Early morning wind whipped through my hair. With the new upgrade of Dragon’s Nest, we were soaring through the sky at high speeds previously impossible. I had expected the trip to Bellator to take a week but at the rate we were going, we would complete the trip in barely a day.

I was delighted by the surprising increase in speed. I had worried that if we moved too slow, the Demons would have time to set another trap. While they could still fly faster than us, the leader of the Demons, Berith, was staying in Ater-Albus. If the demons wanted to be able to keep up with our movements, they would not have time to go back to the city and gain the benefits of her foresight. With any luck, they would not be able to set another trap for us before I was completely prepared. After this trip to Bellator, I would make them suffer for hurting my family.

I clentched my fist as fire burned in my eyes. My feet hung over the edge of the floating island and watched the scenery fly by underneath. My domain stretched out around me. With every second that passed, the domain grew stronger as I tested the limits of how far I could push it. After several minutes, the sun had fully risen. I heard footsteps approaching. Turning, I saw Mom approach as she pushed loose hair out of her face.

“Wren, breakfast is almost ready.”

I nodded and stood up. Watching the horizon would not get us to Bellator any faster. “I am coming.”

“What were you working on?” My mom asked curiously as we walked inside together.

“I am just testing my limits,” I explained, “My strength improves by leaps and bounds every day thanks to Cyra’s stored energy. Understanding what I am capable of and how far I can push myself is important if another fight breaks out.”

“I think I understand,” Mom replied affirmatively, “I somehow gained a domain of my own and before I could even process it, Mare threw us into that experiment of hers. My entire body feels as if it is bursting with power.”

I frowned at my mom’s words, recognizing a common problem that popped up among new soldiers in the Thirteen Divisions. “Your power has grown too quickly and you have not grown accustomed to it yet. You need to be careful not to overestimate your strength. Have you had any luck forming domain armor yet?”

Mom looked embarrassed as she shook her head. “I don’t understand it at all. When I use my domain, it does not feel anything like what you or Renald describe. I can’t even fly.”

I patted Mom’s arm in an attempt to comfort her. “Do not try and force it. You did not awaken your domain properly as Dad did. It is expected that your understanding of it is different. Your problem shows up in the Divisions regularly. It often takes years before someone can learn to use their domain in normal ways when they awaken a variant as you did. Some people never do. In fact, the Creation Calamity, Esther, suffers from this same problem. To this day, she cannot form domain armor, fly, or even suppress normal people. However, that does not mean her domain is weak. In fact, out of the Five Calamities, her domain is the strongest. Even when I was at my full power I would lose in a fight to Esther when she used her domain.”

“So, it is a good thing?”

I hesitated slightly and even though I wanted to, I could not lie to my mom. “No. The inability to use domain armor leaves you just as venerable as you were before you awakened your domain. Esther can get away with it due to her ingenuity and innate talent. Most soldiers with your problem have… trouble surviving.”

Mom nodded solemnly. “I understand. I will be careful.”

“Luckily, we have Dragon’s Nest. The barrier you were given during the demon attack before seems to be able to act as a replacement for domain armor. So long as you fight near the island you should not suffer from the drawbacks of your domain.”

I continued to explain variation domains to Mom as we entered the dining room. Cyra was back on her feet after her injuries and cooking happily. Not even a scar could be seen where she had been cut before. Svend had spared no expense in healing her as quickly as possible.

The big man leaned back in his chair in delight as Cyra served him first. The serving size of his food was even larger than everyone else’s and it was clear Cyra was showing favoritism.

Next to Svend was a girl I was surprised to see. Cyra called her Ghost and she was the mute girl cursed by her own innate talent. Svend explained that Ghost did not like most people so, they were the only ones that were capable of looking after her. The girl did not look up from her book as she nodded silently. I grinned at Charly as I noticed she was sitting fairly close to him and got a blush from him in response.

Svend leaned back in contentment as he ate his food. “It is strange, not having any responsibilities to worry about. I cannot remember the last time I took a vacation."

“Twenty-two years and four months,” Cyra replied curtly.

“Right, we went to see the southern ocean for two weeks,” Svend replied with a reminiscent smile. “Time really flows by. Maybe while Wren is dealing doing her thing, we can enjoy our time together in Bellator. I hear it is a beautiful place.”

Cyra smiled as she sat a second plate of food in front of Svend. “I will hold you to that.”

Donte stopped shoving food into his mouth as he looked up curiously. “What is Bellator? Wren said we were going there to recruit allies but I have never even heard the name before.

“That is on purpose,” I replied, “Bellator is a place of peace, separated from the rest of the world. You will not find it on any map, nor is it part of any country.”

“And there are strong people there? Like, people with domains?”

