From the start, Clay suspected something to be wrong. He was ready to strike if need be, and the moment the stone began to shift, there was no need for hesitation. Snapping around, he took a step towards Oliver, halting his essence in his right arm, reading himself to erupt it at close range.

  Oliver was a Weaver with power over earth. He knew from the only other Weaver, he ever met that he couldn’t give him time to control his element. They may wield destructive force like no other, but their body is just that of a normal human.

  Taking a second step towards him, the ground suddenly carved in, causing Clay to stumble, but he caught himself with his other leg. Halting the essence inside his trapped leg, he inhaled sharply, he only had one shot at this.

  At once, the essence inside his leg erupted, shredding his leg and the surrounding ground, as he was freed and propelled forward at breakneck speed. For the first time the cold, unblinking gaze of Oliver broke, as his brows rose in surprise. One moment Clay was about to be trapped and the next he was in front of Oliver, fist coiled and ready to strike.

  There was a slight rumble as the ground shot upwards to intercept his punch, he was so close to hitting Oliver head on, but at the last second the ground carried his body out of harms way, while a wall of solid stone blocked his vision. Being unable to stabilize his flow of essence, he had no other option than to unload his punch.

  There was no visible resistance as his arm broke right through the stone, as a spiralling pattern snaked along the stone, before it completely collapsed into small chunks. Both his left leg and arm were now shredded and would need time to heal. While the dust cleared and the last chunks of stone landed on the ground, he could only hope that it was enough.

  Before the dust could settle, the ground opened beneath him, swallowing him whole. Panicking, he erupted the essence in his right leg, and dashed away, only for the ground to rise around him as he escaped the pit, catching him midair, as the dirt slowly shifted and accumulated around his body, compacting with each second. It was as if the very earth became alive, like a snake coiling around its prey.

  Ignoring that his arm wasn’t full healed yet, he erupted it again, blasting a large chunk of the dirt away. For a moment, the dirt around the explosion didn’t move, losing its life, but his feet were trapped as if stuck in quick sand. Erupting them again, he tried to escape, ignoring the pain that shot through his mind.

  Sadly, there was no escape, as the dirt always found some way to trap him again. Before the fight even began, were his reserves of essence critical and after using his Eruption so many times in quick succession, he had little reserves left. He needed to drink a vial of Ichor.

  He couldn’t feel his arm and when he erupted it a final time, and the dirt cleared from his vision, he saw from a glance that it was more bone than flesh. His bone was broken and shifted into weird angles, as squirming muscles and flesh desperately tried to keep the construct together.

  Ignoring the sight, he tried to reach for his belt, where the vial was. If he could just replenish his essence, he might still have a chance. He somehow managed to grab it, even with his pinky broken away to the side, holding on by a strap of flesh and his thump pushed into his palm, the surrounding flesh trapping it.

  Shaking, he slowly brought the vial close to his mouth, only for a spike of stone to rip right through his wrist, pinning it into the ever compacting coffin of dirt. Crushing the vial, he licked what he could from his hand, as dirt surrounded it, resulting in him eating more dirt than anything else.

  From the start, the Ichor was of poor quality and so little didn’t really help. It was over. There was no possible way for him to win this, his vision was blurring, his body laid in ruins, his reserves of essence were critical and to top it off he was completely trapped. Was this how he would die?

  Looking up, he finally saw Oliver, he was still standing but supporting himself on his cane. Seems like his earlier punch, did something after all. He noticed movement to the side, as Mia rushed towards Oliver with her dagger in hand. She was quick, and there was no hesitation as she plunged it deep into the side where his heart would be.

  For a moment he had hope as Oliver buckled over, but this hope was crushed as an armor of stone revealed itself, which blocked most of the force. Quickly, the ground opened up and swallowed Mia whole, until only her head was sticking out. She couldn’t use Eruption, so there was no way to escape, they were trapped… Wait, they were trapped, not dead.

  If he was out to kill us, the spike from earlier would have been aimed at my head, not my arm. Right, he mentioned they needed more Ascended for the next Conjunction. For us to draw essence away we must be alive, so his intention was never to kill us, concluded Clay.

  Slowly rising Mia from the ground in a coffin of dirt not much different than Clay’s he moved them besides each other, while he slowly sat down, a small stool forming under him. Resting himself on his cane, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and just sat there in silence. Realizing they wouldn’t be immediately killed, restored Clay his inner circulation, slowly healing his body.

  No one spoke until Oliver sighed, rubbing his left eye while his right one stayed open. Reaching into his coat, he retrieved his eye drops and dripped them into his eye, smearing them with his lower eyelid. Leaning his head to the side, he was clearly lost in though as he stroked over his bald head, “How embarrassing.”

