The Scapegoat's Return

y craw

spot, I watche

ere re

ping homeless man

im, drawing a shimmering strand of vita

in his sleep,

lmost immediately, his

though she seemed mo

rain, her hesit

city, preying on the vu

studying late

man dozing on

spiritual forms grew

en if they couldn' t,

linging to their esse

strict about harming mortals

nsgression, and it made pas

d get you barred

ulating it at a

companion, was

rs, Ethan! How ca

gh I knew it was more than th

ove, a desperate need to keep Liam by

ed, Liam started to

ut it was... unstable. Flic

his greed and the harm caused,

, clutching

hloe rushed to his side, h

form dimming alarmingly. "It' s like... I'

und wildly, her

s lande

! Patrollers carry Warden' s Essence in t

small, unassuming metal b

shal'

was a simple Pa

s imbued with a tiny spark of Warden'

s a direct conduit to significa

was implying, would re

ed stabilize

y to a Marshal' s badge being destroyed in the mortal realm, an

said, keeping my voice steady, injecting a note of relu

d, her eyes blazing with her Ectoplasmic Flame, though

at Chloe. "Please... I do

crucial par

rself further, to make ch

to appear

understand the conse

e you," she snarled, her ha

Her love for Liam

ious face to Liam' s

igh, a performance

ht. For

badge. It felt

authority, my powe

pression a mixture of

sound by snapping a dry twig I'd palmed, and th

refully," I said, holding

atched i

she held it over Liam and then b

a small relea

t, burst of pure Warden' s Essence that flare

out at the last second for a decoy I' d prepared – a true, low-leve

a calculated risk to ensure Liam's stabilization but also to subtly hint at a gr

lidifying instantly, the

dazed, b

is face. "Liam

... much better. Thank you, Chloe." H

ered remnants of the d

ne. You did your

, as if I were a tool t

rf

heap badge, my expression caref

will not be pleased," I

with me," Chloe said dismissively, al

deal with y

the way y

ed on Chloe from her act of coercion and destruction

was app

ger would

al test wo