《Chronicles of Sorataki: Blight of The Seventh》


 Prologue

    ¡°Breaking from dark pits despair, and breathing in a gulp of air.


    You found calming waters cleanse your strife, and solid ground to build your life.


    With foundation built, your will turned steel, with a burning passion none could steal.


    To find the light that shines within, or lose your fight to demon king.¡± - By Davis Dallas, one of the four founders.


    May


    Before he could dirty his hands further, she must pass judgment.


    With that one thought in her mind, May ran desperately through the dense forest. Looming branches blocked what little moonlight remained on this fateful night, making the near-black forest ground a treacherous place to run through. Had it not been for her purple right eye, her special eye, she would have fallen a thousand times over. Her special eye saw spectrums of light on planes no normal person could perceive. Even in total darkness, May could see the obstacles highlighted in a soothing hue of purple. To better navigate in the dark, May closed her normal left eye and ran for all she was worth. She just needed to be on time. For once, she needed to...


    Smoke rose to the snapping of burning wood in the distance. Screams of humanity¡¯s suffering echoed in the far distance. A sliver of hell on earth. May¡¯s jaw hung open.


    I¡¯m too late. Unable to will her legs any faster, May gripped a white-knuckled hand over her Katana.


    Racing through thick vines and lopsided branches, her short black coat flapped in the wind, and her short skirt briskly brushed against her thigh at the sheer speed. Through dense thickets, she could soon see specks of individual light beyond the layers of dimly highlighted trees. They were people. Her purple eye highlighted them much like it did the trees, except the light that came from them was an all-encompassing glow, like a full-blown silhouette of light. It was thanks to this that they could be seen through the lesser glowing inanimate objects. Trees, rocks, and walls. Though seeing someone through many objects was possible, the effort of doing so yielded diminishing returns. It was akin to seeing someone through a dozen layers of foggy glass.


    She ran past men and women who jostled one another to escape into the pitch-black forests. Not having an eye like hers did not deter them from running into the darkness at full speed. Even though they were far enough from the flaming building to be safe, they ran like a pack of deer fleeing a predator¡¯s presence.


    Off to her right, May saw an impatient man toss another older man to one side, only to collide headfirst with a fallen tree at full speed. He struck it with so much force, somersaulted over himself, and landed on top of his neck with a horrid crack. As his body gave a last twitch, the older man simply got up, gave the dead man a befuddled glare before timidly ducking under the tree that killed him and delving deeper into the forest.


    May watched it all unfold with a shiver. She noticed that her hand was half outstretched, as if to warn them. She had almost called out to them. Thankfully, her better senses won over. Putting her emotions aside, she relented. There was good reason not to lend a hand to these people. In May¡¯s eye, their uniformed white lab coats bore a sin. Their sick and vile experiments stained her mind¡¯s eye a light red. They had earned Father¡¯s blessing and executed his will, and thus they could not be saved. The other reason was more personal, harder to explain. It did not help that she herself was still working out how she came to know, grew to understand, but through her right eye (her special eye), both men, her father, and all the scum that took part in the experiments had a radiance that glowed a sinful red.


    Only animals ever appear pure white to her special eye. For people, however, they tend to come out in more than one colour. From her understanding, blue meant a good soul, green meant¡­ something, but she was not yet too sure. But red meant evil. Men and women trying to escape from their sin do not earn her sympathy. Specks of red ran every which way, but to her, it hardly mattered. With their base of operations set ablaze and their dark schemes brought to light in cleansing flames, part of May felt relieved, for justice had been served. Another part of her, however, felt conflicted about who had dropped the guillotine to serve such a sentence.


    It¡¯s my fault. I caused all of this. Her heart ran cold at the thought, recalling his warm smile and his stupidly optimistic take on bad odds. She had not known him for long, but she could not imagine Spriiko being able to cause such destruction. He was grieving his brother¡¯s loss, but revenge in such a way would kill who he was.¡±


    An explosion followed by gunshots rattled the air. May looked at the top of the nine-story building. Most of its floors were aflame, with the roof only now catching fire. The great red cross that stood at the very top of the building toppled to one side and fell down to the earth in an engulfing inferno. Feeling beads of sweat appear on her face from the sheer heat, May shielded her drying eyes. As her special eye saw fires as an imposing silver-white, her mind was drawn by its intense roar. There was something about this level of flame that spoke to some part of her she never knew existed, as if the flame itself were communicating with her. The feeling almost left her transfixed there, forgetting her monumental task this night. But through that sheet of flaming silver, through the layers of hazy purple walls and ceilings, May saw them. She could just about make out three specks of light standing atop the roof. One was blue, one was green, and the last was¡­ Although she could hardly make them out as people from where she stood, she knew exactly who they were.


    Realising she was not too late, May hurriedly unsheathed her Katana. Its silver surface reflecting the dancing flames. With blade in hand, she looked up as high as she knew she could comfortably jump and focused. Energy from within reached out to merge with a power that formed beyond herself, calling it, unifying with it. The power of the plant responded by surging May¡¯s body with wilful heat. Having unified with its power, May looked up and locked in an image of the shape and strength of her Katana¡¯s blade. In an instant, through her special eye, she saw a bright purple blade suspended nine feet in the air. With a leap, May landed upon the face of this blade with one foot before summoning another at about the same distance. Although the method of channelling energy within to connect the greater power of the planet was not unheard of, her power to create ¡®phantom blades¡¯ was a skill only she could master. Given that only she could see these summoned blades with her special eye, May gathered it must be a unique trait from the special blood her father had implanted within her before she was even born.


    Leaping above the rooftop, she could see the three people. They all stood facing one another upon a desecrated roof of rubble and rocks. A great fiery pit to a lower floor separated them with its growing wall of flame. Given the devastation of the rooftop and the horrid state one of the men was in, May saw that she had arrived at the tail end of their intense battle. As two of the three rushed through the flame, they landed decisive blows on the outnumbered one, making him stagger back and fall to one knee. Not stopping their advance, the two young men turned and swung, their blood-stained blades shimmering in the bright flames as they were about to land the finishing blow.


    No!


    May had summoned a phantom blade that stopped the attackers¡¯ killing strike, blocking their blades and making them leap back in confused caution. Taking their hesitation as an opening, May landed in front of the kneeling man she¡¯d defended and took a stance against the other two. The first person, an ebony-skinned young man with a deep grey hoodie and equally grey-muted trousers, stood there, his piercing eyes studying. His strange diamond sword glimmered at his side as the dancing flames around them reached over the edges and onto the roof they stood upon. With his hoodie up, his uniform clothes made him look like the shadows themselves walking among men. Only the deep red headband of the eastern temple broke the illusion.


    ¡°May,¡± he mumbled, as recognition flooded his features. That simple reaction threw May¡¯s mind off-kilter. Although he glowed blue in her special eye, May sometimes wondered if her eye got him all wrong. Crude and blunt, Scope had been nothing but a villain ever since she¡¯d met him. Even though he once rescued her, his sadistic jokes and twisted words dampened the experience. But despite his normal attitude, May could not help but respect his skill with a blade.


    Maybe he won¡¯t be a pretentious prick now. As if to mess with her, Scope instantly snorted in dry amusement to himself before resting his blade on his shoulder to watch.


    ¡°Now this I gotta see,¡± he said to himself. As much as she was relieved not to contend with Scope, his laid-back attitude in such a situation ticked her off. The other young man, however, marched towards her, seething with rage. With a blade unsheathed in one hand, he waved his pistol at her as an order for her to move aside. May swallowed back tears as she gently shook her head.


    ¡°Move aside!¡± he roared. May flinched. She¡¯d never seen him raise his voice so loud before. Unlike Scope, his eyes were bloodshot, and he panted desperately, like he¡¯d run a thousand miles. This tone, coming from the boy she loved the most, tore a hole in her heart better than any bullet could. She wanted to hug him. But all she could do now was stand idle and keep back her tears. His lips trembled as he saw what he¡¯d done. The guilt overshadowed his rage soon after, dampening her resolve. May saw him look down at his bloodied blade and hands in a dark realisation before gathering himself, reminding himself why he¡¯d created this hellscape.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to defend him after everything he¡¯s done, then I¡¯ll shoot you too,¡± he mumbled. His sand-coloured complexion was all covered in bruises and blood marks. With an unzipped, bloodied navy blue coat, his chest heaved endlessly as he struggled to master himself over the adrenaline and flood of emotions.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that, Spriiko,¡± May murmured. A stab of guilt came at using his love for her as a tool¡ªa means to shield the man he wanted dead. Pulling the gun away from her, Spriiko cursed through his teeth and walked in circles with a hand on his forehead.


    ¡°He confessed!¡± Spriiko shouted. ¡±That scumbag told me himself! He killed our blade brothers!¡±


    ¡°Spriiko, please, you must not stoop to-¡°


    ¡°-Stoop to whose level, May!? Look at him. He as good as killed them with his own hands! He gave those bastards the order! He stuffed our brothers in sacks and threw them over the wall!¡± Spriiko continued. His hands shook with a regrowing rage. May could almost see that blooded sack turning¡­ turning in the air as it fell once again. She remembered thinking as it fell how packed it looked. How red the brown sack looked under the golden evening sun.


    Spriiko, being the first to reach the sack, had stood over its packed contents, hands reddened with the life essence of his blade brothers. Within it, he pulled out a pistol, the same one Father¡¯s men used to kill their blade brothers, the same one he held now. A bloodied note fell out of the sack. The haunted look on Spriiko¡¯s face burned into her retina as the note fell out of his trembling hand and back into the sack as it soaked in the blood of her brothers as she read its content. ¡®Bring back my daughter¡¯.


    When May finally realised what was within the sack, she fell to her knees, bile rushing out of her throat in a dry, choking heave. Just thinking back on it made her want to be sick all over again, but this time she¡¯d substituted that for a dry swallow. She forced her mind off the inhuman horror she¡¯d seen back then and instead remembered features they once had, the people they once were.


    Jonathan Gregory¡­ She¡¯d already cried a well of tears for them.


    Looking up at Spriiko, she saw the rage in his eye. It burned all the more intensely that day as they buried the remains of the blade brothers. They raged with a flame that made heated furnaces look frozen. That flame in him was smaller now, colder. As if manifesting its raging embers into reality had pulled it all out of him. As he looked at his bloodied hands filled with weapons, May saw the spark of horrid realisation wash over him.


    She could almost see the faces of his victims flash before his eyes. A cold shade washed over his features. He slipped away, and it almost broke her. It was Spriiko that helped save her from his father and, in doing so, changed her fate. He¡¯d often said that he¡¯ll change the world with both his hands someday.


    She could not explain why, but something about that stupidly corny line struck a chord within her. Maybe it was because of how straight-laced he was. But ever since then, she¡¯d vowed to remain by his side, hoping to see what change he will bring to the world. In a world where people she¡¯d once loved and trusted were not who they¡¯d said they were. In a world she¡¯d almost lost her sanity in, she¡¯d prayed that he¡¯d be the ship and anchor that could show her a better way of living than she knew from her old life.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But she underestimated the vile and twisted reach the people of her old life had, and now Spriiko, the one who saved her, and the blade kin that took her in thereafter, had suffered because of it. And now the unwavering Spriiko looked adrift. She¡¯d wanted to walk over to him and take hold of his hands and squeeze them. To help anchor him back to the now for her assurance, if not for his own. But that was not her role here. Uncle Wu said that Spriiko had not grieved yet. Maybe that was all he needed.


    ¡°We could have avoided this if only you¡¯d let me continue my original operation,¡± Scope said with a yawn. May winced inwardly as Scope began speaking. ¡°Could have been easy too, like squashing an annoying roach. But here we are now in this shit show, cleaning up a dog¡¯s dinner of a mess.¡±


    Spriiko glared at Scope as if he was about to fight him. That was when the third person behind her shifted, making Spriiko leap into stance. May¡¯s breath got lodged in her throat. She was avoiding looking at him this whole time.


    ¡°You came back, my child,¡± Father said.


    Closing her eyes tightly, May slowly released the breath she was holding. She avoided looking over her shoulder at the man before her, for she knew it would tarnish what precious memories she had left of him. He was her past, a part of her. And as things stood right here and now, she did not have the luxury to be weak with sentiment.


    ¡°Step away from him, May!¡± Spriiko ordered. May simply shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Spriiko,¡± she said, her voice calm and controlled. ¡°I just want to ask him one question.¡±


    ¡°I had faith... that you¡¯d return to me,¡± the old man said between breaths behind her. May¡¯s throat became bone dry. Recollections of all the times he¡¯d come to visit her ran across her mind as fresh as yesterday¡¯s sun. She was not ready for what she had to do, and yet she had to be.


    ¡°Father,¡± she turned around to him slowly. The flames behind him made the dark silhouette she saw look like that of a deformed creature. He had wings, or at least had the look of what could be the freakish makings of wings, free flesh and feathers. Half-deformed flesh stretched its way around some parts of him, while other parts exposed muscles and tendons in transparent flesh.


    His clean and devout robes torn and burnt in places where he¡¯d either transformed into the thing he was now or it resulted from the battle he had with Spriiko and Scope. Arms barely looked like that of a human, covered with blade-like claws that protruded through the elbow and fingers. One robe was cut short where his wrist would be. All over him were the signs of an ugly, invincible creature tasting mortality. Only his face held any semblance of the man she once knew as her father. In her special right eye, he came out as red, evil. He had always been evil.


    It has to be the case! It just has to!


    ¡°Why are you calling him father?! He has no right to that title after what he¡¯s done!¡± Spriiko growled at Father.


    ¡°I know,¡± May said.


    ¡°He has long earned what¡¯s coming to him. If you tell me to show him mercy, I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°-I¡¯ll kill him myself once I get my answer,¡± May said.


    That stunned Spriiko, silent. Scope just whistled to himself. The bastard. Had she not been in so much pain, then she would have laughed at getting a surprised face out of him. She¡¯d said it aloud now. There was no turning back. For the sake of justice, for the sake of keeping Spriiko from tainting his hands for vengeance any further, she had to kill her father. Worst yet was how her father looked at her. His warm and gentle smile was understanding, a vast contrast to the monstrosity that he¡¯d now become.


    ¡°And what would you like to ask, my child?¡± his soothing voice, the same one that helped rally hundreds, thousands to his cause. A voice that was the light in her dark days. Had she only known how dark a shadow that light had cast upon the world... Seeing firsthand that the man she¡¯d loved and this monster she¡¯d realised him to be were indeed the same people all along only broke her all the more. It took all she had to hold back tears. She won¡¯t cry, not now.


    Just one question, oh but by the cycles this was hard. She swallowed a lump before she dared to continue.


    ¡°Back when I was younger, you¡¯d constantly said that I was your ¡®perfect little girl¡¯ and that you¡¯ve ¡®Finally found me¡¯. I used to just think that they were incidental words of kindness. But now I know better. Having now seen more of the world you sheltered me from, I¡¯m now more sure than ever that there is not one incidental thing about you. The people you work for, my mother¡¯s death, whatever changes are happening to me, the efforts you went to try to recreate that in others.¡± She held a hand out towards her special right eye to see it come out a deep purple.


    ¡°Everything I did was all in order to-¡± Father started before May shut him down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your reasons! No amount of them will excuse the blood you¡¯ve spilled.¡± His reasonings, her family¡¯s messed-up history, the innocent blood on his hands. They can all rot with his corpse. What mattered right here and now was the present. What she could do right now was try to break the cycle her father started, try to be that cut line in the sand, and save the ones who¡¯d survived this tragedy. ¡°Just one question, Father. Is there another like me? And if so, where did you hide them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s technically two questions, but hey! Who¡¯s really counting?¡± Scope said with a casual sniff.


    She glared daggers at Scope, who had the courtesy to feign freezing up a moment before sighing to himself and walking back defeated. She caught Spriiko mouthing the word ¡®another¡¯ to himself before Father spoke as if Scope did not exist.


    ¡°You¡¯ve deduced so much from what little I¡¯ve said. As expected of my daughter,¡± Her mouth just fell open. He¡¯d sounded more proud than she had ever heard him. Her lips quivered.


    ¡°If you¡¯re buying time, then-¡± May stopped abruptly when Father shook his head.


    ¡°No, child.¡± He looked up at the moonlit sky. ¡°I climbed the path I believed in to the best of my ability. I¡¯ve shown the way of the light to others the best way I knew how. I sacrificed body, blood, and soul to help pioneer the future of humanity. I¡¯ve sown all the seeds I could sow. If I now must spill my blood atop its soil to bear its fruit. Then so be it. By the cycle¡¯s will and everlasting grace, let this be enough.¡± With a calming smile, Father bowed his head from the heavens and looked back at her. ¡°Whether it is by the east,¡± he looked to Scope¡¯s back, ¡°whether it¡¯s by the south.¡± He looked at Spriiko, angry and conflicted, before looking at her with that radiant smile. ¡°Or whether it¡¯s by my northern star, my journey ends here,¡± he said.


    May swallowed a lump. It was unfair¡ªdownright vile. Father¡¯s way with words was so cryptic and captivating. Despite her heinous crimes, it made her unsure of herself once again.


    ¡°He¡¯s playing you like a fiddle. I hope you realise that,¡± Scope said. With an arrogant snort, he stabbed his sword into the floor and rested his arms on it to regard her father with a grin. ¡°I had a mark on you and your cult for months now. I mean, really, the shit you guys name yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Not now, Scope,¡± May said with a tight chest.


    ¡°¡®Callers of the Wind¡¯? Please,¡± he chuckled to himself as he shook his head. ¡°Honestly, your forefathers would weep.¡± Father regarded Scope silently as he went on. He¡¯d go to great lengths if you¡¯d let him. Was he born tone-deaf?! By the cycles, but she could not stand the guy! ¡°I¡¯ve been to your so-called sermons too. Was passing through Leathenan when I had the great displeasure. I mean, it was some real rancid shit.¡± He waved a hand across his face as if to clear away a foul smell. ¡°I think the only thing you and the ¡®real¡¯ Callers of Wind have in common is the stinking gas you held between your ass cheeks. The only difference there is when it came time to talk. They knew when to open the top lip over their bottom.¡±


    Father simply gave him an amused nod in approval.


    ¡°Had I known one such as you were on my tail, then I might have done things differently.¡±


    ¡°I bet you would have, wouldn¡¯t have changed much though,¡± Scope replied.


    ¡°Perhaps not, but now that we are here. Who¡¯s to say, really?¡± Father said. That seemed to stop Scope for a moment. He was not used to someone having a comeback for him. ¡°Your strength is as impressive as I¡¯d imagined. A shame that it¡¯s fuelled by pure evil.¡±


    ¡°Ironic coming from one who¡¯d juiced himself up with the same stuff. Don¡¯t deny it. There¡¯s no other way to explain the fancy demonic look you got going on.¡± Scope looked Father¡¯s monstrous look up and down, which drew Father¡¯s mouth into a line.


    ¡°All that I have done, it was all in order to serve my children,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say all you¡¯ve done was out of jealousy of our power, but sure, keep telling yourself that.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± May snapped. Her jaw had been getting tighter with each passing second. To her surprise, everyone listened. It took May a moment to make a neutral face. Plumes of smoke rose out from all ends of the building, covering the roof in a comb of darkness. With breathing getting harder, she turned to her father to ask again.


    ¡°I need to know if I am the only one out there that survived what you¡¯d done to us,¡± she failed to add in ¡®if he¡¯d care for her like her daughter, she owed him that much. But the better part of her bit off the words back. She couldn¡¯t muddle her emotions on this any further. As Father looked at her for a moment, he nodded. She felt as though he could read her thoughts and emotions, and it numbed her. Glancing up at the smoke-covered sky, he looked like a man waiting for the rain to descend upon him. Or one waiting for the gallows to drop.


    ¡°My child, do you recall the promise I made you to grant you a sibling?¡± Father started after a short while. May tilted her head to one side in baffled. Her mind was completely blank. Although she wanted to deny it, something about that rang as familiar. Perhaps something he¡¯d said during one of his many visits to her room. But¡­


    A sharp pain stabbed her mind and chest, and for a second, all that was in front of her vanished. In a flash, she saw a face-a young one that had silver hair and¡­ pink-framed glasses? The vision vanished as she blinked and shook her head, it. She came to, to the sound of Spriiko worriedly approaching until she ordered him to back away.


    Looking back at Father, it baffled her to realise that he¡¯d just stood there, still half kneeling and watching her with an unreadable expression. Only the fact that he had stopped talking clued May in that Father noticed anything at all. Blinking the last of the dizziness away, she nodded for him to go on.


    ¡°I remember,¡± she said. She did now, but barely. She could not remember what it was that she was doing in most of them except asking when she will have a sibling.


    ¡°I¡¯d searched long and hard for one who was to become your kin by the cycle. And although we gathered many who¡¯d held the chance to embrace the purity, they all failed to meet the first step to divinity and died.¡±


    The rumble of thunder overhead dramatised his words. May stood there, poleaxed.


    All the children he¡¯d experimented on¡­ had died?


    ¡°So there¡¯s no one? No survivors,¡± May asked in a raspy whisper.


    ¡°Not that I had time to look, but all the children they kidnapped are now burned to ash from this floor upward. If there was anyone still alive before we got here, then it¡¯s too late now,¡± Scope said. ¡°I wanted to go in slowly and stealthily; he, on the other hand¡­¡± He looked at Spriiko with an accusatory look soon after. Spriiko simply looked between her and Scope in panicked protest soon after.


    ¡°They were all dead, right? He¡¯s said so himself!¡± Spriiko said, panic rising within him.


    ¡°Oh, so now you take his word as gospel!¡± Scope chuckled.


    ¡°Scope! By the cycles¡ªif you open your mouth one more time, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªThere was, however, one that showed great promise of surviving the purity process. Sadly, just an hour before you came here, I got word that she¡¯d passed.


    That was it, her chance to salvage anything from this mess, gone with the winds. She hardly felt the jolt from falling to her knees. Everything just became a white haze to her. She hardly realised just how tightly she was holding onto the hopes that there would be someone else like herself out there until it was taken from her. She ignorantly asked when she would have a brother or sister. All the half-truths and lies. All the fancy wordplay and manipulation. He was insane; her father was insane, and yet¡­ he had been her guide and shelter for all of her life. May felt stupid for not seeing the signs.


    Cycles above, what does that say about me!?


    ¡°Just then, she felt a hand gently pat her on her forehead.


    ¡°Father?¡± he¡¯d turned back to his human form now. One of his arms was missing, and the blood that was only showing out of his torn robes began to overflow. His breathing became weak once more.


    ¡°You look just like your mother.¡± That only made his smile widen all the more. ¡°I should have known¡­ trying to improve perfection was asking too much. But I¡¯m sure one such as you will surpass me in my pursuits. After all, you are mankind¡¯s future. The unification of man, heaven, and earth rolled into one. I¡¯m sure that whatever choice you make will be the right one.¡± His face darkened, however, as he looked to one side in regret. ¡°Being the vanguard of a new world order will be lonely. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t grant you your wish.¡±


    The grip on May¡¯s sword slackened. He was trying to manipulate her again. Though her special right eye showed her father glowing an angry-evil red, everything that he said twisted her gut into knots. She tried to back away from the gentle hold he had on her head, but her body felt weak at the thought of moving away. Chest tightening and tears rolling down her cheek, she shook her head. ¡®Mother?¡¯ How dear he bring her up now!


    ¡°Whatever it is that you hope I¡¯d do, it won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ll become nothing like you! I¡¯ll renown your name and bury you here. And after today, nobody will ever speak of your deeds ever again except in scorn! And as for mother, the place you¡¯re going, you¡¯ll never see her again!¡±


    Father nodded.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± he began. ¡°Whether you follow the path that I¡¯d hoped for or not. You will still be the only thing that I hoped for you to be, my daughter.¡±


    ¡­


    She remembered her sword hilt hitting the centre of his chest as the sensation of cold metal passing through ribs and flesh ran down her palm. As her mind split into numb fractions, she¡¯d screamed herself for all her worth. She had a sore throat the next time she¡¯d come to.


    Beyond that, May barely remembered what happened after killing her father. Only three instances came back to her when she tried to recall the memory years since. Spriiko had pulled her away from Father¡¯s corpse as she kicked and screamed. Scope stayed on top of the flaming roof for a moment longer, his back to them, and sword outstretched towards the heavens as he and it glowed in a blinding light. And the thunderous boom as the whole flaming hospital was obliterated by something May could only describe as a sword the size of a skyscraper made of pure light crashed down tip-first into the building itself before shattering into an explosive crystallised fragment of energy. Rumbles of thunder and rain came soon after as she and the others fled the scene... beyond that point, all she remembered doing was crying. Crying and praying. Praying that there was nobody else out there suffering and hurt because of her father.


    She¡¯d prayed that her sin today would mark the end of her father¡¯s twisted vision poisoning this world. She¡¯d prayed that she¡¯d continue to have kith and kin to guide and hold her steady wherever she finds herself. Most of all, she prayed that come what may, she¡¯d not look back on this day with any more regrets than she already had.

 Chapter 1: Dark angel and Protector

    My search for the pair has led me to Zannidue, confirming it was them via description was easy enough. Not many people travel this far north, and being as young as they are makes them stand out even more than the strangest of hunters. They will soon cross Herbenry¡¯s desert strip.


    Could they be looking for someone in Cobbstone, or further? There is a great lack of cultivation north of here.


    Why would the Dark angel and protector travel to such a secluded part of the world?  - Sophie, July 12th, 2764


    Andrew


    He had woken up late once again...


    Moving toward the gloomy cave¡¯s exit, Andrew readjusted his ragged cloak around his neck to shield himself from the cool, steady breeze. He had been slightly groggy from the previous night¡¯s travel and wished for nothing more than another hour of rest. Yet, rest came at a heavy cost. As he strapped his long black sword to his back, he made his way outside to witness the view he had been denied the night before.


    Piercing winds whistled over the rocky mountains and hilltops. The vast expanse of green slopes blended into patches of trees that gave way to a thin lake flowing between shaded hills that scattered into the overcast distance. The sky accompanied the vista with small patches of clouds gliding like sailing ships on an easterly breeze, with castings of inky islands of shade patched over the land. Andrew had to confess that the sight was indeed a breathtaking one to behold. However, amid the breezy melody and captivating panorama, Natalie sat atop a large, black boulder.


    ¡°Did I keep you waiting?¡± he inquired, his tone laced with apology. Her eyes opened stoically in response to his question. The steady breeze flapped violently at the back of her long, ragged cloak and straight, black hair. Andrew noticed her pupils turning from purple to black soon after. She gazed at the moving heavens and grass-covered earth. The strong, unwavering wind did not seem to bother her as it pushed against her back. Yet, even though they gazed upon the same vista, Andrew knew that her eyes did not see what he saw.


    Instead, they were lost somewhere far away, transfixed to a place beyond the sights and sounds that enveloped them.


    And why would she see what I see? Ever since her return, she had never been the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m well-rested now and ready to continue,¡± he offered, trying to dismiss the intrusive thoughts and questions that assailed him. Seated atop a rock with her legs drawn to her chest, Natalie exhibited no outward signs that she had heard him. The surrounding atmosphere grew colder. Seeing nothing else to allude to this downer vibe, he strops his head in silent defeat.


    Still moody from yesterday, he thought to himself.


    He should be accustomed to seeing her like this. But his features weighed into general concern as he thought up another reason for her mood.


    ¡°So... did you get any sleep thi-¡°


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving,¡± Natalie cut in. She got off the rock to march onwards.


    Watching her walk into the bright open space, Andrews¡¯ eyes darken. Time was running against them. But even so...


    If we are not careful, this could come back to bite the both of us.


    His calf muscles were still sore from the previous day''s running, making him wince to himself. It will get better as he warmed up, but even so...


    ¡°Understood,¡± He mumbled to himself before following suit.


    ~#~


    He set off along with Natalie further northwards to reach a nearby village. Running nonstop till sunset, they moved swiftly through the rocks, trees, and any other endeavour¡¯s almost as if in a state of take-off. Where Natalie had a fluid, almost urban grace traversing over the rocky platforms of riverbeds and broken paths of uneven slopes, Andrew was lacking in finesse, leaving him lagging behind.


    His legs felt like led with each passing hour of running. Natalie would pause on occasion to keep him from losing sight of her, but besides that, she never stopped. Her sharp and precise form seems to match her longing for her destination beyond the horizon. He was getting more drained by the hour, but in his stubborn effort to meet her determination, he said nothing. Gritting his teeth and cursing his burning lungs and body, he put all his frustrations into one step after another. He battled with fatigue until the battle itself became a whitening haze. He knew that he was still running, but his steps felt like those within a dream state.


    Just when the surreal sense of his drained body separated itself from his autopilot mind, he found himself losing balance, thus crashing into the dirt. His arms came out just in time to absorb most of the impact, but just barely. His front was covered in dirt and fallen leaves. The sky was dark as the last slivers of sunlight retreated behind the forest trees surrounding him.


    Trees? When did we enter a forest?


    Looking back to the path behind him with bewildered eyes, he slowly feels his mind resonating back to the senses of his body. All the aching and burning he detached himself from came back to bite him in the process. With his chest gasping for air, he barely made out the distant sound of a running stream behind him. Given how far he could see in the dark, it was apparent that they have been running into the woods for quite some time. This meant that he must have been running unconsciously for a fair bit longer than he predicted.


    But this was potentially was a good sign. According to the map, their destination of Lucas village was located near the long-running river of Corrence. A patch of forest was along the path they would have to take to reach it. And this was indeed a forest with a nearby lake. If that was the case, then at the pace they were going, they only had maybe a few more hours left to travel due west. A few more hours... could he manage it? Even if he could, would he still have enough in him to do what is required right after? The reality of the matter started to catch up with him.


    As his mind drifted to future events, however, he came to realise something in the present. That Natalie was nowhere in sight. Eyes darting to and fro he tried to squint through the darkness to pick up any movement by the trees, any sound beyond his peripheral, and yet nothing... cursing under his breath he was about to take a step onward throat about to burst out the name of his longtime friend until something came crashing down right in front of him.


    Barely having time to catch anything but dark wings and a petal of black feathers dancing with the sudden updraft of autumn leaves, he leaped back and gripped onto his sword on his back, a misty layer of dark energy that still somehow glowed.


    As the feathers and leaves settled, he soon identified the intruder with the dark wings to be none other than Natalie. Her purple eyes that cut through the darkness along with her eighteen feet long wingspan as deep and dark as a raven were a distinct giveaway. With his adrenaline simmering back down, this already fatigued body was now more drained than ever from trying to defend himself with his inner energy. Letting go of his blade, the layer of dark energy faded as he fell to one knee. With his body denying him to take another step without rest, he remains there, panting heavily.


    ¡°For a sec there, I thought you were a-¡° he trailed off before he could finish the sentence.


    As he looked up to her piercing purple eyes, a part of him knew that as nonchalant as his comment would have been. As honest as he was being in the given circumstance, he just knew. Even though she would understand what he meant, it would still hurt her deep down to hear it. To mistake her for a demon when she had been turned into something besides human just felt a little cruel, and so instead he said nothing and sighed lightly to himself to continue his painting.


    ¡°Just... give me a moment, ok? I think I can go a little more,¡± he rasped between ragged breaths.


    He looked up at his companion, still showing no real signs of fatigue as she unsummoned her wings, a hardened resolve only softened by his wheezing.


    Looking him up and down, she seemed unconvinced. Having looked at his cloak likely because of the fresh smears it had from falling into the dirt, a glimmer of what he could only read as sympathy softens her features.


    Taking in her surroundings, the river, the sheet of brown dead autumn leaves making up the ground they stood on. The trees and their spacing made their cover under the forest relatively safe with trees still far enough to make it hard for any creature or demon alive to get a jump on them she sighed ever so lightly to herself before walking past him and back down the way they came.


    ¡°Set up camp,¡± she said.


    He leaned up to turn back to her, his eyes narrowed by her order.


    ¡°Not necessary!¡± He insisted. ¡°I can keep moving. Just give me five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Then get fish. I¡¯ll gather the firewood.¡± Her reply echoed through the trees around them as she walks further into the darkness.


    He was left there in a moment of daze. As much as he wanted to deny it, he could not fool his body. Watching the back of Natalie, he could sense her growing urge to reach their destination, and how his inability to keep up has shackled this relentless drive. With the sinking feeling of inadequacy creeping over him, he in a flash of frustration kicked his leg through the autumn carpet, letting leaves fly every witch way.


    Besides venting a little frustration and working up his tired legs even more, there was one plus that came from his outburst.


    At least I¡¯ve marked a spot to build the campfire.


    ~#~


    She came back some time later as he was sitting by the lake fishing, with a makeshift rod made of a stick he picked up and along with the string from his tattered cloak, a rusted old metal hook that he kept tethered to his cloak and a mealworm bait that was in abundance at this time of year. He sat there with it in hand over the riverbed, waiting for the prod of a catch.


    Having made a second one, he left it out next to the river, a silent hint for Natalie to come and join him. Having seen her take note of the bait however, she chooses to ignore it, to instead turn around, drop the firewood she collected by the patch of earth now cleared from leaves and light before using her powers to zap it with a bolt of electricity.


    With his eyes meeting hers for the moment and still gaining no response to his small gesture, a cold wash of resentment began to grow in his core. He felt to knock the extra makeshift stick into the river and let it be washed away like the bad idea it was, but... well-kicking things was not really doing much besides reminding him how sore he was, so he remained idle fishing alone.


    As night came into full swing, his catch was killed and grilled by the campfire, sat opposite him in silence as Natalie looked off into the blanket of darkness surrounding them. As the fire¡¯s glow danced, the young man prodded it with a stick so as to keep its embers equally fuelled, as well as to break the cold silence with something, anything. As he watched Natalie¡¯s eyes veer off into the blackness, he thought to stir up conversation.


    ¡°Fish will be ready soon...¡± he said.


    She did not respond to his comment. This made him drop his head back down to the fire as he went back to poking the burning sticks. His mind tried to start this from another angle.


    ¡°Not too far now... right?¡± he said, tossing his prodding stick into the flames and looking back up at her. ¡°To the village of Lucas, I mean. If what Zac said holds any weight, then the demon invasion must have happened around what? Three or so days ago? And if that rumour we heard going around thereafter is also true, then that means we, in the worst case, would arrive there the day those people swoop in and started cherry-picking survivors.¡±


    Natalie looked at the flames beside her in a daze. Her pained face spoke of unreadable horrors running through her irises before she blinked and the connection died. With a controlled sigh, she tucked her legs closer to her chest for comfort before looking over the flame from the brim of her knees.


    ¡°His spew about -Trap-Door Spiders- was likely just a bunch of phony he made up,¡± she mumbled to herself in a dry frustration, her knees made the mumbling harder to comprehend than needed.


    Andrew narrowed his eyes, uncertain what Natalie said until he recollects the account she was referring to with Zac.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Zac, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you recall his cryptic speech?¡± she asked.


    With his face suddenly feeling heated, he glanced away whilst scratching the back of his dreadlocked hair.


    ¡°Was that what set you off? Ohhh... well... I was... a tad distracted,¡± he said slowly.


    Recalling the lacklustre dress sense of the locals when they were discussing with Zac, he knew now that his gig was up. He was listening, but the women were captivating.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Guess it¡¯s true what they say about the women of Coubbleston. He knew better than to say that one out loud, not in her current mood at least.


    Natalie, catching drift of this, widened her eyes in slight discomfort before dismissing it with a shake of her head.


    ¡°They summon low-level demons to invade and scatter the people. To make it look like coincidences, they then wait for two to three days before kidnapping any child that is left from the village.¡± Her eyes narrow deeper into the dark void around them. ¡°Any child left behind after that time would either have lost their parents to the demon invasion or are just far removed from their loved ones. From there they swoop in and take them, like picking up lost lambs.¡±He nods stiffly. To tell the truth, it was not a subject matter he felt too happy to talk about, but.


    Knowing how things turn out whenever he tried to make small talk, he had to make do.


    ¡°But how are you so sure that the demons and the kidnappers are connected?¡±


    ¡°I know because that¡¯s how they got me...¡± she said, her purple eyes staring into his brown ones.


    His chest froze mid-breath as he read the pain on her features. Eyes dulled and sullied by the events that took place seven years ago. He knew this because he was there too, a village under siege by creatures with flesh like steel and eyes like red stars. Rifts tearing the sky, raining down upon them shapes of death. How Natalie was never heard from for over a year since then, the girl he knew assumed dead.


    And even though she somehow made it back a year later, that cheerful girl he once knew was gone. Was it possible? That these caused misfortunes were a more sinister plan than a product of a thousand mishaps? He picks up his fish on a stick and scoffs it down in a rage-induced gusto. Natalie picked up hers, twisting the stick slowly between her fingers.


    ¡°It would make sense, even if a little insane,¡± he unwillingly said, as he quelled his chewing. ¡°But how can you be so sure you''re right? Demons tend to show up randomly around the world as is. To summon a demon is a myth unless you¡¯re a host, but even then, it¡¯s hardly proven.


    To somehow summon -sleepers- or -exhausts- is one thing, but -actives- of that level, and then be able to huddle them all into one place? Are you saying that they have found a way to summon them at will?¡±


    Natalie looks away from her food to stare into the flames.


    ¡°It¡¯s them, I just know it...¡±


    The campfire falls silent. Soon after feeling the tension drain out of his shoulders, he clicked his neck before he proceeded to sigh heavily and scratch his nape.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s a silly question. Forget I said anything.¡± he proceeded to lay on his side, his cloak wrapped around him as a makeshift cover. Closing his eyes, he was ready to welcome sleep. The crackling of fire snapped through the silent night.


    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m wrong about this one as well?¡± Natalie mumbled almost to herself.


    He opened his eyes and looked at her. What was he supposed to say? If he expresses his doubt, then it would be like calling her a paranoid liar at best. And if he does agree with her, it will be like saying that the pain and suffering she went through was more than just the doing of vile people.


    ¡°Must you ask me the tricky questions when I¡¯m half asleep?¡± he rolled away from Natalie, turning his back to the fire in the process.


    ¡°It¡¯s been three years. And besides tracking down and stopping a few small operations, I¡¯m not sure we have really done anything.¡±


    ¡°We have got better at spotting key places they would likely skulk around and the old roads they would take. I think that counts for something. It¡¯s been working fairly, well¡­ all things considered.¡± he gave a loud yawn soon after. ¡°We are throwing salt on these slimeballs operations, right? It¡¯s sneaky, but it works. We¡¯ve done a damn lot more good than those so-called hunters, which... well, is honestly is not really saying much.¡±


    ¡°But is this really enough?¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°We are only two people, hardly need to count us off. Can¡¯t be everywhere at once,¡± he shrugged, back still facing Natalie.


    ¡°But maybe we are playing it too safe,¡±


    Andrew opened his eyes before wiggling himself around to face her and the flickering flames, her brown eyes were glued to the fire as if hypnotised by its glow. Her irises catching from the flames, a plot not even the devils would dare dally with.


    She wants to go to where the kids are nest, save them and snuff the bastard kidnappers out. Andrew swallowed dryly at the thought.


    ¡°You think there could be something more to this trapdoor spider stuff Zac spoke of? That is what you are thinking, right?¡± he asked carefully.


    ¡°I thought you were too distracted to listen back then,¡± she stabbed, glaring at him as if trying to prove a point.


    ¡°I was, but I¡¯m listening to you now.¡±


    The campfire fell silent. And soon Natalie retracted her gaze, conceding her argument. But even in consent, that daring plot still burned behind her iris all the same.


    Having nothing to add to the matter, Andrew wriggled onto his back to look up at the star-filled sky. It was mostly obstructed by the surrounding branches, but even so, the heaven¡¯s vast constellations shone upon them a canopy of soothing light.


    Admittedly, he knew little else about these kidnappers except that they somehow have got their hands on gas-powered vehicles, a rarity to be sure, especially in the northern hemisphere of the world. Or, to be more precise, past the desert strip and beyond the passionate village of Coubbleston.


    Sure, the advent of the car was old tech; revived tech from a time before the second winds. But further north was home to a different kind of old, a new kind of old in comparison. Ancient? Sacred?


    He was not entirely sure which one phrase it better, all the same. It was a land almost untouched by the drastic changes that took place down south for the past couple of hundred years. Old strange lands home to a people long forgotten by the rest of the world. At least that¡¯s what he thought he overheard in one of Natalie¡¯s mother¡¯s old history lessons about the North.


    Andrew knew that Natalie would likely know, but taking the current climate into account, he thought it best to not bring up her mother.


    ¡°Either way, this path leads us to Lucas. We lose nothing by travelling all this way, regardless.¡± She picked up, more than likely convincing herself than him. To be fair, it did not matter to him too much whether there was some worthwhile discovery to be made there or not. Most places they have been over the years had been duds. All that mattered to him was keeping his old friend alive whilst she goes on her wild escapades.


    Still though... as he laid there upon his back looking up at the stars, perhaps it was the creeping tiredness or his body recovering strength after a hearty meal, his mind concocted a chilling thought.


    ¡°So are we picking up the pace to go to Lucas because of what that Zac guy said, or was it the ramblings of those travellers who we crossed that¡¯s made you jumpy?¡± He picked up as he closed his eyes.


    Just then, however, Natalie stands up and begins walking towards him. Peeking one eye open in slight confusion, he looked up to see her coming closer. Her brown eyes now changed purple as she stared on beyond the confound of the firelight. This all forced him to sit up and look up at her expectantly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Demons,¡± she whispered back.


    Shooting up out of his resting place, he latched onto his sword right next to him he gets into a fighting stance. However, right after doping this, Natalie simply put her hand out to stop him.


    ¡°There¡¯s only three of them. Must all be exhausted. They can hardly stand.¡±


    ¡°<Exhausts>, huh?¡°


    ¡°My eyes are better suited to seeing in the dark ... Get some rest,¡± she said, her eyes glowing purple, reminding him of the changes made to her since that day.


    Hearing this, he let go of his sword, allowing her to walk on past him. Armed with nothing but a grilled fish in a twig, she wanders off into the darkness. As she passed him, he saw a face looking for a distraction, something to vent her pent-up frustration on.


    A touch of guilt washed past him as he felt this vibe. A flash of lightning lights up the area for a fraction, just enough to see a piercing bolt shine right through the demon as looming shadows of the trees show themselves from the light display. They were roughly a seven-foot-tall horned nose, known for its three-foot-long razor-sharp scythe-like nose. Their scream¡¯s like that of a crow and elephant shearing one body, marked their quick demise at the hands of Natalie.


    She comes back out of the shadows soon after; her demeanour was a little more intense.


    ¡°Get some rest...¡± she said, sitting back down by the fire. He gingerly nods in response. His eyes locked onto her, hardly touched food in concern. He feels a conflicting swell in his gut.


    She hardly eats much. Sleep comes her way even less so.


    Natalie, what did they do to you? A question he constantly found himself asking.


    Eyes narrowed, he slowly turns to one his side before closing his eyes. To be frank, he was rather wiped out. If he was going to make good on keeping up tomorrow, he will need to shut down as soon as which he did not think would be too hard. It had been nearly two days since they got the news about the attack on the village and it¡¯s been exactly that long since they have started their none stop travel to their to Lucas at an almost gruelling pace.


    Two days... it was kinda scary how fast the news travelled to their ears. This would not been looked up as odd any in other place where the tech that was readily available in any other hemisphere but given that this was the north, the one place that upheld the none taking of anything even as simple as a radio it kind of put into question how did the traveller reach back from Lucas with such news so fast?


    Could they have heard it from Zac? Zac was an information broker and for what it was worth, he clearly had the resources and connections to receive such information constantly even when he too was on the more untamed side of the world.


    But wouldn¡¯t they have to have reached Coubbleston to get it? They were on the way to Coubbleston, a twelve-hour journey there from where they met and talked since they themselves left those very gates to continue their travel northwards, taking them here. So unless they passed one of Zac¡¯s men and got wind from him, then it was not possible that a simple trade cart could have told news of a village¡¯s apparent demise in such a short amount of time.


    It was plausible, but if that was the case, then they never gave a hint of the news being second hand. The talk of no tech further north could also be not as ironclad. After all, it was the locals that held onto this belief, something about their presence tuning out the will of the planets Natalie once said. Sure, they were against it, but they never necessarily stopped outsiders from bringing their own. In fact, according to other travellers, they are very welcoming to strangers.


    He knew that said travellers were not native to Lucas simply by how they described the incident. As if moved but not personally affected by it. Just another tragedy to gossip about. Having long-distance tech to catch wind of such news so fast, but again, it was never hinted to that being the case.


    Using his cloak, the clutches of sleep found him rather quickly. Still... be it the aimless rambles of his mind or the good amount of food his gut was breaking down to build his stamina, he could not shake the feeling that something about all this smelt fishy.


    Natalie


    She sat there looking out into the dark forest, her purple eyes able to cut through the sheet of blackness. Able to shift through the trees themselves and see the light, or what she¡¯s come to call the life energy of all living things. Bugs and mice, the odd owl and bat that swoop on by.


    It¡¯s true what they say. Even in the night, the north seemed to have more natural life in abundance than most other places around the world. More per square acre at least once beyond the desert strip.


    As fascinating that was to her, however, her mind could not allow her to really marvel at such a personal confirmation. For she had something else to confirm, something more sinister.


    And as much as she would like to not be running towards dud info she could not help but wonder how she would feel if she were to find out that they are not only there but that they are vile ways are tainting what she¡¯s come to understand to be known holey lands? And what happens if their presences not only taints the lands but also distorted the many myths that surround the north also?


    Finding no urge to sleep, her thoughts took her away, back to before she became... this. Before she lost her smile and warmth. Back to a time before she was kidnapped.


    ~#~


    She remembered a peerless blue sky stretched forth brightened by a great yellow orb in its centre, running through a small patch of forest with a younger Andrew who looked much the same as he does today except rounder on the cheeks and with less fluff on his chin. Running playfully through a thin patch of trees, they reach an open field of grass atop a light slope. Upon it lay a large rock and beyond their horizon, a humble village covered by a three-story wall.


    ¡°C¡®mon Andrew, keep up!¡± She said with a playful chuckle.


    ¡°Just keep going!¡± he snapped back.


    Reaching the top of the hill, they stop by the large rock and look onwards to their home village of Null. An out-of-the-way place in the eastern hemisphere where traders and hunters would make use of as one of the many veins that connect it to the larger towns and cities.


    ¡°Made it...¡± She sighed with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°Not yet. We still got a bit further to go,¡± Andrew said.


    Natalie turned around to glare at Andrew as if saying don¡¯t-be-a-killjoy. Andrew rolled his eyes when he picked up on that whilst Natalie giggled some.


    ¡°Yeah, I know...¡± she said whilst she took a seat on the grass. ¡°But let¡¯s stop here for a while.¡±


    ¡°We are pushing our luck as it is being out here! What if one of ¡®them¡¯ shows up!?¡±


    ¡°Hardly happens. And even when they do, they are always exhausts or sleepers too tired from realm hopping and so they just laze around.¡± She said, laying back-first onto the grass. ¡°If demons like them come up, we can outrun them.¡±


    Andrew¡¯s eyes darted around his surroundings whilst shaking his head at her remark.


    ¡°Nope, too dangerous... I¡¯m going home.¡± He said.


    ¡°Chicken,¡± she spat with her eyes closed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared!¡± Andrew shot back. ¡°Why do you want to lie around out here so badly, anyway?!¡±


    ¡°The open view is nice, right? With no walls boxing us in.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Andrew looks around, trying to see what she was talking about. It¡¯s not that she was wrong, it¡¯s just a view they have seen a number of times.


    ¡°We are hardly ever allowed out of the village because of the demons, but if you think about it, walls or not, it doesn¡¯t really matter where you are. Given that they can travel through realms, no place is safe from them.¡±


    Andrew looks around again with her words in mind and slowly sees what she means. ¡°And when we are allowed to play out, we do so, so fast that we don¡¯t really get a chance to take it all in.¡±


    Andrew nodded to himself. For the little time she knew him back then, Andrew had not truly felt safe when stepping outside the wall of Null. Though she knew the reason, it also struck her as odd given how he travelled here with his father, who was a pro hunter.


    Not many parents allowed their children to even set foot out of their village but given his first-hand experience and teaching under his father, he was (by the rules of her village) allowed to travel out of the village walls alone and could take on hunting missions along with a more experienced hunter like an apprentice. In other words, he was already a man.


    So she always found it odd that despite this, he was so unwilling to set foot outside, let alone take-up missions. And yet she, without both experience or the blessing of the village rules, could not wait to get out there. She¡¯d practically dragged him outside just so she could take advantage of his pentagon knight privileges.


    It did strike her as odd, but beyond that, she did not care much for his reasons, so she never asked.


    ¡°Mum told me stories of long ago before demons appeared.¡± She picked up. ¡°She said people back then could relax on the grass and admire the view without a worry. And that most places were at least as green as here. But most took it for granted, and that¡¯s why the winds stopped blowing. We are lucky to have a spot like this so close to us. I¡¯ve always wanted to try relaxing here so you can go home if you want. But I¡¯ll be back later.¡±


    She lies down on the grass and looks up at the sky. Andrew about took a few steps towards the village, the sound of his feet sounding more distant with each moment until they suddenly stopped and Instead, came back around, coming closer and closer before sitting down so close behind her that his back cast a shade over his eyes. As she looked up with a smile, Natalie chimed a ¡®hmmm¡¯ in wonder.


    ¡°Not scared anymore?¡± she said.


    ¡°No... It¡¯s just that, I don¡¯t want to leave you here by yourself,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you,¡± she chuckles. ¡°So you going to relax with me?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he snaps as he turns around to her. Calming down, he takes a breath and continues. ¡°I¡¯m standing guard.¡±


    ¡°With that sword of yours?¡± She said, looking at his small sheathed blade on his back. ¡°You¡¯ve seen my skills with a weapon, right? If you want to go back so bad, then why don¡¯t you leave your sword here with me so that way I can be safe and you can go home.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want anything happening to you,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A little surprised, she leans up to look back at Andrew.


    ¡°So, you really want to protect me?¡±


    Andrew turned away to cover his face. If he was not dark-skinned, he would have been bright be red by now.


    ¡°Sort of,¡± he replied whilst scratching his head. Natalie seeing the back of Andrew, Natalie could not help but smile at his reaction. A little part of her felt happy that someone like him could even entertain the thought.


    Soon her surprised face slowly turned into a smug, playful smirk.


    ¡°Even on your -lingering will-?¡± she said with a narrow-eyed smile.


    ¡°Not on your life!¡± Andrew scoffed while turning away half offended.


    She rolled around in the grass with hysterical laughter, her gut in stitches at his stern reaction, which earned her a glance back from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°The lingering will is nothing to joke about! It can happen to any knight; it can define who they were as a person before they died as it lived on fulfilling that will, even after death. It can be a knight¡¯s final crowning achievement to this world... it¡¯s not a thing to laugh at!¡±


    ¡°Your so serious,¡± she said between laughs. ¡°You¡¯d know that I was in your dad¡¯s lesson for that one if you didn¡¯t have such a stiff expression when sitting at the front. Luna said that you look like a statue, you hardly turn around to notice anyone!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t live with my dad,¡± Andrew mumbled.


    ¡°No, but my parents are teachers as well.¡±


    ¡°Just because you can be yourself with them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not that bad as company,¡± she said with a bright smile.


    The enthusiasm was not shared, however, as Andrew just glared at her before cutting his eyes to look away. As he grumbled on at her attempt at a sweet smile, he shook his head to himself slowly.


    ¡°Well, if it is of any help, I like having you around,¡± she said. ¡°And having you here as a bodyguard makes me feel safe.¡±


    She lies back down to watch the view. She could not confirm it, but by the look on his back, she could tell that he was content by her words also as he looked onward for danger.


    ¡°I like having you around too...¡± he said.


    Her smile only widened before closing her as a silent thanks.


    They would remain there until the sun began setting. Natalie gazing onwards whilst Andrew watched her back. Unknown to them, the titles they will later be given, and the dangerous path they will one day tread.


    ~#~


    She came to just as the smoking embers of the campfire smothered and died. The sun had just crept through the horizon, illuminating the trees golden in its glow.


    Sitting in much the same spot, she came to realise that she must have drifted off through the last hours of the morning. Given the amount of light there was now in comparison to then, she would wager about two hours. Hearing Andrew slowly rise up from his rest made her blink a few times.


    Although he was deep in sleep, she could not help but notice his constant tossing and turning through the night. She was willing to wager it had something to do with what she said earlier. It must have been those unsettled thoughts uneaved her as well.


    Seeing him slowly stand up and get his bearing, her eyes softened. She had been hard on him these past few days in hindsight. Hell, even before this on regular days. It¡¯s a wonder why he puts up with her at all.


    All I¡¯m doing is making him worry.


    Clenching the fabric of her cloke a little, she sighs out weakly, telling herself that she will try to make him worry no more.


    ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± she said as she looked up at him.


    Catching him glancing back at her from looking back at the remains of the campfire, he, in a groggy and distracted, blinked and took a moment to process what she just said. His eyes rounded the moment he did before he gave a long and epic stretch and yawn.


    ¡°You should have woken me up to keep watch while you sleep,¡± He said just at the peak of his yawn before relaxing once again to rub an eye. ¡°Guess I¡¯m so used to knowing you hardly sleep. I did not do so myself.¡±


    ¡°I got some rest, so try not to worry,¡± she said, her hand slightly twitch as in the process.


    Knowing that she threw most of her grilled fish into the flame, she hoped that he would not move on to ask if she ate well. After all, she did not want him to worry.


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s good to hear,¡± He said with a warm sigh. ¡°Shall we get going?¡±


    With that, Natalie and Andrew set off once again. Leaving behind her the ashes of firewood containing her guilty little secret long out of sight.

 Chapter 2: Van of Bain

    Here out on the Herbery desert strip, laying between Cobblestone and Zannidue; stands the remains of an abandoned rocket launch site. Its old headquarters are said to hold trucks stripped down to their wheels for scraps, as well as patched work roads that led to the nearby ocean.


    Though it¡¯s a gamble, my gut keeps telling me that the two of them are heading there. There¡¯s just something about the Golden Dragon Empire that reads as off when you compile their lack of action around these kidnappings.


    I try to speak of the matter as objectively as possible. But even if we of the Blue Phoenix and the Golden Dragon Empire were on good terms, they¡¯d still be the first people I would suspect of doing such horrid things. - Sophie, July 13th, 2764


    Andrew


    Having travelled over a number of slopes, he and Natalie were now not so far from where the village was said to be. A trail of black smoke that rose over and beyond the horizon were certain signs that they were just a light climb away from reaching Lucas. Pacing himself up the hill, he watched Natalie¡¯s sudden halt as her eyes likely met with their destination.


    Being just five paces behind her and seeing the gobsmacked reaction to what lied ahead, however, his chest tightened.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked in a breath of suspicion, his pace picked up to cover the last distance.


    Summoning her dark wings, a sudden gust forced him to shield his face from the burst of feathers dancing on the surrounding winds. Kicking off the ground, she launched herself off into flight. Blinking the black petals away from his face, he begins to pick up the pace soon after, a foreboding dread growing in his gut.


    ¡°Wait!!¡± he called out before cursing under his breath soon after.


    Reaching the top of the slope himself, he bears witness to the sight that had set Natalie off. The village was ravaged.


    Huts burnt and broken. Dirt roads ripped to shreds as if a giant blade had cleaved through them. Some houses still glowed with dread, their silent burning made for the trail of smoke they had been following since this morning.


    They were too late.


    Still taking it all, he in just stood there at the top of the slope. He knew that these people were monsters going from how Natalie spoke of them. They had been chasing them down for years, witnessing horrid things in the process.


    He knew things were bad, but this?


    They¡¯re getting bolder...


    Regaining his bearings, he runs down the hill towards the village to meet back up with Natalie. The smell of burning straw, wood, and rock-filled his lungs as he got closer, forcing him to shield his nose with his arm, not that it helped any. The smell of flesh was also present among the cents he was picking up. Steeling himself for what he might witness, he drops his useless nose shield bearing the pungent scent of burnt flesh as he bursts on through the forsaken streets.


    Quickly sweeping around gave him the sight of deceased bodies lying dormant on the shredded road their faces buried in the dirt giving him the hint that the scars on the road were the cause of their demise, and perhaps the thing that did this is still around. Walking deeper into the village, he called out Natalie¡¯s name, but to no avail.


    ~#~


    Natalie


    She lands in the village centre as the smell of the fires became too much to bear. As her dark wings faded away, she walked further into the village, passing through a narrow path leading to a ¡°T¡± junction. One house caught her attention. The door was broken a-jar by long claw marks that reached from it to the walls beyond, unmistakable signs that a demon attack had taken place.


    Finding her legs pulled her towards the haunted house. She walked in and took a look around the room. The insides were in no better shape, with holes plastered through the walls and a great gaping pit lay smack in the middle of the living room floor, an ominous updraft of wind steadily whistles its way from within its ink-black well which sent a slight chill down her spine.


    As her gaze was focused on it, however, she stepped on something soft and round. A homemade doll laid ruffled and abandoned under her feet. Its stitched-on smile and black buttoned eyes created a conflicting stir within her chest. Its ragged state reminding her of the day her village was attacked by them also, how the sky turned red and rained down spores of light that unleashed demons wherever they landed.


    Before she could get lost in thought, she heard Andrew¡¯s voice calling to her out in the distance. Turning back to the house entrance, she activates her purple eyes, enabling her to see through the walls and highlight anyone who is living with a bright glow around them.


    She sees Andrew making his way towards her, but along with something else under his feet. Something fierce with thins and razor-sharp teeth. Swimming below the earth as if it were water. Darting out of the house, she makes her way towards him.


    ~#~


    Andrew


    Standing opposite the same road, he spots her sprinting around a ¡®T¡¯ junction corner. Relieved, he picked up his pace. However, that quickly came to a halt when Natalie summoned her wings and rushed towards him. Trusting his partner¡¯s actions, he pulled out his sword before turning around to face the intruders. He was met with three fins slithering beneath the road like sharks at sea. The closest one speeds up before leaping into the open.


    Its two-foot-long sharp row of teeth and twelve-foot sharp spread of rock-like scales leapt at him. Swerving to one side, Andrew cleaved through its open jaw as it passed on by. His blade left a blackened arc of dark energy on its travels, its body crashed on the ground before sinking through the earth like quicksand.


    The last two came in unison, but he, reading their point of attack, stepped just out of range before also slashing them along the middle, letting them crash into the road behind him. The demons were swallowed back into the ground, much like the first.


    Recovering from his long, arcing swing, he puts his sword away before turning back at Natalie. He had trained hard in the ways of the -Pentagon knight- in the hopes that he would not get in the way of her quest by being a burden.


    His trail of thought was broken, however, by Natalie, still in desperate advance. With a narrow brow, he looked around him to see if there was one he might have possibly missed, but came up blank.


    Just when his confusion reached its peak, darkness overcame his sight from both sides. A gap of jagged ends ascends in front of him. By the time his eyes caught up with the moving parts and the growing darkness, he was too late.


    He was within a pink fleshy wall with a tongue to his right as teeth begin to close in on him. Before he could act, the jaws of the demon were closing. He would not make it. However, before darkness overcame him, Natalie burst through, fly-kicking him out the other end. Tumbling to his feet, he looks up to see a giant alligator snapping close its sixteen feet long mouth with Natalie still inside.


    Its unsettling growls and foreboding size drowned out the silence and blocked out the sun


    ¡°Natalie!!¡± his lungs shout in shock.


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    As shock evolved into anger, Andrew clutched onto his blade, passing a great amount of dark energy into it. Before he could act, however, a huge bolt of lightning ripped through the giant alligator-like demon with such force that its mouth was obliterated wide open. Teeth and flesh are tossed in all directions, one of which he deflected with his blade. With parts of alligator plastered everywhere and a large jawline charade and sinking back into the earth, Natalie walks onwards with sparks of purple electricity still glowing off her.


    He watched as the dark angel stepped over the remains of the demon, as if she was not just standing in the gullet of a demon. He wanted to apologise for his negligence, but the words were stuck in his throat.


    ¡°Landers, active ones at that,¡± he finally huffed out whilst looking at the remains as they sank into the road. Soon after that, he twitched his nose at the unwelcome smell of man-made bacon entering his nose once again. ¡°I don¡¯t think anybody is here.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s look for clues and head out. Find the people responsible for this,¡± Natalie said as she walked onwards. Her eyes burned with anger.


    He sighs before looking around. Putting his sword back, he begins to follow her.


    ¡°But going by the state of this place, we¡¯ve just missed them by at least a day,¡± He said.


    ¡°This is the closest we have ever been on their tail,¡± Natalie said, turning around. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. We just got more time.¡±


    Looking into Natalie¡¯s eyes, he knew that there was no changing her mind. Folding his arms, he nods his head.


    Natalie¡¯s purple eyes scan the surroundings with intense poise before she lets out a calming breath.


    ¡°That should be all of them,¡± she mumbled, before turning her head back to him. ¡°We will meet in the centre of the village once we are done searching,¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± he sighed. He watched Natalie walk further away from their place of battle before turning around to search in the opposite direction.


    ~#~


    Some time had passed before the two met up in the centre of the village. Finding nobody around, he stocked up on what little food was left in the village before planning their next move. Sitting on a trunk, he helped himself to a hard loaf of bread and a skin of water that he found whilst Natalie put together events that took place in the village.


    ¡°They would have fled the village to escape the demons,¡± she started, her eyes darken somewhat.


    He slowed down his chewing to look at her for a moment before swallowing. Natalie, seeing that she got his attention, continues.


    ¡°After a day or two, demons that appear in this world normally go back to the ones they came from. It¡¯s common knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is in Null at least,¡± he said, taking another swig of water.


    Seeing how his response earned him a mean look from Natalie, he paused in guilt before nodding apologetically for her to continue. Looking onwards almost indifferently, Natalie obliges.


    ¡°The people and children who escape alive would start making their way back home on the second or third day since it is when most demons, even actives, tend to hope back to their realm. But even so, not all of them will make it.¡± She shook her head lightly.


    ¡°And you reckon that they are the ones that get taken away?¡± he asked, leaning forward to get a better listen.


    ¡°Not all of them, no,¡± she replied. ¡°Some are just... unlucky. The others, however... they were-¡°


    Sitting down, Natalie began to clench tightly onto her knees. Having too much trouble trying to finish the sentence, she paused as she began losing herself in horrid memories. Her eyes water and heart-racing, she began to spiral to a dark place. He noticed this when the clouds overhead began to suddenly fold in on above them at an unnatural pace.


    ¡°Natalie?¡±


    No use. She looked onwards, still spaced out. Getting up, he moved over to her, grabbing her shoulders as he shook her in firm, short bursts.


    ¡°Natalie,¡± He said, a tone of concern broke out of his otherwise stern voice.


    She snaps out of it, meeting her purple eyes with his brown ones. Her eyes turning back to brown, she glanced away suddenly, making him self-aware of the invasion of space. He lets go and steps back a little. The forming of storm clouds began to dissipate almost as fast as they formed, allowing the blood-red sunlight to touch them once again.


    ¡°You ok now?¡± he asked.


    Natalie looks at him before standing up and walking off towards the exit of the village.


    ¡°We need to find the people who did this,¡± she picked up as if nothing happened.


    Scratching his forehead, he quickly grabbed his stuff and made have to walk beside her.


    ¡°To stop them from kidnapping children? So the usual plan?¡± He said, catching up.


    ¡°No, this time, we are going to follow them to their base... find the stem of this problem and cut it from its roots!¡± She said, her tone charged with ice.


    Andrew watched her silently from one side. Her anger was to be expected. It was nothing new to him. Still, there was something different to it this time. Something more level, more personal. Perhaps it was because of how much this village resembled the one back at home that tipped her so.


    Regardless of the reasons, he felt bad vibes seeping off of all this. The travellers getting wind of this when they were so far south from the village itself still stuck with him. Shaking it out of his head, he tried to get himself back to the old question.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the old plan?¡± he asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Stopping them is not enough. So, this time, I¡¯m going to do what I should have done from the start,¡± she said.


    She stopped walking on to bow her head before looking back up at him. ¡°I know it¡¯s risky,¡± she mumbled.


    He wanted to blindly agree. He wanted to say that this was a bad idea, but her troubled eyes stilled his mouth.


    ¡°I understand. If you feel that strongly about it, then I can¡¯t let you go alone,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ok... thank you...¡± she said, the makings of a grateful grin could be seen on her face before walking onward.


    This reaction made him straighten up in surprise. ¡®Thank you¡¯ and a half-smile? It was rare that she¡¯d ever give out one of those, let alone both, in unison.


    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± He mumbled almost to himself.


    He felt humbled and even somewhat happy. But seeing it as a sign that this was bringing back all the horrid memories of her kidnap stole the smile that would have been on his face.


    ~#~


    That night, the two of them began to comb the forests on the outskirts of the village for any leads. Thanks to Natalie¡¯s eyes, however, it was not long before they spotted damning evidence of a kidnapping taking place. A forest planted with speakers every mile or so from each other all linking up like a kind of bowl around the outskirts of the village itself. As the night drew on, the sounds of demons¡¯ cries began to echo out of them.


    He and Natalie, knowing that they were onto something, began to search for any paths that led to roads. With that search, they found it. A sinister black-looking tailor van parked out in the middle of the road in the neck of the woods. Given the rarity of motor-running engines after the great collapse hundreds of years ago, this was not just suspicious but damn right suspect.


    Poached in hiding, they watched as the fake demons sound lured in child after child. Gathering them up into a group before letting off a sleeping gas knocking them out. He watched on at Natalie, whose mouth was left ajar with disbelief at what was happening. Seeing as he does not have the same sight as her, he had to rely on her eyes for the events that were transpiring beyond the black van. Using her reactions as a compass, he watched on.


    ¡°How many?¡± he asked. Trying to get a better picture.


    Calming herself, she releases a breath she did not realise she was holding.


    ¡°Twelve,¡± she answered in almost a whisper. ¡°Four being their parents or guardians.¡±


    ¡°Four grown-ups, huh?¡± he whispered to himself, as if to translate it. ¡°Are they all knocked out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a first seeing them use speakers. Bastards are getting creative as well as bold. You can¡¯t just find stuff like that lying around anywhere, so where are they getting them from?¡±


    Natalie looks on in silence. Not getting an answer, he remains quiet also, glaring at her with a narrowing eye before he continues.


    ¡°You said that they captured four adults, right? But they don¡¯t normally take in grown-ups.¡±


    ¡°No...¡± she said. But it was not in response to him, but more in a dazed shock. A moment later, she stands up a little, covering her open mouth.


    He leans up also whilst looking at her with equally widened eyes.


    ¡°Natalie, what¡¯s wrong?! Tell me what¡¯s happening!¡±


    Suddenly, a loud bang of gunfire echoed through the darkened night, making Natalie flinch as the sound passed through her. The slapping of a flock of birds desperately flapping their wings to take flight washed over the silent moonlight sky.


    He latched onto his trusty sword and looked in the direction the deafening bang came from. It was from the same place Natalie had been looking towards for the past hour. Then came another shot... followed by two more... then silence.


    Four shots... his eyes darkened.


    Shaking his head in disgust, Andrew forced his enraged grip off his sword. He did not need Natalie¡¯s insight to know what had just happened.


    To know who they shot... who they killed.


    Natalie, summoning her wings, suddenly jumped out of hiding and was about to head towards the group, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist.


    ¡°Remember the plan!¡± he shouted.


    The sound of thunder ran through the air as he held onto her.


    ¡°You said it yourself! It¡¯s not enough to catch the falling leaves or branches. We need to go in there and cut the problem from its roots and I agree. So let¡¯s go in there, grab the kids, and then go crazy! But first, we need to know where to cut before we start chopping away.¡±


    Natalie, remaining still, said nothing for a moment before falling back behind cover. He exhaled deeply and also began to return to his station. What he said may have been true, but it came easily to him. If he was the one that could see the deed being done, would he have done the same thing?


    Men wearing gas masks began to unload the children into the black van before jumping in themselves and setting off.


    ¡°It¡¯s moving,¡± Natalie said, looking back to the location it was last at.


    Only when she looked back at him did he realise that he had yet to let go of her wrist. By doing so, Natalie Imminently slid down the slope and leapt up on a tree branch to jump onto another.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said, rolling his neck for a long night¡¯s chase.

 Chapter 3: Cliffs opening

    Seems like news of the Golden Dragon Empire''s recent clash with the Saber-tooth has long reached the North despite the rare use of technology is up here. I still wager that the Empire itself lost more to the ragtag group despite what they announced on there official records.


    This leads back to my suspicion of them. Do not misunderstand. All great nations do have their secrets. But for an empire so fixated on reviving the old tech their methods on how they''ve advanced so impossibly quick is such a bizarre mystery.


    Flynn and I should arrive at the location by next sunlight. If Dark Angel is there, I''d like to confirm my suspicion about her role in all of this as soon as possible. If not then... well at least I get to see evidence of the launch sight in person. With the countless amount of rumors going around about its location over the years. Surely a written account from a scholar should mean something.


    - Sophie, July 14th, 2764


    Andrew


    The duo followed the van along the dirt roads that lace themselves through the cover of thick pine trees. Slipping through the branches they keep up a steady but manageable pace on the higher slopes and cliffs half a mile away. Often traveling from one place to another by foot instead of using a horse had not only made their stamina pools deeper and honed their bodies but saved them a good deal of coin, coin they did not have to spare because there lack of taking any official jobs for most of there journey.


    The sinister van having led them out of the forest and into a group of cole black mountains they find themselves reaching the tail end of the forest. Leaping out into a large plane of rocky land that ran along the steep cliffs which acted as a natural borderline between the green forest and group of mountains shrouded by a cloud of mist beyond them, the landscape ahead oozed a sense of awe and mystery as they ran head-on into the blanket of fog that stretched up towards the heavens. Andrew thought it rain at first until they were only a few miles away and heard no rainfall.


    Being out in the open Andrew and Natalie picked up their pace as to not lose the van in the wall of mist. The open space made them feel somewhat exposed to the unwanted attention of the kidnappers as they tailed them but with this around over them an odd feeling of claustrophobia hit Andrew.


    That along with reaching higher up the vertical coverage of the mountains released a knot in his gut that he barely had the time to acknowledge. The van zig-zagged it''s way through the old roads caved through the peaks and the volume of the mist slowly increasing with each step it became safer for Natalie and Andrew to move forward without their line of sight truly lining up with the vans.


    Even with all these obstructions, Natalie had her sights locked to them using her purple eyes to cut through the mist and the slow between them and their target. Andrew seeing this was distracting her from looking at what''s ahead took it upon himself to be her eyes on their path forward.


    As they were reaching the top half of the mountain''s peak Andrew felt a strange tremor. With his eyes narrowed his ears burned so he could be certain that he did not miss heard the bizarre noise.


    Looking at the peak of the mountain they were on at first he saw nothing but the mist. No sound came to him. Just the crunching of their feet as they sprint over the black coal-like mountain face.


    Summing it up as nothing Andrew again points his eyes front to see the mountain top and what laid ahead of it. However, as they reached the top his eyes grew wide with shock.


    Before his body could register anything he latched onto Natalie''s wrist just ahead of him and came skidding to a halt. In shock, Natalie turns around to Andrew with fuming eyes. Ignoring it he pulled her down into a crouch along with himself before pointing to the slope just ahead of them. Natalie followed at his pointed finger with his eyes only to share the same face soon after.


    Although it was hard to see in the mist there was clearly a gigantic figure moving across the face of the mountain. Its body made of black rock; its four stubby rhino-like legs slowly stomped the land giving off tremors with each stride. With a block like a body that stood at twenty stories high and twenty-five wide. At what could only be described as it''s that front was a head shaped like that of a hammerhead shark with the odd moss and plant growing out of its edges.


    It was like watching a cliff face move along the land. But for all its size and sheer presence, it did not seem to make a sound. If it was not for its tremoring stomps Andrew would not have been tipped off to its presence. He looks back at Natalie baffled. With Natalie sharing the same look, however, it was clear to him that none of them had seen anything quite like it in their travels.


    This was not the first time they have been perplexed by the sight of a creature. Most times the discovery earned them an unwelcome engagement. From the looks of it, however, the moving cliff face did not seem to be aware of their presence, at least not yet. It was busy grazing on the black rubble off the mountain face like cattle does grass. As he watches it graze questions began flowing through his mind.


    Is it born from the planet, or is it a demon? Is it hostile?


    Going by its placid demeanor it did not look like it cared much for them. Good thing too since its sheer size would have proved it a taxing obstacle.


    "Want to change our route?" Andrew whispered breaking the awed silence.


    Natalie held her gaze a bit longer as she mulled it over. Just then, a little further within the mist, two more moving cliff faces stirred and came into view making for a small heard.


    "We can''t keep track of the van and fight them off if they attack us," he continued.


    Besides, I''d rather not fight whatever ''that'' is. Andrew thought to himself.


    "Then we alter our path," Natalie said eyes pointing forward. Likely keeping an eye on the van even now. Andrew nodded, silently grateful.


    Circling around the large unknowns the two of them continued tailing the van through the mountains. They stop under the cover of a large boulder as they watch the van make a stop by a large cliff some ways ahead.


    Passing through the other side of the valley of mountains laid nothing but a blank canvas of rock on all sides but behind them. Baffled by this random location in which it stopped they watch onwards in silence.


    At first nothing, the van remained where it was in front of the cliff face. But suddenly the front of the walls split open, lethargically opening into a deep dark void home to the sinister. The two watched in amazement as the rock wall opened wider and wider. The floor rippled as the rock face slid across the ground to reveal its secrets.


    Andrew was taken aback by the sight of it.


    He knew that the people they were after were likely hidden in plain sight but this? Looking over to Natalie who also held a shocked expression to what she was looking at he''d gathered that this was her first time seeing something so discreet. After a full minute of gawking the van had already driven through the cliff and the face as the walls begin to make it''s slow and steady pace closing.


    Andrew snapping out of it stood up from his prone position. The gate was closing slowly and he knew they needed to move in order to reach it before it was too late.


    "It''s now or never. We doing this or what?" Andrew said expecting that to be enough to snap her back to the goal but she remained silent. With his eyes narrowed Andrew looked over at her. It was then that he noticed that it was not just awe that kept her, it was fear.


    Her dazed eyes clearly lost in haunted memories. Pupils lost in a swirl of pain and torment. Face paralyzed and mouth ajar as if she was not even there no more but someplace else, her thousand-yard stare tugged at an old wound in his chest reminding them of how feeble he was, how feeble that old reality was. Gritting his teeth he shoved that swelling feeling aside.


    "Natalie?!" Andrew shouted, his voice finally reaching her.


    Blinking repeatedly at him for a moment she quickly got her bearings once again. Seeing that the opening was slowly but surely closing up her eyes widened in realization. They won''t make it unless they run and fast!


    Spurred on by this notion she in an instant dug her feet into the solid earth and kicked herself into high gear.


    "Let''s go!" She demanded in mid-sprint.


    Making tracks just behind her Andrew soon caught up.


    At full speed, they ran for the closing cliff but as they got closer Andrew''s hope of making slipped further. Knowing that she has come to the same conclusion and still does not attempt to fly clued Andrew off on that was holding her back. To make sure that he is not left behind she was withholding all her will and that ate at him.


    He came on this journey to be of assistance to her. Not to get in her way. And now young children''s lives are at stake because of him. Gritting his teeth and swallowing his pride he steels himself for what he was about to say.


    "I''ll, find another way in! You can still make it if you fly! Don''t let me hold you back!!" he shouted mid-sprint.


    These words, however, made Natalie suddenly grind to a halt. Andrew now passing on ahead of her stopped running and turns around to Natalie surprised by her actions.


    Before he could call her name he saw the fear in her eyes once more.


    "I''ll find another way in-"


    "No," Mumbled Natalie, looking up to Andrew after cutting him off.


    She shakes her head repeatedly ever so slightly drilling in the fact.


    Andrew was left in a state of conflict. Trying to reason with her left them no time and they both will miss out, he would go himself and try to get her in but he will just miss the opening at his pace.


    An opening that may never reveal itself again.


    He knew that Natalie already noticed this herself. He remembers how she was about to go on this quest alone five years ago. They spoke of and understood the risk. How people can be crueler than even demons. They knew the risks; that they have been lucky most times getting here. But there was too much at stake to stop now. Too much they left behind to simply turn back


    He forces himself back to them now to see Natalie''s wings of night being summoned. Seeing her resolve he bitterly nodded... that was until her eyes locked onto his with a face as if saying; There-is-no-way-in-hell-that-I''m-leaving-you-here.


    Before Andrew could question if that''s wishful thinking on his part he found himself being tackled by Natalie right into his center lifting him up and leaping them off the ground. With a good view of her wings flapping he saw the ground six feet below him as the plane around him rushed on by as they picked up speed. To his utter disbelief, he was being carried by Natalie and flown back first towards the closing cliff face.


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    Too scared to even dare look back to what''s in front of him he latched onto his sword concentrated to activate his knight''s armor around his body to protect himself from a likely collision with the solid rock face. The dark mist illuminated around him like a second layer of skin.


    Just as Andrew adapted to the speed Natalie somehow flies even faster. Almost losing his breath from vertigo Andrew''s eyes widen out of their sockets as the landmass shrinks in front of him. Imagining the closing rock face rushing into view behind him he closed his eyes as the sliding noise of the doors grew ever closer.


    Suddenly the remaining light through his pulps faded into total darkness. He feels himself crash on solid ground with Natalie still latching onto him as he fell and tumble along the floor. He looked up in time to see the last slither of light from the outside fade away as the walls sealed shut.


    Now shrouded in darkness it took him a moment to adjust. Weary from just crashing into enemy territory he gripped onto his sword and remained idle. His remaining four senses waiting to pick up something-anything within the anonymous black.


    "Natalie," He whispered, seeking her ability to see living things in the darkness.


    Natalie remained latched onto Andrew, her face buried on his belly and masked by her long black hair as she remained idle on top of him.


    "There''s nobody here," Natalie said whilst shaking her head, the sensation would have tickled had he not been so tense.


    Hearing her say that Andrew strops back, his head crashing on the floor as he released a breath he did not realize he was holding. Once he got his composure back he leaned up and shot the still embraced Natalie a death glare.


    "The hell was that!?" he blurted at her scalp.


    "You said we will go together," She said, her voice soft and muffled through the fabric of his gray cotton vest.


    It was then that he felt her shaking. Never has he seen her vulnerable in her miraculous return from her kidnappers.


    Today is turning out to be a list of wonders. He thought to himself.


    But in a way, he was glad that he could be of help to her. It was not like he was faring any better. His palms were already sweaty and he always had a hate for the dark. Heck, if it was not for her he would never even dreamed of being involved in shady stuff this, playing hero to children whom he had never met. Had he not met and traveled with her maybe he would have simply become a knight and moved up the ranks of the hunting class,He''d likely undertake bounty hunting since they get more freedom. His affinity was a super rear meaning meany a person was ill-prepared for dealing with him which was always an advantage against the more experienced.


    A hunter like his father, just what his father had expected. Having his father''s face within his thought, however, left a bitter taste in his mouth evaporated all extending thoughts on this alternate life.


    "Well, I''m here now right? Let''s do what we came here to do." Andrew picked up calmly.


    Natalie looked up meeting her purple eyes with his brown ones. Although he found it hard to adjust to the darkened room he picked up an outline of a smile on her face before she stood herself up. Seeing this as being the closest to the old her she''d ever been in a long while Andrew remained on the ground spaced out by the whole ordeal.


    Feeling both nostalgic and surreal it took Natalie''s extended right hand to wake him up from his daydream. Mumbling gratitude he took the hand and pulled himself up onto his feet.


    "So, any ideas on how we go about things from this point?" Andrew said as he rested his knuckles on his sides. "Not like we have the experience to rely on like with the vans."


    Natalie looks away to the ground lost in thought before shaking her head.


    "I don''t know..." she mumbled.


    Andrew''s jaw dropped when he heard those words come out of her mouth. However, a second later he found himself smirking and even chuckling a little. Baffled by this reaction Natalie looked up to Andrew confused. Although he could not make it up that well he sensed her puzzled expression. Calming himself down Andrew shook his head to her.


    "No, it''s just I remember you saying the same thing when you first plundered their vans. Did not even know where to start looking for them. We were so clueless back then. But look at us now. Surprised that we don''t start a van plundering business." Andrew remarked.


    "But this is not the same," Natalie replied.


    Andrew took this moment to look around them now that his eyes had adjusted the best they could by this point to the dim doom. The man-made cuttings to the stone led down a narrow tunnel wide enough to fit several cars in and tall enough to hide a three-story building. Due to the lack of lights, it was hard to say where the end of the tunnels led to. But If what they already could see was anything to go by they were really out of their depth this time.


    "You''re right," he said more to himself. "Keeping ourselves alive will be harder if we have to protect them at the same time. That is unless we clear up shop first and then get the kids."


    Natalie fell silent in agreement.


    "But even so we should save them first. Before we damn this place to hell!"Natalie said almost without hesitation.


    "Seems risky, you definitely want to do it what way?" Andrew asked.


    Natalie nodded as she placed a hand on her chest.


    "I just feel like we are pushed for time. If we play it too safe then this opportunity will slip."


    With her eyes transfixed on her goal, Andrew nodded in approval.


    "Then, I guess that''s the ''A'' and ''B'' of It," he said.


    As he turns around to face the tunnel he could not help but smile a little. No matter how crappy things might become he was glad to see an older side of her even if it was just a little phase.


    "Now where does this tunnel lead to?" he asked out loud.


    "Someplace where they can park up the vehicles," Natalie replied. "There''s a smaller tunnel that leads to a gate made of iron further on," Natalie said whilst walking up beside him.


    Nodding Andrew was about to set off until Natalie stopped him. He turns around to face her.


    "There are lights there. And people guarding the gates," Natalie spoke as she looks onwards. "We need to get past them without being spotted if possible,"


    "You think it possible?" Andrew asked.


    "I don''t see any other way around it."


    "We could pray in hope that they are blind as I am right now," Andrew chuckled to himself. Soon sighing at the irony of his words.


    "We are inside a rock face with no windows as far as I can tell, so all forms of light they have here must be artificial."


    Andrew feeling a bit neglected by not getting a response to his little joke only came too when he realizes where Natalie was going with her sentence.


    "So if we were to cut the source of their power we steal them of their sight," Andrew said, neglecting to include himself in the ones affected.


    Natalie looks at the glowing cables that travel through the base like blood vessels and then at her hand. A spark of purple electricity emits from her palm flickering randomly with a low clicking sound. With her hand near her face the glow help, Andrew almost catches the moment the plan flashed in her mind. She looks him dead in the eyes with the current flowing off the hand-making light.


    "I''ve got an idea," she said.


    ~#~


    The guards on the other stood by the gate making sure nobody uninvited came through. Having lights around their vicinity the two men had a very simple job. Allow people who they recognize in. Kill the people they don''t. Besides those two states, however, was a long middle one. One that according to there dry-humored talk was the one and only constant state they had ever made use of since they''ve been here.


    "I''m telling you that bread was moldy and I almost ate all of it!" the one according to Natalie''s hand signals was station Andrew''s right down the end of the man-made tunnel.


    Leaning against either end of the tunnel this meant that moldy bread was along Andrew''s side of the wall he was hiding behind making him his target.


    The other guard stifled a chuckle in his throat as moldy continued.


    "I would have thrown the whole thing into my soup and all had it not been for how unevenly lumpy the sludge was this time! Would be shitting full mushrooms instead of half ones come four hours."


    The one Andrew dubbed moldy continued ranting, the other man, however, did not respond. As such Andrew dubbed him silent until such was broken.


    "And did you see how little-unspoiled crap was left for us as rations!? The chef said that the sudden move left then thin on supplies! And yet again them lab rats and brainiacs get the lions to share! ''Brain food'' chef said, ''orders from the top'' he waddles on. The fat turd! Like he''s trying to insult my intelligence!  Just because I can''t swing a Flippin sword and fireball out my ass! He should know that emptying clips is much quicker than preparing a plate!


    He thought that moldy''s question would, at last, loosen silents lips, but silent did what silent apparently did best. This was good however because thanks to moldy''s loose lips they knew one key thing. These men before then had no knights armor. Natalie picked up on this too since her earlier apprehension of giving the signal transformed into a peeved eagerness.


    Moldy sighed to himself seemingly having gotten all the stress of the day out his system.


    "But yeah, all that is to say that when I need to be excused for half an hour just know that it''s me likely taking a mushroom clouded shit! And then I may take the liberty to go down to that chef and give him a piece of my mind! ''Brain food'' my ass, the fat slob."


    "They say your last meal ort to be your grandest, I can''t speak for the lab monkeys but if almost all of the children were to die shitting themselves as you''d apparently heard then why not let them dine like royalty before they kick it?" This voice, silent''s voice sounded rather calm cool, and calculated. Even rational if you dear to entertain monsters such as them as such.


    Andrew had already gathered that he hated moldy with his constant yapping but silent, switched his opinion that with just one sentence, now dubbing him ''grand prick'' Andrew decided that he leaped straight up into first place on his immediate shit list. Had they not been tied to a team plan then he would have liked to switched targets. With Natalie''s eyes beming however Andrew felt it was just as well that she gets dibs on him.


    Pointing her middle and index finger to both her eyes and having her other hand over the exposed cabled that held the lightening up and around the great block room they were in and down the hall that the ''grand moldy pricks'' were talking in he nodded his head and closed his lids.


    Waiting fifteen seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of his lids as planned Natalie over changed the light source leaving a low spark and popping bulbs up and around them.


    "Lights are out," Natalie whispered.


    Hearing this Andrew opened his eyes and began sprinting briskly towards the baffled moldy.


    "They''re here!" the great prick said, but with his eyes still adjusting to the dark he aimed at nothing. Moldy likely sensing Andrew and Natalie''s approach reached for something on his chest that was too dark to see and moved it up to his mouth. Before he could complete another action however Andrew had already drawn out his trusty sword and cut through and across his chest making him stagger back.


    Had his lungs been intact then he would have likely screamed but Andrew made sure he cut deep enough to take care of that. As he fell choking and twitching he took this moment to look over to Natalie. She having no weapon took the more clean route of slamming a thunder punch fist into the grand pricks gut knocking him down cold and out for the count.


    Nodding at her silhouette to his left they moved through the sliding iron gates and into the base itself.


    Thanks to Natalie''s attack on the cables the whole building was now in a blackout meaning that she was the only one that could still see among them.


    This also meant that Andrew could not see much of anything and so had to hold Natalie''s hand as she guided them through the airy halls of the base. He could hear the clapping of other people footsteps tapping around them, Natalie would occasionally hold her breath and trade her running advance for more careful tiptoes.


    He could not see well but he did not need to, to know that things have gone into disarray since the power outage as Natalie''s breaths seemed to have normalized just as much as their pace. As they continued advancing it sounded to him like all the other men he heard running around have calmed down, or maybe they have left them. Andrew did not want to risk speaking up in case they are within earshot of others.


    Suddenly Natalie gave a sigh of delight.


    "I can see them!" She shouted.


    "''Them'' as in the children? Whereabouts?" Andrew asked. He can just about make out Natalie looking downwards meaning that they are likely a few floors below them. He could see a shaft with a metal cage blocking anyone from falling in.


    She twirled around as she focused her gaze upwards before gasping in shock.


    "Damn!!" her one-word response to whatever she saw.


    "What''s happening?" he said.


    Natalie squeezes Andrew''s hand tightly, almost painfully.


    "This way!" She demanded as she pulled Andrew though some left and right turns.


    The sound of other footsteps returned once again but this time they sounded more in unison and focused. Running through what Andrew could only describe as an aisle of boxes the two of them cut corners until they reach a dead end with a number of big creates sitting by it.


    Squeezing through the gap Natalie pulls Andrew through and let''s goes off his hand. The sound of men shouting orders was getting closer by the second.


    "What are you doing?" Andrew whispered. Only able to rely on his other senses he feels around for her.


    He hears what could have only been her sliding back on through the same spot he was sure they entered through to get here. And then nothing... Moments later, however, the guards sounded like they heard someone and were hot on their tail. No shots were fired which gave him hope. Until he heard a group of them in the same room he was in. Holding his breath he hears the slow steady footsteps of a man on the hunt for something.


    Have we been spotted? The last question running through his mind.


    He was confident in his skills as a knight even against armed man but if they can truly somehow see in the dark then he''d be a sitting duck to their weapons. Sure his knight''s armor would protect him but if he''s hit from this close and constant enough it was only a matter of time that his will would give away and the bullets would pass on through.


    Like an idle, he dares not move an inch, or brave a tad. Worried that doing any of the two will make them the last somethings he ever does.

 Chapter 4: Abstruse trap

    Turns out that the rumors where true. Although it''s now baren, and the base is steeped in a sea of sand that reaches my knees, the lofty complex witch once held technology that had thought to be gone along with the pre-fall era stands before me. Its towering shadow over the sands as clear evidence that a rocket had indeed launched from here.


    It is almost funny, poetic even, that they chose to retake man''s next great step here, right upon the same land that we retook our first. It''s also disconcerting, the thought of them being diplomatic, the idea of them understanding the cultural importance of the era of the second winds when they were almost barbaric before. It''s just scary to think how much they''ve changed since there defeat almost two decades back. Just exactly what lesson did the Dragon Empire learn at there loss against our forgotten forefathers of Titan?


    Besides the rocket coming here was a grave mistake, the trail I had on dark angel has gone cold. This leaves me with spars options to go off. Besides the village of Lucas, there is nothing of note to travel towards this far north unless she plans to enter Titans Creek herself. But that''s insanity. No... I''ll travel to Coubbleston, gather information and supplies there since it''s closer than Zannidue. In truth, however, I don''t expect to find much in the way of a lead.


    I''m sorry master, but I''ve failed...


    Sophie - July 15th, 2764


    Natalie


    She hung firmly above the narrow hallway of the pitch-black base. Her arms and legs pushed firmly against either side of the wall she looked down at the narrow passageway before her.


    Its twelve-foot drop made it an unlikely place for hurrying guards to stop and check. These men dressed in all brown with hard helmets and black padded shoulders rushed on past her through the halls leading them to the power room that stood just beyond the spot she was hanging from.


    They entered the inky dark room beyond her with swift confidence of their footing that only people with full use of there senses could have managed that in this, Considering the lengths she took to keep them in the dark this fact worried her. Fuming sparks from the power core inconsistently lit the room beyond in momentary fractions. Being above them in the hall just outside Natalie could see the glow of the means energy through the walls, bleeding though the stone wall like like a light dose a clear sheet of ice. She noticed what it was that they were wearing that helped them see in the dark. Over their eyes, they each had a goggle-like object with a single lens protruding out of the center.


    Natalie never being exposed to such a device in her travels found her gaze transfixed to it. Uncertain on how or why it can help them see in the darkness she mulled over its function with narrowed eyes but that only left her with more questions. Regardless, she was all but certain this was the reason how they suddenly became so well organized despite the lights being out of service. After mulling though the best way for them to move around undetected it left her biting her lip in frustration.


    I was rash in destroying their core power source. She shook her from the seeping regret. Nothing to be done about it now.


    In the power room below her laid a number of mechanics, she had to engage them moments after she overcharged the core. She was not sure what could have been done but she could not run the risk of them somehow fixing it and so their bodies remained lifeless on the cold floor, their flashlights still rest in their palms whilst they slumber.


    It felt like the best cause of action given the circumstance. She thought that whatever it was that they had over their eyes were feeding them info from an outside source. By cutting out the power to the rest of the base shed hoped that whatever data they were being fed from to help see would also be severed. But sadly the plan was a buss.


    One guard kneeled over one of the passed out mechanics to check his pulse the others continued to investigate the power core for the source of its damage. Thanks to this they will be tipped off about their presence in no time.


    ¡°He¡¯s still got a pulse but barely.¡± One of the men said in a deep but slightly muffled voice as he placed the back of his finger over the man''s mouth check his breath also.


    ¡°They¡¯ve done a number to the power source.¡± Another one of them grumbled, poking the large unstable cylinder with the end of his rifle sparks suddenly came bursting off it makes him twitch a little response.


    Someone else sighed a breath later.


    ¡°You think these guys goofed when they tried tinkering with the thing?¡± he said after composing himself to look at the others. ¡±I mean sure they are mechanics but I see Iker and these lot drinking about half an hour before the light went out.¡±


    ¡°It has to be. Nobody knows of this place.¡± Another one of the five said with an audible scoff. ¡°Just because they recently fulfilled their contract.¡±


    The man who was inspecting the passed out mechanic lifts himself up and looks around the room. The other four falls silent and acknowledge his presence like one would a leader of a group.


    ¡°No visible wounds. And there are spikes of temperature forming around his neck and chest area. It could shock from messing with the power supply.¡±


    ¡°You think it has something to do with the storm cloud spotted over that nearby village?¡± one of them said. His tone was a bit more casual than others.


    The other men went silent, the one Natalie presumed was the leader still inspecting the body.


    ¡°Not every day we see storm clouds out here.¡± another agreed.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s that whole thing with checking the supply tunnels.¡±


    ¡°Think it''s a concern from that flood? Most of this blade it below ground. And the bowl-like bedrock makes for a good-¡±


    ¡°-Quite.¡± The one in charge cut in all of a sudden.


    Stepping away from the body he looked up to the door in ponder making Natalie on the other side of it tense up. Just then a dreaded thought ran through her mind. What if the device their devices don¡¯t just somehow help them see in the dark, what if it enabled them to see through walls and at living things just like her? Suddenly she felt the presence of eyes hitting her. With her breath held Natalie¡¯s palms began to grow sweaty making supporting herself above the hallway ceiling harder to maintain. She was all but certain that he could see her through the wall.


    For what felt like an eternity waiting for a reaction from him she held up. Even fighting the urge to go for a primitive strike she held her ground, willing herself to become the ceiling she had her back up against. After a long moment the likely leader of the five, at last, looking back at his men thus taking a load of Natalie¡¯s mind in the possess.


    ¡°The com¡¯s to the HQ is down.¡± he said, ¡°So our ears on the current happenings and ¡®rumors¡¯... are not going to be as reliable keeping an eye out until that changes.¡±


    Looking at the casual spoken one whilst he bit on the words in diastase as he swayed on a step in slight discomfort. With a satisfied node, the leader went on.


    ¡°If there is someone here then they have already done what they set out to do in this room. We will split up into two groups and fan through these halls.¡± He ordered as he points out two fingers to the men he wants beside himself and prodding them to follow him down the hall opposite Natalie leaving the last two to go down the one to the left of her.


    With their presence gone Natalie released a breath she forgot she was holding. There was no longer anyone around. But¡­ even then something felt off. A stir in the darkness made the hairs on her neck stand up. Almost as if¡­


    There are eyes on me. Her mind whispered for fear of being heard.


    This notion betrayed her local train of thought causing conflict to bud within her senses. Even then the feeling of eyes lingering on her was still there, piercing though her back it kept her from dropping off the ceiling. On instinct, she turned around to look at the ceiling to her back.


    She spotted a load of activity of various people moving around the many layers of floors and halls, her earlier self-panic paused due to the oblivious nature of the sight before her. It mainly consisted of armed men in search of them. It was all the same old scene she¡¯d bear witness to since she''s entered here. There was nobody there who could see her from where she was in such a manner.


    One of them! Her mind persisted despite everything.


    The thought echoed in her skull like a hollow bell, as her eyes tried to lock onto each individual that moved past her line of sight to find this ¡®one¡¯ amongst them the chill in her body had seeped and settled.


    It was just to the corner of her eye, up far in the distance. Seven, perhaps eight floors above her own, it was there that both her frozen body and scrambled mind unified to the findings of their rattlement. Their reason for being on edge had found an answer in the shape of a man, the sense that his sighting gave her, terror, sharp and focused. He sat on a stool amongst others. Neither walking nor moving he was all but drowned out by the many armed men marching around the base, too idle to even warrant a passing gaze. And yet... her eyes were glued to his glowing life force as if it were a lonesome sun among shooting stars. His pull on her made Natalie question her own sanity on such a paradoxical man.


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    It was hard to see from her position, form what little she could make out she was all but sure that he was looking directly at her.


    Impossible! She won¡¯t accept it! She can¡¯t. He was just looking down at what would be the ground to his floor-it had to be. Still... her body would not dare move. It was then when wrapped up in her fear that she spotted the outlines of a sinister smile form on his face.


    She wanted to leap out of her skin right then and there. Like a cat under threat, she kept idle praying that the danger won¡¯t react. Suddenly all went white as foot stomped in blocking her line of sight, broken from the spell presence Natalie kicked herself off the ceiling landing back onto the ground spooked. Instantly she shot back up to where she spotted the person looking at her. It was jarring to make out which one was which now that she was looking up to them instead of over her shoulder. But even looking at each one of the chairs she could not find one man looking down her direction.


    Did she image it?


    Her racing heart and cold sweaty palms told her otherwise, this made Natalie grit her teeth. Wiping the sweat from her hand onto her purple vest she steeled herself once again.


    Get it together! She thought, beckoning her will to obey.


    This was different from last time, she had no plans on getting caught like she had all them years ago. Looking downward with her purple eyes she can just about make out her goal. A room full of people wearing long coats in what was most likely a lab, and just beside there lab in the next room to there right: A cell room with a number of smaller people curled up, each sharing a cell among them. They were the children they¡¯d just kidnapped.


    The room itself small, Cages pushed against all the walls taking up most of the space that there was only really leaving space for opening the cages them from the middle of the room. Two doors were the only way into the room itself. One led to the lab to it¡¯s left, the other was guarded by two armed men standing on the other side facing a short hallway.


    Looking at them curled up made her eyes soften and chests squeeze tight with remorse. At that moment a plan began to assemble in her mind.


    They will rue the day! That single thought burned throughout her body like an echo.


    Having found her focus Natalie stood back up. She knew where she wanted to go but needed Andrew to be able to move freely in order to make it work. Her eyes lock onto the two men that split up from the other three to what was now her right. Still scanning the floor Natalie narrowed her eyes on the group that looked less discipline, she did not pay the closest attention to which one said what but she was that one of them was the man who was running his lips. Gathering her mind for the task at hand she begins her hunt of them for the device over there head.


    ~#~


    Andrew


    Having somehow kept himself from being caught Andrew sits there, back pressed to the corner. The darkness of the room blinding and absolute as if blindfolded. Being well acquainted with the blanket of darkness however he just sat there, his back to the wall his only tether to the world. With that small comfort, his mind simply floated adrift. He thought back to what Natalie last did before leaving him there.


    It had been only five minutes before he became almost certain that he was about to found and killed. Being thin on options he was holding his breath until he resorted to his last-ditch effort. Reaching out for father''s sword he activated his dark knight armor causing it to shroud him in a layer of the dark mist like energy.


    Switching his handle to a forehand grip he spins the sword as carefully as he could as to not scrape its edges on the enclosed shelves and wall. Calling forth -lone shadow- the brushing of his cloak fabric rustled a little noise. Hearing this one of the armed men went over to investigate the small gap between the crate and wall leading into the corner. As he peered inside he, however, saw nobody there save for smaller boxes and a spot right where Andrew was. Nobody was there but the spot made him narrow his eyes in confusion. Couching the spot with his finger he mumbles the word ''warm'' under his breath before sliding out of the gap to go back to his group. He told them that it was all clear save for a warn patch that was shaped like a person sitting down indicate doing that someone had been there recent;y and so they need to double their search, determined to meet that requirement they leave without a moment''s delay putting behind the isle of supply crates.


    In the corner between the large crate and wall laid a spot that was shaded darker than the already blackened room. From that spot Andrew suddenly emerged back to where he once was, his chest gasping for air.


    That was too flipping close!!


    Catching his breath he slumped his head back on the wall to calm himself down. Putting his sword away he fought his bereaving in this throat as to listen out again encase anyone was still around before allowing the much-needed air open passage to his lungs once again.


    Ever since then he''d just been sitting in wait¡­


    He tried to close his eyes and calm himself but given how dark it was the effort was hardly fruitful. Putting together a number of theories as to where Natalie could be right now he tried to clog his mind with positive thoughts and just outright distract himself from his long going and biggest fear.


    His old friend, darkness.


    Most of all though; he was kicking himself for being unable to do something at this moment in time to assist Natalie in her fight. It was after all why he was in such a compromising place.


    Being a dark knight he always found it ironic that although his power got an edge when enveloped in the heart of the night it would (more times than not) it be too dark for him to even make good use of it.


    He would not say he was ticked off about it. Well¡­ not really. It was fairer to say that he found it just plain unfair.


    Aqua knights would get a sharp edge in a battle when surrounded by water, earth knights had it good wherever they used their affinity around on rock or soil which was damn well often-and he did not even want to get started on the gale knights.


    ¡®If he breathes,¡¯ a sharp snort left his nose.


    All of them gained an edge in there field of affinity. One that was plausible with clear fixed conditions. Whilst he, Andrew Clark son of Shinichi Clark gets the edge at the most inconvenient time of day.


    What¡¯s worse is that other than his father he knows nobody else who shares the same affinity he has. Just as Andrew was in the thick of finding something to pinpoint his inconvenience towards he hears footsteps edging in closer to his location.


    Straightening to alert he tries to widen his hearing as to get a sense of who it was that entered. The footsteps were light and had a kind of rhythm to them. Hearing them edge closer to his location he got up on the balls of his feet in caution. His mind trying to make out the intent of the person through sound alone.


    A part of him was willing to wager that it was Natalie, the rest of him wisely kept its wits about. By the time he came out of his internal debate he heared nothing at all. There was no movement, just the distinct feeling of another presence filling the room. Ears peaked with all his concentration he listens out for a whisper, a breath, anything.


    ¡°Andrew?¡± a filmier voice was way too close for comfort whispered making Andrew shoot up and almost trip over his own feet.


    Recovering he leans onto the wall for support.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± Andrew said relieved to hear her, sort of.


    ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± She said, her tone indicated that she just saw his half trip. Uncertain whether to be worried or smile it sounded like she was doing a bit of both.


    You could have started with ¡®It¡¯s just me?¡¯ first. Andrew though.


    ¡°Where were you?¡± Andrew picked up. ¡°And you mind guiding me through this gap?¡±


    Andrew reached out his hand expecting her to take hold of it, instead, he felt her hand reach towards his eyes, trying to strap a something atop his head.


    ¡°What are yo-¡± Andrew said as he tried to counterbalance the tugging and pulling Natalie had to do to attach the stretchy band to the back of his bread-lock hair in a ponytail.


    As the front part of this device slid over his eyes he was shocked to see what looked to be his palm in front of him except its skin was glowed yellow as it supported his weight against the wall.


    Not only that but the room itself had taken bizarre on colors of purple and blue, far different than what he''d had imagined it. It was not until seeing Natalie behind him on the other side of the gap stepping back however, that what he saw started to make some kind of funny scene. With a mix of glowing red and yellow¡¯s on her face. Her long hair coming out a faint purple. Green and some purple on her chest and the rest mainly a vibrant yellow that Andrew gathered that what he saw was not representative of what was truly there.


    As puzzling as it was for him to wrap his head around he used this newfound sight to maneuver himself out of the small crate and wall space and stand in front to Natalie. Out of the gap, his curiosity pulls him back to working out what it was that he was seeing. In the endeavor, he tried to remove the device to see what happens but Natalie quickly stepped in and prevented him from doing so.


    ¡°This will help you see.¡± She commented as she stepped away again whilst tucking a strand of her purple hair behind her ear with a finger, things just looked so odd like this.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Andrew asked, he touched the device to get an idea of what was wrapped around his face. His eyes narrowed when he felt the single lenses sticking out like a short telescope by the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Thermal goggles,¡± Natalie said. ¡°It¡¯s what they are using to move around in the darkness.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Andrew pushed out subconsciously, he was still busy fiddling.


    If he said he understood what that meant he would be lying. What he did gather however was that this device is enabling him to see. He could not make up his mind on how he felt about the inch long nozzle sticking out the already thick goggles but he will have to make do. It was then that he noticed Natalie looking up at the ceiling, holding her arm she looked withdrawn, like she was exposed to unwanted eyes. A detail he would have overlooked if he could see with his naked eye he felt, this device made the art of seeing a new experience, highing her presence to him in a vivid glome of colors.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Andrew asked before he recollected.


    Natalie turns around to him, he could almost forgive her forgetting that he was standing there. Closing her eyes she takes a breath to relax, shaking her head while doing so.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± She mumbled. It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself. This made Andrew pause.


    ¡°You saw the children right? Is that where there they are being kept?¡± Again his mouth just moved without thinking.


    She gave a dismissive shake of the head as she looked back at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. I¡¯ll explain what¡¯s happening as we reach them.¡±


    She makes her way through the isle of crates that led out of the room. Andrew nodded to himself before he followed suit.


    The two of them ran through the tall halls of the blacked out building, cutting corners and knocking down doors with Natalie leading she rushed through hallways whilst ramming doors past doors. All the while she catches Andrew up on what she discovered and what she had done since their time apart.


    ¡°They are further underground?!¡± Andrew said in shock.


    Natalie ramd through another door, almost toppling she lowers her center to the ground as to land on her feet and cut to the right. Andrew latching onto the wall flung himself around the same direction and picked up his pace. Natalie was now running at full sprint.


    ¡°Not just the children, all the armed men in the building have all suddenly started to gather lower underground,¡± Natalie said whilst mid-sprint. ¡°I don¡¯t like this!¡±


    This explained to him how they are so free to run in the hall like they are whilst talking so loudly. It also explained why Natalie was in such a rush. But even so, something was bugging him.


    ¡°When we get them how are we going to get them out of the base?¡± he asked.


    Natalie suddenly slides to a halt right around the corner of the hall they were running down. Putting her hand out to signal Andrew to stop he did so sticking himself against the wall much like she was. Moments later Andrew hears the constant tapping of boots echoes through the floor of the hallway coming from around the corner.


    They fade soon after behind the sound of a door closing. Natalie leaning against the wall looks back to Andrew now more relaxed than a moment ago.


    ¡°I made the mistake of cutting off their core power source.¡± She whispers. ¡°This means they are all using the flights of stairs on either side of this place to get down since the elevator is out of order.¡±


    ¡°So we have to likely guide the children out of here though the line of the enemy?¡± Andrew asked.


    He watched her as she looks up at her own hands.


    ¡°If I can become a power source for the lift. We can take them to the ground floor, slip them through this loophole I foolishly made.¡± She looks back at Andrew who nodes in response. He was all on-board for it, until her eyes darkened. ¡°We will likely get caught from this point onwards, so we will have to distract them until they escape out of this place.¡±


    ¡°When do you think we will likely blow our cover?¡±


    ¡°The labs,¡± Natalie said looking down. ¡°I can only just make them out from here. But there¡¯s something happening around there. I can make out the cells which they are in. Of course, it¡¯s neighboured to the lab for the sake of convince.¡±


    Her voice turned cold by the end of her sentence.


    I guess it should be no surprise that she knows these things. Andrew pondered to himself.


    Meanwhile, Natalie peered through the confounds of the walls with her purple eyes to assess the current situation. Deeming them satisfactory she taps Andrew out of his daydream.


    ¡°Those men have reached the floor they wanted. It¡¯s clear.¡± She said as she moved around the corner and passes the double doors to her right. Andrew taking point just behind her.


    A long flight of steps laid spread out before them. Both of them begin traveling down them as fast as they could. There steps echoing as they met the steel stairs. Even in this fast descent down however Andrew could not help but notices Natalie take this moment to once again look upward. He could not fathom what it was that could be up there that had captivated her now twice in a row. But whatever it was, if it was anything at all he could feel the pressure of it weighing in on him. As they went down deeper into the belly of the beast that weighted feeling grew more and more profound which was oddly comforting.

 Chapter 5: Overexert

    I¡¯m unable to sleep despite myself. Flynn reassures me that I¡¯ve made the best choice given the information I had but I¡¯m not sure.


    It¡¯s just this past year of traveling the eastern lands per your request has been draining my spirit as well as my mind. Though they don¡¯t move as they use to the empire is back perhaps stronger than ever and I don¡¯t just mean their military might. People are flocking to them off there own volition-and though it hurts for me to say I cannot fault them.


    I once thought that our public declaration of peace with the Golden dragon empire was a clever one, that we somehow outsmarted this new empire by using it''s now new worry with its image against it. But now I''ve traveled there lands they''ve taken I¡¯m really beginning to wonder, are we the ones who have been ployed?


    Our allies are growing less as they switch sides to get better trade and protection from the demons. As we shrink back to our main lands the dragons spread their wings under the guise of fair and friendly trade. It''s subtle but the winds are changing.


    Is it war? Is that what''s worried you enough to send me eastward?


    Perhaps I¡¯m overthinking things, that grave face you showed me as I left along with me now having no leads to go after has left me uneasy.


    I just¡­ wish I could talk to you right now.


    Sophie - July 15th, 2764


    Andrew


    The two of them sprint down the spiraling staircase, their long steps covering five steps per stride with fluid ease. With descending leaps and bounds they soon reached the floor that Natalie said she saw the kids on.


    Having pushed through the single fire door, Andrew on Natalie''s silent command went onto his tip-toes as they tread in carefully down the empty hallway. Taking a right down it''s darkened path Natalie again went even slower, lighter.


    Andrew, who followed suit, did what he could to match her strides, willing himself to be quiet they reach a corner where Natalie kneeled down softly behind the wall.


    She looked back at Andrew with a face that told him this-is-it. Nodding in understanding he reaches out for his trusty sword on his back and ever so gently pulls it out of its belt holder.


    A dark mist began to imitate over his body like a second layer of skin. When in high-pressure situations Andrew always felt naked, crippled even when he was not gripping the handle of his father''s sword. Feeling as if he had gotten his limb back his persona was posited and deadly focused on the task at hand. Natalie seeing this lifted up two fingers which earned her a narrow frown and glare from the dark knight.


    Two again? Maybe I''m too amped up for this. Andrew thought to himself.


    Seeing that he understood her sign Natalie turned back around to look at their obstacles. They¡¯d have guns like there was little chance of catching them then unawares. It was troubling, but as long as he kept his focus on maintaining his knight''s armor and closed the gap for a swift strike. That being said he¡¯d rather not allow a bullet to strike him. Not that it will come to that, in fact knowing Natalie it may get taken care of before he got in range to attack.


    Armed with thermal goggles, anything they did now will trigger a reaction. Bullets will fly no matter how they approach this. But it had to be done. For just beyond them, just behind the door lied the cells with the children they have come here for. Their goal was just within reach.


    She looks back around to Andrew one last time. Her demeanor turning cold and poised she gave the signal. Kicking off the corner she was quickly followed by Andrew.


    He saw two men standing on either end as expected, anticipating the gunfire he narrowed his eyes as their nozzles flashed vibrant colors of red and yellow through the goggles. The sound of it roared down the halls and drowned out Andrew''s battle cry. Natalie ran in an evasive maneuver as she closed the gap to the man on the right.


    Andrew swiped his sword to and fro, the bullets deflecting off his weapons face like hard thrown pebbles. However, with the goggles on he found the lofty timing required to pull off such a feat more trying. Thankfully the knight''s armor that shrouded him deflected the three metal projectiles that he failed to parry.


    Just then however Natalie jolted back in a sloppy fashion losing her evasive flow. Hearing her suppressed grunt through the deafening chug of magazine clips being emptied Andrew looked over his shoulder to see droplets of yellow liquid ooze off her shoulder thanks to the goggles. As she reached out to her wounded arm with her other hand Andrew¡¯s blood began to boil. He turned back to his targets, the click, click of empty magazines made it look as if his death glare depleted their ammo.


    With their stances withdrawn one of the men pulled out another magazine in a blind struggle to reload. With his hands deft, however, he made mistakes as he hurried himself to reload. Fatal ones that Andrew had no intention of giving him the chance to amend.


    His body low and eyes center he kicks off the ground, concrete cracking below him as he made the colossal stride. It was then however when he noticed the other man to his right with a more level head, he¡¯d already abandoned his automatic rifle and pulled out a handgun from its holster before aiming down his sights.


    In mid-flight, Andrew shifted to his right to trade targets. With his sword tip pointed to the armed man he rammed it into him with an explosive thrust, black mist trails off his blade as it marks its path beyond the man pinning him up against the wall.


    Passes through the solid plaster of the wall the sword flickers a spark before grinding to a halt, the armed man in a knee-jerk reaction to the mortal wound fires off a tremoring shot before falling limp.


    Wasting no time Andrew pulls his blade out of the first to turn to the second, organs and bones scratching and shifting in the process. Before he could attack him however Natalie came plowing into the last man with a double knee to his gut. With intense bolts of electricity behind her strike, sending herself and the man crashing against the wall he coughs out blood, Andrew was sure he heard a cuffney of cracks coming from his chest on impact.


    Perhaps because of adrenalin and thick body armor-or a preconceived sense of pride but despite the blow, the armed man did not pass out. That rebellious resistance however was snuffed out as he gazed into Natalie¡¯s eyes. Like an overcharged lightbulb on the brink of exploding seizure, she began to spark alight with powerful pulses of electricity as she leaped back, grabbed the man by his underarms, and like a sack of potatoes tossed him over her shoulder pitching her backside downward and slamming him deep into the cold cement earth with all her might.


    The man crashed into the ground with a loud snapping thud only masked out partly by the sparks of electricity violently dancing around Natalie. With a broken back and likely a damaged spine, the man was perhaps beyond saving. Rather ironic Andrew thought.


    Being denied the cathartic release of getting the man who shot Natalie, Andrew clenched his sword in a bit of frustration before he slowly placed it back in its case. He looked up at the lightning thief to see if she was ok, however, she seemed more angry than hurt. Blinking away the moot conflict Andrew steps out of fighting mode and right into one of concern for his partner. Although she looked ok, something about how she fought bothered him.


    Just then he got a better look at the trail of blood on her wounded shoulder, his worry turned back into anger he eyed her directly, the goggles highlighting her face with reds and whites. No matter how much Andrew recall''s her current outcome or how many excuses he makes for how she got hit, it all concluded that her fighting sense and reactions were sloppy at best.


