《Fruit of the Heart》 Autumn I: Xenia The end of her Sleep had her listening to a whistle of wind. Xenia stirred, curling a little bit into herself under fur blankets, eyes slowly opening and blinking groggily. Slowly, she pushed herself up, rolling her neck and yawning. Bones and joints popped from disuse. She slowly looked around, flitting through memories to try and figure out where she was. Home. Her cabin. Her hearth was stone cold, not a hint of the warm glow of fire left, just gray ashes. Xenia took her blankets off, sneezing at the crisp air and the dust that seemed to have invaded the premises. She stood up, cracking down the rest of her spine and rolling her shoulders. She stepped slowly to her door, her slippers to the right. She slipped her feet into them and opened the door. Sunlight and sharp air greeted her. There was a slight breeze, and she could hear birds singing and one particularly loud woodpecker pecking away. She stepped out onto her porch, shuffling around as she untied a piece of twine that bound her hair. She stuffed it into her pocket and started to unwind the rope she had twisted her hair into before she Slept. Her garden was growing nicely. She was glad that she hadn¡¯t missed the harvest this year, it had been quite annoying to wait for traders to arrive in Hestia to get her herbs. A little further, halfway hidden behind her house, was the beginning of her little apple orchard. Under the bright sunlight, she could see shiny red gleaming. Nice. She always had a craving for apples, but always waited ¡®till Autumn. It wasn¡¯t satisfying otherwise. Now completely free, she scrubbed her fingers through her scalp to let her hair fall naturally, wincing at the mild sting that said it had been bound for too long. Her hair bounced in two large coils, a side effect from the way she twisted her hair. She sighed and went inside again, rummaging around for her comb. Once she found it, she set it on the table and began to change out of her nightclothes. She gently ran the comb through her hair until it was mostly straight again before braiding it and winding it into a large bun at the back of her head. She stepped into her boots and grabbed a basket, wandering outside to start to tend to her garden. She cut the herbs she needed, pulled out some of her root vegetables, then went to the orchard to pick out a few apples. She bit into one but saved the rest for later when she went into town. With the gardening done, she started to prep the herbs that needed to be cut and dried out for the winter, wandering out to the shed in the back to store them before coming back. She packed up everything she needed to bring, then opened her jewelry box. Silver glimmered at her as she started to methodically put the numerous silver hoops and cuffs in her ears, silver bands on her fingers, and solid, silver bracelets on her wrists. She finally grabbed the basket of goods and shut the door behind her as she walked out and into the forest.
¡°I was worried, yanno?¡± Rowan rambled. ¡°Oh?¡± Xenia noted down the woman¡¯s vital signs and basic health numbers in her notebook. About six months along, the babe had gone through a growth spurt or something in her womb since the last time Xenia had last seen it, Rowan plumper than most women at this period of pregnancy. ¡°Yeah, cos¡¯ you were gone for so long.¡± Xenia¡¯s hands paused, and she looked up at the woman. A nervous smile met her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for making you worry.¡± Xenia said softly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t willingly abandon you or your child.¡± She had been preoccupied. The last time she had come to Hestia, there had been two births, a bout of the flu, and a broken arm. Nothing she couldn¡¯t handle, but all had happened within the span of a week and by the end of it, Xenia almost hadn¡¯t made it home before she fell Asleep. Rowan didn¡¯t know that, though. Lady Xenia, the wandering sage and healer, or Ms. Xea, ¡°the bestest teacher¡± if you asked the children, came and go to Hestia with no rhyme or reason. Xenia had never told the town such, they just came up with their own explanations. For that she was glad, she didn¡¯t want to lie directly. ¡°Aw, don¡¯t worry about it, doc.¡± Rowan flapped a hand. ¡°We can¡¯t rely on you all the time. We¡¯ve held up fine before, and we still got it.¡± She wanted them all to rely on her, though. It was her responsibility. She didn¡¯t say that, however. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on.¡± Rowan had been complaining about increased sickness and back pain, and Xenia refused to take any chances with the children of Hestia, born or unborn. She hadn¡¯t taken a close look inside of Rowan on her wishes, wanting everything to be a surprise, but Xenia insisted this time, promising to not tell her anything unless absolutely necessary. Xenia subtly took off a ring on each hand, slipping them into her pockets with her notebook. She held up her hands. ¡°May I?¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Xenia pressed her hands onto the woman¡¯s stomach. ¡°You may feel a slight tingling sensation,¡± she warned. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Xenia sent Magic into the palms of her hands, then closed her eyes as she forced it into Rowan¡¯s skin, then muscle, then organs. ¡°Oh, hello,¡± Rowan giggled. Xenia huffed out her own breath. The Magic seeped into the outline of her uterus, deeper. Pa pa pa pa pa pa¡ª Xenia¡¯s eyes flew open as the heartbeat sounded in her head. Too fast. Far too fast. ¡°Doc?¡± Anxiety leeched from Rowan, snapping at Xenia¡¯s Magic. ¡°Shush.¡± The word was clipped, fear rising in Xenia. What could be wrong, what was¡ª Pa pa ba ba pa pa ba ba Her fingers spasmed on Rowan¡¯s stomach. ¡°Oh.¡± Her hands left, covering her mouth and looking up at Rowan. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xenia laughed, a tad hysterically. ¡°Oh, Rowan, you¡¯re having twins.¡± It hadn¡¯t been one too-fast heartbeat, just two hearts out of sync with each other. Rowan¡¯s mouth opened, closed, opened again. ¡°Twins?¡± ¡°Twins.¡± Xenia couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Rowan stared in shocked silence before screaming and throwing her arms around Xenia. ¡°Twins! I¡¯m having twins! Holy Mother below!¡± Rowan¡¯s Magic burst in the air around them, little iridescent scales starting to form on the woman¡¯s skin. Xenia wrapped an arm around the woman, petting her crimson hair. ¡°She certainly blessed you, Rowan. Congratulations.¡± ¡°Auntie?¡± A high pitched voice asked from behind the bedroom door. ¡°Are you ok? I heard you screaming.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Rowan giggled, letting go of Xenia and walking to the door to open it. ¡°Welcome back, Marley. I¡¯m fine, just excited?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Marley peaked into the bedroom, meeting eyes with Xenia. ¡°MISS XENIA!¡± She shrieked, just as loud as her neighbor-turned-auntie. She darted over, jumping up and clinging to Xenia like a monkey. ¡°You¡¯re back, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°I¡¯m back, Marley.¡± Xenia patted her head. ¡°Do you mind getting off? You¡¯re a big girl now, and I¡¯m weak.¡± ¡°No way, you¡¯re the strongest,¡± Marley slid off of her anyways. ¡°Marley?¡± Rowan asked. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Do you think you could grab Magnus for me? As fast as possible?¡± Marley perked up. ¡°Fast?¡± ¡°Super fast.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± Marley stared up at Xenia. ¡°You have to stay for at least a week.¡± She demanded. ¡°I¡¯m not planning on being away for a while.¡± She was going to have to keep a close eye on Rowan¡¯s pregnancy. Having one child with mixed Bloodlines was always a challenge, though it was usually nigh impossible without Xenia¡¯s expertise. Twins¡­ twins were something new. Xenia was pretty sure it had never happened before. ¡°Go now, yes?¡± Magnus would need to hear this news. He now had to build twice the furniture, since the stubborn Zephyrus insisted on building everything for his new child by hand. Marley grinned, flashing two new teeth missing. ¡°Okay!¡± And then she was gone. Xenia turned to Rowan and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to get more medicine ready for you. You¡¯re going to need more nutrients. If you can find cherries, get those and eat as much as you can. It¡¯s good for your blood. In the meantime,¡± she grabbed an apple from her basket, ¡°apple?¡±
Hestia was buzzing with life when Xenia emerged from the Rowan¡¯s place and headed towards the Singing Bird, the local Tavern and the closest building in Hestia to the Forest. Xenia wandered around the tavern to the front entrance, swinging the door open. ¡°We¡¯re closed!¡± A woman shouted. ¡°Even for me?¡± ¡°Yes, even for¡ª¡° a small woman stepped out from behind the wall of liquor that made up the back of the bar area, scrubbing at a glass. Gray eyes blinked at Xenia¡¯s silver ones. ¡°¡­you.¡± She set down the glass gently, bracing herself against the bar and staring hard at Xenia. Oh dear. She was angry. Xenia held up an apple. ¡°I come with a peace offering.¡± The woman was gone in a flash, vaulting over the bar and running over to Xenia, gripping her by the arms. ¡°Where the Hell have you been?¡± That wasn¡¯t a good sign. ¡°How long have I been gone?¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t tell time.¡± ¡°Xenia!¡± ¡°Iskra.¡± Iskra continued to stare, gripping onto Xenia hard. Xenia manouvered against the other woman¡¯s grip, angling the apple to her. ¡°Apple?¡± Iskra closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Lips pressed together, she snatched the apple and stormed back to the bar, sitting on one of the stools and aggresively biting through the apple. ¡°You¡¯re an ass, you know that?¡± She growled behind her hand as she chewed. ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Xenia settled at one of the tables. ¡°It¡¯s been two months!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Longer than she expected. That would put them¡­ ¡°If you weren¡¯t here for the Equinox, I would have sent Sasha after you.¡± Xenia laughed. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Iskra swallowed, then turned her head and hollered ¡°SASHA!¡± Padded footsteps and tiny clicks against the floor approached them until a giant Wolf-Beast came out from behind the bar. ¡°Look at this dipshit. Back from the dead.¡± The Beast huffed and wandered up to Xenia, resting it¡¯s head in her lap and staring up at her. ¡°Sorry, Sasha.¡± Xenia started to stroke its ears. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to make jerky.¡± The Beast huffed again and removed its head from her lap, instead laying at her feet and resting its head on its paws, deciding it was time to take a nap. ¡°Swear to the Mother he likes you more than me.¡± ¡°Nah, just knows I give bribes.¡± Iskra took one final bite of her apple before tossing it behind her. A swish-thump announced a perfect shot into the trash bin. ¡°What drugs do you put into those apples?¡± ¡°Blood.¡± Xenia said dryly. ¡°Ha.¡± Iskra rolled her eyes, hopping over the bar again to start working on her glass cleaning. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, woman, bring those apple trees to the Capital and you¡¯ll be richer than the Prince. Fucking ambrosia or something.¡± ¡°Nah, just love.