I lift Nathaniel from his crib. Is he in pain? I hush him and look for a bottle.

  Theresa presses her ear to Michael's chest. "He's not breathing!"

  Chuboki checks his pulse. "Zachariah..."

  My hand itches. The seal is turning black! What...

  Theresa cries. "Zachariah!"

  I whip around. Something on my chest... A necklace? The stone vibrates. I swallow and set the infant down. I shove Theresa aside and lean over Michael. He's not dead. His body is...frozen? His cells are stunned.

  Chuboki stares at me. "Can you heal him?"

  What kind of question is that? The issue isn't if I can... It's how? My eyes trace Chuboki. "What happened?"

  He shakes his head. "You were... I don't know... It's like your bodies were merged together."

  I jerk. "Merged?" Like my vision... A nest of flesh... I glance at my bed. Rotten piles of flesh remain there. This is... The soul-binding!

  Chuboki points. "The necklace saved you!"

  I take it off and put it on Michael. Theresa cries. "He's not waking up!"

  This isn't good. If Rorno can't heal him... I look at Chuboki. "Where did you find this?"

  He shrugs. "The place you woke up."

  What's Rorno doing inside it? Is she trapped? No, it's like a part of her is contained within it. "I'm going to try something...but I can't promise it'll work."

  A light floats from my chest—it hurts! The light flickers, then turns black. I push it back in. There must be another way! Procedural medicine... Those without gift of healing had to find ways of keeping soldiers alive. If I had the machines... There's no time!

  I put my palm on Michael's chest, lock my fingers, and pump his heart. Chuboki grabs my shoulder. "What are you doing?"

  I pant. "Tilt his chin up!"

  He does.

  I blow air into Michael's mouth. The air comes out his nose. I pinch his nostrils and try again. His chest rises and falls. No breath! I continue pumping.

  Theresa covers her mouth. "What are you doing to him?"

  It's the best chance of him surviving. "Again!" I blow air in. His chest rises and falls. "Chuboki, start on Greene!"

  Chuboki flinches. "What am I—"

  I grunt. "Manually pump his heart!"

  Chuboki stares. "Zachariah, are you sure this'll work?"

  I don't know. "Do it!" I blow. Nothing.

  Theresa sniffles. "Can't you heal him?"

  Not in my condition. "Chuboki!"

  Chuboki lays Greene down and locks his hands. He pushes down and Greene's ribs pop.

  Theresa screams. "You're killing him!"

  Come on! "Chuboki!" I look up. He's trying...but he has zero training. He isn't doing it right. Shit!

  Theresa pushes me. I throw her into the wall. "Get back!"

  Michael coughs. The stone glows. He's alive!

  Theresa whimpers. "My baby!" She rushes to him.

  I move onto Greene. Chuboki did break his ribs. Will they puncture his lungs? Come on, Greene! Fight!

  Chuboki moves back. "Zachariah... I..."

  I blow air into Greene's mouth. He can't die! Not like this! Not now! "Come on!"

  Greene coughs. I lean over him. Sweat dripping onto his chest. He groans. I sit on my heels.

  Theresa squeezes Michael and looks at me. "Thank you!"

  My heart is racing. I feel like... I puke beside Greene. Black... Black... I wipe my mouth.

  Chuboki swallows. "Where did you learn to do that?"

  I settle against the wall. "Garza..."

  He chuckles. "Glad it worked!"

  I shut my eyes. "Yeah..."

  Nathaniel's still wailing. I'm gone for a minute and everything goes to shit! I pick myself up and go into the kitchen. Theresa made a few bottles. I take one to him.

  His hand... The mark... The amulet... They're black yet...glowing. What does this mean?

  Veronica skips along the sidewalk and hums. Neptune steps in front of her. "Any news?"

  She grins. "He's awake!"

  Brimstone hugs her. "You never came to see me!"

  Veronica squirms. "That's 3 seconds! Let me go!"

  Brimstone laughs and sets her down. "You're smaller than I remember."

  Veronica lifts her fists. "Wanna see if I still got it?"

  Brimstone smiles and lifts her fist. "Bring it on, short stuff!"

  Neptune huffs. "She's expecting us."

  Brimstone sighs, then drops her fist. "Yeah, yeah!" She pats Veronica's head. "Sorry, sweetness! We can rough house later."

  Veronica grumbles. "Sissy!"

  Brimstone smirks and walks away.

  Neptune idles.

  Veronica raises a brow. "Wanna brawl too?"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He glares at her. "Have you thought about what you'll do after he lets you in?"

  She rolls her eyes and reaches towards the sky. "Something tells me I'm about to make your highness very happy!"

  Neptune snorts. "Whatever that means." Then he leaves.

  Veronica watches him go, then drops her arms and growls. "You'll see."

