"What in the burning hells was that?"
Kael Ashvane hung upside down from a thick vine thirty feet above the ground, blood rushing into his skull while his entire body twitched from leftover lightning.
His hair stood straight up like black needles.
Smoke curled from his sleeves.
Below him, Lyra Farrow laughed so hard she had to brace herself against a ruined stone wall.
She was entirely too beautiful for someone so cruel.
The Shreve's laughter rang through the ancient ruins like silver bells dipped in sin. Her body shook beneath torn robes that had already been reduced to scandalous scraps during their flight from the undead horde. One sleeve had been ripped nearly off by the skeletal blood-spiders they'd fought earlier, leaving flashes of pale skin whenever she moved.
Kael glared at her upside down.
"You tried to kill me!"
Lyra wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Oh, don't be dramatic." She flicked her finger lazily. "Down."
The vine obeyed at once.
It released Kael.
He dropped like a sack of bricks.
"WAIT—"
He slammed into the stone courtyard hard enough to drive the air from his lungs.
Pain exploded through his back.
For several long seconds, he could only groan and stare at the sky while dizziness churned through him.
Lyra eventually wandered over, still smiling.
"Idiot. Who told you to leap out of the bushes like some half-trained goblin?" she asked. "Did you not notice I was setting traps?"
She reached down to help him.
Kael looked up—
—and immediately forgot half his anger.
That was becoming a serious problem around her.
Even disheveled and battle-worn, Lyra looked like temptation given human form. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders in wild waves. Her lips curved with effortless mockery. Her skin looked impossibly soft.
And she was holding out her hand.
Kael swallowed.
Most men would have sold kingdoms for that hand.
He grabbed it.
Her fingers were cool and smooth as polished ivory.
She pulled him upright with surprising strength.
Kael stumbled slightly, still recovering from the fall.
"You were setting a formation?"
That instantly got his full attention.
His humiliation vanished.
The Artificer's Art and formation craft were deeply tied together. Kael had been obsessed with mechanisms, traps, wards, and hidden constructs since childhood.
Lyra shook her head.
"Not a full formation. Just a trap."
She gestured toward the crumbling island ruins around them.
Ancient towers leaned at dangerous angles. Broken bridges hung over dark water. Moss consumed shattered statues. Everywhere Kael looked, he could feel the weight of age.
"The original formations here were almost entirely destroyed," Lyra said. "Too much damage. Too much time. Too much Aether loss."
She crouched and touched cracked stone.
"But traces remain."
Kael leaned closer.
"Traces?"
"We can hijack what's left," Lyra said. "Redirect surviving ward-lines. Wake dormant scripts. Turn dead defenses into useful little surprises."
Her smile sharpened.
"This island isn't far enough from the monster nest. The undead will eventually find us again."
Kael's excitement flared.
"And then?"
"Then," she purred, "we make them regret being born."
Kael grinned despite himself.
Then greed replaced it.
"Teach me."
Lyra blinked once.
"No."
Kael's face fell.
"No?"
"You are not my disciple."
"That's your reason?"
"It's a very good reason."
Kael looked like someone had kicked a puppy.
Lyra stared at him for a moment.
Then she stepped closer and plucked a dead leaf from his hair.
Kael froze.
The shredded remains of her sleeve slipped farther down her arm as she moved.
His eyes betrayed him.
They dropped.
A glimpse of pale skin flashed beneath torn cloth.
Soft.
Smooth.
Dangerously hidden.
Kael's pulse hammered.
He jerked his gaze upward.
Too late.
Lyra's lips curved.
She had noticed.
Of course she had.
She turned and began walking deeper into the ruins.
"Well," she said casually, "if you want to assist me, come carry things."
Kael nearly shouted with joy.
"I'm helping?"
"If you keep staring at my chest, I may reconsider."
Kael nearly tripped over his own feet.
"I wasn't—"
"You were."
"I absolutely was not."
"You very much were."
Kael shut up and followed her.
---
They reached a long stone corridor attached to a ruined palace structure.
Massive pillars lined the walkway.
Many had collapsed.
Others leaned crookedly.
Cracked stone littered the floor.
Lyra stopped suddenly.
Kael perked up.
"There's another hidden formation here?"
He looked around wildly.
Nothing.
