The Bearer of Light

Papers slipped with practiced ease between her fingers. Stacks of ten grew on top of each other, yet her face turned more and more strained.

“Eighty… Ninety… Two hundred… Ten… Twenty… Fuck.”

She slammed the last of her bills on the bench she’d been crouching before. She gripped the locks at her hairline. Hand pressed to her forehead, she glared at the few hundreds laid before her.

The temporary leave of absence on the side seemed to give her the same nasty look.

She cursed one more time under her breath, a calloused hand sliding over her face to pinch at the bridge of her nose.

What was supposed to become her final gather for a lease turned up once again into a complete disaster. What did she expect? That she’ll gather it in time? What a joke, she scoffed to herself. Lillis knew better than to hope for luck, by now.

Still, if things were usually bad, these last hours certainly added some spice to her shitty routine.

Her head snapped up as she heard footsteps approaching. Reminding herself she was still standing in the changing room of the station, she hurried to reunite her small fortune.

She carefully placed it in a little wooden box. She cradled it for a second, the hint of a smile on her lips, before gently placing it back in her bag. She threw the paper along with it, then zipped it closed harshly.

Her keys dangled in between her fingers as she stood up right when the door opened. She didn't glance at the newcomer, slamming her locker shut.

She threw her backpack over her shoulder. She doesn’t apologise as the person bumped into her while she started moving toward the exit without a glance. Her hurried walk didn't falter, even when the person's annoyed groan tempted her to.

Maybe it was because of her pissed off expression or maybe just because it was her that they limited their aggression to a simple, "Watch where the fuck you’re going, Crawford!"

Her knuckles hurt as they unconsciously flexed under the bandages, tempted to answer. A little voice screamed at her how easy it'd be to make them shut up. Another said that it'd be stupid to bring herself into more trouble than she already had.

She was close to tell them all where to put their inputs on how she should do things before the person suddenly jerked back as she glanced at them above her shoulder.

“J-just go already,” They stammered and Lillis pushed the door open.

Right, she bit down on her tongue harshly. News travel fast down here.

She ultimately decided not to transform her temporary leave into a more permanent one, the short relief of her anger not worth the long term consequences.

For that lifelong rage, she'd need to pick a time and place because she doubted she'd be able to stop once the dam opened.

She didn't have to force herself to walk out of the fire-station at lightening speed. The cool air of the outside was a blessing on her face after hours stuck inside.

The night shift had been relatively calm until shit hit the fan, and to say it hit it good would be understatement. But she wouldn't dwell on it now.

She closed her eyes with a repressed groan. Breathing deeply until her shoulders somewhat relaxed, she opened them back.

Slowly, she walked into the evening.

The sunset was nice to admire as she went deeper into the forest, a secret shortcut saving her from the city and its overwhelming fullness.

She slowed down as she reached a more frequent path leading to one of the local parks. She heard the river dancing slowly before catching sight of its small bridge.

She inhaled, her tense muscles easing at the sweet smell of pines and quiet. The rocky bridge was steady under her feet despite its obvious age.

As her hand passed over it, a wave of joy and kids' laughter filled her mind. The touch was funny, the scent of greenery mixed with chocolate ice–cream amusing her before she crossed the bridge.

She mused to herself for a second, before moving away from the path deeper back into the trees to eventually, stop at one.

This tree was one of many in this forest, but for some reason, Lillis decided when she first jogged through those woods that this tree, this one, was special. In some odd way, it was like it called to her and greeted her like an old friend every time she passed it by.

She nodded as she closed in, laying her hand on the hardwood. It was a thick old pine, surely much older than her, the bridge and this whole town all together. It must have seen too much, she could almost feel it in the tips of her fingertips.

She could imagine the comfort of the rain falling down its leaves, the safety of the earth feeding its roots, the life growing through its branches before leaving it. An ephemeral eternity through time. Yet, she also felt like something off lied just under her nose.

She stopped before the persisting tickling in the back of her head intensified.

She crouched down before unceremoniously sitting at its roots. Her backpack dropped from her shoulder and settled to lie between her crossed legs. She passed through the few belongings, from the jingling keys to the worn–out wallet, ignoring the poor sandwich still waiting to be finished in favour of her box.

After tracing once more over the lines of the faded wood, she opened it religiously.

She admired the carefully carved little box for a while. It smelled of old woods and campfire, a hint of cinnamon and citrus longing on it. It felt warm. It felt loving. Lillis' only treasure: sole heritage from a father she never got to meet.

She let out a raged breath.

The box was in a sorry state, to say the least. It took everything from her not to explode in another enraged fury. She knew it was best to keep it on her at all times, who knew what could happen to it without her supervision but this night has been rough and she, shamefully, forgot about it through her shift.

Forgot to be careful.

Her fists begged to be used once more, to punch the anger out of her. She breathed just enough to carefully close the little box. The simple hinge on its back had been broken. A wave of sadness mixed through the self-loathing. She softly touched it.

This won't be something she could repair herself. Neither was it something she could afford.

Her finger traced over the curves and holes in the old wood. Her hand eventually fell flat on its top – closing her eyes. Breathing deeply, a familiar warmth reached her skin. She imagined it raising from the box to gently dance around her fingers, twisting up to her wrist.

The ghost of a comforting hand caressing her arm.

She could easily imagine it, reassuring her, pretending everything will be okay. It’d always been comforting to picture this warmth coming from the oddest places. To see things a little further than what they seem. To hear supporting voices to help her in her decisions.

To convince herself not everything was as empty and cold as this hell kept proving to be. Was it a sign of creativity, or insanity? She grimaced.

Depending on the box's ghost warmth until her heartbeat steadied, she opened her eyes back. The comfort left as if it never existed in the first place yet its warmth lingered in her chest.

Even if now deprived of any hope of escaping somewhere far, she lingered in the feeling of, at least, having this memory. Sure, she was upset to chase after an unreachable escape, always going back up to fall merely a few steps after.

Today she just might get fired for good, tomorrow she might get robbed again while she's on duty.

But as she held onto the box dearly, she forced herself to see the silver lining.

Pushing her short nail under the bottom of the box, a little clap sounded before it revealed its false end. She took the first of the many letters hidden inside.

The cursive handwriting was faded on the yellowed paper but as she traced each letter of the Sunshine written on top of the note, the paper seemed to brighten up.

She didn’t open it, knowing its content by heart and instead put it against her chest. The warmth spread once more, hugging her. Just like she hoped her father would hug her better if he was still alive, she lingered in the ghost of this pictured comfort.

She felt light and secure in this imaginary cocoon of love and adoration. She didn’t feel lonely.

Closing her eyes, the warmth enveloped her whole.

She wasn't in the forest any more. Not this one, at least. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know that much. She was in her perfect sanctuary where nothing could hurt her. She felt the comfort of the quiet constant waving of water.

She rested cosy, snuggling against the soothing presence behind her. A bonfire warmed her up from the slight wind bringing her the smell of old woods and burnt marshmallows.

It cracked softly, soothing her tension away.

A humming slowly rose. It was soft and comforting, the melody of a lost song only its singer knew. It called to her as if she knew it too but the lyrics were stuck on the tip of her tongue. Holding the box tighter against her, the humming seemed to rise higher behind her.

Still merely more than a whisper, the voice seemed to be right in her ear.

“Sleep tight, little sunshine...” The voice gently sang, low and whispered. The words were muffled as if she was underwater. She desperately hanged on to them, focusing wholly on the soft chuckle that followed before the singing continued.

“Shall the sun rises with your eyes, shall it blind your painful heart...”

She could feel the softness of the hands holding hers,

“Don't you cry, little sunshine, just shine on your light...”

They were bigger than hers, but also warmer, dancing her fingers childishly to the rhythm,

“My baby, they can't take it all away...”

A soft kiss grazed the top of her head and she found herself desperately holding on to this simple show of affection,

“My baby, I'll never be far aw–”

A loud crack forced her eyes open.

In a flash, she lost any sentiment of safety from her cocoon to the cold, humid woods. Her reverie must have lingered more than she anticipated as she noticed the sun has left for her twin to shine in the dark.

She straightened her back, looking around.

The forest was quiet but she knew she didn't imagine the cracking stick.

With years of practice under her belt, she knew to be aware of the slightest sound. She might miss some but she caught on, never neglecting them. Feeling watched on top of it all, her face hardened. She rose up to her feet.

Probably just some animal, she reasoned herself. It did few against her flaming nerves. As her eyes wandered around, fogged breaths danced in the shadows.

Lillis put the box back in her bag, a song resonating far, far away in the back of her mind. She pushed it carefully to the bottom then threw the knapsack back over her shoulder.

She looked into the distance of the dark night lingering through the trees. She could easily slip under and disappear forever. She could take on a new path and start anew. She could get out of here just like that.

Turning on her heels, she trailed backwar s sds Lillis read somewhere, once. Her wounds were raw and bleeding still, but weren’t they always like this?

Each step made the weight heavier in her stomach, the doom of her arrival inevitable. The sun had probably set an hour ago but the warmth of the end of summer was enough to let her walk as slowly as possible.

She had no choices, in the end. She'll never be able to go anywhere without any means, and the hard chains gathered through time made freedom so hard to even glimpse at sometimes. She grind her teeth.

Powerlessness. It was always coming down to that.

Ignoring internal pleas of revolt, she hissed at her screaming mind.

The shady neighbourhood was as usually deserted when she reached it. The few houses inhabited here were just as trashed as the empty ones. People weren’t living here by any choice. They were desperate, far too deep in their problems to see an exit.

Perhaps she did belonged here.

Yet, in some way, it might just be the outlet they needed to mourn their sorrow in peace. Because, to some extent, this was a safe space. Away from any unwanted attention for all kinds of activities, they were welcome to grieve away.

The whole city wasn't one for glorious fame but even they knew how to avoid this place like the plague – unless you were looking for trouble, or one of its special kinds. It was never safe at any hour but especially not at night when the vultures came out of the shadows to fulfil their needs.

Right on time for Lillis to see the Crawford's house appear.

She wasn't surprised to see it lit in its usual nightly party outfit. Loud flashes of colours burst through the windows, the deafening music blasting through the air and the terrible smoke making her grimace from here. If the fog was added for aesthetic reasons, or simply by the many joints smoked around, she couldn’t know.

She didn’t really want to, actually.

What she did know was that if she heard and smelt it from the end of the street, it was only going to get so much worse. For all the hours she spent locked away in her world, she now had to go back to reality. That place.

Home, she gagged at the thought.

Heaving off a deep breath, she went around the back and got in through the window. The climb was difficult because of her smaller-than-average height but the long practice of jumping in and out of the hole made her quick and agile.

One of the few pros of claiming the sole room on the first floor.

As she fell onto the wooden floor, the music seemed to blast her ears. The illogical shouts and slams of beat made the whole aura unpleasant but it did the job of covering the laughs, moans and screams that were surely out there too.

Checking if her door was still locked from the inside, she sighed in relief. The lock indeed blocked her twist harshly. Tapping the handle for doing a good job, she turned around to look at the empty room. Past the minimalist bed, there was only a dresser and a pair of sneakers by it.

Grabbing the headphones hidden under her pillow, she laid exhausted over the blanket. Her hoodie kept too much warmth in the overheated house but she felt too tired to pull it off, or her jeans. She didn't even take off her shoes.

She was so tired, she didn’t even think of turning on the music player or feels herself pass out. She didn’t even question when she found herself lingering through an abandoned street.

Fog surrounded her, making her surroundings much harder to differ yet she didn’t feel lost. She felt confident, she felt strong. She gracefully knelt to the ground, long coat creating a halo around her. Her gloved hand laid over the tarred road. Rhythmic shocks of power slammed against her palm, picking up speed.

The ground was getting warmer and warmer through the leather, almost burning at the touch, sparkling like shooting stars. Putting her hand harsher down, she was unbothered by the heat. She didn’t even seem to care about getting knocked back by the power alone.

She lifted her head up, trying to guess where the ticking time bomb could hide. Icy blue eyes wandered in the fog. No one was out at this hour, but she sensed movement east, a hundred meters away – and in a rushing panic. A grin split her face in half.

Tasting the waves, her grin widened with each hit. She chuckled aloud as she was forcefully pushed up. It was becoming painful to smile as her chuckles turned unstoppable. Locked in blissful euphoria, her steps took speed as she relished in the heat. It’s burning, so deliciously eating at her skin, at her nerves, at her.

The closer she got, the harder it got to stand straight. The knocks blurred in strength, yet grind in intensity. Her coat flew, her hair danced, and her wicked smirk stood proudly in the dark night.

She could sense it: the call of purpose. Fog intensified around her as her eyes burned brightly in the darkness. A shadow appeared, her hand reached out and-

A harsh knock tore her from her slumber.

It must barely have been an hour since she got back, the party still very much alive right next door. Blinking flashes of a long-coated man standing ominously in a fog made her shiver. She frowned at the sleepy hallucination, the sight already fading out as the knocks turned too insistent.

