Aaron stepped into the chaos in front of his cottage. Presidential guards were holding a cordon. His fellow students and their Bonded were watching curiously from all over the plaza. Aaron turned to Bug, who left the cottage just as Kendia was dragged out.

"She said my former Bonded is doing fine, after she had him injured. Can you verify that?"

Bug's smile twisted, caught somewhere between sympathy and dry amusement. He nodded as his expression finally turned somber. "It will be done, Champion. But know that you will see worse—servants being killed by those who would seek to manipulate you for their ends. Harden your heart, lest it break."

Aaron pressed his lips together and stared at Bug's armor for a few heartbeats. Even if that's true… what will that make me?

"Yes."

Exhaling, he turned to the scene around him. Theon was trying to get to Rhea, who was held captive by a group of guards. She glared at Aaron and her captors. The soldiers had at least three guns trained at her.

Is that necessary? I guess they've seen her in combat.

Aaron noticed that Theon was being held back by more guards. Waving at them to let his trio pass, he set off toward her. His steps were more forceful than necessary, but he didn't care.

A gauntlet clamped onto his shoulder—Aaron spun, heart already pounding, fists half-raised.

Who—

Bug. Alright, it's Bug. Aaron let out a sigh of relief.

"Consider going over there. Words spoken in anger are blades poisoned with the Mother's touch."

Aaron closed his eyes. Trite fucking advice. Don't scream at your friend in anger. Next he'll tell me communication is key to relationships.

"I know. I have a plan."

Bug met his eyes and nodded after a long moment. Aaron set off toward the brewing argument, with tensed steps.

Can I really do this? Do I want to do this?

He looked around and found Lyra. They exchanged a tight smile before he waved her over. Her eyes widened slightly, but she started walking.

Theon was getting more and more agitated as he talked to the guard holding Rhea at gunpoint. His gesticulation remained carefully contained and the sergeant seemed almost bored. The soldiers with the firearms stood like statues, impervious to the storm around them.

Approaching the situation, Aaron spoke up. "What is the issue, Theon?"

Theon turned, but Rhea beat him to the punch.

"Your ignorant barbarism is screwing us again! Tell those apes to let me go! Or to face me like real warriors!"

Theon sighed. "I'm sorry, but would you please order the soldiers to let her go? We can work out your issues among ourselves."

"My issues?!" Aaron didn't have to try to sound annoyed. "She attacked someone against my orders. I trusted her to help her, but instead she acted like an unhinged bitch!"

Rhea snorted. "You got exactly what you wanted. She spilled without you getting your precious fingers dirty! Without me, you would've just crumbled and hugged her as soon as she started crying!"

Aaron pressed his lips together and shook his head. This is escalating quicker than I anticipated. And it feels wrong to do this. But…

He took a deep breath.

"I asked you to come along for your social talents, not for your brutish ones." He paused and looked her straight in the eyes. "But I guess I misjudged their balance."

Rhea snarled and took a step forward.

"You mother-cursed asshole!"

The twitch of the gun barrels stopped her in her tracks. She deliberately lowered her hands to her sides and gave the guard a stringy smile. Aaron suppressed a frown.

What if she gets hurt because I play games? But pulling back now? That would mean losing her—and the game.

Theon stepped forward, but Aaron blocked the hand that was about to grasp his shoulder. Taking a step back, he shook his head.

Stolen story; please report.

"Theon, I can't have people around me do this. I need to be able to trust them not to make things worse."

He kept his voice controlled and added a little bit of sadness. Is this convincing?

Lyra stepped up and put her hand on his shoulder. Good. Unlike Theon's hand, Aaron accepted hers and gave her a tight smile.

"Lyra. Say something. Anything."

She studied everyone for a long moment. Then she shook her head.

"Rhea, you are very protective, but you sometimes forget your position. You need to remember that you are commonborn and that the rest of us are your betters."

Rhea stared daggers at her and her clenched fists shivered. Aaron looked at the floor. I'm sorry, Rhea.

"Then what should I do with her?"

A shiver ran down his spine. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat. This was what it took to play noble. To end the Purists. To end the genocide.

Theon was about to speak up, but Lyra interrupted his first syllable.

"As a fellow high noble, I would advise that you do make your displeasure known without hurting your allies. Punish for the symbolic value."

