Now I had to come up with a plan. I could not allow Iris to burn to death. She had helped me so much, and without her I would have starved to death in some alley long ago. My life in the lower district would have been a thousand times harder without her.

I muttered,

"I wish Iris would return to her normal self."

It was a huge risk, since I had no idea what kind of price I would have to pay. But if it worked, it would be worth it. The moment I voiced the wish, flames appeared out of nowhere and spread across my entire body.

Raven rushed toward me, pulled the hilt of his sword from his coat, and the watery edge formed as soon as it was drawn. He then unleashed a wave of water that slammed me against the wall, extinguishing the fire.

He sighed in relief, then said as he stared at me suspiciously,

"What just happened?"

I stood up as the burns covering my body began to heal rapidly, then said,

"I was trying something."

"And this experiment of yours was...?"

"Remember my ability to grant wishes? I thought I'd try to see if I could save Iris with it."

The inspector's assistant, who had been watching us silently, stood and approached, asking curiously,

"Did you say grant wishes?"

I nodded and continued,

"Have you ever heard of an Authority capable of that?"

His face tensed for a few seconds, as if he was searching through his memory, then finally he said,

"I have never heard of such an Authority, but there is an old legend that sounds similar."

"What did that legend say?"

He shook his head gravely,

"The legend says that in a distant time, when the three continents were still connected, there was a sorcerer who roamed the world. He offered everyone he met a single wish. And if they accepted, the wish would come true. But not in the way they imagined."

Raven cut in,

"This is the first time I've heard that story."

The assistant said,

"It's not well known. My grandmother was the one who told me. She used to recite it to me before bed."

I asked,

"And what was this sorcerer's name?"

He answered in a low voice, barely audible,

"The Miracle Maker."

Before I could respond, the sound of a violent explosion thundered as the wall beside us shattered with a massive fireball. Raven jumped toward me, grabbed me with one hand, pulled the assistant with the other, and raised a water barrier. The barrier evaporated quickly, but the flames had already dissipated.

We ran in different directions, dodging the flames raining from the sky, where Iris was unleashing waves of fire at Raven and the trainee.

Strangely, she did not launch anything at me, as if she was ignoring me. She did not chase me, nor did she attack me. After I ran far enough, it became clear that she did not see me as a threat, or maybe some part of her still refused to hurt me.

I considered going back. Maybe I had to approach it from another angle. Instead of making the wish myself, why not make Iris the one to wish?

A gamble? Yes. But weighing the risks against the gains, I believed it was worth it. I ran until I caught up with Raven, who was leaping in every direction, dodging fireballs.

I shouted,

"Raven! Give me your sword!"

He turned toward me without saying a word, but his face screamed, "Why in the Creator's name would I do that?"

So I said with forced confidence,

"Trust me, I have a plan to stop Iris."

I did have a plan, at least theoretically. But having a plan and having it actually work were two different things. So technically, I was not lying.

Luckily, he threw his sword to me. I caught the hilt, and the watery blade appeared instantly, but this time it seemed more... I cannot explain it, but it felt more liquid like, I guess.

Raven said while trying to catch his breath,

"Be careful. Using it weakens the bones and muscles gradually."

I nodded, then lifted the sword in my hands. At that moment, my body felt much lighter than usual. I flipped backward with ease, then leapt high and performed a set of acrobatic moves I had never imagined myself capable of.

I looked at Raven, who was still running to dodge the relentless fire waves, and he shouted,

"Is this your plan?!"

I moved swiftly, deflecting several fireballs in the blink of an eye, then replied with sarcasm,

"Trust me."

Raven sighed, and I caught a glimpse of what looked like blind faith in his expression, then he said,

"I trust you."

Did he really say that? Just like that? When I looked at his face, he seemed completely serious. Why now? Did he actually believe the nonsense I said earlier? I could not understand, and he was not the type to trust me so easily. But I had no time to think.

I rushed forward, searching for the assistant, until I found him huddled behind a wall. I approached suddenly, and he gasped in panic,

"You scared me! What do you want? You'll expose my position, you idiot!"

I said as I caught my breath,

"If you're this scared, why don't you just run away from the Eighth District?"

He replied,

"I can't. If I go any farther, she'll burn me without hesitation."

I felt like he was hiding something, but I ignored it for the moment. I handed him the sword and said,

"Can you unseal this weapon?"

He frowned,

"Are you insane? Do you intend to release raw Authority in this place?"

I answered mockingly,

"And what's the problem? Didn't you do the same with Iris?"

"And look at what became of her!"

"Can't you at least partially unseal it?"

He fell silent for a moment, then said,

"Theoretically, yes. But the consequences would be ten times worse, and reversing it would be nearly impossible."

I said without hesitation,

"That's fine, do it."

He sighed wearily,

"As you wish. But don't blame me for what happens afterward."

He gripped the hilt of the sword and muttered words in a strange language. Suddenly, the hilt glowed with a bright blue light. He handed it back to me immediately, and as soon as I touched it, my eyes lit up with the same color, and I felt a strange energy flooding my limbs.

I moved with incredible speed and charged toward Iris, who was flying in the sky. I raised my sword, leapt high until I reached her level, and unleashed a water wave that pushed her slightly backward.

She noticed me, but it seemed she decided to ignore me. She turned away toward the assistant, raising her hand to launch a massive fireball at him. I jumped in front of him at the last second and released a massive water wave that blocked the attack.

Iris, who had been avoiding me all along, suddenly attacked without warning. She fired a barrage of fireballs, and I moved swiftly between the buildings, dodging them. I retaliated with several water waves, one of which struck her and sent her crashing to the ground.

But she quickly rose, dashing at me like an arrow, flames coiling around her body like serpents. I raised my sword, and we clashed. At the moment my watery blade touched her body, I saw her face clearly. Half of it was burned.

I tried to speak to her, to ask her to make a wish, but the flames around her intensified and blasted me away with unbelievable force.

I lifted my sword again, its watery edge growing until it towered above me. I charged at her as she forged a spear of fire. We collided violently, and I shouted, trying to make my voice reach her,

"Iris! Wish for survival, just wish for it!"

But she did not answer. She kept pushing me back each time, then soared into the sky, unleashing waves of fire in every direction. I moved swiftly between the buildings, blocking as many as I could before they struck the ground.

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