Feathers of Midknight

Night had fallen. Tristan collapsed to his knees as the paralytic poison spread deeper through his body, dragging him down despite every effort to resist. Lillith lay beside him in a broken heap beaten nearly to death, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. Blood soaked through her clothes. Tristan looked back at Mariah and Rowan, still unconscious behind him, and bit down hard on a scream of frustration.

Then something touched his shoulder.

A black tendril, thin and careful, rested there like a hand offering comfort.

He realized, all at once, that help had finally arrived.

Earlier that evening

Minato paced his dorm room, restless and unable to settle. He kept glancing at the door, waiting for any word, a letter, a knock, anything to tell him his friends had returned safely. Nothing came.

A knock finally sounded at the door. He opened it to find Isolde standing there, looking utterly exhausted.

"Are you all right, Isolde?"

"Minato, I haven't the faintest clue what you may be insinuating. I am perfectly fine and not at all tired after having spent the entire day watching over the prince and his guest to ensure they did not cause one disaster or another."

"Right. Glad you're okay."

She gave him a flat look. "Ahem. Anyway I was told to inform you that everything is ready. Follow me."

"Just one second."

Minato scribbled a quick note and left it by the door in case Celis returned before he did. Then he followed Isolde through the academy halls.

She led him to a converted storage room that had been hastily transformed into something resembling a treatment space. Inside, Caius stood beside a young man no older than twenty-one. Dark, mossy-green hair hung over his eyes as he sat slumped in a chair, holding a cup of something that looked deeply questionable.

"Your Highness, we're here."

Caius looked up and waved them over. "Welcome, welcome! Minato, meet my friend Alec. He's a healer from the slums, but don't let his unhealthy habits fool you, I can personally vouch for his skills."

Alec sat up indignantly. "Excuse me, dear prince unhealthy habits my ass. This stuff is good for you." He stood and offered the cup to Isolde. "Hey, Isolde, want to try some? I made it myself, so it's bound to do wonders for your health."

Isolde took the cup from him calmly, walked to the window, and poured it out.

"MY BABY"

Minato couldn't help but laugh. The atmosphere was warm, friendly, and easy, something he hadn't felt in days. Then the door burst open.

"MINATO, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Celis stumbled into the room, gasping for breath. Isolde pulled a chair over, and Celis dropped into it, words spilling out in a rush. Minato's expression hardened with every sentence. The moment she finished, he turned and bolted for the door.

Alec grabbed his shoulder and stopped him cold.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? I'll be honest with you, man with your arm the way it is, you can't hope to do anything right now. You go there now and you'll just be another body on the pile. So relax. And lay down over there."

Minato looked down, fists clenched, wanting to argue. But he knew Alec was right. He let out a slow breath and forced himself to calm down.

Caius placed a hand on his shoulder. "Heal up first. Tristan isn't so weak that he can't hold his own against clowns."

Minato nodded once, walked over to the makeshift operating table, and lay down. Alec moved to his side and examined the shadow-cast wrapping his arm.

"Interesting use of your magic. From what I can tell, either your mana pool is insanely large or this barely uses anything at all which would let you keep it up indefinitely. Either way, it's impressive." He paused. "Now turn it off. Let me see what we're working with."

Minato released the construct. The stench hit everyone immediately. Isolde and Celis both recoiled. Alec didn't flinch. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing faint green veins running along his arms that began to glow as he carefully touched key points along Minato's limb, reading the damage.

Minato gritted his teeth against the pain. "How exactly are you going to heal me? All the other healers said it would take head-healer-level skill."

"Typically, yeah. Those old guys aren't wrong, and I'm nowhere near that old fart's skill level. But other methods exist."

"Like what? I'd like to know what I'm getting into."

Alec straightened and met his eyes. "All right. Simple version: your case right now is a worst-case scenario for any fighter. Your bones are shattered. Those shattered pieces have pierced your muscles, causing severe internal bleeding. The tissue has started to rot hence the stench. The healers already knew this, and that's why they said only the head healer could fix it." He paused. "The treatment for your case is a completely new arm."

Shock spread across every face in the room except for Caius and Alec.

"The prince went directly to the healers to see your results, then reached out to me. I'm the only other person who can oversee an operation like this. With my Accord Archana, I'll overclock your system and boost your sensitivity at a cellular level to inhuman regions. It'll hurt worse than a slash to the gut. Everything, cells, bones, muscles, nerves, you'll feel it all cranked to the max." He looked at Minato directly. "So will you still go through with this?"