Her words had been measured, and now she observed Aaron with studious indifference. Theon swallowed hard, as Rhea began sniffling.

Something tingles the back of my mind. So you're playing a game too, Lyra? At least if the skill guide is right. But…

He took a look at Rhea's tears. I need to end this. Without actually burning any bridges.

He nodded quickly at Lyra, then turned to Rhea and spoke.

"Rhea Neonis, you are to consult our Custodian, Esnita, for your punishment."

He paused, his heart beating fast at seeing the fury in her eyes. It's like staring down an angry bear.

"And you are not to speak to me for three days."

"Make that a week, mother-cursed ass!" she growled, and Aaron turned and hooked himself into Lyra's arm. They walked off together.

In the periphery, Aaron saw Theon grinding his teeth. Bug, Bark, and the other guards observed the situation while trying not to look like a bunch of busybodies. Rather unsuccessfully.

Aaron let her clasp his hand. It felt wrong. It felt necessary.

"I'm sorry that that happened. How do you feel about it, if you want to talk about it?"

Aaron sighed and let his shoulders slump. Do I wanna talk about it? What is the best way to succeed in my mission?

He stopped walking. What do I want out of this?

He looked over at Lyra, who was studying him with a gentle look.

She might have been ordered to get close to me as well. The fucking Matriarch can't be the only one here who thinks in terms of marriage and alliances. She is kind and attractive. But…

Aaron shook his head. "Sorry, I'd rather not talk about it. How about we find your uncle and look over my estate today?"

Lyra nodded and tilted her head slightly. "What about our classes?"

"Forget the classes, I'm a Divine Champion."

Aaron smiled broadly. He turned to Bug and raised an eyebrow. As he had expected, Bug's superhuman hearing had allowed him to follow the conversation, and he nodded curtly. Bug gave a nod, and one of the soldiers darted off like a message on legs.

Bug approached the two of them. "The Grandmaster will meet us at the gates. If you are ready to leave, Champion?"

Aaron nodded, but goofed soon after. "Just like that? You're not going to tell me to go to my classes?"

Bug grinned. "It is my responsibility to keep you safe, and annoying Esnita is a further string in that thread." He tisked and smirked. "And it has been a while since I amused myself by observing an awkward date."

Lyra blushed as Aaron rolled his eyes. She disentangled her hand rather quickly, but the elbows remained hooked together.

Very funny. So he'll be making jokes about my mission while I try to execute it. Is this entire cabal filled with comedians?

They set off, surrounded by a dozen guards and Shard. After getting some street food in the gate district, they soon stood on the elevators out of town. Aaron noticed something and pointed down.

"Why are slaves pulling the ropes?" he asked, staring at the grim lattice of rope-burned hands hauling the elevator like a hive of ants.

Lyra and Bug leaned over the swaying platform, handling the abyssal edge far too casually for Aaron's taste. Several layers of stacked sleeves grasped the ropes and kept moving the weight and counterweights for the elevators.

"What else would you use—other nobles?" Lyra laughed. "Slaves are what they're for."

"Magic?" Aaron shrugged with a smile.

Bug let out a suffering breath."Magic isn't a catch-all solution. Sure, you could use Geomancy or Liquomancy, like in the Trials—but why waste a noble's time?"

Aaron looked between his companions. Even Shard was staring at him as if he had just questioned why the Nazis were actually bad.

I get that aristocrats don't want to play elevator boy. But oxen and slaves are the only power sources beyond magic? How? They have electricity.

"You have that whole lake up there. And I saw several streams running toward the lake. Couldn't you just use a water or windmill?"

"Why would you want to mill water or wind?" Shard interjected with a sneer. "Grain or nuts you can mill. Water and wind seem not to be improved by the process. Maybe you'd learn this if you weren't skipping class," she explained as if Aaron were a five-year-old.

Aaron barely kept from rolling his eyes. Passive aggressive much?

"In my world, we have machines instead of slaves who do all this work."

The expressions of everyone around him darkened. Crossed fingers were put to hearts and whispered prayers began to echo. Aaron nearly groaned aloud.

Amazing.

"What did I do wrong now?"

Bug looked him deep in the eyes. "Champion, machines are evil. They defy the will of the world."

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