She shook her head. Just another weird dream like any other.

Still, she couldn’t help a sickening nausea lingering at the image of a green needle.

How pathetic was she to be sickened by a nightmare? Get over yourself, she scolded herself. As she opened the door, Lillis was greeted with surprised eyes.

The music prevented her from any understanding of the woman’s stammering but she could imagine some sort of confused harassment about her where–doings. It was painful to leave her blessed silence to wonder what mess Gina found herself into once more.

On one hand, she dreaded it, on the other, could she really escape it?

The high aching voice of the woman almost made Lillis wince in apprehensive annoyance.

“Where the hell were you? I’ve knocked for like, thirty minutes!” Gina scolded but merely moved from her stumble stand. Her dark red hair were as messy around her tired, pale face. Her eyes were painted with leaked mascara and exhaustion. Her clothes were all over the place.

She is still in the clouds, Lillis glared into Gina’s pale eyes. She wasn’t surprised by any means. The width of her brown irises was a constant reminder of the dark addiction that had leech on her mother for a decade now.

“Where,” Was all she tiredly say, grabbing a key from her back pocket and locking them out of her room.

“Upstairs, hurry up!” Gina whined. She tried to push her daughter to hurry but missed greatly her target, and almost dropped to the side.

Lillis gave her one last look. Once more, she wondered how this woman could be the one who gave birth to her. She took in her sorry state with a building resentment before turning on her heels.

She didn’t even react as a shaking hand tried to hold on to her. She pulled herself out of the grip before Gina could even brush the sleeve of her hoodie.

She decided to stop caring a long time ago, she knew nothing ever came out of her trying to help Gina. And so, Lillis only focused on avoiding the items on the floor along with the unknown substances down the hall till she reached the entrance of the house with no further input.

The musty air was suffocating. If possible the music got louder, and the overwhelming number of people made her uneasy. A mixture of unlabelled pills, odd-looking powders and empty bottles lay on every surface of the living room turned dance floor.

Some shards were broken, spread and fallen over the carpet under it, right under her feet. One misstep, and blood would spill.

The situation could only go crescendo from here.

She could hear the redhead roaring after her but she was quicker, faster – and simply, sober. Compared to the wobbly mess chasing her, Lillis was a sprint champion.

Looking around, she had to ground herself and not run out of the house. Facing away from the door, she passed the table to see the large carpet was now a dancing floor. The bodies were sweaty, rocking and collapsing over each other.

Lillis wondered if running away was still out of question.

It was difficult to pass through the dancing mass, growling and slapping any hands wandering too close. The stair rail was cold under her touch but it reminded her of the slight hurry. She needed to tame herself. She couldn’t run away, not when this kind of situation happened. Not when it was bigger than herself.

She needed to be calm, collected.

Breathe.

Giving one last look at the cleanest party, she forced herself to breathe and climb the remaining steps.

The ambiance up here immediately sent shivers down her spine.

A man was on the floor in the tight corridor. Crying, rather loudly. The tip of his nose was covered in powder. The blood rushing out of his nostrils into his mouth looked painful. He was hurting but Lillis didn't discern any deviated septum.

Pushing his head down so as to let the flow drop rather than gather in his nose, she sighed.

The lack of the party’s host meant he wasn't the one to deal with.

She looked down the obscure hall. The colourful light from downstairs didn't pierce the shadows up there. In fact, the corridor was so dark Lillis couldn't see more than blurry shapes getting in and out of the many rooms ahead of her.

The music became a cracking black noise.

It was less intense but in so, it didn’t stop the noises coming out of the doors as she passed by or the cries of the man still on the floor. She raised an eyebrow at him, carefully stepping around him before hurrying into the dark.

She wasn't keen on staying around these doors.

Lillis pushed herself through the darkness until she reached the end of the corridor and entered an open area.

Couches, mattresses and all kinds of sitting furniture were around but the floor stayed a minefield. Little bags of odd-looking content, broken glass and needles hid in the carpet – cracking and smashing under Lillis' shoes. She sneered in disgust before seeing a girl in a quiet corner. She was holding her head in her hands, shaking like a leaf.

Something is wrong.

She bent and crouched in front of the unwell woman.

Her pulse was faint but here as she pressed on her wrist. Unsteady but present. She looked up and carefully lifted her head up to inspect her irises.

Lillis supposed those would the palest pair of green eyes she ever saw if the dark pupils weren't almost hiding the jade colour.

The girl’s mouth opened agape in shock. She blinked at her. She seemed to acknowledge Lillis. That was a start.

“What are you on?” Lillis cut to the point, looking around to see if they were any drinks. She spotted a desk covered in medication and water bottles. She quickly stepped up to grab the latter, smelling it to make sure before going back to the stranger. She hoped it was clean.

“You're so beautiful,” Was the girl's only answer, earning total ignorance from Lillis.

Something is wrong.

“What are you on, miss?” She asked again, a little more authoritative. She pushed away the hand trying to grab onto her grey sweater. The girl was persistent, but Lillis met her share of deluded drunks throughout her career. Still, the girl tried to rise and make their lips meet.

Lillis was quick to avoid it, pushing her back with ease, but not fast enough to prevent the girl from falling on her butt.

Something is wrong.

She held on to Lillis' ankle as she tried to steady herself. She would admit: she almost felt bad for the drunken girl. She was clearly intoxicated more than reason —like everyone here— but the constant pull on her flannel was now irritating her.

If the stranger was in bad shape enough to have Gina ask for her help, Lillis felt annoyed that she clearly could be fine without her assistance. An unease surged through her as the girl's grip tightened.

Waves of panic threaten to rise as she felt her fingertips against her bare skin.

Something is w-

“Come on...” Her blabbering was barely making sense. Her eyes blinked exaggeratedly. It did not impress Lillis. Far from the reaction desired, a pout appeared on the girl's lips. “Be nice!”

The waves got stronger as her anger grew, thoughts concreted by the girl's eyes on her. It was rising dangerously fast, soon overwhelming her. Just like this morning, it was a little itch that has grown quietly, unnoticed, until the sparks are too hot to be ignored— and she needed to get it out, now, before it became a raging wildfire–

“He said you would be nice to me!”

Lillis abruptly stood up, the floor creaking behind her.

It was faint and distant as she could hardly focus with her blood beating in her ears – but her paranoia didn’t let her miss it. She heard it loud and clear. She knew it was real before even turning.

Her breathing stopped as she faced it.

Clint was standing at the exit, this constant smile lingering over his lips darker than usual. He grinned at her a little wider once she couldn't help her brows to twitch in a frown. A wink was thrown her way and he disappeared into the corridor.

Her hand slapped the girl’s wrist over her sleeve before the stranger could dare to touch her. The movement had been automatic, not even reaching Lillis' mind until she heard the whine.

She ignored it as she walked slowly, eyes focused on the corridor, growing darker than the girl’s.

Lillis had forced down limits to this madness; this careful, tightly drafted insanity that has been happening for way too long in this house.

It had earned her many fights and scars, but she dared to think by now, her point has been accepted. That Clint would have rethink twice before throwing her in the snake's pit since she learned how to defend herself.

Pathetic, how she fell for it, over and over again. Pathetic, pathetic, pathe-

Her heartbeat deafened her as she barged into the dark corridor. She roughly ripped herself away from the hold the girl had manage on her jeans and she didn’t turn when she heard her fall and cry in pain.

She just wanted out.

She needed out.

Come on, you’re smarter than him, she seethed. The darkness soothed her overwhelmed mind: If you ever want to get out of there, calm the fuck down and think.

She couldn’t.

She realised she couldn't calm down as she reached the door on the other side of the stairs. She could not. Something snapped inside her and she couldn’t tell the growing monster inside her chest to rest any longer — it wouldn’t listen.

She wouldn’t.

It was her fault. She dared to think Clint would have the decency to accept those, retrospectively, lost battles in her youth. She had been childish. Once more, she’s not been any smarter. She’d fallen right into his trap, too focused on looking for bait.

And that was what made it all the worst.

She bit her cheek till blood flooded her mouth and joined the bitter aftertaste she couldn't swallow.

The waves were far too strong to pretend they didn't shake her any more – bursting harshly against her ribs.

Lillis couldn't pretend any more.

Running down the corridor, she didn't stop for a second. The darkness didn't warn her about the large shadow she stumbled into but she couldn't promise she would have seen it in broad daylight either.

She promptly ignored the taller person as they tried to talk to her, pushing them off maybe a bit too roughly. She heard their back slam on the wall and their shocked gasp choked in their throat.

She didn't linger to apologise, she couldn’t find it in herself to even pretend to care.

She couldn't do it any more.

She simply rushed back to the stairs and opened the sole other room on the other side of the second floor.

“I'm done with you,” She stated darkly as she burst into the room.

Clint was on top of Gina, his fist tensed and her mother's face bruised. Gina looked at her with a light in her eyes that Lillis didn’t even glanced at. The ginger never stood for her daughter in the past, why should Lillis pretend to care, now? She stopped wishing for a mother ages ago.

The day she realised what kind of man Gina forced into her life was the day she accepted her mother only kept her around because the pity meter worked better as a distressed single mother.

She forced Lillis to see him every day for the past ten years; she forced her to bear his last name as the last disgrace to her late father; she forced her to erase everything that wasn’t Clint Crawford from her life; she forced her to give everything to him.

No, fuck that. If Gina wished for the man to leave her, she was the only one to count on. Lillis shouldn't have to be the one to take care of her own mother.

She rooted her feet in the ground. Her wrath was clear in her trembling body and readied fists – like smoke hiding a raging fire.

She realised it was probably the first time in years she directly spoke to the man. The last incident was too fuzzy and too old for her to remember clearly. Or maybe it was her subconscious repressing it all the same.

She mistook her ignorant attempts for cowardice. She made herself far too obedient. Avoiding trouble should never have been staying silent, and she was very much done keeping her mouth shut. The fear of repercussions numbed her for far too long; it had to get out one way or another. It had to then, and it had to now.

She couldn't begin to think what would happen if she was forced to step down again. If she was to look down and keep quiet. She would lose her mind. And yet... For the third time today, revolt sounded like the thing to do. The right thing to do.

Those awful waves in her chest she felt earlier were now barely apart, prompting her to step forward. Her only and last thought echoing through her determined mind, what’s a little fire? Her fists tightened, the bandages around them clenching and menacing as she glared at Clint.

He sat up.

Looking at her from the end of the bed, he looked far too smug, far too in control for her liking. Couldn't he see her rage? Her dismissal? Maybe he did. Maybe that was why his smile was so large, his teeth shining disturbingly in the dim light.

“You can tell your wankers I'm done being at their service,” She spat. Her anger sparked as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

He’s entertaining me.

“I let you get away with this for far too long, but I'm done. I’m done assisting your miserable friends for you to avoid consequences, I’m done dealing with your tantrums. I’m done with you all! You're going to give me back all that money you stole and you're going to do it now.”

Her cold voice got lost in the drowning music a few feet away, but Gina had the decency to jump and react to her outburst.

Clint, him, only laughed.

Lillis' fists itched to beat his face in, to rip him apart. She could barely force herself not to implode, she could barely force herself to stand still. And as annoyed as she was by it, she flinched when he suddenly jumped to his feet and closed in toward her. It brought an even wider smile on his face and a much darker ire in her guts.

There was a danger in his walk but she didn't move. She was done fleeing.

His elbow leaned on the door behind her, by her head. He pressed his forehead against his knuckles... And he laughed.

The waves were keeping her up, pressuring up inside her chest.

“Now, doll...” He gritted through his teeth, his putrid breath hitting her face. “You're gonna listen and you're gonna do it well.”

His other arm moved to catch her hip. Lillis could feel his nail dig into her skin and she didn't hesitate to grab his wrist and twist it away. A snap could be heard from the bone but they both stood their ground.

Lillis' pale eyes glared up at his, not even hiding her disgust and wrath. Let him see what’s boiling under the surface, how fast it could reach him if he didn’t submit.

She was growing agitated as it became straining not to just let it happen. She was fearful of how far she would be willing to take her fantasies in this instant. She was tired of stepping down, done with playing by his rules.

If blood and violence he wanted – gore and torture, he'd get.

“As fun as it is to watch you make a joke out of yourself, I need to remind you who is in charge here—” He was trying to fuck her over, she saw it in the way his tongue licks his upper lip.

.ƚnɘllɘqɘЯ

He was going to make her bend until she broke, until she would stop fighting him. He'd go out of his way to push her into the darkest place of her mind to survive it all over again. But she knew if she had to go back there, she wouldn't come back from it... If she even did the first time.

.ƚlovɘЯ

She was done bending.

.ƚlovɘЯ

She was done ignoring.

.ƚ l o vɘ Я

She was done with him, with Gina, with this shit lifestyle-

. T ⅃ O V Ǝ Я

“I. Am. Done.”

The spit landed on his face gloriously.

She thrilled in the pure flabbergasted expression flashing on his face but it was soon hidden by the smack of her forehead against his nose.

