A blue cloud formed out of nothing—swirling, compressing, and pushing air in every direction. The forest shuddered. Leaves tore free, animals scattered, and the wind howled before the mass expanded into a void.

  A thousand faint stars blinked within it.

  Then it spat out an injured man.

  He hit the forest floor hard, rolling through dirt and roots before finally stopping with a groan. Pain pulsed through his right arm like a heartbeat he couldn’t shut off. He clutched his shoulder, face twisted, breath sharp and ragged.

  “AAARRRGHHHH!!!”

  The scream echoed through the woods as he yanked the arm forward—forcing the joint back into place. A wet cracked through the silence. He winced, rolling his arm to test it. It still burned like a bitch.

  He staggered to his feet, one step uneven. His right eye had swollen shut, his cheek streaked with mud and blood.

  “That bastard…” he muttered under his breath.

  He spat to the side, jaw tightening. “I’ll find him first. I’ll find him—and kill him myself.”

  He limped forward, the blue light of the fading portal glimmering faintly behind him like a dying star. But Britlex didn’t look back. He couldn’t.

  Not after everything that had just happened.

  He limped on.

  He didn’t care to check the time—didn’t even know if his watch still worked. A city shimmered faintly in the distance, alive and loud beneath the moonlight. It didn’t matter. None of it did. He just had to get better… and try again. Try for a lifetime if he had to.

  Fate was still on his side.

  After all, that’s why he wasn’t dead.

  He reached into his shirt pocket and felt a paper crumple. He took it out and looked at it.

  It was a drawing—Rin had drawn it of him as Steve, and of herself.

  He stared at it for a moment. A teardrop slid from his eye.

  A bush rustled nearby.

  His head snapped toward it—wand raised—and he fired.

  Flames roared out, devouring leaves and bark until the bush collapsed into cinders. His breath hitched. The smell of smoke clawed at his throat. He lowered his arm slowly, eyes darting across the shadows.

  Nothing.

  He swallowed hard and shook his head.

  “Why the hell am I paranoid?” he muttered under his breath.

  He moved on. Step after uneven step, each one heavier than the last. Pain dug deeper into his muscles until even his heartbeat felt like a wound. He gritted his teeth—so hard the blood from his gums tasted metallic.

  Then—another rustle.

  He froze.

  Didn’t turn. Didn’t breathe.

  Ignored it.

  Just kept walking.

  The forest opened suddenly into a small clearing, moonlight spilling across the ground like liquid silver. It almost blinded him. He lifted a shaking hand to block it, sweat and dirt streaking his forehead.

  Two moons.

  He blinked. No—one of them wasn’t real. A faint orange flicker hovered beside the true one in the sky. The Arc… it had to be.

  He dropped his gaze—and froze.

  A white blur stood ahead, half-hidden between the trees. He couldn’t make out its shape, only a grin. A wide, white grin—too bright, too large.

  The same grin he’d forced his own followers to wear.

  Two eyes stared at him from the dark.

  Not human.

  Blue at first—then violet, glowing faintly before vanishing back into the forest.

  He was not alone.

  Britlex’s hand trembled as he raised his wand.

  “Fire Bolt!”

  A streak of flame tore through the air, hitting a tree with a violent The clearing flashed red for a heartbeat—then went black again.

  Nothing.

  No one.

  “Wh—who are you!?” His voice wavered, almost breaking. “Where did you go!? What do you want from me!?”

  The echo came back wrong—warped, whispering, —like someone else repeating his words just out of sight.

  He couldn’t move.

  Every nerve in his body locked up while pain pulsed through him like small, timed explosions. But something else was rising inside—something stronger than the pain.

  Adrenaline.

  He was feeling fear.

  Real fear.

  The kind that chewed at the soul.

  But why? He was a sorcerer. A trained Enforcer. A little ghost couldn’t hurt him. He could fight it. He could it.

  Another rustle.

  Left side.

  He whipped around and fired a bolt.

  Nothing.

  Then behind him.

  He spun again—another flash, another miss.

  Still nothing.

  Sweat poured down his face. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking. His knees threatened to buckle like a newborn fawn trying to stand.

  He was stuck.

  “Who are you!?” he yelled, voice cracking. “Answer me, dammit!”

  His eyes clenched shut.

  The image returned behind his eyelids—blue eyes, white grin. The memory slithered up his spine like ice.

  It couldn’t be.

  Anyone but

  Anyone but the last person he needed to see before he died.

  He opened his eyes.

  Nothing.

  Then—

  Behind him again.

  He turned, heart clawing at his ribs. The same treeline. The same shadow.

  And now… he was there.

