Kaas and the rest moved quickly and silently through the empty halls of Desmortia. Each of them stored their shoes in their bags to keep their footsteps as soft as possible as they snuck across the stone floors.

He looked behind him to check on his team. As he hoped, he could see only their squinting eyes as they trailed him. Only Ludd was completely invisible as he rode on Tykus's back to recover his energy. Producing that much blood at once would take a toll on anyone. But Ludd was a tough one despite his lack of strength.

They were on the 30^th and had not encountered a single Ahngreel since the Sixteenth. There were only 83 more floors left before reaching the Equituum level, which was five floors tall. And after that, the Hidaar's palace resided on the summit.

"Keep going," he whispered in the smallest voice possible. "Assume they're on the floor below."

There were many ways up the floors of Desmortia. Some direct, some not so much. But none were secret, as far as Kaas was aware. Any Saltabiiq worth their title would have the entrances on lockdown. But since all the Saltabiiq were in the process of being resurrected at Freelan, every passage was free reign for anyone to traverse.

Kaas did not rule out the possibility of meeting any low-rankers with the same idea. Even if he was confident they could easily beat any challengers, they did not have the time to dally. Plus, there was the danger of leaving proof of their endeavors. It was custom that Ahngreel souls remained silently in their bodies to await the lake, yet there were always exceptions.

So, they rose through Desmortia, up and up, higher and higher. When they reached the 40^th, Kaas could feel the muscles in his legs starting to tense. By the time they reached the 55^th, his legs were screaming in protest. But they had to keep going. The Hidaar could be hot on their heels.

 Whenever they spotted an Ahngreel wandering the corridors, they pressed their invisible bodies against the walls, shut their eyes, and tried their best to suppress their auras—only daring to open them when they could no longer sense their presence.

On the 67^th, Kaas could hear his team trying to suppress their wheezes. Even he was getting short of breath.

It had been such a long time since he had been so high up in Sohaud. He supposed he should have prepared them for the thinner air that came with the higher altitude. Too late now. They would just have to endure it. They were almost there.

Kaas kept his ears pricked for the sound of footsteps below. He knew the Hidaar would be the first one to the top once everyone started filing back into the city. He would be their first, and hopefully only, real encounter.

It was getting harder to stay stealthy. By the 74^th, Kaas and the rest were all desperately trying to breathe. But they kept going. They were so close. Each floor was getting easier to cross as the mountain itself narrowed into the summit. Each floor grew smaller the higher they climbed. However, they were each still enormous.

But by the time they reached the 89^th, Kaas could see the thin outlines of the others. No doubt he was the same as his body glistened with sweat. They had no choice if they wanted to stay hidden.

"Let's take a break to reapply."

His team sighed in relief as they collapsed against a wall. Ludd hopped off Tykus's shoulders and was already pumping his hands.

"Woah—" whispered Aaska looking around with Naaro at the hallway walls. "—it's so clean and pretty." finished Naaro.

Kaas glanced at his surroundings. In contrast with the grimy, blood-stained walls of the lower floors, the upper was pristine and polished. The Saltabiiq who had lived here took good care of this place.

He supposed this was a new experience for them, too. Besides Ludd's journey to the Tenth, the highest any of them had been was the First to pick out clothes from the salvage pile that Oriander brought to the low-rankers.

"'Desmortia used to be a prosperous city full of scholars and builders,'" said Kaas, reciting a history text he read during his tenure as Hidaar. "'What was once a city of learning now stands as a mausoleum of strength. All that is left is a hollow shell of its former beauty.'"

"What do you mean mausoleum?" said Tykus as he cupped his hands to receive a helping of Ludd's blood. "Strength is everything to an Ahngreel. Who cares about beauty? Why bother dwelling on the past if it serves no purpose?"

"Calm yourself. It's only a book reminiscing of the past," said Kaas, rubbing blood on his chest.

Tykus scoffed.

"Now, don't be like that, Tykus. There is value in what came before. If you don't learn from the past, it is easy to be taken advantage of."

"I suppose." Kaas couldn't see Tykus's expression, but the tone of his answer was of slight relent.

"And," said Ludd, standing in front of Alén, "You can learn from the mistakes of others. Isn't that right, Kaas?"

Kaas smiled, "Yes, exactly." At least somebody understood.

The twins' teeth appeared from thin air as the two grinned, "Yeah, like don't get into a fight you can't win—" "—especially twice in a row. You should know that more than anyone, Kaas."

There were snorts of laughter from the others. Kaas flushed, though it was hidden behind the invisible mask of blood.

Kaas smirked as he got to his feet, "Oh, haha. Very funny. Break time's over. Let's move on."

There were groans of protest.

 "None of that," he scolded, "we're almost there. And if any of you fall behind, we keep going no matter what."

