ONCE, WHEN JOSH and Tom were still in middle school, they had stayed in the car while Tom's mom went into the store. They turned up the stereo as loud as it would go and spent almost twenty minutes rocking out to music that vibrated the entire car. When they spotted Tom's mom coming out of the store, they had cut off the music instantly.

The moments after the battle felt much like that. Confused adrenaline buzzed through Josh's veins while the silence of the forest deafened him, all while his senses strained with the overload of emptiness.

Boomer, I'm alive, Josh said as he stared at Akachi and Cale. They stood a small distance away, Akachi crouched down with the woman while the two Paladins shared a muttered conversation.

Boomer channeled his presence through the bond, and although miles away, his warmth wrapped around Josh like when he leaned back against the curled-up dragon. I'm glad Jodas contacted Ezraim in time.

That makes two of us. Any longer and I would be a goner. Josh adjusted his position against the tree. He hissed when the movement sent a jolt of pain through his ribs. Pain sucked.

"Yeah, getting attacked by an ogre hurts, doesn't it?"

Josh tensed at the annoyance in Cale's words. He raised his eyes to meet the other's glare. Even if it only caused more pain, Josh set up straighter and glowered back. "I would say so, but I'm not sure how you snapping at me is supposed to help."

Cale shook his head and scoffed. "What in the world were you even thinking? Observe. Don't fight. Stay hidden in one spot. Any of this ring a bell?"

"Seriously?" He dug his fist into the ground. If only he could stand without the risk of his knees giving out. Then Cale couldn't keep glaring down at him like he was a child being scolded. "This is about me not listening? Excuse me for being more worried about saving some lady from an orc you guys let get away."

Some part of Josh knew it wasn't fair to drag Akachi into this since he wasn't the one being a self-righteous idiot. The other, louder part just wanted to find some way to take a jab at anything involving Cale.

"We noticed it escape, but it was just one and it didn't go for you. We could have easily tracked it back down after we dealt with the rest. If it chased after a woman, you should have told us. But instead of trusting us, you took things into your own hands."

"You guys seemed a bit busy," Josh snapped. "I don't get why I'm being yelled at for trying to save someone's life."

"Because if you or the woman got killed, that would have been our—"

"Joshua. Caleb."

Both of their mouths snapped shut. Akachi stood, the woman in his arms. Calm, dark eyes flickered between them. When neither Josh nor Cale said anything, Akachi nodded his head in satisfaction. He held the woman out to Cale. He took her, and Akachi walked over to Josh.

"Yes, Josh," Akachi said as he crouched down beside him. He placed a light-enveloped hand on Josh's arm. "You should have told us about the woman. Even if it was just one orc, you're still new."

Josh glanced away. "I know that," he said. "I only wanted to get the woman and run her back to you guys. I tried to avoid fighting."

He caught Akachi giving him a small smile from the corner of his eye. "Then thank you for that, but you still should have told us just to be safe. Pure intentions or not, something can always go wrong. Which, Cale, it seems you and I failed to consider."

Akachi shifted so he could also see Cale, but he didn't take his hand off Josh's arm. As he continued to talk, the light pooled over Josh's skin. A soothing warmth seeped into him from it and spread through his body. He sagged as the pain grew weaker.

"We didn't tell Josh what we found," Akachi was saying, "so we cannot blame him for not knowing there was a bigger threat out there. Maybe if he had been fully informed, he would have acted more cautiously. We should think of his intentions and the circumstances rather than assuming he didn't want to listen to orders. Understood?"

Cale met Akachi's gaze for a moment before looking at the forest, his lips pursed and his jaw tight. A red tint spread across the tips of his ears. "Understood, Akachi. I apologize for my outburst."

Josh's eyebrows drew together as he looked between Cale and Akachi. "What do you mean? What did you find?"

Akachi looked like he wanted to say more to Cale, but he turned to Josh. "On our way to the camp, we saw the larger footprints of the ogre. It was obvious the ogre wasn't with the orcs, but large amounts of energy can draw stronger creatures. We were limiting our usage while fighting the orcs, which is why it took us so long to defeat them," he explained. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to tell you this before the attack, but it would have taken too long to circle back around, especially as it could have been a needless scare if the ogre didn't appear during the fight."

Josh slowly nodded, mulling over all the new information. After a moment, he sighed and sunk deeper against the tree. "I'm sorry as well. I just wanted to help her. I never expected such a giant mess..."

Akachi patted Josh's arm and stood to his feet. "Nobody ever expects the giant mess until it happens," he said as he extended a hand. "I may not be Hisato, but I gave you enough extra energy that you should be able to last until we reach the Sanctuary. He can heal you if there's anything more serious."

Bracing himself against the tree, Josh took Akachi's offered hand. His body whined and his legs shook at first, but after a moment, he could stand on his own.

"Before we can return though..." Akachi eyed the woman and sighed, a deep, sad frown etched on his face. "We will need to get this woman to a hospital and investigate what is going on with her."

     Josh paused, testing if he could shift his weight between his legs. "Investigate what?" he asked. "You guys do know she was possessed, right?"

"Of course we know," Akachi said. He flexed his hands, and the steel squirmed and condensed until it formed a bracelet on each wrist. "However, we have to discover why the Phoenix Dragons could possess her. Something must be going on in her life. I might have an idea of what..."

Josh followed Akachi's gaze. He almost glared when he found Cale watching his expression, but that wasn't what Akachi had been looking at. Studying the woman's arm as Akachi had been, Josh saw a splattering of bruises and thin red lines on her arm.

His heart fell, leaving behind a black hole that absorbed all his warmth. "Akachi." Josh's throat constricted around the word, but he managed to force more out. "When you say find out how she was possessed, you don't mean how Phoenix Dragons are doing it, do you?"

A moment of silence followed, one where Josh refused to tear his eyes from the girl's arm, and then Akachi made a sound of understanding. "Ah. So, you never learned that part. I suppose I thought they would have told you after the events prior to your bond forming." He cleared his throat, then sighed. "But yes, Josh, Phoenix Dragons can only possess those already in a very dark place..."

Those red lines seared into Josh's mind. The sorrow in Akachi's voice left little room to guess what kind of place he meant.

And Josh had only ever known one other person to be possessed.

Fun Fact: Next draft I plan on having the team led by Cale.  Explains why he'd be angry a bit better.  Josh would have screwed up one of the first missions he was supposed to lead.

So what did you think?  Not much happening this chapter but a lot of damage control.  That does continue next part, but... I got my plans.  Also, Josh and Cale interactions.  Always so fun, right? But was there a moment of something more than just hate there for a second? 👀

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!