The town of Queen's Garden was supposed to be the last stop before Aldenmoor.
Two weeks had passed since Arin and Lia had fled the Veldryn estate, and in that time, they had traveled through forests and valleys, through small villages and quiet hamlets, always keeping to the shadows, always maintaining a low profile.
Arin had trained relentlessly.
Every morning, before the sun rose, he practiced his mana manipulation—refining his control, sharpening his pulse, learning to shape raw energy into something precise and deadly. Every evening, he studied the books Lia had purchased in the towns they passed through, absorbing every scrap of knowledge he could find about magic, about academies, about the world beyond.
And every night, he healed those who needed it—quietly, discreetly, with Lia standing guard like a hawk watching over her nest.
The healing sessions had become... intense.
Not because of the patients—most were simple cases, easily resolved. But because of Lia.
She had grown increasingly possessive over the past two weeks. When Arin healed someone, she stood so close she was practically touching him. Her eyes never left the patient, watching with a wariness that bordered on hostility. She refused to let anyone near him, refused to let anyone touch him, refused to let anyone even look at him for too long.
And at night, she held him.
Arin didn't understand it—not fully. He knew Lia was protective, knew she cared about him in a way that went beyond duty. But there was something else in her eyes now, something dark and hungry that made his stomach flutter with a strange, unfamiliar nervousness.
He didn't dwell on it. There were more important things to think about like he will qualify the entrance exam as an commoner.
---
Queen's Garden was a beautiful town.
It had been named after a queen from centuries past—a woman who had built a famous garden during her reign, a place of beauty and tranquility that had survived long after her death. The town had grown around that garden, its streets winding through groves of flowering trees and alongside bubbling streams.
But there was nothing tranquil about the way the townspeople looked at Arin.
From the moment he and Lia entered the town gates, Arin felt it—a prickle at the back of his neck, a sense of being watched. The townspeople stared at him with cold, unwelcoming eyes. Mothers pulled their children closer. Merchants fell silent as he passed. Even the beggars on the street corners seemed to shrink away from him.
"What's wrong with them?" Arin murmured.
Lia's hand rested on her sword hilt. "I don't know. But I don't like it."
They found an inn near the center of town—a modest establishment called The Weary Traveler. The innkeeper, a stern-faced woman with graying hair, took their coins without a word and handed them a key.
"Room's at the end of the hall," she said flatly. "Don't cause any trouble."
Arin wanted to ask what she meant by that, but Lia pulled him away before he could.
"Something's wrong," she said quietly as they climbed the stairs. "I can feel it."
"Maybe they just don't like strangers," Arin suggested.
Lia shook her head. "It's more than that. The way they looked at you—it was like they already knew who you were."
Arin's blood ran cold.
"Impossible. We've been careful."
"I know." Lia's jaw tightened. "But something's not right."
---
Night fell over Queen's Garden.
Arin lay awake in the small bed, staring at the ceiling. Lia sat in a chair by the window, her sword across her lap, her eyes fixed on the door.
She hadn't slept—not properly—in days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the Veldryn manor, saw Helena's cold smile and saw Arin smiling face.
She wouldn't let them take Arin. She would die first.
A knock at the door made them both freeze.
Lia was on her feet in an instant, her sword drawn facing the door .
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Then the door exploded inward.
The impact was like a thunderclap—a massive mana attack that smashed through the wooden door and sent Lia flying across the room.
She hit the opposite wall with a sickening crack, her body crumpling to the floor like a rag doll.
A visible crack spiderwebbed through the stone where she had struck, dust and debris raining down from the impact.
"LIA!" Arin screamed.
He tried to run to her, but strong hands grabbed him from behind, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.
The room filled with soldiers immediately .
They wore dark armor emblazoned with a crest—a sword with a serpent wrapped around it. The crest of House Garsion.
Arin struggled, kicking and clawing, but the arms holding him were like iron bands. He twisted his head, trying to see Lia, trying to reach her—
She was lying against the far wall, blood trickling from her forehead, her eyes glassy and unfocused. The thick wooden door had been slammed into her with enough force to crack the stone behind her.
"Lia..." Arin whispered.
"Quiet."
The voice was cold, female, and utterly devoid of emotion.
The leader of the soldiers stepped forward—a tall woman with sharp features and eyes like chips of ice. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and her armor was adorned with more elaborate crests than the others.
Mavis Sterling.
The commander in chief to House Garsion.