  Michael raises the necklace. "What is this?"

  I shrug.

  Chuboki frowns. His brow twitches. "The Wyre is gone."

  The bottle slips from my fingers. "Gone?" I sit on my bed. "How do you... Is anyone left?"

  Chuboki pulls out his radio. "Hey... You there?"

  The radio chirps.

  Chuboki looks at us. His eyes swirl. "He's awake."

  A small voice comes from the radio. "I'm on my way up."

  Theresa clings to Greene. "You were out for a long time, Zachariah."

  How long?

  Chuboki clears his throat. "Several weeks."

  My head aches. I set Nathaniel in his crib and move to the glass door where my patio overlooks the town. "Who was that?"

  Chuboki huffs. "See for yourself." He leaves, then comes back with a healer from the Wyre. Her maroon robes drag behind.

  She bows. "I'm glad you're with us again."

  I nod. "What's your name?"

  She removes her veil. "Agnus." Her blonde hair curls at her ears. Eyes light blue. "I was with Sisis when you left."

  I gulp. "Is she..."

  Agnus shakes her head. "She fled to Z3 when Chuboki told us what happened to you."

  Good choice! I walk to the hall and gesture at Greene. "His ribs are broken."

  Agnus smiles and removes her gloves. She sits next to Theresa. Her hands hover over Greene's chest. "This was recent... I can help him, but I've never mended broken bones before."

  I sit with her. "Like Garza showed you... Start with a thread."

  Agnus holds out her hand. A ball of light. She pulls a thread from it. It's so thin. I'm not sure she can do this. She breathes.

  I think of Rorno. "Don't force it." I motion with my hands. "Think of this like washing a shirt." I make a scrubbing motion. "You're not trying to scrub a stain out. You're patching a sleeve."

  Agnus imitates me. "Like this?"

  I nod. "One thread isn't enough."

  She shifts. "I've never been able to..."

  I hold her shoulder. "It's no different than opening your hand after making a fist. You don't force your fingers apart. They straighten themselves out and spread with the shape of your knuckle."

  Agnus stares at the light. It stutters. Shrinking and growing. Her hand shakes.

  I grin. "Take your time!" I make a fist, then open my hand. "Imagine your hand is the light and the threads are your fingers."

  Theresa wipes her eyes. "You're doing great."

  Chuboki looks at Michael. He points. "Can I have that back?"

  Michael takes the necklace off and gives it to him. Chuboki puts it on. Rorno stands beside him. "That's how I used to teach him."

  Agnus closes her fist around the ball of light, then opens her hand and her palm glows. She presses her palm to Greene's chest and shuts her eyes. Threads glow beneath Greene's skin. "I can feel it!"

  I chuckle. "Agnus, that's amazing!" I've never thought of doing it that way. Never had a need. But this is...

  Rorno snickers in Chuboki's ear. "She's a natural!"

  Chuboki crosses his arms.

  The threads wrap around Greene's ribs and move them back into position. Even for a healer... Agnus has a remarkable gift... Maybe she can examine me next.

  Greene shudders and groans. Theresa holds his hand. Agnus breathes. "Almost done..."

  My vision... My gut... My gums recede... Teeth grind... Sound fades...

  "Eat."

  Who said that?

  "Eat."

  Is that...my voice?

  "Eat them."

  Eat who?

  "The weak."

  No! No... Please...

  Agnus holds my hand. "Zachariah?"

  Huh? My fingers... My nails are longer... Darker... Black lines creep from the seal on my hand.

  Everyone's staring at me.

  Agnus hums. "This mark is...unusual." She lifts my hand. "What kind of spell is this?"

  I yank my hand back and cover it. "It's..." They might as well know. "It's a binding between souls." I glance at the crib. "The infant has an ability that mirrors my own, but it's flipped. He takes life where I give it."

  Agnus bows. "Sisis didn't want me to tell you until we finished running tests on him..." She shivers. "It's as you suspected. He's a King."

  Chuboki taps his foot. Could he have known all along? Theresa grimaces. Greene sits up to hug her and glares at me. Maybe they thought about it, but didn't know for certain.

  Michael crawls to his parents. "What's a King?"

  Chuboki leans against the doorframe to my bedroom. "A rare class of Nobles with unimaginable power."

  Theresa covers Michael's ears. "Don't!"

  Greene pats her back. "He's old enough to know."

  I nod at Michael. "Like in your video games, Nobility has ranks in terms of class. The highest is a God. One who cannot be killed and has unlimited power."

  Michael moves Theresa's hands. "Is that what you are?"

  Chuboki snorts.

  I shake my head. "I'm immortal, but my power has a limit. Otherwise, I'd have brought you back in a second."

