“Alright, are we all good to go?” Tucker asked, sitting in his wheelchair.

  Ofnir held his thumb up with a grin as all the watchmen were on the platform. “Are ya ready, lads?”

  “I suppose,” Blaire said.

  Alex gave a nod. “We’re ready.”

  “Aye, say no more!” Ofnir signaled the runesmith to start the teleportation device as the platform shimmered with light blue energy.

  “Thanks for all the help Ofnir,” said Tucker.

  “Don’t sweat it lad. I would say try not to die, but it seems like that would just be jinxing ya.” Ofnir cracked a smile followed by a heartfelt laugh. “Just take care of yourself.”

  “Will do till next time.” Tucker gave a simple nod as the humming sound echoed through the area.

  Tucker held onto the armrests of the wheelchair. They were all wearing their standard watchmen attire with their green clothes and face masks down. It had been a while since they left the Order, and the rookie couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. He felt his body briefly float in the air for a moment, and the insides of his stomach churn. Soon, a blinding light engulfed them, and the force of gravity hit their bodies once more. Pulling them back to the ground with a loud thud as they returned to the same gothic arches they had seen before.

  His head spun for a moment, along with the jolting pain of his broken legs coursing through his body. Tucker struggled to stay focused but soon felt someone hold onto his shoulder.

  “You good?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, I’m good. It wasn’t so bad this time—”

  “Owl!”

  The voice interrupted them as they turned their head towards May and Mark. Behind them were several more watchmen who rushed towards the three as they moved off the platform. Tucker sat there and watched as May and Mark wrapped their arms around Blaire with tears in their eyes. He didn’t utter a single word and stayed motionless while more people approached them.

  “Salamander!”

  Another group of watchmen called out to Alex, who raised a brow and released a small chuckle. Seeing this, Tucker gave the old man a gentle nudge with his elbow. “You should get going too. It seems like the others must have heard what happened.”

  “What about you?” Alex asked.

  “I’ll be fine. I need to head to the infirmary anyway and have a priest see me.”

  “You want me to accompany you?”

  “I’m good,” Tucker replied, grabbing onto the top of the wheels. “Besides, it seems like you have some friends waiting for you.”

  Alex gave a subtle nod. “I’ll check up on you later.”

  “You worry too much, old man.” Tucker dismissively waved his hand and slowly began pushing himself down the corridors.

  He looked back for a moment, through the dimly lit stone hallway and arches at the people surrounding Blaire and Alex. His comrades were well-loved, and it showed. Yet a sense of sadness held onto his heart. Tucker held onto the wheels and lightly pushed it forward as the creaking sound reverberated against the walls. There was no one waiting for him, but it was fine. He hadn’t done enough and knew of his shortcomings. The only thing he could do now was move forward and try to be a better version of himself. One step at a time.

  As Tucker’s wooden wheelchair shook against the rigid surface of the stone tiles. A gentle push from behind him moved him forward. He glanced over his shoulders and stared at the old man with a long grey beard. Their blue robe with gold embroideries along the seams was eye-catching, but what drew his attention the most was the large circular iron frames of their glasses.

  “Charles? What are you doing here?” Tucker asked.

  “I heard you chaps had returned, so I figured I would stop by the platform and say hello,” Charles replied with a smile. “But to my surprise, I saw someone leaving all by his lonesome and figured he could use some company.”

  Tucker let out an awkward laugh. “Did I look that pitiful?”

  “I wouldn’t say pitiful is the right word for this situation.” Charles carefully pushed Tucker down the hall. “But I do see a young fella going through a period of growth.”

  Tucker kept his gaze forward as the light from the magic lanterns passed over him. “It really doesn’t feel like I’m going through much growth.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “It just feels like I’m not good enough, or I keep making mistakes, and I can’t help but blame myself for it.”

  Charles quietly thought for a moment. “Well, it sounds like you’re comparing yourself to the other two too much.”

  “Am I?” Tucker quietly asked.

  “You are. I’ve seen many young watchmen go through this,” remarked Charles with a slight smile. “Alex is an exceptional watchman who has been in the field for generations, and Blaire—despite being a tad bit cold and stubborn has performed many challenging feats that defined his career.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “I don’t get what you mean.”

  “What I’m trying to say is that no one is exceptional from the moment they are born. They are built up slowly by what they experience and are defined by key moments in their life. You simply haven’t lived through enough of those milestones.”

  Tucker clenched his worn trousers with a downcast gaze. The wheelchair jolted briefly, passing into the infirmary, where priests cared for the wounded. There were hardly any watchmen in the area, and the single priest sitting on their wooden stool looked up from the book they were reading and smiled.

  “My, it seems I have a patient.” The priest kept her face hidden behind the darkness of their white hood and stood up. “Please, help him to a bed.”

  Her peaceful and soothing voice calmed Tucker’s heart, but he frowned and glanced at Charles. The subtle nod from his elder made him a bit uneasy. However, before he could do anything, two custodians appeared from the side of the chambers and lifted him onto the bed before them.

  “Greetings, Bishop Mary. It’s our pleasure to be under your care,” said Charles, slightly lowering his head.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” replied Mary. “Now, how may I be of assistance?”

  “The poor fella here seems to have broken both of his legs.”

  “Hm… I see... well. It’ll only take a brief moment for me to heal him.” Mary leaned closer to Tucker’s face. Her smooth pale skin, like the moonlight, and almond-shaped violet eyes were the first thing he noticed. Then, her short black hair that stopped before her shoulders.

  She held her hands above his bandaged leg, slowly unwrapping the linen fabric, and examined the wound. Soon, a glimmer of admiration crossed her face. “Whoever treated you must have been a noteworthy field healer.”