    "Why didn''t you use your wings to protect yourself?! Or zapped them from a long distance with thunder?! "Andrew demanded.


    Natalie just looks at him blankly. Seeing that this was getting him nowhere he sighed and moved closer towards Natalie to investigate her shoulder. The wound was deep and the bullet was still lodged within her flesh. Her wounded arm twitched and as nerves were damaged, her arm hung heavily by her side due to the pain.


    "We need to get that out and-" Before Andrew could finish Natalie took her finger from her other arm and pulled out the bullet with their tips as if it was a bothersome needle before dropping it on the floor with a slight clang.


    Andrew fell silent as he witnessed the open wound gradually close up and heal in a matter of seconds. With the wound closed, Natalie lets out a low sigh as she tests her fingers by opening and closing her palm.


    This was not the first time Andrew saw such Natalie heal from a wound like this. Even so, it was something that he¡¯d doubt he¡¯ll ever get used to. Natalie¡¯s lip twitched up in uncertainty at his reaction. Feeling a little silly Andrew stepped back giving her some space whilst he scratched his head in a dull fashion. With him out of the way Natalie now looked onwards at the door.


    Her hand gently turning the handle she slowly made her way into the room. The sound of silent whimpering and sniffing leaked out of the half-open door.


    Inside, sees the eight children all split equally into four cells. Half of them were already awake from the sleeping gas and likely the gunfire that just took place in the hall.


    There was a sense of frozen apprehension in their eyes as Natalie and Andrew slowly explored the room. Their trembling was hard to miss Thanks to how the thermal goggles highlighted their bodies in warm colors in contrast to the room around them.


    ¡°A-are you, going to get us out?¡± One boy, perhaps the oldest asked carefully as he slowly rose onto his feet.


    The other three girls and five boys all also began getting to their feet as if to mimic the eldest child. Andrew noted one boy who was perhaps around six take a long look at his sword and then at his face as if trying to piece together a puzzle.


    ¡°Are you hunters,¡± he said.


    ¡°Did... Daddy send you?¡± another one picked up. It was a blond boy with straight-laced hair who had boogie running halfway down his lip.


    ¡®Send me?¡¯ guess his father is a traveling merchant or someone with the funds to afford hunters for this. Andrew thought.


    ¡°No, but we-¡± Andrew began before being interrupted by perhaps the oldest girl in the group of kids.


    ¡°-But your knights right?! That means you''ve been sent here to rescue!¡± she exclaimed, hands tightening on the bars as she pushed her face up towards it.


    By then all the other kids began exclaiming and asking their own questions with vigor and hope. ¡®Are my parents back home,¡¯ ¡®Their kids too so we can trust them,¡¯ and ¡®can you help us out,¡¯ they''re just the few he caught. Worried that the people next door will hear Andrew was about to put his finger to his lips to get them to fall silent until Natalie placed her hand in front of him making Andrew pause.


    ¡°The people on this floor have left,¡± she mumbled.


    Dropping his hand Andrew visibly relaxed to the news but something about that seemed to trouble Natalie. It took the silent sobbing of the now hopeful children for Natalie to pull her eyes away from the room where the lab apparently was.


    All of them looked hopeful and away from what they came to do, all except for one little girl. A ninth child, sitting alone in a cell at the end of the room. Although Andrew could not make out colors with the goggles on the woolly and more practical wardrobe the girl wore made her stand apart from the other eight less varied and trending clothes. Her sobbing filled with despair and regret as if she had long given up hope of ever being rescued. Her knees tucked over her face she did not pay any mind to the presence of Natalie and himself even when the other stured. Natalie walked towards the crying girl over the rising hopeful and vocal kids before her as if being tugged forth by an invisible string. Even Andrew had to admit, there was an odd pulling to her, something beyond her different reaction to them entering the room.


    It was... hard for him to explain. Pulling himself out of it, he made a mental count of the children including the one Natalie was drawn to.


    "There are nine of them," Andrew whispered behind Natalie. ¡°That¡¯s more than what you saw.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The sobbing girl finally removed her face from her knees to look up and see who''s entered the room. Meeting Natalies eyes they looked at another, an unsaid understanding moved between the two, minutes of words compressed into a pained expression of sympathy and then a look of determination from Natalie. Suddenly the girl stopped crying, blinking the last of the rolling tears she looked at Natalie in a daze. Finally, Natalie reached out her hand through the bar.


    The little girl slid further back into the cave in reflex, still a bit uncertain. Analyzing the situation she locked her eyes with Natalie''s extended hand. Natalie remained there not daring to move; she showed her empty palm to her in hopes that she accepted her comfort.


    Her eyes soft, but still determined.


    The little girl carefully moved forward and reached out for Natalie''s hand which she then held onto. Without words, they reached an understanding.


    ¡°Sir knight the keys! It¡¯s on that man over there. He¡¯s the one that''s locked as in here!¡± one of the drizzles of snot said pointing to one of the guards he and Natalie took out.


    Andrew seeing it nodded his head before looking back to Natalie who was still holding onto the little girl''s hand. Grabbing the keys chained on the dead man''s waist Andrew proceeded to free the children leaving Natalie to unlock the last one for the girl that she was holding the hand of.


    "We somehow got here without alerting the whole building, if we have not already done that with all the shouting I mean." He said half sarstacily.


    "We should be fine for a moment," Natalie replied, the little girl in vibrant clothing edged up to her once out of the cage before latching onto Natalie tracksuit bottoms.


    This seemed to soften Natalie¡¯s features as she looked down at her. However, those features hardened when her purple eyes looked towards the other door to the left of the one they just entered. If a look could shed leaves off a tree or freeze a tidal wave still it would have been that look Natalie gave to whatever she saw happening beyond that door.


    This is not good.


    ¡°We save them before we tear the roots, remember?¡± he said carefully.


    Heaving a breath Natalie broke her glare at whatever she was pointing it to.


    "I know, it¡¯s just," Natalie said turning around to the walls and double doors her demeanor stiffened.


    "Somethings wrong," She mumbled to herself.


    Andrew found himself pondering on her last words. Kids shouting, and the gunfire just a moment ago with no visible notice. She was right. She¡¯d just said so earlier, that the men next door were no longer there. It was like there was a storm brewing over the next horizon and they just could not see it.


    Whatever is going on, we still need to get out of here and fast.


    ¡°Cut me out one of them!¡± the eldest looking girl said, pulling Andrew from his thoughts blinking in confusion.


    She was pointing at the bar on the cell she was just freed from.


    ¡°You can cut it with your power right? I can use knight''s armor too if you give me that, I tried.¡±


    There was a kind of intensity to her look, like if he said no then she would have tried yanking the bar off herself.


    ¡°You want to fight that badly?¡± Andrew asked.


    The intense look broke into one of widened uncertainty.


    ¡°It¡¯s just...¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°But you were too scared to do it. You said so yourself,¡± the oldest boy among them said.


    ¡°And so were you!¡± she snapped. ¡°I just was not ready! But now that I''m calmer I feel I can do it.¡± The girl snapped.


    Andrew who was hoping to be halfway out of here by now simply glared at them. They were in a tight spot, but he knew the benefit of having them able to protect themselves. Still, the thought of them fighting¡­


    The girl must have seen the conflict in her face because her eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°It¡¯s just for protection-for me and the others, since mothers not here and I''m the oldest I-¡±


    ¡°-You promise not to be reckless,¡± Andrew asked, his tone subdued.


    In truth, he cut in more so to stop him from thinking about the gunshots out in the forest than anything else. With glistening tears falling form in the corners of her pleading eyes only struck home, even more, the weight of the situation.


    Seeing the logic in her words he sighed as he took hold of his blade and tapped into his inner energy allowing the cool shroud of his dark knight powers to layer over him and the blade. Mumbles of surprise and uncertain faces reflected back to him at the display.


    ¡°Who else has been trained?¡± he asked. Four hands went up.


    He then looked at Natalie now had the ninth child with the native clothes latching onto her hand for comfort. Paying the girl no mind Natalie looked up at Andrew''s question.


    ¡°It will be a comfort for them if anything else,¡± Andrew shrugged.


    Natalie nodded in agreement. Nodding back Andrew turned around to the bars of the cage, drew in the void-like sensation of his dark knight''s armor. But before he could cut the bars however Andrew was interrupted by the voice of the girl that was latching onto Natalie¡¯s hand.


    She sounded a bit horsted and shaken like any child would in this situation, however, she''d just spoken in a tong that they did not understand. A little surprised Natalie''s eyes narrowed in on her features and voice as if trying to un-code their meaning. It was odd to say the least. Her voice was shaky but pure like any child''s voice her age.


    Seemingly unable to grasp anything Natalie blinked as she tightened her grip on the girl''s hand.


    "We will get you out of here. I promise," she said.


    Sighing deeply Andrew shook his head slowly.


    Turning back to the bars he and proceeded to cut a vertical slice severing the front of the cage. An object coated in knights armor made short work on objects without.


    Welp, she''s gone and said it now, he thought to himself.


    ~#~


    With all of them assembled they took the goggles off the two guards they took down and gave them to the two oldest kids in the group who then, in turn, formed a chain of held hands with the others who had no goggles. Hands gripping the three-foot pole they followed Natalie and Andrew¡¯s six is sure to keep pace with their two chains of four as they ran down the echoing corridors of bending hallways. With his hands-free Andrew took a hold of his sword in both a tight grip, with little to go by on the going on; upon their current floor, Andrew looked to Natalie''s reaction as a compass. She had cautioned stealth at first when the only footsteps they could hear were their own, but just as Andrew began hearing other voices up in the far distance Natalie told them to pick up the pace soon after.


    The footfall reverberated over the halls to the point that hearing anything beyond them was hard. Natalie''s form was both low and steady despite the clear worry that radiates off of her posture. It was partly because she was still holding the hand of the ninth child, the one who spoke a different language. The other reason was that the other children would lag behind otherwise. Even so, Andrew did his best to stay somewhat in the middle just to be sure none of them tripped and got left behind from the running chains they were set in. Natalie''s choice of path to take on every fork was chaotic to Andrew¡¯s eyes. A right at first only to follow it off with another two right¡¯s and then left. There was one occasion where Andrew could just make out the stairwell but just as he and the others were making their way up to it Natalie suddenly pivoted around and ordered everyone to run back as fast as they could. He took the rear by then even though his instincts were telling him to rush them back around the corner faster before he found his back as a shooting target.


    No sooner had reached the corner had the door they were heading towards burst open. Gathered by the reaction the people who entered the floor knew where they were going and that time was of the essence to get to it. Were they after them? It was possible. Thankfully the multitude of heavy boots came skimping and clambering away from their location, racing down a hallway further off to the left. They were likely going straight for the cages. This was bad.


    Natalie¡¯s hand signaling for them to move on pulled his attention to the distant springing of heavy boots. Approaching the stairwell door once again they entered it and began their ascent up to it. No sooner had they reached the third flight however Natalie cursed under her breath before crashing into the next stairwell exit. Echoes from above and below reached Andrew¡¯s ear just as he came out of the stairwell and into the hallway.


    Natalie who said nothing simply continued running whilst looking around frantically. Unable to take the suspense from her reactions anymore Andrew ran up beside her.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict? Have we shaken them or what?¡±


    Natalie''s face grimaced as she shook her head.


    ¡°This doesn''t make no sense,¡± she said almost to herself.


    ¡°What does not make any sense?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is rushing through the stair wells, but besides one group none of them have gone to the floor where the two bodies are. They-¡± she trailed off as she skidded to a complete halt.


    Taken by surprise then Andrew stammered back, the panting kids almost came crashing into her back.


    ¡°What now!?¡± Andrew asked forcefully. Was he unnerved?


    "They know where we are! They''re coming to take them!" Natalie turned around to shout back at him, she was panicked too. This was bad.


    Spitting profanities in his head Andrew turned to the two eldest girls and boy of the leading the link chain of four kids each before looking back ahead of him. Seeing two crates just before the next turning he looked back to them.


    "You can use your knight''s armor now! But remain by that corner and stay there!" He ordered.


    Nodding stiffly, the eldest girl gritted her teeth as she taped into the will of the planet, a faint glow of yellow began to build and envelop her like glowing smoke coming out of her pores.


    Flame knight. Andrew could feel the radiant will of her knight''s armor, there was no doubt.


    However, no sooner did it appear it faded like a blown-out candle. Tears of frustration began staining the eldest girls'' faces. She was the one that had demanded that they arm them, the one who said she felt she failed everyone by being unable to use her knight''s armor when they were on the run from the demons.


    The other younger kids were holding on to her other free hand frozen in fear as they sensed the tensions sharply rising. The eldest amounts them had failed to rise to the occasion, and she knew this. Andrew had seen this scene before, in a lot of ways he felt sorry for them, but.


    ¡°Get moving!¡± he ordered snapping them out of their trance.


    The eldest boy who was leading the other chain of kids was already glowing white, it was not as striking as the girls but still even with the thermal goggles on Andrew could tell that he had activated his knight¡¯s armor. It felt straight forward but stable like earth. As he led the others to the crates Andrew readjusted the grip on his sword as he heard the sprinting footsteps coming up behind them.


    With the last of them out of sight, Andrew allowed himself to take them out of mind for a moment. As to better handle what¡¯s to come.


    "They are coming around the corner!" Natalie said looking through the walls at their movement.


    Natalie summons her dark wings leaving a small confetti of feathers that came up purple on his thermal goggles. Her eyes like a thunder clap¡¯s made manifest.


    "Primitive strike?" Andrew asked.


    Natalie nodded as she leaped around the corner with Andrew followed suit.


    As he sprinted up alongside Andrew gritted his teeth. Natalie, who was already looking at the first man thought the corner of the wall intercepted him with a running straight punch the moment his cheek peeked out of the corner. Not having the for sight like Natalie Andrew was caught a little by surprise like the rest of the armed men but not bad. With Natalie bounding off the other end of the wall with flashes and sparks Andrew went to cutting down the closest man before him who¡¯s recovered from the shock just enough to raise up his weapon.


    Impaling him Andrew winced at the flashes from Natalie¡¯s strikes through left after images though the thermal goggle, it was bad enough that Andrew felt a bit disoriented from the sight of it. The goggles were great for seeing in the dark but any light that hit them seemed more potent than without. Luckily the other six or so men were just as stunned by the flash of sparks by Natalie attacks and so Andrew chucked on.


    Following through from the first kill Andrew slid in low with a strike cutting through the man''s thigh, the man cried in pain before Andrew silenced him by slashing through half his neck with a follow up just as he fell to his knees.He stammered a guggled cough before falling down lifeless. Gunfire came fractions later but their aim was less true than the two men he confronted to get the kids likely thanks to Natalie and the simple fact that now that the two of them were among them they risked shooting their own comrade if they were reckless.


    Before they could recover Andrew swoops in low towards the next two men closest to him, stepping in with his quickest over and under head slash in unison he cut both men though their chest and neck respectively before he wound up behind them, a trail of dark light left a path where his blade traveled. The first simply fell to his knees whilst the second gripped his neck as he googled his last breath.


    More lightning strikes came zapping past and hitting the last two before Natalie herself came leaping out of the air with a falling ax kick to the fifth man¡¯s helmet which she then transformed into a roundhouse kick to the mans now bowing head. A jolt of thunder exploded from the impact. Predicting this Andrew momterly shut his eyes before the strike landed leaving him dazed by the blinding light it gave. The last man not privy to this stumbled back from the shock, it was his last folly. Running him in through the side of his chest Andrew felt the man¡¯s chest expand in shock from cold enhanced steel penetrating his ribs before he fell to a stoop, never to rise again.


    As he pulled out his blade Andrew was about to relax until he hears a scream coming from all the way on the other end. Demands to put down their weapons and stop running followed soon after.


    They¡¯d found them! Andrew panicked.


    Worried for the wellbeing of the kids Andrew ran. Counting all nine of the children running towards him, he sees two men making their way around the corner towards them. Andrew jumped over them praying he will make it on time there.


    Bullets went flying, cries, and screams from the kids bellowed from behind him, blocking the few that he was able to and unable to look back to see whether he failed to deflect had struck anyone and Andrew clenched his jaw in frustration. With his weapon empty the man ducked behind the crate that Andrew had ordered the kids behind before they came. It was made of solid metal, a decent cover for any conventional weapon or sword. Andrew, not fazed by this, however, took his sword into a two-handed grip and channeled his dark energy that was around his body more so into his blade increasing its potency. Stepping on top of the box he pulled down his sword hard and heavy. Unleashing a crescent slash the sword painted a pure black arc of energy trail behind him and along its path cutting through the box, like straw to a scythe the armed man was slashed through along with it.


    Around the same time, Natalie had charged into the last men. Grabbing his face and slamming it into the wall with a great force she gripped onto his skull with immense force, his hard helmet being his only salvation. Channeling an electric current through her arm she fed him the vivid and violent shock until his arms and legs no longer twitch, steam was forming off his helmet.


    Natalie finally loosened her tight grip letting the man slide off the wall like a swatted fly. Dizzily stepping back a few paces however she un-summoned her wings and began to pant.


    Andrew saw that the battle was now truly over and taking a breather himself soon turned around to look back at the children in hopes that they were not hurt in the crossfire. He could not see them, having already run around the corner that he and Natalie intercepted the first group of armed men his legs moved on their own accord to see them.


    Thankfully they were all ok, except¡­ the eldest girl was glowing an almost sun-like white according to his thermal goggles. A lot like the times she tried and failed but this time the warm glow remained stable, he saw one other kid holding his and as if he held it near a fire too long. Pulling up his goggles Andrew sees the yellow glowing light like flames enveloping the girl, it¡¯s radiant light made things fairly visible in the darkroom around her.


    She was apologizing to the kid with the runny nose, Tien was his name and was about to inspect the hand he was holding back until she recalled the heated glow around her and thought better of it. The ninth child had slipped past the other kids and Andrew, he was about to stop him but seeing as she was heading towards Natalie he paid her no mind. Looks like she managed to pull off putting up her knight''s armor and for Tien¡¯s hand hurt in the process. Besides the slight guilt of hurting her friend, the girl Walta was what they called her seemed happy.


    Andrew was happy for her. Having seen someone fail at maintaining their knights armor he could imagine the number of things she went through just to gain it. Obtaining knights armor was hard and flame knights had it the hardest.


    Leaving them all there to talk amongst themselves Andrew slid his goggles back on to look back down the hall where he¡¯d left Natalie. When he found her sliding down the wall in a drained stoop with the ninth child saying something in distress in another tongue, however, Andrew¡¯s heart began to sink into his gut.

 Chapter 6: Heavy lifting

    There¡¯s been a strange vibe abound since we entered the gates of Cobblestone, I¡¯d thought it my imagination at first, my mind trying to latch onto something-anything to busy itself and forget recent failures but Flynn sensed it too.


    Cobblestone is known for its vibrant parties and passionately open locals.


    Although the passion and festivity are definitely here, this odd sense of imminent danger or panic radiates from some of the people who saw me and dawning the mark of the blue phoenix on my robes.


    Talking to the locals has also been fruitless, oh sure they all seemed open, welcoming even if you¡¯d not been trained to read faces in the ways of manipulators. They were all lying; they either reflected or avoided my questions by giving a different answer.


    The worst part was it did not seem to come from ill intent. There was fear in their eyes, something had happened here recently. A power struggle perhaps. And the diverted and half-answers all exposed one unified truth of their words. ¡®Do not enter the passion district dressed in those markings,¡¯


    So come later tonight that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ll do.


    ?Sophie - July 16th, 2764


    Natalie


    It had all taken its toll. The lack of sleep, the long and relentless traveling, her super-fast healing, and the power to see the life of all living things around her. Though they prove useful they consumed great amounts of her stamina.


    To keep such feats up for long periods of time was already asking too much, summoning her wings to boost her combat prowess and speed to boot was the final nail in the coffin.


    Without her special sight, Natalie blinked in the almost invisible silhouette of Andrew in front of him, her hand blindly reaching out to his shoulder for support.


    Andrew seemed to stiffen to her clumsy gesture as he likely saw them through his thermal goggles. He knew enough to understand what that meant.


    "You''ve burned yourself out!" He said, his tone low in shock.


    Natalie winced at the pain at the back of her eyes as she tried to activate her angelic sight again. The small migraine now growing at the back of her head made her neck stiff.


    "I''m fine," Natalie said in-between panting and bushing his hand aside to stand up. "We need to keep moving."


    I need to keep moving! Her mind demanded.


    She tried to get back onto her feet, however, as she did so it felt as if the world itself was about to slip away into a deeper void than the darkness that now befell her.


    Having barely taken two drunken steps Natalie stumbled back onto the floor fighting for breath. She felt Andrew¡¯s hand on her shoulder as she slid back down.


    I can¡¯t stop here!


    As Natalie lethargically waited for her dizziness to subside she could feel Andrew''s gaze upon her, desperately trying to weigh what had happened to her. Whilst the children all gathered around, their silent panic and uncertainty practically screamed vibes of worry and panic through the hallways¡¯ walls.


    I¡¯m failing them¡­


    She needed to get up-she needed to keep going. If she failed them as they failed her then what was the point of suffering from these powers? What was the point of risking it all if she failed to prevent others from the same fate she went through?


    She heard the foreign girl cry out something, her little hand still latched onto her vest, Andrew was trying to calm her down but even their voices were growing faint as she tried again to get onto her feet. They needed her eyes and insight to navigate these halls and avoid being seen. It was super important that they can avoid any more armed men now otherwise-


    With her desire to move overriding her body''s rights she lifted her head up again. This time however the dizziness crashed over her like a tidal wave and much like being thrown under its fold Natalie found herself toppling to her back, the pure void of darkness beckoning.


    ~#~


    She¡¯d passed out, Natalie somehow knew this as she stood there in the void of darkness. It was strange¡­ despite being out cold her mind still ticked on. As if detached from the blacked-out mind. Is this what passing out feels like? She¡¯d experienced passing out before and never had she had a recollection of sitting in a void knowing that she was out of it.


    Does this mean I''m dead? Her thoughts echoed, they seemed more pronounced here, like they truly had sound that echoed them back to her ear.


    The oddity of it fell aside when she contemplated her own thoughts once again.


    ¡®Dead¡¯


    She doubted that her fainting did the trick. Could it be that the armed men ambushed them again? It was hard to say. The last memory of scanning the place showed little sign of anyone else coming towards their floor but a lot can change in a few moments.


    Then it¡¯s over, I¡¯ve failed.


    She finally got what she¡¯d wanted. An end to the suffering. An end to the memories. A suicide mission failed successfully. Having pushed things further and further, something had to snap. Whether that be the bastards that did this to her or herself It did not matter. It was an ending-a-finale run before the finish line. It was what she¡¯d wanted ever since she¡¯d escaped. Ever since finding out that her loved ones had long been gone when she made it back.


    They¡¯d likely take the children back if they did not kill them in the crossfire. A part of her wondered what fate was worst. Dying at gunpoint or dieing as a lab rat. It was what she was going for, wasn''t it? Her gut twisted in a knot to that thought, however. Her last thought before arriving here and thereafter had been that she¡¯d ¡®failed them¡¯, Andrew, the kids, herself.


    Maybe once upon a time, she¡¯d hoped for an end to all of it as she lost herself in the throws of revenge. Nothing about that had changed¡­ at least she thought nothing had. And yet something tore at her as she contemplated that she was out of the struggle. A great hollow void opened up in her gut-one even more boundless than the darkness that surrounded her.


    Andrew...


    Tears welled up in her eyes, in shock she ran her arms across her face in an attempt to dry them. Thoughts of her companion dead because of her actions pained her more than she could have ever imagined. More than the thought of the children dying, even more than her own life. In her eyes, people like her and the children were already a lost cause. Most would come back to broken lives and missing loved ones, back to a world stripped of its innocence forever. If her experience was anything to go by it was not that different from death itself. They were people whose lives were already on the brink of collapse.


    But Andrew, Andrew had a whole future laid ahead of him, he still had his father back in Null. even his mother still lived in the river ladened lands of Aqua Falls. He¡¯d had a solid skill as a hunter thanks to his father training him even before they met. He¡¯d been by her side supporting her long before her life was turned upside down.


    And all she¡¯d repaid him with was a cold shoulder and distant words. Their travel up here had to be among the coldest she¡¯d been with him for a while. And now thanks to her he¡¯s likely dead. Another good person. Another person who dared to stand by and help her thrown to the void. As she sank to her knees she gave one final wipe off her face, it was then that she noticed something. Her bear arms could be seen clearly seen in this room of pure blackness, despite there being no apparent light, her pale cream complexion was as clear as day before her. Blinking in confusion she looked about for the light source. Nothing, not above or below, to the sides or at her back.


    As bafflement wrapped her a faint breeze could be heard whistling in the distance. Uncertain if that was where it was coming from Natalie froze. It whistled gently but steadily from an unspecified distance to her left.


    Sounds from outside? Does this mean I''m alive?


    Unsure if she was even dead anymore Natalie straightened up and peered towards the unyielding darkness she felt the sound coming from. Nothing, frustrated tried calling out to the void only to receive nothing. Clenching her eyes shut Natalie, cursed her situation, her helplessness. How she dragged Andrew into all of this. If she could just have one wish it would be not let Andrew perish here along with her stupid mistakes. To let him set off and find his own reasons for traveling. To become a great hunter much like his father.


    ¡®If only you were awake when you thought it.¡¯ a voice echoed out through the void. A voice that was young and oh so familiar.


    Unsure what direction it came from Natalie begins glancing around in all places frantically.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Natalie shouted.


    A surprised murmur reported back to Natalie''s ear soon after making her stand on guard. In this darkness she was on full alert, however, something about that familiar voice disarmed her better senses. She felt eyes wearing on her from all sides but saw nothing in the blanket of blackness.


    ¡®Wait... You can hear me?¡¯ the void said.


    It was then that Natalie¡¯s eyes widened as she recognized this voice. Before she could act on this however the void came crashing down around her.


    ~#~


    Eyes fighting to open Natalie woke up to the low mumbles of voices chattering beside her. With recollections of her last waking memory as fule Natalie shot up only for her head to smack onto something flat and wooden up above. Jolted back from the impact she rolled to one side as she clenches her head, her knees curling up towards her chest from the sharp pain. On top of which in reflex to opening her eyes to the darkness she activated her angel sight and instantly regretted it as a burning sensation rushed through her eyes.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Andrew¡¯s voice called out to her front.


    ¡°Andrew?¡± she asked in a dazed surprise, her pain momentary forgotten.


    Opening her eyes she let go of her angel sight but not before confirming that there was nobody else on the floor, it seemed like most of the people in the base had moved to the floors below. Eyes now normal she could barely make out the silhouette of Andrew and a few others stationed beside him.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Andrew said carefully.


    Reminded of the pain in her forehead she placed her hand back on it. It was hard to see the room well as she was but wherever she was resting was elevated to where Andrew and others sat. She first thought she was in a place with a low ceiling but given that she¡¯s able to sit up straight that was not possible.


    ¡°I knew she¡¯d bump it,¡± a kid said, it sounded like he sniffled up a hanging booger making Natalie think of Tien.


    ¡°You didn''t say anything,¡± another kid chided, a girl. Natalie recognized the voice as the eldest girl Walta.


    Andrew shussed them right after which seemed to work. The atmosphere was calm if not tipping on a knife''s edge, much like mice sneaking in the kitchens to get something to eat. Though she was relieved to hear them Natalie could not help but take a mental track of Walta¡¯s tone for comparison.


    It was not her voice.


    ¡°You''re not using those purple eyes,¡± Andrew mumbled to himself.


    Natalie glanced away to take another look around.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Natalie pushed out.


    ¡°In the kitchens,¡± Andrew said, seeming to relax as he did. ¡°I remembered them moldy pricks mentioning it,¡±


    ¡°¡®Moldy pricks¡¯?¡± Natalie asked, her eyes frowning.


    ¡°You shouldn''t say that,¡± a young girl said. Natalie did not know her name.


    Andrew seemed at a loss for words when he looked back at the kids for a moment. Natalie was just lost in thought yet again.


    Not her voice.


    ¡°A-anyways, my point is those guys mentioned they had a chief who fed the kids better portions than them. So when you passed out as you did I thought I''d better go find it. Luckily it was on the same floor we were already on.¡±


    ¡°You left me on the worktop,¡± Natalie mumbled blankly. Although she could not see it properly she was certain now that she¡¯d knocked her head into the worktop cupboards just above.


    She heard Andrew bite back a curse before clearing his throat.


    ¡°Seemed like the best place to put you at the time,¡± he said slowly. ¡°They wouldn''t be able to eat at the table otherwise so...¡±


    ¡°So you put me on the worktop,¡± she repeated, Natalie could see Andrew visibly wince to her comment.


    ¡°I was going to tell him not to,¡± Tien mumbled timidly. This earned him a stern hush from Walta.


    With her head still spinning and yet to fully gauge the state of herself Natalie just stared blankly at the barely visible people in front of her. She felt her fingers moist from the tears that were on her face. The tears from her ''dream''. Her heart was still heavy from the thoughts conjured up in that strange void. The sound of chewing could be heard beyond her. That void in her gut became a long and loud grumble as hunger announced itself.


    It was so loud that most of the munching sounds in the room came to an abrupt halt thanks to it. Mouth parting Natalie¡¯s face heated up as she felt all eyes on her. Taking a moment to compose herself she found solus in the fact that it was too dark to see her likely reddened face, that comfort however was taken away when she saw Andrew looking right at her face as if peering into her very soul. The single scope of the goggle made that peer intense like a focused laser that only made her more self-aware. After what felt like forever Andrew gave a knowing nod.


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t hide much from these goggles,¡± he said to himself as he turned around to reach out for something on the other worktop.


    Natalie was about to protest until Andrew''s barely visible arm came veering right back in front of her, his hand holding bread and laid in a bowl of some type of liquid, with something that looked like a fish lying in the middle of it. The smell tells her that it¡¯s bread in fish soup, it brings up the memory of the fish she¡¯d hardly eaten before casting to the fire the night before, and her mouth waters to the look of it.


    "Eat up," he said, shaking the bowl in front of her face and snapping her out of her rapture.


    She reached out for it gingerly, remembering the lie she told him that morning however she could not help but feel a pang of guilt at accepting the dish from his hand. As she tried to pull the bowl towards her Andrew grip on it tightened making her do a double-take at his barely visible features.


    "And next time; don¡¯t hide things from me," he said, there was a low intensity to his words. A touch of anger but mostly concern. And just like that, she knew her rig was up.


    Unable to maintain eye contact Natalie looked away from Andrew in shame as she pulled the bowl out of his hand, with Andrew letting his grip go the gesture was simple. The flush on her face was so intense however that it made her ears burn.


    "It¡¯s not as if I lied, you never asked." She mumbled defensively. The protest came out far meeker than she envisioned making her cringe inward. Hiding her face behind her bread she began to eat.


    "Even when cornered you''re stubborn," Andrew whispered plainly.


    Knowing that Andrew could see her very own blood betray her though the thermal goggles only made her blush worse. Had it been anyone else she¡¯d been more composed but with him.


    Damn him.


    Making a blatant effort to glance anywhere else but at him, Natalie instead looked to the dark kitchen around her trying to make out the size of the room itself. It was fairly large with a workstation laid in the dead center. Under it hung a large stirring spoon, spatula, and other cooking utensils. A knife holder stood at the edge of her own workstation but the knives themselves were not there. She clenched onto her bowl in frustration once she realized what she was doing. She was running away again. After all that Andrew has done for her-after all that¡¯s happened and she¡¯s giving him the cold shoulder.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She¡¯d been stupid, so hell-bent on getting here that she¡¯d neglected herself of basic necessities. So concerned about trying to not make him worry that she¡¯d ended up doing worse.


    "Sorry," She whispered.


    Eventually, Andrew sighed to himself drawing her attention back to him.


    "Forget about me,¡° he said. ¡°Just focus on getting your strength back. For their sake." He gestured to the nine kids behind him.


    Natalie nodded, seeing that this is neither the time nor place to be pity she heaves a sigh in defeat and begins eating her fill.


    She could feel Andrew¡¯s eyes on her as he nodded in approval. Natalie looked back once again to the children. It was very hard to see now that she was not making use of her angel sight but she could make out the silhouettes of each of them, all now sitting silently as she finished eating. Silent they patiently wait on her. Waiting for their ray of hope to gather her strength and pull them out of this in one piece. If anything else happened she¡¯d vowed that it would not be letting them down. And she¡¯d not let him down either.


    "So then! What happens from here?" he said in a chipper tone, he was looking straight at her and it froze her spoon from her mouth.


    Her mind gone blank, she just sat there dumbfounded. Was Andrew flirting with her? It was so unexpected she did not know how to react.


    "This is not the time or place," One of the kids said suddenly.


    Andrew looks back at the young boy of eight baffled


    "Quite Ryan!¡± Walta chided. ¡°Though he¡¯s right. You should help us out of here first before you start... flirting,"


    "Wait-what?!" Andrew exclaimed.


    "When a guy says that to a girl it means that they are going to do what they shouldn''t be," Tien said between sniffing the snot running from his nose.


    Andrew''s jaw hung loosely at this revelation.


    "And where did you hear this from?" he said carefully.


    "From a movie," said matter of factly.


    Andrew was lost for words.


    "A move?" Andrew mocked in a mumbled, he sounded stunned.


    Tien nodded emphatically.


    "Wen it happens on squween daddy covers my eyes. He tells me that mum likes the cheesy parts. But I don get it because, I like cheese as well." a boy, perhaps the youngest among them said.


    The thud that came from Andrew stropping his head on the workstation broke Natalie from her brain freeze.


    "I was not pulling some cheesy pickup lines from a movie so I could do¡­ something! And who in their right mind thinks that stuff works anyways?!" he snapped.


    He looked around at them but got nothing back but silence. Taking the silence as a form of denial Andrew simply held his face in his palm, he looked tired.


    "So it¡¯s not true?" another young girl spoke up.


    "That¡¯s why they are called actors," Andrew said drearily as he pulled his face out of his palm to look at them.


    "What''s an ''actor''?" The youngest boy replied.


    Andrew just looked lost for a few moments, with an exasperated sigh he shook his head off the issue and looked back to them.


    "You know-never mind, it''s not important." He mumbled as he passed his fingers through his dreadlock hair. "What matters right is that Natalie understood what I meant... Natalie?"


    Sinking back into thoughts from the last time Natalie blinked abruptly and cleared her throat before going back to eating her meal.


    "It was the pause in-between the sentence that fooled me," She said dismissively, trying to play it off as casually as possible. But in truth, her stomach felt all kinds of knotted up and not just from stated hunger.


    Andrew cupped his face in both his hands in disbelief. With a long and dreary sigh, he deflated before he slowly shook his head to himself.


    "The ''plan'' what happens next in the ''plan''." He said, putting emphasis on the word.


    "I see," Natalie said as she took another bite of her bread and brushes the crumbs she felt fall on her tracksuit.


    "You''ve been quick with ideas since we¡¯ve got here. If your mind is still in top gear witch... well.¡± Andrew cleared his throat clearly addressing the misunderstanding just a moment ago.


    Natalie stopped eating mid-chew. For that brief second, Natalie felt like kicking him. Seeing this Andrew scratched his head and pushed himself back on topic.


    ¡°It would be nice to get an in-depth idea of what you''re currently thinking since we now have the time to talk," Andrew said. "You said that you''ll try and power the lift earlier. Think it¡¯s still possible."


    Natalie who''d just got done with her bread drank the last of the soup in the bowl wiped her mouth before looking back at him.


    "My power, it¡¯s the same kind that they use to move this pre-fall tech. If I¡¯m careful with how much I use it should be possible.¡±


    ¡°Do you think You¡¯ll have enough in you? I mean you¡¯d just passed out not long ago.¡± Andrew asked.


    Hearing the concern laced in his questions Natalie put her bowl gently down to her side as she seriously thought of an answer.


    ¡°Give me another ten minutes, now that I¡¯ve eaten I just need a little time to recover my strength,¡± she said.


    ¡°You sure you don''t need more time?¡± Andrew said. He was looking directly at her now.


    Cleaning the last bit of bread in her teeth Natalie closed her eyes and with them shut activated her angel sight. There was a bit of sting in the initial act making her brows narrow but then the pain leveled out into something more bearable. She was rewarded with the sight of Andrew and the nine children all sitting or standing, their body¡¯s taking up a soothing kind of white light. All normal. Beyond that, she could see the faint outlines of the room they are in, and the rooms beyond them each faint layer of wall made it harder to see than the last eventually voiding out into a black. Even with her eyes closed Natalie still could see just fine except there was the faintest tinge of purple from the back of her eyelids. It was a slight impairment but hardly a problem, hardly not for what she was about to do next.


    ¡°Fingers,¡± She ordered as she put an arm across her already closed eyes for good measure. This made the painted almost black and white world a deep shade of purple but still, she could see the white areas that were Andrew and the kids well enough.


    Andrew seemed perplexed until at her request at first understanding hit him. Putting his bowl aside (he¡¯d been apparently holding it this whole time,) he leaned in and lifted up one hand in front of her with fingers outstretched all save for the thumb.


    ¡°How many fingers am I-¡±


    ¡°-Four,¡± Natalie answered.


    Andrew turned his four digits towards himself as if double-checking, gave an indifferent surge, and changed it.


    ¡°One,¡±


    He was about to open his mouth to ask again, but seeing it close to the sound of her answer pulled a slight grin on her face. Mouth shut tight Andrew continued.


    ¡°Four again, three, two, five¡­ seven, six, and twenty-four.¡± Natalie¡¯s smile was hard to hide now which she did all she could to not be self-aware as soon as she noticed.


    ¡°Twenty-fou-¡± perplexed Andrew looked at both his open hands of his fingers and thumbs. ¡°Where did you get that from?¡±


    Composing herself she removed her arm and opened her eyes before nodding up at the kids behind him. At the back, Edith, Walta, and one other girl each had a hand up displaying the fingers four, five, and five respectively. An audible ¡®wow¡¯ stumbled out of the older kids'' mouths as they looked at each other and witnessed the outstretched fingers of their peers.


    Looking back from the kids Andrew gave Natalie one last appraising look, as she shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°I never said who¡¯s fingers,¡± she mumbled.


    Soon after, Andrew¡¯s skeptic stare changed to a slow nod of approval.


    ¡°Fine, you¡¯ve convinced me,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°But how are you going to do this?¡±


    Good question, bowing her head Natalie mulled on this for a moment.


    Seeing her light purple aura drew a knot in her gut. Her angel eyes were a product of the experimentation that was done to her. And the way her aura shows up the different color to anyone else was just a reminder of how alien she was. How little she belonged. Pushing that aside she looks past herself and to the layers of walls beyond her and the others.


    She could make out every floor like seeing the place through a skeleton wire work on its true makeup. That was handy but what she was looking for was running along the building, the weirs much like the barely visible walls and floor come into sight too as ghostly representations of themselves.


    ¡°Back at the elevator, I¡¯ll need you to help me cut the cables. I¡¯ll supply the needed power for the lift. but I¡¯ll need to stay there to keep it running. Meanwhile, you take them with you on the lift and make it to the ground floor where you can get them out of here." left alone in a place like this, her fingers trembled at the thought but if it was to save the kids then.


    Andrew looked concerned but said nothing, instead, he looked upwards as if already seeing the open sky.


    "Then we''re home free," Andrew said with a sigh. "Think the locals will be back in Lucas by then?"


    "You know where our home is!?" One of the kids said in alarm.


    ¡°What about my father-did you see him?!¡± Edith exclaimed.


    The kitchen became a din of children excitedly asking questions and fighting for attention. They all varied but still hit on the same topic over and over. ¡®My mother,¡¯ ¡®My sister,¡¯ ¡®They were with me until...¡¯ flashes of the two men walking over the passed-out bodies before shooting the adults they did not need came unbidden to her mind. The cold sharp pain to the vision only doubled when she for the slightest of moments imagined those victims on the floor to be her mother and father lifeless and bleeding. As a fit of nausea hit her Natalie slipped off the worktop with a hand over her mouth as the threat of vomiting caused her to gag.


    She''d barely taken note of Andrew moving over to comfort her. The kids'' voices although still questioning had died down to a degree. Thankfully Andrew was still talking to them which allowed her the needed time to clear her mind. As she swallowed back the bile in her throat along with her thoughts, Natalie straightened up and managed to hear the last part of what Andrew was telling the kids.


    "That many from Lucas huh? Well, that¡¯s good news,¡± he said as he looked at the kids in approval. ¡±Looks like we won''t have to do too much traveling to get you all home,"


    The kids all had their hands up except for the one that spoke another language. Instead, she timidly walks on over and without saying a word latched onto Natalie''s trousers. The gesture almost made her forget that she was about to have a panic attack. With a calming wave washing over her she just looked at her, it was like her eyes were telling her a thousand things, countless words despite the language barrier, if she¡¯d only listened close enough. Just then Andrew¡¯s proximity beside her becomes mear inches breaking her attention.


    ¡°Back with us?¡± he whispered, he was still looking at the other kids as he spoke by her ear. Natalie nodded.


    He must have asked them where they¡¯d come from. Natalie thought.


    Curious, she then turned her attention to the kids soon. A question twinkling in her eye.


    "Any of you know where she comes from?" She pointed to the young girl who was silent standing beside her.


    Most of them shook their heads.


    "Dad told me that they come from beyond the mountains. Beyond it, there is a long trail covered by mist. He¡¯d sometimes travel there to trade with them." Edith said.


    "Well, we are currently beyond those mountains now. And I think I¡¯ve seen enough fog getting here to guess that we are in the thick of it," Andrew said.


    ¡°So it¡¯s possible that we are closer to her home than with the rest of you,¡± Natalie pulled over.


    ¡°That makes us all of the foreigners,¡± Andrew mumbled to himself before chuckling at the irony.


    Painful silence washed over the kids to that revelation. Some looked to be on the verge of crying. Although she was more composed, the sheer thought of witnessing these men kill these kids'' parents and loved ones made her heart grow cold. Some of them could have been their older brother or sister. Their aunt, guardian, friend, or even their mother and father. She knew for certain that some of them would return home without a single loved one remaining to greet them. Holding onto her chest she suppressed her feelings on the matter for fear of giving false hope before there was even proof. Even so, the thought clouded her eyes.


    Would they hate me for pulling them back into a world without family?


    It was not a new question; from the first time she set off to rescue the children from these monsters, it had plagued her mind. And just like then she was unable to find a definitive answer.


    "Natalie?" Andrew''s concerned voice reached out to her snapping her back to the now. Looking up to him she swallows before looking over to the kids.


    She did not have to be a mind reader to know that most of them would be thinking the worst. Kneeling down to their level she fixed each of them a steely stare.


    "They¡¯ll be at home, waiting for you, and I¡¯ll get you there to meet them as soon as possible." She said. "But if they happen to not be there when we arrive then know it''s because they are out there now looking for you. No matter the outcome, know that every second they are gone is a testament to their love of you and how much they won''t give up on you... So just be strong, ok?" With her voice hoarse she had to swallow by the last sentence.


    The sound of sniffles, nodes, and ''ok''s came from the children momentarily. The girl beside Natalie who spoke a different tongue simply rested her cheek on Natalie''s thigh as she stood back up, ¡®understood¡¯ Natalie liked to think the jester ment.


    Rubbing her back, Natalie nodded to Andrew who watched on from the sidelines. Nodding back in understanding Andrew began gathering the children to get ready. Natalie was about to follow suit until she noticed the young girl still latching onto her leg. Looking back at her with her sight that can see the life force of the living she could make out the girl''s eyes just peering at her as if trying to unearth secrets from within her.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± Andrew called breaking her gaze from the girl.


    The scuffling of footfalls had died out from beyond the kitchen and Natalie could see Andrew in the lead of the eight children holding hands in a chain of two. Kneeling in front of the girl Natalie narrowed her eyes curiously at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Muktashif?¡± she said, it sounded like a question.


    Hearing her speak for the first time since passing out Natalie blinked at her words, her deductive mind already gathering her tone for comparison.


    Not her either. None of their voices are the same. Natalie thought in a daze.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Andrew hissed. He sounded a little tense and she could understand why.


    Unsure of the meaning of the girl''s words. Natalie (after giving a quick scan around for nearby danger.) picked her up and carried her on her hips before she turned to follow Andrew and the others.


    As their footfalls filled the long hallways Natalie''s thoughts wandered back to the dream she woke up from. None of them, not one of the children''s voices matched the one she had recollected in that vivid dream and that chilled her. Not because she did not recognize the voice, but it was because she recognized it. She knew the voice as well as she knew herself. Excepted that was from another self-a younger self. That was the voice she had almost eight years ago before she was kidnapped. But that was impossible. Not even she remembered her own voice from back then, and yet hearing it within that dream pulled all the memories back to her.


    It could have just been the product of her subconscious finding things that she was not aware she had a hold of¡­ but something about the voice, and how it spoke was unlike any memory or experience she ever had.


    ~#~


    With the children in tow, Andrew and Natalie made it to the lift. As luck would have it the lift itself was already on their floor. Natalie guessed it was because the kidnappers unload the children onto this floor moments before the power was taken out. Grabbing the diamond metal mesh of the life doors by each side Natalie and Andrew opened the way for the children to enter.


    With the kids in, (after some hesitation from a few) Natalie began to back away from the lift, her angel sight peering through the confounds of the lift shaft itself and picking out the eyes thick cables that travel off it. Finding the ones that she believed to be what powers the lift however she frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s on a higher floor,¡± she said.


    ¡°What is?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°The cables. I can¡¯t reach it, unless...¡± eye-widening she ran into the lift herself.


    Having made her way through the kids in the lift she prodded the square metal spot on its ceiling. Thanks to her angel sight she spotted it¡¯s thinner and separated from the rest. Guessing that it¡¯s meant to get one on top of the lift she rewarded it with pushing out of the way from her prod and falling down until she caught it and dropped it to the side. With the way up to open she prepared herself to jump through.


    ¡°Natalie wait-what are you doing?!!¡± Andrew protested.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± she said with a slight grunt as she jumped on though.


    Andrew cussing to himself made his way over to follow suit. Waiting on Andrew, Natalie takes off her angel sight for just a brief moment. Looking up she was met with the cable that held this metal box suspended in the shaft. It was a seemingly endless cord that stretched on upwards into the ominous darkness up above. Even though she could see the shaft with her angel sightseeing it without the ability to peer beyond them and cut through the darkness brought weight to it, its brown friendly cut stone and gray cement bricks gaining her full attention thus pulling her into the weight of things all the more so.


    The sound of Andrew landing through the shaft behind her pulled Natalie out of her revelry. Reactivating her angel sight once again she turns to him. There was practically nobody present on the higher floors she noticed and although that would have been the good news something about it all was beginning to trouble her. Pushing that aside however she pointed to a cable up top running along the shaft.


    ¡°Over there, that black one up top, can you cut it for me?¡± Natalie asked Andrew, her voice echoed through the shaft.


    It was a few it was two floors up from their current location. With a nod, Andrew looked up at her finger. When he spotted how far it was however he frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Natalie asked.


    Andrew not saying a word peered over the edge of the lift to the endless pit below him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s a long way down,¡± he said.


    Resting a hand on her hip Natalie just glared at him blankly. This slight peeve however turned into one of understanding as she recalled that she is the one with wings and electromagnetism that made navigating such a place a fairly simple task for her.


    ¡°Hand me your sword,¡± Natalie demanded, her hand open to receive it.


    And just then Natalie felt an odd wash of nostalgia run through her. It was a memory that found its way into her mind just the other night, her asking Andrew for his sword, Andrew refusing to abide.


    ¡°What?! No!¡± Andrew said as he looked away from the pit below. His exclamation pulled Natalie out from her recollection.


    ¡°Why not?¡± she asked in a part daze.


    A small part of her wanted to relive that memory over and over. That longing made her remember what he¡¯d said back to her then eight years ago.


    ¡°I don''t want anything happening to you," he''d once said.


    ¡°No offense, but I''m worried you¡¯ll drop it.¡± the Andrew of now said, shaking his head as he took one last look down below. ¡°You stay put while I do this.¡±


    Andrew then walked right over to her, moving his face right by her ear.


    ¡°They may not say it because we told them to keep quiet, but they are freaking out down there,¡±


    Seeing all the tense faces looking up to her Natalie nodded. He was right, she¡¯d been so worried about getting them out that she¡¯s hardly noticed the tense atmosphere. Her face heated up as she looked down at them Natalie nodded, making an effort not to look Andrew in the face. Andrew just sighed to himself before turning towards the edge of the elevator shaft.


    ¡°Just watch over them until I''m done,¡± he said.


    Studying the beam a moment Andrew jumped and latched onto it. Thanks to its shape he was easily able to get a firm grip behind it which he used to begin climbing up. With his feet pushing against the beam Andrew simply had to crawl upwards to make any progress. The climb itself seemed relatively simple as Andrew ascended at a consistent clip, one foot and arm surpassing the other. As he cracked the cables Natalie pointed out two floors up he stopped, pulled out his sword, and cut the thick cable clean with one stroke, he must have put a bit too much energy behind that strike Natalie noticed. Although he swiped his sword at a controlled pace, part of the stone behind it was slathered through the simple gesture.


    With that done, Andrew looked down, out his sword away, and gave Natalie the thumbs up. Natalie groaned inwardly.


    You managed it now so can you hurry up and get back down here!


    She could tell by Andrew''s body language that he too was ready to get down without delay but he seemed to be having trouble working out how he would do it. He took an awkward step down, and then another on the same leg and shook his head to himself. A pang of worry forming in her gut Natalie took a step forward. Hanging a few two feet up (and god knows how many feet to the bottom of the shaft.) he looks down from his right and left side as if something will enlighten him down there if he looks long enough. Soon however he lets one hand go of the beam and pulls out his fathers¡¯ sword once more. With it, in hand, a round of energy layered over him like a second layer of skin. Natalie knew it to be his dark knight¡¯s armor but with her angel sight on it looked like white mist coming off a bright body of arua.


    With sword in hand, Andrew turned to look down as he began sliding towards her fast but controlled pace. As he leveled with her on top of the lift Andrew stopped abruptly and kicked off the beam with a backflip, landing on one knee beside her. He¡¯d used his knight''s armor to protect his hands and perhaps shoes as he slid down the beam. It was the only reason she could find to explain why his hand was not damaged from the stunt. As he casually stands to his full height and puts his sword away he looked at Natalie with his thermal goggle eyes, his face an amused grin.


    ¡°I thought I said to watch over them.¡± he pointed his chin to the kids below, his cheeks trying to suppress a wind grin.


    Natalie not giving Andrew the time of day just cut her eye to him as she folds her arms tightly in annoyance.


    ¡°Just take over for me,¡± she grumbled.


    Showoff.


    Natalie heard Andrew tell the kids to make way as he dropped back into the lift with them as she turned away from them. Natalie began to charge herself with a steady flow of electricity just enough for it to occasionally spark purple to spark off her fingers. By concentrating and rotating the current along her arms and legs like each limb was in part of the sinkhole Natalie felt a pulling sensation towards the metal in the shaft. Touching the beam with her hand it latched on with a pressing force as if a magnet. Confirming that this could work Natalie then climbed up with her arms and legs.


    With that in place, she began her ascent up the beam, making sure to lessen the vortex-like current on each hand or leg that she let go of. After a few test steps, Natalie found that with a bit of a slanted posture she barely needed to hold onto the beam with her hands at all. She¡¯d practiced walking up metal walls before but walking up this high a beam was still fairly new.


    Walking up the beam she made it to the cable that Andrew cut, standing to its side she had to move her long side hanging hair out of her face. It was looking possible, with not many people in sight to her eyes on the floors above the rest seeming to be gathering in the far lower floors they just have to get them all on the ground floor and escape. With no sign of imminent danger or the presence that shaken her before things were going smoothly.


    So why do I feel so uneasy?


    Kneeling to it she grabbed one end of the cut cable and looking down to Andrew nodded to him indicating that she will begin. With a nod back he places a hand on the elevator¡¯s console whilst keeping his eyes on her¡­ and that¡¯s when she saw it.


    Men, a lot of men all glowing in indistinguishable white make all look alike to her. There had been so many gathered and scurrying around in the lower floors that Natalie could not make out individual shapes beyond that they were people. Now, however, with the shattered groups all splitting themselves out into some kind of orderly group Natalie saw each of them as they were in comparison to another. Among the groups of men holding arms and others in long lab coats sat a clump of smaller people. All dragged and forced into vans as they drove off in the vehicles that faded off into a seemingly endless underground tunnel.


    With Natalie¡¯s eyes widened her breath became sharp as anger began to fill her. A hollow rumble of thunder rolled on overhead and echoed through the lift shaft. And just like that the strange good fortune they found themselves in with most of the men moving away from the floors above them to go for the ones below started to make a sick kind of sense. They¡¯d been had. After discovering that they had an intruder they¡¯d cut their tails and ran off with what they could keep a hold of. After all, they did get here. After all, brewing, traveling, and sleepless nights she was here, and yet...


    She¡¯d been fueled by her torrent of emotions she hardly heard Andrew calling up to her in concern. Electrical power coursed through her arms and through her hand over the naked end of the wire springing the lift to life and light and the hum of mechanical contraptions and gears in motion. The lift rose up to the shock of some of the children but Natalie¡¯s eyes were glaring downward at the men below shoving children into vans and driving them away. Her mind already swimming with the things she will do to them, her body already in a state of fight or flight, she barely gave Andrew and the kids a passing glance as they rose on by her.


    ¡°Natalie?!¡± Andrew called again, by her voice she could tell that Andrew saw the thunderstorm in her pupils as she looked at her pray.


    ¡°Keep an eye on them,¡± was all she said as the life continued its accent.


    With eyes watching the last van take off with children at back Natalie saw red as she stood there standing against the length of the beam. A thunderbolt cried its presence outside making the children in the lift scream due to how close it sounded. Trying to get some kind of control over her rage Natalie held onto the naked wire with a white-knuckled grip. Now that the children were out of the way for better or worst it was time that she ripped this place from its roots. She will descend upon them like an angel of death and break all who stood in her way. She¡¯ll slip through the rooms like a raging storm and like its immense heavy rain rinse clean the filth that was these sorry excuses for humans.


    As her eyes narrowed in on one target far below, however, a change was happening. Upon the same floor or one floor below the other men appeared a large strange object in a glowing white hue of living life. Except¡­ it resembled no living thing Natalie has ever seen, nor has she seen a living thing mask its life energy at will before. Both these revelations unnerved her. That sense of being watched ran over her body again and just like when she is up against the wall she felt alone and vulnerable. Are washing out of her like a punctured sandbag replaced with the vast hollowness of stabbing fear. To wrap up in this growing emptiness that she hardly took note of the counterweight fell towards her. The shock of it falling towards the back of her head made her heart thump with shock and duck as the great slab of steel slid down its support rails to the abyss below. In her attempt to avoid it Natalie lost her concentration on keeping an electromagnetic current pulsing through her legs and started to fall off the beam of the lift shaft.


    Her hand slipped off the cable as she barely held on with her fingertips. The Power that she was running through it had stopped grinding the lift to a halt. Luckily that also stopped the counterweight from its descent allowing Natalie to kick one leg out onto its face whilst trusting her other leg back to push herself between the metal beam thus breaking her fall. Calming her breath Natalie looked down at the now moving large object with wide panic. The cries of the kids above along with Andrew¡¯s call from the distant lift broke her bewilderment back to the task at hand.


    Got to get them out, no matter what happens I¡¯ve got to get them out!


    Spurred on by her will to give the children the help she lacked in her escape Natalie gritted her teeth and kicked off the counterweight and took hold of the cable again. The hum of the life returned as the counterweight descended further into the darkness below. Soon, Natalie could hear nothing else but the scrape of the counterweight on its metal rails, the consistent thumping of her heart and-


    Something rattled the foundations of the shaft from far below. Looking down at the strange life form below she saw that it stood by a great pile of rubble. Behind it was the tunnel that led down the tunnel she saw the vans drive through. The thing (whatever it was) now looked at her. It stood like a huge dinosaur that only had its torso. Its inverted legs made like an ostrich¡­ and though it¡¯s glowing as she could just make out another figure in the center of its torso, a man. Her hands grew sweaty, it took all of her will to simply stand firm, holding the cables as she felt the cold intent oozing off whatever was down there.


    Watching with wide eyes Natalie witnessed the thing crash through the lift shaft doors with ease and look back up at her. Feeling its immense impact through her feet, Natalie''s hand began to tremble as the thing with its odd legs began to stab them into each side of the lift sharts wall and proceed to climb closer...


    Closer...


    Closer...

 Chapter 7: Foreboding Dawn

    You''d never guess who I''d found skulking in the underbelly network of Cobblestone, Berk Kanvas, the sexist ex-tyrant himself. This explains the tensions I felt when coming here.  There was indeed a power struggle but more in the way of secrecy. Had the Dragon Empire found out that their last open enemy had faked their death and was, in fact, laying low then it was possible that they come and kill him and anyone who helped in his cover-up.


    Going under the name ''Zac'' he''s been busy rebuilding his renown spy network and keeping close tabs on news to help him and his own in the underground. But the plus and minuses of his continued existence can be discussed at another date.


    Turns out that dark angel and protector had indeed made it here about five days back. They talked with Zac before traveling further north of all places. the village of Lucas had been attacked by demons (It was a rumor when they got the news.) along with a cryptic message.


    Packing our supplies Flynn and I make haste northward. I can''t say for certain but something about the timing of the information bothers me. Zac''s vague grin all but confirmed my hunch. Whoever started the whispers, it was a fake. A bait, Andrew and Natalie are walking straight into a trap.


    It might be too late...


    Sophie - July 17th, 2764


    Natalie


    It climbed the shaft like a two-legged cockroach. The fear fought tooth and nail to claw into Natalie but despite this she stood resolute, her sweating palms latching onto the lift cable in open defiance to the thing that scurried towards her.


    She felt the tremor of its legs stabbing into the stone walls now, and the lifelike hum if gave off seemed to bellow off it making her body shiver. It stopped around five feet below Natalie, it¡¯s sudden pause making her realize that she¡¯d been holding her breath. Looking closely at the two-legged machinery Natalie noticed what distracted it from its straight b-line towards her. The counterweight to the lift had dropped on its leg, the lift up above came to a grounded halt. Regarding the counterweight for a moment the monstrous machine then looked back up at her and Natalie could feel the spark of understanding coming from the man within.


    Flashlights shot on from its cockpit soon after making Natalie shield her eyes.


    ¡°You saw me through these walls, that must make you the old lab rat.¡± a voice boomed out of speakers on the strange machine.


    With her hand still definitely passing power through the cable and her heart racing Natalie unshielded her eyes to face down her enemy. It¡¯s flashlight made it hard for her to make out the finer details of the two-legged thing. Unsure of what it was capable of or even if Andrew and the kids reached their floor Natalie did not rise to his comment.


    Getting no reply from Natalie it returned its attention to the counterweight resting on its leg.


    ¡°The escapee that¡¯s been helping the new batch escape,¡± his voice boomed through the lift shaft.


    The leg of the machine lifted off the wall allowing the counterweight to continue its descent until it latched onto the cable above it with a violent kick. Natalie¡¯s blood ran cold as she heated distant screaming and crying as the buzz of the moving elevators was replaced with a struggling grone. Among the distant din of panic, the man in the freakish machine gave a light chuckle.


    ¡°You even got them all wrapped and sealed for us, well then, hope you don''t mind I drop the package here,¡± he said riley. The lift cable begins to tremble like a strung guitar string.


    No¡­ Natalie only thought as the realization hit her.


    A snap of severed cord sounded in the shaft as the counterweight that hung just below the machine leg drops free from before coming to a crash down at the endless bottom. The now counterweight free cable began to slither upwards, the noise of the lift motor up above straining and struggle to keep lifting at the lack of balance was only second to the louder screaming of the children up above.


    Natalie was panicking now, her hands were shaking, her breath ragged-and eyes widened. The noise of children trapped in a box that was beginning to fail just overrode her other senses.


    I¡¯ve failed-I¡¯ve failed-I¡¯ve failed! Her mind screamed.


    She¡¯d tried her best and yet she failed them all-she could not stop it. Just stood there against the beam looking dumbfounded. Everything fell into slow motion. Senses working on overtime but reporting nothing back but pure panic. Heart thumping-breath panting-hair standing, children screaming... man chuckling. Her eyes narrowed on the machine that the chuckles were coming from and all she saw was red.


    Letting go of the lift cable to freefall Natalie channeled a condensed ball of electricity in her hand. As she fell upon the two-legged machine she threw the purple ball at it with all her might. The lift shaft lit up to the sparks that came from the defining impact. The pilot caught unprepared began to tumble down the shaft. It¡¯s sold on the walls and beams breaking free from the sheer force alone. With sparks flicking off the beams from the impact Natalie went on, not done she charged another ball of electricity and kicked herself off the beam to drop downwards towards the falling machine as it tried to break its descent with its legs. The sound of the lift dropping behind her grew closer but it did not matter anymore. If she were to fail, if they all must fall then she¡¯ll take this thing down with her.


    The second condensed ball of electricity struck the machine sending it tumbling further downward. With that Natalie summoned her wings, reached the wall in front of her just to kick off of it, and grab the beam that was to the back of her to hide in the gap just before the lift dropped past. With her purple eyes active Natalie thought she¡¯d see the children within it falling to their deaths but she only saw Andrew on the top of it holding his sword. He¡¯d cut the cable the moment he reached Natalie¡¯s level and jumped to grab it as the lift fell deeper into the pit crashing into the machine residing with a booming crash.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Andrew called as he swung up towards her. Natalie, still taking in what happened just blinked at him.


    Andrew stabbed his sword into the solid wall beside Natalie and used its hilt as a platform before looking at Natalie.


    ¡°There you are,¡± he said, although he sounded casual there was still a sense of franticness about him.


    ¡°The children,¡± Was all she could mumble.


    ¡°They are safe, I watched them make a break for the exit before I came here,¡± he said with a sigh.


    Awash of relief came over her to his comment but Andrew hardly took note of it, instead, his eyes were glued to the blackness below.


    ¡°I heard something huge and saw flashlights below, so I thought I¡¯d drop on by and give you a lift,¡± Andrew said with a straight face.


    Despite everything, Natalie''s lip twitched a little to his pun. Andrew¡¯s eyes however were already looking down at the darkened pit below.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to rain out there, that¡¯s your doing right?¡±


    Natalie nodded, Andrew, seeing this gave an approving nod himself before he looked back downward.


    ¡°What was that anyway? Like some two-legged insect. Are they sticking flashlights on demons now?¡± he asked, eyes squinting.


    Given that Andrew does not have the sight Natalie knew he could not see that much further into the shaft. For had he seen what she could he¡¯d have rephrased his last words.


    ¡°Not ¡®was¡¯,¡± Natalie said standing tall against the metal beam.


    Andrew instantly got her understanding since he cursed under his breath and shifts on top of his sword.


    ¡°Then we need to get out of here, we got what we came for so let''s leave this¡­ thing and get them to safety.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Natalie replied coldly.


    With Andrew by her side, her earlier fear had turned to cold tempered anger. But more than anger was now the hope of turning this stupid game on its head if she made her move right here.


    ¡°They¡¯d taken them,¡± Natalie said through seethed teeth. A prolonged rumble of rolling thunder loomed on overhead.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± Andrew said with concern.


    ¡°They had children already and they¡¯ve taken them,¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, we knew this already-¡±


    ¡°They knew I¡¯d come, knew I''d follow the van. They¡¯ve been expecting us...¡±


    ¡°Wait-slowdown! How are you so sure they knew all of a sudden?!¡±


    ¡°I just know ok!¡±


    ¡°And you''d be correct.¡± a sharp voice boomed through loudspeakers that ran up the shaft.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    This was followed by the rattle and rumble of twisted metal and sheets sounded from down below alerting the two. With her angel sight, Natalie was able to make out the two-legged machine stand and break its way out of the elevator that fell upon it.


    "You followed the breadcrumbs just as we¡¯d hoped, but you''ve overreached your role, letting the subjects out as you did." The voice in the machine said before sighing. ¡°Guess he¡¯d want me to fix that leak as well.¡±


    Although Andrew could not see it he cursed under his breath at the sound of the booming voice below.


    ¡°¡®He¡¯?¡± Natalie asked. Her purple eyes narrow in confusion.


    Flipping off the top of his sword Andrew hung on his weapons handle with one-handed, kicking off the lift wall he pulled the sword out of the as he jumped off the wall and landed on the ledge where the lift doors where. Prying the doors open with his fingers he begins to strain.


    ¡°My master,¡± the man in the machine continued.


    Her eyes widened to that. Finally, the one who¡¯s been at the root of all of this was here.


    ¡°You mean the one you call Father? Where is he?¡± her cold voice a contrast to her boiling blood.


    The man in the machine fell silent, the honest vibe of surprise made Natalie''s resolve waver.


    ¡°Wait, you mean to say that you did not know? Father is dead, has been for years.¡±


    This news was like a slap to Natalie''s face. All these years, searching and hunting for vague clues. All in the vain hope of one day confronting the one that spearheaded it all and putting an end to him. It all been nothing but a fantasy. Some pipe dream that she could no longer fulfill.


    ¡°Who killed him,¡± she asked.


    ¡°Hard to say, he¡¯d made a lot of enemies. We¡¯ve been laying low ever since. We are what¡¯s birthed from the ashes of our late father. And I; pilot of the Nova Dawn shall rise to this new age.¡± Natalie heard him speak but it barely registered. In truth, she felt hollow.


    Andrew meanwhile having pried open the lift doors slipped on halfway in before he turned back to Natalie, his hand outstretched.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to go!¡± he said.


    Still dazed she nodded and was about to reach for him until some object came blazing its way between them. A moment later an explosion shook the foundations of the lift shaft causing Natalie to shade her eyes from the rubble. Glancing up above where the explosion sounded Natalie saw fragments of a beam and huge chunks of rubble giving way and falling towards her. Memories of a building collapsing over her paralyzed her thought process as she stood there looking up like a deer in headlights.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Andrew¡¯s call snapped her out of her trance prodding her to reach out for his already outstretched hand and be pulled into the long wide halls of a floor.


    As she recovered with a roll, Andrew proceeded to take her hand and dart off down the hall without looking back. Taking a look in his place Natalie sees that this so-called Nova pilot called Dawn had already leaped to their floor, smashed open the lift doors as if wet paper and proceeded to sprint its way towards the with its indented ostrich-like legs. With its distinctive humming sound of life drawing closer Natalie let go of Andrew''s grip with one hand while the other proceeded to charge a condensed ball of electricity.


    Dashing at the incoming Nova it exploded on impact staggering the mechanical thing back but only for a step. A shimmer of something rippled off the thing from the impact before fading like smoke. It had some variant of knights armor just like a living thing. Something even the Dragon Empire seem unable to do with their battle bots.


    Biting her lip she turned tail once more and ran, unsure what she was dealing with and given the proximity of the halls unless she took a chance in testing its strength against it in these conditions then she had no other choice but to retreat.


    The strange low clicking sound came which followed off with the roar of gunfire soon after making Natalie pick up speed to cut right at the next hall crossing. Andrew had spun around to cover her from the rapid-fire of the Nova by deflecting what he could with his sword and body covered in knights armor.


    As soon as Natalie made it around the corner she glanced up to the loud slap of metal and the grunt of Andrew to see him come flying down the hall and towards the wall. Catching his arm as soon as he became visible around her corner Natalie pivoted him, diverting his trajection to the far wall and instead of throwing him on the one behind her and falling against him from the momentum. The Nova came blazing down the hall a fraction later, the sharp claws of its giant leg stabbed through the wall right where Andrew would have been had Natalie not stolen him mid-flight, dust from rubble and plaster exploded to the impact causing Natalie to hide her face on his shoulder.


    As she pulled back she was in time to see Andrew¡¯s shocked expression as his sword flashed out beyond her back, a deafening sound of metal hitting metal ran through Natalie¡¯s skull like a wakeup call and she turns around to see the Leg of the Nova pushing up against Andrew¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Run!¡± Andrew grunted, with her hands practically on his waist and shoulder she could feel the strain that was put on his muscles. He was pinned by the sheer force of its leg.


    The strange clicking sounded once more which caused Natalie to hug closer to Andrew as she summoned her dark wings to wrap their exposed left side. Rapid gunfire came barely a breath later laying in on her wing shield. Most of the bullets either bounced off the impossibly light but firm feathers but even so the few that penetrated weak points dug into the wing causing great pain.


    Gritting her teeth and keeping her wing up Natalie pushed herself away from Andrew and towards the Nova, channeling as much electric power as she can muster in both hands she created a giant ball of electricity. Placing it into her dominant hand she stepped in, removed her wing shield from her body and threw a superman punch straight at the cockpit with all her might. The Nova¡¯s strange knight-like barrier flashed on impact as cracks began to make their way up the cockpit glass itself, and with an explosion like flash, Natalie was blasted back like a cannonball.


    Being prepared for the knockback she shielded herself within her wings of night having it absorb the impact of crashing the ceiling and wall. With her head spinning and wrist aching from the attack Natalie staggered back to her feet. Andrew seemed to appear out of nowhere as he took a hold of her shoulder to see if she was ok. With a nod, her wings took most of the shock and what aches and pain she gained from the stunt was already being soothed by her super-fast healing. As she looked down the end of the hall she just flew down Natalie saw what became of the Nova, It crashed a hole against the nearest wall before tumbling, stopping partway down the hall on the opposite side. Rubble scattered around its takedown. The slight crashes that she saw on the cockpit mid-strike were now a clear gaping hole of glass. Relieved that her big gamble worked Natalie let out a weary breath as she barely rested body began showing signs of its fatigue once more.


    Seeing that she was ok Andrew looked back at the Nova and nodded in slight awe.


    ¡°Given everything that happened I did not think you had it in you,¡± Andrew said, his eyes still on the Nova.


    ¡°I didn''t have it in me,¡± Natalie pushed out as she un-summoned her wings and forced herself to her full height. The clink of the attached bullets within her wing fell down beside her. Reverting her wings curb the edge of the fatigue that washed over her body.  ¡°Had to resort to all the things I know just to pull a strike like that off.¡±


    Using both hands instead of one to build up power takes longer but the power from doing so is far greater, that mixed with the fact that she¡¯d summoned her wings when doing so only amplified her electric affinity. Striking from a close range instead of long-distance made it so the kinetic energy had real weight behind it. Given her style of fighting, where she was and the amount of strength she had this was the best she could manage, and yet¡­ Natalie''s eyes narrowed as she still saw the right glow of life on the mechanical Nova.


    Gripping her fist to the thoughts Natalie starts storming up towards it. Andrew however grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around to face him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The pilot inside, He¡¯s going to tell us where they took the rest of them.¡± Natalie shot back.


    ¡°Am I now?¡± The Nova pilot said as the machine rose back up to its full height.


    Andrew fell into his fighting ready stand instantly and although it¡¯s getting up was a surprise to her Natalie''s resolve made little of that apparent.


    ¡°You will, once I beat you to an inch of your life,¡± she said after taking a few steps forward and getting into a fighting stance.


    The pilot chuckled amusingly at this, his sinister laugh echoing through the hollow hallways.


    ¡°Then beat me if you can, I¡¯ve collapsed the tunnels, and the only ones who knew where they led to are me and the unfortunate collateral that I caused by the blockage. But if you think I will betray my master''s trust because of the threat of death and pain then you will be sorely disappointed. So come on then! Test my loyalty!¡±


    Taken back by the intensity of his words Natalie shuffled uncertainly. As fanatic as he seemed she knew that he meant every word, that meant her time was wasted facing him. Eyes desperately looking for something-anything that could give her a hint on where they took the other children she begins racking her brain. That''s when she noticed something among a pile of rubble through the walls a few floors below with her angel sight.


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight this thing in here,¡± Andrew whispered to Natalie, breaking her out of the plan she just formed.


    ¡°Lure him outside,¡± was all she said back before charging off towards Nova.


    Leaping in with an ax kick Natalie tried to land a blow on its cracked cockpit.  The Nova however not only avoided her strike but swatted her from the air with a roundhouse kick. Knocking her sideways Natalie went tunneling across the hall only grinding to a halt when her arms peered over the edge of the broken doors of the lift shaft.  She could hear Andrew calling her from behind but she was too winded to respond. She wanted to distract the pilot, never had she expected something that large to move so quickly.


    Despite this she was right where she wanted to be, taking a look down the shaft from here with her angelic sight she still could see the lone light of someone laying on their back half-buried under rubble. Although he glowed with the light she could tell that he was dying. This was her last real chance to get some answers, to for once get a lead upon them that they had not planned for or expected. She had to act fast. Standing up and looking over her shoulder she sees Andrew parrying the Nova¡¯s assortments of attacks to slip through the corner to get to her.


    Her heart went out to him, had she had the time to explain what she was doing he would object, But Andrew did not understand, he would never understand, and neither did she wish him to.


    Lure him to the surface, Once I''m back I''ll end this.


    Giving him an intent look Natalie hoped that along with her last words to him align with the next action he would understand what she was asking for. With a last look of Andrew reached out for Natalie as she dropped off the opened shaft and fell downwards to reach the last remaining sign of life in this horrid place.


    ~#~


    Andrew


    He reached over the edge in time to see her fade down the lift shaft. His thermal goggles helped him see her summon her wings and glide the rest of the way down despite the pitch blackness. Although he knew that she was safe the sheer fact that she did this at all meant she spotted something to reach the other kids.


    Thudding his fist against the broken lift door he drew his attention back to the Nova. He¡¯d seemed perplexed by Natalie''s actions also since he stopped attacking the moment she jumped down into the lift shaft.


    Danmit Natalie, we don¡¯t have time for this!


    She left him to stand off against this thing-this Nova. And what was that look that she gave him before she¡¯d jumped? Trust her? She¡¯ll be back? Did she really think that he could stand up to this Nova long enough for her to return?


    Hearing the sound of gunfire Andrew blocked some of the incoming bullets on reflex. The rest arched wide or missed by a fair margin. With the kiss of his teeth, the pilot stopped his rapid-fire.


    "Now I¡¯m left with the plus one," The pilot said, he almost sounded disappointed.


    "It takes one to know one," Andrew shot back.


    Dawn just chuckled softly.


    "A smart mouth with guts! Good." He chafed. ¡°Her stupid light show broke my weapon, guess she ran off and left you here for me to break as compensation.¡±


    The strange humm of the Nova began to increase making Andrew¡¯s hairs rise on his neck. Getting into a stance and enhancing his knight''s armor as best he could Andrew glared back at his looming opponent. Seeing his tense expression Dawn the Nova pilot laughed.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid of dying for the will of the one you serve,¡± Dawn said, the Nova slowly walking closer. ¡°If it was to further my master''s dreams I would gladly serve my guts on a silver plate for him. So tell me, ¡®plus one¡¯ What would you do for yours ay? What organs are you willing to cough up?"


    As the Nova drew closer towards him, as he was standing at the very tip of the edge of the lift shaft Andrew knew that this was not a matter of winning. This was not even a case of losing. It was a simple matter of just how long can he hold this thing on before it broke him.

 Chapter 8: Greed of Insight

    It will take at least three more days before we reach Lucas at the relentless pace we are going. It would have been about a week''s travel otherwise.


    Assuming that they''ve not been reckless in travel as we are then that could mean that any event or trap that was in wait from there has been sprung roughly a day back. if they have traveled at the same pace as us, however...


    Whether they are there or not, and whether they''ve walked into a trap. If a demon attack has indeed befallen the village of Lucas, then I worry about the state of its people.


    Sophie - July 18th, 2764


    Natalie


    She descended through the caved-in floor of the lift shaft, her eyes followed the carnage to its origin. Her wings of night land her elegantly at the bottom of the makeshift tunnels. The fragments cracked rubble and rocks fell from the ends of the freshly broken hole like oversized water droplets. Walking through the lowest floors she locked eyes with the one shimmer of life still standing radiant within her purple angelic eyes. A lone armed man crushed under a cluster of stone and plaster.


    Coming down the hall and the last corner that was between her and the man she was met with the sounds of groning pain and irregular breathing. The man now seeing Natalie come around the corner gritted his teeth at the sight of her. Natalie returned a cold and featureless glare back.


    Their piercing death glare at each other was broken by the man violently coughing out blood declaring Natalie the victor. Chuckling in-between coughs the man sighed a surrendering breath to life itself.


    "The one they lured, come to see little old me.¡± he smirked, ¡±So what? Are you here to save my soul?"


    With her wings of black ink and otherworldly eyes of purple overshadowing him, weighing his worth in cold silence, it was hard to debunk his comment. With her head slightly tilted to one side and eyes narrowed Natalie kneeled down towards him studiedly.


    "That depends on how you answer the question," She said carefully. "This tunnel, where does it go?"


    The man chuckled again but this time under chattering teeth. More than half his body was under the rubble. His legs, waist, most of his gut, and right arm were all crushed. A stream of crimson oozed through the cracks of his rubble mattress.


    "I¡¯d rather die at the hands of treachery than be shown mercy by a rogue lab rat." The man spat defiantly.


    "You will tell me what you know," Natalie said under tired lips.


    "Or what? Will you kill me? A rather greedy though if you ask me. Given that I¡¯m dying anyway."


    Natalie''s eyes fumed as she charged her hand up with a great electric pulse and hovered it over the man''s head.


    "If you''re going to kill me then get on with it. I¡¯m not going to beg from the likes of you," He pushed out of frail lips.


    Natalie''s hand remains frozen over the man''s neck, conflict rages within her core. A small part of her wanted to end his life for his tenacity of taunting her in his feeble position but not before she squeezed what info he might have first.


    "This is who the big wigs have been all flappy mouthed about? Some little girl?"


    "I can fry your insides and leave you a molten skeleton. I¡¯d be more compliant if I were you."


    "''B67''... it¡¯s what they called you, correct?"


    Natalie''s chest tightened from hearing that. A thick bottle of emotions began to crack within. The room rumbled by the thunderous sound of a storm outside the base. Her killing hand was poised to do its job but again she was held back by her want for information. Seeing that she was close to snapping the man chuckled in short pained breaths.


    "Go on then, Do it! Smite me!"


    Her mind tugged between prodding for answers and passing judgment she spaced out into the raging battle blazing in the core of her skull. Wracking her brains out for a way to make him talk all the whilst getting angrier with each passing second that came with nothing to show for. Her hair began to stand up from the static and steady climbing range of her powers, She looked like a true angel of death hovering the hand of ultimatum by her victim''s face as her power climbed higher and inner turmoil sank deeper. Swirling further into anger she hears the two sides of her mind screaming at her in contradiction to one another.


    She was so close, the place where they took the other children now an endless pile of rubble and refuse. She was once again too slow-once again just chasing the tail but never quite pinning the neck. She was too slow-too late, she¡¯d been moments too late in acting when they faced off against a bounty hunter when saving their first child in Worrornce, she¡¯d been days late when leaving the famished and desperate village of Sinidal¡­ She¡¯d been a year too late to reach her parents before they died.


    With her lament altering the storms up above Natalie delved Deeper and deeper into the vast abyss of her mind until she heard it. A third voice whispering within her mind. So unlike the ones she calls her own, it had a similar sensation to the one she thought she heard when she passed out and fell into that strange, vague dream earlier but beyond that, it resembled nothing she sensed before. It did not have the same voice for one, The other thing was even though she made a mental effort to stop her current line of thoughts it still continued, saying things that were not even at the forefront of her own mind. It felt too unfamiliar, like touching an extra limb in the dark of a silent room. Taking a mental step back with a slow breath she calmed her rising panic and zoned in on this ''thought'' to try and make sense of what it said.


    "You''re go--g to kill me either w-y -o I mig-t as well go wi-- s--e d---ity." It hollowed out in her mind.


    Confusion hit her until she liked an apple on the head, that was until she came to and looked down at the crushed man in front of her. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


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    "Who goes there?" She thought to herself.


    There was nobody else around her save for the crushed man and hollow empty halls. It was then when a crazy idea hit her. What if these thoughts did not come from her imaginings, what if these hidden thoughts in fact came from the very man she was leaning over. What if she was in fact reading his mind.


    Now anyone else with any sense would have really double-checked themselves to see if they haven''t suddenly jumped up a few spots on the crazy list. After all, to read the mind of another person was impossible. Sure there are people who joke about the blue phoenixes of the western temple being mastermind readers and using that to swindle men, women-even great leaders from their rights and wit hence their title manipulator but there had been insane rumors about the keepers of the west than there was worth counting.


    Natalie knew that mind reading was not normal, but so was summoning wings to fly and see through walls. Natalie had seen the impossible upon herself since escaping the test tube those eight years back. And from freaking out at each new discovery, the wings when they shielded her from endless rain on the first night after escaping, the angel sight that activated in her sleep her thought at the time that she was going blind. And discovering that the constant rain that had been following her for the past thirty days was all her doing was something that both awed and frightened her for weeks. After all, she¡¯d experienced the word ¡®normal¡¯ became meaningless to her. Uncertain of what she now was, and with no guidance or example of what she might become Natalie''s definition of what¡¯s possible loosened greatly. It was either that or losing her sanity.


    Nowadays when a new and strange thing happened to her she paused, tried to understand it, and then once she did it was logged away in a mental box. A box of things that were impossible, things that can only be explained as the result of the angels'' blood that they transplanted within her¡­ things that made her abnormal, a creature, a freak.


    Thanks to this instead of instantly doubting herself Natalie leaned closer to the broken man''s uncertainty. Already desperate for answers, she studies his features but this time she tried her mental best to keep her mindset on the same desperate frequency. Years stuck with this power had helped her tease out any oddity she discovered about herself. No matter how strange and random each new oddity was at first there was always a logical and controllable way to repeat and/or stop it at will.


    Her wings came out when she yearned for strength or protection, the eyes happened when she was dreaming of one day reaching her mother and father-that yearn to see the unseen triggered it, she was so homesick by that point that she was crying in her sleep when the strange sites she could see through her eyes shocked her awake. As for the rain and storms, they seemed to follow the ebb and flow of her heart. Unless tempered and controlled her heavens would reflect her mood.


    The new power, the power to perhaps read minds must have been awakened by her will and want to pick his brain and pull what he knows about the ones in charge out of his skull. But why now? There have been many times where she¡¯d love to know what someone was thinking these past eight years. That was a normal thing to wonder-at least prayed it was. The only answer she could come up with however was the void black dream and the voice she heard within it.


    Something was changing within her, the freak creature they¡¯ve altered her to was still evolving¡­ it made her heartache. That ache she felt however became her tool. Just like all the odd abilities that don¡¯t fit into the human, demon, or other categories combined she logged them and held them tight all in the hope of using them as a weapon to turn the people who have done this to her and others on their head.


    Her one goal in life now was to gather all the bitter medicine that they dished her and feed it back to them with interest. For that reason alone she would willingly become a species beyond human comprehension.


    "What did you say just now?" She said carefully. Eyes cold-calculating. Trying her best to discover and apply the new tool that she¡¯d discovered.


    Now it was his turn to look baffled.


    "Had the experiments made your death as well as stupid!? I¡¯m talking about the name they gave you? I heard that you''ve been all around trying the place to find us and take us down, but I''m not afraid of you! So go on, do what you came to do!!" he pushed out just before coughing heavily.


    "After bein- ba-k st--bed by Da-n le- me a- le--- take this sec-et w--h me!" her mind ringed un-intently.


    The words¡­ or sensations were hard to make sense of. As if there was a net catching the whole meaning of them except that this one net had great big holes in them and some of the intent just slipped on though. Despite this, she was now more certain than ever that this was the prominent thoughts of this dying man before. No double about it, she was mind reading.


    It was then that a crazy idea came to her. As she looked at the wall of rubble blocking her path she narrowed her eyes in yearful and rageful want.


    "Just give me a name." She said, her gaze off to something beyond even her angelic sight. "Does this tunnel lead to Titans Creek?"


    The bait was cast...


    Unaware of this he mentally responded in kind.


    "Why wou-d she say th-t out al--d?" His voice echoed out.


    "What are you waiting for? Have you ever killed before? Well then get to it!" the man said between chattering teeth.


    "And tho-e tunn--- d-n''- le-- to T---n''s C--ek. It leads to b-se in A-u- f----."


    Like the world was playing a twisted joke on her, the likely name that she wanted was the only one mental net missed the most meaning from. Being so close from getting what she wanted she opened her mouth in an attempt to strike twice but was stopped by the next thing that echoed through her mind.


    "My bo-y is c--shed and -or so-e reason I''m n-- d-ad. It hur-s, I just wa-t the p--n to sto-. At l-ast g-ve m- that. L-t it end, let me die with dignity! His mind whimpered.


    Natalie finally gaining insight into this man''s wants glared at him astounded. Putting together all his intent behind his taunting, the poking of her past-the attempts to make her angry. She now knew what he wanted, what he wished for. Understanding this she gets up and walks away from him.


    "H-hey! Where are you going?!" the crushed man said in a daze.


    Natalie carried on walking without so much as a glance back. Seeing his only easy way out leaving he loses his front revealing his pained and desperate self.


    "I''ll tell you where this tunnel leads. I''ll tell you anything you want! But please! Don''t leave me here like this!" his frail breath and chattering teeth flood through the hollow halls like a tidal wave.


    But Natalie did not react to his cries. His bargaining turned to beg, and begging finally turned to plead in question ''why, why won''t you kill me?''.


    But to her, it did not matter. If it meant giving scum like him even a slither of the pain she bore then Natalie would gladly lose the chance to get efficient information. The desperate cries of a dying man are drowned out by the footsteps of Natalie and the rumble of thunder. Her memory of his pleads faded faster than her growing distance between them.


    Death comes to all of us, why help you meet it sooner? Why not suffer here for a bit longer? Like me... she lamented.


    She paused her advance however when she noticed that she¡¯d been walking towards nothing of importance, just a dead-end of the hall on the very bottom floor. Being too busy trying to crush the dying man''s wish to notice sooner she sighed to herself at her lack of results to show for it all. Just a few intense glares, a reminder of her label¡­ and another reason why she''s a monster.


    Though there may be some hope of deciphering the message. She will need to get a hand on a map first before she was even certain that was possible. With Andrew being the one carrying it she knew where her next stop should be.


    It was then that her eyes widened, coming back to the current scenario.


    "Andrew?" Natalie said to herself in a daze.


    Turning around she searched the place with her purple eyes for the boy with that name.


    Coming up blank she could only deduct that he had moved someplace too far for her to see from where she stood. Most likely pushed up their giants Nova Dawn. That or...


    Finding the nearest flight of stairs she leaps up them three at a time, cursing her negligence. Praying that he and the children had not paid the price for her greed.

 Chapter 9: Clockwise Counter

    It''s far worst than I imagined.


    Though we are a few days away from Lucas the number of people who are on the road to either leave the village for good or to look for loved ones is staggering.


    Our paths crossed some of them offered to travel back with me in hopes that could find their missing family and friends. Apparently, some people decided to stay in the village despite the demon attack.


    They say that they came up from the ground like fish and fed upon them like feed sprinkled on the water''s surface... Corcovantis might have been among the ones witnessed. Snapjaw is its common name. Though I doubt that anyone wants to hear about that at such a time.


    Though it''s vague and laced with more hope than logic I do tell them that someone might already be out there helping to bring their loved ones back.


    Small comfort perhaps, but it''s the small trails that kept me from giving up on finding her. Though chances are stacked against it I truly hope more than ever to be proven wrong.


    Sophie - July 19th, 2764


    Andrew


    His fingers rattled as he absorbed another lethal blow from the giant leg of Dawn. Deflecting the strike with his father''s blade it blazed past Andrew and tears through the wall behind him with a mighty crash. Dust and rubble exploded on impact leaving Andrew staggered but free to slip on by the giant hunk of deadly metal thanks to the new opening. Having blocked multiple kicks with the same destructive force put behind them Andrew¡¯s been forced to put all the energy he could muster just to defend himself. He¡¯d landed a few counter strikes on it in the beginning but he quickly learned to his dismay that they''d been deflected off an almost invisible barrier.


    It¡¯s a lot like knights armor, but how?!


    All living things had knights'' armor, or rather they all have the energy and potential to tap into the planet''s will to gain knights'' armor. Only artificial things were the exception. At least that¡¯s how Andrew came to understand it. This new reality he was facing was like seeing pigs fly or a hen bark. It was uncanny, it just doesn''t happen.


    Andrew staggered back against another wall as Dawn entered into the room it smashed a hole into. That hole is blown bigger by the bullet-like speed Dawn rushed in. Cramped and cornered Andrew gritted his teeth-his eyes widened. Channeling his energy onto his sword he tilted the blade to its face and swung it with all his might. Like swiping a great fan his channeled energy was unleashed and blasted off like a giant sneeze. At that moment the powerful gale exploded within the confounds of the room, Andrew was slammed back against the wall from the sheer force of it as he and the shabby and vacant mats that had been excused for bedding were plastered in place from the desperately escaping air. Dawn although too big to be squashed against the wall staggered back a little instead, that was all the opening Andrew could hope for.


    By the time and violent gust subsided Andrew had already made himself scarce by slipping along the wall and ramming the door (the real way in or out.) next to him. Back in the hallway, Andrew sprinted towards the stairwell for all he''s worth, his body warm from exertion but skin cold from his rising nerves. Although he got a good headstart Andrew could already hear Dawn gaining on him-man is it fast!


    Slamming the door open Andrew tore through the step upward four at a time, he was practically jumping up the steps with each stride and he felt that he was making good time-that he would make it. Suddenly the shaft just below him exploded in a blinding mix of white and purple through his thermal goggles. Then came another explosion this time closer. Running up the steps Andrew was engulfed by the flames only then able to stumble and crash into one of the stairwell exits, his knight armor protecting him from being cooked alive within his flesh. Escaping with overheated clothes and the smell of his hair on his face Andrew tumbled into the hallway with a roll before he forced himself to his feet. Legging it to the stairwell on the other side he hoped to make it and continue his ascent. The door was in sight now along with the large painted sign labeled ¡®G4¡¯.


    Just four more floors, I¡¯ve got to keep this thing off of me for four more floors!


    A giant leg came breaking through the floor below him blocking his path. Skidding to a halt Andrew tried to steady his breathing as he faced his sword in front of him and lowered himself into a defensive stance.


    Dawn rose up from the rubble like a dog leaping out of a heap of snow before setting its cockpit lights upon Andrew.


    ¡°You don¡¯t break easily do you?¡± Dawn said with a sigh.


    ¡°Not as easy as you broke the silence,¡± Andrew spat back.


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    Dawn huffed to himself in amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯ve crushed knights before, flame knights, aqua knights-even some steel ones. All were confident that they could cut me down and yet failed. And even so, you feel different to them somehow.¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°If different doesn''t include me being unable to cut you down either then I fail to see the benefits.¡±


    Although he was acting cocky his mind was racing a mile a minute. He did not want to talk to Dawn but he welcomed the respite it gave him and so he aimed to try and do it for all it¡¯s worth. The fact was that knights'' armor or not Dawn''s defenses was too tough for him to cut through it with normal means. Unless he was able to channel more energy-more will into his blade then he¡¯ll end up with the same results. Luckily he had just one such move but he needed time to orient himself and reflect on Dawn''s attack patterns first otherwise it could backfire drastically if poorly done. If it landed at all it would be a big break, if landed perfectly it could turn the tables, perhaps even end the fight.


    Stop wishing for miracles. He thought.


    Andrew remembered that Natalie told him to lure him to the surface so she could face it in her element. But even so, Andrew was sure he could be more than just be the bait.


    Besides, what if she doesn''t make it on time? Memories of her promising the kids that she will get them home safe flash through his mind making Andrew grip his blade tighter.


    ¡°I was hoping to cripple you enough to drag you back to my master, that power you use¡­ there is something different about it.¡± Dawn said, his contemplative voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°Just call me the black sheep,¡± Andrew had an amused smile as he said it but Dawn hardly seemed to have noticed.


    ¡°Either way you''re on your last legs, once you fall it will be back to gathering those kids.¡±


    Andrew''s chest tightened to this but he made a conscious effort not to show it.


    ¡°Well crap, since I''m about to be beaten anyways I won¡¯t be able to tell anyone what the hell is going on here or what you''re up to if you told me,¡± Andrew said.


    Dawn chuckled to himself.


    ¡°You think me a fool?¡±


    ¡°I think I''m good as dead, I just want one worthwhile story to take to the grave with me. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve stopped to talk for no reason.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just...¡±


    Dawn went silent to this as if honestly contemplating Andrew''s comment. Andrew senses this as more time for him to prepare his last real trump card urges him to continue talking.


    ¡°¡®You need someone else to gloat to.¡¯ right? I get like that too sometimes."


    Another silence fell as Andrew held his breath for the response.


    ¡°It¡¯s just your affinity. They are a lot like my masters and yet they are different somehow," Dawn said.


    And just like that, Andrew''s fa?ade of gained interest crumbled. Dawn sighed at this change in Andrew¡¯s demeanor.


    "So you do understand the severity of this, don''t you?" Dawn continued.


    Andrew¡¯s mouth went dry, hardly hearing what Dawn had said. Someone else like him, someone besides him and his father with the same affinity.


    "Just who are you, people?" Andrew mumbled.


    "We are known as the Seven Stars of Halo," Dawn obliged. "For a moment, I thought that maybe you were perhaps also a part of his plan. The plan does require the first knights to gather. But it''s too soon."


    "What were you hoping to gain from all this?"


    Dawn paused. An air of suspicion radiated off of him. With a chuckle, he answers anyway.


    "I¡¯d guess it¡¯s for the creation of the perfect being."


    Mouth ajar Andrew''s cheeks began to rise as he slowly divulged into hysterical laughter. After being struck with the likelihood that there are other knights like him and then hearing of their goal he just could not help it.


    "So you''re saying that you screwed up all these lives just to make a perfect being? What a shitty hobby! You should get yourselves a new one," Andrew spat tauntingly.


    This earned him the wrath of Dawn as he kicked him through the wall to his back and continued to chase him with a barrage of kicks. Andrew was ready for it but even so, the strike itself drew the laugh right out of him.


    "Ignorant brat!! You have not the slightest idea the lengths gone to in order to reach the panicle!! The extent I have gone to stand upon its plane! I will not allow you to make light of it!!" Dawn shouted whilst unleashing his stream of kicks at him.


    Andrew¡¯s arms were giving way from fending off the sheer power of the Nova. Still unable to find the key moment to use his last trump card he turned around to retreat. He hardly took three steps before he was pulled by his ankles and tossed through the ceiling passing through two levels of ground and ceiling, with his sword placed in front as a makeshift shield being the only thing that kept him from taking the full force of it.


    The world rings around him as his mind tried to recover from violent vertigo and near whiplash of being used as a wrecking ball. His sense of direction gone, he mustered all the focus he could to find his enemy whilst in among the falling rubble. Turning to his six whilst still airborne he sees it. The Nova whips its leg around towards his three o''clock at a speed still baffling for a thing that size. Feeling that this is a better moment than any he unleashed the skill known as a clockwise counter. He spun his sword in a clockwise motion like a helicopter between Dawn and himself whilst he expanded his knight''s armor in front of him like a dish. Dawn''s kick comes into contact with this makeshift propeller-like sword and dish-like energy deflecting it slightly. In the fraction it took for the leg to make contact with his energy and sword Andrew moves. To the outside observer, it almost looks like he bent the fabric of space-time to suddenly react to an attack that has long been launched with speeds only dreamed of by the demons themselves. Re-clenching his sword, Andrew cuts through Nova''s cockpit in a flash.


    The cut passed through the shields and slashed a part of Nova''s leg. It was damaged however, it was not enough to stop its advance. Andrew seeing that his last card fell to the wayside could only smile at his lack of strength and brace himself for the punishment that the enraged Dawn will now inflict on him.


    The thermal device over his eyes became static after instinctively avoiding an incoming attack he was certain he sensed and avoided. His movement was getting sloppy. Being blinded Andrew felt himself flinging in the air like a rag doll.


    In a last-ditch attempt, he surrounded himself in as much knight''s armor as he could muster. His dark mist like energy blankets over him like a thick second layer of skin as he feels the world spiral away from him and a sudden flash of white take its place along with a sound like a thunderclap, and then-

 Chapter 10: Held to words

    We found the bodies of four adults, three men, and a woman.


    Gunshot wounds to the back and side of their heads... there was not even a sign of a struggle.


    One of the locals that came with us, Victor had identified the bodies as friends and family from Lucas.


    The last time anyone saw them they were escaping the village with their younger siblings or children in hand. No traces of the children were found.


    I intend to follow the old road through the misty mountains leading to Abler, the locals there do not like visitors, but if anything has come through these mountains they will know. I just pray that my lessons in Alermuric are enough to build a dialogue.


    I feel bad leaving the people of Lucas in such a shabby state but they are right, a building can be rebuilt. But a person cannot.


    I''ll tally up the number of people who are missing when I get back.


    Sophie - July 21st, 2764


    Andrew


    He staggered onto his feet to the sound of something large crashing through rubble close by, the faint scream of heavy raindrops helped ground Andrew back into the world he briefly left. The memories of how he wound up on his front were missing. His back ached along with his throbbing head. Seeing a static and cracked lens when he opened his eyes panicked him at first until she remembered that he had thermal goggles on his eyes, pulling off the device he threw the shattered remains off to one side as he regained his bearings.


    Now using his naked eyes in what felt like forever he was met with the blurry sight of the dark brown slabs of concrete with shattered rubble spilling off to one side. Just up ahead the legs of Dawn came into view making him both relieved concerned that he was somehow still alive. This can be for only two reasons, one he¡¯d passed out but only for a few seconds and Dawn did not notice, or two, he¡¯d been out longer but in Dawn''s strange interest in him he decided to hang back and keep him alive. Andrew¡¯s mind was too fuzzy to really come to terms with any of them but he¡¯d hoped that it was the former. He could faintly hear the vehicle of winds and rumbling thunder to the far back. Chancing a glance back Andrew sees the light of the base''s exit at the end of the hall that he¡¯s cut open for the kids before making his way back to Natalie.


    ¡°Begining to wonder if I''m hitting you hard enough,¡± Dawn said cooly.


    Forcing himself up straight and staggering into some kind of stance Andrew stood there, fighting for air he willed himself to hold his ground against the Nova.


    His sight was a blur as he tried to get his bearings, for one brife moment he¡¯d forgotten why he was standing there until he gave his head a light shake. Frequently he demands more strength from his body, more stability of balance but like trying to start a stalling engine he feels weaker from the attempt. He needed to check his wounds, Andrew''s ribs felt pretty bad and it felt like his neck had been stretched up to the point of a giraffe. He wanted to back away and retreat down the hall to light and freedom but knowing the kind of weapons Dawn has to turn his back to it meant death. Despite everything Andrew found comfort in the fact that he put up enough of a fight for the kids to perhaps run far enough to not be captured too easily. At worst they get rounded up and brought back but at least with them off and running there was still hope.


    Andrew was ready and willing to die on that wish until a sound cut through his lament as if to mock them, off out there in the distance he could hear the faint but distinct sound of one of the kids that they helped escape. They were out there shouting their lungs off in a language that he did not for the life of him understand.


    It¡¯s the one who stuck close with Natalie!


    Cursing under his breath he locks eyes with Dawn knowing for certain that he too heard it. He noticed the handy work he did on the cockpit, besides the leg slash he¡¯d widened the opening that Natalie made into the cockpit giving a clean gap into the pilot chair. The man within had on a black helmet but even so it gave Andrew a needed reminder that behind this junk of destructive mass was just a human.


    Perhaps seeing that calming realization show on his face Dawn stepped in and kicked Andrew with its sharp talon-like feet. Andrew blocked it to only stagger clumsily back onto the ground and slid to a halt. The sound of rain got close as well as the desperate cries of the foreign-speaking girl. All the while Andrew''s desperation rose.


    "You hear that?" Dawn said through his speakers. "Just a hop and a skip away from the children."


    Andrew couldn''t see it because of his helmet but he could tell that Dawn was smiling behind the cockpit. With his back to the outside and the rumbling sound of thunder enticing him Andrew clenched onto his blade and made a big gamble. Turning his back on Dawn he legs it for the exit, light, and freedom.


    Stepping into the rain Andrew turned around to the sound of rockets propelling towards him. Spinning the sword behind his back in a reverse grip Andrew used


    Lone shadow and fades out of sight and into his shadow on the floor. The rockets past the spot he was last standing in before exploding on the ground a few feet ahead of him. He felt like he avoided a disaster until he heard the screaming of other children who were too close to the blast zone.


    Andrew emerges from his shadow looking at the impact of the rocket with widened eyes, praying that nobody fell victim to his reckless decision. The heavy rain made visibility poor; no longer could he see the great mountains that surrounded the area.


    He sees most of the children running and screaming from the blast site and scattering in different directions. All save for the foreign girl who had her back to both him and Nova; she kept on screaming the same thing out into the sheet of rain over and over as if calling for them to help.


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    "You first, then the kids," Dawn said snarkily.


    He heard the Nova closing in on him. Using his sword as a supporting stick he knew that he had little strength left to withstand another blow from the giant machine. He needed a miracle and the time for that was quickly slipping away.


    Out of options out of cards to play Andrew just stood there looking at Dawn''s demise approaching. In that desperate state, his thoughts went back to Natalie.


    You¡¯d gone and said it, didn''t you? You said that you will get them out of this hell, Andrew thought to himself, he watched as the Nova overshadowed him, It¡¯s killing intent making it seem even taller yet. If I die here then fine, but keep ahold of your promises damn it!!


    As if in answer to his inner turmoil a great bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck Dawn upon its cockpit. The deafening sound of thunder and flashes of purple light temporarily overwhelmed Andrews''s senses to such a point that for a second he was uncertain if he was still alive or not. When he came to he saw Dawn crashing down on the ground behind him. The screams and cries of the pilot writhed in the heavy rainfall. Looking back at the broken rock face entrance he sees Natalie making her way towards him with black feathered wings stretched forth and eyes a thunderhead of cold anger.


    "You should have never stepped out of the shadows," She said, her tone seeped with venom.


    Dawn gets up in a stagger only to be plastered down to the dirt by another intense thunderbolt from on up high. It was summoned with a single waving hand gesture of Natalie.


    Andrew watched as Natalie mercilessly rains down intense bolts of streaming purple electricity to smite Nova, the thunderous roar of the onslaught was only surpassed by the hellish screams of the pilot within it.


    As the smoke and steam from her barrage evaporated, rain itself let up, Natalie made it to Andrew¡¯s side as she observed the now Fallen Nova. stropping his hands to his knees Andrew took this time to recover from his heavy fatigue. Natalie walked on past him before stopping right in front of Dawn, her back facing his.


    "Got bored of sightseeing? Because I had everything under control here, you could go back in and take a picture of the damn place if you¡¯d want it will last longer." Andrew picked up.


    He tried to make light of the intense situation he found himself in. He tried to keep his anger down on the fact that she¡¯d ran off in the first place. His shaking hands betrayed him however and he was glad that for once Natalie was not looking at him at that moment.


    "I wasn¡¯t thinking things through back there, I''m sorry," Natalie said softly.


    Andrew, a little taken aback, turned around to look back at her in shock, worried that his sarcastic comments will kill the mood. He could only shake his head with a content smile plastered over his face. However, that moment was short-lived when the Nova Dawn began to sture on the ground.


    This time, however, it''s strange humming sound began to rise and rise to greater decibels. Natalie and Andrew, equally shocked by this looked upon this almost at a loss for words as it somehow stood back up on its feet. They yet to have proof but they were more than certain that its power was somehow rising.


    Andrew was at a loss until he saw the gap that was cut through the cockpit of the Nova with his handy work, their handy work. Able to make out the now cracked black helmet within the shadows of this opening his mind lit up.


    "The gap, strike him through the gap!!" Andrew demanded.


    Natalie''s purple eyes reverted to her normal one and widened, having likely overlooked this fact due to how her other sight works Andrew thanked himself for stating something that to him seemed really obvious.


    Seeing the opening Natalie concentrated a condensed ball of electricity within one palm. With Dawn spitting profanities within his now rage-induced machine, Natalie made the first move by jumping above the cockpit, people electricity sparked light off her hand like a flickering star as she crashed down upon Dawn with an explosive current of electricity.


    Like an EMP wave, it pulsed along the ground. Landing within the gap it was only a matter of time before the force field gave away allowing the current to land directly into the cockpit cooking the pilot within like an egg still in its shell.


    For a moment everything went silent save for the falling rain. Sounds of the foreign girl calling the same call to the vast sea of rain continued. The Nova toppled to the ground once again but Natalie did not let up. As she stood on top of it she pushed more electricity through the opening. The sounds of the Nova¡¯s rising power stopped. All went silent, Andrew sighed at relief at the outcome, he began to make his way walk towards her until he heard Dawn still corking for air within.


    Knowing that Natalie did not finish him tied a knot within his gut. It meant that she was not done, that she still had business to deal with just like when left him with Dawn to chase a lead.


    "Natalie, what are you doing?" Andrew said, hurrying his strides. He knew and answer before he asked, however.


    "I told you that I will beat you to an inch of your life," She said, eyes narrowed towards the cockpit.


    "I-I''m... sorry!" Dawn struggled to push out between weak pants.


    Andrew stopped mid-way now slightly baffled by his choice of words.


    "You ready to talk?" Natalie said.


    "E-e-e-Epimetheus..." he pushed.


    "Is that the one you also call father?" Natalie said.


    "''Father?''" This was the first time Andrew was hearing this.


    "I''m sorry-" Dawn mumbled hoarsely.


    "Enough with the apologies and out with it!! It¡¯s him isn''t it-you lied-he¡¯s not dead! Tell me where can I find him?! Where did you take the children?!"


    Andrew suddenly felt uneasy. Thinking back to his attempt at integration-hell even before then there was something he¡¯d been saying that he overlooked for the problem at hand. He knew that it was at the tip of his tongue but all the knocking around he sustained has left his thoughts fuzzy.


    "M-master I''m sorry." Dawn whimpered weakly.


    Natalie¡¯s baffled look turned into one of utter shock, that face she had on now was like the one she gave once within the base when she looked up. And that¡¯s when it hit him, he overlooked it not just because of the head damage he sustained but also because he linked with Dawn¡¯s master to him and his father because Dawn mentioned that he too can use dark knight energy just like him. He remembered the last time he heard him bring up that title sure but at the time he was such a big issue it did not dawn on him that just because he was a big problem it doesn''t mean that he was the biggest problem in the room.


    He''s not the leader!! ninety-nine alarm bells blew up within Andrew''s mind as once.


    "We need to get out of here, now!!" He shouted to Natalie whilst gathering his strength to run.


    Someone with the same affinity as mine.


    It was just impossible. Never had he ran into another dark knight beside his father-hell even his father told him that much from his own travels. Had this been any other time-any other place Andrew would be eager to meet this alleged knight and pick his brain on many things dark affinity related. God knows his father had been tight-lipped about what the deal was with their powers. Had this been another situation Andrew would be delighted¡­ but this¡­


    Natalie looked over to Andrew spaced out. She likely saw the conflict and fear on his face and Andrew right now did not care-let her see. So Long as it prevents her from being stubborn on getting as far away from here as possible then he¡¯d gladly look like a spooked cat for now. Before she could comment on this, however, he heard it. They all heard it. Another voice with yet a face to identify enters from the void all around them.


    "You did well, Dawn."


    The world became dark, and the very skies themselves became blanketed by a darkness that seemed boundless yet elusive all at the same time.


    They were too late¡­ this master, dark knight-this Epimetheus. He was here.

 Chapter 11: Respite & Ultimatum

    Have you ever had that moment in your life where you wonder if everything you have done up until now is all in preparation for something?


    It''s partly got to do with how I became your apprentice. It got me thinking back, I took up reading what I could on elemental manipulation in my spare time. None of my friends or family led me to it. I''d got the book''s on the cheap out of my pocket money. I''d try to save up for the biggest-looking book. My logic was If I''m going to spend my hard-earned money on something other than food or sweets then it needed to hold a lot of knowledge.


    I picked out this one small book, ''Elementry Alermuric by Patrick. C. Zimbermon''. I''d no intention of taking up a language class even if I made it in Hallow peak. Buying such a small book went against all my allowence rules I laid down and yet even so it came in my ownership...


    My language teacher Vera Clemens looked at us five in her class. She said that out of the then nine-hundred and forty students in the whole of Hallow peak if put on the world scale, we''d average out the percentage of people who''d even speak the only other used language left to us. There used to be more students in the past'' but; ''As the world change, we change,'' was Vera''s saying when asked about it. Only two of us completed the class that year in the end.


    Most manipulators never leave Hallow peak but here I am, one of perhaps four competent Alermuric translators active, now traveling north-east to soon make contact with the Nuzi people. I never planned on leaving Hollow Peak-in fact I thought I was doing rather well there. A part of me thought that perhaps you sent me on this quest because of my influence in the temple but that doesn''t seem to bother me as it once did.


    I''ve been set up by the planet to be here at this time and place armed with this knowledge. It sounds stupid I know. My willingness to chase my dream was a big part of it, but that still doesn''t quite cover the feeling that I''m walking into something bigger than myself. Maybe I''m finding an excuse for why I''m still here, maybe these black mountains exude a mood that makes one reflective. Or perhaps it''s just because the mountains I see here have made me a little nostalgic.


    Sophie - July 21st, 2764


    Natalie


    It was void black as far as the eye could see. Like a rift torn over the heavens themselves. It loomed down at them like a peerless eye from a being of incomprehensible size. All rainfall stopped a few seconds later as if a tap tightened shut. Before Natalie shock from such a sight could kick in she felt a damp churning in her core, it was as if someone had reached deep into her core and threw a blanket on her blazing emotions. All the fire, the anger, all the fight-the rush it was all just snuffed out. The heat was still there but something had removed its main means of fuel. Without thinking, Natalie knew what had happened. Even though this was the first time this had ever happened to her she just knew.


    My storm, that thing stole my storm¡­


    For as long as she had these powers the storms had been a reflection of her emotions, sometimes she¡¯d go as far as to say an extension of them, one would not sway without the other close behind. It took great concentration to keep her emotions reflected on the sky and horizon. Natalie did not know when she started thinking of the storms as hers and she could not really recall the last time this was something that she even had to inherently think of. But as soon as that blackness came and stole her thunder for a moment it truly felt like they¡¯d stolen a part of her. The thought of this sent shivers down her spine and her will to act was quite leaving her standing in place dumbfounded.


    It took her a moment to recover and find herself again but to Natalie, it felt like forever. With her will dampened but alive Natalie looked up at the endless black this time really trying to see what was up there.


    Within it, she saw a man descend the endless black eye. His tailored cut robe is pure white with red and cream fringe patterns running down it. Great crow-like wings stretched forth upon his shoulders, his eyes a deep and ethereal purple just like her¡¯s. As he fixed his eyes on her Natalie feels the same chill that she felt when she hit against the ceiling within the base. That uncanny feeling of being looked through. The cold smirk was a reflection of the one she saw him pull back then. It¡¯s mirth barely reaching his eyes. As the realization that he was in fact real sank in hairs stood up on the back of her neck.


    As Epimetheus crisp white robes tasseled to the beat of his wings Natalie came to realize that between the time that he¡¯d appeared and touched down atop of the Nova Dawns cockpit she¡¯d stepped back twelve feet away from it. She¡¯d practically been on top of it just a moment ago. Since when did she withdraw? Natalie vaguely recalled Andrew taking her wrist and pulling her back when Epimetheus showed up but was she memorized enough to let him do so without protest? The amused yet sinister face Epimetheus gave made Natalie think that maybe she did do just that. With Epimetheus now this close she noticed that he could easily pass for early thirties.


    His purple eyes seemed forever sharp, keen¡­ knowing. With the air left silent by his presence, Epimetheus chuckles to himself ever so slightly before allowing his gaze to wander around to Dawn below him.


    Andrew''s breath seemed to break the silence the moment he did so, it was as if he¡¯d been holding it up until then. It was between these breaths that Epimetheus turned his eyes back to them or more specifically Andrew. As if catching wind of it Epimetheus turned around to look back at him. That knowing grin seemed to brighten as he did.


    "You mean the blackness you see?¡± Epimetheus asked he bopped his up to the void sky above them, ¡°I opened a doorway swallowing that is in its path, can''t have B67 kill my steed." He glanced over to Natalie, his faceless amused but only slightly. "I am Epimetheus, second of the seven stars."


    Natalie¡¯s eyes narrowed to all of this, although they both were valid answers she welcomed knowing neither she or Andrew had not asked anything since his arrival. Andrew however stumbled back, his eyes widened in dumbfounded shock. Before Natalie could question it the expression was replaced with a weary focus.


    He was looking for ways to fight Epimetheus Natalie thought, it was subtle, too many it would look like the sight of someone half ready to run but after years of traveling beside him, Natalie just knew. Despite this Epimetheus just took one look at Andrew and shook his head in disapproval.


    "Don''t be rash. I¡¯ve not come to destroy you. I¡¯m only here to confirm something," He said his eyes did not leave Andrew¡¯s.


    It was like he was putting some spell on him-some kind of conversation was going back and forth between them and Natalie was invisible to it. And this spell was taking effect. And little by little Andrew¡¯s fight disgusted as the light faded away.


    "How are you doing that-how are you reading my thoughts?!" Andrew shouted as he got into an earnest defensive stance.


    And just like that, the severity of the situation fell on to Natalie''s lap. She would have thought it crazy-impossible even, had she not just pulled the same thing when interrogating that man stuck under the rubble. And wasn''t she just doing the same with Andrew¡¯s mind just now? It was not intentional, she¡¯d mistaken her deep understanding of his intent not solely on life experience but some vibe of that face was whispered to her barely noticeable. It was faint-barely a whisper but it was there now that she knew what to look for. That fact pulled in another more scary thought.


    What if he can read my mind too!?