  The figure stepped out slowly, deliberate, calm. His left arm extended—holding something black and glinting faintly in the dark.

  Britlex’s breath hitched.

  The man wore the white robes of the Enforcers. Clean. Unblemished. His gloves shone pale in the moonlight. He walked forward until the moonlight crowned him, the white of his hair catching a faint blue tint from the night above. Whether that shimmer came from the moon or something far darker, Britlex couldn’t tell.

  Those eyes—calm, cold, unblinking—met his own.

  Britlex’s spine went rigid. A chill raced up it so fast it almost knocked the breath out of him.

  “You…” he whispered.

  The man tilted his head slightly, that easy look never leaving his face.

  “” he said mimicking back his tone.

  “…Why? How…” Britlex stammered, shaking his head. The adrenaline wouldn’t leave him. His breath came in short, uneven bursts.

  “You slayed Ra, right?” the man asked.

  His arm stayed perfectly steady, the gun leveled without a single tremor.

  “Ra? …that skeleton demon thing?” Britlex rasped, eyes flicking down to the weapon. “Yeah. I did.”

  “The gall…” The man’s lips curved into a warm chuckle.

  Britlex laughed too—nervously, involuntarily. The sound came out cracked, half-mad.

  “You've caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people,” the man said quietly.

  “I did…” Britlex admitted, his voice trembling now.

  “You had the audacity to come into my house… threaten my family… and act like there wouldn’t be consequences.”

  The man raised the gun and tapped the barrel lightly against his own temple.

  “Big balls for a man who wears makeup.”

  Britlex’s mouth went dry. His heart hammered against his ribs like it wanted out.

  “Are you gonna kill me? Just do it already!” he shouted, voice cracking with both fury and fear.

  The Enforcer lowered the gun slowly, eyes still locked on him.

  He tilted his head, nodding once. The grin faded—replaced by something worse.

  A calm, blank smile.

  Then—

  BANG!

  The sound split the forest in half. Sleeping birds exploded from the trees, crying into the night.

  Britlex hit the ground screaming, clutching his leg.

  “F—fuck! My knee!”

  He writhed, gasping, blood soaking the dirt beneath him. The kneecap was gone—blown clean off.

  The Enforcer walked toward him, unhurried, every step measured. His expression didn’t change. He stopped beside Britlex, watching him twist and howl like an animal caught in a trap.

  When the pain dulled just enough for him to see again, Britlex looked up.

  The man was bent over slightly, watching him. That same toothy smile. Those easy, patient eyes.

  The same look that haunted him ever since he’d crawled out of that hellhole.

  The same grin he’d tried to carve into himself—literally—cutting his own face to imitate it.

  Now he was staring at a mirror.

  A cruel, cold, unyielding reflection.

  A force of nature he could never conquer.

  His body had been right to feel fear.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Only wrong to choose over

  The man straightened, boot pressing lightly into Britlex’s side.

  “I’m enjoying this,” he said softly.

  “…Please…” Britlex groaned, voice breaking into wet, panicked gasps.

  The man didn’t answer.

  BANG!

  Another deafening crack split the night.

  Britlex’s scream tore through the clearing as he clutched his other knee—blood gushing freely now. His legs were ruined.

  The Enforcer circled him slowly, deliberate, his boots crunching over leaves. He stopped on Britlex’s right side, head tilted, expression unreadable.

  BANG.

  BANG.

  BANG.

  Three shots. Precise. Center mass.

  Britlex’s body convulsed. Blood spilled warm across the forest floor. His voice failed halfway through a scream, turning into a broken laugh instead.

  He laughed and cried at once—

  a sick, choking noise that barely sounded human anymore.

  The tears wouldn’t stop.

  Neither would the laughter.

  The forest listened, silent, as the sound twisted into the night—half agony, half hysteria—until even the echo began to sound like it was laughing back.

  “Ah. Finally broke you,” the Enforcer said, tucking the gun back inside his robe.

  “Broke? ” Britlex screamed, blood bubbling in his throat. “I was already broken! I was

  insane! I had lost everything! And when I was freed, I couldn’t believe it—b-but I was right!” He threw his head back, shouting into the forest like the trees might listen.

  The Enforcer turned his back and began walking away, slow, deliberate, unbothered.

  “I was never freed!” Britlex’s voice cracked. “I was just… pulled out of one hell and thrown into a new one! You stupid fuck! Do you have any idea what you put me through?!”

  The Enforcer didn’t stop. His boots pressed softly into the dirt, leaving faint impressions behind him—each one smaller than the sound that followed it.

  “Wait! Please! Don’t go! Don’t you want to know why I did it?! Hear me out! Listen to me!”

