She backed up against the wall and felt her warmth disappear.

  She slid down to the carpeted floor, and looked at her hands. Then, out of nowhere, memories struck her like a blow to the head.

  "You're not my daughter!"

  "You're a freak!"

  It was almost funny. For some reason, she felt betrayed. Deeply. But why? It had to be more than just thinking he would change.

  Her mind drifted to all the good memories of him. Foolish.

  She clenched her fist and smacked her forehead. This was grief—like victims mourning the loss of an abuser, crying for someone who only showed them love for a year or less.

  But when she thought of Natasha, a swarm of emotions clawed at her heart, demanding to know why she hadn’t listened to her. Why did she get close to that damn temple?

  That temple... temple...

  Her clenched fingers loosened as she turned her gaze back to the sky. The crescent moon hung above, shining brightly, while faded clouds struggled to block its light.

  She knew what she had to do.

  Before, they didn’t have the time. They had to rush Ulah to Sundawn. They couldn’t trust the temple members to tell the truth. But things were different now.

  She pressed her hands against the wall and pushed herself up. Then, stepping toward the window, she gently brushed the swaying curtains aside.

  She would return to the Balash temple at the Hill of Vaera.

  And she would kill them all after demanding answers.

  Her eyes wandered over the estate—neatly kept, pristine. Beyond the structures, at the far edge, stood a massive iron gate. The distance between the house and the gate was about the length of a football field.

  She had never used Crusbull before, but Ferzan said it was perfect for travel. It was time to test that claim.

  She stretched out her clenched left hand. The bandage was ruined, so she had no choice but to keep it shut tight. As her fingers slowly unfurled, a sudden voice cut through the silence.

  "You have a flying monster?"

  She spun around.

  It was the black-haired girl—the one who looked exactly like her. Her gaze was drawn to her... and to her right hand.

  She stood in the doorway, watching her.

  Then, assuming she had guessed wrong, she asked, "Suicide?"

  "Revenge." Vernisha responded.

  She briefly considered asking if she was her long-lost sister, if she knew Natasha. But it felt stupid. Maybe another time.

  "I see..." She tilted her head. "You want help?"

  Vernisha raised an eyebrow.

  She stepped forward. "I could help."

  "No... I'm good."

  She turned back toward the window and leapt. As she stretched her hand forward, she raised her internal thought, Crusbull!

  Sparks of black crackled around her. Again, the same thing.

  Then, suddenly, a soft hand grasped hers.

  Her body jerked upward as she was pulled back inside.

  It was her. Vernisha sat awkwardly on the window ledge.

  "Why... couldn't I?" she asked, her breath uneven. "You're a Vlandos too."

  She took a step back. "Certain parts of this estate have a safety zone. Ahh... what you would call a sanctity area? Something like that."

  Relief washed over Vernisha. At least her powers hadn't abandoned her completely.

  "My name is Tarnisha, by the way," she said. "You're Vernisha, right? I heard your name, but I don’t know your last name."

  "Holinestone."

  She nodded slowly. "So, do you want my help? This place is crawling with guards. Escaping won’t be easy for you."

  Vernisha narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked, suspicious. "Is this a test?"

  "I want to help you because I heard what happened to you."

  "But you don’t know me."

  "Yes..." She stepped closer, her black pupils locking onto Vernisha’s brown ones. "But when I look at you, it feels like I’m staring at my reflection. So I want to know more about you. I wonder if you're some lost sister of mine. If my mother threw a twin away."

  Vernisha considered the thought—then dismissed it. Caren would never have raised another man’s child.

  "Maybe it happened the other way around," she said. "I grew up poor. Maybe my parents thought they couldn't care for another child."

  "My mother loved me too much for me to not be hers."

  "A parent can love an adopted child as if they were their own."

  She shook her head. "No... her love was different. Pure. True. I know, deep in my bones, that woman was my mother."

  "I see... Similar for me, I think. My mother's name was Natasha."

  "Mine was Asah."

  "How long has your mother been dead?"

  "I don’t know. Three years? Something like that... She was killed. Unjustly." Her expression twisted in anger. "Just like you, I want to kill the ones responsible. I understand revenge. Trust me—I do."

  "Fine," Vernisha said. "How do we get out of here?"

  She clutched the ledge of a lower window and gently leaped from ledge to ledge until she reached the ground.

  A fall from that height would have easily shattered someone's skull.

  Vernisha tried it next. Her feet slipped on the second ledge, and she tumbled onto the stone ground.

  Her body made a sick thud, her limbs sprawling as she groaned in pain.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  Tarnisha winced as if she had taken the fall herself. Rushing over, she checked on her and remarked, "Oh, you're okay...?"

  "I buffed my body recently, so I can take a few more hits," Vernisha replied. She remained on the ground for a moment before forcing herself up.