    Suppressing that thought for fear that it will be the thing that he will latch on to and like an illness be within the confounds of her inner more thoughts Natalie leaped into a defensive stance.


    Epimetheus, however, just looked at her with narrowed eyes.


    "The power of knight''s armor is indeed fascinating.¡± He picked up. ¡°An internal bond with the earth''s affinity, amplified by the weapons and tools we use. With these things we are able to draw in elemental energy from the planet itself, making it our own.¡±


    ¡°Its will to protect us is our own, but even then it does so in ways we have yet to unravel. Like a barrier to the mind for example. Maybe it''s the mental fortitude of a knight. After all, to make one will physically manifest any kind of energy into form of self-protection is a feat that is only left to the strongest of minds.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the mind in it¡¯s want to protect the body of harm happens to also protect itself from imagined and intangible threats like the privacy of one''s thoughts. Whatever the reason all we know for sure is this; the stronger one''s energy the stronger their knight''s armor, stronger the knights armor the stronger the seal to your mind will be. You, Andrew, who¡¯s fresh out of knights armor are now more vulnerable than you realize. Your mind now an unguarded fortress." Epimetheus finished, tapping his temple with index and middle finger.


    Soon after that he finally looked at Natalie.


    "That aside: I am thrilled to discover that you are not only alive, but you¡¯ve come here willingly to seek your creators. I may not be able to read your mind but I can tell the feeling is mutual." He said a calm half-smile, a twisted form on his stone face.


    Natalie''s gut wrenched at the sight of it. She tried her best to summon more storm clouds but nothing happened. The giant black rip in the sky remained, there was a tugging or taking away of something-her emotions, like water sinking down a drain.


    "You can piss off!" Natalie spat in reflex.


    "Very well," Epimetheus replied.


    "Though I was never a witness to your creation I see why the elders speak so highly of you. You¡¯ve pioneered what we were able to do with the gift for many years. And it''s clear now since that day you¡¯ve only grown more accustomed to the powers-maybe discovered some new ones. Yes, It is thanks to you that we¡¯ve been able to take things this far in such a short time."


    He arcs his hands outwards pointing to his own wings and powers as if on display to an awed crowd. Finally, with no thunderous cry of praise that would be expected from such an act he sighed and dropped his arms. "It is a shame that father never lived to see it."


    Natalie''s arms drop to her side when she hears this.


    "No" she whispered, head shaking gently. "You''re lying-he''s not dead."


    "Oh, and what makes you say that?"


    "He''s not dead because I haven''t killed him yet!" she snapped.


    Silence fell, one where she felt Andrew staring at her in silent shock but she did not pay attention.


    "He died on the same day that the others assumed you perished.¡± Epimetheus continued. ¡°Wish him well all you want, wish him back to life if it is so please ya but rest assured that he¡¯s no longer with us.¡±


    Epimetheus was talking about something about carrying the torch and keeping on the path but Natalie stopped listening. The wave of assurance that hit her when Dawn mentioned Father''s death had returned with vengeance.


    He¡¯s dead, he¡¯s been dead since the day I escaped.


    She felt cold, again. Cold-like when she climbed out of the bubble eight years ago. Rubble sticking to her wet skin like a coarse flour.


    He¡¯s dead, been dead since that¡­


    She remembered the cracking fires-could hear them now. Her breath was shallow. There was a distant muffle of something-some voice but it did not matter.


    He¡¯s been dead since...


    She was trying her best to digest what Epimetheus said. Tried her best to accept that the man she wanted to see the most, the man that kept her blood boiling the one who she thought that if she killed would end all the wrong that was done to her and others. She tried to take it in and move on but doing so only pulled her mind deeper back into her past. Every mental mantra of fact-this fallacy clotted her mind with more resentment and disbelief.


    She remembered now oh so vividly the closest moment with death. Back under rocks and rubble, crying for help with strength she no longer had, reaching out for those three figures that ran off into the night. They ran free whilst she was left trapped, trapped under rubble. Trapped in a cycle.


    They took the thing she staked her life on, took it without so much as a warning. And at what moment exactly was it when did she when they took it? What moment did Father die and she became vindicated? Was it when she awoke in the test tube kicking and screaming? Or was it when she¡¯d just made it to the exit and the building itself fell around her? Was it before even that? Was she even awake at the time?


    No, No! It couldn''t have happened, not truly! Because if it was true and he¡¯s been dead for a long time then why does she not feel vindicated by that? Why are such horrid things still happening even now? The feel of a hand on Natalie''s shoulder pulled her out of her deep lament. Looking around she saw Andrew, his face a mask of tense worry. The droning speech of Epimetheus came into focus again only now allowing her to blink her eyes and place a blanket over her past.


    "-After he died we scattered and rebuilt from the ground up, we did what we could to repeat the success we had back with you B67. It took us a while but we managed to make progress once more, it was not long however that we stumbled upon new problems. So when we heard whispers of someone with wings stopping our men from doing their job we had hoped that it would be you.¡±


    ¡°There more than one of you?¡± Natalie asked.


    Her voice was faint, distant as she held a hand on her head. Epimetheus nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m one of seven,¡± he continued. ¡±Since the incident with father we learned that we cannot leave all the ambition upon one man, ironically his death almost killed us and his dream even though his dream was something that would have superseded him. Thanks to this scare we¡¯ve separated our leadership out among the seven most dedicated.¡±


    Natalie who¡¯d been having trouble comprehending just shook her throbbing head to what Epimetheus was saying. Her tongue felt dry in her mouth. It was his talks being one of many, his way of talking of events like visiting past mistakes and the implication of being thankful for them that got her. Like her misfortune was a life lesson, that her suffering made him grateful.


    ¡±This base before you is just one of many that have served its use years ago. The other six have resided in such bases just like this in the hopes of you¡¯d taken their bait. Some minds were eager to see you first; others, however¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that their eagerness leans more towards sending you to where father is and moving on."


    Natalie felt a sensation run through her mind, she could not place it at the time but she knew that it was Andrew¡¯s cognition. As if to confirm this Epimetheus chuckled in amusement to himself like he heard a decent joke, he smiled and looked back at Andrew but this time the grin did reach his eyes. They were eyes wide with uncanny interest. Just glimpsing them made her feel like an ant being observed by a fascinated ant killer.


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    "Where I stand in all this you say? I¡¯d vote to let her be, we don''t have many organic lab rats and despite that, you¡¯ve done a great job announcing yourself before us, B67." Epimetheus said, Natalie, flinched as if slapped in the face.


    All at once, that feeling of being trapped, of her doing what they wanted her to do fell in on her. That name, that name they labeled her, B67. It was a hundred beyond being labeled A67 and a hundred below C67 she later found out in her travels. She was the 167th subject to be experimented on. One of the hundred and sixty-seven that did not make it. This was a reminder of the number of corpses she stood on top of to be here, a statistical reminder of her messed-up predicament and the scum she is trying to destroy. The 167th test subject to be experimented on, how much more have they taken since?


    She remembered them celebrating among themselves right in front of her at her continued existence, to her will to live through the pain was simply a scientific breakthrough to them.


    It mocked Natalie to her very core. She did her best to brush them off, to pretend that she was over it but her weakness was beginning to show and she knew it was what he wanted. But no matter what she did, no matter how she sliced it always boiled down to this, just another fascinating statistic from their lab rat. Just there groundbreaking experiment B67.


    "She has a name you know," Andrew said, stepping forward.


    It was the first words to come out of his mouth since Epimetheus came but somehow they were enough to cut through the fog and caged feelings within her chest.


    Natalie looked over to Andrew, her mouth agape, he just looked back at her, his eyes reassuring and stern with one simple message. You-are-here-and-I''m-here-with-you. With a brief but warm, cheeky smile he straightened up and looked back at Epimetheus.


    "And I don''t know what you mean with this ¡®path'' business, in fact, there are a lot of things that I don''t fully understand. But I can assure you that whatever direction she is walking it¡¯s not because of your grand schemes or because you left a bread trail of cheese for her to follow. I mean she¡¯s way too selfish and stubborn for that to work on her, I''m convinced that the day she falls in line is the day that I become a pig and grow wings! I¡¯ve been stuck with her for long enough so you can trust me on this."


    Natalie¡¯s eyes narrowed to this, ever had she felt so offended, so angry-so¡­ grateful to him. It all flashed over her at once and in a brief moment, Natalie realized that that darkened feeling of being trapped had lessened. She did not know how else to explain it.


    "Dawn is right; it is strange to see someone like you walking beside her," Epimetheus said.


    He frowned at Andrew as if one would frown upon a mismatched book on his otherwise perfectly neat bookshelf. Perhaps sensing that Epimetheus would soon do something, Andrew kissed his teeth in frustration before stepping forward once more, his defensive stance now curbed aggressive.


    "Subtleties out! Natalie, get them out of here! I¡¯ll take him!"


    Before Natalie could form a response Andrew had charged off towards Epimetheus. With a desperate cry, he slashed his sword down from overhead with all his might. Epimetheus, however, caught the blade by the back with just the tips of his fingers. With his free hand extended to the center of Andrew¡¯s chest a sword of shadow just appeared through his back piercing right through his heart.


    Andrew froze in motion, a stupefied look plastered on his face as he looked up back at his attacker. It was a shock to see Andrew being bested so easily. Epimetheus however seemed more lost in thoughts to care for the reaction he created.


    "Did I not say you are vulnerable without armor?" Epimetheus said.


    Natalie, stunned at how fast it all happened was overcome with rage. Glowing with sparks of electricity she looked charged towards Epimetheus with killing intent. Channeling a condensed ball of electricity in one hand she was about to throw it at Epimetheus until she saw it. Faintly, at the lower part of Andrew''s back between the gaps of his vest and trousers was a great big bulging scar that swelled like a gigantic disfigured worm plastered and burned across his lower spine. She knew that it ran all the way up to the center of its back where it rooted out into several branches like upside-down lightning. Natalie knew this for certain because she had seen it¡­ she had afflicted it on him.


    The memory of that time rushed through her mind, plowing all the will out of her determined steps, the anger and rage were flooded by an overwhelming sensation of guilt. Legs shaking, regret soon turned to despair Natalie fell to her knees.


    She was going to lose him, she was going to die and there was nothing she could do not like this, not without killing him anyways. With her eyes became heavy Natalie steeled herself and lethargic marched towards Epimetheus in hopes of getting a better shot at him.


    "Give him back," She whispers almost to herself, her pace quickened.


    "There never has been a mix to the likes of you two before, at least, not one that didn''t end in tragedy.¡± Epimetheus said musingly.


    ¡°Give him back,¡± Natalie repeated.


    Her feet were grazing-head thumping. She felt like she was going to be sick. Epimetheus seemed to look at her, twitch a ghost of a smile and continue looking back at Andrew with more interest.


    ¡°Even among our kind you''re rather unique," Epimetheus sighed. "Your name is Andrew, correct? Maybe your hold on her will help induce the change needed. It may even be possible that you''d sway her to our side of thinking one day. But for now, you''re just in the way."


    Letting go of the hilt of the shadow blade stuck in Andrew¡¯s heart Epimetheus kicks him in the gut with such force that it sends him flying into the dazedly approaching Natalie and blows them both across the wet road and rock. Catching him tightly in her arms Natalie tumbled with Andrew along the floor shielding him from harsh landing by using her body and wings to cocoon him. Grinding to a halt, wet and covered in the dirt she sits up and looked down at him tentatively, his head resting on her knees.


    She sees the phantom-like black blade pierced within his chest and her eyes grew blurry. Wiping them with teeth clenched Natalie reached out to pull the blade out however as she did so her hands passed right through it. She barely felt anything as her hand slipped through. Before she could think on it further the bladed just faded, its darky misty-like shape scattered like smoke on a windy day.


    Her eyes blinked repeatedly in disbelief. The bizarreness of it all was just overwhelming.


    The bleeding!! The thoughts thunder in her skull pulling her mind back into orientation.


    With both hands, she went to try and plug the hole in Andrew''s chest and-


    No blood...


    There was no blood anywhere, no hole where the blade had passed-not even a tear through Andrew¡¯s vest from the impeachment. Confused Natalie curbed Andrew to the side and saw nothing-no blade or hole of any kind. His chest rose and fell at a steady pace. There was some bleeding on his head but she noticed that there when she arrived out of the hidden base. Besides the fact that he was passed out, there was no sign that Andrew was that something was wrong with him.


    "Epimetheus," Dawn spoke out weakly-Natalie heard but barely reacted.


    "I know, let''s be done with this," Epimetheus replied.


    There was a snap of a finger. From it came a black void much like the one which was blanketing the sky above. It opened around her feet only leaving an encircled space around her and Andrew like south on south magnets. As Andrew and Natalie were overlooked by the endless abyss, the horrid sounds of screams could be heard coming from all sides. It was the children struggling and crying for help, using her angel sight Natalie saw them being slowly pulled into the land as if on super quicksand.


    "You are free to go B67, just remember that in placement for that freedom someone else has to play the role of the labrat. My peers tell me that we were expensive so one for one trade just won¡¯t do it for them so I¡¯ll be taking back all the ones you helped escape.¡±


    ¡°More than anything we need a free ranged one. We need you to be able to make your own choices."


    Natalie¡¯s blood was boiling but even so, her body was surprisingly calm. The panic and scream felt a mile away now. As she felt the beating pulse through his neck with her fingers she cupped his cheek affectionately before gently placing him down upon the wet ground.


    He was safe,


    With her consciousness clear of him getting into the crossfire Natalie her tempered rage alight. Channeling electricity into her hands she points it directly at Epimetheus who only smiled in amusement.


    "We may be mismatched but I''m not about to be bested by a rogue lab rat." He said coldly. "The agreement was to give you respite. Only four out of the seven agreed to this. These subjects, however, have nothing to do with it, they are needed. Do not push your luck with one who voted against your freedom."


    At that moment she saw that he was not lying, she was only standing now because of some arrangement he was honored on behalf of other scumbags like himself. If she were to give him the excuse or alibi, however¡­


    Desperate to somehow flip this predicament to her advantage she points her charged arm instead at his Nova Dawn. This made Epimetheus'' smile fade, though his facial features did not change much from the action it was enough for Natalie to understand that there has been a key shift in power. He cared for Nova, enough to come down himself and make an entrance. The children around her stopped sinking into the darkness. Seeing a way out of this Natalie gritted her teeth and pushed onward.


    "I''ll kill him!¡± she spat. ¡°He''s nearly dead-just one more zap and his heart will stop cold!"


    "I can''t have you kill my steed. I need him," He mumbled firmly.


    "And I need those kids now so give them back!" Natalie shot back.


    "Fine, then choose," He said bluntly, the assertiveness in his tone returned making Natalie frown.


    When she turned around he saw Andrew, the void blackness that kept away from him was now surrounding and sinking him into the void along with the kids. The foreign girl was still screaming off to the mountains beyond her repeatedly.


    "I will kill him!" Natalie threatened.


    "And I''ll kill everyone within this vicinity and take you back with me," Epimetheus shot back as he walked forward.


    "Then I will fight you and keep fighting until I¡¯m dead! Because there is no way in hell that I am going back in that jar!!"


    Epimetheus studied her features and frowned at what he uncovered. Her death to them would be problematic and he could tell that she was hell-bent on making her words a reality. That seemed to trouble him more so than losing Dawn and for a second that troubled Natalie.


    Haven''t they taken enough from me?! Swallowing back vile Natalie forced her attention back to the standoff she was having with this devil in human skin.


    "Very well," Epimetheus said, he stepped forward as he did so. "It won''t be elegant but I¡¯m not beyond getting my hands dirty."


    Natalie felt the dread as she forced herself to stand her ground.


    "You move any closer I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°¡®-kill your pilot¡¯? You¡¯ve said that several times already, you''re slow to act. Now I''m beginning to wonder if I''m fast enough to kill him and three of them before you even make a move," He looked at Andrew and then to the three nearest kids around him.


    Natalie''s hand trembled, she knew how the outcome would go no matter how she split the chances. Andrew would die and she¡¯ll get everyone killed. Andrew would die and then just like many other hunters or victims of these bastards their bodies will either never be found or their lives will not be avenged. Families will move or live in limbo not knowing what fate befell their loved ones.


    Since the incident Natalie no longer had a family but¡­ but Andrew, Andrew still had a family¡­


    Epimetheus advanced towards her until something-some sound shifted through the air. Natalie felt it too, like faint tremors below her feet, it grew louder and louder. The behemoth of a thing that shook the earth was fast approaching.


    Out beyond the base hidden within a great rock, beyond misted black mountains that formed a kind of bowl around them came the hulking sight of three twenty-story rock bodies with their hammerhead face stampeded their way towards him.


    Those gigantic things we ran into on the mountain. Natalie though. But why are they-


    The foreign girl jumped up and down in exaltation, her hand waving overhead eagerly as she bounced as the moving mountains stampede closer. As they came closer cracks could be seen along with the solid earth below them. They waddle their head from side to side. A roar erupts from one of them-a powerful one cut through the air as drool-like magma sprayed out its mouth.


    The little girl turned around and pointed to Epimetheus as she shouted something that Natalie would have guessed was orders. Epimetheus chuckled Ironically as he retreated back on top of his nova. Though his murth gave the sound of someone who was calm and collected, Natalie could see the hint of concern entered his face and body language.


    "So then, this is the planet''s will," He sighed before turning around to look at her.


    "The planet''s an interesting character is it not?¡± Epimetheus continued. ¡°Able to respond to the calls of others when deemed fit. Able to turn our own will-our very soul into power. Able to turn back the time our last days. It is indeed a thing of beauty.¡±


    The void-like blackness receded from the kids and instead began close in on Epimetheus and his Nova. Now that the void was focused on just them Epimetheus began to sink into its blackened depths much quicker. Meanwhile, the foreign kid ran away to one side leaving a path for the stomping great behemoth beasts to stampede. She was quickly followed by the rest of the kids as they scattered off to the sides, the sound of it all almost drowning Epimetheus'' voice out.


    ¡°But the real beauty of the planet¡¯s will is that right or wrong it does not discriminate. It only enhances one''s will. Only giving a little push when needed. We, Natalie, are just like this planet. We just want you to be free, free to make the choice. And whatever choice you make, I look forward to the outcome."


    The walking rock giants open their mouths and a deep hollow gurgle sound bubbles from within, seeing how it was drooling magma Natalie did not like the look of this at all. A straight beam of magma right towards Epimetheus traveled over and across Natalie only to miss Epimetheus as he sank into the black. Like a puff of smoke on high wind winds the void in both the sky and ground leave not even a speck of cloud in its wake. There was no sign of it ever being up there save for the perfect hole revealing the blue sky above.


    It looked so strange, like standing under the hole from a paper puncher. Before Natalie could think further on it the shadow of the colossal rock face suddenly loomed over her.


    Steeling herself for the worst, Natalie stood in front of Andrew, her hands outstretched to shield him, that was when she realized that the three giant creatures had (for a lack of a better word) become docile. Intimidating scale aside they just stood there staring, the giant-sized eye blinking in her features and, its once magma drooling mouth closed and idle. Something passed between them-some understanding or reckidnation-something vast, strange, and yet...


    So immersed by their presence that Natalie barely felt the foreign girl approaching until she was right in front of her. And touching the snout of the closest one. Blinking in surprise Natalie ran in to grab her and get away but as her instinct of the situation came in she was again rendered immobile.


    She watched in awe as the girl smiled and patted the face of the stompy-legged cliff and they closed in to let her reach out her hand to do the same to the others. The foreign girl whose eyes were sour and wet from both the rain and the tears now stood there with a profound sense of comfort radiating off her. That in turn seemed to influence the gigantic life being forming this great air-like sanctuary around them. Natalie would have second-guessed her gut feeling had the other children who were bolting away just a moment before began to quietly make their way around her, their eyes glued to the giant things mesmerized. Their eyes show the fear they thought they should have but their body feeling the safety fought against that programming and won over. With her awareness of thoughts, Natalie could practically feel it in her gut, she could practically taste it.


    Silence fell upon the land as she and the children stood, as they watched the foreign girl turn away from hugging the giants Natalie saw the warm, pure smile that was etched on her face. As she looked them all in the eye she once again said the word that she had been screaming to the winds this whole time.


    "Wasi alsukhur," She said.


    Uncertain, Natalie repeated the word under her breath. With so many thoughts on her mind and the worst of it seeming past them the act of decoding the meaning struck her with a wave of fatigue. With her wings faded she dropped down to one knee fighting for breath. She felt strung out.


    "I think it means ''Guardian rock''," Edith said, hands in his pockets, he still had his eyes glued to it as he spoke. "They protect the Nuzi people."


    ¡°You ok?¡± Walta asked by her side.


    ¡°You''re not going to pass out again are you?¡± Tien asked besides Walta as he wiped his nose.


    Steadying her breath Natalie nodded, the dizziness clearing up though that she felt that she''d grasped some understanding of what the foreign girl was saying even before Edith spoke up.


    Natalie turned around to look at Edith in silent interest which he blushing looked abashed and stuck his hands deeper into his pockets.


    "That''s what my father told me," he shrugged.


    It all made sense now.


    "What is she doing?" One of the kids said as they pointed at the foreign girl.


    In that short space of time, the Nuzi girl had jumped up onto the rock guardian¡¯s head. A little concerned Natalie stood up and rushed over to stand over where she¡¯d likely fall. Reaching its large face the girl turned around and reached her hand out to the others at the bottom.


    "Tati! Tati! Tasaluq! Khadhna ''iilaa almanzil!" she beamed repeatedly.


    "She wants us to climb on that?" one of the children remarked.


    Natalie who was staring at the girl with a strong wish to understand felt a wash of emotions come over her. That feeling describes a message and willing intent of expression besides her own. That will was strong-potent she could taste it so sweet and clear, it tasted like a chestnut on her tongue. And left her even if vicariously feeling like she did in her childhood, content, and whole again.


    "They will take you home," Natalie mumbled.


    The other kids looked at her silent for a moment and before she could think to explain why she was sure that¡¯s what the Nuzi girl was saying the other eight kids began climbing up the face of the guardian rock without a moment of doubt. Watching their reckless behavior made her wonder what her parents must have thought of her when she scaled the walls of Null. Trusting that they were safe she turned back to Andrew.


    "You''re coming with us, right?" Tien said.


    "She''s picking up her friend stupid," Walta grumbled in a hushed tone.


    A little row occurred between them but given how tense everyone felt within the walls of the base it was a refreshing change. Instead, she reached down to pick Andrew up, hoisting his arm around her neck. A sinking feeling of uncertainty fell on her chest as she looked at his peaceful face. He¡¯d been stabbed but there was no sign of it, worst yet was the fact that he was passed out and she was beginning to feel like he won¡¯t wake up in the coming days, perhaps not even if...


    Andrew, what did he do to you?


    Under the labor, this though and carrying is physical weight her belly rumbles. Eyes widened and for a few embarrassing seconds, she prayed that he did not suddenly wake up. When he did not stir she let go of her breath and relaxed, her face showing concern for her partner as she started towards the guardian rocks.


    "The hell were you thinking, running in like that?" she spat at him.


    "Natalie''s mine! Kill me if you must but you''re not taking her away from me again!" Andrew''s unconscious voice rang through her mind like thunder. Its tested of the black grape on her tongue left her with little doubt whose thoughts they were.


    Natalie stumbled to a halt, a shade of crimson stained her cheeks at the thoughts of his unguarded mind. Did he always think of her in such a way? Had it always been that intense? Perhaps she knew, perhaps there was a time where she could have reached that point with him... but things change.


    Stupid goose, I need you alive, She sighed to herself before walking on.


    Disputing her inward annoyance, a content smile appeared on her face. However, even that faded almost as fast as it came.


    "Maybe it''s best... if some things were never said," She mumbled weakly to herself.


    Natalie looked up to the concerned faces of the children all sitting on top of the giant rock beings.


    "Do you have a medicine man or earth knight in your village?" she shouted out, looking over to Andrew passed out on her side. "My friend, he needs help."

 Chapter 12: The cycle of change

    Two things that surprise newcomers in their study of Alermuric:


    Surprise number one is Alermuric is a rich language. A single word can hold a varying number of different meanings when translated to Kamish.


    Surprise number two is that the Alermuric text itself is read from right to left instead of the traditional left to right we Kamish readers are accustomed to.


    As such, what few books the Nuzi people possess start from the right side.  -


    Elementry Alermuric: by Patrick. C. Zimbermon


    Natalie


    She tried to calm herself down about the state of Andrew¡¯s wellbeing but it was not working. The children who¡¯d started talking a little among themselves since their escape had now fallen silent once again. Their mouths were sealed by Natalie¡¯s anxious vibes that loomed over them like an unpleasant rain cloud. What made it worse for Natalie was that despite their silence she could still hear them thanks to the new powers she awoke to earlier. Although she was sure that some of it was indeed them speaking in hushed tones, the voice¡¯s in her head felt louder, more upfront with their wants and concerns.


    They all hoped that Andrew would pull through but were uncertain that it would happen. This sensation along with Andrew¡¯s predicament began to overwhelm her. Where half of them spoke in whispers and others barely opened their mouths to speak at all the flood of thoughts that were running past her mind still caused her to tighten her eyes shut and grit her teeth.


    With unconscious Andrew laying on her legs Natalie bowed her head trying all that she could to tune out the children¡¯s thoughts and instead channel that towards Andrew¡¯s mind again like last time. If there was any voice there however it was being drowned out by all the minds that bombarded her brain. She did not want them to be quiet, they had escaped one hell and somewhere likely going to come home to find out what loved one of theirs was not so lucky. Come what may from that outcome at least they had others who could share their pain.


    She just worried about Andrew¡¯s mental wellbeing, it was hard for her to explain but in some odd way seeing that barely visible sword Epimetheus stabbed into him left her more scared for him than if it had simply killed him outright. It was that thing that held Andrew under a spell now, his body showing no sign of any fatal wounds and yet he remains disconnected from the world like someone in a coma or worse.


    Thinking about all the crap that Epimetheus said did not help in the matter.


    Andrew¡¯s thoughts, I''m starting to lose track of his thoughts!


    She did not know if it was her simply being unable to channel and control this new power or the other''s thoughts were entering her mind too loudly drowning out what little presence Andrew¡¯s one was making, all Natalie knew was that she was losing a sense of him somehow. The helplessness of this fact clutched her by the throat making her breaths short.


    ¡°Can¡¯t it go faster?¡± she turned to Chenoa who sat near the edge of the moving rock wall they now traveled on.


    Natalie had the presence of mind to ask for her name shortly after getting Andrew up and settling him down. Chenoa who wore a face of intense poise as if wishing her home village to appear over the horizon blinked twice before taking note of her question. Natalie did not repeat herself but even so, Chenoa seemed to read the question on Natalie''s Face.


    ¡®No faster...¡¯ the thought hit Natalie¡¯s mind, that faint taste of hazel entered her mouth, it was definitely from Chenoa. Natalie was beginning to panic. What will she do if he dies? How will she tell his parents? Perhaps seeing these threads of panic in her eye Chenoa crawled her way over to kneel by Natalie. Those actions drew the other children''s attention and soon most of them had carefully gathered around her and Andrew.


    ¡°Is he going to get up?¡± Tien asked, earning him a glare from Walta.


    Natalie had only half an ear for it however making the others simply look at each other in painful silence. Just then Chenoa looked up ahead with widening eyes before jumping to her feet and running her way along the neck of the giant beast only to stop at its edge to scream and wave at the top of her lungs.


    Natalie was about to give a word of warning until she looked up and saw what she was reacting to. Overhead just behind a mountain stood a long and wide wooden fence with sharpened tips. In the middle of it stood a gate partly open with what looked like two young men standing side by side beyond it barely visible from this distance.


    ¡°Is that where I think it is?¡± Edith asked, stepping beside Natalie to see for himself.


    As she saw him and the other children all do the same Natalie nodded absently to his question.


    ¡°Nuzi village, It¡¯s the only place that I know that exists on this side of the mountain,¡± Natalie said. A brief gust of wind blew at her back sending her old brown cloke into a flutter beyond her for a second.


    According to her map, they should have been closer to the center of this wall of mountains instead of at its very edge.


    Our map is outdated, her eyes squinting as she activated her angel sight and peered past the sharp wooden fence made out of thirty feet tree logs. What she was going on inside however gave her pause.


    They were scurrying around like ants feeling a disturbance to their nest. Men grabbing reluctant or slow-moving children to carry them to their hut¡¯s, women dropping their buckets and bowls of water and food on the side to help find shelter for their loved ones. One man looked to be in the middle of breaking down the fence that held their goats until someone else ran over and nudged him as if to hurry. After a reluctant hack at the fence, the man dropped the weapon and followed the one who nudged him. At this distance, Natalie could practically hear the panicked voices and protesting screams, cries, and shouts from the confused children. Could they be because of them? Just because she and the children came around to trusting this giant walking rock did not mean that others would understand. But even with that something about all this did not sit right with Natalie. It was utter chaos inside and yet the two guards that were standing by either side of the gate just stood there idle. It was as if they could not hear anything. Although they could see them, their lack of a reaction unnerved her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Walta echoed Natalie¡¯s thoughts.


    Natalie backed up from the edge of the giant''s neck, her unease warping her other senses. Whatever trick they were playing or whatever misunderstanding they held about them she needed to clear it up and-


    Back where Andrew loomed an eagle the size of a fully grown man. It stood over him, its sharp black talons a-top of the flat, uneven back of the guardian rock much like them. Its brown feathered body puffed out threateningly and proud as its head tilted to one side to better peer at the dark knight, it drank in the sight of Andrew as if studying an interesting specimen for a later hunt.


    With her heart leaping to her throat at seeing it Natalie just stood there froze her in place, that was until a few of the children who were at the edge with her followed her gaze and began to scream. She acted then, summoning her wings Natalie channeled a torrent of electricity into her right fist, charged in, and threw it at the man-sized bird of prey. It however simply looked at her and spread its own wings. A great gust of wind exploded from this act, a gust so strong that it broke Natalie¡¯s momentum, having her wings summoned did not help as it caught the gust of wind and blew her off the guardian rock.


    She¡¯d barely recovered when the winds suddenly shifted from blowing violently at her front to now crashed hard at her back. Natalie spun and recovered in the air like a man pulled tinder by rapid undercurrents from a great sea storm. The giant eagle used this sudden updraft of winds to ascend heavenward without once flapping its wings. Like a leaf caught in a breeze, the giant hulk of a bird flew away without making a sound. It was using the winds-controlling them itself Natalie realized. It was how it flew in so stealthily. No, indeed this was no ordinary egal-not by far.


    A spirit animal!


    It was in that moment that Natalie recollected the brief but firm wind at her back just when she and the other kids all came to the edge of the guardian rock to look out at the village. Was that when it made its landing? Had it landed truly been that simple to get behind her and stand over Andrew without her notice? Just how long had it been eyeing them to even know when to approach? The giant eagle practically had its keen eye touching Andrew''s head by the time she saw it. That keen eye could have easily been a keen beak tearing at him instead.


    Pushing those thoughts aside Natalie unsummoned her wings to fall back down on top of the guardian rock as she watched the eagle ascend in front of the sun. She knew that it maneuvered itself there for cover and she had no time to be played into its poil. Instead, Natalie landed back down and quickly drew her attention to what was going on below.


    Spirit animals are rear-doubly so in the wild. Although all living things can use the planet''s affinity like humans with their knight''s armor it takes a special kind of environment to even warrant seeing a wild animal harness the event on the most basic of levels. To meet one that cannot only harness its affinity but master it to such a degree like this eagle. It meant that this eagle had a human master and now that their ruse is up they¡¯ll¡­


    There!


    Natalie heard more so than saw the danger since looking back in the direction of the two guards who were standing there earlier now missing. Crouching and rolling out of the way of a whistling noise behind her Natalie ducked low as a strange bladed bone-like boomerang flew overhead. The eagle cried from up above as Chenoa had shouted something in panic and ple but between the din of screams of children around her and the sight of a young man branded in a scarf made up of large feathers leaping to catch, the boomerang and brandishing another in his hand to throw in return Natalie barely had time take note of what was going on.


    Instead, she backed off the edge of the guardian rock to land on the ground. Using her angel sight to see the attacker, eagle, and children above her Natalie hoped that they would instead ignore them and focus their attention on her. She was partly relieved when she saw the boomerang arc around the guardian rock and home its way towards her. Running under its giant stompy legs the spinning projectile stabbed into the feet of the guardian rock as she barely leaped over the stomping led on the other end.


    Looking over her back she saw the copper-skinned man drop from over the other side of the guardian. He cushioned his landing with a sudden burst of air confirming Natalie''s suspicions of his affinity. He looked at her with bemused eyes however that bravado faded as he looked at the trodding guardian rock walk away with one of his weapons stuck in its leg. He seemed unnerved by its presence. No sooner had she got to her feet from her earlier stunt however had she noticed the hardly audible footfalls sounding beside her.


    Barely dodging a stone-tipped spear Natalie pivoted off the rocky ground and skidded back. The tip barely missed her cheek as the guard continued his assault, the man maneuvering the spear with precise but deadly force. After serving a number of wild slashes and pokes Natalie caught the wooden end of the speak with one hand but before she could try a disarming maneuver aqua jets came bursting out from under her grip prying it free. Staggered off balance from the sudden burst of water Natalie could only jump back from his leaping overhead slash. Even though she barely avoided the spear¡¯s tip Natalie¡¯s arms were cut by a faint presence that she could only explain as being the claws of a great wolf.


    The strike was hard enough to send her toppling onto her back and force her to roll back onto her feet. Right then the guardian rock had lifted up its back foot to land it right where Natalie just recovered to force her to kick off instantly to one side before rotating herself upright again to see her attacker. It was another copper-skinned man. Though unlike the other one who was decorated with feathers this one had the pelt of a white wolf cloaked on his back. He carried a spear and his posture reminded Natalie of something akin to that of a keen predator sizing up its prey.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Natalie was already panting, having not eaten much since her last battle and being unable to rest because of Andrews''s current state she¡¯d not been feeling that much better than she had back then. As the garden rock with the kids walked on by Natalie took in a steady breath to brush her fatigue aside, she watched the spear-wielding man carefully. Not daring to waste any more strength unless she had to. With him and the giant eagle drawing their attention to her then hopefully the sight of Chenoa and the kids will help the other villagers make better sense of what was going on and stop them from being so hostel.


    At the very least with things like this, the kids won¡¯t be in the crossfire.


    Better yet, I don¡¯t have to be in the crossfire. She thought as she summoned her wings.


    This started the spearman a little as he readjusted both his footing and handling of his spear. Ignoring him Natalie opened her wings to take flight until she heard the great eagle from up on high cry out to the sky before a current of wind smacked down her form up high pinning her to the ground. Winded from the ordeal she drags herself back to her feet. The excursion from before coming back with vengeance. She was hoping to fly out of the way from a fight-at least long enough for these people to understand what was going on and act rationally.


    She knew that the eagle was up there but this was the first time that she¡¯d faced anyone who could tango with her in the sky like this and she did not like it. As if knowing that its actions wounded a part of her ego the eagle let out another cry that echoed off the mountains and rocky ground as if saying ¡¯the-skies-are-mine¡¯. Having enough with all of this Natalie let her emotions on the matter run free causing the bright cloudless sky to almost all at once become a dark tempest to the imminent singles of a great storm.


    She wiped the side of her cheek as she felt some sensation earlier. Seeing that it was bloody from barely avoiding the spear Natalie sighed to herself. With the rain now falling the rest of the bleeding on her arms and face was washed away as her healing cleared away any signs of ever being slashed in the first place. With her wounds healed Natalie''s eyes flashed open, the purple glow of her pupils glittered alight with a steely determination.


    Fine, keep the skies.


    A great rumble erupted from the clouds themselves leaving the landscape screaming back their eclipse with endless echoes and drew on forever. The eagle cried out once more but it was hard to hear over the rolling thunder. As the rain began to fall Natalie felt the power of the storms within her grasp once again. They could take the sky but so long as the rain comes-


    Something throbbed within her skull making her wince in pain and clasping her temple. She instantly looked up in fear that the two men would take advantage of this opening only to find them standing uncertain right where she left them. Still weary from was the recent actions she did with her wings and the sudden storm clouds although it was not intended Natalie was thankful for the respite that the initial shock gave her.


    ¡°Madha takuna? Jalib aleasifati?¡± he grumbled.


    Not understanding what he said beyond it being a question and unable to read his thoughts Natalie pinched her nose to try and to settle down the throbbing that she¡¯d recently been getting since the infiltration.


    I just need to buy time for them to realize we are not a threat¡­


    ¡°If this is about me attacking that bird of yours then it had it coming,¡± she mumbled as she forced herself to remove her fingers from the bridge of her nose.


    ¡°Fi kilta alhalatayn, sadae hdana lika.¡± as he said this the raindrops that fell around him began to slow down and gather around his back as if forming into something tangible.


    Natalie felt at the barely visible claws scratches she¡¯d taken on the arm moments before. Recollection how he removed her hand from his spear with streaming jets of water Natalie already suspected that he was an aqua knight. But this¡­ this thing that he was conjuring up was like nothing she¡¯d ever seen any knight with elemental affinity do before and that unnerved her. Most time¡¯s she was the one with the elements of surprise thanks to her unorthodox powers and fighting style. There were certain expectations to be had when it came to dealing with the seven affinities. One being their elemental strength and weaknesses. This should always apply no matter what. But with the way this spearman was using it she felt that it could have some quirks that could fly in her face if she took him on as simply an Aqua knight.


    Just as the body of water behind him began to truly shape into something that could be seen as a form, shouts and protests came from the direction of the village. Chenoa who¡¯d come off the guardian rock was running towards Natalie, her arms reaching out desperately in protest to their fighting. Behind her, Natalie noticed that the guardian rock had completely stopped merely twenty feet away from the village walls, beside it stood the other feathered man with the boomerangs. He was looking up at the guardian rock now, his mouth agape in awe. Behind him came a trio of people, two women walked past the boomerang man, they were led by an elder man who wore a great headdress tasseled with feathers. They strode with their heads held high and eyes forward despite the giant rock creature standing beside them.


    All three emanated a sense of authority as a small gathering of men and women dressed in thickly woven checkered patterns of red, green, brown, and gray lagged behind. That, along with them there clear apprehension of being near the guardian rock made them look far less stately to the fine woven clothing off, white, black, red, and gold is worn by the three approaching Natalie. Although Natalie was more familiar with clothes woven that finley in her homeland and beyond it still seemed to stand out here as much as citizens'' clothes differed from the kings and queens.


    The man with the feathered headdress shouted something in a tone of command and at the words, the spearman who¡¯d been glaring at her until then instantly stopped what he was doing turned around to him, and fell to one knee in respect. Chenoa meanwhile was trying to make it up to her but the boomerang man held her back all the while falling to one knee in the presence of this man and his small entourage. Breathing a sigh of relief at seeing people of authority stop the fighting Natalie¡¯s gut grumbled in protest making her feel both lightheaded and embarrassed. Luckily nobody heard.


    She must have moved too quickly because the spear man¡¯s weapon was back up and in her face before she knew it. Before anything else could have happened the leader said something in a tone of disapproval. Reluctantly, the spearman lowered his weapon allowing Natalie to move on.


    Glaring daggers at him Natalie continued. Although it already healed her hand she still unconsciously itched the claw marks that had been left there earlier. As Natalie approached the side of the guardian rock one of the two women (the youngest one) came towards her as if to converse. She wore a loose finely woven shirt with a long brown skirt that reached her ankles. Her raven black hair was placed into a tight bun at the back of her head crowned made with a thin twig. Upon this crown stood a single black feather, the tip of which was white. With her arms clasped in front of her, the young woman almost seemed to float towards Natalie as she strode but she hardly got three words out before Natalie turned to face the guardian rock and jump above it using her wings to land atop its back.


    As much as she liked to stand around and explain things there was a more pressing matter to deal with first.


    As Natalie landed atop the guardian rock she found both Walta and Edith trying to drag Andrew''s unconscious body down the guardian rock''s back. There was a gathering of fearful but good-intentioned villages braving the climb up the guardian''s rocks face to reach the children and help bring them down. Most of them were already gathered safely on the ground below save for the two kids and Andrew.


    ¡°We couldn''t leave him.¡± Walta protested before pointing at Edith. ¡°He said that-¡±


    ¡°-I said leave him here and let her deal with it!¡± Edith cut in.


    ¡°We couldn''t leave him here in case it walked off with him!¡±


    ¡°Follow the others,¡± Natalie cut in as she took Andrew off their hands


    With some back and forth between the villagers the early apprehension and panic had transformed purely into an effort to help. Although there was still a clear look of apprehension in their eyes at the sight of the creature, they simply kept repeatedly mumbling something under their breaths every time they made contact with it as if to ward off some curse as they made an honest effort to help the children.


    With her wings unsummoned and Andrew firmly thrown over her shoulder, Natalie dropped down among the gathering of people earning her gasps of surprise.


    ¡°I need help!¡± Natalie said as she scanned the small crowd around her.


    The boomerang guy ushered the crowd aside allowing the two women and man with the feathered headdress to pass by unimpeded. Once again the younger woman of the two broke from the other two to reach her, this time a hint of uncertainty emanated through her stoic features.


    ¡°He needs help, Something happened and I''m not sure what¡¯s wrong with him!¡± Natalie said.


    The young woman tilted her head, her eyes frowned in deep concentration.


    ¡°¡®Help¡¯?¡± she asked. There was a bit of a musical tone to her accent as she mouthed the word.


    ¡°Yes, help!¡± Natalie nodded emphatically. ¡°Do you have a medicine man-or someone who can use the earth to-¡±


    ¡°-I...help you,¡± she said, pointing to herself then at Natalie.


    Relived Natalie stepped on over and hurriedly laid Andrew by the woman¡¯s feet. This puzzled her. Seeing this Natalie wondered if anything was understood between them at all. A moment later that look of confusion was replaced by a steely determination. She turned around to the gawking villagers who were either watching over the kids pulled down from the guardian rock or shying back to the village gates with shouted orders.


    As the ones closest to her sprang into action she kneeled down above Andrew¡¯s head and studied his features before gently prying open one of his eyelids with her finger. Her face darkened soon after.


    ¡°Where hurt?¡± the woman asked.


    Natalie pointed to Andrew¡¯s chest where the shadow blade entered and faded from. Nodding in understanding she placed a hand on his chest and felt around as if to look for any broken ribs. Satisfied she pulled a small knife from her waist and drew it to his neck. Natalie took an unconscious step forward making the young woman stop in place to look up at her. Her eyes must have betrayed her miss trust because from there on in, the young woman steadily placed the blade between the neck of Andrew¡¯s vest and without breaking eye contact began to carefully cut it down the middle exposing her chest.


    Understanding the gesture for what it was, Natalie began to breathe once again. With deft fingers, she examined Andrew¡¯s chest but again came up short. She mumbled something in confusion to herself as she shook her head until she stopped in place, her eyes widening. She was no longer touching Andrew¡¯s chest but rather had her hand hovered just above it. With a curious turn of the head, she hovered the hand from his left side of the chest to the center where she held it in place, her eyes darkening.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s where he¡¯d been stabbed.¡± Natalie swallowed.


    Looking up at her the young woman blinked as if broken out from some kind of spell. Then tentatively she placed her other hand on the green stoned necklace around her neck. Only then did she close her eyes. Mumbling something to herself the young woman''s skirt began to flow as a wisp of winds tassel her dress.


    In that serene state, her eyes suddenly opened, worried. Just then the man with the great feathered headdress stepped on behind her and said words Natalie could not understand. The young woman looked up blinking and distracted. Natalie¡¯s mouth went dry.


    Is Andrew going to die? Is that what this is about?


    The old man then took a sweeping look at the people gathered and mumbled something only the ones closest to him could hear. The young woman shook her head to this before replying something in assurance and looking Natalie back in the eye.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Natalie spoke before she realized it.


    The young woman nodded.


    ¡°Something¡­ iilaa alwara.¡± She struggled to find the words to explain things which only made Natalie worry worse.


    Meanwhile, the elder woman beside after a silent conversation with the man slipped off to reach Chenoa, the other children, and the villagers who accompanied them. Two people came running out of the village gate holding what looked to be a stretcher made up of wooden poles tethered together with a thick sheet of dark green. At the moment Natalie was distracted by the approaching stretcher, an ear-piercing scream left the young woman''s mouth. When she looked back she''d fallen on her back, eyes widened and hands shaking as she looked upon Andrew¡¯s unconscious body like one would look at a spawn of demons. In that moment she looked like what she was. Just a young girl, barely a few years older than Natalie herself, frightened awake from a horrible nightmare.


    Alarmed the people stopped what they were doing to look at them. The spear and boomerang man stood on guard as the wave of worry ripped through them. In that tense moment, the elder woman who¡¯s coming with the young woman and the king-like man gasped and pointed at Andrew. On his chest was the barely visible sword seeping with black smoke much like when he was impaled with it. This drew in more alarm as all each person''s reaction confirmed that they were not just seeing things. As the air grew thick with alarm and confusion Natalie drew closer to Andrew.


    ¡°What happened-what did you do to him!?¡± she asked.


    The few villagers who had collected themselves from the install shock were shouting over another in tones of question and untrust. Although Natalie tries asking again there din of noise drowned her words out making her panic. As the giant eagle cried a loud crow from a jester by the boomerang gurde by orders of the king the crowd fell silent just enough to the young woman¡¯s next words whisper on shaken lips.


    ¡°Iinah almumha,¡±


    All who heard this went hysterical. The spearman hissing under his breath pushed the young woman out of the way. In a fluid pivot, he turned his spear towards Andrew. Natalie was already in front of him before she knew it, kicking the tip of the spear deep into the ground preventing him from taking it back so easily. The locals all looked to be either fleeing or getting ready to charge the unconscious dark knight. Some men stationed on top of the roof began drawing back arrows in wait. The two men who brought the stretcher tripped over themselves to get away from the chaos along with most of the gathered villagers. Some men and women gasped and shouted repeated words as if to ward off some kind of evil. Others took the spear stuck as an example and instead took a defensive stance around Andrew whilst holding whatever tool they had on hand.


    As she stood there with her wings summoned Natalie tried to keep her eyes on all of them at once, that was until their leader stepped between Natalie and his people with his hands clasped behind his back looked about at them all standing still like a held breath.


    He said something in his native tongue for all to hear and just like that the dynamics changed. The spare and boomerang man who was facing Andrew just a moment ago took a defensive stance behind Andrew along with her and their leader. The bowman from up above unloosened their bows and stood to attention. As for the people, they seemed disheartened by their earlier reactions. But a deep well of conflict echoed off their posture and eyes. The spare and boomerang men although fared better in their posture with their show of certainty in their actions Natalie could see from there that their eyes betrayed them. Despite this, the air seemed calmer now. Everyone came at ease as stance straightened and weapons lowered. The spearman slowly yanked his weapon out from under her feet as he glanced back at Natalie. As the people leader spoke to his people to pause a moment to look down at the young woman still sitting dazed on the floor, his eyes holding a deep pit of fire within them. The young woman shrank under that gaze and before getting to her feet she said something to the two men who dropped the stretcher who then proceeded to pick it up and move over to Andrew.


    Natalie however, taken aback by their sudden hostility and baffled as to what was going on, did not move from her spot in front of Andrew. The two men looked at each other at a loss before nodding to Andrew as if asking permission to approach him. The spare and boomerang man who was now apparently Andrew''s bodyguard did not bat an eyelid at this.


    ¡°Back off,¡± Natalie said under clenched teeth.


    Confused they tried going around her with Natalie and simply stepped in their way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not moving until I get an explanation on what the hell happened there.¡± she hissed.


    There was just something about these people¡¯s reaction that screamed more than initial shock at what happened to Andrew. It gave her a horrible feeling. Stuck between their orders and her refusal to follow them the two men seem to quiver under her gaze until the young woman stepped forth.


    ¡°Explaining¡­ you will have. Please¡­ I want, help you.¡± she whispered, there was something in her tone that spoke of apology. Despite everything, there was an earnestness to her.


    But that feeling of dread still would not go away. She¡¯d been burnt by trusting people before. She¡¯d never forget. In a perfect world, she would camp outside with the children and take her chances with random demon encounters. At Least then it was simple. Demons meant death. Demons meant to kill it or be killed. Navigating the interpreted web of human emotions wants and motives and their culture was a dance she¡¯d long given up trying to learn. That often meant that Andrew was the voice of reason. He was the one that would often iron out and smooth the bitter feelings her blunt actions created with his stupid smile and silly humor.


    But with Andrew out of the picture as surrounded by such foreign people she¡¯d never felt so out of sorts than she did right now. To her, this village with its walls and people was not that different from the sinister rock face base they just navigated. Full of people and things she had yet to understand. Surrounded by people who had their own take on what was right and would do what they could to incorporate it even if it meant betraying her rights. Dear, does she risk it? Dear she trust people again? Some of them glanced back, a clear look of concern at the sight of her not following suit. Chenoa who was being dragged onwards by her mother was calling for her, tears glistening in her eyes. Looking over to the children being guided into the village and then at Andrew to her back Natalie clenched her fists.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Natalie mumbled, as the village leader continued to soothe the villagers'' worries with his sermon. ¡°But he and the kids stay with me.¡±

 Chapter 13: The stargazer

    Take for example ''The lazy cat.'' In Kemish Alermuric that would translate to ''alquti kusul''


    ''Al'' = The, ''Quti'' = Cat, ''Kasul'' = Lazy.


    Notice how quti (noun) is placed before kasul (adjective). This makes it read out as ''The cat lazy'' if directly translated back into Kemish.


    This is because, in Alermuric, the noun always comes before the abjective. This is why even some of the most fluent native Nuzi people still often get their sentences oddly jumbled when they try and speak in Kemish.


    - Elementry Alermuric: by Patrick. C. Zimbermon


    Natalie


    ¡°I¡¯m bored...¡± Tien said, his legs lean against the hut wall as he laid on his back.


    Walta had tried to stop him from laying in such a way but Tien would get back to it after ten minutes of doing so. Walta had given up trying to stop him as she began to doze in and out of sleep. She insisted that she was not sleepy when the other kids pointed it out; however, said that she was simply leaning against the wall whilst closing her eyes to think clearly. She would nod off, but doing so in a sitting position meant that she¡¯d wake up suddenly tense and with a gasp in her throat. It always took her a long second for her to recollect that she and the others were now safe before she''d settle back down, yet despite this, she never dared to lay on her side. As Tien¡¯s spoke of his boredom Walta had blinked out of her sleep just long enough for her to see Tien sigh out his complaint with a long sigh.


    ¡°Tien,¡± she mumbled as she forced her back off the wall. ¡°You can''t put your feet on someone else''s wall,¡±


    ¡°I do it to my wall all the time, I don¡¯t see the problem,¡± Tien grumbled back.


    ¡°Then your wall must smell like feet!¡± another kid perked up.


    ¡°No, it doesn''t!¡± Tien exclaimed as he sat up and glanced to his side. ¡°My room smells amazing and so do I! You''re the one who stinks around here demon Damien! Everyone knows that demons stink like hell itself!¡±


    An argument insured soon after...


    Natalie could hear all this commotion going on around her but she was too busy peering through the walls beyond the hut with her angel sight, she¡¯d been eyeing the young woman that spoke to her in broken Kamish just outside the village three hours before. Currently, she was kneeling by a man who stoked a large camp flame with a pot atop it. As she tastes tested its content she said something to the man who immediately moved deeper into what looked to be the kitchen.


    ¡°Stop that!¡± Damien said as he got to his feet and stepped up to Tien who was still chuckling to himself.


    The man came back and handed the young woman a tray full of bowls. In each of them, the man poured in some of the content from the pot into each before giving a slight bow to her in respect. Goats meat Natalie knew for she had been watching as they slaughtered and sliced the thing an hour before.


    ¡°Demon Damien and his disgusting dark den of dung.¡± Tien laughed hysterically at that one, making him blind-sighted to Damien¡¯s advance as he jumped on top of Tien and began hitting him in a fitful rage.


    This got a guilty chuckle from some of the young onlookers, other kids got up off their backs, disturbed from their rest because of the noise. Most, although alarmed by the spectacle, did not look too surprised, as if this kind of thing was common between them. Natalie, who sat at one end of the room with her legs tucked under her chest, just watched with half an eye in silence. Although she made it her quest to see these kids return back to their home, what personal gripes or problems they had before they were kidnapped were none of her business to deal with.


    As far as she was concerned she was an outsider, watching over children who have yet lost everything. To fight, to argue about such things was a sign of good fortune. It was proof of normalcy, proof that although their life was turned upside down they were slowly picking up the pieces and getting back to their childhood, their innocence. Why should she, one long devoid of any semblance of normalcy try and spoil that with her intervention?


    That aside, however, there was something else taking up her thoughts. It involved the young woman. Thanks to her angel sight she¡¯d been able to observe her go about her business around the village ever since she got them to wait in this hut. At first, she watched just out of simple curiosity. It was not until she witnessed her receive a whipping from an older looking lady with a switch did that vague interest became a more intensive study of not just her but the people of Nazi as a whole.


    It was obvious that Walta did not understand Natalie¡¯s lack of intervention in the fight at hand because the hopeful look she gave Natalie to be the voice of reason and help faded as she gritted her teeth and broke up the fight.


    ¡°Edith! Help me!¡± Walta shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t order me around,¡± Edith sighed drearily but got up and assisted all the same.


    Pulling Damien and Tien apart took some doing and so by the time they separated the two they were both panting and peach red from exerting themselves.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get for calling my room crap you snot eating horn nose!¡± Damien shouted as he was clenched and pulled back by Edith.


    Although Tien was held back by Walta he was still able to throw in one last kick at Damien¡¯s shin in response to his retort. Enraged, Damien redoubled his efforts to break free from Edith¡¯s grip but Edith being a few years older than him simply put his arm into a lock that made him wince in pain and become as docile as a lamb. It was expertly executed. Twisting the wrist outward from behind the knuckle and pulling the arm up whilst forcing the shoulder down with the other hand.


    They were trained Natalie noticed, with some of them being able to use knight''s armor it did not really surprise her. There was always some level of hand-to-hand combat involved in the training process even if pentagon knights mainly were armed with a weapon. techniques like disarming, crippling, or immobilizing others were often taught in most villages as a springboard for discipline and effective training did not involve the kids swinging weapons at another even if they were training ones.


    ¡°You give?¡± Edith whispered to Damien.


    ¡°I give damn it now let go!¡± Damien exclaimed whilst tapping Edith¡¯s hand with his free one, his face a mask of pain.


    Nodding to himself Edith eased his hold on Damien¡¯s arm allowing him to stand straight comfortably. As the commotion from the fight faded only the sound of panting made left evidence of a struggle happening at all. Walta looked between both of them with a slack face.


    ¡°Teacher would not be happy if he saw this.¡± Walta began. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that you fight whenever he¡¯s gone out the room. Now we are miles away from home and all you boys can think about is beating each other up?¡±


    ¡°Shut up Walta, go run off and tell on us! That¡¯s all you''re good at!¡± Damien shouted.


    That left Walta stunned as she struggled to form words out of her hanging mouth. Edith¡¯s arm lock on Damien that moment had loosened up enough for him to pull free. With a tentative rub of the wrist, he pointedly glared at Edith who shrugged and put his own hands into his pockets. With another look at Walta and Tien Damien walked off towards the other corner of the hut to be as far away from the other kids as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m too hungry for this,¡± he grumbled under his breath.


    In a brief fit of rage, Tien broke himself free from Walta¡¯s grip, striking her jaw in the process. As soon as he was free he fell idle in place. Walta, both stunned at the loose strike and the sudden outburst remained idle also for fear of setting him off again.


    ¡°Tien it¡¯s over, leave Damien alone,¡± she mumbled causally.


    ¡°You''re not my mother,¡± Tien said between gritted teeth.


    Natalie had just been watching the cook pour himself out a bowl of goat stew as the young woman carefully balanced the tray of food in her hands out of the kitchen at that moment. Hearing the word ¡®mother¡¯ pulled her out of her gaze beyond the hut back to the children who were arguing. Walta''s mouth dropped to Tien¡¯s comment as if she''d been slapped on the face.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I''m not trying to-¡± Walta said before Tien cut her off.


    ¡°Then why are you acting all bossy and weird!?¡± Tien said. ¡°Ever since we have been gone from home you¡¯ve been nothing but a big mouth grumpy face who keeps shushing me!¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to help us escape! You were being a bother to Natalie so...¡± Walta said, her voice lost its confidence she glanced briefly at Natalie-eyes flustered and uncertain.


    ¡°Are you my mother?!¡± Tien shouted, taking a step towards her.


    Walta who was seemingly withering back to the younger boy¡¯s tirade froze in shock and looked him right in the eye.


    ¡°No stupid! I¡¯d never-¡±


    ¡°Are you my mother?!¡±


    ¡°N-no I-¡±


    ¡°So why are you acting like you are!?¡± Tien exclaimed, his hoarse voice cracked as he blinked back tears.


    Walta¡¯s eyes began to glisten with tears also, her face looked as if she¡¯d taken another harsh blow as she just stared blankly at Tien.


    ¡°I¡¯m the eldest... so I thought that...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Walta¡¯s voice cracked on the last word as she began to sob quietly.


    ¡°Go tell on me,¡± Tein said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Find a grown-up and tell them what I did like you always do, but don¡¯t ever act as if she¡¯s dead because she isn''t!!¡±


    The silence was drowned by a melancholy breeze whistling outside the hut. As the falling sun peered into its entryway Natalie they could see the uncertain look of fear in their eyes. Now that it had been said it could not be put away, all thinking about it now. Natalie knew because she was thinking about it too. How she felt shortly after her own escape. About the state of her hometown. The well-being of her loved ones. Now that they were truly out of danger, now that the fragile order of carefree and security they lost slowly was returning to them their minds began to wonder about home. The burdens of survival had blurred that fine line of grown-up and child before now. With that burden gone all they now faced a horrid thought of whether their family was as lucky as them.


    Although it had been over eight years, and even though those words were not directed at Natalie she still felt her chest tighten.


    The changes they will have to come to accept were drawing near. It was times like these that Natalie wondered if what she was doing was really the right thing if saving them, allowing them to live through this, and confront their fate was even a good thing. She¡¯d wondered the same thing for her own life. These conflicting thoughts along with the mood of the room caused her to swallow dryly and sink her head even deeper over her tucked-in legs.


    If only Andrew was awake. He¡¯d always seemed to know what to do to soothe her racing thoughts. And unlike her, he had the right to intervene with such arguments since he still had his family.


    Walta who was now sobbing began to make her way towards the exit, she was about to leave until the young woman suddenly walked in and blocked her path. Bumping into them Walta staggered back until she recognized who it was she ran into.


    Having long expected her return Natalie simply watched in silence as the young woman who¡¯d spoken to outside the village walked in, her mature composure was only broken slightly as she looked down at Walata sobbing before her. Looking to Natalie and then the other kids in question Natalie gave her an indifferent look before staring onward at nothing in particular. It was not like she would understand even if she spoke her language so why bother?


    Keeling down the young woman gently placed the tray of food on the floor before gently taking Walta¡¯s hand into her own.


    ¡°Hurt?¡± she asked in her accented tone.


    Stifling a sob Walta shook her bowed head emphatically. Her long messy hair masked her face. The young woman''s eyes softened to that. Leaning in a little closer she lifted Walta¡¯s chin up to eye level before asking the same question again but this time pointing at her chest. quivering lips Walta nodded before embracing her in a hug witch the young woman returned. As this went on most of the other kids had gotten up and gathered behind them, Damien switched from looking at the woman hugging Walta and the bowls of food on a tray beside her.


    ¡°Food?¡± he asked carefully.


    Whilst still hugging Walta she nodded and repeated Damien''s words as an answer. Without hesitation, Damien scrambled to the steaming bowels and took one before rushing back to his corner to consume it.


    The other children quickly followed suit, with ravenous hands, the bowls snatched in a blink of an eye leaving only three behind. As Walta''s sobs subsided she slowly pulled herself back from the young woman''s embrace and glanced down at the remaining bowls of food with silent yearning.


    With a nod from her comforter, she took one and began making her way among the other kids, with the sound of slurping and chewing filling the room the young woman who was still kneeling and watching the kids turned to Natalie with a flash of a grin she handed the second to last bowl to her which Natalie accepted in silence. The meat was mixed with cut herbs, peppers, and a colored plant that she''d never seen before. It all blended together in a brownish broth that looked clear and smelled inviting.


    Although Natalie knew that she was hungry she did not want to eat just yet so she placed the bowl down beside her. When Natalie looked back up however she saw the young woman simply watching her in silent wonder.


    Sitting down on the floor there was the briefest flash of pain on her face before it returned to its dignified expression. The flash of pain was so slight that she would have overlooked it had she not expected there to be one in the first place. She''d been watching her move around the village. Her elegant and upstanding posture clear thought her white glowing silhouette.


    She entered a large hut in the center of the village along with the leader and the elder woman she stood by when first meeting her outside the walls. They talked with some others although Natalie could not hear what they said (Not that it would have mattered much).


    She bowed as if apologizing for something to the group. Then the elderly woman stood up, led the young woman out of the hut and into another where she then picked up a switch and proceeded to whip the young woman with it on the backside. The young woman did not fight back and the ordeal continued until she was reflexively trying to cover the spot she had been repeatedly whipped on.


    After the ordeal, the elder lady said some words and left. The young woman fell to her knees the moment she did seemingly sobbing to herself. There she''d remained for a quarter of an hour before she picked herself up, gathered her composure, and strode out of the hut with her head held high.


    Since then she''d been partly in charge of making the food that the kids were eating. The whole thing flawed Natalie and she''d just been keeping an eye on her with her angel sight ever since.


    "What is name?" She asked, her head tilted a slight.


    Unprepared for such a question Natalie blinked repeatedly at her. Although there was a language barrier between them Natalie could tell that she held great interest in understanding her much like one would a rarely seen bird or animal.


    Natalie could understand that.


    Had the situation been different, had she at least known for certain that Andrew was going to be ok least then she''d been as curious of the young woman and her people. As things stood now, however¡­


    I can at least give my name, she thought reluctantly.


    "Natalie," she answered.


    The young woman seemed to brighten at this as her smile grew more earnest.


    "Aiyana, is my name." She nodded as she pointed to herself.


    A dozen more questions danced at the tip of her tongue, a thousand more gleaming in her eye making Natalie mentally coil back. Not wanting to deal with this Natalie simply nodded.


    "From?" Aiyana continued unaware of her withdrawal.


    "From Null," Natalie forced out.


    "''Null?''"


    "A village to the far east,"


    Aiyana looked confused which made Natalie rub her temple in frustration.


    "My home is far away."


    Aiyana''s eyes widened in understanding.


    "Null is home?"


    Natalie nodded.


    "Over Rahim?"


    Confused and unable to care enough to ask what that meant Natalie rubbed her eyes in frustration.


    "Did you tell your teacher about him?" she asked.


    Aiyana''s dancing eyes froze to this. Part confusion narrowed her eyes to Andrew laying behind Natalie.


    "The¡­ ''he'' is ok. He won''t die. Worry won''t help." She said matter of factly.


    The wise and elegant aura she exerted outside reasserting itself for just that moment as if to deem the matter closed. Either that or she did not want to talk about it.


    "I just want a second opinion." Natalie continued. "The thing that''s in him might be poisonous or worse."


    Aiyana''s lip drew into a thin line. Although she did not get all of the words she understood the tone behind them. As she stood there Walta silently walked by, looking both at Natalie and Aiyana before taking the last bowl of food and retreating back with the others.


    "Minda Muraqib will come, but we can''t help, only can wait for the awakenss."


    "If you can tell her to hurry then I¡¯d be grateful. Thanks for your help." With those words, Natalie turned to look over Andrew as if he needed attending which he did not.


    Seeing the gesture for what it was, Aiyana¡¯s lip flashed a frown before she stood up and strode out of the room.


    As she left Natalie looked back beyond the confounds of the hut with her angel sight to see her stride towards a small din of people going about their day. Among them was the spare man she¡¯d clashed with. Having made it up to Aiyana he stopped as if to grab her attention but she¡¯d strode past him without so much as a look of acknowledgment.


    As the spearman turned back to watch her go he paused, looked back at Natalie''s hut before shaking his head and moving on.


    Feeling a bit guilty Natalie resorted her eyes back to normal before burying her face behind her knees to sigh deeply. She¡¯d tried to bury the matter but all she kept seeing was that open and wondrous smile on Aiyana''s face breaking into rejection. She hadn''t the mind for the kind of talk she was seeking.


    It was better that things ended like this she knew but as she sat there in the hut with the sounds of spoons scraping the bottom of wooden bowls she couldn''t help but feel a pit open up in her gut. That pit echoed back a protesting grumble of hunger which spurred Natalie to grab her bowl and begin eating its content. The soup had a distinct tanginess to it. That, along with mixed spices and herbs all hit her with a sense of familiarity that seemed to seep into her fatigued body helping to revive her spirits. This along with the bite-sized pieces of meat with peppers cabbages and a plant She could not place Natalie found that her hunger witch had barely been a bothersome distraction before had come to her in full force making her chow the food down in a slight trance.


    She¡¯d only noticed that she was done when the sound of her own bowl rang in her ear empty with that scraping of her spoon. An honest wash of disappointment came over her in that moment-one that she pushed back down for how ungrateful it was. Though she was no longer hungry there was still the feeling that she could easily eat more. Realizing that perhaps this is what the other kids were likely thinking as they scraped the bottom of their own bowls Natalie sighed to herself before taking a look at them.


    They were all sitting up, either eating or just finishing the last of their meal. The few who had finished either just sat there a moment or went back to laying down upon the mats they were given. Tien, being one of the first to finish, placed his bowl to the side and lent himself back against the wall before closing his eyes. Damien who was already finished by the time Natalie looked was already fast asleep. As for Walta, Walta had sat against the beam that stood in the middle of the hut as she slowly ate. Her eyes were still red from crying.


    Natalie recalled seeing her take the second bowl as Aiyana was talking to her. She said nothing about it mainly for the same reason she did not interfere in their kid''s arguing. Natalie assumed that she going for her second helping, that was until she found that the last bowl was not only still intact but it stood right in front of Tien¡¯s face. Tien had laid down ever since his argument with Walta and had not even bothered to get up, even if just to grab his share of the food.


    Walta must have noticed this and came over to collect his bowl because despite everything that was said, despite the pain Taien¡¯s words afflicted on Walta she still went out of her way to try and take care of him. She placed the bowl right where he could see it when he got up.


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    Tien ignored the bowl however and instead bragged his way up to Walta''s lap and laid his head there as he curled up into a ball sobbed silently. Walta, who was still eating at the time, looked at Tien in surprise at first but then seeing him shake with tears she gently placed her bowl down to pat his head.


    Natalie was again bombarded with nostalgia. Oh, how easy it was to forgive and forget back then. How even the deepest and complex problems seemed to have simple and clear solutions if you just wished hard enough for them. It reminded Natalie of her old home and her old friends¡­ which just compounded her guilt. Feeling like she was the third wheel Natalie averted her gaze and proceeded to rest on the matted floor with her back to Andrew¡¯s. She told herself that she would only close her eyes for a minute or two, but before she knew it she¡¯d fallen completely asleep, her mind drifting away into a dreamless sleep.


    ~#~


    She''d woken to the sound of footfalls entering the hut. Going by the dimming sunlight that cast shadows over the room Natalie guessed that at least two hours had passed since she nodded off.


    The one who darkened the entryway was a thin woman, she wore an ankle length dress and a loose patterned shirt of brown and reds. Her hair whitened hair tied to a bun at the back of her head. Although she had a stooped posture something about her presence caused Natalie to shoot up straight beside herself. Something which she later regretted.


    As she watched Natalie sit up, the older woman paused for a moment, eyeing her like how a baker does plain flour on a scale. Deflating with a huff the older woman stepped further into the hut waving an arm in dismissal at Natalie.


    "Oh sit child, if I wanted to assassinate you then I would not have bothered feeding you. Would have been a waste of good food otherwise.¡± she¡¯d grumbled.


    Natalie''s first inclination was to blink repeatedly.


    "You speak Kamish..." she mumbled.


    "I should hope so, otherwise I¡¯d have to get the Hemerlains to translate for me and I¡¯d rather not have them involved, not yet." The woman said.


    Natalie''s eyes widened as she realized that this was the woman that Aiyana said she would fetch for Andrew¡¯s sake.


    ¡°Your name is Natalie, correct? Call me Minda, I am lead healer and stargazer to this village,¡± she introduced as she walked in.


    Stumbling to her feet she watched the old lady as she looked around at the kids who were sleeping before finally resting her eyes on Andrew who lay behind Natalie. Her wrinkled eyes darkened.


    ¡°First things first,¡± Minda mumbled to herself.


    Natalie allowed her passage as she moved over to Andrew before kneeling by his forehead to hover a hand over him.


    ¡°Stand back child, and do keep silent,¡± Minda said as she closed her eyes.


    Clasping the red stone around her neck the old lady fell into an idle state. Instantly her hand loomed over Andrew¡¯s chest as if drawn there by some kind of force. Her steady hand began to suddenly quiver as it held there over him. After a long moment of intense silence, she removed her hand and taking a slow controlled, trembling breath looked up to Natalie with a curt nod.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, just like Aiyana said.¡±


    ¡°That''s a bunch of crap and you know it!¡± Natalie snapped. ¡°He was stabbed by a black blade and now it¡¯s doing something to him!¡±


    ¡°I said that he is fine,¡± she repeated more firmly. ¡°I did not say he was unharmed.¡±


    Natalie was about to open her mouth in protest again but fell silent instead. Minda seeing this continued.


    ¡°His will has been tampered with. Collide against a polarizing force, It won¡¯t be the death of him but still¡­ I don¡¯t think it wise to wake him prematurely.¡±


    "Can¡¯t you do something about it?" Natalie asked.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be wise,¡±


    ¡°Why not?!¡±


    Minda looked down at Andrew, her eyes betraying a hint of trouble.


    ¡°This foreign energy that entered him is already melded deeply with his own, trying to separate his will from the intruding energies at this point would be like trying to perfectly divide the exact cup of water that was poured into a running stream. Unless he can identify he can isolate the imposter himself then we¡¯d more likely cause irreversible harm trying anything ourselves..¡± she said.


    Natalie frowned, this did not make any sense to her. Never in her years of schooling in the effects of elements had she come across such phenomena as this.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of such a thing have you, well no surprise there. As much as people beyond the Rahim like to gloat about their advances from the days of the fog wars, you are all quick to forget the great wisdom that we all held as common knowledge eons before that,¡± the old lady said, pulling Natalie off her trance.


    Seeing the naked truth of her words on her face the lady continued.


    ¡°Sounds to me like you would rather gloat about what you have over us instead of telling us about it.¡± Natalie spat.


    ¡°If speaking my mind is gloating then I guess I¡¯m tired of being humble,¡± Minda said. ¡°We keep to ourselves and help preserve mankind''s forgotten past. My people have lived within the Rahim for eons solely for that single reason,¡±


    ¡°Why does it have to be here?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°Life beyond the Rahim is a distraction, people are quick to forget the warnings when surrounded by the benefits the demon sword brings. When you look at the state of all the past nations fueled by ancient blades the issue becomes clear. And yet despite all that they still use its power, thinking themselves somehow different to the people who perished before them.¡±


    Natalie mentally rolled her eyes at this. She was not really in the mood for a political debate but she felt it coming the moment Minda mentioned ¡®people like you.''


    ¡°That''s all well and good, but I fail to see why any of that is my business.¡± Natalie huffed.


    ¡°Then I could say for me and my people,¡± Minda said. ¡°Just because we carry ancient wisdom doesn''t mean we owe people outside the message.¡±


    Natalie twitched her lip to that. She walked into that one by opening her big mouth and she knew it. This was just another reason why she never dealt with such things. Seeing Natalie avert her gaze in frustration Minda nodded in resentment to herself before going on.


    ¡°It''s not as if we haven''t tried to tell them,¡± Minda said. ¡°Long before the great fall we told them what we rediscovered, you see there was a time that we too were as ignorant to our true past as they were. What fragments we were able to piece together we told to the powers that be at that time. But they turned a blind eye to its warnings. Instead many sought their own wisdom, they traded the revelation of unknown eons for the common knowledge of yesteryear. And we suffered their wars and invasion because of it.¡±


    Natalie remembered being told briefly about all of the nations before the fog wars. A messy bit of history with one disaster leading into another. The day the world held its breath, and the fate of mankind hung on the balance on its shift.


    ¡°We were almost wiped out as a people. It was not until the great fall that we found some kind of respite from such a fate.¡±


    That comment shook Natalie out of her lament.


    ¡°The near extinction of our race saved you?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°The great fall was a wake-up call to all,¡± Minda replied. ¡°It was a chance to wipe the table clean and reroot ourselves to our true purpose. People could connect their will with the planet, some started to hear the will of the planet itself calling to them to take on its ordeal. Others caught whispers of demonic blades buried and forgotten to time. And here within the Rahim aldhaakira, where the will of the planet had always been the strongest this amplification of the world reached a point almost anyone can feel the memories of our ancestors retained as echoes in the earth''s soil.¡±


    ¡°The memories of the dead?¡±


    ¡°Echoed footprints they left on the world. The dead say dead. We¡¯d lost much over the years, even now there is so much more to uncover in the fragmented sea of imprinted memories that flow around this space. But thanks to this era of Ley Lines and planetary will, we are now able to uncover a lot of our past much quicker than at any time in our long history. That¡¯s been our main calling since.¡±


    She looked back down at Andrew however with an uneasy frown. ¡°This¡­ thing that was done to your friend however is forgotten knowledge even to my wisdom, a skill that was said to be common knowledge back long before the great fall, long before our one landmass broke into the five we know of today.¡±


    ¡°Before we were banished from Titan¡¯s creek,¡± Natalie mumbled.


    The Minda nodded.


    ¡°This seal is much like the ones they¡¯d used to seal demons into steel weapons,¡± she said.


    ¡°You mean to say that Andrew¡¯s had been sealed within himself like some weapon!?¡±


    ¡°Flesh makes for a poor substitute to steel when it comes to sealing. When dealing with the will and soul that is already in itself ephemeral. The soul being ''trapped'' within a body is already part of its function.¡±


    So in other words, sealing him to what he¡¯s already bound to will not affect him? It did make an odd kind of sense.


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°His waking life will not be impeded. But his dreams, however, whatever seal they¡¯ve placed on him has a stronghold on his cognitive senses. Though it does little harm to his physical body, in the dream it can leave him imprisoned in its confounds.¡±


    ¡°And there is nothing you can do about it?¡±


    ¡°If the invading energy was of opposing affinity to his own then maybe I could have tried some sort of separation on him, but his affinity and this seal are almost as identical as to be that of the same person. As noticeable as a cup of water thrown into a stream as I said.¡±


    In frustration, Natalie gripped the fabric of her trousers. That bastard Epimetheus, even now, even after everything that happened he¡¯s still got his claws on Andrew. Seeing her worry Minda let out a sigh and looked to Natalie with a confident stare.


    ¡°The body is a rather sturdy thing given everything, so long as it¡¯s given the needed time and rest it can normally right any ordeals. All that¡¯s left is a strong mindset.¡±


    Natalie looked into the eyes of the old Stargazer, though it was hard to make them out clearly in the fading light within the hut she noticed that her pupils were strangely faded, it unnerved her a little at first. She thought for a second that she might be blind, or suffered an eye injury. But the way that Minda fixed her gaze at her. And the way that intense gaze seemed to look through her and yet still convey an understanding made Natalie drop her guard for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault that he is like this, if I had just been stronger¡± she mumbled, her head bowing in defeat. ¡°I just wish I could do something.¡±


    ¡°Wishing for something without the belief is like hoping for sunshine whilst wearing a raincoat,¡± Minda said. Been thrown out of whack by the comment Natalie looked up to her with squinted eyes.


    ¡°What?...¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°If you really want change, if you really wish for something to be then all you gotta do is believe it¡¯s already in your obsession. All you gotta do is go through the motions and let the world catch up to the fact.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I talk of things that people could only once dream of being a commonly known fact today. The planets will, pentagon knights, angels, and demons. Once upon a time, these were all just fanciful stories for the dreamers, myths told to appease the imagination. Now, these myths are real as you and I.¡±


    ¡°¡®Some¡¯, not all things,¡±


    ¡°Who sets the limits of what¡¯s possible? The world is ever changing-has been for some time. Who¡¯s to say what¡¯s impossible now will remain so?¡±


    At this point, Natalie was about ready to lay back down and fall asleep. With her apparent mind-reading skills not working on Minda and her inability to not start a lecture she rubbed her eyes and nodded drearily.


    ¡°I guess that is a nice dream,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°Do you?¡± Minda asked suddenly.


    Natalie, who was thrown off by the question, looked up at her cautiously.


    ¡°Do I what?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Do you dream?¡±


    It was such a strange question, a stupid question if asked for anybody else, ¡®do you dream¡¯? Of course, you dream everyone dreamed, even dogs dream. But ever since her escape from the lab eight years ago Natalie had not recalled having a single one. It was stupid to think. Not all dreams are remembered, and dreaming was not a sole indicator of a healthy mind. But deep down she¡¯d always wondered if what she had was normal or a product of what had been done to her. What did not help was the recent development of this other presence in her mind.


    This younger voice of herself responded to her when she¡¯d passed out. It was perhaps the first time in a long time she¡¯d recollected anything that could even be remotely labeled as a dream. With all this running through her head, Natalie attempts to respond and fell into a dull mumble. She¡¯d hardly noticed Minda dismiss the subject until she stood up to her and made her way to the hut¡¯s exit.


    ¡°All we can do now is trust in his own will to fix himself.¡± she¡¯d said as she stared at the setting sun beyond the exit. ¡°Walk with me.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± although skeptical she got up to her feet also.


    ¡°Corn needs picking,¡± she said matter of factly.


    ¡°¡®Corn¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It helps me think, I''d appreciate the extra help. Consider it repayment for the meal you received.¡±


    Natalie glared at her back in a peeved manner but said nothing to it, she needed the distraction, and guests or not she always hated the feeling of debt even in someone else''s debt. Besides, there was something in the way she said it, a look in her eye that implied that she was just making an excuse to get her out of the hut to talk in private. Taking one more glance at the kids fast asleep and Andrew she walked out into the late afternoon light.


    ~#~


    The sun hung low in the sky tinting its horizon a golden red. As Natalie followed Minda out of the tent she immediately felt the presence of eyes on her. Everywhere she¡¯d caught people just turning away from looking at her. And even though there was an air of winding down going throughout the village Natalie felt the sudden intentness vibe radiating off the old lady. Baffled by this Natalie gritted her teeth as she eyed her back and waited for her to speak.


    Her silence along with the tense vibe she got from every person they walked across was killing her.


    "You got the look of a knight about you.¡± Minda, her tone dry and distasteful.


    ¡°At least knights I¡¯ve met don¡¯t try and stab me with stone weapons,¡± Natalie shot back.


    ¡°You fear our weapons, and yet you keep no weapon of your own?" her tone was sassy and a little condescending.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve hidden mine,¡±


    ¡°I see. So my talk of assassinations still got you jumpy, has it? Well good. That will teach you to send bolts of thunder and lightning down out of the blue like that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d announce yourself to every living thing on Rahim, with the amount of racket you made on the way here. It would be a mercurial if the other tribes don¡¯t show up here soon demanding answers.¡±


    Peeved Natalie folded her arms and looked at the old lady in defiance. She made her feel like a child and Natalie did not like it.


    ¡°It was nowhere near as exaggerated as you make it sound,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°Oh, So not only are you an expert on what the ramifications of your actions have on this land and its people but you¡¯ve got the mind to lecture me on what counts as exaggerated behavior?¡±


    ¡°I recall being jumped at by the gate,¡±


    ¡°Ba! The mouth on you. Why if you were one of my pupils I¡¯d skin your hide for how you''re talking.¡± she said.


    ¡°Like you did to your pupil earlier?¡± Natalie asked, one eyelid arced in question.


    She¡¯d witnessed Aiyana being beaten with a switch to her backside a good while before she came back into the hut with the food. She hoped that saying as much would get a surprised reaction out of her but all Minda did was look back at her and nod to herself slowly.


    ¡°So you really can see through walls then.¡± she mused. ¡°You realize how much Aiyana was looking forward to talking with you, she¡¯s a sharp girl, learns quickly but perhaps she¡¯s too young to see that deep intrigued in someone''s culture doesn''t necessarily mean it will cut both ways. Well, no matter,¡±


    She waved her hand as if that was a far gone subject and continued.


    ¡°The tussle you had with the shackled ones is not what I''m talking about, What I''m talking about is your great disregard for the implications your actions have not just on the land but on yourself and others. I could have tracked your passing on this plane just by keeping an eye on the storm clouds you created. You might as well have marked your trail here with an enormous X.¡±


    Natalie was about to argue a point but something among the things the old lady said baffled her.


    ¡°¡®Shackled ones¡¯?¡± Natalie asked. They just came around a corner of a slightly larger hut, Natalie was sure it was the same one she saw Aiyana receive her thrashing.


    Turning down a dirt road Natalie saw the locked gate that one man was trying to break free when they approached the village on top of the guardian. The ax he used was still resting by the fence. She was about to pass her gaze over it until something about the whole thing struck her as off in comparison to everything else she saw so far.


    The ax itself was completely normal, handmade, clearly more built for chopping wood than for battle. Its iron head could use some sharpening. A perfectly normal tool not out of place anywhere else but¡­ here. It was the fact that it had an iron head that struck her. Why is it that a daily maintenance tool was afforded metal and men guarding the gates against intruders making use of stone-tipped weapons?


    ¡°The so-called ¡®knights¡¯ you fought at the gate, they normally hold another function, those two are currently undergoing the pentagon¡¯s ordeal. Right now they are in the first ordeal,¡± Minda said.


    Although Natalie was paying half an ear her mind still mulling her own question she set herself. As Minda opened a gate she entered a wide field covered with countless corn bushes most containing budded sweetcorn yellow that budded out of their planted casing.


    Walking past the white goats Natalie followed suit, staring at the row and row groves in the soil lined up with branches for a mile on each side. Feeling a bit hesitant Natalie glared back at the path they left. She was a little peeved at how the people seemed to respond to her presence. It was not necessarily rude, just¡­ uncertain. Like at any time she could turn on them. She did not want or need compensation for what she¡¯d done.


    She would have saved those kids regardless but thinking about her reception and how Minda was acting now she couldn''t help but feel annoyance at everyone here, especially for the two who attacked her by the gate.


    ¡®Shackled ones huh¡¯? They used stone weapons like they were an era behind. It was kind of demoralizing.


    ¡°Should have had a tighter hold of their leashes,¡± Natalie grumbled.


    If Minda heard or understood she made no sign of doing so, so Natalie continued.


    ¡°What I did may not have been perfect but it got the job done, nobody else seemed to be in a hurry to do the honors so I did things my way. Your inconvenience is a small price to pay for saving the lives of children.¡±


    Minda let the comment hang in the air as they reached a large tent pegged in the middle of the cornfield. As they approached a tall man walked out with a basket placed on his back. Seeing the two of them cross paths he nodded his respects to Minda before leaving an unreadable glare at Natalie. As they entered the tent Natalie was met with six women all sitting down around a small pile of corn as they sorted them into smaller piles.


    Most of them slowed down their work to get a look at them but they quickly got back to their work after identifying Minda. Natalie again realized that some of them were using metal knives to do their work. And again it made the fact that shackled ones were using stone weapons stick out all the more. As Natalie was distracted from looking at the women sorting corn she¡¯d blinked when a basket was shoved in her face. Carefully taking it off Minda she hoisted one side of it on her back and followed the Stargazer out of the tent.


    ¡°Have you ever stopped to consider the implications of your actions?¡± Minda walked deeper into the rows of corn before deciding on a branch and began picking.


    ¡°Far as I can tell you are like those village trained knights, too confident in their powers. Causing storms of problems as they just lumber around moving from paycheck to paycheck.¡±


    Natalie¡¯s gut tightened to the mention of it, she knew well the type of people Minda was talking about. Those men see a job as nothing more than a means to get ahead. Who would willingly let someone die because the price is not right? The seven stars of halo may be scummy. But had the hunter systems that the knights were put under not been full of so many selfish individuals then their hidden hell holes would have been discovered long ago. It was aboard statement Natalie knew, now all of them were like this. She would have said as much but with her chest tightened from bitter memories. Feeling a little down Natalie clenched her fist and began to busy herself with pulling corn from their branches one after the other.


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to them...¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°Your heart is in the right place at least. So then you''re just short-sighted. Small comfort.¡±


    ¡°I saved people, children! One of them from your own village! What have you been doing while they kidnapped her?¡±


    Minda said nothing, sniffing Natalie shook her head. Why was she even here?


    ¡°Forget it,¡± she said. ¡°if you got nothing good to say then I''m heading back.¡±


    ¡°I will not argue with your reasoning, I am grateful that you brought Chenoa,¡± Minda picked up.


    Realizing that she was responding to her last comment Natalie stopped to look back whilst folding her arms.


    ¡°Got a funny way of showing gratitude,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°Thanks to your compassion, however, we¡¯ve been stuck cleaning up the mess it left behind,¡± Minda said. That gave Natalie pause.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked carefully.


    ¡°I was hoping that you¡¯d be able to tell me,¡± Minda said as she reached for a particularly high piece of corn on a branch. ¡°But given what little you¡¯ve got to say it¡¯s safe to assume that even if you do not know the depth¡¯s these deprived people are willing and able to stoop to for their own endeavors it would do us no good knowing. Well, that¡¯s just fantastic, you would have earned my respect if it turned out that you at least knew the monster you mess with but here we are.¡±


    ¡°Something happened here...¡± Natalie mumbled.


    ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡±


    Natalie had stopped picking for a while now, the act of the work could no longer busy her mind from what Minda¡¯s words implied.


    ¡°Then tell me,¡±


    Minda mocked with a snort.


    ¡°Fine, where do you want me to begin? Should I start with how the sun chief, moon chieftess, and I had parties of men already looking for Chenoa the day she up and vanished? Or how about the message we found scratched on the Sun chief''s hut during the occupied hours? Though the room''s only entrance was guarded by his men they were able to pull it off without witnesses. It was just like what happened with Chenoa. We had no witnesses; we had to resort to compounding the two guards that were on duty that day.¡±


    Natalie¡¯s body began to shiver. Although she did not have much to go off, she knew for certain who it was that kidnapped Chenoa and wrote the message.


    Epimetheus¡­


    There was no doubt in her mind, given what she saw him do in that brief moment made a sickening sense. He was the one who wrote the message, he was the one that kidnapped Chenoa. He¡¯s probably taken her as she was sound asleep. Stole her with his power that can suck people away into a darkened void like quicksand. The thought of what must have gone through the poor girl''s head, one moment asleep at home in your own bed only to wake to an unfamiliar ceiling, trapped in a cage with stranger eyes peering at you.


    It was not far off her own experience and that just made her feel sick. Minda, unaware of Natalie¡¯s racing mind continued.


    ¡°We were not the only ones this happened to. Our sister tribes were also paid a visit.¡±


    ¡°¡®Sister tribes¡¯?¡± Natalie blinked. The question served as a good distraction from her own thoughts.


    ¡°The Tamewi and Itsu tribes, splintered factions of us Nuzi people a hundred years back. We are still by far the largest of the three but¡­ well.¡± Minda sighs long and loud.


    And right there at that moment, Natalie felt the age of this elder lady rear its head. The responsibility and conflicted decisions she¡¯d had to make. Before she could really place it to a memory she slid back on as if never removed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that we had disagreements on how some things should be handled. In any case, we¡¯d agreed on no contact between the three. Unless for trade or an emergency that stood to threaten all in the Rahim aldhaakira we will follow our own way. In the hundred years that this agreement had been in place before this recent mess, it was only broken once twenty years ago.¡±


    Natalie by this point had stopped picking corn just to look at Minda in a slight daze. With the old stargazer still busy picking however all she shook her head back to and went to it.


    ¡°I only tell you this to make you understand the magnitude of things,¡± Minda said.


    Natalie nodded. A lot can happen in twenty years, the fact that it¡¯s only now that they choose to break customs because of something she¡¯s involved with left her half wanting to not bother to ask what it is that happened next but the words were already out of her mouth before the better side of herself could get a check on it.


    "Did they kidnap children from them too?¡±


    Minda slowed down her picking and shook her head.


    ¡°They got the message of Chenoa¡¯s location scratched within their chief''s hut as well. They took her as bait and then fanned the flames of outcry to all tribes. They hoped that we¡¯d break custom-like we did, we¡¯ve all been played for fools. Our sun chief and I tried to warn the other tribe of this fact. The Itsu chief at least made an outward effort to act as if he was in agreement with our warnings. As for the Tamewi tribe''s sun chief, he was outraged. Pointless debates dragged on, needless to say, we failed to reach a united decision.¡±


    ¡°You argued?¡±


    A cold breeze whistled over the cornfield as storm clouds began to roll in at a sudden pace. Somewhere in another row of corn someone yelped and made what sounded like pointed comments at something out of place but Natalie was too far gone to really care of her summoned storm cloud was scaring locals. She just couldn''t believe it. They had lived in the balance and all the ones in charge did was argue?


    ¡°The Tamewi have always been impulsive by nature, rowdy bunch.  I guess being the runt of the three tribes they had to stand out somehow.¡± Minda said, if she noticed the change in the atmosphere brought on by the sudden storm clouds she made no indication of it.


    ¡°And because of that, you did not follow up on the message?¡± Natalie said in a low tone.


    "We didn''t, but the Tamewi did. The very next day they sent four of their own shackled to find and raid this place.¡±


    The folding storm clouds began to slow down and fade when Natalie heard this. Maybe this woman was a lost cause but at least someone here took action. Calmed down Natalie went back to picking corn.


    ¡°Seems like me and the Tamewi have a lot in common, maybe I should have gone to them instead,¡± Natalie said.


    It was meant to be a jive at the old stargazer to annoy her but she¡¯d simply chuckled back as if knowing some twisted joke.


    ¡°Maybe you should have, it¡¯s a shame,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure they would have given you a warmer welcome given how skilled they are in comparison to our own shackled.¡±


    That put Natalie back in a peeved mood again.


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°Chenoa and the other children were still there when you arrived? How else do you think it went?¡± Minda replied.


    With her mouth going dry and her hand growing sweaty Natalie closed her eyes, she did not want to hear this but Minda paid her no mind


    ¡°They appeared in our village huts as body parts. All four limbs cut neatly from the torso. It always happened in a room that members were not occupied in but one witness claimed that they saw a black gate blink out of existence as it dropped the victim''s head. Well, excuse me, I¡¯ve gotten ahead of myself-you see the head was not the first body part that came but was in fact the last-¡±


    ¡°I get it...¡± Natalie pushed out, she was starting to feel numb-her heart was racing. Eyes were burning. This was her fault-she¡¯d been the cause of this.


    ¡°It was the arms that appeared first, arms and then legs, torso came the next day, and then came the head."


    ¡°Look I said that I-¡±


    ¡°-By the next day it quickly became apparent that although they sent us a whole body¡¯s worth of limbs not all of them were from the same person. It took the Itsu tribe to break custom again to gather before we were able to piece together the sickening picture of what had happened. One man''s worth of chopped limbs mowed up and sent to each tribe''s village in the space of a week.¡±


    ¡°I get it, ok! I get it...¡± Natalie shouted in a horsed breath. ¡°It was a trap, we did not know what we were walking into. I had no idea that they¡¯d go this far just to locate me.¡±


    A rumble of thunder loomed overhead, but it was distant, lonely. Gripping herself tightly Natalie felt drained, her knees felt shaky, it took all she had at that moment to fight back tears. She¡¯d hated involving others in her own battles, hated dealing with the consequences that path opened up. She learned her lessons early in her quest. She thought that she¡¯d wisened to it-that she found a system that worked and yet still¡­


    ¡°Imagine our shock when we find out that all this happened because that demonic spawn of a man was simply trying to get your attention." When Minda turned back and saw Natalie was out of sorts her persona simmered down as she regarded her in brief silence.


    "Well¡­¡± she picked up a moment later. ¡°It was only thanks to that, that we were even able to assemble the three bodies back into the rightful place. Though we never found the fourth one. It''s a slight that none of us are taking wall. None of our people should die and not be buried beyond the Rahim if it can be helped.¡± her voice sounded resigned as she turned on her heel on Natalie to gather more corn.


    ¡°Epimetheus.¡± Natalie pushed out.


    Minda stopped when she heard this.


    ¡°Is that what that devil calls himself?¡± she asked.


    Natalie nodded. ¡°So you can release your guards, they are innocent,¡±


    Minda scoffed at this.


    ¡°Those two have been set free since the first of the limbs came. One refuses to leave just yet, prideful fool. In any case, you needn''t worry about them.¡±


    Natalie¡¯s face reddened to this as she glanced away.


    ¡°I was not worried,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Whatever you say, child,¡± Minda said, her voice laced with amusement. ¡°Did you at least get your money''s worth from the ordeal? I already know you did not kill him that much is clear from speaking with you.¡±


    Feeling drained, and half angry at almost crying from the guilt Natalie remained silent, her head bowed.


    ¡°I saved lives,¡± she said.


    "He spared you, didn''t he?¡± Minda said as she walked up to her.


    ¡®Respite¡® he called it. In the end, they only got away thanks to Chenoa calling forth those guardian rocks. After everything they did to get there just to be played as they had. It was infuriating. But that did not change anything, she¡¯d come too far to dream of turning away now.


    Enough...


    "He¡¯ll wish he¡¯d kill me," Natalie said, she fixed Minda a fierce glare.


    The stargazer seemed to be weighing it for a while before nodding to herself.


    ¡°I never started this,¡± she continued. ¡°But I¡¯ll sure as hell be the one to end it, whatever it takes,¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Minda replied curtly. ¡°Ignorance aside, I''m glad that you are still determined to keep at it.¡±


    Natalie, confused, looked back at her. Minda catching this shared a puzzled look back.


    ¡°What is it, child? Well speak up!¡± she said


    ¡°I thought you were angry at how this affected your tribe and people,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°I am angry at that,¡± Minda said as she walked on, ¡°But the beans had been cast long before you or anyone could have foreseen it. Perhaps it was always intended to be cast and you just sped up that process. No matter how you look at it the game was rigged. I can¡¯t entirely blame you for the oversight. If you were to have backed down afterward, however, then I would have been fuming.¡±


    So, this whole time she was testing me? She was not sure how to feel about that.


    ¡°This leads me to another issue.¡± Minda picked up.


    ¡°Wasi alsukhur is still bound to bring the other kids back home, how soon do you think you¡¯d be ready to fulfill its pledge?¡±


    Confused Natalie silently tested the word in her mouth allowing instant recollection to hit her. It was the same words that Chenoa uttered as they stood by her as if pets beckoning a master¡¯s call.


    ¡°Guardian rock?¡± she said uncertainly.


    That offered her a muted stare from Minda making Natalie self-aware and try and look anywhere but at her face.


    ¡°I can leave as soon as Andrew wakes,¡±


    ¡°It cannot wait that long,¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°The guardian rock may seem docile now but that doesn''t make it safe. It¡¯s like a force of nature, tamed for now but prone to change due to intense emotions. Much like your control over the weather I guess.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that suppose to mean?!¡± Natalie spat, a rumble of thunder echoed like a reverberating wave over the mountain plane.


    Minda simply looked up at the sky and then at Natalie as if her point was proven. Gritting her teeth and trying to hide the embarrassment on her face Natalie readjusted the basket of sweetcorn on her back.


    ¡°In any case, I''d rather not take any chances. The sooner it¡¯s off the better,¡± Minda said simply.


    ¡°And what about Andrew?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to Andrew¡¯s wellbeing in the meantime.¡±


    Natalie shook her head. Three people (two women and a man) were walking past the other stack of sweetcorns on the other side, seeing Minda they fell to hushed voices, nodded their respects to her, and went on their way.


    ¡°Some of your people tried to attack him all of a sudden by the gate,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°And Muraco and Wapi came to his defense did they not?¡± Minda said.


    ¡®Muraco and Wapi¡¯? Are those the names of the two guards?


    They were the ones that circled around Andrew after everyone''s knee-jerk reaction suddenly came to a frenzy at Aiyana¡¯s words. True, they came to his defense. But there laid the rub.


    ¡°You mind telling me what that was all about? Why did they react like that? What did Aiyana even say?¡±


    ¡°That will take some explaining, the short of it is a simple misunderstanding. The girl spoke of things that she hardly knew about herself. I personally saw Aiyana punished for that, you apparently saw that much.¡±


    Natalie remained silent.


    ¡°I can explain that and more but right now I need you to make the decision to finish what you started and quickly before-¡±


    Just then the sound of bells chimed over the cornfield making everyone around them hold their breaths and keep deadly still. Natalie knew they all did so in order to wait for rhythmic chimes to help divulge what kind of announcement it was.


    Minda however simply groned to herself and began making her way towards the tend but this time with more speed.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late, they''re here,¡± she said.


    Natalie quickening her pace to reach her side looked at Minda in confusion. Other men and women who had baskets on their back began to move at a brisk pace towards the tent.


    ¡°What do you mean, who¡¯s here?¡± Natalie asked. Eyes darting nervously between the groups of people suddenly rushing around her.


    At first, she thought it was a potential attack, much like when she heard them chime when she approached the guardian rock. There was a relaxed eagerness to them, however. Like they were about to reacquaint with an old friend who¡¯d gone through a rebellious phase.


    ¡°For better or worse you¡¯ll see,¡± she grumbled. A young boy sprinting over to Minda shouted something in Alermuric witch Minda gave a curt response, dropped him her basket full of sweetcorn, and watched him break off towards the direction of the tent.


    ¡°Just get a move on with fulfilling that guardian rock¡¯s pledge,¡± she said as she locked her hands behind her back. ¡°It was already a hazard with just our village¡¯s influence to worry about, guests just complicate things further.¡±


    ¡°But how I can trust you with-¡±


    ¡°-Oh cycles above! This is why I can''t bother dealing with people beyond the womb. They are just so rigged-minded.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t trust us then take him with you-though I would not recommend it, I wish to talk with you a bit longer but I have to deal with this mess first.¡±


    And with that, she left Natalie standing there in the field of sweetcorn as the last of the locals in the cornfield passed her by. Left baffled and ticked off by her talk with the Stargazer, Natalie stormed her way back to the tent, threw her meager collection of sweetcorn on the pile, and proceeded to make her way back to the hut with Andrew and the kids.


    She wanted her to get going, did she? Wanted her to make it quick to spare her an inconvenience?


    It¡¯s not like I want to stay here like this.


    She already had it in mind to leave as soon as she was able but to hear Minda request it like it was an order only ticked her off further. Well, as much as it bothered her Minda was not the problem. If the guardian rock was anything like she said it was then it seldom mattered what she did or did not want. This had to happen and soon. She did not want to delay the children from their loved ones any longer than necessary but Andrew¡­


    She could not risk moving him, and yet she could not fully trust Minda¡¯s word on his safety. Although she believed that Aiyana had said something out of ignorance Natalie had the feeling that that part that was not explained would turn that miss conception on its head. The moment was brief but how quickly everyone reacted on both sides left an impression on her.


    Why did those two come to their defense against their own people? Just what did a shackled mean, how were their powers different from a knight? Could she really trust them? So many questions on her mind. And with no real way of communicating with them having a quick stern talking was not going to get her anywhere.


    By the time Natalie made it near the hut Andrew was in she figured out who it was that approached the village. It was the Itsu tribe, that single world stuck out like a weed in the undifferential pattern that was the Alermuric tongue. She guessed that was the third time their custom had been broken in the month. Minda had made it out to be such a big deal but she was beginning to wonder if that was not exaggerated.


    It was not until she was about to step into the hut that she heard it. Another word she recognized among the endless many spoken.


    ¡®Hemerlains,¡¯


    Hymn singers and storytellers known the world over. But most importantly for Natalie was one thing Minda said offhandedly when they first spoke. Translate, they could translate Alermuric into Kemish. With her sights set Natalie began making her way towards the gathering crowd of people by the entrance of the village. Before her grace period with the guardian rock ended. Before she risked waking up Andrew and undoing any healing his body is desperately trying to make she¡¯d need a translator to help build a brigade of mutual understanding between her and these shackled ones before the day was through.

 Chapter 14: Mask of guilt

    To say that we walked into a bush of thorn is to make light of bushes. Safe to say we''ve found the Nuzi people, and when I say ¡®found¡¯ I mean we were ambushed. That will teach me to let silly things like how I''m going to converse with them distract me from my surroundings. Had Flynn not covered for my lack of poise we''d both be dead.


    I¡¯d like to think that my choice of words is what stayed their intent to kill us but honestly, it was because I could speak their language at all that did it. That fact would have been darkly humorous had it not reinforced the feeling of being unprepared for something. I hate not knowing.


    With both village¡¯s sun Chief and stargazer gone on an errand, the moon chieftess gave us a hut to sleep in as well as washing herbs to use in the sweat tents, food wasprepeared for us also. It was not her place to answer the questions I asked, it¡¯s against their ¡®minhna¡¯.


    To prevent another cultural complication I held my tongue on the matter but it was very difficult. Though I''ll respect custom the look on her and her people''s faces, the sheer hostility that we faced when we were ambushed betrayed a more deepr underline story here. One of vengece without a clear aim... that is if I''m reading the room right.


    I¡¯ll wait for them to return, they say that they''ll be back the next day so I should get some rest.


    Sophie - July 23rd, 2764


    Natalie


    She followed the trickle of people who made their way up to the northern gate. Right before she reached the front of the gathering of people, Natalie heard the newcomers, their hums washed over the excited murmurs of the Nuzi people like shour tides. It whistled upon the winds as if it were the breeze itself, the harmonious sound of singing could echo from beyond the wall, not far from where the guardian rock stood.


    Talks from the crowd simmered down to a dull buzz as they all listened. It was¡­ soothing. Almost reverent in its sound. It pulsated through the air through their chest and right into their souls. Although Natalie did not get the words (the whole thing was in Alermuric) something about it that made her feel like she¡¯d almost got it almost understood anything and everything that was said if she only just stopped and... so taken in by the song Natalie had to do a second take on why she was moving towards the gate.


    Need a translator.


    Natalie had heard of the enchanting hymns the Hemerlains could muster with their voice alone but this was the first time she¡¯d witness it. Pushing through the mesmerized crowd Natalie activated her angel sight to look through the walls what to expect. There was a small crowd of perhaps twenty men standing off in the far distance, barely visible to the naked eye unless you knew what to look for. Two more people, a man, and a woman according to their inverted silhouette stood several paces closer to the village. The proud way that they held themselves made them out to be leaders or at least one¡¯s in charge of this gathering of people. Nuzi people from one of the other tribes Natalie was willing to bet. And lastly to the far right, right by the guardian rock, she found them.


    There were about twenty people gathered around the walking wall give-or-take. All wore long robes of sky blue. Their wide hats fanned out like a rosebud in bloom, their hymn-like song seemed to swirl around the air in a kind of whimsical vortex. The song was so reverent and hypnotic that Natalie almost overlooked the fact that they were indeed singing it directly at the guardian rock which couldn¡¯t be good. She was about to run over and put a stop to it until she noticed a small group of Nuzi people was already engaging them with protests and waves to stop what they were doing. Although they were shouting the Hymalens song drowned out their calls.


    Eventually with some nudges and prodding the group stopped their hymns and began to file up in front of the man who stopped them as they were escorted towards the gate to the village. Watching them walk past Natalie noted the regal but giddy way that they held themselves. Like carefree children that got caught doing something foolish but knew it would get a laugh out of everyone. To them, life was an adventure, and the stunt they just pulled was part of the fun. It contrasted her take on things so much that Natalie felt a reluctance to even engage them.


    Most of them looked to be between their late teens and early twenties, somewhere likely more her age but the rest seemed older and they hid it better it did not take much to see that even they held the same faces. Some were hiding a smirk, others were simply conversing and laughing among themselves without a care in the world. A few of them however noticed Natalie standing there watching and all their conversing and banter stopped flat as to look briefly back. A vague curiosity painted their faces as they moved back to speaking.


    The small group of Nuzi men that gathered them herded the Hemerlains in the village like sheep, once gathered, two of the men were escorted from the front whilst another two stayed back to tail them from behind. stood between them and the wall like preventing any from sneaking away although it did not seem necessary. Off were the two people who stood heard something in Alermuric said to Minda, Natalie assumed it was a kind of apology going by the tone. Unable to grasp the words Natalie had to get by with reading the tone and features of the speaker. They were dressed in much the same way as the stargazer was except this one looked a fair bit younger. Their faces expressing that friendly apology in earnest Natalie thought until a light look of amusement at the events that apired on their face.


    Natalie did not need much to understand what was likely said. And considering Minda¡¯s worry about how people¡¯s mood will influence the guardian rock only to make fun of that spoke volumes of the underline bad blood that Minda spoke of between the other tribes. Given everything Natalie was willing to bet that the leaders from the other tribe encouraged the Hemerlains to do what they did. Well, it was stupid, what if it actually worked and the thing went berserk? It was not because she cared about these people per-say but nobody deserved to lose their lives because of one person¡¯s dark humor. Besides, Andrew and the children were still inside the village. Not to mention that if things did go wrong because of them, being as close as they were it would have been the Hemerlains that suffered the first casualties.


    Shaking her head Natalie turned back to the village gate, the last of the Hemerlains had mostly been escorted into the village itself, the guardian rock was still placid as it waited by the village walls. Noting this Natalie ignored Minda as she talked to the stargazer from the rival tribe to seek out one of the Hemerlains.


    ~#~


    Pulling one amongst them to have a word with was not too difficult, in fact, it kind of just... happened. It happened the moment she made her way towards the rear rank. She¡¯d been following the tail end of the flank for a short time as they moved deeper into the village. Not gone this deep into the village before Natalie was a little surprised to see that the path had widened, with huts were placed further away from another making for a wide area of the dirt-baked road. Therein its center here were long thin benches all gathered side by side in trouble rows pointing towards a lone hut stood in the dead middle.


    It was like a stage, or formal gathering Natalie guessed as she saw the Nuzi people and Hemarlains alike all take up a seat on this bench, they looked to be waiting for something to happen. Knowing that she did not have the time to wait around for whatever was to take place to finish Natalie plucked enough courage to approach one of the rowdy bunch Hemarlains sitting on the last row of benches. One of the Hemerlains (a man) looked back at her before saying something lost in the hubbub for Natalie to hear at his peers before peeling away from the group to approach her. Natalie could not help but notice that his peers gave her one last curious look before getting back to observing whatever it was that was happening at the front.


    ¡°Blessed be the winds, what can Hymn-man Eli do for you? Your... are not local here are you?¡± It was barely framed as a question.


    Eli was three, perhaps four years older than Natalie. Even though he was the senior she could help view him as barely older than herself. Perhaps younger if she did not consciously remind herself that was not so. It was his posture she guessed, like most of them Eli held a bright disposition about himself that betrayed her take on how one her age would have.


    He''d instantly got into a speel how he was so sure she was not one of the locals. Her clothes were the most obvious ones. How she wore her hair down was also a big giveaway, most girls her age here seemed to keep it in a bun. And given that they had been rotating among the three tribes for a while now they grew accustomed to being the only ones in those villages with distinctly different attires.


    For three years they had been studying among the Nuzi people. Eli was hoping that he¡¯d be fluent enough in Alermuric to one day create his own hymns in the language. Or at the very least passable enough to be allowed to finally migrate south to the land beyond the womb and meet up with the foretellers. People who are said that their inspired hymns hold potential fragments of events yet to transpire within the cycle.


    ¡°Most say that their foretellings are just coincidence-and I can¡¯t fault them for thinking such. Still, if the stargazers say that they have grasped the thread of their own interpretations of the cycle then who am I to argue. Na, I¡¯ll be wholly content learning the Nauzi people¡¯s culture and then moving on to someplace not north and not as hot. Feather Head or Brew comes to mind.¡±


    He happily divulged his motives, wants, and dreams all without her squeezing a word in edgeways. He was just earnestly open and optimistic. Even his talks of knowledge were framed in this bright-eyed childlike demeanor, one that tempered with the weight of spoken wisdom. Perhaps that¡¯s where his lack of street wits and caution were funneled to.


    Besides Andrew, it had been a long while since she really interacted with anyone her own age. Thanks to his speel half the questions that she had for him fell by the wayside, all except one. She just needed to stop him from talking.


    ¡°So are you a hunter? You must be traveling also. But so far north alone. Commissions here can¡¯t be worth the effort even a premimem job.¡± Eli said.


    He went on like that for a full minute. (Natalie counted with gritted teeth.) At first, Natalie thought that he was being nosey, that perhaps Eli had tried to lull her into a false sense of confrontation before diving in for a full investigation. His brief mention of the odd appearance of storms coming and going in a blink and how the Itsu tribe had suddenly cut their arranged visit short to bring them here as sooner than prearranged. Natalie was pissed, she was soon going to get her back up until she, however, realized that besides being sent here early likely because of her actions he himself did not have a clue if she herself was connected to it. Besides noting her oddity in this side of the world he was simply someone who was hardly able to keep a loose thought to himself. Although it made her more sure he could be of use it was grading at her. She¡¯d hardly been able to get a word in.


    ¡°Can you translate?¡± she¡¯d finally pushed out.


    Eli blinked as if she¡¯d just appeared out of thin air in front of him before he opened his mouth in understanding the question.


    ¡°You mean the Alermuric tongue? Why, of course. I might not be the best at it but I am far better than half my peers including Mertel who-¡±


    ¡°-Follow me!¡±


    She¡¯d turned around and started weaving her way through the din of people who now were getting back to their things after the parade of Hemerlain came and gone. She¡¯d heard a call of protest leave Eli¡¯s lips but she did not dare address it, not unless she wanted to risk standing there and listen to him talking for another ten minutes. It just happened that he was following her and the two that she wanted to talk to were still where she last found them.


    Reaching the back to the village gate she found them. Two men guarding the entrance with spear and boomerang respectively. Muraco and Wapi she recalled Minda saying. As for which one was which she did not know. They were talking in deep hushes but that came to a stop when she approached. Meeting eyes with the two of them, Natalie remained silent. The man with the feather-like attire (the one with the boomerang. Muraco?) just looked at her, his face guarded and unreadable. Like a hawk watching a leopard from several miles high. Not afraid, but wary of the presence of another hunter in its domain. The man with the gray furred pelt however had a roaming wolf coming face to face with that very same leopard. A swirling pool of rage flickered in his eyes. Natalie could understand the rage to a degree given the circumstance but this one felt like it has gone beyond that. But that did not make sense.


    The moment that was broken by the footfalls fast approaching behind her. Eli made it to her side and mumbled something to himself about explaining herself first and ¡®some kind of eren boy¡¯. As he got done grumbling and pattering down his clothes his eyes looked at Natalie and followed her gaze. They both looked at Eli now, features hardly changing in the process. Eli¡¯s lip twitched in hesitation when she saw them before understanding took over his features. Giving an awkward wave and smile he greeted them in Alermuric. That came out as cheerful, almost too cheerful to be seen as earnest which did not help the situation any.


    ¡°If I¡¯d known that you¡¯d wanted me to talk to the shackled then I¡¯d have bid you fair days and ran the other way!¡± he gritted under his teeth.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do it?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°I can do it, yes, but it¡¯s asking for trouble. Nothing gets between them and their ordeal. To even think of disturbing a shackled one during their duty you need a very good reason.¡±


    ¡°How does stopping the village from being trampled on sound for a reason?¡±


    Eli mumbled the word ¡®trampled¡¯ in open bewilderment. Shaking her head, Natalie simply ignored him and continued her walk towards the two young men. If he was going to translate then he would translate. Either way, Natalie had words to speak to them and she intended to make them understand one way or another.


    ¡°I need to talk to one of you,¡± she said as she folded her arms beneath her chest.


    The two men who had already been eyeing her since she came into sight simply blinked their eyes impassively. The wolf pelted man with the spear turned his full attention towards her. Whilst the other with the boomerang simply watched her from the corner of his eye as he leaned against the village gate, like predators watching a potential rival coming to their riverbank. Natalie''s steps were normal but silent with her natural leopard-like grace which added to the tension. Eli¡¯s frantic footfalls however broke the ongoing silence. To add insult to the shifted mood Eli sighed heavily as if he¡¯d just got done climbing a steep cliff face. He stopped as soon as he saw the shackled eyeing him but by then it was too late.


    ¡°T-tabarak alriyah!¡± Eli said, it was said too loudly and followed by an awkward chuckle as he pretended to dust himself off.


    The so-called greeting hardly got a sniff from the boomerang wielding man and a blinked in front of the wolf pelted one. From the corner of her eyes, Natalie could see Eli reluctantly turn to look at her.


    ¡°What do you want me to say!?¡± he hissed with gritted teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it already,¡± she grumbled.


    With her arms folded and eyes glaring at them she did not want to back peddle. It took a second for Eli to catch on but he did get it.


    ¡°Oh! What you last said. Right. I-uhh...¡±


    Eli proceeded to talk to them in Alermuric, translating what she¡¯d told them Natalie guessed. That was until she noticed that he¡¯d used too many words for it to be a direct translation. With a bit of floundering, Eli was able to get them seemingly on the same page. With a nod, the wolf pelt one pointed his nose to a low clay wall before talking towards it himself.


    With a sigh, he leaned himself against it watching the onlookers with a tense silence. Natalie frowned, given his possession he would have her standing there with her back to the villagers just to see eye to eye. It was either that or lean side by side along the wall, all with him and the people-watch along like some mutual negotiators. Natalie gritted her teeth. She needed to see the expression on his face, most of all she needed him to see that she meant business by witnessing the one on her own face. Facing the shackled one and hopping on top of the wall Natalie gracefully fell into a sitting posture. Crossing her legs her knees hung off either end of the wall but thankfully the thin side of it was just wide enough to balance on whilst seated.