Just broken architecture.
Lyra ignored the question.
"Move those stones."
She pointed toward several cracked floor slabs and fallen masonry blocks.
Kael obeyed.
He hauled the pieces one by one while Lyra directed him into precise placements.
"Left."
He moved one.
"Further."
He adjusted it.
"No, your other left."
Kael sighed.
"This is abuse."
"This is education."
Slowly, he began feeling faint pulses beneath the stone.
Tiny vibrations.
Residual Aether.
His eyes widened.
Something hidden really was buried here.
"Shreve," Kael said, breathing harder now, "what exactly are we rebuilding?"
"You already answered your own question."
"A formation?"
"Yes."
Kael scratched his head.
"But I can't see anything."
Lyra walked toward one of the gray pillars.
She examined it closely.
Kael hurried after her and stared at it.
Nothing.
Just cracks.
Dust.
Weather damage.
That was all.
Lyra brushed the dust away with her sleeve.
Then she pressed two slender fingers against the stone and whispered a brief incantation.
A thread of red flame spilled from her fingertips into the pillar.
Instantly—
a glowing ward-script appeared.
Kael jumped.
The symbol blazed bright for a heartbeat before vanishing.
His jaw dropped.
"That was hidden inside the pillar?"
Lyra nodded.
"That script serves as the activation key."
She continued studying it.
"The original formation was shattered long ago. Too much Aether leaked out. It needs replacement energy before it can function."
She looked thoughtful.
"With modifications, I can restore enough of it to build several traps."
Kael stared in disbelief.
"How did you know it was there?"
Lyra smirked.
"The Ascendant Covenant knows countless arts. This is merely a grain of sand in an endless sea."
She tilted her head.
"Have you ever heard of the Eye of Formlessness?"
Kael nearly exploded.
"The Eye of Formlessness?!"
He practically bounced in place.
"That's a legendary detection technique!"
He grabbed her sleeve.
"Teach me. Please."
"No."
Kael immediately grabbed her arm with both hands.
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"I can beg harder."
Lyra raised a brow.
"Order law forbids private instruction of restricted techniques."
Kael kept holding on.
He had completely forgotten dignity.
The Eye of Formlessness was one of the greatest detection arts in existence.
It could expose hidden formations.
Read traps.
Reveal concealed mechanisms.
For someone obsessed with constructs—
it was irresistible.
"Please," Kael whispered dramatically. "I'll do anything."
Lyra smiled slowly.
"Anything?"
Kael froze.
That word sounded dangerous when she said it.
Still—
his obsession won.
"Yes."
Lyra leaned closer.
"What exactly are you offering?"
Kael's mind raced.
He had no treasures.
No wealth.
No leverage.
Then his mouth moved faster than his brain.
"If you teach me the Eye of Formlessness…"
He swallowed.
"I'll listen to whatever you say from now on."
Lyra's brows rose.
"Oh?"
Her smile turned predatory.
"You say that as though you've had much choice."
Kael stiffened.
Lyra leaned in close enough for him to smell her skin.
Then she whispered in his ear—
"If you disobey me, I can always tell everyone about what happened between you and Selene."
Kael went rigid.
His soul nearly left his body.
"You wouldn't."
"I absolutely would."
"That's blackmail."
"That's leverage."
Kael stared at her.
Then, somehow, his reckless courage surfaced.
He lifted his chin.
"If I obey now, it's because I'm forced."
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
Kael continued.
"But if you teach me the Eye of Formlessness…"
He grinned.
"Then I'll obey willingly."
Silence.
Lyra stared at him.
Her expression darkened.
Kael stood firm despite immediate regret.
Then—
she burst into laughter.
Real laughter.
She reached out and grabbed his face with both hands, squeezing his cheeks until his mouth distorted.
"You impossible little bastard."
Kael tried to protest.
It came out as incoherent pig noises.
Lyra laughed harder.
"You're begging for secrets while somehow acting noble about it."
She released him.
Kael rubbed his face.
From this close, her eyes looked like starlight trapped in dark water.
For one dangerous moment, his heart skipped.
Lyra noticed.
Again.
Her smile softened—but only for a heartbeat.
"Fine," she said.
Kael nearly screamed in triumph.
"Really?"
"Yes."
He pumped his fist.
Then she raised one finger.
