“Fascinating.”

  “What do you mean?” The pale man asks the girl, who places her hand onto the barrier’s rune.

  “I suspected that this would be the case.” The girl states as she turns away from the invisible barrier that flashed blue at her touch.

  “The humans are more clever than I thought.”

  The man follows the girl as she walks back to the Plaza entrance. “So we can’t get in?”

  The girl sighs, “Yes, my Smith, we can’t get into the basement to study that container, but we’ve learned something very important tonight.”

  “Which is?”

  The girl lifts a finger to her chin, tapping it. “It may be possible that the humans don’t need the heads. They might have learned to use our magic all on their own.”

  The man stops before the door.

  A rain of red smoke descends, consuming the exterior of the Plaza.

  “A flare?”

  The girl scowls. “Yes, my Smith, a flare. I don’t know if it was fired in response to us, but we need to get out of here regardless.” The child snaps her fingers.

  A flash of blue light sparks from them, and with it, the Mystic and her Smith disappear.

  The arrow speeds through the air.

  Hurtling under the night sky and above the heads of the people of Rome.

  It flies forward until its journey is suddenly halted.

  The audience gasps, then quickly grows silent.

  The priest runs for cover.

  Tendo ducks to the ground.

  Loeb rushes forward.

  Vanessa goes pale.

  Cassandra remains frozen.

  Gelmidas clenches a fist.

  And Adamus holds the arrow in his hand with a grin that soon turns to shock.

  “Metal?” He examines the arrowhead. It rusts as he touches it and crumbles to dust.

  The beast is shouting at him now. It had told him to catch the arrow, and now it screams out at the metal until it turns to ash.

  Adamus finds himself confused, but as his Father turns to him, he can only cry out to Loeb and the other guards, “The Scorched Archer is here!” He cracks the arrow and reaches for his bracers.

  Surprisingly, Vanessa is the one who holds him back. “Not here!” She shouts as she trades a look with Gelmidas. That single glance tells both of them all they need to know.

  Gelmidas curses himself for being so careless as he restrains his son. “Let the guards handle it!”

  Adamus escapes his Father’s grasp, rushing off with Loeb and the other guards. “She tried to kill me, Father, I have every right to defend myself!”

  Vanessa grips Gelmida’s arm as Adamus runs off. “You haven’t told him?”

  “Only Davon and the other Warbound knew.” Gelmidas grunts.

  Vanessa’s eyes widen.

  She was right.

  A smirk crawls along her face. “I see…”

  As Adamus runs, Cassandra’s eyes hold on the private viewing loge.

  She watches in wonder as the archer slips away from the guardrail.

  “It’s her…” She mutters in disbelief before running off into an exit with the rest of the crowd.

  There are two routes to the loge. Adamus and the guards will choose the quickest one, but Cassandra knows that Nadeden will take the second and more discreet one.

  She also knows that Nadeden will make her way to that route immediately after being spotted.

  If Cassandra is fast enough, she’ll be able to save the woman whose legend gave her the strength to push forward all these years.

  She can hardly contain herself.

  She’s going to do it.

  She’s finally going to meet the Scorched Archer.

  Smith looks over the guardrail to find Gelmidas still alive with Vanessa Soryu at his side.

  “Did you miss?” They ask, knowing that Nadeden never misses.

  Nadeden’s hands tremble as she places the bow back in her satchel.

  “You…” She can barely speak.

  Smith steps over to her.

  Nadeden’s eye has glazed over. Tears silently fall from it.

  “Nadeden?”

  Smith places a hand on their friend. “What’s wrong?”

  Nadeden gazes into Smith’s dark eyes before gripping their shoulders.

  “Smith, you need to listen to me very carefully right now. You have to get out of here.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” Smith firmly states. Nadeden knew they would say that.

  “You don’t understand, everyone down there knows that I’m here, but no one knows you. You can still run away!”

  Smith shakes their head. “I don’t care, I’m not leav-”

  Nadeden wraps her arms around them. Holding Smith tightly one last time.

  “Adamus is alive, Smith. Those Machinists you told me about are alive. Go to them.”

  Smith falls from her arms as she pushes them to the doorway.

  “But I-” Smith calls out to Nadeden as she stands on the guardrail and grips a banner beside her.

  “We’ll find each other again.” She smiles. “Just like we always do.”

