Everyone, including Olivia, froze at the sight of Ryder's left eye when he turned. The iris looked black with no pupils. Almost hollow.

  However, the archer's eyes saw movement within. The pupils returned a second later.

  "It's your pupils," she whispered, lowering her bow. "That's how your Vice works."

  His eyes wandered to the four on the wall, studying their faces. It traveled to each person, but stayed on Sarah a little longer. She was a familiar face, but he remembered the twins as well.

  "No time for introductions," Ryder said. "Get back to your formation. The brute helps the twins. I can support Andrea at the front."

  Ryder turned toward Andrea. Her shining armor caught his supernatural eye, but what he saw was a horrifying sight.

  Her hair lacked the beautiful gold he remembered from his dreams, blood dying it nearly black. Wolf bodies lay with holes punctured in their stomachs, heads detached and scattered across the burnt flower bed. Fire roared around her as she stood atop a pile of dead red wolves.

  The maxim from the academy halls played in his head. All fall to the goddess of war. This was his first time witnessing it in person, but he wanted to run towards her–not away. Because to him, she looked lonely from a distance.

  Her battle cry bounced off the valley walls, filling the party with a second wind. But that didn't distract Ryder from seeing a large shadow projected on the mud wall, moving slowly toward him. He dodged, ducking with his hands still tied behind his back, narrowly escaping Flint's power punch.

  "Too slow," Ryder said, smiling.

  Ryder's feet felt light, moving with confidence on the muddy floor. The weight from the dark bag faded with every step as light entered his eye. Additionally, toying with those who looked down on him added a little more pep to his step; even so, the academy taught him his limits.

  "Let's catch our breath, big fella," Ryder said, eyeing the mountain of a man. "Let's not die on the first floor."

  Flint's mouth opened, then a blood-curdling roar ripped through the walls of the valley. Ryder's knees buckled as the howl entered his ears, sending him crashing to his knees. Flint struggled to stay upright, even with his hands over his ears. A luxury not afforded to Ryder. However, Olivia covered her ears; her chains lay on the floor.

  "How many did she kill?" Ryder said after the howling stopped, turning toward the source. "It's the Red Mother, the floor clear."

  "Already? We only killed six. Andrea did some work, then," Sarah said. "She must be near her limit."

  The distance between Emily and the rest was about 50 feet. Some of her flames died from the winds in the valley, creating a small gap of darkness that separated the two groups.

  "Remember, don't step outside of the light. It's the shapeshifter we have to worry about now," Ryder said. "We need to help Andrea clear this, but don't be hasty."

  Gasping for air, Flint's knee pushed into the ground, cracking under his enormous weight.

  "Shapeshifter?" Sarah said, walking closer to the light.

  "They don't literally shapeshift. They take or inject memories into your mind," Ryder said. "It's more common for them to take, however. They lie dormant, digest the memories, and when the wolves howl, it wakes, hungry for more. And the wolves sort of work for it, waiting by flowers for a lost child's light. Those looking for the city of Anki. At least that's how the legend goes."

  "This is why I don't study the towers," Rae said. "Creepy."

  "Alright, can we fucking move?" Andrew said, guarding the rear. "Flint, can you move yet?"

  "Ya, I'll be fine," he said, getting off his knee. "I still need to be close to him. It's my job to guard y'all."

  "Okay, but he will be in the front using his eye," Sarah said. "Can you keep up?"

  Flint rolled his eyes. "Of course."

  Ryder moved toward Mace, reaching for the light. Mace hesitantly handed it over without so much as a word, forcing an awkward smile. "Thank you," Ryder said. "I won't hurt you. We all need you, so stay focused on the real danger."

  Mace let out a big exhale, then nodded, sticking close to the twins' light.

  Ryder's movements were quick. He carried a much quicker pace than at the beginning of the floor. His eyes darted, picking up every root, rock, and crack in the area. The mask hid his smile, but a few heard his laugh as he ran. He could see again, greeting the tower for the first time. What would he do without his eyes?

  His feet moved with purpose as the silver and bloodied Princess came into view; however, so did the beast. It stood 20 feet tall; only the gods could calculate its weight. The bright fur had a bright color, but the stories say it's red, so it must be. It covered the wolf's exterior and ended with black tips. The Red Wolf's snout snarled with hatred as hot air whistled through its jagged teeth. The body carried scars from its previous victories, much like the Princess.