"But."
Kael groaned.
"There's always a but."
"Do you remember your promise?"
Kael straightened immediately.
"Yes."
"And?"
"I will obey your orders willingly."
Lyra smiled like a devil approving a contract.
"Good."
---
She taught.
He learned.
The ruined corridor became their classroom.
Lyra used surviving formation remnants to explain hidden Aether flow, buried ward structures, dormant activation chains, and concealed script architecture.
At first Kael understood almost nothing.
Then suddenly—
everything began clicking into place.
His talent was monstrous.
And his hunger to learn made it worse.
Within a short time, he could faintly perceive hidden symbols buried inside the corridor walls.
Then the stone slabs they had moved began glowing faintly in his vision.
Then more hidden pathways appeared.
Threads.
Patterns.
Structures.
Kael nearly laughed aloud.
"I can see them!"
Lyra snapped her fingers against his forehead.
"Calm yourself."
"Ow."
"This is the barest surface level."
Kael rubbed his head.
"Yes, Shreve."
"You currently understand less than a child learning letters."
"Yes, Shreve."
"You are not impressive yet."
"Yes, Shreve."
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"…why are you smiling?"
Kael couldn't help it.
Because he was thrilled.
And because she looked strangely pleased despite her harsh words.
Which meant she was impressed.
Even if she refused to admit it.
Together, they finished restoring the corridor trap network.
Then they moved deeper into the island ruins.
---
"Shreve?"
"Yes?"
"What kind of formation was hidden in that corridor?"
Lyra looked thoughtful.
"I'm not entirely certain."
That surprised Kael.
Even she didn't know?
"It felt earth-aligned," she continued. "But strange."
"How strange?"
"Very."
She looked around the ancient ruins.
"It also contained specialized anti-undead properties."
Kael frowned.
Lyra continued quietly.
"I'm beginning to suspect these ruins may be part of the legendary restrictions left behind by Fenxur."
Kael stared.
The ancient wanderer who once defeated Lord Ossian?
That Fenxur?
"If that's true…" Kael muttered.
He looked at the shattered ruins.
"Then who destroyed all this?"
Lyra's expression grew grave.
"Someone far stronger than anything you can currently imagine."
That answer silenced him.
They continued walking.
Then they reached a raised stone platform nearly fifty feet tall.
Massive broad-leafed plants surrounded it.
At the top stood a secluded pavilion hidden among green leaves and hanging vines.
Lyra stopped again.
She stared upward.
Kael immediately activated the Eye of Formlessness.
His vision sharpened.
And there—
nearly ten glowing clusters floated inside the pavilion.
He shouted in excitement.
"There's another one!"
He sprinted up the stairs.
"Kael—"
Too late.
He reached the pavilion first.
Cool air washed over him.
The heat vanished instantly.
The place felt wonderful.
The pavilion overlooked the surrounding island from a commanding height. Kael could see forests, ruined towers, distant water, and shattered battlements.
It should have felt peaceful.
Instead, hidden power lingered everywhere.
Stone benches circled the pavilion.
A stone table stood in the center.
Four carved seats surrounded it.
At first glance—
nothing unusual.
Without the Eye of Formlessness, he would have noticed nothing.
Lyra entered behind him and began inspecting the railings.
Kael followed her gaze.
Each stone railing post ended in a carved beast head.
He squinted.
"Those look like lion beasts."
He grimaced suddenly.
The memory of Lyra destroying that precious fire-beast core earlier still hurt his soul.
"That was worth a fortune…"
Lyra snorted.
"Not lions."
She traced one carving.
"They're thunder drakes."
Her eyes brightened.
Interesting.
"This formation wasn't fully destroyed."
Kael blinked.
"Really?"
"I can likely restore seventy percent of it."
Kael's jaw dropped.
She began drawing tiny ward-scripts onto one of the carved heads.
Each stroke released brilliant white flashes.
Kael stared in awe.
"That's part of the Lesser Four-Sign Art, right?"
He grinned shamelessly.
"Your mastery is incredible, Shreve."
Lyra didn't even look at him.
"That isn't my power."
"What?"
She carved one final line.
The beast head suddenly fired a beam of white light—
directly into Kael's chest.
Kael screamed.
He launched backward.
"YOU SHOT ME!"