Gina let out a loud gasp, hands covering her mouth at the crack.

He stepped away with a groan, letting go of her in order to wipe the saliva off his face. The pure look of shock painting his face left soon place to disgust and then anger as he stared back at her.

It made her stop breathing for a second, but then, she grinned. For all that'd happened since he made himself king in her life, for all the pitiful things he did and all the more she had to witness, she already knew what he was going to do before he even thought about it.

Watching him lift his fist in the air, her leg hooked behind his. His fall to the ground was satisfying – the sight of him below her electrifying.

But it was not enough, she found herself thinking. It was not as colourful as he liked it, as he did it. Her hand ached to grab the largest, shiniest knife in the kitchen and slammed it in his face to remedy that.

Slam it for every time he hurt her, slam it for every time he dared cross the line, slam it every time he made her more miserable than life already had. Slam it for daring to replace the place of the best man she could have wished for in her life by the vilest presence known to breathe on Earth.

She exhaled at how good it would be, to see him fall and beg for her mercy, beg for her to stop– how she wouldn't.

She shook at the thought of twisting it until he couldn't smile, smirk, laugh and talk any more – until he had no face left to sick people with.

Just nothingness to match the void of darkness he left everywhere.

She wouldn't be able to stop if she was to start, she was sure of it.

It scared her how relieving it would feel. She could actually feel it – how she would clench her fingers around the handle, take the blade in and out of his throat to make him choke on his own blood before throwing it in his chest.

She could feel the empowerment, the thrilling exhale of being the one to dictate his breathing, his very own life and death – to give him a tenth of what he put her through.

The blood would mess with her grip, splatter everywhere and cover her hoodie along the floor- but why would she hear Gina scream so loud?

Lillis blinked out of her fantasy, her breath knocked out of her.

Her eyes fell into her mother's. She frowned as she watched her scream and crawl back on the bed. She was crying her eyes out. Why was she howling like that? A strain grew in her legs. Lillis looked back down. How did she end up kneeling over Clint?

She blinked once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Each time, red grew more and more prominent before her. Like a slide changing at every blink, nausea rose in her throat.

Lillis choked, air locked in her tight chest.

Clint choked, blood lodged in his slitted neck.

Blood that spattered everywhere.

Long lines scatter throughout whatever was left of his face, dark tears sliding down into his curly black hair. His chest was soaked, red dripping from the wounds soaking his stupid Hawaiian shirt down the dirty carpet. His arms were fallen by his head, slashed by the blade shining red in her hand.

Her chest was heavy as panic settled in. Waves weighted her heavy chest while white noise filled her head. What had she done? How could she have done it?

Lillis stumbled back, slamming right into a hard mass. So much blood was covering her. Her top was too dark to even differentiate its light colour any more. She let go of the blade and lost her breath at how loud the loud sound.

Gina's cries surely attracted everyone’s attention. Lillis noticed the phone pressed against her screaming mouth. The situation just became that much worse, then.

After everything? She couldn't help but let disappointment fill her deprived lungs. Even then? Even now?

She was almost too lost in her crippling sanity, gripping tighter on the fabric of her hoodie when–

“Breathe,” Lillis jolted at the voice. It was quiet, comforting, a gentle word whispered right into her ear. She twisted her head to her left, eyes widening as she met two dark eyes above her shoulder.

She barely had time to make out the man kneeling next to her in the dark or the fact that his hand was pressed on her middle back to prevent her from falling all onto him.

“You need to go. Now.”

The sudden blue and red light blaster outside jolted her up. She rose to her feet, panic and adrenaline kicking in as she pressed her palms against the window.

Her bloody hand prints left marks as she pulled from the cold glass.

Gina took this opportunity to run toward the door, not even looking back for her husband. The door slammed behind her and Lillis' last moment of blissed confusion broke.

She had just enacted her most twisted fantasy.

She snapped, her crumbling mind spiralled. She finally lost it. She really was so far gone she didn't even feel the slip.

Her chest made her heave. She realised they were gone a second ago, imploded out of her when she blacked out. But now, they were back and more unbearable than ever.

Closing in around her chest, her ribs, her heart – they were suffocating her, killing her slowly. Not fast enough for her derailed mind to numb her.

Oh, I am so fucked – utterly done for.

She didn't know what Gina told them but as Lillis watched the officers run out of their cars, guns lifted and charged – she knew they wouldn’t listen. She had seen raids like these in her years as an EMT, she knew whoever the target was, they were done for before a word could be spoken.

And she stood right in the bull’s eye.

Steps behind her made her jump again. The stranger was still here, eyeing the body at his feet. She could see the hem of his jacket dripping red, along with his dark jeans.

She could see the splatters of blood up on the white shirt to his chest. Was he part of her broken mind, too? Another proof of her insanity?

“What the fuck?” Lillis coherently blurted. The words were barely breathed out, her voice so low she felt like she was drowning.

She wanted to scream –she desperately needed to, actually– but her throat was too tied, too dried to pass anything but shaky whispers. She could only watch in shock as the stranger kicked the unmoving body.

Even then, each hissed breath she could manage felt like torture.

Her bloody hands passed over her face, pulling at her hairline. Red mixes through the dyed blonde locks.

“Who are you?” She gasped at him, earning a head tilt. “Oh, who the fuck even cares!”

She turned away from him. She hated how faint his face was in the darkness and how unreadable that made him. What was he going to do? Which side was he on? Did it truly matter? She still took the life of someone.

Piece of shit or not, she just gave Clint the easy way out – and much more hardship for herself. More chains to bear.

Piled, repressed snaps started unravelling in her mind. She shook her head, hating how she was gazed upon. She felt watched like you would to a child having a tantrum. Insisting eyes aware and alert of her every moves- and heavily judging her for it.

“I'm going to die here,” She pulled harder on her hair. She closed in over to the door, avoiding the man and circling around the dead body. The hurried run of the cops was closing in and it did wonders for her spiralling panic. “I’m never making it out of here–”

The steps were so loud, they must be at the stairs already– If not at the door. She backed away at the thought, stumbling over Clint's dead body. Through the music and screams, Lillis could not focus any more.

The pressure on her chest was suffocating her, constantly tightening around her. Maybe her panic attack could successfully kill her before any guns ever were aimed at her.

Oddly so, it was the stranger's snicker that attracted her attention away from her impending doom. If her mind made him up, she wished she could have made someone more comforting than a snorting, judgmental asshole.

Her focus fell on him, giving her enough room to breathe and let out an annoyed scoff. “You think this is funny?!”

He snorted at her once more, stepping forward enough so the moonlight finally hit his face and exposed him to Lillis.

He had a slight beard and some locks fell from his man bun, long enough to brush against his sharp jawline. His brows were lifted as he glared back at her, his dark eyes surrounded by heavy bags but shining in amusement.

His grin was infuriating as his quirked mouth answered her wordlessly.

The fucker did find it funny.

Somehow, it angered Lillis enough to partially forget her upcoming shot down. If she focused on him, she’d be less focused on how she was going to die trapped in this hell, with a dickhead stranger as final company.

The stranger's soft steps, the shifts of his upper wear on his jeans, his head tilt to the side – she did her best to keep an eye on him. His calm stance as he walked past her unnerved her and the easiness coming from him rubbed her the wrong way.

If she did make him up, he for sure would help her, right?

Right?

He turned around the body until he was facing her from the other side.

No.

She fell to the floor, her legs like jelly under her. If she made him up: he, too, knew there was no hiding or coming back from this. He lingered calm as ever as he studied her. He didn't even seem bothered by the mess that was coming from outside.

He did advise her to leave before shit went down. But now, the shouts and warnings about exiting the room made her shake and pull on her roots harder.

The heavy weight of her panic strengthened once more on her chest. Unbearably so.

She didn't know what would be worse – for him to be real, or not. He could try to blackmail her. Worse, he could get caught in the crossfire.

Maybe, he was just another psycho passing by, amused by her ill-doing. Was he sparing her because she looked like a psycho too?

Hell, I might be.

She glanced up at him. He looked worryingly tall compared to her, especially from down here. If he was real, he would take most of the bullets. If not, he will at least hide the sight of a dozens guns pointed at her.

She closed her eyes, hiding them behind her palms. She felt the last strings of her sanity slipping between her reaching fingertips, disappearing under her hands with no hope of being in control ever again.

Her mind, the last thing she had utter power over. Her sole individual possession she kept to herself from anyone. She was now losing that, too?

“I mean,” His voice shocked her out of her thoughts. Now that he wasn't whispering, she was surprised to hear its depth. Almost scary in this situation. Yet, her brain choose to focus on the accent she couldn't differ. Latin? Maybe Italian?

She tried not to get bitter at her confusion. Studies wouldn't be able to help her either way with how to escape a murder she committed – blackout or not.

The stranger kicked the knife away to crouch next to Clint. He looked at the body with indifference before glancing at her.

“He had it coming. Didn't he?”

Her own scoff surprised her, passing through the built tears in her eyes. A nervous laugh followed. Then another, and another until she was a cackling mess. Her nerves finally broke. His lips twitch into a quick pitiful smile.

“You did an awful job if you wanted to make him suffer, though,” He said, almost bothered. “He probably went out at the second blow.”

Lillis nodded mindlessly before her laugh stuck in her throat. She froze. Second blow?

“How long– How did you even get here?” She asked, wondering if on top of possibly being created by her mind, he was here as a foe rather than a friend. She doubted she could trust her mind.

He stayed hands deep in his jacket as he stood back up, shrugging. “Long enough,” He said. “I felt you. I had to see what could be so strong as to attract me planes away.”

She waited for a joke to land or something, but nothing. She made a face at how serious he was acting. What is he talking about?

“Are you fucking with me?” Her anger suddenly barked back.

He looked amused by that spike, a chuckle passing his lips before seeing her face. He turned confused himself. Both of them looked puzzled at each other for a while. The two of them staring at the other weirdly.

A new, smugger, grin spread on his face.

“Oh,” He sang, stepping slowly toward her. “You're a newfound, aren’t you?”

Lillis’ frown deepened, feeling alarmed at his change of stance.

“That makes sense,” He hummed to himself, unbothered by her silence. His almond eyes looked deeply into hers. She felt uneasy under such scrutiny and jumped to her feet to escape him. She only stopped as she backed against the windowsill.

“Still— So strong?” He followed her. “Strong enough to successfully wander objects right away? On your first try?”

His walk towards her made her tense.

Friend or foe?

“Fascinating...” He stared at her before tilting his head to the side with a smirk. “But all the more troublesome.”

Her mind screamed danger. His eyes shined with sick curiosity. He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

“You better stop,” She growled him, hand lifting toward him. He stopped effectively but Lillis couldn't understand why he would keep such an amused face.

Eventually following his eyes, she found herself dumbfounded at the knife in her hand. It was bloody, dripping. One look at Clint. She failed to find the blade next to his body.

“How–” In a shaky jolt, the blade flinched through the air before it dropped to the floor, lodging itself right between her feet.

“Truly fascinating,” The stranger repeated, not an ounce of malice in his eyes. He looked like she had something special: like a scientist would to a gifted rat. Something he’d heard in books but never dared hope to see.

Friend or foe?

She felt a burn in her throat, waves she forgot about strangling her once more. A new panic attack set in. Or maybe she just lost track from how out of breath she was.

She gasped, one hand pressing on her suffocating chest while the other held onto the stand behind her hip.

“Oh,” He leaned in. His face doubled then tripled, blurry forms dancing in front of her teary eyes. “Wandering, now, are we?”

His dark eyes did not falter from hers as six pairs of them rooted her into place. She shuddered as she glanced at them turning void.

He seemed to understand everything while all she got was that something was very wrong. For sure, this was a show, a dream, a terrible nightmare that she’ll wake up from. Something you'd find in a very bad book.

Because if it wasn't... People were bound to die because of her broken mind.

People already died.

Lillis felt herself shake as she suddenly remembered the door and the officers right outside. The stranger stepped before her, blocking her sight behind his broad shoulders.

“No, no, no,” He tutted as he shook his head. “You focus on your first wander. I've taken much care to slow this plane not to be disturbed, be so kind as not to mess it up.”

She felt her eyes flutter as he continued to speak, a headache pounding at his confusing words. Panic swelled in her chest, rendering the whole world to a frightening threat.

The music was either silent or painfully high, mixing with screams before the shouts of the police slammed into her harder than in the door.

The constriction around her now didn't even allow her to breathe all together.

What is going on?

You should know.

Why don’t I?

“Liath knows newfound can be messy with wandering and channelling – don’t try both at once,” She shut her eyes tighter when he multiplied, his blurred forms disorientating her as she gasped for air.

All she wanted was to be alone. To be somewhere quiet to process what just happened. Somewhere far from the cocking guns and the angry shouts outside. Somewhere to abandon this bloody smell and gut–twisting horror.

She heard pounding on the door.

She just wanted to leave and never come back. She wanted to be done with it all. She was tired fighting for a mirage of a better life. She felt dizzy, unable to think – overwhelmed and breathless.