With one last inspection to ensure all were adequately covered, the six continued their journey upward through the last 24 floors. They did not meet another soul until they reached the double doors that barred them from the Equituum level. A lone Ahngreel stood staring in awe at the heavy stone doors that stood twice his height.

A mural was carved into the doors depicting four figures sitting upon strange hooved beasts. Kaas remembered from a book that they were called horses. They watched as the Ahngreel pressed his hands to one of the doors and pushed with all his might, but it did not budge.

There came a whisper as gentle as a breeze in his ear. "Should we take him out?" It was Tykus's voice. Kaas breathed his descent.

It was only a low-ranker. His lack of strength to push open the door was proof enough. "This way." He reached behind him to grasp Tykus by his shirt. Tykus was supposed to do the same to the twin behind him, and so on.

He remembered the secret way through that Equituum used when they did not want to use the front door. But it would take some fumbling to find the hidden entrance. He looked back at the Ahngreel trying the door. Only to find he was not there.

In a panic, he cast his eyes around. Was he a scout for his Saltabiiq? Or did he detect their presence and run off?

His question was swiftly answered when he sensed Rau flaring up somewhere to his left. He whipped to face the burst of aura; his arms instinctively rose to defend himself. But before Kaas could even properly comprehend his surroundings, the Ahngreel was already dead as his limp body floated in midair.

Kaas was momentarily confused as most of the low-ranker's head seemed to be missing. Then he realized that an invisible Tykus stood between him and the dead Ahngreel, holding him by his head high enough that his feet dangled off the floor. It was Ludd's blood rubbing off onto the low-ranker's skull that was making parts of his head disappear.

It took Kaas another half-second to realize that an arm rested on his shoulder. Though he could not see it, he knew that the arm belonged to Alén, whose aura began to disappear. She had silently run up behind him and used his shoulder to steady her aim as she activated her Talent, just like he taught her. He couldn't be prouder of his genius! It did not matter that they outclassed him in speed and strength. He did not have to be the strongest as long as they remained loyal.

Though he couldn't see the wound that killed the low-ranker, he suspected it was in the middle of his forehead, now hidden by Ludd's invisible blood. And knowing what Alén was going to do, Tykus had caught her victim before he could fall to the ground. They had been swift and efficient. The perfect team. He really knew how to pick them!

"What do we do now?" said Tykus in a half-whisper.

Kaas was silent. They couldn't leave him here. Leaving a body with half a visible head lying around would be suspicious. Even if they couldn't immediately identify to whom the invisible blood belonged, they would be on high alert. If only two Ahngreel had ambushed them so they could make it look like they killed each other. His mind raced as he cycled through scenarios.

They could try to find a window and throw the body on the mountainside. No, his soul would wander the halls to ensure his body was retrieved, making it as pointless as leaving his body here. They could wait around and hope another Ahngreel comes to try and open the door. No, that would take too long. He was already wasting time overthinking.

"I've got an idea!" said Ludd from his presumable spot on Tykus's back.

"Do it," said Kaas in quiet desperation. Any idea Ludd had was probably better than anything he was thinking.

Ludd gave a confident grunt, "Tykus, are you able to open the door to the Equituum?"

"Easily."

Kaas furrowed his eyebrows. Was he planning to take the body with them? Or leave him on an Equituum level? "I'm not sure that's wise, Ludd."

"Trust me, Kaas, I know what I'm doing."

There was such certainty in his voice that Kaas nodded. Then he remembered that he was invisible. "Alright, I trust you."

Kaas held his breath. He heard Tykus's slight grunt as the right door rumbled and grated as it slowly opened.

"That's enough, Tykus," Ludd ordered, "Now put the body in the opening as if he opened the door himself."

A flash of understanding hit Kaas as a smile spread across his lips. It was a simple and brilliant plan. What Ludd lacked in strength, he made up for in brains. At least when he decided to apply himself. Although recruited only six years ago, Luud has proved himself a valuable asset. I really am a genius!

But a sudden weight was growing on his heart at the thought. Why though?

Tykus followed Ludd's instructions to the letter as he carefully planted the corpse's feet and slid it—while avoiding staining the stone with the blood from its head—across the door as if the Ahngreel had managed to open it and was trying desperately to slip through the gap before his strength gave out.

The body's head was about even with the left door when Ludd said, "Now, let go."

Tykus obeyed as the two-foot-thick door slammed shut on its own, right onto the dead Ahngreel's head and shoulders with a crunch as his bones flattened between them. Blood seeped from the crack and pooled on the ground, covering any stray droplets that had fallen as Tykus enacted Ludd's plan. The body hung suspended as it remained pinned between the stone doors. His death looked like an accident. No one would suspect interference. Any trace of Ludd's blood would be erased by the sheer amount pouring from the corpse. And since the invisible blood carried no scent, their presence was completely masked.