Lyra burst into laughter.
Pure, merciless laughter.
Kael collapsed dramatically and clutched his chest.
"You wicked woman… why…"
He blinked.
Wait.
No pain.
No wound.
He looked down.
His clothes weren't even damaged.
Kael touched his chest repeatedly.
"What?"
Lyra leaned against a pillar, laughing.
"Coward."
Kael glared.
"You blasted me!"
"That was Dawnlight."
He blinked.
"…what?"
Lyra regained composure.
"Dawnlight is harmless to the living."
She touched another carved drake head.
"But undead creatures…"
Her smile returned.
"It tears them apart."
Kael stared.
"That's impossible."
"Not impossible."
She activated another script.
White light danced across the pavilion.
"Legend says only true thunder drakes could produce Dawnlight."
Kael looked at the ancient formation in awe.
"And someone built a formation capable of reproducing it…"
He exhaled slowly.
"That's terrifying."
And for the first time since arriving on the island—
Kael began wondering what kind of monsters had once ruled this forgotten place.
"The Primordian Reach was a paradise for ancient mystics," Lyra said as if she were discussing the weather. "It produced monsters the rest of the world could barely understand. Fenxur was only one of them. A formation that can produce Dawnlight isn't especially shocking by their standards."
Kael stared at her.
That sentence alone felt insane.
By then Lyra had already found a cracked activation sigil hidden beneath the stone table in the pavilion. She pressed two fingers against it and fed a thin stream of Aether into the dead lines.
The ancient formation groaned awake.
White veins spread through the carved stone railing.
The thunder drake heads lit from within.
Lyra stepped back and casually pointed.
"Your turn. Use the Eye of Formlessness. Trace where the energy is stalling."
Kael crouched near the rail, his pupils narrowing as he activated the technique.
The world shifted.
The ordinary surface of reality peeled away.
Hidden channels glowed beneath the stone like veins beneath skin. Broken intersections blinked weakly. Dead pathways sat dark and clogged with centuries of spiritual rot.
"There," Kael muttered. "And there."
Lyra nodded. "Fix them."
"Fix them?" He looked up. "That's all the instruction I get?"
She smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Kael grumbled under his breath and got to work.
He spent nearly half an hour sweating over fractured rune-lines, patching damaged channels with his own Aether while Lyra occasionally corrected him with ruthless efficiency.
"No."
"That line is crooked."
"You're overfeeding it."
"If you destroy a Primordial formation, I'll throw you into the lake."
By the end of it, Kael's head throbbed.
But when he pressed his palm against the final node—
the entire railing ignited.
White light surged through every thunder drake carving.
Kael grinned.
"It worked."
"Test it."
He pointed dramatically at a distant boulder near the shoreline.
"Behold! Lord Ashvane commands divine judgment!"
He slammed his hand against the activation rune.
A beam of blinding white light erupted from a thunder drake's mouth.
The beam screamed across the air.
The distant boulder exploded.
Stone fragments rained into the lake.
Kael blinked.
Then slowly looked at Lyra.
"That reaches farther than I thought."
"Over thirty feet," Lyra said. "Possibly more if fully restored."
Kael stared at the smoking crater.
"Can this really kill those skeleton monsters?"
Lyra folded her arms beneath her chest, making his eyes betray him for half a second before he forced them upward.
"We'll find out if they chase us here."
She smiled.
"And if they do... they're going to regret it."
Kael looked at the ruined pavilion with renewed respect.
Then greed.
"Can we loot anything else?"
"That," Lyra said approvingly, "is exactly the right question."
---
They searched the island for nearly an hour.
Nothing.
No hidden treasure vault.
No divine weapon.
No forgotten vault of gold.
Kael grew increasingly bitter.
"This island is a scam."
Lyra ignored him.
Then they reached a wide open clearing north of the ruined palace.
Kael stopped.
The place felt wrong.
There were no trees.
No statues.
No debris.
Just empty stone ground...
and a single ancient well standing alone in the center.
The silence there felt unnatural.
Lyra slowly approached the well.
Kael followed, scanning the ground.
The stone floor had been carved with countless grooves.
Massive overlapping patterns covered the clearing.
Not runes.
Not sigils.
Something stranger.
Ancient.
Violent.
