Nikolai donned the white robes of a hospitarium healer and all but collapsed into his chair, body heavy as lead. Exhaustion gnawed at every fibre of him.

  He had lost count of the dead. After the third brothel, the slaughter blurred into a red haze. He had moved from room to room like a shadow with teeth, leaving nothing living in his wake.

  He had expected more resistance — perhaps a seasoned fighter or two among the guards — but only a handful had proved worthy opponents. A few shallow cuts still marked his skin, long since closed by his own magic. It was not his body that ached now, but his mind.

  Soothe still burned steadily in the back of his thoughts, a warm, unnatural calm that kept him upright. Without it, he suspected he would already be curled in bed, shaking, half-broken by what he’d done. Even so, the night was not yet over. His reserves remained full — the essence he’d taken from several guards ensuring he could keep going, whether he wished to or not.

  A thunderous knock broke his reverie. The door swung open to reveal Lazgrim, face set in a storm.

  “Get your lazy arse out here, lad — there’s work to be done!” the dwarf barked, voice brooking no argument.

  Nikolai blinked, forcing his thoughts into order. “I’m coming.”

  Lazgrim’s eyes narrowed. “You reek of blood, boy. What have you been doing?”

  Nikolai’s expression did not shift; Soothe kept his gaze flat, his tone level. “Perhaps we can discuss that later, teacher. We have work, do we not?”

  The dwarf’s scowl deepened. “You might want to ease off that spell. Overuse will twist your head, and right now you look more killer than healer.”

  He knew Lazgrim was right — frightening his patients would serve no purpose. He drew back the magic’s hold. The tension in his frame eased; his eyes softened from icy stillness to their usual calm.

  “Better,” Lazgrim grunted. “Now move. And fair warning — the master’s here.”

  A cold line traced down Nikolai’s spine. “Moulin? …Shit.”

  “She’s on a rampage,” Lazgrim said with a grin. “Been asking after you. I’ve kept her off your back since you came from the crypt, but now you’ll have to face her.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll talk to her.”

  They stepped into the waiting hall — and into chaos.

  Nurses and healers rushed between patients: gaunt men, trembling women, bodies bruised, sick, malnourished. Few were in immediate danger of dying, but the sheer numbers meant the week ahead would be relentless.

  At the centre of it all stood Moulin — a beacon of authority — her deep voice cutting through the din, her gaze sharp as a scalpel. She moved from patient to patient with swift efficiency, barking orders that were obeyed without question.

  Her eyes found him immediately. She smiled — all teeth, all kindness on the surface — but something coiled behind it made him wary. He had long suspected she was far more dangerous than Vitzer, and the Gr?vling saint had always unsettled him.

  She strode toward them, the crowd parting instinctively before her. “Work to do, children,” she said briskly. “Stop gawking and get to it.”

  For hours, Nikolai worked without pause. Somewhere among the rescued he spotted the girl from the first brothel, huddled between two others, her eyes still hollow.

  Eventually, his body demanded rest. He slipped into a side room — a half-forgotten break space — where a few exhausted souls lay sprawled in uneasy sleep.

  Moments later, Moulin entered. She pointed at him without preamble. “We need to talk, student. Come along.”

  Nikolai repressed a groan and followed Moulin deeper into the building until they reached one of the smaller gardens — a secluded patch of green where conversation could pass unheard.

  Moulin lowered herself onto one of the few benches. The air was thick with the gentle perfume of flowers, though it did nothing to ease the knot of tension in Nikolai’s chest.

  He sat beside her. For a while, neither spoke. They simply watched the breeze stir the leaves and send petals drifting lazily across the path. Finally, Moulin sighed.

  “You’ve caused quite the situation, dear…”

  Nikolai kept his gaze on the garden and gave a small nod. Lying to the Gravling saint was useless; he suspected she knew most of what had happened already.

  “I know.”

  Her fingers tapped the armrest in a slow, measured rhythm — a subtle pulse of irritation. “Why go so far?”

  Nikolai gave a small shrug. “That’s a good question… I could tell you it was empathy, outrage, a righteous urge to save everyone trapped in forced servitude. And that’s partly true. But if I’m honest, those aren’t the real reasons.”

  “Go on,” she urged.

  He watched a bee hover over a blossom before settling on it, legs brushing against the pollen. A faint smile touched his lips.

  “Revenge played a big part. More than that, it was an opportunity. Since arriving in this world I’ve felt… penned in. Like I was being led on a leash. I wanted to break free, to walk my own path — to be who I want to be. Unapologetic. Uncompromising.”

  He gestured toward the bee as it drifted away in search of another flower. “I want to be true to myself, Teacher.”

  Moulin’s eyes softened, but there was worry there. “Does killing people in a burst of outraged vigilantism count as being true to yourself?”