    The young man glanced up at her from the corner of his eye with a raised eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. Eli himself stood there facing the wall between the two of them. Licking his lips he looked unsure if he wanted to even be there.


    With a long sigh, the shackled one began. It was in Alermuric of course but even so, Natalie could have sworn that she caught a familiar word in there, with that alone Natalie had some slight inkling of what he¡¯d asked. She turned to Eli when the wolf pelted man finished talking. Eli looked puzzled at first until he spotted Natalie looking at him, waiting. With a start, he stammered with himself before finding his words.


    ¡°¡®You¡¯ve come here to gloat?¡¯ is what he said, he didn''t sound happy. Did¡­ did you actually fight a shackled?¡± Eli said.


    ¡°Tell him that he is a stuck-up prick that I¡¯d have beaten if I had not been protecting the kids from his assault. In those exact words Eli. No sugar coating what I just said¡± Natalie said.


    Eli staggered back, his hands shot up in the air in protest.


    ¡°Now wait a wind-gusted minute! You really expect me to help you start another fight with a shackled!?¡±


    ¡°If it must come to blows then let it happen, just make sure he knows that it¡¯s said from me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll make that crystal clear!¡± Eli said. ¡°But why?¡±


    Natalie just glared at him. A part of her mind thought that she should have stopped and given Eli a quick rundown to help add context to what she was doing what she was but it was too late. They were now in the cooking pot, and Eli had to just trust her to navigate them out of the broth before they were boiled into nothingness. Eli eyed Natalie for a second, it was clear that he did not understand what she meant but dropping his head in defeat he played along.


    The spar man¡¯s stoney face hardened as Eli translated what she said to him before but besides that, no sign of ill intent came off of him. When Eli was done he glanced up at Natalie and grumbled something at her in their native tongue. His voice sounded like that of a prowling wolf.


    ¡°¡®Just be glad that you came shielded behind those children. Thanks to them we could not do our job properly. With them elsewhere you now have no protection.¡¯ his words.¡± Eli shrugged.


    Looking at Muraco or Wapi Natalie gave a raised eyebrow at him which earned her a rueful ghost of a smirk in return. So he wanted to play it like that did he?


    ¡°Tell him that I¡¯d got done telling your stargazer how incompetent you all were when it came to saving one of your own, Chenoa.¡±


    It was true to an extent. She did have a go at Minda about their role in affairs. What she left out was how her outburst backfired with the mountain of horrific news the Stargazer gave her back to debunk her accusations. In truth, she now felt sick at herself for jumping to conclusions. She¡¯ll do better next time. But for now, she bottled that feeling up. She needed to test him, test how far she can trust him and she had no time to do it gently.


    Natalie was pulled out of her line of thought when the shackled one suddenly jumped atop the wall and said something in a careful but threatening manner. Natalie forced herself to maintain her sitting posture and keep eye contact, having him loom over her was like being suddenly submerged under cold floodwaters. Every cell in her body wanted to stand up and break out of the waters surface but she did not dare make a move that showed weakness.


    ¡°H-he threatened to run you through, listen-if you guys are really going to fight then I think my role of getting that point across is clear-agreed?¡± Eli said off to her side. Natalie did not dear flash him a side glance.


    She was about to tell Eli what to say next when she noticed that he was being questioned by one of the onlooking villagers, and not in a civil way. With Eli too busy making protested remarks and pointing at both her and the Shackled on the wall Natalie was left at a loss for when the shackled one began speaking seemingly to themselves. As Eli was too preoccupied to notice yet along translate Natalie''s composure cracked a little more as she leaned forward as if doing so will somehow help her understand his language. She, to her small surprise, did catch something. A phantom taste of grilled sweetcorn followed by the sensation of vague thoughts, impressions, and feelings that she was able to put into words. Thoughts and feelings just like with that dieing guard in the base, just like some of them with the kids and Andrew in this village.


    She was doing it again except this was not the shackled one''s thoughts, neither was it Eli¡¯s. It was the villager that was arguing with her translator. they spoke of indignation at a student (she guessed they were referring to Eli.) who was out here causing mischief right by their home. Although she could hear some other¡¯s thoughts some way beyond them Natalie just could not get a read on him. With a number of whispers running through her skull her head began to ache once again. Forcing her eyes closed Natalie sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden migraine. When she made the effort to look up to not show her pain she noticed that the shackled one (Muraco or Wapi) was already off the wall and making his way back to the gate.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Natalie shouted, she stumbled off the wall and back to her feet. Shocked at how dizzy she felt Natalie almost toppled on her front. Maybe that stunt with her mind was more a cures than a blessing after all.


    Eli gave a start as Natalie suddenly protested and took the opportunity to worm out of whatever tongue lashing the village lady was dishing him.


    ¡°Yatamasak!¡± Eli called sight beside her, he was back to translating she realized.


    Neither her nor Eli¡¯s voice was silent but even so, he ignored them as if they¡¯d never addressed him. Stressed and frustrated Natalie dug her fingers into her palms before she ran and caught up with¡­


    Who? Muraco or Wapi? She should have asked.


    Another call fell on deaf ears, and now other people were watching the events unfold making her more self-aware. Brushes of some of their thoughts crossed her own mind jumbling up her already cluttered thoughts. Reaching for head Natalie staggered mid-step. Embarrassment fought with desperate determination. This was not going according to plan, she could not shut out the voices of others. Muraco, Wapi, or whoever was getting further away. Before she recalled herself, Natalie had up and blurted out a name. One of the two names that had been bouncing around her foggy head.


    ¡°Muraco!¡± Natalie put more than a call behind the name. She¡¯d said it as a shout to banish the countless other voices crawling in her head, she did it because if nobody was going to stand up and look out for Andrew then she had to.


    When Natalie opened her eyes she was vaguely surprised to find that it worked. The voices in her head had completely vanished. The spot they stood on was dead silent, with half the onlookers frozen in place in concern. Among them, the shackled one with the spear stood in place looking back at her in surprise. If she did not know any better Natalie would wager that she¡¯d guess his name correctly.


    ¡°So you¡¯d known his name this whole time? You could have started with that.¡± Eli grumbled beside her ear.


    Ignoring the throbbing in her skull, Natalie walked the rest of the way towards Muraco. He looked at her as if she was a canvas that was tilted off to the side just a smidge. He then proceeded to speak.


    ¡°He said that you¡¯ve shamed him twice now." Eli said. Natalie frowned.


    Twice?


    "The first was calling out his failure to do something about Chenoa, and the second is calling out his name as if a moon chieftess publicly declaring judgment for his failings. He... ¡± Eli¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, looking at Natalie too as if seeing her for the first time. ¡°He said that he would have skewered you at the end of his spear had you shamed him with the second before the first.¡±


    Natalie, confused, raised an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°It basically means that you would have had your damn rematch if you did things the other way around!¡± he huffed as he fixed his hat on his head although it clearly did not need it.


    Muraco continued to talk which made Eli blink in intrigue.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve exposed him he said that he owes you a debt,¡± Eli said.


    Natalie¡¯s eyes narrowed at that. A debt? She did not do anything besides try and push his buttons and see where his loyalties lay in all of this. That confusion must have been apparent on her face because Eli continued to explain.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because you called him out on the fact that he did nothing to save this Chenoa person. In Nuzi customs people¡¯s roles in the village are segregated into concise paths. The hunter-gatherers hunt and gather, the crop growers grow crops, and the sun chief, moon chieftess, and stargazers tend to men, earth, and heaven respectively.¡±


    ¡°Each tends to their own field, of course, there is some overlap but each person¡¯s role is their pride. And nobody else from another role can tell one how to do their job. To have to be told how to do their job in their own circle is one thing but to be told so from one from out outside is a shame.¡±


    ¡°But I did not tell him to do anything,¡± Natalie said.


    Surely criticizing and being told how to do your job were two different things. She honestly felt stupid for second-guessing that for a moment.


    ¡±It is, and you''re right. But I think that the shackled ones have it a bit worse. They are left with the task of protecting the people from harm. It¡¯s their one ¡®mihna¡¯ their ordeal. To fail their mihna is one thing. But to be called out for it in public like that is an offense that can only be cleansed with blood. If the negligence was called out publicly by one of a slightly lower or equal ordeal then it¡¯s settled with a duel. If the mistake was called out publicly by one of a higher mihna then that likely means execution for the one who is of the lower mihna.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid!¡± Natalie exclaimed. ¡°Then what if the one who accused them out of ignorance or lied to get them punished?!¡±


    ¡°If that happens then the wrongly accused can simply say as much. That will lead things into a trial, those are typically overseen by stargazers and both chiefs if possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd,¡± Natalie mumbled.


    ¡°I use to think so too until I realized how rarely it¡¯s used, it keeps the lines clear on who does what and when to criticize another poor job at something. In some roundabout way, that¡¯s where this whole ¡®I owe you¡¯ is coming from.¡¯¡±


    In truth, Natalie did not grasp it, not fully. But if he feels that he owes her something then is he saying that this was a good time to call him out on something (that is, if Minda¡¯s story was correct.) he had no power to even prevent?


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    ¡°So he¡¯s an idiot, it¡¯s the only way I can see this making any sense,¡± Natalie grumbled.


    Eli seemed to read the reasoning behind her words because as he studied her he smiled, surged his shoulders, and said. ¡±It¡¯s either that, or this particular guy here is harder on himself for some reason.¡± Sighing to himself he sort of relaxed as he looked around at the people going back about their business.


    ¡°To be honest, we¡¯ve come here to study them but then I still find their ways strange, there¡¯s the separation of minha¡¯s and how the hierarchy can change over season or circumstance. Then there are the rules revolving around it dealing with one when from another. Like the ¡®samt aljabal¡¯ or the ¡®mountain silence¡¯ approach. That might have been what you did by the wall but I was too distracted to really pay attention. I can explain it to you if you want.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Natalie sighed. She had enough on her mind as it was. ¡°Just ask him why did he protect my friend back there.¡±


    Eli looked grief-stricken but it vanished soon after.


    ¡°He said that your friend carries a heavy ordeal, he said that his and their struggle are a lot alike. As long as he fights it¡¯s his mihna he is obliged to keep harm from happening to him just like anyone else. It¡¯s a kind of warrior¡¯s respect thing.¡±


    Muraco continued on speaking right over Eli¡¯s last words this time, he looked at Natalie as an equal now, his hard eyes glimmering with part amusement and uncertainty. When he was done Eli looked down at the floor thoughtfully. It was as if she and the shackled presence had melted away from his acknowledgment. Natalie had to call him before he realized that he zoned off.


    ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He said that you play at mihna like a moon chieftess, he¡¯s really adamant that he pays you back for hiding his shame by the way. The questions you asked not going to cover it apparently.¡± Eli said.


    Natalie gritted her teeth, she wished he stopped saying that he owed them one. Doubly so when it reminded her what her actions already cost this village, what it still could cost this village. If he¡¯d known what Minda knew she brought upon them Muraco would say that she owed them a blood debt several times over. Natalie thought of the thousands of ways that the conversation could have gone very wrong. Well, what¡¯s done was done. So long as those actions got results...


    Just then Eli slowly looked up at her. Like seeing a piece of a greater jigsaw his mouth opened.


    ¡°You did not know a single thing about their ways, did you?¡± Eli said in amazement.


    Her gut knotted up at that, realizing that her eyes had widened, Natalie tried to rain in her emotions with a sniff and a fold of her arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she said. And cringed at the lack of conviction she felt in her words.


    Eli¡¯s jaw just hung open all the wider, Muraco giving them a look of bafflement, she''d have kicked Eli with his big mouth if it did not expose her guilt. Imagining that she did so instead Natalie closed her eyes to shut them out.


    ¡°You got high praise from a shackled for navigating your way around the customs of the mihna when you yourself had no clue there were even customs.¡± Eli continued.


    Now Natalie¡¯s face became heated. She hoped that her growing embarrassment did not show through it but that hope was shattered the moment Muraco burst into a fit of laughter.


    ¡°He said that it must be the will of the cycle that things turned out the way they did, well if you ask me you just got extremely lucky but, guess it still boils down to the same thing,¡± Eli said before musing to himself. Seemed like he was doubting his own words.


    That aside it took Eli speaking up to realize that Muraco had indeed said something after his lengthy laughing. She¡¯d just been too preoccupied picturing herself kicking him and Eli across the street (maybe out of this village,) to realize.


    ¡°Well anyways, you can name any favor, if it¡¯s within his power to make happen he will do it,¡± Eli continued with an exasperated sigh. Whatever he was pondering on did not lead him to happy thoughts.


    ¡°What does, ¡®Iinah almumha¡¯ mean?¡± Natalie asked carefully.


    She recalled it being the thing that Aiyana said just before the crowd of villagers suddenly looked ready to trample or run a mile away from Andrew. For fear of not getting a straight answer out of Minda she did not bother ask the stargazer. With Muraco here, however¡­


    ¡°I could tell you that much, it does not mean anything. Just a sentence. ¡®He is eraser¡¯? though why anyone would say that in any context is-¡±


    ¡°-Just ask him, exactly how I said it,¡± Natalie said, her eyes not leaving Muraco.


    Eli did so after a brief blink and going by the furrowed look on his face she had the feeling that he himself was not sure what he was hearing from Muraco. Eli then went on to reply something back to the shackled witch earned him a shrugged and more explaining.


    ¡°He said the same thing I did, the exact same thing, except...¡±


    ¡°Except what?¡±


    Eli grumbled.


    ¡°He spoke about the ordeals again, he said that some are more important than others depending on time and circumstance as I told you. A bit like the cycle itself, Things like darkness, air, water and earth. They all have their time and place but it''s neverfixed one day rivers must give way to land, one day forest must giveaway to flame, they must loop back onto themselves and have their time again. Like the day and night cycle.¡±


    Natalie nodded and so Eli licked his lips and continued.


    ¡°With dark knights being the very first ordeals to break from despair it stands to reason that its return is coming. Because the cycle is wise, it knows all he said. It is said that after fulfilling their role the dark knights faded into myth. For even one of them to show up here now after means that a great shift as big as the breaking from dark pits despair is afoot. A great change or an end of an area is said to come at the return of the dark knights hence the name ¡®eraser¡¯.¡±


    Natalie remained completely frozen. She knew that dark knights were rare simply by traveling with Andrew. Not that she made it her job to work out what affinity everyone had around her but besides Andrew¡¯s father (and now Epimetheus,) she¡¯d never seen one else with that power. She swallowed despite herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Natalie did not want to say what she thought it meant but her tone left her unspoken words bare.


    Eli looked at Natalie in sympathy, he¡¯d noticed the hanging words she dared not say.


    ¡°He¡¯s not sure. And I¡¯m not sure either, to the Nuzi people the dark affinity is a symbol of great change, a sudden shift in the status quo by ¡®erasing the known status quo into something unknown. To them, there are a lot of things in this world that could be done with a good erasing. You¡­ probably are aware that many here don¡¯t think too highly of the people beyond Rahim aldhaakira.¡±


    ¡°I got some notion,¡± She¡¯d put that whole conversation with Minda into the pits if she could but¡­


    ¡°Well, some take erase as the removal of the world beyond here. Most however think it more likely is the end of them and the world. So you see the conflict. They¡¯d rally beside a man who was going to knock the rest of the world down a peg or two but I guess the small chance of their own world being erased also does not suit them well.¡±


    Natalie hoped that the uncertainty in her chest did not show. So what if a few people believed Andrew to be an omen of great changes to come. Just because they believed it did not mean that it held weight, except. Gritting her teeth until her jaw hurt, Natalie shook her head abruptly. She will not think about that. No matter what grievances he had back then Andrew was not a monster and that was the end of it.


    If there was anyone who fit that bill then it was Epimetheus, she had half the mind to mumble that under her breath but held against it.


    Learning what little she knew about the Minhna having her spill something that Stargazer or chief have done so will come to bite her in the rear in shocking ways. She was half predicting that even this conversation will come back to haunt her and she¡¯d had enough of changing it with their customs.


    ¡°How soon can I have that favor?¡± Natalie asked.


    Eli seemed like he was waiting for something from her but once he realized that she was waiting on him to translate he sighed and turned around to do just that.


    Muraco said ¡®he can pay her back right now¡¯ which made Natalie nod to herself as she began moving her way towards the hut that held the kids.


    ¡°Tell him to follow me and-¡±


    ¡°-wait!¡±Eli exclaimed.


    Bouncing on the ball of her feet Natalie realized Muraco had been speaking for some time since she got moving. Eli holding out both hands towards them as if to freeze them in place listened intensively.


    ¡°He¡¯s got to tell his friend first what''s going on and get another shackled to cover for him on such short notice. Said he will meet you where this friend of yours is. He knows where it is.¡±


    Recalling that it was Muraco who she witnessed looking back at the hut after Aiyana brushed by him she simply nodded to him in understanding. He nodded also before breaking off toward the gate. With a sigh, Eli looked back down the road back where they came from to get her with regret.


    ¡°It¡¯s been going on for a while now, said I¡¯ll be back before it did,¡± he mumbled to himself.


    Confused Natalie narrowed her eyes at him, that was until she faintly heard the sound of drums and singing off in the distance. It had been going on for a while now, she was just too preoccupied to even notice.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you some questions, but I see that my use has come to an end,¡± Eli sighed.


    Although he said it to himself it was apparent on his downcast face that every word was meant to be overheard by her to likely rouse a reaction that worked since it stopped her mid-run once again to look back. He looked up at her with a weary smile.


    ¡°What is it?¡± although she¡¯d rather be getting on with leaving the village Natalie felt like she at least owed him something.


    ¡°I just wanted to know what¡¯s going on beyond the memorial womb. Mainly to do with the Golden Dragon Empire, you see we recently heard that they had an incident in their capital city. Do you know anything about it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Natalie¡¯s lip twitched, a small part of her was relieved that she knew nothing of it.


    Eli winced before sighing and nodded to himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t spouse you have time to sit around and be asked more questions? I understand,¡± he sighed. ¡°And after all the trouble I went through to get you and the shackled to get along too.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, maybe when I get back,¡± shrugging awkwardly, Natalie began to move her feet back towards the huts. ¡°In the meantime keep what was said here to yourself!¡±


    Taking one last look back she saw Eli staring at her with deflated shoulders before returning back the way he came.


    ~#~


    For a second Natalie thought she lost all semblance of where the hut laid that held Andrew and the children was until she did a quick scan with her angel sight. Most huts were empty as the villagers gathered in the center to watch the singing and dancing that was going on. Seeing all of them laying on their side sleeping just off to her far-left, Natalie picked up her pace.


    Swiftly stepping into the hut Natalie fell down to one knee and shook awake Edith as she told him to go wake up Damien, as Edith¡¯s eyes flashed open his eyes met her in the dimly lit hut as if he¡¯d merely had them closed. Only a tipsy head betrayed him followed along with a jaw-clicking yawn. He nodded in understanding before he clicked his jaw shut and crawled himself towards the boy in the far end of the hut.


    Waking three others (Natalie did not know their names, two girls and a boy) Natalie told them to be up and ready by the door because they are going home. Two of them bounded to their feet faster than she could say jump rope, and the last claiming that he was in his room now until he blinked at the rest of what she was seeing and looked on the verge of tears when he realized where he really was. With most of them up and half walking to hut entrance where they waited for Natalie. Natalie felt that she could make it out to the guardian rock without a sinch until she heard an abrupt scream coming from the middle of the hut.


    Edith was sitting over Walta, his hands hovering over her shoulder as if burnt at the touch of her but conflicted on whether to grab her anyway. Natalie rushed over at Walta.


    ¡°I just shook her awake just like Damien!¡± Edith pushed out defensively as he staggered back to get her through. Flashing him a brief glare she returned her eyes to Walta who continued screaming and flailing her arms wildly in dread.


    Taking a grip on her shoulder Natalie tried to make their eyes meet the young girls and speak some sense into her but although they were open her eyes seemed glazed, as if they were someplace else.


    Dreaming, Natalie thought. Walta was having a nightmare and a vivid one at that.


    Tien, who was still sleeping on her lap, staggered awake as Walta rolled to one side leaving the back of his head to knock the clay floor.


    ¡°Walta it¡¯s ok, it¡¯s just a dream!¡± Natalie called at her but to no avail.


    Her incomparable words became more concerned with each derry mumble.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t- please stop! Don¡¯t hurt him...¡± her voice petered out as she whilst her rampant rocking around died down and became a frantic panting and she looked up to Natalie, her eyes wide and locked on to her own.


    Natalie hardly saw Tien uncontrollably switch from one foot to the other looking at them both afraid. She¡¯d barely noticed the other children all up and staring at them from all sides of the room all except the unconscious Andrew. Being reminded she¡¯d been trying to keep her distance from them. She could not help them though the grief. Partly it was because she did not want them to grow used to her guidance.


    After all, each of them had their own lives to get back to, her part in that life had ended the moment she saved them from the kidnappers but¡­ but most of all it was because of this. She could not bring their dead loved ones back.


    She¡¯d looked into Walters'' eyes and saw in them her own pains, her own fears, and suffering. She wanted to tell her that everything will be ok but¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re going home now,¡± she said.


    Home will be better than promising them the impossible. Walta blinked in bafflement before she nodded and red-faced reached over to Natalie for an embrace. Stunned, Natalie slowly returns a hug of her own. She needed to distance herself from them. But she could not refuse her want for comfort in their time of need. Although it required nothing of her but to kneel there over her and even though it lasted only a few seconds it was perhaps one of the hardest things she had to endure.


    The embrace was broken up by someone entering the hut. Looking over her shoulder Natalie saw Muraco stop by the mouth of the hut, his sharp eyes trained on her. Standing up to her full height Natalie rested a comforting hand on Wa?ta¡¯s shoulder. She saw most of the kids in the room shrink away from the shackles and so she quickly spoke up.


    "He''s not going to hurt you," she said loud enough for them all to hear.


    Their retreating steps away from him slowed but Muraco did not pay it any attention. At Least he made that out to be the case. That sudden pause by the hut however was a giveaway of his concern for the children.


    Now if only that extended over to Andrew.


    ¡°Wait by the front,¡± Natalie told the kids.


    Walking around Muraco carefully they slipped out of the hut leaving just her, Andrew, and the shackled alone. With them gone, Natalie allowed herself to look over at him now, really look at him. He looked like he was fast asleep just like last time and¡­


    ¡°Just watch over him while I''m gone, and make sure Minda doesn''t approach him. At Least not when he¡¯s like this.¡±Andrew was more than capable of speaking for himself once he was awake.


    Turning over to Muraco she frowned. He did not understand her-not fully. Even so, he nodded as if understanding all that he needed before proceeding to sit on the opposite end of the hut to watch Andrew. With a sigh, she left the hut hoping that it would be enough.


    ~#~


    ¡°So if we are going home why are we sneaking? Don¡¯t they want us to go home?¡± Tien said from the third row.


    Natalie looked back in time to see Edith give him a blank glare which Tien shied away from only a moment before looking back to Natalie hoping for an answer anyways. Natalie gritted her teeth trying to think up something but coming up blank just shook her head.


    ¡°They do want you back home, but it¡¯s not that simple,¡± she whispered.


    Of course, that only seemed to confuse him even more. Before he could ask anything else one of the younger kids tapped his shoulder to ask him what Natalie said which quickly turned to bickering. Before it could escalate to a full-blown argument however Walta at the far end sushed them and to Natalie¡¯s surprise, it worked. Tien, Damien, and the rest of the other kids just looked at her. Natalie thought that little episode in the hut played a part in the air of apprehension the other kids had around Walta. Edith had asked if she was ok but she simply nodded her head and offered to make sure none of them got left behind by taking the rear. Natalie would have believed her if only Walta¡¯s face did not look so pale as she brushed off the others'' concerns. She looked less pale now but that look of deep-rooted pain still remained in her eyes.


    With them, all silent and looking at her Natalie simply picked up the pace and drew out a silent breath to herself.


    ¡°Could we have at least gone after we had something to eat?¡± Edith mumbled to himself.


    That question got retorted by one kid asking if they want to see their loved ones, ¡®not if it means I¡¯ll die of hunger¡¯ another one said with a chuckle. That got sniffles and rolled eyes from the rest of them but at least it was done quietly.


    The sound of singing and instruments echoed on from the village center. Maybe Natalie was being too extreme having them practically sneak in what was an open street like they were still in the darkened tunnel of that base but she couldn''t help it. In a lot of ways this place was like that oppressive place except the rules on how to navigate it were far more vast and complex. Understandably the children slowly picked up on tension and began questioning everything.


    This incident was just the third in line of said questioning. She could have come clean on her reasoning on why she had them move about like she had but it would just confuse them even more she knew. And besides¡­ to notify her fears was to make it likely happen.


    It won¡¯t matter either way, so long as I can get beyond that hut¡­


    She hoped that the ongoing singing and dancing would keep them occupied. And although it kept many people there it did not clear her worries completely. Between leading the children towards the village gates, Natalie kept an eye on the largest hut that she could see on this side of the village. It was only half a mile from their location where Andrew and the children were. Seeing Minda, the sun chief, and moon chieftess all sitting in there with a few of the Hemerlains besides the crowd at the village center it was the second location she kept a wary eye on. Natalie just hoped that whatever they were talking about would keep them busy long before she¡¯d got the kids on top of the guardian rock and on the way to Lucas. To the few natives, they crossed occupying the street she must have looked like a strange entourage with her following of children walking in a line as if a mouse trying to sneak out of a cat pen. Besides getting weary stairs however none of the locals made any real fuss about them. If anything most of them seemed relieved that they were leaving.


    Having walked past the street where the big hut resided with no commotion Natalie was feeling rather good about it all, that was until her eyes met with Aiyana standing by the exit. She looked to have just got done talking to Wapi before she turned back towards their street and saw them. Natalie and Aiyana froze on the exact same step as their eyes met causing Damien and some of the other children to bump into her back.


    Being about a minute away it was hard to get a gauge of her features from where she stood but Natalie just knew what she was going to do if she got past her. Causing to herself Natalie slowly rose to her full height and tried to salvage some semblance of dignity. If she was going to get called out might as well not make it out like she was doing something wrong. Some of the kids recognizing Aiyana turned from looks of apprehensive to pointing and waving in relief until Natalie abruptly shushed them, that truly got a mix of tension and confusion from them.


    As Natalie and her entourage of eight children walked towards Aiyana, Natalie held her breath. Aiyana walked with an air to her like before but her eyes betrayed the outward appearance as she gave each of the kids a brief glance as if doing a mental count before taking a look at her. Her eyes bounce away from Natalie''s own gaze as if burned just from the act. She did not say anything. Had Natalie not met her before now she would have thought her simply a stranger who was a bit more noisier than your average.


    Glancing over her shoulder Natalie watched as Aiyana walked onwards without a single glance back. Some of the children sighed in disappointment. Seemed they¡¯d grown fond of her in the short amount of time they¡¯ve been here. Natalie was just hoping that her lack of interaction meant that she was pretending that she¡¯d seen nothing. It was a vain hope but fanning ignorance could be a sign that Aiyana was willing to let them go without notifying Minda, it was stupid but she really did not want to deal with-.


    ¡°-She looked back! See!? She does recognize us!¡± one of the kids said pointing energetically at the young woman.


    Natalie looked back in time to see Aiyana slip around a corner (the same corner that held the hut where Minda resides). She could have sworn Aiyaka¡¯s back straightened up from arching back to look at them and as she turned around late. And the speed at which she vanished around the bend¡­ didn''t she move around that corner a bit too fast for the pace she was going?


    Using her angel sight to peer beyond the huts between them all but confirmed her suspicions. Aiyana was all but running down the corner straight towards the big hut, hand gripped on skirt to prevent herself from tripping. Natalie only realized that she cursed out loud when three of the younger children gaped at her. Natalie¡¯s head swiveled back to them now like a weary kitten hearing a mouse squeak for the first time. Ordering them to hurry she made a beeline for the front gate.


    Seeing Wapi stand there watching them approach Natalie was worried that he''d do something to stop her but nothing happened. Not only did he let her and all eight of the children pass but he had an amused smirk on his face before he went back to guarding the gate with a slight shake of his head. The git found the whole thing amusing.


    Anger aside she was just thankful that he did not get in her way. Getting the kids onto the head of the guardian rock one by one they continued to climb the rest of the way to its back. Some of them were more apprehensive about getting onto its back this time than the last time so it was a small relief when she¡¯d finally gotten all eight of them on and there was no sign of Minda or the chief''s insight.


    Aiyana had made it to the hut by now she was sure. And yet there was no sign of them even getting up to leave the hut itself to investigate. Maybe they did not care, or perhaps Aiyana did hold her tough, either way she had no intention of waiting around to find out. With hope, she will be long gone before she¡¯d had a chance to complicate things and make her look like an idiot¡­ At least that was the hope.


    When she got on top of the guardian rock with Walta she hoped that it would simply acknowledge their presence and continue its journey to Lucas village but it just stood there. After an agonizing minute of waiting for something to happen Natalie jumped off its back and approached its face to try and draw its attention. She was too busy looking over her back at the time but she overheard some of the kids marvel at how idle it was when they climbed up its face. One of them even made a comment that its eyes did not even twitch when they accidentally touched it when scaling its face. Natalie looked into its eyes now. It was like staring into a raggedly cut ruby orb the size of her head. It¡¯s sheen and splendor buried under soot and dirt. Natalie would have overlooked that it was a ruby altogether had there not been a warm glow emanating within it cutting through the grime itself.


    Touching the eye brought no reaction just as the child said besides leaving her palm covered in soot. Ignoring it with a grimace Natalie leaned in to try and get its attention.


    ¡°They are on your back, what more do you want?¡± she said. Nothing happened.


    Taking another look back at the village with her angel sight saw nothing worthy of her panic... yet. Minda and whoever she was talking to were still where she last left them. Except for Wapi and watching them from by the gate and the faint sound of singing changing from drum beats and native songs to hymns of the Hemerlains all was in order. Climbing back on top of the guardians she was berated with a bunch of questions from the children. All boiling down to ¡®When were they going to get going?¡¯ to a fashion. That, followed by complaints that they should have at least had a drink before they left the village. Beyond their complaints and questions, however, they all watched Natalie as she stood there biting the inside of her lip. She¡¯d have chanced to take them back by foot even if the journey would be twice as long and three times as dangerous. She¡¯d done it before, she could protect them from demon attacks and feed them¡­ couldn''t she?


    All by yourself, without Andrew¡¯s help? She¡¯d had to go without him. But even that does not excuse the fact that she needed to at least get the guardian rock at least move away from the village itself. The last thing she needed was her actions being blamed for causing more problems.


    So that left her stranded on top of the thing hoping that eventually, it will just move. For half an hour she stood atop there waiting with not a sliver of a chance. By then she tried everything short of screaming at it. Not that she did not want to shout at it. But by now there was a small crowd of perhaps twenty or so people watching her and the kids atop the thing with an air of anticipation about them. Perhaps they were hoping to witness the thing move first hand but as time piled up and the crowd grew Natalie knew that they would be witness to something else entirely.


    For a full three minutes now Natalie had been eyeing the group of people that had left the big hut, and with a sinking gut, she readied herself as they made their way out of the village gates and walked their way towards them. The sun chief and moon chieftess, Aiyana, three middle-aged Hemerlains standing along with a troubled-looking Eli as Minda walked just ahead of them. It was the combination of her worst nightmare scenario that somehow made it even worse than imagined.


    Natalie''s mind was about to fall into a squirrel on what to do until she noticed that the guardian rock head lethargically turned and watched her walking nightmare approach its side.


    So now it chooses to move?! And to pay attention to them no less! Breathing down her anger she instead chose to glare her building rage at Aiyana. Although she walked beside Minda with that regal posture she at least had the courtesy to at least avert her eyes when she saw the accusation within her own.


    ¡°Still here then,¡± Minda said bemusedly.


    ¡°In a fashion,¡± Natalie pushed out carefully.


    Minda scoffed as she mocked her words under her breath with a snort. Just then Natalie spotted Eli standing there looking at her apologetically. It was hard to make out the words he was trying to voice out silently but going by the odd way that he tried to cover his mouth, the furrow of his brow at the embarrassment of what he was trying to convey and lastly, the refuel stare the elder Hemerlains gave him when she spotted his ploy Natalie had a strong feeling he was apologizing for something he knew he had to keep to himself.


    ¡°Again I''m sorry for what my student caused, he will be dealt with in accordance with your ways.¡± the elder Hemerlain said, fixing Eli a venomous glare.


    That glare turned to Natalie but it held much less venom one than it did for her own student.


    ¡°Delving into other people''s ordeals,¡± she tusked with a shake of the head. ¡°Though I understand that she dose not know the customs Eli here should have informed you.¡±


    ¡°I told you that she did not listen,¡± Eli mumbled, which earned him another glare making him stammer.


    ¡°Well I hope for your sake it was worth the trouble,¡± she huffed.


    If there was any doubt that Eli was unable to keep what they spoke of a secret then this blew it out of the water.


    ¡°It did until I stumbled upon a new issue," Natalie said.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s hear this issue then. And enough with the glares! I didn''t come all the way out here to hold a scowling contest.¡± Minda said.


    Natalie inanvertaly smoothed her face. She refused to accept that she let her emotions show.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Natalie said.


    In her effort to calm down Natalie almost missed the Sun chief whispering something in Alermuric to Minda''s ear as she bowed her head as if in understanding. Although the moon chieftess did not say anything she nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I want the same thing you want, to put this whole mess behind us, a chunk of it at least. I hoped that I''d come out here and find at least that wish granted but it seems life likes to continue disappointing both of us.'''' Although she huffed her tone indicated that she was not as disappointed as she claimed, at least in comparison to Natalie.


    So she¡¯s talking on behalf of all of them.


    Natalie did all that she could to not show frustration at Minda¡¯s words but seeing her aged face smirk up at her she knew that she¡¯d failed. Minda took a quick glance at the sky before nodding slightly in approval.


    ¡°I guess not having the sky as stormy as your face is where all my hopes have fled to. Remind me to be more grateful the next time lightning doesn''t strike twice when conversing with you.¡± The knowing smirk only grew.


    Was everything a test to this woman?


    ¡°If you¡¯ve got nothing to say that will help me, I need to get back to my business,¡± Natalie pushed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came here,¡± Minda said. Having just turned away from her and the others Natalie paused and looked back at them baffled.


    ¡°I thought this might happen so...¡± she gestured to her back, stepping out from behind Minda came Chenoa.


    The brown ponjo and shirt were gone, now replaced with a white sleeveless woolen dress with patterns of red diamonds running across its top and middle. Stiffly Chenoa stepped a few meters away from Minda and the others as if rehearsed. She looked like she¡¯d just got done crying recently. As she separated herself from them the guardian rock''s head lethargically locked its eye on her by turning its head. On seeing Cheona''s face reddened she looked to be crying all over again. It was not the guardian at least that upset her. Pushing that aside Natalie pulled her attention back to the guardian rock itself.


    That was the second time it moved since she got here, she noted. The first was when Minda and the others arrived here. Seeing the Hemerlains mouth open in awe and moon Chieftess''s back straighten uncomfortably as she flashed side glances at Cheona down at the far end Natalie quickly understood what had just happened. Chenoa was the key to getting it to move-perhaps even continue its travel to Lucas. That realization should have made her relieved but a thin veil of anger clouded her features.


    ¡°If you knew of this then why didn''t you tell me?¡± she said.


    ¡°I had a suspicion child-nothing more. I had no proof of the case until now,¡±


    ¡°¡®No proof¡¯? You had me rush out here to do my part and you delayed me because you had no proof?¡±


    ¡°I had to fish out the exact thoughts Cheona had in her head when she will it to do her bidding. That, as well as some other small matters.¡± Minda said as she eyed Cheona carefully.


    Chenona seemed to squirm under that gaze.


    ¡°The planet can be very strict on the ways it fulfills your desires, rock especially. Since this child pictured seeing the kids off at their village it will not move unless she is present to do just that. This fact along with cycles knows what else she conjured up the moment when her wishes reached out to it could complicate things. I hoped that little detail would not matter and you''d be gone already but. Well, when pressed for time, we can¡¯t afford to be graceful,¡± there was remorse there as she watched Cheona sniff in sobs.


    That explains the crying. Natalie¡¯s heart went out to her. After all that she had thought she had been drilled and likely (knowing Minda,) pressurized for answers. She wanted to blame the stargazer outright but she knew this was a complex situation. If it had only been stronger-planned things better then perhaps this would not have happened.


    Jumping off the guardian rock Natalie landed right in front of Cheona. The young girl stopped sniffling to look up at her. Seeing her however made her face darken and she simply balled her eyes out even more.


    ¡°She has to go with you, of course, you''re coming back for your friend so that shouldn''t be a problem, right?¡± Minda said.


    Natalie was keeping her eyes on Cheona more so to avoid looking at Minda and the others. She understood the urgency of things but did they have to go and make her cry like this?


    ¡°That won''t be a problem,¡± she said coolly. Picking her up, Natalie was about to leap back onto the guardian''s head until Minda called out to her again.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take you at least a full day to reach Lucas. I take it that you are fully packed for the journey. Food, water and the like.¡±


    Natalie''s face heated up as she heard it. Holding Cheona up by her face she hoped that her sudden pause was taken for nothing more than a moment to think than outright panic. Praying that¡¯s how it looked like she pushed on.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hunt along the way,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°And will the wasi alsukhur wait for you whilst you do so? What happens if someone attacks the children whilst you are hunting? What happens if demons show up?¡±


    Natalie stopped again. Minda, sighing to herself nodded to Aiyana to come forth. It was only then had Natalie noticed the white-clothed bundle wrapped around her back. Pulling it over her head Aiyana handed it to Natalie, her eyes sliding over Natalies as she offered the bundle to her.


    ¡°Food,¡± she mumbled.


    They¡¯d prepared something for the journey it seemed. Natalie was about to take it when Minda spoke up.


    ¡°You''re going with them Aiyana. You and Kele.¡±


    ¡®Kele¡¯?


    That snapping both her and Aiyana to attention. With their eyes mirroring shock, Aiyana matched back to Minda shaking her head in protest. One of the young men from the side stepped upfront as if ready to go along with them. Natalie was simply too speechless to say anything. Gobsmacked, she watched Aiyana¡¯s in what she assumed (Because it was spoken in Alermuric.) was her futile attempts to convince Minda to stay but they all got dismissed like wind buffering a great mountain.


    ¡°Enough of your whining child! You''re now going to fix your problems with her on this trip or bottle them and don¡¯t bring them up again! But I won¡¯t allow to you waste precious time sulking around just because your idea of your first meeting with someone beyond the samt aljabal was shattered-do I make myself clear?!¡±


    ¡°Naeam Muraqib,¡± Aiyana pushed out.


    Placing the bundle back around herself Aiyana walked past Natalie and began climbing on top of the guardian rock. Kele in one bound jumped from the ground up into the guardian back with air time to spare. With him, on top of the guardian''s back Aiyana took a few moments longer to climb the head of the guardian but she managed it alone. The climb for Natalie was a little more difficult with Chenoa on her arm but not by much. Standing up top she looked down at Minda as she gently placed Cheona on her feet.


    ¡°Since you¡¯d rather involve to outsiders in what we talked about, I take it that you have no interest in talking to me even after you return?¡±


    Natalie¡¯s silence was the clearest answer she could have given, understanding that Minda nodded to herself.


    ¡°I see,¡± she sighed. For the first time, she seemed truly troubled. Natalie would have felt proud for getting a leg up on Minda but something about the whole thing felt hollow. ¡°I guess the same goes for your friend also, having the shackled keep me from seeing him alone indicates that much. I guess if it doesn''t grow your corn...¡± Minda mumbled that last sentence so low that Natalie had to strain to even make the words out.


    ¡°So be it,¡± Minda perked up as if not deterred at all. ¡°Then perhaps this is the last time we¡¯ll see each other. I pray for you child, I hope that someday you¡¯ll find what it is that you''re desperately searching for.¡±


    Minda said that as if mourning the dead, that confused Natalie. So focused on Minda¡¯s back that she barely noticed the rock guardian had indeed begun moving. The landscape itself began to pivot as it turned its way south, past the mountains, and on towards the path that led them to Lucas.

 Chapter 15: Another to the pile

    These are not Nuzi people, at least not the ones we have a record of. Turns they have splintered from the Ablerns. These ones call themselves the Itsu. There''s one other splinter who call themselves the Tamewi. It¡¯s been so for at least a hundred years. A hundred years¡­ we''ve become so ignorant of the ways of the world beyond our borders.


    I spoke to the muraqib of the Itsu as well as their sun chief. They¡¯d come back from transferring Hemerlains to their sister tribe the Ablerns to further their studies. Before I could get into my reason for being on their land the muraqib asked if I''m looking for someone, namely a young girl. After explaining my reasoning for being there they claimed to have seen someone with the same description I explained.


    We are now making haste to Abler village. They''d mentioned she looked in a hurry to leave but that was just an educated guess. For my sake, I pray that they are wrong. We are so close! It''s possible that we will catch up with them but we¡¯d have to pull an all-nighter of nonstop running. It will take a toll on us but for the sake of our mission, I hope that we will make it.


    Sophie - July 23rd, 2764


    The journey to Lucas was simple¡­ in the physical sense at least. Of the three times that they''d encountered demons, only once did any real cause of concern seem necessary. Tention was building with the children but that soon pittered down to relieved sighs as the ground of them the group of them just remained there at the outskirts of the thick forest. One on the five, a horned nose did try and make a run out of the forest to charge the guardian rock.


    Natalie was about to strike thunder at it until the guardian stomps the demon it flat under its feet without hardly breaking stride. The remaining demons that were stalking the guardian rock faded deeper into the undergrowth of the forest as if they''d simply lost interest.


    Apart from remarks of some of the children on whether the guardian had crushed the demon intentionally, nothing of note was said thereafter. The children for the most part seemed calm, casual even. At least it looked so on the outset but Natalie could see the visible shivers they had whenever they looked back over to the forest and the road behind them.


    Even when she told them that the rest were gone there morbid expressions continued. They knew that her purple eyes could see through things like trees and rock and helped them be at ease a little, that was until the distant cries of the forsaken creatures echoed from the forest. Kele marched up the back of the guardian looking down that direction as if he could see them.


    When asked he said nothing. Kele had not said a single word to anyone-not even Aiyana which Natalie thought was odd. Stranger still was the bird-like mask that placed over his face since the start of their journey. Thanks to that things felt tense but and that was ok in Natalie¡¯s book. She could handle the tense silence, she could even bear the fact that she was going somewhere without Andrew by her side for a long time. But as the time passed with her and Aiyana¡¯s eyes brief meeting in between her ¡®patrols'' around the guardian rock Natalie wished she¡¯d at least taken the map off of Andrew¡¯s person beforehand. At least that way she could have gotten started working out just what that man stuck under a pile of rubble was thinking. At Least that way she¡¯d have an excuse to ignore Aiyana outright. It was not because she felt bad for how she turned her away, certainly not. It''s just Minda set this up and she did not want to play her games any more than she needed.


    Despite that and everything else, Natalie had not felt this at ease since crossing the Herbenry desert strip to get here. Sure the situation was not ideal but it could be worse. Aiyana could have demanded her to have a word. Her eyes seem to be burning with the urge to communicate something whenever they met. She just had to keep to herself until they reached their destination then she could fly back. Until then she tried to look busy keeping watch. Had the dynamics of the journey remained as it was then perhaps this might have worked. But¡­


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want any food? It''s going to be all gone before you finish looking around... I could try to sneak some over.¡± Edith whispered conspiratorially just behind Natalie. She¡¯d been eyeing the back trail for a while now, eyes gazing at a darkening horizon of frosted trees but she did not realize just how long she''d been standing there until that very moment.


    Shaking her head but Natalie whispered a word of thanks to the young Edith. With another question on whether she will eat something, Natalie gave a noncommittal sound and nod. That put a mischievous smile on Edith''s lips as he ran back to the others. Natalie for a moment could not help but smile a little herself. Looking up at the darkening sky however her face matched its slow dimming.


    Must have been standing here for hours.


    She took this moment to double back to their front trail. Kele was there as predicted. Every time she moved to look out one end of the guardian rock he¡¯d do the exact same on the opposite end. He¡¯d still not said a word to anyone since the journey but occasionally he¡¯d give her a slow nod when they move across another to keep a lookout. It was a nod of approval, one given to an equal. Natalie did know in what way he measured her up to come to that conclusion but she could not help but nod back after the third time. In a strange way, despite knowing the least about him among all who were on the guardian rock Natalie felt like she knew him fairly well. He was observant, quiet, and sometimes that all you needed to know of a person.


    Though the journey was calm it was still nice knowing that she no longer needed to watch her back. That however got her mind drifting to who had always watched her back, Andrew.


    When was the last time he ate?


    Unwilling to face Aiyana, Natalie bit her lip in conflict. In truth, she was not that hungry but... recollections of Andrew calling out the fact that she neglected to look after herself came to mind. She earnestly wanted to try and take better care of herself but the thought of sitting there beside Aiyana ate at her.


    She initially felt guilty about making Aiyana upset but why should she? Andrew was dying and she was around strange people who all looked like they wanted to harm him for words, words that ¡®she¡¯ uttered.


    Words she got punished for¡­


    Natalie gritted her teeth, just because she had a slip of the tongue doesn''t excuse what happened. She had one hundred and one things on her mind and what she did only added to it.


    You don''t have a thousand things on your mind anymore.


    With a snort, Natalie shook those thoughts aside. Even if Andrew was ok, that dough eye way she seemed so fascinated in the world ticked her off. Had she known how it really is out there, had she seen what she¡¯d seen then she would not have had high enough expectations to be disappointed. What was done was done. Minda had no right to butt her nose in.


    Most of the kids remain sitting near and around the fledgling stargazer making Natalie hours keeping watch isolating, that was until one by one some of the other kids started coming to her. Cheona was first, having tailed her for the first hour and before she could grow bored tired of tailing Natalie, Aiyana silently ushered the girl to her side.


    Next came Damien who what do the demons out there look like. Natalie told him that they were too far to see and since they could not be seen they were of no threat to them. Damien corrected her by speaking of the Shootingflee demon who could launch themselves at dangerous speeds turning their small frame into cannonballs. That cleared her takes of reassurance out of her mind until he ended his explanation of the demon with never hearing or seeing one back at his home village so they don''t have to worry. Given the things she heard about them maybe it was best it stayed that way.


    Between Damien¡¯s visit, Chenoa came back. And although Natalie had stopped pacing around the young girl seemed to have a thing for sitting far too close to the edge of the guardian rocks back for comfort. The last thing they needed was an accident and so Natalie pulled Chenoa back from the edge which she gave little objection to. The Nuzien girl just gave her another of those troubled looks before she went back with the others. Unsure what to make of all of it Natalie sighed to herself. Cheona¡¯s safety aside she could not help but feel frustrated every passing second. It quickly became apparent that even the younger kids knew that something was up between her and the apprentice stargazer.


    Before she could dwell on her stupid action she felt a hand latch onto her own as it suddenly pulled her away from the edge and towards Aiyana and the children. Shocked, Natalie watched as Cheona let go and push her from behind in front of them before pulling her down on the rocky surface of the guardian rock. She then proceeded to glare at her for a moment before stropping herself on Natalie¡¯s lap.


    Completely baffled by this, Natalie searched the faces of Aiyana and the other kids for answers, maybe one of them goaded her into doing it. Confused expressions mirroring her''s told Natalie that they were are surprised as she was.


    With a grunt, Chenoa pushed herself off her lap and matched her way to the spread of food, picked up a crust of bread, and pushed it to her face. Taking it gingerly Chenona nodded her head before once again sitting herself down on Natalie¡¯s lap.


    Seeing the baffled children''s faces turn into sympathy helped her understand, however. They were there when she passed out in the underground base due to a lack of eating. They saw her get lectured by Andrew about that very thing. Her face heating up she silently ate what was given to her. Meanwhile, her mind was ablaze with thoughts. She didn''t look that vulnerable back then¡­ did she? The way the children studied her eating said otherwise. Although they held their own food in hand they all had slowed down to just look at her. Natalie in turn drew her attention to the passing forests. It beat looking into their knowing eyes.


    Slowly, mercifully, they''ll return to eating and talking among themselves. Natalie felt a knot loose on her shoulder as she unknowingly let out a breath. They were all eating now, Cheona too if going by the constant ripping sound of breaking bread was any indication. Glaring at the back of the girl''s head Natalie really began to wonder what was going on inside it. Forgetting once more the recent issue she''d been having that thought became something as to a phantom nail drilling into her own skull.


    From that pain came a faint taste in her mouth like that of chestnuts along with the faint awareness of some other voice occupying a part of her mind.


    ¡°-have to look after her like some child,¡± It was just like how she read her thoughts before Natalie knew, even so, the words shocked her.


    She''d thought that her own fancy had not fit so well with Chenona¡¯s demeanor since reuniting with her. She was about to tap Cheona¡¯s shoulder and try to get to the bottom of this until something else came through her thoughts.


    ¡°Why me, why do I have to go with her? I want to go home!¡±


    Sighing to herself Natalie looked up at Aiyana now. She sat there, kneeling along with the rest of the children as she shared a water skin with them. To have her own issues is one thing but then have a young girl feel the need to step in, well... it was shameful.


    With that thought in mind, Natalie prepared herself to say what she should have said a while back.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± she sighed.


    Aiyana kept on sharing the water skin among the children as if Natalie had not said anything. She is definitely mad about it. Muttering to herself Natalie felt like getting up and walking away, she was no good in situations like this but if Aiyana wanted to give her the same treatment then¡­ then fair play! She would have got up and left right then and there had Cheona not been sitting on her lap so instead, she sighed to herself.


    ¡°I was already worried about my friend, you saw what happened outside the village,¡± she omitted the ¡®you were responsible¡¯ part. No matter how she felt about it, they were past that.


    It seemed like a good move because this time Aiyana nodded in understanding.


    ¡°You did no wrong, just¡­ I think you see me as a liar,¡± Aiyana said, drawing Natalie to attention.


    She was about to protest but nothing came out of her mouth. She¡¯d be lying if she said what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Honestly, I don''t know what to think,¡± she sighed.


    Aiyana nodded to herself again.


    ¡°Muraqib say people outside the Rahim are like three head thueban.¡±


    ¡°¡®Thueban¡¯?¡±


    Aiyana seeing her confusion drew in on herself to think.


    ¡°She doesn''t know what ¡®snake¡¯ means.¡± a faint impression of the phantom taste of chestnut came to her. It was Cheona¡¯s thoughts again.


    Confused on its context, Natalie''s uncertain face deepened until a crazy theory stuck her. Goosebumps ran up her spine but before she could put into words what she thought Aiyana spoke up.


    ¡°Thueban... like slither. Cold body. Very dangerous bite. Like-¡±


    ¡°-a snake,¡± she mumbled.


    Aiyana paused mid-sentence a moment before nodding emphatically.


    ¡°Like snake!¡±


    Aiyama continued on with her explanation but Natalie''s mind drifted back to what she just done. She just worked out what Aiyana was trying to tell her through Cheona¡¯s thoughts. It made an odd kind of sense. She¡¯d understood what Cheona was saying the same way. She just never considered doing such a thing to understand others through proxy.


    ¡°She says they have three heads. One wants, other lies about what wants while the last try take what you have as it wants,¡±


    Is that her way of saying that they manipulate and lie to get what they want from others? Natalie must have been looking at Aiyana intensely because she practically leaped out of her rambles in a head-shaking daze.


    ¡°-N-not that I think you a snake!¡± With a blink of her own Natalie simply chuckled and looked up at the patchy clouded sky.


    ¡°Minda may be onto something.¡± She mumbled.


    She hated to admit it but Minda was right about how it was like navigating in ¡®that¡¯ world. But just because she was right doesn''t mean enjoyed agreeing.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± It took Aiyana saying that to realize that she¡¯d just groaned to herself.


    ¡°Is she always so frustratingly right?¡± Natalie asked.


    Aiyana''s lips twitched to a slight smile at that.


    ¡°Muraqib is very wise, she, not three head thueban.¡± she said, an air of dignified authority came over her as she locked eyes with Natalie. Aiyana looked every bit a wise woman right there except that glimmer of a childish smirk betrayed her. Soon her eyes rolled upwards as she leaned back and nodded to herself in a strop. ¡°But yes, she... very-very difficult.¡±


    ¡°But I can truly trust her to keep her word?¡± Natalie asked.


    Looking back down at Natalie, Aiyana nodded her head firmly.


    ¡°You made a deal with shackled, so your wish is done,¡± she said as if that answered everything and perhaps it did.


    The silence dragged on soon after but it did not feel awkward. In that time Natalie helped herself to some of the dried meat, bread, and a water skin that was passed over to her by the time she¡¯d finished eating. Walta came over to sit by Natalie¡¯s all of a sudden. With knees tucked to her chest she flashed Natalie a smile that hardly reached her eyes. Uncertain Natalie asked her if everything was ok, about the dream she woke up from with screams back in the village only to be distracted by the sudden vertical slope the guardian rock began taking. The upward slant forced everyone to quickly adjust to risk tumbling off the back of the guardian.


    The guardian rock had made its way to the side of a mountain and began its ascent up the slope. In quick order, Aiyana snatched the spread of food back in a bundle as she took a hold of some of the kids'' hands. Natalie did the same with the other children who all took a hold of another hand in a kind of desperate chain. Eyes frantic, Natalie looked around for Kele to see if he couldn''t be a backup on keeping the kids from falling only to discover that he was already standing in the optimal spot. Looking up at them from the back end of the guardian, ready to stop any of them from tumbling.


    With the mist growing thicker by the second it soon came hard to gauge how much more slanted the guardian rocks back would get and so there was some concern it would get slanted enough to have to hold onto some of the kids to prevent them from slipping and tumbling off. Fortunately with Natalie''s angel sight, they were able to make out the slope and gauge the next cause for concern. Natalie guessed in about five minutes they would be on the leveled ground again.


    Standing in defiant balance Natalie took a hold of four of the kids, two holding two fingers between them, Cheona held by her shoulder, and Walta hugging tight at her waist. Some of the younger kids were making jokes about rolling down the guardian''s back. That was until Tien almost did roll-off. Watching Aiyana topple a little from Tien''s trip made Natalie realize how useless she would have been in stopping it since she already had her hands full. Any drastic move would have most likely made them all topple down. It made her all the more grateful for Kele being there.


    With all that the daunting thought of a slip up in mind the minutes of ascending in the thick mist feel like hours. When things did level out there was a visible sigh from most of the kids as they all sat back down.


    ¡°There is still a bit of an incline, but compared to that it should not be a problem,¡± Natalie said as she seated herself.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Everyone nodded save for Aiyana who had begun explaining that they still should be on the right path. Given Natalie''s experience with the guardians (having first met them up on the mountain slopes.), she was not really that worried, surrounded by thick mist she was more concerned with making sure none of them were worried. She tried asking Walta what she was going to ask before the guardian ascended up the mountain. Instead of distracting her from her show of concern however it made her swallow and bury her face behind her knees as she sat by her side. Not even Damien or the other kid''s prodding got her to open up after that.


    Since then Natalie had kept silent on the matter. In an odd sort of way, Natalie felt relieved. It was not like they were related by blood. As much as she sympathizes with their situation and could relate from personal experience she did all that she could. After today they would go their separate ways. Having done this a number of times she learned that a clean break was often better for both sides, for her most of all. She held enough unpleasant memories of her own to drive her under. This rescue is just another one to add to the pile.


    Walta remained withdrawn until a stir occurred among the other kids. Having steadily ascended they had reached an altitude where they barely broke out of the thick fog, at that moment it was as if the world had been whipped clean of everything, the sky and sea of mist stood clear all around. Save for them and the mountain tops they may as well have been the only people in existence. It was like walking atop clouds.


    ¡®¡¯Walking on clouds¡¯ But¡­ couldn''t I do that already?¡¯ a distant voice echoed.


    In shock, Natalie turned to where she thought she heard it only to startle Walta. In a bizarre twist that voice, (her younger voice she was convinced,) gasped in start element just as Walta did confuse Natalie''s brain even further. It was not until Walta carefully asked what was the matter that Natalie blinked back to the now. According to Walta, she had abruptly asked ¡®who¡¯s there at that moment. Although she did not recall it Natalie still apologized.


    It was not her voice.


    They watched as the setting sun painted the sky a gold crimson. And at that moment, bar all that had happened these last couple of days Natalie was just glad that she pulled it off. Whether it was by luck or respite she did save those kids and sent them bastards packing. For now, it was enough to be thankful for at least that. And most of all, above and beyond everything Natalie was burdened with enough baggage as it, it was just as well that things ended the way they did.


    Had the golden moment above the mist lasted forever then perhaps her last thoughts of gratitude would have lasted for a bit longer, but¡­


    ~#~


    They reached down the other side of the mountain an hour later. With most of the kids exhausted from the excitement of the journey, it took a bit of doing to wake them up and have them hold hands together as the guardian rock descended down the other side of the mountain. Although it did not feel as steep as the climb up there, there were some scares. One child thought that it was better to just lay down flat on the guardian rock back let go of the chain to do just that. All seems fine until the guardian rockets snagged a particular unstable rock and slipped down and slope a moment before recovering. That small trip practically threw the boy into the air where he was caught by Kele.


    Angry, Aiyana lectured him in a broken mix of Kamish and Alermuric that the boy, although confused, still flinched and shrank at the sound of before nodding emphatically when she asked ¡®Do you understand at the end. Needless to then he not only did keep hold of a hand the next time but continued holding hand long after the descent was behind them. Now back on the road leading back to Lucais village things looked to be turning up and they were for the most part. The kids began getting a lot more talkative and animated as they slowly began recognizing their surroundings. The places they journeyed to with their parents. The spots that at one point had been the furthest they had ever been away from home now felt as good as the home itself after the alien world they had experienced until now. Some said as much.


    As they pointed at footpaths and places some began arguing on who had truly been the furthest from their home before now. Things were looking to escalate to an unnecessary amount until Aiyana intervened.


    ¡°You all gone much much further home now! Fighting over farness now is no good!¡±


    They all fell silent to that as they looked at another bashfully.


    ¡°We should give ourselves a cool hunter¡¯s title for how far we have been,¡± Edith said.


    ¡°Hunter¡¯s title?¡± Tien asked.


    Edith nodded.


    ¡°All the best hunters have em,¡±


    ¡°Yeah! That way all the other kids will have to accept how cool we are for going out of the village and making it back alive!¡±


    ¡°Make it sound like we did it deliberately,¡± Walta mumbled.


    ¡°Maybe it was not how we planned it but-¡±


    ¡°-I don¡¯t care, do what you like.¡± Walta walked off to the very back of the guardian leaving the other kids looking at another baffled.


    With some shrugging their shoulders and others looking at her in concern they sheepishly picked up the conversation.


    ¡°Do you have one?¡± Natalie was startled to see Edith right by her side, it went to show how distracted she was by Walta¡¯s actions that he¡¯d managed it.


    ¡°I¡­ No, I don¡¯t,¡± she said.


    That made most of the kids sigh in disapproval.


    ¡°Do you at least have a hunter name?¡± Edith asked.


    Natalie nodded.


    ¡°Dark Angel,¡± she replied.


    That got an ¡®ahh¡¯ from a few of the kids who got the reference instantly.


    ¡°And your friend?¡± Tien asked.


    ¡°The protector,¡±


    Silent fell soon after as each of the kids seemed to be reliving the horrid events they¡¯d been through.


    ¡°Thank you, for protecting us,¡± one child said.


    That show of gratitude could be seen behind most of their eyes as they sat there smiling and talking among themselves. Natalie tried to put on a smile as but it hardly altered her lips. As grateful as she was that she got here with the kids, the thought of them four echoing gunshots in the night air made her want to turn her back away from where thankful expressions. Just as she turned to look up at the ascending slopes of frosted trees did instant recognition of where they hit her. It was almost as dark as it was that night, and although she was too preoccupied in chasing the van she recognized the shape of the slopes and tall trees and adorned it, she instantly spotted the slight opening that Andrew had grabbed her arm as to stop her from coming completely out in the open and messing up the plan they had in mind.


    With a gasp, some of the children began to stand up and point to the opposite side of the road for they too recognized this place. This was the place where she made that stupid decision. Where these kids'' loved ones were-


    Walta all of sudden ran right past her and Aiyana before they could have got a hold of her.


    The corpses!


    Heart thumping Natalie watched in shock as Walta ran towards the edge of the guardian as if to leap off the but she skidded to a halt barely as knife''s edge. With her arms pinwheeling for balance and toes as tipping point until Natalie and Kele reached and took a hold of each of her waists just before gravity had its way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that!'''' More words were on the brink of flooding out of her mouth until Natalie looked up the road. She expected to see their corpses meters from the roadside swarming with flies, crows, and other scavengers but there was nothing there except a sheet of golden leaves. Just like everywhere else in the forest.


    The sound of the kids exclaiming and arguing over why Walta ran over here as she pulled her back into the present. Pulling her back from the edge the other children''s protests fell silent as they saw the pain on her face. That¡¯s when Aiyana stepped in and herded the abashed kids away from Natalie giving them some privacy. She was about to call in Walta but stopped with the subtle shake of Natalie¡¯s head.


    Natalie did not stop Walta from hanging her legs over the guardian rock as she moved to sit down. With her eyes trained at the spot the four dead bodies should have been, Natalie took the moment of silence to sit there waiting in the same way beside her. Silently her heart thumped in her ears as she waits to hear the things she doesn''t want to hear.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d woken up from the bad dreams, but it was no dream.¡± The forest trees had long covered the spot but Walta still looked in the direction as if she could still see it clearly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Natalie said, tucking her knees to her chest. ¡°I thought I could save more of you if I''d found where they took you. I didn''t think they¡¯d act so fast and-¡± Walta looked at her then. Unable to look at her glare, Natalie averted her gaze with a meek apology.


    Walta just blinked before looking over the forest and copying Natalie''s fetal posture. She had drifted to sleep when the kidnappers came but not enough to be unaware of what was going on, she was aware enough to see men stepping over the grown up¡¯s, she was awake enough to see them shoot the grown up¡¯s and her older brother in cold blood.


    ¡°Luca was... he was,¡± Walta buried her face behind her knees to sob.


    It was only after that memory was sneered into her mind did sleep truly take her paralyzing her screams into a throated grown. Recollection of the gun being pulled right over her brother''s head, the warm spray of something hitting her face. The first thing she did when she woke up in a cage wrapped in total darkness wiped the smell of faint iron from her face. She was grateful for the downpour when she finally came out of the base and under the raging storm. That way she did not have to see what she knew to be there.


    She thought, hoped that so long as there was no sign of there ever being blood on her face, so long as she did not bring life to it by asking-by thinking then she could write it all off as a bad dream. The other kids not voicing anything made her think it was true but now she had to accept it. Not just that her brother was not coming back, Damien¡¯s father Elies, and both Tien¡¯s parents made up the remaining three that were killed. She''d been burdened with the thought since, although the other children did not know, Walta wagered that Tien perhaps knows the truth on a deeper level and Natalie couldn''t say otherwise. It did explain why he got so snappy the night before.


    Her waking nightmare was a rude reminder of the reality of things. But even then she held onto some figment of hope. Now seeing the scene again, however, left her with little doubt.


    Natalie thought that Walta would shout accusations at her, perhaps blame her for her brother''s death. She deserved it. Instead, Walta just sat there silently watching the spot where she lost her brother go by with arms wrapped around her knees as glistening streams of tears ran down her face. Somehow that hurt Natalie far more than any amount of screaming could have done. With a heavy heart, Natalie offered another apology but Walta said nothing in response. The blanket of silence held in what Natalie felt like was forever. Behind them, the other kids were growing rowdier as they recognized things that indicated that they were very close to their home village. They talked about mothers that they miss and fathers that they just know will somehow blame them for running the wrong way, but despite the looming threat of punishment, it will all be worth it for their smiles the hugs, and the nice warm beds, and meals they will be showed with when they return home. With their chipper mood a contrast to Walta''s silence and mourning, Natalie closed her eyes wishing to be anywhere else but here.


    ¡°You will stop them all, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Blinking Natalie looked over to Walta. She was still looking dead ahead at the sprawling forest as if seeing something on some far distant horizon, but even in that vague expression there was a pointed weight to the question. One that squeezed Natalie¡¯s chest and made it hard for her to breathe.


    "Of course," she breathed. As much as it hurt her, Natalie accepted Walta¡¯s vengeful burden. It was just a fresh kindling. Just another piece of firewood to add to the eight-year pile of blazing pain she endured until now that kept alight her thirst for payback.


    Although she¡¯d grown used to it, the pain of seeing such tragedies only grew heavier on her heart.


    ~#~


    She seldom recollected when they¡¯d come down from the guardian rock until they began making the short trek up the slopes to reach the village, a faint recollection of such a thing sprang into mind only when she asked herself why she was now standing in front of an elderly woman and an entourage of villagers. Having completed its orders the guardian rock turned back to the mountains to go back to its grazing of volcanic rock. She almost knocked her flat on the floor as the giant thing turned to leave, making most of the children gasp in worry.


    After the walk-up, the next thing she recalled was the here and now. They were swarmed by people as soon as their heads made it over the sharp slope. Sounds of hammers knocking nails into planks became cries of relief and words of disbelief and village men and women had dropped what they were doing and huddled around them. Tears of joy rolled on loved ones'' faces as they embraced and hugged their children as if never dealing to let go.


    Natalie stood a few meters from the heartfelt reunion. She felt like she was intruding upon something private, like her very existence next to it will taint it somehow. With it being a fresh reminder of the things she longed lost, a gaping void could be felt in the out of her stomach making her feel like an imposter. So stuck in her own self-pity she¡¯d jumped to the voice of one of the villagers who¡¯d somehow approached without her notice.


    ¡°Oh thank the cycles you really found them! You must be with Miss Emerson, right? I-is she coming back?¡± A stocky middle-aged lady in a green mint dress said.


    ¡®Miss Emerson¡¯? Natalie''s perplexed look must have exposed her confusion because the lady frowned and blinked a few times as if replaying events in her head before she settled with a relaxed smile.


    ¡°Well never mind all that, whether you come from here, the Nuzi tribe, or the cycles themselves I¡¯m eternally grateful that you brought our children back to us- really I am.¡±


    Most of the other men and women stood up to look around at her, Aiyana as if seeing them for the first time. Some eyes fell on her and Aiyana. Most, however, fell on the shackled standing beside Aiyana with a cautious stare. Some of the men who still had tools in hand from repairing their village clench and unclench them with uncertainty. The rest of their eyes however seemed to slide off of him like one would ignore an ever bee in hopes that it just goes away without stinging them. There were questions, too many questions if they had it their way. Emotionally spent the thought of listening to even one of their queries filled her mind with dread.


    Aiyana looked over to Natalie in confused concern. Natalie hardly realized she¡¯d taken a step back from the crowd until she saw that look of concern in the apprentice stargazer. As the silence grew to suspense the villagers waited for someone to explain what happen to their children''s until it was unbearable. It all came to a head with praises and thanks when Aiyana simply opened her mouth to try and say something that got lost in the sudden uproar. Visibly stiff, she tried to form sentences in Kemish only to stutter¡¯ fail and say something in Alermuric instead. At that moment it didn''t matter what she¡¯d said.


    Sizable guilt aside, Natalie was relieved with the turnout of things. Backing away from the scene she turned towards the slope that led to the road back down the slope and towards the womb. She needed time away from this to process and think before-


    ¡°You over there! Do you speak Kamish?¡± Natalie froze in place to the voice, as she regretfully turned around to face then her eyes bulged open.


    She was a middle-aged woman much like the first but whereas that one was stocky this one was thin in comparison but had a toughness to her. With blond and a fiery composition, she was much in the likeness of Walta. She did not need to see Walta herself holding onto this woman''s hand to instantly know the relation between the two and knowing what she¡¯d likely wanted to ask made Natalie¡¯s gut do backflips. To her slight surprise, however, the woman looked abashed as their eyes met. Natalie couldn''t help but notice the red puffs around her eye. That could not have only happened just now.


    She''d been crying a lot before now.


    ¡°You''re in a hurry, I understand that but I need to know the connection between the kidnapping of my child and the Nuzi. Why are they the ones bringing them back? She is struggling to give us any answers so please help us.¡± She had a soft-spoken voice. Soft, but desperate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you why she¡¯s struggling to speak! It¡¯s because her people are the ones who took''em!¡± One man, an elderly man, balding with hair as thin as web strings shouted with the shake of his knurled fist. Waddling along with stiff legs he supported himself with a gnarly old walking stick that somehow did a better job at looking old than he did.


    Walat¡¯s mother did not say anything but her face visibly darkened to the old man''s comments as if exasperated at hearing the same old thing.


    ¡°Shut your crate mouth, Casper! Why don''t you just get indoors and let the parents speak?!¡± a man from among the crowd shouted and most gave a jeer of agreement.


    ¡°They were involved in everything I tell you! Murdering savages. This is why I told Ernest not to trade with their kind but nobody listened and now look what happened?¡±


    ¡°We are not savages!¡± Aiyana exclaimed. Although she protested nonviolence, the way that she marched up to Casper however could have fooled anyone.


    Casper staggered back before falling onto his back raising his crooked stick up at her as if to defend himself. The gesture however seemed a bit more dramatic than done from earnest fear.


    ¡°You see?! You see how violent they are?!¡± he said, looking around for support.


    ¡°We were attacked too! People hurt us! We gained kids and bring them here to help!¡± Aiyana said red-faced. It looked like she wanted to say so much more to them but was unable.


    After a short while, the plump woman sighed before telling someone to escort Casper back to his home. Two men came out of the crowd and pulled Casper back up onto his feet from either side before escorting him deeper into the village.


    Walat¡¯s mother watched as Casper despaired behind the village house with half its wall fallen off as she shook her head.


    ¡°You see why I¡¯m asking for your take on things?¡± she said, turning her eyes back to them. ¡°Although we have very good evidence to prove that Nuzi people were not involved, and even if my daughter says that they''d never harmed them, I still need to know how they got into your care. What happened to have them riding on the back of that¡­ that thing.¡±


    Walta tried to get her mother''s attention but she ignored her to continue.


    ¡°If you could come back to the village to talk, we don¡¯t much but-¡±


    Just then she and the others were distracted by Tien breaking away from the crowd to make his way into the village.


    ¡°Where are you going young man,¡± a plump woman said.


    ¡°I''m gonna get dad, he can translate for us,¡± he said.


    That left a painful silence among the group watching him. Pity was what best described their features. Tien looked back in bafflement.


    ¡°Is he gone on another trip? Then... where is mum?¡± his eyes darted to the grown up¡¯s worried.


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell him?¡± a young man asked.


    ¡°I will,¡± the plump woman said walking to Tien.


    The young boy seemed to shrink at the sight of her, like a child being caught pinching cupped pies on the window seal but quickly recovered.


    ¡°Miss Bess, I-I was just trying to help everyone that¡¯s all. My dad trades with the Nuzi often and knows the language so I thought I''d get him.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know that young man?¡± the lady said, hand on her hips.


    ¡°Because he¡¯d told me! He¡¯d been learning a lot! He¡¯d even told the mayor about it. The mayor was with us before we fell asleep and woke up in the cage. Him, my parents and Walat¡¯s older brother.'''' He looked around at the faces around him worried, unaware that his words struck a chord with the plump lady as she placed a hand on her chest.


    Everyone else''s demeanor darkened as quiet sobs could be heard from some of the women among the crowd. Walta again tried to get her mother''s attention but she too engrossed in what the plump woman had to say to Tien tapped her hand away.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sure the mayor was there with your mother and father at the end.¡± she breathed out faintly. She played with a chained necklace around her neck as she composed herself. In the next breath, she recovered and looked at Tien with a warm smile. ¡°You needn''t worry, I believe you. But still, I need to talk to you about something. Let¡¯s take a seat over there.¡±


    Gesturing to a nearby stomp the plump lady gently guided Tien over to take a seat away from the others. It was not just her getting ready to speak of losses. All among the crowd, grown-up parents and loved ones were speaking to each of the children in hushed whispers as they held faces of empathy. Looking at them Walat¡¯s mother sighed deeply to herself.


    ¡°Just been trying to avoid it by asking questions. But I guess there¡¯s no point holding it off,¡± she mumbled as she watched Tien and the plump lady off to the side.


    Kneeling down to Walta¡¯s level she placed her hands on her shoulder and spoke.


    ¡°Say, sweety, you know your big brother Luca? Well¡­ he''s no longer with us. You see he-¡±


    ¡°-I know,¡± Walta said meekly, which shocked her mother.


    ¡°¡®You know¡¯?¡± Before she could ask or say anything Walta then pointed to Tien and said.


    ¡°Can Tien live with us? He doesn''t have a family anymore.¡±


    The mother understood then, the terrible horrors that her daughter must have seen. Must have endured in silence, one of her children was returned to her but at what cost? Hugging her tightly the mother cried, she cried for her lost son, cried for the child that had returned, and cried for the innocence that was forever lost.


    ¡°Of course, he can! He¡¯s always been like family to us!¡± the mother reassured Walta. ¡°Just let me and mayoress Bess handle this ok?¡±


    With shouts of denial coming from Tien, Natalie gathered that he¡¯d gotten the bad news. The mayoress Bass was trying to comfort her but he was not having any of it. Smacking her hand away as if a viper his face was red with anger as he began shouting.


    Everyone was stunned except Walta. Without saying a word she gently stepped out of her mother''s embrace and proceeded to envelop Tien in a hug.


    ¡°You can live with us, ok?¡± Tien tried to fight her off until her words were out, by then his protests came to a screeching halt as he succumbed to his sorrow and hugged her back.


    All around them, Natalie saw the other kids taking in the news from one form or another. Although most had not lost a family member they¡¯d lost an uncle or aunt and good family friend to the demons themselves. All these young lives fractured because of those bastards. Among the grieving mayoress, Bass had simply thanked Natalie in passing and moved on to Aiyana to have a chat.


    Between then and now Walta¡¯s mother had also moved on to talk to both her daughter and Tien off to the side. Everyone seemed to be moving on. Moving on whilst she stood frozen, stuck in a cycle of her own choosing. It was how it must be, how it should be. Still¡­ the sight of a close community and familial bonds tugged on a part of her long forgotten.


    Got to get back to Andrew. He was waiting for her. Aiyana, although a fish out of water when it came to speaking Kemish, seemed to be managing just fine now that the sandstorm of emotions had subsided. Aiyana would understand if she¡¯d gone on ahead, wouldn''t she?


    Taking one last glance back, Natalie''s eyes met with Walta¡¯s, she was holding Tien''s hand as her mother gilded them both deeper into the broken village. In those eyes laid a roaring flame that spoke to her clear words without the need of mind reading-without the need of gesture or translation¡­ she just knew. ¡®Get them back for everything they''ve done.¡¯


    Natalie did not need another reason to seek the people that she was seeking. Having long gone past the point of no return she knew that her journey will either end with them all dead at her feet or her death in a gutter. Being filled with hate for them she needed no more reasons to hate them even more. But this gesture along with the things she''d witnessed today threatened to overflow, so she filed those thoughts and feelings. They will be unleashed the next time she confronts one of them, sick bastards. They will be used as kindling. And once they¡¯ve burned out they shall know what trouble they had befallen onto themselves.


    With eyes brimming with a deep and tempered anger Natalie marched onward back towards the womb to reunite with Andrew. She will return back to the south and begin her hunt anew.

 Chapter 16: Give & Take

    Andrew


    The heart of Coubbleston village was set ablaze with passionate rows of flame dancers that illuminated the cold night sky. The upbeat tempo of skinned drums and the proud dancing of topless men and barely clothed women filled the air with a profound sense of instinctive desire for anyone who lost themselves in its rhythm. As if mocking the freezing night air they dance with skin caressed skin and a lack of propriety for what came tomorrow.


    The large village was made up of stone huts mixed with larger houses of thick clay. In its center, laid a great water fountain that marked the village¡¯s crossroads. Its large abundance of water in the middle of the world¡¯s hottest desert was a show of the great power and wealth of the elite who held sway in the land¡­ that was at least how one merchant described it when they first made their way here.


    Near around every main intersection giant bonfires were put in place where fire dancers, drummers, and flute players entranced the people as they did laps around the blazing flams.


    It was a place to come if one wanted to fall off the edge of the known world or to simply forget that they ever existed, to lose their minds every night. It was a place to come if you wanted to spend your likely last days drowning in your carnal desires.


    They say that you have not made real love until you''ve bedded one born from Coubbleston...


    A true retreat for the bold apparently. This was not the reason he and Natalie returned, however. Standing within a large withering white tent they wait for the owner, Zac, to get there and respond to their scoop. That gave Andrew time to think, time he¡¯d rather not spend thinking right now. Besides the slightly muffled sounds of the ongoing party out on the streets seeping through the tent sheets, it was just him and Natalie. He could practically feel her picking apart his skull every time she sneaked a glance at him.


    The worst of it was she thought she was being subtle about it and to a fair degree, she was. It was just he was so used to her ways that he did not need to look to know that she was checking upon him. Oh, sure he thought it was touching at first. When Natalie first laid eye on him she¡¯d practically marched up and hugged him without saying a word. Never mind that it was in front of everyone watching and he was sweaty from the summer sun and exertion. Having been in the middle of sparing with one of the locals at the time a small crowd grew as he and Muraco were getting into the thick of things.


    When Natalie realized what she did her face reddened tremendously. It was a shock to be sure, cute he could say. He must have really worried her back then if she forgot herself to that extent, he¡¯d been lying to himself if he said he did not have a smile on his face since then. Oh yes being worried about was nice, but a man could only be worried over so many times before it just became plain annoying.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Natalie asked. Her side glance looked down at his chest with a hint of concern.


    This had not been the first time she¡¯d asked him that same question. It was the first question she''d asked after sparing, washed finally and they had some time alone, it had made sense to ask then but Andrew could not help but feel like she¡¯d already asked the same question from others already because when he said he was fine she looked doubtful.


    She probably knew then¡­ perhaps he should have told Minda and Muraco to keep silent about how he woke up in a frenzied panic.


    Since then every question of his well-being felt like her trying to draw a confession from him without revealing the evidence as to why she was so sure there was a confession to make in the first place.


    He came to with Muraco pinning him to a wall trying to calm him down and a good thing too because he was about to try and gouge out his eyes. Had Muraco not been there to hold him then who knows what would have happened. Apparently, Muraco had been watching over him since Natalie departed to send the children back home. If Natalie knew then she was just waiting for him to make a confession. Over and over, after leaving and making their way to this village she¡¯d asked.


    Annoyed Andrew took a moment to do a quick bit of side glancing himself, mainly he looked through the thin gap between the tent that pointed up a street where a blazing bonfire stood. Around it was people that came out a silhouette to his eyes.


    One man holding what looked to sticks blew flame from his mouth illuminating his face and features from the rest. The flame burst forth like a tamed explosion to everyone¡¯s elation. Thinking back on the questions he was asked, Andrew grinned to himself.


    ¡°I am tame as a fire dancer¡¯s flame,¡± he answered Natalie, his teeth showing from the exaggerated smile.


    Natalie¡¯s subtle glaring had broken right then as she looked at him directly in bafflement. Gaining her bearings, however, she snorted and cut her eyes at him whilst she shook her head. Well, what did she expect? She¡¯d asked him at least five times today alone and he did not know any other way for her to get the message.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know why I even ask,¡± she mumbled to herself. Andrew shrugged.


    Since this morning he was beginning to wonder why himself. He¡¯d been given silly answers like that since he¡¯d woken up. ¡®As well as a hopping gazelle¡¯ when he saw one grazing by the spot camped just outside Coubbleston. Followed by ¡®as sleek as an eagle¡¯s beak¡¯ when he thought he spotted one flying over the wall. It must have been a very large one because the scale of it in the sky threw off his sense of the village¡¯s size in comparison. They did exist, they were just very rare.


    Having jested with her two more after that in much the same fashion Andrew had come to a decision. For you see, there was something that had been bothering him since the incident, a notable change after their last battle. Maybe he will confess to her the thing that has been bothering him but only if it happened again tonight, he did not want to worry her. Besides that issue, there was nothing else to really tell?


    Seeing Natalie standing there with her arms folded and eyes narrowed did lighten his mood just a bit.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to keep us waiting again,¡± Andrew said.


    He left them waiting an hour last time and she was near fuming at the time. Now, however, Natalie just made a vex snorting sound in acknowledgment.


    ¡°He might leave us hanging twice as long now because of how well things turned out before,¡± Natalie¡¯s face only darkened. Had there been a magnifying glass between her and the silk cream sofa opposite then it would have burst into flames in an instant.


    ¡°We could at least take a seat before he gets here, no point in letting him know that you still got a tick up your back.'''' There were two identical sofas here facing another with a thin long stubby table resting in the middle of it. That all rested on the top of a deep red silk carpet with criss-cross laces of gold running along it.


    ¡°I ¡®want¡¯ him to see that I¡¯m pissed-that¡¯s the point,¡± Natalie gritted.


    With a sigh, Andrew nodded to himself. Taking his sword off of his back he proceeded to hop over the sofa¡¯s head and crash onto its front. He understood it-honestly he did. That guy had given them misinformation and for that, they almost died. But if Natalie was going to be the brewing storm as her power play then he¡¯d better play the ray of sunshine as a counterbalance. That was the best way to get the results they wanted. At the very least, this way things won¡¯t grow out of hand like last time.


    It was not that Natalie was bad at negotiating with people (not as bad as she makes herself out to be) it was more a fact that she was¡­ selfish with her methods. Natalie, still standing there, looked at him slouching long ways on the sofa with an unreadable expression.


    ¡°What? I¡¯ll move aside when you decide to come on over and take a seat,¡± he said chipperly.


    Cutting her eye at him she glanced away as if she¡¯d lost all interest in her reason for being here. Seeing her reaction as a point taken Andrew grinned as he laid back on the sofa with arms at the back of his head whilst he closed his eyes.


    ¡°Though I must say that our friend Zac sure is living the cushy life. I think I could get used to sleeping on something as soft as this. Do you think I could convince him to let us rest here for the day? It sure beats sleeping on the floor or on rocks or-¡±


    ¡°-Why are you like this?¡± Natalie mumbled.


    That made Andrew peek one eye open to look at her, she¡¯d not moved a fraction since before he closed his eyes. Standing there deliberately ignoring him with her arms folded except now there was a troubled look to her features. Andrew felt a tinge of frustration at that. Burning it down with a smile he reclosed his eyes and continued.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I be in a good mood now?¡± he asked.


    Peeking over he saw her head turn back to him as if perplexed but with most of his face being hidden by the sofa she failed to catch it.


    ¡®This¡¯ is how you be subtle Natalie. His smile widened.


    ¡°I mean we found the bastard¡¯s base letter and then messed up their operation just as we planned. Sure we did not blow it up sky high but it took a number from the inside no thanks to their Nova. I say that counts as a job well done.¡±


    ¡°What about the losses? Was it worth it in the end?¡± she said. This made Andrew sit up and look at her. She looked conflicted, doubtful.


    That made his small annoyance grow into an ember of anger.


    ¡°What happened after I passed out?¡± Andrew asked.


    Natalie simply shook her head and proceeded to look out the gap between the tent.


    ¡°Nothing good,¡± is all she said, hands clenched around her arms. ¡±We got lucky.¡± It¡¯s all she ever said whenever he asked.


    And there laid the larger half of his problems ever since he woke up. It was not just that event. Questions on who helped her bring the kids back got a vague but decent answer. Matter of what she will do when she meets Zac again, simply gave him a cold glare along with something like ¡®I¡¯ll get him back,¡¯. Questions regarding how the parents and loved ones took the news of their children returning got no answers except to move onto another subject but her face said it all. Oftentimes a reunion like that tended to end in bittersweet at best or just plain bitter.


    Natalie never talks out loud about her take on it but it had always hit her hard when it came to that. If only he was there with her, he understood and so at least left her to process that alone but when he tried to change the subject to something lighter as in how was the journey like there with the kids she got defensive. When Andrew later asked why did she act up so much at just the mention of traveling back to Lucas with them. She up and looked at him as if he was the problem whilst proceeding to lie and say that it was nothing. A short while later she stormed up to him with accusing eyes. Demanded the map off of him and then proceeded to shake her head at him before started reading. It was perhaps the most baffling string of reactions that he¡¯d ever had with her and every day was kind of strange as is. She still had the map now and he did not bother asking for it back but he had the feeling that she would refuse and give him that look like he¡¯d done something stupid.


    ¡°Besides, there are still those other kids I saw being taken through the tunnels. With it blocked we can''t find out where its end leads to.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you stole the map from me?¡± Natalie looked as if she¡¯d get defensive again but instead sighed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t steal, but yes. I think I got something that can at least give us locations to search, it¡¯s hard for me to explain but-¡±


    ¡°-If it starts us off in the right direction then I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter where it takes us. Let¡¯s get this business with Zac over and done and keep moving. You may as well sit down because I won¡¯t wake up and scoot over for you once I fall asleep.¡± Andrew yawned.


    He could feel another careful and defensive answer and thought it best to just cut to the chase.


    ¡°It¡¯s always like this,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°You mean I¡¯m always tired? Well maybe you have not noticed this Natalie but we mortals tend to feel tired by the end of the day. We have this thing called sleep which fixes that. You should try it, I mean; you should try more of it. Might help with that whole I¡¯m angry vibe you¡¯re working o-¡±


    Andrew suddenly felt a weight fall upon the lower part of his legs making him shoot his head up only to see Natalie sitting atop of them. Glancing over to him she gave Andrew an inquisitive look. As if a puzzle piece she hasn¡¯t quite yet worked out.


    ¡°Scoot,¡± she said, Andrew pulled his legs out from below her and proceeded to sit upright but Natalie was still looking at him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll try it your way, but I¡¯m still pissed,¡± she said begrudgingly.


    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t become overreactive then I¡¯m fine with whatever, the piece of work deserves what''s coming,¡± he said. It took all he had to not smile right then and there.


    ¡°You should stop overreacting too,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting sleepy because I was acting angry. Am I wrong?¡± Natalie''s accusing eyes dared him to lie.


    ¡°No, you''re right,¡± he said with a bowed head.


    Just then footfalls sounded outside the tent-making both him and Natalie look ahead. Natalie¡¯s eyes turned purple and before she bit her lip in frustration.


    So Zac is just outside? Andrew smirked to himself.


    "On second thought, maybe I should stand up while you sit down,¡± he whispered.


    Natalie¡¯s eyes had widened but before she could stop him Andrew smoothly somersaulted over the sofa, grabbed back his father¡¯s sword, and latched it back on before the tent flaps opened.


    ¡°So you truly saw the spider¡¯s lair and lived to speak of it! Now that¡¯s impressive. My young friend, it seems that I had underestimated you!" Zac said with arms raised and an open smile in greeting. Natalie however was too busy looking at Andrew at the back of the sofa with a blank expression to notice. The promised payback but she could not do anything about it now without looking the fool.


    ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± Zac frowned.


    Zac was a rather chubby man with a dark complexion. His hairy beer belly stuck out of his silk green robes as he waddled on around to the sofa opposite in slippered feet. Slightly sweaty and panting he looked like he went seven rounds with a grizzly bear to earn some of its chest hairs. He¡¯d came half an hour faster than the last time. So maybe we did earn his respect. But there was just no way that he ran over here for their sake. No, it was apparent that he¡¯d just done got sharing the sheets with some of Coubbleston''s finest women. The bastard.


    ¡°How do you know that we met them?¡± Natalie asked carefully.


    Zac gawked before laughing heartily. Meanwhile, a woman in a belly dancing outfit of cream and deep red flowed in with a tray of drinks. On the sofa by his right stood a tall and bulky guy with a number of blades scars crisscrossing his body.


    ¡°I¡¯m an information broker, getting news from far-off places is my specialty. That and my other ¡®booming¡¯ business I got going on here.¡± he gave the woman who was placing out the drinks a kind of intense look holding her gaze as he put a cigar in his mouth and lent a match stick. Blushing, the woman gingerly took it and lit up the end in front of her before slipping out the tent flaps. ¡°But I already know that neither of you is here for the pleasantries.¡± Zac just looked at her go like a hungry man would eye fresh meat that they see all around them before eyeing them ruefully. It was sickening. But more than likely it was a tactic to throw them off.


    ¡°You sold us false information,¡± Natalie seethed.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Zac asked, his poured drink stopped halfway by his mouth.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Not only did we find him but we were almost swallowed up in darkness. You underplayed the importance of what you told us deliberately. I refuse to believe that you did it out of ignorance!¡±


    ¡°¡®Darkness¡¯? Wait! Now listen here you-¡± Zac was about to begin his tirade until Andrew cut in.


    ¡°-It¡¯s said that you are the best information dealer in Coubblston. I would not want to think that you¡¯d given us unreliable information intentionally. Maybe we overlooked something?¡± Given Natalie¡¯s cut-throat approach it was best to butter him up a little to calm him.


    Zac simmered down, with his features still darkened he eyed Andrew. ¡°Perhaps there was a breakdown in communication somewhere,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give him an out, Andrew, it¡¯s obvious what he¡¯d tried to do to us.¡±


    ¡°Care to explain what I¡¯m obviously not seeing?¡± Zac hissed.


    ¡°You tried to kill us, have us march into your ¡®spider leer¡¯ unprepared and succumb to his trap.¡± Natalie¡¯s eyes pointed cold accusations at Zac.


    ¡°A bold statement from an ignorant girl,¡± Zac¡¯s muscle grumbled in his throat from behind the sofa like a wild dog moments away from the attack. He was a huge chiseled led man with mighty blond bearded and light leather armor. It would have passed as intimidating had Andrew not known how that black mark around his right eye got there. Natalie not being one to back down from those who start a fight looked him right back at him.


    ¡°Bold¡­ yes, but makes for a valid question,¡± Andrew interjected. ¡°The fact is we were attacked by someone who¡¯d I¡¯d argue had powers like a trap door spider.¡± Natalie had mentioned the way that Epimetheus powers resembled the like of the trap door spider. Hiding under rocks and pulling its victims into its domain of total darkness. Andrew only saw what it did to the storm up high so it took a while for him to see her resemblance but once he did he had trouble unseeing it. And although they differed in what method they were going to integrate Zac on coincidence they at least agreed that this part needed to be cleared up before they spoke of anything else with the info broker.


    ¡°So, did you try and have us killed?¡±


    ¡°I did hope you¡¯d get killed, yes, but not from my own ignorance,¡± Zac said as he leaned back on the sofa.


    Andrew shared a look with Natalie. In all honesty, they did not think this far when they spoke of what they would do when meeting Zac again, if he acted defensive or denied it that would have been different but, now they were a bit lost for words.


    ¡°You thought I¡¯d deny it, please! After the way you ran your mouth, be lucky I didn¡¯t do anything drastic.¡± his eyes darted straight at Natalie.


    ¡°That might not have ended well for you,¡± Andrew said carefully. They¡¯d known that Zac held sway in the village but his power mainly consisted of spies and hired muscle. Maybe he could afford a hunter or two but if there was anyone among his people that could use knights¡¯ armor then he would have used them by now.


    Zac looking displeased twitched his lip before snorting to himself. ¡°I know that now, like I said: it seems I underestimated you.¡±


    ¡°So when you mentioned the spider you-¡± Natalie picked up as if Zac had said nothing and Zac talked over her like she herself had not spoken either.


    ¡°-I assumed it was what they¡¯d started calling those southern savages beyond the mountains,¡± he said as he finished his drink and poured himself another.


    ¡°Those savages are known as the Nuzi people, or did your web of information not even get that simple a thing right?¡±


    ¡°Well there had been a split among those... savages,¡± he put emphasis on the word ¡®savages¡¯ before continuing in a chipper fashion. ¡°The split happened roughly eighty years ago, since then there had been talks of travelers, wonders, and even hunters never being heard from whenever any of them attempt to pass through the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Already rear travels there became near nonexistent. I¡¯d assumed that it was those savages, or a splintered faction of them had been killing all outsiders entering through the mountain pass. The name ''trapdoor spider¡¯ was just a byproduct of rumor meeting truth. It fit at the time, but you say that it was this one person correct? Tell me what happened.¡±


    Natalie looked back at Andrew with conflicted eyes. She did not want to talk about what had transpired in the back there but what choice did she have, they needed answers and had no money to trade with. And so they bartered with information. In truth, Andrew wanted to know the details as well. Maybe having her speak here will shake loose some new nuggets.


    With a nod from Andrew, Natalie began giving a short explanation of the things that they''d witnessed in the hidden base. She skipped the part where they''d stayed with the Nuzi people and just how powerful this star of halo was but beyond that, it was a decent summary of his known experience.


    Zac had been hooked to Natalie¡¯s words. He practically went wide-eyed when he heard her explanation of the Nova but then eyes frowned when she''d mentioned the name they apparently call themselves. As Natalie began speaking about the aftermath of the encounter Zacs frowned deepened as he brooded to himself. For minutes he paced up and down the tent deep in thought.


    "So who coined the name?" Natalie said after a while.


    "Some southern peddler," Zac said with a wave of a hand. Seemed like he was still brewing and Natalie''s questions were like smoke to his vision.


    ¡°What did they look like? Did you even get a name?¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to get at and it¡¯s not going to work. Now shut up and let me think.¡±


    Crossing her leg and leaning back on the sofa Natalie snorted but Zac was too busy thinking to notice. A moment later he slowly sat back down.


    ¡°If the label was not for them savages then... It seems like we¡¯d been had. They used my great knack for information to send out cryptic crap. All in the hopes of netting curious victims.¡±


    ¡®Great¡¯? Damn, don¡¯t puff up your ego too much. Andrew thought blankly right as Natalie blurted out. ¡°Giving yourself too much credit there,¡±


    Zac still trying to digest what Natalie had told her did not react. That added tension to the room, they did not want him stable.


    ¡°I hear that having to think too hard is a sign of lack of a balanced lifestyle. Maybe you''ve indulged too much in one thing?¡±


    That did draw his attention but he only smiled in amusement and leaned back with arms stretched out over the sofa¡¯s head.


    ¡°You play the game well for little children I''ll throw you that much. And the lack of surprise at me saying we¡¯d been had indicates that you¡¯d at least thoughts of this fact already. Commendable, but a runt is still a runt,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not following,¡± Andrew said as plainly as possible.


    ¡°This whole good questioner, bad questioner thing you got going.¡± he nods his head at Andrew whilst saying. ¡°You¡¯re trying too hard to be nice. And as for you, I get the feeling that you¡¯re holding back your attitude.¡±


    The rig was up.


    ¡°I was not trying to hold back anything. I¡¯ve meant every word that I said to you.¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°I may have stretched the truth a little but I don''t hate you persay. In fact, scummy as you are I kinda like you,¡± Andrew said with a grin. He was a scumbag sure but he was a predictable one. Setting aside the fact that his information almost got them killed he was an amusing guy. Compared to the monster he confronted at the base he was a napping puppy.


    Zac burst into a gale of laughter.


    ¡°You''re both honest to boot!¡± that sends Zac into a bigger fit of laughter.


    "We don''t have to spin tales to look strong," Natalie said.


    "And we don''t have to expose people''s shortcomings to get ahead. Had we done that then we''d have told others that your muscle friend Seth here is no knight, can''t harness the planet''s will to save his life from someone who can, and there¡¯s got to be a fair few around here." His mind went to female dancers outside the tent. They''d had to be flame knights. How else were they able to make the flames so big?


    "Is that a threat? That not very Protective of you. No¡­ so very unlike how I''d imagine a ''Protector'' would act wouldn''t you agree?"


    Hearing his hunting title threw Andrew off. They¡¯d come to Zac intentionally keeping that off the table in the hopes that he''d be more loose with the information simply because he would not know its true value to them. When he never even asked for them they thought they were in the clear. But if he knows his hunter title now then...


    "Dark angel Natalie and her trusty protector Andrew," He said amused, seeing the lack of amusement on Andrew''s face only made his smile widen as he continued. "Rejected an honest hunting career after only two paid jobs, such a strange occurrence, most only quit when they are too old or die so I wonder what happened¡­ wasn''t there meant to be more of you? You gathered team just before your second and last job, that were names-"


    An abrupt thud alerted Andrew to Natalie¡¯s foot crushing the end of the table, the impact of which unbalanced Zacs drink making its contents spill on it¡¯ surface. Not paying her actions any attention Natalie fixed Zac a glare that could snuff out a blazing inferno.


    "You utter even a single name and I¡¯ll kill you,"


    Zac blinked but recovered quickly. Raising his hand up in a show of innocence he looked at Natalie¡¯s black trainer still on top of his table with a refuel chuckle.


    "And now you go around saving children? Big shoes to fill that, the hunting market has been lacking in idiots for a while now. Guess it¡¯s why you stopped taking jobs?"


    ¡°And the world is full of people like you, pricks who don¡¯t see the worth in helping others beyond their own benefit. You¡¯re a dime a dozen, and the world would breathe easier without you taking up its space and oxygen.¡±


    Zac twisted his lip to one side as he eyes Natalie.


    ¡°That was a bit harsh Natalie,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Andrew I-¡± Natalie began before Andrew continued.


    ¡°-I mean where in front of him right now and I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m struggling to breathe. And sure he¡¯s big but I think there is still plenty of space for everyone to get along.¡± Silence fell in the tent only broken by the drums outside and the low growl of Seth.


    Natalie meanwhile gave Andrew a blank look witch Andrew simply rose his eyebrow. That almost made her laugh, he could tell by the dimples that flashed on her face. Zac broke the moment with a slow and dramatic clapping.


    ¡°A real knee slapper. You must be the clown between you two. She certainly wears the boots in your relationship.¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± Andrew frowned.


    ¡±Tell me, boy, is it comfy being below a girl rather than on top? In terms of status, of course."


    Andrew¡¯s eyes narrowed by his comment, given the amount of sass that oozed of it he needed little explanation on what he¡¯d meant. Natalie was about to open his mouth but Andrew beat her to it.


    "I''m a knight, knights protect," He beamed. "Besides, rather below her than above him." He nods his chin pointing at Zac''s apparent muscle Seth.


    Calling out his fake bodyguard left Zac glaring hole at the both of them.


    ¡°Ever heard of deception boy? I do have men of your caliber. I just don¡¯t have them instantly at hand right now. They all have their own business to take care of. Nobody of your like come all the way over here, at least not often so I seldom had a use for them.¡±


    ¡°You regret not having them at hand now?¡± Natalie asked.


    Zac shook his head.


    ¡°No, I would have had the two of you killed if they¡¯d been there before and that would have been a waste. Saw you as just a bunch of naive nobodies, but now I see value in you. Had you not gotten back to me with this information then I would have not known of the blind spot in my network. So I¡¯ll tell you every little thread that you¡¯d helped me unravel. You can make whatever of this mess as you will.¡±


    Resting his hands on the back of the sofa Andrew leaned in to listen.


    "Where was a rumor running around the travelers and curious folks, even though most of them had never set foot into that place. In that valley lay the home of real trap door spiders. They lay in wait for their prey in makeshift doors under rocks or sand. They tend to live close to another like we people would our neighbors. They are too small to hunt humans mind you. But they say that if you climb upon a certain rock face and count the seven trap door spiders on its back, then the ground will come alive and swallow you whole."


    ¡®I¡¯m one of seven¡¯ Andrew¡¯s mouth dried he recalled Epimetheus saying this. It went too far to be a coincidence. They¡¯d been set up from the get-go.


    Cold sweat seeped out of Andrew¡¯s body when he recalled those last moments. How easy Epimetheus bested him. How he refrained from outright killing them both. Glancing over to Natalie left Andrew even more baffled. She was shocked as well but Natalie seemed to take it a lot better than he¡¯d thought. He decided to tuck that away for later, right now Epimetheus and his stake in all of this filled his mind. What was the deal with him? How much influence do they have around the world? And what was their end goal? Zac continued.


    "There is only one organization in the world with this kind of sway and technology,¡±


    ¡°The Golden Dragons,¡± Natalie said. Zac nodded his head.


    Andrew narrowed his eyes uncertainly.


    ¡°Them working under a new alist is clever, keeps them from running their public image, but I know my enemy too well to be fooled." Zac mused to himself ruefully, he was off in pondering once more.


    He and Natalie did have lengthy talks about the Dragon Empire and their possible involvement. But whenever they did try to find a connection they¡¯d end up instead unearthing something else or another lead that proved them uninvolved. Maybe the sight of the Nova may have shifted their suspicions but whether they were suspect or not why was Natalie not saying anything?


    ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯ve earned the attention of a very dangerous foe, but¡­ I can support you if you ask nicely.¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at Zac?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°Join me,¡± he said.


    Andrew had to blink to himself twice to confirm that this was real.


    Where did that come from?  Natalie on the other hand sighed in disappointment as she stood up off the sofa.


    "We''re leaving," she said.


    Still thrown off by Zac''s offer it took a moment before Andrew realized that Natalie was in fact leaving the open tent flaps bringing in the song and sounds of celebration.


    "You''re keeping stuff from me," Zac said amused, making Natalie freeze by the exit.


    "And you''ve been an open book? Please." Natalie said, rolling her eyes, deliberately giving street torches out of the tent her attention.


    ¡°I may have a few gems of your interest but given my profession, I can¡¯t just go around giving it to anyone. But if you to work with me then-¡±


    Natalie snickered in disgust as she folded her arms over her chest.


    ¡°Did you forget that you offered me a job at your brothel, I¡¯d hoped the bruse I gave your muscle would remind you that we are long past being partners of any kind. I just want answers off you then I''m done.¡± Seth grumbled at that.


    The dark mark around his left eye seems to readen with anger. All of that happened because of Zac¡¯s big mouth, he even had the gall to touch Natalie¡¯s leg with his sausage hands as he said it, Natalie¡¯s punch was meant for Zac but Seth jumped in and took the blow. With Andrew dragging Natalie out and Seth holding Zac away, the whole meeting ended in a complete mess though it could have been worse. Had Natalie not acted as quickly as she did then Andrew would have taken Zac¡¯s neck clean off.


    "What makes you think we''d accept an alliance when we are barely on speaking terms with you?" Andrew asked.


    Zac''s head fell as he grumbled in annoyance to himself.


    "Naive fool, it''s because we are not on friendly terms why I even offered. If you were a friend I''d sooner kill you than have you watch my back."


    Now that baffled Andrew to no end, he would have asked for an explanation but a part of him was too afraid that it would male some kind of twisted sense.


    "It¡¯s nothing drastic. You''ll be free to do what you want but you must report back to me. And in turn, I''ll help keep your enemies off your tail and tell you their latest moves, but I don''t intend to be stalking them in the shadows forever. You see I got a plan in motion that will get me back in real power. If all goes well it will be your enemies the Golden Dragon that will be cut down to size. Them and their accursed technology were wiped off of the map in one fell swoop. So what do you say to that?"


    Natalie just looked at him in disinterest which Zac begrudgingly nodded to himself.


    "Have it your way, even if we are not allied a wild piece such as you do still has its use to me. In light of discovering what you did in the North, I''ll give you a fair warning. Someone was looking for you two by name."


    Andrew turned to directly fact Zac as he asked ''really?'' Whilst Natalie stepped forward and asked ''Who?'' Both looked at each other as Zac continued.


    "They gave me fake names I¡¯m sure. But her prim accent and get-up gave away much. They come from the far west, maybe from Hallowpeak itself."


    Hallowpeak? It was said to be a giant city around and on top of a hollowed-out mountain. Within it stood one of the most prestigious academies in the world, armed with the knowledge to perhaps rival that of the age before the great fall. It is said to be the second most powerful nation in the world, and ambassadors of the Hallow peak were on the lookout for them.


    "They followed you up north in their search. I take it you never crossed paths? Well now you know to be wary."


    Andrew saw Natalie glancing down as if trying to contemplate what she''d been told. Andrew knew Natalie''s deep fondness for the place. Although neither of them had gone west there was a silent awe at the thought of those who built a wonder upon a wonder.


    Of course, she knew the place. Although she and Andrew never set foot on the western borders. Everyone knew of Hallow peak and its renowned people of wisdom, master builders, and pioneers of knights armor tech. Arguably only second in power to the Golden Dragons themselves.


    It had been her dream to one day go there and see the wondrous city etched into the great mountain when she was young Andrew recalled.


    But... Why would someone from there ask about her? They had never crossed paths with manipulators from the great western temple''s summit to his knowledge.


    "The witch of the west is looking for you," Zac testified with a ghostly voice.


    "And you sure they did not give their real names?"


    "As sure as water is wet," He said.


    "Give them to me anyway," Natalie said as he stepped forward, determined.


    ~#~


    "Are you sure we should take that last part as truth? He''s known to lie, he said as much himself. Plus no matter how you angle it, nothing about this fits." Andrew asked.


    They were some way from Zac¡¯s territory now, the rhythm of music here Seemed different, likely because of it given that each big name here had their own spot they oversee.


    "I agree that it makes no sense but I still believe him," Natalie said.


    Andrew shook his head.


    "I mean even the way he said it. Like he was telling kids some ghost story, it indicates to me at least that he was not taking things that seriously."


    "I''m still going to take him at his word Andrew and it¡¯s not going to change with this conversation."


    "How are you so sure?"


    "You''re just going to have to trust me on this one."


    Andrew took this moment to look at her. Her distention eye seemed generally worried over what Zac said. Andrew wanted to say that this was the reason why he even said such a thing but he held himself off from doing so. Instead, he smiled to himself and said.


    "Is it kind of how you knew how the Stars were kidnapping the kids?" He asked. That made her glance up at him in shock with mouth agape before she caught herself.


    "Yeah¡­ something like that," she mumbled. With an averted gaze, Andrew shook his head to himself.


    "I should know by now that not all of our decisions have been based on cold hard facts, why would now be any different?" He said in a grumble, but even so, a content smile found its way onto his face.


    Natalie just looked up at him a little peeved before going on like the exchange never happened.


    "Let''s find a place out of the village to rest and we will restock on what we need come morning. I can''t dream of sleeping in this racket." She said as she eyed a bonfire with men and women dancing around.


    She might have said something else but it must have gotten drowned out by the noise of drums because when he turned to her after he felt something thump his shoulder twice to get his attention. He wasn¡¯t staring, was he? The fire dancers here were as evocative here as they were in Zac turfed sure but it was one swallow a flaming stick that threw him.


    "Sorry?" He said abruptly, too abruptly.


    Natalie shook her head and continued towards the village exit. With a sigh and the scratch of his dreads, Andrew followed suit. The sooner they were away from here the better.

 Chapter 17: A Stone Front

    Andrew


    "Man this heat kills!" he said, his mouth felt dry from the desert heat. Pulling out his water skin he gulped down its content with a sigh.


    ¡°Did it take this long to get to Coubblston? Could have sworn it was a few hours quicker.¡± He wanted to douse himself with the remaining water he had but resisting the urge he put it back in the hook under his ragged cloak.


    Not getting a response from Natalie he shrugged to himself and looked out at the barren desert wasteland in front of him with growing boredom. With Natalie busy reading the map whilst repeatedly whispering something under her breath he¡¯d only had himself and the barely visible tar road underneath him as entertainment.


    The road had been constructed seven hundred years ago apparently. Its countless potholes and deep cracks caused by the earth''s crust moving between then and now made it useless for its original function. Now it serves as a kind of breadcrumb trail between Coubbleston and Zannidue. Besides the two towns, the Herbenry desert strip held no other thriving civilizations. According to Natalie Coubblston and Zannidue, it does not even count as civilization. Something about them not even being a shadow of their former selves. They both used to be far bigger kingdoms who fought each other for more land. Nowadays they silently trade goods to another, both in an effort to keep another afloat. Both found a common enemy in the harsh desert climate.


    As far as Andrew was concerned Coubbleston and Zannidue, were the only two places left occupying the desert strip. Even though they lived at the fringes of the desert. But that was not always the case. Walking along the fractured road Andrew saw great towering beams of rubble alongside dismembered buildings. Although it was hard to see through the hazy heatwave and sheer distance Andrew could only describe the building as a long thin pyramid of shimmering glass. He knew of the place being mentioned vaguely in a story, he knew even less about what fate had done to its people. It was a good story, not the happiest of endings, that he knew because apparently, it was how the world is the way it is. But for the life of him, he could not remember the details.


    If it was not important for survival, good food, or a new skill that could increase the two Andrew seldom kept the details of a thing in mind. But even so, a part of him wanted to get closer to the ghost city and get a good eye full of the odd building. they''d hardly have the time for such a thing on the way to Coubbleston. Now, however¡­


    ¡°You know what that thing is?¡± Andrew asked. Knowing Natalie to be rather fluent in her history and historic stories he gathered that she¡¯d know a thing or two more about the place than he did. Maybe jog his memory on some.


    He expected her to give an answer or just outright ignore him and bury her nose back in the map so it came as a slight surprise to him when Natalie walked off the fractured road and like a pin drawn to a magnet made her way towards the ghost city.


    Cursing under his breath Andrew followed behind her with brisk steps. Drawing closer to the city they passed the great beams. Andrew noticed that he''d stepped off of the baked sands and onto a smooth sheet of stone. It was all uniform and smooth except for the thin grooves that left grid-like squares along its surface. Upon the platform a large monument shaped like a half crescent moon towered over them atop the four-foot block of stone. This cool blue metal crescent had intricate grooves inlaid upon most of its shiny surface. The intricate shapes were partly filled in with small bits of red sand that covered the land but it was seldom enough to hide grooves that formed a kind of sensical pattern. It was one of those forgotten languages Andrew wagered. Even though he was not all that good with his native Kemish tongue he was fairly sure that it was Alermuric at least in its written flow. It was a striking design but beyond that, he knew of next to nothing about it.


    Natalie folded the map up in one hand as she walked up to it in careful strides. Gently, she placed a hand onto the intricate metal grooves of the crescent moon statue. Her gentle as if reaching for the divine. Seeing some of her older self resurfacing at that moment Andrew could not help but smile to himself.


    "If you''d taken the map just to make sure you could touch this old thing then you could have told me," Andrew said, his grin widening. ¡°What¡¯s with all the strange markings anyways?¡±


    Natalie just glanced back over at him, her face unamused while Andrew just surged off with a shake of his head. That was until he''d noticed her eyes still glancing at him. It was as if she was trying to pick apart what he was thinking, her glare became distant with that intent.


    "Is there sand on my face?" he asked with narrowed eyes.


    As if slapped, Natalie blinked and turned away to look back at the crescent statue. Clearing her throat, her eyes instead darted to every witch and way as her thumbs twirled around interlocked hands.


    Odd she did she choke on something? Andrew tilted his head baffled.


    If she turned around to hide her flustered face then she did a poor job hiding it. When she realized her mistake her eyes widened, she was about to reach for her waterskin by her side only to fold her arms over her chest and turn her back to him instead.


    "It''s called calligraphy. It''s a form of ancient text that dated back to before the winds stopped." Natalie said over her back. Andrew''s eyes narrowed, however. He could not help but find Natalie¡¯s voice a bit raspy.


    "But I thought this place-"


    "-Dunhini,"


    That was its name.


    "But I thought that Dunhini was built after the winds stopped,"


    "They were, but they took heavy inspiration from the calligraphy of eight-hundred or maybe nine-hundred years ago." Natalie sighed, soon after. She cleared her throat once again and this time Andrew knew.


    Taking another gulp of his water he wiped his arm across his lips before throwing his bottle towards her with only the word ¡®catch¡¯ said between it. In a silent daze, Natalie caught it over her shoulder. Murmuring thanks she drank its content. Seeing this Andrew nodded to himself content. Bit by bit it seems like she¡¯d had gained a more healthy appetite and today was no exception.


    ¡°Eight hundred years,¡± Andrew mused. Walking on over he hoisted himself atop of the four-foot platform that held the great crescent moon. He looked at the reflective glimmering light of the gigantic tower off in the distance.


    The year was 2764 and although Andrew had no personal experience of what it was like back eight hundred years he¡¯d been told that they are in a better off place than they had been at the end of the twenty-first century. He¡¯d heard stories of the apocalyptic event that was dubbed the great fall or the day the world held its breath. He¡¯d heard debates about what old nation was to blame for the fog wars and the three hundred years of hiding from the suffocating air that was the surface. He¡¯d been told tales of countless years of people¡¯s desperate plea for a second chance. A desperate cry for the wind¡¯s to return.


    Personally, Andrew found it aggravating to keep track of. A few hundred years of vague history and as many different spins on that vague gap as there were people in the world to argue them.


    Some say the winds stopped and the men of the time battled another for the remaining parts of the world clear from of their own demise. Others say that the winds were stopped by an angel and so it¡¯s their fault for the great fall. No, the angel had stopped the winds to punish our forefathers for sins they¡¯ve committed and so they choked on the fumes of their own war. Some even argued that it was a combination of all of the above tagged along with a host of other absurd reasons. One thing all could agree on was that for whatever reason the earth was dying. The winds had weakened. Many compared it to a man taking his last breaths on his deathbed hence the names.


    The earth was dying. And for whatever absurd or impossible reasons for how it happened, this fact remained for three hundred years until a pivotal event happened. Known as the second winds as its name imply it is said that the world breathed easy once again. The earth was alive... but with that came a new problem. Creatures born from the will of the earth¡¯s elements formed and began to roam the world. As if the living life cells of the earth some believe them to be the living embodiment of the planet¡¯s will they exuded epic displays of elemental feats the world over. Over the hundred years, they roamed the earth repairing and reshaping the land according to some but they are few and far seen now. Now that he thought on it Andrew was beginning to think that those giants walking rock faces they encountered were more likely one of those creatures. But that was not the only thing that changed during the second winds.