  Confused, they waited for Oliver to continue. “That… escalated. Well, it’s my fault for leading you here without explaining properly. I would really like to punch something, right now. God, how could I have been so careless? I should have expected this. I guess, you didn’t have the leeway to talk before taking action.”

  Frowning, Clay asked, “Talk? Sorry, with someone as dangerous as you, there is too much risk. I mean, leading us into some small basin in the mountain range, some hundreds of meters away? Somewhere where we couldn’t run away? What did you intend to do with us if not to get rid of us?”

  Shaking his head, he stood up and bowed deeply. “I apologize, I acted without thinking. I got notice from the virus. I would have confronted you directly about it, but I feared you would escape the city and I couldn’t allow that, not only because we would lose two Ascended but also because this virus is too much of a risk.”

  “So instead of talking to us, you lead us here?! To make sure we wouldn’t run?” asked Mia with a hateful glare.

  “Yes, I acted on impulse,” replied Oliver, ashamed. “My priority is to protect this city. You have seen the state of the world, the countless small communities that try to come by, the lawless that are free to do whatever, and the endless surge of ever mutating beasts, which we have trouble keeping track off. The world became not only hostile to humans – we became an endangered species.

  “We are at a turning point for civilization, and the most important thing is to have a place where we can converge and gather. The Vanguard is one of the few places within hundreds of kilometers that fits such a description. We need to fortify, establish a secure location to store resources, preserve information, and conduct research to understand what’s happening. Only then can we even decide on a proper course of action”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Sitting down again, his bulk of a body collapsed, becoming fragile. “It’s hard, especially after the first Conjunction. The people are scared, food is scarce and there is no possibility to get more due to the winter. Most of the surrounding villages and ruins have already been plundered. The walls hold strong, but the space it protects is far too little, as people stack house upon house to just squeeze a few more people inside, but still most life outside.”

  Shaking his head, he explained, “You might have seen it, but most of the people outside the wall are the elderly, the sick, the disabled and crippled… even a few children. There just isn’t enough space and if you can’t work you are left behind. During the first Conjunction, the first that were ripped to shreds were those people. Those too old to run, those that couldn’t see, those that were too emaciated to fight. It was a slaughter…”

  Taking a deep breath, Oliver’s bulk returned, as his unwavering image reappeared. “A strong leader that doesn’t falter no matter what. That is the picture that the people need to have from me. Someone they trust their life with, as I push each one of us to work harder. Each day, I push a little more in the hope of saving a few more people in the future. But if this virus were to break out inside the city, this workforce that pushes towards a new civilization would die. That’s a risk I cannot take.”

  “So what will you do with her?” asked Clay eerily. His body recovered to a large extent, he was ready to give his life if it meant he could save Mia.

  “I’m sorry, but there is no other way than to isolate her, into this basin,” declared Oliver. “This basin is close enough to the city for her to draw power away from the Conjunction, while the beast cannot reach her. Should her virus ever break out, I can contain it here by closing the passage, ensuring the safety of everyone else.”

  His eyes widening in rage, Clay asked, “So you want to imprison her?! Keep her contained for how long? A year? Two? Five? Ten? For the rest of her fucking life?! Like some tool!”

  Standing up he walked closer saying, “I’m sorry, but for the moment this is the only way.”

  “Oh, and just letting us leave is no option, you hypocrite?! Talking about greater good and such nonsense while imprisoning a child!”

  Stop!” Mia screamed, prompting Clay to whip around, eyes wide with betrayal. “Why?!”

  “Enough!” replied Mia while tears trailed down her cheeks, “It’s enough... I will stay here.”

  “Mia, why would you–? There is still so much for you to see, your whole life is ahead of you… You can’t just throw your freedom away like that!”

  Smiling in an attempt to hide her tears, she said, “It’s fine. I just can’t run anymore. What beauty is in a world of ruins? There is nothing left to see Clay, the world has collapsed.”

  Shaking his head in frustration, Clay screamed, “You liar! We promised to not lie to each other, and yet you lie. Do you think I do not see the pain in your eyes when you say it’s fine! Nothing about this situation is fine!”

  “Could you please calm down–”

  “Don’t tell me to calm the fuck–”

  There was a slap that resonated in the basin as Oliver grabbed Clay’s head with both hands and pressed it against his own and spoke through clenched teeth, “Don’t you dare think I make this decision lightly! I know that it’s wrong, but the whole world is wrong! Stop acting like a child and get a grip on yourself! I don’t plan to keep her forever, I will provide you with anything that you need and will put as many resources as needed in finding a solution to her problem. If we have utterly failed and tried every possible solution, then you two are still free to leave. Please stay, and if only for a few months!”