"This looks like the floor in that ruined palace hall," Kael said quietly. "But these markings are different."
He activated the Eye of Formlessness.
Nothing.
No visible energy.
No hidden flow.
Nothing at all.
He frowned.
"That's strange…"
He turned toward Lyra—
and froze.
Her expression had changed.
For once, she looked genuinely shocked.
"Shreve?"
She didn't answer.
Her eyes moved across the formation with growing disbelief.
Then she lifted one elegant hand.
Her fingers danced through the air.
Silver light formed at her fingertips.
A glowing ward-script appeared.
She pushed it into the stone beneath her feet.
One section of the carved formation suddenly blazed with light.
Then faded.
Everything returned to silence.
Kael blinked.
"That's it?"
He patted himself.
No injuries.
No missing limbs.
No sudden death.
He opened his mouth to complain—
then nearly collapsed.
His entire body suddenly became impossibly heavy.
He dropped to one knee with a curse.
"What the hell—"
It felt like molten lead had been poured into his bones.
His legs sank into the stone as if he were standing in swamp mud.
His lungs strained.
Even lifting his arms became torture.
He tried to stand.
Failed.
"What did you do to me?!"
Lyra looked delighted.
"Walk."
Kael stared at her in disbelief.
"You're using me as a test subject?"
"Walk."
Her voice carried the same tone someone might use to encourage a toddler.
He wanted to scream.
Instead he forced one shaking leg forward.
The effort nearly tore a groan from his throat.
One step.
Then another.
Sweat poured down his face.
His muscles screamed.
"Are... you... insane...?"
Lyra smiled beautifully.
"Come to me."
He hated how that sounded.
He hated even more that he obeyed.
After what felt like forever, Kael stumbled beyond the glowing pattern—
and suddenly the crushing weight vanished.
His body lurched forward uncontrollably.
He crashed directly into Lyra.
Softness.
Warmth.
The scent of flowers and silk.
Kael's face buried itself straight into her chest.
His brain stopped working.
For one glorious, catastrophic moment, heaven was real.
Lyra caught him by the belt before they both fell.
Kael's entire body went numb.
Half from panic.
Half from very different reasons.
He should move.
He absolutely should move.
Instead his exhausted mind produced one flawless argument:
She deserved this for torturing me.
So he remained there for one extra heartbeat.
Then another.
Lyra's breathing hitched.
"...Are you done?"
Her voice had become dangerously quiet.
Kael reluctantly lifted his head.
In the process, his hand brushed against soft flesh that absolutely should not have been touched.
His soul nearly left his body.
He staggered backward, face burning.
"I—I didn't mean—well I mean I did fall but not intentionally—mostly—not entirely—"
Lyra's cheeks held the faintest trace of color.
But her attention had already returned to the formation.
Her eyes gleamed.
"Do you understand what this is?"
Kael tried very hard not to look downward.
Failed once.
Succeeded the second time.
"What?"
"This may be the lost Restriction known as The Earth's Binding."
Kael swallowed hard and forced his thoughts toward survival.
"The Earth's Binding?"
"It draws directly on primordial force from the land itself," Lyra said. "It multiplies the weight of any living creature inside it."
Kael stared.
"That explains why I nearly became decorative pavement."
"It's far worse than that."
She looked at him.
"If you stepped into this during battle... and your enemy remained outside?"
Kael imagined it.
Unable to move.
Unable to dodge.
Unable to flee.
While someone butchered him from safety.
His face paled.
"Oh."
Lyra nodded.
"Yes. Oh."
He looked at the formation again with new horror.
"That's disgusting."
"That," Lyra corrected, "is brilliance."
She practically trembled with excitement.
"I've searched for this Restriction for years."
Kael sighed.
Of course she loved terrifying ancient death traps.
"Go search elsewhere," she said. "Use the Eye of Formlessness and see if there are other surviving formations."
Kael brightened.
"Or... I could stay here and assist my beautiful Shreve—"
"No."
"Observe quietly?"
"No."
"Provide emotional support?"
"No."
He sighed dramatically.
"You wound me."
"You'll survive."
He walked off muttering curses while she knelt beside the formation like a priest before a god.
He glanced back once.
She looked almost intoxicated.
That image stayed in his head far longer than it should have.
---
The hottest part of midday passed.
