Esled POV

The ground beneath us rumbled, sending loose stones skittering across the cracked pavement. The castle grounds lay in ruins, the scenery much different than before. Above us, the skies churned in violent shades of gray, as if echoing the chaos below. 

I stumbled, grabbing a low-hanging branch that swayed ominously under my weight. Beyond us, flames roared and lightning collided with anything in its path, casting erratic shadows over shattered walls and jagged debris.

"Keep moving!" Chance's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. Desperation laced his words, spurring us onward. The old watchtower loomed in the distance, its silhouette a beacon of hope amidst the destruction. Between us and safety lay a twisted maze of fallen beams, shattered walls, and still-burning debris.

Bliss staggered beside us, weighed down by her grief. The man I still didn't know the name of carried Ali's body, his expression steeled against the weight of devastation as his hair still faintly floated.

"Iris, I want you to put him down." Bliss's voice cracked, her hand clutching at his arm. So his name was Iris? "He—he's not yours to carry!"

Iris glanced at her, his gray eyes unreadable. "Bliss, we need to be rational. You can't carry him and survive this." His tone was steady, but his grip on Ali's lifeless form was far gentler than his words suggested.

Bliss's lips trembled, but she said nothing more.

Ahead of us, Jalk pushed forward, clearing the path with single-minded determination. The veteran guard moved like a man with something to prove or lose.

"Left!" Jalk shouted suddenly, his blade slashing through a falling timber as it crashed toward us. Sparks flew, illuminating his grim face. "There's a breach in the eastern wall. We can cut through!"

A blast of wind, unnaturally strong, swept away a curtain of smoke in our path. I glanced at Iris, who raised his free hand ever so slightly. The movement seemed effortless, but the surge of wind that followed tore through the wreckage, carving a clear path. It felt as if the chaos itself recoiled from his presence.

We veered left, weaving through the path Iris made. The heat was unbearable, every breath searing my throat. The little girl's coughs grew louder, her small body trembling against Flare's chest.

"Almost there," the guard murmured to her, his voice low and soothing.

The sound of a distant explosion rolled toward us, the shockwave rattling my teeth. I nearly fell, but Chance yanked me upright, his grip firm.

"They're still coming," Flare said, her voice tense. "We're being herded."

"No," Jalk snapped, his knuckles whitening on the hilt of his sword. "We're outpacing them. Reinforcements will meet us at the watchtower."

A sharp whistling cut through the air. I recognized the sound immediately.

"Down!" I grabbed Chance's arm, yanking him to the ground.

The projectile exploded on impact and sent a shockwave through us, shards of stone and wood pelting my back. My ears rang, and for a moment, I heard nothing but my own heartbeat.

When the dust settled, I pushed myself up, coughing violently. Chance was beside me, helping Flare to her feet. Iris stood a few paces ahead with Ali over his left shoulder, shielding the little girl with his body by tucking her behind him. A glowing barrier of wind shimmered faintly around them, dissipating as he lowered down one of his hands. He turned toward me and lowered his right and the wind barrier around me I didn't even know I had left as well.

"Everyone okay?" Iris asked, his voice tight.

"No, but we're alive," Jalk growled, brushing debris off his armor. "That's enough for now. Move!"

The watchtower was closer now, its base just visible through the haze. But as we closed the distance, a tall silhouette cloaked in the heat distorted emerged from the shadows.

They raised a hand, and the air around them shimmered with power. The ground beneath us trembled again, this time more violently. Cracks spiderwebbed out from their feet, glowing faintly with an unnatural light.

Bliss let out a muffled sob behind me. She had been silent since earlier, her grief a heavy presence. Iris, still carrying Ali, stepped closer to her, instinctively shielding her from falling debris.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my focus forward as we began running again. I couldn't let myself think about Ali now. If I did, I wouldn't be able to keep moving.

Flare glanced at me, her tone grim. "The watchtower's closed, but whoever's behind this is hunting us."

I swallowed hard, the weight of her words sinking in. This wasn't just destruction. It was calculated.

"They'll follow us to the tower," I expressed, my voice tight. "We'll need to defend it if we're going to hold out long enough to regroup."

