Azura instantly knew something was wrong when the trio returned. The friendly atmosphere of Azure's Rest was gone. Before, kin of all types intermingled and chatted lazily while cultivating, but now they stuck to their respective kinds. A flock of crow-kin watched a pack of dog-kin with mistrust from high atop their tree-top home. A pack of hyena-kin, usually the most boisterous of all kin, were silent as they huddled close together as they went about their duties. Something had broken in the short time they'd been away. If the change in attitude wasn't enough evidence, then Hamal's somber expression was. He waited for them just inside the gates with Trisva, whose head hung low.

"What happened?" Fatania asked, looking around. "Where's Tallous? I left him in charge."

"Alive," Hamal said shortly. "Although he lost an eye. Coralline is seeing to him."

Azura gasped. "Was it the mists or an attack from Deepmere?" Tallous was a few months away from his own advancement. If he was hurt, then the foe must've been powerful.

"I wish it was," Hamal answered.

"Huh?" Azura said. That didn't make any sense. Who else could it be?

Fatania seemed to grasp at something Azura was clearly missing. Her expression darkened.

"Not here. Gather the mothers and anyone who has information. Let's meet in the council chambers in two hours."

Hamal nodded as he left. Azura turned toward Trisva and saw the tears fall. She took a single step toward the kin when Trisva threw herself at Azura. She caught the girl as she wept. Azura might have been immovable as a tree, but she wasn't unfeeling like one. She hugged the girl tightly as she wept.

"It's okay. I'll make whoever did this pay." For some reason, that only made her cry harder. Three hours later, Azura understood why.

***

Tallous, aided by her mother, had just finished retelling events as Azura's world shattered around her. Betrayed. Kin killing kin. This… this wasn't supposed to happen. Since when did kin do that to each other? This was something she expected from humans. Not kin.

"Why?" Azura asked. She couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"Why not? That's the better question," Fatania said darkly. Azura looked at the kin, utterly lost.

"Things have changed," Hamal said. "Azura, how much do you think you could sell your services for?"

"Uh…" She never even thought of it. "I don't know a gold a month…" That seemed like a hefty price to her. Her mother only made a few silver before everything went to hell.

"A gold a month..." Fatania shook her head sadly. "Try more like a thousand a month. Two thousand. Gods below, you could probably get that much in an hour for awakening some rich man's mana pool."

Azura gaped at her. She couldn't be serious.

"I'm serious," Fatania said, accurately reading her expression. "You could be the richest kin on the continent. I guess Hamal or any other liquid cultivator could do the same now. I was foolish thinking that it wouldn't tempt any kin."

"Is it too late then?" Coralline asked. "I mean, we all know how to cultivate. It's only a matter of time before we all become liquid cultivators. Do we have to worry about kin running off and becoming warlords? Or joining our enemy? Who is our enemy? We've only been worrying about surviving so far. What do we want to accomplish?"

The group was silent for several long minutes. Eventually, they all turned toward Azura. She didn't reply. For a brief moment, Azura wanted to run off. She didn't want to make the decision. The child in her wanted to leave the hard choices to the adults. Her adult side, however, knew that this was precisely what Fatania had been trying to teach her. She could leave it up to them... but they wanted to know what she thought. Azura closed her eyes and did something she rarely ever did. She gave the future some serious thought.

First, there was the plan they had been working toward. It wasn't a complex plan. Gods below, the plan was to loot Deepmere and rescue all the kin. Then, run away from the mists. Simplistic and practical. However, it had been a plan without any meaningful impact on her. Now, she gave it the consideration it deserved. Loot Deepmere and rescue the kin… It would be a war. Was she okay with that? Deep down, she already knew the truth. She was. Her path was blood. That wasn't a path of peace. With all that the bastards at Deepmere had taken, she had no problem bringing it back tenfold to them.

Then there was the kin… Her people. Once absolutely united, they were now fracturing because they had power. Something they had lacked since she could remember. Not only did they have power, but they could be more powerful than the greatest mage. How could she keep them united?

Azura sighed. This was so much bigger than she could've imagined.

"I don't know the answer to those questions Mother. I will tell you what I think. I've been awakening almost every kin we've rescued. I guess the other liquid cultivators can also do it. I don't like not giving them a chance at power. But that doesn't mean it will be free. Not anymore. Oaths of loyalty will be required for those who wish to become cultivators, although I am unsure if it will matter. There are only a few liquid cultivators now, but soon, we'll have hundreds. Even if I don't show them how to advance they can figure it out like I did."

