Chapter 43 Threads of Fire and Starlight

Zane

I hate traveling across the Kingdom.

Public transportation is reliable—subsidized by the Crown and half the noble houses through “progressive taxation”—but for someone like me, it’s still expensive. Normally, I walk. Mana reinforcement is free, and I like the quiet. You learn a lot about balance when every mile costs effort.

But this time, I was stupid.

I took a hover-bus. Not a noble skycar, not a freight line—just a regular middle-class transport. Faster, cleaner, and about as subtle as throwing yourself into a spotlight.

I should’ve known better.

The moment I stepped into the terminal, I felt it. Mana signatures flaring, glances darting, hushed tones repeating the same word over and over.

Death Knight Slayer.

Eva hummed in my ear, far too smug for her own good.

[Eva: Look at you, a national hero.]
“Shut up.”
[Eva: Can’t. Too proud. Besides, I told you this was a bad idea. Why don’t you ever listen to me?]
“Because your advice is only accurate about fifty percent of the time.”
[Eva: Rude. It’s closer to sixty-three. Accuracy matters, Zane. Remember that.]

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway.

By the time I found a seat, half the passengers were pretending not to stare. The rest had headphones in, holo-screens glowing faintly with my brother’s Aircast stream. They were the only ones not watching me directly.

I caught snippets of Jordan’s voice—excited, fast, breathless.

“Willborn blades are actually mana constructs! No one’s sure how they’re forged, of course, but theories suggest—”

I glanced down at the viewer count on his screen.

23,000,000.

[Eva: Knew you were a thing.]

I didn’t respond. What was I going to say?

A little girl across the aisle gasped. “Mom! That’s him! The Knightlayer! Hi! My name’s Addy! You’re famous! My mom says you’re basically a hero and that you’re going to marry a princess. My sister gets mad when Mom says that because she thinks you’re super cute. Do you like kittens? I have a kitten named Icky but he only has one eye.”

Her mother went pale. The older sister froze mid-scroll, eyes wide—half awe, half horror.

I chuckled in spite of myself.

The little girl climbed down from her seat, walked straight over, and held out a small handmade card—crayon, bent edges. A sword. A blue flame. My name spelled wrong.

“For you,” she said shyly. “Because you saved people. And because my sister likes you.”

I looked up at the mother—mortified—and the sister, who looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.

She reminded me of… well, me, when Jordan did something stupid.

So I gave her a soft smile, something that said I get it.

Her face went crimson.

I turned back to Addy, who was beaming like she’d just won a stage role on CinaFlix.

“Thanks,” I said.

She squinted up at me. “Mr. Zane, you look tired.”

I tilted my head. Out of the mouths of babes.

“I am tired,” I said, “but your drawing made me less tired.”

She considered this seriously. “Are you tired because you’re important? My dad’s always tired. He missed my birthday, but it’s okay—he said he’d make it up to me.”

I chuckled. “Yeah. Sometimes adults have to miss things to take care of their families.”

Addy nodded. “Is that what you’re doing, Mr. Zane? Taking care of yours?”

I nodded back. “Yeah. I am. And I bet your dad loves you, just like I love my brother and sister. Sometimes it just… takes a lot of work.”

She smiled and ran back to her mom, who whispered something I couldn’t hear—probably don’t bother him.

Didn’t matter. Everyone on that bus was watching anyway.

[Eva: You could wave. Heroes wave.]
“I’m not a hero.”
[Eva: Tell that to the kid clutching her doll like you just killed the bogeyman. Or the teenager waiting for you to ask her to have your babies.]

I groaned and turned toward the window. The capital skyline gleamed ahead—spires of glass and mana-light, banners of noble houses and royal institutions waving above the clouds.

Somewhere out there, people were already sending invitations. Forming alliances. Looking for sponsorships.

And that’s when it hit me—more than anything before. Everyone wanted the Death Knight Slayer. Wanted a piece of me.

Which was stupid. Because I basically got lucky.

The hover-bus drifted higher along the leytrack, hum steady and serene. Outside, the world gleamed like polished silver. Inside, I could still hear Jordan’s voice echoing in my head—bright, proud, unstoppable.

I closed my eyes. The concern could wait.

I arrived at the City of Albion, the contracted staging district for the South Glasswood Rift, two days later—sore but in good spirits.

Addy had talked to me several more times before giving me her stuffed elephant, Samuel. I took it with as much grace as I could and got her mother’s contact info, intending to return it. Her mom, breathless, just shook her head.

“Addy’s already told everyone that Mr. Zane is her friend,” she’d said. “Samuel’s going to protect you now.”

Apparently Addy was a minor celebrity at her school before we even got to our stop.

Well, shit. Couldn’t return it now. I waved to them before leaving. Addy called to me to come and visit her at school so I could meet her friends; her mother and sister continued to look embarassed.

I gather my stuff and went on my way.

The Rift Sirens were already gathered at the forward operating area, clustered beneath their banner while an Aircast crew fussed with lighting arrays and projection modules.

Kyra stepped forward first, her smile locked in place. She extended a hand. “Zane Myles. Good to finally meet you in person.”

I nodded and took it. Her grip was firm, calloused—like a real swordswoman’s. “Likewise.”

Aviya leaned in before Kyra could speak again. “Gotta say, I love the brooding swordsman look. It totally works for you.”

I snorted. “And what does a ‘brooding swordsman’ even look like?”

She grinned and pointed at me.

I rolled my eyes.

[Eva: I think I liked it better when you weren’t visible.]
“Stop complaining. This is for Jordan.”
[Eva: Fine. But if they keep flirting, I’m hacking their AIs.]

I ignored her.

Nixie studied me with quiet calculation—not hostile, just curious.
Luma gave me a shy wave.
Senna looked up from her interface just long enough to give a lazy two-finger salute.

Then the man wearing a “PRODUCER” badge called for the intro segment.

Kyra slipped seamlessly into camera mode—voice crisp, posture perfect—as she welcomed “our fans, followers, and faithful.”

She said it like a practiced spell. Probably was.

The others followed: Senna leaning on her staff, Aviya flashing her trademark grin, Nixie tilting her head just so, Luma holding her skirt like it might fly away.

It was... something.

When the lens turned toward me, I stood there and simply nodded feeling like an animal on display.

Comments flickered on the holo-screen beside me:

"No way, that’s the Death Knight Slayer."
"Cooler than I expected."
"Why does he look like he’s about to kill someone?
"Marry me."

I ignored them all.

Kyra noticed. Her smile never faltered, but her eyes flicked toward me—curious, maybe annoyed. Calculating.

She shut off her projection feed. “You’re hating this, aren’t you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Honestly? I’d rather jam a fork in my eye.”

Kyra’s expression softened. “So why do it? Why put yourself through this circus—especially with a team you’ve never worked with, that’s clearly using your name?”

I shrugged. “Money. Why else?”

It was meant to be a joke.

Kyra gave a short, surprised laugh. “Oh, you’re one of those. Well… at least you’re honest.”

The girls wrapped their closing segments, the crew powered down the lights, and we gathered our gear.

We left Albion soon after.

The sponsor’s skycarriage hummed low over the coastline, sleek and quiet. Kyra sat across from me, posture perfect, hands folded over a datapad she never looked at. Aviya leaned halfway out a side panel to catch the wind, ignoring Senna’s warnings about “mana-rat’s-nest hair.” Nixie said nothing, eyes fixed on the horizon. Luma handed me a paper-wrapped breakfast sandwich that was surprisingly good.

And for the first time in a long while, I let myself enjoy the silence as we flew toward the Glasswood Rift Basin.