  He coughed, choking on his own blood. “ I was fourteen! My—my dad—”

  A beam of pure blue light tore down from above, striking Britlex dead center. The blast didn’t explode—it

  The forest erupted in a silent inferno, blue flames racing outward in a perfect circle.

  Within half a mile radius, everything ignited—trees, earth, bones—burning to ash in seconds. The world turned to smoke and color.

  And through the haze, a silhouette walked forward.

  Flames clung to his robes, coiling around him like living serpents, but not a single mark touched him. His skin unburned, his eyes glinting like jewels. He twirled his wand lazily in his right hand, that same calm smile painted across his face.

  When the last of the fire died, he sheathed the wand with a quiet flick.

  Not a speck of ash dared land on him.

  Not a sound followed.

  Only the whisper of blue embers falling—

  and the end of Britlex confirmed.

  #

  “There were casings found at the scene.”

  “Casings?” Vix frowned, arms crossed as he leaned back against the humming wall of the EMV transport.

  Milo nodded, scrolling through his communicator. He wasn’t wearing his formal white robes—just the inner black combat layer, its shoulder pads dulled by dust. The soft blue light from his screen flickered against his face.

  “That’s right. Casings.”

  “How many?”

  “Five, sir.”

  Vix’s brow furrowed. “Physicals in a forest? That doesn’t make sense. Talk about old fashioned. And what about the body?”

  Milo hesitated. “No body. Nothing.”

  “Then track the residuals.”

  “There aren’t any,” Milo said quietly. “I already tried, sir.”

  Vix sighed, pressing his palm over his face. “That’s insane. That clown’s last location there. No mistaking it. We’re sure the residuals you picked up were mine.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And when you arrived… half a mile of forest burned to nothing. No body, no energy trace, not even a footprint?”

  Milo lowered his head, voice low. “Yes, sir. Just ash.”

  Vix exhaled hard through his nose. “Unbelievable… Fine. Stay on it. If there’s anything left, find it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Milo noted Vix's tone and hesitated one more time, then glanced up from his communicator. “What about you, sir? Are you sure you can… handle this?”

  Vix looked out the window of the transport—the night still glowing faintly blue where the horizon had been scorched.

  “I’ll handle it,” he said quietly. “I don’t have a choice.”

  “Yes, sir. Good luck.”

  “Oh—Milo?”

  Milo straightened immediately, snapping to attention. “Sir?”

  “Take it easy for once,” Vix said, his tone softening. “I’ve got this bad feeling... just—get some rest, okay?”

  “I’ll try, sir.”

  “No trying. Relaxing is an order.”

  Milo nodded. “Yes, Commander.”

  A brief silence passed between them as the EMV slowed to a halt, the hum of the engines lowering until the cabin trembled slightly. The transport finally touched down at the front gates of Kormadyne Academy.

  “Sir?” Milo called as Vix reached for the hatch handle.

  Vix paused, glancing back. “Hm?”

  “I think it’s fair I relax only when get laid, sir.”

  Vix froze. “Are you You’re in on this now??!”

  Milo’s face stayed perfectly blank. “Just keeping the odds balanced.”

  “” Vix muttered, but he couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

  Milo only gave a small shrug as the EMV door hissed shut and lifted away toward its next route.

  Vix took off across the courtyard with long, determined strides. His heartbeat wouldn’t slow; each step only made it faster. By the time he reached the academy’s grand doors, he was running.

  He pushed through them, sprinted down the long marble hall, and climbed the main staircase two steps at a time until he reached the Directors’ Hall.

  He burst through the double doors.

  Inside, silence.

  Rin stood waiting before a massive rectangular desk, her head bowed. The size of the table demanded a set of stairs just to reach the upper platform. Her uniform had been carefully redressed—Benneth’s work, no doubt.

  Benneth himself sat off to the side in a wheelchair, still bandaged from the ordeal but composed as ever. Around the table sat the entire board of directors, and at its head was the stern, silver-haired Headmaster, Jay Sigam.

  “Ah,” Cannus said coolly. “Look who decided to show up.”

  “Let’s just get on with this,” Vix snapped, his patience already worn thin.

  Cannus scowled, shaking his head before Director Erny spoke.

  “So nice to see you, Commander Vix. I’m sure you know exactly why we’re meeting here, but for record-keeping’s sake, I must reiterate.” Erny adjusted his spectacles, voice calm but rehearsed. “There was a contingency formed with the Grand Army for the sake of this child, Rin, to attend Kormadyne Academy of Magical-America for precisely one year. She was to have an affiliation with a familiar by the end of the school year in order to continue her attendance.”

