A Moment More Precious than Gold Within the deep darkness of the Colosseum of Carnage, a holy sword revealed itself. Its appearance lacked the elegance and vitality of the Sword of Evolution or the complexity of the Sword of Resonance. It most closely resembled the Sword of Bonds. The blade changed from pure white to pitch-black along its length. It had no tip but was instead cut off in a flat line as if to symbolize nothingness. A jewel was embedded in the hilt, just like every holy sword, and peering into its ocean-like depths allowed one to sense a strong life force. A faintly shining hand held the sword. ““Is that holy armor? …No, it can’t be. What the heck is that?”” Nick/Zem said, shuddering. A knight with pure white flames emanating from their body stood before them. Nothing about the figure revealed its gender. Its elegant, supple frame could have belonged to a man or a woman, and its face was hidden by a mask that resembled those worn by the White Masks, except it wasn’t a helmet. It covered only the face, leaving the knight’s hair, which resembled bluish-white flames, to flow freely behind. Its body was composed of the same flame-like substance. It was impossible to tell whether it was flesh, nonbiological matter, flames, or mana. One thing was certain: It projected an overwhelming divinity. “It is indeed holy armor. It’s been jammed with so many souls, however, that it can barely maintain its shape… Those shining white flames are the souls of heroes. Hundreds—no, over a thousand—of them have been compressed to the size of one person, making the souls visible and turning them into power itself,” the Sword of Bonds said. Nick/Zem reacted to those words with a sense of doom. How could they defeat such an opponent? “Pull yourself together, dumbass. Don’t chicken out before the fight even begins!” Leon scolded them, even though he was breaking into a cold sweat himself. ““Tch. I know, but still…”” The Survivors had defeated many powerful foes. They’d lost to Argus and the White Masks but had at least put up a decent fight. Nick/Zem could feel in their bones this time was different. This was an opponent that could kill them with the tip of a finger or even a look. Fear overcame them at the thought. “…Hmph. He is certainly achieving his maximum potential as a holy sword. I won’t deny that we are at a disadvantage…but we have a monster of our own to unleash. We can pit them against each other,” the Sword of Evolution said, clearly frustrated. They all turned to look at the titan. It wasn’t a species of monster called a titan; there was simply no better word to describe its demonic presence, gaze, form, and soul. Its dark red skin looked like heated steel. Its armor had melded with its flesh, turning it into a brutally hard shell. It had burning gold eyes, and two horns grew from its forehead. It wasn’t quite as grotesque as a monster, but its bloodthirsty spirit was the total opposite of the burning knight’s divinity. The most surreal thing of all was how calmly it stood there. ““…So that’s what remains of Argus,”” Nick/Zem muttered. “ That is the best your evolution could do? Is this a joke? He could have been so much more. That body is unsightly… I’ll destroy him without a trace and put an end to his miserable existence,” the Sword of Tasuki said. The burning knight readied its sword. The battle began with a whoosh of wind as the titan rushed at the burning knight. Without making a sound, it thrust the heel of its palm deep into the knight’s chest, causing its body to crumble. “A master practitioner of Stepping sends mystic waves through anything they touch. Anything he comes into contact with will completely shatter,” the Sword of Bonds said. ““If only it were that easy,”” Nick/Zem said, just before the shattered pieces re-formed into the knight’s body. To make matters worse, a few remaining fragments didn’t rejoin the knight’s body and instead fused together to form new knights. Five burning knights lifted their swords. Unlike the White Masks that Nick/Tiana had fought, they moved with perfect coordination. The battle began anew. The scene unfolded like a mural depicting an ancient myth, but one that carried real flesh, smell, and weight. However, there was no time to be captivated by the sight. ““Damn…! Leon! Avoid any direct blows!”” Nick/Zem shouted as another tiny fragment transformed into a burning knight, who charged fiercely at them. Each one of the knights held a copy of the Sword of Tasuki. There was no telling if they were replicas like the Sword of Bonds could produce or if the Sword of Tasuki had genuinely multiplied himself. Regardless, they were all strong enough to erase Nick/Zem or Leon with a single touch. “I know! We need to put some distance between us and them!” Leon shouted. He took up the Sword of Evolution once again and changed his form. Large wings sprouted from his back, and he grabbed Nick/Zem and flew into the air. “Ngh… This room is spacious, but it’s still underground! Be careful!” the Sword of Evolution warned. ““That’s not a problem! Cognition Corridor!”” Nick/Zem