About an hour passed of SEB scrambling over fallen logs and past shallow creeks, and he was already starting to feel exhausted. He was close to fully healed, and the months of manual labour had stopped his muscles from decaying, but even so his stamina had taken a huge hit while bed-ridden for so long.

  He decided to take a much needed break on a tree stump and retrieved the pouch of water from his toolbelt. Raising it to his lips, he tilted his head back to let the comforting liquid flow into his dry mouth …

  What? It’s empty!

  He frantically scanned the inside of the pouch, double and triple checking for any hidden droplets, but his search was in vain. All he could see was a faint patch of grass through the bottom of the pouch – a hole!

  Seb slumped back on the tree stump, head in hands. He had run out of clean water to drink, and since he didn’t know the whereabouts of the nearest civilization his options were slim: he could either take the water from a creek, as unclean as it may be, or he could return to the farm.

  I can’t go back. It would be pointless. Karma’s never going to be reasoned with … Unless, maybe, she doesn’t need to be reasoned with at all. If I time it right, I can sneak in while she’s tending the butterflies in her shack.

  That’s it! I’ll go back to the farm to take some water … And while I’m at it, I could steal some more food and supplies as well. Yeah!

  The thought filled him with euphoria – it would be just like before! Like when he and Bez used to … Ah. Of course. Bez used to do the brunt of the work, but now he was all alone. Seb groaned in frustration. He was never going to be able to pull this off by himself, especially while he was still healing.

  The sound of distant voices ruptured the serene forest air; Seb snapped behind a tree to hide. It was impossible to get a good look through the densely packed trees, a thousand wooden soldiers in formation tasked with blocking his view, but he caught glimpses of something in the distance – a group of bandits, loud and boisterous.

  They were slowly trudging along as a pack, stopping every once in a while to pull out a plasma sword and slice a gap through the thick vegetation. Fortunately, their focus seemed to only be on each other and the path ahead, not on the man cowering behind a tree. Seb decided to use this opportunity to listen to any threads of conversation echoing in the distance – if he was lucky, they would mention a town or village nearby where he could replenish his supplies.

  “Bah!” one of them yelled, “Why does this bitch have to live all the way out here? I’m getting mud all over my soddin’ boots!”

  “Shut up!” another bandit snapped. “She ain’t gonna get away with this, some stuck up runt living in the middle of nowhere! She’s stolen our stuff for the last time … I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she realises we tracked her down!”

  Their words were so putrid and volatile – they were bandits, alright.

  I don’t know who they’re talking about, and I have no idea what they could have stolen to piss off this group of bandits so badly, but it’s not my problem. I need to focus on getting back to Karma’s farm while it’s still light out.

  “We were just about to show them Zarkonians what’s what as well. I’m gonna tear her apart limb from limb, and when I’m done I’m gonna burn her whole soddin’ farm down!”

  Seb’s eyes widened, and a sickening feeling made his gut sink – it was Karma. It couldn’t possibly be anyone else. Had she been stealing supplies from these bandits all along? She’d told him that she sourced the parts for the plasma weapons from a nearby town … Yet another one of her lies, apparently. And now these thugs were heading straight for her farm!

  The bandits wandered out of sight, so Seb was alone with the chirping birds in the forest once more. He thought about leaving, letting Karma deal with the consequences of her actions … but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to abandon her.

  If I leave now, I’ll never be able to get the fresh water from the farm … But it’s so much more than that. This woman saved me in my darkest hour. She let me into her home and nursed me back to health. If I abandon her, I’ll be just as bad as …

  He cast his brother’s apathetic face from his mind.

  I’m never going to be able to fully repay the favour … But perhaps I can make a start.

  Ignoring the ache in his weary legs, he pressed on back through the forest, this time taking extra care not to stumble over any wayward roots which faltered him before. Not long later he found the sandstone valley surrounding Karma’s farm. Sneaking back onto the earthy sands, he crept up behind the cabin which he had occupied for half a year. When he peered around its wooden wall, his heart sank.

  The bandits had beaten him to the farm.

  They encircled Karma’s dainty shack, jeering as they slammed the hilts of their blades against the weak walls. All the animals outside in their pens shrieked in terror; they backed away as one of the bandits waved a lit torch in their direction, revelling in the fear he was sowing upon these defenceless creatures. Marnie cowered to the side of the shack, desperately trying to wrestle free from the rope around its neck to escape. Seb watched in horror as the bandit suddenly lobbed his torch onto the empty barn, which erupted into fire and flame in mere seconds. An entire season of work and repairs, up in flames in a destructive instant.