  He paused briefly, eyes flicking toward Rin. “Due to unforeseeable events, the end of the school year has… indeed come sooner than expected.”

  Vix listened, his jaw tight and teeth clenched. He stood a short distance behind Rin, noting the way her shoulders tensed. She didn’t want to hear any of this—how could she?If anyone were in her position they'd react the same. He could only hope she could stay strong for him a little longer.

  From the side, he caught Benneth’s gaze. The old man was shaking his head, muttering under his breath—probably curses.

  “Seeing as she does not have an affiliation with a familiar,” Director Erny continued, “I must, regrettably, inform you that her enrollment at Kormadyne Academy is hereby dissolved.”

  Rin flinched. It was subtle—too subtle for anyone else to notice.

  But Vix did.

  He opened his mouth but closed it.

  “Wait—just let her attend for a month into next year!” Benneth shouted, rolling his wheelchair forward until he was beside Vix.

  Vix looked at him, stunned.

  “Absolutely not!” Cannus snapped.

  “Why are speaking, mutt?!” Benneth fired back immediately.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You—the man who mostly caused this entire ordeal—think you have right to say a damn thing?”

  Cannus’s jaw tightened. “You shut your mouth, Benneth.”

  “Trying to get the last jab in before you resign? Is that it?”

  “” Cannus roared, voice cracking with anger.

  Director Samuel raised a hand calmly, gesturing for silence. “Please, gentlemen—let’s not turn this into a kennel.”

  Vix exchanged a quick glance with Benneth. He hadn’t known Cannus was being booted. But if that was true… who would take his place?

  “Silence!”

  The voice was soft—almost musical—but it carried across the chamber like a spell. The room immediately quieted.

  It was the Headmaster.

  “Allow the man to speak, Director Cannus,” He said gently.

  Cannus swallowed. “Yes, Headmaster…”

  Benneth nodded gratefully before turning back toward the council. “We should let the girl attend for just a month longer into her second year. I promise you—she’ll have a familiar by then.”

  Cannus scoffed, folding his arms. “There was a mana link she had, remember?” he said coolly. “Where did that go? She’s shown no signs of a favorable mana link whatsoever her entire time as an Impite!”

  “Seems like we’ll need more time!” Benneth pushed.

  “Not a month’s worth of time, I can assure you that,” Cannus chuckled mockingly.

  Benneth gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to roll his chair right into the man’s smug face.

  “It’s unfortunately true, Rem,” Director Samuel said, voice steady and pragmatic. “She’s made steady progress, sure—but it’s in line with what the other children have achieved. Not a single Impite was moved to the Center House this year due to sheer consistency. It’s been an ideal year for the board, yes, but Rin is just a girl with… extraordinary circumstances. Highly unusual, of course, but not enough to warrant what you and the Commander are asking for.”

  “And the lack of a familiar?” Cannus added, tone dripping with mockery.

  Benneth clicked his tongue, then turned to Vix.

  Yeah. This was

  Vix shook his head, eyes closing briefly as he thought.

  When he opened them again, his voice was calm.

  “I disagree,” he said. “She

  a familiar.”

  The entire room froze, eyes locked on Vix’s calm, resolved face.

  Even Rin whipped her head around to look at him.

  “What?!” Cannus coughed out. “Care to explain? And don’t you mention that damned Arthur! That doesn’t count!”

  “Either way—your fault,” Benneth said with a smirk.

  Cannus muttered a curse under his breath.

  Vix suddenly pulled a scroll from his coat and unraveled it, holding it firmly by the top and bottom. He cleared his throat and began to read:

  “I, the Thirteenth Grand Majestry, Kai Evergreen, proclaim Vix Nepton has the authority and personability to be a suitable lender of his familiar This permissive order grants his familiar attachment to be forged with the one, Rin—effective immediately. Signed May 29th, 2155.”

  “What?!” Cannus shouted.

  Vix calmly rolled up the scroll and tossed it at Cannus’s head with a soft

  Cannus fumbled, caught it, and unraveled it—his eyes widening as he realized it said exactly that.

  “The Grand Majestry… She’s a Nepton… No… I won’t allow this! This can’t be!”

  Vix puffed his cheeks slightly in amusement, exchanging a look with Benneth.

  Both men wore matching smirks.

  “Well…” Jay began, leaning back in his chair. “That’s that, then. It seems all the conditions have been properly met. Rin Nepton will be allowed to attend Kormadyne Academy of Magical-America as promised. Dismissed.”

  Rin’s eyes welled up. She turned toward Vix, tears shimmering as she stared at him.

  He simply gestured for her to relax and stay where she stood.

  She obeyed.

