Sera ran.
For five hours, she had been in constant motion, her body a blur of shifting darkness against the landscape. She had already reached two towns, pulling every Phoenix Clan member she could find into her shadows. Now, with 146 people safely hidden within her *Shadow Prison*, she was making her way toward the Wrift Caverns.
But she had one last stop.
Her blessing *Shadow Clones* created twenty five clones of her they had already scattered in every direction, weaving through forests, cutting across riverbanks, and even scaling rocky cliffs. Each one moved with erratic, unpredictable patterns, designed to confuse and mislead anyone following her. These clones couldn't fight or attack, but they didn't need to. They only had one job: to distract. If the Black Talons were tracking her, they would have to split their forces to chase each clone, making it harder to pinpoint the real Sera's location.
It wasn't a perfect plan. Nothing ever was but it would buy her time. And time was the most valuable thing they had right now.
Ahead, the final town before the caverns came into view. Unlike the larger towns she had visited before, this one was quieter, the streets nearly empty save for a few flickering torches swaying in the night breeze.
She found a dark alley way between two buildings where she let out a Xoliti clan member from her shadows.
He didn't speak after coming out he simply nodded and headed away.
Isabella had spoken to Sera earlier through the *Flameborn Connection* the Xoliti clan member already knew what to do. His task was simple but crucial. To warn the Xoliti Clan that the Black Talons had developed a way to detect Phoenix Clan members.
Her work here was done.
The Wrift Caverns were waiting.
With a final glance toward the town, Sera vanished into the night.
Luis sat still, the weight of everything pressing down on his shoulders.
Taran's gone.
The thought lingered, suffocating in its finality. He had been powerless to stop it to save him. That helplessness dug deep into his chest, a wound that refused to close.
His father, Noah, seemed to sense it.
Instead of pushing, he changed the subject.
"Sera's *Shadow Prison* is impressive, isn't it?" he said, his tone casual.
Luis blinked, drawn out of his thoughts. "Yeah… it is," he admitted. Then, after a pause, he added, "I never really understood how she moves like that, though. It's like she just appears in different places. It always looked like teleportation to me or her moving really fast."
Noah smirked. "It's not her moving fast."
Luis frowned. "Then what is it?"
His father leaned back slightly. "She's teleporting it's a blessing she got as the head assassin of the Eltheris Kingdom."
Luis stared at him. "…What?"
Noah chuckled at his reaction. "Yeah the head assassin. No one saw her coming unless she wanted them to."
Luis struggled to process the information. Sera had always been dangerous, sure she carried herself like a seasoned warrior but the top assassin of an entire kingdom? That was on a completely different level.
"So… is that why she joined the Phoenix Clan?"
Noah laughed. "Oh, no. Not even close. She was completely dedicated to her role as an assassin. She had no intention of leaving."
Luis tilted his head. "Then why did she?"
Noah grinned. "Because her next target was actually her future husband."
Luis's jaw almost dropped. "Wait what? She was sent to kill him?"
"Yep," Noah said, clearly enjoying Luis's reaction. "But when she found him, she fell in love at first sight and abandoned her mission. She left the kingdom behind and never looked back."
Luis's mind raced. That didn't sound like the Sera he knew someone so pragmatic, so controlled. "But… wasn't everyone suspicious of her? I mean, she was an assassin. That's not exactly someone you'd just trust right away."
"Oh, absolutely," Noah confirmed. "The Phoenix Clan was very skeptical of her at first. But her husband, Caius, vouched for her. And together, they fought off every assassin that came after them."
Luis absorbed that in silence.
"…Why was she sent to kill him in the first place?" he asked.
Noah's expression darkened slightly. "Back then, the Phoenix Clan was powerful stronger than we are now. We had a lot of enemies. It's likely that someone we defeated had deep enough pockets or something valuable enough to convince the Eltheris Kingdom to carry out the assassination."
Luis let out a slow breath. "Aunt Sera never told me any of this. Are you sure it's okay that you are?"
"Oh yeah," Noah said, completely unbothered. "If anything, it's better that you know. We probably won't be staying in one place for long. It's important you understand the abilities of the people around you."
Luis nodded slowly, taking it all in. "…What happened to the Eltheris Kingdom?"
Noah smirked. "They brought that on themselves. They went to another continent to subjugate an unclassified beast. Turns out, it was stronger than they expected. It followed them back here, destroyed their kingdom, and left."
Luis blinked. "…That's it? It just left?"
Noah shrugged. "I guess it didn't see the point in staying."
Luis didn't know whether to be impressed or terrified.
Sensing the conversation was getting too heavy again, Noah smoothly changed topics.
"If you still feel tired you should go back to sleep"
Luis shaked his head "I don't feel sleepy I don't know how long I slept for but I don't feel sleepy right now"
"Well then Luis, you've been practicing your aura control, right? Want to show me how much you've improved?"
Luis straightened slightly, nodding.
"Good," Noah said. "Try imbuing aura into your eyes, ears, legs, and fingers. It's harder to keep aura focused on smaller areas rather than spreading it across your whole body."
Luis did as instructed, channeling aura into the four spots. He remained still, Kael and Lira were still asleep against his shoulders so he blinked slowly to indicate he had done it.
Noah observed him for a moment, then switched to telepathic communication.
[We should probably talk in our minds so we don't wake your siblings.]
Luis flinched slightly.
[This is called *Flameborn Connection*. It lets you speak telepathically with another person. Just think what you want to say to them and you will be able to communicate.]
Luis nodded mentally.
Noah summoned small golden flames on each of his fingertips. The flames slowly condensed into perfectly circular shapes, floating just above all his fingertips.
Luis expected them to be hot but they weren't.
"…They don't burn?" he asked, surprised.
Noah grinned. "Nope. No heat at all."
Luis stared as the golden orbs floated toward him.
[These flames will press against your skin just enough for you to feel them. When you do, send aura to that exact spot. It'll make them disappear. They are made out of very small aura amounts and when they come in contact with other aura they will disestablish which is what makes them disappear.]
Luis focused. As the flames touched him his arm, then his shoulder, then his calf he responded instantly, sending aura to each location.
[This will make aura control more instinctive. When I first did this with my father, I didn't think it would help. But over time, it made it easier to channel aura without thinking about it. It became natural. And when I reached the next tier, I realized I could feel my aura more clearly. It felt connected to me not like I was trying to forcefully move it.]
Luis listened intently, determination burning in his chest. He didn't want to feel weak anymore.
Noah subtly used Luis's own golden flame to keep his darker thoughts at bay, minimizing the effect so it wouldn't interfere with his focus.