shouted, scattering white particles of light from the Sword of Bonds. They were fixed firmly in midair despite being small enough that the wind should have pushed them around. ““Here we go!”” Nick/Zem stepped on a particle, and it produced a strong propulsive force. They jumped from one to the next, dancing through the air unpredictably. ““Take that!”” They kicked the burning knight that was pursuing them as hard as they could, causing its neck to bend limply. That would have broken its neck…if it had had bones. ““The hell is this thing made of?!”” Nick/Zem shouted. They felt a vast, unrecognizable sensation in their leg when they made contact with the knight, as if they’d been repelled by a magnetic force. ““It used Stepping defensively to absorb the impact… It’s significantly more skilled than me.”” They tried to pull their leg back, but the knight grabbed it. ““Crap!”” The knight crushed their leg, which flared with an intense pain. Healing magic immediately mended the injury, but that did nothing to prevent the hell that followed as the knight violently swung them around like a child playing with a toy. The knight slammed them into the ceiling and floor, then threw them toward Leon and fired multiple cursed stakes at them. ““Cognition Barrier!”” Nick/Zem yelled, just barely blocking the stakes. They quickly readied themselves for another blow, but none came. The demonic Argus had chopped off the burning knight’s head with a hand. ““Argh, I can’t keep up with them! And why do they get to fling around magic like that?! It’s not fair!”” Nick/Zem said. It had taken only a few seconds for the burning knight to inflict a number of heavy wounds on them. They had no chance in this state. “Most likely because the contract with Mr. Argus was severed. This labyrinth’s purpose was to Awaken him, but now that its purpose has been lost, they’ve cut off the mana supply being used to obstruct magic,” the Sword of Might said. ““Damn it, can’t they show a little more respect for the rules? What can we do here?”” Nick/Zem asked, frustrated. “We should give up on the idea of fighting them. They are out of our league,” the Sword of Might said. ““They’re that much stronger than us?”” “Yes. Please prioritize survival. You don’t have to run—just attack as little as possible.” ““…What would that do? I don’t wanna die in here.”” “We’re not alone. That titan is fighting with us. Let’s focus on healing, obstruction, and survival. We want to drag this out as long as possible.” Nick/Zem looked dubious, but the Sword of Might continued seriously. “Every moment the burning knight—or rather, the Sword of Tasuki—is down here fighting with all of his power, it’s a golden opportunity we can’t waste. He is a schemer, even if his contract with Mr. Argus just forced him to operate that way. We have been on the back foot this entire time because we’ve had to be constantly wary of his interference. But right now, that is not a concern.” ““…You’re saying that holding fast here will help everyone fighting aboveground?”” Nick/Zem asked. “His opponents have always had to work carefully and out of sight to keep him from learning of their activities, just like Olivia did. That’s why she never told me who she was working with. Whoever they are, they’re taking advantage of this opportunity and executing their plans. I’m sure of it,” the Sword of Might said. It sounded like she was doing her best to cling to hope. Leon objected, unsurprisingly. “I’d rather scram than bet on an unknown. We can rework our plan. Feel free to wait around and believe in your friends, but you ain’t involvin’ me.” “I agree. I am skeptical that anyone who is not here now can accomplish anything. We should let Argus buy us time so we can escape,” the Sword of Evolution said. Nick/Zem’s first instinct was to agree with them, but they pushed that aside. ““…Leon. Sword of Evolution.”” “What now?” Leon asked. ““We’re gonna hold our ground. We’ll buy as much time as we can, whether that’s a minute, a day, or a month.”” “You really expect me to stick around for that? Gimme a break, man. That’s a death sentence.” ““Your presence here means you’re an ally. You agreed to live and die with us. You wouldn’t have come if this was only a business arrangement to you. Am I wrong?”” “…Believe whatever you want. Just watch your back.” ““I know you won’t run.”” “Why not?” ““Because you’re an adventurer.”” Leon groaned. He was ready with more logical arguments, but he couldn’t deny that simple fact. ““I’m not telling you to trust us. But how many people do you think trust that Sword of Tasuki creep? And how do you think that compares to the number of people who want to kill him?”” Nick/Zem asked. “But they can’t do anything. I can’t trust anyone who ain’t standin’ here right now,” Leon said. ““Then do you trust the Sword of Evolution?”” Leon snorted. “’Course not. He’s just waitin’ for society to collapse so he can swoop in and profit off it. He wants to defeat the demon god to prove he’s the strongest holy sword, then complete his mission. That about right?” “Precisely,” the Sword of Evolution