  Nikolai hesitated, then nodded. “In a way… yes. When they kidnapped me, and I saw the people they brought for me to heal — it broke something inside. I’ve always known how cruel people can be, but it was distant before, an abstraction. Now it’s personal. And I have the power to act on my convictions… so I did.”

  Moulin’s lips curved into a smile that caught him off guard. “So you’ve shed some of that naivety, then? We were hoping you would.”

  Nikolai’s brow furrowed. “I’m starting to feel like I’m playing into your hand again…”

  She chuckled warmly. “Oh, dear boy — of course you are. More importantly, you are doing exactly as you are supposed to. As you say, we each have a path, and staying true to it is the most efficient way to grow stronger. Those who compromise, who stray and doubt, they will falter and stall in their progression.”

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  He opened his mouth to reply, but she raised a hand to forestall him.

  “Don’t misunderstand, Nikolai. While we nudged you along, your own choices have gone far beyond what we predicted. You’re our student — we give you the tools, and you decide how to use them. The path is yours, and no one else’s”

  Nikolai rolled his eyes. “Don’t expect me to believe you haven’t had a hand in almost everything that’s happened to me. Honestly I would have expected more condemnation from you, you being a literal saint and all..’’

  Moulin poked him hard, ‘’that title was given to me by people, not by the divine. I am me, and I walk my own path. What’s wrong with removing filth? Why should I be mad that you took on the role of cleaner of the city? Slavery isn’t legal in this kingdom, and the laze bastards letting things get this far are to blame. No dear, I do not judge you, I applaud you. I understand that the world, from which you hail is a gentler one, but here, you reap what you sow..’’

  Nikolai smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, ‘’thank you.. I appreciate it. My world wasn’t gentle though, not all of it. Where I lived, sure, but in other places it was worse than anything I’ve seen here.’’

  Moulin studied him with kind eyes, then put a paw on his arm. ‘’You really should stop relying on the soothe spell so much dear..’’

  Nikolai flinched, he was still burning it at a pretty high volume, but was honestly afraid to stop at this point. ‘’I know.. I.. I’m not sure how bad it will be when I do though. I don’t have the leeway to be an emotional wreck right now..’’

  Moulin’s paw tightened on his arm, ‘’it is a crutch dear, you need to feel! Don’t run from yourself, soothe spells are a great tool when healing, when fighting, or when the world hits you harder than you can handle. It is however just that, a tool. Don’t do it all at once, but dial it back, lesson the intensity.’’

  Nikolai clenched his hands, and did as she asked. Emotions that had been suppressed began roiling around inside him, the mana coursing through him responding in kind. His hands shook uncontrollably, and he struggled to contain everything inside. Anger, but without any real target, frustration, joy, relief, perhaps even love.. There was so much of it, and he had been suppressing it for long enough that there was no real outlet.

  The emotions he felt now had no real cause now, they were just that, emotion. That made his frustration grow, which annoyed him, and it became a dark cycle for him. Moulin’s paw on his shaking hands cut through it all, a cold balm in the inferno that his interior world had become.

  ‘’Breathe Nikolai, acknowledge your feeling, but then let them go. Accept them, but do not let them rule you.. Emotions are indicators, the brains response to what our soul tells it to feel. Control it!’’ She said, her voice soothing and stern at the same time.

  Nikolai tried, he delved deeper, to the core of his being and found a certain tranquility there.

  His mana flowed through his body, so did the blood and energy inside of him. At his center was what his metaphysical core, his soul perhaps? It was tranquil, objective, unchanging.. Everything else might be moving and rushing, but his very core seemed calm.

  He had heard of astraunauts seeing earth from space for the first time, and how for some their perspective would change. Conflicts between nations, grudges and petty jealusies suddenly seemed so insignificant, and Nikolai had a similar feeling now.

  It wasn’t that the emotions went away, but they began feeling less important somehow.. Slowly his hands stopped trembling, and even slower a smile began forming on his lips.. ‘’Alright.. I think I’m okay.’’ he told Moulin.

  Moulin nodded in approval, ‘’good, you did well. Now, let’s continue our conversation shall we?’’

  Nikolai sighed, then refocused, ‘’Okay, I have a question i’ve been wanting to ask, have you been watching me the whole time? I almost died several times, and you never intervened.. I know that someone was watching — until recently at least..’’

  He finished the sentence with a small grin that was only a little forced, and her expression cooled slightly, which only made his smile widen.

  “Vitzer was furious. You broke his scrying mirror. How?”

  Nikolai’s grin turned sly. “Now now… information isn’t free, is it, Teacher?”

  “Oh, you’d better wipe that smirk off your face, Nikolai Travelion. I’m still leagues stronger than you, and don’t think I won’t hurt you if you get too cheeky.” She punctuated it with a punch to his arm — harder than he expected.