    Groups of wild animals began exuding supernatural powers of the elements that somewhat replicated those creatures. And soon even man began to tap into this elemental energy that no laid all around them. Given that it was the very things that have kept him alive until now this was something Andrew knew for certain. That, along with the fact that demons came soon after, the old cities were made into labyrinths by the high-ranked demon made. A twisted realm ruled by the demons made out of the husks of old ghost towns and cities, they imbue themselves within its very foundations in much the same way their ancestors sealed them into weapons or objects. This melding at this scale created an invisible gateway between them and their native realm. That¡¯s where they sit in wait for victims to walk into the trap much like a patient spider does its web. At least that is the consensus. It said that you will not realize you¡¯ve walked into a labyrinth until it is too late. Testimonies from people who claim to have come out of one are if they could ever be believed. All that was known for certain was that all fo enter one never come back, not even pentagon knights were not exempt.


    What he knew for sure came from hunters that had paved the way before him. A path of carnage and blood it was told. The argument on whether it was the planet¡¯s blessing or the demon¡¯s curse that they now have these powers did not bother him. The fact was that this power exists, he never knew a world without them, and he knew enough of it to hold his own. Knowing how the other affinities fair against his own helped him quickly assess what was and was not a good idea. He knew that demons meant trouble and demon hosts should never be fought one on one.


    Andrew knew what he knew and that gave him comfort. It was the things that threatened him and he did not know however that bothered him.


    "You feel anything?" Natalie¡¯s questioning eyes gave a layer of concern. It was only then that he noticed that he had a hand right over the place he was stabbed. Biting down a shiver Andrew fainted a peeved snort.


    "Oh I¡¯m fine," he reassures with a thump of his chest. "Only pain I felt recently was watching you drink the last of my water," with a snarky tone that he was not completely feeling he chuckled at Natalie¡¯s disapproved stare.


    ¡°Then what about before?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What time before? Do you mean the time when I woke up and realized that my shirt had been sliced right down the middle? Yeah, that really did hurt. Maybe more so than the water, I¡¯ll need time to work out my feelings on that.¡±


    With a sigh, she tossed the water bottle back at him which he snatched out of the air casually. Taking a swig, Andrew noticed that Natalie was yet again looking at him as if trying to pick apart his brain. That made him scratch the back of his locks in slight frustration. With Natalie noting his show of frustration he shrugged his shoulders to himself. She knew something was up, and like it or not he had promised that he will tell her what it was if it happened one last time. If he had the same dream again. That time came the night before.


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    "There was one thing that¡¯s been bothering me since. Some dream I keep having," Andrew confessed, his tone darkening as he tried to relive it.


    Natalie carefully leaned off of the block to look at him. With his thoughts lost in the sensations, he experienced this, and other nights since their encounter with the star his hand clenched onto his chest without his notice.


    "And what dream was that?"


    Andrew''s lips tighten as he relived the dreaded sensations of pain and loss, shock guilt, and betrayal. Yes, this was the same dream he¡¯d been having. The same one over and over, the intense emotions coming up in the same order each time. Leaving the same cold hopeless impression on him when he woke. Except that was the thing.


    "I forget. I just know it¡¯s the same dream. Funny how that work!" he said in an upbeat tone. For what it was worth that was the truth. Up to this point, he¡¯d wake up only remembering impressions of the nightmare. The only thing the last one proved was that it had and will keep coming repeatedly. Not wanting to worry Natalie he tried to make light of it but he almost failed to take control of his shaken hand.


    With an exasperated sigh, Natalie shook her head to herself and leaned back against the stone block.


    "I¡¯m not joking this time!" he said half chuckling to himself because he knew how this all looked from her perspective. ¡°It¡¯s what been bothering me, I said I¡¯ll tell you what it is not why I feel like that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should have kept your bottle and left you here,¡± Natalie grumbled.


    ¡°Now that would have been a memorable nightmare if we were not that close to Zannidue. So much for lost opportunities,¡± Andrew grinned as he tossed the water bottle back at her. Natalie¡¯s face betrayed a hint of puzzlement. Andrew nodded for her to take the rest. Mumbling something to herself Natalie looked at the bottle hesitantly. Chuckling to himself Andrew looked out at the distant city as Natalie drank what was left. He¡¯d barely realized that Natalie was finished she spoke up.


    ¡°If I¡¯d not finished mine so quickly I wouldn¡¯t need to bother drinking yours,¡± now she looked plain troubled, and that troubled Andrew. To keep her from worrying he maintained an outward indifference.


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± he said.


    ¡°But I-¡±


    ¡°-With you drinking what¡¯s left I now have a good enough excuse to buy my favorite grape soda,¡±


    Natalie just gave him a withering look which he chuckled to all the more. Even if it meant looking the fool he will gladly do so if it helped her smile more.


    "Fine, fine then I¡¯ll change the subject. Coubbleston was an interesting place right?" he began.


    ¡°This again?¡± Natalie scoffed.


    ¡°Since when did I bring it up before now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was¡­ distracted,¡± the voice held a sliver of mockery within it. Was that meant to be him? All of a sudden recollection struck him like a steel knight¡¯s hammer.


    His embarrassing confession that he was distracted by the dancers of Coubbleston ran across his mind making his face heat up once more, in this direct heat that came close to frying as he¡¯d even been.


    Maybe I should change the subject again. Andrew thought to himself but a part of him shot that idea down.


    "I just meant that it was so different to any place we¡¯ve been to, sure there are plenty of people who dance and stuff on other towns but not one that is so dedicated to it. I think it¡¯s kind of fascinating." he continued.


    "People dressed up like shameless monkeys is fascinating?¡± Natalie shot back, which left Andrew frowning.


    ¡°I would not go that far,¡± he said to himself, Natalie heard it which was just as well.


    ¡°They waste their gifts of harnessing the elements to prance about on the streets. Dancing around in the cold whilst they burn through their sir-plus of resources in the middle of a desert and you find that fascinating?¡± she said.


    ¡°You did not find their ways fascinating?¡± Andrew asked. That drew Natalie glared at him, however. After a short moment of studying him, she nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I spouse it did fascinate me. Was as fascinating as watching a man throw himself off a cliff¡¯s edge with a cute red ribbon elegantly flowing off his neck making the suicide somewhat elegant, artful, and maybe unique!"


    Andrew stunned to silence sat there with his mouth agape, for once he was honestly baffled. ¡®A ribbon¡¯? Thinking of a light way to counteract Natalie¡¯s dark and sharp analogy Andrew sat there a moment with his head tilted and eyes narrowed.


    "Why a red ribbon though? I mean I think I get it but..." that much earned him a low frustrated groan from Natalie before he could say anything else. It took all that Andrew had to keep from laughing. Seeing this Natalie shook her head to herself and continued walking.


    "My point is that for people with such a high mastery over their powers, instead of doing some noticeable good in the world they waste it on stupid parlor tricks and a few chuckles. I fail to see how they can be the descendants of the ones who made all of this," she said as walked onwards, gesturing to the distant ruins that gleamed in the horizon. She looked¡­ withdrawn. Tired of being disappointed. Frowning, Andrew jumped off the stone platform to follow her tail in silence. Although they were some way off the road that led to Zannidue they walked in roughly the same direction. Instead of going back to the road, they walked beside the ancient city of Dunhini. He watched her looking west towards the place with a longing. Andrew felt that if he was not here then she would have willingly entered the ghost city and faded away forever. He could not help but a knot form in his gut to the thought of that. Sure Coubbleston was a bit of a letdown compared to an age where a king held a thone with the power to send him and his city to any part of his kingdom in a blink of an eye. Maybe Natalie was right and the past was indeed a better place. But even so, there had to be some merit that even a place like Coubbleston still had up till today otherwise why would it exist?


    Why do I care about Coubbleston¡¯s merits anyways? He thought.


    "It brings in a lot of tourists, there night parties and display of flame knight¡¯s I mean." he¡¯d only realized he said that out loud until Natalie blinked out of her trance and looked back at him disapprovingly. Andrew knew that he should have long dropped the subject for another one but a part of him could not help it.


    "That is perhaps the most pointless use of a flame knight that I have ever witnessed," she mumbled back.


    "That¡¯s a bit harsh don¡¯t you think? Just because they entertain does not mean that they are pointless. The Hymalens are just singers who use their gale knight powers to amplify their voice but I never hear you complain about them."


    "They sing of historical events. It preserves what little knowledge we have from our past. Most people nowadays are worst at reading than you are so it helps.¡± Her eyes widened just as his walking pace slowed down in slight disbelief. He could not recall a time when Natalie had called him out on his reading and it just threw him off a little. It was no big deal to him. He could read good enough to get by but seeing the shock on Natalie''s eye kept him from playing it off as a joke. With no reaction, Natalie closed her eyes to pinch the bridge of her nose before she walked onwards. ¡°Never mind what I said, you''re missing the point," she sighed. Andrew staring at the spot where she last stood remained idle.


    ¡°Things have changed I get it. But who¡¯s to say that pointless stuff like dancing flams knights were not a thing that happened in the past too?¡± He said, Natalie stopped walking just ahead.


    ¡°And what makes you so sure that¡¯s the case?¡± she said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know everything. Not even the Hymalens can seem to keep the facts straight. If even they can¡¯t be consistent with their tales then who¡¯s to say what those times were really like?¡± Andrew said. Falling silent, Natalie folded her arms as she tried her best not to look in his direction.


    ¡°Would you rather they kept new discoveries to themselves just for narrative consistency?¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Seems to me that every time they discover something new the epic tales of our past seem less and less fantastical. When you were bringing the kids back a group of them at the village sang Clench of the fog wars. Apparently, the champion of ruin did not imperial himself with his weapon in despair at what he did but was betrayed by his own followers who used his own weapon to slay him. It leads to the same end I know but although it¡¯s said it also seems less dramatic kind of like now. The next telling will be that he was killed by his enemies.¡±


    ¡°And what are you trying to get at Andrew?¡± she was storming ahead now, Andrew could tell that she did not want to have this conversation anymore and in a sense neither did he. But something about the subject made struck a chord with him.


    ¡°What I''m saying is that maybe those historic stories that we grew up on should not be taken head-on,¡± That brought Natalie''s match to a halt.


    ¡°You saying that the people who wrote them lied?¡± she asked, her back still turned to him, Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe the age before was no more fantastical things are now. Maybe they added some more drama to help put up a front and that was the whole point, I don¡¯t know. I just think it¡¯s possible.¡±


    She turned around to him now, eyes wide. With one hand clenched she pointed with the other at the ancient city off in the distance.


    ¡°The tales and stories. The history of a once-great nation. It¡¯s all there right in front of you. What is there to doubt when you can see it with your own eyes?¡± she said.


    ¡°A ghost city with nobody from it¡¯s time to tell you how it was really like,¡± he said. Hands in pockets. ¡°Unlike them, the cities of now are still relevant and some have substance.¡± Natalie scoff cut Andrew short.


    ¡°Places like Coubbleston?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair,¡±


    ¡°Stand there and tell me that a place like Coubbleston has substance, I want to hear you say it.¡±


    ¡°I mean I agree with you on that front but still. I don''t think that we should shun a whole nation just because we can¡¯t find meaning in what they do. Even if that thing is a bit more on the... primal side." he shrugged whilst giving a playful smile. Folding her arms Natalie nodded to herself. For a moment Andrew thought that she was getting it.


    "It¡¯s own self-worth being what we should measure it by is valid. Still, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the place is one big scam sham. A brave act put up in the face of adversity. The place sounds like Zac in so many ways it''s ironic. It''s as if fate brought town and man together," she scoffed under her breath.


    Andrew''s playful demeanor faded as he took in those words.


    "But don''t we all put up a front sometimes? Pretend we are more ok than we really are?" Natalie must have seen something he was not aware of on his face because she frowned soon after before looking away and sighing to herself.


    "Sorry. It''s just when I look at this," she points to the distant ruins. "When I think of the age of findings, and how this whole desert had once become an oasis in a blink of an eye thanks to that discovered power. How the second winds encompassed the world from that very spot when I remember the epic battles and betrayals my mum told me took place here. And how the two founders fought for this land, then worked together to keep it from vanishing. When I think about what we once had and what we got now. All I see is hollow eggshells being shown off as proud dragons."


    Andrew bowed his head at that. He¡¯s understood what he was trying to do then and it was pathetic. What more was there to say? All he could do was be there for her but again he¡¯s always in fear that one day she will fade away. One day she will just walk into a labyrinth to try and live out some so-called glory days, in a vain attempt to try and go back to a time where her parents were still alive, and that will be it. He clenched his hand within his pockets in an effort not to show his frustration on his face.


    ¡°Sorry, just forget I said anything. ¡± she sighed and walked onwards. She looked downcast, Andrew could not say that he was fairing any better. Her persona felt like that of a wall, not wanting to be approached. Even so, he could not sit on his morales. Forcing on a smile shook his head.


    "You say ¡®sorry¡¯ one more time and I¡¯m going to assume that you suffered a sunstroke," he said with vigor. That made her pause long enough for him to take the lead. Mouth agape she was about to say something else until Andrew cut in. ¡°But I understand, if you buy me my favorite drink then I¡¯ll pretend that all of this did not happen. How does that sound?¡±


    Natalie was able to collect herself enough to give a snort and pull the map back out before matching onwards.


    ¡°Fine, I owe you a drink anyway so consider it payment,¡± she said walking beside him eyes already looking down at the map.


    ¡°Drink? Since when did I give you a drink? And why are you holding my bottle?¡± he said in a sarcastic tone. Natalie just mutter a curse under her breath and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t want the drink then,¡± she said.


    ¡°If your offering then I¡¯ll take it, the map too. I still remember that you¡¯d not given it back to me but it¡¯s ok, to let you borrow it a bit longer.¡±


    "You''re a sod, Andrew. I hope that you remember that." Tossing him back his bottle Andrew¡¯s grin widened.


    "I¡¯ll burn it to memory!" he replied. "So then! When we reach Zannidue our first line of order is to review our next step from here. But first: We get my grape soda, second: get some good grub on one of them fancy round tables with the napkins and shiny spoons and forks on it,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only paying for the drink,¡± Natalie mumbled but Andrew continued.


    ¡°Then we recruit ourselves an army." He was being serious. So it came to his surprise when Natalie glanced at him oddly from the corner of her eye before she simply walked on ahead as if trying to slowly escape him.


    "What kind of response was that!?" Andrew said as he tried to catch up. "I''m am being serious here! Natalie wait!!"

 Chapter 18: The last grape

    Andrew


    "Are you going to keep ignoring me?" Andrew said in a drawn-out tone. They were in a tavern now, a small out-of-the-way thing that laid on the outskirts of Zannidue. There was a lazy bustle to the place, with a few traveling knights at the bulletin board mulling over their next job or reading the latest news article. A young serving-man shined and sprayed a single table, wiping the thing in a droning circular motion repeatedly since he¡¯d gotten here. As customers glanced over their half-drunken beverage as if they could find deep answers within its depths. Besides a group of four men talking in hushed tones among themselves (tradesmen Andrew wagered going by their more fashionable clothing and the odd bits he gathered) everyone else remained relatively silent. He and Natalie had already refilled their water skins and basic rations just before getting here.


    Between then and now Andrew¡¯s been trying to get Natalie¡¯s take on the rough idea he¡¯d mentioned outside. He knew it was stupid, and he gathered Natalie¡¯s thoughts that she deliberately ignored him, but they could not begin brainstorming how to find and take down the seven stars of halo unless they addressed what they can or cannot do. What better way to start that conversation than by talking about the outright impossible. He¡¯d explained this several times at some point but all Natalie did was continue looking at his map. Stropping her head on the table he gave both the map and her the evils.


    Maybe I should ask for it back. Sighing to himself Andrew forced his glare off of Natalie, it was not like she was watching anyways. And it was not like she ignored him solely for the sake of being annoying. There was a deep concentration in her eyes as it ran along the map, at first Andrew thought that her finger skimmed random places until he noticed that it constantly hovered over three locations. Agony Ferris, Altera, and Amadan Corrence. All three places are at least a hundred miles from another. There was no real connection to them as far as Andrew was aware except for the fact that they all began with the letter ¡®A¡¯. Odder yet was her wording something out to herself only to frown or shake her head before repeating the cycle. Had she really been doing this repeatedly since she took the map? Andrew shrugged. He must be looking at this all wrong, that seemed way too simplistic. Whatever she was looking for Andrew was sure that he was seeing it from the wrong angle.


    The creak of dry wood flooring sounded as the young serving-man finally moved off the tables he had been cleaning this whole time to sort out another. Andrew was not really sure what Natalie was trying to figure out but he knew that whatever it was must be related to the Seven Stars of Halo. There was a brewing sense of worry about her, one she tried to keep a tight lid on whenever she looked at him. After the stuff they witnessed that man do he understood her worry. He was not fairing any better. Having flashes of just how powerless he was against Epimetheus left him feeling like a failure. This was not the first time he¡¯d suffered a loss that could have cost him his life. He and Natalie had certainly had dark days before and although they left a heavy mark on him at the time they¡¯d became something that he¡¯d learned to deal with over time. This loss however was different. It was hard to put into words. But every time he woke up since that day the powerlessness from that day embedded itself deeper into his soul that bit more. Like he was living the failure over and over. And yet he could not remember and of it. It felt so backward, the nightmares had something to do with it he was sure but until he could recall them it just served to stress him further. It was only now that the thought of what was happening to him began to really sink in. If this feeling increased every night without memory of what it was that he dreamed then what was to become of his mental state? How will he be able to protect Natalie? A stupid as it sounds it was where the army idea came from. No matter how you sliced it they bit off more than they could chew and needed back up.


    "Can you at least tell me why you don''t want to give an answer to my idea?" he as he glared dejectedly to the opposite end of the bar table. He expected more silent treatment so it came to him as a surprise when Natalie did answer.


    "I was hoping to the cycles that you were somehow joking. But considering that you still going on about it I¡¯m beginning to think that you were serious." She looked at him now, finger still on the map, her face a serious study of his own. Andrew just narrowed his eyes.


    "Could have explained yourself sooner." he snorted.


    "Look around you, Andrew. What makes you think that anybody would want to follow us?" Andrew held his tongue to that, as frustrating as it was she was right.


    "Bartender, two shots of the strongest stuff you have, please. Think I''m going to need it." Andrew scarcely said whilst giving Natalie a cheeky grin. She just shook her head at his stupid joke before looking back at the map. Her finger was hovering over a different location now, a fourth one. Houen Harbor?


    There goes my theory about ¡®A¡¯s¡¯, in truth, a part of him was relieved, a location that is not narrowed down solely on ¡®A¡¯ meant that his mother should be safe. A great stab of guilt came at that thought. Pushing that aside he looked up in time to see Natalie sigh to herself as she continued.


    "You know what I mean Andrew." She said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve no intention of teaming up with anybody not with how that went last time, honestly to even think that I¡¯d agree to hire anyone after-¡±


    "-I know alright cycles please! Forget I said anything,¡± Andrew said putting a hand on his ear. Natalie¡¯s mouth clicked shut at his words. Her eyes held him for a moment longer as if he was the one that brought up that subject. ¡°And I was being serious when I spoke about hiring an army,¡± Natalie just shook her head.


    ¡°That might be more stupid than hiring a hunter or two,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡±Yeah well blowing steam out my ass does not change the fact that I was being serious. I mean can a guy dream?" With Natalie saying nothing to that Andrew grones as he rests his chin on his arms and ponders. "We almost got killed by the guy and there are seven like him hiding under some godforsaken rock. They¡¯ll likely have a Nova or whatever of their own, and those things will be controlled by one of the pilots. So it¡¯s the seven, who owns seven, that are controlled by seven. You think that there¡¯s a meaning behind all that?" he looked up to see her reaction.


    "Could be overthinking this..." Natalie said. She seemed to be looking through the map now. Her eyes deepening with concern. As if capturing a bit of her concern an icy pit open up in the center of his gut. All of a sudden he felt restless, like a great looming stormcloud that¡¯s failed to drop its burden of rain, the passing days stretching the anticipation. The great unknown tempest looming with no end in sight.


    "Maybe. I don''t know anymore, I just have this bad feeling." He whispered to himself. Andrew was so engrossed in his self-doubt that he¡¯d hardly realized that he¡¯d placed a hand over his chest until Natalie to his surprise replied to him.


    "I should be afraid but truth be told, even after everything I¡¯ve seen and heard. I¡¯m not worried," She looked at him with an uncertain flash of a smile, as if he was working out her own feelings herself. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying.¡± There was an odd mix of unease and assurance in her eye just then, she was like true calm before the storm. And although much about them had changed Andrew could not help but remember Natalie and he use to play out in the open field of Null, she a glowing beacon of warmth and assurance, and he a less certain but determined Piller like cold steel. Together they worked to make each other¡¯s dreams come true. Nothing quite felt impossible when Natalie was with him. In a funny way, nothing had changed. That made Andrew feel melancholy.


    "Since when did you start caring about what was right?" he asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been backward since the day I met you.¡±


    Natalie with her mouth half-open gave Andrew a flat look before cutting her eyes to look back at the map.


    "I''m ignoring you now," Natalie mumbled to herself.


    "Like that means anything, you¡¯ve been ignoring me all day anyway," he said with the roll of his eye.


    "Can you keep it quiet? Some of us are trying to think back here!" A grumpy bald man snapped behind them. He was one of the four merchants that sat on a table just behind them Andrew realized. His face looked flushed, sitting posture just a tad unpoised. If he did not know any better Andrew thought that the guy was drunk. His peers looked less tipsy but not by much. Beyond that Andrew could not help but feel that he did not partake in ponderous thinking.


    "¡¯ Think¡¯? I would advise against doing too much of that," Andrew said.


    "And just that are you saying?" the man said in a gruff tone. His band of four friends locked eyes with his, their faces asking the same question.


    "If you''re going to fight then take it outside! I will not have you making a mess out of my establishment." The bartender ordered dryly. He was polishing glass cups for a while now which got him thinking of the serving-man over cleaning the tables.


    "Guess I can do some outdoor clean-up," Andrew nodded to him.


    Natalie looking over at him from the corner of her eye shook her head. Andrew nodded, he was joking to an extent. He will not pick a fight even if a small part of him wanted it to happen if only to dispel this growing feeling of dread that has been building since his encounter with Epimetheus.


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    "But before we do this, I take it that you are not hunters or anything like that right? Do you see the sword on my back? Maybe you want to take a moment to think about what you are asking for a little more carefully. Mind is running slowly because of the drink? Don''t worry, I''ll give you all the time you¡¯ll need."


    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed to his words, moments later, however, they widened in silent shock.


    "You¡¯re the two who crossed the desert about a week ago. The ones who caused a stir in the Nuzi tribe and brought order back to Lucas. The Dark Angel and protector," He said slowly.


    So the news had reached ahead of us. Andrew seeing the penny dropped smiled whilst nodding his head.


    "And between me and her, she''s the scary one." He said as he pointed his thumb to Natalie. Natalie was glared evils at him from the corner of her eye but said nothing.


    After a long silence, the man mumbled something under his breath before sitting back down to talk to his peers. Although he went on as if they were not worth his time Andrew noticed the effort he made to avoid looking at him. Snorting himself, Andrew leaned his elbows back on the bar table in amusement.


    "And what would you have done had that not worked?" Natalie whispered none-plused. Andrew shrugged.


    "I was bored anyway, would not have minded stepping outside if it came to that," he said chipperly. Natalie just shook her head to herself.


    "Well don¡¯t drag my name into it, you already know that I don¡¯t like that name as is so why give it weight?" she said between clenched teeth.


    ¡°As if a tavern fight will make you more infamous, but fine. I think I get it,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°No Andrew you don¡¯t get it! You¡¯re not taking me seriously,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°But I do get it, honest.¡± that confession gave Natalie pause as she glanced at him in silence as if prodding him to go on. Looking up to the spinning ceiling fan Andrew did. ¡°You don¡¯t like the name because you don¡¯t want to stand out, and it¡¯s liked to stuff you¡¯d rather forget.¡±


    Frowning Natalie looked back at the map troubled.


    ¡°Just wish I could do things over again and change it,¡± she mumbled. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°Sometimes wish I could change mine to something related to my love of grape soda. Like I want to be able to walk into a bar, nod my head to the bartender and have him just slide a can into my outstretched hand without saying a word no matter where I am. Now that would be cool.¡± he said, which got Natalie to slap her hand on top of the map and stropped her head in frustration. Looking back up at him in a flash with eyes wide and gleaming she looked to be on the verge of shouting but with mouth open and nothing coming out she collected herself, took in a deep breath, and deliberately looked away instead.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do, and I appreciate it, but again your not taking me seriously and we can¡¯t afford that right now.¡± she began in a low and controlled tone. ¡°That bastard Epimetheus is still out there likely leaving another trail for us to-¡± Andrew never found out what trail Epimetheus was leaving for them because Natalie instantly paused, looked as if she was reliving unpleasant memories before she changed the subject. ¡°Those kids I saw being taken away are still out there, and now we likely have representatives from the Hallow Peak trying to reach us.¡±


    Andrew was about to again remind her how big a lier Zac was until two people entered through the tavern door. He still wanted to say as much but the longer he looked at them the harder it was to get the words out of his mouth. And it was not just he who stopped. The low murmurs fell to complete silence. The other patrons looked up from their drinks for the first time since coming here. Even the serving-man who was still wiping his second table stopped what he was doing to straighten up and give an apprehensive bow at the newcomers.


    Andrew knew of hunters whose names and feats were whispered in awe and reverence among the common folk. Groups like the Silver Claw for their infamous terrorist attacks against the golden dragon¡¯s empire to Grim Reapers, Frankenstein, who¡¯s their dark dealings in death have made them the next tale you tell kids who misbehave. Depending on what circle they found themselves in such a hunter could earn themselves a bow in respect with just the weight of their title alone. In other cases, it¡¯s where they¡¯d come from. Ten-xin was renowned for having some of the diverse lineups of strong hunters. In this case, Andrew was certain that it was the latter that made the serving man act as he did. Because although Andrew had never seen a western manipulator before he could tell by their striking clothes and demeanor, their strange features, and the way they held themselves. As Andrew¡¯s eye met the young woman¡¯s gaze as it scanned the room, he knew.


    Trying to hide his shock he carefully turned his stool back around to face the bar table. Natalie was the only one who did not turn and see the two enter and so was still voicing her list of complaints until Andrew nudged her with an elbow. With a finger to his lips, Natalie turned to him in bafflement. He gave a subtle nod behind them as an answer, the floor panel creek from approaching footfalls. Natalie¡¯s eyes widened as she followed them. She understood. Carefully Andrew leaned past Natalie to catch a glimpse of them. They¡¯d taken a seat on the stools at the other end of the bar as they were immediately approached by the owner. Natalie visibly panicked glanced into his eyes intensely as if she could see the newcomer through their reflection. Feeling self-conscious by the act Andrew recoiled a little.


    ¡°What are they doing now, what do they look like? I didn¡¯t get to see their features too good,¡± Natalie hissed. The woman had long brunet hair that rested over one shoulder, He could just make out a blue hairband from this angle that made a good contrast with her deep blue eyes. Her eyes also matched well with her long flowing coat of white with blue, a deep blue phoenix imprinted on the back marked her as one of the members of the western temple he knew. A long white staff with a large smooth crystal on its end sat beside her. There was a mature and dignified air about her but that was only somewhat dimmed as she gave a warm friendly smile in response to what the owner had said.


    Stranger yet was the man beside her. He was of a large build, firm, with flowing silver hair that reached down to his chin in long waves, he had silver eyes as pale as a misty reflection. Along one side of his face was a great long scar, it ran down one eye and ended by his chin. His jaw was set in all lines and angles as he regarded the owner silently. The color of his clothing was a lot like the woman¡¯s with the mark of the blue phoenix imprinted along its back but his clothing had a more worn and practical use to them. For one, instead of a long coat like his companion, he wore a kind of cape that seemed easy to clip off when the time was needed. In terms of presence to another, they were like a polar bear to a snow leopard, they complimented each other and yet seemed completely at home in their contrast.


    ¡°If it¡¯s them then they don¡¯t seem to know of us,¡± Andrew whispered. That¡¯s when Natalie timidly dared a glance behind her before breathing a curse under her breath and hid her face behind her arm as she looked at the map. Looking up at him she chastised Andrew for still staring before ordering him to act natural.


    ¡®Act natural¡¯? Andrew watched with a blank expression as Natalie continued to hide her face to make it look like she was just holding her head upon the table in a sloppy fashion. Grinding his teeth Andrew gave one last defiant look at the two (they were too busy talking to the owner to see anyways.) before he leaned in to whisper to Natalie.


    ¡°Then get me that drink you promised me, been sitting here this whole time and had not ordered anything,¡± Andrew whispered. Natalie looked incredulous so Andrew prodded. ¡°You want us to look natural, don¡¯t you?¡± He expected a glare back, a silent accusation of him trying to take advantage of the situation to get what he wanted but all she did was a nod to herself. She was too lost in her own thoughts to act as normal she demanded. She was way too flustered. Sure the arrival of such renowned people was rare and knowing that they are looking for them is unnerving but it was not like they were a bunch of weak nobodies. They¡¯ve had their fair share of challenges at a younger age than perhaps most places if Nulls repetition for training them young holds. They¡­ or rather Natalie should not be stunned as she was. Perhaps part of it was to do with her own admiration of the manipulators of the west. As the owner finished serving the man and woman Natalie called the ower over to make an order. Thankfully she had enough of a grip on herself to do that naturally. Nodding to himself Andrew dared another glance at the newcomers and noticed that the man had a can of his favorite drink next to him, he couldn¡¯t help but nod in approval. He had good taste at least, now if only he could get his one then he¡¯ll-


    ¡°-I just sold the last can of grape soda, can I get you anything else?¡± the owner said matter of factly. He was back to polishing his cups.


    "Come again?" he said in dismay.


    "You heard right. Been running low on soft drinks lately, shipment from Sithson has been slow coming, it¡¯s gotten the merchants frisky. I¡¯m considering striking off of the list if it gets any worse." He said looking at the group of four grumbling to himself as he shook. He then looked at him and Natalie both questionably. ¡°So why haven¡¯t you made your order before now? You¡¯ve been here long before them.¡±


    Natalie tried covering the smirk she had on her face but Andrew caught it in the corner of his eye. Not give her the time of day however he instead glanced back over to the other end of the table with slight envy. The still unopened can of grape soda teased him with its presence.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Natalie said in a low whisper. ¡°If they are the ones Zac spoke of then how come they don¡¯t seem to recognize us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± He mumbled. He was really looking forward to drinking one after a long time. No matter where he was drinking a can of grape soda made him feel like he was back at home. And now seeing the last can sitting there across the table as if taunting him made every other thing around him fade away. Natalie was saying something else but he did not catch much of it. He hardly noticed that he was walking towards the two westerners until he felt Natalie¡¯s hand try and fail to pull him back by his arm. It was just him, the bar table, and the drink. If he could just come to an agreement with the guy then...


    "Excuse me," Andrew said, he was standing right by the silver-haired man now. His great build towered over him. His phantom-like eyes regarded him with an unreadable expression. With his arms under his cloak, Andrew found it hard to tell where they were or what they could or could not be holding. ¡°Any chance I can buy this off of you? I¡¯ll give you double.¡±


    As he squared up to the stranger, drink in hand as if claiming that he found it first he realized the stupidness of his actions.


    Am I trying to tick the guy off!? He knew that he was desperate for the drink but this was crazy. Andrew tried to calm down by telling himself that what he was doing only looked bad from his perspective, that if he saw it from anyone else¡¯s point of view then it would earn them a second glance at best before they got back to their business. It was when he heard a glass smash on the floor behind him, and saw the owner not even blink away from what he was doing to see what broke however when it sank in that maybe¡­ just maybe, he¡¯d misjudged the situation. Just a little.

 Chapter 19: Passionate Intrigue

    Natalie


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Andrew mumbled. His eyes were transfixed on the can now. What little amusement she got from his misfortune was dampened by his expression. She should have ordered the thing sooner.


    Nothing to be done about that now, if these indeed were the people Zac spoke of then she needed to finger out what their angle was. Right now they seemingly had the advantage, they gave no sign of recognizing her and Andrew. If this was the case then it meant they caught them in as natural a state that they could manage short of spying on them in their private quarters. If they just kept their ear open maybe they could unearth some vital information.


    Studying the two again Natalie had to confess that they had a striking presence. It was a little intimidating. A strange feeling since she and Andrew used to often being the youngest hunters in any situation when navigating this world. During that time she quickly learned to not respect one purely on their age but their actions and how they conduct themselves, most times she found people¡¯s actions lacking. The two newcomers were old enough to be their older siblings from she could tell. Some were around their early twenties, but something about them made her more self-aware. Was it her fascination with the people of the western temple that made the difference?


    Pushing that thought aside Natalie took note of the open book resting on the table in front of the woman. Her pen hovered over the open pages as she talked to the owner. Words she could not read from her angle were already on top of the one page whilst the other side laid blank. This gave her a plan.


    ¡°Listen, Andrew, I got an idea,¡± she whispered over her side. No response, she frowned. ¡°Andrew?¡± He was no longer behind her. Shocked, she turned back barely catching him walk on past her and towards the strangers. Cursing to herself she tried to pull him back only to pinch a part of his arm. With mouth agape, she watched as he approached them, picked up the can of grape soda, and offered to pay double for it.


    Stupid, stupid fool! What in cycles name is he thinking!? Glass fell and smashed on the floor behind them which only highlighted the dead silents of the room. Natalie felt it went on forever.


    "Did I take the last one?" the silver-haired man said, he gently plucked the can out of Andrew¡¯s hand and regarded the drink with an odd frown before shrugging to himself. "Welp, finders keepers I guess."


    "You can make a profit from a good find. Like I said, I''ll pay you double for it." Andrew insisted. He looked like he was going to reach for the can again. Natalie almost got up off her seat to collect him.


    "Going to an awful lot of trouble to procure yourself a drink." The young woman said. "Didn''t the other options pique your interest? The strawberry soda is quite refreshing, lemon too if you don''t mind its bittersweet taste." She was half swiveled around on the stool now, regarding Andrew like a lazy leopard may regard a fearless (or stupid) pup in her territory. Between the silver-haired man and this woman, Andrew looked like a child. Despite this vibe, Andrew still stood defiantly.


    "You have way more options here than I do," he said. "For double the price of this drink I''m sure you can find something more suited for a man like yourself. So what do you say?" The silver-haired man stood there with arms folded and eyes closed as he nodded to every point Andrew made with a profound understanding. In the end, however, he gave a long-suffering groan before shaking his head.


    "Even so I''m not selling, sorry kid." He finally said. With a sigh of his own, Andrew scratched the back of his head in frustration. With that, the man laughed. It was a booming thing that made some people in the tavern flinch.


    ¡°What?¡± Andrew said trying to stand straight. Still laughing the man shook his head.


    ¡°You truly only came over here for the drink, didn¡¯t you?¡± he said. Natalie just shook her head. In truth, even she did not know Andrew was this desperate for the drink and she¡¯d grown up with him.


    ¡°He is being serious, I read no other motive to him at least. Intriguing.¡± the woman said.


    ¡°He¡¯s got passion that¡¯s what it is!¡± the man chuckled with an approving nod. ¡°You know Sophie when you set off to find these two I did not think much about it. But now I¡¯m starting to understand your interest.¡±


    ¡°Flynn,¡± the woman, ¡®Sophie¡¯ said warningly. He blinked before mothing ¡®oh right¡¯ under his breath only he earns an exasperated sigh from his companion. With the way she looked at him, you¡¯d think Flynn scared off a bird that she was stalking.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t look like saying that is going to make them run off,¡± Flynn shrugged. Sophie just sighed to herself.


    ¡°Who are you guys anyway?¡± Andrew asked, earning him a look from the both of them.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t our clothing answer enough?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I imagine it¡¯s why most of the room had gone quiet when we arrived.¡± she looked around to the still wide-eyed faces looking at them. Being caught watching they had reluctantly turned away and gone back to what they were doing. The serving man finally unfroze and scurried off to grab a brush for the broken glass. Andrew just folded his arms and looked at them with suspect eyes.


    ¡°Yeah well that¡¯s not going to satisfy me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Whatever reason we came here for hardly matters right about now, you came to me with a far more interesting goal,¡± Flynn said, placing a hand over the grape soda. Gritting his teeth Andrew forced himself to look away from it.


    ¡°What does it matter anymore?¡± He shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t reach an agreement so-¡±


    ¡°-So fight me for it,¡± Flynn interjected.


    "Are you for real?"


    "I''ll stake my will as a knight on it."


    "Over a can of soda?"


    "Common, where''s that passion you were showing earlier? I want to see how far you are willing to go for something you want. And yes even as small as a can of soda. Well, what say you to that?" Flynn said. Andrew fell silent considering. Natalie sighed to herself in annoyance. Of all the things to endanger himself for. She would have thought him better to fight over a can of drink but given the shocking way, he¡¯d been acting right now since she dared not hold faith. Gritting her teeth, she approached the westerns. If they knew who they were already then she might get something out of this mess.


    "Can I borrow your pen?" She said. Sophie regarded her with a raised eyebrow. Seemed like she caught her unexpectedly as well.


    ¡°But what about your friend?¡± she asked pointing a thumb at Andrew whilst keeping an eye on her. Watching Andrew stand in front of the hulking man she sniffed as she cut her eye from him.


    ¡°¡®Friend¡¯? He¡¯s no friend of mine.¡± she folded her arm. Andrew gaped, Flynn, burst into laughter once again. Natalie¡¯s face felt like it was going to burn to ash. Well, it served him right. He was not listening, and now she has to endure this awkward situation and be thrust into walking toward strangers. Whatever stupidness he¡¯d roped himself into, she wanted no part of it. Better to forget him. ¡°I only need the pen for a minute.¡± That made Sophie¡¯s eyes frown even further but then she nodded handing the pen over.


    "Fine, since you put it that way. Let''s do this thing," Andrew said. Although she was sure that it was directed at Flynn, Natalie could not help but feel a part of it was pointed at her.


    "That¡¯s the spirit! Then let us head out and set the stage!" He replied with vigor before leading Andrew towards the tavern exit. From the corner of her eye, she notices Andrew slowing down by her as if he was about to say something, shaking his head to himself however he walked onwards.


    "Just don''t back out on your deal when you lose," he said towards Flynn before reaching the exit, Flynn chuckled at that. A brief moment later half of the people inside the tavern eagerly stepped out to witness the bout.


    Natalie had rolled her eyes at the whole thing before going back to the map. A duel of honor was not unheard of. And with knight¡¯s armor, one could battle at a reasonably hard pace without a big risk of death so long as they padded their weapons, but even so the risk of changing such a duel, with a stranger no less... What if they decide not to play by the agreed rules?


    Well if he hurts himself then that serves him right! She¡¯s not going to step out and watch over him, she¡¯s way too busy to care. Getting a scrap of paper from the tavern owner she began to scribble down the words she¡¯d been trying to piece together in her mind. Sophie¡¯s long sigh gave Natalie pause, however. Watching the westerner wearily her penmanship slowed. Sophie realized that she was distracting her and flashed her an apologetic smile and shrug.


    ¡°Boy¡¯s will be boys,¡± she said. She really was beautiful, Natalie thought. Grimacing to herself Natalie pushed that thought aside.


    ¡°I won¡¯t break it,¡± she said carefully. ¡°The pen I mean, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°Not going to watch your friends fight?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°What friend?¡± Natalie bit off stubbornly. She got back to writing. Sophie went on as if Natalie had not spoken.


    ¡°Flynn can be a bit impulsive but he¡¯s a good guy underneath it all. What you see is what you get with him so there is no need to worry,¡±


    Saying nothing Natalie simply continued writing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get your name,¡± Sophie picked up.


    "There''s no need to give it," Natalie shot back.


    "And why is that?"


    "Because, Emer, you already know our names." she looked up to Sophie for a reaction. Her eyes silently regarded her for a while before nodding to herself in acceptance.


    "So you met with Zac a second time," they said. Natalie recalled the name ''Sophie'' gave the information broker. He''d speculated that she''d given him a fake name so having that confirmed only strengthened her distrust of the woman. Sophie must have sensed this because she turned towards Natalie as she leaned in to explain but Natalie cut in quickly.


    "I want to understand what you want from us, but not before I have something else out of my mind and on paper first." She said, If this location was where she feared it was, then Andrew...


    "¡¯ Us¡¯? Thought you said you don''t have a friend," Sophie smiled, chin on palm looking amused. Natalie just cut her eye from her, face heated. "So that means you''re willing to hear me out, despite having reason to distrust me?"


    "Pens are rare to come by, this one is well kept, and yet you entrust me with such a thing. The least I can do is hear you out for your troubles." Sophie¡¯s smile deepened to this as she nodded. Leaning back to her seat she went on to flick through the pages of her book.


    Meanwhile, Natalie put together the words in her mind from memory. As she got them out of her mind and onto paper her worry for what she will find it say grew. For Andrew''s sake, she prayed that she was wrong, that she overlooked something.


    ~#~


    Andrew


    He stepped out into the cloudless sky, with his eyes adjusted to the sunlight he caught sight of the young silver-haired man standing relaxed with his sword hoisted over one shoulder. Natalie should be alright, with the two of them separated she could integrate the woman and get some answers whilst he can work out what he can find out by facing this fellow. It may not be much but some cross-comparisons could unearth something. Thinking about Natalie right now puts him in a bit of a mood. She did not have to be so dismissive when she said that she didn''t know him, however.


    "The names Flynn by the way." He said, a dry breeze pushed both their cloak and cape gently by their tails. A small crowd was gathering from out of the tavern with a few more slowing up by the end of the road as they saw the two of them facing off.


    "I''m Andrew. Though I get the feeling you knew that already." Andrew said carefully. Flynn hearing this nodded his head in approval to himself.


    "Sophie speaks of subtlety and all that stuff but that¡¯s not my way." He confessed. ¡°Besides, she found you now. And you know of us, for that at least I¡¯m grateful.¡±


    ¡°You come from the west right? What made you come this far to find us anyways?¡± Andrew asked. Flynn shrugged.


    ¡°You''re better off asking Sophie that stuff, I¡¯m just here for the ride. What little I think I understand I''ll likely blunder trying to explain. All I know for sure is that she¡¯s confident that you and your friend are mixed up in some kind of Dragon empire conspiracy, she worries about war reaching our borders over a secret or something,¡± he said. Andrew frowned. He¡¯d forgotten the last time Natalie actively suspected The golden Dragons for her misfortune. Flynn gave a dismissive wave of the hand. He was not like he did not expect it to be true but rather he did not care much either way. ¡°Now then, about this duel.¡± Spinning his sword around in a flashy twirl he fixed Andrew with a sly grin. A gleam-like silver hue exuded itself around Flynn making his already imposing body seem larger. It was knight''s armor Andrew knew but something about his seemed different.¡°Are there any rules I need to be wary of? I know most places train their knights differently from another and I hear dueling terms can change depending on where you are.¡± Andrew frowned.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "I thought you¡¯d use this time to integrate me," Andrew said slowly.


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡±


    ¡°Cycles no! It¡¯s just given all this I assumed you¡¯d-¡±


    ¡°-Actions speak louder than words. In the heat of battle, as the glow of your knight¡¯s armor clashes with another, one can truly understand another. Or could this be a thing only believed in my homeland?¡±


    Andrew smiling to himself shook his head. ¡°Have the same belief back in Null as well,¡± Pulling out his sword a dark hue-like mist coiled around his body like a second layer of skin. Flynn narrowed his eyes in ponder before frowning, intrigued. ¡°And I have to agree with you on the whole actions speak louder thing.¡± Andrew never fancied himself a big talker, or rather he never considered his words to carry much weight. Often joking or keeping his true thoughts to himself. Andrew much rather talked with his actions, though with his sword and knight¡¯s armor he felt that he could vent to express himself best.


    "So besides disarming, yielding, or weakening one¡¯s knight¡¯s armor to win what other rules should there be?" Flynn asked.


    "Any of us move past the length of this tavern then we lose," which gave them about ten or so meters to mess with. It was a fair amount but given his opponent size in comparison to him maybe he would need a bit more. Well, it was too late now. Flynn had already nodded to himself before getting into stance.


    ¡±With a sigh, Andrew got into stance also. He channeled his power along the blade in a way that padded instead of enhancing the cutting potency it prevented it from being able to cut anything whilst still keeping it enhanced against strong blows. As it is now it was no more deadly than the metal bat which was of no real threat to any competent pentagon knight using their power. This made it safe for sparring though it was very easy to change that harmless blade into a deadly one. All it took was a split second thought. That stood true for both of them. To Andrew however, it did not matter. Whether he had ill intentions or not meant little to him too. All that was swimming through his mind was until he fought another star; until he met Epimetheus once again he had no intention of losing. For that reason, he took this opportunity to prove that he was still of use to Natalie, that he will not hold her back another time.


    Flynn charged in. Seeing the eager change Andrew rose from his stance a little shocked but disappointed that he would run in so ceaselessly. It reminded him of his own desperate run towards Epimetheus before he got stabbed, His lack of cool was why he¡¯d lost the way he did. How that moment haunts him with regret.


    Turning his sword flat side he concentrates his gale energy into his blade and like a great big fan swung it right in front of him. That caused a great gust of wind to slam the spectators forcing them to cover their eyes from the sudden sand storm. Flynn being the closest was blown away onto the hot sands that rained from the sky after being blown towards him.


    Andrew tried to cover the distance between them and land a ''killing blow'' to end the fight but Flynn parried it and rolled free just in the nick of time allowing himself to get back into his feet. Although he recovered it was as good as over, with him on the back foot, Andrew was not fool enough to allow him a chance to recover. Sending down blow after blow Andrew advanced on Flynn pushing him closer to the tavern¡¯s edge. Given his relative size to his opponent, it meant that he moved faster. Seeing Epimetheus standing there in his place struggling to keep up only made him fight harder.


    Andrew was close to pushing him off the edge of the agreed-on space until his knight¡¯s armor around him began to glow an intense crystalline light. Weary, Andrew slowed down his assault to better observe.


    What kind of affinity is that? Andrew was knowledgeable about all the other elemental affinities that were in the pentagon knight system. He was aware of each affinity''s common style, the weapon of choice, and preferred method of combat. He¡¯d even had a fair amount of experience battling with each of them. Out of all of the affinities, his one of darkness was rare to the point of him only knowing his father to share its likeness until recently. This came with its advantages. The biggest one was that no matter who he faced he had the slight upper hand with the element of surprise. Often in a duel, he was the one who they were trying to work out. But watching Flynn¡¯s knight¡¯s armor glow off of him Andrew could not help but feel unsure of what he''s capable of.


    Gritting his teeth he pushed on with his advance. A bit like the shackled warriors in the Nuzi village he''d just had to accept that this was a unique skill developed in Flynn¡¯s homeland. But what did it matter? Epimetheus had powers he''d not seen anywhere else despite having the same type of affinity he got. Compared to him this battle hardly mattered. And with his opponent cornered it was time to end it.


    Clenching onto his sword Andrew threw an overhead slash. Even if Flynn blocked it would hardly matter because he was not aiming to win by doing damage, Flynn¡¯s feet were already at the very edge of the agreed-upon arena. If it slipped past the edge then the battle would be over. Instead of blocking or parrying, Flynn met Andrew¡¯s strike with one of his own. As their blades met however Andrew was baffled by how unyielding the counterstrike was. Not only that but even though his blade was no longer in the way of his own Andrew¡¯s strike was stopped dead by... something. Something long and thin withstood his attack preventing Flynn from being staggering from having to block it himself. Worst yet it freed him up for a counterattack. He''d trusted a stab at his center before Andrew could back away forcing him to block it with the face of his blade. The sheer power behind the blow was immense as Flynn threw all his weight into it and sent Andrew flying backward in the air. Crashing onto the hard sand-like ground Andrew toppled around and onto his feet. By the time he could look up it was too late. Flynn¡¯s blade was pointing at his face. A look of disappointment colored his features. The match was over, Andrew had lost.


    Dazed Andrew glanced over to the spot where the flow of battle got flipped on its head, what did he do to stop his decisive blow? He saw it better now that he was looking at it from a different angle, its edge was too thin and the surface too glasslike to spot the glass lime crescent shape that stood suspended in the air from a head-on angle. It was the trailing aftermath of a cutting slash Flynn made in the decisive moment but unlike his other strikes, this one stood there suspended as if frozen in time. Andrew thought it would remain there forever until it faded away the very next moment. He was careless. A part of him wanted to call foul-that he was not concentrating but he bit that thought down.


    Overall the match was a letdown. Many of the people watching simply huffed to themselves and began getting back about their business. Panting lightly and swallowing back his thirst Andrew pushed out a weak chuckle and shrugged.


    "Guess I lost," he said. "That was a pretty cool move you did at the end¡­ what was it?" He did not care much in truth, he was just going through the motions at this point. He tried to keep his eyes on Flynn but something about his reading gaze prevented him. Flynn looked at him a little longer however and shook his head.


    "Not like this," he mumbled, dropping his sword away from his face. Unsure he heard it right Andrew asked him to speak again.


    "We go again," he said simply as he walked back to the spot they began. "Get ready." Baffled Andrew stumbled across his words before catching up.


    "What do you mean ''again''? I faced you and lost,"


    "Were you facing me?" Flynn asked. That left Andrew lost for words. "I offered up my drink in hopes to see what makes you tick, and I won''t accept anything less than that. For that reason, you need to see the opponent in front of you first. So what say you, Andrew? Have I done enough?"


    Andrew blinked. He knew what he was talking about. This whole time he¡¯d been distracted with thoughts of Epimetheus, been filling up his mind about him and how powerful he neglected the strength of the man before him. Flynn must have felt it in his swordsmanship. It was an amateur mistake. One that could get him killed if he''d done it in a real battle. But this was not a real battle¡­ no, that did not excuse his actions.


    Gritting his teeth Andrew took up the same spot that he had in the first round. Some of the people who turned away from the fight came back when they realized that it was not over but Andrew ignored them. Right now he needed to get out of his head. But being aware of it only seemed to make it worse. He knew what to do but trying to do it felt counterproductive. It felt like his body was working against him, it was something that was simmering around in his heart back when he was sparing with the shackled in the Nuzi village but back then at least he was distracted by other thoughts like Natalie going off to bring the kids back without him. He wondered for a moment what he would do if he found out that she¡¯d abandoned him there without a word of goodbye. It was stupid but there it was. With that issue out of the way, he felt better but with the daily nightmares. He thought he had it under control but now even a man who hardly knew him noticed. Andrew needed to at least find a way to be at peace with it and fast otherwise...


    ~#~


    Natalie


    With pen in hand, she wrote down what she had been mulling around in her head this past week. She only wrote down the first sentence she recalled picking up as a test run to see how well her guesses held up on paper.


    You''re go--g to kill me either w-y -o I mig-t as well go wi-- s--e d---ity.


    After about three attempts she filled it in until it felt right for both initiation and the relative situation she found herself with the man at the time.


    You''re going to kill me either way so I might as well go with some dignity.


    Given his predicament when she got there what she wrote down seemed the most logical. Given that it had been sitting in her head for a while now she admittedly was scared that she muddled it up with her own accounts. Even seeing the words in ink did not completely relieve her of that but none the less Natalie continued.


    After bein- ba-k st--bed by Da-n le- me a- le--- take this sec-et w--h me!


    With a little more confidence Natalie filled in the blanks.


    After being back stabbed by Dawn let me at least take this secret with me!


    The recollection of what Dawn said about sacrificing the remaining units that stayed behind before she found the man is what made her the most certain that she got this one right. It was her biggest proof that what she picked out of his mind was not her own wishful input. Though she was not sure how to feel about Dawn''s inclusion being the saving grace.


    She glances over the next sentence since it was his response to the test she did to confirm her new mind-reading powers at the time.


    And tho-e tunn--- d-n''- le-- to T---n''s C--ek. It leads to b-se in A-u- f----.


    She fills in the blanks up until the last two words.


    And those tunnels don''t lead to Titan''s Creek. It leads to base in A-u- f----.


    Titan¡¯s Creek was easy since she voiced it as a question to him back then. It wasn¡¯t hard to find a location that could fill in the missing words she was looking for. It was the implications of what she thought that made her gut do cartwheels. Looking at the map again she tried to find a place, anyplace that can fill that blank. Any place that was not the first one that came to mind. Anywhere but there.


    "Are you done?" The young woman asked beside her. Startled by her sudden presence Natalie looked up at her with widened eyes.


    ¡°The pen I mean, you¡¯ve stopped writing for a while now, and I kind of need it back,¡± Sophie said sheepishly.


    "Not yet, sorry," Natalie said, she smiled and hoped that it did not look as hollow as she felt.


    Something about her made Natalie feel like her thoughts were laid bare before her eyes and she did not know how to feel about that. Maybe it was those searching eyes or the way she regarded her in silence. She caught Sophie¡¯s blue eyes glancing briefly at both her blank and filled-in words with interest. It was as if the woman forgot that she came to ask for her pen back.


    Natalie cleared her throat which pulled her eye away from her work.


    "Intriguing." She whispered to herself in wonder as she gave Natalie some space. "Some kind of writing puzzle?"


    "Something like that." She replied slowly.


    Before she could continue however the young woman was already at it again, gazing at both the map and missing words.


    "I''m sorry Emer-" Natalie said before being cut short.


    "Call me Sophie." She said in greetings. Natalie just narrowed her eyes at her.


    ¡°You confess to lying to the information broker, I¡¯ll admit that he¡¯s a slime bag and has it coming. But how am I meant to believe you when you¡¯ve proven to lie when needed?¡±


    ¡°I never lied to Zac, I gave him a half-truth.¡±


    ¡®Half-truth¡¯? Sophie read what was on Natalie¡¯s mind because she continued to explain without prompt.


    ¡°Emer is part of my last name ¡®Emerson¡¯. It¡¯s what I often use when in a formal circumstance, I would have extended him the same courtesy too, but...¡± Sophie sighed before taking a sip of her drink. After not saying a word for a moment Natalie prodded her.


    ¡°¡®But¡¯ what?¡± she said, Sophie turned back at Natalie as if seeing her there for the first time. With a blink, she frowned soon after before she continued.


    ¡°Zac sees people as puzzles to be solved. To him, the conversation is just a collection of data, pieces to hold onto for winning the game. He doesn¡¯t just collect for his own game, he sees all pieces as means to building his own. And so he will collect information that is seemingly unrelated to his goals, you could say he¡¯s a hoarder of pieces. Anything you say is logged for future investment. He¡¯ll trade pieces he thinks will help you solve your own puzzles as long as it teases something of equal value for himself. He¡¯s fair, but only in a biased sense. He¡¯s willing to toe the line between truths and lies if he feels it will shake a better piece out of you. And he believes that all who approach him have pieces they value enough to keep from him and with his vast web of information he prides himself in exposing those so-called hidden gems.¡±


    ¡°Because of all that, however, it ironically makes talking to him without an ulterior motive counterproductive. After all, if your pride and occupation were to puzzle out people and fill in the lies they could feed you to get at a much greater truth, and you met with one who seemingly gives you the whole picture without any catch then what hidden motive would you think they had up their sleeve? What lies would you feel they told you, what bigger plot might you think your overlooking?¡±


    Natalie nodded to herself in understanding.


    ¡°So you gave him the whole puzzle with a single piece missing to give him something to chew on,¡± she said. Sophie shrugged.


    ¡°More like with one piece ever so slightly skewed if we¡¯re sticking with the metaphor. I was not want to play his game just to appease his nature but I did not have time to waste on making him trust my words outright, so...¡±


    ¡°You got what you wanted out of him whilst feeding his natural suspicion of others.¡° Natalie said. Sophie nodded.


    ¡°It also worked as insurance on whether you¡¯d met Zac again after I parted with him,¡± Sophie said with a proud raise of a finger.


    ¡°How so?¡± Natalie asked, curious.


    ¡°He¡¯s the only person I have given half my surname to, everyone else I¡¯ve been formally acquainted with knows me as Miss Emerson, he¡¯s probably worked it out by now and is laughing to himself.¡± She said with all smiles. Natalie¡¯s eyes widened as she worked out how she knew they met Zac again so quickly. She practically told her as much when she said half her fake name. Seeing that she understood Sophie chuckled as she raised her drink close to her lips.


    ¡°Flynn almost ruined it when he blurted out my name as he did but, well¡­¡± she took a sip of her drink leaving Natalie dumbfounded by what she explained. She thought that far ahead and worked out when they met with Zac all through the use of a single name. If this was not proof of the people of Hallow Peaks¡¯ sharp and wise minds then she did not know what was.


    ¡°Speaking of puzzles.¡± Sophie picked up as she nodded her head at the sheet of paper Natalie had written on. Feeling her face heating Natalie forced her eyes off of Sophie and back to them hoping that her embarrassment of how well she outsmarted them did not show.


    "I will be done in a moment, Miss Emerson. Just give me a little more time." Natalie said.


    ¡°Only on one condition,¡± Sophie said. Not trusting herself to speak, Natalie nodded for her to name her request. Leaning in, Sophie studied her a moment before giving her a genuine smile. ¡°Just call me Sophie.¡± and with that, she excused herself before moving back to her stool. Natalie just blinked in awe, for one she felt like the stories of people met her expectations. She wondered if she could perhaps have that sharp mind of hers to look at what she¡¯d written and see what she would say. A second pair of eyes won¡¯t kill but would she dear, could she? She looked back down at the remaining infilled words on the page.


    A--- f----.


    She wanted to be proven wrong so bad but she could not see a second opinion to fall to. She knew all the reasons why she could be wrong. Although she knew how to read and write she was still a novice at it. It''s only compared to average people who stand out in that aspect.


    She was hoping that this factor was the reason why she had drawn her conclusion. An opinion forms one who was likely more versed in Kemish than she was. Her eyes wandered back to Sophie without her consent.


    No, I¡¯ll cross that bridge later right after I complete-


    "Though I must say that is a rather stark word game you are playing, that last sentence especially paints a grim picture," Sophie said as she turned a page of her book.


    Natalie in shock checks the last line that she had yet to fill in the blanks to with an open mouth.


    My bo-y is c--shed and -or so-e reason I''m n--d-ad. It hur-s, I just wa-t the p--n to sto-. At l-ast g-ve m- that. L-t itend, let me die with dignity.


    Did she really puzzle it out after only a side glance?


    ¡°And what does it say?¡± her mouth moved before she could stop it.


    ¡°¡®My body is crushed and for some reason, I''m not dead. It hurts, I just want the pain to stop. At least give me that. Let it end, let me die with dignity.¡¯ though personally between ¡®reason¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯m¡¯ I think it would flow better if you threw in something. A comma perhaps? Did the blank likes also cover full stops? I could be missing something.¡±


    In disbelief of her deduction, she pulled up the paper and pointed at the slightly tapered town name.


    "And what about this part? Did you already deduct what it says?" she perked up.


    Sophie, a little surprised, glanced at her before giving her a soft smile. She looked at the words that she was pointing to.


    A--- f----.


    She nodded carefully. "I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s. ''Aqua falls''. A lovely place with a great network of running rivers. At least that¡¯s what I hear.¡± Sophie paused and looked at Natalie puzzled. ¡±The look on your face tells me that you''d already reached this conclusion." Her eyes narrow over to a scribbled over ''Aqua falls'' sentence.


    "But I can point out at least five other places on the map that could fit there just fine! It¡¯s got to be another place!" Natalie said, she had to play devil¡¯s advocate. She had to be overlooking something.


    Realizing that she was shouting at the wrong person she simmered down bowing her head at the table. She felt drained, like something immense was pulled out of her and she was left with nothing but an open void. Andrew''s not going to like the sound of this.


    Sophie watches her with a worried glance off into the distance before looking back with a piqued sense of interest. Closing her book she leans her chin on her palm to observe.


    "People say that you don¡¯t bother to open up to anyone, that you only seem like yourself with the kids you¡¯d saved so I thought talking to you would be harder," she said.


    "And did you get that intel from Zac also?" she said plainly. Natalie should have kept her wits about but she was too far gone thinking about how to break this to Andrew to worry about Sophie.


    "I likely knew of that before Zac knew of you," she said. Natalie studied her reaction carefully.


    "What are you doing so far north anyway?" she asked. If she was going to get groundbreaking answers from her then she might as well get this out of the way now. Compared to what she will have to tell Andrew talking to this woman felt easy.

 Chapter 20: The phantom rocket

    Natalie


    Sophie rests her chin upon her palms as she continues to observe Natalie. Frowning, Natalie just watched back wearily.


    "Interesting," Sophie finally said with a sigh.


    "What is?" Natalie said.


    "You¡¯ve been wary of me until I mentioned Aqua Falls, it¡¯s just unexpected."


    "Should I be weary?"


    "You should."


    "And who''s to say that I still don¡¯t trust you?" Was she playing some kind of game, Natalie wished she could read her mind and know what she was up to. Sadly just like anyone with the powers of a knight she knew that it would be useless. And considering the throbbing headaches, she got whenever she tried using it Natalie hesitated to even think about it for fear of it happening again. Sophie just continued to look at Natalie with her deep blue eyes, after scanning Natalie¡¯s brown ones for a moment she grinned contently.


    "Very interesting," Sophie mumbled almost to herself.


    This made Natalie''s eyes narrow.


    "What is?" she said carefully.


    "You''ve lost track of your original question, It only took this little tiff for you to do so." She said with an amused grin.


    Natalie''s eyes widened in the realization that she had been sidetracked by her strange change of pace. She¡¯d been toying with her and she fell for it. Worst yet Natalie can recall when it happened.


    "I didn''t forget," Natalie snapped but regretted it soon after.


    "You''re a bad liar," Sophie said in amusement.


    Natalie hearing this cringed inwardly, it was clear that her front was not working with this woman. This was not the first time she''s been called out for her poor bluffing skills and she doubted that this will be the last. But even so, something about this particular time frustrated her a bit more than normal. When was the last time she¡¯d felt her age? Seeing that subtlety would not work Natalie withdrew the front she¡¯d put up. Continuing to do so would only further embarrass herself. Seeing no point in beating around the bush she decided to tackle the subject head-on.


    "Why are you looking for us?" Natalie said. Sophie stopped mid-turn of a page before she looked back at Natalie. A serious aura radiated from her blue eyes.


    ¡°I feel as though you and I are digging in the same hole,¡± Sophie said, which made Natalie frown. Without noticing Sophie simply continued talking. "Have you heard of the phantom rocket?" she said.


    "You mean the rumored second rocket launch from the Dragon Empire?" Natalie replied.


    "The satellite they launched was to further increase their radio wave frequency to the more remote places, or so they say.¡± She pointed at something across the bar table on top of the shelf filled with glass. Atop it stood a fine lacquered wooden box with a thin net of metal filling most of its front.


    ¡°A radio,¡± Natalie mumbled to herself. Sophie nodded.


    ¡°The ENN being the only channel they can reach from here. They¡¯ve been able to listen to the news from the capital city since the day they launched the rocket although they live so remotely, well that was the case until a little over a month ago. Since then they¡¯d kept the thing off. Content radio static doesn¡¯t help sell the drinks. All locales that can afford a radio mentioned the same issue. Coincidently it happened on the same day the Dragon Empire had a confrontation with the Saber-tooth¡¯s,¡± Sophie said. Natalie just blinked at her blankly, this made Sophie frown.


    ¡°You do know about the attack on the Dragon Empire¡¯s capital city, right?¡± she said. Natalie shrugged.


    ¡°I fail to see why it was in my interest to know. The people I¡¯m after use strange technology, but I¡¯ve failed to make a connection to them and who I¡¯m after,¡± she said, blinking to herself soon after. Maybe she¡¯d said too much. Sophie looked troubled at first, then contemplative. Before long she nodded to herself.


    ¡°No, no, maybe this piece of the jigsaw does still fit, In fact...¡± Sophie glanced off mumbling to herself.


    ¡°What piece of the jigsaw?¡± Natalie asked. That brought clarity to her eyes again as she looked back at her, there was however an added layer of worry in her expression.


    ¡°Well yes, to help you understand that I need to finish explaining about the satellite and the phantom rocket.¡± She said, with a nod from Natalie Sophie continued. ¡°Not many people know this but the recent introduction of their artificially intelligent battle robots or sentinels that protect their territory uses the signal from that very same satellite to relay its information. When the Saber-tooths attacked their Captial city they¡¯d rallied all their sentinels at the time to suppress them, which flooded their signals to the point where they had to sacrifice their radio broadcasts. These things in itself are evidence enough that if nothing else something is out there orbiting our planet and sending signals."She¡¯d had her head down on the map to even notice.


    "So where does my quest connect to all of this?" Natalie said.


    "Though The Dragons forewarned everyone about the rocket¡¯s launch when it will happen remained top secret. Save for the few lucky people who witnessed the liftoff there was little to no evidence of it ever happening. Of course, by then it hardly mattered since the mission itself was a success. Typically eyewitnesses spread the word of their account and the location it took place. This trend however occurred in more than one place,¡±


    ¡°Other apparent sightings and locations began to crop up the world over. Some I imagine just wanted to get into the fad. News of mankind retaking our great steps in the pages of history pulled in travelers to move to their towns and that in turn pulled in more money. Other¡¯s mayhaps believed that they saw something akin to a rocket launch but sufficient to say most sightings since the first had been flagged as nothing but whispers or uncredible Intel. All except two places.¡± She pulled the map between herself and Natalie and pointed. ¡°The one here between Cobblestone and Zannidue. And the second in..." her finger slid southward just before Houen Harbour and stopped on the location she was dreading.


    "Aqua Falls," Natalie whispered.


    Sophie, seeing that she was synced into her intel nodded in agreement. Natalie looked onwards in silent ponder.


    "So one of them is fake," She said almost to herself.


    "I¡¯ve recently been to the one between here and Zannidue to see for myself. Evidence of a launch sight is indeed there. Although I¡¯ve not been to Aqua falls I am rather certain that I¡¯ll find one there also¡± With head bowed Sophie was looking down at her book, it felt like she was wrestling with something difficult in her head. ¡°I first thought that maybe the dragons launched both the rockets but just kept tight-lipped about it. If I failed to find you this time then I had planned on going to Aqua Falls, it was on the way to Houen harbor anyways so at least had the option to head back west and rethink my approach. In the meantime, I could at least put to paper the facts as I saw them on this whole rumor.¡±


    ¡°But seeing you, the person I¡¯ve been trying to find has led on a town I intended to investigate and it¡¯s not apparently for the launch site. I can¡¯t help but wonder... You gathered that intel from the people you are hunting did you not? And the way you speak of your suspicion of the Dragon Empire you believe that these people have technology comparable to them, am I wrong in thinking this?¡± Natalie swallowed, feeling her dread deepen. Sophie, seeing this nodded slowly, grimly.


    ¡°I¡¯m all for coincidences but this seems far too much of one to not say they are not connected, no?"


    ~#~


    Andrew


    Under the gaze of the sun, Andrew fought against his thirst as he kept up his guard. The once small band of people around them had grown with more passersby stopping to see what all the commotion is about. Although they were a reasonable distance away Andrew kind of wished they not be there at all. He knocked back a strike coming to his chest but the weight of the blow knocked his arms far enough to take a hefty strike on his shoulder. Wincing Andrew retreated into a low stance just in time to deflect a stab with a sharp pivot, although he caught the thrust the weight behind it was so great that it pushed through and still knocked his shoulder. He cursed as gasps for men and women alike echoed around him. Landing onto the ball of his feet Andrew rolled his stricken shoulder to help loosen it. With their sword padded and with knights¡¯ armor over his body meant that the blow itself left nothing more than a bruise. It was no threat to his life but if he were to take more like this for too much longer¡­


    Flynn not allowing him a break charged in his sword flashing forms shifting. Fainting an overhead slash Flynn shifted and swung low, Andrew leaped but that only left him open in mid-air which Flynn to the advantage of as he sent his blade cutting across in one heavy but swift motion. The crying roars and sparks of knights¡¯ armor meet each other on their blades thundered as it sent Andrew sliding across the land on impact. Flynn was back in striking range before he could gather his thoughts. Despreat Andrew threw his blade out into a spin between himself and Flynn as if a barrier. Seeing Flynn loom over Andrew instinctively did a clockwise counter in hopes of turning the momentum against him. No matter what attack Flynn threw so long as it struck his spinning blade then he¡¯d take a hit, the harder he struck it the worst off he was. Except that ¡®hit¡¯ never came.


    Another faint! The brief window that the counter was ready passed at his sword fell and hit the ground. Andrew caught his blade to guard himself but just barely. Blocking the blow from the awkward angle he was in made him fall to one knee. Feeling Flynn about to strike with something immense next Andrew replied with night slash. The dark mist that trailed behind his blade became a beam that shot off from his blade to crash onto Flynn''s weapon. Having blocked it Flynn was sent sliding back on the floor in defense until the arched beam of dark energy vanished.


    Andrew would have run in to take advantage that his move gave him but he''d paused, eyes transfixed on what was in front of him. Flynn had lashed out with a heavy swing of his blade in those last moments and now stood a crystalline arc of energy.


    Just like that last time. It stood there defying gravity and all understanding of knights'' affinities that he knew. Carefully he tapped the edge of the suspended arc of energy with his blade. The suspended arc struck his ginger prodding as if the strike Flynn threw was still ongoing. Like Flynn was still in front of him swinging his sword indecently. Had he not noticed this and ran straight for Flynn then this battle would have been over.


    If this was a real battle and that was not padded. Before he could shudder at imagining it cleaving him in two, the arc of energy faded into crystal-like dust that faded into the air.


    "That''s called a diamond slash. Think of it as a cut in the air that lingers a while." Flynn said as he hoisted his sword on his shoulder. Andrew hearing this chuckled to himself before straightening up. Andrew could not help nit notice the diamond-like strong in the hilt of Flynns blade.


    "A shame that they cannot linger forever, them being diamonds and all," Andrew said.


    "That old saying?" Flynn asked exasperated. "Saying ancient quips is not going to help you last,"


    "And so you give me tips on how to fight you so I do last?" Andrew asked, his tone was less amused now which suited his mood just fine. Seeing this Flynn just shrugged.


    "My affinity is rare even within Hallow Peak so I''m sure you''d never seen it. A good hunter studies the other affinities before they ever face them. There was no rule on giving hints so I thought I''d level the playing field a little." He said flippantly.


    "Says the one who''s never seen an affinity like mine before," Andrew said. Flynn fell silent to that. Shaking his head Andrew relaxed his guide a little to regard Flynn once again. First not accepting his win and now this?


    He was a strange one, a bit of a bumbling idiot even but there was an earnest vibe to him. He could feel it whenever their blades clashed. He was presumptive too. Andrew was stuck in his thoughts and it made him fail to see the opponent in front of him.


    I failed to see the opponent in front of me, but now¡­ Andrew realized that he''d not been distracted for a while now. At Least not in with him comparing this experience to his encounter with Epimetheus. Somewhere along getting his ass kicked Andrew found balance. He smiled, Flynn looked puzzled at first but then smiled also.


    "So... you can finally see me." He said amused. Andrew nodded.


    "I''m sorry it took so long. I''ve been trying to do the thinking for the both of us lately," Andrew said.


    "You mean for your friend?" Flynn asked, with a shadow of a grin Andrew looked back over to the tavern troubled.


    "As her ideas get more wild my efforts to protect her feel more complex, lately it feels like I''m lagging behind what is needed of me." Andrew frowned when he''d realized what he just said but Flynn as if taking it in stride nodded in understanding.


    "Being a protector feels heavier the more you care for the one you''re protecting. " He said. Flynn was looking at the bar also. There was something about him. An earnestness he couldn''t help but smile at.


    "That beam of energy that I forced you back with is called Night Slash," Andrew picked up, pulling Flynn¡¯s attention from the tavern and back to him. "It is my furthest range attack but not by much, about three meters, maybe five if I''m pushing it."


    Flynn regarded Andrew for a moment with an unreadable face.


    "Is this payment for the info I gave you on my affinity?" He asked.


    "It''s only fair," Andrew said, rolling his arm and neck loose. "Since we both don''t know each other''s affinity all that well then the least I can do is level things out," Flynn seemed skeptical at first but then smiled in approval. Andrew hid a snicker to himself for he knew how he would react to what he said next.


    "And that thing I did when I randomly spun my sword in front of you is called a clockwise counter, if you had struck the thing as I hoped then I would have been able to use that strength against you with a counterblow of my own," he said chipperly. Flynn¡¯s eyes widened, his great and conferment posture spoiled as he hunched forward in bafflement.


    "I said that I will pay double for that drink, didn''t I? Consider those my down-payment." There was more to it than that but he was not going to tell him, not yet. They were in the middle of a battle after all.


    ¡°So then, what will be the second payment?¡± Flynn asked.


    ¡°When I beat you of course,¡± Andrew said. Flynn looked at him disapproving before sighing to himself.


    "And here I thought we were over the cocky phase," he said.


    ¡°I thank you for what you did but I would not have offered to face you if I did not think I would win,¡± Andrew got into stance. He could see just how distracted he was in comparing his encounter with Epimetheus. Through crossing blades, Andrew was able to see Flynn for who he was, strong, passionate, and straightforward. But perhaps most of all he felt solid, sure of himself and his place in things. All things he was lacking, in one way or another. In his cloud of distraction, he¡¯d been trying to compete with these qualities, strength for strength, passion for passion. There was strength in those things true but not all men were built equal, not all men¡¯s best qualities come from the same place. That¡¯s where he fell short. Instead of directly comparing himself with the next person he had to play to his own strengths. It was a simple lesson, one that was taught in his early days of becoming a pentagon knight. But in his moment of shaken faith got muddled and it could have cost him his life. Come what of this fight Andrew was grateful for Flynn¡¯s strange but forthcoming nature. And as thanks, Andrew intended to give this man what he asked for and give him a duel to remember.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    As he allowed his dark energy to envelop himself Andrew narrowed his eyes in total concentration. The blur from the small sword of onlookers faded into nothingness. The sound of whispers became nothing but whisps to the winds. There was nothing else around Andrew except the darkness, himself, and Flynn. And after all the stuff he¡¯d been through these last few weeks that felt liberating. Flynn must have felt the change in him because he¡¯d gotten into a stance of his own. He looked weary but excited. Feeding off that excitement Andrew channels more of his power into his blade and arched his sword behind him in preparation for a big swing. He still wished that he¡¯d offered to make the space they could fight bigger but...


    ¡°Just remember that you asked for this,¡± Andrew said, kicking off the ground as hard as he could. The force of the step was so hard that Andrew felt the ground crack below his feet. As he rushed into point-blank range of Flynn and with his power-dense blade he opened up with a night slash.


    ~#~


    Natalie


    Sophie explained her take on how all these events might be connected. It made Natalie''s head spin, if this was true then the scale that these people operate on was¡­ in truth that did not surprise her too much. Had she been told this before their encounter with Epimetheus then it might have surprised her. But after that experience and what she discovered from Minda.


    Sophie also spoke about their journey north and how she''d talked to the people of Lucas village as well as the Nuzi people.


    ¡°Is something the matter?" Sophie said. Natalie realized then that she¡¯d been silently looking down at the map for a while now. Nodding her head she frowned.


    "I think you are right. Having seen their Nova I can¡¯t think of anyone else but the dragons who¡¯d have such means to launch this ''phantom rocket''. In fact," Natalie looked up to Sophie her eyes wide. ¡°You say that the satellite can send down radio signals from where it orbits, then what about sending a signal down to attract demons? You think it¡¯s possible.¡±


    Sophie pursed her lips for a moment, her face a mask of compilation.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but it would require them to have demons in the rocket and then somehow able to channel its presence into an area, a traversing demon leaves a stench you see. One that others of its kind can follow to help hop into our realm, In theory, if it can be harnessed and aimed someplace the demon itself does not need to be there at all,¡± she said.


    ¡°So like a radio signal they can send down all means for all kinds of demons to show up?¡± Natalie asked. Sophie looked dissatisfied and shook her head.


    ¡°But given how many different types of demons there are and how different their means of traversing realms are they would need a vast library to pull off what you¡¯re implying. And even if they settled for just one demon as a conduit up there unless it was very powerful then I can¡¯t imagine its signal would be potent enough to cause any trouble down here.¡±


    Hearing this Natalie slumped a little. She¡¯d been certain that the Stars of Halo were summoning demons somehow, she felt that this might have been the piece to the puzzle that she¡¯d needed but if even one from Hallow peak was doubtful then¡­


    ¡°Still, what you said might hold some water, I just have not worked out how yet.¡± Sophie finished. Nodding in approval to herself however she smiled. "I was right about you."


    "Right about what?" Natalie asked through narrowed eyebrows.


    "You see the world through a different lens than most. You gaze upon the cruel abyss that most others choose to ignore. And despite how much it hurts you, you dear not blink your eyes for even a second. It struck me the more found out about you the more I realized that you and I have quite a bit in common." Sophie said, Natalie, shrugged.


    "Not like I sought the abyss, the abyss found me, and my parents. "She had to take a moment before she continued. "Now the abyss is all I have left."


    "I''m sorry to hear that," Sophie said.


    Natalie put on a weak smile. "Most children are orphaned before they even knew their mum and dad. Even if it was for a little while I was lucky to have them."


    However, Sophie''s eyes become intense with pain and sternness.


    "Don''t sell your feelings short for others¡¯ sake.¡± Sophie began. ¡°Though it''s true you were blessed to see the people who never had that fail to understand the hole that losing a loved one leaves behind." Natalie¡¯s eyes widened at that.


    "You too?" she asked. Sophie nodded.


    "We have our own hardships, don''t let them make you think otherwise. Memories hurt as much as they heal, thoughts of what could have been lingered. Whether we made the most of the short time we had. Whether any amount of time would have been enough. If things were different would we tell them the things we¡¯d neglected thought were not important or could wait? Though I would say that knowing your family is indeed a blessing it can come with baggage."


    Natalie swallowed the burning lump in her throat. It was not just from talking about the loss of her parents but how well Sophie was able to words to that feeling. It just hit her in a way she was not expecting. Those days when she¡¯d ask her mother to tell her tales of old stories, how she¡¯d worry them when she came in late from playing out, oh how they cared for her. So long had she been without someone who experienced it that Natalie never knew that she craved the acknowledgment.


    "That was really well put," her mouth spoke before she realized. Shocked she looked up to Sophie only to discover that her eyes were blurry. She was on the verge of tears, her face heating she hurriedly turned away to wipe her eyes.


    What in cycles is wrong with me?! It was a two-fold thing she realized. One of them has to do with Andrew and his role in things. The thoughts that Sophie must have noticed tears made her wish the tavern floor could open up and swallow her.


    "Thanks, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an ideal topic for breaking the ice," Sophie jokingly said. She was trying to lighten up the mood, for that Natalie was grateful.


    ¡°Just never spoken about it before,¡± Natalie said, she was just composed enough to face Sophie again.


    "Even your partner? Surely understands this much?" Sophie said.


    "He does, but not in the same way we do."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s like... well" Natalie struggled to put words to the feeling and that¡¯s when something else struck her. Looking into Sophie¡¯s aqua eyes she asked. "Why are you willing to stare into the abyss? How far are you willing to take things?" As much as Natalie was beginning to like her if her reasoning was a flimsy one then...


    "My teacher sent me off to travel the world, and although he did not say it in many words I¡¯d interested me to discover something big. Day by day the people grow more accustomed to the changes that befell us on the second winds. In contrast to that these should be our brightest times. But something is happening. And bigger players of the world refuse to acknowledge the creeping shadow that is looming over us all.¡±


    ¡°These kings, knights, and hunters can sense something are churning but because it¡¯s not as blatant as a demon attack or something they can gain a profit from they do nothing. They twiddle their thumbs in hopes that someone else will handle it.¡±


    ¡°For almost a year now I¡¯ve witnessed the callous way men treat others in dire need. I''m just sick of waiting on others to call out these injustices for what they are. For that reason, I''m willing to look the truth in the eye even if it¡¯s unsettling. If it helps me find the pulse of this unease then my path is set." Natalie stewed on those words for a while, some of them reminded her a bit of her conversation with Minda. Talks of a higher order of things in threat of changing. When she set off on this quest she¡¯d imagined that she was hunting a small cult tucked away in the cracks and crevices of society. Sure she had her eye on the Dragon Empire for a while but still, she wondered if she was the only one that did not see the scale of her target¡¯s influence?


    It¡¯s because I¡¯m too close to all of this that I never knew.


    "That''s good an answer as any, if you¡¯re going to Aqua Falls then maybe it is better if we went together." Natalie sighed to herself her heart heavy. ¡°Just promise me that something happens you¡¯ll help me keep it from becoming like Lucas.¡± That implies that something did not happen already, she felt sick just thinking about it. Sophie looked troubled at first but then nodded.


    ¡°You needn¡¯t ask,¡± she said with a smile. Relived Natalie whispered thanks before interlocking her fingers together. She was still troubled about Andrew, even if this all did go well what would happen then? Closing her eyes to banish their thoughts Natalie sighed out a long breath to herself.


    "Once our business is done in In Aqua, if I was Andrew then I wouldn¡¯t stay with me anymore. He¡¯s going to want to stay there, and... that will be it." she had to come to terms with it now before it hurt her.


    "Why would you say that?" Sophie¡¯s question pulled Natalie out of her revelry.


    "It makes the most sense,¡± she chuckled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that it did not happen sooner," sinking lower into her sorrow Natalie stropped her face onto the bar table. She did not care how it looks because right now she felt more turmoil inside.


    Just as she was going to explain her reasoning to Sophie a huge gasps and murmurs came from just outside the tavern. It was followed by the echo of power-padded weapons colliding onto another. Blinking her eyes open Natalie turned around to the exit along with Sophie.


    "Our partners have caused quite the uproar it seems," Sophie said. Natalie hardly heard it over her own interweaved emotions. She looked at the tavern door stupefied and pained, what will she say to him? How will he take the news? It was not until Sophie placed a hand on Natalie''s shoulder that she noticed that she was staring off into space. Meeting her eye Sophie simply gave a warm smile in acknowledgment.


    "Come, we should spectate," she gestured. Nodding in agreement Natalie followed Sophie stepped towards the mesmerized crowd and clashing of blades.


    ~#~


    Andrew


    He¡¯d leaped over Flynn¡¯s blade before landing and swinging a low attack of his own, parrying Flynn swatted the blade away before coming in with an overhead slash. Reading this Andrew hopped to one side whilst pivoting in for a stab. He avoided Flynn¡¯s heavy slash by a paper-thin margin but Flynn still intercepted his counter strike with a reflexive block that he flowed into straight out from his offense. The block was solid leaving brief sparks of black and crystal flex in the air from their powers colliding. Andrew having thrown his whole weight into it stabbed at Flynn hard but with the western knight being as solid as he was and given that he did the maneuver before his feet touched the ground Andrew was pushed back a few meters breaking up their content slapping of swords. Not looking to give Flynn a rest however Andrew threw out another night slash at him before catching his footing and charging back in.


    Flynn grunted as he blocked arcing beam of black energy trying to keep it back and that gave Andrew time to get back sword range to strike the meany opening that presented. No sooner had Flynn deflected his night slash however he recovered and backed just out of range from Andrew¡¯s upper slash. Avoiding that and slapping away the next three Andrew pushed Flynn backed up to the edge of the stage they¡¯d agreed on before he suddenly stopped and stood his ground. Andrew sensed the sudden spike in Flynn¡¯s strength as he focused more power on his blade. He was going to use it again just like the last time he was cornered. Andrew had been anticipating this, his ¡®diamond slash¡¯. Focusing his dark energy into his weapon Andrew spun the thing between him and Flynns strike. The counter was a success, with Flynn¡¯s blade striking the bottom of his clockwise counter Andrew was able to re-grab the blade and redirect Flynns rising slash into one of his own. Time seemed to fold onto itself whenever this counter was triggered. His strike came out before Flynn¡¯s one could even finish. Now airborne from the sheer momentum of the strike Andrew somersaulted some way back from Flynn and landed on the baked sands before looking up to see the damage.


    He was sure that he¡¯d caught him on the chest. It was a clean strike. Gathering the density of his knight¡¯s armor Andrew wagered that if was a real fight this could have been the strike that led to Flynn¡¯s demise if he staggered from the impact. In this duel-like setting, he¡¯d expect it to stagger him. Maybe knock him out of the battlegrounds. It was a shock to him when instead he found Flynn not only up and rearing to go but he was already looming over him. Sword coiled behind his back ready to send in swinging in a mighty slash. Still near to his knees from landing Andrew stabbed his sword into the ground in front of him in an effort to withstand the blow. Even so, the strike to the planted blade still sent him tumbling backward near the other end of the stage. Skidding himself to a halt Andrew expected Flynn to be right on top of him again, this was his best moment. Flynn, however, kneeled there panting much like him Andrew realized. Indeed they were both panting and smiling.


    ¡°Your good,¡± Flynn said in approval.


    ¡°And you¡¯ve been holding back,¡± Andrew spat. ¡°Big guy like you moving as fast as that, it¡¯s hardly fair.¡± Chuckled between breaths Flynn looked back to where Andrew had last seen him.


    ¡°You mean what I did just now? It¡¯s not as simple as all that, I would tell you more but I think we¡¯re past the point of being charitable. If you did not catch what I did then it¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°I respect that,¡±


    ¡°And I respect you, and now that you¡¯ve let go of what was holding you back I¡¯ve enjoyed this duel, it¡¯s almost a shame that it¡¯s drawing to a close,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°Please! The Sooner this is over the sooner I get my drink.¡± Andrew chuckled. It was then that he¡¯d noticed once again the small crowd of people watching their bout had grown a little. Among them, Natalie stood there with Sophie at her side watching. There was a look to her when their eyes met. She was worried, that puzzled him. Sure they¡¯ve been pushing the lines between sparring and a real battle but it could not seem that intense can it? ¡°Besides, after this round, I¡¯ve gotta get back to business. As much as I¡¯d love to build up my reputation for grape soda I got someone who needs me right now.¡±


    Flynn turned to the side and frowned in understanding. Without saying another word he got into stance. Doing the same the world around Andrew faded away into a blur. All save for Natalie she did look worried, with her thumbs twirling around another between interlocked fingers she stood just at the very front of the crowd as if she¡¯d wanted to stop the fight. A part of Andrew wanted to laugh. Wasn¡¯t she ignoring her a moment before now? Well, it was certainly a vast contrast to how she¡¯d acted just before he¡¯d got here. That gave him pause. She did not stop the battle, that meant at least what trouble she had could wait. Confident that he¡¯d got a good read on her Andrew¡¯s resolve rose.


    Whatever it is we can deal with it after I¡¯m done here.


    With him and Flynn¡¯s knight¡¯s armor seeping around them, the two of them charged at each other into a thunderous crash. Confident in his speed Andrew cut past Flynns front with the pivoted step before striking from a less comfortable position. Flynn tried to keep him squared to him but doing so only made his footing less stable when blocking his blows. Although Flynn¡¯s strikes were harder and his skill was true, he was unable to really keep up with Andrew¡¯s flurry of strikes. It was as if he was growing tired. Andrew was not doing so good either. This onslaught of sword strikes was a front to his sheer thirst and exhaustion but it was working. Now all he had to do was keep this up until- A powerful swing of diamond slash knocked Andrew backward with a grunt. Barely recovered from the stagger Andrew forcefully threw out a night slash in anticipation of Flynn taking advantage of the open he created. The arching beam of power slowed Flynn enough to allow him to leap up into the air over a sweeping slash aimed at his legs. The crowd gasped but Andrew hardly took note of it. He was getting too tired and thirsty to think of anything else. The sun beat down behind him which luckily made it ideal for taking full advantage of his next move because this was it, this is where he¡¯d throw his last card.


    Falling towards Flynn with the sun at his back Andrew pulled back his sword as if intended for a top-down slash. Flynn could have found openings from this possession if he was not squinting to keep the sun from his eyes. Although it was an advantage gravity still made him fall predictably meaning that this could still be all but over for Andrew if he just vaguely struck where he was falling towards. Flynn¡¯s calculating posture told him that he was going to do just that, and this fact made Andrew grin inwardly. Just before he could fall attack into Flynn¡¯s range Andrew placed his sword in a reverse grip and spun himself activating lone shadow. To Flynn and everyone watching he¡¯d simply vanished. Andrew faded into his own shadow which was positioned just behind Flynn at that moment.


    He heard the crowd¡¯s shock at doing such a move, he saw the bafflement in Flynn¡¯s posture before he reappeared and poked his sword at his back. Panting from excursion Andrew watched as Flynn¡¯s shoulder rose and fell panting before he slowly rose his hands in surrender. Andrew caught whispers revolving around his last move among the crowd but that soon got overtaken by clapping. Andrew would have been more bashful about the attention he was getting until he spotted Natalie¡¯s reaction. Andrew dropped his outstretched sword. She did not clap, just flashed him a smile. It¡¯s about what he¡¯d expected from except that look of concern on her face did not fade. If anything it looked deeper.


    ¡°Congratulations kid,¡± Flynn said breaking Andrew out of his growing concern. He stood in front of him. Sword resting on his shoulder as bold and proud as when he¡¯s stepped out here to face him. ¡°I could sense that you were tricky but fading into thin aid as you did? I just did not expect it.¡± Andrew gave a none committal sound to that before looking back over to Natalie. Sophie was saying something to her which Natalie replied to as she looked back his way.


    "It was a lucky move, something like that would not have worked twice." Andrew shrugged. If he¡¯d known that he slipped into his sown shadow and attacked him it could have proven fatal. Since he can¡¯t use knight¡¯s armor when hidden he¡¯d only become as hard as the things his shadow occupied.


    "Even so this is your victory, so celebrate! I¡¯ll integrate you on what that move was after." Flynn boomed out laughing as he said it.


    ¡°Celebrate?¡± Andrew asked. Flynn nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He then gestured to the crowd of people and Andrew understood what he meant a little.


    ¡°You¡¯d given the people a show, the least you can do is acknowledge their participation,¡± Flynn said. Andrew looked at the man blankly. They why he spoke of them as if they¡¯d personally partaken in the duel themselves. Likely seeing the look of doubt in his eye Flynn continued. ¡°It¡¯s an unspoken duty of people with our power. With the world infested with demons and other nasties, what we do now is a live reminder to the people that we don¡¯t face the horrors unequipped. That boosts confidence in us.¡±


    ¡°But that was never my intention, cycles above-all me and Natalie do is hunt down a twisted bunch of bastards. We don¡¯t take up hunting jobs anymore.¡±


    ¡°Even so our actions now will inspire such thoughts, where the harm in humoring it. All you have to do is raise your fist.¡± hesitant, Andrew looked at the crowd. Half of them had wandered off or walked back into the tavern. The few who still stood around were more conversing with another to say they were expecting anything from him. Every once in a while however Andrew noticed that some of them glanced over at him. It was subtle but yes, there was something they expected off of him, and the moment for such a thing was fading. Feeling awkward slowly poses a closed fist into the air. Some looked and glanced back at the people they talked with as if trying their best to give him privacy. Feeling a fool Andrew was about to drop his half risen hand until Flynn caught it.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Andrew hissed.


    ¡°Saving your awkward ass,¡± he grumbled back.


    ¡°By what?! Making me feel more stupid?!¡± He was trying to lift his hand whilst Andrew pulled it down.


    ¡°Just do it with passion,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°¡®Passion¡¯?¡±


    ¡°You showed great confidence when he fought, they felt your determination and passion. The last thing they want to do is catch you looking like a rat caught in the wheat sacks so...¡±


    So¡­ what? Andrew got his answer when he finally stopped resisting and allowed his hand to be pulled straight up. Some clapped slowly like a whimpering lul of a kite that ran out of winds to glide upon. Others clapped too abruptly as if to make up for the lost time before going about their business. Overall however everyone looked happy. Content, as if they knew that if any demon trouble were to happen now he would be there to stop it. That was an odd mix of feelings for Andrew, he¡¯d known that hunters were looked up to as protectors to their people but all he¡¯d known to protect was Natalie. He¡¯d never taken up a hunting job that was unrelated to Natalie¡¯s goal and the two he recalled were not tasks that inspire the masses. It made him wonder not for the first time what it would have been like to have taken the path of his father and just become a regular hunter. What would his standing be with the people and what would his hunting rank be?


    ¡°You ok their kid?¡± Flynn asked, blinking Andrew realized that he¡¯d been staring at his hand as if to find deep answers there.


    ¡°I¡¯m,¡± he began before frowning. ¡°I¡¯m bloody thirsty,¡± Flynn gave out a hearty chuckle before slapping him on the back. It was a friendly enough gesture, but man was he tough. The bloody strike almost toppled him on his face.


    ¡°Well to the victor goes the spoils,¡± he said finally.


    ¡°You neam-¡±


    ¡°-by all means, as promised the drink is yours.¡±


    "Oh, thank the cycles." He sprinted to where he can sit under the shade of the tavern. It was not until he¡¯d got to it that he realized Natalie had followed him. Her face still looked troubled.


    "I got my drink back." he winked sarcastically. No response to humor, is not a good sign.


    "So... did you crack whatever you were doing on the map?" he asked carefully whilst he opened the tin. She nodded briskly, her head stopped as she fiddled with her fingers. All were horrid signs. Andrew would have swallowed had he had ant spit left to do it with.


    "Andrew, I know this is going to sound crazy but-"


    "Wait, wait, wait! It''s bad news. I can tell. Before you break it to me while in the middle of drinking this only to make a mess of myself from shock let me finish this first then we can tackle this new problem we have going. After all the trouble I want to get this thing I don¡¯t want to waste a drop of it from choking. Sound fair?"


    Natalie went from concerned to a little moody at that. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head to him Andrew felt that this had been the most herself he¡¯d seen her since sparing Flynn. Gulping down the contents of the can without a break, Andrew kept one finger up to Natalie as interaction to give him a moment. Just this moment he wanted to have his little levity before being pulled down a new den of worries.


    Having finished the drink with a burp Andrew saw Natalie¡¯s face was that of concern again. Crushing the can he stepped closer to Natalie and nodded for her to continue.


    "I think I have the next likely location." She said.


    "If the Stars of Halo? And where would that?" he asked carefully.


    "Somewhere in Aqua falls."


    Andrew¡¯s heart hit his stomach. He remembered Natalie¡¯s hand hovering over Houen Harbor and thinking of his mother¡¯s home just north from there. He¡¯d thought of what would happen if these people were at her mother¡¯s location but it faded to vague fancies because after all, it was impossible. That¡¯s her his mother, they could not set camp there to pillage the land and kidnap their children only to leave meany dead. These things happened in other locations. But not his loved ones. It just doesn¡¯t happen.


    It happened to Natalie right in front of me, did it not?


    It was how victims thought themselves he was sure, just before tragedy strikes. Danial, baseless and wishful denial. His mind whirling with thoughts of his mother and the dangers she could bein swirled around his mind until Natalie pulled him back to the now by placing an arm on his shoulder.


    "It''s where your mother lives right? We¡¯ll leave immediately. On my life Andrew we won¡¯t have a repeat of Lucas!"

 Chapter 21: Ernest haste

    Andrew


    The path ahead stretched on to infinity. They had traded the old beaten roads of Zannidue for the greener marshes of the south. As they passed open fields, spatters of trees, and large hills, Andrew, Natalie, Flynn, and Sophie had left the sandy lands of Herbenry three days ago. Soon, the odd spotting of wild boars, deer, and sheep became a common occurrence as they continued their hard travel onwards to Aqua Falls. During downtime, it would be Andrew suggesting that they rest and hunt game. The thought of doing that now twisted Andrew''s gut into knots.


    Not being by his mother¡¯s side already conjured up past regrets. Andrew felt like he would be betraying his mother again if he relaxed in her hour of need. And so, like a locked arrow, Andrew kept his heart and mind on the destination ahead.


    Three days had passed. Three days of living off dried bread and meat, camping, and sleeping outside. Three full days of exerting all his efforts to reach Aqua Falls by sunrise and fighting his growing impatient so he could rest at night. Three days of feeling like they weren''t moving far enough. Since hearing Natalie¡¯s hunch about where the stars of halo lurked, any progress they made to get there felt inadequate. Natalie had sworn to him that his home would not become another Lucas village. Although he appreciated the determination he felt in her words, Andrew knew she could not keep such a promise. Although he felt conflicted about her telling him this news¡ªfor throwing his world upside down. He knew that it was not her fault. He wanted to console her by saying as much. But Andrew couldn''t find it in him to reassure her yet..


    He¡¯d often stand at the very edge of their makeshift camp as the others ate and slept, his head pointed towards their destination. Andrew lay down with his eyes wide open, as if in fear of one day forgetting where he was heading. As he listened to the wolves howl upon a distant mountaintop, Andrew¡¯s eyes gazed off towards the horizon with growing impatience. Natalie suggested he rest. The advice helped him put these priorities in some form of order. He recalled the times when the roles were reversed. He recalled a time when it was he who was advising Natalie to pace herself when chasing up a lead. That helped sober his burning urgency. When he finally laid down, all the fatigue built up from the day crashed upon him like a tidal wave, dragging Andrew down into an instant sleep. Although his body found rest easy, Andrew¡¯s mind, however, found little peace in the reverie. He dreamed up memories from his childhood, standing by his father, Shinichi, as they faced his mother, Trisha, stood by their home cottage. Her hands tucked between her arms to fight off the approaching chills of autumn.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to go with dad?¡± she¡¯d asked. Andrew recalled her standing upon the stone steps of the cottage as she posed that question. Andrew¡¯s blood ran cold. He remembered the foolish answer he had given, and even knowing it was a dream was not enough to dispel the chill he felt. That chill only served to emphasise the gravity of the ill-considered response he had given back then. Against his will, his younger self nodded.


    ¡®I want to be with dad,¡¯ he had said, in a voice so young, alien to his current ears. It was a voice far too young to be making such a decision. The thought only left him feeling powerless. Helpless, he looked up at his father, a tall man with an ebony face that seemed chiselled from stone. Like a pillar of impenetrable marble, his father stood tall, silent, and majestic. His brown eyes delved into deeper emotions, ones that only the bravest dared to gaze into. Andrew yearned to understand those eyes. Often, his father would leave, disappearing for weeks at a time to take up hunting jobs, what his mother referred to as ¡®mad adventures.¡¯ Andrew remembered those days when he would stay up, waiting for his father¡¯s return.


    He was curious about his father¡¯s whereabouts, the adventures his mother spoke of. He had never noticed that he was the reason why his mother had stopped calling them adventures. She would deflect his questions with childish distractions, blowing raspberries on his tummy until he cried tears of laughter or serving him extra portions for dinner along with a double serving of his favourite drink. Thinking back on their memories now, Andrew could see that his constant questioning must have worn her down. It had gone over his head back then, but recalling all those instances now filled him with regret. How could he have been so blind? How did he not see the hidden pain behind his mother¡¯s eyes?


    He was young and foolish. With his mother¡¯s lack of solid answers, he had only grown more curious about his father. That curiosity had grown into an obsession. When the day came for his father to offer to take him along, Andrew jumped at the opportunity.


    He understood that he would be away from his mother for a while. He would miss her, but he had missed his father even more than he had missed his mother, so in his naive mind, it made sense. His father would return with him in a few weeks, just like he always did. His mother would always be there, sitting in the cottage with her freckled face dimpled by a warm smile, a plate of hot fish patties on the table, and a glass of grape soda to wash them down. Yes, he would be gone for two weeks, a month at most, and that would be it. No more adventures for him. That¡¯s how long his father¡¯s jobs always took him... He never knew, he was never told, that on this day, he would leave home and never return.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Why, why didn¡¯t he tell me, why doesn¡¯t he tell me anything?¡± These questions had become a meaningless mental mantra, their weight and meaning lost in the repetition.


    And so, he watched helplessly as he and his father walked away from Mum, observing her and the cottage shrink away into nothing. In pain, Andrew broke from this dream and fell into another. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Natalie. She had often been the one keeping watch while the rest of them rested. No words were exchanged between them as he sat up; nothing needed to be said. She wanted to know whether he remembered that dream this time or not. The sag of his head told her all that she needed to know. Nodding to herself, Natalie looked away, troubled. Although she did not say it, Andrew got the feeling that her look of concern was not entirely for his sake.


    Not much was said between them in those three days. Andrew and Natalie were the first ones up most mornings. This allowed Flynn or Sophie a bit more time to rest before taking over the night watch duties. Sophie often exchanged words with Natalie as they switched shifts, and Flynn would occasionally chime in with a comment or two between the girls. On occasion, Andrew had been prompted to ask Natalie what the two of them spoke about, but recollections of their destination rushed to the forefront, and just like that, all his resolve was drained. With his waking mind filled with horrifying thoughts of his home and his sleeping hours filled with dream-like memories of his last recollections of his mother, in between the quiet nights, Andrew found no peace.


    This pattern of travel, eating, and hardly sleeping continued until the fourth day. They were not far from Progmanfest now, according to the map. Sophie rounded it to be around another two days¡¯ travel to reach the river village, given their current pace. Andrew nodded to himself at the news. They were cutting a good trail. Still, Andrew felt dissatisfied. They were just not moving fast enough. Andrew felt tired, but his wish to make it to his mother¡¯s side won over the fatigue. He knew from experience that although she was not quicker than him on foot, Natalie¡¯s stamina recovered faster than his own. So why are they holding back? He¡¯d been pushed to harsher brinks on one of Natalie¡¯s desperate hunts before, and things had always worked out.


    ¡°If we push ourselves, we could cut that down to three days,¡± he said as he folded the map. Silence fell; Andrew frowned.


    ¡°Not without burning ourselves out first,¡± Natalie mumbled.


    ¡°If it means we make a good headway, then it should be fine,¡± Andrew said, already turning towards the direction of the village to continue his travels.


    ¡°And what happens if we run into a horde of demons?¡± Sophie said, as if to highlight the howling sound that broke through the mountain tops.


    ¡°Or worse,¡± Flynn picked up, breaking the silence. He did not need to explain what he implied by ¡®worst¡¯ ¨C rogue hunters, mountain bandits, men whose intent was to gain from one¡¯s own destruction.


    ¡°No point risking a fatal encounter in the state we are in now,¡± Sophie said. Andrew looked up, puzzled. They looked at him now, and though Andrew could not glean much from the muted stares of Flynn and Sophie, he understood the look Natalie was giving him. It puzzled her at what he was asking from them. That bothered him.


    ¡°Wild predators steer clear of civilization,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°True,¡± Sophie said. ¡°But we are outside of civilization.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to reach Progmanfest as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°But on the off chance that demons do appear, we¡¯ll be¡ª¡± Natalie said before Andrew cut in.


    ¡°We train to handle such things. We might run into a demon. Meanwhile, there is something happening in Aqua Falls, and we need to be there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a guarantee; chances are we are rushing towards your mother¡¯s house for nothing,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t rest on a chance,¡± Andrew finished. Natalie¡¯s lips drew into a line at that. Andrew was sure that they would understand. That Natalie, of all people would understand. So it came as a surprise to him when it took Sophie laying a hand on Natalie¡¯s shoulder to break her incredulous gaze at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Natalie,¡± Sophie said, her voice sounding strained to his ears. Natalie looked about to protest until Flynn stepped up from behind. His silver eyes met his brown ones.


    ¡°An eager one, I see,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°What did you expect?! Would you not want to go back home as soon as you heard that it¡¯s in danger?¡± Andrew said. Flynn regarded him for a moment before shaking his head.


    ¡°I never said that your eagerness was unfounded,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then what is it that you are trying to say, Flynn? Should I shut my mouth and slow down?¡± Andrew asked. Flynn shook his head.


    ¡°Your passion comes from a noble place. I¡¯m just struggling to meet you there.¡± Patting his shoulder, Flynn gave him an approving grin before looking out at the long path ahead. There was a placid coldness to his features as they were illuminated under the moonlit sky. His silver eyes glowed with a strong, sturdy will. Sophie solemnly nodded to herself. Had Andrew not been so narrow-minded, he would have caught the signs in the words Flynn had said, clues in the way Flynn and Sophie acted. It revealed just how truly bone-tired they were.


    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed, then,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Perhaps we can gather news on what¡¯s really happening in Aqua Falls once we reach Progmanfest. Until then, well, I¡¯d say no news is good news.¡± They spent the next three hours doubling down on their pace, putting Andrew¡¯s mind at ease. However, a different kind of tension replaced it as time wore on.


    This tension, combined with his growing fatigue, made the journey drag on unlike any other, but he embraced the pain. Once they reached the village, they would be ahead of the curve. From there, they could obtain a riverboat and cut through the many farmhouses, open fields of crops, and no-man''s-land that stood between here and the deep south. Yes, if they could get a boat, they could all rest up while making good time towards Aqua Falls. That way, they could be ready to face whatever awaited them on the other side. That should have been how things went, but as they discerned the dim lights of civilization on the horizon, the distant cry of wolves descended upon them from beyond the mountain.

 Chapter 22: Wolves of the Wind

    Andrew


    ¡°Backs to me!¡± Sophie called. Her commanding voice snapped Andrew out of his momentary shock, and he huddled close along with the others. With a sword in hand, Andrew enveloped himself in knight¡¯s armour. The dark energy of his power seeped over him like a second layer of skin. As Andrew eyed the barely visible slopes beyond, he drew himself closer between Flynn, Sophie, and Natalie. All four of them stood back-to-back, scanning all four sides between them as they drew out their weapons.


    ¡°They¡¯re heading straight towards us,¡± Natalie said. She had to be using her angel sight to see them. Andrew could barely make out five figures descending from the foot of a massive slope. He knew there were others.


    Their howls carried on the sudden gusts of wind. Andrew¡¯s cloak tasselled in rhythm with the rustling forest. A tempest of leaves danced among them, obscuring his vision. Andrew was finding it harder to pinpoint the encroaching howls that encircled them. Andrew could not discern the amount and direction of their pursuers. He believed they stood directly in the path of civilization. Andrew could see the glimmer of the town lights just beyond them. As they approached, he heard howls on the winds.


    It took Andrew a moment to concentrate fully. Although gale affinity was his weakest element, he chastised himself for not recognizing it sooner.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Gale affinity!¡± he shouted over the roaring winds.


    ¡°Spirit animals,¡± Sophie murmured. Beasts with the power to control the elements were no simple matter. The tempest of wind curled around them, and swirling leaves taunted Andrew as the wall of wind crept closer. Its length stretched several feet into the sky. Surrounded, Andrew found it increasingly difficult to spot the figures approaching as they slinked under the shroud of darkness. Given the spectacle and sheer scale of the wind, over twenty spirit animals have created it, all instinctively coordinating their gale powers in unison to forge this one potent tempest. In the corner of his eye, Andrew observed Sophie turning and thrusting her staff outward. The crystal end emitted a pure white glow that seized his attention. An enormous wolf charged through the vortex of wind and leaves, poised to pounce toward her. But before it could reach her, the wolf collided with a nearly invisible wall of light that flickered between them.


    With hind paws scraping for perches on the suspended wall of light, the wolf snapped its jaws at Sophie¡¯s face. Its teeth shimmered with gale energy with each bite. Like passing winds through grassy plains, its fur danced in response to its own show of power. Flynn¡¯s sword came crashing into the wolf¡¯s flank, making it cry out as it staggered back and retreated into the cover of the vortex. Between them, Andrew knew Flynn had the most powerful strike. If Flynn could not cleave through the wolf¡¯s elemental armour, then...


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what¡¯s happened here,¡± he said. He looked at Flynn now, really looked at him. He could see the same grim determination on his features that he imagined he had, along with the same eagerness he had seen in him during their battle. But behind the outward front, his body was already betraying him. Flynn fought for breath, his knees shaking from the sheer ordeal of standing. As Andrew noted the sweat running down Flynn¡¯s face, he truly understood for the first time just how royally he had messed up.


    ¡°These odds are working against us!¡± Sophie declared. Andrew glanced at Sophie, fatigue evident on her face. How had he not noticed this sooner? Natalie glared at him in disapproving silence. She had tried to warn him. He was a fool. He wished he could take the words back. A flicker of understanding flashed in her eyes then. Perhaps his face showed remorse.. Part of him wished she could remain angry with him. It was about as much as he deserved. As the wolves¡¯ howls mocked them, Natalie turned her back on civilization and bolted in the opposite direction.


    They came rushing in soon after¡ªthree of them! As instincts kicked in, Andrew threw himself at the wolf closest to him, shifting to one side and meeting the wolf¡¯s flank with the pass of his blade. Instead of slicing along its side, the wolf caught his weapon in its mouth. A low, deep growl rumbled from its throat as the wolf¡¯s golden eye fixed on him.


    ¡°Look out!¡± White teeth flashed near his wrist as a streak struck something just out of sight. The wolf staggered to regain its footing. This provided Andrew with enough time to channel more power into his blade and deliver a slashing strike at the first wolf. The blade dug into the wolf¡¯s front leg, blood seeping through its fur as it struggled to maintain balance. His mind raced, contemplating what the wolves had nearly achieved.


    They tried to tear off his arm. They intentionally aimed to remove Andrew from his weapon. The thought made Andrew swallow.


    Spirit animals are known for their intelligence, he thought. This moment made him nervously readjust his grip on his father¡¯s blade.


    ¡°Us two can still fight,¡± Natalie said, nodding toward Andrew and herself. ¡°But I can¡¯t fight properly without¡­¡± Natalie left the sentence hanging, and Andrew understood why. She could summon a storm cloud and use her angel sight to see the nearby wolves and strike them down with bolts of thunder, but using that power now would obscure the moon, the only light source they had left. Although Andrew was fairly sure Sophie did not know the extent of Natalie¡¯s abilities, she nodded grimly, as if coming to a similar understanding.


    ¡°Fight our way towards Progmanfest or fly in retreat. What will it be?¡± Sophie asked. Being the only two fighters remaining, the choice fell upon them. Another wolf jumped into the vortex, distracting them. Four sharp beams of compressed air emanated from the wolf¡¯s claw and crashed into the face of his blade. The barely visible, ranged, air-based attack staggered Andrew from the sheer weight of its blow. He had expected mid-range attacks from creatures capable of harnessing the elements. What shocked him was the sheer speed at which such an attack came.


    Andrew recovered as another wolf charged in behind the first, leaping towards Sophie. Andrew stabbed its flank as a third wolf tackled Sophie¡¯s strange energy wall. As soon as Andrew made the third wolf flee, Sophie wilted from her efforts. Keeping one concerned eye on Sophie and hearing Natalie fighting somewhere behind him, Andrew nodded to himself.


    ¡°I think I see a place where we can hide, this way!¡± Natalie made a run further away from the village. Sophie looked at her incredulously before pulling herself upright and taking on a steady stride. As Flynn ran alongside her, Andrew took one last glance at his surroundings before catching up. He fell into a pace behind Sophie and Flynn as he guarded the rear. As they passed through the vortex, they got a better view of the open field under the cool moonlit sky. Strength came to Andrew despite his own fatigue. This was in part because he was in his element. The night was mature, the moon bathed its cooling light upon the land. Andrew was in the best environment he could ask for to use his powers. Much like an aqua knight can get a boost in power when fighting by water or a flame knight becomes powerful by using live flame, Andrew¡¯s affinity bloomed best in the chilling stillness of darkness.


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    This often, however, came with the setback of not being able to see much of what he was doing. However, today he could not ask for a more perfect setting. Between this and Natalie¡¯s help, Andrew was fairly sure that they could fend off the wolves for as long as they needed. He could hear them among their laboured breaths and swift footsteps. The frantic padding of paw prints trailed along their left and right. He could feel their glowing golden eyes scanning them for weakness. Andrew knew that outrunning them was impossible. The wolves were biding their time as they waited for fatigue to wear them down. Some wolves had suffered injuries from their attempted attacks, so they fell back on poking and prodding. They''re run in search of shelter, felt more like a laboured walk to the executors¡¯ block. Not a matter of if they get them, but when. It was soon getting harder to hear their footsteps chasing them. Andrew dared to hope that they had left their territory.


    He foolishly thought this until he saw Natalie glance over her shoulder and, with a grimaced face, skid to a halt and turn back. The sound of countless howling wolves filled the night a second later. Andrew drew his sword¡ª


    ¡°-Overhead!¡± a pack of wolves fell out of the sky, encircling Andrew. Before he could think, they jumped toward him. Dodging the first two and blocking the third, he threw the wolf to one side. The third wolf tumbled in the air before it broke its momentum mid-fall and launched back at him with tremendous speed¡ªjaws snapping. Its power-infused teeth bit inches away from his neck. Andrew understood then how they got over them as he lost his footing.


    He flipped back to his feet just in time to parry another gale claw, countering with a night slash mid-flip. Staggering back into a sprint, it shocked him to see the three wolves had dodged his projectile and retreated behind the vortex instead of pushing their aggression. Perhaps they used up too much energy to keep up such an offence. Natalie repelled her two attackers with a torrent of thunderous punches and kicks; a third wolf got a jumping roundhouse, sending it toppling onto the ground in a staggering mess. Flynn, Sophie, and Andrew jumped over the fallen wolf as they kept running. Six injured wolves escaped beyond the vortex, only to be replaced by seven. This time, they attacked Natalie, Flynn, and Sophie. Although Natalie dealt with her three in quick succession and Andrew flanked the two coming after Sophie, Flynn had to fend for himself against the last two.


    He swatted one aside with his blade before being jumped by the other. Collapsing, Flynn struggled as he tried to shake the wolf off as it bit down on his wrist and shook it like some kind of plaything. Running as fast as he could, Andrew stabbed the wolf¡¯s flank. The wolf, however, narrowly dodged the stab, retreating beyond the surrounding vortex with the rest of the pack. Gritting his teeth, Andrew stood guard, allowing Flynn time to recover.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Natalie asked Flynn over her shoulder. Andrew gave the man a hand to get back on his feet. Before he could thank him, Flynn seemed distracted. He looked at Natalie, his face a portrait of puzzlement. It did not take long for Andrew to piece together what he saw. With the dark night, Natalie¡¯s angel sight was hard to overlook with its silent, purple glow.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine,¡± he pushed out. Andrew had to respect how fast Flynn accepted the oddity. Sophie hid her reactions much better. Had Andrew not seen her looking into Natalie¡¯s eyes earlier, then he would have assumed that she¡¯d missed them. Once they got out of this mess, they¡¯d have answers to give to the pair.