Cool wind drifted across the lake.
Ancient banyan trees cast broad shadows over the island.
Kael wandered aimlessly along the outer paths.
He admired the scenery.
Complained to himself.
Used the Eye of Formlessness.
Found absolutely nothing.
After a while, pain stabbed behind his eyes.
His Sanctum felt hollow.
Kael stopped immediately.
"So that's the cost…"
The Eye consumed far too much Aether.
Useful.
Dangerously expensive.
He released the technique at once.
"I'll go blind and broke at this rate."
He was about to sit down and meditate—
when he spotted two figures beneath a banyan tree.
One wore green.
Mira.
The other—
Kael narrowed his eyes.
Rovan Ashford.
He groaned.
"Oh, right. Him."
Mira saw him first.
"Kael! Come look at this!"
He walked over with visible reluctance.
Rovan smiled politely and offered a respectful nod.
"Junior Brother Kael."
Kael stopped dead.
His eye twitched.
"What did you call me?"
Rovan blinked.
"Junior Brother?"
Kael pointed at himself.
"My master outranks your master."
"So?"
"So you should call me Elder Brother."
Rovan laughed softly.
"That isn't how age works."
"That isn't how Order law works."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Rovan smiled.
"Did you invent that law yourself?"
Kael immediately grew louder.
"You clearly know nothing of proper Covenant hierarchy!"
Mira quickly stepped between them before things escalated into idiocy.
"Stop. Both of you."
They glared at each other like fighting dogs forced onto leashes.
Mira sighed and held up a crimson ward-script.
"Look what we found."
Kael forgot his anger instantly.
The parchment radiated strange energy.
"What is that?"
"A summoning ward," Mira said excitedly. "For a Lamp Wraith."
Kael immediately recognized it as valuable.
Which meant he immediately pretended otherwise.
"Hmph. Lamp Wraiths are weak."
Mira shook her head.
"No. They're rare. Extremely evasive."
Her eyes lit up.
"And they're immune to fire."
Kael's expression darkened.
"That feels targeted."
Rovan smiled.
"If you want to see one, I can summon it now."
Mira panicked.
"No! That ward is too valuable!"
Rovan shrugged with infuriating casual confidence.
"It's fine. I have better ones."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Oh?"
Rovan nodded.
"At home, I have a ward capable of summoning a Golden Wing Scorpion."
Mira gasped.
"A real one?"
"Possibly."
Kael's heartbeat accelerated.
Every part of a Golden Wing Scorpion was worth a fortune in alchemical markets.
Venom.
Shell.
Eyes.
Everything.
He hated how interested he suddenly was.
Mira looked openly impressed.
"You have incredible things."
Kael immediately became suspicious.
This bastard is showing off because Mira likes summoning arts.
He smiled sweetly.
"Those gifts came from your master, didn't they?"
Rovan's confidence faltered.
"Some of them."
Kael pressed harder.
"The Golden Wing Scorpion ward wasn't made by you, was it?"
Rovan said nothing.
Kael's grin widened.
"I recall hearing you can't even craft basic defensive wards."
Mira slowly turned toward Rovan.
Her expression clearly asked:
Seriously?
Rovan's ears turned red.
Humiliation flashed in his eyes.
He opened his mouth—
A familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Mira. There you are."
Kael froze.
He turned.
Selene stood beneath the trees.
Blue robes.
Cold eyes.
Perfect posture.
Beautiful enough to make breathing feel inconvenient.
Mira hurried over.
"Elder Soror!"
Selene barely looked at Kael.
That hurt more than he expected.
Rovan bowed respectfully.
"Elder Soror Selene."
She gave him a brief nod.
Then looked at Mira.
"I need to speak with you."
"Of course."
Mira turned before leaving and pointed at both men.
"Behave."
Then she followed Selene away.
Kael watched Selene disappear between the trees.
His chest tightened.
She still wouldn't even look at him.
Rovan was also staring after them.
That was enough to ignite Kael instantly.
He rolled up his sleeves.
"Hey."
Rovan turned.
"What?"
Kael stepped forward.
Last time, Rovan had tricked him.
Kael had not forgotten.
His grin turned savage.
"You got cheap with me once."
Flames flickered faintly around his fingers.
"How about we settle things properly this time?"