¡± ¡°Is that what we¡¯re calling it?¡± Xenia shrugged. ¡°Oh yeah, speaking of the Capital, I got you something.¡± Iskra went around the wall of liquor. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be an Equinox gift, but I don¡¯t want to hold onto this thing any longer than I need to!¡± She called from the back. She came back out with a small wooden box, wearing a leather glove on one hand. ¡°Gives me hives just looking at it.¡± Xenia walked up to the bar. ¡°Do tell.¡± Iskra opened the box, revealing a length of thin, silver chain. ¡°It¡¯s the special grade stuff, hot from Dokkabei territory.¡± She picked it up with her gloved hand, pinched between her thumb and pointer finger and held it away from her. ¡°Oh, this is lovely.¡± It was an infinity chain, made so one could wrap it around in a bracelet or necklace or any other way, thin and fine enough to almost feel like silk. ¡°I think I¡¯ll put it into my hair when I do it up again.¡± ¡°Mother and Father above.¡± Iskra muttered. ¡°Sasha, tell her she¡¯s nuts.¡± Sasha opened one eye, blinked, then closed it again, used to their antics. Xenia hummed and started to wrap it around her neck in the meantime. ¡°Stooooop.¡± Iskra dragged the word out. ¡°Holy Hells.¡± Her hand fluttered to her neck, as if trying to guard the sensation even if the silver wasn¡¯t on her skin. Xenia chuckled. ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m a masochist.¡± It didn¡¯t do anything for her, just a faint hum, which was more then her other silver pieces did. Dokkabei silver was just something else. ¡°There¡¯s being a masochist and then there¡¯s flirting death.¡± Xenia rolled her eyes. ¡°Thank you for the Equinox gift, Iskra.¡± She hefted her basket. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡°It better not be months later!¡± Iskra called as the door swung shut. Autumn II: Rian Rian stared down at his map, trying to see if maybe he managed to miscalculate something. Simply put, he could not believe that he had managed to crack open the answer to a mystery that had been around since probably the beginning of Humanity. He went through every single factor again. Was this location within a 77 mile radius of a seven-way leyline intersection? Yes. Did stars tend to line up directly over this area? Most likely. Did the weather patterns match up? Yes, see leylines. Did any of those constraints actually mean anything? Somewhere between probably and maybe. He had been trying to figure this out for years, being bedridden and bored. He can¡¯t quite remember where he got all his numbers from, some of them were from ages ago. But he did know that with the numbers he had, incorrect, futile, or not, he was not incorrect. Meaning he had just found a 77 mile circle where the Heartling Tree could be. Said Heartling Tree might not even be a tree. Some have called it the Fountain of Youth. Some called it the place where you go for Enlightenment. Some have said that finding it gives you Enlightenment. And any number of other things. For every Bloodline on the planet, there was probably 7 interpretations for what he considered the Heartling Tree. All in all, it seemed like a rather futile thing. But when you were stuck in bed for your entire childhood, finding a mythological thing/place/whatever else it could be was a good way to keep you entertained. And he may have found the general area of where it could be. His breathing got faster the more he thought about it, and he didn¡¯t realize he was nearing hyperventilation territory until his breath caught on a suddenly dry patch of his throat and he doubled over, hacking. Like clockwork, his apprentice and niece, Mary wandered in, a large bowl of water balanced carefully in her hands. ¡°Perhaps we should up the rotations to every ninety minutes rather than every two hours,¡± she said dryly. He waved a hand at her. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he wheezed, ¡°I just got excited.¡± Though in all honesty, she was probably right. The air was getting cooler, crisper, and drier as the seasons changed to Autumn. Though it bode the start of constant sickness for him, it was still his favorite season. Spring meant pollen, which meant allergies, which mean absolutely no breathing whatsoever. Winter meant thin air with harsh cold. Summer meant sticky sweat on sensitive skin. Autumn was the lesser of all the evils, in this case. Mary set the bowl down on the corner of his massive desk, and through his coughs, he placed his hand on the surface of the water Energy buzzed in his palms, and the water started to bubble and steam. He lifted his hand away before it could start burning him, and steam wafted up into the air. He waved his hand lazily to circle the water vapor into the air. Soon enough, the tension in his lungs eased. He grabbed a his tea cup and took a sip. ¡°Thank you, Mary,¡± he said, much more composed now. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°What¡¯s on the agenda for the rest of today?¡± ¡°You did have a meeting with Maylee,¡± he winced, ¡°but Darrogh decided he wanted to talk to you today.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Should he smile or wince? This could go either way. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Yes. Oh.¡± Mary sighed, and he grimaced for her. ¡°Was he loud?¡± ¡°Very.¡± She sighed. ¡°Do you have charcoal?¡± He shuffled some papers around before finding the tray of charcoal he kept specially for her. She grabbed a piece and some scrap paper on his desk before sitting down on the floor, her back pressed to his desk. He sighed. He had gotten her a chair. Numerous chairs. But she was like a cat who liked the box better than the bed, except there wasn¡¯t even a box, just the floor. Still, he continued on his work, mentally preparing for his brother¡¯s visit as she drew on the ground next to him. ¡°Mm.¡± She held up her paper to him about ten minutes later. ¡°Thanks.¡± He noted her bloody fingertip before looking at the picture. It was a macabre scene. A battlefield, with scribbled, light sketches of bodies laying on the ground surrounding a hill. Bloody fingerprints marked out blood stains on the battleground. On top of the field stood one man. In Mary¡¯s art style, those wings looked smoky, a bit unreal. His armor was splattered red by Mary¡¯s blood, his eyes two glowing, pinprick embers. He was about to open his mouth to complement the piece when Darrogh burst through the door. ¡°Rian!¡± He shouted. ¡°Darrogh,¡± Rian greeted, rather wryly. ¡°How can I help you?¡± Darrogh flopped onto the couch Rian got just for him after kicking the door shut in that dramatic way only 16 year old boys know how to do. ¡°I¡¯m so tired!¡± He wailed. ¡°That damn earthquake fucked everything over, and now they want me to reinforce the fucking earth.¡± He glared at the ceiling. ¡°Like I know when the Mother decides to throw a tantrum.¡± ¡°Watch yourself,¡± Rian chided, ¡°your language, your blasphemy, and your privilege.¡± ¡°He can say whatever,¡± Mary rolled her own eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll not have him be injured because he can¡¯t keep his mouth shut.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°I say he deserves it, honestly. Might as well try negative reinforcement.¡± ¡°Oi.¡± He scowled and sat back on the couch, arms crossed. ¡°Whatever happened to cute little Mary who followed me around?¡± ¡°Got tired of your yelling. Plus, Uncle is significantly more interesting anyways.¡± ¡°Menaces, the both of you.¡± Darrogh sighed before his face grew serious. ¡°The elders are talking.¡± Rian paused for a split second in his writing before continuing. ¡°The elders always talk, it¡¯s all they can do.¡± ¡°They¡¯re really talking this time, Rian.¡± ¡°And what are they saying?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª¡± Rian let out harsh breath and set down his quill sharply. ¡°Darrogh¡ª¡± ¡°They know you have ears everywhere, Rian, you¡¯re the Ghost. I¡¯m not, I can¡¯t eavesdrop on every word they say¡ª¡± ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why¡ª¡° ¡°But you¡¯re not looking! You¡¯re being soft.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Rian barely noticed Mary scuttle out the door, giving them both the stink eye. ¡°Soft? I¡¯m being soft?¡± ¡°Yes! You¡ª!¡± ¡°No.¡± Rian cut his hand through the air sharply. Water droplets formed and hung suspended in the air, following the path of his hand. ¡°Shit.¡± He flicked his fingers and they dispersed into water vapor once again. ¡°Darrogh, I¡¯m not going soft, I¡¯m busy!¡± ¡°Busy!¡± He reeled back as if he had been slapped. ¡°You sound just like him, you know that?¡± ¡°Holy Father above, Darrogh!¡± He slammed a hand down on his desk as he stood up. ¡°There were so many things wrong with our Father and busy is the one you choose? Darrogh, I¡¯m doing your job on top of mine. You asked for this, not me.¡± That shut him up real quickly, and guilt sank in Rian¡¯s gut. He sighed and collapsed back into his chair. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of protecting 217 people. I don¡¯t blame you for not wanting to take that on at 14 but Darrogh, I can¡¯t be everywhere at once.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who has ears. They can talk about me all they want, I really don¡¯t care. It¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t heard before. And they can try to kill me, if they want, and if they¡¯re not patient enough for my own body to do it for them. But they know that I¡¯m the one keeping this place running, they know that you¡¯ll never take the chair until you¡¯re ready, and they know no one else is going to take the chair because there¡¯ll be riots before the day is done. So please, let them talk, it¡¯s all they can do with their raggedy bones. Anything else?¡± Darrogh also sat down, a lot more somber now. ¡°They want you to kill the Tengu.¡± Rian¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°Of course they do,¡± he sighed. ¡°Everyone wants the Tengu dead.¡± ¡°They think you¡¯re the only one who can do it.¡± ¡°I probably am.¡± He sighed, even as the thought of it made him feel even more ill. ¡°I could¡ª¡° ¡°One day, Darrogh, you will be powerful enough to bring the Earth to the Sky so you can ground the Tengu. That day is not today, and until then, the only way to kill that boy is to do it when he doesn¡¯t even realize you were there.¡± Like a ghost. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should¡ª¡° ¡°I can¡¯t do this argument, right now. If you¡¯re only here to complain politics, can we wait until after the Blood Moon is over with? I have rituals to deal with.¡± Darrogh was silent, but then he nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be strong enough, one day. Soon, when he¡¯s still young. He may have gotten that Title of his, but I¡¯ll take it from him. He deserves it, for killing all those people.¡± Autumn III: Katsurou The Tengu, also known as the Warlord thanks to a rather bloody battle a few months back, was trying to press his organs back into his body as poison wracked it. