The sound of steel clashing together made Raziel open his eyes. He stepped back in awe as a purple flaming sword clashed with the orc’s crude blade.

The man who stood before him had long, obsidian dreads that flowed like a dark river. His eyes glowed with lavender stardust, and his intricately detailed armor shimmered with cosmic energy, reflecting the faint light filtering through the forest canopy.

His battle moves were a blur, a cosmic dance of death. He fought fiercely, his blade striking true every time. The orcs fell two at a time to his fury, their blood staining the forest floor.

The ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen, the scent of iron mingling with the damp earth. When all the monsters lay in pools of their own blood, the cosmic-eyed warrior stood tall and assessed the situation, his eyes scanning the forest for any remaining threats.

Seeing no more danger to Raziel, the mysterious warrior approached the young boy. He knelt before him, his eyes glowing with a lavender stardust. “My ward, my blade is at your service. You may call me Elrian.”

“Ward?” Raziel asked, confusion evident in his voice. “Oh, the starshard?!”

“Yes,” Elrian confirmed, standing up. “You hold my shard. My blade is your protection as long as you carry it.”

As he stood, all their attention was turned to a noise in the forest to their left. The rustling of leaves and the snap of twigs announced the arrival of another figure.

A woman stepped out of the woods, dressed in green traveling robes trimmed with gold ribbon. She moved with an effortless grace, her presence commanding attention. She reached up and lowered her hood, revealing a cascade of black hair and a smirk that hinted at secrets untold.

“Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Issac, you do have a way of drawing attention.” She clapped her hands as she sauntered over to them, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Issac turned, recognizing her. “Faldonia,” he greeted with a nod, his voice tinged with both relief and exasperation.

Faldonia smirked. “I suggest you get out of here and go see Lord Erikson. Renaldo wants the boy to take a tour in the gladiator ring.”

Issac growled, his protective instincts flaring. “He isn’t ready.”

Raziel ignored the woman in green and turned to his father. “Father, you know magic?” Raziel shook his head, feeling increasingly that his father had not been honest with him his whole life.

Issac sighed, turning to Raziel. “I have a lot of magic, son. To keep you safe, I have refused to use it. I had to hide my location from Xanther, my grandfather. His motives are always so self-centered. He is the reason I joined the Rebellion.”

Raziel cocked his head to the side. “Rebellion of what? I mean, I know that the village has short supplies, but they always seem to have just enough for what people need.”

“Rebellion?” Issac thought for a moment. “I suppose that depends on your point of reference. If you are looking at it from this world, it would be Xanther… if you look at it from Nexus… it would be… well, it would still be Xanther. So, I suppose it is Xanther I rebel against.”

“Why?” Raziel looked from Elrian to Issac, curiosity burning in his eyes.

“We can talk about that later, we need to move and get out of here. Xanther is coming, and I really do not want to deal with him.”

Raziel planted his feet, his resolve hardening. “It seems that things are not as simple as I was raised to believe.”

Issac sighed, a mixture of pride and concern in his eyes. “No, they are not. But we need to get out of here.” Issac tried to use a teleportation spell but it failed.

“Shit, he is too close. He has disabled my magic.” Fear crept into his expression.

Elrian’s attention turned north, his senses attuned to the approaching danger. He drew his sword, its blade shimmering with a celestial glow. “In the name of Lyra!” he declared, plunging his weapon into the earth. Purple lightning struck around the forest with precision, crackling with raw energy. With a deafening clap of thunder, a protective dome formed around the party. It shimmered with cosmic energy.

Stars seemed to dance within Elrian’s eyes as he stood and turned to Issac. “There is something very powerful coming this way.”

Issac’s eyes widened with fear. “Faldonia can you get us out of here?”

She chuckled, “I could, but where is the fun in that?”

Issac growled. “God damn it all, I knew I hated traveling with you.”

Issac looked north, his expression grim. “Shit, he is not holding back, is he, Faldonia?”

She ignored his question and moved over to Elrian, her eyes flashing with a lime green light. The purple dome around them became infused with green power, the two energies intertwining and strengthening the barrier.

Issac’s voice trembled with terror. “I am going to have to take him to Nexus. There is nowhere I can travel on this planet that Xanther won’t be able to track.” His fear was palpable, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

The ground began to tremble, and the distant sound of marching grew louder. The air was thick with tension, the forest holding its breath in anticipation of the coming storm.