"Excellent, Ludd!" said Kaas, ignoring the twinge in his heart, "Now, onward. We're about to reach the top."

They all gingerly stepped around the growing blood pool. Kaas watched carefully to make sure that none left any bloody footprints. It would be a waste to go through all that just to be caught by a simple mistake.

Kaas ordered them to halt a few corridors later. They were now in front of the statue of a robed Ahngreel that stood even taller than Tykus.

"Now watch closely," said Kaas, "This is a secret only privy to the Hidaar and Equituum."

Taking care to check his surroundings, Kaas reached for the statue's left wrist. He twisted it twice to the right, half to the left, and one last right, so the hand was back to its original position. Then he moved to the right wrist and twisted it once to the left. There were several clicks as the mechanisms hidden under the sleeves activated. The wall to the statue's right slid open, revealing a set of stairs leading upward.

There were "oohs" and "ahs" from the others. Kaas felt rather pleased with himself, which temporarily alleviated the weight on his chest. "Now come. The door will close in a few seconds. They ran up the stairs and into the Equituum levels without further discussion.

They did not have time to linger on this level as much as Kaas wanted to stop and reminisce. Though as they entered the lavish halls where the First Equituum lived, it was clear that the floors were suffering from some neglect. A thick layer of dust coated the floors. Something that made Kaas worry. They would leave footprints, only this time, where no one was supposed to be. No amount of invisible blood would cover their tracks. Nor was there any hidden shortcut. Their only course of action was to sidle along the walls on the tips of their pointed toes and hope that the track they left was small enough not to be noticed.

Despite their careful traversal, the air displaced by their movement kicked up small dust clouds. Kaas felt the urge to sneeze well up inside him more than once. But he could not risk the sound echoing in these empty halls. As thick as the dust was, built up over the thousands of years of these floors not having masters, it would not be enough to stop the sound from carrying across halls. He hoped the others would think the same.

However, there was immediate respite when they came across a surprisingly clean corridor. There were visible sighs of relief when they reached it. Kaas should have realized that clean corridors existed. After all, Oriander still had to access the lower floors.

The bottom three floors belonged to the lower-ranked Equituum, but even then, the upper-ranked had to walk through the lower floors in the Equituum level. The clean corridors were the route the Champion—the former Champion, Kaas thought bitterly—took to reach his floor and the floor below. He only cleaned what he had to, and it appeared that Oriander always went through the main entrance, given how dusty the secret entrance was. But this was perfect for Kaas and his team. For one, they didn't have to worry about leaving footprints—which meant the trail they had taken was in an unused section. For two, it gave them the most efficient route through the maze-like halls. All they had to do was follow the clean pathway upward.

The fourth floor, which belonged to the Champion Equituum, was not so easy to navigate. Oriander kept his home spotless and surprisingly well decorated. Each hall was lined with glossy paper tapestries of humans in various fighting poses. It was obvious that each human was a boxer, even when they were not wearing the signature gloves that Oriander sometimes donned in fights. In some halls, each tapestry depicted different fighters. In others, the same two were plastered over and over.

The man loved his boxing. One of the privileges of being Equituum is using the portal that resided in the Hidaar's throne room to travel to Earth. It was only for a short time, so a smart Ahngreel had to use their time wisely. There were a few duties to perform, such as retrieving clothes for all the Ahngreel to wear. But the rest of the time belonged to the Ahngreel to do whatever they wanted before they were dragged back to Sohaud by that damnable Urzuran's influence. Kaas spared a moment to let his hatred for that so-called god seethe.

All his life, the Ahngreel were under the thumb of Urzuran, despite the fool being dead. The Ahngreel had mastered death and yet could not conquer this dead. One of his biggest regrets as Hidaar was that he could not figure out how to escape Urzuran's influence. Something that he would most certainly correct once he was Hidaar again.

Kaas clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. He was filled with a mix of rage and anticipation. They were on the cusp of victory, but he could not get ahead of himself. The Hidaar was not dead yet. Kaas needed to make sure he was the one who gave the killing blow. The Blood of Hidaar would only recognize the one who killed its host. As much as he trusted his team, he could not rule out betrayal. It had happened too many times for him not to expect it. Though the thought only added to the weight on his chest.

Kaas kept his eyes on the tapestries to calm himself of his conflicting emotions. They were covered in writing in all different languages. Some he could read—though barely—some he could not. Oriander must have used his time to travel the world, searching for boxing matches. He liked to imagine Oriander participating in some of those matches, showing those humans what for. No human could stand against the might of the Ahngreel, not even the Hidaar himself. That man would fall tonight by their hand! No human would humiliate the Ahngreel ever again. He would make sure of that.