Closer and closer they got to that power… Vigil began to sense more and more. His Psionic abilities were churning, going wild, sensing stuff he’d never thought he could sense. He could sense the walls, and the glow of the amber. He could sense the stone under his feet, and the hardness of the rock. He could sense the mist, and the slithering creatures hiding in them. He could sense the still, thick deadliness rolling off the power they were approaching… Except that now he could sense that it wasn’t a power. It was two powers, and they were locked together somehow. One of them was terrifying, and it made Vigil want to run away with his tail tucked between his legs. But the other one… The other one called to him like nothing Vigil had ever known. It was an attraction as great as gravity, a pull stronger than honey-roasted spare ribs, a closeness as familiar to him as his own scent… [This Psionic emanation… I know it. I KNOW it! Somewhere… but what was it…? Who was it…? Why do I feel

“You… you’re Shadowflash?!” George stared. “Where have you been?!” [I’ve been locked in Psionic combat with a Spectral Beast.] Shadowflash answered. “Really? It’s been over a year already. Half your Fief thought you were dead.” George said. “And the other half wasn’t sure you were coming back.” [That long…?] Shadowflash blinked. [I thought it felt rather long… but over a year?! Why hasn’t the Earth Lion King sent help? Why did the King not come to my aid?!] “Why would he?” George asked. [It is the sworn duty of all Wilds!] Shadowflash protested. “Does he even know about that Spectral Beast thing you were fighting? Last I checked, nobody knew where you were, not even that King lion fellow.” [I sent word!] Shadowflash protested. [I sent my son Daring to get help…] “Who’s that?” George asked. “I haven’t seen any wolfcat named Daring.” There was a short, but heavy silence. “Shadowflash, I have a lot of questions, but right now my people are in danger. The Tide is really on a ramp

“They want WHAT?!” Remian coughed into the communications crystal. On the other side, George sighed. “Well, they say they just want to use Kara-Goth as a secure base, and they’re asking for our cooperation and aid, but I think in the end, they just want mana. If we can give them mana, they might just go away.” Remian coughed again. “That’s never going to happen. George, if you give them mana, they’re going to keep coming back for more.” “Really? I mean, we don’t really have much anyway, and we need all we have for our airships. Speaking of which, we might be about to run short… think you could scrounge up another mana mine?” “I haven’t felt any mana around here, or around Kara-Goth. If I had, we’d have dug it up by now.” Remian frowned. “With the war going on, can they even spare an airship to come all this way?” “The Tide has hit the northern continent, I heard. In other words, everyone’s too busy fighting Wilds to fight each other. I think the world war is on hold until the Wild

In the Ecclesia College of Magi, whispers ran around the clubs about some of the new students.“Emerald Heights! These guys are Ashdalian nobles! Or at least, upper class!”“Who could have known? Look at that girl! She dresses like a street thug! But what if she’s actually a duchess or something?!”“Never mind her, look at the two at the back! The way they walk… it’s like they came out from a brothel. But that’s what it’s like for ladies-in-waiting in the Royal Court, right? They’re basically fishing for powerful husbands.”“No, wait! I heard they’re actually not from Ashdale! I heard they’re really from the Wildlands!”“The Wildlands?!”“Hush! They heard you! Look at that club-legged guy scowling at us! Oh, scrap! Run! RUN!”***At the clubhouse of the Saturn Club, an esteemed guest came to see the Club President.After the required pleasantries commenced, the guest asked directly, “Have you any readings on these new students?”The Saturn Club President shook his head. “Not much to s

Remian walked the halls of Kara-Goth in quiet contemplation. A whole day had passed since the Beast Tide went through here. The Beast Tide had fallen upon Fal’Herim, La Vive, Itarim, Ashdale, Bellas, Germat and Auria now. Kara-Goth and Three Pines had survived more or less untouched. The resource colonies sent by the warring nations and the Midlands Sea People islands could not say the same. The Tide had pretty much left them in pieces and then plopped down to stay. Also, the Wilds seem to have no plans on returning. Nine new Lords previously from the south now occupied the northern edge bordering the desert. Six new Lords had settled down in the Sea People islands. The Wilds who made it all the way to the northern continent showed no signs of turning around or leaving. Even the Deep Emperor had gone to stay in the Midlands Sea. All told, the Wilds were no longer contained in the Wildlands. On a happier front, Shadowflash had returned and was no longe