Celis stepped forward to intervene. Isolde stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

Minato forced a smile despite the fear in his eyes. "Losing my friends is a thousand times scarier and more painful than whatever you've got, doc. I trust you. Let's do this."

Alec stood there for a moment, arms folded, at a loss for words. Then he smiled, shoved his hair back, and revealed tired eyes with long lashes. His eyes glowed amber.

"I'll get you out there as fast as possible. You have my word."

The operation began.

Alec dulled Minato's senses first, then made the cut just below the shoulder. The limb came away cleanly. Isolde led Celis out of the room. Caius stayed.

"The arm's off. It's about to hurt now. Are you ready, Minato?"

Minato steadied his breathing and gave a confident smile.

Alec turned the overclocking to maximum. His eyes and arms shone brightly as he waved his hands over Minato's body. Slowly, the confident smile faded. Minato's eyes began to roll back. He grabbed the edge of the table with his remaining hand and held on. Caius offered him a piece of cloth to bite down on and held him steady as pain tore through him in waves. His body shook violently. Tears ran down his face, but he held the scream in.

Outside the room, Celis and Isolde could hear the muffled groans.

Alec moved to the next stage: mapping the new arm and triggering cellular growth at the shoulder point. "You're almost there, Minato. You're doing great. Time for the home run."

Bone began to form. It grew slowly, filling out the shape Alec had mapped in his mind. Once the bones were complete, muscle started to weave itself around them. Minato nearly lost consciousness. The sensation of bones and muscles regrowing every piece attaching, every nerve waking was unbearable. Caius called out to him, keeping him tethered. Minato thought of his friends who needed him and bit down harder.

Finally, flesh formed over the structure. The arm looked whole again.

Now came the final act: full mobility restoration and acceptance. A new arm was one thing, but for a fighter, an arm that felt foreign was nothing short of a hindrance. Alec met Minato's gaze. Minato took a deep breath.

Alec activated electrical signals through his body, forcing it to absorb memories of the old arm completing a second limb cloning.

The operation was done. Night had come.

Heavy breathing filled the room. They all exhaled in relief. Minato sat up slowly and raised his new arm, clenching his fist and testing the movement. Isolde and Celis stepped back in, hopeful. Minato stood by the window and smiled.

"Everyone, I can't thank you enough for this."

Caius grinned. "Don't mention it. What are friends for?"

Alec shrugged. "Honestly, thanks for trusting a complete nut job like me. You're one hell of a patient."

Minato closed his eyes. His body still felt the lingering effects of the overclocking. Alec tilted his head.

"Normally I'd tell my patients to rest after something like that. But you don't seem like the type to listen."

Minato laughed. "You're right there, doc. I've got to go help my friends."

He looked at Celis, who stood and bowed. "I'll await your return, young master."

Minato turned toward the window.

"Oh yeah, how are you going to get there on time? Hey, prince, call him a"

Minato jumped.

Alec rushed to the window's edge. "WHAT THE HELL, MAN?"

Minato fell.

Time slowed. His perception of his body, heightened to inhuman levels by the overclocking, sharpened into clarity. He harnessed it. Shadows poured from his body and wrapped around him like a cloak. His eyes snapped open. Wings burst from his back, one pair, broad and glistening like the purest obsidian, and he shot upward into the night sky.

Alec stumbled back from the window, stunned.

Minato leveled out and flew forward, but concern gnawed at him. I need to move faster. But how?

Then he remembered a basic form of magic, the first he had ever learned during his training at Evergreen. He opened his palms and released bursts of pure mana. The propulsion sent him rocketing forward at incredible speed. The sound cracked through the air like thunder.

He flew toward the forest where his friends were being held.

On the ground, Tristan kept fighting. Lillith had been stabbed by Ana while trying to protect him. She collapsed, and Garrick kicked her in fury.

"Why won't you just stay down, you useless woman? All you had to do was mind your damn business, but no couldn't help yourself, could you? Why are you throwing your life away for these brats? If you want your own, I could help"

Edmond cut him off. "Don't be like that, Garrick. Remember, she lost her womb. The way I see it, she's just projecting. Can't have her own kids, so she protects any random street rat just because it breathes. She's a liability, just like I told you."

A large man walked into the clearing and stood in front of them. "Edmond's right. If you'd brought someone like her on our jobs, she'd be nothing but trouble."

He grabbed Lillith's bloodied head and lifted it. She groaned in pain.

