Night Patrol

Just as Xilian had expected, word of the ritual's success spread through town before noon.

Over the next few days, rumors brewed and grew. With every retelling, the townspeople made Xilian's ritual sound more miraculous.

Xilian paid them no mind. He went about his work as usual, and late one night, climbed the high wall with Tim, sword and gun in hand.

"You know, the townspeople say you're even stronger than our teacher now."

Tim nudged Xilian's shoulder and teased, "They also say someone saw you unleash your Transcendent power from the wall, calling down a rain of fire that scorched hundreds of meters of ground."

Xilian sighed helplessly, at a loss for words.

The townspeople did not come to bother him, but whenever they saw him, they nodded with newfound reverence.

Their fervent gazes made Xilian uncomfortable. Some of the more emotional elders even clasped their hands, tears streaming down their faces as they prayed for him.

Unlike the younger people, who knew nothing of those days, these elders had witnessed the Soflova Brothers fall one after another...

"White Cliff Town has been cut off for too long. So long that the townspeople's understanding of the world has fallen behind."

There was no vanity in Xilian's voice as he calmly explained, "In the great city-states, being a Transcendent is just a job. You take on responsibilities and earn a living. That's all."

Tim asked, "Have you been to those great city-states?"

"No." Xilian shook his head. "But our teacher told me about them. He traveled to many places. The distance he covered on foot goes far beyond that map hanging in the Armory."

Tim gazed at the night sky, full of longing. "That sounds wonderful. I'd like to see the outside world too."

"Be patient. Once we make contact with Her City, White Cliff Town will be transformed within a few years."

Xilian reminded him, "Things have already started to change, haven't they?"

Tim nodded firmly. Things had already started to change.

In the past, life in White Cliff Town had been peaceful enough, but every townsman harbored some worry about the future.

Xilian's success meant the dark clouds hanging over White Cliff Town had parted, letting through the first light of hope.

Beyond restoring their faith, Xilian had made a tangible difference to their lives. For one thing, the Soflova Brothers could now take turns on the nightly patrol.

Ordinarily, Nuen had led the Soflova Brothers through their duties, enduring the long night until dawn. Now that Xilian had become a Torchbearer, the burden of night patrol had eased considerably.

Only Nuen, Xilian, and Tim were on patrol tonight. Nuen took one route alone, while Xilian and Tim took the other. Starting from the Torchlight Lighthouse, they climbed the high wall in opposite directions and would meet at its far end.

Mick had a rare night off and was fast asleep in his room.

Xilian raised his torch and waved it twice toward the far end of the wall. Before long, an answering flame swayed in the darkness.

Night patrol was not only about watching for large hordes of Demons. They also had to make sure the wall remained intact. If they found a breach, someone had to guard it until Nuen arrived.

At daybreak, the townspeople would be mobilized to repair it.

Xilian looked down. Hordes of Demons crowded the shadows, their hoarse cries rising in waves.

They crawled upward, impaling themselves on the spikes lining the wall or snagging their flesh on coil after coil of barbed wire until they were drenched in blood.

Xilian could smell the stench of foul blood drifting from the darkness. Fortunately, once the sun rose, its warmth would burn every trace of that blasphemy to ash.

"Maybe in a few years, we'll have a squad of Torchbearers right here in White Cliff Town. Then we won't have to patrol every night."

As he chatted, Xilian raised his pistol and aimed at a Demon that had somehow made it through the barbed wire.

All that remained of it was a misshapen husk, its insides hollow and its body a bloody ruin.

Xilian did not pull the trigger. He simply watched.

The Demon gripped the edge of the wall and heaved itself up, emerging from the wall's shadow into the light of the Torchlight Lighthouse.

Fwoosh—

Fire erupted across the Demon's body. Before it could even scream, it became a ball of flame and plummeted to the ground.

The flames caught several other Demons, drawing shrill screams from them. But the firelight soon vanished beneath the Grey Fog, leaving only a dim shimmer.

"Those Demons are climbing higher and higher."

Tim frowned and seized a spear with both hands. He drove it down into the barbed wire below the wall, swiftly killing the Demons still struggling there.

"The Torchlight Lighthouse isn't shining as brightly as it used to."

Xilian turned toward the Torchlight Lighthouse, whose light shone over all of White Cliff Town.

He remembered when its light had reached beyond the wall a few years ago. Back then, the Demons could only huddle at its edge, unable to get anywhere near the wall.

But Soul Marrow reserves had dwindled in recent years, forcing Nuen to burn less of it each night. The lighthouse's reach had shrunk as a result. Now its light barely covered the wall itself.

Once they had dealt with the Demons there, Xilian and Tim moved on to the next stretch of wall.

Torches stood all along the wall. At each one, Xilian added Soul Marrow. Their pure white light joined together, forming another wall of flame atop the stone and another safeguard for White Cliff Town's nights.

They worked and chatted, wondering what Ava would make them for breakfast at dawn and who would lead the Torchbearer squad if they really did form one.

Tim declared sternly that although Xilian was the first of the Soflova Brothers to become a Torchbearer, he still wanted to be captain if he could. He had an older brother's dignity to uphold.

Xilian had never cared to argue over such things. He just kept smiling at Tim.

"You'll be captain. Trust me."

Looking at Xilian's back, Tim asked, "What do you mean?"

"I'm curious about the outside world. Once White Cliff Town's troubles are settled, I might head for a larger city-state. When that happens, I'll leave the night watch here to you."

Xilian made no effort to hide what he wanted.

Tim fell silent for a while, then caught up and walked beside him.

"I know how stubborn you are, so I won't ask you to stay in White Cliff Town," Tim said after a moment's thought. "But I hope you won't be gone too long."

"Of course not. This is my home. I'll always come back," Xilian said, imagining it already. "And I'll bring you gifts from far away."

"Forget the gifts. I'm thinking about how miserable Ava will be when you leave."

Tim threw an arm around Xilian's neck with exaggerated warmth. "Aren't you afraid I'll steal her away?"

"Honestly, Ava wouldn't go for someone like you."

"You little brat!"

The smile abruptly vanished from Xilian's face. He said sharply, "Stop, Tim. Stay in the light."

Tim did not question him. He immediately raised his torch high, bathing his whole body in its light.

Xilian scanned their surroundings, tense. A deep, chilling cold spread across his skin.

The boundary between light and darkness was right beside Xilian, yet the Grey Fog had crossed the Soul Marrow's light.

Xilian heard something slowly beginning to burn.

The burning grew louder and fiercer.

To the sound of that phantom fire, the boundary at Xilian's feet crept forward, passed over him, and swallowed most of the wall.

"Is something wrong with the Torchlight Lighthouse?"

Realizing something was wrong, Tim looked toward the Torchlight Lighthouse.

"No... it isn't the Torchlight Lighthouse."

Xilian looked up.

Shadow gradually blotted out the twin moons. No clouds had rolled in to hide them. The Grey Fog was sweeping in like a raging sandstorm, engulfing all of White Cliff Town.

It was as though an opaque curtain had fallen. An overwhelming surge of Chaos breached the boundary of the light, and the Soul Marrow in the flames burned away rapidly. The torches along the wall flickered violently.

"The Grey Fog is rising!" Xilian growled.

At the gate at the far end of the wall, a red flare rose slowly and burst overhead, spreading like a bloom of blood across White Cliff Town.