Chance nodded his head. "If they're hunting, they'll expect us to keep moving. The watchtower's obvious, we'll need a diversion."

I glanced at him, his face pale but determined. He wasn't wrong. "What do you suggest?"

"I'll stay back," Chance said, his tone firm. "Draw them off, buy you some time."

"No." The word came out sharper than I intended. "We're not throwing you into danger like that."

Chance frowned, but Jalk cut in. "Your safety is the priority, Your Highness."

"Priority?" I snapped, my frustration boiling over. "What about their safety? The people dying right now?"

Jalk's expression hardened before driving the nail through the next line. "And who will lead them after this disaster? You are not one of us." I felt my fists tighten and my blood rush to my ears. My anger made my heart pound in my chest as I tried to figure out a response in return, but instead a sharp cry from behind made me whip around.

The little girl tripped, collapsing to the ground. Iris, despite Ali's body weighing him down, was at her side in an instant, scooping her up with practiced ease and handing her back to Flare.

"Careful," he said softly, his voice low and calm despite everything as he handed her back to Flare.

I stared at him for a moment, something about his presence tugging at the edge of my memory. But there wasn't time to dwell on it.

"Move!" Flare's voice snapped me back to the present.

I turned and kept running, the watchtower growing closer with every step.

By the time we reached the base of the tower, my lungs burned and my legs felt like they might give out beneath me. The air was thick with smoke, each breath a struggle.

Jalk and Flare moved quickly, checking the structure for weaknesses. "It's not perfect," Jalk muttered, his gaze sweeping over the tall crumbling stone. "But it'll hold for now."

Bliss leaned against the wall as we walked inside, her shoulders shaking as silent sobs wracked her body. She looked so defeated and my heart broke for her.

I wanted to go to her, to say something, anything, that might ease her pain. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, I turned to the others. "We need a plan."

Chance nodded, his face grim. "They're not going to stop. Whoever's behind this, they're powerful, and they're not working alone."

Flare stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "Matches, Brisks, maybe Drifters... and something else. Something stronger. I've never seen this level of control."

Iris spoke, reiterating how it wasn't just power, but precision in their attacks. His voice was calm as he said it, sending a shiver down my spine. His eyes seem cold and dead, like he'd seen this kind of destruction before.

I met his gaze, trying to read him and asked the question I've been wondering since I saw him. "Who are you?

He hesitated for a moment before turning his body toward me to answer. 

Iris POV

"Iris," I said, meeting his eyes. One eye glimmered bright and piercing, while the other was a darker hue, drawing attention in the most unsettling way. My name hung in the air like a challenge, the smoke swirling around us adding weight to the tension. The conversation ended there, but his suspicion lingered in the air.

Esled hadn't stopped staring at me since I dropped the wind barriers. Maybe he'd noticed me before that, but now his gaze was unrelenting. I could see the distrust etched in his expression, and I didn't fault him for it but I didn't appreciate it.

To him, I was a nameless soldier who had slipped into their ranks uninvited. He had no idea I was part of the King's shadow army, a force kept hidden even from the crown prince himself. But that wouldn't last long. The King would soon deploy the rest of my unit to clean up the grand mess this attack had caused. I felt relieved with the thought. He never did it with this many witnesses, but this was an emergency.

I turned my attention to Bliss who had gone quiet, walking beside me with a distant look in her eyes. My concern for her began to grow, along with an unsettling feeling in my stomach.

I used my wind to shift Ali's body, weighing heavily on my shoulder, but I didn't complain. Bliss lost her twin, her anchor in this chaos. Carrying his body was the least I could do, though the tension in the air around her unsettled me more than any burden.

When we first reached the base of the watchtower, the first thing I noticed was the silence. It wasn't the absence of sound but rather a deliberate stillness, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The air felt too still with the chaos around us, it felt wrong.

"This doesn't feel right," I muttered, shifting Ali's weight and glancing around.

"You think?" Chance's voice dripped with sarcasm, but his hand was already on his blade. Chance and I had never really got along. His personality was too brash for someone reserved like me.

"We fortify here," Flare announced, her gaze scanning the structure. "It's defensible."

"Barely," Jalk grumbled, testing the stability of the crumbling stone.

