Page 130 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

Warmth spread like the sun and the humans rejoiced, spreading across the lands like a wave. Igniso blessed them with fire, parting with his single devout gift, and soon Haizea’s creation demanded more. They tamed Calypso’s seas with boats, and hunted her handmaidens for their scales, her monsters retreating into the deepest trenches. They chopped and burned Kaiah’s bounty, rich life taken for the sake of the paper you read this fable upon. Vegetation became cursed, Kaiah’s blessing corrupted for greed. Finally, Haizea’s air was polluted, and the heavens cried as the smoke rose into the skies from the burning of the dead.

“Devout Devania: A Scholar’s Fable,” Raiden read beside Kora, his shadow looming over her. She jumped, her knees knocking the table with a hiss.

“Is this history, or fantasy?” Kora raised a brow as Raiden sat adjacent to her at the end of the table, propping his legs up whilst tossing an apple in his palm. Kora’s mouth curved as Aerion waved not fifteen feet away, doing the exact same thing.

“It’s too old to tell.” He bit into the fruit, and Kora glanced away. “I can spoil the ending for you if you like.”

“I already know how it ends.” Kora’s lashes lowered as he licked the juice of the apple from his bottom lip. “The gods faded away. The demand of humankind too much for them to bear. Prayers ceased, mages became sparse. The gods no longer mattered and withered without their worship.”

Except, Thanos still existed. Somewhere in the pockets between realms.

Raiden hummed approvingly. “Very good. The Devanian Conquest pushed things along quicker. By the time I entered this world, Admiral Darkon and the Staghart’s had erased so much history, it was hard to believe magic existed.”

“Did you ever meet Darkon?” Kora leaned forward.

“No. He was always hidden, like a shade. He always commanded from behind the scenes, allowing his generals to do his dirty work.” Raiden bit into the apple harder, the ice bracelet on his wrist sliding down. Her heart fluttered that he still wore it. “Just for Barron to take his place instead when he died.”

Another book floated down from the shelves, encased in a binding of sparkling black. Kora spluttered as Raiden flipped the pages open with a grunt.

“What? I may have my own research to do.”

“Are you finally warming up to the concept of reading?”

“Dear Huntress, I am full of surprises.”

Kora soaked her feet in the sea once more, concentrating on summoning her power. She came out here whenever the words blurred on the pages, focusing on reshaping and strengthening her power once again. Except this time, she already had Raiden’s lessons memorised in her mind, and flowed through them as if they’d happened yesterday.

She followed the fluidity of her motions, merging Aerion’s teachings with Raiden’s, picturing her end goal. She delved deep, her toes curling into the water as she called on her water beast. The smallest of purrs answered, and Kora manipulated a thin stream as thick as her arm, winding it around her body. Moonlight shimmered in its current, illuminating the sea before her. The moon was almost full, and her heart pounded. They would need to leave in three days maximum, two days earliest.

As the water settled back into the ocean, Kora unsheathed her midnight dagger, clasping the cool, pearl-tipped hilt as she practised basic attacks. Gritting her teeth, she summoned once again, her arms trembling as she attempted to shape the water to the dagger, but it was messy, the water sliding down the blade and dripping back down into the ocean. With a sweat-soaked sigh, she released her magic.

It still wasn’t enough.

Kora pivoted on her bare feet, storming up the coastline. As the Mist thinned before her, opening like a parted wave, Kora halted in her tracks, her jaw unhinged.

“Cadence?”

The palomino mare trotted towards Kora, her sandy mane rustling in the breeze, her hooves fading into the dark shoreline. This couldn’t be real. How could Cadence be here? Hot breath blew on Kora’s face as her snout nuzzled her neck, followed by the excited swish of her tail.

“Cadence! How . . . what . . .” Kora stroked her neck, following the familiar curve of her muscles to her back. Was she hallucinating? Had she finally gone mad with grief?

Cadence neighed, her tail swatting Kora’s cheek and she laughed. “Okay, you’re real.”

“Raiden! Come quick.”

“What’s happened? Are you alright?”

Kora ignored him as Cadence trotted around her, her hooves kicking into the sand, splashing the water. Laughter tore from Kora’s throat, her body spinning as a shadow loomed behind her.

“Rayne?” Cadence’s palomino twin emerged from the Mist, with the exact same colouring and intuitive eyes. His snout dipped, his tail gently swishing as those deep chocolate eyes blinked.

“Samuel isn’t here.” Kora’s mouth twisted, her heart panging at what could be happening to him. Rayne’s head drooped, understanding her.

This was impossible. These horses couldn’t be here, they were back in Aldara, in the stables by Cadell Manor.

“Next time I ask what’s happened, don’t ignore me.” Raiden plummeted to the ground beside Kora, appearing from the night sky. Had he been flying when she’d reached out? His head flipped rapidly, his stare darting between Cadence and Rayne.

“Don’t move,” Raiden warned, edging closer to Kora. Cadence huffed, her front hooves slamming into the sand behind Kora. Raiden froze, his palms opening in warning. “Huntress, you need to move away.”