  Adrea's armor took a beating, but it shone regardless of its new blood-stained exterior. The distinct metallic smell of blood filled the air, mixing with the ash. Blood stuck to her arms, covering her scars as her muscles grew with anticipation. Her eyes noticed a blue light near the wolf. A blue gem planted between the wolf's red eyes radiated as the wolf approached. It was about three feet from tip to tip, but the width was slim.

  Andrea's smile grew with each small earthquake from the wolf's large paws.

  "Found you," she said slowly.

  Emily staggered back, her clothes untouched. The flowers around her remained undisturbed.

  "Amazing," Emily said, starry-eyed. "I've heard the rumors, but she must be a goddess."

  "Emily, keep the flames in a circle around the beast, trapping me inside with it," Andrea said. "Protect yourself, too. The other wolves might come back."

  Both beasts stalked each other in the ring of fire, waiting for the other to make a move. Andrea kept low, priming her legs. Her feet dug into the burnt flower bed, and she sprang forward, kicking up huge clumps of mud.

  Two flashes clashed in the middle of the ring. Andrea's arms braced and caught the beast's massive teeth, sending a shockwave that rustled Emily's red hair from outside the ring.

  The Princess's hands pried the serrated teeth apart, cutting large gashes in her skin. Her muscles ached from the force, but she did not falter. She tried to push the wolf back; however, it stood firm, counterpushing hard. A stalemate. The strength pulsed through her body as the battle raged on, for that was the nature of the goddess of war.

  Emily watched in awe, her eyes on the battle. However, that's all she could do. Her flames lacked enough control to hit the wolf without hitting Andrea. She could only watch as the Captain battled on her own. The growling grew louder as smoke lingered in the air. However, footsteps approached from behind.

  She turned to meet the rest of the party, but a blur strafed past her.

  "Hey! Wait for me," Flint said with his hands on his knees. "Don't go by yourself, Ryder!"

  Ryder's gaze watched the stalemate, ignoring Emily, who stood shocked behind him.

  Ryder's eyes moved from Andrea to the smoke. They examined the falling grey ash, tracking the swirls of smoke around the battlefield. His heart dropped, and his eyes flashed purple.

  "Andrea, you have to let go!" he screamed. "Its fur is going to light!"

  But he was too far from her to hear. The sounds of a battlefield rang out and consumed the air. No waves. No whistling winds. Only combat.

  With no hesitation in her step, she moved to the left of the beast's jaw, pulling it forward. The beast fell off balance as the surrounding area burst into flames. Andrea continued her momentum from the maneuver, but she didn't foresee the blast wave–knocking her over.

  Ryder's thoughts waited in the darkness for his eyes to catch up to the present, praying to the gods for her safety. Did she survive? What are her injuries?

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  By the time his vision returned, Andrea's smile greeted the Red Wolf as she brushed burnt petals off her pants.

  Ryder sighed, unclenching his fists. This was something his eyes would have to get used to.

  The twins rushed past Ryder, ignoring him. Charging through the flames, their fair hands gripped iron swords. Sarah positioned herself on top of a large boulder near the valley entrance, taking Andrew's torch to stay in the light.

  She fired arrows as the twins approached the wolf. The yellow light pierced the thick fur, causing little damage. However, they served their purpose. Connor took the left paw, and Andrew took the right. They flashed their swords and slashed the beast, sticking their sword deep into its paws.

  The wolf cried out and tried to bite its left paw, but three arrows struck it on the soft part of its nose. The grouping was tight, but again only a distraction. The wolf's head lifted, eyeing where the arrows came from.

  "Stupid wolf," Sarah said. "Even in the tower, eyes should be on her."

  A flash caught Ryder's eye, and Andrea's armour created a silver streak in the night sky. She moved gracefully through the air, yet she hit the beast with so much force that its head snapped right from the blow. Teeth shattered and broke apart as the girl tumbled to the ground. The blow left noticeable damage, but it wasn't enough to fell the beast.

  Ryder's jaw hung low. Not many wanted to enter the towers with him, and definitely not anyone worth a damn for fighting. Many never stood a chance, but he saved who he could. Probably why he was picked to help clear the Royal Tower. But this group was different. All of them in sync, maximizing their power output by creating openings for each other. Coordination and firepower that could take down a Capitol city overnight. Is it enough for a black tower? Ryder though. It has to be.

