Ty took a moment to stretch, feeling the weight of his des in his hands. Suddenly, his mind was flooded with troubling images. He saw a battlefield, vast and chaotic, filled with creatures. People he knew were lying motionless, surrounded by pools of blood on concrete bs. Among them stood a massive creature, its scales shimmering menacingly. The scene was vivid and unsettling.


    Just as quickly as these visions appeared, they vanished, pulling Ty back to reality. The old General was looking at him, a bit puzzled. "Earth to Skeleton guy," he said, trying to get Ty''s attention.


    Ty looked down at his des, noticing they were glowing with a strange golden light. This new detail caught his interest, adding to the mystery of the visions he had just experienced. "Sorry, I was lost in thought a bit," Ty replied, still trying to make sense of the vivid images that had momentarily taken over his mind.


    The Old General stood resolute, his mind clear. "Your use here is done. We will be in contact once you''re needed," he said sharply, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "In the meantime, do take care of Mattison."


    The old General''s reply was dismissive, but Ty wasn''t about to be dismissed so easily. "You think I''ll just let you kick me out? I can walk out on my own, you know," he retorted, his tone defiant.


    Just then, his vision began to blur, a sign that something was amiss. Out of the shadows, a figure emerged, swiftly running a thin de along Ty''s bone leg. Ty cursed in response, raising his bone arm towards the assant and flicking his index finger and thumb in his direction.


    This gesture unleashed a small airwave, aimed at the shadowy figure, but it missed its target by an inch,nding with a thud next to him and cracking the concrete b.


    "You''ll need better aim than that," taunted the voice from the shadows, as Ty''s vision continued to fade.


    Ty''s world went ck as he muttered "Shit" under his breath. When he came to, he was lying in an empty alleyway, the sounds of cheerful chatter andughter surrounding him in the night.


    As he was trying to get his bearings, a blue fairy suddenly appeared, crashing right into his skull. "There you are!" she eximed, sounding both relieved and frantic.


    Startled, Ty swatted at the air, trying to fend off the unexpected visitor. "What are you doing here? Aren''t you Nana''s pet fairy?" he asked, still groggy from his abrupt return to consciousness.


    The fairy, clearly offended by Ty''s remark, retorted with a mix of annoyance and pride. "I''m not a pet, we are allies!" she dered, crossing her arms in a huff.


    Ty couldn''t help but give a slight smile, albeit a skeletal one, at the fairy''s indignation. "Sure, sure, but uh, why are you here anyways?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.


    The fairy, still crossing her arms and looking slightly annoyed, responded, "Oh, she told me not to tell you, so I can''t."


    Ty probed further, "You mean Nana told you not to tell me why you came, or she told you not to get discovered?"


    The fairy, taken aback and a bit shocked, blurted out, "How did you know I was talking about her?! All I said was ''she''!"


    Ty replied matter-of-factly, "Uh, she''s the only one whose head you stay glued to, of course. Wait. Was she worried about me and had you follow me to make sure nothing went wrong?"


    The fairy looked at him, her expression a mix of surprise and admiration. "Are you sure you aren''t a mind reader?" she asked, amazed at his ability to deduce the situation so urately, even though to Ty, it seemed quite obvious.


    Ty slightly shook his head before responding, "Well, what happened? How did you lose me anyway? Because, not gonna lie, having a little backup would have been useful when I got jumped a few hours ago."


    The fairy, looking a bit confused, exined, "Well, you went down a busy street, and when I rounded the corner, you were just gone. At first, I thought maybe you got mixed in with the crowd, but there''s no way I could have missed that bald skull of yours, even in the dark. Plus, your eyes are almost like a night light," she added with a slight chuckle.


    Ty pondered for a moment, his finger under his chin. "Is it possible to create like, stop gaps, or small portals to different areas? For some reason, right before I got jumped, all the noises died down, and I got attacked. Then I saw Mattison… Oh yeah, Mattison! Did you see him at all?


    I almost forgot he was knocked out on the ground." As he said this, Ty stepped back but tripped over something, causing a loud groan toe from the ground.


