Twilight bled into the canopy as Vaidya crept through the dense undergrowth of the Borderline Woods. The narrow paths between twisted roots and moss-covered trunks had grown quieter, save for the occasional flutter of wings or distant rustle of leaves. He moved carefully, ears perked and eyes scanning every movement. His satchel, recently recovered from Phill after a brief and awkward encounter days prior, now swung lightly by his side. He hadn't expected to use it in a rescue mission, but life had a way of pushing him into situations he wasn't prepared for.
He didn't like it. Not the woods. Not the quiet. And definitely not the cloaked figures he'd seen yesterday. The memory of their ambush played over in his mind, a tangle of shadows and hostility.
But now, as he reached a small clearing, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
He saw them.
Phill stood near the base of a leaning, ancient tree, his small frame barely visible behind a curtain of wild shrubs. He was surrounded. At least three cloaked individuals stood near him, draped in worn, violet velvet cloaks that fluttered in the breeze. They seemed to be speaking to Phill, gesturing occasionally. Their words were inaudible, but their postures felt intense, urgent. Phill was shaking his head.
Vaidya crouched behind a stone outcropping, his breath shallow. He was just about to spring into action when he heard something else.
Crunch.
The unmistakable sound of boots.
From the opposite side of the clearing, a new group stepped into view. Their cloaks were darker—midnight gray, almost black, lined with a faint blue trim that shimmered slightly when they moved. They wore hoods, but their presence was immediate and commanding. The one leading them stepped forward with purpose.
"That's Hamad," Vaidya muttered under his breath. He recognized that man from before.
Hamad raised a hand. "Enough hiding in shadows. You knew we'd come."
One of the violet cloaked figures stepped forward. A woman, by the tone of her voice. "Then you know we have no intention of surrendering him to you."
Vaidya could see Phill shrinking away further, hands over his ears.
Hamad let out a sharp breath. "It doesn't matter what you intend. That boy holds a key—literally or metaphorically, I don't care. We won't let this slip through our fingers."
The words struck Vaidya like a punch to the gut. Ashlight Circle. Razille was right. This wasn't a misunderstanding. This was a conspiracy brewing in secret.
The brown-cloaked woman stepped in front of Phill protectively. "Then we'll protect him. Even if it means lighting the sky with fire."
For a brief second, the woods were still. The wind died down. The birds stopped singing.
Then everything exploded.
From the moment the first blast rang out, Vaidya was moving. A burst of green light flared from the hand of one of the Ashlight Circle mages, met instantly by a crackling wall of sapphire ice conjured by Hamad's mage. The clearing erupted into a frenzy of magic—fiery projectiles, earthen spikes, sharp wind slicing through trunks.
Phill screamed, diving to the ground, arms wrapped over his head.
Vaidya vaulted over the stone outcropping, a burst of adrenaline driving him like a flame licking at dry kindling. The wind howled around the open clearing as spells erupted—flares of violet, streaks of emerald, bursts of raw light—tearing through the still forest air. Vaidya dashed straight into the chaos, weaving between the bombardments like a specter. His eyes darted to the flashpoints, trying to locate Phill before it was too late.
A cloaked figure wielding a searing whip of fire swung in his path, the weapon sizzling through the air. Instinct kicked in. Vaidya slid under it, the heat kissing his back as he rolled and came up running. There—just past a toppled log—he saw Phill, cowering beside a tree, both hands over his ears as magical debris rained around him.
"Phill!" Vaidya shouted, his voice barely cutting through the din. "It's me!"
The boy turned, eyes dazed, cheeks streaked with soot. But when he saw Vaidya's face—familiar, furious, and unwavering—his arms dropped, and he bolted into him.
Vaidya caught Phill mid-stride and shielded him as a crackling arc of lightning scorched the tree they'd just been behind, splitting a branch in two. Bark exploded around them, and leaves fell like shattered glass.
"Are you hurt?" Vaidya asked, gripping Phill's shoulders.
Phill only shook his head. His lips parted, but no sound came. He was too stunned, too scared to even cry.
Vaidya pulled him into a protective hug and turned slightly to scan the field. That's when he saw them—Hamad and his men, distinguishable by their silver-trimmed black cloaks, standing opposite the Ashlight Circle. The two groups hadn't come to talk.
They'd come to fight.
Hamad's voice boomed across the battlefield. "You tread too far, Ashlight cowards. Take one more step toward that boy, and we'll bury you here."
One of the Ashlight figures, his hood dipped in crimson, laughed darkly. "You think you have the authority to stop us, desert dog? He belongs to the Circle now."
Vaidya's grip on Phill tightened.
A sharp gesture from Hamad—and the battle resumed.
Magic surged in volleys.
Runes were carved midair with sweeping gestures, igniting barriers and summoning elemental chaos. A Hamad knight conjured a wall of shimmering obsidian to block a barrage of ice shards. Another Ashlight mage launched a series of sharp-edged winds that sliced through saplings like blades.
Vaidya ducked as a wild bolt scorched past them. He looked down at Phill—still frozen—and made a choice.
No more running.
He pulled a compact silver charm from his satchel—one of the few tools he'd designed himself. With a flick of his thumb, it whirred to life and launched from his hand, exploding midair in a cascade of pure white light. It wasn't powerful, but it was blinding—and in the chaos of war, that was enough.
"Move!" Vaidya shouted, dragging Phill to his feet.
They darted through the underbrush. Vaidya held Phill's wrist tight, guiding him as they ducked branches and leapt over tangled roots. The white flash had bought them seconds, and he used every one.
Magic cracked behind them. A tree collapsed, hit by a stray spell. Phill tripped, but Vaidya caught him. "Come on!"
They didn't stop until they reached the stream—a narrow ribbon of cold water curling between mossy stones—and only then did Vaidya let go. He bent over, hands on his knees, heart pounding in his ears. Phill stumbled beside him and collapsed into the muddy bank, gasping.
"I—I thought they'd take me," Phill whispered.
Vaidya dropped to one knee and looked the boy in the eyes. "You're safe now, alright? They won't touch you. I won't let them."
Phill's hands trembled in his lap.
"I didn't even do anything," he whispered. "I just... I just heard something. They knew I listened. I didn't even understand it... I swear, Vaidya... I didn't mean to—"
"Slow down," Vaidya said, reaching out. "What did you hear?"
Phill looked around, checking the woods. Then, his voice dropped to a hush. "They were talking about... a key. A real one, I think. Something that can open the 'veil' between realms. They said I have something that could awaken it."
Vaidya frowned. "You?"
Phill hesitated. "I don't know what they mean. But when they found me, they just kept asking where it was. I told them I didn't know, but... one of them said I was 'bound' to it. That I'd lead them to it even if I didn't want to."
Vaidya's brows furrowed.
A veil between realms? A key?
His mind flashed back to the Ashlight mage who attacked him in the village—the strange glyph on their palm, the mention of "calling forth the roots." None of this was random. And if Phill was bound to something that could unearth ancient powers, the Ashlight Circle wouldn't stop coming.
"You're not going anywhere alone again," Vaidya said. "Understand? Not until we figure this out."
Phill nodded numbly.
Vaidya stood, brushing wet dirt from his pants. "Come on. Let's get back. Solis and Ada need to know everything."
Phill got up, legs still shaky.
As they began making their way back along the creek's edge, a breeze rustled the leaves—and for a split second, Vaidya thought he saw a figure watching them from across the water.
But when he blinked, they were gone.