  Tucker thought back to Ofnir and Fargrim and nodded. “I guess you could say that.”

  “Let me just check the other leg as well.” Mary unwrapped the linen fabric on the other leg and nodded. Examining the torn flesh on the side of Tucker’s calves. The bones were properly aligned with the splints, and a healing potion was applied to stop the bleeding. “Do you feel any discomfort moving them?”

  “Besides the stinging pain from the wound, not really,” Tucker replied.

  “That’s good.” Mary smiled and held her hands slightly above the wounds.

  A faint golden glow emerged from her hands, followed by a soothing warmth wrapping around Tucker’s legs. Charles’ eyes widened at the sight of divinity overflowing from the priest, but just as it started, it ended. The moment took no more than a few seconds, but that was all she needed.

  “Try moving your legs now,” said Mary.

  Tucker raised his left and right leg slowly and raised a brow. “Well, I’ll be damned. That was a lot easier and painless than expected.”

  Mary quietly giggled. “You have the person who treated you to thank for that. It must have been very painful to have your bones forcefully realigned like that. But because of their hard work, I didn’t have to tear through your flesh and align them myself.”

  Tucker worriedly stared at Mary, who revealed a charming smile with her head tilted. He turned to Charles and watched as his friend looked the other way.

  “I see… I’ll make sure to thank them then.” Tucker nervously stared at her, causing their eyes to meet. Mary tilted her head to the side, with her hair falling to the side. She curiously waited for what Tucker was going to say next.

  Meanwhile, Charles slowly backed away with the other custodians and watched from afar. He couldn’t help but silently laugh at this development. The two custodians also shared this settlement. Yet the next words caused their expressions to turn grim.

  “Have you ever killed a demon before?” Tucker asked.

  The light from Mary’s eyes faded, and her expression hardened. “I have. Why do you ask?”

  “Because we encountered one on our last mission and nearly died.”

  “Hm…” Mary sat back down on his chair with a distant look in her eyes. “I can see why that would be the case. Normally, you would need to kill it with divinity or destroy whatever it has as a catalyst, but it’s hard to tell what type of demon you fought.”

  “It had ashen skin and two black horns—”

  “No, no, that’s not what I mean. Some demons are summoned through contracts or sacrifices. Others merely enter our plane through a temporary gate between our realms, but if that was the case, they would weaken over time.”

  “So it’s not just about their appearance?” Tucker focused on her expression to see if there were any changes but sighed once he saw her shake her head. “Then, if we don’t have divinity, how would we kill it?”

  “It would have to be through sheer force, but you’re too weak for that,” Mary answered. “If you ever run into a demon again, I would advise you to run.”

  Her response caused Tucker to flinch. “And what if I can’t?”

  Mary remained silent, unable to answer his question; seeing Tucker’s bitter expression made it even harder for her to answer earnestly. If she had told him the truth, it would only have angered him, and soon, the young watchman rose from the bed and gestured at Charles for them to go.

  “You can keep the wheelchair for whoever else needs it, and thanks for the treatment.” Tucker walked past Charles, who wore a blank stare, and went down the hall to the training area.

  Once Charles saw this, he gave an awkward smile at Mary and thanked her for her services before chasing after Tucker. “Wait! Why are you in such a rush?”

  “Because I can’t afford to waste time,” Tucker replied without sparing a glance. He continued through the stone hallway. Passing by the other watchmen and members of the order with powerful strides.

  “Tucker, were you not listening to a single thing I said chap?” Charles hurriedly walked beside Tucker and stared at him. “It’s okay to move at your own pace—”

  “No, it’s not Charles!” Tucker furiously shouted, and as they entered the empty training yard, he stopped. "You don’t realize the extent of how terrible it is to always drag my team down! Every single issue we’ve run into could have been resolved if I was just a little bit stronger. Every single fucking one!”

  Charles quietly stood there and stared at the back of the young watchman before him. He could see the frustration mounting on their shoulders. A common sight he had seen throughout his years and one he could relate to. Since he was the weakest recruit since the Order’s founding.

  After a moment and a deep breath, Tucker shook his head. “I’m sorry to yell. I’m not mad at you but at myself because it really is just like that. If Alex had left me to die on the last mission, I wouldn’t have blamed him. I would have wanted him to do that, but he tried to save me.”

  Charles stroked his grey beard and quietly listened.

  “I used to think I was the best. That I could easily handle any problem that came up and move through the ranks with ease.” Tucker gazed at the stone ceiling above him. Watching the faint traces of mana fade from the crystals that lit up the area. “But mission after mission, I realized that I was just a na?ve and immature brat. One who couldn’t deliver and pull his own weight when it mattered the most.”

  He turned around and stared at Charles. “I almost got Alex killed, and that feeling where things could have changed if I was just a little bit stronger. It just tears me apart.”

  Charles took a deep breath and nodded. Sometimes, the ones who were the hardest on themselves were the ones who couldn’t see their own value, and that was Tucker right now. In ordinary circumstances, he would have gained more experience and grew gradually through the Order, but times were different. They were at war, and one simple misstep could easily cost them their life. The young boy in front of him wasn’t scared of dying. He was scared of burdening those around him, and there was no easy way to help Tucker grow. So Charles helped in the only way he knew.

  With light steps towards the weapon rack, he took two dull iron swords and threw one at Tucker. “I can’t help you ease your worries. Nor can I help you see your value because that is something you must realize yourself, but…” Charles rolled up his sleeves. “If there’s one thing I excel at, it’s killing those who are stronger than me.”