    "Watch where you''re walking," grumbled the object on the ground before rolling back over.


    Ty looked down to see a bruised and disheveled General Mattison lying on the concrete, his face flushed red from drunkenness. With a slight kick, Ty nudged him, saying, "Wake the hell up. You called me. What the hell''s going on?"


    Stirring slightly, Mattison tried to stretch out, his voice groggy. "I don''t remember calling anyone for backup," he muttered before suddenly throwing up. Ty, turning his head away, grimaced, "Gross,e on, man."


    The fairy, though disgusted, flew over to Mattison and ced her tiny blue glowing hands on his back. Almost instantly, Mattison''s face returned to a normal color. He blinked in surprise and then shot up, stretching. "Huh, did I really drink too much?" he mumbled, now more coherent. His clothes were stained with what appeared to be red wine, a scent that seemed familiar to Ty.


    "How much did you even drink?" Ty asked, eyeing Mattison with a mix of concern and disbelief.


    Mattison, pondering for a moment with his finger under his chin, replied, "Nothing more than six or seven beers, and then I had a drink of wine with ady wearing a unique blue and white dress. Shortly afterward, I cked out, and now I''m awake, seeing your scary green eyes."


    He added with a hint of humor, "Honestly, not the best thing to see when you wake up. I thought I was looking at death for a second."


    Ty, a bit puzzled by thement, asked, "What do you mean ''death''?"


    Mattison borated, "Oh, well, you''re a skeleton wearing ck clothes and glowing green eyes. It''s almost simr to folklore of death or the collector we had as kids."


    Ty sped his skeletal hands together, understanding Mattison''s reference. "Oh, you mean like a grim reaper? We have those where I''m from too, I guess skeleton figures are popr in many ces," he said with a sly chuckle, lightening the mood.


    Mattison, looking a bit puzzled, asked, "So why are you here again, anyway?"


    Ty exined, "You literally called me to do an escort not too long ago. When I showed up, I got ju—jumped by a group of strangers. When I woke up, I was – was right here next to you. Then the fairy friend found me because Lady Nanako was worried, and, well, here we are."


    "Wait, you got jumped and knocked out?" Mattison asked, a hint of concern in his voice.


    "Y-yes," Ty replied, a bit slower this time. "It must have been an ability of theirs that just got the better of me." But before he could borate further, Mattison pointed to Ty''s hand, changing the subject abruptly.


    "And where''s your index finger?" Mattison inquired, noticing something amiss.


    Looking down at his hand, Ty realized the extent of the situation. "That''s a good question. I have no idea. It wasn''t here when I woke up. Maybe they stole it," he mused, contemting the oddity of his missing index finger.


    "People can do that?! Doesn''t it just regrow ore back to you?" Mattison asked, surprised by the revtion.


    Eager to shift the conversation, Ty responded, "Well, I have to be within a certain range for it to work. So maybe they stole it after realizing I''m a skeleton and ran off. But let''s head back to the medical housing before more issuese up."


    Mattison, however, had other ns. "No thanks, I think I''ll go get a few more drinks and try to find thatdy again," he said, making his intentions clear.


    Ty, knowing his responsibilities, grabbed the back of Mattison''s cor. "No, direct orders from Lady Amaris to bring you back so you don''t embarrass yourself any more," he insisted firmly.


    To Ty''s surprise, instead of resisting or pulling rank, Mattison let out a short sigh and conceded, "Fine, I guess it is gettingte anyway." He then pulled out the same device as Ty, checking the time, which showed it was past midnight.


    As they prepared to leave, Mattison groaned and leaped into the air, unsheathing his de for a brief moment. In a surprising turn of events, he suddenly transformed into a flock of a dozen crows. The birds flew in unison, thenbined back into Mattison''s form as he soared through the sky.


    Ty, watching this remarkable transformation, ignited the fire beneath his feet to propel himself into the air, following Mattison. As he flew, a thought crossed his mind, "So he can turn into an actual bird? I have to ask how he does that."