Some shots were made to the handle.

She crawled into a ball, hands over her ears. She heard the stranger talk to her and felt his hand on her hoodie but she shut him out, crawling deeper into herself.

She was tired of this nonsense. She was so, so tired.

Never had she lived so many intense panic attacks as strong as those, back on back. Did she miss a day of med? Was she crumbling to a single miss? Perhaps it was her sanity just ditching on her. Her brain creating a more bearable reality to protect her from all this shit.

Still, the damage was done.

She needed to go somewhere calm, somewhere she could be free, somewhere she could be okay, somewhere she could be safe. She needed to go back to the time she was safe and protected. Secured along someone who cares.

Did she know that? Would she have to create this reality, too?

Tears drop hidden behind her arms hiding her face as her lips prayed to a ghost.

Please, Baba-

A sudden void swallowed her and warmth hugged her. The blow of a gale swirls around her, leaving as quickly as it came but taking along the heaviness choking her in unpredictable dances.

Her eyes grew wide open in shock, filling her sight with vibrant purplish red, blue and green before it all was too bright to witness and she sealed them close.

Everything went black and silence embraced her.

She waited a second, a minute, maybe an hour.

Fresh air gently danced up against the skin revealed by her falling sleeves. Goosebumps rose up her spine. Her lungs filled with a cold breeze, her nose with a woody scent.

Her eyes fluttered at the calm snowy lake before her.

White mountains were on the other side of the clear body of water. Flakes dance in the air, falling in her bloodied hair. She turned, taking in her surroundings.

All was covered in a thin snow blanket – trees, a long lost bonfire, a broken cottage barely standing...

She knelt down as realisation hit her.

“Dad...?” She couldn't help but gasp. Her shaky legs stumbled as she closed in the cabin before falling again. This was a place which she'd only ever known through worn out photographs. This was... Home.

Her Dad's home.

Sitting in shock as she took it all in, she noticed she could breathe peacefully for the first time. She blinked once; twice; thrice.

The sight stayed the same.

Her hand went to her chest. Her heartbeat was peacefully following the lake’s flow. She felt light. No insufferable panic preventing her breaths, no unstoppable gunfire about to blow her up.

No breathlessness, no pain, no waves.

Only soft quiet wind in her hair and the gentle ripple of the water. She took a deep breath.

Am I... Dead...?

Looking at the blood covering her, she could be. It was indistinct whether she was hurt or not. She hoped she was. It would be reassuring.

Here, no matter the hurt, she felt no pain. She felt free. She could be at peace, forever. With a bit of luck, maybe her father was just around the corner, waiting for her—

Grey clouds formed next to her: thickening and worryingly looking like a storm forming out of thin air. She crawled back in shock. Snow scratched her palms gripping the ground, splitting her skin open.

Pain.

Fantasy left for reality as the stranger appeared back. Lillis watched as he emerged out of the clouds already disappearing-fading as quickly as they came. Like the devil chasing after his due, he looked down at her.

She met his gaze bewildered. His smug face filled her with annoyance.

“Can't stand on your feet, little fawn?” He smirked, his brow lifting as he glanced at her half-fallen back position in the snow.

She hesitated a second then without warning, jumped to her feet and slammed her palms against his chest with all the force she could gather. He gasped loudly, all smugness lost for a short panic as he stumbled back ungracefully. He barely caught himself with a wheeze of pain. Surprise and embarrassment fused on his face. Maybe it was her hidden strength, perhaps it was the awkward fall he merely avoided.

All she knew was that his outraged face was worth it. At least now, they could share their disappointment in seeing the other again.

He dramatically rubbed his hand over his shirt to massage the pain away when Lillis’ eyes stared at him. Pushing him again, he backed once more with a disgruntled groan this time. She looked in shock up at his confused, annoyance eyes.

He's here, she shuddered. The notion just seemed to hit her right in the face. He's real.

"What the hell?" He pouted. It looked weird to see this childish expression on someone with a beard.

They both stared, gathering their thoughts before they scoffed at the same time.

“This is real,” the words escape her at the same time as they settled in her mind. He was about to speak but silenced himself at her statement.

She looked at him dependently, his drama stopping to straighten his back. He didn't blink, looking right back at her. He didn't seem sure what to say. He eventually gave her a short nod.

“Yes,” Was all he replied. “Yes, it is.”

This was all the confirmation she needs to walk unsteadily to the shore and retch.

Coughing and shaking at the throb in her empty stomach, she spread water on her face to stop her nausea. Behind her, the snow cracked under the stranger’s boots.

He’s still here.

She glared at him. He was crouched by her side, an odd look in his eyes, his hand hanging weirdly above her shoulder. He was pitying her, she hissed. What does he want?

She still didn't know how he got to her, why he let her commit a crime, and especially what was happening to her. He seemed so confident back there, but now all became so much more complicated.

How did she get here? How did he find her back? What was wrong with her to feel so great yet never worse?

The rush of emotions she felt twisted her insides. This had to mean she was still very much alive if her dry heaving didn't already. She raged a breath to control the fire-threatening danger in her veins.

He had to be right about that being real, at least.

“You're going to tell me exactly what the fuck is happening,” She warned lowly, gathering herself to stand a little taller. She felt spent, sick, and weak.

He scoffed, pushing the hand she pointed at his face away. He didn't comment on her stumble at the loss of balance to her begrudging relief.

“I don’t have to tell you shit,” He snarled as he got up too. He turned his back on her, but she was quick to follow him.

“You’re still here, aren’t you?” She forced herself in front of him, blocking his path. “That means you want something out of me. So, what’s your deal? You come out of nowhere, act like this is normal and just expect me to let you leave without an explanation?”

He made her feel like a chattering hamster with his rolling eyes. He pushed his hands back into his bloody coat's pockets. She was tempted to push him once more just to see how he would fall.

She was willing to bet he was not as strong as he looked.

“Newfounds, I swear–”

“What the hell does that even mean?” She frowned, stepping to get in his face. She ignored how her chin barely reaching his collarbones. “Are you insulting me, bastard?”

“Fine!” He sighed heavily, stepping back as he lifted his hands in surrender.

He looked around, sharing her annoyance. Good, now he might be willing to get her off his back. He pointed at the scenery as he started walking again. She did her best to follow him in the snow, her sneakers getting soaked by the second.

She’ll be damned if she let him leave without an explication. Or a fight, for that matter.

“You’re a newfound, a traveller who just experienced their rooting. You did your first wander all by yourself, which is a wonder on its own, but to another plane? Even if you were kind of messy, that stays impressive. Also, that allowed me to find you back. This was a good first try – I'm impressed you're still in one piece, honestly,” He praised, as if any of the words he said made sense to Lillis. “But it’s not my job to tell you all this shit. Where’s your seeker?”

“My what?” She blurted out. “What- What?”

He mirrored her confused face, the both of them frowning at each other. He eventually sighed, a fog following his breath out as he pinched his nose. He mumbled something about stars before groaning as she jabbed her fingertip right in his solar plexus.

“Hey!” He whined, his voice comically pitching up.

“Hey yourself,” She scoffed. “Answer me.”

“I don’t have to do shit, I’m already staying out of decency for your seeker to find you, don’t push your luck, you-” His insult was stopped right as his anger slipped behind a very bad stoic mask.

He inhaled heavily to calm himself.

“No- No. You’re not worth my nerves. You’re just a shitty newfound as they are many, many other, no matter how talented,” He ignored her indignant face and glared around for a moment. “Where even are we?”

Lillis followed his gaze. She took in the place she wished to come by so many times with wonder.

Her father might have described it to her many times in his letters but the Rehten Lake truly was a beautiful place. It looked just like the photograph Gina burnt on her eighth birthday when she asked if they could visit.

But she'll be damned if she gave this stranger any answer before he gave her some. She was about to press him for more before she shut her mouth.

No, his answers would only prompt more confusion. If this was real –whatever this was– it was far too obnoxious for her to understand. Not in this mental state.

When she asked something, she had to give it to him – he did answer. She didn't understand them and he didn't have the patience to elaborate -nor will apparently- but he did answer.

He was pretty pissed at her, too.

Good, that makes two of us.

She stood taller, a vain attempt at intimidating him. He actually looked young, maybe just a couple of years older than her. If he shaved his beard, it might even look younger than her.

He still hadn’t wiped the blood off him. For a second Lillis was disturbed at the thought he might have been right there all along. All through her murderous blackout.

He might have stood right by her, close enough to collect the proof of her violence- and he didn’t made the slightest movement to stop her.

Friend or foe?

She doubted she'd ever get a clear answer.

Looking up at him, she realised she was wrong earlier. His eyes weren't dark. In fact, they were a soft brown – almost golden in the sunlight. The red room made him much more threatening than he looked now.

He resembled more of a huge teddy bear rather than a deadly psycho. She snorted at the image despite herself.

Great, even if he is an ass, now I won’t be able to take him seriously.

“Are you done staring?” He barked suddenly.

“Fuck off,” Was all she finds in herself to say but it was more detached. She just needed to have the last word.

It seemed so did he as he opened his mouth. He was ready to bark again and be as petty as her – before his face fell. He grew deadly quiet, eyes darting to the woods beyond the cottage. She felt the intensity of his sudden guard up. He was tensing up – his eyes unblinking ahead, lips pressed in a tight line.

If at first, she was wondering if he was trying to play her, she noticed a heavy black fog coming from the trees.

Dawn seemed to just rise, yet as it grew closer – it threatened to bring dusk in a matter of seconds. The dark smoke was swallowing any light and dangerously closing in on them. Soon, they'd be drowned in it.

The stranger walked to her side. She felt uneasy at his look. Even if he was quite the asshole, now he was back to looking intimidating. She took a step away from him.

It was almost terrifying, the dark energy brewing behind his eyes. She could feel it emit from him, almost feel it burn her. Looking straight ahead, he had the face of a conscious prey.

If he's the prey, who's the hunter?

She nervously looked around too. She searched for anything menacing but she was blind in the closing darkness. In a few seconds, it reached them, circling around the two of them. Paranoia started eating at her guts.

She couldn't see anything.

Except for birds, her father never mentioned anything living in these parts. It was supposed to be a little heaven where time stopped. That was what he wrote.

Why, now, did it felt like a closing trap?

“Oh, little fawn, you brought us trouble...” The stranger whispered worryingly low. A disturbing smile grew on his face – one he had trouble containing if he even tried. She didn't even had time to ask what trouble as a shock swiped her off her feet.

The stranger held out his arm before her, catching her just in time. It knocked the breath out of her but past the shock, her reflexes made her quickly slap it away. Which meant nothing prevented her from slipping and diving head-first at the next shake of the ground.

He grabbed her again but by her elbow this time. She didn't have time to swat him away before another shock rumbled through the ground. Her knees wobbled at the power.

This feels familiar.

“Earthquake?” She thought out loud. The sudden growl of the darkness was so loud she wondered if it was simply her heart beating out of her chest.

“Worse,” Muttered the stranger. It did nothing to explain the absurd but unmistakable threat of danger running toward them.

Did the police find them? Perhaps she passed out and this stranger took her here. Maybe he was playing tricks on her mind. Yes, this could be-

Her lungs emptied at a new wave. No. She probably and much simply turned mad. She'd lost all touch with reality and now, she was trapped in a hell circus made of her mind.

Else, it would mean she summoned a knife out of nowhere.

Else, it would mean she killed Clint.

Else, it would mean this man slowed time long enough to talk with her.

Else, it would mean he prompted her to travel through space.

Else, it would mean she did.

And that had to be impossible. Right?

Right?

She glanced behind her, taking in the sole building around. A wrecked home, once a beautiful cabin. How could this man have known about her father's sanctuary? Her heart dropped in her chest.

He couldn’t.

Hands pulled harshly on her hoodie's back, straightening her up. She squirmed away, stumbling. She ignored his snort and slapped him away one more time in retaliation, for good measure.

This time, when the new wave made her stumble, he let her drop like a stone and didn't bother helping her up again.

Her eyes squinted as her hands pressed to the ground. She could feel the shocking build-up before it reached them. Like a thunderstorm, it closed in — seconds shortening between each knock.

The apprehension made her able to handle the next blow.

“You got it, little fawn?” He asked as she stood strong on her knees. The knocks came stronger and quicker but with hands on the ground, she felt them before they actually rumbled. She realised it was the same feeling as earlier. The same waves as a building panic attack.

Instead of crashing her from inside, it closed in from outside. It was not rising within her, shortening her breath and hurrying her pulse. It was in the air, in the ground, creeping down all around them and choking them out. It was closing in along the dark fog. Her stomach tied itself as it felt like a cold burn.

She couldn't blame it on her anxiety.

This is real.

This was real and she didn't have the slightest clue about how. A new knock she didn’t see coming pushed her back. The stranger caught at the last second with a huff.

She tried to ignore how she knew she would have burst her head open on the ground if not for him.

