“You’re here to help me?” Alice repeated. It was impossible to tell what thoughts were passing through her head behind her murky, crimson eyes. Her gaze pierced into Noah’s as if she were trying to peer into his mind. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

Noah scratched at his chin. “To be totally honest, I really don’t care much one way or another. It’s no skin off my back if you fail, but I’m sure Kyyle would be disappointed. He’d probably be pretty embarrassed.”

Cyn said nothing. He seemed content to watch the scene playing out before him unfold. That was definitely for the best. Any of the other disciples would definitely be able to poke holes in Noah’s bullshit faster than popping a balloon.

Fortunately for me, they aren’t allies. None of them are going to step in to help Alice when she’s their opponent. Cyn already showed he was willing to help out a little by backing up some of the half-truths I said, so I was pretty sure he wouldn’t screw me over out of nowhere.

I do wonder what his angle is, but I should probably stay focused on one thing at a time. If Alice doubts me for even a second, my ass is going to be fried.

“And why should I believe you?” Alice asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and cocking her head to the side. “Kyyle has never doubted my strength before. I do not need help. Especially from the likes of those who contain their power to such a degree. What do you fear? Why is it that you do not stand before us with your full strength? No. I think it more likely that you are lying.”

Uh oh. Time to up the stakes.

“You haven’t failed before?” Noah asked. He arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting. Why would he come to me for help if you haven’t failed? Seems rather illogical. Are you certain?”

He wasn’t lying. Kyyle had come to him for help. Definitely not in the way Noah had framed things, but the fact of the matter hadn’t changed. Kyyle thought Alice was at risk of losing. He wouldn’t have stooped to asking a mere Rank 5 for help if he’d believed anything else.

And if he felt that she had a chance of failing, there had to be a reason.

At least that was what Noah hoped. There was always a chance that Alice was literally the perfect disciple and Kyyle was just trying to make a test a bit easier on her to reward her hard work and give her some breathing room. But, somehow, Noah doubted that to be the case.

The flicker of hesitation that passed over Alice’s features proved that he’d struck home. Somehow, somewhere, she’d fallen short. Noah didn’t need to know how or when. All that mattered was his words had somewhere to take root.

“And what is it you offer? What power do you wield?” Alice asked. “It would be far easier to convince me of your words if you revealed the strength you claim to have.”

Can’t exactly be doing that.

“Do you really want to waste time on something like that?” Noah asked. “Every second we spend speaking here is a second that Carmen gets closer to that rune.”

“Better to delay than to leave an unsheathed blade at my back,” Alice replied. “You are suspicious — and the fact that Cyn hasn’t left yet means Carmen is nowhere near the rune. She’s never had particularly keen senses. I am not concerned.”

“You should be,” Noah said. “Underestimating your enemy is the fastest way to lose.”

“Then I most certainly shouldn’t underestimate you, should I?” Alice asked. “Either you’re a liar and a weakling attempting to use me for your own purposes… or you expect me to believe that you’re more powerful than I am.”

She’s a whole lot sharper than I thought. I was really hoping she’d be a bit more meatheaded. How is she so calm when her rival could be stealing the rune right out from under her nose in the time she wastes talking with me?

Shit. She’s going to pick my story apart if she gets enough time to pry at me. I have to up the stakes.

“How good are you at sniffing out a liar?” Noah asked.

“Better than most would expect.”

“Then look into my eyes,” Noah said, holding her gaze unflinchingly. “I can honestly say that there’s absolutely nothing you can do to cause anything more than an inconvenience for me. That is the gap in our powers.”

And technically, neither part of that is a lie. The gap in our powers is just going in the opposite direction than the one I implied.

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“Is that so?” Alice asked. A small smile played across her features. And that, more than anything else, told Noah that he wasn’t going to like what was coming. “Then let’s bury this discussion and put that to the test.”

Alice’s finger twitched.

There was a wet thunk by Noah’s feet.

He looked down. His left arm laid on the ground before him, severed clean at the shoulder. The cut had been so sharp that it hadn’t even started to bleed yet. That was quickly rectified. Blood spread across the ground to soak into his shoes. It poured down the side of his body in a rushing river — and a second later, the pain slammed into him like a hammer.

What the fuck? What kind of magic was that? I didn’t feel anything. Didn’t see anything. There wasn’t even any time to react!

Surprise and pain warred within Noah. They desperately tried to burst free, but Noah bound them down before they could reach his features. He couldn’t let so much as a single thought through.

