?"Are you prepared?"

  "Yes. You will deploy with Oliver and Henry."

  ?Oliver let out a sharp breath, shifting his weight like a racehorse in the gate. "Finally. I was starting to rot in here. A real mission, at last."

  "Why me?" Henry sighed, his voice heavy with reluctance. "Oliver, could you perhaps contain your vibration? I’m telling you... it’s time."

  ?The Commander ignored the banter, his gaze steel. "I want those muscles put to work. You head for Bear Village."

  "Bear Village?" Oliver frowned. "That’s odd. They’re usually deep in hibernation this time of year."

  "The anomaly surprises me as well," the Commander admitted. "That is why I am sending Julian with you."

  ?He turned to the large man. "Henry, you are the squad leader. Do not act on a whim."

  Henry’s expression smoothed into easy confidence. "Worry not. As long as I stand here, every problem has a solution."

  "Overconfidence," the Commander muttered, before shifting his eyes to the rookie. "André. What of you? This is your maiden mission. If you are hesitant—"

  "No," André interrupted, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. "I am ready."

  Internally, however, a voice echoed in his mind: Listen, André. If your strength is a weakness, invert it. Turn it into power. Make her know she was saved—that she breathes because of it.

  ?"Very well. Sora will provide transport."

  "Sora?"

  "The Eagle of the Ice Squad," Julian explained, pointing to the crest on André’s cloak. "He is the symbol of our freedom."

  ?They stepped out into the biting air, and there he was—a titan of the sky. Feathers of deep sapphire and blinding white rippled in the wind.

  "That’s him?" André gasped.

  "Magnificent, isn’t he?"

  "Mount up," Julian ordered. "Oliver, Henry."

  ?The two veterans climbed onto the massive bird. But the moment André stepped forward, Sora shrieked and launched himself into the sky, leaving the rookie stranded on the stone.

  "Hey! Stop! You forgot me!" André sprinted after the shadow sweeping over the ground. "You two, make him stop!"

  "Sorry, André!" Oliver’s voice drifted down, faint against the wind. "Once the bird decides, he commits! Catch up or keep running!"

  ?André skid to a halt, looking up at the dizzying altitude. "How am I supposed to reach that?" Then, clarity struck. The skill Volak taught me.

  He closed his eyes. Gather mana in the feet. Just a little. Focus... It’s working.

  He scanned the terrain. The mountains rose like jagged teeth around him. "I need elevation."

  ?"Henry," Julian called out from the eagle’s back. "Where is the boy going?"

  "He’s heading for the peak," Henry noted, peering down. "But he has no magic."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "I’ll climb down and grab him," Oliver offered.

  "No," Henry held up a hand. "Let us watch."

  ?André didn't climb; he ran. Using the stored power, he vaulted up the mountainside, step by exploding step. He reached the ridge, muscles screaming, and launched himself into the void.

  For a moment, he was hidden by the clouds. Oliver and Henry scanned the white mist until, suddenly, he burst through.

  He was a meter above the eagle.

  Gravity took hold. André fell, reaching out to close the gap. Half a meter. He lunged—but the eagle banked sharply upward, and André tumbled past.

  He didn't panic. Falling through the freezing air, he desperately gathered mana again. He managed to stabilize, climbing the air itself, reaching for the talon... but again, the eagle kicked him away.

  ?He fell. The ground rushed up to meet him. His energy was spent.

  Just as the impact seemed inevitable, a blur of blue and white swooped down. Talons gently gripped his shoulders.

  "Well done, André," Julian smiled.

  "You have gained Sora’s respect," the deputy explained. "An eagle possesses unbroken pride. It dominates the sky and land, and it only submits to those who share that dominion—not the hesitant or the fearful."

  André panted, dangling high above the world. "I understand. Now... let’s get to the village."

  ?The village leader, a man named Mark with worry etched into his face, met them at the gates.

  "Welcome, heroes. I am relieved you are here."

  "Greetings, Chief," Julian nodded. "I am Julian, Deputy of the Ice. This is Henry, Oliver, and André."

  "The Ghouls," Mark wasted no time. "Every night they lay siege. They break doors, smash furniture, and devour the supplies we buy from the merchants."

  "Casualties?" Henry asked sharply.

  "None. They eat, destroy property, and leave. It is... strange. Usually, Ghouls leave nothing but death in their wake."

  "There is a scheme at play here," Julian mused. "We will uncover it. But first, we lift the siege."

  ?"Sora," Julian commanded. "Eyes above."

  "Can he speak?" André asked.

  "No, but he can draw maps faster than any cartographer."

  While the bird circled, Oliver cracked his knuckles. "Lucky me. I was itching for a brawl, Henry."

  "You are always itching," Henry sighed. "Patience. Follow orders."

  ?High above on a ridge, a solitary Ghoul watched the heroes arrive. Slowly, its body dissolved, merging into the ice like a phantom.

  ?Sora returned, scratching a diagram in the dirt.

  "Nothing?" Julian frowned. "No trace of them."

  "Since there is a lull," Chief Mark suggested, "please, allow us to host you for a meal."

  "No, we shouldn't—" Julian began.

  Henry’s hand clamped onto Oliver’s shoulder, his grip iron-tight. "Of course we are hungry."

  "Henry!" Oliver hissed. "Manners! We are on a mission."

  "I cannot fight on an empty stomach," Henry stated flatly.

  "Fine," Julian relented. "We eat. Then we hunt."

  ?Deep in a cavern near the village, a massive figure loomed in the darkness.

  "Shall I go?" a voice whispered.

  "Yes. Proceed."

  "We have played our part," the giant rumbled. "Now it is your turn."

  "Of course," the voice replied smoothly. "I require only one thing. The vessel for the demon."

  "I care not for your vessels," the giant growled. "Just keep your promise. The village will be ours."

  "I promise. We attack on the darkest night. I will give the command."

  ?Night fell, suffocating the village in blackness. The Ghouls moved silently, shadows within shadows.

  Suddenly, a crimson streak tore through the air—a blood-arrow that pierced a Ghoul’s skull, pinning it to the earth.

  The heroes stepped into the light.

  "Finally," Oliver grinned, pulling a tie from his wrist. "Wait, Henry, let me tie my hair back. Professionals have standards."

  André watched him. "Is your friend really the reluctant type?"

  "Henry has two sides," Oliver murmured, his eyes locking onto the enemy. "The calm... and the storm."

  ?Oliver drew two medium swords, vanishing into a blur of motion. He was everywhere at once, a whirlwind of steel.

  "The call of battle!"

  ?Henry did not draw a weapon. He clenched his fists, and his skin hardened into jagged stone. He charged, grabbing a Ghoul’s head and crushing it against the frozen earth. He was a battering ram, unstoppable.

  Behind him, a Ghoul lunged. A silver arc flashed—André bisected the monster cleanly.

  "If you know how to use that sword," a voice called out, "thank Volak!"

  ?The battle was brutal and short. The Ghouls lay defeated. The villagers cheered, pouring out of their homes to thank their saviors.

  But in the chaos of celebration, a figure watched from the periphery, smiling.

  "I haven't even started yet," the stranger whispered. "I needed to draw you out. Now... the real game begins."

  ?Beneath the feet of André, Henry, and Oliver, the ground suddenly glowed. A massive magic circle erupted in blinding light. Before they could react, space twisted, and they vanished.

  "Now," the voice chuckled in the empty air. "The second pawn begins to move."