"What a waste of a pretty face, too."

She spat in his face. Edmond smirked weakly. Lillith spoke through ragged breaths. "I appreciate the compliment, but you're not really my type, big guy. Better luck next time."

The man raised his fist in rage. Tristan threw himself between them, blocking the blow with his sword.

"Get away from us. Right now. Or else."

He could barely keep his legs under him, but he forced himself to stay standing. His breath came heavy. The poison spread deeper with every second. Slowly, he lost feeling in his leg and dropped to one knee.

"Boss, I apologize," Ana said quietly. "Edmond and I thought he'd taken the poison like the other two. We made a mistake."

Their boss tossed Lillith aside. She landed near Tristan with a pained gasp. The man walked over to examine the unconscious bodies of Mariah and Rowan.

"So with the three of them, what's the game plan? I can tell one's a commoner, so she's easy for Him. But the other two"

Ana raised her hand. "The boy barely holding on is a frontier noble's kid. The girl with blue hair is the duke's daughter. I wouldn't suggest giving her to Him; she'd cause the whole operation to collapse."

The boss scratched his head in frustration. "This brat alone is causing such a headache. Whatever. Might just have to kill her and dump her in a dungeon somewhere."

Tristan exploded in rage. "DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON HER!"

The others only laughed cruelly, mocking laughter that echoed through the clearing. Weakened, outnumbered, with no hope in sight, all they could do was laugh.

Then Tristan felt something tug at his clothes.

He turned. A dark, shadowy tendril waved at him.

Help had arrived.

He offered a weak smile.

Minato knelt at the edge of the clearing, tendrils spreading out from his hands like roots mapping the area. He found them quickly: his friends, the enemies, the leader standing front and center.

I've found them. The big guy's the leader. He looks like the strongest of the bunch. I need to take him out fast especially while his guard is down.

He stood and took a deep breath, examining his body.

"Enshroud."

Shadows spilled out from behind him and covered his entire body inside and out. They wrapped around his muscles intricately, acting like compression clothing to stabilize and increase tension, allowing him to operate at three times his normal physical capacity.

The full-body coating faded. His arms and legs bore web-like patterns of black lines, signifying successful enhancement. His hooded cape remained on his back.

I need to end this in one clean hit. Enough force to knock out an elephant and then some.

He looked around. Trees stretched in every direction, their trunks thick and sturdy. An idea formed.

He released tendrils from the tops of his hands and wrapped them around a tree trunk. Without hesitation, he began running in a circle around the tree, building momentum. At certain intervals, he released bursts of mana to accelerate further. Finally, he reached optimal velocity.

He released the tendril.

He swung forward at incredible speed, wrapping more shadows around his right leg with every passing second, increasing its density layer by layer. He closed in on the target. Before the man could even react, Minato arrived and delivered a devastating high kick to the side of his head.

"I'll break through with a SMASH!"

The boss collapsed instantly. Everyone froze in shock.

Tristan let out a choked sob of relief. "Minato…"

Minato turned and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's fine now. I'm here."

He looked back at the kidnappers with a confident smirk. "Did you really need this many people for a couple of kids? That's kind of pathetic, you know. Say how about I let you take this guy home, you give me the antidote so my friends and I can go, and we act like we never saw each other? Sounds like a good deal, righ"

Ana attacked from behind. His tendrils hardened instantly, forming a shield.

"I was still" He spun around with an elbow to her midsection. "talking, damn it!"

A single punch sent her flying backward despite her block.

Minato appeared confident, but Tristan could see the strained breathing, the shaky hands. Still, he held his faith strong.

Minato looked at the remaining kidnappers as they prepared to rush him all at once.

Damn it. I can feel the overclocking wearing off. Once that happens, the adrenaline will go too. All the pain will come rushing in, and that'll be that. We'd be screwed. I need to pour everything into this. I need to go beyond one hundred percent. Knock them out, grab the antidote, and go.

He smiled and gave them a snarky smirk. "All right, come at me all at once. Let's dance, you freaking clowns."

They rushed him.

Minato let his shadows coat him completely, then exploded outward.

"Max output omni-factor release!"

His hood transformed into a mask to regulate his breathing and oxygen circulation. His body prepared to move at super-soldier level. His arms formed gauntlets for greater impact strength. His legs took on specialized boots for improved horizontal and vertical movement. His cape split into ten large tentacles for attack and defense. A single pair of wings emerged to control mid-air movement.

Minato stood ready.

And the fight began.