  Taken aback, Clay closed his eyes, taking a deep breath he forgot his surroundings for a moment. There was a sense of clarity as his raging emotions receded. Opening his eyes, he took a step away from Oliver… Looking down, he noticed he was no longer trapped. How immature of him.

  “Right,” replied Clay, still a little dazed, while Mia came over to him and embraced him in a tackle. “You Idiot! Your arms and legs…” taking a glance, her eyes filled with worry. “Stop being so selfish! I need you alive, you hear me?! Alive!”

  He rose his hand in attempt to reassure her, “I’m fine. Really, it’s just a scratch.”

  Eyes widening, Mia suddenly gagged, averting her eyes. Bewildered, Clay looked at his hand only to realize that his thump was still inside his palm, squirming flesh trying to push it out to heal the wound.

  Focusing he strengthened the circulation around his hand, directing more essence towards it, there was a deep, pressurized sensation – like a swollen pocket of pus ready to burst – just before a sharp crack echoed through his hand, and his thumb snapped back into place.

  Wiggling his thump while his palm finally fused itself shut, he sighed. Who was he trying to fool? Himself? That fight was a close one, he hadn’t held back, he thought there was real danger and was prepared to give his life.

  Mia locked eyes with him, her expression stoic as she said, “That will always be disgusting, you know that, right?”

  “I know,” replied Clay dryly, “just be glad you don’t have to feel the burning sensation that comes with the healing.”

  Taking his hand and stroking over his palm where the wound was just moments ago, Oliver looked fascinated. “Clean like a newborn. Yet firm like leather, what in god’s name is your body? I have never seen such regeneration before. I was about to get a medical emergency. Not to mention the destructive power you just demonstrated.”

  Pushing his hand away, Clay scoffed, "Says the one who pushed me to the brink of death without me landing a single hit."

  Glancing at the sky, Oliver smiled, “You know… I just saw death. If I hadn’t prepared that spell for the wall beforehand, I could have died. A single misjudgment could have led to either of us dying.”

  Stretching Clay, rolled his shoulder flexed his body, making sure everything was properly healed. “That’s just how it is. Death is our constant companion from here on out. Should this Conjunction as we suspect really repeat itself, we will never be able to rest.”

  Taking a deep breath, Oliver suggested, “We should continue this conversation tomorrow. I need time to reflect about this dilemma. I carved a cave into the mountain for you over on that side. There are some sleeping bags and several blankets. Again, I’m sorry about this, but the risk is too great. Should, for whatever reason, the mask of Mia break or be taken off, it would risk our hope of rebuilding civilization.”

  Glaring at Oliver, Clay took as sharp breath. "I agree. It's been a long day, and I'm in no state for a rational conversation. Also, bring Jake with you, will you?"

  Nodding, Oliver turned around and left, the stone closing behind him as he left them alone in the basin. The moment Mia was sure he was gone, she kicked Clay against the shin. “You are an impulsive, piece of shit!”

  Showing little reaction, Clay embraced her in a firm hug. “I’m sorry. For a moment, I really thought that it was over for us.”

  Tears welling up, she returned the hug, clawing at his back. “Why are you just so careless with your own body?! Usually you are calm and rational. Attacking Oliver like that? It was not only stupid, but also dangerous, it’s not like you.”

  Stroking her head, Clay nodded. “I know. I just had to take the opportunity. I feared for your life.”

  Pushing out of the embrace, Mia gave him a firm slap on the checks. Before he could recover, another four followed. “What was our promise?”

  “That I will protect you and care for you. That I will show you the world,” replied Clay, but seeing Mia glare holes through him, he sighed. “I promised to stay by your side, to care for you, and to live long enough for you to see the world and all the splendors it holds.”

  “Have I seen all the splendors of the world?”

  “No.”

  “Then don’t you dare to die on me,” declared Mia fiercely. “All the pain you go through just to protect me? I agree to be confined into this basin because we need time. Time to find a cure, time to get stronger, time to rest,” grabbing his hand, she explained, “but also time to live.”

  "You’re right. I think it’s finally time we let ourselves adjust to everything that’s happened. Even now, it sometimes feels like we’re stuck in one long nightmare. The loss we suffered… we haven’t really talked about it, let alone started to come to terms with it. I know isolation is the last thing you need, but I’ll make it work. No – we’ll make it work. Together."

  Averting her eyes for a moment, Mia seemed depressed before nodding and asking, “Should we head to bed now?”

  Smiling, Clay grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder walking towards the cave Oliver had pointed out, all the while she fiercely struggled to escape. “Clay! Let me down! I told you to stop treating me like a child!!”

  Weaver - are those who form a core at their spine which acts as their Root, through which they can control an element like earth.