said. “He wants to make a new world that expands on the ancient civilization,” Leon explained. “To accomplish that, he plans to create a new generation of people mentally and physically strong enough to use ancient spells and magic items. His goal’s not that different from the Sword of Tasuki; he’s just got a different approach. They both want a revolution.” “You understand me well, my wielder,” the Sword of Evolution said, his jewel shining mockingly. “What sets you apart is that you’re not as obsessed with Awakening, like the Sword of Tasuki is. You even seem skeptical of it,” Leon said. “…The purpose of Awakening is to strengthen a person’s soul and spirit and remake them into a spiritual being that no longer relies on the body. That differs greatly from my evolutionary abilities. Very few people have the aptitude for Awakening. It is hardly something humanity should desire. The Sword of Tasuki is an immature germaphobe who wants to abandon the flesh. Pain and emotion should not be discarded; they are to be intensified and relied upon. Why can’t he see that?” ““W-well said…,”” Nick/Zem said. “The ancient civilization was rich with bodily pleasures. The people gorged themselves on food and enjoyed themselves to no end. However, many were conscious of their own sins and questioned whether they were leading proper lives. Eventually, they rose in revolt against the garbage artificial intelligences that had been labeled as gods… I will complete the chaotic world they birthed. I care not for the Originators who abandoned physical matter and attained enlightenment. There is even the possibility that all Awakened are our enemies.” ““I get your ideology, but right now, I just wanna know if you’re the Sword of Tasuki’s enemy or not. And whether you have a plan to defeat him.”” “I have a plan, yes. I obtained a template by turning Argus into that titan. I can apply that template to other types of people as well and create an army of titans to oppose the Sword of Tasuki. I know the Order of the Sun Knights and the government are hiding their mana resources; give me access to those, and I know I can manage it. If I just had half a year—” ““Half a year’s too long. We’ll all be wiped out by then. Good luck building a world worthy of the ancient civilization after that.”” “Grk… I—I can rebuild. It may take years, but I much prefer that plan to naively betting on the efforts of total strangers,” the Sword of Evolution said indignantly. The Sword of Bonds objected. “Your argument would hold more weight if every holy sword were down here with us. Do you really believe the Sword of Resonance—formerly the Sword of Distortion—is watching this situation idly? Can you imagine her hiding to prioritize her own survival?” “Geh… The Sword of Distortion, huh…?” the Sword of Evolution said uneasily. “I’m trusting in her ill character and tenacity,” said the Sword of Bonds. “Hmm… But—” “Enough chitchat… Fine. I see your point. But I ain’t gonna hesitate to run when I need to. Don’t think I’m stickin’ around to save your life,” Leon interrupted. ““You’d better not die, then. Give this your all and survive,”” Nick/Zem said. “You’re the last person I wanna hear that from,” Leon snapped back. “I’ll give you my full support, too. Good luck,” the Sword of Might said, relieved to see that they had reached an agreement. With that, the group threw themselves into what they knew to be a hopeless fight. The battle—if it could even be called that—seemed to last forever. Neither side could inflict a decisive blow that would shift the tide in their favor. The titan destroyed one burning knight after another, but they always repaired themselves. The knights, meanwhile, used Parallel to attempt to overwhelm the titan with numbers. The titan was perfect in every way. It blocked thrusts powerful enough to reduce an opponent to ashes, evaded as many cursed stakes as there were stars in the sky, and interrupted magic attacks with well-timed thrusts of its mana-imbued fingertips. Its physical strength and mana were about equivalent to Nick/Zem, but its body control was at the peak of human or monster potential. Meanwhile, Nick/Zem, Leon, and the Sword of Might fought furiously to endure the burning knights’ attacks and heal themselves and the titan. The knights only ever attacked Nick/Zem impulsively to cause the titan to hesitate and keep it in check, clearly not believing them to be a threat, but it still took everything they had to dodge and survive. The only chance they had of landing a blow was after withstanding one of those lethal attacks. “They’re responding perfectly to everything we do! You need to think one step ahead!” the Sword of Might urged. ““How do you expect me to do that?!”” Nick/Zem asked. Nick/Zem could scatter particles of mana into the air that only they could see and use them as platforms to jump around faster than the speed of sound. Not even an opponent as strong as a White Mask could escape them inside that domain. Unfortunately, the burning knights could somehow perceive the precise locations of the particles and use