“Hey,” She hissed, slapping his hand more gently and easing the hoodie that choked her in her save. He groaned back, shaking the sting out of the back of his hand while she steadied up.

“Hey yourself,” He mimicked her. She wanted to retort but her words got caught in her throat.

There was someone else.

She finally saw, from deeply hidden in the trees, through the dark fog thickening in the air — an even darker shadow standing tall. Her lungs emptied, her mind blanked and for a second, time did still. As if in trance, Lillis didn't even feel the new slam of power coming.

She fell right back down. The man at her side didn't stop her; in fact, he even pushed her shoulder down to precipitate her fall and hold her on the ground.

She wanted to fight back but as her hands pressed against the frozen snow, the thresh of power almost knocked her teeth out.

They’re near indistinguishable, she noticed with an unfamiliar sense of dread. The stranger smirked. He offered his arm to her and this time, she threw her pride to the side. She took it. The darkness was around them and she had a feeling she didn't want to be alone in it.

The rumbling in the ground was trembling. It was angry. She didn't have the ego not to hold for dear life when the man stood so still compared to her clumsy efforts.

Once she was up, they didn't even glance at each other – eyes focused in the distance.

The form in the darkness stood like the light at the end of a tunnel. Growing bigger and bigger. Lillis understood with a cold sweat what it meant.

It's drawing nearer.

The closer it got, the darker it became. The blur of smoke swung and thickened to turn them blind. Lillis could feel its ice feeling as it brushed the skin of her hand. It was trying to drain her, take everything in its course.

Soon, she wouldn't be able to see the stranger’s face a mere arm's length away. Dread suddenly washed over her. She turned to dig her nails into his sleeve but she knew.

It’s too late.

A deep pain burst between her ribs. The darkness was all over her skin, eating at the cotton. The smell of ashes and burned skin filled her desperate inhales. She raised her arm to cover her nose. Vain fully.

The rumbling in the ground was constant now, a long hum like a tornado about to crash. It begged them to lose their balance and disappear into the dark void.

Something is w r -

Her hands shook as the buzzing intensified painfully. Her eyes were locked on the shadow, a burning pain like no other nibbling through her skin but unable to look away.

.ИUЯ

“Run,” Her lips choked under her breath. She didn't even realise she was talking before her fellow glanced at her. Unfortunately, a loud noise in the dark made her jump, soon followed by more. Burst of electricity came alight from all around them.

Her head was pounding, as was her heart. She found herself unable to stand the pain, hands grasping at her chest. No matter the press of her palms on her chest, it only worsened.

She felt sick. Her stomach threatened to empty itself again, her heart to stop, and her lungs to deflate. Rising her left wrist and elbow, a burn spread inside her heart.

She could feel hands on her shoulders, only spreading the fire in her skin farther, but her ears were too muffled. She couldn't hear the words no matter how hard she tried – her focus solely on the stabbing green orbs shining in the void. Her eyes started to fill with pain at the sight, one she couldn't blink away. She shivered as she realised why.

She was scared.

She had been a lot of things throughout all her life – angered, disgusted, hurt, sadden, shameful- but scared? Fear wasn't something she experienced often. If ever. And yet, in this moment: she was downright terrified.

The stranger's hand on her cheek shook her out of her own mind. Did he just slap her? The strength tore her eyes away from the looming green.

She turned back to him, shocked. He had crouched next to her – when did she even drop? He held her elbow with one hand while his other was left uneasy next to her face. He reflected her stunned face.

She exhaled.

Pain. Pain, she could handle. Pain, she was keen with. Like the back of her own hand, she knew it – familiarly, intimately, comfortingly, almost reassuringly. She breathed in deeply. Everything still retched, and everything still hurt, but now she was aware.

She nodded softly, the sole acknowledgement of thanks he will ever get from Lillis.

“You attracted the big trouble,” His hurried murmur made her frown. He looked upset and dark as he jittered between scanning the trees and glaring at her. Eerily upset.

The green eyes no longer stood where they did.

She tried to stand back up before his hand on her arm tensed. He seemed at war with himself. She could hear the gears in his head racing as his grip went tighter, slipping to brush over her bare skin.

Screams and shouts, disapproval and displeasure inter-shocked his thoughts. He hesitated for a second, glancing away once more before focusing on her. His inner battle lasted a few more seconds before he let go of her arm reluctantly.

“You can’t stay here,” He said bitterly as she held onto the ground – oppressed by the darkness. They could barely breathe any more, lost in the suffocating fog, unable to even see the cold huff of their breath.

Muffled steps were barely a few seconds from reaching them.

“What the hell–” She panted but he ignored her, pressing her on her back. She fought him, seeing the grave look on his face. “–Are you doing!”

“Where to, where to...” He gritted through his teeth, kneeling by her hip. “You're too inexperienced to hide your essence...” He was rambling to himself, speaking so fast she struggled to hear him. His eyes closed, his hand in the snow by her face. “Eve won’t take you, the devowers will chase you...”

She blinked helplessly, no words passing her fusing mind. Fear was still lodged deep within her flesh as it battled the pain of the consuming burn growing in her skin. It enhanced everything as his hand pressed on her stomach.

The mumbling was too indistinct to relay his thoughts any more.

“What are you doing?” She repeated in between battered breaths. The pain was too much to even push him away. “We can't go anywhere and even if we could, the police is after my ass, and you're like a witness or something– We’re fucking doomed! What is even going on? Who even are you?”

Her nerves unusually unwind as she lost his face in the darkness. The waves slammed painfully into her, like hidden in the fog choking her. She felt light-headed.

A chilling laugh resonated in the darkness.

“Somewhere he can't know about– No, I don't have time to babysit you!” His other hand jolted over her forehead, groaning at her fight. “I know you're lost and confused and shit– But you're a messy newfound and a wanted criminal! You're going to have to trust me!”

Her fight weakened as the cold from his hand shocked her. She felt frozen under it. The laugh turned into a disturbing disapproving hum. Steps hurried. The stranger welcomed her unwilling compliance and hurried to press harder on her. She choked at the pressure, the pain in her already too much to bear.

The cold on her skin mixed awfully with the burn under it but it was all a second before she turned numb.

“You better hide well and not make all of this a waste,” He gritted through his teeth, her vision blurring.

She aimed for his wrists, nails aiming to dig into the thick sleeves but all she reaches were soft clouds. His voice became distant as a light fog replaced the dark one.

“Miller. Kyle Miller,” He finally introduced himself. “Not a pleasure to meet you.”

His hand on her forehead disappears, soft as cotton. She desperately tried to grasp where he should be.

“Wait, I don't understand–” She heard herself fight but her lips still still. Lillis’ whole body was so painfully heavy. Sudden exhaustion made her limbs drop, as if sedated. Any strength was getting sucked out of her in a snap.

“I know, I know,” Lillis could almost believe the guilt in his hisses. “But you will, eventually. I promise. We have to part ways. Now,” A gentle mist surrounded her, her eyes fluttering. “I got trouble to go after.”

His voice sounded so far away. She wondered how she could be falling asleep. She felt cold and warm, itched and comfortable… Then, everything shifted to nothingness.

She knew she was a goner in the numbing fog before Kyle's voice slipped right into her ears, a low whisper just like the first time she heard him in the dark room.

“Find Roger of Duke, and remember… Hide for your soul.”

Slowly opening her eyes, Lillis blinked away the brightness of the day. It warmed her up, laying a blanket of sunlight over her passed-out body. Her whole body felt numb as she lied on her back. She could vaguely feel a branch pushing into her middle back.

"Where... Am I...?" Her lips cracked as they part, voice hoarse from the cold.

Rays of sunlight dazzled her before being obstructed by a pink passing butterfly. Birds and bumblebees danced around. Lillis' eyes went in and out of focus as they went from flowers to flowers.

The nice smelling plants were of shapes and colours she never thought existed. Her eyes tracked half-consciously something that looked between a bee and a grasshopper fly toward the tree digging in her back.

The roots of the trunk were of vibrant green. It made the scenery all the more surreal – their dark lime barks and vibrant lilac leaves turning this place into a magical dream rather than an extension of the growth of dirt she felt under her palms. Her nails dig into it as she sat herself up.

She looked at the gentle gray dirt spread on her skin with blank, wide eyes. It almost felt like ashes. After a second, she blinked, unmoving, mind-hazed. A moment of blissed confusion later, she remembered to breathe.

Then, her body jolted up.

Panic rushed straight through her heart. The mess of events that lead her here all but crashed back into her. She jumped on her feet, dizziness making her stumble as she took in the loneliness throughout the trees.

She didn't recognise the deserted forest, nor how and if she could escape it.

Broken buildings were mended in the ever-growing nature. Large houses almost one top of each other. An obvious hallway taken over by vines appeared before her, flowers growing painfully through the remaining bricks and in the cracks of the woods.

The large structures that once stood here lay forgotten, close to fully overtaken by the barely living nature, different yet similar to her father’s cottage's desolation. The comparison made her blink.

Wait--

"Hide for your soul," A voice suddenly resonated through her mind.

Dropping to her knees, her hands shook as her head filled with flashes.

Blinding lights, blood, dead eyes, terrorised screams, a man coming from the shadows, nausea, burst of colours, dark fog, clouds– Lillis choked as she felt herself lean forward to heave.

Her empty stomach swirled as it tightened on itself, a string of saliva dripping from her lips in her desperate attempts to ease the weight in her chest. One look down at her hands and clothes, and nothingness tried to go up her throat once more.

Deep dried blood covered her still from head to toe.

For a second, she slipped and fell into a spiral of her own making – panic and memories mixing in her mind at light speed. Every detail, every emotion, every confusion; it was all too fast, too clear, too overwhelming to take it at once.

She tore her worn out hoodie off her head, the once pale material too crimson for her to look at any more. The dried liquid seeped through it, itching her skin. Even the flannel under was soaked in red. She pulled it off, throwing it as far as possible from her. At least her under shirt was dark enough to let her pretend it wasn't stained either.

She held the side of her head, gripping her hair, as she started walking in circles.

"No, no, nope, I have to wake up, now. I fell, didn’t I? I knocked myself too hard and now I’m delusional," She panted. "This isn't real— This can't be real."

But no matter how much she stubbornly opened and closed her eyes, how hard she pinched her arm, how stung she got by slapping her cheeks — again and again: she remained here.

She didn't wake in bed, sweating and confused but in the familiar discomfort of the Crawford's house or even on her work station’s couch; anything to conclude this living nightmare as just that: a nightmare.

But, no.

She remained in the out-of-reality forest.

She frowned as she desperately gasped on her knees. Holding her head tightly in her hands, she held her breath. She had to get out of here: one way or another.

She jumped to her feet again. Lingering in here would only cement it more, make whatever this was more real — and all the less logical.

She wasn't ready yet to even consider accepting it.

On one hand, she did wish she did imagine it all.

She did wish her brain flipped her mad. It would be easier to make up a story of a lost dimension-traveller to cover a most horrific truth.

She murdered someone in cold blood.

And while it was for the best Clint wasn't in this world any more; the shame and dirty feeling of his blood felt like it still lingered on Lillis' hands, tainting and rotting her as it deepened in her flesh, to her core.

Eyes unblinking at her crimson hands, she gagged.

It still is.

On the other hand... She was free.

For the first time ever, she could wander without consequences. No goal, no ulterior motive, no faking. She could do whatever she pleased whenever she wished to. Be it from the insanity of her mind or the inexplicable reality – she was finally free.

The realisation alone sent a chilling thrill through her veins. She could already feel its poison spreading like a rooting addiction. The thought pressed her palm over her lips.

The deep lime of the trees' trunks, the small pink bushes, the anthracite flowers – all of these were foreign to her, and yet, familiarly comforting. It symbolised her new path. One she earned on sickening terms, but one she finally could finally walk on. One she didn't really have any other choice but to.

She had to adapt to survive, that was how she made it so far.

She forced herself taller.

Wiping the bile on her chin, she set her determined eyes forward. She didn't know where she was but she couldn't afford to let herself go. Not any more.

Fretting wasn't going to help her case. The police must be after her and wherever she was, it was peaceful enough to let her lose her mind then gather her wits. Did this, done that, now, she barely had time to think of a plan. Allowing timeout for another freak-out would have to wait.

Burying the blares of her anxiety to deal later with, she looked ahead.

She had to understand what happened. What was happening.

"Find Roger of Duke," The voice echoed again.

She turned her back on the ruined compound and went deeper into the forest.

Her erratic heart slowly settled, her lungs dropping to a regular rhythm. Anger remained but diminished greatly. How things managed to go so wrong so fast was still unanswerable but she knew someone had to know about all of this mess. And she was determined to find who.

And if it’s just me... Then, I guess I’ll still have my answer.

She indulged herself in the idea that the police didn't know where she was yet – just like her. Still, she wasn't going to wait around and find out. She probably didn't have much time left anyway.

If the travelling–through–dimensions part was a still questionable aspect of her hazy mind, even down-right untrustworthy, the blood on her hands wasn’t.

The bounty on her head had to be, too.

