Jania led Kikei to a fallen tree and motioned for her to sit down. The girl obeyed easily, swinging her legs as she settled onto the rough bark, her wide blue eyes filled with excitement.


    “Alright,” Jania said, crossing her arms. “You’re going to have to start again. Who exactly are you, and how did you get here?”


    Kikei grinned like she had been waiting her whole life for someone to ask her that question. “I’m Kikei! I was aboard Arkship Two! We were heading toward VX121-A, which was supposed to be our new home. Technically, I was the ship’s technical officer. My job in the merge pods was to manage the maintenance bots, keep everything running smoothly, and all that fun stuff.”


    Jania nodded along, but something about the way Kikei said technically made her wary. Sure enough, the girl’s tone shifted slightly as she continued.


    “The real job assigned to me by my owner—”


    Jania’s head snapped up. “Your what?”


    “—was to be an incubator for my owner’s offspring once we colonized VX121-A,” Kikei finished breezily, as if she had just described the weather. “I was designed to be a perfect breeder.”


    Jania felt her stomach twist. The hell kind of system was Arkship Two running?


    “That’s…” Jania searched for the right words, but none of them felt appropriate. “Messed up.”


    Kikei tilted her head. “I mean, I never really thought about it. It was just my purpose.”


    Jania clenched her jaw. She didn’t have the time to unpack that particular trauma right now. Instead, she exhaled and forced herself to focus.


    “Well, hello Kikei,” she said, trying to keep her tone even. “I’m Jania. My story is long, and complicated, and the less you know about it, the better. So, how did you actually get here to this planet?”


    Kikei’s face immediately brightened. “Oh! That is the interesting part!”


    Jania couldn’t help but smirk at her enthusiasm. At least she doesn’t seem traumatised.


    “So there we were, flying along, everything normal,” Kikei began, waving her hands for emphasis. “Then, boom! A portal opened up right in front of us! The next thing we knew, our ship had stopped moving, and suddenly there were aliens! Real aliens! Can you believe that?”


    Jania frowned. “What kind of aliens?”


    “Pretty ones!” Kikei said, eyes shining. “They looked human, but with pointy ears. They had armor that moved like it was alive, and they were riding these winged horses. It was so cool! But they didn’t talk to us. They just pointed, telling us where to go. That’s when I heard this cute little voice in my head giving me different directions.”


    Jania’s muscles tensed. A voice? Also, those aliens sound like the Elves, Null did say he saw an Elf.


    “I don’t know why, but I followed it,” Kikei continued. “And it led me here! The voice even told me that you were nearby and that the will-o-wisp was doing to hurt you. But I swear, I’m not crazy!”


    Jania narrowed her eyes. If Kikei had been hearing a voice, that meant something or someone was influencing her. And if it was telepathic, that meant Kikei had latent psychic sensitivity.


    Jania decided to test it. She reached out with her mind, extending the mental link the way Null had taught her. She wasn''t confident the connection would function unless Infy oversaw it but decided to anyway.


    Can you hear me?


    Kikei gasped, eyes going wide. “Woah, you’re in my head now?! Wait, wait, wait—does that mean I can talk like this too?”


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She scrunched up her face, concentrating.


    Can you hear me?


    Jania smiled. “Loud and clear.”


    Kikei bounced excitedly. “This is so cool!”


    Jania let her excitement play out for a moment before refocusing. Kikei’s latent psychic abilities were confirmed. Now, the real question was who had been talking to her.


    And whether they were friend or foe.


    Jania crossed her arms, studying Kikei carefully. “Alright, can you show me where you came from?”


    Kikei’s previous enthusiasm dimmed. She fidgeted with her hands, her gaze dropping to the forest floor. “Umm… I have no idea where I came from,” she admitted. “I just followed the voice.”


    Jania sighed. Of course. That would’ve been too easy.


    Plan B, then. “Okay, new question. You could still see me while I was wearing this suit, right?”


    Kikei nodded quickly. “Yup! You’ve got this whole shimmery glow thing going on.”


    Jania smirked. “Alright. Could you see the elves too?”