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck¡ª¡° he hissed. Adrenaline and Magic were currently the only two things that kept him going right now, but they weren¡¯t going to last another five minutes. Fuckin¡¯ territorial bastard Volkodlak and his fuckin¡¯ lightning claws. Fucking Autumn and the fact that every single Bloodline migrated two degrees to the left and oh no, he accidentally stepped two inches into Wolf territory. Fuckin¡¯ ow. He spared a glance behind him, and a manic, bloody smile crawled its way onto his face at the inferno he had left behind. That would hopefully keep that mangy wolf out of his hair. Though, you could never tell with those weird Lone wolves. They were the insane ones, if the rumors were to be believed. He limped down the hill he had found himself on, squinting out into the darkness. Thanks to the glowing blaze behind him, he could make out a looming blob of forest in the near distance. He tried, a difficult feat what with the poison and the organs spilling out of him and Magic levels at dangerously low levels. Plus, there was the Forest. See, usually he was okay with forests. He was half crow, he liked forests, assuming there weren¡¯t any Sidhe ready to spear you. But he was also humanoid, so not this one. This was the Forest. With a capital letter and a ¡®the¡¯ at the beginning of it. And The Forest was The Maiden¡¯s Forest. As in, the forest with the trees that ate people. Well, really they just sucked your blood because that¡¯s where all the Magic is. Vampire trees. Ha. Man either there was some good stuff laced in that poison or the blood loss was really getting to him. He stood at the tree line, trying to decide what he wanted to do. A howl sounded behind him so he put some extra pep in his hobble and finally, he decided on collapsing into a bush just before the tree line and hoping that the bushes also weren¡¯t cannibalistic. He wished he had his wings. They would make things so much damn easier. But, poison, hole in his side, murder trees, no Magic. Not the greatest idea to summon them. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He tried to wheeze as quietly as possible as a figure prowled through the smoke. Hair that was half gray, spiked thanks to static electricity, amber eyes cutting through the darkness. Huge fangs pulled at the Volkodlak¡¯s upper lip, saliva dripping down his chin. The man looked straight towards his bush. ¡°I can smell you, Tengu.¡± Well, shit. ¡°Won¡¯t you come out and be good prey.¡± Yeah, so fuck this. Bloodsucking trees be damned, the way that man was eying him was making his skin crawl. He rolled into the Forest, a couple of yards past the tree line. The roots creaked ominously around him and he shuddered. The Volkodlak¡¯s lip curled. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll treat you better than this Forest will¡­¡± He¡¯d take his chances, thanks. Something snapped behind Katsurou and he went stiff. The Volkodlak did the same, hair spiking up more and clawed hands crackling with electricity. ¡°Khodyachiy mertvets,¡± he snarled, before spinning on his heel and stalking off. Katsurou remained still, listening, eyes wide and trying to see anything in the darkness. His wound screamed in pain and he Hungered, but he dug his hands in the soil and waited. Nothing came to pounce on him. Katsurou slowly got onto his hands and knees, turning his head this way and that¡ª A pair of glowing green eyes met his own red ones. Ah shit¡­ ¡°Um,¡± he said intelligently, ¡°I¡¯m just gonna¡­ go over there.¡± He pointed at one of the cannibal trees. It seemed to be a nice, sturdy tree to get eaten from the inside out by. If the Beast staring at him didn¡¯t eat him first. ¡°Maybe only eat me after I¡¯ve passed out? Please?¡± Blink. Blink. ¡°Awesome.¡± He crawled over to the tree and leaned against it. And here came the adrenaline and Magic crash. Tears made the backs of his eyes hot and he panted through gritted teeth, removing his hands from his stomach. Blood, already spilling hot from him, poured down his side and yeah, his organs were making an appearance. Pretty sure that was his liver, but then again he didn¡¯t make a habit of getting aquainted with his liver. His hand batted something coming towards him, and he made a gargling noise at the realization that it was a tree root. ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± He gasped. He clasped his hands together. ¡°Mother of the Body, grant me a quick death, Father of the Mind a painless one. Maiden, all-Daughter, please let your parents take me away before you do.¡± Soft footsteps padded closer to him and he glanced up to see the green-eyed creature staring at his wound. This close, and now that his eyes had adjusted as far as they would in the darkness, he could see pointed ears and a tiny, sleek, dark body. A fox. A young one if the size was one to go by. A baby hisui no kitsune was here to witness his death. He supposed there could be a less auspicious creature to do so. The fox chittered at him and he paid it a droll glance. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m dying. How clever of you.¡± Black spots danced at the edge of his vision and he grinned suddenly. He held out a blood-soaked gloved hand to the kitsune. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to eat me in about five minutes, little man. Here¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ appetizer, I guess. He could have sworn the kitsune gave him a look that said are you insane you damned crow, but it slowly and cautiously came up to him and licked at his hand. He threw his head back, staring at the canopy above him, and cackled. Red and orange and black. Kind of fitting for him to die in the Forest where his mother began, surrounded by his Bloodline¡¯s colors, no? And he promptly passed out. Autumn IV: Xenia Xenia was just sitting at her desk, starting to write in her diary, when her lovely day, now night, went sideways. It was dark out, the sky now a blue so dark it was nearly black. Before she walked into her home, she had craned her neck back to see the silver stars dotting the void canvas and the Mother¡¯s Heart hanging full in the night sky, simply marveling. She had seen this same sky countless times, and every time she let herself fall out of normal thoughts and into wonder. Her fireplace was going out, only a few embers glowing red, making her little cabin a very shadowed vision. And then there was a shape flying through the window she kept open for air circulation. She startled from her desk, eyes wide. A fox trotted up to her. ¡°What on Earth was that? If you wanted to come in, you didn¡¯t have to fly through, my goodness. And where is your mother?! Surely you¡¯re too young to be wandering off alone like this.¡± She sighed and stood up, slipping on slippers and grabbing a lantern, lighting it with a match. She stepped out onto her porch, where the fox sat, looking as impatient as a fox could be. ¡°Alright then, what is it?¡± ¡°The fox shot off, and Xenia stumbled to keep up. Jade Foxes were so hyper, really. Her grogginess started to fade when she stepped over the border of her section of the Forest. ¡°What is going on?¡± She asked. The fox vanished into the shadows for a moment before coming back into the circle of light cast by the lantern. She frowned when it returned with a blood-soaked glove in it¡¯s mouth. ¡°Which direction?¡± The fox moved one way sharply before returning to her. She nodded and kicked off her slippers. ¡°If you could, please return these to my home and grab my boots. I¡¯ll start heading over.¡± She stacked the slippers to make it easier for the fox to grab with its mouth and it sped into the darkness towards her home. Xenia walked about seven minutes before the fox returned, boots flying behind it as it carried them by the laces. ¡°Thank you,¡± she murmured. ¡°Lead the way, my friend.¡± They ran, and by the end of it she was panting. She glanced up at the stars and winced at how far they had moved. An hour, at least. The fox chittered and Xenia followed it. They got to one of the larger trees, and slumped against it was a man. It was hard to tell much about him. It was far too dark and Xenia didn¡¯t feel like messing with her eyeballs to see more than she needed to at the moment. All she could really tell was that he was muscular and maybe a few inches taller than her. Oh, and that he was also bleeding out. ¡°Oh dear,¡± she sighed. ¡°Alright, sir.¡± She grabbed him by the shoulders, finding straps from what looked like armor, and dragged him away from the tree. Once he was far enough away, the fox dived into a hole at the base of the tree¡¯s roots. She blinked, then laughed. ¡°I was wondering why you bothered to call for a save! Blocking your doorway, was he?¡± She heard a huff and she giggled. She hummed and set her lantern down on the ground next to the poor guy¡¯s head. Dark skin was caked in dirt and soot and blood, dark curls matted and quite frankly disgusting. One earlobe was torn wide open, and saw that his other ear was pierced. What a way to lose an earring. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She moved the lamp down his body. He was wearing shattered armor which surprisingly didn¡¯t include a chest or back plate on his upper torso, only pieces that plated over his arms. Odd. But ultimately not important, the gaping wound in his side was. She whistled as she felt for his pulse. Sluggish, and far too weak, but there. ¡°Now, how are you alive, my good sir?¡± She mused. She glanced up at the fox, who was poking it¡¯s head out of it¡¯s hole. ¡°May I ask a favor?¡± A tilted head to the side. She pulled out a lock of hair that Iskra always made her carry around in her pocket. ¡°In the town nearby my house, please look for this person, and lead her to me. I¡¯ll need her help if you don¡¯t want this one bleeding all over your lawn.¡± A grumble, but the fox sniffed at her hand and sprinted off. ¡°Alright then, sir, in the meantime, we gotta get you up.¡± She sat down to pull on her boots, then sent Magic into her hands, clearing off any bacteria or debris on them. ¡°Sorry ahead of time.¡± She pushed the tips of her fingers into the wound, sending Magic out to get a feel for what she was working with. The guy wheezed out painfully. ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Quite a few organs were in bad shape, between them being jostled from whatever attack he had gone through and because of the blood loss. She shucked off the jacket she had pulled on before she left and pressed it to the wound. The bleeding was slowing down anyways, probably because he was running out. He must have potent blood, if he was still kicking after this grievous injury. She pressed her left hand over his chest, right where his heart would be, and started to pulse her Magic rhythmically, in time with her own heart. Then she slowed it down. Thump. Thump. Thump. ¡°Mmhmm, just like that, slow and steady,¡± she said cheerfully. With her other hand, she took off the makeshift bandage and started to work on coagulating his blood, ruby red becoming dark and viscous under the influence of her Magic. Eyelids fluttered open, and she caught a hint of dull red, like dying embers in a cooling fire. She blinked. Red eyes? That was important, wasn¡¯t it? But she couldn¡¯t quite remember¡­ Well, if she couldn¡¯t remember than it wasn¡¯t too important. Probably. Then the poor man¡¯s eyes rolled backwards and yeah, that tracked. She sighed and started to stand him up, throwing one of his arms over her shoulders. ¡°Oi, you¡¯re heavy,¡± she wheezed. She started to stumble in the direction of her house when the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She glanced behind her, smiled. It wasn¡¯t malicious, just someone being a little curious. She blew a kiss, then continued onwards.
