The ground cracked beneath Lif's feet as he lunged again, his breath turning to mist. He swung hard — a straight right, clean and full of weight — but Teris brushed it aside with nothing more than a shift of his arm. The impact rippled through the air, snow dust flicking off Lif's sleeve.
Teris's movements were too smooth, too effortless. He wasn't dodging he was flowing, every step folding into the next.
Lif landed, slid, then twisted into a kick aimed at Teris's head. Teris bent just low enough, caught Lif's leg mid-spin, and pushed — sending him sprawling backward.
From the side, Jenna, Mary, and their parents watched, frozen. Their eyes kept darting between the two — between Lif, panting, fists frosted and raw, and Teris, who barely seemed winded.
Liora, hidden high up in a nearby tree, clutched the edge of a branch, eyes fixed on Lif. She knew Teris. She knew what he was capable of.
Lif, in midair, thrust his palm forward — sharp bursts of ice scattered like glass bullets. Teris barely blinked; a ribbon of water coiled around him, spiraling upward, breaking every shard as if it were paper. He stood there, water swirling lazily around his wrist.
"Kid," Teris said casually, "if you're trying to hit me, you're doing a horrible job."
"Shut up!" Lif yelled, gritting his teeth
He charged again, fists crackling with cold air, the ground beneath him freezing over. His strikes came faster — a blur of anger and desperation. Teris moved like water itself — weaving, parrying, deflecting with nothing but timing. Every swing missed by inches, and every miss stung worse than a hit.
Lif tried one last rush — a tackle. Teris sidestepped and caught him by the shoulder. That's when he saw it — the burn stretching across Lif's back, deep and scarred, shaped like branching lightning veins.
The teasing faded from his face.
In one motion, Teris spun, using Lif's momentum to lift him midair, then pressed him down gently but firmly. Lif struggled, frost forming beneath them — but Teris didn't move an inch.
"Stop," Teris said, his tone dropping. His hand brushed the edge of the burn. "You've been carrying this the whole time?"
"What are you talking about?" Lif snapped.
"These." Teris's voice softened. "Your muscles are half-dead from it. Lightning does that — fries the nerves, locks movement, slows blood flow. No wonder your body's fighting itself."
Lif blinked. "I… didn't know."
Teris sighed, and a soft blue light shimmered across his hand — not a spell, just raw water mana pulsing through his palm. He drew it slowly across Lif's back. Steam rose, faintly glowing. The skin healed under his touch, the black burns fading to pale scars, then vanishing altogether.
Everyone watching froze.
Even Liora, hidden above,
When Teris stood, the water faded, and the silence was thick.
Lif sat up slowly, flexing his arm. "...I feel lighter," he murmured. "Why… why would you heal me? Weren't you supposed to kill me or something?"
Teris smirked faintly. "The king ordered me to catch or kill you. But personally?" He looked at the beaten guards on the ground. "That was their job." He shrugged. "Didn't work out so well for them."
"So you're just letting me go?" Lif asked.
"You're what — fifteen?" Teris asked, half-joking.
"Thirteen."
"Thirteen, huh. I've got a kid your age." He smiled, tired but genuine. "I can't fight a child. Especially not one that barely understands what he's fighting for."
Behind them, Jenna whispered to her sister, "He's… helping him?"
Their father folded his arms, still tensed. "That man's too calm for someone who just fought a criminal."
Their mother just shook her head, whispering, "No… he's different."
Teris brushed dust off his cloak, then turned to Lif. "Can I ask you something before I go?"
Lif blinked, wary but nodding.
"Your mana," Teris said simply. "It's not normal."
"What?"
"I've seen a lot of magic in my life, kid. Your mana's strong — way too strong for your age. But it doesn't feel like yours. It's… layered. Like it belongs to someone else too."
Lif frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
Teris sighed and waved it off. "Maybe I just need my glasses again. Princess Liora broke them during training once."
Lif's eyes widened. "You're… Liora's master?"
Teris grinned. "That's me."
Lif's face shifted — from shock to something lighter. "How's she been?"
Teris chuckled softly. "Growing faster than anyone I've seen. Her mana control's unreal. She learns in days what takes others months. Her grasp of Thalora is almost flawless already — and she's only fourteen. At this rate, she'll outdo me before she's fifteen."
Lif smiled faintly. "That's… great."
Teris nodded once. "You've got spirit, kid. Just not control. Work on that before you start fighting kings, yeah?" He turned away. "I'll tell the king you escaped. Easier for both of us."
He walked off through the trees, water swirling faintly at his heels.
The family just watched him go, no one daring to speak.
Lif stood silent — his back healed, but his mind tangled.
---
A few minutes later, deeper in the forest, Teris slowed. The trees whispered with the night breeze.
He didn't look back when he spoke. "You can come out now."
A small gasp came from above.
Liora froze — crouched high on a thick branch. She hadn't moved, hadn't even breathed too loud. Yet he'd still caught her.
"How…?" she started.
Teris chuckled, turning his head slightly. "Please. I saw you watching from the moment I arrived. Thought I'd let you finish your little observation first."
Liora sighed, dropping lightly to the ground. "Damn it."
"Language, princess."
She crossed her arms. "You always do this."
"I always see this," he replied, smiling. "Now, tell me — what's your relationship with that boy you were spying on?"
Liora froze. "He's a… friend."
"Or maybe a crush?" Teris teased, smirking.
Her eyes narrowed like blades. "You really don't value your life much, do you?"
Teris laughed. "You sound just like your mother."
Her glare softened slightly. She looked off toward the faint glow of the village. "He's the one who saved me," she said quietly. "When I was taken. Him and his friends… they got me out, kept me safe, brought me home. Then Father lied — said Lif went back home. But he didn't. He locked him up. For a year."
Teris didn't interrupt. He could hear the tremor in her tone — calm, but lined with guilt.
Liora's voice dropped. "He lied too, though. He never told me he had a constellation."
Teris looked at her carefully. "Maybe he didn't want you to see him differently."
Her expression flickered. "Maybe," she whispered.
For a while, neither spoke. Only the soft sound of water dripping from the leaves filled the space between them