    Flynn¡¯s arm was bleeding, but thanks to his knight¡¯s armour, most of the damage was mitigated. As they got back to running, the wolves¡¯ methods had once again changed. Instead of attacking all of them at random, they focused their efforts on Sophie and Flynn. They¡¯d only strike at Natalie and Andrew when they intervened. Sometimes four came in, other times eight or nine; they were trying to whittle them down, targeting the apparent weakest among them. Their quick pace lulled into a shabby jog, their pace shattered as Flynn and Sophie had more close encounters. Despite their efforts to cover them, the wolves slip through thanks to their numbers. They avoided Natalie most of all, since she could strike them with thunder punches and kicks from a fair distance.


    Being this closely packed together helped lessen the chances of the wolves getting to Flynn and Sophie, but it also made effectively repelling them riskier. They knew little about Sophie and Flynn as is, and it was all too easy to be struck down by an ally in such desperate situations. Andrew did his best to pull his punches. Soon, however, even that was working against him. He was in his element, and yet he could not truly use of his strengths.


    I¡¯ve already harmed everyone here by dragging them into this mess¡­ It only took that moment of distraction for a wolf to get the slip on him.


    The flash of electricity struck one wolf moments away from biting Andrew. He turned in time to see Natalie get tackled by another wolf. It came almost directly at her¡ªit was hardly from an angle she could have overlooked, and yet¡­


    She let it bite her to save me¡­ There was an airy moment of silence as Natalie toppled mid-sprint and came crashing onto the ground in a heap.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Andrew tried to reach Natalie, but two more wolves intercepted him from behind. Before he could stop and think, two more went after Flynn and Sophie. Gritting his teeth, he gave one last glance at Natalie before bolting back for Sophie and Flynn. In bitter anger, he cut both wolves in a blink. This time, they had little time to avoid his strike. Andrew was through, holding nothing back. Sophie dropped her staff as another of those walls of light faded into crystal-like fragments between them. Flynn, who struggled against a wolf that jumped on top of him, simply rose to his feet and drunkenly looked about. He expected more attacks after Andrew saved him, but finding none, he tried to walk off the fatigue. By then, Natalie had not only fought off the wolf that pinned her down, but she¡¯d also struck down the others that were on track to attack Andrew and the others. She held her shoulder now. A splattering of blood ran between her fingers as she took in a long, heavy breath. For Natalie, of all people, to be showing signs of fatigue was a bad sign.


    The wolf¡¯s howls washed over them as if in mocking victory. ¡®Not long before they kill themselves, some humans,¡¯ Andrew imagined it said. He saw Natalie look at Flynn and Sophie, who could barely move right before turning to him. She searched his eyes for some kind of plan, some way out of this. ¡®It was his fault¡¯ was the only thought he could conjure. Natalie¡¯s eyes closed in surrendering assent. No other choice, it read. She will risk harming them to save them. It was not until Natalie turned to the spinning vortex surrounding them with a face hardened, purple eyes glowing, and the surrounding atmosphere suddenly cooled to something dry and static that it hit him. He knew what to do. Just as Natalie¡¯s storm was about to swallow them in complete darkness, Andrew latched onto her hand, breaking her focus.


    ¡°Let go Andrew, I have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªI¡¯ve got a better idea,¡± Andrew cut in. He could barely make out her features in the growing darkness, but he gleaned enough to know that her face went from incredulous confusion to chilling realisation in a blink. Seeing that she understood, Andrew gave Natalie a sheepish grin just as her storm clouds faded just enough for the moonlight to return and help Andrew spot the next wave of wolves closing in. He pushed her out of the way and moved aside himself as one wolf leapt through the space they occupied. Natalie caught the wolf mid-bound by its hind leg. Shocking it with her power, she tossed it back out of the vortex just as Andrew took care of two others. Seeing Natalie handle the last three over his shoulder, Andrew grew more hopeful that this daring plan might work. The wolves were out for blood, but whose blood they got was not their chief concern. For them, the easiest target was prime prey. Though weakened, Flynn and Sophie were still safer in numbers. After them, the wolves likely saw Andrew as the next prime target. So what would happen if he, the third most targeted of the group, split himself from the others?


    Picking a direction, Andrew steeled himself and ran. He hardly caught Natalie calling his name as he pushed through the encircling vortex and ran in the opposite direction from the others.

 Chapter 23: The Alpha King

    Andrew


    The number of wolves that tailed him had thinned dramatically. With two targets to chase, they could not get all of them, not without splitting the pack. At first, Andrew worried when he saw no sign of their pursuit. Fearing that his hunch was wrong, he stole a look over his shoulder. It was a pleasant surprise to see that not only did over half the wolves follow him, but they all still kept a wary distance from him. Despite being alone with the pack, they still did not take full advantage of their numbers. He counted sixteen of them. Most of them had the running gait that betrayed recent injuries. No doubt he had afflicted most of them. His inflicted wounds were his leverage over them. This, along with the matured night, the moon at full bloom, coupled with not having to worry about striking down his allies, made Andrew confident that he could survive long enough for Natalie, Sophie, and Flynn to make it to someplace safe.


    With nobody to hold him back, Andrew flew towards a vast spread of rocky crags barely discernible in the moon¡¯s faint light. Wolves ran alongside him, bounding from rock to rock. The vortex of air that surrounded him had returned, but it was far weaker than before. Much easier to see, though. This further proved that the pack chasing him was not only smaller, but also growing tired.


    As Andrew leaped over a rock to slide down its steep face, a wolf tackled him from behind. Using ¡®Lone Shadow¡¯ in mid-air, Andrew faded into the darkness, righted himself before reappearing, landing back on his feet, and counter-striking his still-falling attacker. The wolf¡¯s protective shroud absorbed most of the blow, but not enough to escape unscathed.


    Avoiding the gale slashes from another wolf, Andrew skipped off a rock as four more gale slashes rained down from above. Rock turned to rubble as it shattered under the power of the wolves¡¯ strike. The wolves that threw them descended with wide, glowing teeth, their throats rumbling deeply with guttural growls.


    Scurrying back, Andrew swerved clear of bites at his leg, neck, and wrist before skidding to a halt along the slope against a large rock. Andrew anticipated the attack thanks to Flynn¡¯s struggle against such an assault. Throughout most of the chase, Andrew avoided and deflected attacks. He just needed to buy time and conserve energy. But even then, even under his element, with nobody to hinder him, the effort tired him. The only consolation was that as he grew more sloppy, so did the wolves. The vortex they shrouded him with grew even weaker, reminding him again that this plan was working. Getting a good grasp of things, he simply concentrated on buying the others more time. As long as storm clouds did not bloom and plunge them into total darkness, Andrew held on to the belief that Natalie, Flynn, and Sophie were still okay. With how things were going here, maybe he wouldn¡¯t have to lead the wolves on much longer. He had something in mind, an escape route at hand that he was confident he could use to get the slip-on of the wolves for at least long enough to escape freely. Maybe in another minute, he will¡ª


    The pressure in the atmosphere had shifted. The now panting wolves howled once again. Andrew hoped the wolves were too occupied with their howling as he picked up his pace under their deafening cries. They should have little strength now. The lack of ambushes was proof of it. And yet the surrounding vortex redoubled its ferocity. It grew as strong as when he was with the others, only to surpass that in a blink. As the tips of his cloak flapped against the twirling gale, Andrew fought to keep from being swept off his feet. Opting not to push his luck in this chase any further, Andrew turned back down in the direction Natalie had fled. If they had reached this shelter Natalie saw then¡­


    A colossal figure landed before him, causing the swirling leaves to scatter away from him like an explosion. A wolf, perhaps three meters tall, loomed over him. Its large, predatory eyes glowed with a golden hue. White fur, patched with red on one side, danced among its own powerful gale vortex, the evidence of which practically illuminated its body. There was no doubt this one was in charge.


    Andrew fought with all he had just to hold himself steady against the roaring winds. Lowering his center of gravity, Andrew turned his back on the giant wolf and made a mad dash toward the direction of the shelter. Before he made it even twenty feet, the giant wolf blew right past him as if the winds themselves, before skidding gracefully in front of his escape route. Although Andrew sensed it crossed past him, his body could barely respond to it before it surpassed him.


    The giant wolf could have easily attacked him as it passed him, but it did not. It chose not to. One of the other wolves beside it tried to leap at Andrew, but to his shock, the giant wolf knocked it back with a tackle. Sent tumbling, the smaller wolf skidded to a halt before bounding back to its feet as if to get back at the giant wolf, only to stop its charge when the giant wolf did not flinch. With low growls, the small wolf carefully backed away until the larger one snarled back. The smaller wolf froze a moment before sitting on its haunches, and as if on command, all the other wolves Andrew saw sat down as well.


    Andrew carefully watched the whole thing unfold. Baffled by what was happening, Andrew watched carefully as he tried to wrap his head around what to do next.


    He could just about see the golden eyes of the other wolves floating around just beyond the darkness. The magnificent wolf regarded him as they lay off to one side. That gave Andrew enough time to gain his bearings, to recall what had led him to push the others into this mess.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to eat me, then get on with it,¡± Andrew mumbled. He felt shaken by what was happening, but frustration bubbled from his core. The giant wolf stooped its head down to his level, still observing him. There was a tingle in the air, a slight shift in the immense torrent of wind that buffeted him. Andrew felt a connection to something, like something was-


    ¡°¡ªWhat are you doing?¡± Andrew tried to shake the feeling off, but like a stream, it persisted. This wolf could somehow mess with his head. He didn¡¯t need this crap, not today. He needed to reach his mother. They were already miles away from their destination, and now they were being delayed further by a bunch of wolves. His mother was out there, likely in danger, and he had no intention of dying before he¡¯d made sure that she was safe. With these thoughts surging through him, Andrew channeled all the dark energy he could muster, focusing it all on his blade. Andrew jumped in with an overhead swing. As frustration turned to anger, he roared, unleashing Night Slash, unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen. That just meant that anything between him and his goal simply became an obstacle to be cut down.


    With a roar, Andrew set the blade down upon the giant wolf. The sheer amount of energy that he pulled into his blade burst outward like a tidal wave of raw power, focused on a thin point. He was a dark knight in his element of power. He attacked the alpha wolf with such force that it staggered back, but it quickly recovered. As the power of his strike vanished, the wolf just stood there for a moment, shaking itself off as if a soaked pup stepping out of a river. Its immense energy enhanced its fur. The alpha wolf¡¯s fur was tougher than steel. That strike was his strongest attack. Besides countering a powerful blow with his clockwise counter, he had nothing in his arsenal to surpass it.


    Before Andrew knew it, a giant paw flashed before him. Seeing sky and land, he spun in a blinding blur. With the wind taken out of him, Andrew came crashing to a halt against a large bolder. As the rim of the rock crumbled from the impact, Andrew forced himself to get back onto his feet. Staggering forward, he sees the giant wolf rushing towards him. Andrew jumped clear as he used Lone Shadow melding into his own silhouette.


    The boulder exploded into fragments as the alpha wolf smashed through it with snapping jaws. Andrew understood then that it was suicide for him to face it. And now that he revealed his card of escape, he needed to get out of there. One of the flying pebbles from the boulder struck the spot of rock that his silhouette ran across, sending a numbing pain running down his left ankle. Too keen on escaping to assess the damage, Andrew continued to run.


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    He could sense the wolves searching for him as he made it over a lopsided tree nearby. Andrew flinched as a booming howl erupted from directly behind him. A violent gust of sharp wind exploded from up high, surrounding the alpha wolf. It was so strong that it pulverized the rocky grasslands around it, turning them into a cloud of mushy dust and rubble. Coming out of a Lone Shadow for a moment behind a rock just out of sight, Andrew took in controlled breaths. He clenched onto his numbing ankle with a wince. As exhausted as he was, Andrew was sure he couldn¡¯t have withstood that level of power, even at full strength. Had he tried his luck as a defenseless shadow when it happened, he would have become a bloody puddle of mush by now.


    Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Andrew used Lone Shadow and continued to sneak further away from the wolves. If there was a way out of this mess, then it would be upwind to mask his scent. Using Lone Shadow in the darkness among trees and rocks meant that any shadow he cast was almost impossible to spot on the already night-covered ground. He gave off no scent when he became a shadow. It was only when he resurfaced to catch his breath that the wolves would sniff him out. There were several instances where Andrew had to revert to normal to catch his breath. Each time he did so, it became harder and harder to remain submerged. The more he used his power and held his breath back to back, the less time he could keep holding it. He was already tired. Now that he entered the edge of a forest, Andrew concentrated on keeping ahead of the searching wolves. The tall trees permitted little moonlight here. The pain in his ankle began flaring up. He did his best to ignore the pain. Right now, he needed his other senses fully focused on the task at hand. If he could just keep patient and not fall flat on his face, then perhaps he could make it. Andrew could still hear the wolves padding around, but now that he was in the patch of forest by the mountain, he could not see much of them.


    He felt a steady updraft of wind pass over him as the wolves passed on by. Every time he¡¯d hear them howl, the wolves quickly gathered in that area. Each encounter was a close one as wolves came from almost every direction. As they prodded the land with snouts to the ground to find him, Andrew sensed another shift in the wolves. They all fanned out once again to continue their search. Luckily, he¡¯d made good progress in the first three uses of Lone Shadow. He snuck right under the gaze of one searching wolf. It stopped a moment to take a sniff of the ground below them.


    Andrew, still submerged in Lone Shadow, was now desperate for air. Struggling to keep from breathing too hard, he hid behind a tree opposite and waited for the wolf to move on. The sniffing wolf¡¯s ears perked up before it vanished down a beaten path, allowing Andrew a moment of reprieve. He didn¡¯t see the giant wolf, but Andrew could sense it out there somehow. It was not taking part in the hunt, opting to observe. Fortunate, still¡­ It ticked Andrew off.


    A short while after moving from the spot where he had waited for the wolf to pass, Andrew heard howls coming from that location. This confirmed that they were following his scent. That was good. So long as they remained downwind, they would be a step behind. These wolves were skilled hunters. They prevented him from reaching the shelter by blocking his path back. But if he could give them a breadcrumb trail, lead them towards fake checkpoints¡­


    As he conjured up these thoughts, the soft shift of the winds pulled Andrew to full alert. It was slight, hardly worth any note in any other situation, but¡­ yes, the updraft of breeze that was his key to buying some time was now blowing the opposite way. He would have chalked it up to bad luck if he too were not sensitive to the winds, but even then he doubted himself. Had he not seen the distinct skill these wolves had over gale affinity firsthand, he would have ignored this thought. The wind had the same sensations as what he had felt when he confronted the Alpha wolf.


    He¡¯s controlling the winds to find my scent. If he could feel this draft blowing against him, then¡­ He was already running before they showed up. His ankle throbbed with pain. Before he knew it, Andrew saw them rushing towards him from all sides. They knew where he was. And they already covered all exits. Using Lone Shadow wouldn¡¯t have helped much. He was too tired to go too far. Out of options, Andrew backed himself against a branch as he pointed his father¡¯s blade in a defensive stance. The wolves huddled in as he tried to eye all of them at once. Most of them just stood there a few meters away, snarling, golden eyes glowing with instinctive disdain. That hatred vanished when the giant wolf stepped in between them. As the alpha entered the circle, the other wolves sat down.


    Their snarls pattered out as they watched their leader approach in silence. That odd sensation in his head returned once again as the giant wolf stirred the winds around Andrew. It felt like an imprint, an impression, some recognizable pattern of incomprehension at the edge of understanding. That surreal sensation made him feel sick. Like he¡¯d eaten something that his body could not keep down. The giant wolf growled at him, rage like a blizzard cut through the winds. He could sense the alpha king¡¯s rage as the giant wolf growled at him. He was going to get killed apparently because he could not¡­ what? Andrew ignored the sensations in his head for a moment and looked beneath the legs of the giant wolves towards the light of the distant village below. From this distance, it looked as if it stood side by side with the village itself. Its snow-capped tip glimmered under the moonlit sky. Given that he could still see the distant mountain told Andrew that Natalie still had yet to need a reason to use her powers. He was growing more certain than ever that they were safe. That thought confirmed him¡­ still.


    Why did everything fall to pieces now? If things had not been so irregular, if he¡¯d thought before he acted, then perhaps he would not be in such a predicament. He blinked at the thought. No, this was not something that only just started happening now. Ever since this journey began, they had their odd encounters in their search for the Stars of Halo. Some of these complications seemed random and unrelated at first until they grew into more significant issues. But looking back on everything, he noticed that no matter what happened, every time he recalled an incident happening, he soon found that it was connected back to ¡®them¡¯ somehow. Andrew recalled the days of intense travel to Lucas village, the conversation he and Natalie had by the campfire. She¡¯d strung together past events as evidence. She said that the Stars of Halo orchestrated the demon invasion that got her kidnapped.


    ¡®I know because that¡¯s how they got me,¡¯ she¡¯d said. Andrew tried to reason her point with logic. Still... she was right. Andrew could have settled for it simply being a pattern or coincidence, but now he could not help but wonder.


    Why am I thinking of them now, of all times? Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he realised that the alpha wolf was much more placid than before. The winds blew calmer around them. And though there was still that sense of the wolf trying to mess with his mind, there was a level of clarity. Something had changed between then and now, an intangible connection formed that he could not explain. He dared not move a muscle, his mind only running over all the oddities that they¡¯d run into before confronting the Stars of Halo.


    Oddities, Andrew swallowed. His sword arm lowered as a profound silence enveloped him.


    ¡°Why did you pick now to move down from the mountain?¡± he asked. The alpha wolf regarded him in silence. The sense of swirling winds had halted at the question. Taking a careful step forward, Andrew saw the fur on its left side, truly saw it this time. It was not simply a patch of red as he¡¯d first assumed; it was blood. A deep gash on its side. The mighty wolf had a deep gash on its side. Andrew was not fool enough to think that he had caused it. The wound was there before he¡¯d ever laid eyes on the creature. Someone or something with enough power to wound this creature... Whatever managed that was no average achievement.


    Could it be looking for the one that gave it this wound? Another sensation of wind tousled Andrew¡¯s cloak and deadlocked hair. A response? Something timed all too well for it to be anything else. Some animals made deep connections with a person of their choosing; that animal could send an impression of their innermost thoughts. To someone who¡¯d trained their minds to interpret them, with that connection, both man and beast could communicate and coordinate at a level rarely seen anywhere else. Andrew frowned. As enlightening as this experience was, this situation was far from being anything close to a partnership. This entire ordeal still left him with questions.


    ¡°What are you trying to tell me?¡± Just as he asked, the giant wolf¡¯s ears cocked back, as if catching some sounds worth its attention beyond them. A second later, most of the wolves that sat around him looked back in alert to the direction Natalie and the others ran towards before standing up and moving past Andrew. With casual strides and yawning, they faded deeper into the forest towards the mountain. As the last of the pack vanished, Andrew shared one last moment with the giant wolf as it looked back at him before it too left to join the pack. In seconds, all signs of the wolves had vanished, replaced with the sound of someone running up the slope towards him. Only the wisp of the wind remained as a sign the pack of wolves was even there. Andrew tried to dissect what that last wisp of wind meant from the giant wolf. Exhausted and stuck with his racing thoughts, Andrew collapsed onto against a tree to catch his breath.

 Chapter 24: What could have been

    Andrew


    He pushed himself to keep walking once he got his bearings. If he took a break now, he might not be able to continue. Following the direction Natalie pointed to at first felt wrong. He saw the forest''s end with more slopes. His doubts reached their peak when the village came out of view, and he came into line with the looming mountain overhead. It was not until he came out of the forest proper that he noticed the clear signs of human influence in the area.


    Tree stubs stood freshly cut before him. And over the last slope, he saw an open field of swaying wheat lit under the moonlit sky. Among the sea of wheat stood a large barn and a wooden house, all on it¡¯s lonesome.


    A farmhouse. The relief he felt almost made him fall to the ground.


    As he limped through the tall crops, he heard something brushing through the wheat beyond him. Alarmed, he fell into a fighting stance as they burst out of the crops towards him. Natalie stormed out of a wall of crops; her eyes glowed purple with condensed rage. Startled by her arrival, Andrew winced as he stumbled back on his bad ankle.


    ¡°F-fancy seeing you here!¡± he said. Without skipping a step, Natalie stepped over, balled her fist, and thumped Andrew on the chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. ¡®Natalie¡¯. me!¡± She ended each of her words with a thump. Or perhaps it was more a punch than a thump. Either way, it hurt.


    ¡°Cycles, Natalie, what would you expect me to do - keep being selfish and have us all die!?¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The burning resolve in her eyes alone was enough to give him pause. She was being serious. With his mouth hanging agape, she continued, ¡°No matter what, you must keep on living.¡± Looking down at her feet, Natalie pushed out as her balled hands loosened. Andrew did not like how she looked at him, how she so easily disregarded her own life over his own. He wanted to object, to challenge her words. But he could not form the words.


    ¡°No matter what happens, you¡¯ve got to make it by your mother¡¯s side. Until that happens, you¡¯re not allowed to die!¡± She balled her hands into fists as her tone picked up. It was hard to tell under the night sky and the shade of these tall crops, but Andrew was sure that Natalie was crying. He gritted his teeth as a spiral of conflict raged on within his skull.


    You¡¯re wrong, Natalie; it is you who cannot die here," he wanted to say, but he said, ¡°So that means I can die so long as I meet my mother first?¡± with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious, Andrew!¡± she said as she pushed him once again.


    ¡°Cycles, Natalie, I get it¡ªreally, I do! Just don¡¯t start kicking my ankles!¡± Andrew said, his hands outstretched in protest. Natalie, who was about to push him again, paused and looked at his legs. Gritting her teeth in restrained understanding, she looked back up at Andrew.


    ¡°That just means that I get to kick you anywhere else, right?¡± Natalie asked in a tight voice.


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    ¡°If you admit that you¡¯re still mad at me for pushing you back there, I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Andrew said. Although he tried to keep a straight face, he could feel the corner of his lips betraying a smirk. Natalie just sniffed.


    ¡°You pull a stunt like that ever again, and I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡± she practically stabbed every word into his chest with her finger. This made Andrew back up some more.


    ¡°Good, always wondered if a shadow could die twice,¡± Andrew mumbled. Natalie raised a hand as if to thump Andrew¡¯s chest, but by the time the first reached him, it was hardly a push.


    ¡°Damned fool,¡± she hissed. Andrew could tell that she was barely containing her anger. With her fist still on his chest, she stepped in and bowed her head until it rested on top of her knuckles. The gesture caught him by surprise for a moment before he recovered and, placing a hand on her shoulder, he took a deep breath before looking up at the moonlit sky.


    ¡°Until I reach my mother, I have no intention of dying. So try not to worry,¡± he said. Natalie shook her head on top of her own knuckles.


    ¡°Nobody plans on dying,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because nobody plans on how not to die,¡± Andrew smiled.


    ¡°Was that meant to sound clever?¡±


    ¡°I was trying for more humour.¡±


    ¡°What would I tell your mother if you¡¯d¡ª¡± Her voice was barely a whisper. At first, the gesture surprised Andrew. It made him keenly self-aware of his own damp shirt and sweaty face. When he came to, however, he could feel the weight of her words. He could hear the tremble in her voice and feel the shaking in her palms. She¡¯d been governing her emotions to prevent her powers from masking what little moonlight they had. Her emotions governed her angel powers. He¡¯d seen her lose control of them plenty of times in their travels, witnessed the storms they made when she lost herself to anger. How much-exerted discipline must it have taken to hold off all those emotions? Gripping her shoulder tighter, Andrew sighed to himself.


    ¡°I messed up, sorry,¡± he whispered. Natalie simply responded by backing away, wiping her eye with one arm, and taking hold of his hand as she began leading him through the tall crops.


    ¡°You were heading the wrong way,¡± she said.


    ¡°Was not,¡± Andrew said. It came out a bit more defensive than he¡¯d intended. Natalie looked back at him, unamused.


    ¡°What?¡± it was the truth. There was no way that he¡¯d have missed the buildings he saw before entering the tall crops.


    ¡°It¡¯s this way, right?¡± he pointed in the opposite direction he saw Natalie take to reach him. Before he could take three steps in that direction, Natalie took his hand and led him to a direction more to the left. Without her doing anything more than grabbing his hand, Andrew felt a surge run up his arm. He was nervous? It was stupid, but the simple gesture threw him through a loop. Trying to pull his mind away from thinking whether his hands were too sweaty, Andrew scrambled for something to say.


    ¡°So¡­ it was a farmhouse you spotted way out here, right?¡± Andrew asked. Natalie glanced over at him without breaking pace.


    ¡°You saw it then¡­¡± she mumbled. He saw a taint of conflict on her face before she looked onwards. ¡°We got lucky. The wolves stopped chasing us once she entered this wheat field. Had that not happened, I¡¯m not sure I would have been able to¡ª¡±


    Andrew squeezed her hand, stopping her ramblings.


    ¡°You took a gamble, and it worked out. Thinking about what could have been is a waste of time,¡± he said. Slowing down, Natalie turned back to him for a moment before taking a composed breath and nodding.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said, picking up her pace.


    ¡°I take it Sophie and Flynn are talking to the landowners,¡± he said. Natalie nodded. As they reached the end of the fields of wheat, however, Natalie stopped abruptly, making him almost crash into her back. Before he could ask, she let go of his hand and was off running onwards without him.

 Chapter 25: A Reluctant Protector

    Natalie


    Before they reached the end of the fields of wheat, Natalie could already hear them shouting. Gritting her teeth, she increased her pace just before reaching a low fence a few paces away from where Sophie and Flynn stood. Her angel sight allowed her to more clearly see in the night, so she signalled Andrew to ease up his pace as she tried to gauge what was going on. She made another mental count of how many people, besides Sophie and Flynn, she saw behind the fence.


    She counted three, all of them within the confines of the farmhouse. One of them was up on the second floor, the second one spoke to them from what Natalie assumed was the letterbox of the farmhouse. The last one stood atop the roof, shouting warnings down at their travel partners.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Andrew asked. Just as he asked, the sounds of the strangers reached them as they shouted louder. Seeing that it answered his question, Natalie went back to silently observing.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you a warning!¡± the voice on top of the roof shouted. It spoke over the words that came from the one speaking through the letterbox. Besides knowing it was a woman¡¯s voice, she could not decipher anything else. The other one atop the roof must be a girl, perhaps her age, Natalie guessed. Soon she began to get a grasp of the situation. In an effort to escape the wolves, they stumbled upon a small family. Cursing under his breath, Andrew began to limp onwards. Natalie was about to question the act, but thought better of it. He was right, no point hiding in the shadows. It will only make them seem more suspicious. Better to rip the band-aid off things swiftly. Just as they came out, however, the girl atop the roof pulled something from her back and peeked over the roof to see them from up high. She pointed it straight at Flynn and Sophie, and¡ª


    ¡°Look out!¡± Natalie tried to make it up to them on time, only to be knocked down as Andrew crashed into her. Natalie heard a thud as an arrowhead hit the earth right where she stood. Her mind was slow at the realisation of how fast the girl switched targets until Andrew pulled her back up onto her feet. They were under attack. The girl¡ªno, the hunters atop the roof¡ªknocking another arrow.


    ¡°That was your warning shot,¡± a voice boomed from directly behind them, putting Natalie on full alert. Turning behind herself using angel sight, she saw no threat¡ªnothing except for an arrowhead sticking out of the grass. ¡°My next one won¡¯t miss!¡± a voice, the same girl¡¯s voice from the arrowhead, came from on top of the roof.


    ¡°Voice projection,¡± Sophie whispered. She and Flynn had already drawn their weapons.


    Her eyes remained transfixed on the roof as she spoke. ¡°We are dealing with somebody highly proficient in their affinity. Be on your guard.¡±


    ¡°And it had to be another Gale user,¡± Andrew huffed. Still confused about how the girl did what she did, Natalie got back to her feet.


    ¡°I warned you,¡± the other voice behind the front door said.


    ¡°Move away from the door!¡± the girl up top said. Sophie attempted to move forward, but the girl up top¡¯s stern voice snapped at her. ¡°We are giving you one last warning! If you don¡¯t want things to get ugly, then I suggest you take it and leave!¡±


    Liar, she counted three people in the building. Nothing had changed since running off to find Andrew. Natalie only realised that she said it aloud when Sophie looked at her in surprise.


    Oops¡­ Sophie¡¯s head tilted to one side. She had said that one aloud, too.


    ¡°We were trying to reach Progmanfest, but wolves have attacked us!¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°Then perhaps you¡¯ve earned their wrath,¡±


    ¡°Now hold on a sec, how can you¡ª¡± the sudden updraft cut Andrew off. It was nowhere near as intense as the wolves, but it was still enough to make all four of them fall back to back and be on the lookout for the beasts.


    ¡°The wolves have long shared a bond with us. They protect us and the village!¡±


    ¡°You come from Progmanfest?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Through my control of the winds, I¡¯ve been blessed to speak directly to our guardians! At my signal, I can have them rush down from Mt. Karaki in a blink to finish what they started!¡± The wind bellowed, and for a moment, Natalie thought she could hear the wolves howl within them.


    ¡°She ain¡¯t bluffing,¡± Andrew whispered. ¡°This feeling, I can¡¯t explain it, but she¡¯s doing¡­ something.¡± Sophie looked back at Andrew and her in silent regard.


    ¡°You have three seconds, three¡­¡± cursing to herself, Natalie was about to pull Andrew back away until Sophie put out a hand.


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to go through with it,¡± Sophie said. Seconds passed, and the final countdown did not come. Sophie¡¯s smile widened. ¡°They¡¯ve been acting out of line recently. Something about that has not only caused your people a lot of trouble. But you¡¯re worried that it may be something even you cannot control.¡± Silence again. Sophie took a careful step forward.


    ¡°We just need shelter from the wolves. Your barn will do if you don¡¯t trust us,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°No,¡± the girl above the roof snapped.


    ¡°Why not?¡± the woman behind the door said. Strangely enough, the question was directed at the archer.


    ¡°They¡¯ll walk off with the horses,¡± she said.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have any horses, and besides sleeping on it, I can¡¯t see what they¡¯d do with all the hay,¡± the woman behind the front door continued. The girl on the roof went silent for a while. Natalie saw her unstring an arrow from her bow as she rose to her feet and shook her head.


    ¡°Are you trying to give me extra work?¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Am I wrong to trust them?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of trust, it¡¯s just¡­¡± the girl sighed before looking back up at them. ¡°You need to go.¡±


    ¡°We can help you,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t get out of my line of sight soon, don¡¯t blame me for what I may do next.¡±


    ¡°Come Sophie,¡± Flynn whispered in her ear as he turned to hold her shoulder. A long moment later, Sophie relented as she turned to move away from the house. Natalie took one last look at the girl on the roof. She¡¯d stopped, aiming her bow at them as she watched them all in silence.


    ¡°Come on, you two,¡± Flynn sighed. He¡¯d already walked past them as he made his way beside Sophie. Grumbling to himself, Andrew turned to catch up with the others. As they got further away from the house, the wolf¡¯s howls echoed from atop the looming top of Mt. Karaki, making Andrew freeze in place. Natalie stopped her advance to look back at him. She could feel the frustration building within.


    ¡°What now?¡± she asked. Flynn and Sophie slowed their pace also as they turned to listen in. Gritting his teeth, Andrew shook his head as he walked past Natalie and the others. There was nothing they could do. To force the girl whose job was to protect this farm to provide shelter for them was asking too much. It was understandable given the circumstance. Still¡­


    ¡°Guess we can camp just beyond the fields tonight,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°The wolves still roam the fields,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch tonight,¡± Andrew said. He seemed lost in thought. His words were an afterthought to the current conversation, making Natalie frown.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± She asked. Andrew blinked before he saw her. Natalie¡¯s concern deepened. Seeing this, Andrew sighed to himself before picking up his pace. Soon, passing both Flynn and Sophie, he looked as if he¡¯d continue walking until Flynn spoke up.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± he said. Andrew slowed down before turning to regard them all, one by one.


    ¡°You still trust my judgement?¡± Andrew asked. Sophie and Flynn looked at each other for a moment before chuckling to themselves.


    ¡°Are you asking because of how we almost became wolf food? It¡¯s not as if you did that for shits and giggles,¡± Flynn said. ¡°And despite everything, none of us got seriously hurt. Not bad for our first venture together.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°-You¡¯ve got your heart in the right place, so tell me; after the mishap and the adrenaline has gone past, do you feel like your head is now in the right place?¡± Flynn cut in, his tone serious. Andrew looked down as he contemplated his words before sighing to himself.


    ¡°I think so,¡± he looked back at the farmhouse behind them. The whole thing could hide behind Natalie¡¯s outstretched thumb from where they stood now. It was hard to tell from here, but it seemed like the mother was back on the second floor with her son, since she could only see two figures of light within the house. The girl was still on the roof, and although Natalie had not been watching them the whole time, she was certain that she had not moved since. That gave Natalie pause. Besides the moon, it was a dark night. Had Natalie not had her angel sight, then she too could not see the girl on the roof from where she now stood. It was possible that the girl¡¯s eyes were keen enough to see them from there. Archers typically had keen eyes. Despite how far they distanced themselves from the house, that likelihood concerned her a little.


    If she can still see us from there, does that mean she can shoot at us from there too? It was not impossible. To be on the safe side, they should continue this conversation once out of sight from the house, or at the very least, while still on the move. It was just as Natalie had these thoughts that Andrew walked back towards the house, only to pull out his sword and stab it deep into the earth.


    ¡°We should set up camp right here,¡± he said.


    ¡°You want to get shot with arrows?¡± Flynn asked.


    ¡°Keep walking,¡± the girl on the roof¡¯s voice bellowed near them. Natalie turned towards the sound, but nothing stood out to her, at least not at first. Just a few paces from them stood an arrowhead, half-buried into the earth. It landed between them and the house itself. Understanding that her amplified voice came from the arrow she had shot, Natalie slowly looked back at the others. They also held the same expression.


    ¡°You called her bluff about summoning the wolves, right?¡± Andrew looked at Sophie. ¡°Any reason you were so sure that would work?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like I was completely sure,¡± Sophie huffed. Soon after, however, she relented and appeared to be thinking.


    ¡°You could say that it was partly because the woman behind the door did not sound as tense as the girl on the roof was about our presence. Their take on the situation was almost night and day. It did not match up. Even after she threatened to summon the wolves down, the woman behind the door did not seem to address that as something to be all too worried about. Otherwise, why still opt for us to sleep in the barn?¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Even though the woman behind the door trusts the girl enough to let her speak, it did not seem like she had the final say in anything,¡± Andrew mused.


    ¡°No funny ideas,¡± the girl with the bow voice boomed over them once more. This time, the arrow landed just beyond them and the house. This one was to show that she could still reach them. Sophie and Flynn noticed it, too. However, Andrew was too lost in thought to care about the threat they were under.


    ¡°And what was the other reason?¡± Natalie asked. She forced herself to look away from Andrew and instead look at the person she was now talking to. Sophie, in return, gave a clueless ¡®hmm¡¯ in response to her question.


    ¡°You said that was partly the reason, so what was the rest of it?¡± Natalie said. Sophie simply smiled.


    ¡°Oh, that? Let¡¯s just call that very good intuition for now,¡± she winked. Natalie frowned, but just as she was about to call her out on how she avoided the question, she remembered that she, too, was also keeping secrets from them. Clenching her arm tightly, she bit her tongue as the others continued talking.


    ¡°You¡¯re likely correct in your assumption that this huntress won¡¯t shoot us. Attacking one of us four alone is simply asking for trouble she cannot afford to handle. But they did tell us to get off their property. If they decide to enforce their rights, we won¡¯t have any grounds to stand on,¡± Sophie said. Andrew grinned to himself.


    ¡°True, except as things stand now, they have no means to contact the village to get back up, right? Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. They cannot protect themselves effectively. And that¡¯s exactly why we must camp here,¡± Andrew said.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Is this what you want?¡± Natalie asked. Andrew gave a sideways glance.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one who thinks this,¡± he said. Natalie looked away. She could not deny it¡­ still.


    But why do you want to do this, now of all times? Natalie had a hunch, but she wanted to talk to him in person to confirm it.


    ¡°Honesty,¡± Sophie shook her head as she chuckled to herself. ¡°I was going to see if I could not convince you to stake camp just beyond their line of sight for the same reason. But doing so right in the open like this, it¡¯s¡­¡± She looked at the arrow that fell just beyond where they stood.


    ¡°But it¡¯s bold! For that alone I approve!¡± Flynn finished.


    ¡°It¡¯s reckless,¡± Sophie said, glaring back up at Flynn. ¡°Getting the village authorities on us over something like this could do us more harm than good in the long run.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a dumb idea?¡± Andrew asked. Sophie reluctantly shook her head.


    ¡°My proposal was to break the rules in a place where they cannot see us break them. But I suppose if we are to disobey boundaries anyway, it¡¯s best to do it in the open.¡±


    ¡°With all of us staying in the open, they won¡¯t have to worry about us pretending that we left, only to circle back around and ambush them later on,¡± Flynn mused. Natalie nodded.


    ¡°Being out in the open is better than them imagining where we might be hiding. Right?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°Right! So, are we all cool with watching over this place for the night?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°No objections here!¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°The wolves are less likely to ambush us this close to the farmhouse. Unless she summons them, this is the safest place we can rest at, given everything,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Doubt anything¡¯s going to happen anyway,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°True enough,¡± Andrew yawned. ¡°Still, camping here would really take the load off my mind.¡± He deliberately slumped down on the ground. ¡°WELP! I¡¯m off to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Wait! You said that ¡®you¡¯ will take your first watch!¡± Flynn said. Andrew shifted his back to Flynn for dramatic effect.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Flynn! I¡¯ll take first watch,¡± Natalie protested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch,¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°You guys rest up while we keep ourselves busy.¡± Flynn nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll trade with you at first light,¡± Flynn said. With that, he and Sophie retreated to a spot nearby before laying down. Soon after that, all fell still around them. With nothing but the silent, looming mountain as company between them, Natalie walked on over to sit next to Andrew, with her knees tucked to her chin, looking deep into Andrew¡¯s eyes, wishing not for the first time what he was thinking about right now.


    ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± Andrew said. He rubbed at it for a while before realising that she was staring at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine! In all honesty, I¡¯m more worried about freezing out here. Do you think they¡¯d mind if we borrowed some of their firewood?¡± He rose to his feet. No sooner had he taken three steps back towards the house when something shifted in the corner of Natalie¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Andrew!¡± his body reacted before she knew it. She knew that the girl on the roof shot another arrow, and Andrew had chosen now, of all times, to leave his sword behind. Shielding Andrew, Natalie braced herself for any incoming arrows. Andrew had already been injured, and he couldn¡¯t defend himself properly without his sword. It would be better for everyone if the arrow struck her instead.


    ¡°A message?¡± Andrew said nonchalantly. Blinking, Natalie looked back at him. Andrew simply looked up at the sky and at her with calm anticipation.


    ¡°She shot an arrow; it could¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cross paths with this arrow, and see what happens!¡± the girl¡¯s voice boomed. She sounded... peeved.


    She doesn¡¯t have the right to feel annoyed! The arrowhead landed about ten feet beyond them. The arrow would have struck Andrew¡¯s foot if it had not angled off to his right.


    ¡°So I guess that¡¯s a bust,¡± Andrew mumbled to himself. Natalie blinked.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I thought that walking over there with no weapon might improve her mood. Guess I was wrong.¡± Natalie just maintained her glare at him as he prattled on. ¡°And I really wanted to collect some firewood, too. Say, do you think she¡¯s able to hear us through the arrows?¡± He circled back before sitting down against his sword once more. His prattling continued until Natalie drowned it out to really look at him. What she saw both annoyed and upset her.


    So¡­ you¡¯re going to keep avoiding talking about your old home with me? As the urge to grill him on that fact surfaced, Natalie averted her gaze from him. ¡°Like I¡¯m the one to talk.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re doing here,¡± Natalie said, folding her arms, trying to contain her own frustrations. Andrew looked up at her, baffled.


    ¡°You mean almost walking into that arrow just now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Standing guard here without asking, wanting nothing in return for the act. You could say that it¡¯s selfless.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly all that thoughtless when¡ª¡±


    ¡°-You¡¯re right; we hardly gave it much thought at all.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see where this is going.¡±


    ¡°You see where ¡®what¡¯ is going, Andrew?¡±


    ¡°I gave this plenty of thought, okay, and I...¡± Andrew said, a sigh escaping his mouth as he looked down at his feet. ¡°That one looking out the window. That was a kid, right?¡± Natalie nodded. ¡°I was that kid once. Once upon a time, I watched my father leaving home from up high, and... well, it sounds stupid, but even if standing here turns out to be for no reason at all, then at least it will help me find peace¡­¡± Natalie nodded to herself, already finding words for the things Andrew struggled to express.


    ¡°Helping them helps you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Not surprised?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°I had a hunch,¡± Natalie said. Andrew snorted at that.


    ¡°Can you blame a guy for wanting peace of mind?¡± he said. Natalie simply pinched her arm, deep frustration surfacing.


    ¡®A peace of mind.¡¯ In a funny way, it¡¯s one of the bigger things that kept her focused on her own journey to stop the stars of halo. It took her a while to realise it, but her willingness to help the needy suffering under the same people as she had was the itch she¡¯d been unknowingly trying to scratch. Seeing it manifest within Andrew put a new perspective on her own actions. One that she dared not dwell upon in passing.


    If they had not captured me, would I even care about the stars of Halo? Would I even be here?them, She had told herself that she differed from everyone else¡ªthat she would be one of the few who¡¯d still try to stop them, regardless of her personal grievances. Because it was the right thing to do. But no matter how many times she told herself this, the questions continued to rear their ugly heads. Whatever the reason, all Natalie could count on now was the outcome. Yes, as long as the outcome of her actions was good then¡­


    ¡°...there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I¡¯d say that it¡¯s praiseworthy,¡± she said.


    ¡°Wanting peace of mind is hardly worth praising,¡± he said. Shaking his head, he turned away from Natalie. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to cheer me up. I appreciate it, but you don¡¯t have to say something like that just to make me feel better.¡± He was wrong. She had said that for her own benefit, her own peace of mind. A lie she swallowed to justify her own selfish actions. Even in her honest efforts to help Andrew reconcile and rest, she couldn¡¯t help but make it about her. After everything Andrew had given¡ªeverything he had sacrificed for her quest. And yet, she could not even help him in his time of need.


    ¡°I¡¯m the last person on earth to talk.¡± With a heavy heart, Natalie turned her back to Andrew.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on the mountain,¡± she said. ¡°If you won¡¯t sleep, then keep an eye out for what approaches behind us.¡± She had hardly taken five steps when Andrew spoke up.


    ¡°Whenever I fall asleep, I see her,¡± he sighed. Natalie¡¯s eyes widened. Taking a careful breath, she turned to regard him.


    ¡°Your mother?¡± she said. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly been ten years, and yet I¡¯ve nearly forgotten what she looks like.¡± He looked up at the clear night sky, perhaps more out of guilt than a sense of whimsy. Struck by an ache of sympathy, Natalie walked over to Andrew before sitting across from him. Andrew had never spoken about his mother to her before. And although he looked crestfallen, Natalie could not help but hold a bittersweet smile for him. To remember your loved-ones was a blessing. If only he knew just how lucky he was to know that someone out there had a place open for him where he could belong.


    Hugging her knees to her chest, Natalie tried to recall her own parents. Those memories only deepened her own empathy towards him. It was a cycle of emotions: happy that Andrew chose to open up to her but also conflicted as she was once more stuck recalling what she¡¯d lost. She wanted to hug him, to tell him that everything would be okay. Instead, Natalie hugged her legs a bit tighter. Andrew, that blessed fool, must have realised that talking about his family reminded Natalie of her own because he perked up suddenly, as if snapping out of his lament. As thankful as Natalie was for Andrew¡¯s consideration, she fixed him with a stern glare. Though it would open old wounds, she had to accept them, endure them, for Andrew¡¯s sake. With that thought strong in her mind, she put her own pain aside to comfort him.


    ¡°Tell me more about your mother, Trisha. What is she like?¡±


    ¡°You remembered her name?¡± he replied, confusion etched all over his features. He scratched his deadlocked hair as he chuckled dryly. ¡°I must have only mentioned her by name twice¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªYou¡¯ve only told me the one time.¡±


    ¡°Was it back on that wall over the Inn?¡±


    ¡°Stop changing the subject, Andrew,¡± Andrew bit his lip regarding her before sighing.


    ¡°Ok¡­ then, what do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about your mother and Aqua Falls. I want to hear about the many rivers that wash over the slopes of your homeland. Tell me about the lifestyle of the townspeople who live in the safest place in the world. I hear once that they are prideful but¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªPrideful?¡± Andrew asked. Natalie nodded.


    ¡°Was that one heresy?¡± Andrew twisted his lip to one side for a moment.


    ¡°I would not say ¡®prideful¡¯...¡± he said carefully. Natalie could not help but smile.


    ¡°I want to hear you explain them in your own words,¡± she said.


    ¡°Right now?¡±


    ¡°Paint me a picture of a place that was once your whole world.¡± She needed to hear it now, to get used to the idea that he may one day no longer be with her, that he, unlike her, had a home to return to. He paused and looked at her for a while. Something unreadable painted his features before he looked back at the sky in defeat.


    ¡°Honestly, Natalie, what in the cycle¡¯s name has got into you today? Fine, fine! I¡¯ll talk, but nothing as fluffy or fancy as all that. And I¡¯m only going to talk about one of those things. Memories of my mother are hazy enough as is. You¡¯re going to have to see the town for yourself once we get there.¡± With Natalie¡¯s nod, Andrew closed his eyes as if in meditation. As he tried his best to summon the memory before him, she fell silent until a chuckle escaped his lips.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to tell, really? She was just... there for me. She had this thing where she¡¯d always treat me to a sweet drink after I finished my dinners. Grape soda quickly became my all-time favourite,¡± he chuckled to himself then. Natalie could not help but bask in his revelry. Both smiling, their eyes met for a moment. And just like that, all her troubles felt a million miles away. She was pleased to find that not all memories of families had to leave her hurt. That gave her strength. As she accepted this, however, Andrew¡¯s smile thinned.


    ¡°Choosing to go with Dad and leaving Mum behind was a mistake. I didn¡¯t realise I was never coming back until I had been travelling for a week with him. That was rough. By the time I realised that I¡¯d never see Mum again, I¡ª¡± he trailed off, shaking his head. Natalie¡¯s eyes narrowed. She knew where this was going.


    ¡°Teacher Shinichi is a good man. I¡¯m sure he had his reasons for what he did,¡± she said. If only he¡¯d realised how much of a blessing it was to still have both his parents alive. Natalie would rather have her parents alive but separated than together, but dead.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair; But not even I really know his reasons. He barely talked about Mum since the day he left. She must have already been dead to him. Guess he and I have that much in common.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, and you know it,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°I pushed her from my memory like some old relic. And now here I am trying to swoop in and play hero. Honestly, I¡¯m more worse than he is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things,¡±


    Andrew looked unconvinced as he shook his head.


    ¡°Thanks for the comfort, but I don¡¯t need it. All that I¡¯ve said is true.¡± Andrew bowed his head in pity.


    ¡°Flynn mentioned that they¡¯d been travelling non-stop before running into us, and I ignored it. Now look at what happened.¡± Natalie, for one, was starting to grow a tad annoyed at seeing Andrew feeling sorry for himself. Sure, she understood his worry, but all the self-pity was not going to help him or his mother. Andrew sighed to himself, unaware of the tempest whirling within Natalie¡¯s chest.


    ¡°This is going to sound stupid,¡± he continued. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to face them two.¡±


    ¡°You can start by shutting up and getting some sleep,¡± Natalie said. Andrew looked at Natalie with a sideways glance, his eyes narrowed in bafflement. Natalie just shrugged her shoulders. ¡°You told me not to comfort you.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Andrew awkwardly scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Walked into that one, huh?¡± he sighed calmly, the sombre aura around him lessened somewhat.


    ¡°Light way of putting it,¡± she shot back.


    Andrew glared at Natalie with an unamused expression. Natalie just sniffed. Soon after, however, Andrew looked off to the spot that Sophie and Flynn gazed at with distant eyes.


    ¡°What do you think of them?¡± he said.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°Both of them, I guess,¡± Andrew said. Natalie, now looking at them, shrugged to herself.


    ¡°You had a lot more time with Flynn, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So...?¡±


    ¡°Do you trust him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Andrew said with a nod. It was as if he was just coming to acknowledge it himself. ¡°He says it how he sees it.¡± Natalie nodded in agreement. Though she did not know him like that, she knew enough people to know that it was hard to lie about his kind of persona. Just a strong and upbeat guy.


    ¡°And what about Sophie?¡± Andrew asked. Natalie¡¯s eyes darkened at the mention of the rune smith.


    ¡°What about her?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been around her the longest between us.¡±


    ¡°Sophie is kind of... crafty. Back at the tavern, she talked circles around me. I get the feeling it won¡¯t be her last.¡± Natalie saw Andrew leaning forward a little as he weighed her words.


    ¡°Do you trust her?¡± Andrew finally asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± She was a little surprised at how easily the answer came, despite what she had said. Was it her fondness for the rune smiths of Hallow Peak changing her words?


    ¡°Even though she¡¯s being ¡®crafty¡¯?¡± Andrew asked. Natalie looked over again at the spot between the two sleeping westerners. Using her purple eyes, she cut through the darkness surrounding them. Flynn and Sophie were fast asleep. And even though they had plenty of room, they slept rather close to each other. The weather was not cold enough to warrant needing to huddle up. Her eyebrows rose a little.


    A couple then, the fact that they were likely a couple, did not really surprise her. It was just...


    For how close they are, I¡¯d hardly seen them speak a word to each other. In their presence, Sophie and Flynn had shared more words between her and Andrew than they had with each other. There was nothing wrong with that, and not once did that fact cause any issue among them. It just stood out to her as strange. Feeling that she was intruding, Natalie closed her eyes and deactivated her angel¡¯s sight, allowing total darkness to envelop her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve been forthcoming with our own affairs,¡± Natalie said. Folding her arms to her chest, she looked at Andrew. ¡°I trust them. I think she honestly wants to get us to Aqua Falls to help your mum before her own mission, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they know the best way to make that happen.¡±


    ¡°They never asked you about your eyes, did they?¡± Andrew asked. It was a rhetorical question she knew. Natalie still shook her head.


    ¡°They¡¯d pushed themselves racing across the desert to catch us. Almost died tonight, and the first thing they did when we escaped the wolves was apologise for being a burden.¡± That¡¯s perhaps the biggest thing that swayed Natalie into feeling like she can trust them so easily. She owed them that much¡­ right? Nodding to himself, Andrew leaned to one side.


    ¡°Chasing my own problems almost cost them their lives,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°I think they see it the other way around, the responsibility part at least,¡± Natalie said. Grimacing, Andrew shook his head to himself. Natalie agreed. This was on them, no matter how they sliced it. And even though their take on events spoke of their kind and responsible nature, it still bothered Natalie. Sighing to herself, Natalie forced those thoughts aside. They served them no purpose for now.


    ¡°Get some rest; it will be pointless to show up at your mother¡¯s house looking like a hollowed-out husk only to find that nothing bad has happened,¡± she said. Andrew sighed.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Aqua Falls is one of the few places in the known world that¡¯s remained demon-free. There is no place safer from an attack than there,¡± she continued.


    ¡°I get it already! I¡¯ll try to rest. Happy?¡± he said, exasperated. With a nod to herself, Natalie walked towards Mt. Karaki.


    ¡°Aqua Falls won¡¯t become another Lucas. I swear it.¡± Had she said that before? Either way, she¡¯d said it not just for him, but for herself. As she got to her post and looked up at the peerless mountain, Natalie resolved to put her issues aside to best help Andrew, just like he¡¯d done for her all these years.


    It¡¯s the least I can do¡­ For starters, she will gather some firewood, and then confront the girl who fired arrows at them. Natalie had no plan of hurting her. She only wanted to scare her a little, make her think twice about trying a stunt like that around Andrew and the others ever again¡­

 Chapter 26: Shifting Minds

    Andrew


    He woke from a dream of his mother again. Sunlight had barely bled through his closed eyes as it rose from over the horizon, but that was not what drew Andrew¡¯s attention right now. In his dream, her mother had been talking about random things she¡¯d been up to for as long as he could remember, food shopping, the best time to pluck potatoes from the earth, how to keep watch over a large farmhouse with only six people.


    Potatoes? Farmhouse? Six people? His dream collapsed as his better senses caught up to him. The strange talk her mother was having about a farm blended into an ongoing conversation a woman was having.


    Not my mother¡¯s then¡­ it did not sound like hers or even Natalie¡¯s. Sophie did not fit the cadence either.


    ¡°-We¡¯d often start around this time of year, though it¡¯s been slow going,¡± she continued. Andrew recognised the voice now. It came from the woman who spoke behind the door last night. She was in the middle of having a pleasant chat with Sophie. But¡­


    But what was she doing out here? He¡¯d thought that if the girl on the roof did not shoot them dead in their sleep, then she¡¯d at least keep everyone in the house as far away from them as possible. It was then that Andrew caught the whiff of something that turned his empty stomach into growling knots. Andrew''s stomach growled so loudly, he was surprised the woman didn''t stop talking to look at him and-


    ¡°-is¡­ something the matter?¡± the woman asked. Sophie must have heard him. Andrew dared not move a muscle.


    ¡°You¡¯ve not had it easy,¡± Sophie said. She continued the conversation as if she had never dropped it.


    ¡°It¡¯s been tough,¡± the woman sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that Gracie is watching over us.¡±


    ¡°You mean the archer? ¡° Sophie asked. The woman must have nodded since she continued onwards without confirmation.


    ¡°He promised to be back the same day. It¡¯s been three days since then. If she¡¯d left with my husband along with the others¡­¡± He could imagine the woman looking off into the distance, eyes heavy with worries. ¡°She doesn¡¯t say it, but she¡¯s also worried about her folks, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°She has every reason to leave here and fight alongside them,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°And yet she remains here,¡± Sophie said to herself. ¡°No wonder why she seems so¡­ prickly.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a sweet girl. She¡¯s just got a lot on her plate at the moment. Don¡¯t take her approach to how she handled your guys too personally. If we¡¯d known that you are a Rune Smith sooner than-¡±


    ¡°-Like I said, it¡¯s ok. She did the right thing.¡± those words seemed to have removed some tension in the air Andrew was unaware existed until then.


    ¡°I just thought I¡¯d best mention it before your long stares from across the field cause a full-on storm.¡± She laughed nervously.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still uncomfortable, then we can leave,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Nonsense! This has got nothing to do with trust-not anymore! It¡¯s just¡­¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°Even knowing that you are not a threat does not lessen the burden of our current situation.¡±


    ¡°You said that your husband had to rush to the village. What happened?¡± Sophie asked. Andrew could feel the empathy in her voice. As if she took those words more to heart than even the mother herself.


    ¡°Beyond going to the village about the wolves¡¯ odd behaviour, I¡¯m not sure. No news had reached us since he left.¡±


    ¡°So this change just sprung out of nowhere?¡± Sophie asked. The farm woman sighed soon after.


    ¡°It¡¯s been like this for months now.¡± She said. ¡°First the traders outside our village stopped taking the main road, then reports of wolves coming down Mt.Karaki spread. I dismissed them as an odd seasonal phase until we consistently heard wolves howling near our land. Ever since then, things have just got worse.¡±


    ¡°And nobody¡¯s done anything about it?¡± Sophie said. That may have been the most surprising sound he¡¯d ever heard Sophie sound.


    ¡°We told them what was going on. We¡¯d asked them for a little more security on the farm, just in case. Instead, they issued an order to bring back all active hunters. My husband went there to argue our point. Had Gracie listened also, it would just be me here with my son.¡±


    ¡°What could have changed so much that they¡¯d abandon you like this?¡±


    ¡°It might have something to do with that fancy new machine that the dragons issued to watch over us¡­ I forgot its name,¡±


    ¡°Sentinel,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one! The village made a deal with the empire for its protection. I¡¯d often seen it pro-trolling on up high. Scary how fast it can move through the sky. Like some soulless giant eagle. I told Colt that we cannot trust them.¡±


    ¡°Did it cause any trouble?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It did worse than that! Right when it could have been good for something, it just wandered off! The council spoke high about the wisdom incorporating the Dragon¡¯s technology into our daily lives would be. But I say bargained the fool¡¯s choice with this one.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea which way it went?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It apparently flew northward,¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Sophie said, again she sounded troubled. Andrew¡¯s blood froze.


    ¡±Colt promised that he¡¯d be back once he¡¯d understood the situation,¡± Andrew heard her voice crack just at the end. A pang of pain hit him suddenly as he imagined his own mother crying, standing there in wait for him and father to come home. Ten years, and what has he got to show for it? The sound of the farm lady sniffing back tears pulled him back to the now.


    ¡°Sorry. it¡¯s just, I have this bad feeling,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head over to the village soon, see for myself what¡¯s happening. Maybe find your husband in the meantime.¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Will all of you be going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not yet sure,¡± Sophie said. ¡°But if you feel it¡¯s safer with some of us here, then we will work something out. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± a sigh of relief and silence followed as Andrew heard footfalls coming towards him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Gracie the good news,¡± the farm lady said, her voice more distant.


    ¡°If I run into Colt, is there anything you want me to relay to him?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Ask him what¡¯s the holdup,¡± she huffed. ¡°And Chase misses him.¡± mumbled soon after. Andrew heard her footfalls fade off into the distance. Hearing her leave, Andrew could finally-


    ¡°-I know you¡¯re awake,¡± Sophie said. Andrew sighed a moment before shrugging to himself. He opened his eyes to see Sophie gazing down at him. With the wisp of an amused smile on her lips, she nodded her chin to something behind him. Turning over, he sees a small assortment of food and fruits all just within arm¡¯s range.


    Grabbing an apple, Andrew rubbed it on his vest. Before he could bite into it, he noticed the ashen remains of a previously burning campfire. He recalled trying to gather sticks to make one. A warning shot from the huntress atop the roof stopped him¡­ didn¡¯t it? Uncertain, and eyes unmoving from the burned-out campfire, Andrew took a careful bite of the apple. The sweet twang of the fruit kicked his senses into order.


    ¡°No ¡®good morning?¡° Sophie said, distracting him from his running thoughts.


    ¡°I figured you knew,¡± Andrew said between munching. ¡°Not like I was trying to hide it from you,¡± Sophie simply replied with a chipper ¡®mhhmm¡¯.


    ¡°How long did you know?¡± Andrew asked. Sophie simply smiled as he took another bite from his apple.


    ¡°I know I won¡¯t need to repeat the important parts again,¡± she said.


    ¡°This part was not important?¡± The spread of food the lady gave them was generous indeed. A piece of roasted lamb sat on a large plate surrounded by onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and roast potatoes. And although it was on one tray, there was enough on there for all of them.


    ¡°This was Iris¡¯s way of saying sorry for last night, as well as thanking us,¡± Sophie said. Slowly eating his apple, Andrew nodded to himself.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say we did anything worth thanking,¡± Andrew said. His stomach, however, rumbled in rebellion. Sophie raised an eyebrow as Andrew frowned his lips before nodding to himself. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m not above a tasty gift every once in a while, ¡°As Sophie chuckled, Andrew tore a small piece of lamb and ate.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡± He chewed.


    ¡°Natalie went to sleep an hour ago. Flynn¡¯s over there. He¡¯s taken over Natalie¡¯s watch. I came to relieve you of your duties, but it seems like you relived yourselves of them for some time now.¡± Andrew grunted. Even if Natalie had said that it was okay for him to rest, that did not wash away the shame he felt at being caught slacking. Between his rumbling gut and being caught sleeping, they¡¯d think that he lacked the discipline to do anything. Feeling shame reach his face, Andrew scratched the back of his dreadlocked hair in slight frustration.


    ¡°It had been a long day, ¡° he said.


    ¡°Indeed, it had been an arduous day for all of us.¡± Sophie nodded reassuringly. ¡°But to fall asleep whilst on guard duty is-¡±


    ¡°-Natalie and me, we have this system and¡­¡° stropping his shoulders, he sighed. No excuses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡°


    ¡°So long as it works then I don¡¯t care how you go about things, just¡­ let me know in advance next time, ok?¡± Andrew nodded, it was fair. They were travelling with them now, after all. Finishing his apple, Andrew looked longingly at the meat and potatoes on the plate. He thought that he would be ok for now, but eating the apple somehow made that smell more enticing. Just as he was about to reach for it, however, Andrew stopped himself.


    ¡°Me and Natalie sometimes eat at different times because of one reason or another.¡± it was mostly true. He was not sure how to explain Natalie¡¯s lack of hunger to Sophie right now. Sophie looked at Andrew silently, an unreadable expression etched on her face. For a second, Andrew thought he was the one on the plate being diced and quartered. Like she¡¯d cut him open and was dissecting what he was. Right then, he could not help but recall again what Natalie had said about Sophie.


    ¡°Sophie is kind of crafty,¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Andrew continued. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it honestly, just thought I¡¯d let you know.¡±


    ¡°Intriguing,¡± Sophie said, which drew Andrew¡¯s eyes into a frown.


    ¡°What¡¯s intriguing?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Nothing, I won¡¯t pray.¡± That cheeky grin was back on her face now. It was the kind that made you stop what you were doing to check if there was something funny stuck to your face.


    ¡°More pressing than that is who¡¯ll come to the village with me. Although they have Gracie, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll agree we cannot leave them alone like this,¡± Sophie said. Carefully taking a piece of meat from the tray, Andrew nods. Maybe he could trust Sophie like Natalie clearly had, but that would not make him any less suspect of her every word she uttered.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve already nominated yourself?¡± he asked. She nodded.


    ¡°There are a number of things I hope to arrange when I get there, gather news on Aqua Falls, as well as hiring a boat to reach there.¡±


    ¡°Then why not go with Flynn?¡±


    ¡°It would make the most sense on a normal day. But this way will benefit all of us a lot more.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡°


    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to trust me on this one, Andrew,¡° Sophie smiled. Again, Andrew fought the urge to touch his face.


    ¡°Cool, then I¡¯ll stay here and keep watch with Flynn,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh come now, you cannot pretend that you are not a little curious,¡± Sophie said.


    I am very curious!


    ¡°Not really,¡± Andrew said, ¡°As long as it helps me keep my word and get to Aqua Falls soon, then I¡¯m fine missing a few details.¡± Sophie pouted.


    ¡°You are no fun,¡± she said. Andrew simply turned the piece of lamb around in his hand. His mind awash with thoughts.


    ¡°Their father is not here to watch over them.¡± Andrew began. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine their ¡®trust¡¯ in us came out from complete freedom of choice.¡° Faced with being out here with little protection or the risk of accepting help from strangers was almost no choice at all. The meat in his mouth suddenly tasted bitter.


    I left mum alone for ten years¡­


    ¡°Least I can do is hang around until either this blows over,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Sophie sighed. Although Andrew kept most of his thoughts to himself, he still got the feeling that Sophie truly understood what he was saying.


    ¡°Besides, maybe this way you can talk to Natalie about what you saw¡­¡± Andrew made an effort to continue eating as he said it. He did not want to make this out to be that big of a deal or anything. It shouldn¡¯t be in all honesty. Natalie herself made a small remark on it last night. But being with Natalie for as long as he has Andrew really wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°Ok. Then I¡¯ll ask her to come with me,¡± Sophie said. Andrew nodded, his eyes frowned soon after.


    ¡°You mentioned something about a ¡®Sentinel¡¯?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°You know of them?


    ¡°A little, never seen one though,¡± Andrew said. ¡°It¡¯s some new dragon tech, right? A machine that can apparently surpass even the most powerful pentagon knights¡¯ put on record,¡± Andrew almost chuckled as he tore a chunk of meat in slight frustration.


    ¡°You think the rumours are overblown?¡± Andrew took a moment to chew on that thought. His recollection of facing the Nova alters some preconceived notion. Yes, man-made machines indeed had strength, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll give them a point on raw strength.¡± He sighed before shaking his head. ¡°But I highly doubt that some bucket of bolts could completely outmatch us in skill and instincts,¡± the Nova he fought, no matter how strong it was. The Nova owed all its skill to the man controlling it.


    ¡°All sentinels¡¯ fighting experience comes from years of battle data collected by the D.D.W deep within the empire¡¯s home base,¡± Sophie said. Andrew paused.


    ¡°¡®D.D.W¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡®Dragon¡¯s Den of Wisdom¡¯ think of it as one giant brain that stores all ¡®pentagon knights records¡¯ as you say, with it gaining endless amounts of experience from many sentinels observing combat around the world in an instant it can process all the data it has collected and use the most optimal means to win.¡± Andrew tried to imagine looking thought countless lived experiences of battle only to feel his eyes lids drop over from sudden fatigue. Pushing the thought aside, he sniffed indifferently.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s kind of impressive,¡± he said. It came out more dismissive than he¡¯d hoped.


    ¡°Oh good, denial is the neighbour to anger,¡± she smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡° Andrew said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m just a little annoyed¡­¡° As the silence stretched on with Sophie simply watching him from the corner of his eye, he rolled his eyes and shrugged. He was not angry, but even so¡­


    ¡°It just stupid. Some bot waking up being able to do what it took years of training for us to do. I mean, I¡¯d understand if this was some type of accent high demon that could do it, but how does that make sense?¡° he said. Sophie nodded in understanding. Her smile, however, faced as she looked off towards the mountain.


    ¡°Between that and the Dragons getting a hold of two of the demon king, which one would you rather be true?¡°


    ¡°I¡¯d rather pick something else I¡¯d have a shadow of a chance of standing up to,¡° Andrew gave a side glare at Sophie. She, however, simply stropped her head in agreement.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°It is a scary thought,¡° Sophie said. ¡°They already use the demons¡¯ king¡¯s energy to power their city and recreate forgotten tech. They parade their new toy like it¡¯s some overpowered toy. Who¡¯s to say how much they achieve they keep hidden?¡° Andrew pinched his nose. No, he¡¯d rather not think about it. He was barely coming to terms with losing to Nova the other day. And the only way he could accept it was due to the fact that the Nova was ultimately controlled by a man. Hearing that a fully automated sentinel had the potential to stop him was the last thing he needed to hear right now. Sophie must have seen something about the look on his face because she gave a recent surge.


    ¡°Maybe what I said was an overblown calculation,¡± Sophie said. ¡°But they do learn fast and they don¡¯t need rest. Several iterations have come out in these last few months alone. What may have been impossible for them one day might just be improbable the next.¡± Sophie said Andrew had nothing to say, to which she nodded to herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s not sweet news, but at least now you know,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s going in the same direction as us,¡± Andrew pushed out. Recalling Sophie¡¯s worried voice when he heard this almost made him too scared to even bring it up. The reluctant silence that came soon after did not help.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably unrelated,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Probably¡­¡± Andrew agreed, he continued eating. Suddenly, Sophie rose and dusted herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wake Natale up in the evening,¡± Sophie said. Andrew nodded, knowing Natalie she¡¯d likely be up and about some time before that.


    ¡°They say that there is no better protection than the Sentinels. If its goal now is to protect your home, then you better believe that the place has likely got no better defence against trouble.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sophie,¡± Andrew said, although he grinned as she parted. Something about how she left made Andrew wonder. There was a guarded feeling about her. As if unsure of something. Although he did not know Sophie for too long, Andrew was sure that she was holding on to something. Was it about the Sentinel going east? The more he thought about their conversation, however, the less that made sense.


    ~#~


    The sun had emerged from below the horizon by the time Iris and the boy returned to talk to them, Iris apologised for how things turned out last night. Although Andrew told her that it was no big deal, the woman insisted. Her son, meanwhile, hid behind her. He was a small kid, perhaps four or five. His eyes watched Andrew with careful curiosity as he held his wooden sword tightly in one hand. It was a battered old thing, its size and length a perfect fit for him.


    It got a lot of use in a short amount of time¡­


    Andrew would have dismissed it as a simple branch carved out in the fashion of a sword had he not noticed the pattered detail on the hilt. For the past half hour, Andrew watched the boy swing it around right by the front door of the farmhouse before Iris came out and approached them.


    ¡°Go on Chase, say hello,¡± Iris said. The boy simply nodded at him as he edged himself away from his mother¡¯s skirt.


    ¡°Are you a knight?¡± He¡¯d asked.


    ¡°I should hope so,¡± Andrew chuckled to himself. ¡°Who made that for you?¡±


    ¡°My Da, it¡¯s for practice,¡± he said.


    ¡°Practice this and practice that. It¡¯s all he prattles on about,¡± Iris said.


    ¡°I blame the kid,¡± Andrew said. ¡°Can¡¯t think of much else worth talking about,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°I certainly can,¡± Iris huffed before smoothing her son¡¯s hair. ¡°If you want to get him started, then be my guest, but don¡¯t say that I did not warn you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m sure that I can humour him a while, ¡°Andrew said as he gave the boy a knowing wink.


    ¡°I humoured his sword talk at first, and now I wished to be cushioned with arrows,¡± Andrew had to do a double take at the mother. He was all for humour. He just did not expect her to say something like that.


    ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m sure stories about me being a knight will help kill his boredom,¡± Andrew said as he slowly recovered.


    ¡°So long that¡¯s the only thing you¡¯re killing,¡± the voice came from Andrew¡¯s side. Groaning to himself, he reluctantly glanced towards them with a plastered on smile. Gracie sat off to one side between them, her long ruby hair displacing some of the guarded stares. The death gleam faded like smoke the moment her brown eyes looked back at Chase, her unspoken warning replaced with a warm smile. With her bow resting across her lap, and her hands playing around with the tip of her short sword, Gracie gave the appearance of being strung at the ready, her posture looking threatening even when sitting.


    ¡°Nobody is going to kill anyone, right, Gracie?¡± Iris said. She made an effort to keep her eyes on Andrew as she strained to call her name. Gracie simply shook her head to herself before focusing on her short sword.


    Andrew took another look at the boy. He noted how he held his wooden sword. It was a firm grip, but with a loose wrist and a relaxed grip. It pulled back memories of his time learning the blade. The nostalgic thoughts put a smile on his face.


    ¡°Looks to me like he¡¯s picking it up quicker than I had,¡± Andrew said to himself.


    ¡°Your welcome,¡± Gracie said, her eyes still glued to her blade as she tossed and twirled it around. Pushing her comments aside, Andrew kneeled down to be on Chase¡¯s level.


    ¡°How long have you been practising?¡±


    ¡°Since last summer,¡± he said, he seemed to have some trouble looking at him at first, but that faded as he continued talking. ¡°I¡¯ve been training for the awakening. One time, I felt like I was getting close, but when I tried to reach it, the feeling goes away.¡± he seemed disappointed, perhaps a little frustrated. It only reminded Andrew of his time learning how to awaken to his power.


    So desperate to grow up, and not even knowing why he¡¯s so desperate. He¡¯d been so keen on proving his worth that it blinded him to the path that took him. Now, being away from his mother all these years, he wonders if he could have done things differently. Instead of choosing to go with his father, he somehow convinced him to stay at Aqua Falls with mother.


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t even realise what they are feeling enough to try to reach for it. I have to say, that¡¯s pretty advanced stuff for someone your age.¡±


    ¡°He had an excellent teacher,¡± Gracie said off to the side. This time, Andrew did his best to pretend that he did not hear her.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be hanging around for a little while. If you want, I can share with you what I¡¯ve learned.¡± the boy¡¯s face lit up. The moment was perfect until Gracie interrupted once again.


    ¡°Teaching him how to look broody while carrying around an oversized sword doesn¡¯t count as experience,¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Andrew sniffed as he looked at her short sword. She had it coming.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be jealous of?¡±


    ¡°Chasing two heirs bags you neither. You an archer, and yet still fall back on the old reliable blade. Can¡¯t be doing much good splitting your potential like that, right?.¡±


    ¡°Speak again about potential when I shave your head bald with my bow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough from the both of you!¡± Iris cut in. Their argument fell to the wayside at her word. With silence left, she turned to Gracie.


    ¡°I understand that you have your reservations, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you snap at our guests,¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. You are not the one responsible for keeping you alive.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m a poor judge of character, is what you telling me.¡± Iris said, her arms folded she gazed at Gracie. She did not look pleased. Gracie met her gaze, but deflated under them soon after.


    ¡°Your judge of character is not the problem,¡± Gracie mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± A sense of understanding crossed Irises features then.


    ¡±We¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± Iris mumbled. Gracie responded by simply sheathing her short sword. Feeling the awkward mood set in between them, Andrew wreaked his brain for something else to work out.


    ¡°If you want to practise with me, then let me know.¡± he turned to Chase.


    ¡°Really?¡± Chase¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Andrew smiled. Back in the dojo, Andrew helped his father train the other kids.


    ¡°Only if your mother is okay with it.¡±


    Chase looked up at Iris with wide, hopeful eyes. It did not take his mother long to relent.


    ¡°Sure sweety, but only if-¡±


    ¡°-Can we have that talk now, please?¡± Gracie interjected. Iris sighed before nodding for Gracie to follow her back towards the farmhouse. Chase was about to follow suit until his mother told him to stay behind. Gracie looked to be on the brink of objecting until she followed Iris¡¯s gaze. Curious, Andrew also turned around to see what she was looking at, only to see Sophie approaching them. Seeing Gracie¡¯s shoulders relax, Andrew understood her initial reaction.


    She trusts Sophie over me. It made a degree of sense. Sophie¡¯s uniform alone informed others of her prestige and respected background. In comparison, Andrew might as well be some vagabond bandit. But even then, her attitude was off. As his mind ran over what transpired, Andrew watched Gracie and Iris walk into the house as Sophie came in line beside him.


    ¡°Hey there, little one,¡± Sophie said to Chase, ¡°What might your name be?¡±


    ¡°My name is Chase,¡± the boy said. Andrew was so lost in thought that he¡¯d almost forgotten that Chase was even beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯d spoken to Natalie. She said that she¡¯ll be up and ready soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Andrew said, his gaze still transfixed to the house.


    ¡±The fact she¡¯s up already so soon doesn¡¯t surprise you tells me a lot,¡± Sophie said.


    Oops¡­ Andrew frowned. He was so distracted by what was being said by Gracie that he neglected to be more tactful with what came out of his mouth. She hardly had much sleep, and yet she was already ready to tackle another day. It would stand out as odd to her.


    ¡°Oh! That,¡± He said, feigning innocence. He knew it failed the moment he opened his mouth, but what was a guy to do? ¡±She¡¯s a light sleeper,¡± he said. Sophie just nodded, an amused look on her face. She knew it was fake, and yet she did not push for an answer. Instead, Sophie looked onwards at the farmhouse. Andrew could just about make out Gracie and Iris standing beyond the half-open front door. Although he could not make out what they were saying, it was clear to everyone that it was not a pleasant chat.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d struck a nerve with the huntress¡­ What¡¯s with that look? I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Andrew said. He made an effort not to look at her. Soon Sophie sighed to herself in surrender.


    ¡°Mayhap¡¯s you are telling the truth, but know that she¡¯s got a lot on her plate right now,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡± Andrew mumbled. Sophie simply looked at him, making Andrew want to grumble.


    ¡°I get it already. I¡¯ve not been in the best of moods lately. It¡¯s¡­ ¡®possible¡¯ that we brushed off each other in the wrong way. But I was not the one who took their issues out on others,¡± Andrew said. The continued silence Sophie left open was deafening and soon he felt that he had to retract his statement. ¡°Though I guess I¡¯d also be a bit snappy if someone just showed up out of nowhere at my place of work, but I would not go around looking for trouble.¡±


    Silence¡­ Andrew groaned.


    ¡°What do you want me to say? That I should have not reacted to her prods? I mean sure but¡­ damn it, whose side are you on here, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Side?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing but excuse her actions, like I¡¯m the only one who had control of myself during the whole situation.¡±


    ¡°Have I?¡± she said, her amused smile saying otherwise.


    ¡°Maybe not out loud, but this whole silence business you got going on sure as hell screams that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds to me like you have a guilty conscience,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°So you were not implying anything with your silence just now?¡±


    ¡°I was. I¡¯m just impressed that you picked all of that up. Kids sure are smart these days.¡± She chuckled to herself. Andrew just glared at her, unamused.


    ¡®Crafty,¡¯ she said. Natalie was right. He wanted to say that out loud but held off from doing so instead, saying: ¡°So long as you ¡®tell¡¯ Gracie the same things you told me, then you¡¯re forgiven.¡±


    ¡°I will when I get the chance,¡± Sophie said. Andrew frowned at that.


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t talked yet?¡± he asked. Sophie frowned.


    ¡°Kind of hard to do that when you¡¯re asleep,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Besides, last night you¡¯d be the first amongst us with a chance to talk to her directly.¡± Sophie said, except he was not. Andrew took another look around the grass field. That camp fire was not there before he went under. And then there were the arrows that she¡¯d shot. None of them were anymore. It was possible that Gracie took them some time after Natalie went to sleep, but had she taken them during her watch then...


    ¡°Gracie didn¡¯t talk to him first,¡± Chase said. Andrew and Sophie both look down at Chase, which makes him shrink back a little.


    ¡°What do you mean by that little one?¡± Sophie said as she kneeled down to his level. Her face had a soothing smile.


    ¡°Gracie spoke to the lightning lady before him,¡± he said.


    Lightning lady? Andrew blinked. The fact that he made the connection between Natalie and lightning did not bode well for them.


    ¡°Did you hear what they said?¡± Andrew asked. The young boy shook his head.


    ¡°Gracie said that it was a secret,¡±


    ¡°A secret, huh?¡± Andrew said. That just left him with more questions.


    Sophie kept Chase occupied as his mother continued to discuss things with Gracie. Chase was a rather chatty boy once he got going. He fancied himself a pretty superb swordsman. Fancied himself a fast runner, too. He spoke about how he once outran something that was chasing him in the wall of wheat fields.


    ¡°It was proper after me! But I kept running, and running and before I knew it, I flew back to the house. My cheat was pounding, but I never told Mum.¡± when Sophie asked what it was that chased him, he could not say. It was something big that brushed through the tall wheat and it wanted him dead was all he let on. Andrew guessed that it was a large rodent of some kind. Just to joke with him, Andrew suggested that it was one of the wolves that chased them to the farm, but the response he got was surprising.


    ¡°The guardians love us and would never do that!¡± Chase¡¯s face had turned red, he looked like he was on the verge of tears, not sure what to make of that Andrew just pretended to be too busy looking at the farmhouse to see it. Sophie (thankfully) diverted Chase off the wolves before sobbing began, but even that failed to distract all of them from the occasional whisper of shouting that was happening at the farmer¡¯s house. Feeling that they would be together for a while, Andrew opted to check up on Natalie before she left for the village with Sophie.


    She got up from sleep no sooner had he come ten paces to where she rested. That was hardly a shock to him. When asked if he¡¯d come to check up on her, Andrew pretended to have more interest in how much of the food was left. Picking out one of the remaining lamb¡¯s legs, he inspects it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little cold now but, if you want me to take it then I-¡± Natalie snatched the meat he held in his hand, and before he could protest, she was already eating. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Andrew got back onto his feet to look out over Sophie and Chase standing before the farmhouse.


    ¡°Wolves should not be an issue today,¡± Andrew began. Natalie, still eating, shrugged.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, Sophie is going to go visit Progmanfest, see if she can¡¯t get us transport to Aqua Falls,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d already mentioned that,¡± Natalie said. ¡°And?¡± That made Andrew do a double take.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Natalie looked at him for the first time since waking up before getting back to attacking her food.


    ¡°You want to get to Aqua falls as soon as possible, right? This is the quickest way.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but that doesn¡¯t explain why you are eating so fast,¡±


    ¡°The sooner I eat, the sooner we go, the sooner we go, the sooner we come back here and reach your mother,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like Sophie is about to leave right now, is she?¡± Andrew turned to see Sophie still talking with Chase. He seemed to be absorbed in telling another lofty tale.


    ¡°I¡¯ll convince her,¡± he heard Natalie raise up from the sport before he saw it. Baffled by her urgency, Andrew called out to her.


    ¡°If we are going to be stuck here, then we might as well do all that we can in the meantime. I fail to see why that¡¯s odd,¡± Natalie said over her shoulder.


    ¡°This has got something to do with Gracie, right?¡± Andrew asked. Natalie¡¯s sudden break in pace said more than words could have. Now Andrew had to know.


    ¡°The two of you spoke about something last night, and now all of a sudden you are in a rush to reach the village, so what was it? Did you say something embarrassing and can¡¯t stand to look her in the eye?¡± silence filled the space before Natalie¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Maybe ¡®stupid¡¯ is a better word here,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± Andrew asked. Before he could ask, however, Gracie and Iris walk out from the farmhouse. That only made Natalie increase her pace to reach Sophie and Chase before Gracie could. Before he knew it, Sophie was nodding to something that Natalie said and picking up her staff, began making her way towards the path that led to the village. Natalie was beginning to walk towards the wheat field until she noticed Sophie going the other way. As Gracie and Iris approached, Andrew saw the hesitation in Natalie¡¯s posture as she turned to catch up with Sophie.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± Andrew called. She was doing all that she could to keep from looking directly at him. Gracie, meanwhile, looked at Natalie with open disbelief.


    ¡°Natalie and I will be heading to the village now,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I see. Safe travels then. Don¡¯t forget what to tell Colt if you run into him!¡± Chase walked over to hug his mother¡¯s side as Sophie simply nodded to herself.


    ¡°So you¡¯re going too?¡± Graice said to Natalie. Natalie looked standoffish as she stared at something far in the distance. With her arms folded, she talked off in a direction that nobody occupied.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of what you asked,¡±


    ¡°I understand, but even so¡­ thank you for listening,¡± Gracie said. That seemed to grate on Natalie. Saying nothing, she simply began to walk in the direction of the path that leads to the village. Not satisfied with how she was about to leave things, Andrew followed her up the path. He stopped as Natalie suddenly turned on him. Seeing this, Sophie gave them an understanding smile before walking a little way beyond them. Natalie watched her go with a look of longing in her eyes. Andrew sighed.


    ¡°I get it. The sooner you go, the sooner you get back, right?¡± he said.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the holdup?¡± she asked. Her eyes failed to meet his.


    ¡°You were really just going to leave me with no goodbye?¡± her eyes widened when she realised what she had done. There was an honest apology within them. That relieved Andrew. And as much as he¡¯d loved to see her all flustered and stammering to explain herself, Andrew put a hand up, making her stop.


    ¡°I think I got the picture. Just tell me: She did not trick you into doing what she asked, did she?¡± Andrew jabbed a thumb behind him, although he knew that both Iris and Gracie were there he did not need to explain who it was that he was talking about. Looking over her shoulder, Natalie took a tighter hold of her arm and bowed her head.


    ¡°No,¡± she sighed. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s the opposite. She¡¯s been very kind. I¡¯m the one being the ass.¡±


    Andrew furrowed his brow. Maybe he did have to clarify who he was pointing to. Natalie must have seen the confusion on his face because he sighed to herself.


    ¡°If not that then¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t explain right now, but just go easy on her, and don¡¯t get attached. Goodbye.¡± Before Andrew could question what she meant, Natalie had already turned and was walking up the path leading towards the village.


    ~#~


    That afternoon, Flynn showed up from the location he¡¯d been patrolling to come and eat his shear of the food that was left for them. He explained that he¡¯d seen the odd track of wolves on the outskirts of the farm but given no sign of livestock being taken he gathered that they were not an immediate cause for concern, Andrew would have objected had he not seen how the people here revere the wolves. He claimed to have discovered a lake to wash and drink from nearby.


    It would have all sounded like very constructive survival information had it not been said within the confounds of a farm. It also did not help that Flynn dished this information like it was en epic discovery. When Andrew made this fact apparent to Flynn, he simply nodded and continued to talk about his patrol around the farm like the daredevil exploit it apparently was. Personally, Andrew was just annoyed that it took him a moment too long to realise that Flynn was indeed clowning with him this whole time. He wanted to call it out, tell him that now was a bad time. How can he be so nonchalant when his partner is out there tracking who knows what? Having enough, Andrew told Flynn that he would go exploring, too. It was something to do to keep his mind off other things.


    ¡°How long will you be gone for?¡± Flynn asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as you forget what else it is that you wanted to tell me,¡± Andrew said as he got up and wiped himself down.


    ¡°Damn, then I better get this out of the way now,¡±


    ¡°Flynn look; I appreciate you distracting me from worrying about Natalie and all but-¡±


    ¡°-You¡¯re going to want to hear me out on this one, trust me.¡± his tone sounded serious. Andrew looked up at him. As he leaned up from his nonchalant pose under the tree to get close to him, Andrew noticed the mirth that was in his eyes was gone. For a long moment, he said nothing, just stood there, eyes lost in thought.


    ¡°Well¡­ what is it?¡± Andrew asked carefully. Flynn blinked, his eyes not looking directly at him.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been meaning to tell you since joining up, but didn¡¯t have the time,¡± Flynn said. He looked like he was about to say more until a thought hit him. ¡°She¡¯s right, better that they all know about this, saves me repeating it.¡± Nodding to himself, he walked past Andrew, baffled. Andrew followed him as he made his way towards the farmhouse. It was as if something possessed him. Gracie watched them intently as they approached, giving him questioning looks, but as they got closer and Andrew shrugged his shoulder at her, she frowned. Knocking on the door, Iris greeted them. Flynn explained that he needed to tell them all something very important.


    ¡°I got news from the village,¡± he said matter-of-factly. Andrew looked at the man, puzzled, along with Iris, who then looked around him at the field outside.


    ¡°Is Sophie back already?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, but she was able to send me a message,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you receive any missive, no hawk, or carry pigeons, nothing¡­¡± Gracie looked directly down at them now from atop the roof. She held the bow at ease, but it was still locked and loaded. Firing them from that position would be like shooting fish from a barrel. ¡°What are you playing at?¡± nine out of ten beats Andrew knew that if she got trigger-happy he would be the first one she¡¯d shot at. For a second, Andrew almost put his hands up in surrender and felt all the more stupid for it.


    ¡°You know, for once, Gracie, I¡¯m with you. I wish I knew what he was playing at too!¡± he gleaned accusingly at Flynn. Why did he follow him here? Flynn, however, did not look back at him or Gracie up on the roof. His serious face held as he met Iris¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to believe me right away. But perhaps some of what I¡¯ve been told by Sophie could help prove to you my honesty.¡±


    ¡°Why would that change later on?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°All I ask is a moment to hear me out. Despite the risk we are taking speaking about this, we feel it¡¯s important that you hear about this directly.¡±


    We, as in me and him, or him and Sophie? Andrew just looked at him incredulously. A silent, intense moment dragged on. As the rumble of thunder echoed overhead, Iris sighed to herself.


    ¡°Guess it would have been here or the barn anyway,¡± she mumbled to herself. ¡°Hurry on you two, I¡¯ll fix us some tea. Any objections, Gracie?¡± Gracie blinked. She had put the arrow away, Eyes transfixed on the fast-approaching storm. When she looked back down at them, her features were more curious than suspicious.


    ¡°Guess I can do with something warm to drink,¡± she said mumbled to herself. She put her bow away, dropped off the roof beside them, and walked through the front door before glaring back at them. ¡°You have until the storm passes over to drink yours,¡±

 Chapter 27: A List of Bad News

    Andrew


    Being led into a small kitchen, Andrew and Flynn were offered to sit on wooden chairs as Gracie and Iris exchanged an unspoken look. With the round table in the centre of the kitchen, Andrew could not help but feel cramped in the room. Stuck in a space with a mother who partly trusts him and a huntress who hardly trusts him at all he tried to keep from pulling any sudden movements. With arms folded to himself, he slowly stretched his aching ankle to test it. It felt a little better, which was good. It meant he could not have sprained it.


    The kettle was boiling under fire before Andrew and Flynn entered the house. Chase slowed down his eating as he watched them sit among him, but soon went back to his meal when Gracie prompted him to do so. Tea served, Iiris wrapped her green shawl around herself as she leaned against the kitchen counter to look at them.


    ¡°So, are you going to tell us this important message?¡± Gracie asked. She leaned against the kitchen counter opposite Iris. Andrew bet it was so she could keep a better track on both him and Flynn. Andrew, unsure of what they were here to say, looked at Flynn for answers. Flynn, meanwhile, had his eyes closed, as if contemplating some deep issue before he spoke.


    ¡°Andrew, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that in the short time that we¡¯ve travelled, Sophie and I hardly exchanged words with each other.¡± He said it as a statement, like it would not be opposed to questions. He was right. He nodded. Andrew guessed he¡¯d spotted something odd, but it was only now that Flynn mentioned it that it stood out as the bizarre thing that it was.


    ¡°But what¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± Andrew asked. Looking around, Andrew could see that Gracie and Iris held the same question in their eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting this way because it¡¯s easier to have you put this together before I say it,¡± Flynn said. ¡°To put it simply, Sophie and I have a connection.¡±


    ¡°I should hope so,¡± Andrew sighed. Flynn just continued onwards, like he never spoke.


    ¡°Anything she thinks to tell me, I can read. I too can send thoughts to her just by thinking them with her in mind,¡± Flynn said. Andrew¡¯s brows furrowed as he puzzled out what he was trying to tell him.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that¡­ you can talk to Sophie without saying a word?¡± Flynn nodded. Andrew just fell silent for a moment before frowning and nodding in appreciation.


    ¡°I should be more surprised,¡± Andrew chuckled to himself.


    ¡°So why ain¡¯t you?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°I mean, it just makes sense. You¡¯ve seldom said a word to each other since we met you, and yet you both were in lockstep with one another in almost anything we did. It¡¯s obvious when I think back on it. And given how crazy some rumours are about Runesmiths, mind speaking seems like the tamest one I¡¯ve heard,¡± Andrew said. Flynn grinned.


    ¡°A Runesmith¡¯s worst-kept secret,¡± he said.


    ¡°So it¡¯s not a unique skill?¡±


    ¡°Between a Runesmith and their chosen knight, there is a special bond. I think it came about with how Runesmiths transfer power between them and their familiar, but I¡¯m not sure¡ªyou are better off asking Sophie for the details. All I do know is that it works. Because of how convenient it is, most Runesmiths learn how to communicate through the mind. Anyway, my point is this; because of it, we can talk to one another within the same room freely without others overhearing.¡±


    ¡°Sounds convenient,¡± he said, half intrigued.


    So they were just having their own silent conversations around us¡­ Andrew thought. A small part of him could not help but wonder whether some of that conversation was stuff that they intended to keep among themselves if them being there changed how often they used it somehow. Flynn must have picked up on the look on his face because he smiled at him assuredly.


    ¡°Not just ¡®convenient,¡¯ it is the fastest means of communication since the great fall¡ªperhaps even faster than what we had back then. With it, I can convey just about anything I wish to just as quick as,¡± he snapped his fingers. ¡±Very handy in a scrap. It¡¯s so good, in fact, that it almost makes talking normally seem¡­ slow. Anyway! Between me and Sophie, I can give you the rundown of what is happening in the village.


    Andrew turned back to him. His ears burned in the hopes of picking up what he thought Flynn was dropping.


    ¡°Say that again¡­¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°I can reach Sophie from the village to talk. In fact, I¡¯m speaking with her right-¡±


    ¡°-They¡¯ve made it to the village!?¡± Andrew said as he ran over to Flynn and gripped his shoulders before he knew what he was doing. Flynn only showed a small glimpse of shock before smiling and nodding.


    ¡°So you were worried¡­ ay, you hide it well,¡± he said, making himself conscious. Instead of saying anything more, Flynn simply carried on. ¡°They¡¯d made it through the gates some time ago. Sophie just got done explaining what I¡¯ve just told you to Natalie.¡±


    ¡°You could have started with that,¡± Gracie said. Flynn frowned.


    ¡°Well, I, for one, am glad for the preamble. At least now we are all on the same page,¡± Iris said. ¡°You said that there was news.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to all of that, but before all that, yes, Natalie is fine. She¡¯s asking if you¡¯re causing Gracie any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Sadly, I haven¡¯t had the chance.¡± Andrew looked at Gracie as he said it, a rueful grin on his face. Surprisingly, Gracie returned a grin of her own as she shook her head at him. Flynn¡¯s eyes, however, did not hold any mirth. Concern crept over the kitchen as all watched him in silence.


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s made contact with the village chiefs,¡± Flynn began.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± Andrew said slowly. He was still trying to get over the fact that they made it there safely.


    ¡°Notoriety of her title. Once they saw the blue phoenix on her robes, they practically dragged her to the chief¡¯s side when she asked for them.¡± It made sense. Rune smiths were renowned for their power and intellect the world over. It¡¯s said that one Runesmith had power equal to that of kings and queens. A humble village like Progmanfest would see her as nothing less than their own monarch paying them a surprise visit. On any other day, Andrew would have paid good coin to see locals trip over themselves trying to appease someone of that renown. All he could think about now was the troubled look on Flynn¡¯s face.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening over there?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°Nothing good,¡± Flynn proceeded to give him the rundown. It was bad. Even the little they gathered from Iris did not quite prepare him for what Flynn told them next.


    ¡°The village had been dealing with an increasing number of demons appearing beyond their walls. Despite the Sentinel dealing with the bulk of them, there were just too many of them for it to handle alone. Travellers and traders were reporting having more run-ins with demons on their way to Progmanfest. With encounters far exceeding agreed-upon numbers standards, trade with neighbouring settlements was greatly affected, and just when the chief and their council were able to revert some of their men to play support with the Sentinel to clear the trade route, the sentinel up and left the village. It had not come back since.¡±


    ¡°Things must be tense in the village,¡± Andrew said, taking it all in. This was bad. It is said that one sentinel was equal to that of ten well-trained knights. If the village was already in dire straits before it left, then¡­


    ¡°It gets worse,¡± Flynn¡¯s words cut through his foggy thoughts.


    As the hunter-knights struggled to clear the trade roads, they ran into a formidable demon. One that was most likely the cause of all these issues. Said to hold the potential of single-handedly destroying an entire village if left unchallenged. A Famine Fissure. Andrew heard of the name. And although most of the details were lost to him now, he recalled enough of its feats to have an instant sinking gut feeling. Instead of succumbing to this feeling, Andrew mastered himself just enough to keep quiet and carefully think over the key points he recalled about the Famine Fissure that made it so deadly.


    ¡°It¡¯s able to spawn lesser demons around it when threatened,¡± he said. Flynn nodded.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why there are so many demons roaming around,¡± Gracie said.¡±


    ¡°The village already guessed that much,¡± Flynn continued. ¡°They sent a team to dispose of the Famine Fissure, as strong as they are. Famine Fissures are not truly at their worst at first. It¡¯s only when they¡¯ve had time to sleep and feed off the land do they become the village¡¯s destroyer. That would often take about a month of the demon eating and resting.¡± Andrew swallowed.


    ¡°How long has the demon been resting here?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°Given reports of its size when they last saw it, the thing had obviously been here for months, leeching off the land. It has grown quite big and very powerful. At its current size, the average hunter cannot hope to take it on even if they outnumber it fifty to one.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°I hope they are not counting our arrival as the table turner in all of this mess?¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Not necessarily. Luckily for both of us, they had some outside help. A renowned band of hunters happened at their village just as they put the truth together and helped the locals on this mission.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s their name?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°The Wandering Willows,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°They pass through the village every once in a while to take on the more trying missions we sometimes get. They are good at what they do.¡± Gracie said. There was a bit of dejection in her tone, however. Andrew was not all that deep in the knowledge when it comes to other teams of hunters, but even he¡¯d caught wind of Willow¡¯s feats. A small band of around thirty men with five among them steering the helm. Solid leadership. A bit pricey, though.¡±


    ¡°So let me guess, they¡¯d dealt with the Famine Fissure but left all the demons below their pay grade to us?¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°That sounds like them,¡± Gracie huffed. She took another look at him now, as if really seeing him for the first time. ¡°You¡¯ve met them before?¡± Andrew shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them cause a scene at a tavern we snuck into once.¡± He¡¯d heard them refuse jobs on occasion simply because they did not meet their profit margins. That got a stir from the locals.


    ¡°You know when I say things get worse? Well, we¡¯ve not reached the worst of it, so hold on to something,¡± Andrew clenched his fists before he¡¯d realised it. What could be worse than what he¡¯d already been told? Few and far between had Andrew seen Flynn be so serious. A part of him wanted him to crack into a smile and say that he was joking. Sadly, that didn¡¯t happen. Things were a lot worse. Not only did the Wandering Willows and village hunters¡¯ knights fail to kill the Famine Fissure, but it retreated within a large lake. Hidden in the depths, it ate all the fish within the lake so it could grow in strength. As the demons grew to outnumber the combined teams of hunters, they were forced to retreat. But before the order could be relayed, the wolves suddenly came down from the mountain and smashed into their already faltering ranks. According to the locals, their ¡®guardians¡¯ had been acting strange for some time now, but this was the first time they¡¯d ever been so blatantly attacked by them. Had it not been for the quick decisive actions and sacrifices from some of the brave men that day, then over half of the combined forces would have perished.


    ¡°Is Da okay?¡± Chase asked. Flynn must have been asking Sophie the same questions because he had his eyes closed for a short moment, only to open them soon after and tell them that he didn¡¯t know. Iris¡¯ eyes seemed to be lost in some distant memory. Chase, who¡¯d hardly eaten much of his food since they all came into the kitchen, put down his spoon as if disgusted by his meal.


    ¡°What about my sister?¡± Gracie asked.


    Sister?


    ¡°She¡¯s safe,¡± Flynn said. ¡°Natalie had met her though briefly; they are getting ready to fight the Famine Fissure again as we speak.¡±


    ¡°So, she also will be joining the upcoming fight¡­¡± Gracie said. Silence filled the room before she nodded to herself. Andrew¡¯s lip twitched. He felt a stab of pity for her, but he pushed that aside to ask the next question.


    ¡°So all this stuff going on around the village and the odd behaviour of the wolf was somehow linked to it?¡± Andrew asked.


    Flynn nodded. ¡°Not like that knowledge gets us anywhere. Even the local villagers are unable to make sense out of it. Worst yet, some of them have begun blaming the Wandering Willows for the wolves¡¯ abnormal behaviour. Things nearly came to blows.¡±


    Thankfully, the infighting was avoided, but that still left them with the impossible task of defeating the ever-evolving Famine Fissure and its growing army of demon spawn. Whether they avoided or killed the village¡¯s guardian, they had to prepare their people to evacuate.


    ¡°Are they giving up on the village?¡± Iris seemed to tremble with a cold intensity.


    ¡°It¡¯s a precaution in case things do turn south. Famine Fissures have a real mean streak¡ªmore so than your average demon. They are spite and vengeance incarnate. They hold grudges, win or lose. It will hold its bitterness until it can unleash its rage on its target. In its pursuit of vengeance, the demon will travel miles. Finding and killing anyone for slight, it happens to have on its mind. It¡¯s why they are so often linked to whole towns being wiped out. Evacuating the village is a good move, but in all honesty, if they somehow fail to defeat the Famine Fissure this time around¡­ it might already be too late for the people evacuating. The village council agreed that telling the masses this last part would induce mass panic. As such, only the men who are going to battle have been told the whole truth.


    ¡°Cycle¡¯s above,¡± Iris breathed. She spoke for all of them. All except Gracie. She looked restless. Stirred up like a gigantic storm trapped in a teacup.


    ¡°They were encouraged to split into three groups¡­ harder for the demon to hunt them all down that way. Some of them will be making it through here shortly,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°If leaving now will still be too late, then why in Cycles name did the council keep them in the village for so long?!¡± Gracie said. It was a good question. If they left sooner, then they could lessen the casualties even further.


    ¡°If everyone ran all over the place like headless sheep, then they could not be herded back once the bad wolf was gone,¡± Chase said. Everybody looked at him, making the boy shrink under their gaze. ¡°Is that wrong?¡± he said carefully. Gracie and his mother shook their heads. It was surprisingly insightful for his age.


    ¡°You¡¯re right Chase; once we killed the demon, we could have ordered them to come back home,¡± Gracie huffed.


    ¡°Some people could seek shelter under our roof for a while. It might not be much safer here than in the village, but it¡¯s still something,¡± Iris said.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they have called for backup from other nearby villages?¡± Andrew asked. Some details about what to do when faced with a Famine Fissure came flooding back to his mind. There were just some demons that were too powerful to handle alone, their threat to humanity too great not to inform a neighbour in case things went horribly wrong.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know why this is not obvious to them!¡± Gracie shook her head. Andrew agreed that, given everything they knew, it seemed like the best option. He was about to say as much until he noticed something, or rather, a lack of something. Flynn¡¯s lack of a reply put Andrew on edge. When he turned to look at him, the worried knot in his gut tightened.


    ¡°There is another reason why the council chose to keep their people in the village until the last possible moment,¡± Flynn said gravely. ¡°They had sent for backup as you said, messages were sent to the nearby civilisations about what they were facing days ago. But each and every man they send to travel beyond Progmanfest borders never came back. They thought it unlucky the first time. Until it happened again with five more messengers.¡±


    ¡°Are they blaming that on the wolves, too?¡± Gracie said. Flynn shook his head.


    ¡°They did at first, some simply claiming that the guardians had ¡®abandoned them,¡¯ but most of these messengers were Progmanfest locals. They had families to return to, and regardless of the strange way the wolves were acting, they knew their way around their territory. No, given this aligns with the long list of coincidences that are happening along with the appearance of the Famine Fissure, the council are convinced that someone is out there intentionally killing their messengers to isolate them in this hell.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re trying to say is that this problem that we are dealing with is being partly helped by men?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense, given everything. The messengers were sent westward towards the nearest towns, Aqua Falls being one of them. But that¡¯s also the direction where they¡¯ve stopped getting needed trade. Whether that is because of some issue that turned up before the demon hid within the river, they cannot say. And because the Famine Fissure is causing chaos on the lake down south, they have suspended all boat transportation. Seems like someone is aiming to isolate and starve you all until you crumble.¡±


    ¡°That is why we¡¯d been ordered to stay here and keep our goods coming despite the circumstances. They did not let us stop because we cannot afford to stop, not without running out of food,¡± Iris said.


    ¡°But why? Why would anyone do such a thing!?¡± Gracie said. She was struggling to keep her composure. Flynn sadly shrugged.


    ¡°I wish I could say. Beyond working out that someone is out there killing messengers, Sophie and the council are grasping at straws. All that is apparent is that whoever they are, they aim to cut off all our means of feeding ourselves, meaning that¡­ meaning that this ¡®group¡¯ could attack this farm next.¡± Everything fell silent as Iris shivered and rubbed her arms, as if fighting off a sudden chill. Gracie bit her lip as she fell into deep contemplation. Chase just looked at the group of troubled faces. He was trying to be a brave boy, but that just made it more apparent to Andrew that he understood enough to be crushed by the weight of what was to come. Andrew¡¯s mind was still spinning as Flynn continued. Luckily, the stream of bad news and problems ended there. Now they talked about the village council and how they plan to launch their counterattack. They hope to lure the Famine Fissure out from the lake. The groups of hunters will take turns making themselves the bait, whilst another party tries to knock it out of the sky so they can land a killing blow. The plan, however, had a big flaw. The Famine Fissure was huge and had grown even bigger since it retreated to eat fish deep in the lake. Killing it with a single decisive strike was unlikely, and it would take a thousand paper cuts from ornery knights before it was in any grave danger. The Famine Fissure could retreat like last time if it was overwhelmed. Knowing that they wouldn¡¯t have another chance to do this right, the council decided to keep a large chunk of their archers to oversee the lake. This way, they can shoot it down the moment it attempts to retreat back underwater. The problem with that was besides taking away half the men that could inflict damage on the demon, it put too much of a burden on the archers to finish the job.


    And so Sophie helped them devise another plan. One that put the burden of ending the demon upon herself and Natalie. They were up against it, and there were a thousand things that could go wrong. But if everyone held fast and stuck to their roles, their chances of killing the Famine Fissure had increased greatly.


    ¡°The knights would be making their way to Lake Thow in the next hour,¡± Flynn said. ¡°Most we can do now is look out for demons spawning and this so-called killer.¡± There were a thousand things Andrew wanted to ask Natalie, but instead of voicing any of them, he nodded.


    ¡°We need to get word of all of this to Lawrence and his men,¡± Iris said.


    Lawrence?¡­


    ¡°Are they farmers too?¡± Andrew asked. Iris nodded.


    ¡°If it¡¯s true that we farmers might be targeted next, then¡­¡± she swallowed a lump before visibly commanding composure and stroking her son¡¯s head. ¡°They lay west of here, just beyond our pond and slope.¡±


    ¡°You mean Flynn¡¯s pond?¡± Andrew asked. Everyone at the table just looked at him blankly, including Flynn. He was hoping to relieve some of the tension. In truth, he wanted some time to himself. Seeing that he was not the only one, Andrew offered to deliver Lawrence the message. Just as he was about to leave, Gracie walked past everyone in the kitchen, and, ignoring both Chase and Iris¡¯s calls, left without so much as a look back. Gritting his teeth, Andrew chased after her as she reached halfway up the steps.


    ¡°Not now, swordsman,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s about your sister!¡± Andrew started. He caught a glimpse of her face as she walked up. It looked conflicted with a well of emotions.


    ¡°What about her?¡± Gracie did not even slow her pace up the steps as she said it. Andrew blinked. It should be obvious.


    ¡°She¡¯s helping out in the battle,¡± he continued. She stopped mid-step, her head looking onwards.


    ¡°What of it?¡± She turned to him now, her expression as unreadable as stone. Her mask was impeccable, but even then, Andrew sensed that she was in the same mood that he was. Out of her depth, powerless to do what must be done, and wishing for nothing more than to withdraw from the world and be somewhere else.


    But that was not an option.


    ¡°Is that the favour you asked Natalie for? To watch over her in battle?¡± She paused a moment before turning back, reaching the top floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, much less with you.¡±


    ¡°Fine! But you at least owe Iris an-¡±


    ¡°-If you plan on visiting Lawrence, then you better get going.¡± As she walked upstairs, it took all of Andrew¡¯s discipline to not sigh out loud.


    Instead, Andrew scratched his dreadlocked hair in frustration.


    ¡°¡®Don¡¯t be hard on her¡¯ my ass.¡± Once again, he wondered what Natalie saw in this girl.

 Chapter 28: Warnings & Preparations

    Andrew


    He continued southwards as instructed. It did not take him too long to reach the pond. It was a large thing, stretching southwards (to the river, Andrew guessed) with a small flock of ducks swimming and washing along its surface. Andrew watched the ducks with an approved nod.


    Ducks on the pond mean no demons under its depths... Most animals either fled from or outright attacked demons on sight. If things became too much to handle by the farmhouse and they needed a quick hiding place, then perhaps this would be a solid spot.


    He had been scanning his surroundings carefully ever since he left Iris¡¯ farmhouse. If this place was to become a battlefield, then he wanted to get a good feel of the surrounding area. Having walked around half of it in his time here, Andrew was starting to get a grasp of the land. It stretched out as far as the eyes could see with the farmhouse standing at its centre. Most of the land consisted of wheat, with a small patch of forest trees bleeding into its edges. Andrew recognised the place he ran through when escaping the wolves. Wheat fields and forested trees were not the only things that grew here. Over the slope, Andrew spotted a grove of apple and plum trees northward from the farmhouse. Flynn mentioned there was a grove of strawberries growing behind a large barn off to the south of the main farmhouse. For the amount of people who were tilting the land, the place was huge. It spoke of how hard these people worked, of perhaps it showed just how many of them had left the farm to help in taking care of the demon issue back at the village. Andrew''s breath became laboured at the thought. Men and women, doing all they can to preserve their way of life and even still they have to face the possibility of it all being destroyed right under their noses.


    It took Andrew a half hour to exit Iris land and enter Lawrence¡¯s. Upon it was an open field with a large fence that stretched on for miles. Andrew gathered that it must circle back around on itself because, in the distance, he saw the same fence running onward down the other side. As he walked closer, he saw the rest of the outstretched forest that he ran through to escape the wolves. Beyond the forest stood the great Mt.Karaki. The forest sloped onwards until it reached that great mountain miles eastward on the opposite side of Progmanfest village. The smell of the horses, cows, and sheep struck his nose before he saw them. Besides the barn, a man in a straw hat sat on a stool shaving the wool off a sheep. As he waved to him, Andrew returned the favour before he went back to his work. He was a very trusting man, Andrew thought, keeping his back to an approaching stranger out in the open like he did.


    ¡°You¡¯re another one of Colts¡¯ guards?¡± Lawrence said.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it,¡± Andrew said, leaning on the fence that separated them. Lawrence nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you in the village before.¡± With a weathered face and great beard, the man simply glanced over his shoulder before continuing his work.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a local here,¡± Andrew said. A cow mooed as it grazed on the open field just beyond the large barn. Lawrence¡¯s huff drew Andrew¡¯s attention back to the barn where he sat.


    ¡°Keep telling him not to pick¡¯em so young,¡± the old man said.


    ¡°What?¡° Andrew felt his head tilt to one side before he knew it.


    ¡°Young people lack focus. Can never commit fully to slow, honest work. Head too full of adventure and glory to ever want to watch crop grow,¡± Off in the distance, he noticed two people standing on the other side of the fence making their way over. ¡°Too busy looking over the horizon, claiming that things will be better once they reach there. More adventurous, more fun. They seem to forget that beyond every horizon is just another horizon. Like a puppy chasing its tail. The thrill only lasts when you cannot reach it,¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Andrew frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that you''re the adventurous type, boy. You got the look for it. Now I¡¯m not sure what kind of trouble you¡¯ve dragged back with ya when you chose to lie low here. But I¡¯d give you three months before that tailwind of adventure catches ay again,¡± To the untrained eye, they did not seem to be in a rush but at a glance, Andrew knew that they were not ordinary people.


    ¡°If this is about me being around here, then don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be gone by day¡¯s end,¡± Andrew said, though he was just humouring him. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the two people coming towards them.


    ¡°You¡¯re honest, at least, that¡¯s got to count for something.¡± Lawrence nodded. Andrew was not really listening. The two approaching them had the poise and posture of well-trained hunters. They approach as if they happened to be walking this way, but Andrew could tell that even now they were carefully determining whether he was a threat. Lawrence went on about how young knights and hunters are a poor investment as guards on a farm. It was better to go for hunters with a bit more life experience on their belt.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "I respect the up-and-coming knights, but I prefer someone who¡¯s been tried and tested a little more," just as he said that two knights arrived beside him. A man and woman, both in their mid to late thirties. They eyed him now with an outwardly relaxed demeanour. Hand on hips, arms folded. Andrew would have been more offended by their feigned lax approach had he not understood what this must look like to them. He was trespassing, and as far as Andrew knew, they could be thinking that he was lying to them about working on Colts¡¯ farm. Hell, even Lawrence¡¯s long speech could have really been a delay tactic to allow his guards to be ready before he-


    ¡°-So then, young man, what can I do for you?¡± Lawrence said as he finally turned on the stool to face him. His hunter knights standing on either side of him simply watched silently. Andrew sighed. Cursing himself as a fool for not realising this sooner, he leaned off the fence.


    ¡°I got news from Progmanfest,¡± Andrew said. The three of them looked at each other before looking back at him, confused.


    ¡°But it takes hours to reach the village from here,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°We have messengers, friends who¡¯d-¡±


    ¡°-The two ladies who took the main road, right?¡± The man said. Andrew nodded slowly. The man nodded back.


    ¡°They¡¯ve not made it back, even if they had what news. How could they get it back here in such a short amount of time?¡± The woman asked. Fair point, but still annoying to hear. Taking in a calming breath, Andrew went on.


    ¡°Iris just told me to relay a message,¡± he said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the message?¡± Lawrence asked, and so Andrew told them everything. Lawrence looked like he wanted to interject a few times until Andrew mentioned the council and the Wandering Willows¡¯s involvement in the events. Seeing that this was not information outsiders would be privy to, they fell silent for a while as he talked. And although their faces were implacable, there were a few times when his words betrayed a show of emotion from them. The woman swallowed when he spoke about the incident with the Famine Fissure, and the man shifted off to one side as he mentioned the sentinel having still not returned. Most of this was old news to them except for what kind of demon it was that was causing the council so much trouble and their plan to counterattack it. They must have been to the village recently, but not recently enough, considering how fast things have escalated. Thanks to that, it made what he told them easier for them to accept. That still did not stop the three of them looking at him as if he¡¯d grown another head.


    ¡°How do you know all of this?¡± Lawrence asked.


    ¡°My friends at the village told us, if you don¡¯t believe me, that¡¯s fine but-¡±


    ¡°-at this point, it doesn¡¯t matter what I believe. Fact is that rook or crook you got your hands on information only the council should know.¡±


    ¡°What clan did you say you were from again?¡± the woman said. Different villages tend to have a quirky trick or two on how to use the power. That is intended to unearth people who can use their power in unique ways. Sometimes hunters would ask for pleasantries and exchange different ways to train and improve. Here, however, they were trying to work out how he could get such updated intel without even going to the village himself, maybe came from the old Esteran city or he had a skill that made it possible. Realising this, Andrew told them about Sophie and how she gave them the news. Seeing their surprise and awe at her title and prestige, Andrew wondered why he did not lead off with that to begin with.


    With appreciative thanks, he left. They¡¯d taken in what he said with serious expressions, especially the stuff revolving around the potential assassin. They¡¯d asked if Iris and Chase were safely under their protection, or whether one of them should come over and back them up. Andrew was a bit lost for words, which made Lawrence chuckle.


    ¡°Kid, if you weren¡¯t so green in the ears, then this would not come as a shock to you,¡± he said.


    ¡°I may work for Mr.Lawrence here, but Colt and his wife are practically our neighbours. We look out for each other,¡± the male hunter said.