Xenia heard Iskra before she saw here. The way the Forest silenced in anticipation for whatever came next was a tell-tale sign. Iskra prowled out of the shadows, golden eyes glowing amber in the rapidly fading lantern light. The Jade Fox was balanced on her shoulder and jumped off yip before it scampered into its hole. Iskra shuddered like she just had a huge weight released from her, despite the fact that the fox cub probably weighed nothing to her. ¡°Xenia,¡± she whispered, ¡°what in the Hells?¡± Her eyes darted back and forth at every little sound. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you here so late,¡± Xenia murmured back, ¡°I have a job, I suppose, and I need you to help carry him back.¡± Iskra sputtered. ¡°A job?! From who, the fuckin¡¯ fox?¡± ¡°Yes. You know I¡¯ll never turn down a person in need.¡± It was a policy that was the basis for Hestia¡¯s charter. ¡°It was a fox! This guy didn¡¯t ask for help!¡± ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t, he¡¯s incapacitated in the middle of the woods.¡± ¡°Xenia!¡± ¡°Iskra!¡± She returned. ¡°The logistics of this aren¡¯t that important. ¡°We are in the scariest woods on the Continent at shit o¡¯ clock in the morning which makes it infinitely creepier.¡± Xenia sighed. ¡°The faster we get back to my place, the faster you can get out of the Forest. So, help me out?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s go, put him on my back.¡± Iskra took a knee, hands stretched out behind her, and together the two women managed to get the man¡¯s arms around her shoulders and his legs hooked in Iskra¡¯s arms. The two started to walk, Xenia managing to coax the flame in her lantern a little bit brighter. Iskra continued to look around frantically, stress lines starting to form on her face. In an attempt to distract her, Xenia asked ¡°can you smell what Bloodline he is? I think it¡¯s one that uses a Fire Form.¡± ¡°No shit.¡± Iskra muttered. She pressed her nose into the man¡¯s wrist and sniffed, then coughed. ¡°Ugh, Akuma. Smokey bastards. Urgh.¡± She sneezed. ¡°Hm.¡± She tapped a finger against her lips. ¡°Do they have red eyes? His were rather pretty.¡± Iskra stopped dead in her tracks. ¡°Red eyes?¡± She hissed. ¡°Red eyes?! Are you telling me you¡¯re bringing the fucking Tengu home?!¡± ¡°The Tengu?¡± Xenia blinked. ¡°She died a half century ago, I thought.¡± ¡°Not the Monster, you bleeding idiot, her son! The Half-Tengu but everyone calls him The Tengu ¡®cos the only thing the man doesn¡¯t have is her mask!¡± She was approaching hyperventilation territory. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re so fucked. The Akuma are going to think we kidnapped their heir. Oh fuck me. And it smells like a Volkodlak got him.¡± Her eyes were wild. ¡°Xenia, what are we going to do?¡± Autumn V: Rian For Rian, dreams all have a sense of unreality to him. He¡¯s sort of lucky, he could always tell when he¡¯s dreaming, he just couldn¡¯t always wake up from them. But when he bit into an apple when he dreamed that night, the taste was too fresh, too tart, the texture to crisp to be a dream and he woke up. He sat up in his bed as the fresh taste evolved into the taste of good apple cider and frowned. It couldn¡¯t be a Magic sensing, could it? For those particularly sensitive to Magic, it could manifest as one of the five senses. Sight was the easiest and most common, smell the least, and taste came in second. The Magical signature would have to be potent for him to sense it¡­ He closed his eyes, spreading his senses out in the compound. Perhaps one of the children had a breakthrough, somehow becoming almost as powerful as Darrogh when he was a child. Nothing. Whoever this was was powerful if he was manifesting taste at such a distance. He stood up, walking over to the desk in his bedroom. He wanted to keep an eye out for whoever this was. He was well aware of the Magical signatures of every powerful figure on the Continent, and this signature didn¡¯t match any of them. A new player just entered the field. He pulled out his map, deciding to entertain himself with his little game of finding the Heartling Tree. His mind wandered in the meantime, and suddenly he was tasting and smelling sweet smoke and he grimaced. He always managed to find the damned crow, didn¡¯t he? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. He was about to move his focus when he suddenly tasted¡­ roasted apples? Perhaps? And he sat straight up. The two tastes, apple cider and smoke, blurred into one delicacy on his tongue. The apple person and The Tengu were in the same place. Were they fighting? No, their Magical signatures tasted good. It wasn¡¯t a clash, it was like¡­ harmonizing. He flushed and scrambled to shut the sensing part of his brain off. He perhaps became a momentary voyeur in something he didn¡¯t want to voyeur in. He buried his face in his hands and groaned. Demanding himself to focus on anything else and not whatever that was, he stared intently at the map. ¡­His eyes wandered to the place where he felt the two signature mingle. Dammit. He frowned, suddenly, noting the location. Very, very in the center of the circle he had made depicting where he guessed the Heartling Tree to be in. Surely not, right? But, well, Rian was always the superstitious type. He fumbled with the drawers in his desk and pulled out a compass and ruler, marking out the location. It was withing a seven mile radius of the center of the circle, which in turn was pretty solidly in the middle of the Maiden¡¯s Forest. What on Earth were they doing there? Suddenly, he felt oddly warm. Like someone was embracing him. Sleep his mind demanded, and it almost felt like someone was kissing his cheek. What¡­? His head thunked to the desk and he was out like a candle.