  “Headmaster, you cannot be okay with this! This is blatant corruption!” Cannus shouted, slamming a hand against the desk. “They’re misusing their influence with the Grand Majestry to hold power over us!”

  Jay didn’t respond.

  Then, out of the corner of his eye, Cannus noticed Benneth’s smirk — calm, unstoppable, infuriating.

  His eyes widened; his throat went dry. He knew exactly where this was going.

  “Rem, don’t,” he warned.

  “Director Cannus?” Benneth said, his grin widening.

  #

  Rin stood leaning alone in the fields of the academy park. It had the perfect open view for the sunset.

  But she wasn’t looking at the sky.

  Her eyes were on the grass below — a small patch turned orange, dying from something she couldn’t name. She was still trying to process everything that had happened in the director’s room.

  She was a Nepton now.

  Mister Vix had given her his family name, so now she belonged to him.

  But what did that mean?

  What exactly would Mister Vix be to her?

  She wanted to ask — — but there was a part of her that was too scared to.

  She sighed.

  Then she felt a hand on her upper back, and her eyes shot up.

  It was Vix.

  “Rin,” he said softly.

  She looked up at him, eyes wide, then lowered them again. Her lips pressed thin as she nervously turned her gaze back to the grass.

  “Yes…”

  “Are you alright?” he asked casually, eyes fixed on the horizon.

  “I am…”

  Vix chuckled. “Your first lie?”

  Rin blinked. A lie?

  That’s right — she just lied to him.

  “It’s alright. I probably don’t deserve your truth, do I?”

  Rin stood speechless. Unsure what to say, what to do.

  Then she remembered Uncle Remmy.

  “Will Uncle Remmy get better soon?”

  “Yes,” Vix replied. “He will. It turned out he really was on death’s door… but then a certain man visited him, healing him most of the way.”

  “…Staffire?”

  Vix nodded. “He’d always wanted to meet him. I think that did the other half of the job for his morale.”

  “I see…”

  Vix patted her back gently.

  “I’m a man of principle. I know what I said back then — but it was the honest truth, Rin.”

  “I know…”

  “I should’ve lied, shouldn’t I?”

  Rin sniffled. If he

  lied, maybe she would’ve clung to hope. Maybe none of this mess would’ve happened.

  “I know. It isn’t your fault, Rin. Don’t try to blame yourself for any of it. Let the adults do that instead.”

  “I don’t know what to do anymore…”

  “Well,” Vix said, “your mana link is still a real thing. It’s very important.”

  Rin looked up again. His gaze never left the sky as it shifted through orange, pink, and red.

  “I’ll keep attending the Academy and do my best,” she said, turning her eyes back to the grass.

  “You’ll keep attending the Academy and do your best,” he repeated with a small nod.

  “But this time… I’ll be there for you.”

  Rin’s head whipped toward him.

  Finally, he turned to face her. He was smiling as he patted her back once more before moving it up to rest on her head.

  “I promise,” he said. “I won’t leave you. Never again.”

  Rin’s tears spilled freely now, but a faint smile tugged at her lips as she finally looked toward the sky.

  "Okay..." She simply replied.

  Vix looked with her, admiring the view in silence. She released the railing, holding her hands behind her back, while his stayed gently on her shoulder — a quiet reminder that he was still there.

  From beyond the tall bushes, a voice squealed.

  “Awwww! They’re so cute!”

  “ Shut up! Don't ruin their moment!” Eddie hissed back, fist raised in warning.

  The sky burned gold.

  And for the first time in a long time — everything felt normal.

  

  We’ve officially reached the end of Volume One, and I couldn’t be prouder of how the story turned out.

  I spent a lot of time reflecting on the characters, the scenes, and the future I wanted to build for this world. Despite all the challenges I faced writing and sharing a story for the first time in my life, I’ve had so much fun creating this journey. Truly — thanks to all the beautiful comments and bits of feedback I received, I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who even gave one of my chapters a chance. It means the world to me!

  But Rin’s Road isn’t over yet! Volume Two is already planned to release within the next month, featuring even more action, drama, and perseverance between our beloved characters.

  Until then, please check out my sister series, Our Love Isn’t Leased (But Saving the World Definitely Is).

  It follows Rin Kirishima, a fox hybrid, and Ferry Arlet, a wolf hybrid, in a rom-com action series full of twists and turns as the two struggle for each other — and accidentally find themselves having to save the world just to be together. If that sounds like your kind of story, you can find it through the links below!

  Once again, it’s been such a joy working on this series, and I can’t thank you all enough for reading.

  Until next time — THE END! :D

  Scribble Hub

  Royal Road