The Void Wolf

Rhys, also known as the former number one Mercenary within the entire Grenitian Kingdom and for good reason too. Though not many people had ever seen her fight she was estimated to have an S- rating. Her silent and masked appearance made her an enigma to everyone else, people made guesses toward the reason behind her masked appearance but no one knew the truth.

Rhys stood in front of a mirror inside of a dimly lit room. Her mask sat on a table to the side while she looked at the mirror. Her overall appearance could be considered somewhat above average, but she had a more eye-catching feature and that was the two lightning scars that ran down her forehead and over her eyes, they even continued down her spine and toward the back of her limbs. The damage wasn't just on the surface, even her vocals cords were damaged making it difficult for her to speak. 

As Rhys raised a hand to trace over her scars she thought back to a certain moment. She had no amazing talent for magic, but she had an abnormal affinity for Lightning. When she was younger she had awakened to her strange ability and inadvertently caused damage to herself. In fact, even the people she was closest to didn't escape unscathed. She fled from her family and friends and became a Mercenary the only thing she could be good at.

Every time she completed a job, 80% of the payment was anonymously delivered to her family. Other than that she held no further interaction with them, even when they attempted to contact her. With the first payment, they expressed their worry and sadness, saying they didn't blame her for what she did. The minuscule payment of a couple dozen Gre wasn't worth her risking her life.

Over time the payments increased, and while the financial troubles of her family were alleviated, they still wished for her to stop. Rhys paid no heed and continued on, her abilities grew and her proficiency increased. She had even reached the end of her growth capacity of S- and until recently she had thought about going to see her family for the first time in years. Until the Red Moon and Golden Aurora appeared, her growth capacity was increased and her abilities grew harder to control as they increased in power. 

While everyone celebrated and grew excited at the increased strength they received, Rhys seethed with anger and despair. Her progress over the last few years had been cut in half, and to make it worse her powers kept increasing in strength. Several of her abilities had to be severely restrained. Her ability to sense positive and negative charges which allowed her to detect presences now had too much power. Metallic objects with high conductivity disrupted her senses. 

Her nerve impulses were far faster than before, she now reacted to things faster than her body could keep up with. In a battle that could be a dangerous flaw, if she dodged prematurely she could leave herself exposed to a fatal attack. She also had an ability to conduct electricity, hence her weapon of choice was a rapier, once she pierced the skin of her target all that was left was to electrocute them until they died. Before the Golden Aurora and Red Moon appeared, her weapon would look unassuming as there were no visible signs of her weapon being enhanced with lightning. But now, whenever she used her conductive ability, visible sparks would be produced. To top it off, anything in close proximity that could act as a conductor would be struck by her ability.

There was one power that she feared more than anything and that was the ability to act as a human lightning rod and summon a lightning bolt. While magicians made use of lightning, it wasn't real lightning per say. Mana would be converted into lightning which was different than the natural phenomenon that was a lightning bolt. For comparison, a natural lightning bolt traveled at around 220,000,000 mph, while lightning produced by Mana could reach 0.0001% of that or 220 mph, assuming the mage was skilled enough.

The problem was, lightning wasn't as deadly as artificial lightning, given the receiver wasn't wearing a metal suit of armor. It would strike at 10 to 50 microseconds and wouldn't be sustained long enough to be fatal with every strike, whereas artificial lightning could last as long as the Mage had mana. That's where Rhys came in, she could sustain the raw power of lightning for up to 10 seconds straight, it was something she used as a final resort if she was faced with death. Now, she was too fearful to use such an ability, it was definitely no longer 10 seconds and the power may be too much for her to control even with an immunity to electricity.

Rhys snapped back to reality and thought of one particular person. It was Ira, who appeared to be stronger than her by the ranking in the Mercenaries Union. She had first noticed him when he was injured at the gate, it wasn't because of love at first sight or attraction. It was because her particle sensory perceived him weirdly, at that time the particles around him seemed to be distorted. Others may not have noticed because it was a faint but to her, it was more than enough to be noticed. Then she had seen him again, his disruption of the particles around him grew stronger than when she first had seen him. She wondered what his abilities were and if he could rid her of her powers or at least help control them.

She grabbed her mask and looked at it, there was still one more day until the Ruin Expedition and she would once again see Ira. If her own situation was anything to go on, he would be even more powerful after the Red Moon and the Golden Aurora appeared.