them to chase Nick/Zem. ““Crap… Their magic makes them even harder to fight than Argus!”” Nick/Zem said. “We need to catch the enemy off guard. Please dispel Union,” the Sword of Might requested. ““Huh?! Now?!”” Nick/Zem exclaimed. “It’s risky, but if all goes well, we’ll be able to keep them busy for twice as long… Also, if we don’t change our plan, Zem will die,” the Sword of Might said. No, I…I can keep fighting, Zem’s mind objected, but Nick could tell how strained the former priest’s soul was. “…She is right. Your healing magic is placing too heavy a burden on your mind. But if you separate now…,” the Sword of Bonds said, trailing off. ““We’ll be killed. We don’t have a backup plan,”” Nick/Zem said. “I have one. Leon, could you please perform Union with Nick?” the Sword of Might asked. “Huh?! You’ve gotta be joking!” Leon yelled in disgust. The Sword of Might ignored him and continued, “I will protect you in the meantime, Zem. You are suffering from mental exhaustion, rather than physical exhaustion, so you can entrust control of your body to me and rest your mind. Sword of Evolution, I want you to support Nick and Leon.” “By ‘support,’ I assume you mean ‘act as an attachment or extension of the Sword of Bonds.’ Do you truly expect me to go along with that?” the Sword of Evolution said. “I suppose I would be opposed, too, if our positions were reversed… And performing Union without prior rehearsal can be fatal,” the Sword of Bonds said. “Wait, I changed my mind. This sounds fun,” the Sword of Evolution said, to everyone’s surprise. “The Sword of Might was developed after us, with the mission of understanding human ability and aptitude and helping people reach their potential. If she says it’s possible, we have no choice but to listen.” “But it would involve using Union and Evolution—two ritual spells—at once. That would be unwise,” the Sword of Bonds said. “Indeed. At worst we could be destroyed, or one ritual could usurp the other,” agreed the Sword of Evolution. “That would be true under normal circumstances. However, prolonged exposure to the radiance of the burning knight’s and the titan’s souls is dramatically sharpening the souls of Nick, Zem, and Leon. If we do it now, it won’t be so dan—” “Quit talkin’ already! We doin’ this or not?! If you’ve found an answer, then stop goddamn hesitating!” yelled Leon, interrupting the Sword of Might. ““…Split,”” Nick/Zem said. Their body ceased shining, and they separated into Nick and Zem. Nick fell to his knees, barely able to hold himself up, and Zem fainted. “Sorry, Zem… We put too much of the burden on you,” Nick said. “Do what you gotta do before you apologize!” Leon shouted. “Okay! Here we go… Union!” Despite breathing heavily, Nick and Leon both chanted the spell with a strong will, and light enveloped their beaten-up bodies. Nick’s hair grew thick and rough like an animal’s, lengthening down to his back. Robust muscles and hair enveloped his arms, legs, and chest, and cognition armor formed around him to contain the vast power bursting from his body. He held the Sword of Evolution in his right hand—his arm had become so big, it made the greatsword look like a one-handed sword—and the Sword of Evolution in his left. ““Two holy swords at once? Talk about overkill,”” Nick/Leon said. “Hmm. You look much more imposing than before. You might be more compatible with Leon than with your fellow Survivor,” the Sword of Evolution said. ““Ugh. Don’t ever say that again,”” Nick/Leon said with visible disgust. They quickly braced themselves, however, and turned toward the burning knight that was targeting them. ““Watching the Sword of Tasuki fight gave me an idea. Why don’t we turn his own methods against him? Listen well! Receive this blessing from the extremity of evolution… Prosper!”” Nick/Leon ripped a few dozen hairs from their body and blew them across the room. They glowed with the Sword of Evolution’s light and morphed into copies of Nick/Leon. They were easily distinguishable from the real body because they shone with a golden light and were semitransparent, but they contained vast mana. They were nearly as strong as Nick/Leon. “‘That…looks kinda different from Parallel,”” Nick/Leon said. “You insult me,” responded the Sword of Evolution. “Prosper is far superior to Parallel. The latter is a foolish spell that divides the user’s strength, while the former starts with a spark that quickly grows by absorbing the dense mana coming from the corpses of the burning knights and in the air. This is much more efficient.” “I see… It would normally take time for the clones’ power to grow, but that process can be hastened here,” observed the Sword of Bonds. “Impressive, I know, but this is no time for admiring my prowess, Sword of Bonds. You had better not hold back, either.” “I know that! Let’s go!” The golden glowing figures attacked together, slashing at the burning knight chasing Nick/Leon. Leon’s agility and reaction speed were held in check by Nick’s wary nature, making them a solid combination, and they entered striking distance of one of the seemingly