The pit in Lillis’ stomach grew deeper and deeper with each step but so did her determination. She walked faster, if still tensed. Eyes opened for any clues to her location. Maybe the stranger's going by Roger.

At least, the quiet eased her.

Leaves cracking under her sneakers; birds singing as they pass her; petals brushing her naked arms. The peaceful calm was a breath of fresh air. She understood the nature here but they were so inexplicably different from what she was accustomed to, an odd apprehension made her pause at each glance.

The world kept spinning despite her fate, she realised in the beautiful nature. It looked sick and slow, but living still.

As if nothing ever changed, as if it had always been that way. It brought her a slight since of sadness but also reassurance.

At least, until she caught at the corner of her eyes a hooded form sneaking up on her.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Steam seemed to dance in the air and get worryingly closer. Soon, multiple shadows followed the form and Lillis felt all the more observed.

Friend or foe?

The vain peace she felt crumbled as she wondered if this really was as safe of a place. Caution tightened her heart. Footsteps closed in behind her. The stretch of a jacket reached toward her. A hand closed around her forearm

The mere brush sent a jolt of electricity down her nerves--

Foe!

--and she sprinted without a look over her shoulder.

She didn't even try to regulate herself. She jumped over the large roots; twisted around the trees; dashed through the bushes. She ran madly, gaining distance until her sudden departure clicked. Voices ordered her to stop. She ignored them. Focusing simply on getting as far from here as quickly as possible, she thanked her hours running at the park for her cardio.

Her body was used to the endurance, to the rough ground. Her muscles had been torn and broken on an everyday basis to outrun any trouble she could ever encounter.

She was more than ready for a chase like this one.

Still, she stumbled out of nowhere. She caught herself just in time before jolting back. Was it the wind? Earthquake-- The thought knocked her breathe.

Waves.

She speeded up, the godawful knocks harder and harder on her back. If they were triggered by her will to flee or the people after her, she didn't know. She couldn't focus enough to care.

The calls were closing in, as erratic as her breathing. Her speed increased, as if she could outrun them too.

A sharp sting merely missed her leg.

"Shit!" She cursed as blood dripped from the cut in her jeans, barely catching herself on a tree. Her handprint sparked a vibrant mark on the trunk.

Fascination ran short as a dart lodged itself right between her spread fingers, missing her by a hair.

She glanced back, seeing one of the chasers just a few feet away, rushing forward. Their hood was high on their head, hiding any traits but she didn't stay around to find out.

She sprinted back on with all her might. The waves collided back into her, messing with her rhythm but also pushing her forward. She couldn't feel her legs, as if carried forward by the flow.

The outside forced were getting indistinct – pressing on her rib cage, pushing on her back, messing her rhythm. She couldn't breathe under the strength of it. Concern sparked as she wondered if this was where she’ll break.

The chaser was catching up on her; sticks snapping closer and closer; steps heavily stomping faster; she was fast, but they were getting faster–

One second, a hand brushed her under-shirt, forcing her to drop to the ground to avoid it; the next, she felt her heart drop in her chest as wind swallowed her and bursts of colours blinded her.

Auroras of pink and blue spiralled around her before she was forced to close her eyes at their brightness and fling herself into darkness. The shock made her limbs give out under her and she rose her arms up to soften the fall.

A fall that never came.

Instead, a switch seemed to turn off. As if she simply closed her eyes and dozed off, her body so light from adrenaline turned groggy and heavy. She had to battle herself to re–open her eyes.

Blinking the faintness away was difficult enough, but now the fight resided in keeping herself up. She merely had enough strength to feel the cold wind against her bare arms, goose bumps rising over her skin.

The blur of her eyes cleared.

Before her, snow gently fell over a calm lake. Her breath danced in the cold air as she lifted herself up. Her legs were shaky but the epiphany made them stumble back. She felt a slight pain in her chest.

"The Rehten Lake...?"

The cottage was still crumbled, the lake peaceful, the forest quiet. It looked as if she never left.

Her back hit the frame of the home’s entrance. The demolished house barely stood but remained strong behind her shoulder. She leaned against it as she turned, entering the living room. The niveous floor made her eyes flutter, the cold biting her skin. The shock of the sweet summer weather from the forest to this freezer temperature stopped her breathing for a moment.

Her thin shirt did not keep her out of the icy wind but she didn't have the strength to even worry about pneumonia.

Dozens of questions dimmed into a painful headache, not giving her the opportunity to pick one and contemplate it as they mixed in an awful mess of confused screaming.

She stumbled as she took a step forward, then her whole body dropped.

Baba, I’m home, Was her last thought she processed.

When she came back to herself, she is laid on her side. Pain and migraine duet behind her eyes but something else pushed it to the back of her mind as she blinked up. Eyes up at the holed ceiling, she stared at the snowy clouds.

For the first time in maybe ever... She felt serene.

The ruined little home was just as abandoned as when she lost consciousness. Ashes covered the few standing structures, leading her eyes to the stony fireplace by her side. No fire kept this place alive for ages, she would bet on it.

Her freezing body shivered on the floor of what she guessed used to be the living room. A thin layer of flakes had covered her during her rest, the result of the half-missing and burnt ceiling. But, it also allowed the sun to shine down on her.

She closed her eyes and sighed under the warm sunlight on her skin. It was warm, comforting. She felt calm, calmer than she probably should – calmer than she ever felt.

No matter the confusing situation she was going through and the overwhelming questions filling her broken mind, this warmth reassured her. Her focus lingered on it.

It was soft, a consoling intuition promising her she’ll be alright if she just kept going. She could rest as long as she remembered to stand back up.

A few shaky breaths later, she put her hands over her eyes. Her usual migraine growled as usual – distant, just out of reach. Uncomfortable but bearable.

Lifting her red palms, she eyed it blankly. Her mouth drew into a tight line. The first thing she had to do was to clean up. She might be missing her bloody clothes, her hands were still red up to the middle of her forearms; splatters all over her face and collarbone. Let’s not even talk about her pants.

No wonder she had been chased down.

Teleporting ability couldn't avoid her from being spotted if she was covered head to toe in blood. Neither would infections nor basic hygiene. She didn't think she’ll find much as she wandered through the ripped house but she tried still.

The ceiling had mostly fallen. The walls, or what was left of them, were mere topped stones at this point. It was as if a bomb had blown up in here. Even so, there were still these ghosts of the past.

A broken cot, a lost dresser, some instruments of some sort. Woodcarving, maybe pottery? She didn't know. She didn't linger around to find out.

She feared if she actually stopped and breathed in, she’d feel how heavy the air truly was.

A sombre darkness hid behind the gentle picture. She could guess what was putting her on edge. After all, it was clear that the tragedy that happened here hid in plain sight. She shivered. Her eyes wandered for a second, wondering if this place could be cursed.

In a world where she could teleport, she wouldn't be surprised to learn ghosts, too, were real. Too much evil can transform anything: hearts like roots. This was the last place her father had been known to be – or so Gina’s told her.

Her eyes squinted as she caught dark taints through the ashes on the wall.

... Blood.

She snapped her eyes close, turning away.

Maybe the lake fed its beauty in its owners' demises. A necessary sacrifice to satisfy the spirit’s perfect appearance.

Maybe it was a pure misfortune. Heart wrenching events leaded to tragic endings, after all.

Despite it all, this peculiar sense of warmth won over the dreadful horror.

It remained in the items, carried into every corner. It called for her to get her just to come close enough. Everything about these sparks reminded her of her dear box. She gasped then sorrowed at the thought.

That, too, was lost, now.

The only heritage she had, the only one left she could lose.

She grind her teeth at her burning eyes tearing up before digging through the lost broken furniture.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, she found some clothes. They were clearly worn out but they weren't burned. A pair of jeans far too big for her along a large sweater in her arms, she nodded to herself. She was about to concede to the light outfit when her eyes caught on a jacket crumbled behind a fallen armchair.

It wasn't the only one she came across, nor the thickest, but something attracted her to it. It was oversize for her and a little dirty, but warm and soft all the same.

The dark brown of it softened her lips into a gentle smile. Its owner's scent was almost lost on it but she could distinguish the distinctive smell.

Citrus and cinnamon.

A small chuckle escaped her.

She held the apparel close and exited the derelict ruin.

The cleaning was horrendous and tenacious in the freezing lake. The bite of the freezing water only made her more aware of how cold she was. Still, she rubbed her skin raw until not one drop of red taints her under her blue hands.

She gave one last scrub to her nails, one last groan to the cold and she ran out. A heavy exhale through her nose as snow fell on her damp skin, she cursed flowery under her breath.

Finally in clean, warm clothes, she sighed contently. Her hair was wet but she sucked it up, satisfied enough. She turned away from the dirty water, a new sense of purpose leading her.

It all stopped as she halted right away.

A few meters away from her, large stains of crimson contrasted the pale snow.

Hidden on the other side of the remaining stones, she had totally missed them. It was only now, standing by the lake, her sight broaden that she wondered how she could not have seen it before.

She slipped on ice as she hastened over, her red old sneakers sliding right over.

She reached the red pool with a twisted stomach.

Whose blood is it? How long has she been out? Did it happen in that time? Was it already here? She looked up as the trail went into the dark forest.

Her blood froze.

This had to be where the stranger made her disappear.

Kyle, was it? Is it his blood? Is he okay?

She bit her cheek as she saw the red faded under the snowing flakes. Turning her eyes away from the bloodshed toward the forest where it lead, she filled her lungs.

Could he still be around?

"Kyle?" She called out. Birds flee in fright. No answer came back to her. She looked down at the blood in the melted snow. In the flacks, she couldn't determine how old it was. Maybe she was overthinking it, maybe it was an animal’s.

Yet, the little voice in the back of her head told her she knew better.

Giving a glance at the diffused blood in the lake to the one hidden behind the ashes back the small puddles at her feet: all she felt was a heavy sadness and persisting anger.

Everyone got cursed here. Eery peace and nostalgia couldn't make up to that.

Bad luck is as inevitable as fate.

She told the soft voice in the back of her head to go fuck itself.

Her eyes stayed unblinking on the bloody path toward the forest. The depth of the trees seemed never–ending as she stared deep into the dark woods. She couldn't begin to fathom what happened.

What, or rather who, did she encounter the day before? Glimpses of a green-eyed shadow came to her, dark fog rising the hair on the back of her neck. It looked human but Lillis couldn't trust her idea of reasonability.

What she thought was impossible now could very much be.

Is Kyle even alive? She hissed as concern messed with her head.

No one was around – that much she was sure of. She could feel it in the air. Dread soon followed. She couldn’t remember most of the incoherent words the stranger tried to instruct her but she got the essentials.

She had to find a certain Roger of Duke for answers; and whatever this trouble was, she was to absolutely avoid it.

A trouble that could very still be waiting for her to finish.

"Meh," She zipped the jacket up. "Never been good at following orders, anyway."

The snow crushed under her feet as she entered the forest.

Her guts being the only thing she could count on, she followed it. She got further and further past the trees, desperately drawn to the heart of the woods. It was too strong to ignore, almost begging her forward.

The drops of blood got fainter, almost lost in the gentle weather but they wee still here. She overstepped the broken branches, followed the burnt roots.

The air was calm but held a certain apprehension. She came across no animals nor vegetation as she reached the wildest part of the woods – just tall, dark, dead trees standing strictly out of spite.

If she thought they might have been killed by the cold temperatures, she grew more concerned by the strange marks on their trunks. They became less and less easy to ignore.

Slashed. Deformed. Crooked.

She could be told a war occurred here, and she'd never question it.

It begged a lost tale too tragic to acknowledge.

She tensed as her mind pictured her how the fight must have been. Violent punches, anguished screams, deep slashes and strange green needles. Nothing could withstand the animosity persisting in the air. She quivered, her feet stopping as the trail faded for good.

A metallic snap crunched under her foot.

Her sneaker lifted off a necklace. Its silver was rusted, corroded at parts and worryingly caked in dried blood at most. She crouched, admiring the simple flower pendant. She didn't know much about plants but you recognised an Aloe when you saw one.

Her hand approached as to look over the faded jewel before a sudden zap made her gasp. No wounds appear on her skin but the fiery pain is unmistakable.

She’d been flicked off.

Static electricity? She frowned. Looking at her stinging fingertips then at the pendant. She hummed a groan. She reached out again.

"Stop it."

Lillis did, if only for an instant.

The voice seemed to come from deep within her mind. It was fogged, indistinct, far. The words were merely understandable. They sounded like an ancient memory, one you desperately repressed.

.T⅃OVƎЯ

Her hand lifted back in front of her. This time, she apprehended the contact with the cold argent but the attraction to its heartbeat-like pulse begged her to touch it.

"Enough!"

.T⅃OVƎЯ

Her index dreaded the inevitable spark, her throat tightened. She knew nothing would shield her from the hurt but she wasn't going to let this simple detail stop her.

"I won’t hold!"

!T⅃OVƎЯ

Her heart beat loudly in her ears, so loud it sounded like a scream--

"STOP!"