  Agnus touches her chin. "What rank are you?"

  I shrug. "I guess... I'd be classified as a Monarch. A rival to Kings and Queens. Yet, not equally matched against them."

  Michael looks at his parents, then back at me. "What level are we?"

  I smile. "The lowest." It hurts to say it. "You're ordinary Nobles." Which makes them easy pickings for my enemies.

  Chuboki sneers. "And what am I?"

  I grunt. "A Viscount!" I eye him. "Large, good with weapons, and a fierce warrior!"

  Agnus scrunches her face. "Immortality is incredibly rare. Healing is thought to be an extension of it."

  I nod. "As far as I know, I'm the only one with this ability. You're right. In the KTP, the tribes believe that healers should go deep into the forest in search of the mother of all life. They believe she grants immortality."

  Michael leans forward. "Is that how you became immortal? Did you meet her?"

  I flinch. "I..." The seal pulses. "I don't remember." Could I have?

  Theresa huffs. "That's enough questions for now. We need to get some rest."

  I walk them out.

  Chuboki looks at my collection of books. "What are these?"

  I shrug. "Journals... Biographies... Manuals."

  He reaches for Pluto's journal.

  I grin. "Be warned! That one is maddening to read!"

  He steps back. "About the Wyre..."

  I sigh. "How many of your squad survived?"

  Chuboki holds his chin up. "All of them."

  Doesn't surprise me! I go back to my bedroom. Agnus stands at the crib. I gulp. "Mind watching him for a bit? I need to check on something."

  She turns and bows. "Take your time."

  Chuboki raises a brow. "Where are you going?"

  I stare at him. "I need to see the aftermath."

  He taps his foot. "You sure? There's nothing left."

  I glance at the crib. "I have to see it... I have to say goodbye."

  Chuboki pulls out his radio. "It's me again. Prepare to move out."

  The radio chirps.

  We head down the stairs of my apartment complex. Asuna marches towards us. "The one I've been tracking..." She hands her tablet to him with photos of... Veronica? What's she doing here? Asuna eyes me. "She's some kind of spy. I saw several of them converse with her."

  I take the tablet and swipe through the photos. There's so many of them. The twins! And this big guy... Bigger than Chuboki... He must be 10 feet tall... A Viscount...

  I glance at Asuna. "How'd you get these?"

  She looks around. "Nobles can't sense cameras. I placed a few around the complex for security. It appears the Axeheads report to the woman watching you."

  I hand the tablet back to her. "That woman was in Moonlight when I visited. Her name's Veronica. She's a skilled fighter. Said she wanted to fight me."

  Chuboki glances between us. "Is that going to be a problem?"

  I shake my head. "Not with you around." I stare at his necklace. "Can you talk to her?"

  Chuboki nods. "She's listening."

  Sian, Vendetta, Zanir, and Ava wait by a truck outside the city. The people on the street flock to it and take pictures. I cover my face. Should've brought my mask.

  The truck navigates the bumpy dirt paths. I didn't realize that the roads needed to be redone. Veronica being at the center of the Axeheads is troubling. She could have killed me in Moonlight. Instead, she seemed broken. Nebula must've had a hand in that. If only I could remember what kind of deal I made... I look at the squad. "How did you all survive?"

  Vendetta snorts. "Wasn't easy!" She leans against Zanir. "Two Axeheads appeared and your soldiers attacked them. Chuboki told us to flee. As we were leaving, we saw her!"

  Ava trembles. "I've never felt a more menacing presence." She looks up. "She waved her hand and half the building collapsed."

  Nebula must have some kind of telekinetic ability. I huff. "In Barthelemy's memories, weapons and abilities didn't stop her. She was untouchable! Some kind of invisible barrier surrounds her."

  Chuboki crosses his arms. "When I fought her, she didn't seem keen on killing me. I think she let me live because she was planning something. Could've been this."

  Maybe... I shift. "But at the time, she didn't take back Sector A which was their strongest base. That's where we found out about the Safest User Network (SUN). Melody decrypted hundreds of files and built the Wyre's internal mainframe using it."

  Sian looks at Chuboki, then rests her head on his shoulder.

  The guy driving the truck taps the steering wheel and stares at me in the rearview mirror. I don't think we've met before... A bow in his lap... He must be the marksman.

  We arrive at the mountain range... They levelled the Wyre... I cover my nose. The smell is... Chuboki grabs my shoulder. "Don't go in there."

  My eyes water... All those people I couldn't protect... I can't resurrect them in my condition... Chuboki squeezes. "We can't retaliate."

  But... He's right... We can't do anything now. That doesn't mean I have to stay still. I need to get into contact with Veronica and find out what she knows. Maybe I can coax her into a fight or proceed with my earlier plan... Capture an Axehead.