 If Ira could hear the thoughts Rhys had he would definitely laugh. The removal of the barrier did absolutely nothing for him. It was a shame really, he was the direct cause of millions of people receiving boons of power, but he gained nothing in return. Over the course of the week, he racked his head on how to gain more power since he was now at a disadvantage. He scoured over the black book and couldn't come up with much to help him.

There was a ritual that allowed one to implant a heart of any magical creature into themselves, but that wasn't what he needed. Besides he could alter his own genetics to mirror another creature instead of obtaining another heart. Instead, he focused on his genetic mutation and attempted to find records of strong creatures he could kill. As expected, records detailing ancient and powerful creatures were almost non-existent and everything else was mostly legends and old tales. The only thing that looked promising were scattered reports of earthquakes in the far eastern deserts. He had a feeling there was something to be found or rather killed there. From a rational point of view, it was too inconvenient to travel there on a hunch lacking solid evidence. But Ira felt the urge to go, the potential to gain power nagged at the back of his mind.

"How long is the job?" Avery asked unconcernedly as she fixed her hair, causing Ira to turn to his side.

Currently, he was lying in Avery's bed. Her room looked as if a hurricane blew through it, which wasn't really an exaggeration. Avery had made creative use of her wings and strengthening magic, and even though she was inexperienced with her new power she had managed to avoid totally destroying the room. A few people in the Manor thought it was hit by an earthquake as Ira and Avery applied very little restraint. Luckily, the Thynne Manor was built to withstand huge attacks so there was very little danger to the lives of those inside. The only thing they suffered was discomfort and awkwardness. 

"Maybe a few months at the most. How long is your training?" Ira asked as he climbed out of the bed and put on his shirt.

Many females in the Thynne Family experienced awakenings and they would need time to adjust to their power, especially with the barrier removal. Even some of the experienced Valkyries needed to go back into brief training to control the surge of power.

"It's hard to say, something like this is unprecedented for my family. If I had to guess the next time we'll see each other is after winter." Avery refrained from tying her hair up and grabbed her saber.

Avery was reminded of when her Mother and Grandmother told her to show "moderation" before her bloodline awakened. Now that she was fully awakened did that mean she was expected to produce a child? She wondered when was the right time for her to conceive a child.

"That's a long time." Ira smiled as he interrupted her train of thought.

Winter could still be considered just starting only a few weeks had passed since it began. Avery shook her head as she erased previous thoughts, once Ira applied his Genetic Mutation the topic could be further explored. Though up until now all of their "marital activities" were conducted with very little precaution.

"Oh, before I forget. This is for you." Ira waved his left hand and produced a piece of paper he handed it over to Avery while grinning. Avery read it and then showed a strange expression.

"Is this even possible?" She asked as she continued to read. If it worked it wouldn't be hard to imagine how strong the one who used it could become.

As she continued to read she felt an almost imperceptible sense of obsession attempt to dig into her mind, fortunately for her it was easily shrugged off. Each Valkyrie had incredibly strong and stubborn will which made them immune to almost anything that had negative mental effects. "Strange. It's like it contains a curse." She said as she folded the paper and put it into her pocket.

"What do you mean?" Ira asked, clearly confused. He hated curses almost as much as he hated poison. Almost.

"You didn't feel it when you looked at it?" She inquired.

By this point she had guessed the heart implant ritual had come from the black book she had seen him reading a few times, and yet he showed no obsession with whatever information he gleaned from it. At first, she thought his will was as strong as hers, but he looked as if he didn't know what she was talking about. She began piecing together the details, he said his parents stumbled upon the same book and found out about the ritual. So did that mean their minds crumbled under the obsession the information produced? 

"As I read the paper it felt as it tried to create a sense of obsession within my mind," Avery explained. Ira furrowed his eyebrows and thought back to Charles, he tried to replicate the bloodline creation formula even while a soul contract was in place.

"Well, I should be more careful with it I guess," Ira said.

Avery wondered if he thought of his parents, but he didn't say anything on the subject so she wouldn't pry into it.

"Is it dangerous for you to use?" He asked.

"It should be fine, I'll have to speak to my mother and grandmother about it." She responded as she moved toward the door.

Ira spoke up as he followed behind her. "After you get back, you're sparring with me."

Avery gave a soft chuckle in response but she didn't disagree. 