  But where was Karma? Seb was sure she would be in her shack, but there was nobody defending it. Was she out on a scavenging trip? If so, no one stood between these bandits and the farm.

  The bandits lit some more torches and advanced on the small wooden shack. They marched as a unit, bearing down on the shack like a noose tightening around a neck. Seb knew that if he didn’t act now, Karma’s entire farm would be choked to death by the flames.

  Without thinking, he raised his plasma pistol and placed a bolt right onto one of the bandit’s hands, causing him to drop his torch with a cry of anguish. Seb regarded the handmade weapon in his palm with a sense of pride.

  Huh … Not bad for a few scraps of metal welded together. I have no idea what I would’ve done if it didn’t work …

  The whole group of bandits, a dozen menacing scavengers, turned in unison to find the source of this wayward bolt. When they spotted Seb hiding behind the wooden cabin, they all burst out laughing.

  “Ha!” one of the women in the group cried out, “A stray has escaped from its pen! We’ll just have to put this poor animal out of his misery as well.”

  An overwhelming cascade of plasma bolts arrowed towards the cabin; Seb was powerless as they tore the once sturdy wooden structure apart. Splinters of glass and charred wood rained down upon him as he crouched down helplessly underneath a windowsill, and the deafening roar of jeers and gunfire pinned him in place. He was at their mercy now – this farm was going to be his grave.

  BANG!

  Off in the distance, near to where the group of bandits were standing, Seb heard a huge crash followed by the abrupt ceasing of gunfire. He poked his head above the windowsill during the confusion, and through the splintered frame he could see fragments of the scene unfolding near the old shack.

  Karma had exploded through the shack’s door, smashing it from its hinges; piles of dirty glass piled beneath the broken windows from the shockwave. She stared at the group of bandits, who in turn looked back in dumbfounded silence.

  The bandits all raised their pistols – a deranged firing squad – holding them up towards the strange woman who had emerged from the dark interior of the shack. Karma remained emotionless, even in the face of a dozen plasma gun barrels, and slowly raised her arms.

  Is she surrendering? No! I can’t let that happen!

  Before he could make a move, he was frozen in place by what he saw next. A cloud of vibrant red grew from under Karma’s arms, surrounding her in an angelic, crimson aura. This flowing red wave shimmered in the sunlight until the densely packed fog of wings spread out into hundreds of tiny butterflies. The bandits stood in awe as these creatures fluttered around their heads, climbing ever higher into the sky as they blocked out the sunlight like a living cloud. She stood at the epicentre of this swarm, eyes glued shut as her captive butterflies filled the skies. In a flash, her eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of glowing red pupils that struck palpable fear in the intruders. The butterflies all glowed in harmony, as if compelled by their majestic master.

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  These were the same butterflies Seb discovered underneath her shack, cultivating inside their glass chambers. The memories flashed back in an instant – how a butterfly had signified the start of the oncoming storm, and how she had rescued him from a similar group of thugs all those months ago.

  Karma was a Flame Mage.

  The bandits never stood a chance. An intense wall of flame poured out of her palms, savaging anything that stood in front of her. All twelve of the attackers screamed in unbearable pain as their clothes caught fire, and the sheer heat of the flames boiled their skin until horrific bubbles of blood protruded from every inch of their arms and faces. A few tried to run but stumbled and fell as their legs melted beneath them. One by one they collapsed, their charred remains staining the sandy soil with patches of black and bone. A few twitched as they lay on the ground, unable to scream out in agony, until all twelve bandits were on the ground, dead.

  The glow in Karma’s eyes faded until Seb could see the humanity in them once again. She staggered backwards, snapping out of a dream, sweat pouring out of her exhausted face. One by one the butterflies plummeted from the sky, depleted of their vibrant red colouring, falling to the ground as black, monotone cadavers beside the array of charred corpses. Had all the butterflies been … used up? Sapped of their life so that Karma could kill?

  Seb sprinted over to her, wading through the pool of death and flame, and caught her before she collapsed. He lowered her to the ground slowly, cradling her head, and rested her on his lap.