!T̸͚̆ ̶͚͝ ⅃̵͙̒ ̶̪̈Ǫ̴̒ ̸͔̓V̶͖͑ ̷̪̇Ǝ̶̳̎ ̴̼̃Я̷̯̀

A knife sliced through the air, glass broke and the void suddenly sucked her in.

She dropped on her stomach harshly. She was breathless for a moment, huffing when her lungs allow her to exhale. Her chin hurt from the fall along the painful clench of her teeth she still felt in her jaw. Her elbows flexed under her to rise her up. She fought a heave from the wind knocked out of her.

What the– Lillis stared at her hands.

She let go of the necklace during the sudden emptiness but most noticeably– The snow was gone. Instead, the smell of manure and hay slammed into her as she blinked at the straw floor she leaned over.

Her brows frowned in pure confusion.

She gazed at the old dried grass, the smell of wheat daring her to sneeze. She lifted her eyes up. Broken ceramics shards were scattered ahead, pale planks of the farm she was in dangerously fogged by a thick black mist.

Her eyes grew wide as she recognised it and its agonising choke-hold.

It’s the same mist as-- Her thought got cut by a gentle whisper in her ear. The voice was weary, breathy but its statement no longer muffled. It was clear, chilling as it faded.

"... Our end has come."

A hand flipped her on her back, a knee pining her hip still. Sudden surprise kept her down long enough for a knife to press on her throat.

The dark form was ominous as it pressed on her.

The fog hid its face, a large blur obscuring anything past its long grey coat but she saw its gloved hand lift in the air.

In it was a long syringe filled with a bright green slime-like liquid: ready to be slammed down into her exposed neck.

She froze, an unknown unfamiliar terror slamming into her. While she normally would be fighting and biting back, she found her body standing still no matter how much she tried to fight it off.

One of its eyes appeared through the darkness, brown locks blown away to show a bright green irises, similar to the syringe's content. It looked familiar until it faded for a second, showing the most vibrant blue Lillis ever witnessed. They were wide and full of desperation as she noticed with shock the tears filling them.

It’s a man, she gasped, a real human.

Her choke of terror surprised him and hesitation forced him to pause. It was all it took for the anguishing weight on her chest to burst – throwing her out of herself.

She became a mere watcher in her own body as she found herself pushing the creep off her, her foot kicking him straight in the stomach. She threw herself back on her front, skin opening as it pressed on the broken shards but resolute to reach a fallen candle holder a few feet away.

Pain was only secondary to the adrenaline going through her veins. It was so much, she was shaking. The groans of the man recovering behind her only made her all the more eager to crawl faster.

Not fast enough.

Hands grabbed at her feet in a vain attempt to stop her but it was kicked and dodged as her mind filled with this only goal – grab the damn stick!

Fingers neared the metal before the sting of a needle pressed on her shoulder blade. Her palm locked around the holder, body twisting around with momentum to hit the man right in the face. The same storm that brought her here swallowed her whole before she could land the hit.

She rolled with force until she was hit in her side. Wind knocked out of her for the second time, she held the two marbled march stairs under her responsible for her future bruising.

She groaned as she went to lift herself up once more. The feet of a tall effigy faced her, its beautiful pale pink marble matching the floor. It would be lovely if not for the darkness filling the space. Looking up the curves of the beautiful woman, long braided hair falling down her back, Lillis found herself breathless at the kind eyes sculptured to look down at her.

Her smooth–stoned hands were offered out to her.

Where am I, now?

Lillis grumbled. The pain in her ribs stopped her breathing. She held a curse back. Her eyes flickered, trying to catch the next blow before it dropped. It was too late: she was kicked back in her middle, sure payback for her own kicks.

Thrown back farther over the marches, a loud crack resonated. She teared up as her chest lost its numbness to pure fire.

The more she lost control over the situation the faster it went to shit, she tried to reason. She didn't have time to think more on it, or even think about getting up. She had to keep--

A foot dropped on her wrist, taking advantage of its odd position over the stair. The second crack snapped her out of her mind. She could her a scream in the distance. The pressure deepened, boot pressing on her dislocated hand. She glanced over her shoulder.

The devil was back, needle in the air.

His face was still hidden by his shadows, his dark coat hanging high but his sole visible eye made her shudder. If before she saw desperation, now she was facing resignation.

Pure apathy beyond the task at hand.

He didn't waste time with manners, dropping the needle fast on her. She almost saw it coming a second before, her free hand quickly lifting up her face without her thinking. The pain of the steel passing through her flesh seemed surreal if not for its head peeking out of the back of her hand.

A blink away from digging into her eye.

Her body reacted once more out of her control, fingers grasping around the syringe – pulling it away from him, before flying it right back in his face. She felt a thick beard as she broke the glass, the green content splashing everywhere.

The liquid slide down her hand. It tore an agonising shriek out of her. The torturous pain it gave her as it slowly rolled over her skin had not been expected, at all. Deep burns were quick to appear, drawing instant trails in her flesh as it spread. She screeched, pulling the stuck needle out of her palm and crawling back to escape the screaming man holding his face.

She looked up at the large statue, grabbing her carved hand to get up without a second thought – until a gloved one grabbed at her ankle. Her already bruised ribs cracked loudly as she was pulled down the marches once again.

The fall resonated loudly in the quiet, and her screeching only grew more intense as she was dragged through the emerald splattered matter.

Panic sized her but it was nothing to her anger.

If in the barn she felt petrified by it, now it was fuelling her fight. Her heart drummed out of her chest but she saw it. A piece of the broken syringe was right there, within her reach. She didn't even breathe before reaching for it, the burning pain made her scream but push on until she held it tight, throwing it in his face and—

Another whooshing sound and the sunny sky behind him suddenly blinded her. She lets go of the glass as the light contrasted the previous darkness. The falling piece never reached her. The scent of garbage and blood made her gag.

Fingers locked tightly around her throat, turning her vision blurry. She scratched his wrist to make him stop, slowed down by the futility. Nails jolted up, digging in a thinner version of the beard she felt earlier before aiming for his eyes.

No dark mist was thick enough to hide him any more but the choking hold he had on her was pulling her under. His face was indistinguishable in the blur of her lack of air, and the longer he choked her, the less she grasped details.

She felt herself flicker, close to unconsciousness before her hands grabbed tightly on his jacket. She pulled him down, then lifted her pelvis. It effectively ruined his balance and she took advantage of it. She rose forward, meeting him halfway there. Her forehead crashed against his nose in a gut–wrenching crack.

Payback!

She tumbled back as he did, hitting her head on the ground under her. She wheezed loudly. Finally free, maybe, but her celebration was cut short for a swallowed curse.

A heavily decorated ceiling was above her, all kinds of items lingering on mural shelves.

Again?! She growled between gritted teeth – the pounding of her headache close to bursting her skull. She felt on the verge of passing out yet her body continued on its own accord.

The devil was still in front of her but his face remained blurry. He stood unruffled and not once tired of their game as he swirled the same green syringe around his fingers.

Her legs reacted quickly, kicking him in the shin, up to his knee before crushing his crotch. He dropped and she ran to the back. Heaved cries and irritated groans threatened to catch her on.

She didn't know where she was going – her guts only dictating her course. She hurried toward a hidden shelf, pulling on the handle of the first drawer before a foot kicked her forward. She gasped, falling over.

Her hands lifted to grab on the top out of reflex but a dead grip grabbed on her elbow to keep it still in the furniture. She was helpless as she was pressed forward, helpless as the wood closed shut on her knuckles.

She couldn't even find the air to scream before her head was slammed on the wood.

Warmth trickled down her brow into her eye.

She twitched as the sudden red filling it but she couldn't think of blinking it away – flying like a leaf as she was pulled back and thrown against a bookshelf.

She fell on her side with a hard thud on the floor. Manuscripts and books followed, dragged by her drop. They were quick to bury her but it wasn't enough to prevent the hand to find her hair. She was dragged over the floor, her roots locked in his fist before she was sent flying across the other side of the room.

She collided against a counter bearing a large golden bowl. She managed to stay up this time. The side of the ceramic still knocked in her stomach, knocking her breath out for the third time.

She growled lowly, a mimic sound to the man grabbing on her hair. It loosened suddenly before her face was pushed in the container and into the white-coloured water.

She fought as her chin touched the cold water, but so did the monster.

Hesitation lingered in the air.

She dared to hope the fight was over. Looking in the pale water, she could glance at his reflection. Wild locks seemed to dance around his face but his traits stayed indistinguishable. A sharp inhale shook him, leaving her breathless. Maybe he, too, was as exhausted as her. Maybe they could leave it at that.

She was sorely disappointed as her head was suddenly drove underwater.

The liquid filled her lung as she choked her surprise. It felt excruciating, her hands uselessly slapping the counter to escape a slow death but nothing prevailed.

She choked, she fought, she pushed, she gagged.

She screamed, she jolted, she pounded, she seek.

It was only when her body failed her, limbs raw from exertion, eyes rolling to the back of her head, mind going blank, that the hand disappeared. She collapsed unceremoniously on the floor. Faint coughs let stream water down her chin.

Mind faltering by the shock, her vision faded in and out. Still, she groaned.

The bed resting on the right and the opened door leading to a clearing. It was, yet again, a different place.

This is hell, isn’t it?

The devil knelt in front of her, stroking her damped hair out of her face. The sole constant to all those nightmares.

His fingers locked on her elbow, helping her up. If he was talking, Lillis couldn't tell. Her muffled ears were slowly clearing through her hazy mind but when she felt herself coming back to her senses, she went rigid.

He was leaning over her, hands passing under her knees and behind her back.

Nope, no, no, no, no – NO secondary location! Lillis flipped out, sending her fist to his nose. It was weak, caught before she could even close her fingers.

She wouldn't let him pull her outside – wherever he had intentions of dragging her, there was just no way. Praying that her body would just react to her and follow her will, she closed her eyes and screamed as she fought out of his grip.

She felt the ghost of a touch, then: nothing.

Quickly rolling away, she crawled away but the man was silent as ever. Glancing behind her, she saw his form carefully lifting his victim in his arms.

Definitely passed out.

Definitely not Lillis, either.

The woman in his arms was limp, eyes closed. Long drenched charcoal hair stick to her face. Lillis couldn't see her expression passed her closed eyes. Only the long dark lashes uncovered by the curls was shown to her, but the shock of having no idea who this can be or what the hell is happening kept her flabbergasted.

She could simply watch as the back of the man readjusted her higher against his chest, her head looping over his shoulder. He paused, seemingly to ponder. The back of his hair danced as he tilted toward Lillis. She caught a glimpse of the vibrant green of left eye, almost meeting his gaze before he hummed to himself and turned back.

Time seemed to still.

Sunlight dimmed, walls creek, wind picked up. His dark brown hair waved in the wind. Her mind crumbled to register the last hour before it froze as she heard a final exhale. Fog replaced his breaths, the fresh air turning dangerously colder. It was faded but soon, a vaporised blur surrounded him.

Goosebumps rose on Lillis’ arms.

The dark mist Lillis learned to loathe appeared out of thin air. It thickened out of thin air, swirling around him, swallowing all the light, twisting and twirling high and higher.

Reaching the ceiling, it suddenly burst and headed to crash over him.

Lillis jolted up in a second, hurrying to her feet to jump and take the girl away from him – before the strength of the fog sent her to the tiles. She recognised the same feeling of the knocks of power from their first encounter as it hit her, the wind eating at her skin.

Darkness flew in as if someone switched off the light before it brightened up again. She blinked, trying to see through the haze– The air cleared.

She was all alone.

Astonishment filled her as she took in the room. It was still the same yet, completely different. The large mirror above the bowl was covered in dust. The recipient underneath dried, mold filling its bottom.

The bed’s blanket had been eaten away by insects. Spiders danced in the corners of the ceiling. Birds’ made their nests in opened drawers and paws imprints were visible in the dirt covering the floor.

Everything was so much... Older.

Years seemed to have pass in the blink of an eye. She faced the exit. Even the clearing outside grew to a parched meadow. She let out a shaky sigh. Her hands quickly passed over her face, probing her neck, checking her arms, pressing on her ribs.

No wounds. No traces of the many trials she had just gone through. Her headache praised itself as her ever sole keep – pounding more painfully than ever in celebration.

Less and less made any sense but she was alive, more-or-less unbruised and alone. She tried not to think of the black-haired girl. The lack of door let the wind hit her face.

Fresh air. At last.

She walked forward before her sneaker cracked. She glared down. Lifting her shoe up, she almost fell back.

A necklace. The necklace.

Shock painted her face. The same flower pendant that she found in the forest laid before her – only this time, it was shiny and bright as new. It felt like years since she last saw this simple jewel.

She hurriedly fell to her knees, hunching over. Her hands hurried to lift it before pausing. What if it sent her down another ruthless circle of mayhem? She bit her lip, thinking.