When he woke up again, it was slowly and with the light shining directly on his face. He groaned, sitting upright, rather blinking at the state of himself. He¡­ didn¡¯t have a crick in his neck. And felt oddly refreshed. He inhaled sharply when he saw the water bowl in his room was empty, but didn¡¯t cough. He felt¡­ very fine. Excellent for him, but just¡­ normal for other people, he knew. He rubbed his cheek absently, then glanced down on his map. The mark stood out to him in bright red and he stood up suddenly. He needed to explore this. He rushed out of his room, throwing a mental packing list together in his head. Darrogh was in their shared living room, brushing his teeth absently. He stopped and stared at the manic look in Rian¡¯s eye. ¡°Ree-ran?¡± He asked over toothpaste foam. Rian¡¯s head snapped to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill the Tengu.¡± He rasped. ¡°Where¡¯s Mary?¡± Autumn VI: Katsurou My feet swing idly on a dock, toes lightly brushing against cool, dark water. A girl stands on the water in front of me. I cannot see her face. She uses Magic to blur it from my memory. She flexes her fingers and wind gusts around us. ¡°This¡ª¡° Katsurou came awake suddenly. The ceiling above him was not familiar. He lay very still, using his eyes to map as much as he could. He was in a bed that was too small for him, his legs bent to length. To his left was a wall with a window, sun shining through it. The walls around him seemed to be stacked logs; a cabin of some sort? ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± He tilted his head towards the voice to see a short woman sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. A small knife was in her hand, as well as a small chunk of wood. She whittled away at the wood, but he knew that wasn¡¯t a wood carving knife. He recognized the curve of the blade and the savage, serrated edges. He curled his lip. ¡°Volkodlak.¡± He spat. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m not any more fond of you being here than you are.¡± ¡°I thought the Volkodlak hunted, not played with their food.¡± ¡°So you were being hunted by one of my kinsmen. Thought I could smell something rotten on you.¡± He frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t fear me as one of a pack, just fear me as me. I¡¯m a lone wolf.¡± She grinned toothily at him. ¡°I heard your kind go insane alone.¡± So this entire situation really wasn¡¯t comforting. ¡°Some do. I haven¡¯t. Much.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If I had my way, you would have died in the Forest vorona. But someone has decided your life is worth the trouble.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to me¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Someone sang from outside the door. It opened, and in walked a woman dressed all in warm browns. She wore an ankle-length dress, with one side hooked up to a loop on her belt to give her more freedom to move. A corset bound her torso, and she wore rather impractical looking heeled boots. Her hair was wound back into a large knot at the base of her skull. She smiled, startled, at him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake! That¡¯s wonderful.¡± She bustled in and sat a basket down on the in the center of the one-roomed cabin. ¡°I¡¯m Xenia, a healer. I found you in the woods and had Iskra here help me bring you back.¡± ¡°The¡­ woods.¡± He said slowly. Iskra made a sound between a scoff and a sigh. ¡°The Forest. She went wandering after a fox in the Maiden¡¯s Forest and found you.¡± Wide eyed, Katsurou looked her up and down. From her getup, to her unblemished and unscarred skin, to her willowy form, she looked ill-equipped to go into the Maiden¡¯s Forest. Hell, anyone was ill-equipped to go in there, the trees tried to fucking eat you! The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You¡­ are very lucky to be alive,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Oh, I know that!¡± She said brightly. ¡°Anyways¡ª¡° Anyways she said¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be treating you, unless there¡¯s someone you¡¯d rather have treat you. I must warn you, the Akuma compound is about three days away from here, so any treatment will have to wait until then and I¡¯d rather treat you right now before you contract lycanthropy-based rabies or other Corruption diseases." He kind of had no idea what she just said. ¡°It¡¯s fine, though I¡¯m not sure how much you can do¡­¡± ¡°Quite a lot, actually. Please sit up and still as I take off your bandages!¡± He slowly sat up, groaning in pain. She gently went to undress his wound. He tried to glance at it and immediately looked away, gorge rising. Self-love was a thing, but seeing that stuff wasn¡¯t it. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ve got some wolfsbane-steeped water right here, please standby.¡± She grabbed a bucket that sloshed a bit and set it on the bed. She slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a knife. He recoiled back. ¡°Woah¡ª¡° A hand clamped gently but firmly to the back of his neck. ¡°Please remain calm.¡± At the word, he felt his heartbeat slow down and his body relax, even as his brain sluggishly told him to panic and fight back. She removed the hand from his neck and sliced it open with the hand holding the knife before squeezing her hand into the bucket of steeped water. He¡ªmentally¡ªthought he would normally feel sick Her hand was back, this time over his chest, before his heartbeat could kick into gear again and any rising panic diminished quickly, forcing him to only logically panic, which felt as impossible and awful as it sounded. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked calmly. ¡°Stop that. Stop touching me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that, Tengu-san,¡± She sounded just as amicable as he, ¡°I need to control your blood flow for this.¡± ¡°You sound stupid using honorifics, just call me Katsurou¡ª stop doing whatever you¡¯re doing.¡± She crooked two fingers with her free hand and the water spiraled upwards in a thin stream, tinted pink from her blood. He tried to scooch away. ¡°What are you going to do with that? You¡¯re Blood?¡± ¡°This is going to be used to clean out your wound. And yes.¡± And with that, the stream of water came closer to him, settling on the gash in his side. He looked up at the ceiling, feeling the mixture bubble and writhe as he winced in discomfort. ¡°I apologize, you appear to be very reactive to my Magic. Here comes the hard part.¡± This wasn¡¯t the hard part? He opened his mouth and looked down to protest, but instead watched, transfixed, as she pulled her hand away and the water followed, clear of color before falling with a splat on the floor. Then she crossed her fingers and her blood, he was assuming, that was left over did something. The skin on the edges of his wound tightened and stretched, making it itchy, but then they were suddenly pulled together by cross stitches of red. ¡°Is that your blood?¡± He asked, somewhere between awed and horrified. ¡°Mmhm.¡± She flicked her hand and the red lost its¡¯s shape, oozing down his side. She picked up a cloth from somewhere and wiped his side, revealing new and tender, but un-slashed, pink skin. ¡°You should be good to go. The wolfsbane should have cleansed you of any Corrupted Magic caused by insanity due to not having a pack,¡± he glanced at Iskra, who just smiled at him again without any humor, ¡°and you¡¯re all sealed up, so you shouldn¡¯t bleed out. If you start to see blemishes underneath your skin, you should find a healer to cut you open and treat you normally. It¡¯ll take longer but,¡± she shrugged. ¡°I apologize for not doing this last night, but I needed you to be producing Magic at least semi-regularly and you were abysmally low on it when I found you.¡± ¡°¡­thanks.¡± His heartbeat seemed to be returning to normal, as well as all his other emotional-physical responses. He leaned away from her, a bit scared if he was being honest. ¡°Now how in the hell did you do that? You¡¯re not Akuma.¡± He had just saw her use a Water Form. She blinked. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m not part of any Bloodline at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You just said you were Blood.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certainly not weak.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s debatable?¡± She flopped her delicate wrist, showing it off, ¡°I¡¯m rather flimsy. I can¡¯t punch worth a damn.¡± ¡°Your Magic is strong.¡± She blinked again and tilted her head to the side. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that my Magical levels are perfectly average.¡± They were going around in circles. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to heal me!¡± He finally burst out. ¡°You¡¯re not a part of my Bloodline.¡± She looked genuinely confused. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I told you this, Xenia,¡± Iskra sounded oh-so-exasperated. ¡°Most people can only heal within their Bloodline because of Magical Resonance.¡± ¡°Ohhhhh¡­¡± she tapped a finger against her lip. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m not sure! I¡¯ve always been able to do this.¡± Unbelievable. ¡°What, and I cannot stress this enough, the actual fuck?¡± Autumn VII: Xenia Xenia made the executive decision to just continue on like he wasn¡¯t staring at her like she had grown a second head. Quite frankly, she was a bit out of her depth here; the people in Hestia knew of her quirks and took it in stride, usually used to other people¡¯s oddities and too grateful to her for healing them to care. And the children were just excited about her. ¡°I got you a shirt,¡± she said, helpfully. ¡°I also got scissors. And a horse. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re feeling well enough to fly to town to get supplies and stuff to return home. The scissors are so, well, I wasn¡¯t quite sure how your wings worked.¡± She¡¯d love to study them, but even she knew that was a bad way to get stabbed. Or, rather, to get Iskra stabbed because she¡¯d rush to her rescue. And then she¡¯d probably stab the half-Tengu, and then Xenia would have to stitch more people up. ¡°Cool, awesome, who and what are you?¡± Sidetracking failed, abort! She glanced wide-eyed at Iskra for support, but the Volkodlak just looked highly amused. She just shot Xenia a look back that said you were the one who wanted to save him, dumbass. ¡°My name is Xenia and I¡¯m a healer,¡± she repeated weakly. ¡°What Bloodline are you from?¡± ¡°I just told you, I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t,¡± Iskra finally decided to chime in. ¡°I checked high and low for someone who matches her Magic description, nothing. She¡¯s either not from a Bloodline or the only one, which I highly doubt." Well¡­ ¡°So, what, you¡¯re¡ª¡° he nearly tripped over his words, ¡°¡ªa¡ªa Bastard of some sort, then?¡± She tapped her bottom lip. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be able to say. I never really knew or met my parents, so I have no clue if they were married or not.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant and you know it.¡± She did, but she¡¯d been feigning ignorance for as long as she could remember and she wasn¡¯t about to start now. Thankfully, Sasha came to her rescue, making a loud whine from outside. Iskra sighed as the half-Tengu paled. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°That was Sasha, Iskra¡¯s partner!¡± Xenia chirped. ¡°By that, she means my partner in crime, and a Wolf-Beast. Really, Xea, you have to learn to choose your words better.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Never mind,¡± Iskra sighed again. ¡°He¡¯s hungry. I want to go home, I want him out of here, and I¡¯m sure he wants to go home too, so lets go. He¡¯s not dying anymore, chop chop.¡± She glanced at the man. ¡°Can you fly and do we need to cut up that poor shirt?¡±
