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That was the real lesson: if you were powerful enough, you could accomplish anything.
if you want to survive Jai Long in a year, you must learn sacred arts the right way. Even with the full support of the Arelius family, and Jai Long on the run from his clan, you’ll at least need to reach Lowgold in a solid and proper manner so you don’t collapse into a pile of jelly when he glances in your general direction.”
“They were dogs and cowards,” she said at last. “Don’t think like them. You don’t learn to stand against your enemies by crawling in the dirt.” “As you say. I have no excuse.” “You’re on the path now, stable and true. In a year, you won’t recognize yourself.”
“You’re young, and I’m unaccustomed to explaining myself. I’ll try to be clearer in the future, but do as I tell you.” She kept her eyes on the floor, tilted away from Lindon, but she nodded. “It’s not so far apart from what my master used to have me do.” “The only difference,” Eithan said, “is that you trusted him. Trust comes with time.
“If you don’t feel like you’re going to die when you’re training, then you’re doing it wrong,” she said, and stepped outside.
The heavens opened up and showed me... He tended to smile by default, but now his grin stretched his lips to the breaking point. He’d wondered. From the first glimpse of that little glass ball in Lindon’s pocket, the one with the steady blue flame, he’d wondered. Some of the boy’s comments, some of his actions, had made him more and more certain. And now...now he knew. The heavens opened up... Very interesting indeed.
“I know it is difficult,” Eithan said, his nose inches away from the turtle’s. “But gather yourself and hear me. A boy has come to train here. He is one of the family.”
You’ll bond his Remnant at Gold.”
it was the feeling that his spirit was burning up. Crisping and blackening like a leaf in a fire. That he was dying, hollowed out. Everything that was Lindon was burning away.
the aura in candles and campfires, but sooner than you think, you’ll be hunting for dragon hearts and sunreaver stones and sacred flames. Always climbing…”
Her right was an orange globe of madra, a construct to replace one she’d lost in battle years ago. Her wings spread—one the natural emerald Goldsign of her Path, and the other a matrix of sunset-colored energy. Her second prosthetic. She was safe. They were both safe.
Her face paled. White lines began creeping over her skin as she prepared her Flowing Starlight technique. “We…I’m sorry, we didn’t…we thought you were…” She swallowed, and then yelled, “Run! Everyone run!”
There was only one Highgold in the Blackflame Empire who could fight with him face-to-face, and she was carrying their child into a shelter.
Of all the Highgolds who had tried to ambush the second-ranked Highgold in the Empire, none remained.
He was drifting away, his flesh distant, as darkness crept into the corners of his vision. Orthos hit Gokren like a landslide.
He could defend himself from this weapon, this seed of a true Blood Shadow, with only a fraction of his madra. He was in no danger. But she didn’t know that. And she forced her body to its limit, muscles straining, blood running from the lip she was biting to keep the parasite from stretching any closer to him. He was a stranger to her. The Blood Shadow had already consumed everyone she knew. All the others he’d seen in her position had given up—they had lost all reason to live, and thus all reason to fight. Their parasites thrived in such situations, filling their bodies like husks, stealing
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This was a dragon’s technique. He needed to think about it like a dragon. He poured more power into the ball, and when he felt himself about to lose control, he forced it into place. A dragon wouldn’t try to bend or shape its power; a dragon would make the power submit. The dragon conquers.
“Humans make every stage into a legend. A Lowgold is just a Jade with teeth. The only difference between Jade and Gold is a mountain of power.” He gave Lindon a look that radiated smug pride. “Now you see the real glory of Blackflame.”
Jai Daishou shoved, pushing his opponent away, and spoke in confusion. “Pure madra? Who uses pure madra?” “It has…its uses,” Eithan panted, leaning heavily on his broom and flashing a smile.
His only two extraordinary aspects were his senses—as expected of an Arelius—and, apparently, the depth of his madra. That shouldn’t be enough.
“I wasn’t sure at first,” Eithan said, reaching into his own pocket. “Not everything that blocks my senses is from the heavens.” He pulled out his own glass marble the size of a thumbnail. “And yours looks somewhat different from mine.”
“This may sound terrible, but have we met before? If I’ve forgotten you, I apologize, but you seem familiar to me.”
Is she the girl he was going to marry?????
“Let him go? No, no, not at all.” His smile returned. “I want you to make sure he still has to fight.”