Before anyone could respond, the ground beneath us shook violently. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the base of the tower, glowing faintly with an unnatural light.

"They're here," I said, my voice low.

Out of the shadows stepped a figure cloaked in dark fabric, their movements unnaturally fluid. Most likely they were a wielder, controlling the plants and vines underneath us or a brisk for their quick bursts of lightning. A faint, pulsing energy surrounded them, distorting the air into small waves of what felt like electricity stemming from them. They were a brisk.

Lightning surged as they raised a hand, the glow from the cracks intensifying. I dropped Ali to the ground and deflected the attack with a burst of wind in front of me, but the same couldn't be said for the others. The damage was done. Chance and Jalk staggered, burns visible through their uniforms on their legs.

"I'll handle this," I declared, my voice calm but firm. I needed to get the attackers back outside and I couldn't do that being surrounded by those without powers to protect themselves. I wasn't used to being surrounded by those without powers to protect themselves. This would give me free rein.

Esled stepped up beside me. "You're not going alone."

I glanced at him, surprised by the determination in his eyes. "This isn't your fight, Prince," noting the stiffness in his movements. It was obvious he was injured but too stubborn to admit it.

"Everything happening here is my fight," he countered, drawing his sword, deciding to be stubborn as he chose to be all day.

Unfortunately, there was no time to argue. The cloaked brisk unleashed a wave of energy, and the battle began as Esled joined my side.

The clash was chaotic, a blur of movement and raw power. Esled fought with a surprising amount of skill, his blade cutting through the air with precision. The figure was strong, but together we easily managed to hold our ground and made for a good distraction.

The others worked to reinforce the tower, creating makeshift barricades and guiding Bliss and the little girl to safety. However, Bliss's silence lingered in the back of my mind. Her grief was natural and expected but something about her quiet felt different, darker. The air around her had changed, a subtle shift I couldn't ignore.

I didn't have time to ponder any longer as the cloaked figure raised his hand, lightning crackling out of his entire body, lining toward our direction. I met the attack head-on with a strong force of wind, scattering the energy into a burst of light.

Esled saw the opportunity and didn't wait for another chance. With a shout, he charged forward, Ali's sword gleaming in the light. The figure turned toward him, their movements almost lazy, as if I were Esled wasn't a threat at all.

As he swung, the cloaked figure's hand raised, catching the blade mid-air with a shimmering barrier of energy. Sparks flew, the force of the clash sending vibrations up Esled's arm.

I motioned my arms down then snapped them up, debris hitting the figure with my ramped up winds, giving Esled a chance to pull back. Esled had given me plenty of time to put us on the offensive. 

My wind sliced through their energy and encircled them with ease, as I tightened my right hand into a fist. The brisk screamed as they attempted to retreat in staggered steps. However, I wasn't going to let them. I moved swiftly toward them and I surrounded my hand in my power and cut through their legs, pushing the figure back outside.

"They're not alone," I muttered, dodging a blast of energy.

Esled's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Before I could respond, a second figure emerged from the shadows. This one was smaller, quicker, and more deadly. They moved like a shadow, their strikes aimed with lethal precision.

It was harder fighting the both of them. Not too difficult, but then something changed. The air grew colder, the energy around us faltering.

From the distance, a familiar voice rang out.

"Enough."

All eyes turned toward the source.

Bliss stepped forward, her presence commanding. The air around her was heavier now, almost vibrating with suppressed energy. Her expression was distant, her gaze far away, but her power...her power was here. It coiled and twisted in the air like a living thing, eager to be unleashed.

I felt it, wild, untamed, and dangerous. I'd seen her like this once before, but this time it felt different. Stronger. Uncontrolled.

And then, for the briefest moment, her gaze flicked to me. Her eyes burned with an intensity that made my chest tighten. It wasn't just grief I saw there. It was something far more volatile.

"Bliss?" I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

But she didn't hear me. Or if she did, she didn't care.

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How are you guys feeling so far about the story?

I know there's a lot of terms so it may be hard to keep up with everything...should I make a chapter explaining all the powers?

Do we like Iris' pov here and seeing how he thinks?

Any other comments/concerns???