Lia had heard of her—a prodigy, a warrior trained from birth to serve her family's interests. She was rumored to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the empire, a woman who had never lost a battle, never failed a mission, never shown mercy to her enemies.
And she was here for Arin.
"Secure the Aria,the healer," Mavis ordered. "The warrior is secondary."
Two soldiers moved toward Lia, chains in their hands.
"No!" Arin screamed. "Don't touch her!"
He thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but Mavis's grip only tightened.
"Stop struggling," she said coldly. "You'll only hurt yourself."
Arin didn't listen. He kicked, he bit, he did everything he could—
And Mavis backhanded him across the face.
The blow was so hard that Arin saw stars. His head snapped to the side, and for a moment, everything went white with pain. His ears rang, his vision blurred, and he tasted blood on his tongue.
"Aria!" Lia's voice was weak, but he could hear the desperation in it.
"I said quiet." Mavis's voice was bored now. She raised her hand to strike him again—
And then—
A flash of light.
It came from the window—a brilliant, blinding burst that made everyone in the room flinch. Mavis raised her arm to shield her eyes, and in that moment of distraction, the wall exploded inward.
More soldiers poured through the gap.
But these soldiers wore different colors—white robes with golden trim, the emblem of the Healer's Guild emblazoned on their chests.
"Release the girl now!" one of them shouted. "She comes under the jurisdiction of the Healer's Guild!"
Mavis snarled. "She's a criminal! The Garsion family has the right to apprehend—"
"she's a healer! The Guild has authority over all magical healers!"
"she's a murderer!"
"That remains to be proven!"
The two groups collided.
---
The brawl that followed was unlike anything Arin had ever seen.
The Garsion soldiers were elite—trained from childhood in the arts of combat, their bodies honed into weapons. They moved with brutal efficiency, their strikes precise and devastating. Each one fought like a veteran of a hundred battles, their coordination flawless, their teamwork seamless.
But the Healer's Guild soldiers were no less skilled.
They fought with a fluidity that spoke of years of training, their movements synchronized like a dance. They used magic—healing magic, yes, but also defensive spells that deflected attacks and offensive spells that made the Garsion soldiers stumble. Barriers of light sprang up to block blows. Bursts of force knocked armored soldiers off their feet.
The room became a battlefield.
Furniture splintered. Walls cracked. The floor groaned under the weight of the combatants. Arin, still held by Mavis, could only watch in horror as the two forces clashed around him.
"You're coming with me," Mavis hissed, dragging him toward the door.
"No—"
Arin didn't think. He acted.
Mana surged through his body, and he released a pulse—a wave of cutting force that made Mavis stumble back, her armor dented.
She stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. "What the hell is that attack -"
But Arin was already moving.
He ran to Lia, falling to his knees beside her. She was still conscious, though barely, her eyes tracking him with a mixture of relief and pain.
As Mavis was going for Arin again she was hit by the guild attack magic. She grinned "I will deal with you first then" and soon very intense battle broke out between these two commanders
Meanwhile Lia saw arin come running towards her "Arin..."
"Hold on," he said, his voice shaking. "Hold on, I'm going to fix this."
He placed his hands on her forehead, and mana flowed through him.
The healing was quick—faster than it had ever been, fueled by adrenaline and desperation. He knitted the damaged tissue, sealed the broken blood vessels, eased the swelling in her brain.
Lia gasped, her eyes flying open.
"Arin—"
"We need to escape now"
He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.
The fighting was still raging around them—Garsion soldiers clashing with Healer's Guild soldiers, the room crumbling into rubble. Dust filled the air, making it hard to see, hard to breathe.
They stumbled through the debris, out into the night air—
And stopped.
The entire building was surrounded.
Garsion soldiers, Healer's Guild soldiers, and townspeople—dozens of them, hundreds, all standing in a ring around the inn.
And they were all looking at Arin.
"There she is!" someone shouted. "The murderer!"
Arin froze.
"What?"
"The girl who kills people in the name of healing! The one with the bounty!"
"Capture her! Get the reward!"
The crowd surged forward.
Arin's eyes darted to the walls of the buildings around them.
Posters.
Dozens of posters, plastered on every surface, bearing his illusion face likeness and Lia's.
**WANTED FOR MURDER**
**ARIA THE FALSE HEALER and her ACCOMPLICE**
**REWARD: 1,000 GOLD COINS**
Arin's stomach dropped.
