Flint ran his hand along the orange streak in his hair, waiting for his companion to finally show her face. When she peeked between the wagons to join him, he scowled.
"It took you long enough."
"I wasn't in any hurry. I knew you wouldn't go far." Noble smiled.
The man scowled. "Why, I ought to..."
"Relax," the blonde woman pushed back her flowing hair. "I was only joking. I had to wait for my friend to head to bed."
"Your friend? Ha!" Flint guffawed.
Noble pointed to her ear. The Saint had eavesdropped before. She was in her carriage on the far side of the circle, but that wasn't a guarantee that she–or someone else–wouldn't overhear.
"...Is a generous and competent leader. She needs all the rest she can get," The man finished lamely. He coughed.
He motioned for them to move farther away. Exiting the circle, Flint's step let off a brilliant spark. It stuck to his foot, neither burning nor dimming.
He shook his boot.
"I can't get it off," he muttered.
"Who goes there?" a voice startled them.
Noble had felt him coming, but she had thought they could slip away without being noticed. The spark was like a beacon in the dark night. There was no escape.
"It is just me. No need for alarm," Noble flashed a brilliant smile.
"Lady Bel." The man bowed. "I am Drusus of the first night watch. No one is allowed to leave the circle at night. I am sure my superior was telling you that when he tripped the alarm."
Drusus bent down with a glowing stick and touched the man's boot. The spark disappeared, and the stick dimmed.
Flint cleared his throat. "Indeed, I was. But Lady Bel has no regard for the rules. So I will be escorting her out of the camp and back again. Stand down, Drusus."
"But Sir," the guard rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to let the commander know."
"I order you to stand down. There is no need to bother her just now. Let us pass." Flint's eyes were sharp and forbidding even in the darkness.
Drusus scratched his chin. "Yes, sir. But please hurry back, so I can let you in again."
"And if we don't?" The Master raised one eyebrow at the guard.
"Then I humbly ask that you wait until first light when the watch is through. I fear you, sir. But I fear the commander much more."
"Understood. Thank you, Drusus." Noble smiled again and sent the young guard a wave of calm.
Using the stick, Drusus drew a transparent passage for the two Masters to walk through. The pair left the wagons, this time without a spark to mark them.
He saluted Titus and then returned to his patrol.
"A nice boy," Noble commented. "You didn't have to be so forceful with him."
"It got us what we wanted, didn't it?" Flint clicked his tongue. "Never mind. I didn't call you out here to discuss the nightwatchman."
"Then why did you want to see me?" Child of Promise regarded her companion as they moved far beyond the camp. "Let me guess. Do you have some deep, revealing truth to share?"
"I have many secrets, but none for you, Blondie." Flint huffed. "I only called you out here for one reason. I need you to help me get off this blasted belt!"
Noble wanted to tease him, but she could feel his frustration and helplessness. She, too, wanted to be rid of the anchor in her soul.
She sighed.
"Orrin said that only you can remove it. Do you not believe him?"
"I think if Orrin were the one stuck, he would explore all of his options as well." Flint shot back. "Honestly, you are as dumb as your hair..."
"That is a lovely way to ask for help," Noble pushed her long locks behind her shoulder. "But I think please would work better."
"I don't beg." The man crossed his arms.
The lady shrugged.
"I never considered having manners as begging. Surely a man of your esteemed background has heard of being polite."
"Fine. Please. Are you happy? Now help me figure this out."
Even in the starlight, the bulging vein in Flint's forehead was visibly pulsing.
Noble hummed softly. "What have you tried?"
Flint tapped his head.
"I tried thinking, but all that did was give me a headache and connect me to you instead of that hideous Cook. Mind you, you are only a small step up."
"I'll have to take your word on that." Noble rolled her eyes.
"I used a Memory to cut the air between us. The blade is supposed to be sharp enough to cut even the toughest bond. I guess that bond didn't include magical ones." Flint rubbed his temple.
"Did you try to cut it in your Soul Sea?"
Noble's words caught Flint's attention.
"What do you mean?"
The professor chewed her lip. "Maybe it's because I have an Ability tied to emotions, but I can sense the anchor in my soul core. Do you not feel the other side?"
Grunting, the man's eyes became unfocused. "I sense something."
"Try and cut it from the inside and see what happens. I can do the same."
Flint nodded subtly to her plan.
Noble retreated to the shores of the iridescent waters of her Soul Sea. She looked up in the sky at the matching core overhead. There, hidden among the beautiful streams of multicolored light, was an invisible tether.
'Maybe trying to cut it like this was a bad idea.'
Depending on the magic behind it, the blowback if she were successful could be catastrophic. She could hurt both herself and Flint.
'It will be fine...probably.'
Taking a deep breath, Noble summoned her Zenith. The beautiful blade formed in her hand, automatically adjusting its weight to her unspoken command.
She floated to the core overhead. There was usually no reason to do so, and the ascent felt completely unnatural. In the end, Noble flew wide of the orb and focused on the invisible presence beside it.
Part of her wanted to put her whole effort into the strike. That would include imbuing the blade with essence and drawing out the deadly poison, but in the end, Noble decided against it.
If there were some negative ramifications to her disturbing the tether, the poison could possibly seep into her soul core. That was not a risk she was willing to take.
Lifting her arms, Noble gripped the sword tightly. She swung, adding weight to the sword as it dropped from over her head. It fell with deadly speed, having every bit of the Master's strength behind it.
Its devastating power would have obliterated a building, killing scores of mundane humans. The Zenith was poised to cut the very fabric of reality.
But then.
It stopped.
There was no twang of metal or thud of the blade hitting the rope.
The absence of sound was more unnerving than if a cannon had thundered. The blade just came to rest suddenly, all of the strength sapped from its swing. It rested lightly in the air, only able to move up or to the side.
The cord was not something that could be seen, but it was there, taking space in her Soul Sea, and not even her most powerful weapon could do anything to help her.
Dismissing her sword, Noble reached out her hand to grab the tether. Her fingers passed through the space where the sword was blocked without meeting any resistance. It was like nothing had ever been there.
'How is that possible?'
Well, this was her soul, and she was part of it. Unlike the Zenith, the link did not seem to recognize her presence enough to materialize. Or maybe after being attacked, it vanished on its own.
'No, I can still feel it.'
Her soul treated the bond like it was a part of it, unwilling to let her interfere or interact in any meaningful way.
'Strange.'
Before she could think too much about it, Flint let out an emphatic curse beside her. Coming back to the present, she looked at the man with a pensive expression.
"It didn't work for you, either, I take it?" She gave him a sad smile.
Flint spat. "I managed to use my Aspect to get to that blasted Core of mine. And what did that get me? As soon as I tried to strike the cord, my sword just stopped, and then my ice bridge collapsed beneath me."
"I had a similar experience." Noble was thankful she hadn't been forced to the ground. Even in her Soul Sea, her flaw was unforgiving.
"That's not all, I went to look for another weapon to try. Anything that might break this foul belt. That's when I saw it." Flint gritted his teeth. Anger boiled within him.
"What did you see?"
Noble looked around her. Was some imminent danger coming that she could not perceive?
"See for yourself." Instead of pointing outward, the man beat his fist against his chest.
'Something within?' Noble furrowed her brow.
"Look at your runes."
Hesitantly, Noble complied. For a moment, she feared they might not come, but the shimmering letters appeared as they always did when she big them.
Everything looked fine. Her Memories were all there, and Helios was listed under Echoes. Nothing had been taken or was missing.
That's when she saw it. Two words that made her blood run cold.
She stared in disbelief before placing her face in her palm.
"Just great."