  Even the ones not fighting served their purpose. Rae doodled on her notepad as Mace watched all the damage he would have to heal. Of course, Flint looked antsy, cracking his knuckles while looking at the flames. The battlefield called to him, but he didn't answer with Ryder near the others. Then, he smiled, eyeing one of the mud walls.

  After exiting the valley, the mud walls followed the river in both directions. A branch jutted out of one of the walls that ran parallel to the river. It was about 6 feet off the ground near the light's edge.

  Flint grabbed Ryder's chains and hoisted him up, sliding the branch in between the boy's chained arms and back. Ryder hung like a pig roast over an open fire; his head faced the mud wall.

  His legs kicked and squirmed, but the tree held firm. Ryder dropped his head in embarrassment, legs dangling once again. The shadows inched closer to Ryder as he heard Flint's laugh slowly fade.

  Olivia hung back close to the shadows, hiding her hands behind her back. Flint forgot about her. In fact, nobody paid her any attention.

  "This thing explodes," Andrea said, turning to the twins. "Be careful."

  Flint barreled toward the group within the fire. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to deal with Ryder first."

  "Maybe we should use Ryder's eyes," Connor said, eyeing the wolf. Andrea shot him a look of surprise.

  "Fuck that Beldovian," Flint yelled. "We got this. Andrea, we can hold it in place, and you deal the final blow."

  Andrea's blue eyes returned to the gem, and she nodded.

  "Alright, same thing, but Flint gets the left, and twins get the right," Andrea said, breathing heavily. "Keep it pinned, and I will crush it."

  They broke from the group, with Flint and the twins going in opposite directions. Andrea remained facing the wolf head-on. The blood in her hair dried, causing it to stiffen. The beast's fur bristled in anticipation.

  It's red eyes, tracked the group, avoiding Andrea's cold blue ones.

  The twins and Flint shot for its feet, dodging the shards of teeth as they ran.

  Three yellow arrows flew and hit its left eye, closing it shut.

  "Don't forget me," Sarah said, smiling.

  Connor arrived first, stabbing his sword into the beast's paw. His complexion paled, causing the sword to grow into a greatsword within the beast's paw. Andrew jumped off the base of the paw and turned his sword into a shield midair, driving it into the sword's hilt. The sword rammed through the paw and into the dirt, pinning the wolf. The beast tried to nip at the twins, but they were already gone as Flint approached the other.

  Flint grabbed the paw and squeezed tightly. The bones cracked and popped from the pressure of the mountain's grip. The wolf's weight transferred to the pinned foot as its left went limp. He dashed toward the ring of fire with heavy breaths, as the beast cried.

  The red wolf's knocked dirt onto Ryder's back from the scream, drowning out his own. "The light!" he yelled into the mud wall. The ring of fire slowly faded, and the darkness approached his head. "Don't let it get me!"

  Sarah looked and saw his head moving despite his odd imprisonment. Her focus remained on the battle, however, firing more arrows at the Princess's approach. Andre leaped once again, flying through the air--faster than the last time. The hot air embraced her as her battered body flew true. The scars fueled her rage as she yelled with bloodied fists raised.

  The Red Wolf's gnarly teeth showed as its fur ignited. A giant flame shot out, but Andrea did not avert her path.

  Her flesh screamed as it burned in the hound's raging flame. Her left fist led the assault, but she pulled it back and launched her right, striking the exterior of the crystal. Its exterior endured the hit, but the Red Wolf did not. The punch carried so much force that the crystal ripped a hole through the back of the wolf's skull, killing it instantly. The wolf fell to the burned petals, echoing a loud thud through the valley walls.

  Ryder turned to look, but felt a cold hand grip his forehead. The shapeshifter.

  As Ryder began to lose consciousness, he noticed Olivia had her back close to the shadows–closer than they should have been. It was different from the first time he saw her; her posture was slightly different. However, before he could look more, his vision gave out.

  He woke in a white room, recognizing it instantly. The last room of every tower--the White Gates. However, he couldn't move. A memory. From the shapeshifter?

  A man stood in front of the gate. Half his body was black smoke, and the other half a handsome man.

  "Hello, my little Ry," the figure said with a cunning grin. "I'll keep it brief, but welcome back to the tower. I missed you."

  Ryder's whole body screamed at him to run, but he could not. A man more dangerous than any tower smiled at him. Someone he wished to never see again.

  The man's face stung his eyes. The voice clawed at his ears. His consciousness filled with static. Terrible memories emerged through the pain. Memories from his last tower.

