Lord of the realm

The castle gates stood open, abandoned by guards who had fled when the mystical energies began to rage. Thaddeus and his men moved through the courtyards and corridors like hunting wolves, following the scent of Origin power to its source.

They found Earl Grimwald in the great hall, still slumped against the wall where Odessa had thrown him. The frog-man was conscious but dazed, his large eyes blinking slowly as he tried to focus on the armored figures who had entered his domain.

He looked around and noticed the debris in the hall. Some powerful people fought here; he could tell that.

But it was not that caught Lord Commander Thaddeus's attention.

It was the massive hole that had been torn through the floor of the hall, a breach that went down through multiple levels of the castle until it disappeared into darkness. The edges of the hole were smooth, as if something incredibly powerful had simply punched through stone and timber like they were made of parchment.

Thaddeus knelt at the edge of the hole and extended his senses downward. Even now, even after whatever had caused this destruction had departed, he could feel the residual energy that clung to the broken stone like a physical presence.

"Origin power?" he whispered, his voice filled with awe. It was the first time he felt such a heavy Origin power without a person present before him. Whoever it was, he thought, they must be really powerful.

-

Meanwhile, far from the chaos and violence erupting in the harbor city, the pirate ship cut smoothly through the dark waters toward its destination. The vessel was built for speed and stealth, its black sails helping it blend into the night as it made its way along the coastline.

On the ship's deck, Aldran finally found a moment to approach his friend.

The young pirate had known him for months now, and he had never seen him looking quite like this. There was a change in Jaenor that he couldn't quite tell.

He had been worried sick for him since he went missing. He could tell something happened to them; Odessa was also in quite a panic when they came to the ship.

"Jaenor," Aldran said quietly, glancing around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard by the other crew members.

"What happened to you? Where were you? I looked for you everywhere in the harbor."

"Easy there, Aldran. Nothing happened, as you can see."

Jaenor stood at the ship's rail, his hands gripping the smooth wood as he stared back toward the distant harbor city on the horizon where the battle between the Brotherhood and the Redmoon Coven continued to rage.

His blue eyes, still touched with flecks of that inner fire, were troubled as he considered how much to tell his friend.

"It's complicated, Aldran," he said finally.

"More complicated than I can explain right now. All you need to know is that it isn't safe to return to that harbor city for a long while. Maybe never."

Aldran frowned, clearly unsatisfied with such a vague answer. "But surely you can tell me something. We're friends, are we not? Whatever trouble you're in, I'll stand by you."

The sincerity in his friend's voice touched something in Jaenor's heart, reminding him that not everyone in his life had been motivated by power or personal gain.

But even as he opened his mouth to say more, he remembered Odessa's warnings about the dangers that would follow him now that he bore the Origin power.

"I know you would, Aldran," Jaenor said, placing a hand on Aldran's shoulder. "And that's exactly why I can't tell you everything. The less you know, the safer you'll be."

Aldran looked like he wanted to argue, but something in Jaenor's expression warned him that this was not the time to push for answers.

Instead, he nodded reluctantly and returned to his duties, helping the crew adjust the sails as they prepared to enter the mouth of the river that would take them inland.

The ship was heading toward Dunburns Canal, a massive waterway that was present in the center of the continent. The canal connected the eastern and western sides of the continent, allowing ships to travel from one coast to another without having to navigate the treacherous waters around the southern cape.

It was a journey that would take them deep into the empire's heartland, past cities and towns where the news of tonight's events might not have traveled yet. It was, Odessa had assured him, the safest route they could take to disappear from the sight of those who would hunt them.

As the hours passed, the pirate ship made steady progress up the river.

The banks were lined with thick forests that seemed to swallow the moonlight, creating a tunnel of darkness through which they moved like a ghost ship from old legends. The only sounds were the gentle lapping of water against the hull and the soft creak of timber as the vessel flexed with the current.

Odessa had gone below decks shortly after they left the harbor, claiming she needed to rest and recover her strength after the battles at the castle.

Jaenor had wanted to follow her, to ask the thousand questions that burned in his mind about what he had become and what it meant for his future. But she had looked so tired, so drained by the evening's events, that he had let her go without protest.

Now he stood alone on the deck, staring up at the canopy of stars that sparkled like diamonds against the black velvet of the night sky.

The Origin power within him hummed softly, a constant presence that he was still learning to understand and control. Sometimes it felt like a warm fire burning in his chest. Other times, it was like lightning crackling through his veins, demanding to be released.

A few days earlier, he was just a boy who was just trying to live his life with the woman he loved, but today, his goals seemed to have updated.