“I’m worried about Roderic, Josef,” Isgalis said, rolling up the cuffs of her kimono.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Are you kidding? Just look at what he did during the Totemic Games!”

  “He’s a good kid,” the man said, grabbing the animal by its hind legs. “He’s just had a rough life—I mean, his previous one, before he got here. It’s made him a bit rude and unsociable. Maybe even impolite… But he’s a good kid.”

  Josef Irkman was the village stable manager. He was about forty, but his worn appearance and gray hair made him look closer to sixty. He was one of Vin’s original inhabitants and beloved by everyone in the community. At the moment, he was trying to milk a babut, which was no easy task. Babuts are dairy animals similar to pygmy hippos, except for their pinkish skin and longer, narrower snouts.

  Babut milk is rich in enzymes that catalyze many of the organic processes that allow the villagers to develop their magical abilities. So, someone who might acquire a skill with hard training over one or two years can achieve it in just a few months if they drink babut milk.

  Milking these animals can be a treacherous task, as they’re extremely irritable and prone to kicking anyone who tries to milk them. Josef had secured the babut’s hind legs to a post with a thick esparto rope. Isgalis was holding it tightly to immobilize it, but couldn’t prevent the furious babut from kicking the stableman squarely between the eyes.

  “Are you okay, Josef?!” Isgalis asked, alarmed. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine, don’t worry,” the man told her, getting up from the ground. “Just a scratch.”

  When they finally managed to subdue the animal and tie its four legs, they resumed their conversation.

  “What exactly are you worried about with Roderic?” Josef asked.

  “Well, you know… There are only two ways to become a regenerator…”

  “Oh, come on, Isgalis! We all know the naiads of the Fabras Forest merged with the waters of Ixis Spring after the Eutarchians invaded their territory.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the naiads, Josef,” the guardian replied.

  “Please, girl! You’re not suggesting a fourteen-year-old boy could have summoned creatures as despicable as Necropters?!”

  “To be honest, Josef, I don’t know what to think,” she said, sighing.

  About two hundred yards from the stable, on the esplanade where the Sun Stone was located, Milena lay unconscious. Around her, the three children who had stayed awake all night were talking quietly, trying not to draw attention.

  “The Eutarchians?” Teo asked, disoriented.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Sinister creatures conjured with dark magic by the Usurper of Galath,” Tiziano explained. “Raen considered it the most effective way to take hope away from the inhabitants of The Continent: by casting a spell on the purest and noblest animals to ever walk their lands—unicorns.”

  “That means…”

  “Eutarchians are dark unicorns,” Baruch said, interrupting Teo.

  The boy was silent for a few seconds.

  “Why were the naiads of Ixis Spring forced to merge with its waters?” he finally asked.

  “The Eutarchians’ eyes are enchanted with a curse. Anyone who looks at their reddish glow is subject to Raen’s will,” Tiziano said, his voice trembling.

  “Many inhabitants of Mantra were subdued by his power,” Baruch added. “Only one resisted the Eutarchians’ spell and drove them back across the Blue Mountains.”

  “Who?!” Teo asked excitedly.

  “Who do you think?” Baruch suggested.

  “Sir Phleas…” Teo murmured, almost in disbelief. “But why…? Why are you telling me all this?” He stammered, unable to control himself. “What does it have to do with Roderic?”

  “There are only two ways to become a regenerator…” Tiziano pointed out.

  “Offer a revitalizer as a sacrifice to the Necropters,” Baruch interrupted.

  “Or save the life of a freshwater nymph.”

  “Which, in Roderic’s case, is impossible, because all the naiads merged with the waters of Ixis Spring a long time ago.”

  The naiads, or freshwater nymphs, were entities that inhabited the edges of the springs, streams, and rivulets of the Fabras Forest. They appeared as beautiful, naked maidens who loved and sang to nature. They rarely showed themselves, as they distrusted any stranger who approached. Usually, they would fade into the water before this happened.

  Ardorian legends said that if a naiad was ever in danger and was saved, their protector would be immune to pain or flesh wounds, as they would become one with nature, drawing the necessary resources to heal.

  “Guys, if what you suspect is true, we have to protect Milena,” Teo said, dismayed. “Maybe Roderic plans to attack again and try to take her. We can’t let that happen! Until she fully recovers and regains her strength, we’ll take turns standing guard and making sure Roderic doesn’t approach her.”

  The other two children nodded.

  The afternoon shift was assigned to Tiziano. The boy lay next to Milena with a chemistry book in his hands, looking very happy. The unique aspect of Ardorian chemistry was that organic compounds weren’t primarily made of carbon, the fundamental element for life on Earth, but of silicon, which has greater superconductivity. That is, the ability to conduct electric current without resistance or energy loss, enabling superior development of magical abilities.

  As the sun set behind the Blue Mountains, someone appeared in front of him.

  “Isgalis is looking for you, Tiziano. She said no one, without exception, can miss self-defense classes.”

  “I know, Jayden. But I can’t leave Milena alone.”

  “Alone? What are you talking about? The whole village is here to take care of her. No one’s going to let anything bad happen to her. Besides, we’re safe as long as we stay in Vin.”

  “You don’t understand!” the boy said, biting his lip.

  “What don’t I understand?”

  “I can’t tell you, Jayden. I’m sorry.”

  The fifteen-year-old teenager was confused. She didn’t know if the boy was crazy, playing a prank, or up to something.

  “Tiziano, I can’t leave you alone with her,” she said, taking his hand.

  “I told you I’m not moving from here!” the boy shouted, writhing on the ground and making a fuss.

  “Sorry, Tiziano.”

  “Why are you apologizing?”

  “Because of this…” Jayden’s eyes turned bright gold, and Tiziano fell asleep.

  THANKS FOR READING!

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