unbeatable burning knights for the first time. ““Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”” Nick/Leon couldn’t fight dozens of the burning knights at once like the titan was, but they could handle one. The copies created by Prosper intuitively sensed Nick/Leon’s intentions, and they surrounded the burning knight with perfect coordination. One of them would block the burning knight’s slashes while another struck from behind and another lunged for its ankles. They didn’t relax because of their numerical advantage; instead, the fear that one mistake could mean death drove them to fight with unusual cruelty. They severed limbs to restrict the burning knight’s movement, sacrificed clones to kill it, and used their obvious bloodlust to trick it with feints. This newfound brutality allowed them to finally win a small victory. ““Hell yeah! That’s how it’s done!”” Nick/Leon cheered. “Oh? Someone looks like they’re having fun. I’ll send a little more of my strength your way,” the Sword of Tasuki said. Unfortunately, their success ended up drawing the attention of the burning knights, who eyed them with the curiosity of a child tormenting insects. Nick/Leon gulped, fearing a fate worse than death. Each one had godlike power. ““…I’m glad we managed to make a small difference, but that might’ve been a bad idea,”” Nick/Leon said. “It’s too late to complain now! They’re coming!” the Sword of Bonds said. Ten of the many knights fighting the titan headed their way. Taking down just one of them had been hard enough, and now ten were attacking in perfect formation. Nick had a flashback of nearly being killed by the five White Masks. Pull yourself together, you wuss! You couldn’t handle their organized assault earlier because you were fighting alone! We have a way to fight back now! Right?! Leon’s mind yelled. Nick’s mind grumbled in annoyance, but they had a fire within them, formed of animosity and energy to fight the burning knights. “Now, Sword of Bonds!” the Sword of Evolution said. “Ngh, I would rather not use such a vile ability, but… Annexation !” the Sword of Bonds yelled. A strange rainbow light filled Nick/Leon’s clones, which charged at the burning knights. The charge appeared reckless, unlike the skilled coordination the clones had fought with earlier, and the burning knights swung their swords and cut them down without hesitation. “Got them!” the Sword of Bonds yelled. “Now!” The strange light burst from the clones’ bodies, growing stronger and possessing the burning knights. Their nimble movements became clumsy, as if their armor had rusted; then, they shifted their hostility from Nick/Leon toward each other. ““That felt kind of gross, doing that,”” Nick/Leon said. “I’m not fond of this strategy… But those burning knights choose their targets using a spiritual sense that surpasses normal bodily senses. We applied a partial Union to the clones to muddy their souls and disturb the knights’ senses,” the Sword of Bonds explained. The knights began to fight one another, moving like marionettes in a cheap puppet show. The sight almost made Nick/Leon feel bad for them. “Hmph, there’s no time for moral scruples. More are coming,” the Sword of Evolution said. ““I know!”” Nick/Leon shouted. More burning knights approached and eradicated their hostile comrades with explosive flames. Nick/Leon withstood the raging wind and heat and produced new clones. “They won’t fall for the same trick twice! Fight them directly until we work out another plan!” said the Sword of Bonds. ““That’s more my style… But be quick about it,”” Nick/Leon responded. They readied their two swords, and their clones imitated them. ““Moonlight Sword!”” Vast mana filled the two holy swords, making them shine with golden light. Moonlight Sword was a nightmarish attack that used the mana and transformative power of the moon to completely destroy an enemy’s defensive capabilities. It inflicted irreversible damage to any opponent, even if they were an eternal higher life-form. Nick/Leon had to use such nightmarish attacks or risk being destroyed so thoroughly themselves that no trace of their existence remained. That hunch was proved correct when the burning knights responded with an attack of equally fearsome power and neutralized Moonlight Sword. ““Shit! How long do we have to keep this up?!”” Nick/Leon yelled. “Please hold out for another hour! That is the time Mr. Zem needs to recover!” said the Sword of Might. ““Another hour?! Cats don’t actually have nine lives, you know!”” Nick/Leon yelled back. The battle grew in ferocity and cruelty. Nick/Leon often felt like they were standing on thin ice, growing so tired they could barely think. Surviving for much longer would take a series of miracles. The end would inevitably come. Nick/Leon were being pushed to the brink against only a tenth of the burning knights’ numbers. Over a hundred of them were wearing down the titan that had once been Argus, which was now out of mana and injured beyond the Survivors’ healing capabilities. Just like Nick/Leon, the burning knights didn’t hesitate to use every