Demons. Something people were called when they were truly monstrous or ferocious, but not many people knew that it was also the title of a certain species. A demon was a type of sub-planar entity which formed from corrupted human desires and emotions.  So why after 1000 years of silence would Demons become relevant? With the removal of the barrier, it was obvious what would happen next.

"So...Did you find someone?" A raspy voice asked. A yellow colored gaseous being appeared to be the one speaking, its form was reminiscent of a small frog. The one it talked to was in the shape of a green colored dog.

"...I did." The dog answered as it surveyed the area. Numerous demons were appearing, and the numbers continued to grow.

Before the collapse 1000 years ago it was thought that there was one demon present for each 5000 members of each sentient race, as those with intelligence usually had emotions and desires. It's just that back then those desires manifested strongly after the collapse, at a time where Demons were at their weakest. The methods of noticing Demonic possession or the qualities of Demons was more or less lost to time, though they weren't impossible to reproduce.

If one were to say, eat the raw heart of a lamb, it would easily be recognized. But if one were to be possessed by a cunning Demon, one which refused to give into such a basic practice, it would be harder to recognize. Though if the Temples sent paladins and priest to bless people, weaker demons could easily be spotted, as they weren't immune to holy power. 

"Care to tell me?" The Frog asked. The Dog continued to look out on its surroundings. The Demon world was a barren plane, it had long been inactive, but in time it would grow to look like a nightmarish reconstruction of the real World.

"I do not." The Green Dog voiced its disagreement. It's black eyes continued to watch Demons spawn, they were in a sort of infantile stage, lacking experience. They were the type to possess an old lady and make her crawl on the walls, something that would immediately call attention to Demonkind as a whole. 

"...Fine. For one who supposed to be envious, you seem to be a bit too prideful." The Frog said.

After seeing the Dog continue to ignore it, the frog floated off into the distance leaving the dog alone. The Green Dog looked around and after seeing it was alone it crawled off into a well-hidden corner. It stopped in front of a nondescript lump of dirt and began digging. In short time the dirt revealed a puddle, except the puddle, was more like a window into the human world. The process of digging was more or less a ritual to open a way into the human world, in truth those rituals varied between each demon, what was important was the intent.

Another reason the Dog was reluctant to talk about what it had found. It was hard to get into the heart of a being with intelligence, and while demons may eventually grow in number it was still difficult to materialize without a summoning ritual. People with incredibly strong desire were hard to come across, many people wanted more than they had, but it's just that most wouldn't kill for it. Even if most would kill for it, could they give up a large part of themselves for their desire? If one were to be asked to kill someone for a large sum of money, most wouldn't do it while other would. If one were to be asked to give up all of their body except for their eyes in exchange for one month of living the life they dreamed of, there would likely be none willing to do so. Withholding the truly desperate and insane. 

The Green Dog stared into the puddle intently as it watched its target.

 "Lady Juliana." A servant stood behind a young girl with dark blonde hair who was none other than Juliana Fairfax.

In the time since her interaction with Ira, she hadn't changed much, on the surface at least. Inwardly, the event she perceived as an embarrassment still bothered her. The innate narcissism that comes with separation of status didn't help to alleviate the problem. In more recent days, the days after the Golden Aurora to be specific, Juliana Fairfax had grown more distant. She had been plagued with strange dreams and would often space out, it became a source of worry for her Father, Wesley Fairfax. He had sought out many healers but they had no diagnosis, they suggested that it may not be a health problem and more of an emotional one. Of course, Wesley refused to hear it and continued to look for healers. 

"Lady Juliana." The servant spoke up once more as she lightly tapped Juliana's shoulder. As soon as her hand made contact a Golden Light emerged from Juliana as she sent the servant flying back. The room began to shake as Juliana's body began hovering. 

"Help! Someone...Lady Juliana is..." The servant crawled to her feet and ran toward the door screaming all the while.

Delvian and a few others rushed in immediately. "What happened?!" He shouted as he watched a light similar to the Golden Aurora cover Juliana. 

"I...I...I" The servant stammered. Delvian ignored her and ran towards Juliana before he reached her he was pushed back by an invisible barrier. Juliana's eyes began to emit divine rays of light as they opened. 