  “Karma? Karma!” He shook her violently. “Stay with me!”

  “Relax, Hotshot.” She coughed and spluttered, wiping sweat from her forehead. “It’ll take more than that to kill off ol’ Karma Daybreak.”

  Karma looked around at the scene of death she had created, and sighed. “I guess ya saw all of that, huh?”

  Seb brushed the dead butterflies from her overalls. “Yeah! That was awesome! Why didn’t you tell me you were a Flame Mage?”

  She shook her head, and her eyes sank to the floor. “My kind were hunted down. Betrayed by people we thought we could trust. I couldn’t risk lettin’ ya know. I couldn’t go through all that again–”

  Off to the side, a charred body rustled against the scorched ground. Both Seb and Karma noticed too late as a blackened bandit arm held up a plasma pistol, and in one sudden act of defiance pulled the trigger before collapsing to the ground for good.

  Time moved in slow motion as the plasma bolt careened towards them. It had been aimed towards Karma and was barrelling towards her head. There was nothing they could do to stop it.

  Seb wasn’t in control of his body when he moved towards the bolt, intercepting it.

  The bolt struck his chest, mirroring the events of all those months ago, and once again he felt the life drain from his body. His crystal heart bore the brunt of the impact, glowing impossibly bright as it absorbed the energy of the bolt. The light became so intense that his vision was engulfed in pink. As Karma shouted in his ear, he lost consciousness.

  Except this time his vision didn’t fade to black. He was hallucinating, but he’d never had a hallucination quite like this one before. The image was extremely vivid, as if he were there on the scene reliving an event first-hand, and the colours all sheened with such an intense artistry that Seb was sure it was a realistic, living painting.

  He was back in the forest clearing, at the place where he lost his heart. But this vision wasn’t from the dying Seb’s perspective. This time he was an outside observer, staring at the scene from above as it played out before his very eyes, like a God overseeing the mortals below.

  It all happened just as he remembered. He was overwhelmed by the thugs and beaten within an inch of his life, but instead of his memory fading once the butterfly appeared it became clearer than ever.

  From behind a tree Karma emerged, pink rifle in hand. She had ridden Marnie to a secluded part of the forest and tied the creature to a thick branch while she got into position. She raised her firearm towards the oblivious assailants, her eye affixed to the weapon’s scope, when she noticed the elegant butterfly fluttering above them. Her whole demeanour changed from determination to awe. Instead of taking the shot, she deactivated the rifle and placed it on her back again. Her eyes shut, lost in another world, before opening again to the familiar, concentrated red glow. The butterfly soared with purpose now – it positioned itself near to Karma as it frantically pulsed with a magnificent sheen.

  She lifted her arms, pointing them towards the thugs, and with a tense of her fingers a lethal blast of scorching flame darted outwards, catching the gang by surprise. They all screamed as their world turned to fire, their cries ringing with a cadence which was seared into Seb’s mind. Within mere moments they were nothing more than ash and bone. This was much more severe than the attack on the farm which had left the bandits charred – these men had been utterly obliterated.

  This attack felt … different somehow, much more powerful in its execution. Karma had used hundreds of butterflies on the farm, their presence bolstering her powers, but this time there was just one, solitary butterfly by her side – but this seemed like any other butterfly Seb had ever seen. Identical, even. This one didn’t crumple and fall from the skies like the others had done, either. It simply fluttered away, unaffected, after the job was done.

  Karma sprinted over to the fallen Seb and put her ear to his mouth. Concern sank her brow – he must have stopped breathing by this point. She rested a palm to his chest, and her concern grew from a professional interest to a real dread.

  Her last resort was to pump his chest furiously and blow into his mouth – anything to kickstart his heart again. It didn’t work. His heart had stopped, and he would be dead within moments.

  In her desperation, she retrieved two items from her pockets: a sharp, surgical knife with a red handle, and a brilliant pink crystal. She looked at the crystal hesitantly, then back to Seb, who was unconscious by this point. Taking one last deep breath, she plunged the knife into his chest, cutting open a square door to his heart and discarding the chunk of flesh she pried out. Seb could feel the excruciating pain all over again, how she thrust her hand into his chest and ripped out his heart, before shoving the pure pink crystal into the empty socket.

