It didn't take long for Vorden to pull away from the temple and make his way back toward his true destination—the castle. The longer he lingered there, the heavier the strain on Sil's mind became. If he'd been alone, perhaps curiosity might have driven him to explore the temple, but with Sil unusually alert today, that was out of the question.
Whenever Sil stirred, Raten wasn't far behind with his own outbursts—and that combination was nothing but a guaranteed migraine.
Soon, the trees thinned, and the looming silhouette of the castle revealed itself—or rather, its base. Before them stretched an impossibly long, wide staircase, climbing toward a raised platform where massive doors waited like silent sentinels.
"Are you kidding me, Vorden? You live in that giant castle? Just who are you?" Quin asked, wide-eyed.
"Well… technically, I used to live in the temple before moving here," Vorden replied with a shrug. "So, no—I didn't always live up there." He eyed the steps with open disdain. "But look at these stairs… I've always hated them."
"Yeah, okay, Vorden, why don't you use your speed ability to carry me up?" Quin asked, eyes wide in mock pleading.
"Oh… about that," Vorden said, avoiding eye contact. "I can't use the speed ability anymore."
"What!?" Quin exclaimed. "What do you mean you can't use it? I've seen you the ability before, and I've never heard of one that's a single-use thing."
Vorden kept climbing, his tone calm. "I didn't tell you before, Quin, but… we're like the Originals. Our ability lets us copy someone else's—but it resets every time."
"Huh… so it's like a double-edged sword. Powerful, but with a serious catch," Quin muttered.
After what felt like forever, they reached the final steps. The wind shifted, carrying a strange tension with it. Quin was bent over, huffing for breath, while Vorden seemed barely winded.
"Damn it!" Vorden suddenly yelled, throwing his arms up to shield his head.
A kick smashed into his forearms, nearly knocking him off balance. A fall from here would be brutal—not to mention the agony of climbing those stairs again.
"Vorden!" Quin shouted, but before he could react, another kick slammed into his torso, sending him stumbling into Vorden. They both tumbled down several steps before Vorden dug in, stopping their fall and catching Quin in the same motion.
"Vicky… do we have to do this?" Vorden groaned.
She darted forward, sweeping her leg back for a kick to his stomach. Out of instinct, Vorden tucked into a ball and rolled aside, her strike cutting through empty air. He came up on one knee, sweeping low toward her ankles, but she hopped back with a grin.
"And who's this? A nerdy guy with glasses already falling apart?" she taunted, eyeing Quin. "Don't tell me you made friends with such a weakling."
"Vicky, if you lay another hand on Quin—"
"You'll do what?" she teased.
"Let me take care of this," Raten's voice cut in.
Vorden switched, and Raten met Vicky's flurry of kicks, blocking each one, though the impact left his forearms throbbing. He only smiled, which made her stop in irritation.
"You switched into him? Boring," she said, walking away. "You can greet him now, brother."
Brother? Raten thought, but before he could react, a fist slammed into his head, sending him reeling.
Quin, still aching, stepped forward. "Hey, numbskulls—you can't just bully my friend!"
"Oh, Raten, how could you be friends with him?" Pai, Vicky's twin mocked, leaping toward Quin. His foot was inches from his head when a hand shot up, catching it mid-strike.
Pai froze. Between them stood Vorden—but his posture, his tone, his very presence were neither Vorden nor Raten. It was Sil.
"Don't lay a hand on my pet," Sil said, his voice laced with cold aggression. At that, both Vicky and Pai, who had been silent until now, eased back, their expressions shifting. A second later, Vorden reclaimed control and hurried to Quin's side.
"So this is the little one's new pet?" Vicky said mockingly. Neither Vorden nor Quin replied—Quin too busy wincing in pain to process the insult.
"Vorden… who are these people?" Quin asked.
"My siblings," Vorden admitted.
"Seriously?"
"It's… kind of a tradition," Vorden said with a sigh. "But I'm sorry you got caught in it."
Vicky and Pai turned toward the massive doors.
"Grandpa's expecting you," Vicky called back, and without another word, the two vanished into the castle.