"...It...must...be...killed..." Her voice echoed as it shook the halls of the Mansion. It was as if her words were a divine declaration sent from the Gods. There were many names for those who received messages from Gods, Shamans, Oracles, Priestess', Diviners. But this particular one would be known as Juliana Fairfax.

Meanwhile, in the plane of Purgatory, Harper stood next to the Will of Purgatory. They watched a group of people who were chained together, each one of them cried, cursed, and screamed in unwillingness, but their feet continued to march forward into a hazy fog. 

"North." The Will of Purgatory spoke. "North from where you are, there are people attempting to make use of Purgatory just like you."

Harper looked at the Will of Purgatory but didn't speak. She had no reason to care about what other people were doing since she was just here to learn abilities from the Will of Purgatory.

"You may not care about it, but the more people manipulating Purgatory the less stable it becomes. There is a limit to how much it can interfere with the living world. Should they become as adept as you at manipulating it, you'll be directly weakened. Imagine it as you and an enemy pulling at a chain from opposite sides, the more people on their side the stronger the pull will be. As you continue to hold on you will have to exert a considerable amount of energy and should you slip up one time it will all be taken from you." The Will explained.

Harper started to pay attention at the mention of her being weakened. "So teach me something then," Harper grumbled. 

The Will of Purgatory smiled before she pointed toward the constant intake of people in chains. "I am teaching you, can't you see?" She asked. Harper looked at her then looked to those in chains before speaking.

"You've been making me watch these people walk for hours." She said exhaustedly.

The Will of Purgatory began to speak again, "There are seven circles in the plane of Purgatory. To even think about entering the depths of Purgatory you have to first gain an understanding. What do they all have in common?" she asked.

Harper narrowed her eyes as she looked at those in chains, they wore different sets of clothes and were all different ages. Some wore clothes stained in blood and others were clean. Their expressions were ugly and warped as they cried out or cursed venomously. "None of them want to go," Harper mumbled as she watched them enter the fog. 

"Correct. There are many unwilling to die and those who are are unwilling to be trapped here. You've taken the first step in entering the First Circle." The Will of Purgatory said as she placed a hand on Harper's shoulder. "Now return." As she finished speaking Harper woke up.

Ira, who was sitting across from her at the table, began to talk. "So? Learn anything?" He asked with undisguised curiosity. Harper then told him about everything that happened, detailing the Seven Circles of Purgatory. Ira heard the story and then came to a decision. "You aren't coming with me on the expedition."

"Why do I have to stay behind?!" Harper spoke in an aggrieved manner. "You're not staying behind, you just aren't coming with me." Ira shrugged as he ate some pastries. "...Then where will I go?" She asked as her eyes grew tearful. Since the time she had been rescued until now, she had been close to Ira or in his general vicinity. "North. There are reports of a cult up there and that's probably who you're looking for." Ira didn't show must interest as he spoke of the job. "Anyway, you go up there, kill the bad guys, and then come back. Easy enough, right?" he said in a self-assured tone.

"Y-yeah," Harper responded before she could say anything else Ira continued. "You can get help from that woman, she did say she would help you."

Ira stood up and stretched. "Well, It's time for me to leave. Find Samantha at the Mercenaries Union if you need help getting to the job."

He gave Harper a huge stack of money before he ruffled her hair. He left soon after, leaving Harper to stare at the door with uncertainty. She drummed up as much determination as she could muster. If she failed to stop others from breaching Purgatory she would be severely weakened which would be a waste of the bloodline formula Ira used on her. 

An hour later and at the entrance of the Capital, groups of carriages were stationed in a line. Various Mercenaries, Knights, Researchers, and Soldiers were occupying each one. Ira walked toward the group but stopped as his nose twitched. He sniffed the air briefly and then grinned. He could make out several familiar scents, but he set his sights on a cheap carriage near the front of the line. He confirmed his attendance with a representative before he made his way through the crowd and toward the carriage. Without a word he opened the door and climbed in. 

"Charles, long time no see." He smiled as he looked at the sickly alchemist.

The dark circles around his eyes looked as if they were made by charcoal. The gauntness of his face was also very off-putting, one would think he had been starved and deprived of sleep. Charles widened his eyes at the appearance of Ira before they sunk back down. He wanted to say 'For good reason.' in response to Ira's statement, but he refrained. "I didn't do anything." He declared in a victim-like tone. Ira looked at him and shook his head. "I never said that you did, Charles." He chuckled as he opened the curtain to the carriage so he could look outside. Charles shrunk back from the light as his eyes adjusted. 