One abused tunic and a mild bit of Physical Magic over Katsurou¡¯s red eyes, because that would be a dead ringer for his identity, Xenia was crouching in her garden, finding a carrot to give as offering to the horse. Finding one that looked good enough from the top, she struggled to pull it out. When she finally did, she pumped a fist in the air in triumph before working on getting the dust and dirt off of it. ¡°Let¡¯s go Xea!¡± Iskra called. Xenia turned to the pair, on her porch, to see Iskra with a white-knuckled grip on her railing and the half-Tengu looking more and more confused by the minutes. Sasha, for his part, just sat there with his tongue lolled out. He was always her favorite. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Coming!¡± She grabbed the edge of her skirt and hooked it to a piece on the belt around her waist, allowing for some easier access to move without flaunting too much. She carefully stepped over her vegetable patches before whistling. The horse she had brought with her from town after buying the Wolfsbane from Maya the apothecary trotted over. She took a bite of the carrot she just pulled and offered it to the horse. It gave her a droll look. ¡°What? I¡¯m hungry.¡± She had packed herself a few apples as well for the trip It snorted and grabbed the carrot in it¡¯s mouth starting to crunch on it. She turned to the pair once more. ¡°Is she¡­¡± The Half-Tengu asked. She should probably ask for his name at some point. ¡°She¡¯s just like that. I don¡¯t even know.¡± Iskra sighed. Xenia pouted. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± The Half-Tengu proclaimed. She blinked. ¡°Oh. Is that all?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Iskra said intelligently. ¡°Well, Mr. Half-Tengu¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªYou can just call me Katsurou, sensei,¡± he sighed, running a hand through his curls. ¡°Sensei?¡± ¡°A title. Used for teachers, doctors, sages, stuff like that.¡± ¡°Ah, well, like I said earlier, you can just call me Xenia. Anyways, are you feeling well enough to fly?¡± ¡°Quite.¡± ¡°Excellent! Shall we get a move on then?¡± ¡°Finally,¡± Iskra muttered, walking off the porch to get onto the path. Xenia patted the horse before mounting it, side saddle. She watched in interest as Katsurou¡¯s wings bloomed and unfolded behind him, like solid smoke. ¡°Ah, this will be interesting. I haven¡¯t seen someone flying in years.¡± He startled. ¡°You¡¯ve seen someone fly before? Who?¡± Oops. Shouldn¡¯t have said that. ¡°Mm. There¡¯s all kinds of weird things in the Forest!¡± She smiled brightly and his expression turned exasperated. She heard him mutter ¡°Mother help him. Or maybe just her.¡± And she grinned. Iskra, on the other hand, groaned. ¡°You¡¯re not making my plan to kidnap you to save you any less appealing, Xenia.¡± She gasped and batted her eyelashes at the other woman. ¡°Why Iskra, is that a marriage proposal I hear?¡± ¡°If it gets you to move, then yes.¡± Xenia laughed. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not quite ready to be a married woman.¡± ¡°Whatever. Can we get the fuck out of here, please?¡± ¡°Coward,¡± Xenia sang. ¡°Smart coward,¡± Iskra returned. Katsurou, apparently having enough of the foolishness, took off with a gust of wind. Xenia patted the horse again, this time shouting ¡°ya!¡± and it took off, Iskra and Sasha running close behind. She kept an eye on Katsurou as he coasted in the air, eyes sharp and looking around. He seemed to be flying normally, which was good. ¡°I still think this is a bad idea. A horrible, no good, very bad idea.¡± Iskra said, pulling up to the horse¡¯s side. ¡°You think everything I do is a bad idea.¡± ¡°And that doesn¡¯t tell you something?¡± ¡°It tells me you¡¯re boring.¡± ¡°Why do I even bother¡ª! Where is he going?¡± Xenia glanced up to see their flying compatriot veering off to the right and clicked her tongue, face slack and flying a bit wobbly. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s flying towards the center of the Forest. Hold on.¡± She twisted and fumbled with the bag of apples she had hooked on to the saddle, pulling one out. Sticking her tongue out, she squinted, aimed, and threw. He caught it without looking, but seemed startled, glancing at the apple like he didn¡¯t realize how it came to appear in his hand. He stopped in midair, glancing around before finding the pair who had also stopped. He flew towards them in a shallow dive, dropping when he was a few meters above the ground, wings disappearing. ¡°There are other ways to get my attention then throwing things at me,¡± he said crossly. Xenia just grinned. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t want to go screaming in the super scary Forest, I might give Iskra a heart attack.¡± Iskra choked, and Xenia laughed. ¡°No, the actual reason is because the Forest lures you in. You needed to feel a bit of fear to snap out of it. Plus, the Magic here tends to cancel out sound. No one would hear you scream.¡± Ah, how she delighted in those twisted looks. ¡°You say the most alarming things,¡± Katsurou grimaced. ¡°What? It means I get good naps. I can¡¯t stand cicadas chirping in summer. And sometimes the birds¡­ oh! Do you think you could tell the crows to stop eating my crops?¡± Iskra pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed sharply as Katsurou¡¯s expression warped further. She had to stifle a laugh. ¡°Still,¡± she said when she managed to swallow down the worst of it, ¡°perhaps the ambient Magic levels are different in different altitudes. It may be best for you to fly low or walk.¡± ¡°People in town won¡¯t be happy to see him flying around like a bat.¡± ¡°Crow.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Mm, good point, walking it is. Unless you¡¯d like the horse?¡± He winced. ¡°Ah, no. Are there perhaps more Volkodlak in your town?¡± Iskra barked out a laugh. ¡°Absolutely not. If you see one, tell me so I can either rip their throat out or so I can get the Hell out of dodge.¡± ¡°Iskra doesn¡¯t like her family,¡± Xenia stage whispered. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± ¡°Anyways, you should probably walk.¡± Iskra sighed. ¡°You can take the horse if you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± Xenia chirped. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± ¡°Well, then, onwards! Oh, let me redo the glamor first, you¡¯ll scare everyone with those red eyes of yours¡­¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Autumn VIII: Rian ¡°Explain to me again where you¡¯re going? ¡°Out,¡± Rian folded a tunic in half before rolling it up, then picked it up and started for the living room, where his travel pack awaited. ¡°Not specific enough,¡± Darrogh followed after him. ¡°It¡¯s classified, Darrogh,¡± Rian sighed, the lie coming easily. He loved his brother as he was, and Darrogh loved him. Just¡­ an idea of him. The obsessive researcher. ¡°You woke up and said you wanted to kill the Tengu when you just said not a dozen hours that it was a bad idea.¡± ¡°People can changed their minds.¡± ¡°Not you, not like that.¡± Darrogh stepped in front of him in his flurry, grasping his shoulders. ¡°Just, hold on a minute, would you?!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste¡ª¡° ¡°Is it another honeypot?¡± Grief filled Darrogh¡¯s voice as Rian froze, a skittering chill running up his spine. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only reason why I could think of such an abrupt change. The elders are assigning you another honeypot mission if you don¡¯t kill the Tengu.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡ª¡° Darrogh¡¯s grip on his shoulder tightened to painful levels. ¡°Tell me. Just say the word and I¡¯ll crush them all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a fucking honeypot mission!¡± Rian smacked his hands off. ¡°Mother below, Darrogh!¡± ¡°Then why¡ª¡° ¡°Why do I have to tell you everything?¡± He asked crossly. ¡°Because I¡¯m worried about you. You¡ª¡° Darrogh cut himself off with a sharp sigh, and Rian raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m what?¡± ¡°You can do things I can¡¯t¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m aware, that¡¯s why it¡¯s my job to kill people quietly¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªplease stop saying that, but that being said¡ª¡° ¡°We do this every damn time, just cut to the chase, you think I¡¯m weak,¡± he hissed. ¡°I think you¡¯re at disadvantage, especially within the Family. ¡°Seriously?¡± He blinked at his younger brother. ¡°Within the Family? Darrogh, I¡¯m the head of the damned Family, you put me here.¡± Darrogh opened his mouth, but Rian cut through the air sharply with his hand. ¡°Enough. You put me in charge for a multitude of reasons, one of them so I would stop having to take the unfavorable missions. I¡¯ll be brutally honest with you, since you seem to be so begging for it. I didn¡¯t hate those missions. I took responsibility because you were too young to be head of the Family, and if I¡¯m not incorrect you still feel that you¡¯re not ready for the responsibility of 112 people.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Darrogh¡¯s silence was telling enough. ¡°So. As your head, I¡¯m telling you. Leave it alone. I just want to do something that¡¯s been a long time coming. It¡¯s doubtful to even happen, this is just a preliminary recon and info collection mission. Keep up with your magging and I¡¯ll leave Mary here with the explicit order to nag you for the entirety of when I¡¯m gone.¡± Darrogh paled and Rian¡¯s lips twitched. Mary, though 12, could bully anyone into submission when she was annoyed enough. ¡°No need for that,¡± Darrogh coughed. Rian snorted, and Darrogh opened his mouth to speak again. ¡°No, I¡¯m not telling you where I¡¯m going,¡± Rian cut him off quickly. ¡°I will tell you it shouldn¡¯t be more than 2 weeks. You can keep the fortress from burning down for that long, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­probably?¡± Darrogh glanced away sheepishly while Rian raised his eyebrows. ¡°Very comforting. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to bribe Aisling for medication so I don¡¯t die on the road.¡± Darrogh winced. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, please.¡± Yes, it probably was in poor taste given the discussion. ¡°You can ask for me inste¡ª¡° ¡°Absolutely fucking not.¡±
