her posture more until the hat was fully over her face. She placed both hands behind her head and sighed. "Kikuno said she'd help figure it all out. Ain't nothing to be sorry about."

The compound continued to shake, though at this distance, it was less noticeable. Owin waited, unsure of what to do. After a minute, Shade gestured toward the door.

"I'll see you soon," Owin said.

Sofia gave a thumbs up without moving her hat.

Owin moved the chairs back and led Shade from the room. Basolia floated in the middle of the hall and rose up to eye level as Owin approached.

"Your presence is requested when your visit is finished."

"My visit is finished," Owin said.

"Then your presence is required."

"I thought you said it was requested," Shade said.

"Althowin Alegarra does not request." Basolia melted into the ground and formed a line to follow.

"It did say requested first, right?" Owin asked.

Shade put his hand on Owin's head. "As much as I love lying to you, I won't. This time. Yes, the specter is lying."

"I am not," Basolia said without reforming.

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