Outside, a man who looked to be the "Guide" of the expedition began speaking, "Our destination is in the East. Our research teams have recovered signs of part of the Old Kingdom. We will enter with the goal of obtaining artifacts useful to the Kingdom, with the recent developments, failure is not an option." His voice reached all ears, the last part especially.

Those who were smart could see the potential chaos that could occur. "Now, I know some of you may hold thoughts of stomaching artifacts for yourself. We can overlook small things, but things deemed important will not benefit you. We will pay handsomely for the discovery of useful artifacts. Any attempts to smuggle things out will result in an immediate bounty of 75,000 being placed on the heads of those unwilling to comply. Should the person in question be very powerful the bounty will double and if they show deadlier resistance the bounty will continue to increase until they're dead. If you understand that, we can move." The guide finished speaking and mounted a horse. Just like that the expedition started, the weather was cold but the conditions were favorable and as they moved further East the weather would become even more favorable. 

Underground the Polyphemus patrolled the dried out remains of a once bustling city. Standing at 30-feet tall, the process of searching seemed very counterproductive, but that didn't stop the Polyphemus, in fact, it helped them. "Protect...The...King..." The mechanical chants echoed throughout the dark ruins. Rays of red light emerged from the orbs beneath their faces, they scanned over any and everything, but the buildings that still managed to retain their structure served as an obstacle.

Groups of Polyphemus stood outside of building they couldn't access due to their size, after a short period of time, the metallic skeletons being glowing with an orangish-red hue. Steam rose from the exoskeletons as their bodies reverted to a molten state. Soon the huge bodies began to compress in size, drops of liquid metal would occasionally splash the ground and fill the silence. 

"Protect...The...King..." The Polyphemus continued to chant with their newly adjusted bodies.

The mass of a 30-foot metal giant was now compressed to a more maneuverable 6-foot tall form. If any Mages or Alchemist could see the change they would go wild. The fact that they were automatons was amazing in and of itself. The truly jaw-dropping part was what appeared to be a limited intelligence, they could change their form under certain conditions in order to be more efficient. One could guess the previous 30-foot form was used to handle enemies numbering in the thousands, the Polyphemus appeared to be highly capable for manufactured machines. The truth was that was only the tip of the iceberg, they had many more abilities that made them formidable. 

"Protect...The...King..." They forced their way into the partially destroyed buildings as rays of crimson light scanned their surroundings.

They were intent on defending their "King" at all cost, it seemed to be a weakness. While it was amazing to show the ability to solve problems, they still carried out their directives even when the city was a ghost town. 

"Protect...The...King..." The Polyphemus continued searching the city for any threats until a few of them stumbled upon a tunnel. Not knowing how to proceed the Polyphemus went back to the city, all except one. "Protect...The...King..." It moved forward directly into the tunnel.

It had been a week since the expedition started, the journey was smooth and very little obstructions occurred. At the moment, the expedition team was resting, although they could travel through the night it would exhaust most people. Ira sat at a campfire with Charles, who seemed more like a captive than a guest. Conversations filled the air around them, but only the source of sound at their site was the crackling of wood and scribbling. Since Charles had nothing else to do he compiled his research. 

Ira was sprawled out in a lazy position, letting his head rest on a bundle of cloth. All of a sudden someone approached the campfire and stood over him. He opened his eyes and looked at the new arrival. A girl in a steel mask, adorning leather armor. Rhys looked at him through the mask but didn't speak, she couldn't help but notice he looked older than before, even if it was just slightly. As she stared at the 17 or 18-year-old looking youth he spoke up.

"You can sit if you want." He said as he closed his eyes again. Rhys sat down and looked at Ira, she wanted to speak but it was very difficult for her to do so. Suddenly, she turned toward Charles and looked at his notebook. 

"..." She pointed at it and then pointed at herself. Charles raised an eyebrow in confusion but eventually caught on, he tore a few pages and handed her a spare pencil.

Rhys nodded and began writing after she finished she flashed the paper toward Ira. [The air around you is strange.] 

Ira felt her movement and opened his eyes. He read the paper and chuckled, he sat up with some interest and looked at Rhys.

"Yeah? I could say the same for you," He said. Ira could sense something was off around her, it was almost like she was forcefully compressing something.