"I don't know about that," Hamal said, drawing her attention. "I don't think you understand how extraordinary your control over mana was back then. I nearly gave up when I was trying to advance. That was by far the most difficult thing I've ever done. The only reason I kept trying was that you proved it was possible. It'll be difficult for them to advance without you."

"I'll make sure of that," Fatania said. "I'll have my family start making rumors about how to advance using herbs or other such nonsense. That way, any who abandons us will have false information to work on."

Alenina shook her head, her rabbit ears flapping about. "That deer-kin joined Dageth. If Hamal's guess is right, he knows how to advance. He'll just tell them. Then they'll let the knowledge spread."

"I doubt it for several reasons," Fatania said. "I think the deer-kin will wait until any student is ready before giving up his secret. He'll be paranoid of betrayal." Fatania's face twisted slightly, her ratty nose twitching in annoyance. Azura knew how she felt. They were feeling that paranoia right now.

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"The other reason is Dageth won't want the knowledge to spread either," Fatania concluded.

"Why not? They're a school. Isn't that what they are supposed to do?" Coralline asked.

"They are a magical combat academy," Hamal said, catching on to his mother's reasoning. "They wouldn't like sharing such a powerful secret with everyone. Not if they could monopolize the learning. Eventually, the knowledge will spread, but I think Mother's right. Their greed will slow the progress."

"I guess that leaves the biggest question unanswered," Alenina said. "What do we want? Who is our enemy? Do we have one? What about the mists?"

Again, all eyes turned to her. Azura knew they needed her leadership for these larger issues. She stood up, looking each of them in the eyes before speaking.

"What do we want? It's a good question. I want the kin to be safe. To be treated as equals. I think Nicola wanted to achieve the same thing deep down. He went to the mages for it. I… I refuse to do that!" Azura slammed her hands down on the table. "They took too much from us! Let's take it back! We'll establish our own… sect of cultivators, where all kin are welcome. We'll become a power on the continent to rival Dageth. Those who wish to join will have to take oaths of loyalty when joining and again after training to become liquid cultivators and beyond."

Azura turned toward Alenina, who was regarding her. Azura's ki had subconsciously overflowed, causing her hair to rise slightly. She gave off a heavy aura that weighed everyone else down. Only Hamal seemed unaffected by her aura. He was, however, moved by her words, standing taller. Azura continued drawing on a deep source of determination that she didn't know she had.

"Who is our enemy? Anyone who would stand in our way! We will take what is our due! Peacefully if we can, with force if we can't!"

Azura half expected the rabbit-kin to flinch. Instead, she saw the viscous smile form on her lips. "About damn time." Azura nodded to her. She should've expected as much. She had lost more than most.

A slow clap started with her mother, whose proud expression was one Azura would remember until the sun burned out. Soon, all the others around the room clapped. Tallous gave a loud cheer, his one eye burning with vigor.

Once the excitement died down, Fatania spoke.

"Well said. We need to decide what to tell everyone. An official statement on what happened. We could hide what Nicola had done so they don't panic…"

"No," Azura said flatly. "Trust has been broken. Only honesty can fix it. Gather everyone, and I'll address them in two hours."

Fatania paused as if she wanted to argue, then stopped. She surprised Azura by bowing. "As you command, Magebane."

Azura blinked, shocked at the response as the others filed out of the chamber, leaving only her mother. As soon as the last kin left, she ran to her, sweeping Azura into an enormous hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" She squealed.

"I…I…" There were no right words. So she chose simple ones instead. "Thanks, Mom." The pair embraced, chatting softly as the kin gathered.

***

Elise stood beside Gerald among the gathered kin. They were all told to rally at the large clearing beside the river. It was the same spot where they fought to claim this place when they first arrived. Nervous mutterings were heard instead of the excited whispers that such an event would typically elicit. Elise wasn't sure what was going on. No one was. Things had been tense, and no one had wanted to tell her anything. Gerald was also unsure since he was busy training at the forge all day. Something had happened that was all anyone knew. Some said creatures from the mist raided Azure's Rest, killing many cultivators. Others said mists had consumed Deepmere. Even worse, others claimed traitors were among them. She didn't know what to think. That doubt was tripled when Azura appeared on the stump of a large tree so she could overlook the crowd. She slapped her hands together. The resulting shockwave nearly knocked Elise on her ass.

