I opened my eyes.

  The ceiling was stone, uneven, and suspiciously motionless. No shifting floors, no floating islands. The air smelled of dry wood and something ancient.

  I propped myself up on my elbows. In the center of the cave, a small fire crackled cozily. Sitting in a deep armchair—where the hell did that come from in a cave?—was Mira. She wasn't moving, just staring into the dancing flames.

  "Oh, you’re awake," she began, without even turning her head. "Well, little brother... you certainly haven't been wasting your time while I was gone. You’ve been busy."

  I stayed silent, trying to quell the buzzing in my head.

  "First, you started a world war," Mira began, folding her elegant fingers one by one. "Then you ended it yourself when you got bored. You committed a minor genocide... well, happens to the best of us. Then you got bored again, I assume, and started a plague. But when the people started running out, you changed your mind and wandered from city to city, healing everyone and playing the saint. What else? Ah, yes—you wiped two kingdoms off the face of the earth. Just because they were blocking your sunset view, I imagine?"

  She finally turned to face me, a wide, almost tender smile on her face.

  "And now what? You’re attending an Academy, wearing a crisp white uniform, surrounded by the kind of attention mere mortals can only dream of. Two princesses, one walking personification of annihilation... You never change, little brother. At the end of every one of your paths, there is always a crowd of girls and a mountain of ash."

  I sat up, hugging my knees. Mira’s words landed in my mind like heavy stones, triggering flashes of déjà vu.

  "Mira... where have you been? They told me you left for the New Continent."

  "I did, little brother," she stretched lazily, like a cat. "I was watching them build a world without your 'expert' guidance. You know... it’s much quieter there. But far too bland. It lacks salt."

  She stood up and walked toward me. Her presence weighed on reality, causing the shadows in the cave to shrink back in fear.

  "I came back because you’re losing control again. And this time, I won't let you forget me. Enough of this game of hide-and-seek."

  I looked at her—my sister from a time when the stars were brighter.

  "What about the Academy?" I asked, and was immediately surprised by how stupid it sounded. "I have... breakfast there. And an unfinished test on poisons."

  Mira burst out laughing. Clear and bright.

  "You’re incorrigible, Zenhald. The whole world is at your feet, and you’re thinking about the cafeteria. Though... that’s exactly why I love you."

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Mira rose from the chair and paced toward me. Her movements had the grace of a predator that knows its prey has nowhere to run.

  "You know, little brother, the New Continent is full of curious creatures," she said, examining her fingernails. "I spent a lot of time there trying to find a way to break your curse. Searching in ruins, in ancient scrolls... but so far, nothing. Though, there is one amusing race there—they call themselves 'Gods.' They feed on faith or self-adoration. A pathetic sight, honestly. I’ll have to pay them a visit sometime and ruin their reputation a bit."

  She paused, and her gaze turned cold.

  "But a third party has emerged. The Demons of Fear. Just yesterday, one of them laid waste to an entire city in some distant kingdom. There’s a lot to do, Zenhald, and I’m going to need your help. But first... I learned a few things over there."

  She reached out and touched my chest near my heart. Before I could even blink, her hand—ignoring ribs and flesh—simply passed through my body.

  I froze. The sensation was... specific. Like a chunk of ice had been shoved inside me and suddenly started to contract. Instinctively, I grabbed her wrist, but I didn't dare squeeze. The risk was too high that she’d flinch and rip something vital out.

  "Mira..." I gasped.

  SQUELCH.

  She abruptly clenched her fist with all her might. My heart simply burst inside me, turning into a mash of muscle and mana. I choked on the blood that instantly flooded my throat.

  Mira slowly withdrew her hand. Her palm and sleeve were heavily stained with crimson.

  I collapsed to my knees, desperately trying to force my mana to circulate in place of my destroyed pump. Everything inside was burning and sloshing. Not a pleasant feeling, even for someone used to regeneration.

  I looked at my sister, trying to focus my gaze. My strength was fading. Mana was leaking through the hole in my chest faster than I could restore it.

  "Why?.." I wheezed, feeling the world begin to tilt.

  I wanted to say something witty and offensive, but the world finally toppled over, turning into a blurred mess of shadows and the smell of blood. My eyelids became leaden, and I plunged into the dark.

  I woke up to a scorching wind hitting my face.

  I tried to move, but my body throbbed with pain. As it turned out, I was bound hand and foot with a strange, shimmering rope. We were flying. High. Clouds drifted below us.

  I glanced sideways. We were riding atop a massive fire phoenix. The bird smelled of scorched air. Mira sat in front, holding onto the flaming mane as if it were an ordinary horse.

  "Your human vessel was overloaded, Zenhald," she began, without turning around. Her voice easily cut through the whistling wind. "The mana was literally tearing you apart from the inside. The currents were too vast for such a frail container. So, I had to do it."

  I felt a strange tension inside my chest cavity. It didn't feel like normal pain.

  "I can no longer control your bursts of rage, little brother," Mira continued. "You’ve become too strong even for my barriers."

  I focused on the sensation. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead. She hadn't just tied my hands. She had stitched through my internal organs with threads of her own mana. Fine as gossamer, yet strong as steel. One gesture from her, and she could rip me to shreds from the inside at any second.

  The perfect leash.

  I tried to lift my head, but my muscles felt like overcooked noodles.

  "Where..." I coughed. Fresh blood bubbled on my lips. "Where are we going?"

  "Your strength is recovering remarkably fast," Mira finally turned to me. In her eyes was a mixture of pity and cold calculation. "We are flying to the source of the trouble. To the very city the Demons of Fear destroyed yesterday. These are new creatures; I haven't learned much about them yet. Only one thing is clear: they feed on fear."

  The phoenix let out a piercing cry and banked into a sharp turn. Мой stomach, which was now holding on only by my sister’s "mercy," cramped in protest.