  He winced and rubbed the spot. “Alright, alright… sorry. Still not telling you that secret.”

  Moulin arched a brow. “Then let me guess.” Her gaze flicked to his ears. “You’ve changed, dear. My guess? You struck a deal — a serious one — with a being of considerable power. You gave up something in exchange for this sudden growth, and I’d like to know exactly how much of a fool you’ve been.”

  Nikolai stayed silent, so she continued. “If I had to refine my guess… one of the lower-tier gods, maybe tied to the elves. They offered skills; you paid with something dear to you… or bound yourself to service. Am I close?”

  He tilted his hand in a see-saw motion. “Somewhat. But I’m not sure I can trust you with the truth, Moulin.”

  “Good,” she said, the approval in her tone edged with something unreadable. “You’re learning. But you can trust me, dear.”

  Nikolai studied her closely — and, to his surprise, he truly did feel he could trust her… at least to a point. That was when the familiar image of scales appeared in his mind’s eye, tipping and swaying as he weighed the information he could offer against what she was currently giving him — which was nothing.

  He tilted his head slightly. “How about we make a deal, then?”

  Moulin paused, her eyes narrowing. “A deal? You’re still the na?ve boy, aren’t you? That simple question says more than you realise. Did you perhaps… no, you won’t say. Very well, let’s hear your terms, student of mine.”

  Nikolai cursed inwardly. This woman was sharp — too sharp. His own question had already spun threads of suspicion in her mind. He’d have to tread carefully.

  “Alright,” he said at last, focusing again. “I’ll explain what happened to me, how the changes you see came to be, and why. In return, you share none of it with anyone. You keep offering advice if I seek it. And…” he considered for a moment, “should I have need, you’ll allow me to send people your way — people who need care — and you’ll keep them safe until I can collect them or send instructions.”

  He checked the scales again. To his surprise, they still tipped slightly in Moulin’s favour. Apparently, the value of this information was far higher than he’d thought.

  Moulin studied him for a long, measuring moment before nodding. “A steep price. But knowledge is power, so I understand the weight of what you can tell me. However…” her voice softened slightly, “you’ll need to offer Vitzer the same opportunity. I cannot, in good conscience, keep secrets from my husband.”

  Nikolai considered it, then smiled faintly. “If you give me a rune or an item of sufficient value, I’ll do so. Vitzer has never struck me as kind, and he still bears responsibility for bringing me here. I’ll offer him a deal — but it must be worth my while.”

  Moulin let out a low growl, a rare crack in her composure. “Nikolai Travelion, I’ve been kind to you. I’ve helped you where I could, welcomed you into my home, and taken you on as my student. Do those things count for nothing?”

  He hesitated. They did count. As he weighed it, the scales in his mind shifted, evening out. It made him wonder — could he have done something differently with Kaelith’s bargain? Had he overlooked something? No… now wasn’t the time. But he would remember this. Perhaps emotions and past kindnesses had more weight than he’d given them credit for.

  He gave her a small, apologetic smile. “You’re right, Moulin. Forgive me — I’ve been ungrateful. I’ll offer Vitzer the same chance, as a token of appreciation for your kindness and hospitality.”

  Moulin nodded firmly. “Thank you. Dear me, you really have changed in the short time we’ve been apart, haven’t you?”

  Nikolai’s smile dimmed into something sadder. “Yes. I have. It scares me a little. Just out of curiosity… how did you know I was behind all the commotion?”

  Moulin rolled her eyes. “You weren’t careful enough, dear. You’ve got some growing to do if you want to remain in the shadows. You healed people in the brothels, but they also saw you use dark magic to kill their captors. It wasn’t exactly difficult to connect the dots.”

  Damn, she was right. Healing them hadn’t been the most discreet choice. Perhaps he should have waited, or left them as they were. But… no. That would have been cruel.

  “I couldn’t leave them in that state,” he said quietly.

  Moulin’s expression softened into a gentle smile. “Good. That means you haven’t changed too much. You haven’t lost your humanity.”

  “Thanks…” His voice wavered slightly.

  “So,” she said, “about our deal, Nikolai — am I safe in assuming it’s magically binding?”

  He took a slow breath, pushing away the images of broken men and women. “Yes. I can’t say exactly what will happen if it’s broken, but understand this — the consequences will be… significant.”

  Moulin inclined her head. “Then I accept your terms, Nikolai Travelion. Tell me your story.”

  He took her hand, and the bargain was struck. The connection thrummed between them, and he saw Moulin’s eyes widen as she felt it too. Deeper still, beneath thought and bone, a string tied to his soul quivered — and through it, he felt a faint pulse of approval. Perhaps the Sovereign of Twilight was watching after all.