  Nadeden holds the banner with both hands as she swings from it, leaving Smith alone at the doorway.

  Their fingers tighten on the Bandana wrapped around their palm.

  The Bandana that Nadeden had given them to ease their pain.

  They scratch at it before running down the stairwell.

  Adamus dashes past, Loeb.

  Overtaking all the other guards in his pursuit.

  The beast is roaring within him now. He could let it out. He should let it out.

  But Vanessa was right.

  He can’t do it here. Not with all these people around.

  But it bites at him, begs him, until finally, he decides that a small bit couldn’t hurt.

  He darts up the spiral staircase, loosening the strap ever so slightly to let loose a single claw.

  The bone peels out of his skin, erupting in a burst of blood as Adamus rushes forward to strike out at the figure running from the hall.

  The blade of bone meets metal of blood.

  “YOU?” Adamus blurts out in surprise at the pale face that greets him.

  “You’re not the Scorched Archer.” The blade cracks the metal, turning it to dust.

  Smith stumbles backward. How did Adamus do that?

  None of the metal Smith has summoned has rusted so far.

  They gaze at the young man’s torn tuxedo with the claw of bone protruding from the sleeve.

  Smith suddenly remembers what Nadeden had said. “You’re Adamus?”

  The young man cackles. “Of course I am! I’m Adamus Atheneum, son of Emperor Atheneum and the glory of Rome! I didn’t catch your name before, but judging by your current demeanor, I’m guessing that you did have something to do with Davon’s death and, more importantly, something to do with the Scorched Archer. Where is she?”

  Loeb and the other guards run up the stairwell and into the hall surrounding Smith on all sides.

  Smith stares at Adamus’s claw, then at their bleeding palm.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  They bite their lip, hesitating before ripping off Nadeden’s bandana and shoving their palm to the floor.

  It takes a pool of blood to summon the metal walls that Smith slams through the floor beneath them. They fall and roll onto the scattered bricks with a thud, forcing a recovery as they clutch their drained arm.

  The metal cries out to them as Adamus rusts it with his bones.

  Smith isn’t fast enough to escape the explosion of debris that follows Adamus breaking through the floor after them.

  Chunks of the coliseum pin Smith down as Adamus’s blade lands next to them.

  “Where’s the woman?” Adamus demands, still atop Smith.

  The sheer weight of him is enough to dig the jagged edge of a brick into Smith’s skin, cutting it.

  Smith uses the blood from that cut to summon a spike that launches both Adamus and the rubble off of them.

  Adamus leaps backward, recovering in the blink of an eye and rushing forward even faster.

  Smith grips their drained arm with their left one, swinging blood from it to cast another wall.

  Adamus rusts it with a slash, growling, “That’s a neat trick! Wanna see mine?” He rips the bracer off his left arm, where the blade is ripping at his skin. He allows the beast control of that side and that side only.

  His bones tear out of his flesh, growing to a size that consumes the hall and sends Smith tumbling down the next flight of stairs.

  The wedding’s attendees flock out of the Coliseum as Nadeden runs across the top of it.

  She can only hope Smith is safe as the red flare fires out of the Plaza’s roof.

  Her mind races with her every step. How is Adamus alive?

  How much has he changed?

  Should I try to talk to him?

  No.

  That’s a terrible idea.

  Just like leaving Smith was a terrible idea.

  I shouldn’t have left them behind. We both should have left together.

  But I can’t let them be caught with me. I need to wait until I know we’re both safe to go after them. Please, Smith.

  Please be safe.

  The black of the night sky is consumed by red as Nadeden leaps off the Coliseum and onto the tower beside it.

  Cassandra reaches the end of the hall.

  She had to break through the swarm of attendees to get here, but it was worth it. It was all worth it.

  She spots a figure turning around the corridor.

  Finally, she thinks as she straightens her hair and wedding gown.

  I can do this. I can help you, Nadeden. I can- “What are you two doing here?” She asks the Mystic and Smith in annoyance.

  “Basement is locked, we saw the flare and came to see if you were alright.”

  Cassandra’s eyes narrow on the child below her. “You’re lying.”

  The Mystic shrugs, “I’m surprised you caught that. I suppose I underestimated your social awareness.”

  Cassandra stomps her foot down. “Look, a lot is happening right now. I need you two to either help me find someone or get out of my way.”