  She patted the back of her head in search of blood. She felt a little, but it wasn’t much, so she ignored it.

  "You're really okay, though?" she asked, double checking.

  "Yep," Vernisha answered.

  She followed her, choosing the grass over the road. They soon encountered a guard, but Tarnisha explained that she was taking Vernisha outside to show her something, and that was that.

  They ran, but Vernisha was faster than her. Curious, she checked her level and was surprised to see she was only level 13. In her environment, she should have had ample chances to level up, but Vernisha didn’t know her full circumstances—life was always more complex than it appeared.

  They reached a massive iron gate. Tarnisha looked at the guard and said, "I'm stepping out."

  He nodded slowly and, glancing at Vernisha, asked, "Is this the new child?"

  "Yes," Vernisha replied.

  “I see.” He turned back to Tarnisha. “Is something wrong? You're never out of the house…” he muttered, then looked behind them as if searching for someone. “And never without Miss Abella.”

  “I just want to show my friend something.”

  “…But at this time, Miss Abella wouldn’t be happy at all. She’d be furious. I can’t allow it.”

  Tarnisha clicked her tongue and whistled with her fingers. The guard said worriedly, “If you don't stop, I'll report this immediately.”

  “Do so, and I'll report all your slacking, and how often you stare at Miss Abella's bum, to Goldbon.”

  Vernisha almost laughed. She had not really thought about it before, but in less loose-fitting clothes, Abella’s figure might have looked quite nice.

  The guard tensed and bit his lip. “Okay…”

  Suddenly, something massive approached from the sky, a horse-sized, brown bird, a war hawk. It swooped down beside Tarnisha. She climbed atop it, settling onto the upper part of the leather saddle, and gestured for Vernisha to follow.

  Vernisha moved behind her and grasped a feather for extra grip. “How did you get one of these?”

  “I begged really hard,” Tarnisha replied.

  “Really? If I was you I would have begged for a powerful monster instead,” Vernisha responded.

  She gripped the brown reins and said, “Why the hell would you do that?”

  “Because… monsters are powerful?” It felt to Vernisha like she had been asked a stupid question.

  “Monsters should be killed and tortured, not kept.” She tugged on the reins, and the bird began flapping its wings, ascending into the sky.

  Vernisha did not know what to make of that.

  She continued, “You have to lead.”

  Without a map, giving proper directions was challenging. Vernisha thought for a moment, then said, “Have you heard of the ruins of an ether battery factory, far from Sundawn, away from any cities or towns? It’s to the west.”

  Tarnisha hesitated before replying, “Yeah, but I’ve only heard of it.”

  After another moment’s thought, Vernisha asked, “Can’t we ask the guard?”

  That turned out to be the solution. Vernisha inquired if he had a map, and he did. Tarnisha then had her bird lower itself so Vernisha could retrieve it.

  The brown map was weathered, with several tears along its edges. Black lines delineated the cities, towns, and villages of Terrafall, each section marked by its name.

  It took a while for Vernisha to locate the Hill of Vaera, but when she finally spotted it, she pointed. “Here.”

  Tarnisha took a look at it and murmured, “That’s quite far, but okay.”

  They simply had to head west, and that was exactly what they did. The war hawk soared upward, pivoted, and then flew straight in that direction.

  It did not take long for them to see Sundawn in the distance.

  They took occasional breaks for the bird to rest, but after about two hours they were flying over a hill with a solitary building, a golden temple. A Balash temple.

  Tarnisha retrieved the map from Vernisha and unrolled it wide to examine the details. “This is the spot, righ—” she began.

  Before she could finish, Vernisha leaped off the bird.

  Realizing what she was doing, Tarnisha panicked. “What the hell are you doing?!”

  The wind lifted Vernisha’s hair and dress, making them billow as if defying gravity.

  She called upon the System to learn Crushbull’s skills.

  Hyper Chase

  Ground Tremble

  Pent Up

  Earth Armor

  Earth Armor.

  She clasped her hands, and a hidden black light emerged before the force from it compelled her to open them. Gradually, the massive, crustacean-shelled bull took shape.

  She ordered it to use Earth Armor on both of them.

  It mooed, swinging its head upward as shards of hardened, cracked rock began to cascade over them.

  Within seconds, the rocks spread over Vernisha’s body, interlocking into a protective shell that covered her from head to toe, except for her senses.

  They reached the hip concrete roof, which shattered beneath Crushbull’s force. A deep rumble echoed as debris rained down on everyone below.

  Vernisha landed on the ruined, dark, varnished wooden floor, coughing as she brushed dust from her eyes.

  Soon, panicked voices filled the air, though only a few could be heard. She scanned the area and noticed rows of long wooden benches, many bearing shattered ceiling fragments or crushed by the impact. Then she spotted a group of five men huddled together, fear written on their faces, except one.