"I didn't—I never—"
The mob descended on them.
Hands grabbed at Arin, at Lia. Fists swung. Clubs struck. The townspeople were not soldiers, but there were so many of them, and they were driven by greed and fear and fury. Arin felt a blow strike his shoulder, another his back. Lia was screaming his name, trying to reach him, but the crowd was too thick, too wild.
"Stop! Please!" Arin cried. "I'm not—I didn't—"
No one listened.
---
Seeing this mob lynching the Healer's Guild soldiers pushed through the crowd, forming a protective ring around Arin and Lia. Their leader—a woman with silver hair and a scar across her face—raised her hand, and a barrier of light sprang up, forcing the mob back.
"The girl is under Guild protection!" she shouted. "Any who harm her will answer to the Healer's Guild!"
But the Garsion soldiers were not deterred.
Mavis appeared at the edge of the crowd, her armor dented, her face twisted with fury. "she's a criminal! The Garsion family has jurisdiction!"
"she's a healer! The Guild has authority!"
"Murderer!"
"Healer!"
The two forces faced each other across the square, their weapons drawn, their magic crackling in the air. Between them, huddled on the ground, were Arin and Lia—bloodied, bruised, terrified.
The townspeople, caught between the two armed forces, began to panic. Some fled. Others joined the Garsion side, eager for the bounty. A few tried to help Healer guild in regards of any favor they can get for future, only to be driven back by the Healer's Guild soldiers as they don't trust them so easily and wanted to create space between them.
The deadlock held.
No one moved. No one attacked. The tension was a living thing, coiling in the air like a serpent ready to strike.
And then, Mavis smiled.
"Enough of this," she said.
She raised her hand—and the Garsion soldiers attacked.
The Healer's Guild soldiers were caught off guard. The Garsion forces broke through their line, their elite training giving them the edge. Within moments, the barrier of light shattered, and the two forces were locked in combat once more.
Arin scrambled to his feet, pulling Lia up with him.
He don't know what to do now.
But before they could move—
The sound of war horses heard in their ears.
---
They came thundering into the square, their hooves striking sparks from the cobblestones, their armor gleaming in the torchlight. At their head rode a woman with golden-streaked hair and eyes like flint—the same commander who had led the Veldryn forces at the estate.
Behind her, a banner fluttered in the night wind: the crest of House Veldryn.
"By order of the Veldryn family," the commander announced, her voice carrying across the square, "the healer known as Aria is under our protection. Stand down, or face the consequences."
The Garsion soldiers froze.
The Healer's Guild soldiers hesitated.
And the townspeople—those who had not already fled—began to back away.
Mavis snarled. "The Veldryn family has no authority here! This is Garsion territory!"
"This town falls under Veldryn jurisdiction," the commander replied coldly. "You are the trespassers here, Lady Mavis."
This was an disrupted territory and never been fully decided whom this palace belong.
The Healer's Guild representative stepped forward. "The Guild has authority over all magical healers. We demand—"
"You demand nothing." The commander's voice was like ice. "The healer is ours to prosecute"
"she's a murderer!"
"she's a child!"
The argument escalated.
Voices rose. Weapons were raised. Magic crackled in the air, and the townspeople—caught between three armed forces—began to panic.
Arin and Lia stood in the center of it all, surrounded, trapped.
In the midst of this another force arrived bit far from the conflict area
dozen shadows—figures in dark cloaks, their faces hidden, their movements silent as ghosts. They did not ride horses or carry banners. They simply appeared, as if they had materialized from the night itself.
The Veil.
Meanwhile on the battlefield the Garsion soldiers, the Healer's Guild soldiers and The Veldryn forces are still in standoff
And for a long moment, no one moved.
Four forces, each with their own agenda, each unwilling to back down. The Garsion family wanted Arin as a criminal. The Healer's Guild wanted him as a healer. The Veldryn family wanted him as an asset. And the Veil—the Veil motive was unknown as they work in dark and mysterious way.
And in the center of it all, Arin stood with Lia in his arms, his face pale, his body trembling, his eyes wide with fear.
"I don't understand," he whispered. "I don't understand anything."
Lia held him tighter.
"I know," she said. "But I'm here. I'm not going to leave you."
The three forces stared at each other across the square, the tension so thick it was hard to breathe.
And somewhere in the darkness, a clock began to toll midnight.
The first chime echoed through the town.
The second.
The third.
And on the fourth chime, the fighting began again.