The show of force instantly quieted the crowd. An intense presence radiated from Azura, falling over them like a blanket. Elise trembled at the show of power. This wasn't her sister. This was the Azure Magebane. She recalled seeing her sister's full power before. Most vividly, she remembered the battle of Fortunia, where she slaughtered dozens of elite elves with a single attack. She trembled as Gerald put a comforting arm around her. The oppressive aura was immediately lifted. Elise blinked. The weight was gone. She looked around and saw kin still under the effect. She looked up at Gerald, who only nodded at her before returning his gaze to Azura.

"Today, we have suffered a loss. A loss not only of kin but of something fundamental to who we are." Azura paused, looking over the crowd. The power she radiated made many of the kin tremble. "We were betrayed. A herd of deer-kin has left Azure's Rest. Left, us." Mutterings came from the gathered kin. Azura's following words silenced them. "They didn't just abandon us after all we did for them. Left to join the mages of Dageth, selling our secrets for personal gain." Angry shouts and cries of betrayers echoed through the crowd. Elise could sense their hatred for what happened. Azura let them continue on for nearly a minute before she spoke. Again, the crowd went instantly silent. "Not only did they betray us, but two kin fell to their treachery. Fawn and Gabe. Two of the bravest rat-kin I knew. They worked tirelessly to protect us from outside threats… ONLY TO HAVE A KNIFE PLUNGED INTO THEIR BACKS WHILE THEIR EYES WERE LOOKING OUTWARD! THIS CRIME IS UNFORGIVABLE! By my authority as Head Mother of Azure's Rest, I declare that the kin known as Nicola shall henceforth be known as KINSLAYER!"

Screams of outrage shook the very trees as Elise covered her ears. Azura's angry expression encompassed them all. There was no mercy that she could see. Elise forgot how terrifying her sister could be when she was serious.

"Unbelievable as the Kinslayer's crimes are, there is one even worse… One that infects us here. Trust. He has broken the trust that the kin had in one another. You've all felt it. I shall miss Fawn and Gabe dearly and plan to spend the rest of the day with Fatania and her family grieving. Yet, the loss of this 'trust' truly threatens us all. Some of this is the leadership's fault. My fault. I gave you power, but no purpose. That changes now!" Azura stamped her foot, splintering the massive tree stump beneath her.

"Trust has to go both ways, so I will trust all of you right now. I'll trust you with my vision of the future. It's one I've been avoiding thinking about. The burden is heavy, and I didn't want to carry it. No longer! We have discovered that Dageth has fled Deepmere and that most of the elves are already gone. By unanimous decision of the Council of Mothers, we'll attack Deepmere in two weeks. We will free all the kin in the city, take all the supplies and goods we can, and then get as far away from the mists as possible. We'll find someplace new where we can grow strong enough that no one can stop us!"

The erupted cheer threatened to explode Elise's eardrums, but she hardly noticed. She stared at her sister in shock. They were going to do what…

"That's not all! No longer will I be awakening mana pools of kin who join us. They'll have to take oaths of loyalty if they want my patronage. We'll still save all the kin, but they can only become cultivators if they fully pledge themselves to our cause. To the freedom and restoration of the kin as a race of power! As for the rest of you…" Azura's steely eyes scanned the crowd, which fell eerily silent.

"When I awoke your mana pools, I told you I would give you power. I have done that. Anyone who wishes to leave is welcome to do so. Do not flee like the cowardly deer-kin did, shoving a blade in our back as you run away, but tell me to my face that you want to leave. I'll not stop you. The path of the cultivator is one of hardships. It's not for everyone. If you wish to continue, we'll need each other. Of that, I'm certain. For those of you who want to leave, go. Even go to Deepmere and tell them what I said today. I do not fear the mages of Deepmere. Even if they have a year to prepare for our coming, THEY... WILL... FALL! For we are greater than mages. We… ARE CUTLIVATORS!!!" Azura bellowed the last two words so loudly that several trees broke from her ki-infused shout. The gathered kin's response matched the intensity of the volume.

Elise looked on, knowing that everything was spiraling out of control. Her peaceful little life here was gone. It had only ever been an illusion. She knew that. But, how she wanted it to stay. She looked up to Azura's stern face as she raised her hand to the sky, which was mirrored by the kin. There was no doubt. Deepmere was finished. She would have to make plans to ensure her mother and grandfather escaped the coming storm. She wasn't sure the cultivators would leave a stone standing when they were done.

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