    “Elves?” Kikei blinked, then gasped. “Ohhh! Like from the stories? That’s why they were so pretty!” She clapped her hands together, a dreamy expression crossing her face. “I knew they couldn’t be regular humans. They looked like something straight out of a fairy tale! And their armor, oh my gosh, it was like liquid metal—”


    Jania groaned. “Kikei. Focus.”


    The younger girl pouted but straightened up. “Fine, fine. Yeah, I could see them. Well… not see them like normal. More like their auras, I guess? It’s hard to explain. I never had this ability before, but ever since I got to this planet, it’s like… everything has a glow.”


    Jania’s mind raced. That’s something I can work with. If Kikei’s ability extended beyond just seeing through stealth, she might be able to detect life signatures from a distance. That meant Jania could cover a lot of ground with less risk. If there was an elven settlement nearby, she could find it. Finally, some actual progress on this mission.


    But just as she was forming a plan, a voice slithered into her mind.


    Hello, Jania.


    Jania stiffened, immediately dropping into a defensive stance. “Who’s there?”


    Kikei’s eyes widened. “Wait, you heard that too?”


    Of course, she did, the voice replied smoothly. I am speaking to both of you.


    Jania narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?”


    I am a child of Fate, the voice answered.


    Jania’s stomach twisted. That again? Null and Infy had mentioned something about Fate during the last battle.


    “What do you want?” she demanded.


    The voice was calm, almost amused. As Null and Infinity have faced their test, now it is time for the two of you to face yours.


    Jania gritted her teeth. “And what exactly does that mean?”


    A warning, the voice replied. Not everyone can be saved. And the choices you make now will define the future.


    Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the presence vanished.


    Kikei shivered.” That was the voice that guided me here, but it wasn''t creepy like that.”


    Jania exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay grounded. Whatever was going on, she wasn’t going to let some mysterious voice control her. But she couldn’t ignore it either.


    “Alright, change of plans,” she muttered. “We’re moving. Now.”


    Kikei perked up. “Where to?”


    Jania cracked her knuckles, her expression hardening. “We’re finding that settlement. And we’re getting some answers.”


    Jania pushed forward through the thick undergrowth, her boots crunching against the damp forest floor. Kikei, however, practically bounced beside her, her endless stream of chatter making the long trek feel twice as exhausting.


    “…and that’s why I think vacuum suits should always have built-in snack dispensers,” Kikei concluded with a dramatic sigh.


    Jania grunted, sidestepping a thick root. “You ever get tired of talking?”


    Kikei gasped as if personally offended. “No! It’s a vital survival strategy. Talking keeps me from thinking about how we’re alone in a creepy, alien forest that probably has, like, murder plants.”


    Jania rolled her eyes. “I prefer the silence.”


    Kikei ignored her, skipping ahead like she hadn’t just said something ridiculous. “Oh! Two o’clock, thirty meters out. Big aura, definitely not an elf.”


    Jania’s instincts kicked in instantly. She dropped low, scanning the area, but saw nothing but trees and shadows. “You sure?”


    Kikei nodded. “Yup. Whatever it is, it''s big. And slow. We should detour left.”


    Jania didn’t argue. They had already avoided two massive creatures thanks to Kikei’s ability, and she wasn’t about to start testing her luck now. If there was something that big out there, she wanted nothing to do with it.


    They kept moving as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The thick canopy above made the forest darken faster than it should, the deep greens turning into murky shadows.


    Kikei suddenly grabbed Jania’s wrist, tugging her toward a break in the trees. “There!” she whispered excitedly. “That patch of forest” she pointed towards some trees “It’s crawling with auras.”


    Jania squinted at the empty space. She couldn’t see anything. Just more trees and shadows.


    “…You’re messing with me.”


    Kikei shook her head, eyes wide. “No way! They’re right there. I swear.”


    Jania sighed. Just like Lisa. First, Lisa had developed some weird quantum field vision, and now this kid could see things she couldn’t.


    Why does everyone else get magic powers but me?


    Jania exhaled through her nose, forcing her irritation down. Focus. They had found something. She didn’t know what, but Kikei did.


    And if elves were hiding in that section of the forest, then they had just found their way in.