Rhys scribbled more words and then held the paper up. [Are you the same as me?]

Ira shook his head at her. "I'm not sure what you're asking. I don't even know your abilities."

Rhys hesitated before writing on the paper again. [I can control Lightning, it's a part of me.]

"What, like lightning magic?" Ira asked. Rhys shook her head no. "You can control lightning without magic?" he asked curiously. Rhys nodded her head in agreement. Charles suddenly burst to life.

"How is that possible?!" He shouted, causing a few eyes to turn toward their campfire. He quieted down and asked again. "How is that possible?"

"Is it something special?" Ira asked a bit cluelessly. Charles looked at him strangely before speaking. 

"Mana can be used in its raw form or converted into a natural element. To use lightning without converting mana is unheard of." He showed far more enthusiasm than Ira on the subject.

"Is it that rare?" Ira asked as he looked back at Rhys. 

"Rare? It's far more than that. Based on the origin forces theory there should be a force for each element. If one could use the pure force of fire they would theoretically be able to vaporize a person, now that's under the assumption they could wield it without being destroyed themselves. You know how you can manipulate the mana that pools within in you to some extent, right?" Charles asked rhetorically, but Ira looked at him weirdly.

"You can manipulate mana right?" He asked again for confirmation. Rhys looked at him and waited for him to answer. Ira stayed quiet for a second as he closed his eyes. 

"No." He answered after a brief moment. He attempted to feel for mana, but couldn't even notice anything other than what normally takes place in his body. 

"What! Then how the hell..." Charles stood up and shouted even louder than before, once again drawing the eyes of those surrounding them. He sat down and tried to calm himself. An array of questions popped into his mind and he couldn't help but look at Ira with wide eyes.

"How do you teleport without mana? Or use interspatial storage for that matter?" He asked with complete shock. Even Rhys showed a surprised reaction as a silent gasp escaped from her mouth.

"That's a secret,"  Ira responded with a grin. "Anyway, why did you come over here?" He changed the subject and questioned Rhys.

She held the pencil over the paper before shaking her head and writing. [Could you assist me in controlling or even stopping my power?] She held out the paper and slightly bowed her head.

Ira furrowed his brows and spoke. "What makes you think I could help you with that?" 

[As I've said before, the air around behaves strangely. You seem to cancel out some of my abilities, so I thought you were the best person to ask. I have no ideas of selfishly asking for help. I am willing to compensate you for your time.]

Ira thought for a second before speaking, "Alright, show me your ability."

Without saying anything further, Rhys stretched her hand toward Ira. Ira touched her hand and was immediately shocked with a small current of electricity. Other than tingling and numbness nothing really happened. 

"Are you using it?" He couldn't help but ask the force was far too weak to need assistance controlling.

Rhys nodded and released more power into her hand. Ira's muscles slightly contracted, but it still wasn't enough to spell danger. Seeing as it had no effect Rhys stopped forcefully controlling her power and slowly released more and more. Ira involuntarily flexed his muscle, the power didn't stop as it all poured in. Ira's fingertips were burnt black as the horrible smell filled the air, his skin began peeling under the power.

He tried to cancel it, but couldn't seem to figure it out.  As the electricity fried his veins and caused him to clench his teeth as his heart beat sporadically. Charles was busy murmuring to himself when the smell woke him up from his daydreaming.

"What are you doing?" Charles asked, but spark erupted from around Rhys and caused him to back away quickly.

"It's too dangerous!" he yelled, but they paid no heed.

The camp noticed the commotion and came to investigate only to see dangerous sparks of electricity expanding to the outward vicinity. Ira's body was rapidly repairing the would be fatal damage as he sought a way to control her ability. He felt there was something to be gained, but he failed to realize it. An obsessive glint shined in his eye as he refused to let go of her hand. Rhys was the same except her gaze was more hopeful than anything. His flesh being eroded and regenerated constantly, but he didn't seem to care.

He was failing to control her ability. He couldn't help but think that control was the wrong approach, and as they continued on they drew a crowd. People gathered around them, at a safe distance of course, and watched the odd spectacle. A few familiar faces were present at the scene, Lance and his party could be found in the crowd and even Carter the leader of the Smallthorn Guild watched. 

Ira suddenly opened his eyes wide as he had an idea. He figured controlling was the wrong approach so he would nullify it. Ira di