Cyn stepped out from one of the twisting maze paths to rejoin Carmen and Alice in the center of the Spilling Grounds. Alice didn’t even bother looking in his direction. Her attention was fully fixed on the empty pillar where the prize rune had once sat. Stunned disbelief was etched across her features like a master mason had carved her into a statue.

Carmen couldn’t blame her. Her own confusion was immense. She wasn’t entirely sure what was happening anymore. Garina’s disciple… he was something else. A part of her wondered if the man had just been talking out of his ass to save face.

It was possible. She’d seen a great many men desperately cling to their pride when nothing remained of their flesh but broken bones and bleeding skin. Pride was one of the few things that one could bring with them into the afterlife.

But something told her that wasn’t the case. There were very few living beings who would intentionally destroy their body beyond repair simply to claim victory in a contest — and that was even more true when the prize wasn’t even his to claim.

Noah had destroyed the rune. That was an impressive enough feat on its own. Runes were not so easy to shatter. They were tiny manifestations of the natural laws of the universe. A Rank 6 Rune being shattered from a mere touch…

Perhaps he’s not entirely full of shit. But that means he’s considerably more powerful than he let on. And he came all the way here, not to claim a prize, but to snatch it from us and make us watch as he destroyed it.

The corner of Carmen’s lips twitched. She couldn’t tell if she was furious or about to burst into laughter. Never before had she been quite so insulted. The sheer effort that had gone into screwing every one of the disciples over was hilarious.

“That little shit,” Alice growled. It wasn’t clear if she was speaking to them or to herself.

Cyn came to a stop several feet away from Carmen. The strange disciple was just as difficult to read as always. He certainly didn’t look particularly angry about how the whole situation had fallen out.

Then again, Carmen had never actually seen him get angry. He just craned his neck up to look toward the sky, then let out a thoughtful hum.

“The Spilling Grounds have ended. We are to return. Further fights are prohibited. Crone has already retrieved Uriel.”

Alice spun to Cyn, eyes as thin as those of a snake. “You. You knew, didn’t you? If he’s as strong as he claims. Or was it all bullshit?”

“His soul was incomparable to mine,” Cyn replied simply.

Alice’s nose scrunched in anger. “Damn it. So he really was screwing with us? How much of what he said was a lie?”

“You misunderstand,” Cyn said. “When I took the measure of his soul, it was not he who was lacking. It was I. His soul eclipsed mine.”

“What?” Carmen’s eyes widened. “You’re serious? Don’t you think that’s a bit of an exaggeration? Your soul—”

“Was incomparable,” Cyn said firmly. “I would have had little difficulty killing him. But his soul was enormous. Larger than any I have ever seen. If I had not felt it myself, I would not have believed it possible for such a thing to exist. His soul… it hardly even felt like a soul.”

“What’s that meant to mean?” Carmen asked. She tilted her head to the side. “What could it have been if not a soul?”

“No. It was a soul.” Cyn paused to search for words for a few moments. “But it was wrong. If someone had told me he was a thousand different souls mashed together into one, then perhaps I could have believed it. If he were a god a thousand times older than me, perhaps I could have believed it. But for a mortal somewhere between Rank 5 and 7? Impossible. At least, it should have been.”

“Well then,” Carmen said. “I suppose he’s got something wrong with him. He fits in, doesn’t he?”

“Garina chose well,” Cyn agreed. “Though he still strikes me more as one of Revin’s ilk than hers. He never did take on a proper disciple, did he? He certainly never brought one to show.”

“Good riddance to Revin,” Alice said with a disgusted shake of her head. “I hated him. His removal from the Apostles was the best thing that has ever happened to the group.”

They all fell silent for a moment. Alice’s eyes lingered on the pedestal where the rune had once sat. Her fingers twitched at her sides.

“The Spilling Grounds are complete,” Cyn reminded them. “We are to return. I imagine the Apostles will be interested in discussing the events of the contest with us.”

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“They’re not watching anymore?” Alice asked.

“No. Garina has begun the discussion about her trial. It will likely be concluded by the time we leave this place,” Cyn replied. “I would be surprised if it isn’t already over. The trial was called on shoddy ground. Without the Prophet himself to back any accusations, she will leave unscathed. The true purpose of our calling was for the contest. How amusing.”

With that, Cyn turned and walked back into the maze, leaving Alice and Carmen alone in the center of the Spilling Grounds.

“Was he right?” Alice asked after a moment.

“Still haven’t worked on your mental sense, have you?” Carmen’s lips twitched in amusement. She let the golden weapon in her hands shimmer, then fade away.

“You know as well as I do that I can’t. My soul isn’t built for it.”

