Damien walked step by step toward where Jeshua was.

  What’s so special about this guy? He doesn’t look strong, and he’s not even old enough to seem like a wise man… What is Master trying to do? he thought as he approached.

  Finally, he stopped in front of him.

  Jeshua’s cap covered his face, as if he were dozing. He didn’t seem to notice someone standing before him, and his animal companions showed no signs of unease either.

  —Uh… Hi, I’m Damien. The Master asked me to talk to you.

  —Hello, I’m Jeshua… So I have a new visitor. I thought only the Master had come, as usual. —He replied, slightly lifting his cap to look at him.— Where is the Master?

  —He said he’d return when he considered it necessary. —Damien answered.

  —Hmm… Alright. What did you want to talk about? —Jeshua lowered his cap again. He didn’t seem disrespectful, but he didn’t look particularly interested either.

  Damien watched him and frowned.

  Is this guy really a thaumaturge? Maybe I should test him. he thought, releasing his Dragon Koa.

  He didn’t get the reaction he expected. Neither the creatures nor Jeshua showed any fear.

  Wow… he didn’t even flinch.

  His thoughts were cut short when Jeshua released his own Koa.

  The air roared. An overwhelming energy spilled outward, making the leaves whirl violently.

  Jeshua possessed the Dragon as well.

  Damien collapsed to his knees.

  What…? This is incredible… This suffocating feeling… It’s a Dragon Koa at one hundred percent.

  His body trembled purely on instinct. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak.

  And he’s not even directing it at me… He just let it out… What a mistake I made.

  The flow of Koa stopped. Jeshua calmly adjusted his cap.

  —Another Dragon, huh… That’s not something you see every day. —He said, watching as color slowly returned to Damien’s face.

  —Why are you trapped here? —Damien asked, still trembling slightly.

  —Mistakes of the past… What happened for the Master to decide to bring you here? —Jeshua replied, returning the question.

  The small animals hopped toward Damien, as if inspecting him.

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  —Wow… They seem to like you.

  Damien then began recounting everything that had happened in Apalacide and Avaddon.

  —I see… That old bastard is still alive in that damned city. —Jeshua responded.

  —He said he hated Dragons. You… you were there. —Damien said, piecing it together.

  —That’s right. I took out some of his main guards several times… I think it was two princes and three cardinals. After that, they banned me from returning. —He replied with a faint smile.

  —So those guards are new?

  —The prince you fought is probably already dead. Losing is a disgrace… and it’s paid for with suffering. That’s why I wanted to erase that place.

  —How does that place actually work?

  Jeshua remained silent for a moment before answering.

  —Anyone who enters becomes subject to it. They become just another piece. Anyone can be attacked… except that old bastard, Epshtin.

  Damien listened carefully.

  —If one of the four great guards is defeated by another citizen, they’re sentenced to death. The one who defeated them takes their place.

  —That simple?

  —That cruel. Each great guard is assigned four additional guards for protection. They must defend them and can only attack them if Epshtin orders it. Though they’re free to challenge any of the other three great guards.

  Damien tried to process the twisted logic of the system.

  —If a great guard loses to an outsider like you… one of the four assigned guards takes their place. The one I managed to kill was one of those.

  —If they’re always together, that must happen often. —Damien said.

  Jeshua shook his head slightly.

  —No. Epshtin keeps each of them at opposite ends of the city, controlling as much territory as possible. He lives in the center, in his damned mansion.

  He paused.

  —Each year the city expands one more centimeter. That’s why they sealed it inside that dimension… to limit its spread. Even so, many travelers still fall into it. As you can imagine… there are always replacements. The city never empties, even though death rests its hand over all of it.

  —You know that place very well… Any particular reason? —Damien asked.

  Jeshua lowered his gaze slightly.

  —A friend of mine, who wasn’t a thaumaturge, fell in there. I managed to enter and pull him out, but separating him from the zone of influence was like suddenly cutting off a crack addict from his dose… He spent months in depression.

  He paused, taking a deep breath.

  —Some time later, he went back to Avaddon. Epshtin, as revenge for me taking him away, ordered his guards to torture him… and then feed him to the people. Since that day, one of my purposes has been to destroy that city. But trapped here… that’ll be difficult.

  Damien felt a knot in his chest. For a moment, he saw himself reflected in Jeshua.

  —I also want to destroy that old bastard.

  —But what is your purpose as a thaumaturge, Damien? —Jeshua asked, pointing at him.— I mean your true one. Not just destroying Avaddon.

  Damien went blank.

  He had never asked himself that question.

  The memory of the attack on him and Sarah, and everything his friends had gone through, crossed his mind.

  —I want… I want a world where… evil doesn’t exist. —Damien replied in a low voice.

  —A difficult purpose. But if you manage to achieve it, even just for your loved ones… you could consider it fulfilled. —Jeshua said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  —How do you get food here? And why don’t these animals kill each other? —Damien asked, trying to change the subject.

  —Food grows from the trees. Besides, I get thirty minutes every twenty-four hours to leave and gather supplies, though the Master often brings me things. As for the animals… they all have a Koa pact with me. Their lives are connected and added together. That’s why you might see a ninety-year-old dog that still looks young. —He smiled slightly.— And yes, before you ask, I bring abandoned or injured animals here.

  —And you don’t have friends or loved ones?

  —Well… Look, the Master is back. —He pointed toward Yu-Han, who was standing near a tree.— I suppose we’ll continue this conversation another time. Goodbye, Damien. Take care.

  He leaned back again and lowered his cap over his face.

  Damien watched him with curiosity. Then he stood and walked toward his Master.

  —How did it go with Jeshua? —Yu-Han asked.

  —He’s kind of strange… but I liked him. —Damien replied, glancing back at Jeshua.

  —Go on ahead and wait for me. I want to greet him. —The Master said, walking toward Jeshua.

  This chapter is important for what’s coming next, especially for Damien. Sometimes the real conflict isn’t against an enemy… but against yourself.