Thomas looked at the broken skull mask in Frey's hands and scrunched up his eyebrows. "What is that?"

"Something that will help." Frey pulled his sleeve out of his grasp.

Thomas looked to Elero and grimaced: "Ok but make sure you do this right or you'll just make things worse for Elero. Are you sure you have this?"

"Hell no." Frey stepped forward. His burning legs and twisted ankle could barely hold the enormous weight on his shoulders. Another step drew him closer and a knot formed at his chest, pulling tighter the closer he got.

"Did you find him?" Alexander asked, loosening the pressure in his jaw. "Did you find Jameson's kid?"

Elero blinked. "No…I got captured before I even entered. They had these weird sentient statues that caught me and held me down as soon as I landed at the foot of their mountain."

The general rubbed his forehead. "That's because you flew straight at them without any support like a moron, but maybe you aren't a lost hope after all. I'll admit that I didn't consider that you'd take that option. You stuck with your friends. I apologize and rescind the expulsion. I made a mistake."

"Thank you."

The general glanced back at the approaching Frey, who had a wide grin. "Don't thank me yet." He turned back to Elero. "What's your plan now? Are we just going to go through this cycle of lectures, you not listening, and then nearly dying? I've been through this before." He went to help her but she shook her head.

"I-I guess I'll train-"

"No. I told you that's not an option. I don't care why you have to train. You're wrong." He pulled Frey into her view. Her eyes went wide. "Now here's what's going to happen. You are going to trust in your friends instead of some stranger, - Mr. Lich or whatever his name was - rehabilitate yourself, and purposely get weak now, so you can free Doevm later."

Frey didn't know which shock hit Elero more, the mask in his hands or the general's words. "Wait…" She alternated her gaze between the mask and Alexander. "I thought you said that you couldn't fix me. There's no healer, right? Cause now I believe you." She settled on looking at the cold, cracked mask. Grim understanding shattered the last strands of hope. "No there has to be some way, some other person I can-"

Alexander kicked her again, harder this time. "Deny all you want, girl; it won't change anything."

"I'm just going to die like this. I have to-" She struggled to sit up but Alexander kicked her over to the shore of the lake.

"If you would listen properly, I said it's how you train. No healer can fix you because you don't want to be fixed." Golden life essence swelled along his chest. "Got that!?" The grass fell flat and the water rippled outwards. Frey's and Elero's ears rang. "Just stop! Remember I said that? Stop. Let yourself heal. Lay there and don't move until I say otherwise. That is your fix!"

"I have to get stronger. How is sitting still going to…" she trailed off, conflict boiling inside. She cursed and turned her head away to see her reflection in the water's edge. The ripples faded, leaving a bloodied, desperate gaze. She cursed again. "I guess…there's no one who can get me healed, is there?"

"Live." Frey set the broken mask inches away from her. Alexander walked away and began putting the training equipment away. "I promise that you alone cannot take Jackal on. Whatever price you are paying, it's just not enough. You can have all the confidence and be the hardest working person in the world but there are some people who are simply unfathomable, much more terrifying than two grey wings and a death wish. My grandfather was one of them and so is Doevm. He's not gone, just waiting for us. He told me to get stronger just before he let himself get taken."

"You trust him on that?"

"Course." Frey said. "And I trust you as well, to keep his secret. I take it that you have seen him in action since you know him by that name, is that right?"

Elero nodded. "I didn't want to bring you guys into this. I know it's just for my personal vendetta. It's my-"

Frey gave a faint smile: "It became a little more than that after he got my best friend locked up."

Thomas, who had slowly made his way to them, punched Frey in the arm. "I'm standing right here."

"One of my best friends." Frey corrected himself.

Thomas chuckled: "Elero, if we are going to do this, you are going to do it our way. I'm not going to waste time tearing down everything this asshole has ever built, and neither is Doevm or Frey. We'll set it up and you kill him. That's it. Then help us with our problems. That's what friends are for, right?"

"You know Thomas," Elero said, squinting a bit. "You sound different than usual."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Thomas tapped on her broken leg.

"Fuck!" Elero screamed. "Yes, we are friends you asshole!"

Thomas's eyes went wide and Frey punched him hard in the arm. "I'm sorry that was a stupid thing to do. Are you ok?"

Elero just kept ranting. "I am not fucking fine. It hurts like a-" Thomas's face continued to pale as Elero let out a storm of curses and threats that paralleled in creativity to Doevm's.

"Is she over her drama yet?" Alexander's voice called from inside the cave as soon as the wave of curses was over.

"I-I guess." Frey called back.

"Good," Alexander called back. "Training starts tomorrow, or I guess that would be today... Whatever. I'm tired."

"Wait, what about Elero?" Thomas asked while hiding behind a tree twenty feet from Elero's unmoving form.

"I said training starts tomorrow." There was a flash of golden life essence and Alexander appeared at the stairs leading out of the training area. "The servants will help you with everything else. Good night my disciples."