“Once upon a time, there were a lot of domain-level fighters there,” I said with a sigh, “But most of them died preventing Envy’s last invasion. I am not sure how many are still there after fifty years but hopefully, we will be able to recruit two or three.”

“That’s amazing!” Charly shouted excitedly, “Why do so many domain-level people gather there? Is there something special there that attracts them?”

I was about to answer but before I could a gruff voice answered from the doorway. “Bellator is where cowards go to wait for death.”

I felt a chill down my spine at the familiar voice. I turned towards the doorway to see Sebastion standing there with his normal blank expression.

“How did you get out of your cell?” I blurted in surprise as I nearly fell out of my chair.

Immediately, Svend’s domain flared to life and filled the room. The table shook at the giant man leapt to his feet as if preparing to charge the man.

Sebastion completely ignored Svend’s threatening posture as he entered the dining room. I expected Sebastion to attack as he approached and I wrapped my domain around my body into a second skin in preparation for a sudden beam of light but instead, he sat down at the table across from me. “I did not break out if that is what you are wondering. The door to my cell simply opened on its own accord this morning and released me,” Sebastion answered in an even tone as he reached across the table and slid my plate full of food towards himself.

“Mare!” I shouted furiously, “Did you release Sebastion?”

“Of course I did,” The disembodied voice replied with a laugh, “I told you to release him ages ago but you did not want to listen to me. So, when you moved him here, I took matters into my own hands.”

“Relax. I have no intention of attacking you right now.” Sebastion replied as he took a bite of food off my plate.

“Really? Why? Marilyn has not revived yet, has she?” I asked skeptically.

“No, I still have my doubts about your claims to truly bring back the dead but what Sir Renald said the other day was correct. I may not care much for the crown but I have a responsibility to the people of my kingdom. I can and will settle my score with you after the threat has passed.”

I bit my lip as I looked down at the table. I did not trust Sebastion so close to my family but his strength was something we needed if we were going to survive Envy’s invasion. I had always intended to release him eventually but only after it was necessary. I examined Sebastion as he ate the food from the plate. He was staring back at me and to my surprise, I saw curiosity in his gaze rather than the normal disinterest or hatred.

“Wait, that’s my food! Give it back,” I yelled as my mind finally registered his actions.

“No,” Sebastion replied simply as his domain expanded and formed an invisible wall between me and my food. “After the rotten sludge you forced on me in that prison, this is the least you can do. Besides, if you eat food this good, you will get even fatter.”

Green and blue flames swirled around my fist as I slammed it on the table. “Call me fat again and I will feed you my fire.”

“Try it,” he said casually as he took another bite of food.

I grit my teeth and wanted to hit Sebastion but I knew I was nowhere near strong enough to actually fight him yet. Scowling angrily, I sat back down. Small sparks still burned on the table as I took a deep breath and calmed down.

“Wren might not be able to do anything to you but I can,” Svend said gruffly, “Do not think that just because you were released from your cell that means you are free to do as you please. Unless, of course, you want to see if you still hold the advantage indoors, up close and personal.”

“No, no I do not,” Sebastion said as he brought his hand to his chest. His injuries had been treated but there was still a nasty scar where Svend had cut him open.

“You three, play nice,” Cyra said as she placed a new plate of food in front of me, “I made enough food to satisfy a dragon. One more plate hardly matters. We need all the help we can get if we are to survive a fight with the Demons. I have already nearly been decapitated once. I would rather it not happen again.”

Svend’s domain simmered down but he still watched Sebastion warily. Eventually, he sighed and sat back down at the table.

I watched Sebastion curiously. He seemed much calmer than I had seen in a long time, more like the child I once knew. Even when he was locked in his cell and refusing to talk to me, Sebastion practically radiated anger. I could not see any of that now. He was still a belligerent little brat but he had always been that way. I could not help but smile as I thought that maybe my talks had actually reached him.

“You should not smile like that. It is creepy,” Sebastion said as he ate, “Then again, compared to your normal face…”

My smile disappeared as fury replaced my hope. Rather than my words reaching the stubborn fool, it was more likely he just wanted to torment me before acting.

I made a point not to reply to Sebastion as I turned to Cyra. “Next time you prepare a meal, would you mind if I helped. I have a few… special ingredients that can make it very memorable.”

“You are not poisoning any of my dishes,” Cyra refused sternly.

“Would I really do something like that?” I asked with a wicked grin.

Sebastion stopped eating as he looked down at his plate silently for a moment. I could almost see the gears in his head turning as his distrust of me kicked in. It was likely that he would never again touch another meal while he was in Dragon’s Nest unless he saw it prepared personally. It took all my self-control not to start laughing triumphantly at his dilemma.

Mare's voice interrupted my fun as it echoed through the room. “If you children are done bickering, we have arrived at Bellator.”