  Karma held her hands up to the exposed flesh, still bleeding heavily, and they both began to glow orange. Amazingly, the damaged flesh healed under its light – it was as if she was forcing his body to accept the new heart. After the crystal was secured in place, the glow of her hands diminished and the tissue stopped regenerating. Had she used a healing spell?

  The dying Seb’s body shimmered with an unnatural glow. Jets of pink sparks coursed through his entire torso as the magical pulses travelled along each vein and artery. Karma stood back as the still body erupted into movement, thrashing around in a frenzied state, before coming to rest once more. She pressed her ear to his mouth again. This time, her expression filled with a thankful hope.

  Karma scooped his body into her arms and placed him onto the back of Marnie. The creature rode off into the trees as quickly as its feeble legs could go, back in the direction of the farm. Blood oozed out of his chest wound, leaving a trail of red on the forest floor and Marnie’s hind legs, until the three of them were out of sight.

  A pink filter enveloped the world of memories. Seb’s head throbbed with an enormous headache with each burst of colour, until a flash of light stunned him into the real world once more.

  He was lying in Karma’s lap in the present day, his cheek aching from the slap she had just served.

  “Ow!” he yelped. “What the hell was that for?”

  “I knew it … Ya survived!” Karma was grinning. She clearly wasn’t aware of how painful the whole experience had been. “That bolt got ya square on the chest and you’re still kickin’!”

  “Yeah, I guess … Still not very fun the second time around.”

  Her eyes narrowed, staring at him intently. Seb was certain she was looking right through to his soul.

  “Uh, Hotshot … Are you a magic user as well?” she asked.

  He tilted his head, completely baffled. “No! What makes you say that?”

  “Hmm …” Karma seemed deeply troubled. “It’s just that your eyes were glowin’ pink just now. Ya never closed ‘em for a second.”

  My eyes … glowed pink? That’s not possible. I’ve never had anything to do with magic. Unless … maybe the pink crystal in my chest has altered me in some way?

  Regardless, he thought it best to tell Karma the truth about what he saw.

  “Karma, I had a vision. Almost like a nightmare, but … it felt real.”

  “Oh yeah? Are ya gonna keep blabberin’ about that day I found ya, when your ‘whole world turned to fire’ or whatever ya always–”

  “It’s not just that – I saw it all,” he insisted. “The butterfly you used, the red surgical knife you plunged into my chest, all that blood … I saw it, Karma. I saw you save my life that day.”

  Karma stood up, pale from shock. “How? I’ve never shown ya my ol’ man’s knife … How would ya even know about that?”

  “I wasn’t lying. While I was out just now, I had a vision. It felt like I was there that day, watching from above like some sort of bird, or God. I saw you kill those men with just the flames from your hands, and how you put this … thing inside me.” Seb tapped on his glass chest.

  She rested her hands on her head, stunned into silence. They both looked at the crystal embedded into Seb’s glass chest. It seemed to glow in affirmation, as if confirming what he said to be the absolute truth.

  “I … used to be a field medic,” she admitted, “back when the Flame Mages fought in the war. I was a damn good one at that. I’d heard rumours of people tryin’ to jumpstart a fallen soldier’s heart with a crystal, but I never would’ve believed until that day …”

  Karma trailed off, deep in thought once more. She took a moment to stroke her chin in contemplation, then with a decisive nod she sprang into action.

  She released the hatch on both of the animal pens and ushered them away towards the wilds of the forest. Seb couldn’t believe his eyes. She dismissed all of her prized creatures, and one by one they disappeared from view beyond the trees of the Noble Forest. Once they had all gone, she turned to Marnie, still roped to a post by the shack.

  “Sorry, girl,” she sighed, “but this is where we go our separate ways. There ain’t no way ya’d make it through the journey without collapsin’ from fright or exhaustion. Go, before I start gettin’ all emotional.”

  Untying the bindings, and with one final hug, she sent her beloved Lesser Greymane on its way. Marnie hesitated for a moment, unwilling to leave, but eventually waddled into the forest to join the other animals.

  “C’mon, we’re leavin’,” Karma announced after a deep breath. “Pack as much stuff as ya can – we’re not comin’ back.”

  Seb scurried to his feet, flabbergasted by what he just saw unfold.

  “Karma! What the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m takin’ ya somewhere – a place where we can both get answers. That crystal in your chest, that vision … This is more serious than I thought. I’m goin’ to take ya to see my old master. He’ll know what to do.”