The pain was bad, but he’d felt worse. And Alice would certainly do worse if she saw him show even the faintest bit of weakness. He had to pretend to be stronger than her. Someone stronger than her wouldn’t have lost their arm so easily — unless their arm didn’t matter.

His arm was nothing more than a hair. And nobody flinched when they got their hair cut.

Noah drew on Unstable Pandemonium, reaching for the elements of Natural Disaster within it. He drew the heat from the air as he brought his hand to the stump of his wound. A crackling sizzle rose as the smell of burning flesh rose into the air.

But not once did Noah let his gaze stray from Alice’s.

Their eyes remained locked until the bleeding had stopped and the wound was nothing more than a charred stump. Then Noah hooked a foot beneath his severed arm and kicked it over to Alice.

“Did you want that?” he asked, watching the limb skid to a stop by her feet. Noah was proud to find that not even a hint of the pain he felt showed through in his voice. He just sounded like he was talking about the weather. “You could have just asked.”

Alice’s brow furrowed. “I… what are you? What manner of magic do you have?”

“I’m just glad you were smart enough to test that on something this body didn’t need,” Noah said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you satisfied now? Or are you going to give me a trim while you’re at it? If you are, I’d like to request a wolf cut. I’ve always thought I’d look good with some bangs.”

Cyn’s head jerked to the side. Not in response to Noah’s words, but to look straight through a wall as if it wasn’t there.

He set off without a word, striding down one of the many winding paths that littered the maze.

“Shit,” Alice said. She turned on her heel to stride after Cyn. “Come, then. We’ll see what you’re capable of.”

Noah grinned.

Gotcha.

He hurried after her, only pausing to grab his severed arm out of the growing pool of blood it laid in. Noah jogged to catch back up with Alice, holding the arm out as he arrived by her side.

“You forgot this.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Why’d you cut it off, then? This is such a waste of good flesh. You could have gone for a finger or something, you know. It’s certainly one of the most roundabout marriage proposals I’ve ever seen. Regrettably, I do have to refuse. Our partnership is going to have to remain purely business-related.”

“What are you on about?” Alice asked as they turned a corner. “Have you lost your mind?”

Noah was blathering and he knew it — but his arm really did hurt like a bitch. It was a whole lot easier to repress pain during a fight. Talking was the second best way to keep himself from showing anything through his features.

“Well, you cut my arm off. That’s a very direct way to ask for someone’s hand, don’t you think?” He shook his missing arm at Alice. “But, as I was saying, not interested.”

He was particularly proud of that line. It was a pun that his mind never could have come up with if it wasn’t half-addled with pain.

Pain that Alice was now subjected to. Her features twisted in distaste at the awful pun. It was definitely a good thing that Noah had waited to say it until after Alice had convinced herself he was telling the truth, or she probably would have killed him on the spot.

“Why did Kyyle seek someone like you out? Is he really that concerned that I’m going to lose a fight to Carmen?” Alice asked as they wove through the maze in pursuit of Cyn. “And don’t you think it would be wise to inform me of just what it is you’re capable of?”

“Nope,” Noah replied cheerfully. “Don’t misunderstand my role here. I’m going to help you, but I’m not your servant. If you have an issue with that, please feel free to take it up with Kyyle.”

Alice grunted. “Just stay out of my way.”

They turned the corner, then both slowed to a stop as they emerged into yet another clearing within the maze’s walls.

In the very center of it was a plain stone pedestal. Above it floated a complicated rune. The rune wasn’t imbued into anything. It just floated in the air entirely on its own. Slithering strands of golden energy wove throughout its being like threads. Noah had never seen anything like it, but the rune left no room to doubt its power. Energy rolled out from it, buzzing in the air around the electrified lines that made it up.

But the rune wasn’t alone. A twisting net of shadowy lines surrounded it. They wove through the rune like the strands of a soul clinging to a Fragment of Self, effectively blocking everyone from reading the Rune’s name and trapping it in place.

Noah nearly had to wipe drool from the side of his mouth. Even without being able to read the rune, he could feel its power.

So this is what a Rank 6 rune feels like out in the open?

Alice took a step forward.

Then, from the other side of the clearing, there was a metallic footstep.

Carmen strode into the clearing. Her eyes went right past the rune, barely even seeing it, and locked onto Alice.

This is perfect. While the three of them fight, I can just figure out how to pull that rune out from its bindings. I’m one lucky—

Alice’s hand fell on Noah’s shoulder. “You’re here to help? Then deal with Carmen and Cyn. I’m getting that rune.”

And just like that, Noah’s plan crumbled.

Ah, shit.