  The Mystic looks to her Smith, then to Cassandra. “Is the person you’re looking for the Scorched Archer, or a pale human by chance?”

  Cassandra is taken aback, “How did you-”

  “They arrived at midday. We were watching both of them before we raided the Plaza.”

  The Mystic sighs, “This isn’t the way I wanted to contact that Smith, but I suppose someone has to drag them out of this mess they’ve made.”

  Adamus’s speed and raw power far outclass Smith, who struggles to even catch a breath amid the unrelenting swings of the beast.

  They have been lucky enough to avoid being fatally wounded so far, but they’ve suffered massive blood loss from the amount of metal they had to summon. It’s only a matter of time until they slip up.

  They have to be careful and think strategically.

  What did Nadeden teach them?

  Smith leaps out of the way of the beast’s hulking claws.

  Adamus stands still, allowing the creature to make use of his body to dispose of this bothersome pest. “Feel free to surrender anytime you’d like!” He laughs as the beast strikes out again.

  Smith twists away from the creature, gripping their wounded palm again.

  They have a plan, but if it’s going to work, they have to act faster than the beast.

  The blades swing down the stairs again.

  Smith jumps, pointing their palm beneath them as the blood turns to metal.

  The spike launches Smith forward to grapple Adamus.

  They shove him down the spiral staircase, the beast goes with him.

  Smith falls to the floor, covered in sweat and gasping for breath. “I guess grappling really is what I would be doing most of the time!”

  They laugh to themselves as Loeb and the guards surround them again.

  Smith’s vision begins to blur as Loeb places the plastic handcuffs on them.

  Blood is still leaking from their body. They need to summon more metal. They need to get out of here.

  They need to find Nadeden.

  Smith fights it as best they can, but the deep, unwanted slumber of unconsciousness still takes them. Loeb holds Smith’s limp, beaten body as the little girl steps into the hall.

  “There you are, my Smith.”

  The guards all glance at the child, baffled by her sudden appearance.

  She sighs, “I had hoped you men would be gone by now, but alas…”

  She snaps her fingers, disappearing along with Smith in a flash of blue light.

  Loeb reaches for his blade, swinging it out to meet empty air.

  The guards all silently judge him.

  Sweat breaks down Loeb’s brow.

  “It would be best if we didn’t tell anyone about this.”

  The guards all nod in agreement.

  Nadeden makes her escape through the tower she’s landed on.

  She snatches a fresh coat and pulls the hood over her head as she abandons her satchel.

  By the time the crowd exits the wedding, she’ll have made it to the bottom floor.

  Once she slips into the flood of people unnoticed, she’ll make her way back to the Bioship she left at the Spaceport and wait for Smith.

  But if the entire planet has been alerted to her presence, the Spaceport will be locked down. Not to mention that the Division soldiers she left in the ship’s hatch have no doubt escaped by now and told their superiors what happened.

  Nadeden has to rule out the Spaceport as an escape option.

  She would call Granix down right now, but Smith is the one with the pebble.

  She has nowhere to run but into the city.

  So be it.

  If she keeps her head down and manages to make contact with Smith, she still has a shot at getting both of them out of here.

  She reaches the bottom floor and opens the door as the Coliseum bursts apart in a hail of debris.

  Nadeden is knocked back into the tower as Adamus rises and calls the beast back into his arm.

  Smith had tossed him down the stairs, but the beast continued to roll forward, smashing through the wall.

  Adamus looks upon the destruction he’s caused with regret as he swears to himself.

  “Wretched Scorched Archer, wretched beast, wretched everything…”

  He kicks a rock.

  It falls onto Nadeden.

  She stares at her son, who stands over her with torn clothing and a bloodied face.

  “I found you.” Adamus grins in triumph.

  “I don’t doubt that I could kill you myself, but I’ll admit I’m pretty tired, and I imagine there are plenty of people who want to see you put on trial.” Adamus laughs at his Mother as he kneels down to her.

  “Shit…” Adamus scoffs at Nadeden’s burnt eye. “You’re uglier than I thought you’d be.”

  Nadeden finds herself at a loss for words.

  Her surprise at Adamus’s survival has now turned to horror.

  He had smashed through that wall using that thing that escaped back into his arm.

  It looked like his very bones had split through his skin and been pulled back in.