“To be honest, my soul is nowhere near capable of pulling off the shit that Cyn does. But yes, I believe him. Cyn is trustworthy.”

“Enough that nobody other than his master has ever seen his face,” Alice said with a wry laugh. She adjusted her sleek suit and let out a sharp breath. “What a pain in the ass. I can’t believe I just got scammed by a Rank 5.”

“He may not have been. Determination like that… the will to destroy himself, just to pull one over us, that doesn’t come easy. That’s experience. That guy has some balls.”

Alice shook her head. “No. He was a Rank 5. I’m certain of it. I don’t have Cyn’s sensitivity, but I can read people in other ways. The power we felt here was his true power.”

“That isn’t what it sounded like when you were talking to him a few moments ago, when the Apostles were still watching.”

“The show must go on, Carmen. Regardless of what the truth is. You know that.” Alice’s lips twitched in amusement. “And Kyyle is going to be furious. I had to be at least a little indignant. He got humiliated, after all. I can’t believe he tried to cheat for me.”

“After I sent your ass six feet under during our last fight, can you blame him?”

Alice threw her head back in laughter. “You don’t have to rub it in. I haven’t forgotten just how badly I lost. It was embarrassing. I really would have liked to get my hands on that rune. Now I’m going to have to pretend to be pissed off for at least a week.”

“Doubt it’ll be too hard,” Carmen said with a smirk.

Alice just rolled her eyes. “Don’t push your luck, tin can. You leave first. I’m not walking out with you. Might give the Apostles the wrong idea. Either way… I’m going to be looking forward to when that sneaky bastard leaves that little empire of Garina’s. Make sure you keep your distance. He’s mine.”

Carmen tilted her head to the side. “You liked him that much?”

“Get off me,” Alice said in disgust. “That isn’t what I meant. I don’t need some Rank 5, no matter how large his soul is. But determination like that… he’s got something to fight for. I can taste it. And men with something to fight for are the best training. That should be payment enough for the rune he stole. And for manipulating me like some stupid child.”

“I think the latter bit stings more than the former,” Carmen said. “He’s a sneaky little shit, that’s for certain.”

Alice grunted. “Just get moving. The Apostles are going to get suspicious if we take this long to head back out and don’t emerge torn to ribbons.”

Carmen just laughed. She turned on her heel and strode toward one of the exits of the maze. A razor-thin strand of energy wound around her shoulder. The magic was so thin that it was practically undetectable, but the magic within it was powerful enough to force Carmen to a halt instantly if she wanted to avoid slicing her shoulder guard clean off.

“Wrong way.” Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. “Seriously. You have to get better at this.”

“Whoops. Thanks,” Carmen said. She turned to a new exit as the strand unraveled. She paused for a moment, then set back off into the darkness.

Today was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. It’s been a while since Alice spoke to me honestly like that. We have to be careful letting our guard down too much. I’m looking forward to when Garina’s disciple emerges on the world stage. I’d love to spar him again. He’s got some real mettle.

I just hope Alice doesn’t eat him alive before I get a chance to get a few rounds in.

***

Noah bolted upright in bed, a headache pounding on the walls of his skull like the special forces breaking into the house of an unarmed citizen.

Pain etched its way into every scrap of his being like it had been carved into his flesh with a rusty scalpel. He let out a groan, clutching his forehead and resisting the urge to slam himself head-first into the wall in hopes of killing himself.

He’d died way too many times recently. His soul was throwing a temper tantrum, and he still hadn’t had a chance to use the Fragment of Renewal to patch up the previous damage that he’d been suffering from.

But even through that, a flicker of smug satisfaction sliced into his thoughts. Noah would have laughed if even the idea of such a notion didn’t hurt.

Four new Rank 5 Runes floated within his soul. He’d grabbed them in the guise of the ash that he’d surrounded himself with after shattering the Rank 6. Noah would have loved to get all seven of the Rank 5 constituents, but he hadn’t been able to afford risking someone noticing that the rune hadn’t been completely destroyed.

Making off with over half of the Rank 6 Rune was more than enough for him. Noah’s lips cracked into a manic smile. He didn’t even know what the runes were. He’d drawn them into his soul without even pausing to check their names.

But he did know one thing.

They’d been strong.

And now they were his.

Whether they would go toward improving his own Rank 5 or get handed off to Moxie or any of the others, he would find out in eleven hours. That would hopefully leave him just enough time to patch himself up and get a fair bit stronger before Fuyin showed up to take him to raid the Inquisitor’s goodies.

Until then, he would be kept company by his pounding headache and the knowledge that he’d stolen from the Apostles themselves.