The Guild Hall. Basement. Afternoon.
Ken walked slowly.
His shoulder still ached. His head still throbbed. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the memory—the ambush in the forest, the lightning catching him mid-air, the helplessness of falling while Lira fought alone.
He had trained for years. He had gadgets, knives, speed. None of it had mattered. Tina's lightning had found him. Ben's sword had pressed him back. The boy had teleported around them like a ghost.
Three on two. He and Lira had lost.
He hated it.
He descended the stairs to the basement, his footsteps soft on the stone. The shadows in the corners seemed to lean toward him as he passed. He didn't call them. He didn't need to. They were part of him now, a gift from whatever had happened during those three days of unconsciousness.
But they wouldn't help him with what he needed to do.
He needed to understand.
---
Ben looked up when Ken entered.
He was sitting on his cot, his wrists bound, his ankles tied. His shoulder was bandaged, his face was bruised, his eyes were sharp. He had been expecting Grog, maybe. Or Edward. Not the silent one.
"You're awake," Ben said.
Ken closed the door behind him. "I am."
"The healers said you might not wake."
"The healers were wrong."
Ben studied him. "You're different."
Ken sat on the stool across from him. His movements were slow, deliberate. His hands rested on his knees. His eyes didn't leave Ben's face.
"In the forest," Ken said. "You beat me."
Ben was quiet for a moment. "I defended myself."
"You beat me." Ken's voice was flat. "I've been training my whole life. I've killed hunters. I've survived things you can't imagine. And you beat me."
Ben's jaw tightened. "You were outnumbered."
"So were you. Three of you. Two of us." Ken leaned forward. "And I was the one on the ground."
---
Ben was silent.
Ken could feel the shadows at the edges of the room, waiting. He didn't call them. This wasn't about intimidation.
"I hate losing," Ken said.
Ben met his eyes. "Everyone hates losing."
"No." Ken shook his head. "I mean I can't accept it. I've been thinking about it for days. Every moment. Every strike. Every mistake." He looked at his hands. "I should have dodged faster. I should have seen the boy teleporting. I should have—"
"You should have been better." Ben's voice was quiet. "I know the feeling."
Ken looked up. "You do?"
Ben nodded slowly. "We've been running from Vorlag for years. Every world, every fight, every time we lose someone." He paused. "I've spent a lot of nights thinking about what I should have done differently."
Ken was quiet for a moment. "How do you live with it?"
"You don't." Ben met his eyes. "You just keep moving."
---
Ken stood. Walked to the door. Paused.
"I have new abilities now," he said without turning. "Things I didn't have in the forest."
Ben's eyes narrowed. "What kind of abilities?"
Ken turned. The shadows in the corner of the room stirred—just a flicker, just a hint. Ben saw it. His hands tightened on the rope.
"The kind that would have made that fight different."
Ben stared at him. "Are you threatening me?"
Ken shook his head. "I'm telling you. Because I want you to know that next time—if there is a next time—I won't lose."
He left.
---
Tina was in the next cell.
She sat on her cot, her arms wrapped around her knees, her face pale. Her staff was gone, her lightning silent. She looked up when Ken entered.
"You're the one my lightning hit."
Ken closed the door. "I am."
"You should be dead."
"I should be."
Tina studied him. "You're different."
Ken sat on the stool. "So are you."
Tina's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"
Ken was quiet for a moment. "In the forest. When you hit me. Did you aim for my heart?"
Tina's face went pale. "I—"
"Did you aim to kill?"
Tina looked away. "You were attacking us. I didn't—"
"You didn't think." Ken's voice was quiet. "You just reacted."
Tina nodded slowly. "Yes."
Ken stood. "That's what I thought."
He walked to the door.
"Wait."
Ken paused.
"I'm sorry," Tina said. "I didn't want to hurt anyone."
Ken didn't turn. "Neither did we."
He left.
---
Davin was awake.
He sat in the infirmary, his arm bandaged, his face pale. A healer was checking his pulse, his eyes, his breathing. He looked up when Ken entered.
"You're the one who hit me."
Ken sat on the edge of the cot. "You're the one who teleported."
Davin's jaw tightened. "It's my blessing."
"I know."
Davin stared at him. "How?"
Ken was quiet for a moment. "Because I have one too."
Davin's eyes widened. "What kind?"
Ken raised his hand. The shadow under the cot stretched, twisted, took shape. A dark copy of Ken rose from the floor, stood beside the bed, stared at Davin with empty eyes.
Davin's breath caught. "What—"
"I don't know what it is." Ken lowered his hand. The shadow faded. "But I didn't have it in the forest."
Davin was silent for a moment. "You're going to come after us."
Ken shook his head. "I'm going to be ready."
---
Ken climbed the stairs to the main floor.
The guild hall was busy—adventurers coming and going, Garret at the counter, Grace at her desk. No one looked at him. No one noticed the shadows that clung to his feet, that followed him like loyal hounds.
He walked to the training yard. Lira was there, shooting arrows at a target. Her bow sang. Her arrows split. The target was full of holes.
She looked up when he approached.
"You're up."
"I'm up."
Lira studied him. "You look different."
Ken sat on the bench. "I am different."
Lira sat beside him. "How?"
Ken was quiet for a moment. "In the forest, I lost. I don't want to lose again."
Lira nodded slowly. "Neither do I."
They sat in silence.
The sun climbed higher. The yard grew warmer.
Ken looked at his hands. The shadows whispered to him.
He wasn't sure if he was ready for what came next.
But he was going to be.