After narrowly getting murdered by the crotchety old woman of an apothecary (¡°what do you think I¡¯m made of, boy? Miracles? Money? What do you mean you¡¯ll be gone for two weeks, that useless brother of yours will kill us all in the meantime¡ª) and finished packing, Rian set out for the stables. Thankfully, today was warm and on the humid side. It would be awful to ride at any significant speed if there was the normal dry, crisp air of autumn. ¡°Hello, Merit.¡± He patted the horse he had raised on his own since she was a colt on her pink and gray nose. The cool mist of Mary¡¯s Magic crossed his senses suddenly, and he looked out from the stables to see the girl walking towards them with a travel satchel. His eyebrows rose. ¡°And just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Joining you.¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Yes I am.¡± ¡°I just had this conversation with Darrogh¡ª¡° ¡°That was Darrogh¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªI am perfectly capable of going out of the compound on my own for two weeks¡ª¡° ¡°That¡¯s what that argument was about?¡± Mary looked truly puzzled. ¡°You drown people with air without blinking, of course you¡¯re fine.¡± He faltered while she continued. ¡°I just wanted to join you because I haven¡¯t seen you this flustered almost ever. No, actually, just never, there¡¯s just been a few incidents where you¡¯ve come close. What are you looking for? The Heartling Tree?¡± ¡°The T¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill the Tengu.¡± Mary was matter-of-fact in this statement. ¡°Um. People. The Tengu included, I think.¡± ¡°The plot thickens.¡± ¡°It could be dangerous,¡± he started to shake his head, but she just rolled her eyes in that way only 12 year olds could. ¡°Oh no.¡± She deadpanned. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be with a guy who¡¯s called the Ghost by people who don¡¯t know him. No, oh no.¡± ¡°What part of the Tengu included do you not understand?¡± ¡°I understand it fine; I understand I¡¯ll get to see you flailing about him.¡± Excuse him, he does not flail. Mary continued, ¡°Sounds like a win to me. Maybe I¡¯ll get him to sit still for a decent sketch.¡± ¡°You will absolutely not be talking to the Tengu.¡± ¡°So just the flailing, got it.¡± ¡°I do not flail¡ª why do I even entertain this talk?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know man, that¡¯s on you.¡± Mother and Father both save him from sassy tweenagers. ¡°If I tell you to do something, you listen. If I say run, you run. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Like I don¡¯t do that anyways?¡± ¡°Mary.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Uncle. Cross my heart and hope to die.¡± ¡°¡­fine. Get Cobalt.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± She gave a little fist pump of victory before running off to find her horse. Rian sighed. He was kind of hoping to keep her here to make sure Darrogh didn¡¯t do something stupid. Autumn IX: Katsurou The little town was quaint. Pretty. Terrifying. He had thought¡ª he didn¡¯t know what he had thought. That there¡¯d be more Volkodlak? More people like Xenia? Maybe that one Bloodline had take the stray of another in? Katsurou didn¡¯t care what the taller woman said about being part of a Bloodline, rather the fact that she claimed she wasn¡¯t; there was no one that powerful who couldn¡¯t have a direct line of decenscion form a Monster. He was also choosing to ignore that when she wasn¡¯t blossoming with Magic like when she had healed him, she barely gave off a Magic signature. It was so low that it could be mistaken for a full Human, something that was becoming rarer and rarer these days. But no. Within the first five minutes he had nearly had a heart attack because they were at a shop with a Fenghuang woman. Fenghuang! Not even part of this continent! Not a moment later, he say a Sprite walking down with a heavily pregnant Gorgon. Neither Xenia or Iskra showed any inclination that this was any kind of strange. Which it was. The only time he had seen so many of different Bloodlines in one place without actively killing each other was when he went to the Capital to receive his Titles as the Tengu and the Warlord. A bunch of other Bloodlines had arrived at the ceremony, wanting to see the new Blood. When he had walked down the streets, all decked out in his Bloodline¡¯s colors of red and black, he had felt their eyes on him like bugs on his skin. Here, the eyes were like a little gust of wind. He drew attention, yes, but it was glancing, with no malice behind it. And he knew very well that his own staring made him the bug in this analogy, but he just couldn¡¯t stop, he was so bewildered by it all. ¡°MIIIIIIIIIISSSSS XENIAAAAAAAAAA!¡± He nearly jumped out of his skin at the high pitched yell. ¡°Incoming,¡± said Iskra, pulling Katsurou aside just in time to dodge two blurs of color darting straight for Xenia. Somehow, she crouched down and caught them, picking both up in her arms despire the huge amount of momentum and weight, and yeah, there¡¯s no way this woman is a Human. The two children spoke fast at her, excited, and he could smell burnt sugar in the air. Katsurou winced. Children and sugar equals loud. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t teach today,¡± Xenia said, nuzzling one of the children. ¡°I¡¯ve got a patient, see?¡± She nodded her head towards him. The boy in her left arm frowned. ¡°He seems fine.¡± He declared. ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± Said the girl. ¡°Grampa said that some people can be sick without looking sick.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah, he said it¡¯s called being loony.¡± Katsurou sputtered. ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Iskra leaned conspiratorially towards the kids, ¡°he¡¯s sick without being sick. You see, he has¡­ cooties!¡± The kids shrieked and Katsurou just accepted that this was his life now. He glared at the Volkodlak, who was grinning an awful lot like a fox rather than a wolf. The children scrambled down Xenia as she laughed. ¡°Remember, cooties don¡¯t exist!¡± She called after them. He watched as the girl pulled far ahead of the boy, having to stop for a full thirty seconds for him to keep up. It wasn¡¯t that the boy was slow, just that the girl was incredibly fast. ¡°What Bloodline is she?¡± He asked. Iskra gave him a side eye. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell you even if I knew.¡± She shot back. He scowled. ¡°I have no desire to hurt or hunt children.¡± He spat. ¡°Good for you, the bar¡¯s in Hell and you¡¯re not doing the limbo with the rest of my family. I still don¡¯t know and don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°How can you not know¡ª?¡± ¡°Do you know who Hestia is named after?¡± Xenia joined in the conversation suddenly, causing him to blink. ¡°It¡¯s named after someone?¡± ¡°It is?¡± Iskra also asked. The two glanced at each other before looking back at Xenia. Her gaze seemed far away, staring intently at a bush without really looking at it. ¡°Hestia, patron of the Fire Forms. And the Patron of Hospitality.¡± Iskra relaxed. ¡°Ah, your Saints.¡± Xenia blinked, seemingly snapping out of whatever trance she was in. ¡°Ah, yes, sorry. Actually, it¡¯s just a good chance that it was named after Them by accident. In the Old Tongue, hesti is a root form for ¡®comfort,¡¯ that¡¯s probably what it¡¯s named after.¡± Iskra clicked her tongue and looped her arm through Xenia¡¯s. ¡°I dunno, maybe you are on to something. Sounds awful similar.¡± ¡°Mmhmm. Anyways, that¡¯s part of the goal of Hestia. Hospitality for all. Any fights must be taken off Hestian grounds, and above all, we must protect the next generation.¡± Xenia glanced at Katsurou. ¡°The children here¡­ many are orphans and bastards because their parents were of differing Bloodlines. Everyone, no matter if they¡¯re Blood or not, or if they¡¯re from other Bloodlines, takes care of them.¡± She paused, as if considering to tell him something. ¡°There are also inter-Bloodline marriages here.¡± ¡°Well, that just seems like a bad idea.¡± There were a few exceptions, of course, but for the most part children who were born out of such unions were deformed at worst, weak at best. Katsurou was an exception because his mother was a Monster, and her Magic overpowered his father¡¯s by leagues when he was in the womb. His half-sister was not so lucky. ¡°Not with me here.¡± Xenia said. ¡°Xea!¡± Iskra gave her a look. ¡°All are welcome on Hestia¡¯s grounds. This is not a secret, simply a fact that no one has bothered to seek.¡± She turned back to Katsurou. ¡°You may have notived my healing ability?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± And the fact hat she could heal outside of her own Bloodline¡ª Wait. ¡°You. You¡¯re¡­ making sure the children come to term?¡± ¡°Not only that, I make sure they¡¯re strong.¡± She smiled, and it was a bit mean this time. ¡°Rather then canceling each other¡¯s Bloodlines out, I make sure that a parent¡¯s Bloodline adds to another.¡± That¡¯s. That¡¯s. That¡¯s terrifying. ¡°That¡¯s incredible.¡± It was the best and worst kind of abomination. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± The way she was staring at Katsurou made him think she was somehow reading his mind. His mind which was screaming at him to feel fear. But all he could feel was a growing curiosity. ¡°Be wary of our neighbors in town,¡± Xenia looked away and started to walk forwards. ¡°But please remember: Those who harm our children, those who fight on our grounds, shall pay thrice the price.¡± Autumn X: Rian It was raining when Mary and Rian got to the little town of Hestia, the closest populated to where he had sensed the Tengu and the mysterious other presence. The closer he got to the town, the more he wanted to slam his head into a wall. There was something very wrong about the way he ¡°saw¡± the Magic here. The town was so small and pressed right up against the Maiden¡¯s Forest, which, for lack of a better word, was a Magical sink. It was like a supernova, and the fact that there was little Magic in Hestia compared to the Forest wouldn¡¯t be surprising. The problem was that there was no Magic reading in Hestia. If The Forest was a supernova, then Hestia was a tiny black hole. And that was simply impossible. Magic was simply excess energy that was concentrated that could manipulate the world around it. For there to be no Magic would mean that there was no energy, meaning that everything was dead. And considering that, by all records, Hestia was a thriving town, that was impossible. So, what was the deal? Why was Hestia a blemish on his mental sensory map? The Tengu¡¯s presence and the mysterious other¡¯s nearby couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. When they go there, both Mary and he were wearing their hoods up. They didn¡¯t need them, they both had such fine control over their respective water Forms that they could simply remove the water from their person whenever they pleased. But it wouldn¡¯t do to enter a town full of vivilians completely dry in such weather. Plus, at least in Rian¡¯s case, the rain was a comforting presence on his skin. ¡°Remember,¡± he told Mary, ¡°we¡¯re merchant scouts. We¡¯re looking to expand our trading route.¡± ¡°Yes, Rian.¡± ¡°And if you see a group of children your age, try to slip in with them, yes?¡± She wrinkled her nose. ¡°Yes.¡± She sounded significantly less enthused about that. He just sighed. ¡°Hopefully you won¡¯t have to dumb yourself down too much. Anyways. Here¡¯s some money. Off you get. I¡¯ll bring our horses to some stables.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± She dismounted and scurried off, hood immediately coming off to enjoy the rain. He snorted and led her mare and his own horse to a stable. After paying the stable hand, he asked about where to get some food and a place to stay. ¡°Ah, that¡¯d be the Songbird Tavern. It also doubles as an inn. If the bartender snaps at ya, don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s always cranky and she¡¯s been in a real bad mood today.¡± ¡°Oh? Any idea why?¡± ¡°Eh, you know how them wolves are. We try to take care of ¡®er, but she don¡¯t got a pack and it makes her antsy. Plus, Ms. Xenia brought in that new boy from the Forest. It¡¯s bound to get anyone as protective as Iskra in a twist. Hells, I¡¯m a bit worried for that girl. Smart as a whip, but still got no thoughts in that head of hers.¡± The word ¡®pack¡¯ was certainly an interesting choice. There was a Shifter type Bloodline member here. ¡®Ms. Xenia¡¯ and the ¡®new boy.¡¯ According to Darrogh, the Tengu was around nineteen years old, certainly a boy in the eyes of this old man. Now, Ms. Xenia, who could that be? ¡°That¡¯s an Old Tongue name, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± He drawled. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Xenia.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°Mayhaps.¡± Not helpful at all. ¡°Thank you for your help. I have a ward, a girl of 12. She¡¯s easy to recognize, half white-half brown hair, blue-gray eyes. Usually looks like she wants to murder you. If she comes for the horses, please allow her.¡± The old stablehand laughed. ¡°Roger that, sir. Your daughter?¡± ¡°¡­Niece.¡± ¡°Yes sir, yes sir. Enjoy your stay in Hestia. Business of pleasure?¡± ¡°Business first, but we shall see.¡± He shrugged and smiled.