  The smoke made man walked close to Ryder, looking him in the eyes. "This will have to be short for now, so bye-bye," he said, smiling. "And remember not to kill any blessed children this time. They are your friends. Right?"

  Ryder returned to his body, still hanging on the tree. A yellow arrow stuck out of the wall next to him, lighting up the surrounding area slightly. The light was faint, but Ryder's headache throbbed from its light. One last gift from the shapeshifter.

  Sarah climbed down the boulder and approached him, tiptoeing.

  "Ryder?" she whispered. "Are you alive?"

  Ryder's voice was shaky, his complexion white. "I'm fine. It didn't get me. The bag protected me. Can you get me down?"

  Sarah cocked her head in confusion, but shrugged. "You should be grateful now," she said, eying the bag. "But, we might as well take this off now. Much good it will do."

  The boy's brown hair blew indifferently in the wind. His eyes closed while his lungs filled with ashy air. The cut below his eye stung, but relief washed over him. Foodprints tore up the mud within the ring of fire as Ryder watched the party set up camp. No casualties.

  The Red Wolf's flames slowly faded. Andrea's body bled over its corpse as she stood on top of it. Ryder never saw the final blow, but he could guess what happened. Her burns colored the skin around the armour red, but her eyes stayed blue. Ryder watched her as Artros' fearless Princess felt victory once again.

  For a brief moment, the tower did not exist. The group looked at the girl next to the monstrous wolf as ash fell slowly on her shoulders. A sight that ignited more than even Emily's flames. However, Ryder once again saw something different. Loneliness. Maybe I'm just projecting. She has so many people who look up to her.

  Mace lingered close to Andrea as she observed the blue crystal that crashed to the floor. The light pulsed in the darkness, but nobody touched its perfect exterior.

  Rae scribbled in her book close by, mapping out the valley and its creatures. "So this is a black tower?" she said, looking around as the soot covered her blonde hair. "We have only been here for 30 minuets and we are already bruised."

  The ones who stayed back had little wounds. A scratch or burn at most. The soot covered the twins' pale hands, turning them black. Scratches littered their hands and faces. Flint sprawled out on the burnt petals, catching his breath. Nobody noticed Ryder's approach.

  Andrea entered Ryder's vision first in front of the crystal. She stood upright, breathing deeply. Ribs likely shattered. A consequence of flying headfirst into the beast's flames without a plan for landing.

  Andrea turned to Sarah, freezing when she saw the boy next to her. Their eyes met through the ash. The deep purple reached for the light blue. His heart beat distracted him from his throbbing headache for a moment. Then the Princess did something that nobody expected. She waved.

  "She must have a concussion," Sarah mumbled. "What is she doing?" Ryder stepped back with uncertainty. "Did the shapeshifter get her?"

  Andrea's white teeth shone through her ash-covered face like a star in the Ingold sky. Her hand swirled the smoke around her, causing it to whisk. The others looked at each other with confused looks as she waved at Ryder.

  "Hey, Sarah!" Andrea yelled, still waving. "How did you find him? Did he sneak in somehow?"

  "Hit her head one too many times. The adrenaline should wear off soon," Sarah said, shaking her head.

  For a brief moment, Andrea's face lit with happiness brighter than the ring of fire, looking at the boy. But reality set in shortly after. Ryder watched as her moment of joy shifted to dread. Her mouth opened slowly, as the smile shrank to nothing. She stepped back, nearly tripping on the Red Wolf's paws.

  The boy she was waving at had his arms chained and stood slightly hunched over. Unmistakable. Ryder Hartigan--the party killer.

  "This can't be real," she said, turning pale. "No. No. Please, no."

  Ryder noticed the color leave her face; that was the reaction he expected the first time. However, he noticed something else. She was twitching. It was so negligible that Mace didn't even notice standing next to her.

  Ryder's eyes flashed purple, and he quickly turned around. His back turned before she hit the mud. The smoke moved as her body collapsed to the ground, struggling for air.

  Olivia stood expressionless as she looked at the commotion. Flint's large steps moved without grace as they thundered toward her. His arms wrapped around her small waist as he lifted her off the ground. "How did you get free, bitch?" Flint said, gritting his teeth.

  Sarah's fists wrapped around the chains tighter than they ever had. "I thought you would want to watch this. The Princess in a sorry state would seem perfect for you," she gritted. "Time for her to pay the price. A truly unforgiving Vice."