Ares hissed out in pain as a flash of white and blue struck at him, the lightning tearing into his tissue and searing him as though he was a delicious steak. The smell of hot flesh filled the air like a poison.

After a moment, which felt like an utter eternity to Ares as the pain flooded through his body like a raging torrent, the lightning was gone.

Ares panted and looked down at his front. His clothing had been torn apart and he could see the hot red flesh that had appeared in the last moment. He looked up at the stranger and then dropped down to a knee.

Saykkera was upon the stranger, tackling at them before they began their own fight, but Ares was not concentrating on that. He gasped for air and then leaned back, looking up at Emerli who looked horrified. She dropped down to him and then grabbed onto some potion that she had within her robes.

“Don’t you dare,” Ares said as he closed his eyes and concentrated on turning into flames. He did so, though with some effort, and his wounds began to rapidly heal. He cracked his neck and then opened his eyes, watching as Saykkera and the stranger fought. The stranger seemed to use lightning freely, and though Saykkera was being hurt, she kept up her assault on him.

Ares shifted into a phoenix and then darted forward. Saykkera dropped to a knee, exhausted and wounded from the lightning, and Ares shot passed her from above. Ares tackled the stranger to the ground, the lightning searing his phoenix form, but he grabbed the stranger by his shoulders and then tossed the man away.

Yet Ares didn’t stop there. He was upon the stranger again, but this time the stranger remained still as Ares grabbed onto his throat with his talons. He was heavily injured and was growing more and more tired as time passed, the burning in his stomach causing him great anguish.

Ares shifted half of himself back to normal, his lower body remaining in the phoenix form. “You’re a rather rude little bastard, aren’t you?” Ares managed to pant out, brow slick with a thick layer of sweat.

“You have been marked by the Silent,” he said. The hood of the stranger had slipped during the bout and it revealed a man that was without a doubt broken. Long hair that fell down to his shoulders, a gaunt look within his face with sunken cheeks, his beard looked as though it had been grown out for a couple of weeks without much care, and those eyes… those were the eyes of a man who wished he were yet, and yet unable to die.

“You look like you wish to be marked by the Silent,” Ares replied.

“I won’t let them mark me, not until I have ridden the land of the Hobbon,” The stranger replied. “Give the Hobbon to me, they are nothing but trouble.”

“Well it sucks to be you because I’m nothing but trouble too.” Ares squeezed the talon.

“You have no idea, do you? I don’t know who…” They fell silent for some time. “Was it… what was his name? Rivee, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah? What about RIvee.”

“The last phoenix I knew… Rivee knew of them.”

“Yeah, Rivee did?” Ares squeezed their throat.

The stranger sighed, not at all affected by the choking. “Very well,” the stranger said as he relaxed under Ares.

Ares pulled back. “It seems as though you have calmed down.”

“You have decided to doom yourself. It is not my place to save a fool.”

“Well then…” Ares fell back down as Saykkera appeared ahead of him.

The stranger stared at Saykkera but didn’t make a motion to move.

“I am King Ares, Master of Waters, Kin of all Riveans. Who are you?”

“Xan.”

“It’s nice to meet you Xan.”

Xan remained silent as he lay there. Ares turned back to look at Emerli, who was being kept back by Azzo and Teorn, Ankha and Kask at the ready.

Ezak was unconscious, though Ares wasn’t sure why. He could see a trail of smoke coming from Ezak. Ares furrowed his brows and then crawled over, stumbling onto his feet before he saw that Ezak had been fried. Ares grabbed onto Ezak, shifted into flames, and tried to heal the boy.

Ares dropped down beside Ezak, who had been healed well enough. He panted for air, his body heavy as though it was covered in lead. Ares was still heavily injured and it seemed that day after day he was getting worse for one reason or another. He would need to make that joke later.

“So you have met Rivee. That’s what I thought.” Xan said. “White and gold,” he whispered, “white and gold.” Then Xan fell silent. The rain continued to pitter patter nearby like a requiem. Xan remained silent and still, allowing the water to take him.

The Reptai had appeared, cautiously approaching. Zika snarled. “Storm Lord, what business does one have with us.”

Yet Xan did not reply. He had closed his eyes and seemed to be in a completely different land.

Ares clutched at his chest. He could feel that with each passing second, he grew weaker and weaker. “Leave him be… let’s… let’s make our way further out. Let’s get some distance between ourselves.” Ares coughed up some blood.

Emerli pressed a potion to Ares’ lips, but he had no strength to pull away. He swallowed the foul… oh. It wasn’t foul at all. It had taken him aback, for it was more like a flower than the wretchedness he was expecting.

Ares allowed himself to be guided by Teorn, who held onto Ares with his large hands. Why were all the bearfolk so motherly? He didn’t really need to worry about that now.

They moved for some time until they were a few miles away from the Storm Lord. Well, that’s what they had thought.

The Storm Lord had appeared again, as if by lightning.