Soon the temperature dropped to more appropriate fall levels, which unfortunately meant that Rian had to seek shelter. His breath was coming out in wheezes as he circulated Magic into his lungs, causing his vision to become blurry; he couldn¡¯t control Magic in such delicate places more than one at a time. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The Singing Bird was at the edge of town, with the Maiden¡¯s Forest looming ominously in the now-misty distance. He imagined when it wasn¡¯t raining it was in clear view, which he found even more disturbing, to be quite honest. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because it was so close to the border of the Forest, but he was pretty sure it had the strongest Magical presence in town. It was hard to tell thanks to the Forest¡¯s interference. Walking into the tavern was like walking into a kitchen of colors, his senses immediately going into overdrive as he tried to process everything. His eyes immediately met the golden-brown eyes of the petite woman tending the bar. With black hair with streaks of white and gray despite her unwrinkled and pale skin, he frantically gathered his Magical signature up as tight as he could as he clocked her as a Volkodlak. A rather familiar one at that, perhaps he had fought her before? She squinted her eyes at him for a second before shrugging. ¡°Welcome to the Singing Bird, if you¡¯re here for a drink or shelter from the rain, welcome.¡± A few other ¡°welcomes!¡± chorused from the other patrons, and he nodded lightly. ¡°Water, please,¡± he ordered as he walked up to the bar. ¡°Nothing in it?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Oh Hells.¡± She shuddered, but went about getting him a glass. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see someone insisting on giving alcohol.¡± Rian turned to the voice, a young man sitting two seats away. He looked exhausted, with bags under his eyes. An ill-fitting jacket was tossed around his shoulders. ¡°Are you quite alright?¡± Rian asked. ¡°Mm? Yeah, just a bit homesick, I suppose.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°A bit overwhelmed, was supposed to go home today but I¡¯m feeling ill and the rain is supposed to turn into a storm tonight.¡± ¡°Water,¡± the Volkodlak woman slid an icy glass over to him and he nodded in thanks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°¡¯T¡¯s nothing, sorry for the word vomit.¡± The young man held up his glass, filled with a dark liquid. ¡°It¡¯s apparently apple season here, and the apple cider is a bit addictive, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯ve got a bit of a loose tongue.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Rian glanced at the Volkodlak woman, who was currently distracted by another patron, and loosened the hold on his Magic a bit to let a tendril ¡°taste¡± the man¡¯s Magic. Heat. Just heat. Like holding your hands over a fire during winter. Soothing for a moment, and then it became a bit too much, so you had to retreat, only to be bitten by the cold again. And the cycle continues. Rian gulped and folded his Magic back in on itself. There was just something about Fire Form users. By all means, as someone who primarily used a Water Form, he should dislike them, and he did on some level. But they were also addicting. He would know. Sweet smoke and dying embers. ¡°I seem to remember you ordering water.¡± The barkeep made her way back to him. ¡°No need to look so flushed.¡± Oh dear. He felt his apparent flush deepen in embarrassment. ¡°Bit of a chill outside is all.¡± ¡°Ah. Tends to¡­ nip at you, here.¡± She very purposefully did not look at the man besides him. ¡°Go away, you mangy wolf.¡± The man muttered, looking away. Rian would be willing to be blood was rushing to his own face, though it was hard to tell between the dim lighting and the man¡¯s dark skin. ¡°Sure,¡± she dragged the word out and Rian wanted to bang his head against a wall. Thankfully though, she left, though not without wiggling her eyebrows at the both of them. The man groaned, and folded over the bar counter, resting his cheek against the dark stone. They made eye contact. Rian immediately looked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man sit back upright with a sigh, then drained his mug of cider. ¡°The name¡¯s Katsurou. She¡¯s Iskra and she¡¯s horrible.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± Rian muttered, staring diligently at his glass of water. He squinted, letting a bit of Magic squeeze out of him and into the glass, making his ice melt quicker. ¡°A friend of yours?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Known her for a while, then.¡± ¡°Nope. Just met her today.¡± Katsurou tried to take a sip from his mug, re-realized it was empty, and set it down with a thunk and an annoyed sigh. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not a local, then?¡± He chuffed. ¡°Uh, no. Honestly, the town kind of freaks me out. Everyone is too nice. Too comfortable.¡± ¡°A soldier, then.¡± Katsurou turned to stare at him blankly, then he laughed. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go with that.¡± He was part of a Bloodline. A Calavera, perhaps? Rian had heard a while ago that they were seeking audience with the Crown. Most likely for a Naming ceremony. He leaned back, subtly as he could, trying to take in his attire, trying to glean any information from Katsurou¡¯s clothing. It was very plain. Brown cloth pants and a grayish tunic. Said tunic was a size or two too big on him, but the collar was wide and the size made for a good view of his chest. With what he could see, the man was mostly lean, compact muscle despite the slight frame the over sized clothes gave him. He suddenly became aware of a growing grin on the raven-haired man¡¯s face. ¡°Perhaps Iskra was onto something?¡± Katsurou drawled. Heat rushed into Rian¡¯s face. ¡°Your clothes are too big.¡± He blurted out, instead of something normal. What normal entailed, he had no idea at the moment. The grin froze. ¡°Oh. Yeah.¡± Katsurou rubbed at his forehead, sighing again. ¡°It kind of got torn to shreds.¡± Rian blinked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Crazy lady with scissors.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oi, birdy!¡± Both of them glanced up to see Iskra leaning over them. ¡°Or should I say birdies? Anyways, got a message from Xenia.¡± Xenia? He flexed his fingers against his glass. That was the name the stable hand had mentioned. ¡°She¡¯s going to be late because she got sidetracked.¡± Katsurou scowled. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Relax, she doesn¡¯t stay in town for very long on the odd days she does come down from the Hells-forsaken Forest.¡± The Forest? Surely not the Maiden¡¯s Forest¡ª But wait. He thought back to his conversation with the stablehand. Ms. Xenia brought in a new boy from the Forest. His head snapped to Katsurou. ¡°¡­And she knows a whole lot for someone so dumb. Or, at least, she¡¯s good at telling convincing stories.¡± Iskra continued, unaware of Rian¡¯s whole perspective of the town recalibrating. ¡°The kids love her, and she loves the kids. Hell, all the adults like her stories. Go on down to the town center to see her, she¡¯ll help plan with you once the kids get their grubby paws off of her.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Katsurou stood up, ¡°alright.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Both Iskra and Katsurou stared at him. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you meant the Maiden¡¯s Forest?¡± Iskra nodded slowly. Rian huffed out a disbelieving chuckle. ¡°Well, I must see this woman who apparently spends a lot of her time in there.¡± Katsurou rolled his eyes. ¡°She doesn¡¯t just spend a lot of her time there, the crazy woman lives in there.¡± ¡°She what?¡± ¡°Right?!¡±