  Nadeden doesn’t know how Adamus survived the fire that night, but one thing is for sure: whatever it was that saved him couldn’t have been natural.

  “Hello?” Adamus waves a hand over Nadeden’s eye before snapping his fingers in her ear.

  “Are you still alive?”

  Nadeden flinches, shivering. “Adamus…” Her words shake with her body. “Your-”

  “Oh! You know my name? That’s shocking, I thought that most planets outside of Division rule didn’t know I existed.”

  Nadeden shakes her head as she tries to stand. “I… I didn’t…”

  Adamus shrugs. “Well, guess I’m wrong. Live and learn, I suppose.”

  Adamus snatches her arm. “Anyway, you’re coming with me. Someone has to arrest you after all, and I-”

  He meets her eye again as the hood of her coat falls to her shoulders, exposing her face to the light. Her gray hair falls with the hood.

  Adamus squints at her burn.

  Nadeden’s wooden foot strikes the rubble.

  Adamus looks down at it.

  He suddenly becomes very aware of the burns that have covered his back for as long as he can remember. He reaches a hand backward to scratch at his spine.

  Adamus finds that he can only express his thoughts in a simple “Huh…” before Division and Republic soldiers alike make their way over to him and Nadeden.

  “About time!” He calls out as he hands off Nadeden to a moustached sergeant.

  Gelmidas and Vanessa arrive on the scene with their jaws dropped and their faces white as ghosts.

  “I did it, Father!” Adamus exclaims. “I caught the Scorched Archer!”

  He tosses his arms around Gelmidas, only to be met with silence.

  “What did you do to him?” Nadeden asks Gelmidas as the sergeant restrains her.

  Adamus steps away from his Father, chuckling, “What’s she talking about?”

  Nadeden doesn’t fight the sergeant as he places handcuffs on her.

  “You didn’t tell him, did you, Gelmidas?” She mutters from across the pile of debris.

  “Tell me what?” Adamus yawns, still worn down from his fight with Smith and far too exhausted to care about the Scorched Archer’s ramblings.

  Gelmidas stares at his son in concern. The look is enough to frighten Adamus. He's never seen his Father like this before.

  “Tell me what?” He asks again, more urgently.

  Gelmidas adjusts his glasses as he breathes out a heavy sigh, “She’s your Mother, son.”

  Adamus glances at Nadeden.

  Her scorched eye stares back at him as the sergeant holds her.

  A tear falls through the contorted skin.

  Adamus can only laugh, “Alright, good joke! It’s certainly been a fun night, but-”

  His denial fades as he gazes at his Father’s weeping face.

  “You’re… You’re being serious?”

  Adamus reaches back to touch the burn on his spine.

  His hands slowly become fists.

  The burns match with what little memory he has of that night.

  Adamus wants nothing more than to deny it, but all of the evidence is right in front of him.

  The Scorched Archer, whose reign of terror engulfed the universe throughout the bloody half-century of war, is his long-dead Mother.

  She somehow survived that night.

  She somehow pushed forward, spreading her fear and violence throughout the universe just to get here.

  To him.

  To fire that arrow at him.

  To help kill Davon and possibly kill Gelmidas.

  This evil woman.

  This pure embodiment of death is the very woman that gave birth to him.

  Adamus glares at Nadeden with blazing eyes of fire.

  “You should have stayed dead.” He states through gritted teeth before shoving past his Father.

  “Adamus-”

  “With all due respect, Father,” Adamus plucks the crown off Gelmidas’s head, dropping it to the rubble as he marches off.

  “Go fuck yourself.”

  Nadeden and Gelmidas watch as their son fades away into the crowd that has formed around them.

  He wanders into the city. The only destination he has in mind is anywhere other than where he is.

  Vanessa keeps her gaze on the people of Rome as Adamus leaves.

  Most are silent, but a vocal protest slowly ignites among them. Some reach out to Nadeden to attack her. As the guards bat them away, a handful go off in search of Adamus.

  The incident becomes a boiling pot, anxious to spill over.

  Gelmidas orders the moustached sergeant to drag Nadeden off to a holding cell as rocks are pelted at her.

  The white cape of the Republic flutters in the night wind over the debris. It still rests on Vanessa’s shoulders as she smirks and adjusts her beret.

  She should say something to the people. Address them somehow. But no, not yet.

  Fate has smiled on her tonight.

  Everything has worked out in her favor.