attack available to them. Deadly poison. Curses. Excessive healing that damaged the body. Forbidden spells that chipped away at the soul itself. Attacks that altered the target like the Sword of Evolution could. The burning knights used over a thousand different attacks in their onslaught. “…How unfortunate. I thought you might Awaken further through fighting me, but alas, it wasn’t to be,” the Sword of Tasuki said. The titan was now little better than a corpse. It had lost its left leg below the knee and had no blood left to bleed. Its right hand was broken. Broken ribs protruded from its chest, and its eyes were crushed. “I doubt any memories from when you were Argus remain. I’m sure you were protecting them on instinct and the last vestiges of your mind… But even that’s over now.” The burning knight, on the other hand, didn’t look the least bit fatigued. Hundreds, probably thousands, of its clones had been destroyed, but there was no sign of even the smallest dent in its mana or stamina. It also displayed mastery of seemingly every kind of skill and spell as it ravaged the titan. A small tinge of happiness surfaced amid the regret and powerlessness that dominated Nick’s mind. The titan was fighting using Argus’s techniques. Even in this horribly mutated form, his instructor exhausted his combat ability to oppose the burning knights. He had even protected Nick/Zem and accepted their support. Nick used to dream of such a moment when he was a child. He’d wanted to help this man become an S-rank adventurer and a true hero. Now it was all coming to an end. Nick, no… You can’t lose consciousness! Zem’s mind urged him. Shut up… It’s all over…, Nick’s mind responded. You fool! The battle is just beginning! Lose hope now and you’ll die! Bond’s mind scolded him. Nick and Zem had rejoined when Leon ran out of strength. They didn’t dare dispel Union; they knew the burning knights would target and kill them as soon as they did. Leon and the Sword of Evolution were totally silent. The Sword of Evolution had used the last of his power to create an egg-shaped barrier to protect Leon and let him rest. The barrier was capable of protecting him only from glancing blows, however. The burning knights would easily destroy it once they defeated Nick/Zem. ““I should’ve eaten at the guild…one more time before I died… And spent all my savings…on concert recordings…”” It wasn’t thoughts of luxurious food that surfaced in Nick’s mind, but rather the cheapest meal available at the Newbies Guild: lukewarm ale and thin barley porridge. It was hardly appetizing at the best of times, but he missed it dearly. That meal was where everything had started. A mage with the wild eyes of an assassin. A depraved priest who smelled of women’s makeup. A dragonian warrior who was as wary and hostile as a wounded animal. They had teamed up and met their fifth member in a labyrinth: a mysterious holy sword who simultaneously behaved like an old man and a young boy, and who was strangely more human than most people he’d encountered. It hadn’t been too long since they’d met, but their time together had been unbelievably full. The fact that he currently found himself near death deep in a legendary labyrinth was proof of that. ““I should’ve given them anything that could fetch a price at an auction…and asked them to put my affairs in order… Well, I doubt anyone would understand the value of my merchandise,”” Nick mused, but then he thought of Karan and realized that she probably would. The first time he’d met her, Nick had found Karan to be incredibly on guard yet open-minded—a dangerous combination typical of Labyrinth City adventurers in his book. Yet she was also honest and unbiased, which made him think she could be a good adventurer. He decided he would teach her everything he knew, but he quickly realized he thought too highly of himself in comparison to her. Karan had grown a startling amount in a very short time. That was why he’d been so shocked, saddened, and flustered when she was injured protecting Diamond. Those emotions had mixed with the pride he felt at what a fine adventurer Karan had become. Yet he also lamented that fact. Why couldn’t she have progressed at the same speed as him? Why did she have to surpass him? Couldn’t he have remained her veteran leader for a little longer? He wished she would let him save her. And now he wished she would save him. “Karan…” Nick/Zem ran out of strength, causing Union to dispel and the two of them to separate. Nick muttered Karan’s name as he succumbed to the knowledge that he was about to die. He wanted to laugh at his own hypocrisy. He was the one who’d said those harsh words to her and then kept his distance. Despite that, affection welled within him as he said her name. Those feelings surprised him, but he felt an overwhelming sadness at her absence, and he prayed that she would survive. That would have to be good enough. As Nick resigned himself to his fate, he heard a voice singing. It was gentle and familiar, but he dismissed it as a delusion on the verge of death.
Chapter 93
27 min read