  Four wore simple white religious garments, the Balash Enrichment Robe, with golden colored rings decorating the sleeves and collar. The fifth, dressed in typical Terrafallen attire, brown pants and shirt, a sleeveless jacket, and a head covering, stood apart.

  Vernisha pointed at them with her left hand and demanded, “Who is responsible for the bread rolls?”

  The men looked confused. One, in particular, had a sword scabbard on his back and bore swirling tattoos of dragons, lions, plants, and stones. Vernisha struggled to recall what he was called, something Balash.

  Temple Defender, she concluded.

  They were merely Vlandos who had sworn to serve the Balash temples, to protect educators, scholars, the knowledge of Balash, and of course, Balash temples.

  He glanced at her palm before locking eyes with her; his face twisted in anger and disgust. Vernisha understood his thoughts, and strangely, she welcomed them. They both desired the same outcome.

  She would kill him first.

  She moved forward.

  Yet he was swifter. With a single, mighty stomp, as if the weight of the world surged behind him, he charged, intent on crushing her on the spot. “Filthy cultist, I will send you to your master!” he roared.

  A brilliant flash of light erupted from his hand, hurtling straight toward her. He was trying to force her onto the defensive.

  She did not fall for it.

  “Go!” she commanded. [Hyper Chase!]

  In response, Crushbull emitted a dull, earthy glow as hazy, flickering duplicates of light danced around it. With a burst of raw power, it surged forward.

  The Temple Defender’s light projection transformed into a colossal green rock, its limbs morphing into massive trunks armed with spear-like protrusions.

  Vernisha checked its level. Twenty two. That was bad.

  It released a thunderous growl, spinning its floating limbs like a drill before swinging them at her.

  She dashed aside, but she was too slow. One limb struck her, hurling her against a concrete wall with a resounding thud. The impact was excruciating. Her entire Earth Armor shattered, and her ribs ached, though she managed to stay conscious.

  It attempted another attack, but suddenly, it spewed blood and staggered mid-air, struggling to regain balance.

  Vernisha turned to see the Temple Defender suspended in the air, impaled atop Crushbull’s horns.

  His arms trembled, but his eyes still burned with defiance. There was fire in him still.

  So she made sure to put it out.

  “Put him out of his misery,” she ordered.

  Crushbull hurled the man to the ground and stomped on his head until its foot sank deep into his skull.

  Personal Level: 19

  Crushbull Level: 15

  His strange monster collapsed to the ground, lifeless. White sparks crackled from his limp hand, filling the air with sharp, unnatural chirps, until they dimmed, flickering out into a dull, ashen gray.

  Crushbull had gained over six levels. The other monsters in her seal leveled up too, though the system would not inform her if she did not have them out.

  Vernisha wondered why she had gained so many levels, since it would have to split between five.

  Then she understood.

  By killing him, she had also killed all the monsters in his seal.

  Crushbull gained two new skills:

  Rock Clone Charge

  Sight Adjustment

  Vernisha glanced back at the corpse. She had deliberately killed a man. A strange, unsettling feeling washed over her.

  The remaining men panicked, screaming, “What have you done?!”

  “What the hell do you want?!”

  She pushed herself off the wall, her back throbbing. “Bread rolls! I stole bread rolls from here a few days ago. They turned my family into cannibalistic, mutated freaks! Who knows about it?!”

  Silence fell. Then she threatened, “Tell me now, or I’ll kill every damn person here!”

  One of them stepped forward, a man whose robe bore richer gold accents. He stuttered, “I... was told to do so.”

  Vernisha moved with blinding speed. He barely had time to flinch before she hoisted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing more than a coconut.

  She demanded, “Why did you do it? And who?”

  He trembled, his teeth chattering as he replied, “I don’t know. It just felt like I had to obey.”

  “That makes no sense!” She pressed him against the wall. “What do you mean? You felt compelled to do it?”

  “I just did! I couldn’t stop myself,” he stammered.

  His words sounded absurd. And yet, perhaps there was truth in them. She pressed further. “Who was it? Describe them.”

  “A woman. Brown hair, like yours. Incredibly beautiful. I initially thought she was a Vlandos, but even they aren’t that stunning. She was like a mountain fairy.”

  “Mountain fairy?” Vernisha repeated, her voice hoarse.

  “I know it sounds like a Julioes folktale, but if you had seen her, the way she moved, the way she spoke, you would swear she belonged in a myth.”

  Vernisha did not like where her thoughts were drifting. “Did she say her name?”

  “No.”

  “Did she give you the bread? When did she appear? Did she offer any explanation? Anything at all?”

  “She conjured the bread out of thin air. And it happened a few days ago, three, maybe. She mentioned something about destiny. That this child has been sheltered long enough. Something about Natasha,” he finally murmured.