    ¡°We will keep an eye out for trouble. If the worst comes to pass, we¡¯ll clean up shop here and swing on over to check up on you,¡± the woman said. With an appreciative smile, Andrew nodded. He took one last look around the farmhouse to gain his bearings. To the east (Where they came running into the farm last night) was where most of the wheat field lay, but even those were tangled and mixed in with patches of carrots and potatoes. To the south lay wheat, lettuce, and some basil. But no matter where Andrew went, Mt. Karaki loomed off in the distance. All in all, it was a peaceful place, but peace left his mind to wonder and worry. Satisfied with his exploration, Andrew finally took a quick wash back at the pond. As he lay there in the lukewarm depths, he told his hurting ankle. It was fine, for the most part. Nowhere as bad as it felt the day before when he twisted it. It hardly bothered him as he walked and he was certain that he could manage fighting, but still, it was something to worry about on top of everything else.


    Should I have let her go just like that?


    His mind in a loop, Andrew plunged himself underwater, letting the muffled sounds drown out the concerns that threatened to boil overhead if he kept himself still too long. If he did not find some other task to distract him, he might go crazy. As he counted to five hundred under one breath, Andrew began to wonder if Natalie and Sophie were busy, if they were fearing any better.


    When Andrew dried up and started making his way back towards the main farmhouse, he was a little surprised to not only find Gracie no longer sitting on top of the roof, but to find Chase running towards him. He must have seen him through the window and ran after him the moment he came into view of the house. Holding two sickles in each hand, he ran up to him in a reckless sprint like hell was on his tail. Andrew thought they were under attack until he saw a placating smile on the boy¡¯s face. That made Andrew¡¯s eyes narrow in suspicion.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trade, okay? You help Gracie with the farm, then we can train together!¡±

 Chapter 29: Tradeoffs

    Chase


    A few minutes before:


    ¡°You think it¡¯s a bad idea?¡± Mum said from the hallway. Chase forced himself to ignore the conversations she was having. He needed to focus beyond the sounds, beyond the living room and the house. Just like Gracie, Isabella, and the others taught him. He must get better at centring himself and sensing it just like they do otherwise¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s a bad idea,¡± Gracie said. He took a steady breath out. He must overcome this. If he cannot manage to find his power with simple noise around him, then he will never become a pentagon knight.


    ¡°If they are in need of supplies, then the least we can do is prepare it for them as soon as,¡± Mother said.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m not disagreeing with you.¡±


    ¡°But you still don¡¯t trust us,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about trust-it¡¯s¡­¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even name the issue,¡± Iris said.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain. I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s proper to ask them out of the blue,¡± Gracie said. Iris sighed.


    ¡°Then just ask me, I can at least speak for myself,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°But you¡¯re already staying around here for our sake, making you run errands is¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly, we are already here helping. No point in only committing halfway. I have not spoken to the others, but I¡¯m willing to bet all of us feel the same.¡± Flynn said. Silence fell soon after before Gracie simply mumbled that she didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°We are at war right now. Though we are not on the front lines, we need to do our part. We don¡¯t have the luxury of being fussy. If it means asking for help from strangers, then so be it. We will owe them-sure, but you can¡¯t pay off your own debts if you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Thought we had a fair trade going already,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the asking for help that bothers me,¡± Gracie mumbled. Silence fell as Chase heard Gracie take a deep breath.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± His mum asked carefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Guess I have no grounds to stand on, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I think I need time to clear my head.¡± Chase heard Gracie leave the kitchen. As she came around down the hallway, Chase opened his eyes as she stepped into the living room.


    ¡°Working hard again today, Chase?¡± Gracie said. Chase nodded. He heard the front door click to unlock, saw the sunlight bleed through the hallways and onto Grace¡¯s face.


    ¡°Call me if you need anything,¡± the big guy said. Grace watched him at the front door with conflicted eyes. And it was only when the light in the hall day dim as the front door gently closed did she let out a slow horsed breath. With only light coming through the blinds in the living room once more, the concern in Gracie returned with a vengeance. This hit Chase in a way that was hard to explain. It was like a part of himself had been seriously hurt but it did not make sense because besides missing dad he¡¯d been fine. Ever since he left, they¡¯d come and Gracie got more worried and so Chase had been training extra hard. Now knowing that was happening back at the village, he needed to train extra, extra hard! Everyone was fighting. He cannot afford to be weak forever.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to push yourself so hard,¡± Gracie said, breaking Chase out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Everyone else is.¡± Gracie simply nodded at that.


    ¡°Were you training all this time?¡± she asked. Closing his eyes once again, Chase nodded.


    ¡°You know that you left me and mum to clean up your food,¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I just had to train extra, extra hard today,¡± he said, his eyes still closed.


    ¡°I see, so¡­ that means since you were training ¡®extra, extra¡¯ hard. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have heard what me and mum were saying down the hall, would you?¡±


    Chase¡¯s eyes widened at this. Grace was already glaring at him from the corner of her eye, her lip an unamused line.


    Busted¡­


    ¡°I did not hear all of it!¡± he spat. Grace maintained eye contact with him before giggling to herself as she leaned over and roughed his hair. Now Chase just looked at her with eyes of frustration. He still liked it when Mum did it. He used to like it more when Gracie used to do it. But more recently, Chase hated it when she did that to his hair. It was something that grown up did to kids and he was not a kid anymore. It was about time Gracie took him more seriously. He was about to protest until he caught the look on her face. Gracie was smiling. Besides the dinner table, this might have been the first time she¡¯s done so ever since Father and the others left for the village. Sighing to herself, she gently smoothed out his hair. Although their eyes met, they did not see him. Instead, they saw something else far off in the distance.


    ¡°If only everyone¡¯s intents were so easy to read,¡± she said. That left Chase both confused and spellbound. Gracie was very pretty. Her red hair reminded him of the willow forests in autumn. He did not understand all of what was going on, and he knew very little as to why she was so sad about everything. All he knew was that it mostly had something to do with having to look after and protect them.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Because I¡¯m not strong enough, she¡­ his eyes fell to the floor. Gracie said that she was happy to be here, but maybe she really wants to go back and fight alongside her sister and friends after all.


    ¡°Are you upset with us?¡± He asked. Gracie flinched as if slapped. Soon, however, she hit her pain with a smile.


    ¡°No silly, I¡¯m just upset with myself, that¡¯s all. More importantly, you shouldn¡¯t distract yourself with all this stuff. You got to get stronger, right? Then concentrate.¡±


    ¡°But if everyone is worried, I need to-¡±


    ¡°-Without concentration, you cannot hope to tap into your power, and without power, you cannot hope to protect anyone. You must acquire the one to gain the other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡±


    ¡°Life ain¡¯t fair.¡± Gracie snapped back, making Chase flinch. Realising what she did, she looked away in apology and held his shoulder. ¡°Let that be the lesson.¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°This lesson sucks,¡± Chase grumbled. Brushing her hand aside, he folded his arms. Gracie, however, did not react. That distant look was in her eyes again. Chase frowned.


    ¡°Do you really think that they are bad guys?¡± he asked. Still looking away, Gracie¡¯s eyes narrowed before she shook her head to herself.


    ¡°No Chase, but between you and me, I kind of wish that they were,¡± Gracie whispered the last part. Confused, Chase just looked at her, blinking. Before he could ask, however, that tired look he saw on her face vanished as she smiled at him. ¡°Sorry¡­ forget I said that.¡± Dazed, Chase just nodded. She likely saw the confusion on his face because her lip turned to one side.


    ¡°Now I know that one of them said that he will train you, but if he doesn¡¯t offer, then don¡¯t bother him about it. They are good people and so I don¡¯t want to bother them with more than we need to.


    Already got them knee-deep in our trouble as is¡­ if you promise to do that much, then I¡¯ll train you extra once all this blows over.¡±


    Chase wanted to protest, to tell her that he was doing this for his mother and father¡¯s sake, for her sake¡­ he felt in his heart of hearts that he was right, but what could he say? What words were there that could convince her otherwise? He had nothing. Too weak to fight and too stupid to explain why he needed to get stronger. Just a burden who cannot even fix his own shortcomings. With a burning lump in his throat, Chase nodded. Gracie left from the back door before Chase could say anything. He looked down at the end of the hall to the back kitchen door as he heard it close. He felt bad. Gracie had always been there for him. For as long as he had remembered, she had been coming to the farm and helping take care of things.


    I¡¯m sorry, Gracie, sorry for not being strong enough to help you.


    ¡°Are you giving Gracie a hard time again?¡± Mum startled him. He did not realise that she snuck into the room. So much for his training.


    ¡°I think Gracie hates me now,¡± he said bitterly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that sweetie. Gracie is just a little tense right now. A lot has changed, and the news we got was¡­ well, it was heavy. In this storm of change, she is just trying her best to hold on to some form of normalcy.¡±


    ¡°But that means that I cannot train with Andrew,¡± Chase said. His mother hummed for a moment before looking back at him, a mischievous smile plastered on her face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what she said. At least that¡¯s not how I choose to hear it,¡± she said.


    ¡°You were listening?¡± Chase said, shocked.


    ¡°My son is not the only one blessed with keen ears,¡± his mother said as she pinched both of them. It was annoying, but not as annoying as when Gracie did the same to his hair, so he chuckled through it.


    ¡°She asked you to promise that you will not be a bother to him. She thinks by asking him to train that you are giving him more work, but she forgets that this is a trade-off,¡± his mother said. ¡°They did not stay and protect us purely out of the kindness of their own hearts, not at first. They came here to escape the guardians. Looking out for us is their way of paying us back for the gesture. Out of courtesy, I fed them this morning, and they responded by willingly going to the village to gather news. Sure, maybe that action benefits them, but you see, nobody is taking advantage of anybody here. It¡¯s just simple¡­ trade-offs. Do you understand?¡± Chase nodded. He thought he grasped it.


    ¡°They gave you something and so you want to give them something back in return,¡± he said. His mother nodded, which made him happy.


    ¡°A trade-off just means that you are using each other for the benefit of yourself and the people around you. Things may not look like an equal trade at a simple glance. This is why context is so important.¡± His mother continued. Chase understood it well enough. He¡¯d once seen his father barter their cart of apples. He¡¯d helped him pick them and so he was really invested in how father would sell the fruit. And just as Chase thought he could not be any more excited about seeing them be sold, his father promised him a small part of the fortune he¡¯d make from the sale. This not only made him extra-extra excited, but it made him hyper-aware of things happening to the apple than he¡¯d have even known was possible. And so when his father traded their cart for apples for bags of salt instead, he¡¯d been confused. He¡¯d asked why he did not trade it for money like normal. He¡¯d known that apples were in season and they could have got them more money. It was not until he recalled that his father had also got an enormous amount of fish that summer did he come to understand his plan. By drying and salting fish over the summer, he could preserve and sell them in the colder seasons, where the fishing got tough. Not only did he sell them at a profit that winter, but Chase received twice the amount of money he¡¯d have got if his father had only sold the apples that summer. Although he understood trade, that just left him feeling uncertain.


    ¡°So what has trade-off got to do with training?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Something can only be a burden if the person in question had no interest in doing it in the first place or had something else better to do. He¡¯s not said it, but I get the feeling that he mentioned training because he welcomes the distraction. So you are not really asking him for a favour, but you¡¯re doing him one. It just so happens that it is one that you wanted to do, anyway.¡± His mother winked at him. That twinkle in her eye sparked the light of understanding within him. He was barely able to follow on from that, but he was rewarded with a new way to look at things and the reminder that his mother was a genius. She never treated him like a kid¡­ well, not as much as everyone else did.


    ¡°Simple right?¡± she asked. Chase nodded emphatically. Soon, however, his eyes narrowed into slits.


    ¡°So then¡­ how come Gracie could not see it?¡± Chase asked. Mother nodded as if he¡¯d asked a good question.


    ¡°That girl has got a big heart. She holds a lot of honour, but I think she unknowingly puts more weight on other¡¯s issues than she does on her own. When you put others¡¯ needs over your own, nothing they offer will seem like a fair trade. Do you understand?¡± Chase shook his head. This time, his mother simply nodded to herself before looking out through the window.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that she is too blinded by her own problems to see that maybe training with Andrew might be as rewarding to him as it would be to you,¡± his mother said. Chase understood, but that only left him more discouraged.


    ¡°And none of them are going to understand unless they talk,¡± Chase said. Seeing the dejected look on his son¡¯s face, Iris looked to be thinking a while before her face lit up. Leaving the living room, she rummaged through the stuff at the back of the house before coming back with a three-hand sickle.


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t see that she¡¯s blocking a fair trade, then make the trade anyway. Sure, she will be mad, but the worst she can do is say no.¡±

 Chapter 30: Boy to Man

    Andrew


    ¡°Go away.¡± Gracie shot them a blank glare from over a pile of wheat she¡¯d gathered. With her bow off to one side, she crouched by the field of wheat as she cut them into piles all alone until he, Chase, and Flynn approached her. Although Chase convinced him to do this, he was starting to have second thoughts. His patients were waning, not like he¡¯d rather be some place else. Not having anything good to say, Andrew guarded his tongue. Chase looked over at him expectantly, making Andrew sigh. Whether the boy was coaxed into doing this by his mother or not hardly mattered now, he had spunk.


    I can¡¯t let the kid down now. Besides, he himself wanted to know what her deal was.


    What was said between her and Natalie? With that in mind, Andrew put on his best smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to help you.¡± Dragging that line out felt like tearing a frightened cat off a carpet. Andrew thought he¡¯d covered his displeasure with a convincing tone until he felt his lip twitch repeatedly. Gracie looked at him with disdain.


    ¡°Did you ask them to do this?¡± She turned to Chase.


    ¡°I offered myself, but thanks. Glad you asked us,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need your pity,¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not pity,¡± Andrew said. Gracie snapped around, pointing an accusatory finger at Flynn.


    ¡°And you! You said to call if I needed any help! Well, I didn¡¯t call!¡±


    ¡°You may not have asked, but he did.¡± Flynn pointed his chin at Chase, just behind him.


    ¡°And you just obey little kids now?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d have you know that my client is a young man and he would like to be treated like one,¡° Flynn said, giving a respectful wink at Chase. Although he did a good job at hiding it, Andrew could see Chase''s eyes light up at being called a young man. Shaking her head, Gracie chuckled to herself.


    ¡°Oh, I bet he is,¡° she mumbled as she got back to cutting wheat. Chase¡¯s demeanour shrank at her dismissal. ¡°Guess you can change the goalpost when you want to.¡°


    ¡°That request was not offered to only you. The young man wanted some help, and the mother agreed that I help him. Though if you want to get all technical, you could simply say that we are, in fact, still doing ¡®this¡¯ for ourselves,¡± Flynn said, all grins and raised eyebrows. There seems to be a deeper meaning to the words, but Andrew did not get it.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not a child,¡± Chase mumbled, although barely a whisper Andrew could sense his will in it, his fighting spirit. Grace turned her accusatory gaze at him. Chase seemed to melt under her glare at first, but then he straightened up in open defiance immediately. After a silent moment, Gracie bowed her head before turning back to her work.


    As Flynn took this as a silent assent to cut the wheat, Andrew took note of that last interaction between Chase and Gracie before following suit.


    ¡°So you, a scared knight of a Runesmith, are doing farm work because you want to?¡± she asked. Although Andrew couldn¡¯t see her face, he knew she was watching him now from over her shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let these fancy clothes fool you. I may not look it, but I¡¯ve done way less glamorous things for money¡­¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°Besides, I promised that I¡¯d train Chase for a while so I want to get this over with first,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°So you do want to teach him¡­¡± Gracie mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± Before she could answer, six people emerged from the tall wheat fields drawing all their attention. Three women, two kids with a rather large man, lead the group toward the farmhouse. Carrying travel sacks, they marched with the gate of people not used to travelling the grasslands.


    Refugees from Progmanfest, Andrew thought. As he was about to turn to Grace and ask if she knew, he saw the light of recognition in her features. And although she knew them. The man and women waved to her before Iris came out of the house to meet them. After some palaver among the grown up¡¯s, Iris pointed over to him and Flynn before the large man gestured for them to come over. Andrew was about to oblige until Gracie took a hold of his arm, stopping him.


    ¡°Where busy! But we can talk after!¡° she shouted. Andrew frowned.


    ¡°Is there a reason you rather not have us talk to them?¡° Andrew asked.


    ¡°Too nosey, ¡° she mumbled, shaking her head. Andrew just looked at her sideways, to which she shared an amused smile. ¡°Trust me when I say that I¡¯m doing you a favour,¡° as they were being led into the farmhouse, the big man stopped a moment to cup his hands and call out to them.


    ¡°These new recruits are not giving you any trouble, are they?¡° he called.


    ¡°¡®New recruits¡¯?¡° Andrew asked.


    ¡°I think he means us,¡° Flynn said, an amused smile finding it¡¯s way on his lips.


    ¡°What?!¡°


    ¡°Iris must have said something silly, honestly.¡° Gracie sighed. Her face, however, seemed to be the opposite of annoyed.


    ¡°With everybody fighting the good fight, staying beside the reliable Gracie is the next best thing!¡° he shouted before fanning himself with his hat. As she waved goodbye to him and his family, Andrew took stock of what had just happened. He sounded ernes enough, but Andrew got the feeling that he mostly just wanted a convenient place to rest, which he had to admit was kind of amusing. Gracie, however, seemed to shrink at the complaint, giving him pause.


    ¡°What is it?¡° Andrew asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, ¡° she said. Walking back to the wheat field, she picked up his sickle and handed it to him. ¡°If you want to train him, then fine. Just don¡¯t go spoiling all the progress I helped him make with your archaic methods. ¡°Andrew just sniffed before snatching the sickle from her. Funny coming from the village bumpkin.


    ¡°Teach might be too strong a word, but I can at least see where he¡¯s at and give pointers. Besides, sparring beginners gives me a chance to run over the basics,¡± Andrew said. Silence fell as Andrew continued working. When Andrew chanced a glance over to Gracie, he saw her already fully committing herself to the task at hand. Seeing her silently concede, Andrew smiled to himself. So what Chase told him was right. The young boy told them the likely reason Gracie was so cold to him before. Beyond her worry about the village and the burden of looking after the farm, Gracie was conflicted about whether the help they offered was done out of pity or not.


    Thanks to the extra hands, work around the farm went by quickly. They cut through the crops nearest to the farmhouse and proceeded deeper. They formed up wrapped-up piles where the wheat field ended. Andrew lost himself in the work. Every once in a while, Chase would advise them on where to cut the wheat and how to move deeper through the field for better speed and consistency. If Andrew had any doubt that he was the son of a farm boy, they¡¯d all vanished right there.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Andrew and Flynn found a system that worked between them. There is a lot you can learn about someone when you have to work with them. Flynn had this habit of injecting humorous jives at them, turning everything they did into a friendly contest. From how much they could cut down in one go to how fast they could pile it all together in preparation to move.


    Andrew was not biting at first, too busy working on his own pile until every odd occasion when he turned to add more to his load, only to find the whole thing was gone. Flynn would turn to him with a big grin as he asked why he gathered so little. Flynn walked away after the fourth time, and Andrew found himself falling into his pace. Andrew told himself that he did it to stop him from stealing his pile at first, but even that reason faded away as time went on.


    Not everything went smoothly, however. Gracie tried giving him demands on how to best stack his wheat pile, and when he mentioned how fussy she was being, Gracie began ranting on about the smallest things. Andrew¡¯s first reflex was to just ignore her, but as time passed, he realised that Gracie¡¯s words did not feel like they came from a place of disdain. It was only then that Andrew could start taking on some of her pointers. Things fell silent as the synergy between them improved. They all collectively found a rhythm of work. And although little was said thereafter, Andrew knew that the tension between him and Gracie had all but faded.


    ~#~


    Andrew prepared to train Chase in the space they had just cut clear. As Chase ran back to the house to get his practice swords, he and Flynn marked a boundary for a makeshift arena by using some odd sticks lying around. Gracie sat in silence watching for a time, but unfortunately, that silence could not last.


    ¡°Bit small, don¡¯t you think?¡± she said.


    ¡°What is?¡± Andrew said, tightening his eyes.


    ¡°The arena. Chase won¡¯t be able to go toe to toe with you in close quarters. Are you trying to bully him?¡± Chase approached them as Gracie finished. Looking between them, Andrew saw the markings of concern on the boy¡¯s face. He knew what she was gunning for and, in a sense, she was right.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it, I guess,¡± Andrew began. "Growth is built under pressure, and limitations birth creativity," Andrew stated. ¡° Creating a scenario that forces a certain style of fighting is the best way to grow good habits and weed out the bad ones,¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true bully,¡± Gracie said.


    ¡±Funny way of telling me you¡¯re scared of close quarters combat,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°I guess that a city boy like yourself doesn¡¯t know the meaning of ¡®personal space¡¯.¡± Gracie said.


    ¡±I don¡¯t come from a city,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Could have fooled me,¡° she mumbled.


    ¡°What did you say?¡°


    ¡°I said; I fail to see how that changes my point,¡±


    ¡°Andrew is teaching Chase the way of the blade. Though it is valid to know when to run or keep your distance, there are times you cannot simply run,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± Gracie nodded. ¡°Proceed,¡±


    Andrew¡¯s blood boiled for a moment. There was no way that she¡¯d only got that when Flynn explained it. He wanted to call her out on it, but Andrew willed himself to remain placid. He will not give her the pleasure.


    ¡°When training for something as chaotic as battle, it is important to understand the fundamentals. Guess it¡¯s a bit like putting together the parts needed to make a working fishing rod. Not only must you know what parts you need and how to connect them, but also what each part does and why combining them together helps you catch fish.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean! Parts like stabbing and cutting, right?!¡± Chase stepped up eagerly.


    ¡°Those are a part of what¡¯s needed to fight, but when is it best to cut or stab?¡± Andrew said. Chase put his hand up.


    ¡°It¡¯s when you come face to face with the enemy!¡± he said. Andrew nodded.


    ¡±I guess that¡¯s a start, but knowledge alone is only half the answer. But there is more to it than that,¡± he said.


    ¡°There is?¡°


    ¡°For example, what happens after the deed is done, when you have stabbed or cut someone? What are you left with?¡° Chase went silent for a while, the childlike wonder dimming from his eyes a little as he looked down at his practice sword. He did not need to hear his answer to know what he was thinking. And as much as it sucked to think about, he needed him to think it. To understand that at the end of the day, what they taught them could easily kill someone if they were not careful. Unable to bear Chase¡¯s crestfallen face for much longer, Andrew spoke up.


    ¡±That hesitation now is a good sign,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is?¡° he looked up to him hopefully. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°It shows me that you are taking this seriously, that you won¡¯t take these powers for granted.¡± he kneeled down and pointed to Chase¡¯s chest as he looked him in the eye. ¡°That came from your heart-your moral core. It screams out justice for everyone. No matter where your training takes you, try to hold on to that feeling.¡°


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡° Chase said. He gingerly placed a hand on his chest, his mind awash with thoughts.


    ¡°Good,¡± Andrew nodded. ¡°One day, you will learn to swing that sword, knowing the full weight of its implications. But for now, only try to hold on to that weight after we are done here.¡°


    Chase just looked up at him, confused. Andrew sighed. He only had himself to blame for this. He had to go and make the whole thing complicated.


    Time to shift things a little.


    ¡°Before you can understand what¡¯s going on down here,¡± he pointed to his heart. ¡°We work out what is happening up here.¡° he pointed to his head.


    ¡°We need knowledge! ¡°Chase said, excited to put it back together himself. Andrew smiled.


    ¡°Once we gain the knowledge, we then need to work out the wisdom behind that knowledge?¡± Andrew continued.


    ¡°Wisdom?¡± Chase said, baffled. He was losing him again.


    ¡°Wisdom comes from knowledge experienced. You may feel as though you understand a lot thanks to the knowledge you¡¯ve gained. But only by testing the knowledge you know with practice can we hone in on the wisdom behind when to best use what you know. Only through experience can you turn knowledge into true wisdom. The overwhelming number of new experiences you gain over time weakens the amount of true wisdom you can gather incidentally. And if you try to understand everything and everyone all at once, then you will come away understanding nothing. Limiting those experiences down to a few will allow you to hone in on them, gain a better grasp of their utility, and cycles be willing. In time, you will gain their wisdom.¡± he looked over to Gracie as he finished his sentence.


    ¡°I hate to admit it, but¡­ that made a lot of sense,¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve taught this before, haven¡¯t you?¡± Flynn asked. Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°I helped my father out a little with training at the dojo. The stuff I said is mostly his speel. This is the first time I¡¯ve said it out loud myself, but when you get something drilled into your head enough times, you don¡¯t even need to have it remembered by heart to explain its essence.¡°


    He recalled a time when he stood beside his father as he began class years ago. The look of incredulity on his peers¡¯ faces as he stood before them, not as their equal but as a teacher. Some had accepted it as his right, being a father of a teacher. Why wouldn¡¯t he be above them in skill? Others took it as a front. He¡¯d got a lot of challenges that year. Although he beat them fair and square, how he proceeded to handle those thereafter was¡­ he¡¯d blinked back to the now only to realise that he blanked out as he was putting sticks into the ground. A quick glance around told him that he¡¯d stayed still a bit too long. Stabbing in the last of the sticks that marked the arena, Andrew got to his feet and wiped his hands before he continued talking.


    ¡°Anyway! My point is that I¡¯ll be going over the basics with you kid, we don¡¯t have much time so I can¡¯t cover everything,¡± Picking up the other practice sword Andrew swirled it around as if to test the balance before nodding to himself. Far lighter than his own sword, but the balance was good.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid,¡± Chase sighed.


    ¡°Confident, ain¡¯t we?¡± Andrew smiled. If he was going to do this, then he may as well use all that he¡¯d gathered to get the outcome he wanted. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t fault you. It¡¯s good to be confident. As we fight, try to keep in mind what I said about knowledge, wisdom and experience.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Chase smiled, confident and cheeky. Andrew could not help but see himself in the boy. Growing up with people older and wiser than him. Wanting so badly to be as capable as them. Knowing for sure that you¡¯ve seen more than your peers, but being blinded by how far one could progress because of the lofty giants they had as inspiration. Feeling that you were only a few more steps away from becoming an adult with everything figured out. Oh, how foolish he was. The mistakes he made¡­ if he could do it all over again, could meet his younger foolish self. What would he tell him? What lessons would he instil into him?


    He is not me. This boy was nowhere near as messed up as him. For one, he has not abandoned his mother. Their similarities began and ended with that stern will of iron in his eyes.


    Wilful eyes¡­ wilful¡­ ¡®will¡¯. Andrew smiled as he got into his fighting stance. He felt slightly guilty for what he was about to do. Though he was not giddy to do it, he thought it was worth the drama. The boy was so close, closer than he¡¯d realised. He just needed that one last push. Maybe the reward of awakening will overshadow his method.


    No, I¡¯m getting way ahead of myself. He was placing too much faith in the boy because he wanted it to be true-needed it to be so for his own sake. He will play it by ear first, see if his instinct was truly correct about him. He will up the anti slowly and see how he fairs. And if that spark still remains, then¡­


    ¡°If you remember, then I guess this should be a cinch for you,¡± he said, before giving an amused grin. ¡°Are you ready¡­ kid?¡± Chase¡¯s confident smile faded as he got into his fighting stance.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid!¡±

 Chapter 31: Confession

    Andrew


    He had to admit, Chase knew how to use a sword. It became clear that he was not only good, but he became accustomed to sparring with people bigger and stronger than himself. And even though Chase¡¯s strength was no match for his own, he held more power behind his strikes than an average kid his age. His physical strength was not purely from swinging his sword. His time working on a farm had given him an edge many would not respect until they got on the wrong side of him. There was something else, too. An unspoken groundedness to his strength that went beyond even his physical stature.


    He¡¯s on the very brink of awakening. As Andrew increasingly pushed Chase, there was something about how he challenged his strength that betrayed a deeper inclination of a primal power. An embedded instinct that told him much about the boy¡¯s dormant affinity. Every time he stretched the boys¡¯ limits, he saw it. A glimmer of that stubborn, firm groundedness permeated beyond the boy¡¯s own self-awareness. As their swords clashed, he understood it. Chase was sparing him, but not just for the sake of training or to prove to everyone that he was not a kid¡­ there was a deeper emotion running under it all, Andrew thought. Chase was frustrated¡­


    At first, Andrew thought it was because Chase was being looked at as nothing more than a young boy. He thought it was because of how much stronger Andrew was to him despite holding a lot back, but as time went on, Andrew noticed that it was not him or anyone else he was upset at. Ultimately, Chase was fed up with himself. It was no wonder Andrew could see a lot of his own struggles in the young boy.


    If I could go back and meet my younger self, what would I tell him? What lessons would I instil in him? Before Andrew knew it, he¡¯d taken hold of his affinity. He did not temper his dark powers around his practice sword or around himself. Instead, Andrew let his power roar. Dark waves of energy exploded off him and slithered along the field like an uncoiling snake.


    Unleash¡­ it was one of the first things a knight in training learned before it got beaten out of them, controlled, and tempered into the power known as knight¡¯s armour. And unleashed power would pour off them like liquid out of broken water skin. It made for an impressive and intimidating sight; but ultimately, this was an enormous waste of energy. It was also considered rude in most cultures to unleash your powers in such a way.


    From physically violating someone''s personal space to simply passing wind in the same room without apologising, how seriously the act is perceived solely depended on the individual. It was also not subtle as it attracted the attention of other people sensitive to the power. But what it lacked in efficiency, it made up for in other ways.


    As Chase charged towards him, he staggered still as Andrew¡¯s unbounded power washed over him. Eyes widening, Chase fell to one knee, his wooden sword stabbed into the earth for support. As the boy¡¯s steady breath sped up from his effort to remain standing, Andrew knew for certain that he was caught in his presence.


    ¡°-A bit unfair, to use your powers like that,¡± Flynn said off to one corner. Andrew noticed Gracie was already on her feet. She was about to stop him, but before she could make her way to him, Flynn intervened.


    ¡°It¡¯s totally unfair. You will hurt him!¡± she called out.


    ¡°The boy is not harmed, just a little spooked. Though you could have warned us,¡± It was a trick sometimes used in battle. It was perfect for a diversion tactic or for an element of surprise, but nothing more. It was only against someone far less experienced in using their own power to protect themselves that this trick beard its true fangs.


    ¡°That¡¯s as good as harming him!¡± she was again about to go past Flynn and break off the fight, but she was stopped once again.


    ¡°He¡¯s not necessarily doing something we ourselves had not gone through to awaken to this power,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°You think he¡¯s ready to awaken?¡° Gracie mumbled.


    ¡°A diamond only becomes a diamond under pressure. Or are you telling me, young and as talented as you are, that you awoke to your powers from a nice day¡¯s nap?¡± Andrew could see the conflict in her eyes. Like she was proud of his efforts, but upset that she was about to lose him.


    ¡°I did not. But his power feels¡­¡± Gracie¡¯s mouth remained open as she struggled to keep an eye on Andrew. For a moment, even Flynn looked over at him doubtfully. Andrew did not blame them. Chase slowly stood, his eyes widened as if still seeing a nightmare he thought he¡¯d awoken from. His shaking legs looked like they were about to buckle. Even Andrew was starting to have doubts he¡¯d pulled through, but¡­ After a long pause, Gracie finally looked away.


    Comeon, Chase. Fight it! He had it in him. Andrew just knew it.


    Standing on shaking legs, Chase stepped closer. Andrew had seen that stear Chase was giving him plenty of times. It was the look of someone who was scared, the fear of their own safety and preservation preventing them from taking another step. But more than anything, they were more scared of what might happen if they remained there. What they would lose if they did not move forward. It was the look of someone who¡¯d always been on the back foot in almost any endeavour they had taken and refused it to be true for the rest of their lives. Now, standing before his most daunting task, he glared down the pits of his own fears. Fear made Chase¡¯s knees shake. He looked drained, sweat began to glisten on their face. As Andrew watched Chase wipe his forehead in bafflement, he felt a stab of pity.


    He recalled the looks of his peers¡¯ eyes whenever he unleashed his power before them. The trick itself was nothing unique. Most of them could pull it off in their first years of training. What made Andrew¡¯s one stand out was simply how terrified it made people feel. Every affinity had a flavour, a prime emotion attached to them. Gale knights inspired freedom, Aqua knights inspired a sense of still calmness, earth knights steadfastness, and for steel knights it was the unyielding will and drive. All could be used to shock and intimidate. But for Andrew, his power inspired something deeper, more primal. A bottomless pit of fear. As Chase looked questioningly into his eyes, Andrew understood the unspoken words that filled them.


    ¡®What am I?¡¯ Yeah, I ask myself that all the time. When backed into a corner without a strong will, it was often the question that ran through one¡¯s mind. It did not take Chase long to look at him with a level of understanding, however. To that, Andrew smiled. Good, he counted on his previous training kicking in. Allowing that practice to fill the void that he wiped clean with his power. As Chase made it back into a fighting stance, Andrew nodded to himself. He could see his power forming instinctively to counteract his presence. He was close, so close. He just needed one last push.


    ¡°You got a sense of it at least, but it¡¯s over now¡­ kid.¡± He raised his sword out to his side as the surrounding air thickened with darkness. Chase curled in as Andrew¡¯s presence intensified around him. With his eyes closed, he took a timid step back. Grace stood there as she helplessly watched it happen. She¡¯d stopped trying to intervene and Chase looked at her now, betrayed. Andrew had to respect her. Despite their differences, she must have seen what he was doing and against everything held fast.


    Andrew¡¯s dark powers washed over him like inky mists, but among his sea self-made darkness glimmered the green glow of another presence. A power blossomed its way around the young boy surrounding him in a rough outline of light. As if a second layer of skin it veiled him in its protective embrace. Its evergreen glow pushed back the darkness that Andrew willed into existence like a sailing ship cutting through the ocean waves. Chase¡¯s eyes turned to Andrew, now burning with blooming anger, teeth gritted at his sheer attempt to contain it. He was in a trance of his own awakening. He lost a grip on his emotions as the ever-present will of the planet fused with him directly for the first time.


    The overwhelming sensation of one¡¯s first awakening was common. It differed depending on the situation and the emotional state they were in prior. Some will be enraptured with awe, others overwhelmed with relief to the point of crying. For Chase, it seemed like anger was the closest emotion at hand. And although he¡¯d mastered himself enough to not fly completely off the rails, it was apparent that he was on the cusp of striking him.


    With a roar like an avalanche, Chase charged towards Andrew. The sheer speed and power of Chase¡¯s strike surprised him. Had he not been half expecting it, he would have landed a clean blow. But he was expecting it. Because Andrew had the utmost faith that the young man would pull it off. In a blur, Andrew used a clockwise counter. The world around him moved at a snail¡¯s pace. Chase¡¯s overhead slash struck a perfect twelve on Andrew¡¯s spinning wooden sword. Activating his counter strike, Andrew retook his sword and, with a speed that bent light itself, struck Chase¡¯s front. The snap of his practice blade echoed in the air as if he¡¯d struck a faint tree.


    Earth knight, if the green light and the peppermint-like aura it gave off were not a dead giveaway, then the sturdy feel of his presence sure was. Time turned into a blur as it caught up with Andrew¡¯s sheer speed. Chase¡¯s sword fell from where he stood. In the exploding cascade of light, none of them saw him make the shift. All their eyes were still focused on where he last stood. Although that made Andrew smile, a part of him winced as the pain in his ankle protested.


    Ceaful¡­


    It was not until Grace gasped did Andrew knew everyone had finally caught up to what just happened. Well, all except Chase, he still had his back to him. Andrew grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯ll feel the impact of that one in a minute,¡± he said. Chase turned back to him as if he¡¯d heard a phantom. He tried to pull his sword out of the earth, only for his grip to slip and fall onto his butt. With a steady sigh, Andrew stabbed his practice sword into the earth before walking out of the line of upright sticks that made the training arena. Whether the kid knew it or not, it was over.


    When Chase turned to see what kept him from taking it, he saw a giant pile of earth standing before him. The hilt of the sword was stuck in the side of the mound of earth like a crewed rendition of the mythical sword in the stone. As Chase gawked at his creation, Andrew saw him mentally piecing together how it happened.


    ¡°Chase!¡± Gracie ran over to him, grabbing his shoulder.


    ¡°Gracie? I-¡±


    ¡°-Look at your hand-look! You¡¯ve done it!¡± baffled, Chase looked at them. They glowed a light hue of green. His knight¡¯s armour had awakened.


    ¡°I did it¡­¡± he whispered in awe. ¡°I did it!¡± pumping a fist into the air, Chase leapt skyward.


    ¡°How do you feel? Do you remember the sensation when it happened?¡± Gracie asked. Him, the celebrations died down as he got to thinking. He turned to Andrew soon after, his eyes studying him like one does a dark ominous pit you almost fell into. Understanding how unnerving his powers were, Andrew did his best to put on a light-hearted smile. Although he himself was conflicted, Andrew became the paragon of goodwill and openness. Despite his efforts, however, Chase visibly shivered. Following his line of sight, Gracie frowned casually at him.


    ¡°Should have warned me that you were going to do that,¡± she said. Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°Was not going to at first. But seeing how close the kid was to awakening, it just¡­ kind of happened.¡± Andrew said. It was half true, at least.


    ¡°Impulsive,¡° Gracie sniffed before she turned to Flynn. ¡°Did you know about this?¡°


    ¡°A little, ¡± Flynn said. ¡°My only surprise came from failing to see what as saw in the young man, but as things continued, I knew.¡° Andrew nodded.


    ¡°I knew the kid had it in him,¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid!¡± Chase shouted. Flynn sighed a chuckle to himself as Andrew looked back at him.


    ¡°So you keep telling me,¡± Andrew said, an amused smirk etched on his face. Before Gracie could protest, Chase pointed his practice sword at his opponent. Flynn laughed. Andrew simply looked at him.


    ¡°You really want to go another round?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s already forgotten how scared he was of you. You should really watch out for people like them,¡± Flynn said. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s got that going for him at least,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Enough talk! Come and face me like a man!¡± Chase shouted. He was eager, more than angry.


    ¡°You say that you are no longer a kid? Well¡­ I guess you are no longer a one at that.¡° Those words seemed to break the wind of his fighting spirit. Perhaps he wanted to keep a grasp on his newly awakened powers before the sensation vanished. Either way, Andrew was impressed by his will. He was willing to oblige him for another round too, if he could withstand what came next.


    ¡°Your minute is almost up,¡± Andrew smiled. Chase¡¯s baffled look almost made him feel sorry for the boy. Almost. In that instant, Chase folded over as if hit across the abdomen with a blunt object. Toppling to the ground, Chase groaned as he held his stomach.


    ¡°Chase!¡± Gracie reached over to Chase in a panic until she saw him get back to his feet with no apparent issue.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine,¡± Chase said carefully. Bafflement became sweet relief on his face.


    ¡°Are you sure? Tell me if there is anything wrong with you I¡¯ll be sure to get him back with-¡±


    ¡°-You¡¯ve hit me harder before,¡± Chase smiled. Gracie¡¯s face coloured at this. Avoiding eye contact with everyone, she stood up and fixed her hair.


    ¡°Well, then¡­ so long as you¡¯re ok,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok,¡± Chase sighed. ¡°But I think I¡¯m done.¡± Flopping to the floor, Chase let out a long and exasperated gasp. This newly formed knight¡¯s armour eroded. Andrew understood that crash of power. After tasting such strength for the first time, coming off such a high, often left one struggling to remain up. Of course, over time, you grow accustomed to the difference in power having your knight armour up. He was the same as everyone else in that way. What differed him from the others, however, was¡­


    ¡°When did you strike him?¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°Around a minute ago. Like I said,¡± Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°But that¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°-impossible? So I¡¯m told by many others, but I guess I did not get the memo.¡±


    Gracie looked at him questioningly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a unique skill of mine, not too different from how you can send spoken messages through your arrows, I guess,¡± he continued.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t see the strike. Cycles Andrew¡­ I didn¡¯t even see when you got behind him.¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°For someone who has eyes as sharp as yours, I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± Andrew sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject!¡±


    ¡°And here I thought we were past the awkward attempts to not offend each other.¡±


    ¡°What?¡°


    ¡°Listen, if you got something to say, then just come out and say it,¡± Andrew said. Gracie fell silent for a while as she bit her lip. Closing her eyes and taking a breath, she stepped forward.


    ¡°The power we use are drawn from the planet. Wind, water, earth, fire, steel but-¡±


    ¡°-Not all steel comes from the earth itself, but do go on,¡± Andrew calmly interjected. Gracie fixed him a glare before continuing.


    ¡°But¡­ that power, the power to¡­ to-bend¡­ everything like you did, it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s something that-¡± Gracie said carefully.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°-Only demons can do such things, Right?¡± Andrew asked. Gracie looked away, too ashamed to face him.


    ¡°Are you going to keep guessing what I¡¯m going to say?¡°


    ¡°Only stop if I guess wrong, but I was on the money¡­ right?¡°


    ¡°More or less¡­¡° she mumbled before chancing a look back at the sword on his back with a tense caution.


    ¡°So¡­ what are you anyway?¡° she asked. Looking back to the hilt of his father¡¯s blade, Andrew simply chuckled.


    ¡°I may have a few queries regarding that question myself, but I¡¯m no host to a demon,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Then how?¡±


    ¡°Now that right there is a good question. I honestly wish I knew,¡± Andrew said. Looking down at his hand, he felt empty. All he¡¯d ever wanted was to understand his father- understand himself and his powers and his place in this world, but once more he¡¯s reminded how little progress he has made in understanding anything. Forcing on a smile, he looked up to Chase.


    ¡°Did you get your powers from your dad?¡± the boy asked. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°Yep, like father, like son,¡± he said in a long, dermatic tone. But the humour in his acting was too short-lived.


    ¡°And where did your father get his powers from?¡± Flynn asked.


    ¡°Another good question.¡± Andrew¡¯s fixed onwards at nothing in particular. ¡°Ever since I was a kid, father would have me spar the students. Being a senior, it was a custom that I faced each of my peers back to back without a break. Even though it increased the risk of causing them injury, I was told to use my knight¡¯s armour against them.¡±


    ¡°He had you face everyone by yourself?¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°Although there were mistakes, I eventually learned how to pull my punches.¡± another forced smile. If he¡¯d had the displeasure of meeting his younger self, he would have had more than a few stern words for him.¡± I thought Dad made me do it simply because I was so far ahead of my peers in skill.


    Although that was partly it, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the whole truth. Given that the mere presence of my power boosts the growth of all who stood their ground against me, I think I was used to fast-track my friends into graduation. Within the first year, my father and I anointed all the newcomers into harnessing their affinity at will.¡±


    ¡°Within a year?! That¡¯s impossible,¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°You say that even after seeing what I did?¡° Andrew asked.


    ¡°Chase is different! He¡¯s been training steadily for years now!¡° Andrew just looked at her silently as all the resolve in her faded into her frown.


    ¡°Knight¡¯s armour is not some magic spell you can just cast on yourself to suddenly gain more power. It takes time, training, dedication, and years before one can use it properly. Only time and-¡±


    ¡°-stress and intense emotion can also pull the latent potential out of you.¡°


    ¡°Not those alone, not without paying a steep price down the road,¡± Gracie said. Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°Half of those graduated peers of mine looked at me like I was some kind of demon ever since then. If there was a price to pay, then I guess it was that.¡° Graice looked shocked at first. She looked like she wanted to say something, only to drop her head soon after. Sighing to himself, Andrew looked elsewhere.


    ¡°You can say what you like about how things should and should not work. You¡¯d be right in most cases, but when it comes to this issue and my powers, I¡¯m the exception,¡± he said, ¡°The impossible boy with impossible powers doing the impossible.¡±


    Chase''s progress was coming along well. But if they left him training at his current pace, Andrew wagered that he¡¯d have awoken to his powers in the next year or so. He knew Gracie knew this, too. He could see that she wanted to refute him, but her mouth remained idle. Frowning, she instead looked back at him and said: ¡°Did you know all of this, back then, I mean?¡±


    Andrew thought about it for a while before sighing. Recalling how narrow-minded he once was made scanning his memories was a real pain in the ass.


    ¡°I was too busy with my own problems at the time to even care about how and why people reacted to my powers the way they did. It¡¯s only when looking back at it now that I see the pattern.¡± Andrew said. ¡°It¡¯s obvious to me now that my powers more than others tug on something primal.¡° all silence for a long while.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it,¡± Gracie finally said. Her eyes were lost in distant thoughts.


    ¡°Your not too different from me. My powers often get mixed up with that of earth or steel.¡± Flynn said. Andrew frowned.


    ¡°Really? I thought it was some weird mix of both,¡± He said.


    ¡°No, it works a lot like how a Pentagon knight¡¯s powers do, but it¡¯s more fuelled from the rune smith system,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°So then, is it one of them, or both?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°Cycles if I know, you¡¯re better off asking Sophie,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°Given up my hopes for that,¡± Andrew sniffed. Flynn gleaned at him.


    ¡°What changed? For you to notice how your powers affect others?¡± Gracie asked. She was looking at him now. And despite everything, Andrew could not help but feel a warmth wash over him.


    ¡°Natalie happened,¡± he said.


    ¡°How?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that she shed light on a lot of things that I was doing wrong back then. Though she can¡¯t see it, she¡¯s helped me immensely. I owe her a lot.¡±


    Just then, a rumble of distant thunder sounded miles beyond the mountain. All looked in its direction in unison.


    The battle¡­ Has it already started?


    Flynn was already looking at him expectantly before shaking his head. Before he could ask, he whispered, ¡®demonstration,¡¯. So then, the cat was out of the bag. In order to safely use her powers, she needed to show them how they worked. Natalie made no effort to hide her powers per se, but it was never in her interest to let everyone she met know how different she was from them. Though she did do it, Andrew could tell that it always grated at her.


    ¡°She¡¯s special too,¡± Gracie mumbled. She had been watching Flynn and Andrew¡¯s silent exchange. Andrew¡¯s heart leaped in his chest.


    ¡°¡®Special¡¯?¡± he tried to recover, but Gracie did not budge. Was he that obvious?


    ¡°She has special powers just like you,¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± he sighed deeply. Not like keeping this from her will benefit anyone. ¡°She¡¯d always had talent. She fought longer and harder than anyone else I know to acquire them, too. She could have been a great knight. But just as those dreams were at hand, her hard-earned efforts were replaced with something else altogether.¡±


    ¡°I thought so,¡± Gracie mumbled. Andrew held her gaze for a time. A sense of understanding flickered between them.


    ¡°Something happened between you both, didn¡¯t it?¡± Andrew asked. All looked at Gracie now. Flynn leaned in and Chase sat up from the ground as even the gentle winds fell silent. With a long, tired sigh, Gracie looked at them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a knight who could conjure lightning once. I¡¯ve even heard of men talented enough to use their powers to fly. To see someone able to do both without even the use of a weapon. It¡¯s got to be a power beyond that of human reasoning, right?¡± She was nervously messing with one of the sticks that made the small arena, avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°What did you ask her to do?¡± Andrew asked. It took effort to keep his breathing steady.


    ¡°It¡¯s my younger sister. She¡¯s the only family I got left,¡±


    ¡°Isabella¡¯s in danger?¡± Chase asked.


    ¡°No more danger than your dad, silly,¡± Gracie said. She gave his hair a rub as she put on a comforting smile. Chase pouted before smiling back, but Andrew saw through the facade.


    ¡°Maybe you want to talk about it later,¡± Andrew said, looking over at the now-confused Chase. Gracie got the hint. But before he knew it, Flynn had offered Chase a race back to the farmhouse.


    ¡°First one home gets to tell mum about your epic new powers!¡± Flynn was already halfway into a sprint. All interest in the conversation left Chase as he went running after Flynn, who was clearly pretending to be running at full speed. Gracie chuckled to herself as she watched them shrink off in the distance.


    ¡°That was clever of Flynn,¡± Andrew said. He knew that Chase would try to stick around and listen if asked to go back home directly. Andrew would not think of disguising his wishes into a game like that. That was very¡­ mature of him. Somehow, that thought felt surprising to Andrew. Gracie only looked at Chase and Flynn with a blank expression before pulling out another stick that now littered the ground.


    ¡°Running away whilst leaving us to clean up the mess? Yeah, I guess clever is one way to explain it. If you had a blade to your neck,¡± he sniffed. Andrew blinked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think he thought that far¡­ Do you?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°The traveller is your friend, you tell me,¡± Gracie said, her back to him. She¡¯d already picked out several of the sticks that made the arena. Andrew folded his arms as he thought about it.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s possible? Though I don¡¯t think he¡¯s as crafty as Sophie, he does have his moments.¡± He said.


    ¡°I was joking.¡± She turned around, the makings of an amused smile etched on her face.


    Oh¡­ perhaps his face revealed his shock and so she tried to be more comical with him. Now, because of him, her grin faded into an apologetic downturn of the lip. It was only then that Andrew¡¯s slow, stupid mind caught up with what was happening, what she was trying to do.


    She was trying to lighten the mood by offering him a rope, and he had not only fumbled the gesture by tripping on it, but he had gone and made a noose out of it and was this close to hanging himself in the process. An awkward silence settled between them before Andrew nodded to himself. If you fumble one¡¯s rope, then you best throw back a rope of your own.


    ¡°Not your worst joke,¡± Andrew said as he picked out a stick and stood beside her as he watched Chase beat Flynn to the farmhouse before jumping in victory and running towards the front door.


    ¡°Joke?¡± she sounded confused. With a straight face, he looked her dead in the eye and gestured the stick as if it was a type of throwing spear.


    ¡°That one joke you did with the arrows last night? Now that one was well off the mark. Compared to that, I¡¯d say this one is an improvement.¡± He had to summon all this discipline to hold his straight face, but some of his facade cracked into a half grin. Gracie just looked at him with squinted eyes.


    ¡°Really?¡± she simply said. She sounded disappointed, but that lighter tone to her words reemerged.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Fine, I could lie, but it would be like shooting myself in the foot¡­ with a bow,¡± Andrew said. Grace shook her head, a hint of a smile betraying her apparent disappointment.


    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to tell jokes around bows and arrows now?¡± she asked. She turned away to pick out another stick, but Andrew liked to think she did it to cover up her smile.


    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to string together some stupid long-winded jokes involving bows and arrows, I¡¯m afraid my attention span is too shortsighted and my wit too blunt to come up with anything pointed enough that you¡¯d like. Even if I did manage that, I reckon the jokes would fly right over your head.¡±


    That one caught Gracie unaware as she stopped mid-way from picking out the last of the sticks to compose herself. Her back was still to him. She continued on as if nothing ever happened.


    ¡°Does Natalie have to put up with your stupid jokes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I aim for about three-to five a day. Why¡¯d you ask?¡± He delivered it in the most nonchalant way possible. With her back to him, Gracie shook as she fell into a fit of suppressed giggles. After a long moment-the damn broken- she released a gale of genuine laughter. Smiling to himself, Andrew watched as the walls around Gracie fell away.


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯ve made your point,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°¡®Made my point¡¯ as in I cannot make a joke using bows and arrows or that I can? Because if it¡¯s the latter, then I think you¡¯ve missed my ¡®point¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Andrew, there is a point where-¡± cursing to herself, Gracie gave him an accusatory look and composing herself to continue. ¡°There is a¡­ moment¡­ where even a good joke told well still falls dead, and nothing you¡¯ve said has been that good.¡±


    ¡°But I thought that¡¯s the whole aim when you fired an arrow- ¡®¡¯ Gracie fixed him with a look that stopped him dead in his tracks. Clearing his throat, instead of completing his sentence, he said: ¡°I think ¡°I¡¯m done now,¡± Gracie observed him for a moment longer before shaking her head to herself.


    ¡°Whatever Flynn¡¯s reasons are, it doesn¡¯t matter. I appreciate that he kept¡¯d Chase to stay out of this.¡± she sighed, looking back at the farmhouse. ¡°He¡¯s a smart kid, but a handful sometimes.¡± Looking at the farmhouse himself, Andrew nodded.


    ¡°He certainly has a strong opinion of himself, and not all of it unearned,¡± Andrew said, knowing how his earlier years turned out. Andrew knew it could be tricky. He looked back at the handy work he did at the centre of the arena they fought in. ¡°In any case, he¡¯ll be one to watch out for in the future,¡±


    ¡°I want to be there and make sure he lives to see it,¡± Gracie said. There was a muted resolution in the way she spoke those words. Like swallowing a bitter seed.


    ¡°But you also want to protect your sister,¡± Andrew finished. Her prolonged silence told him all that he needed to know. And just like that, Andrew felt the weight of her burdens. It¡¯s no wonder why Natalie kept from outright telling him.


    ¡°She is talented in the power. In some ways more so than me, able to summon guardians to her side.¡±


    Her sister¡­


    ¡°Just like how you threatened to bring them here,¡± Andrew said. Gracie shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m like a dog whistle. I just call them over and what happens next is up to the cycles. When I say she¡¯s better than me, I was not trying to be flattering. Her power is much more subtle, more intimate. At a young age, she was able to make one of the wolves her spirit animal. And although nobody around the village really says it, they see her as the second mediator.¡±


    ¡°So, your sister is also¡­ ¡®special¡¯,¡± Andrew said. Gracie sighed a chuckle soon after.


    ¡°She is. She¡¯s also stupid, na?ve, impulsive, rebellious, can¡¯t read a room-stubborn to a fault. And yet is probably fighting tooth and nail to try to bridge things between the villagers and the wolves- because¡­ because despite her faults- despite everything she loves and cherishes everyone.¡± Gracie took in a deep breath soon after.


    ¡°She¡¯s trying to keep the wolves and people from harming each other?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°She¡¯d make a case for why the wolves attacked them. She¡¯ll try to convince everyone not to kill them. I¡¯d like to think she¡¯d sway them-she¡¯s convincing like that. Failing that, she¡¯d go her own way to try to set things back to the way they were. I hate the fact that I know for certain it¡¯s what she¡¯d try to do,¡± Gracie said. ¡°So I¡¯d asked Natalie to watch over her, when I realised that she did not explain that to you I-, I¡¯m sorry if I complicated things between you.¡±


    Cycles, of all the things to ask of her, it had to be that. Was what Andrew wanted to say out loud. Instead, he nodded and said,


    ¡°She has an affinity for wanting to help the underdog,¡± Gracie nodded in understanding.


    ¡°It really was a moment of weakness, didn¡¯t mean to cause any trouble.¡± She said. Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°It was not as if we were not going to the village anyway,¡± He said. ¡°At least this way, your mind is more at ease.¡± Gracie¡¯s eyes fell as he finished speaking.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the rub,¡± she mumbled. Not sure what she meant, Andrew remained silent. ¡°When Colt left with the others, I was conflicted. Should I go with them? Isabella has her team, but I should be there too. As the days stretched on with no news that question bugged me, the issue with the wolves, along with nobody returning for so long, was unprecedented. It¡¯s not like them, and it¡¯s not like I promised to remain here. Though it was hard, I made peace with my decision. The farm needed protection, and I was the only one who could do it. And that¡¯s when you show up. With strangers here, I could not leave. It proved my point of needing to be here, but it also trapped me here. That contradiction frustrated me.¡±


    ¡°¡¯What would have happened if I abandoned the farm?¡¯ The only consolation was that because you were here. I had a new focus. A new target to pin all my frustrations on, a reason to keep you all at a distance. I thought that so long as I did my job and kept trouble away, then I¡¯d be content that I made the right call, and that my time here was not wasted. When I pulled Iris over all of a sudden to argue earlier, I¡¯d asked her if she¡¯d prefer if I left her here with strangers. She¡¯d just got done speaking to Sophie and since then I could tell that any doubts she held about you had all but faded. She looked conflicted at first when I asked if I should leave, but in the end, she said that it was my decision, and that she would not hold it against me if I chose to be with my sister. ¡®Maybe with them here, the cycles are giving you a chance¡¯. It was like she peered right into me. You willingly offered your help just to put me at ease. You¡¯ve been kind and patient. I began to think that perhaps you¡¯d be better at protecting the farm than I ever could. I once again began asking myself why I was here. When I finally heard the news of how dire things truly were back at the village¡­ I became really bitter.¡±


    She withdrew into herself now, laying her heart bare. She looked hollowed out, a conflict of pain beyond her understanding etched into her face. Andrew¡¯s chest went cold. He truly understood now why Natalie said what she said before she left. Their situations were not so different, stuck between duty, responsibility, and circumstances beyond their control. Left with crappy options that nobody can tell what is right or what one will leave you with the least regret. Before he knew it, Andrew put a comforting hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I get it,¡± He said. That brought her back from whatever edge she was standing on, only for her eyes to glisten with tears.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it!¡± she pushed his arm away as she shot to her feet and backed off. ¡°Don¡¯t you see!? Before you came here, I had no other options! I was the only person capable of taking care of the farm-the only one that could be relied on! But with you here¡­ I¡¯m unsure if I¡¯m making the right choice. A part of me wished that I was wrong about you and you had come to harm us. Even if that meant you¡¯d killed me here, then at least I¡¯d know I died making the right choice. At least me being here had a purpose. Every time you proved me wrong, and that I was the ass to even think like that, it ate at me.¡±


    ¡°But we are past that now, right?¡±


    ¡°What if Natalie wound up dead?¡± the words hung in the air as Gracie¡¯s eyes began to glisten with tears. Wiping them away in frustration, she turned her face away from Andrew to continue. ¡°I asked her to look out for my sister, and even though she never agreed to out loud, a part of me knew that it would inconvenience her, and yet I still did it. And maybe she will not endanger herself to protect my sister, but if she gets wounded or ends up dead because of me, would you still say that?¡±


    Andrew remained silent, perhaps taking that as a yes. Gracie continued to sob. As he stood beside her, his mind drifted up on to his own dilemma. Storm clouds began to form off in the distance, enveloping the land in its shade. It had not been that long since the demonstration. Was the battle for the village starting already? Andrew had taken a few steps towards the village before he realised it. Forcing himself to a halt, Andrew gripped tight as he folded his arms around his chest until he felt the crushing feel of his own embrace.


    ¡°My mother,¡± he began. ¡°She¡¯s in the next village over. She might be in a lot of danger. We were well on our way to reaching her until we stumbled here.¡±


    ¡°So you are choosing to protect strangers over dealing with your own issues? Why?!¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°I guess Natalie is not the only one with a soft spot for underdogs,¡± Andrew said as he turned and looked at the clouded sky. He needs to ask Flynn what¡¯s happening. ¡°Trying to do what¡¯s right, not knowing where your loved ones are or if you¡¯re at the right place doing the right thing¡­ It¡¯s torture, isn¡¯t it?¡± He gave her a big grin as he looked back at her. The distant rumble of thunder ran across the plane as the winds picked swayed the wheat to and fro. Gracie looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. Her eyes looked up to the sky soon after and all the colour left her features. Andrew did not need to turn around to confirm what she just saw. There was only one thing in the world that could fall out of the sky and fill a knight with so much dread.


    ¡°Demons,¡± she mumbled. Slowly turning around, Andrew pulled out his sword. He spotted at least three dozen demonic spawns falling upon the field of wheat before them.


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully calm,¡± he said as he layered himself over in dark energy. Gracie, who already had her bow out and game face on, spluttered as his words sank in.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡± she said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s any constellation, I feel crappy about it too,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The fact that I¡¯m so calm, that I feel relieved to see the demons showing up here. It¡¯s a shitty feeling to be grateful for such misfortune, but I cannot help it.¡± Andrew saw Gracie turn to him in surprise and knew that he was right on the money.


    It was all true. He felt like crap that it took misfortune to make him feel better about the choice he made. At the end of it all, he was selfish and self-interested, just like the knights who they criticise. As forms exploded out of the demonic orbs, as the cries of demons filled the air with dread, as the trickle of warm rain began to fall on Andrew¡¯s cheeks. A smile found its way on his face. ¡°With some demons here, it meant that there will be less of them over there. At least this way we get a small taste of the hell our friends are walking into!¡±


    With a sober and determined nod, Gracie ran back to the farmhouse, promising to call Flynn to back him up as the denizens of hell descended upon them.

 Chapter 32: Show-offs & Maniacs

    Andrew


    He parried the horns of a skeletal demon before side-flipping over its beam-like slash that cut down one of its own. Doubling back, Andrew cut through that first demon. Slicing through the exoskeleton and muscle, his sword left a black arc as he staggered forward and stabbed the second demon through its centre. He yanked his sword out just as a third one came crashing down upon him, crushing the demon he¡¯d just killed. Leaping back, he saw several more demons racing towards him. Gritting his teeth.


    As he blitzed the falling demons with a flurry of slashes, he still had the minds-eye to avoid a beam-like slash that came from a fourth demon behind it. Somersaulting in the air, he saw the slicing beam cut the demon he blitzed in two, spear sizes spikes barely grazed off his body, breaking his balance mid step and forced him to clumsily re-adjust his balance. Scraping along his side, Andrew kicked off the ground to get back on to his feet as his mind tried to understand what it was that almost struck him.


    Four more demons already replace the three that he killed. Beyond them, Andrew¡¯s attention was diverted to a fifth demon that flew above them, shaped like a giant, grotesque wasp with multiple wormlike tails replacing what should have been its body. Like the possesses head of a mop, the wormlike bodies all wriggled and writhed as if trying their best to be rid of each other. Some of them even looked to be fighting another as the giant steadily made its way towards them. With the writhing worms covered in spear like quills, the demon rose just below six more orbs of floating light in the sky right above him. Checking his shoulder by rolling it, the issue with the ankle had not bothered him yet. And although he felt a tad bruised on one side, there was nothing else bothering him. Thankful for his knight¡¯s armour¡¯s protection, he smiled to himself until he remembered the dilemma he was in.


    There are way too many of them. The grounded demons began their assault. Gritting his teeth, Andrew retreated a little further towards the farmhouse. Dodging a twirling slash from one of the pursuing demons, Andrew was about to counterattack with the night slash until the demon simply fell dead before him. Taking advantage of the opening, Andrew doubled back and cleaved off the second demon that tripped over the first one in its hot pursuit. Glancing down at the first one, Andrew saw the arrow that killed it and smiled in relief.


    Without tunning his eye from the battlefield, Andrew rose his sword skyward as a sign of acknowledgement and thanks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect a timely bailout like that again, you hear?!¡± Gracie shouted back. Andrew shook his head and chuckled to himself before another barrage of spear-size quills came raining down where he stood. Placing his sword before him face first, Andrew deflected most of them, but four of them struck him only to bounce off his knight¡¯s armour. Looking up at the sky now, Andrew grumbled. The worm-like wasp was not only homing in on Andrew, but was now joined by two more demons identical to it. As more insectile demons appeared from the orbs of light that fell into the wheat fields, Andrew saw the tall crops overhead begin to sway as dozens of them rushed towards them. At this rate, he was going to lose more ground.


    ¡° Come, Andrew! We¡¯ll make our stand by the wheat field!¡± Flynn bellowed as he ran past him and towards the horde of incoming monstrosities. With a grumble, Andrew turned to Gracie standing on top of the farmhouse.


    ¡°We¡¯ll hold the line down here! Just do something about those things above us!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me how to do my job!¡± Gracie''s words came out laboured as she shot back. Before picking up the pace to follow Flynn¡¯s lead. Gracie¡¯s arrow flew overhead towards the middle of the three demons that were flying steadily towards the farmhouse. Before Andrew registered why he could so easily see the arrow from this distance, he noted the stream of energy left upon the path it travelled.


    An explosive shockwave tore through the air and vibrated through Andrew¡¯s very core upon the arrow¡¯s impact. As he struggled to keep from running from the deafening shockwave, Andrew saw the three flying demons were now falling out of the sky before him. They all got hit by Gracie¡¯s attack. The sound-like explosion shattered their insect-like wings and ruptured their bodies. Trying to understand what Gracie did, Andrew looked down at his arms. It was shaking a little. His body felt numb from the shockwave she created and although he was quickly recovering, he had no doubt that if he was in the centre of that, he would be in a very bad position right now.


    The sound of Flynn cutting down a demon pulled Andrew out of his thoughts. The demons Grace shot down fell before him, still moving. Seeing his opening, Andrew blitzed a group of demons with three consecutive slashes, cutting down the demon that was too focused on Flynn to see him coming. Andrew cleared a path to reach the western knight.


    ¡°You took your time!¡± Flynn said from over his shoulder. He was smiling as he cleaved through a spider-like demon that tried to jump onto him.


    ¡±What the hell were you thinking?!¡± Andrew shouted. He blocked an attack that came from another spider-like demon with insanely large front legs and a pincer-like mouth that oozed dripping acid.


    ¡°What are you talking about, kid?¡° It ran around him and Flynn in a chaotic motion of blur as it flicked out spittles of poison everywhere, forcing them to scatter to avoid it.


    ¡°You just ran off all of a sudden. What if I didn¡¯t follow you?!¡± The hiss of poison acid burning the earth sounded around them as he and Flynn charged in on the demon in unison and sliced off all its legs on either side with one sweeping slash. As Flynn cut its head clean off, another booming shockwave from Gracie¡¯s arrows sounded beyond them. The arrow crashed into a demon a few metres away from where they stood, making it fall paralysed by the shock. Again the sound was deafening and again Andrew felt the power of the shockwave pass right through him. If he had not been protected by his knight¡¯s armour. Cycles, if he¡¯d been hit head on with such a blast¡­


    ¡°Glad that she¡¯s on our side,¡± Flynn said, resting his sword on his shoulder to look back at the farmhouse. Andrew agreed.


    ¡°Incoming!¡± Andrew jumped just as three thick, bone-like spikes sliced the air where he stood. He heard a deep crashing of steel as two more whizzed through the space just beside him. Flynn deflected the spear-like projectiles with his sword. His warning saved him a lot of trouble. Two large demons walked out of the wheat field on four claw-like legs, with rows of sharp-bladed tassels running up their arms and walking out of the wheat field towards them with an uncanny unison.


    The horde closed in on them. As more demons were making their way out of the wheat fields along with the two incoming demons, Andrew cursed to himself before getting back into stance. He counted at least three dozen demons now charging their location. At this rate, they will be overrun. Flynn charged at the two demons just as Andrew spotted something else just above them. Spikes were fired at them from one up high as two more wasp like worm demons ominously approached. He was about to avoid it until instincts kicked in, some part of him was keenly aware that there was something more important to do than avoiding the attack, in that split moment he planted his feet to increased the density of his knights armour as he deflected the projectile with the face of his sword. Only when blocking the barrage knocked him off his feet did his mind catch up with his actions.


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    The house! It was directly behind him. Had he moved, the projectiles would have travelled onwards. With the amount of power that was behind it, it could have flown onwards until it tore through the house¡¯s very foundation. Tumbling backwards, he scramble back onto his feet. Andrew winced, his arms rattled from the strike. Forcing himself back upright, Andrew was in time to see the spike that the twelve feet demon fired had already regrown along its arm. They approached, sending more spear-like bones flying towards them.


    This time, Andrew moved himself out of the line of the farmhouse and avoided the attacks. Lucky the demon¡¯s attention was still focused on him and not on the house. Gracie took down yet another pair of flying wasp demons with the worm bodies, allowing them once again to focus on what was beyond them. Seeing that Flynn had the attention of one of the larger demons, Andrew committed himself fully to closing the distance between him and his target as quickly as possible to finish it.


    Denting the ground beneath him with his immense speed. He cleaved through the demon¡¯s arm in a blink before skidding to a stop on its other side. As Andrew got up to continue fighting, he winced. Although it was a clean strike, its armour made it hard for Andrew to cut right through. He rolled to one side when he felt the demon approach. Avoid its overhead strike, the impact sent mud and grass bursting through the air. Putting more power behind his blade, Andrew rushed through the chaos of cover and with a leap, he cleaved through its neck with all the weight he could muster behind it.


    The arc of his sword left a shadow like trail where it travelled. The demon fell back lifeless as he landed back on the ground. The moment of calm was broken by more demons rushing towards them, a lot more. Looking at the wheat field in worry, Andrew was about to prepare himself to be overrun until he heard the collapse of something big to his right. Flynn had dealt with the second large demon and before Andrew had time to warn him he stood before the tall wheat of grass, took a tight double handed grip of his sword as it became aglow with a prism like light. With his blade oozing with power, Flynn took a wide step as he pivoted around and swung his blade across the field. A diamond arc followed Flynns blade along its wide-sweeping travel, spreading itself twenty feet across the wheat field. As the demons charged out of the tall wheat to meet them, they were cut in two. Sliced from the torso down by the suspended diamond slash that Flynn had created.


    Andrew thought that some of them would eventually notice what was happening and at least leap over, but none did. In one move, Flynn had killed over thirty demons. Wiping the sweat on his cheek, Flynn rested his sword back on his shoulder.


    ¡°Cutting it close there,¡± he said. Andrew just gave him a blank look.


    Show off.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t lose your edge just yet. We still got more incoming.¡± Andrew watched as more demon spawns began to fall before them, only to witness them fall to Gracie¡¯s bow. Taking out a demon that was about to land directly above him, he blinked. Barely a heartbeat later, a spider like demon writhe with an arrow in its side barely a few paces from him. Stabbing it dead, Andrew shook his head to himself. He should have known from the warning shots at him when they first met. She could still cover them just fine from where she stood.


    His point was proven once again when two more arrows fell into the wheat field beyond him, only to be followed by the sounds of demons crying and the fields falling still once again. One horn nose demon came rushing out of the field with an arrow in its eye and before Andrew could finish it, another arrow struck true. Passing through its throat, it fell lifeless to the ground. Just as three demons came charging towards him, Gracie fired a shockwave arrow that almost knocked Andrew onto his back from its sheer impact. That one was stronger than the others. Andrew shook away the ringing sound long enough to regain his bearings. He saw the two demons that were running alongside the one in the middle was blasted all across the earth like dried tumbleweed.


    The one in the centre of the three that had simply vanished. Andrew looked at her now, kneeling atop the farmhouse roof in the distance. He gave a baffled are-you-trying-to-kill-me gesture. He hoped that his baffled frustration was noted by the huntress. Something told him that his message was delivered when he could make out her head turning to one side. Flynn was already dispatching the demon that was blasted aside by Gracie¡¯s power and so Andrew made his way to the furthest of the remaining two. Staggering along the ground, they were too weak to be of any real threat. Cleaving its head, Andrew looked up at the sky once more. The demon spawn was thinning out. He counted only six floating orbs of light above them and, given how well they dispatched of the others, Andrew had little doubt that they could handle things. Cycles, he was confident that he could leave the job to these two.


    The show-off and the maniac. Between the both of them, he¡¯d be hard-pressed to find anything to do. Doubly so if no new spawns show up. The last six demon spawns were far overhead. He estimated that it would take another minute for them to appear. Depending on the light, time, and size of a demonic orb that spawns the demons, you can make an educated guess on the strength of a demon. The longer it took to arrive implied the strength and distance the demon was travelling from to reach earth. It took power to cross the rift between here and whatever backwater hellscape they came from. The size of the light orbs was often relative to the size of the demon crossing over. The colour of light was said to be linked to where they came from. All these factors, however, could differ under one exception: power.


    The sheer power of a demon can alter the forecast of a demon spawn to a certain degree. It¡¯s a mixup that¡¯s got many hunters killed. Luckily there were tell-tell signs of even tell them spawns apart. The erratic vibrating of the light spawn being the biggest one. Most powerful demons are said to come from realms that are further away from ours than the average ones. It¡¯s not so much that they take longer to get here because the average demons are faster at travel, but rather the truly strong ones have a longer journey to get here.


    According to his father, the strong demons being smarter always try to suppress its actual power. The six orbs in the air shone softly before the cloudy sky. Their orb-like surface was smooth; they looked about average in size. Although the fact that they took a while to arrive told Andrew that they were tough, but nothing to be worried about. With the three of them, they could end this.


    ¡°Andrew, look, we might have incoming.¡° Flynn said, pointing his chin to the farmhouse. Andrew turned to see Gracie standing up. Knocking an arrow, she aimed up, held the shot for a moment before releasing it. Andrew frowned. It was not aimed at anything he could see.


    A message arrow? Confused, Andrew watched the arrow fly overhead. He knew that he had been a little petty earlier, but this was no time to waste an arrow over a-


    ¡°-Fire at the barn!¡± the shockwave of those words crashed over Andrew like an avalanche. Fire? The only way that could have happened now of all times is¡­


    He ran around the farmhouse to see the plume of black flames bellowing overhead like a leaning pillar of ink. It was like Lucas¡¯ village all over again.


    Cycles above. It was right where the barn should have been. Andrew recalled the old man Lawrence, who nodded to him barely hours ago. His competent looking hunters who came to his side.


    ¡°-If the worst comes to pass, we¡¯ll clean up shop here and swing on over to check up on you,¡± the woman said. Andrew froze¡­ he did not even get either of their name. A flash of lightning flickered on by. Unconsciously, Andrew began counting.


    One¡­two¡­


    ¡°Get going, we can handle things here,¡± Andrew blinked, Flynn stood beside him also looking up at the sky. The echo of thunder rumbled in the distance as the rain began to fall.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Andrew asked.


    Six seconds¡­ Andrew¡¯s chest became tight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Natalie is fighting, but she¡¯s doing just fine. Now go!¡± he said. Andrew nodded at him in thanks before making his way towards the fire.

 Chapter 33: The Dealer of Death

    Andrew


    He cut through a path of heavy rainwater as he blazed a trail across the tall wheat fields to reach the burning barn. Certain that he was closest to the field¡¯s exit, he maintained his pace. The echoes of battle faded behind him. He continued running until he heard the sound of steel, crying sheep, and the crackling of wood. Emerging from the fields, he saw the burning barn. The heavy downpour had slowed the flame destruction, only half of the barn remained. There was a door facing the unblemished side. If he was quick, then he could perhaps save-


    A human scream tore through the roaring rain. Andrew¡¯s blood ran cold as the sound of dread passed through him. A sinister man stood over the steaming corpse of another. A blood-red glow of light in the attacker¡¯s hand drew Andrew¡¯s eye like a northern star. Recollection to the news Flynn told them in the farmhouse rang in his mind. It¡¯s him, the one he warned them about. The assassin.


    He¡¯d killed Lawrence. He¡¯d talked and nodded to him not so long ago.


    Tightening his grip upon his sword, Andrew leapt over the fence and slid down the slope. The bastard¡¯s back was to him. Although he could not see the male hunter, Andrew could just make out the woman over the killer¡¯s shoulder.


    She held her weapon, but was not in any position to fight. The heavy rain masked his approach as he ran towards them. Channelling his dark energy upon his blade, Andrew threw down night slash at the attacker. The beam hit true, exploding upon its target. An eruption of soaked leaves and mud filled the air. Masked by the chaos, Andrew was almost caught by a beam of flame that cracked through the mess like a whip. Had it not been for its intense brightness, he was not sure that he would have been ready for it. The heat of it was so intense that it turned the torn grass into ash from its mere passing. Deflecting it with his sword, Andrew retreated.


    Landing atop the nearby apple tree, he groaned as he blew at his burned hands. The sheer heat that ran down his weapon was staggering. Even with the downpour, the heat ran along his face where the flaming whip approached before he blocked it. Placing one of his burned hands on the cool wet bark of the tree, he began to puzzle out just what the hell had just happened. It was a flame attack no doubt, but he had his knight¡¯s armour up, which should have taken the brunt of most of the heat.


    It ¡®did¡¯ take the brunt of most of the heat¡­ that realisation made him lose focus for a fraction.


    His sword glowed red from where the flaming whip struck it. It too was covered in knight¡¯s armour. Although admittedly not as much as normal since he¡¯d just depleted most of it unleashing night slash, even still¡­ The flaming whip hardly touched his blade and yet he felt its heat had run down to the hilt. As if it¡¯s been sitting on stoked flames for a while.


    This bastard is a flame knight, no doubt about it, an abnormally powerful one to boot. Andrew¡¯s face darkened. What benefit could someone of his skill get from terrorising a village and cutting its means to get help or feed itself?


    The downpour of rain sizzled on the face of his blade, sending up steam with an angry yellow glow before it faded. Andrew felt the sword once more cool down in his grip. Standing atop the branch, he eyed the spot where the attacker countered his night slash. He¡¯d not moved since his counterstroke. He simply looked up at him now, an air of curiosity on his face. The attack not only turned the surrounding grasslands to burned ash, but it also caused a plume of smoke to rise from the sheer heat. Between the man-made mist and the glowing of his weapon, Andrew could barely make out the figure.


    Damn it! No time. The animals stuck in the burning barn screamed as they rattled at the front door, trying to escape. Hearing the scream was making him lose his game. Overhead, he saw a smattering of demons, some alive and some dead. There seems to be less spawning thank the cycles, but that little that was left began to converge on their location. He needed to get a grip. The woman hunter still kneeled there, her face in a daze.


    ¡°Hey! What happened here and where is your partner? I thought you guys had things under control!¡± Andrew shouted. He knew it was cruel to say, but he needed to get a rise out of her. She blinked before her features evolved into a sour expression of disbelief, grief and bitter rage all rolled into one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± she whispered. This finally made the killer turn his gaze to her. The raindrops began to slow their descent and gather around her as she rose to her feet. Not only was she now shrouded in water, but that body took shape as it undulated around her like some giant serpentine creature. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you for what you¡¯ve done!¡±


    Covered in a flaming mist of smoke, it was hard to make out his features, but Andrew got a sense that, underneath it all, the assassin found the whole thing amusing. The woman charged at the killer. The serpent-like water snapped at him as fast as a cracked whip, only for the man to avoid it as he proceeded to flee to the forest. With a twisted glare, the enraged woman chased his tail. Failing to get her attention, Andrew cursed to himself as he dropped down from the tree to catch them. Just as he was about to give chase, however, he heard coughing.


    ¡°Lawrence!¡± running over to the dying man, he placed his hand on him. He was as cold as ice. He won¡¯t be long now. The grass where he lay was soaked in blood. With nobody around to help him, he had moments to live. ¡°What happened here?! Where is the other hunter?¡±


    ¡°Cruz¡­ is gone,¡± Lawence pushed out.


    ¡®Cruz,¡® That was his name. Andrew felt a wave of guilt. He was demanding answers from a dying man. With the amount of blood coming out of his chest and how laboured his breaths were, having him talk now would only rush him to his grave. The demons were slowly closing in on them.


    The heavy rain and the flaming barn were the only things keeping them from instantly seeing them. He needed to go after the female huntress and the killer. Conflicted, Andrew looked around for a safe place he could put Lawrence. He could not leave the man to this fate. As he wrecked his mind for such a place, the old man pointed a weak, shaky finger at the burning barn.


    ¡°Leave me, just get them¡­ out, ¡± he squeezed them words out with effort before going limp in his arm. He was dead¡­ with a heavy heart, Andrew obliged the man¡¯s wishes. Breaking the lock on the barn, the sheep, horses and cows came bursting out in a stampede of panic. The panic attracted the few demons on the field. The demons, seeing such an abundance of food running towards them, began to gather up all in order to kill and feast upon any they could snatch up.


    The stampede of animals ran a few meters beyond Andrew, now before each second, coming closer to the small gathering of demons. But before the demons could draw first blood, Andrew, in a blink, had not only covered the distance, but had sliced through three of the six demons before they even reacted.


    The last three had some time to react, but that did them little good, with all demons dispatched. Andrew skidded to a halt from his blitz; he felt a twinge of pain in his ankle. Although his little stunt relieved some of his pent-up anger, it did little good to him. He was still not fully recovered from last night. With the animals free, Andrew took a deep breath. He needed to get a grip on himself.


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    I need to stop the assassin first! Andrew began following the marks of battle. As he guessed, the assassin had run into the forest. Seeing no bloodied corpse of either him or the woman all the way to the forest¡¯s mouth was a good sign. It made sense that he¡¯d retreat. He was a flame knight; the woman was an aqua knight. The matchup was not in his favour.


    Put on top of the fact that the woman (he should have asked for their names.) was not only enraged but was in her element under this heavy rain turned the ordeal of fighting her was too tasking for any knight. For a flame knight, however, the fight was hard to survive, next to impossible to win.


    Running away made sense. It was what he would do in his shoes; it made sense, and yet Andrew could not shake that feeling he had when the killer turned his attention to the woman. Like he was not phased, like he was having fun, it was not the persona of someone being hunted. As he jumped over the fence leading to the forest, he heard the sound of steel slapping steel.


    Strengthening his knight¡¯s armour, Andrew raced to the sound of battle. The rain came in a slower cadence thanks to the thick canopy above, with less water to gather within the forest. Andrew caught up to them as they kicked off a treetop in the distance, the spark of their weapons exchanging blows a guidepost. The woman was a waterfall in pursuit.


    As she unleashed torrents of aqua cannons, the sheer pressure of her barrage shattered branches and sent timber cascading onwards. A slash of her spear sent jets of water so intense that it cleaved a small group of tree tops and slowed her speed from its sheer momentum. Cursing her reckless display, Andrew had no choice but to avoid the falling branches and keep out of the firing line of this enraged woman.


    Although most of her strikes were well placed, the killer was able to avoid and deflect everything she threw at him, all the whilst not throwing a single counterstroke of his own. The calmness he displayed before this power unnerved Andrew.


    The woman was a whirlpool of rage, an absolute torrent of anger as deep as the ocean and will as unyielding their depths. She was vengeance made into a tidal wave. And yet the flame assassin dealt with her attacks like a patient adult waiting out a child¡¯s tantrum.


    Andrew wanted to jump in and even the odds, or at the very least try to make the woman see enough sense to notice that something was very wrong, but his mind was at a crossroads about what to do. With how she was fighting, he was likely to get harmed by her. Calling out to her now would only distract her, and so Andrew thought it best to hold his ground, keep his eye peeled for an opening and-


    ¡°-This is for Cruz, you bastard!!¡± In a blind rage, the female hunter sent a crashing torrent of water atop the killer. The strike fell upon him with a smothering, suffocating force of a waterfall, hard to replicate with any other affinity but water. As the female hunter slammed the killer into the ground, Andrew landed on a branch behind her to observe at a safe distance. He could not see the killer but could make out the woman looking down at the path of distorted branches she created with her last attack.


    Did she get him? At first, Andrew tried to see if she managed to wound or kill the man until he noticed her shoulder shaking with suppressed sobs. She was crying. Feeling a weight fall on his chest, Andrew called out to the woman. Although he did not know her name, she turned to him, almost in surprise. She¡¯d forgotten that he was there. Her eyes looked hollow, vacant, like she released all that was her into that last strike, and in a blink when he called for her, some spark of that spark came back.


    ¡°Please tell me that Lawrence is alive, after what Cruz did I-¡± Whatever she was going to say next never came as a flaming whip veered towards them, forcing Andrew to fall to a lower branch. The lick of flame brushed his face, shocking him with its sheer heat. Andrew watched in horror as the trees beside him burst into flames. He turned back just in time to see the woman slip off the treetops and onto the earth. Her sword arm was missing as it pin-wheeled the opposite way.


    The women became truly hollow then. Her open mouth held a scream too big-too vast to pass her throat. As the roaring of rainfall cried in her place, she slipped off the branch and faded into the undergrowth. She had her knight¡¯s armour on; it was fuelled by being in her element along with controlling the several streams of water. She should have been near untouchable. And yet with a single attack, she was gone¡­


    Andrew looked in shock at the spot where she fell.


    I didn¡¯t even get her name.


    ¡°You froze,¡± the killer said. Now freed of his attacker, he stood atop a branch across, watching him. His flaming dagger glowing white by his side. Something about that unnerved him. Pushing his initial reaction aside, Andrew carefully righted himself upon the branch.


    ¡°What?¡± Andrew said. The man simply stood there, silent. Andrew shook with building tension. It took all he had to not fall upon his base instincts.


    ¡°You hesitated,¡± the assassin continued. ¡°Atop the apple tree, during the chase, you doubted yourself.¡± With a sinister smile, the killer shook his head. ¡°That will get you killed,¡±


    ¡°A hired cutthroat giving life advice? Now I¡¯ve seen it all.¡± Andrew sniffed.


    The crashing report of gunfire exploded in Andrew¡¯s ear. Before he knew it, he¡¯d kicked off to one side whilst raising his sword to his face in defence. In a blink, he¡¯d made it seven metres to the assassin¡¯s right. Skidding to a halt, he looked up to see the man aiming a weapon right where he last was.


    A pistol!


    It was hidden behind his other hand the whole time. Andrew felt it skim off his knight¡¯s armour. It was a powerful shot, its bullet strength enhanced with a coating of the assassin¡¯s very own elemental energy. Had he not moved on instinct, had it struck his knight¡¯s armour directly, then the bullet would have passed his defences and went through his right eye. As it stood now, he had a bloody graze across his temple.


    ¡°Again you freeze,¡± he said. ¡°Thoughts delay actions and dull the blade,¡±


    With the last of the smoke fading from the rainwater touching his flame armour, Andrew could clearly see the assassin now. He was a man with ebony skin. His short buzz-cut hair, like his trim frame, spoke of purpose and efficiency. Where his left hand held the pistol, his other hand held a militant-grade knife that glowed with the power of flame and fury. He looked every bit like the trained killer that Andrew sensed, a man who deals in death and destruction. Andrew fought the urge to blink his watery right eye. The graze along his temple burned like the seven frozen cycles of hell, but he would not blink. He could not afford to blink. Because the next slip-up he made could be his last.


    ¡°I struggle to understand why Epimetheus put so much stock in you,¡± the killer said. Andrew¡¯s mouth went dry at this. It took him a long moment to react, and even then, it was barely a whisper.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the seven,¡± he said. The assassin sniffed. He truly looked offended by what he said.


    ¡°And you¡¯re B67¡¯s alleged protector. The man who escaped a power that has made nations shake and kingdoms fall. Epimetheus claims that you hold the key to such power yourself, but you don¡¯t seem capable.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come down here and find out yourself?¡± Andrew said. He made a show of getting into a fighting stance. The assassin¡¯s eyes darkened to this. Soon, however, he smiled as he glanced up at the centre of the storm in the direction of the distant village.


    ¡°I could do that¡­ or I could go back and ask her,¡± he said. Although Andrew made a show of not reacting to it, he almost took the bait. Had this been said to him a few years back then, the Andrew of then would have reacted in a fiery protest of anger. Had he not been so easily bested by Epimetheus, things would have been different. As things stood right now, Andrew took hold of what he could have and would have said and buried them deep into his core, where it burned as a cold, enduring promise.


    Rolling his shoulder, Andrew felt the tingling sensation run down his burnt arm, feeling that it was still okay. Andrew raised his sword skyward, pulling forth as much power as he could muster. Dark energy swirled around him like a black mist.


    Channelling it along with his buried anger, a chilling coolness so unlike him, took over. He felt the fatigue of battle grow more distant, his focus more absolute. But as body and mind primed themselves for the fight, Andrew felt an icy pain in his chest. Pushing it aside, he eyed his target. He did not fear dying right now. A small part of him cried at his lack of self-preservation, but given all the other options, what else was there?


    The only reason why he was not dead already was because it was he who got the jump on him. If he was to survive this battle, Andrew had to toe the line between trusting his instinct and out-pacing the dealer of death in his own domain. He had to become the killer of killers-that ultimate dealer in death. Because come hell or high water, he will not allow him to go anywhere near Natalie.


    As his chest grew heavy with all the power he could summon, Andrew¡¯s vision began to mist with darkness.

 Chapter 34: A cry for help

    Gracie


    The demons numbers had dwindled not long after Andrew headed off towards Lawence¡¯s burning barn. The few demons that Gracie spotted were too far to reach with her bow , and even then she counted maybe three. Heading closer towards them atop the roof. The rest, however, seemed to be distracted by something else and instead moved further away from the farmhouse to pursue it.


    Exhaling a shaky breath, Gracie un-drew her bow as she went back to observing how Flynn was doing.


    The man was a monster. He¡¯d cut down a swarm of demons that came at him with a speed that she did not expect from someone so large. He had a few close brushes after Andrew stopped covering his back. There was one moment there demons fell upon him from on up high. Gracie was able to cover him one time thanks to her power, but to put so much of her energy into a single shot was taxing.


    Shamefully, on three occasions, Gracie just did not have the strength to cover Flynn. On one of those occasions, Gracie thought the man had died. Having been knocked down by a demon that took the shape of some grotesque flying rhino beetle, Flynn got tossed several feet into the air. The impact itself would have taken down many other knights, but not Flynn.


    Not only did Flynn get back up after the strike, he proceeded to cleave the demon in two by slashing a bladed arc of energy into the air and allowing it to try to charge him once again.


    She¡¯d seen him do something similar to a large group of demons that came towards him and Andrew from the wheat field earlier, but unlike those demons, this rhino beetle¡¯s thick beetle shell was known to be one of the toughest out there. Not many hunters had the strength or will to cut through it, instead they were taught to attack between its open gaps where the joints were. Even then, it is no easy feat to defeat. The demon, known to take a thousand well-placed paper cuts to beat, taken down directly with one.


    She¡¯d known the knights of the rune smiths to be no pushovers, but this¡­


    Are we so sheltered here? They had been so reliant on the alpha king¡¯s strength and protection for so long that they neglected their own strength, and now she stands there awe-struck by these travellers¡¯ display. Pushing aside her swirling thoughts, Gracie locked an arrow and shot another incoming horned-nose demon down. There were hardly any other threats left.


    Maybe I should go back to the village and help my friends and sister¡­ The old unwelcomed thought reared its head once more. Dispelling it had been a nuisance¡­ but it felt a lot simpler once she and Andrew talked things out. She made up her mind. She was right where she needed to be. And besides, Natalie was down there with her people. Miss Emerson, a rune smith, was also there beside her. If they could not protect the village from the demon, then who else could?


    A distant howl of wolves echoed upon the mountaintop beyond them. Giving pause, Gracie watched the powdered snow caps of Mt.Karaki become obscured as a tempest of thick dark clouds converge upon its very peak. Perplexed, Gracie watched with her as the halo-like clouds crowned its peak before the world grew darker. Before Gracie could make sense of what she witnessed, the storm clouds began to shrink onto the mountain like water drawn towards a skink hole.


    As the clouds overhead parted and the feel of the rain stopped patting the rooftop, as the howls of the wolves atop Mt.Karaki descended upon her like an ominous message from the heavens themselves, Gracie watched in confusion as she witnessed the sun peek from behind the clouds as a gigantic hole opened up in the pit of her gut.


    Natalie¡­  she¡¯d asked her to watch over her sister, practically begged her to go. If she was the one who was controlling this storm, then¡­


    What does this mean?


    At the corner of her eye in the forest by the foot of Mt.Karaki, she spotted something flicker.


    ¡°Traveller!¡± Gracie called to the silver-haired knight, gaining his attention.


    ¡°Call me Flynn!¡± he shouted. He¡¯d got done with the last of the demons and was heading towards her.


    ¡°Something¡¯s happening out there!¡± she pointed at the sliver orange glow peeking out from beyond the forest canopy, soon followed by smoke. Flynn looked in the same direction, puzzled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got sharper eyes!¡± Flynn shrugged before nodding in agreement. As he continued to look onward, Gracie spotted another flicker of flame within the forest, followed by a sliced tree falling down. Gracie bit her lip.


    This ain¡¯t good!


    ¡°That¡¯s down the same direction Andrew went towards, to reach Lawence¡¯s barn, right?¡±


    ¡±I think your friend is in trouble!¡± just as she said it, she saw another slither of orange peek past the treetops and another. A moment after the second light faded, Gracie saw more trees collapse inwards, exposing flame. Convinced that it could be nothing else, Grace turned to Flynn sharply.


    ¡°It¡¯s the assassin! Some insanely powerful flame knight. You need to catch up with him now he¡¯s in trouble!... Flynn?¡± Flynn just froze there looking at the ground, unresponding.


    ¡°Flynn!¡± he blinked out of his daze to look at her, but his eyes, however, held a dark shade to them. Gracie was about to question him until he remembered what Flynn was capable of doing.


    ¡°Sophie gave you news of the battle,¡° she said. Flynn just looked at her with no response. The knot in her gut beckoned. She knew before the words came out.


    ¡°What happened to Natalie?¡± Flynn¡¯s face only betrayed a fraction of surprise before he sighed.


    ¡°She broke from the plan,¡± he said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°In an effort to protect everyone, she tried to face the full brunt of the Famine Fissure alone¡­ it didn¡¯t go well,¡± he grumbled. The Famine Fissure had taken down someone who could harness the power of the very heavens themselves. Gracie recalled what they said about the Famine Fissure, how spiteful it is in its vengeance, how persistent it is in its hunt to kill all that pose a threat to it.


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    ¡°So Natalie is-¡±


    ¡°-she¡¯s alive. A group of young hunters swooped in and distracted the demon. Thanks to them, it¡¯s vengeful heat is off of Natalie for now. Right now, the Famine fissure is running rampant, trying to kill the ones who interfered. I think your sister is one of the people mixed up in all of this.¡±


    ¡°Isabella¡­¡° her chest tightened at the thought. Willing herself to calmness, she forced her back straight and looked Flynn in the eye. If they were going to involve all these outsiders in their affairs, then the least she could do is show a little pride!


    ¡°Did she leave a message?¡° she said. Flynn grinned to himself at hearing this.


    ¡°She¡¯d expected you to ask as much,¡± he said. ¡±Isabella said, ¡®We owe them a debt, it¡¯s the least they could do¡¯...¡±


    Gracie nodded, so her sister was not only the vanguard, but was now in the eye of the storm¡¯. As the clouds continued to converge upon Mt.Karaki, Gracie just remained there, trying to mentally accept it. Her sister was there on the front lines. Of all places for her to be, it had to be-


    The howl of the wolves broke through her snowballing thoughts. As the seconds ticked on by, an echoed thunder boomed overhead. It was as if it was in response to the wolves¡¯ cries. Flynn looked at the mountain as well. Just as Gracie was about to ask him what was happening, her mouth went dry, for she already knew the answer just by looking at him. Once again, Gracie felt a bad omen stem from the wolves howling. They were about to enter the battle.


    ¡°You better get going,¡± Gracie had said the words before she could take them back. Despite her inward panic, a smile found its way on her face. Flynn looked at her a moment before turning back down the direction his friend went. ¡°You¡¯ve already helped me handle most of the demons. I see no more spawning. I¡¯d count that as a job well done.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be convinced it¡¯s over until we¡¯ve done the cleanup,¡° Flynn said. Gracie could not help but smile at that one.


    ¡°I appreciate your effort,¡± she said. ¡°but I think it¡¯s high time you guys stop covering for strangers and start worrying about your own,¡± Flynn smiled at her gratefully.


    ¡°Those who watch my back are no strangers!¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°Then I shouldn¡¯t even have to ask, should I?¡° the two of them looked at each other for a while before smiling.


    ¡°Your right, him not being here now is like him trying to skip clean up duties,¡° Flynn nodded to himself. ¡°Sit tight friend! I¡¯ll be right back with that rascal!¡± giving a thumbs up, Flynn made his way towards Lawence¡¯s barn. Despite the turmoil, Grace could not help but smile at that.


    ¡°Are they all gone?¡± Gracie almost jumped out of her skin at hearing Chase¡¯s voice. He looked tentatively out of the window now. His training sword gripped firmly in the other hand. Releasing her hand off her bowstring, she fixed the boy with a stern glare.


    ¡°What did I tell you about opening the window, Chase?!¡± she hissed. He did not turn to her, too busy staring at the smattering of demon corpses spread along the field. She sighed. ¡°Never mind that. Where¡¯s mum and the others?¡±


    ¡°What happened to the rain?¡± Chase asked. He was like a weary cat after the dogs had left. Gracie pinched her nose then.


    ¡°Still ignoring me?¡± she mumbled to herself. Looking up at the still-reseeding clouds once more, Gracie closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Natalie has got herself into a bit of trouble¡­ honestly starting to wonder if it is all my fault-¡±


    ¡°-Gracie look! What is that?¡±


    ¡°Chase! By the cycles! Ignore me one more time and I¡¯ll¡­¡± Gracie¡¯s mouth hung open as her eyes followed Chase¡¯s finger. He pointed up to the sky just left from where the sun was. The sunlight made it hard to see at first, but looking at it now, there was no mistake.


    A demon spawn. It looked small from where she stood, given its dark colour and the number of demons they had to deal with, it was possible that they simply overlooked its appearance since it was so small, it could also be possible that it only just now appeared. A demon¡¯s power and size could be accurately gauged by the size of its spawn and how quickly it takes to break free from it.


    Gracie, experienced in hunting demons on the outskirts of her village, had witnessed her fair shear of them freshly spawning. Having the sharpest eye on her team, they often relied on her to scout the grounds for miles on end before her sister and her team planned their next move. She had a good eye for demonic spawns. And because of that, something about what she saw on high bothered her. Stepping to one side to better judge its distance, Gracie¡¯s blood ran cold.


    The thing practically remained motionless as she walked from one side of the roof to another. This indicated the orb¡¯s sheer distance away from her. It was very far away. Perhaps higher up than the storm clouds themselves. The thought of likely being there this whole time left Gracie in a cold sweat.


    But that was impossible, unless¡­


    ¡°Chase, get back inside the house and keep an eye on your mum,¡± she said, her voice was trembling. With an effort, Gracie forced her shaking hands to stillness as she drew back an arrow and aimed. The spawn was too far away to fire at-she knew that, and there was little telling when the demon would appear, but she intended to make its arrival a short one.


    If her fears were correct, the demon that was appearing was something that could be a national threat on the same level as that of the Famine Fissure. Hearing the roof window close beside her, followed by Chase¡¯s hurried steps to reach downstairs to warn his mother, gave him a slither of comfort. But deep down, she was starting to regret sending Flynn off to check on Andrew.


    Honestly, what horrid timing! Should she call him back? Although he was out of sight in the tall grass now, her shockwave of arrows was loud. Her message could still reach him if she acted soon. Pushing the urge to call him aside, Gracie resolved to at least try to take it down herself. She had already got more help from them than she could have ever asked for.


    She would have been overrun several times over had these people not shown up. The least she could do was to handle the straddlers whilst he goes to rescue his friend.


    Two seconds, she will instinctively gauge its power within two seconds of it, arriving with her keen hunter sense before she reacted.


    As if to take her up on it, the orb cracked, crumbled and shattered into specks of crystalline light that faded like snowflakes descending towards a hellish inferno. In the orbs¡¯ place emerged a bellowing, undulating form moulded from all that was wrong in the universe. And although the sun stood right behind it, the surrounding light dimmed around her to a cold hue. The shapeless form coiled and unravelled until Gracie could just make out two sinister scythe-like blades emerge and elongate between them. This was no demon¡­ was it?


    It was an unsightly blight upon existence itself; as the form descended towards the wheat field, she knew that fighting it was useless. Instead of fighting, Gracie aimed her bow skywards. Channelling her power into the arrow, she cried her plea for help before setting it loose.


    With cold, numb hands, Gracie stifled back her disappearing sobs. Gracie looked back at the stealer of hope as it finished its descent upon the land. Pulling out her short sword and locking another arrow on her bow, she jumped off of the farmhouse roof.


    The sun remained in the sky, yet the surrounding land still grew dimmer. It approached her from the wheat field, slithering along the land like a slow invertibility. The wheat before the thing thinned and withered at its passing. This spectre of death and decay-this anti-matter of existence moved through the world like it had all the time within it.


    Watching the eternal being slowly approach, Gracie knew that her time was up.


    This¡­ creature¡¯s powers somehow bent space in ways that even the very presence of light itself was being rejected. It steered at her now through its hollow abyssal darkness of a cloke, black mist bellowing around its nightmarish shape. Like the uttered words of death made into a physical thing, it slithered out of the cloak and crawled along its feet. It was then that the message that she fired overhead sounded. It was a howling cry for the wolves.


    Gracie was scared, but that was not the reason why her eyes were now filled to bursting with tears. Nor was it from her sudden realisation that the thing that now marched towards her was going to be her demise. It was not because it somehow bent the fabric of the world around her and neither was it because of how it cleaved through her knight¡¯s armour like it never existed.


    It was hearing Chase and the other children screaming downstairs from merely sensing its presence, and it was knowing that she was powerless to protect them. It was all those things and more, coupled with the fact that she knew that she blew it. It was knowing that she failed and would never see them or her sister ever again that broke her.

 Chapter 35: This place will not be your grave!

    Andrew


    He leapt forward and deflected the viper-like inferno whip with his sword before overshooting his jump to pursue the assassin. As the deflected attack set the ground aflame, Andrew did all he could to keep from blinking his drying eyes. The inferno whip returned to the assassin. As predicted, the assassin aimed his pistol at him and so Andrew jumped over to avoid it. As he took to the air, however, the report of gunfire did not come. The assassin wore a winning smirk.


    Bad move!


    Re-aiming his gun upwards, the assassin fires at him in earnest. Suspended in thin air, with no patch of shadow to fade into, Andrew barely got his blade up in time to deflect the multiple shots before falling upon the assassin with an overarching slash. His strike cleaved the leaves as the assassin jumped back. Andrew flowed overhead strike into three instantaneous slashes. Avoiding the first, parrying the second, the assassin pivoted around the last strike before stepping back in with a reverse grip stab. The strike barely missed Andrew¡¯s gut as the assassin was now pushing in.


    Seeing an opening, Andrew was about to take it, but his instincts told him to run. His mind¡¯s eye caught the intense glowing glimmer radiating from behind the assassin¡¯s back. Jumping back, Andrew barely avoided another inferno whip as it cleaved through the rain, leaving a misty trail of smoke in its wake. Landing on the ground, Andrew countered with a nightslash. Black, beaming arcs of energy tore through the ground as they collided with the flame assassin, dissipating the smoke that was formed by the inferno whip cutting through the rain. He did not see the assassin try to counter his move with his inferno-like whip, nor did he see him deflect his last strike as he did the first time. Sensing that this might be one of his limits, Andrew began counting.


    One...


    The assassin knight¡¯s armour flickered along his arms and part of his chest from the impact. He¡¯d tanked Andrew¡¯s blow head-on, but not without taking some damage.


    Two... three...


    With a smirk, the assassin fired a round from his pistol, forcing Andrew to cut to one side in evasive strides. Slipping behind a tree, Andrew slid under his remaining shots before hiding behind the large trunk.


    Four... Five... Six... He jumped back as he heard the inferno whip sizzle through the rain before it struck the tree he was behind, cutting it in two. Rolling under its falling trunk, Andrew melded into his own shade using lone shadow before rushing up to him and leaping out of his shade like a fish out of a pond. Bearing down upon the assassin with an overhead slash, Andrew roared as the wills of flame and darkness clashed in an explosive display, manifesting sparks of energy that danced between them and pelted the forested trees.


    The assassin¡¯s menacing grin grew as Andrew¡¯s efforts threatened to shift the tides. As he looked into the man¡¯s eyes, however, a flicker of something flashed within. This lapse in concentration almost earned him a fatal slash to his gut, but before the heated knife could reach him, Andrew slipped just out of range, allowing his knight¡¯s armour to take the brunt of the blow. Skidding to a halt, Andrew stabbed the ground as he placed his blade between him and the assassin. Before he could think, the killer unleashed another inferno-like whip at Andrew.


    Barely able to jump over it, Andrew parried the strike at the last second. As it knocked him back, the assassin primed his pistol, but seeing Andrew¡¯s already in a defensive stance, he sniffed to himself before slowly dropping his gun arm. His amused grin plastered its way on the killer¡¯s face between breaths.


    ¡°Of all the fools I¡¯ve run into, you¡¯ve been the hardest one to kill,¡± the assassin said. ¡°Maybe there was some merit to Epimetheus¡¯s report.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good. I¡¯ve always hoped that I¡¯d be a bit harder to kill than women and children,¡± Andrew said. The assassin suddenly shot at him three times. Andrew blocked all three simply by ducking behind the face of his sword that he still had stabbed between him and the killer.


    When he carefully looked back up, the assassin smiled again, but this time, his mirth did not reach his eyes. Andrew just looked at him with a careful mask of caution. He¡¯d been trying to get a rise from him. Apparently, telling him that he could only kill women and children worked. Soon, the assassin was standing at his full height, his infernal blade glowed an angry red.


    ¡°Orders are orders,¡± he said bluntly. That reaction got Andrew curious.


    ¡°Shame those messengers did not get the memo,¡± he sniffed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a small price to pay,¡± he said.


    ¡°What do you get out of all of this?¡± Andrew asked. He was getting tired. If he could buy some time until he either found an opening to strike or for backup to come...


    ¡°Why ask, you looking to buy me off?¡± the assassin asked. Andrew went silent. In truth, he was not thinking that far, but there was no point in letting him know that. Perhaps reading his silence as consent, the killer smiled. ¡±Hate to break it to you, but our loyalty can¡¯t be brought,¡± the assassin said.


    ¡°Just as well for you. Because facing us would have been way above your pay grade,¡± Andrew said. He hoped that the assassin caught onto the unspoken threat. The implications of ¡®us¡¯, he added. The man looked at him for a while, an unspoken understanding running between them before he smiled sinisterly.


    ¡°I get it. Still, have faith that the lab rat will swoop into the rescue? Or were you perhaps alluding to other allies? Either way, I think you¡¯re missing my point. Our master does not pay us, meaning you can¡¯t buy ¡®our¡¯ loyalty,¡± he said. The words hung upon the air like a looming guillotine. Andrew instantly understood what he implied by these words and before he knew it, his eyes began darting around him for anyone else lurking in the shadows. He was not alone, he had backed up too.


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about this place, anyway?¡± Andrew asked, still stalling for time.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. We were told to sow the seeds of chaos. To break the cycle of all that came before. What better way to begin that process than to cut off the weakest chains that hold everything together?¡± Soon, however, he went on to continue smiling. ¡°Ultimately, we came here to force the bad mountain pup to heel,¡±


    ¡°You wounded the alpha king?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± he said, his tone dripping with amusement. ¡°Please, even if I had the means to wound it myself, I would not have lived to talk about it.¡±


    Once again, Andrew¡¯s head began to throb. Flashes of memories that were not his own ran through his mind. It threatened to make him buckle over, but luckily the images fled before the feeling could overtake him, leaving Andrew to only react to it with an eye twitch. If the Assassin noticed a change in his demeanour, he did not react to it. Instead, he continued talking.


    ¡°A feeble mortal like me would be of little use against the village¡¯s precious mountain guardian, but my master¡¯s steed, however¡­¡±


    ¡°A Nova is here?¡± Andrew had mumbled it before he realised it. He could barely keep up with this. He could not even harm the wolf himself, even though he was in his element. And this Nova was strong enough to wound something as powerful as the guardian.


    ¡°The thing is a monster in the realist sense. The genuine pride of this backwater village if I¡¯d ever seen one. Had we not stopped it like we did, then it would have definitely killed our pet before it grew strong enough to fend for itself.¡± Andrew¡¯s jaw tightened. It was too dangerous here. He found himself carefully edging away from the flame assassin. He could not count on backup coming here soon enough. He needed help now. It was then that another part of what the assassin had said struck him.


    ¡®Pet¡¯? He¡¯d asked Natalie how she knew that the demons that attacked their village of Null that day were connected to the people they were after.


    ¡°I know because that¡¯s how they got me...¡± Her words stirred in his mind. And just like that, he was back there on that day, when the demon came and attacked his home. Back to the day when he was unable to do anything, the day he lost Natalie. The day that started him on this path and now¡­


    ¡°You can control demons,¡± Andrew whispered.


    ¡°Nobody controls a demon. Not without forcing them to heel first. Let¡¯s just say that these demons¡¯ interests and ours align well enough for the moment.¡±


    ¡°So you kill men out of spite, too?¡±


    ¡°In order to prepare things for the great reset, it is necessary to purge the rotten roots. Master Torus has been chosen to spark the plan into motion. Those so-called errand boys were nothing more than false prophets threatening to disrupt his work!¡±


    ¡°And how is the destruction of a whole village helpful to anyone?!¡±


    ¡°You speak as if a village up and vanishing is unheard of. The cycle has witnessed many civilisations disappear over the aeons. Whether it¡¯s from man personified or mother nature, it¡¯s all the same, so long as the cycle continues and its people¡¯s lives are not directly affected, so long as there is an alternative path to move forward, people will forget and forge onwards. All you are witnessing now is the severing of another lone thread. Only this time, this thread will serve a new world purpose,¡±


    ¡®Thread?¡¯ It dawned on him soon after. He meant the village of Progmanfest. Even if the Famine Fisher was killed by another group, the loss of Progmanfest would be a disaster not seen since the destruction of his own village. It would bode badly for the surrounding towns and villages. Places like Altera, Zannidue and¡­


    Aqua Falls. Andrew¡¯s mind froze. A cold, hollow thought came to him. Again, the recollection from when Natalie spoke of the Seven Stars of Halo, a time before they even knew to call them.


    ¡°You summoned them,¡± he whispered.


    The assassin turned to him with an amused grin. A silent moment went by before he snorted to himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, not control, summon,¡± the assassin said. ¡°We only usher in the required element for change where needed. From there, we let nature weed out the weakest chains from our link, starting with the villages. We will mould civilisations into individuals worthy of eternal bliss.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ she was right,¡± he said. All this time, the great incident that he blamed himself for¡­ the demons that fell out of the sky that day. It was all man-made. Organised by these maniacs.


    Andrew¡¯s eyes locked onto his. A part of him wanted to ask, but he already knew what he meant before he said it.


    ¡°But anyway! You coming here is a surprise to me. I¡¯m glad I got to see first-hand what Epimetheus¡¯ powers might look like. Could come in handy,¡± He shrugged. ¡°Though, with how he was hyping you up, I was expecting, well¡­ more,¡±


    Andrew saw red, the stars of Halo were here. They were responsible for this mess and now his mother could already be...


    Andrew took a tight hold of his sword. It was all that he could do to keep from exploding into a rage. Shedding his knight¡¯s armour to practically non-existent, he channelled all that energy into his blade. Dark tendrils of power seeped off his sword, causing the surrounding air to hiss with its release. Darkness engulfs his world. Amidst it, the assassin gave him a look of surprise as a swirl of dark energy began to flow by his feet like refrigerated air. The assassin fired his pistol at him, only for Andrew to block.


    ¡°Not clever, sacrificing defence like that,¡± he said. Andrew¡¯s body reacted. Before he knew it, he was rushing towards the assassin. His energy-dense blade smashed into his flaming knife causing the forest to flicker in ripples of light, barely able to block Andrew¡¯s strike the assassin staggered back before shooting at him, with no armour protecting himself, Andrew was forced to block the shots whilst backing before seeing the assassin unleash his inferno like a whip. Swatting it aside, Andrew pursued the assassin. Now that he¡¯d used it, he had six seconds. Six seconds to-


    The assassin spun the inferno-like whip over himself and instead of fading away; it came from overhead.


    That was less than six seconds¡­ This whole time, the assassin had been fooling him into a false sense of comfort. The six seconds he thought he deducted out of the fight. It was meant to be noticed. It was a trap. Andrew¡¯s mind took in this fact with detached observation. The surprise would have likely got him killed had he sprung it a little sooner. But as he was now, it did not matter. He simply did not care. If he could use that move once, ten or a hundred times.


    The bed of wet leaves erupted into flames as the impossibly hot whip recoiled off its surface. All that came near it was turned into cinders. All except Andrew, who was no longer there. Blitzing onto a tree by the assassin¡¯s blind spot, Andrew¡¯s blade came down on the killer¡¯s neck with all the strength he could muster. His strike barely brushed his skin thanks to the assassin¡¯s knight armour and quick reflexes.


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    Leaping back, the assassin used his inferno whip a third time in a row. Unphased, Andrew once again smacked it out of the way, eyes already marking the man dead as he fled. Rainwater became a tunnel-like vortex as Andrew rushed towards the assassin.


    ¡°What¡¯s got into you all of a sudden?! We were having so much fun until now!¡± the assassin shouted. Bravado, Andrew, could see it now. He could see right through his tough act. It was evident that the man was scared. He could sense his imminent death. Jumping off a tree and atop a branch, Andrew quickly gained ground. Desperate, the assassin tried to fire shots at him, Andrew avoided them by taking a route among the treetops, the many branches a cover between him and the assassin.


    ¡°So you too still had some tricks up your sleeve!¡± The assassin¡¯s voice echoed through the trees and rain. He¡¯d lost sight of him. Not willing to lose this advantage, Andrew used lone shadow to slip into the shade of his tree in order to land silently back on the ground. Just as he was about to touch land, however, the tree he imprinted himself on was cleaved in half before flames came bursting up its trunk.


    ¡°Who are these people to you anyway!? Are you really willing to die for them!? How very chivalrous of you! Well, if you¡¯re feeling so selfless, then why not come on out here and face me honourably?!¡± the assassin barked to all four corners of the forest as the tree he cut began to tip and fall. Remaining within his own shadow, Andrew ran back along the falling tree before re-emerging , allowing the sound of the toppled tree to mask his own clumsy stumble to the ground. Now, back to normal. He shook away the urge to scream out at the pain that he felt along the right side of his arm. He¡¯d been close to the outburst of flame when he was in lone shadow, and that cost him. Had he been any closer, he would have been permanently damaged. What he did was too risky.


    ¡°All you knights love to spout stuff like chivalry and honour!¡± The assassin called out. It sounded like his back was to him. ¡°You so desperately label yourselves in the vain hopes that it will somehow separate you from the real monsters, but it'' changes nothing. They are just words. In the end, when it really matters, you are no better than us. Hiding in shadows, willing to stab me in the back. You''re no assassin¡­ are you?¡±


    Overcoming the burning pain, Andrew dared a peek up from behind the fallen tree. That bastard dared to lecture him about a knight¡¯s honour. He was trying to get him into an equal and open fight. After all that he did, after that, he might have already done to his mother¡¯s home village.


    Three other nearby trees had been cut down in the assassin¡¯s outburst. As he looked around him with both pistol and knife at the ready, Andrew saw the growing concern in his features. For a moment, Andrew was worried that he only cut his tree because he somehow blew his cover. Certain that the assassin truly could not see him, Andrew used lone shadow once more. Slipping along the shadows laid out from trees that the assassin cut down, Andrew emerged behind them with a blade thrust at his spine. The assassin turned just in time to block the fatal blow, but even so, Andrew¡¯s sword cut through his side as he evaded.


