Vorash was not the paradise the outcasts of Amnar had dreamed of.
Beyond the Great Divide, that impossibly vast white barrier that stretched endlessly into the sky and across the horizon, lay a land of freedom. But freedom, unchecked and absolute, had birthed its own horrors. Without the rigid clan structures and ancient laws of Amnar, Vorash had become a frontier where the strong preyed upon the weak. Bandits roamed the roads, and criminal organizations carved out territories from the lawless expanse, raiding travelers and pillaging small villages with impunity.
The Council of Vorash, desperate to restore order, had formed the Hunters Association, an organization of skilled jidens who tracked down criminals for bounties. These hunters could also be hired for personal protection, their services bought by merchants, nobles, and anyone with coin and enemies.
Among these hunters were two young jidens who had made quite a name for themselves despite their age.
"You're sure the lieutenant is here?" Nyx asked, her long dark red hair swaying gently as she surveyed the rocky terrain near the Great Divide. The massive white barrier loomed in the distance, casting an ethereal glow across the landscape.
"Positive," Ignia replied, his dark hair falling carelessly across his forehead. His golden eyes scanned the area with a calm, almost bored expression. "Gravel Murn. Lieutenant of the Black Sand Raiders. Thirty-two years old. Earth manipulation jide. Bounty: twelve thousand coins." He recited the details with the disinterest of someone reading a grocery list.
Nyx smiled softly. "You memorized the whole file again, didn't you?"
"It's called being prepared." Ignia's lips quirked slightly, the closest thing to a smile he usually offered.
Their target had been raiding caravans along the eastern trade routes for months. The Association had finally pinpointed his hideout: a cave system nestled in the rocky hills near the Great Divide, far from any settlement that might interfere.
"Movement," Ignia said quietly. "Six... no, seven signatures. Six weaker ones surrounding the cave entrance. The lieutenant is inside."
Nyx cracked her knuckles, a flicker of flame dancing across her fingertips. "I'll handle the welcoming party. You get Murn."
"Don't take too long."
"Don't get hurt," she shot back with a sweet smile.
Ignia vanished in a crackle of yellow lightning.
The six henchmen lounging outside the cave barely had time to register the blur of golden electricity before their boss's screams echoed from within. They scrambled to their feet, drawing weapons: crude swords, axes, one with a crossbow.
Then they saw her.
Nyx stepped out from behind a boulder, her dark red hair catching the light, her expression gentle, almost serene. She looked like she'd wandered out of a painting, delicate features, soft eyes, the kind of beauty that made men forget their own names.
One of the henchmen, a burly man with a scar across his nose, burst out laughing. "What's this? They sent a little flower to fight us?"
"Look at her," another sneered. "How can someone so cute harm even a fly?"
Nyx tilted her head, her sweet smile never wavering. "You'd be surprised."
The burly man charged first, axe raised high. Nyx sidestepped gracefully, and a jet of flames erupted from her palm, slamming into his chest and sending him flying backward into two of his companions. They collapsed in a heap, groaning.
The remaining three attacked together. Nyx spun, fire swirling around her like ribbons of molten light. She ducked under a sword swing, planted her palm against the attacker's stomach, and released a concentrated burst that launched him into the rock face. The crossbow wielder fired. She deflected the bolt with a wave of flame that reduced it to ash mid-flight, then sent a fireball that exploded at his feet, throwing him backward.
The last henchman hesitated, fear replacing his earlier mockery.
"Run," Nyx said softly, her voice kind despite the flames still flickering around her hands.
He ran.
The remaining five were unconscious or groaning on the ground, singed but alive. Nyx dusted off her hands, her expression shifting to concern as she heard the sounds of combat intensifying within the cave.
"Ignia..."
Inside the cave, Ignia was having a more challenging time.
Gravel Murn was older, experienced, and utterly ruthless. The lieutenant stood at the center of a wide cavern, his hands pressed to the stone floor, his weathered face twisted in concentration. The ground around Ignia erupted continuously, spikes of rock shooting upward like jagged teeth, walls of earth rising to block his path, the very terrain reshaping itself to crush him.
Ignia moved like living lightning. Yellow electricity crackled around his form as he dodged spike after spike, his speed the only thing keeping him alive. A pillar of stone shot toward his chest. He flickered sideways, leaving an afterimage. Another erupted beneath his feet. He launched himself upward, bouncing off the cave wall.
"Stand still, boy!" Murn growled, sweat dripping down his face. "You're just delaying the inevitable!"
"Funny," Ignia replied, his voice calm despite his rapid breathing. "I was about to say the same thing."
He feinted left, drawing a massive spike in that direction, then reversed instantly, a blur of golden light zigzagging through the forest of stone. Murn's eyes widened as he realized too late that Ignia had closed the distance.
The young hunter's hand closed around Murn's wrist.
A massive bolt of yellow lightning exploded from Ignia's body, channeling directly into the lieutenant. The cavern lit up like daylight, the thunderous crack deafening in the enclosed space. Murn's body convulsed, his scream cut short as the electricity overwhelmed him. When the light faded, the lieutenant collapsed to the ground, smoke rising from his charred clothes, unconscious but alive.
Ignia stood over him, barely winded, his golden eyes cold. "Bounty says alive. Consider yourself lucky."
He pulled out a pair of essence-suppressing cuffs from his belt and secured Murn's hands behind his back. The Association would handle the rest.
As he dragged the lieutenant toward the cave entrance, he felt something strange, a pulse of energy from the direction of the Great Divide. He paused, frowning.
Nyx met him at the cave mouth, her eyes scanning him for injuries. "You okay?"
"Fine. You?"
"They weren't much trouble." She glanced at the unconscious lieutenant. "He looks crispy."
"He'll live." Ignia's gaze drifted toward the Great Divide. "Did you feel that?"
Nyx turned, and her breath caught.
The Great Divide was glowing brighter than usual, its white surface rippling like disturbed water. A dark silhouette was visible within the barrier, struggling against its pull. The light intensified, stretching and warping around the figure as if the barrier itself was resisting the passage.
"Someone's coming through," Nyx whispered.