Chapter 24: Conviction

Chapter 24: Conviction

I blinked behind the troll—hand extended—grabbing the troll’s shoulder, and with a pop of displaced air, we vanished, the Mooncat’s jaws snapping shut on empty air.

Once again, I blinked back into the cave—this time with the injured troll in my arms.

And once again, the goblins inside jumped in surprise, scattering like startled birds.

I sighed and shook my head, already tired of this routine.

You’d think by now they’d be used to my little teleportation tricks.

But then again, nothing about me had been ’normal’ to them since I arrived. Not my powers. Not my decisions. And definitely not the fact that I had saved a troll and brought it into their home.

"Seriously, guys," I muttered.

"How long is it going to take for you guys to get used to this?"

"A... a troll?" Narg stammered, taking a few cautious steps back. His hand reached for the crude dagger on his belt.

The rest of the clan followed his lead, shifting away from me, eyes wide, shoulders tense.

"What are you doing bringing a troll in here?" Flogga demanded, striding forward with a worried scowl.



"I couldn’t just leave him out there," I said simply, laying the unconscious creature gently on a woven mat near the fire. The troll groaned weakly, still breathing, still alive.

"But—" Flogga began, clearly about to argue.

"He saved my life," Zarah interrupted, stepping forward and crouching beside the troll. She gently took one of his hands in hers. "We should help him."

Her voice was quiet but firm. No hesitation.

I stared down at the troll.

His body was battered, wounds crisscrossing his thick gray skin.

He had saved her life?

I didn’t know that. If I did, I would have helped it a lot earlier.

"The runt saved Zarah?" Flogga asked, and Zarah confirmed.

"He did."

Narg didn’t look convinced. "It doesn’t matter what it did. It’s a troll, Alex. They’re unpredictable. They’re dangerous! It could kill us all while we sleep."

I turned to him, my voice calm but sharp.

"It doesn’t matter what it is. The moment it helped one of ours... it became one of our own."

That silenced him.

Then I turned to Flogga, who was already examining the troll with a mix of curiosity and concern. "You’re the clan’s alchemist. Do whatever it takes. Save him."

Flogga hesitated, just long enough to show she was thinking it through, then gave a small nod. "Alright. I’ll need my satchel. I’ll be back in a minute."

I stepped back, ready to blink again, ready to return to the forest and end what had started, but then I felt a small, warm hand close around mine.

I turned and saw it was Zarah.

Her fingers trembled slightly in mine.

Her eyes searched mine, confusion and worry battling behind them.

"Where are you going?" she asked softly.

I didn’t lie. "To finish what I started."

Her eyes widened.

A flicker of fear crossed her face.

"There’s no reason to fight anymore," she said, standing up fully. "You’re safe. We’re all safe now. You don’t have to do this."



"She’s right," Flogga added, now kneeling beside the troll again and applying a dark green salve to one of its wounds. "We need you alive, Totem. Now more than ever."

I nodded slowly. "That’s exactly why I have to go."

They didn’t understand.

Defeating the Mooncat wasn’t just about revenge or pride—it was about opportunity.

It was a level 15 predator. I was only level 8. The rewards from defeating something like that would be massive.

The gap in our strength wasn’t just a danger—it was a potential.

A chance to grow.

"I don’t understand," Zarah said, her voice strained. "We’re safe. You brought me back. Why are you risking death all over again?"

It wasn’t that simple. It never was. How do you explain to her that survival wasn’t enough anymore? That if I kept running from danger, I’d never be more than another weakling clinging to scraps?

I looked at her. Really looked.

She was afraid. She didn’t say it aloud, didn’t show it in her posture—but her eyes betrayed her. And beneath the concern, there was something else.

Loyalty. No—something deeper than that.

I didn’t know what to call it. But it mattered.

"I won’t die," I said gently. "I promise."

I meant what I said. I didn’t throw out promises lightly.

If I said I was coming back, then I would—even if I had to crawl through the dirt, bleeding and half-conscious to do it.

She held my gaze for a moment longer, then pulled her hand away abruptly and turned her back to me.

The message was clear: I don’t want to watch you go... but I won’t stop you.

I sighed.

Just when I thought she was starting to open up.

Flogga didn’t say anything else. Neither did Zzok. Or Narg. Maybe they finally understood.

Maybe they realized I was going to do it regardless of what they said.

And I was.

"I’ll be back," I said, flashing a crooked smile and raising both thumbs in a quick salute.

Then I blinked.

The cave vanished behind me.



The forest reappeared.

I stood once again in the clearing where I’d last seen the Mooncat. The place where everything had nearly gone to hell.

And to my surprise... the Mooncat was still there.

Waiting.

As if it knew I’d return.

It rose to its feet the moment I arrived, muscles rippling beneath dark, moonlit fur. Its tail flicked once. Its teeth bared in a grin that was far too human.

"I knew it," it said, voice smooth and satisfied.

"I knew you’d come back."

Its hair bristled like a static charge had run through it, each strand standing on edge. Its body coiled like a spring, ready to pounce.

"I knew you weren’t like the rest."

I raised Gravefang and pointed the blade toward it.

"Oh, I came back alright," I muttered, tightening my grip on Gravefang. "And I promise, you’re going to...