    Not allowing him to recover, Andrew sent an immense shadow beam after him. Still in thin air from leaping back and nowhere to run, the flame assassin was forced to block the incoming strike. The blow imploded in a mist of black as the assassin collided against a tree back first, coughing all the wind out of him. The assassin¡¯s flame armour flickered and faded like dying embers as he tumbled to the ground. With the assassin on one knee, Andrew ran in to cut him down.


    Just as he was about to reach him, he heard the branches above him snap and fall. He jumped back just before an object crashed onto the ground between him and the assassin. A giant four-legged, robot-shaped contraption made of steel stood before him. Before Andrew could ask himself what it could be, the distinct hum of its engine pulled him back to the time that he first encountered something similar.


    ¡°You should have fled to your allies when you had the chance!¡± a voice boomed out from the Nova as it blasted its way towards him. Its speed was too immense. Andrew had barely any time to think, let alone move, and so he froze in mid-strike until something else came crashing down between them. A deafening explosion smothered his senses as the Nova was buried in an eruption of flames. The sheer force of which collided with his knight¡¯s armour sending Andrew skyward. Blinking only to see the land and forest pinwheel round and round, Andrew got his bearings enough to grab a branch before looking down at what had just happened.


    All the frosted trees around where Andrew had been standing just a moment ago were now flattened out by the shockwave, the patch of forest now fanned out as charred remains from the leaves flickered in flame. Within its opening stood the Nova and the assassin still resting on a tree behind him. At the epicentre of the carnage facing the Nova and the assassin stood Flynn. The man stood there like a hero from a tale, his posture tall and proud, chest out, and a gallant smile on his face as one hand casually rested on the diamond pummelled of his sword as it was stabbed into the earth.


    ¡°Flynn?¡± he asked in a daze. As Flynn¡¯s confident phantom eyes weighed on his opponents, he dined a look back at him.


    ¡°Hey kid,¡± Flynn said all casually.


    ¡°Is that really you?¡± Just then, Andrew could make out the fading arc from his diamond slash that stood just in front of him. Any doubt about who it was faded right then. Although Andrew was gunning on someone coming to back him up, it still felt so serial.


    ¡°Now I know that I¡¯d agreed to let you handle things. But well, I was in the neighbourhood, so thought I¡¯d crash the party.¡±


    ¡°Could have come with a warning first,¡° Andrew mumbled sarcastically. Without taking his eyes off the assassin and the Nova Flynn shrugged.


    ¡°Guess I stole your thunder. I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± he said. Andrew sniffed. Here Flynn was, acting cool as a cucumber as he faced down the Nova and assassin, whilst he was just hanging upon a branch of some chimp. Getting his head back into the game, he eyed the Nova and assassin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, in fact. I¡¯d argue that you dropped in just in time for the main show.¡± As Andrew dropped down from the tree to make his way by Flynn¡¯s side, he observed just how wounded the flame knight was. He was close, if he just had another second with him¡­


    ¡°I was hoping to kill the both of you in one go,¡± the booming voice of Nova echoed around them.


    ¡°And I hoped that my one attack would have split you in two. But I guess we are both cutting above our pay grade,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°You single-handedly stopped my charge. I made sure to let my power explode like a supernova, and yet you still stand there unfazed¡­ that¡¯s impressive,¡± the pilot within the Nova said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Flynn said.


    ¡°I now understand how you survived that, but sadly, I don¡¯t have the luxury to amend my error.¡± As the Nova moved forward a little, Andrew saw that one of its legs was bust. ¡°Get on the cockpit Seven, we¡¯re leaving,¡±


    ¡°Is that a direct order?¡± the assassin said. His voice was cold, passionless. Like all the fight that was once in him had been washed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s worst. We¡¯ve lost traction. The Famine Fissure is likely dead by now and-¡± Just then the sound of wolves howling came looming forth, making the man in the Nova curse. ¡°Damn it Seven, we¡¯ve got to go, now!¡±


    ¡°And in what cycle-forsaken world did you think we¡¯d let you go?¡± Andrew stepped forth. If any of them made a move, he would engage. With Flynn by his side, this should be a Sinch.


    ¡°Natalie has been taken out¡­¡± Flynn murmured. All the fight and focus had seeped out of Andrew when he heard that.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alive, but unconscious. It happened five minutes ago. I¡¯ve been making my way over here to tell you the moment I got wind,¡± Flynn said. Now he turned to him carefully, a look of sympathy on his face. ¡°Guess you did not notice the changes in the sky fighting deep in the forest as you were.¡±


    Blinking in a daze, Andrew looked up at the sky. This whole time Natalie had been taken out, and he did not even notice the change in weather. He felt stupid now, looking up at the open canopy of sky cleared by Flynn and the Nova¡¯s explosive clash. His eyes glanced down as he heard the Nova¡¯s engine thrum as it stood up on its one good leg with the assassin Seven standing atop its cockpit.


    They were about to leave, and Flynn simply stood there allowing it. It did not make sense. They had them right where they wanted them: the bastard¡¯s henchmen that did all this to Natalie were right here, and now they could be going to his mother¡¯s hometown to mess it up if they had not done so already. Andrew knew that he should leave them and get to Natalie¡¯s side.


    But even so¡­


    Rising his sword skyward, Andrew called forth as much power that he could muster. Dark energy swirled around him like black mist. Channelling it along with his anger came a chilling coolness that was unlike him. He felt his fatigue grow more distant, his eyes more absolute. But as body and mind primed themselves for the fight, Andrew felt a cold stab in his chest. Ignoring it, he eyed his targets. A small part of him cried within as he prepared to face down the Nova and Seven, but he ignored it. Right now, it did not matter. He didn¡¯t care for himself or anyone. So long as he could kill them both, stop them right here and now he will give anything.


    Just as he was about to make a move, a hand took a grip on his shoulder. Stunned, Andrew turned to Flynn. He was looking at Seven and the Nova as they flew off into the sky. Andrew was incredulous.


    ¡°Get back here!¡± he shouted. The Nova did not even pretend to hear him, whereas the assassin Seven gave him a look of burning disdain which only made Andrew¡¯s blood boil further pent-up rage. ¡°Cowards! Running away from a fight that you started! If we ever meet again, I swear by the cycles and my mother¡¯s life I¡¯ll-¡± Flynn¡¯s grip on his shoulder tightened to a surprising degree and before Andrew could ask him what his deal was, the Nova and assassin were gone. A long moment of silence went by, with only the crackling embers and last drops of rain fall tethering Andrew¡¯s mind to the present. With nowhere to vent his pent-up anger, Andrew just froze in place.


    ¡°They got away,¡± he pushed out. It was all that Andrew could manage. The hand that hindered his attempts to stop them slid away numbly.


    ¡°A close thing, that encounter,¡± Flynn chuckled behind him, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.


    ¡°They are the ones who orchestrated this,¡± Andrew said. With an effort, he kept his eyes locked in the direction his targets fled towards.


    ¡°I gathered,¡± Flynn said. Andrew clenched his sword until his palms felt numb.


    ¡°They are the ones who me and Natalie are after,¡± he said carefully.


    ¡°So they are the stars of Halo? I was afraid that was the case.¡±


    ¡°¡®Afraid¡¯?¡°


    ¡°Was not expecting to encounter them here, but next time we¡¯ll-¡± Flynn had placed his hand on his shoulder and, in an impulsive reflex, Andrew swatted it aside as he backed away a few steps and turned to him.


    ¡°¡¯Next time¡¯?! Cycles man-those bastards could be heading to my home village right now! We had a chance to end them right here! So why did you stop me from fighting them!?¡± He was breathing heavily now, his eyes wide with anger and frustration, he expected some rebuttal, he was hoping for Flynn to fight back- something for him to contend with, but Flynn just looked at him, a tired but relieved smile etched on his face.


    ¡°Because if you were to fight them right now, I would not have had the power to help you,¡± he said. Before Andrew could register it, Flynn fell to one knee, panting profusely.


    ¡°Flynn?¡± running back over Andrew placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong!?¡±


    As his fight for air calmed down, Flynn simply waved his arm away and gave a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ just burnt myself out during that last clash,¡± he said between breaths. Sweat was falling off his brow and dripping off his cheek now.


    ¡°But you looked so ready to go, I thought-¡±


    ¡°-to fool your enemies you sometimes need to fool your allies,¡± Andrew blinked at that. Was it really because he was a good actor? Or did he fail to see it again because he refused to do so? ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t have time to let you know, as you saw things¡­ popped off.¡± Flynn nodded to the carnage around them as he said it.


    That was when those last moments really hit him. Flynn had not just tanked an explosion but diverted its impact to the extent that it did not kill them. Even on his best day, Andrew was not fool enough to believe that he could do the same. He¡¯d just saved both their lives.


    Andrew was about to ask something until he heard a roar fast approaching them. Getting his guard up, he turned his blade towards Mt.Karaki. An avalanche of snow fell down its peak towards them. As the roaring rumble of snow drowned out the crackling of flaming firewood around them, Andrew was about to tell Flynn to make a run for it until he noticed something. Given how far the mountain was from them, it was unlikely that they would be hit by the avalanche. That was until he saw the beasts soaring beyond the plume of white, cascading snow like a ship riding the peak of a tidal wave.


    Wolves! They leapt through the air and over the forest as if in boundless flight. Using their gale powers, they rode the avalanche further down the slope with them.


    ¡°Look out!¡± Andrew ducked behind the large charred stump of a tree. Although he knew it was too late, the wolves had seen them. They were coming in too fast. They will be upon them in moments. Andrew heard the sharp cry of the winds cutting through the forest as the roar of surrounding flames stoked them into a frenzy. The pitter-patter of wolves landing and kicking off logs rushed on by followed by the white of an avalanche.


    As Andrew fought his way out of the snow, he quickly realised that the pile that he was under melted fast thanks to the scorched land they stood upon. He was only buried under an inch of snow lying down and by the time he stood up and looked around; he saw the pile of snow melting away to reveal a doused forest and not a single wolf in sight. That gave Andrew pause until he remembered something more pressing.


    ¡°Flynn!?¡± jumping to his feet and putting away his sword, he ran to the lopsided log where he last saw him. Thankfully, he was still there, braced against the incoming avalanche for dear life, eyes still closed from the effort it now took him. Sighing in relief, Andrew pushed the pile of snow that fell upon his back off him before helping Flynn to his feet.


    ¡°You ok?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°Had nicer ice baths if that¡¯s what you''re asking,¡° Flynn said as he rolled his neck, ¡°But beyond that I¡¯m fine.¡±


    He just tanked an explosion, and was buried in a ton of snow and that¡¯s all he¡¯s got to say for himself? Something like that should be impossible for most knights, even highly skilled steel knights around be hard pressed to come out of such destruction unharmed.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°I am merely human last I checked,¡± Flynn said.


    I beg to differ¡­


    ¡°More importantly, where did those wolves go? I thought they were coming after us.¡± Flynn looked down the direction of the now snow-covered path. It led towards¡­


    ¡°The farmhouse,¡± Andrew whispered.


    ¡°I heard howling coming from near there not five minutes ago. I told her to call me back if she needed any help.¡±


    ¡°She called the wolves towards her instead,¡± the serious face Flynn gave him told him all he needed to know. He¡¯d told Andrew to go on without him. He planned to catch up later. Andrew was already on the run before he could finish his sentence.


    ~#~


    Storming through the trail of forest now covered in snow he soon made it back to Lawence¡¯s farm and into the wheat fields that made out miss Iris¡¯s farmlands, the trail of snow that the wolves brought with them faded part-way through the wheat field but even up to the end of the trailed they pointed directly towards the farmhouse. In fear of what he would find when he got there, Andrew ran faster. He began to hear sounds of a struggle by the time he just passed the pond.


    His heart hammered in his chest as his surroundings blurred at the sheer speed he travelled. By the time he launched out of the tall wheat fields and finally cut through the wheat files to make it back to the farmhouse, Andrew was at a loss for what he saw.


    Three wolves lept¡¯d thrashed and clawed at some demon made of pure night. As they phased through it, Andrew¡¯s eye could not be helped but be drawn to its head like a black hole. The thing, indistinguishable being save for two scythe-like blades that protrude out of its cloak of darkness, painted the same shade as the bottomless pits of nothingness. It was like looking at a shadow that had torn itself upright from the surface it was once bound to.


    Something about that thought made Andrew¡¯s blood run cold. Worst still were the wolves¡¯ efforts to attack it. All three of them had lashed out at it with a variant array of moves, only to fade through the thing as if it was a spectre. Unbothered by the wolves, it stood motionless, its back to him. It looked downward as if observing something at its feet.


    No time to think. Andrew channelled his dark powers into his blade to cut down the imposter before it saw-


    Spacetime held its breath as it turned to him. All that was behind and beyond Andrew slowed, paused and was sucked into a deep blackness, leaving only Andrew with the creature. Although he had never seen it before, although its existence was impossible, Andrew knew then what he was looking at. It was his nightmares made manafest. His fear of the dark turned moulded into a tangible form. Andrew continued to rush towards it at full speed, but even his long, fast strides slowed to a crawl. As it turned what might have been its hooded head to him, Andrew felt a repulsive shiver run down his spine. He tried to swing his sword, but his strike moved like the crust of the equator. He tried to scream, to roar in rejection, but the sound oozed out of his throat as slowly as a sap seeps from a tree. Like a child stuck in a nightmare, he watched as the being rose its night blade over a black-forsaken sky.


    Too slow, too slow! He was going to be cut down before he could do anything. Cut down by the manifestation of his own fears.


    ¡®¡­drew!¡¯


    All the dreams that he had, although he never saw it, he knew what it was; he knew how the dreams ended. He was going to die and¡­


    ¡®No!¡®


    Anger suddenly built up inside him. After everything that they¡¯ve been through, he was not going to die to a figment of his imagination!


    ¡®Then fight it!¡¯


    The old wound on his back began to burn with strength beyond him. Although he was stuck in a void of things with this being, suddenly he did not feel like he was all alone.


    ¡®This place will not be your grave!¡¯


    This fresh surge of strength felt like¡­


    _______?


    ¡®Until you reach home, you cannot die! Now fight!¡¯


    Willing all the strength that he had vented within himself, Andrew forced his arms in front of him and spun his sword in front of him, activating clockwise counter. The moment was painfully slow but whereas before; it felt like moving the tectonic plates. This time it felt like moving through thick honey. He could feel and see a brightness running through him now, its presence almost nullifying whatever dark hold his living nightmare had on the surrounding space, allowing Andrew to move almost on equal footing.


    The blade of night fell upon Andrew with a speed that ignored all physical laws. One second the blade was hanging above him, the next it had already fallen, its slash already leaving a trail in the air. Only the clank of his sword touching the strike and the black blur confirmed anything had moved at all. Retaking his sword, Andrew took hold of the impossible slash and returned the favour.


    The act of countering such a blow rendered the whole world around him into a blur of white. Like the flick of a switch, he counter-stroke darkness itself. Instead of striking it with a darkness of his own, he¡¯d countered with a blade bathed in pure, unfiltered light.


    The world imploded into a pinprick before exploding back into existence, bringing back with it the farmhouse, the three-no, four wolves nearby him. And Gracie lying lifeless on the ground.

 Chapter 36: To be understood

    Gracie


    Andrew appeared in a blur. His blade flashed as fast as the creatures-faster¡­ and with one impossible slash, and like the morning mists before the rising sun, the nightmare imploded and popped out of existence. He cleaved the dark apparition away, leaving only him in its stead. To Gracie, at that moment, he appeared like an angel, radiant, fully embodying the title of a protector knight.


    That was until he collapsed and toppled over himself. He¡¯d put too much weight into his strike. The look of shock he had when their eyes met just before the fall was oddly funny.


    Stupid for him to lose your balance because you see me. Did she look that bad? The moment was such a contrast to the nightmare she was living in just moments before Gracie wanted to laugh out loud¡­ but no matter how hard she tried, nothing came out. As he ran over to her, she tried again to move, but nothing changed. Her body still felt cold and distant. It won¡¯t listen to her anymore. It was a sad reminder that although the creature faded like a dream, what happened to her was real. She had really been cut down. There was no waking up from this. She was really going to¡­


    Andrew was shouting something at her, but she could barely hear it. He looked frantically, checking her up and down. He kept on shouting the same thing over and over, occasionally screaming something beyond her to where she guessed the farmhouse was. Gracie groaned inwardly. Just watching him so frantic and desperate was making her feel more tired. This was not how she wanted to go.


    Straining to move her arm, she¡¯d lifted them up to touch the wolf that sat beside her. The wolf had stood by her side the moment the four of them arrived. As her wolf brothers kept the nightmare distracted, she took one look at her and remained at her side ever since.


    It was as if she knew before Gracie did that there was no coming back from what it did to her. The wolf simply wanted to provide comfort during her final moments.


    The pain she felt became more distant not too long after. The fear of what happened had lessened. It was as if the wolf was carrying some of her pain. As her hand brushed the wolf¡¯s face, a surge of life ran down her fingertips and exploded in her core, causing her eyes to widen.


    ¡°-Just come out here quick!¡± Andrew¡¯s voice finally reached her.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she pushed out. Andrew looked down at her in shock. Her voice came out meek and distant, and it took a lot out of her, but at least this time the words reached him. ¡°Gracie! Everyone here is ok so don¡¯t worry! Just focus on yourself and tell me where you¡¯re hurt! I don¡¯t see any-¡° Andrew fell completely silent as Gracie shook her head. That vigour of energy she was given by the wolf was quickly fading. It was as if there were a thousand cuts cleaved within her core, spilling away any life essence that she held.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Did... Isabella make it?¡± she asked. It was so hard to take in another breath. With a heavy breath of his own, Andrew nodded. His eyes wandered around to anywhere but her face. So he was not entirely sure of her current situation at this very moment. Gracie closed her eyes in understanding. She felt kind of bad for wishing that it was Flynn who had made it here beside her, but even so... somehow she knew that her sister was safe.


    Life is too short for second-guessing.


    ¡°If you meet her, tell her that she should ¡®go for it,¡¯ she¡¯ll understand,¡± she pushed out. She¡¯d always had a headstrong temperament. Maybe it was not the world that Gracie was protecting her sister from.


    Death and danger can happen anywhere and at any time... She felt kind of stupid for only understanding the weight of those words now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell her, I promise,¡± Andrew said, his words coming out as rasped whispers. His assurance made her smile. She wanted to thank him, but the effort to say those words was beyond her; she barely had it in her to take another breath. Tears welled up in her eyes, her vision blurring. She had to let him know that she was grateful. Desperate to express her gratitude, she reached out to the wolf beside her once more, but as her arm reach part way, the wolf flinched back with a whimpered.


    It was no use. The wolf was already enduring her burdens; if Gracie took anymore of their energy now, then she¡¯d risked it sharing the same fate. No matter how she looked at it, she was too far gone. Taking more energy now wouldn¡¯t do much good for her, anyway. Frustrating stabbed her like an icy blade.


    After everything that¡¯s happened, after how coldly she treated him before she could not let things end like this, she needed to make amends. Tears streaming down her face, she tried to push herself and reach out to Andrew. She needed to make him understand¡ªhad to make her words reach him. But to no avail. Too busy calling for the others to come, he did not see her struggle. All that effort they put in only to fall short almost broke her. Just as her hand was about to fall limp, Andrew caught it tightly on his own.


    ¡°I understand! It¡¯s no big deal, and Natalie will not hold it against you. So you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± he said.


    It reached him¡­ her tears were now joyous. Despite how scarily similar his powers were to that nightmare she fought, he was a kind soul. One who¡¯s able to banish the nightmares. Natalie best keep a tight hold on him.


    As Gracie¡¯s world faded into darkness, she could vaguely feel the wolf lick the tear off one side of her cheek. In her last moment, she felt comfort. Although she could no longer see them, she could sense the surrounding wolves. They were all standing there, watching her as she drifted. It was strange; never once did she feel the urge to ask about the village or whether they defeated the Famine Fissure. It¡¯s because, in a roundabout kind of way, she already knew the answer.


    The moment she fired off that arrow to call the wolves, their presence here told her all that she needed to know. The village was not only safe, but back to normal. Their relationship with the guardian wolf was back to how it used to be, where the people still trusted and believed in the alpha king Griffin¡¯s promise to protect them from the bigger, wider world. It meant that her people were safe, and she was willing to bet that her sister somehow played some small part in that.


    They heeded my call¡­ Isabella. It¡¯s just like you said. When I needed them most, they came ¡­ and now¡­ I too will¡­ The howl of wolves was the last thing Gracie heard as her thoughts faded, and she fell into the endless dream.

 Chapter 37: A Melding of Conscious

    Andrew


    The light drizzle of rain fell upon him as he watched. He was too tired to even care about how wet he was getting. His head too heavy to look away at the scene that lay before him. Chase, Iris, and the family that travelled here for shelter had finally come out to see what was happening.


    Too late¡­ they mourned over Gracie¡¯s lifeless body. The wolves stopped howling, Allowing Andrew to actually hear Chase¡¯s sobs. For a strange moment, it had seemed as if all the wolves upon the land had howled in unison. From the vast forest and the mountain beyond him, they all sent one unifying cry to the heavens. Their howls marked the exact moment Gracie had passed away. To Andrew, the howl was heard to hear. It felt like an accusation singing his failure to stop her death from happening.


    He recalled wishing for nothing more than for the howling to stop. When the wolves finally stopped, however, he just felt worse. The reality of the situation began to sink in as he heard Chase¡¯s pained sobs.


    Too late¡­ Gracie was dead, and it was because he was not fast enough. As he stood there listening to the patter of rain. His heart felt¡­ heavy.


    The clouds had suddenly come back, blotting out the sun in its sombre shade. Andrew did not need to be there to know that Natalie had just woken up. Given the whole circumstance along with this rain, it was obvious that she was not taking things too well.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault! I couldn¡¯t help her and now-¡± Chase said between sobs. Iris held her son tighter in her arms to comfort him, but his tears did not stop. Although her eyes were red from crying, she held a soothing smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault,¡± she whispered in his ear. As Chase continued to cry, Iris turned to Andrew. A tired but grateful smile on her lips. ¡°We can¡¯t leave her out here in the rain. Help me carry her inside.¡±


    They have it a lot worse. Unlike him, they knew Gracie, and although he felt like a mess, he pushed his feelings aside. As he lethargically walked around to Gracie''s corpse to pick her up. It hit him.


    Natalie¡­ The rain had vanished before he made it here. Flynn told him that Natalie was unconscious. Did this mean that she¡¯d woken up? Does this mean that already know?


    The four wolves who started the chain of howling across the land now sat in silence, watching him as things proceeded. Soon after, Flynn came jogging out of the wheatfield with somebody in hand. It was the woman who charged the assassin seven on her own and lost her arm for it. He still didn¡¯t know her name.


    So she was still alive¡­ he saw it in Flynn¡¯s urgent but hopeful face. When their eyes met, Flynn was about to say something until he took a good look at him. He must have seen the lack of hope in his own face because all he did was stand there silently for a while before coming towards them with a more sombre air. Taking one look at her corpse, Flynn looked away with a deep sigh.


    ¡°I should have been there,¡± he said.


    ¡°Did you tell them?¡± Andrew asked. Before Flynn could answer, he heard a distant rumble of thunder rolled past them, saw the clouds became darker and felt a light fall of rain became heavy. Both looked at each other in a bitter understanding of what this meant. As Chase, Iris and the others ran back into the house, Andrew felt an unwillingness to enter. Although the rain came down heavily Andrew was too numb to even feel it¡¯s falling. It was Flynn who snapped Andrew out of his stupor just enough to drag his feet behind them. The four wolves were leaving now, all except one, the one that stood right by Gracie¡¯s side until the end, the one who licked away her tears and was the first one to howl when she passed away. They stood there now, taking one long look at the corpse before catching up with the others.


    Andrew walked into the farmhouse and placed Gracie on the sofa. Only when he laid her down did he realise just how cold she had got. The heat of the hearth tingled his cold wet skin, bringing the feeling back to his limbs once more. The heat should have been a welcome contrast to what he was feeling, but instead of comfort, Andrew felt a numbing bite in its warm embrace. He looked at her now. It was strange¡­ despite everything she looked¡­ Peaceful. He envied her tranquillity.


    ¡°Harley¡¯s awake,¡± Flynn¡¯s voice sounded from just outside the room, but Andrew did not turn to look at him. He must have daydreamed again.


    ¡°¡®Harley¡¯?¡±


    ¡°The woman I just carried in?¡± Flynn said carefully. ¡°She worried that her actions got you killed,¡°


    ¡°Oh,¡±


    So that was her name.


    ¡°She¡¯d have bled out if that bastard¡¯s flaming attack did not cauterise the wound. Anyway, she is asking for you now. She¡­ seems to be struggling to grasp her new reality.¡±


    With a nod, Andrew took one last look at Gracie before heading upstairs. As he passed the hallway towards the stairs, he saw Chase sitting on the kitchen table with her mother beside him. He did his best to ignore Iris¡¯s words of comfort for her son as he made it up the steps, with Flynn leading the way into a room with a large king-size bed. Harley sat there looking whimsically out the window at the heavy rainfall. She turned to Andrew slowly as he and Flynn entered the room, before giving the faintest flash of a smile.


    ¡°Thank the cycles, you¡¯re ok, For a moment I thought that I got you killed as well.¡± She said, her voice sounding raspy and sour. Not surprising considering the last time he¡¯d seen her, she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Andrew shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s only thanks to you two that I¡¯d survived that,¡± he said meekly. Had she not taken the fall first, then it might be he who¡­


    Her stub was bandaged up. There was little blood staining the bandage, but even so, Andrew could not stand to look at it. Instead, his eyes glided to the closed window, with the rain crashing against it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pity me,¡± Harley said, making Andrew blink.


    ¡°What?¡± he said.


    ¡°Besides hurting like the cycles ever burning pits, it¡¯s not as bad as it looks. Of course I¡¯m going to have to revise what I¡¯ll be doing for my next occupation but¡­ well, my point is, what happened to me was not your fault. So you don¡¯t have to look at me that way.¡± Although her voice still came out a little sour, Harley did sound a lot more put together than she did a moment ago. Is this what Flynn meant by ¡®struggling?¡¯ Clenching his fists, he nods in understanding.


    ¡°Excuse my friend, he¡¯s bad at getting across what he means. What he was meant to say is that he understands and is thankful to know that you are alive.¡± Flynn said. Andrew felt to glare at him but he did not even have the will to do that. So instead, he opted to look out at the window as they continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s my line to you,¡± Harley sighed. ¡°I handled things so poorly back there. I froze when he stabbed Cruz. And by the time Lawrence was injured, it was like a switch flipped within me and I just¡­ acted.¡±


    ¡°The assassin was really powerful. None of us expected someone like that,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Wish I could hide behind that excuse, but you¡¯d already warned us,¡± Harley sighed. ¡°So no excuses. Me and Cruz messed up. I overreacted and put everyone in more danger. I feel kind of stupid for saying what I said earlier¡¯ I talked a big talk like I had everything at hand. Now look at me.¡± she waved her stump only to flinch at the pain before sighing. ¡°Yeah, when all is said and done, we had it coming.¡±


    ¡°Less of that, I won¡¯t allow you to make light of your struggles,¡± Flynn said. ¡°Looking after the farms is good honest work for good honest people,¡±


    ¡°Would hardly go that far,¡± Harley sniffed. ¡°Gracie and the kids are good people, but me and Cruz were nothing but trouble before all of this. Before Lawrence took us in were mere robbers and thieves. A bunch of bottom feeders out to get back at the world.¡± Andrew turned to her in silent surprise. Harley, seeing this, nodded.


    ¡°If there was something we wanted, we took it and to hell with the consequences. Wasn¡¯t until we moved here that things changed. Lawrence gave us a new chance to do things right. I thought I changed but¡­¡± Although she was playing it off for laughs, Andrew could feel the weight of her burdens sink her into the depths, threatening to make her choke. Not knowing what to say, Andrew just looked back out the window. He could not explain why, but more so than anything else, he wanted to be out there in the rain.


    ¡°The rain. It¡¯s like it awoken something primal within me. An old part of me that fed on violence and spitefulness to the world. A na?ve drive that sort nothing more than destruction.¡± Shocked, Andrew turned to Harley, only to see her looking at her arm in a silent marvel. When she noticed that Andrew was watching her again, she forced on a smile.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Andrew asked. She blinked as if really thinking about what she just said. Looking out the window again, she shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It all happened so fast. I froze when we were attacked, but when I began using the rainwater to fight back, it felt like... it was reflecting my mood. I lost control of who and what was important. Thanks to that Cruz, Lawrence, and my arm were taken.¡± before Andrew could say anything, Harley waved her own comment away. ¡°That would make for a nice excuse, wouldn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ after all that happened, I kind of wish I¡¯d been taken too.¡± Harley began to sob as Andrew turned to leave the room. Unable to take any more of this, he walked downstairs and out of the house.


    ~#~


    He stood out in the rain, its cold heavy downpour drowning out all his swarms of inner turmoil. To Andrew, the rain was a connection to Natalie-a reminder to him that whatever he¡¯s going through now, she still needs him. The rain reminded him that she had a big heart, a heart whose trust had been tainted by the things the stars of halo did. Lastly, it was something that Harley said that tipped him off that mayhap it was indeed not totally her fault that she¡¯d lost control. Just like Harley was angry at that moment, perhaps Natalie was also angry. From the amount of thunder and lightning that struck around that moment, it was obvious when he thought about it. Was it possible that her powers could not only affect the weather but also affect other people¡¯s moods as well? At the very least, standing there in the rain as he was now, his head tilted back to let it fall directly upon his face, Andrew knew one thing for certain. The tears from the sky match his mood.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He was not sure how long he stood there beneath the rain. Among the roaring downpour, time felt like it stretched on to infinity with no true beginning or end, just a blissful, painless void of white. Nothing in the world came into focus until he heard the sounds of rustling wheat ahead of him. Something blazed a trail through the tall wheat bushes. Leaping out of the wheat was a horse-sized wolf with a young girl straddling its back. Her short ruby red hair and long grey cloak billowed as she jumped off the beasts back in midair before landing on the grasslands between Andrew and the farmhouse. Without breaking her stride, she ran as fast as she could the rest of the way, the two-handed great sword swaying on her back as she sprinted towards him. Her green eyes were already burning to ask a question as soon as she was within talking range. Although he¡¯d never met her before, Andrew instantly knew.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the living room,¡± Andrew said. Isabella slowed down just enough to hear what he said before crashing into the front door and turning into the living room. Heavy rain filled the silence, only to be broken by the howling crying of a girl coming face to face with a cold reality. Like standing in the living room with Gracie¡¯s body there or talking to Harley, Andrew felt compelled to walk away from there. To be as far away as possible from the morning. As his feet began moving away from the farmhouse, Andrew froze in place again as he saw Natalie come running out of the wheat fields. She saw the horse sized wolf before her eyes found him, but when they did, her reaction mirrored his. Face to face, Natalie was about to walk on over until she heard the cries of denial coming from within the house. She flinched at the shout as if slapped in the face. Taking a timid step back, Natalie mouthed something in denial under her breath before retreating back into the fields.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Andrew was already running towards her before she faded into the tall wheat. Just as he was about to enter, Sophie came bursting out from the wall of wheat a few feet beside him.


    ¡°Andrew!¡± she exclaimed between pants. Besides her wet, wheat covered clothes and a strange kind of gas mask hanging around her neck, she looked none the worse for wear. Looking around at the open field, her eyes narrowed until she looked back at him and the directions he was going.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± she sighed to herself. ¡°I tried to tell Isabella the news in private but-¡± Sophie stopped as she heard Isabella¡¯s cries for from the farmhouse before sighing to herself. ¡°She¡¯s a vocal one. I don¡¯t think Natalie heard any specifics. But waking up to all the shouting and seeing Isabella rush onto her wolf to get back here¡­ what else could it be?¡±


    Andrew¡¯s eyes darkened as he pictured the scene. Her waking up from cycles knows what battle she¡¯s been through, feeling as though she failed somehow. Then, hearing the person you said that you will watch over scream in denial and make a break for it until they came back here. To Andrew, it was obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her,¡± he said. He¡¯d better hurry or else he might lose track of where she went.


    ¡°Andrew?¡± Sophie said, making Andrew turn back around to her.


    ¡°Glad to see that you¡¯re ok,¡± Sophie said. Andrew tried to smile in thanks, but the gesture barely touched his lips.


    ~#~


    He found her sitting on a light slope just beyond the wheat fields. The road that led to the village stretched onwards, alongside Lawrence¡¯s farm that stood on the other side of its crossing. Tucking his hands in his pockets, Andrew sighed. He made it a point to make his approach noisy to not startle her, but even so, Natalie did not turn around. Seeing that she did not want to talk, Andrew nodded to himself. As he glanced back over to her, he could not help but notice the tear marks in her purple vest revealing a small side of her stomach. Besides a faded stain of red, there was no indication of how serious the wounds were thanks to her fast healing.


    ¡°Your back early,¡± Andrew said. Natalie did not respond. Twisting his lip to one side, Andrew sat down beside her.


    ¡°I heard that you ran into some trouble facing the demon, ¡° Andrew began as he looked again at the open tear in her vest.¡°where you-¡±


    ¡°-It¡¯s fine,¡± Natalie cut in.


    Doubtful¡­ is what he wanted to say. Instead, Andrew simply nodded again as he tore his eye away from the vest. He had seen Natalie take some rough blows during their travels. Some of her worst ones were self-inflicted by her using her strength more than she should have. Each time they healed fast, but Andrew could not shake the feeling that somewhere deep inside, she still carried those wounds with her. Looking off at the wheat field on the other side of the path that led to Lawrence¡¯s farm, Andrew sighed. That¡¯s when he heard the incoming footfalls approaching up the path. Baffled, Andrew stood up just as three boys around his age came running down the path. Caution and confusion seemed to overtake their features until they looked over his shoulder.


    ¡°Your Andrew,¡± the tallest boy said. It was not a question. His mind racing, Andrew simply nodded. The boy had tan skin and eyes almost as blue as Sophie¡¯s. His long brown hair swayed as he slowed his pace. On his back, Andrew spotted the fang ends of a trident.


    ¡°Tristan!¡± another boy from behind called. ¡°We can cut through here!¡± He was perhaps a bit younger called out, making the tall. He was of a more stocky build and also had a trident as a weapon on his back. The third boy had already run into the wheat field, meaning Andrew barely caught anything more than he was wielding at the hilt of a sword on his back and the strange gas mask all of them had dangling upon their necks. Nodding to them, Tristen took one last look at him and Natalie.


    ¡°She ended the fighting,¡± he said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Andrew asked. In truth, he was not sure what to say to that. The boy nodded.


    ¡°Tristan!¡± The other boy was still waiting by the wheat fields impatiently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you!¡± Tristan called over his shoulder. Andrew took that moment to look back at Natalie. She was still sitting in a fetal position, her face covered by her tucked-in knees and long hair.


    ¡°Somehow in her sleep she did something¡­ and before we knew it, everything changed. We all felt it, she¡¯d saved us all, it was like a miracle,¡± he said. Confused, Andrew just gave a noncommittal sound. So, were they around when she¡¯d passed out? They must have been the ones protecting her from the Famine Fissure at the time. It was not a stretch to say that she was still alive thanks to them. That only made the pain in his gut feel even worse.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your friend,¡± Andrew said, bowing his head. Had he only been stronger-faster than Gracie would still be-


    A hand touched his shoulder, giving Andrew a reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°I just wanted to say thank you for honouring Gracie¡¯s request. And being there for her in her hour of need¡­¡± Although he did not say it, Andrew could tell by the look in his aqua-blue eyes that he harboured regret for not being there himself. He knew it in the way he turned ever so slightly away from him and felt it through how he once again squeezed his shoulder- it-should-have-been-me. It screamed. It should have been him and yet¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll ever get another chance to say all this¡­ so,¡± He breathed out. Looking back up at him with a smile, Tristan nodded to Natalie as he backed away saying: ¡°You take care of her,¡± Andrew nodded back.


    As Tristan ran into the wheat fields, Andrew felt a load slide off his shoulder, only to be replaced with an older, more familiar burden. The battle was over, but Andrew could not really say that he felt like he¡¯d done anything worth being thanked for.


    Despite his efforts, Lawrence and Cruz were gone. Harley only survived because the bastard assassin Seven¡¯s weapon burned her open wound shut. He couldn¡¯t even keep their names straight until shit hit the fan. He tried to tell himself it was because he hardly knew them, but that only made a lump rise in his throat.


    ¡°You sure made a lot of acquaintances,¡± Andrew turned to Natalie. A fake chipperness coloured his tone. ¡°Seems to me like you¡¯ve got your own story to tell,¡± No response. With a sigh, Andrew scratched the back of his dreadlocked hair. This was about what he deserved. Swallowing down his own inadequacies, he sat back down next to Natalie.


    So much for not getting attached. Feeling the fatigue fall upon him, Andrew bowed his head in frustrated defeat. Everything just¡­ sucked. That was when he heard Natalie¡¯s shaking sobs. Turning to her, he saw her still curled up in the rain, clenching her knees closer to her chest as she tremored with suppressed sorrow. Seeing her break down made Andrew turn away. A bittersweet smile found its way onto his face.


    ¡°I thought we¡¯d agreed not to get attached,¡± Andrew said. ¡°You should take your own advice,¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get attached.¡± She said between sniffles.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like that from where I¡¯m sitting,¡±


    ¡°Then stop looking!¡± The sudden snap made Andrew do a double take on her. Natalie had turned to him now. Leaning forward, a look of anger on her face. It was so raw and intense and, just like a flash of lightning, it faded, leaving Natalie deflated. ¡°I have taken my own advice¡­ ok? I really have,¡± she said to herself uncertainly. As she shrunk back to cry into herself, Andrew put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, comforting her. She was right, this was her not getting attached. He should have known¡­ should have remembered how badly she took things amongst the last group of people she¡¯d opened up to. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault you know, what happened here,¡± if anything it was his fault for failing to stop that thing in time


    If stopping it was even possible¡­ he drifted. Whatever that walking nightmare was, it scared him. Natalie shook her head as a flash of lightning blinked over them, snapping Andrew back into reality.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not to blame, then why do I feel so guilty?¡± she said as she clenched her chest tightly. It was as if she was trying to dig for her own heart and tear it out. And again, Andrew had nothing good to say, no witty words or comforting remarks to give. All he could do was remove her hand from her own chest and hold it gently.


    He held her hand as she sobbed under the crying rain. The two of them remained there for some time. Once again, Andrew lost track of time. Too lost in his own thoughts to track it. His fatigued mind replaying what had just happened over and over, about what Natalie had been through, about his mother. He was not sure if Flynn told Sophie about their run-in with the underlings of a star that blighted this land. Even if he did, he doubted that she had the time to relay the message to Natalie.


    As he felt her shaking sobs on his side. Andrew decided to keep about that for the time being. With how badly she was taking things, hearing that they were involved might just shatter her. Only the slow ebbing of rain and calming shakes of Natalie¡¯s sobs tethered him to the real world until he heard the sound of trotting horses and a carriage approaching in the distance. Andrew saw a man stop a long horse and carriage make its way down the road. It was only when the man spotted him and Natalie sitting by the road did he stop the horses.


    ¡°Miss Natalie?¡± He said. Natalie had composed herself just before they arrived. Sitting up, she faces the newcomers.


    ¡°Hector,¡± she said, her voice a little strained from all her crying. ¡°You must have heard¡­ about Gracie?¡± Hector nodded solemnly.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m still in shock,¡± he gave a thousand-yard stare at the road ahead. ¡°Don¡¯t think that will change until I see her myself.¡±


    ¡°So then, what about her teacher!?¡± Natalie shouted. ¡°Is he not going to see her off?¡± Andrew was surprised at how blunt Natalie was being to what he assumed was an acquaintance, but the man took it. As his darkened eyes deepened, he nodded slowly to himself.


    ¡°He¡¯s currently seeing to the dead,¡± Hector said.


    ¡°He was like a father to her-he should be here to-¡±


    ¡°-I understand your grievance, but uncle Shepherd got his own way of doing things,¡± Hector said, his glance holding a weight to it. It surprised Andrew. He seemed like the timid type. It seemed to have surprised Natalie also since she too fell silent. Before Andrew could question it, the intensity was gone and Hector just sighed heavily. ¡°He may seem cold, but he will come through in the end. We all have our own ways of coping,¡±


    Natalie simply remained silent, her eyes trying too hard to look anywhere else but at him. Hector simply smiled.


    ¡°That does not mean that I will not honour my promise,¡±


    ¡®Promise¡¯? Before Andrew could ask, Natalie had turned back to the man with open shock.


    ¡°But then that would mean that you won¡¯t be here to send her off,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°Wait a sec, what ¡®promise¡¯?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°If she helped us with our issue, I agreed to take you and your friends to Aqua Falls,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d do that?!¡±


    ¡°I get a little something out of it, of course, protection from you guys on the journey there, and once I arrive, I can sell the catch I¡¯ve made.¡± his smile dimmed after a moment. ¡°That all sounded like a far sweeter deal before I heard the news¡­ I had no illusions that we¡¯d all make it out of this unharmed. But still¡­¡±


    ¡°You should see her off. We¡¯ll wait.¡± Natalie turned to Andrew with a concerned question on her face.


    ¡°I gave you my word. You guys are in a rush, right? And besides, it¡¯s what she¡¯d have wanted.¡± Hearing it like that, Andrew had to agree. If he knew nothing about Gracie, it was that she hated the idea of owing anyone anything.


    ¡°Then we better go and tell them the news,¡± Andrew turned to walk back through the wheat fields. When he realised that Natalie had not moved, however, he frowned. Hugging herself, Natalie simply shook her head, eyes downcast.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡° Andrew wanted to protest-tell her that she was being silly, but he knew it was no use. Instead, Andrew nodded to himself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take long,¡± he said. Natalie responded by forcing on a smile.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you two in the village,¡± Hector said. Bowing a farewell to them both, the man took the reins of the horse and followed the path the long way around the wheat field.

 Chapter 38: Their way of Coping

    Andrew


    ¡°Is that what she told you?¡± Isabella asked. She sat upon the frame as she gazed out of the living room window, the wind beating on her short red hair and bright brown cloak. To Andrew, Isabella looked like a wild thing, with one boot upon the window frame and her longing gaze at the outside world. She looked like a trapped spirit. Someone who could taste the freeing winds but was now entrapped within the four walls of this room. She wanted nothing more than to be free to flow in the breeze once again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but she said that you¡¯d understand,¡± Andrew said. The two of them remained silent for a moment longer as the wind whirled through the room, causing the fire in the hearth to flutter. The cool air sucked all the warmth the hearth made. Gracie¡¯s corpse was in the same place he¡¯d left it, except now someone had placed a white sheet over her, masking Gracie from head to toe. Nobody else was in the room except him, Isabella, and her sister.


    ¡°Stupid,¡± Isabella mumbled under her breath.


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®stupid¡¯?¡± Andrew asked carefully. Isabella simply turned her eyes back outside the window. With a hand held out, Andrew heard the approach of the horse-sized wolf as Isabella began stroking its main.


    ¡°Who else?¡± she said, her eyes focused on her horse sized wolf as she stroked it. ¡°She¡¯d fought me tooth and nail over what I should or should not do. Practically treated me like some child all my life, and it¡¯s only when she dies one me that she decides to treat me as an equal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair,¡± Andrew said. Something within him was welling up, and it took all his self-control to keep it in check.


    ¡°¡®Life ain¡¯t fair,¡¯ one of sis famous lessons,¡± Isabella said as she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. Andrew was about to respond in anger until he heard Chase sob behind the door, quickly followed by footsteps running back into the kitchen. Chase had been listening in.


    How long had he been standing here? The poor boy must have wanted to come in, and now¡­


    Turning around, Andrew¡¯s mouth opened as he whilst he tried wording himself in a way that kept¡¯d his the anger that¡¯s been boiling up inside himself ever since he started talking to Isabella.


    ¡°All she¡¯d wished for was your safety¡­ The first thing she asked me when I found her was if you-¡±


    ¡°-Thank you for being by Gracie in the end. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯d like a moment with my sister alone.¡± Andrew blinked. Something about her demeanour changed. Head spinning, Andrew left the room. Flynn and Sophie were already standing in wait for him by the kitchen entrance. Andrew could see the solemn faces on them, too.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to come with us?¡± Andrew asked. Sophie gave a weak smile.


    ¡°After what I¡¯ve done these last few days, I¡¯m surprised I got here as quickly as I have,¡± Sophie said. Andrew understood they had been at knife¡¯s edge for days now, not to mention that Sophie played a part in a great battle.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking a ride on this Hector guy¡¯s ship, right?¡± Flynn picked up. ¡°Not like he can set sail without us if we are also going to be riding his carriage back to the village.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Andrew looked away. He¡¯d not yet apologised to these two for pushing them so hard to reach his hometown.


    ¡°Whatever is bothering you, we can talk about it later,¡± Flynn said. Andrew blinked. Was he that obvious? Or could it be that Sophie told him what she-


    ¡°-This is far from the end of our journey together,¡± Sophie said. A warm, knowing smile on her face. Andrew sighed. Nothing got past Sophie. But, despite that, he could not help but smile.


    ¡°I hope you were not going to leave without saying goodbye to us!¡± Iris¡¯ voice came from the kitchen. As she walked in between Flynn and Sophie, she handed Andrew two small paper wrappings.


    ¡°Food for the journey. I made one for you and Natalie. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re starving after all you¡¯ve been through,¡± she said, a chipper smile on her face.


    ¡°We ate ours already, if you''re wondering,¡° Flynn said with an amused grin. Althought Andrew was grateful, he hesitated.


    ¡°Thanks, but you did not have to-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it! All of you deserve a lot more than a sandwich. Just take it and go and be a hero to your mum.¡± That one hit home for Andrew in a way that he was not expecting. Trying to hide his swallow, Andrew took the food, which earned him a proud smile. Just then, her bright demeanour dimmed as somebody darkened the front door passage behinds them. It was a man of stout average build, a mess of blond hair, and a spear strapped to his back. His rising and falling chest told him that he¡¯d ran here. Studying everyone in the hall, his eyes finally froze on Iris and his features lit up.


    ¡°Colt?¡± Iris whispered, her hands to her lips. Before he knew it, the husband ran in and swept her wife off her feet, holding her in a tight embrace. Chase came out of the kitchen soon after and leaped onto his father¡¯s leg. Smiling at the scene, Andrew took one last look at Flynn and Sophie behind them.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet with you back at the village, ¡± Sophie said. With the sounds of joyful tears behind him, Andrew nodded farewell to Sophie and Flynn before he walked out of the house. Closing the door behind him, he was struck by the sounds of sobbing that leaked out of the open living room window. Its contrast to the happy tears felt like a sobering slap making Andrew freeze, his hand stuck on the door¡¯s handle.


    The giant wolf was resting by the window now. Its head rested atop its arms as it eyed him. Taking a real look at it now, Andrew recognised the slash that ran down one side of its eye.


    That¡¯s the wolf that almost killed me! Back in the forest, when he separated himself from Natalie and the others, he was almost killed by a giant wolf. Had it not been for the alpha king interference, Andrew may not even be standing here. He recalled how it was not only stopped by the alpha king but struck for still trying to eat him to dispute the alpha king¡¯s interference. It seemed angered at the time. With this new information running through his mind, Andrew slowed his walking by the door now for a completely different reason.


    Andrew thought that if he¡¯d even met that one alone once again without the Alpha king present, it would try to get its revenge. It just watched him now, its yellow eyes uninterested, before yawning and turning its head to one side to rest. Relaxing, Andrew carefully made his way down the steps and onto the beaten path towards the wheat fields.


    Sure that the wolf wouldn¡¯t chase him, Andrew faded off into the tall wheat. That confidence faded as he walked deeper into the field. What if it waited for him to let his guard down and attacked him now? As stupid as that thought was, it followed him like an unpleasant stench.


    ~#~


    Natalie was waiting, sitting right where he¡¯d last seen her. Seeing him, she got up and approached. Her face became puzzled as she looked at him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked. It was only then that Andrew realised that he¡¯d been looking at the wheat field behind him.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Still keeping his eyes on the wheat fields, Andrew handed Natalie one of the paper wrappings. He was being stupid. If it was going to attack him, it would have done so the moment it made its way to the farmhouse. It was obvious that Isabella had tamed it.


    But even so, how is that possible? Such a contrast in behaviour. Changed by such a prickly girl. As he let that thought sink in, however, he chuckled to himself.


    ¡°Then again, that makes a lot more sense than I realised.¡± Andrew mumbled to himself.


    ¡°Andrew?¡± Natalie was looking at him, her head tilted, to which he shook his own in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, honest,¡± he said with a faint smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ~#~


    They¡¯d passed through Progmanfest gates to the buzz of people cheering, celebrating, and dancing with each other along the street. Pockets of people passing through the street carrying baskets of clothes and provisions. As a large trail of horses and carts tried to push through the traffic of men, women, and children who bustled about. Andrew could almost feel the collective sigh from all the men and women-half of which dawned light armour and weapons, clear signs of walking among those who were out there in battle. If it did not hit him before, then it did now. The battle was over, the Famine fissure was gone, and the living celebrated with drinks, dancing, kind words, and songs.


    ¡°Looks like the people are in good spirits,¡± Andrew said, his eyes followed a group of hunters who carried a man over their heads in gales of laughter. He turned to Natalie to see her response. She didn¡¯t look so content. Her eyes turned a hue of purple as she gazed upon something beyond the sights and sounds, beyond the buildings and pillars of civilization.


    ¡°Not everyone,¡± she mumbled. That silenced Andrew. Although he knew what she said was true, Andrew wished that he could live in the illusion for a bit longer. Instead, he looked at Natalie¡¯s distant gaze intensively.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± he asked. If he could not see it, then he wanted to at least hear what she saw. Her eyes tightened. He could almost feel her growing isolation.


    The more she used these powers, the more¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s a group of people leaving the village. They are carrying corpses. It must be the knights who were killed in battle.¡± She said. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°It seems like not all it quite ready to forget what just happened, even if it was for a moment,¡± Andrew said. Reminding him that Natalie has yet to know who it was that orchestrated this bothered him. ¡°To each their own, but between me and you, this is not how I¡¯d spend my afternoon,¡±


    He contemplated on whether he should tell her now. Between that and watching everyone around him celebrate, along with there being a mass funeral taking place, left Andrew feeling at odds with everything.


    ¡°I¡¯m no better than everyone here¡­¡± she said, her voice low and raspy.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Andrew said it before he¡¯d realised it. Blinking, Andrew realised that Natalie was not looking up at him. A small smattering of people who were walking by had stopped talking among themselves to look back at them.


    Cycles above, was I shouting that loud? Natalie looked at him expectantly now. He¡¯d got her attention. Now he needed to frame his next words very carefully. Natalie was the kind of girl who did not look away from the horrors of this world. She hated people who turned a blind eye to the injustices when it fell on their doorstep. She was cold to people who made excuses. But that doesn¡¯t mean that she was immune to the harsh realities of this world, nor was she immune to her own harsh judgment.


    ¡°Everyone has their way of coping with hard times. Some people look away from it. Others face it. But no matter where they start, nobody remains there forever. Call it the cycle, the ebb and flow of time, or just life itself. Nobody can remain stagnant forever. Even if they wished to, they would probably go crazy first. If you tried to stay stagnant forever, like then it would not be a stretch to even question calling such a person human anymore.¡± Natalie looked at him, her every facial feature an unreadable mask save for her wide, hopeful eyes. In his efforts to console her, he worried that he¡¯d come off wiser than he really was. And as such, the pressure to finish his sentence mounted.


    Unsure of how to meet her expectations, Andrew closed his eyes, blocking out her expected gaze to regain focus. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that just because you¡¯re not yet ready to face something difficult doesn¡¯t make you a bad person, it just means that you are a human doing the best you can.¡± Natalie seemed to let out a slow silent breath to that. Eyes closed and demeanour composted, she turned to the road to look onward before walking in assured strides.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± she said. Hearing her sigh made Andrew sigh, too. Before looking onwards at the hustle and bustle of the town, he groaned.


    ¡°Cycles, I hope it¡¯s true,¡± he sniffed. ¡°Because there sure hell are a few things I¡¯m slacking in.¡±


    Like protecting you for one¡­  if he was going to tell her about who caused all this, then he had to do it soon. Just as he was about to force the words out, Andrew saw a determined gaze in her eyes as she looked down the street.


    ¡°There is something that even I¡¯m able to face right now,¡±

 Chapter 39: A New Game

    Andrew


    They stood at the bottom of the steps of a great tavern door. The name Three Prongs Inn loomed over them upon a carved-out piece of wood. From where Andrew stood, it looked like the bottom side of a ship¡¯s hull. The eight-story building loomed over them as they stood in the middle of the village centre. And even though the streets were relatively empty, Andrew could still hear the noise of people shuffling around and talking within the building. Andrew knew it was a hunter-gathering place given its size, and its importance enough to be put at the centre of the village, so it baffled him as to why it sounded so lively now of all times.


    Walking thorough the double doors, Andrew was more taken aback by what he saw. There among the many scattered tables, Andrew counted at least fifty men drinking and talking among themselves. The fact that there were people drinking did not shock him. The amount of them here was not a shock either, though it baffled him. What got to him was despite the amount of people that were in there, the Three Prongs Inn was quiet and orderly. Some men looked up from their cups as he and Natalie entered. Besides the questioning glare from the odd man, everyone seemed to be about their own business. Things felt at ease, no hostility, just curious faces, but Andrew could not shake the feeling that something was off.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t most of the villagers out celebrating or tending to the dead?¡± Between the ones celebrating and the assumed amount that left the village to bury the dead, how were so many men still gathered here?


    ¡°Not villagers, these are Swayers¡¯ men,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°Who?¡± Andrew frowned. As Natalie¡¯s eyes scanned the crowd, Andrew noticed that some men took a secondary glance at Natalie with a kind of dismayed look. Unaware of this happening, Natalie continued.


    ¡°They are all part of the band called the Wandering Willows,¡± she said. Andrew widened his eyes in understanding.


    ¡°The local mercenary group.¡± Natalie¡¯s eyes frowned as they stopped, scanning the room to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m sure Sophie relayed all this to you already.¡±


    ¡°She did,¡± Andrew said. ¡°Everything just came to me when you mentioned the name.¡± Natalie, with a monetary pause, nodded to herself before she continued to look around. Not sure what to make of her strange reaction, Andrew made an effort to look around as well. He could see it now that it¡¯s been mentioned. Most of the men sitting there wore uniformed clothing with an image of a willow tree with leaves curled within a halo-like crown of deep green imprinted on their backs.


    There were about thirty men with such an outfit. The remaining twenty wore an assortment of leather browns and greys with spears and tridents that seemed the common clothing and weapon for the locals here. A few more people (locals) turned around from their tables to look at them.


    No¡­ to look at Natalie. They had looks of disbelief, intrigue, and awe in their features. And as Natalie¡¯s eyes met their table, they¡¯d either glanced away, pretended to have not been looking towards her at all, or gave her a slow, respectful nod. Unsure what to make of it, Andrew kept a mental note of it before pretending like he too never saw anything happen.


    ¡°Who are we looking for anyway?¡± Andrew asked. Before Andrew knew it, Natalie had slipped under his notice and was already by the stairs talking to a serving girl coming down.


    ¡°He¡¯s still in the trader¡¯s office,¡± the girl said as she hugged a silver tray to her chest. She looked up the spiralling staircase that encircled the inners of this eight-story tower, a conflicted twist of her lip betraying uncertainty. ¡°It¡¯s reserved for esteemed guests. He said that he won¡¯t be long, but wishes to not be disturbed.¡±


    ¡°Tell him that I don¡¯t have time,¡± Natalie said. The girl¡¯s eyes practically fell out of their sockets at Natalie¡¯s blunt words.


    ¡°I. Could. Never!¡± she hissed conspiratory. She leaned in towards Natalie, practically whispering at her forehead as she stood atop the last step. Recollecting herself, the girl flushed and backed away, hugging the silver dish to her chest.


    Puzzled, he and Natalie just looked at her as she composed herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just I¡¯m new to the job, it¡¯s chaos in here, he¡¯s an esteemed benefactor and I¡­I ¡®may¡¯ have spilled his beverage all over the table,¡± her face turned red at the mention of that, eyes holding a thousand-yard stare down at her feet. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Unsure what to say to that, Andrew just glanced at Natalie, who was doing the same thing right back at him.


    ¡°That sounds¡­ rough,¡± his mouth just moved to fill the awkward silence. It sounded so mundane and small to Andrew that had it been on any other occasion, he might have been compelled to stifle back laughter.


    As things stood now, however, was a reminder of the gulf between his life and the average person. Here was a girl around their age, or perhaps a bit older, and her biggest regret was spilling a drink atop a guest¡¯s table. Andrew could tell that something similar ran through Natalie¡¯s mind because she simply nodded to herself and straightened the girl¡¯s falling hair, tucking it behind her ear and grabbing her attention.


    ¡°We¡¯re going anyway,¡° she said.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t! He told me to-¡°


    ¡°-If anyone asks, tell them that we ignored you.¡± People gifted with power often overlooked the efforts of those who had none. Taking a short, deep breath, the girl smiled a thanks. With a nod back, Natalie went past the girl and climbed up the steps.


    Reaching the second floor, she knocked on a large oak door bearing the number two on its face. Mere moments later, a young man¡¯s face peeked its way between the door to expect them. His eyes grew suspicious when they fell on Andrew, but then beamed with welcoming intrigue when he saw Natalie standing beside him.


    ¡°Well, this is unexpected!¡± he said.


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Natalie sniffed.


    ¡°You¡¯re still upset that I guessed right?¡± the man said, his face smug. Natalie¡¯s blank expression only made him chuckle to himself.


    ¡°Please, I have good instincts. It doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m a prophet. Cycles forbid I¡¯d entertain such a thought.¡±


    ¡°The humble act doesn¡¯t suit you, Kosumi,¡± Natalie said. Kosumi just gave a teasing shrug before turning back to him.


    ¡°And you must be Andrew,¡± Kosumi nodded to him. ¡°You and your friend have quickly made names for yourselves, won¡¯t be long before words of your deeds reach beyond Mt.Karaki and spread among-¡±


    ¡°-Is he inside?¡± Natalie interjected, arms folded. Kosumi gave Natalie a blank look before his face became all business. He turned to somebody in the room before opening the door all the way, allowing them in.


    Andrew recalled the serving girl saying that this was a room reserved for travelling merchants. He¡¯d expected it to be a little different from your regular tavern room with a bed and bathroom. The contrast still struck him. There were no windows for one. Instead, the room had walls made of polished wood, lathered and decorated with golden stripes that formed a pattern all around. On all four sides were framed paintings of the local landscapes, animals, and even people. On one side stood a framed picture of Mt.Karaki. Displayed in a landscape, the image was rather detailed. Another one showed a portrait image of snow-tipped trees with a pack of grey wolves walking under the watchful gaze of the Alpha king. To its opposite side was a painted picture of a river with three intersections forming a large lake. To the right and left of it lay two smaller pictures of two different fish. Trout and carp?


    In the centre was a large table with a map separated over it. A tall man stood at the end of the room to one side of a desk, back straight, with arms behind them. Sitting behind the desk was a man of mixed descent, wearing a sharp lapel coat he to bore the symbol of the Wandering Willows.


    ¡°The dark angel returns,¡± he said. Though he sounded amused, his face betrayed none of it. ¡°Here, without your tutor?¡±


    Tutor? Does he mean Sophie? Andrew¡¯s list of questions was growing bigger and bigger by the second.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be making strides to Aqua Falls by now,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Sophie and Flynn are still back at the Farm,¡± Natalie said, arms folded.


    ¡°Good, the chief plan. Check up on the survivors as soon as they-¡±


    ¡°-Gracie is dead,¡± Natalie said. Her voice was too levelled-too distant. Sawyer blinked at the news. Kosumi and the other man behind Sawyer turned to their leader on the chair, their faces barely hiding their concerns. Feeling sympathetic and wanting to fill in the void, Andrew went into more detail about what happened.


    He told them about the attack from the assassin Seven, the death of Lawrence and Cruz, as well as the injury Harley suffered at his hand. He even told them about the strange apparition that floated before Gracie despite how hard it was to recollect. Andrew, however, kept out the detail about who Seven worked for and the Nova out. It was not so much because he did not trust these people, but it was more for Natalie¡¯s sake. He knew he needed to tell her this stuff soon, but it did not have to be here in front of these people.


    ¡°She had a great distrust of outsiders.¡± Emmitt, the tall man standing behind Swayer, said.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth!¡± Kosumi chuckled as if recalling a memory. ¡°She had it in for our boss when we first got here. I think she thought that he was going to steal her sister or something. Another gifted prodigy under threat of being spirited away by the Willows. They didn¡¯t see eye to eye even after we became regulars. She was a bit stiff. I¡¯m going to miss her.¡± Kosumi said, shaking his head to himself. After some ruminating, Sawyer let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°I guess that you did not come back here so soon to merely act as messengers,¡± Sawyer said. ¡°What is the real reason you sought me out?¡± It seemed like he¡¯d like to move on.


    ¡°You¡¯ve known Sophie before meeting her here, didn¡¯t you?¡± Natalie asked. The atmosphere in the room seemed to have dimmed at her mention of that. Suddenly, the relaxed-looking Kosumi steered at them with a cold, unreadable glare. Although he could not see it, Andrew¡¯s instincts told him that the man behind Swayer, who already had an unreadable face with his guard up, had shifted his posture just enough to gain quicker access to his weapon. Worst still was Sawyer himself. Unlike his men, he did not try to hide the ultimatum he was weighing behind his eyes.


    Eyes widened and hairs standing up at attention, Andrew readied himself to draw his weapon only for Sawyer to raise a hand, putting his men at ease. In that moment of relief, Andrew dared a glance at Natalie. Thankfully, he saw that she, too, was as shocked as he was. Good, it meant that she had not intentionally brought him to a situation without explaining, only to play with his life. Although that did not get him any closer to understanding what was going on, he at least knew that much.


    ¡°When did she tell you?¡± Sawyer said. Looking uncertain, Natalie turned to Andrew for a moment. Andrew just shrugged.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.¡°They haven¡¯t told us anything,¡± Andrew said slowly.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we came here,¡± Natalie followed up. ¡°I need to know what Sophie¡¯s deal is, if we are to travel together-¡±


    ¡°-Do you trust her?¡± Swayer asked.


    ¡°Even if I did, I still need answers,¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°And this is how you get to know her, by asking others behind her back?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re free to tell her what I asked, but from what little time I spent with Sophie, I think if the roles were reversed, she¡¯d do the same. Not because she¡¯s being nosey or holding ill will. She¡¯d do it simply because to remain ignorant is to remain childish and powerless.¡± Sawyer smiled in approval at that.


    ¡°Agreed, ¡± he said. Getting off his chair, he walked over to the table at the centre to observe the map. ¡°She¡¯s not one to step into anything completely blind.¡± That made a lot of sense. The whole picture of what Natalie was doing here was coming to focus as well. Still¡­


    ¡°I think you¡¯d struggle to find many people who¡¯d choose to take any job blind,¡± Andrew said. ¡°Especially when people are involved,¡± Swayer, still looking at the maps on the table, nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but even by hunters¡¯ standards, she is a bit¡­ excessive.¡± Picking up a wooden piece with a spear on its top, his eyes softened as he lost himself momentarily in thoughts. Coming to, he gave his full attention to them. ¡°The secret that she holds now is not one of her own,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s holding a secret of your own,¡± Andrew said, more to himself. If that was true, then Natalie was not only asking for secrets but from a who practically was a complete stranger.


    ¡°If it is your business, then forget we said anything,¡± Natalie said. Swayer, however, shook his head.


    ¡°Considering your journey, it might be in your business to know. Telling you ain¡¯t the issue, it¡¯s weather I can trust you to keep my business,¡± he said. His gaze seemed to wander off onto the map on the table. ¡°There are a small few I can keep close these days.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just your business, then forget it!¡± Natalie said, her arms folded once again.


    ¡°Very well, but if you change your mind, then just ask them,¡± Swayer said, his smile earnest.


    ¡°You mean Sophie and Flynn?¡± Andrew asked. He was sure he was getting it, but just to be certain, the conversation did not go off in some other direction.


    ¡°My issue is trust. To be frank, I don¡¯t know you, and yet I trust them. If they trust you as much as I trust them, then they¡¯ll see the benefit of telling you my secret.¡± Andrew¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°It seems you two have made a fearsome enemy.¡± Sawyer looked directly at him now, weighing something he saw on his face before Andrew could think to mask it. So he knows who spearheaded the attack here.


    Sophie must have told him. Flynn was there to face both the Nova and assassin with him firsthand. That made sense to him because he was there and understood what he meant by these words. Natalie however¡­


    ¡°So she¡¯d gone and told you my business without any consent?¡± she said. He sounded near to boiling. Sawyer understandably looked confused. He¡¯d avoided telling her this too soon for this very reason.


    ¡°Hard for her not to tell me when¡­¡± Sawyer began, but slowed the moment he saw the faint shaking of Andrew¡¯s head. Seemingly getting the message, Sawyer closed his eyes, allowing a sigh to escape his lips. ¡°I understand the situation¡­¡± he mumbled.


    He dose!?


    ¡°You know nothing about my situation!¡± Natalie said. Soon, there was a smug grin on his face once she said that, making Andrew all but certain that he knew and understood.


    ¡°Keep telling yourself that and soon there will truly be nobody who¡¯d care to understand your plight,¡± he said.


    ¡°So what? You think it¡¯s ok for her to go around telling others my business!?¡±


    ¡°You forget that ¡®your business¡¯ involves fighting an organisation that thrives on harming others behind the shadows. Who do you think benefits from keeping their vile acts in the dark?¡±


    Natalie faltered for a moment before looking back at him. Knowing what Swayer was really up to put Andrew in a rough spot. Opting to play ignorant for now, he begrudgingly shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯ve said as much yourself. It¡¯s the people who turn a blind eye to this who are to blame for all the stuff that keeps happening. I may not know why Sophie thought it worth telling this guy what we are up to, but at least he listened,¡± he said. Natalie just cut her eyes to him.


    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± she spat under her breath. Andrew wanted to shout. Instead, he pretended that he had never heard it.


    ¡°But enough about sides and who said what. There¡¯s a reason why you came here asking these questions,¡± Sawyer said.


    There was? Andrew turned to Natalie questioningly.


    ¡°Sophie said something recently that¡¯s been bothering you even since, right?¡±


    She did? He looked at Natalie and lo-and-behold, her head was downcast, her face conflicted. Andrew groaned inwardly, just when he thought he got to grips with the current situation.


    ¡°To continue travelling with her, she forbade me to get intel from Zac,¡± she said.


    ¡°The info broker?¡± Emmitt said. Andrew nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s up his own ass about how good his information is, but even I have to admit that his sources are legit.¡± Kosumi said before looking at his boss. Sawyer leaned against them, his face dark with trouble.


    ¡°I¡¯d side with Sophie on this one,¡± he said.


    ¡°Of course you would,¡± Natalie sniffed.


    ¡°You misunderstand the boss¡¯s relationship with Sophie, he-¡± Emmitt began, only to be halted by Sawyer.


    ¡°He is well connected, but he also got a lot of skeletons in his closet. Some of those skeletons are still chasing him to this day. He¡¯s in conflict with some very powerful people. Any who contact him put themselves at risk of being caught in the crosshairs of some very unsavoury types. With your growing reputation, that just means you¡¯ll become a bigger target, harder to miss¡­ easier to hide behind.¡±


    ¡°Meaning he¡¯s not above throwing us under the cart if need be,¡± Andrew huffed.


    ¡°So long as he can keep moving forward, he won¡¯t lose a wink of sleep over a few lives lost. You play with him. You will be nothing more than a sacrificial pawn in his twisted game,¡± he said.


    ¡°All you grown-ups are the same,¡± Natalie whispered. That drew the attention from all in the room.


    ¡°Posturing for an advantage, withholding information,  talking in circles, playing stupid games. You¡¯re all the same.¡± Natalie said, was she¡­ sulking?


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth!¡± Sawyer chuckled, his smile perhaps the brightest he¡¯s seen it. ¡°We all play the ¡®game¡¯ as you say it. Some just play it better, others just play plain nasty,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid,¡± Natalie pouted.


    ¡°You speak as if you¡¯re upset because you and do not partake. But in truth you do play, you¡¯re only upset because you are not yet good at it,¡± Sawyer said.


    ¡°When did to figure it out?¡± Natalie asked.


    ¡°The way you dropped the news was shocking, but once I compartmentalised the gut punch it became obvious what it was that you were doing, gut punches are great in a preemptive strike, but in the battle of tongs it¡¯s too heavy-handed.¡± Natalie just groaned, to which Kosumi got a good chuckle out of. And although Sawyer did not laugh, the smile on his face still remained. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. You are still young. I come from a background where having a sharp tongue and mind paid great dividence. If you keep travelling with Sophie, you will soon learn the nuance of the game,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s ¡®games¡¯ that worry me,¡± Natalie huffed out a breath, but her heart did not seem all that into it. Instead, she folded her arms and turned to an image of the fish.


    ¡°If Sophie is anything like her master, she won¡¯t take her teasing too far. She can mess around at times, but she will take care of you.¡±


    ¡°And what about Isabella? You intent on taking care of her?¡± Natalie asked. Sawyer looked up at Natalie now. A look of genuine surprise on his face.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± he said.


    ¡°Because of what Gracie said?¡± Natalie asked. Again he looked surprised, but the expression merely reached his eyes.


    ¡°Even if Isabella asked, I cannot go against her sister¡¯s wishes.¡±


    ¡°New game, new rules.¡° she said. Swayer turned to her, confused.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡°


    ¡°She¡¯s not tethered to her sister or the village anymore. If you don¡¯t take her, then she will leave the village by herself, so I¡¯m asking if it comes to that. Will you take care of her?¡±


    ¡°The people here regard her as a gifted treasure, with powers not ever seen since their founder. If I were to take her without the blessing of parent or relative, I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°-answer the question¡­¡± Natalie looked straight at Sawyer, now making him fold his arms.


    ¡°If she does choose to come with us, then I¡¯ll treat her as well as I do any of my men,¡± he said, eyes resolute. Natalie, whose weighed him with her gaze took a slow breath as her resolve faltered into one of clear confusion.


    ¡°What he means to say is that she will be treated well,¡± Kosumi said, ¡°Unless¡­ you saying that I¡¯m being treated unfairly.¡± An amused smile slid its way on his face. Nodding slowly to herself, Natalie just turned to him, her face a fractured mask of emotions. After a short while, she broke eye contact with him to make her way towards the door.


    ¡°So long as you protect Isabella,¡± she said as her hand grabbed the doorknob. Just as she opened it, Andrew saw a hand just move to knock on the door, only to strike air. Isabella stood face to face with Natalie, both of them poleaxed into place with shock.


    Shocked himself, and realising that Sawyer and the others perhaps could not see Isabella behind Natalie from their position, Andrew snapped out of his daze, cleared his throat, and sprang into action.


    ¡°Hey Isabella,¡± he said, walking over as Gracie¡¯s sister finally turned to look at him.


    Announcing her like that should get rid of any other surprises. Andrew did not understand fully what was going on, but he gathered enough to understand that what Sawyer and Natalie were just talking about was perhaps best they knew who was at the door.


    ¡°I thought you left already,¡± Isabella said. Looking between him and Natalie.


    ¡°W-we¡¯re just leaving now! Right Andrew?¡± Natalie said. She turned to him. He could practically feel the anxiety pulsing off of her reddening features and beaming off her widening eyes. Andrew wanted to groan. Instead, he nodded to Swayer, gave an apologetic smile to Isabella and a nod to Natalie, to which she partially darted out of the room when he did so. No sooner had Andrew passed Isabella by the door did she call for him.


    Stopping, Andrew watched Natalie continued her walk downstairs. Not only had she already made her way halfway down the steps leading to the ground floor, but she only now had turned around to notice that he¡¯d hardly started. Andrew noted the pensive look on her face as he turned back to Isabella. Her eyes were still planted when she last saw Natalie, a tempest of emotions on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s got into her,¡± as if he¡¯d ever known what goes on in that skull of hers. Isabella shook her head.


    ¡°I wanted to be angry at her for leaving like that, but¡­ I see now that she¡¯s just looking out for me in her own way.¡± There was a bittersweet smile on Isabella¡¯s face, which made Andrew narrow his eyes.


    ¡°How long were you listening?¡± he asked. Now it was Isabella¡¯s turn to go red. ¡°Long enough to hear her mention my name,¡± she said slowly.


    ¡°So you heard that, huh?¡± he said, a little amused.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to listen in-honest! I was about to knock and¡­well.¡± Seeing the amused smile on his face, Isabella deflated and looked away from him once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be apologising,¡± she said, eyes glued to her feet. Andrew frowned.


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°For how I acted back at Iris¡¯s house,¡± she said. ¡°You were there for my sister in her last moments. And for that I¡¯m grateful.¡± The pain of what had happened pulled him right back to that moment. His mind was awash with thoughts of how things would have gone if he¡¯d done things differently. It made him feel weak, powerless. Like the day the demons came and Natalie went missing. Forcing on a smile, Andrew nodded meekly.


    ¡°It was the least I could do,¡± he said. His throat felt like it was burning.


    Why didn¡¯t you move sooner?!


    ¡°I¡¯d already plan to ¡®go for it¡¯ anyway,¡± she said.


    ¡°Does your guardian know of this?¡± Sawyer asked. Solemnly, Isabella nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Shepherd just before coming here,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°I grew up to understand that she was only trying to look out for me, but¡­¡± she paused. Over a thousand untold thoughts too big for mere words to explain past her features, Isabella sighed. ¡°In the end, I¡¯m just glad that I¡¯d got her blessing.¡± There was a distant look in her eye, as if living old memories. Memories that he will never see or know. Memories he failed to preserve.


    Too late¡­ the burning sensation in his throat threatened to choke him.


    ¡°So then, a traveller of the Wandering Willows!¡± Andrew said, clapping his hands together as he plastered on a smile. ¡°You got the big wide world at your fingertips.¡± he sounded interested, but in all honestly he just wanted to change the subject. He did a bad job hiding the swallow he did to clear his throat but fortunately, Isabella was not looking at him. Instead, her face seemed to darken then. Her eyes glaring holes through the floor that she gazed upon with its acid.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to talk to Sawyer about, my one condition for joining them,¡± she said. Her words held a pressure to them that made Andrew hold his breath.


    ¡°Name it,¡± Swayer said. Andrew could just make Sawyer out over Isabella¡¯s shoulder. He was sitting back behind the desk, elbows on its surface, hands inter-woven to mask his mouth, only giving Andrew his keen eyes as a window to his thoughts. He looked all business now.


    ¡°Until I find and kill all the people who attacked my village, I¡¯ll stick with you guys,¡± Andrew¡¯s chest went cold hearing this. He knew that if Natalie heard about this, she would be paralysed with regret. He was about to say something to convince her against it somehow until Swayer spoke up.


    ¡°If that¡¯s your only request, then you will be with us for the long foreseeable future.¡± his eyes were on Andrew, as Swayer approached the door to stand beside Isabella. Confused, she turned to him.


    ¡°Once we set off tomorrow, our first order of business is discovering who did this,¡± he said.


    ¡°So you¡¯re planning to get revenge too!?¡± Isabella asked. Andrew simply did all that he could to hide his disbelief. So not only did Swayer know about the stars of Halo, but he also planned on hunting them.


    ¡°Revenge, justice, or just an opportunity to bolster my name. It¡¯s hard for me to say right now. What I can say is that I have unanswered questions.¡±


    ¡°What unanswered questions?¡± Isabella asked.


    ¡°The absence of the sentinel, the wolf¡¯s unrest, the mass demon attack, Seven the assassin. Hard to believe that all this was orchestrated by just a ¡®few men¡¯.¡±


    ¡°So it was someone who did all of this!¡± Isabella said.


    ¡°I wish to work out the inner machinations of their heinous spider¡¯s web, find out who¡¯s financially backing these individuals, and dismantle their web of connections one thread at a time. Mark me: When next we Willows face them in battle, it will be they who will have the rug pulled out from under them.¡±

 Chapter 40: What needs to be said

    Andrew


    They watched Progmanfest village shrink away from the boat¡¯s stern in silence. As Hector rowed them further downriver, Andrew, for the first time, really saw the village. The houses built over the riverside spoke of their affinity with water, their comfort in its presence. As the sun sank to the horizon, the late noon light gleamed off the warm, tranquil river.


    The silhouette of thatched roofs loomed over them like suspended waves, large wooden spins arched along its intricate designs. With the candlelight illuminating through house windows, Andrew counted three to five-story layouts.


    By some of the larger houses stood a proud fishing boat. And although many of the houses showed signs of life within, Andrew seldom saw anyone else sailing upon the river.


    ¡°They¡¯re afraid of the remaining demons left in the river,¡± Hector said unbidden. Sitting at the very edge of the stern in front of him, he smiled. It must have been apparent what he was thinking. ¡°Although the big demons have been taken care of, there is still a high risk of there being straddlers lurking.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Andrew said, looking back out at the fading village. ¡°Still, it is a shame.¡±


    ¡°A big shame, but this also marks my big opportunity,¡± Hector said. A gleam in his eye. Andrew looked at him, baffled until he recalled what boat he was sailing on.


    ¡°Is that the ¡®opportunity¡¯ I can smell back there?¡± he asked. Hector¡¯s grin only widened.


    ¡°Trade for fish stopped because of the demon. Without the regular supply, the Harbour must be itching for a fresh shipment! Being the first in line has a higher risk, but the same goes for the rewards. I am bound to make a handsome profit when all is said and done!¡± Andrew just tried to hide his baffled face¡­ he failed.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at a crisis,¡± he drawled. Hector nodded.


    ¡°Miss Emerson said as much earlier.¡± he pointed his nose up at where Sophie was. She stood in the middle of the boat, her eyes narrowed as she scribbled something in her book. She looked troubled. Andrew wanted to ask her what was on her mind, but he felt like his presence would not be welcomed right now.


    ¡°You cannot move forward without taking risks,¡± Hector said, pulling Andrew¡¯s gaze away from Sophie. Blinking a moment, Andrew tried to recall what it was that Hector was replying to.


    ¡°You talking about the fish?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, but not just the fish. The choices we make now can determine our lives long after. If we do not take a leap of faith, then we would have died out a long time ago. Same thing with that demon today. Had we given up and fled, we¡¯d have lost everything.¡± The village crept out of view as the river took a bend, so Andrew¡¯s eyes wandered to the river¡¯s rippling waves as they cut through its surface. He¡¯s meant to be keeping an eye on the waters, anyway. His mind could not help but circle back to his failure.


    What about the people who were left behind?


    ¡°I¡¯d imagine that they, of all people, would not want us to stand idle because of them,¡± Hector said. Only then did Andrew realise that he¡¯d spoken out loud. He was dazing off. He did a bad job of hiding this fact because Hector gave him an amused smile before taking in a deep breath and looking out at the bending river. ¡°They¡¯d want us to never forget them, but to also move forward. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯d tell myself,¡±


    ¡°Less rambling and more rowing!¡± Shepherd walked out of the door that led to the lower deck. He was an old man with shoulder-length hair and a thick beard as white as snow. And although he was in his later years, he was built like a seasoned knight. His cool eyes fell on Hector the moment he entered the deck, making him stammer.


    ¡°Hey there, uncle, you finished packing?¡± Hector asked carefully. Shepherd looked up at the sky as if sensing something in the air before giving a noncommittal grunt. ¡°There¡¯s a tailwind coming,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°There is?!¡± Hector said. Shepherd glared at Hector. Arms folded, the man shook his head before moving up the deck.


    ¡°If you were doing your job, then you would have noticed,¡± he said over his back. Only when he was out of earshot did Hector seem to find the air to breathe again.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have to sneak up on me like that!¡± he hissed. Andrew, meanwhile, looked back at Shepherd, curiosity plaguing his thoughts. Hector said that he was his uncle. Isabella had spoken about him as if he was either a relative, or at least a very important part of her life.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s still upset about how his conversation went with Isabella. And now that she¡¯s leaving coupled with¡­ well¡­ you know¡­¡± Andrew¡¯s eyes darkened. Ever since coming on the boat, he¡¯d barely given him a passing glance. It bothered him because he must know by now that he was among the last people to speak to Gracie, and yet he didn¡¯t ask him anything.


    ¡°Do you know what was said?¡± the words came unbidden to Andrew¡¯s lips. Hector just shrugged.


    ¡°Nothing that¡¯s not already been said a thousand times before,¡± he said. ¡°Both sisters were very talented at a young age. Both had the potential to be the first Villj¨¢lmrhamr since our founder befriended the Alpha King Griffin. That spark, along with being raised under our village¡¯s greatest knight, only set the three on a collision course with another.¡±


    ¡°So they fought a lot?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°Less fighting, more¡­ bothersome disagreements. The girls open rebellion and my uncle¡¯s stubborn indifference goes like oil and water. Honestly, even hearing about it all secondhand was tiring.¡±


    ¡°What is Shepherd¡¯s relation to them?¡±


    ¡°So you noted it too, ay?¡± Hector said amused, ¡°Sophie was rather quick on the uptake.¡±


    ¡°So they are not related by blood¡­¡±


    ¡°Parents died on a hunting job. They were among Shepherd¡¯s closest friends. Sure he acts cold, but I think that it¡¯s just his way of keeping his distance. To, you know¡­ not get too attached.¡± A wind blew over the silence left as Andrew''s mind went to Natalie. The words she left him with before heading to the village.


    ¡°Just go easy on her, and don¡¯t get attached¡­¡± she¡¯d said. Just what was it that Gracie and Natalie talked about that night?


    ¡°Well, I better tend to the sails,¡± Hector sighed. As he gave a respectful nod to him and climbed over to the mast, Andrew took this time to take one more look at Sophie. She was still writing. He wanted to just go straight up to Natalie and tell her what he needed to tell her, but his body became paralysed at the thought.


    Just move Andrew! Forcing himself to march, he turned¡­ and found himself standing next to Sophie.


    ¡°Do you need anything?¡± she said, her eyes barely looking up from her book. Andrew winced inwardly at the question.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m working on it, ok? Just need a moment to find the right time¡­¡±Andrew knew that Sophie knew what it was that he was withholding from Natalie, had Sophie wanted to she could have given Natalie the news herself before she reached him at the farmhouse but she chose not to. The scratching of pen to paper slowed as Sophie bowed her head to sigh.


    ¡°I was not implying anything this time, sorry if it came across as such,¡± Sophie said. She honestly sounded troubled. That threw Andrew off more than anything.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing to be sorry for,¡± he said. Watching the trees pass, Andrew scratched his dreadlocked hair. ¡°If anything, it is I who should be apologising.¡± Now it was Sophie¡¯s turn to look at him with surprise. ¡°On our way here from Zannidue, I ran ahead without considering how tired you two were. That, along with my stupid, reckless decision to run into wolf territory, almost got us¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Andrew,¡±


    ¡°And then there is what Flynn had to do to save me in that last battle. If he did not stop me, we would have both been dead and I-¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°-Andrew!¡± his head snapped back to her. Eyes blinking. She looked at him fully now, her blue eyes pools of soothing calm. ¡°You have nothing to apologise for.¡± Andrew watched the warm smile Sophie gave him and could not help but feel blinded by its glow.


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing no such thing,¡± Sophie said. Andrew still could not find it in himself to look at her. Chuckling to herself, Sophie shook her head in the corner of his eye before falling silent for a while. ¡°We are new to each other¡¯s company. Inevitably, as we remain with one another, we are going to have instances where our proven methods don¡¯t quite align. No?¡±


    ¡°I¡­guess?¡° Andrew said carefully. Sophie nodded.


    ¡°Indeed! Now, we can either discuss our differences when they arrive and work them out, or we can pretend like there are no problems and that everything is just going perfectly fine until we either drift away or one of us gets killed because of it. Or¡­¡± she let the words hang as if challenging him to complete them. Blinking to situations, Andrew cleared his throat as he collected his thoughts.


    ¡°Or¡­ we can stop, slow things down, and have a talk¡­ just like we are doing right now,¡° Andrew frowned at the last part in understanding. Sophie nodded once again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll accept any criticism you might have of me. But if we are going to have to scrape and apologise every time, we do something slightly displeasing. Then by the cycles, Andrew, I might just curl up into a ball and die.¡±


    Andrew¡¯s eyes narrowed as he tried to picture Sophie, just collapsing upon themselves until they died mumbling apologies all the whilst. It seemed¡­ pathetic.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit dramatic,¡± he said carefully. Sophie¡¯s smile simply beamed with witty amusement.


    ¡°Mayhaps I¡¯m being a little over the top. But even so, I¡¯ll not apologise for it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright, I get it already, no more apologising for small stuff, you happy?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°Delighted,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still bummed out that it was written on my face the whole time,¡± Andrew sighed.


    ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I might be the only one who could see your anguish,¡± she said.


    ¡°Somehow, that only makes it worse,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°Worried I might expose your gentle side?¡±


    ¡°Do you have to say it like that?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s cute!¡± Sophie said. She looked at him now, her book hugged tightly to her chest, her clear blue eyes inspecting his face. Andrew grimaced at how close she was. He wanted to look away, but this time for a completely different reason.


    ¡°If the soft approach is not your thing, then I can always gut-check you to call it even,'' he heard Flynn before he saw him. He walked towards them with a proud grin on his face.


    ¡°And why in cycle¡¯s name would I let you do that?!¡± Andrew stammered.


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s for me to accept your apology, of course,¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that a bit excessive?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± he scratched his chin as if in deep thought before a feral smile came back on his face. ¡°But it sure beats an apology,¡± Andrew looked between the both of them in dismay. Both held different expressions of passion and intrigue, but Andrew could see the veil of amusement dancing around their eyes. He was being dead serious, and yet they were toying with him. Knowing what he knows now, he bet that it was Sophie who called Flynn over just to amuse themselves at his expense.


    ¡°You two truly deserve each other,¡± he mumbled. That just made their smiles widen even further. It was at this moment Andrew truly came to understand just what kind of journey that he would be enduring with these two around.


    ¡°Guess our baiting won¡¯t work anymore. Shame. I was hoping for at least a bit more entertainment,¡° Flynn said.


    ¡°Bite me,¡° Andrew grumbled.


    ¡°Speaking of, Shepherd said that food¡¯s almost ready. Good thing too, because after the day I had, I¡¯m running on empty,¡± Flynn said. Andrew blinked before his mind caught up with him. Once it did, his stomach growled. The sandwich he was given by Iris was good, but that was hours ago. He¡¯d fought an uphill battle until now. The thought of food made his mouth wet with saliva. That was until his eyes caught a glimpse of Natalie at the bow of the boat.


    The last time I sat to have a meal, Gracie was still alive¡­  his appetite all but faded. With a sigh, Andrew leaned on the railing of the boat, trying his best not to look upset, but he did not need to see his reflection on the river to know that he was doing a bad job at it.


    ¡°Thanks for the heads up. I¡¯ll be down in a bit,¡± he forced out.


    ¡°Both of you should eat,¡± Sophie said, the sound of concern clear in her voice.


    ¡°Easy said than done,¡± Andrew chuckled dryly. ¡°Just give me a sec,¡± he just needed more time to find the right words. Gracie was dead. Nothing needed to be said about that now. She knew it, he knew it. And yet this one little detail will change forever how Natalie will perceive this day.


    She died, and it was linked to their quest. He himself almost died against the assassin Seven. He remembered how livid Natalie was when he¡¯d had a close encounter with the alpha king. Had Flynn not come down in the nick of time, Andrew would have been ash in the winds. Natalie was at the end of her rope with grief, taking the loss of someone she barely knew was bad enough. If he¡¯d also died this day too¡­


    ¡°Life¡¯s too short to be looking for the perfect time,¡± That last line shocked Andrew. It was the kind of thing that he knew he told himself a thousand times, but it got drowned out by his louder thoughts. It took Flynn echoing that same sentiment for Andrew to become more resolute. It also triggered his mind back to the clash Flynn had with the Nova.


    ¡°What was it that you did to stop that attack back there?¡± Andrew asked Flynn, he knew that he did not have to explain what attack he meant. The grin on Flynn¡¯s face dimmed as he said it. A deep contemplation and acceptance of a shared unspoken truth. That yes; they did almost die back there.


    ¡°Penta-ignition,¡± Flynn said. Andrew frowned. Trying the name in his mouth, he thought of its meaning for a while.


    ¡°I blocked their explosion with a shockwave of my own. When its power made contact with my knight¡¯s armour, I ignited my power with all the strength I had left in me. All in a desperate attempt to cancel out the explosion.¡± And-cancel-it-I-did: Flynn¡¯s smug smile told him.


    ¡°Can it be learned?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I invented the skill. I¡¯d wager just about every affinity has learned it to some extent. It¡¯s just that it serves some affinities better than others.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± Andrew frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡° Flynn said, his confident grin returning. ¡°And not to brag or anything, but ending a party with a bang is a specialty of mine,¡± Andrew¡¯s mind was churning with ideas.


    ¡°So what are you thinking, kid? You wanna learn how to use it?¡± Flynn¡¯s words pulled Andrew out of his thoughts.


    Why did I ask? Recollections with his fight against the assassin Seven weighed heavily on his mind. Besides his skill, something about the whole encounter bothered him. Could it be that his power came from-


    ¡°-Hold on,¡± Sophie interjected. ¡°This is intriguing and all, but mayhap we should talk about this after we are all caught up?¡± she pointed her eyes to the front of the boat, making Andrew sigh heavily. She was right. He¡¯d been procrastinating, putting off what needed to be done.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he sighed. Flynn patted him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Once we are all caught up, then we¡¯ll plan our counterattack,¡± he said. A confident smile on his face. Returning Flynn¡¯s grin with a weak one of his own, Andrew tucked his hands into his pockets and made his way towards the boat¡¯s bow.


    Natalie sat there looking onward, her knees tucked to her chest as the wind caught the back of her hair and cloak. They were cutting through the water now, the boats¡¯ sails quickly gliding them on to their next destination, all except Natalie. Andrew did not have to see her face to know that although she was looking onward, she did not see the same things as he saw.


    As his thoughts drifted to his mother and the state of his old hometown, Natalie¡¯s heart remained anchored to the village already behind them. Watching her back helplessly, Andrew averted his gaze to look at the passing forest at the foot of the river.


    ¡°Food will be ready soon,¡± he said. Nothing but the boat¡¯s swaying replied. He sighed.


    ¡°You know, I heard what you did back there. It saved the village,¡± Andrew began, nodding to himself, yes this was a good place to take things. ¡°Just like with the Nuzi people and Lucas. Although the people there were upset, they were still grateful. I heard that the Nuzi people even called you-¡±


    ¡°-Stop talking!¡± she cut in. Moving for the first time since sitting there, her head fell on top of her tucked-in knees. ¡°Please¡­ I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡±


    At a loss, all the words Andrew had conjured up in his mind turned to ash on his tongue. Defeated, Andrew¡¯s feet remained anchored in place. He was about to say something stupid, something tantamount to a lie. Something that if it was thrown at him, he would reject it too, for the lie that it was. Perhaps he looked at it all wrong.


    ¡°This was not your fault,¡± he said, but the words came out hollow, a facade. From a fake knight who failed to save Gracie.


    If I failed to save her, then what hope do I have of saving my mother? All of a sudden, Andrew also felt like he was drifting back. The drawn silence fell on them for an uncomfortable amount of time until he heard footsteps from behind them.


    ¡°How long does it take to tell someone that food is ready?¡± Shepherd stepped onto the bow of the boat. The wooden spatula looked oddly humorous in his gruff stature. Just the image of him standing over a stove. Stirring, boiling and taste-testing food should sour the dish. The thought would have made Andrew crack a smile on an average day, but right now¡­


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time,¡± Andrew hissed.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s the same old excuses with these kids,¡± he said, walking just behind him. ¡°Whether we live forever, or drop dead tomorrow. There will always be someone, somewhere out there, who thinks that we could have done with anotherr day.¡±


    ¡°Stupid way of saying she lived long enough,¡± Natalie said from over her shoulder.


    ¡°You know nothing,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know enough,¡± she spat back.


    ¡°You hardly knew her, yet here you are. Throwing down your gauntlet in her name,¡± Shepherd said.


    ¡°Someone has got to honour her memory,¡° Natalie said.


    ¡°Did she ask you to uphold her honour?¡±


    ¡°You failed her! Even now, at the very end, you avoid her! What¡¯s your excuse for not seeing her off!?¡± Natalie stood up and turned around to Shepherd. Anger layered over grieving tears. Andrew made himself a wall between her and the old man before looking both of them in the eye.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Natalie,¡± he said. Natalie turned to him like he was the one out of line.


    ¡°But he¡¯s the one who-¡±


    ¡°-Who said I¡¯ve avoided seeing her off?¡± Confusion clouded Natalie¡¯s face. Not saying a word, Shepherd nodded his chin over their shoulder to the riverbed before them.


    The glimmer of flame glowed upon the land just beyond them. His face must have told Natalie as much, because she instantly turned around to look onward as he came to the boat¡¯s bow to have a better look. Sailing past a thicket of trees, they enter a wider part of the river. Upon the bank stood local villagers, knights, and even men from the wandering willows. Makeshift rafts with bodies wrapped in white sheets were being pushed out into the wide river.


    A funeral.


    As three men were submerged up to their chest in the waters, they pushed the bodies down the river as they set them ablaze. Andrew saw a dozen flickering lights float gently downstream. It was an ethereal sight. Sailing among them, Andrew felt like they, too, had been spirited away.


    Natalie looked thunderstruck. As the boat came into view, the people on the shore turned their morning eyes to them.


    ¡°This is why I was insisting that you go inside and eat,¡± Shepherd sighed. ¡°I hoped to steal a little moment to myself, spare you outsiders any more of our burdens.¡±


    Among them, Andrew recognised Isabella standing near the front of the gathering of people looking over the river. Arms folded, she stood beside the two young men who arrived at the farmhouse with her earlier. Andrew thought that she was looking at him until he saw Shepherd step up to the side of the boat, his gaze fixed on Isabella as they sailed past. A thousand untold words Andrew will never understand flew between them. A thousand moments, memories, all read and understood. With a satisfied nod, Shepherd smiled to himself, his eyes a world away as if recalling bitter-sweet memories.


    ¡°Gracie was like the wind, boundless, free-spirited. She also had a rebellious soul.¡± Shepherd broke eye contact with Isabella to look at Natalie as he said the last part. The smile became more pronounced on his face. Natalie wilted under his gaze before he finally looked away.


    ¡°I just feel like¡­ somehow, I¡¯ve failed her,¡± Natalie said. She clenched her chest as if trying to withstand great pain. He could tell that besides the tragedy, Natalie was holding onto another weight. Andrew swallowed.


    I cannot hold this off any longer. Biting his tongue, Andrew steeled himself as he walked over to stand beside Natalie. Her confused expression made his heart pang with pity.


    ¡°Natalie, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you¡­¡±

 Chapter 41: When all is said and done

    Natalie


    She only wanted to scare her a little, make her think twice about firing any more arrows at Andrew and the others whilst they slept. She thought a tiny display of her power would help her behave. She was subtle¡­ at first.


    Lightning striking twice here. A flash downpour there. She¡¯d summoned purple bolts from the heavens. Making them strike thrice to the far northern horizon. She repeated this to the far south. When Gracie saw them, Natalie then alternated those three strikes in a north-south-north order.


    She did unnatural things, impossible things. All to grab the archers¡¯ attention. She could see Gracie''s head swivel right and left to her thunderbolts, trying to watch both the south and north at the same time. Natalie could feel the girl was at her wit¡¯s end.


    She did not need to be a mind reader (although she tried) to know what was running through the archer¡¯s mind. Without knowing what Natalie was capable of, she¡¯d think that this was all the workings of some benevolent force. Some divine message the cycle itself had ordained for her to observe, an ominous omen of her imminent death.


    And she continued playing the role of a cosmic puppet master at Gracie¡¯s expense. When she was ready to strike the message home, to make sure that there was no doubt that what she saw was done by none other but her.


    Natalie held out a glowing ball of purple electricity in her hand as she gleaned daggers at her. Her angel eyes on full display. Andrew had once told her eyes had a glowing hue to them. And despite the distance, Natalie prayed that the archers¡¯ sight was as sharp as she claimed. Gracie froze when she turned to her. Natalie smiled. In her effort to drive the point home took it too far by summoning her wings of night.


    She just wanted to scare her a little¡­ make her think twice about hurting them as they rest, and failing that¡­ she wanted to draw her ira onto her. If she was still willing to kill them, then she¡¯d hoped that at the very least she¡¯d see her as the biggest threat. And so, when Natalie saw recognition in her posture, and instead of showing fear, she jumped off the farmhouse roof and sprinted towards her with open awe on her face. Natalie blinked.


    ¡°How far can you summon lightning?! Can you reach the village?!¡± Gracie shouted once within range. Natalie¡¯s mind went blank. Was she worried that she¡¯d destroy her home? Folding her arms to hide her thumping chest, Natalie aimed to leverage this likelihood.


    ¡°And what if I could?¡± she said.


    Before Natalie knew it, Gracie had run over and taken her hand into their own, eyes brimming with frantic hope.


    ¡°I need a favour!¡± She said, her awed expression threw Natalie through many loops. Snapping out of her stupor, she snatched her hands back before jumping away and getting into an awkward fighting stance.


    ¡°What¡¯s your damage!?¡± she exclaimed. She was unable to hide her heavy breathing now as her heartbeat shot through the roof. This was not how she imagined things would go. Gracie looked at her sideways.


    ¡°If it¡¯s money you want, then I¡¯m sure that-¡±


    ¡°-That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Natalie snapped. ¡°You threaten our lives! And now you suddenly come running over here begging for help?! Who in their right mind does that?!¡±


    ¡°Someone who¡¯s really desperate,¡± she said. The lack of shame in admitting that to a stranger staggered Natalie.


    ¡°So you¡¯re desperate enough to place your faith in strangers? That¡¯s stupid,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about my village,¡± Gracie said, straightening up. Natalie froze. Recollections of her own village being overrun with demons flashed through her mind, the red sky, the sickening smell of burning flesh, the terror of demons-


    ¡°-What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gracie said, pulling Natalie back to the present.


    How long was I spaced out? Her eyes were watering from failing to blink them for some time. Gracie was looking at her cautiously now. Cursing herself for a fool, Natalie cleared her drying throat and turned from her.


    ¡°That sounds like a you problem,¡± Natalie¡¯s words were meant to take the wind out of Gracie¡¯s persistence. But she just looked at her nonplused.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think that,¡± Gracie said, a smile of gratitude appeared on her face.


    ¡°Like you know a single thing about me,¡± Natalie snapped. Only when the words came out did she realise how stupid she sounded. She was trembling now. She must look crazy.


    ¡°I guess not, but I¡¯m starting to believe that you are the type of person who doesn¡¯t like injustices going unanswered,¡± Gracie said. Turning back, Natalie remained silent. Looking upon Andrew, Natalie fought to regain control. Andrew¡¯s sound-asleep expression helped level her mood.


    ¡°We should have been on the way to Aqua Falls by now.¡± If the stars of Halo were there, then who knows how long they were present in Andrew¡¯s mother¡¯s home village? They should be dead set on reaching there. And yet¡­


    And yet, he¡¯s willing to stay here and watch over these people¡­


    ¡°You mean him?¡± Gracie asked, pointing her nose in Andrew¡¯s direction. It was only then that Natalie realised that she said the last part out loud. Pinching her eyes shut, Natalie pushed the issue aside.


    ¡°Well¡­ maybe he¡¯s better off placing his charity elsewhere,¡± Gracie said. There was a cold undertone to her words. One that pushed Natalie to the edge of her patience.


    This ungrateful louse¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s already doing you a favour despite your threats! To even make demands is-.¡±


    ¡°-It¡¯s my sister!¡± Gracie said. Her words hung in the air, giving Natalie time to see the vulnerability on her face. Like exposing a freshly made wound, Gracie hugged her stomach. With her breathing shaky, she stepped back, trying to regain her composure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about me, it¡¯s just that something crazy is happening in my village, and I just know that Isabella will somehow find herself in the dead centre of it. I¡¯d go myself, but I¡¯ve promised to protect Chase and... I can¡¯t be in two places at once. So please.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Natalie felt the weight of more responsibility falling on her already heavy shoulders, and before she realised it, the word came out.


    ¡°You won¡¯t go unrewarded-I promise! You don¡¯t even need to fight for the village! Just look out for Isabella and I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°-I said no!¡± things became painfully silent then. As Gracie nodded to herself and turned to leave, Natalie¡¯s beating heart eased up. In turn, however, she was left with the guilt of turning her down. Throughout the night, as she sat there keeping watch, it was all that she could think about. It churned in her mind like butter in a barrel. She came up with good reasons at first. Logical reasons. Why should she help them? This was not her fight. They had enough on their plate as is. They needed to stay focused. To force her hand to just deal with their dirty work was out of line.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    But as the night passed, her heart trampled upon every argument she had, every self-made excuse she¡¯d built. She remembered the times when she¡¯d asked for help from grownups. Hunters and knights that she once thought so highly of.


    She recalled her plea to help her chase a lead and how they simply turned their backs on them. She remembered a time when a mother was pushed aside, cast off and beaten simply for begging someone to go and try to save their son from a kidnapping.


    She saw how the woman was forced to live on the street because everyone was helpful to her until she mentioned wishing to save her son. The cowardice in their eyes whenever she talked about it. She¡¯d sworn to herself that she would never be like them.


    But I¡¯m doing the same right now. That thought clouded her judgement thereafter. By the time she pushed the issue aside, Natalie was bone tired. She fell asleep as soon as Sophie took her post.


    With her mind clear by the next morning, Natalie set off to help at the village. For once she wanted to be the change that she felt was lacking in the world, for once she wanted to do some good-to be there for people that the grownups¡¯ had turned a blind eye to. So when she heard from Andrew about who it was that caused all this mess Natalie knew, she was no better than those grown up¡¯s.


    ¡°Minda was right¡­ they¡¯ve acted drastically again because of me,¡± she said, her voice hoarse. ¡°All I wanted to do was to stop them, so why?¡± falling to her knees, Natalie sobbed. Head bowed to the deck, her eyes grew blurry with tears. The great damn she put on her emotions had crumbled, causing rain to once again fall heavily upon the land. Her chest was tight. Her breathing laboured. In her grief, she felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± she turned to look up at Andrew, ¡°I started this fight. I chose to go to the village, and it killed her.¡± His face held deep remorse. But despite that, his eyes wandered elsewhere. So, even in his sympathy, he couldn¡¯t outright deny the fact that what happened here was partly her fault.


    ¡°So you¡¯re trying to tell me that all the bad things in this world that happened to us are because of you?¡± Shepherd sniffed. ¡°What a load of crap!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Andrew snapped at Shepherd, seemingly getting his attention.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fault him,¡± Shepherd said. Wiping her eyes, Natalie got to her feet.


    ¡°We started this war with them when we attacked their base.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a war that they started,¡± Andrew said. ¡°Or are you going to pretend that you were not taken by them?¡° Natalie bowed her head in agreement.


    ¡°But even so, it is us who they are after. Why else would they be here?¡± she sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Haven¡¯t had time to think. So much going on.¡±


    They must have come for them. It¡¯s what they¡¯d done to bait them into their trap before.


    ¡°Seven seems surprised that he ran into me.¡±


    ¡°He could have been lying,¡°


    ¡°Maybe¡° Andrew sighed. Eyes darkening, he turned back to her. ¡°He spoke some crap about culling the weak. Whether this was their plan, whether we got here or not, is hard to say. All I can say for certain is, either way, we are lucky we got caught up in this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like how you are treating us like helpless victims,¡± Shepherd said. His words felt like a slap on already sour skin.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Natalie said.


    ¡°I want honour for my people, and I want Gracie to be remembered for all the good she¡¯d done for the sake of her sister. I want to look back on this day and be proud of the choices they made. And as much as I understand your plight, to take our hard-fought choices and turn them into your very own personal mistake, it spits in the faces of all the people who sacrificed themselves to protect their home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    ¡°You see us as nothing more than a bunch of victims, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I am thankful that you fought with us, but our people are knights and fighters all. I will not have you turn there will to protect their home into your sin.¡± mouth turning dry, Natalie stood there pole-axed. He was right. She was trying to find something to pin this aching pain on she had ever since waking up.


    Her head throbbed whenever she tried to piece together what it was. A cold feeling in her chest spread down to her core, that feeling of doing something so wrong, so utterly messed up, but having no recollection of what that thing was plagued her.


    ¡°I messed up.¡± She¡¯d done something she cannot take back-she was sure. But try as she might, she could not put it into words.


    ¡°Get in line,¡± Shepherd said. ¡°We¡¯ve all messed up. Nobody is perfect, and nobody remembers you for your failures. It¡¯s what we do after we fail that¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Andrew picked up. Natalie saw him standing there looking inwards, his head slowly nodding. ¡°We pitched our tent and rode out the storm that came. We are in too deep for second-guessing. It¡¯s time we get our minds back on the task at hand.¡±


    As they sailed past Isabella and the group of villagers by the river, Shepherd gave one last passing glance at his people before turning his back to them.


    ¡°If you still wish to do something for Gracie, then why don¡¯t you think about how you will honour who she might have become, instead of who she was already? Cycles know that¡¯s what I¡¯ll be doing.¡± Climbing down the steps, he made his way back inside the boat. ¡°Now come down and eat before it gets cold,¡±


    She and Andrew spent a few seconds in silence, watching the burning graves begin to sink into the lake before they said anything.


    ¡°You know, I half expected him to be colder,¡± Andrew said. Natalie nodded. He talked sense, and the fact that she could not get a read on his mind told her that he was a pentagon knight.


    My powers¡­


    They have felt¡­ strange ever since she¡¯d woken up. More present, heightened. Like whatever heavenly plain she drew their powers from drew a mile closer to her. Although she felt relieved to have more of a mastery over them, Natalie still could not shake that sinking sensation she felt from within her dream.


    It was such a strange feeling. Like getting burned, but having no recollection of when or where it happened. Natalie could not make sense of this feeling. All she knew was that something had turned her longing to recollect her dreams inside out and upside down. If she could live the rest of her life without ever recalling another dream, then...


    Yet another thing these powers have stolen from me¡­ That thought darkened her mood.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± Andrew looked at her now, concern filling his features. His worry for her melted her heart. Despite the heavy burden of his mother resting on him, he still had space for her. Had the tables been turned, she¡¯d be too consumed by the goal to even give him the time of day.


    He¡¯s too good for me¡­ He¡¯s done so much for her, and all she does in return is to be a burden. She vowed to put her needs aside and put all her effort into helping Andrew and his mother. The river opened up to the great lake. Natalie recognised it as the battlefield where they fought the Famine Fissure and its horde of demons. It was also where she was knocked into a horrid dream she cannot remember.


    ¡°That dream you told me about before, have you remembered anything yet?¡± she found herself asking. Andrew turned to her with an odd expression.


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°Why did you ask?¡± Andrew looked more curious now, but she just shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she answered honestly. There was something she recalled the stargazer Minda asking. Some of the things she asked her had been swirling around in her mind the more times she thought back on it. Resting her chin on her knees, she looked onwards.


    ¡°I just got this feeling,¡± Natalie expected a dismissive grunt from Andrew, instead Andrew just stood there looking deep within himself. His hand slowly scratched an itch on his back. The scar she gave him long ago. Soon after, he sighed.


    ¡°I know we said that we¡¯ll move on, but I can¡¯t help but feel that I failed her.¡± Natalie stood up to lean forward on the boat¡¯s railing. She knew Andrew¡¯s feelings about this. She knew the words that he left unsaid.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad that you didn¡¯t fail your family,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would have done if you¡¯d died,¡± she said. Andrew blinked a moment before realisation took hold of him. Now he looked more conflicted.


    ¡°We spoke about the torture of sitting around and waiting for news of a loved one¡¯s well-being. I suppose the least I can do now is face the answers that await me at the village,¡± he said. Natalie nodded.


    He should not have given his pledge to protect anyone besides his family. Least of all her. There are things more important for him to stake his life on than her. As they came off the lake and sailed down to where the river forked in two directions. Natalie clenched onto the railing at her resolute thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s the first thing you¡¯re going to do when you finally arrive home?¡±


    ¡°Why I¡¯ll find and protect mum, of course, anything beyond that I¡¯ll worry about after,¡± he said. Natalie nodded. It was the perfect answer. His mother should be his top priority. But it was not the question Natalie wanted to ask.


    She was too scared to ask. The fear of hearing the correct answer would sting her, and the worry of hearing the incorrect answer would infuriate her, left Natalie in a cycle of self-deprecation.


    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t let anything else distract you from that.¡±


    Least of all me¡­ Her heart ached at the thought, but she did all that she could to keep a neutral face. Yes, she will trade her life to make sure that what happened to Gracie doesn¡¯t happen to him or his mother. And when all is said and done and Andrew chooses to end his journey with her to stay with his mother, she will not stop him.

 Epilouge

    Gracie


    She¡¯d awoken upon a sea of light. The sky coloured a white that was purer than the clouds sailing by her feet. Before her mind could question what she saw, the sea of clouds around her froze in place, as if the lungs of time itself held its breath.


    Confused, Gracie slowly stood up. Her body felt light. The pain that had wrecked her was gone, almost as if it had never happened. She felt fine, better than fine. Looking at her body, however, she once again questioned what she saw.


    Her hand was barely visible. It was like looking at her gale knight¡¯s armour shrouding her features without the body present. It took a while for Gracie to process it, but process it she did. That calm acceptance itself struck her as odd.


    ¡°I died... didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Being free of the body would change the way you see things,¡± a voice sounded in her head. ¡°And as for your question. Well... I¡¯m sorry.¡± In surprise, Gracie took a look around. Behind her, she saw an apparition of a giant wolf looking as vaguely physical as she did. Off In the distance, the great looming shadow of Mt. Karaki peeked through the clouds, and a strange young girl dressed in white, glowing a golden hue like the sun at dawn floated beside it. Her downcast eyes held the weight of her earnest apology. ¡°What befell you just now was an event that should have never happened,¡± the voice spoke once again. Although it sounded like it came from the young girl, her lips never moved.


    Strange... Gracie meant to think those words, but her thoughts were sounded without her lips moving. Stunned, Gracie cleared her throat and tried to take stock of the situation.


    What do you mean by¡­ The words she thought to give sound to came out before her lips could move.  So strange¡­ the young girl simply smiled at her in understanding.


    ¡°The thing that descended before you¡ªwas a nightmare made manifest, the collected fear of death and the unknown given shape. It was something that should have never entered the world of the awake and living,¡±


    If what happened was impossible, then who made it possible? Gracie asked. The young girl fixed her with a sorrowful gaze.


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    ¡°Natalie was the one who caused this nightmare to appear,¡° the girl said. Gracie world froze up to those words. She had so meany questions but before she could ask, the young girl continued.


    ¡°She performed a miracle¡­ but the price for wonders is steep. Casting brighter lights only creates darker shadows. By fumbling in the dark for a solution. She now must live with the horrors she guided into the world.¡±


    The thing that killed me was the result of Natalie protecting my village? Gracie asked. Finally, looking her in the eye, the girl nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told Natalie of her part in all of this, but I highly doubt that she¡¯ll remember. Dreams are fickle things, after all. Though her mind forgets, the memory of our encounter will linger in her heart, without ever knowing why... She will continue bearing this heavy guilt.¡± Although her lips did not move, her expression held every ounce of remorseful pain her words conveyed.


    ¡°This is dangerous,¡± another voice echoed in her mind. It had a deep growl to it, making Gracie think of the giant apparition of the wolf.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like my solution?¡± the young girl¡¯s voice said as she turned back to the great wolf. Soon, however, she turned to Gracie with a determined look. ¡°After what you just witnessed, you still doubt the will of humans?¡°


    ¡°Human will is unpredictable, little fragment,¡± although the wolf said the title like an adult chastising a child. Gracie could not help but feel the fear behind the words.


    ¡°I wish I had better options, but it¡¯s the only way I can see to fix this,¡± the girl said.


    ¡°Humans will already corrupt the dreaming, soon the cycles will-¡±


    ¡°-I know the risk, but Natalie wished for it, so¡­  I have to at least try,¡± the young girl said.


    ¡°You are stepping into the sky guardian¡¯s domain. If she smells you on her land, she will hunt you down. You will die,¡° The wolf said. It was hard to tell, but Gracie thought that the giant apparition of a wolf was looking at her.


    ¡°And what of your pact with the humans? Is that not stepping out of your own domain, too? Face it Griffin, you may act like you''re above it all. But in reality, you¡¯re as rebellious as I am!¡± the girl said, an amused, confident smile on her face. It was then that recognition struck Gracie.


    You¡¯re the Alpha king! She stammered. Griffin¡¯s growl cut through Gracie, making her flinch back. The immense sounds that came off of him could have shaken a mountain. The young girl¡¯s amusement also vanished, leaving only a bright and earnest look on her face.


    ¡°You see them as family too, don¡¯t you? Even after all these years you honoured your friend¡¯s pledge because there is something there, a bond that surpasses blood or species,¡±


    ¡°But this new bond you speak of is cruel, unfair,¡± Griffin said. He looked at her again now with pitiful eyes, making Gracie want to shrink off into a corner.


    What is he talking about? She tried swallowing, but without a body, it felt redundant. The young girl turned to her now, a look of sympathy on her smiling face.


    ¡°I plan on doing something crazy to help right this wrong. But I¡¯ll need your help to make it happen.¡±