She didn't have a lot of options right now. She was lost in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no understanding about the storm of nightmares she just endured. She could easily fall into another but so could she use the help of someone else. Someone who actually knew what the fuck was going on.

"Find Roger of Duke," Kyle's memory echoed one last time.

She sighed.

"Next time, give the damn coordinates, you bastard," She cursed under her breath. Her frustration was hitting an all time high as she went into another quest to find the one supposed to help her pull some sense out of this hell. Maybe this necklace, at least, would could get her closer to him this time.

It has to.

Taking a deep breath, her index brushed the jewel, waiting for the feminine voice to scream back at her like it first did. Maybe for the devil to reappear. Hell, a clown could pop off to throw confetti and punch her in the face and she wouldn't be surprised. Why not, at this point?

But nothing did, and so, she closed her eyes tight and grasped onto the pendant not to let it go.

Roger of Duke, Roger of Duke, Roger of Duke... She prayed to whatever could be listening, hoping for some luck, if just to move forward.

The silence made her uneasy but softly, waves rose through her. In a swift second, wind swirling and embraced her and she shut her eyes out of reflex. Because of her blindness, she clumsily tried to stood the waves: to no avail.

She tripped over her own feet, her left hand jolting on its own and forward to prevent her from headbutting the hard stoned ground.

She waited for the pinch of a needle or the slam of knuckles in her hair, but all she got was a very loud shout. She looked up a long roped-dress to finally look up at the person she fell at the feet of.

Her blue eyes met two golden ones.

She circled on herself. She was standing in the middle of a wide plaza. It was simple but elegant, the same visual you would imagine of a rich medieval town on the rise.

Beautiful gardens surrounded the paved area, some paths made out of bright stones leading deeper into the vegetation; others darker, fainted by time leading back to the centre of the town. Vines ran on most of the houses spread afar, not sparing any walls or chimneys. It gave a surreal nature touch to the city.

They held the same wild colours that a certain forest.

For all that, she was disturbed to see no one around except for the brunette. Her face threw her irritation back at her. The stranger was beyond annoyed, as if she’d been talking to without any acknowledgement.

Lillis stared back, focusing on the young woman.

Her words finally reached her ears, but as enchanting and symphonic they sound, it was in a language she did not understand.

"Idiot!" Lillis’ eyebrow shot up in sudden understanding. That she definitively understood. The girl huffed in annoyance, "Finally, Ra' does it– Yes, idiot, hi! I’m talking to you!"

"Me?" Lillis pointed at herself. Her brain fired left and right, trying to make sense of what was going on for the umpteenth time today.

What does the circus got in store now?

The young woman in front of her held her hands on her hips. The knotted dress she wore was as golden as the sun, contrasting gorgeously with her skin. What attracted Lillis' eyes though was the long locket dropping against her stomach, a carefully craved eye in its middle.

"Do you see anybody else?" She spat at her. Her accent was thick but gave that richness Lillis would love if not for all the scoffing and pouting she did. Her orange–painted cheeks were huffed in annoyance as Lillis simply shrugged. "You should talk to me with a little more respect. Don't you know who I am?"

"Should I?" Lillis rose an eyebrow.

"Should you?" The brunette's scoff would have made Lillis snort if she had not seem so offended. "I am Lyn of Eve! Your Ira! I would advice you to learn your place, migrant, and fast. You could be in serious trouble, you know that?"

No, she clearly didn't. In fact, Lillis could not even begin to grasp how she could be in trouble just by breathing – but she'd been surprised by less. She didn't have to tell her that though as her time to argue was cut by another voice calling out to the young woman.

"O’ Ira!" Both of them turned to the path leading to the inner city. A man was coming closer – and hurriedly at Lillis' sight. His armour was made out of leather and black metal: shiny but weary, marked by numerous battles. Lillis would bet it was thanks to the heavy blade in the sheath to his hip.

The nearer he got, the taller and more enormous he became.

When he finally stopped before them, Lillis found herself knocked out of breath. Danger blared in red flames in her mind as her eyes met his dark ones. No, not dark. Entirely black. Was he blind? She doubted it as he glared directly at her.

Heat picked at her skin, painfully itching her bare arms, hisses overwhelming her senses.

DEVOWER!

She stilled her feet on the ground, the awful echo of thousand of voices screaming in her head the confusing notion. She took a moment to catch her breath, confused but washed over by a sudden anger filling her. The soldier drew his sword and before Lillis could place her right foot in a step back, it was placed right under her chin.

Damn it. This isn't the moment to lose my mind.

"It's fine," The presumably named Lyn waved, unbothered.

"Stay right where you are, intruder," The man ignored, voice low. Lillis’ got a feeling it will be her only warning.

Her face hardened. Her fists tightened. Blade versus hands might be an unbalanced battle, but Lillis would take her odds.

"I said it's fine, Jo’lir," Lyn panned, not even giving him a look as his eyebrows frowned. The two of them kept their giant eyes on Lillis. The Ira, whatever it meant, even waved her off. "This migrant just got lost. She was just about to go. Now."

If the man slowed, compliant to his lady's words, Lillis’ unmoving form made him tense. His patience grew short as the sword pressed right over the scar hidden under her jaw. The white mark must have appeared clearer against the metal as her throat rose to his blade because he suddenly paled, eyes focused on it.

Scars crossed every inch of his skull down to his face, the deepest lacerations going through his left cheek to his lips. Healed burns ran through his temple and his bald head, their red faded in the tanned skin. He was the living proof of tremendous deaths escaped, his built body strong enough to kill her in mere seconds. His bicep was the size of her damned head, for fuck's sake.

She should be the one intimidated by his scars. Why was he the one trembling and backing away? From one little scar no one could see without giving it an intimate close inspection as he was?

Her menacing posture turned to one of confusion as he stumbled against Lyn at her movement.

"O’ Kor...?" He shuddered, suddenly pushing against his protection aside with little regard to his action. His eyes were wild as he looked at her like he’d seen a ghost. His aiming hand shook so much he dropped the blade, the metal clinging loudly on the stones. "How- How could- How can it be!?"

"Do I know you?" Lillis snapped, baffled at his reaction.

Jo'lir stepped back as if her words could harm him. Her heart raced as she felt his fear grow. She simply leaned over but he visibly started to shake. The incredulity of the situation fuelled the anger always rushing through her veins.

"This– This is impossible! It can not be," He panted, unable to blink away from her. He whimpered, shaking his head before he seemed to snap out of it.

He jumped forward: a dagger slipping out of his sleeve and placing itself harder against her scar. She hissed as she felt blood draw. Her hard eyes trapped him, daring him to follow through.

She could feel the hard tremble of the weapon against her skin. His face was close, clearly terrified. She readied herself to push him off, pondering if she should swift the blade away or spit in his face first before her thoughts halted.

Black clouds gently fell past his shoulders from behind him.

"You can't be here!" Jo’lir panicked – blissfully unaware of the danger creeping down his neck. He was too focused on Lillis despite her clear petrifaction at the growing presence behind him to even notice that. "He had you, I saw it!" Her eyes widened at the gloved fingers dancing sneakily around his vulnerable throat.

He didn't see, couldn't see. He was far too hypnotised by her scar and the fear it indulged in him. He missed the mist as he opened his mouth in a cried shout, missed Lyn's choked gasp of fear, missed Lillis’ too late warning about the sharp knife in the gloved hand.

"You were all supposed to be di–"

Blood sprouted out in irregular, intense spurts.

Her paralysed body received most of it as the man gagged a mere arm away from her, red splashing all over her face. The press on her own throat lessened then disappeared as she stared at his blank eyes. His neck had been slashed so deep, she almost gagged herself as his head fell down, a mere patch of skin keeping it attached to his body.

Nothing breached the blood in her ears as the soldier fell to his knees then toppled over, not even Lin’s screams of horror. The dark pool grew quickly, too quickly. Lillis’ sneakers were socked in seconds, custody of the gaped neck emptying at her feet.

She didn't notice it. She didn't even feel it. Her chest constricted on itself, eyes straight in the devil's.

Rich brown hair merely disturbed by oddly complimentary white locks danced in the wind. A green haze fading to show deep ocean eyes sinking acutely into hers. A thin beard surrounding a devilish grin widening on pale lips.

Trouble stood before her in all its glory, with no amount of fog or blur preventing his sight.

She took in the suave expression on his face with shock. Was his clear appearance wanted? Was it a good omen? Lillis didn't dare to ponder on these questions – especially when he showed to be so expressive.

He did not hide how her surprise was shared nor how it filled him with pure delight. He spread his arms to her, bloody gloves inviting her into a hug.

"Oh, my beautiful flower!" His voice was ominously sweet, settling her nerves on alert if his light eyes didn't already. "I've looked everywhere for you!"

A chill raw down her spine and she hurried a step back. He didn't miss a beat, stepping forward himself. He walked nonchalantly over the corpse of his victim to reach her closer.

"Oh, how I missed you, you know?" He nodded with a wide smile. "Here I thought you were lost to me forever. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Lillis glanced at Lyn as the girl stumbled away to escape. It only took a second for their eyes to meet before the devil's hand moved and Lyn appeared right by him, the brunette's throat locked in his hand. She was roughly lifted up, her feet kicking above ground.

"Let her go!" Lillis hurried toward Lyn only to stop dead at the look she was given.

"Be still," The devil ordered, angering her even more. She could only watch as the golden eyed brunette was slammed against him, back pressed to his chest. The pressure given by his glove rose her jaw, keeping it shut.

Each sob passing the locked lips struck Lillis' anger a level higher. Lyn could only stand by her slipping grip on the man's forearm now. He wasn’t that much taller than Lillis but the girl in his arms sure was at least a head shorter than the two of them.

Just as the devil couldn't seem to hide his wide grin, Lillis had trouble restraining her raging wrath. She was fuming on the spot, and he was more than aware of that.

"Shh..." His smile was sinister as he hummed in Lin's curls. "There’s no reason to cry. Not yet." The shaking girl shrieked through the grip as a sudden green needle replaced the knife.

"How–" Lillis didn't let herself waver and growled in Lyn's defence. "Don't you dare touch her with that!"

She took a step forward to act on her words but the point of the syringe was against the girl’s neck in the blink of an eye. Lillis froze.

"You seem upset, darling. Take a deep breath, won't you?"

The smug look on his face could make steam shot right out of her ears.

His laughter was singularly chilling. Lillis' nerves tore into her stomach, an alarmed apprehension eating at her with each echo. All their encounters made him stealthier, deadlier, madder. Now? He looked ridiculously confident and empowered in his insanity.

Lillis worried this meant the press of the needle depended on her burning nerves.

"I’m so, very sorry to interrupt your big day, Ira," He pressed his cheek against Lyn's as he addressed her. "You weren't supposed to join my plans until much later – but oh, issues happen. I'm sure you understand."

Lillis tried not to snap at the casual slap he gave Lyn's cheek.

"See, just yesterday, I thought I lost my flower to some pathetic circumstance. Truly, stupid conundrums had led me here in pity replacement, but would you look at that?" He ignored the loud whine he dragged out of Lyn and focused back on Lillis.

His wide smile made Lillis boil.

"She found her way back to me on her very own," His tone was so honey, she almost gagged.

"Says the one that tracked me all this time!" She snapped. "Let her go, psycho!"

Lillis cursed under her breath as her words pushed him to press the needle on her skin, leading Lyn to let another terrified cry at the threat of the injection. Lillis bit down her lower lip, vainly trying to shut herself up.

"No, no, no, look what you’ve done. You’re scaring our pending Ira. Oh, you poor thing, such big tears in your eyes..." He wiped Lyn's cheek with so much gentleness, Lillis could only narrow her eyes at his audacity. She watched with hawk eyes as the needle dropped to her shoulder. "Don’t you respect the dreamers any more, my flower?"

"Let her go," Lillis repeated dryly. She was trying so very hard not to give him any reasons to mess with the girl yet, something told her it was more of a game for him than a true challenge.

His sly grin didn't help her throbbing rage. She instinctively took a step forward and his choking hold dropped to Lin’s jugular.

He’s messing with me. Lillis gritted through her teeth.

Her gaze dropped from his face to the needle. Her hand twitched at her side. A dense idea passed her mind. She didn't know how her powers worked, or if she even truly had them, but if she could just snap the syringe away as she did with the knife—

"Do not even think about it," He warned darkly, snapping her eyes back on him. "You see, dear Ira," He presses his cheek higher to Lyn’s temple as he points to Lillis with his chin. "You are talented. Very much so: that's why you're Ira, after all. But her? Oh..." He simpered at Lillis, a low chuckle shaking him. "She is something else."

Bait, Her mind blared loudly, That’s bait!

She knew, yet Lillis couldn't help but stand taller. Her limbs were shaking from holding back. She knew it was bait – and it was working.

Attacking her wasn't enough, he had to taunt her. She glared right back at him, her angry eyes being her only riposte. Biting off a rude comment never seemed harder than now, red dripping into her mouth. It was itching her to just shout back, but she fought herself not to. Not at this girl’s life depending on it.

"I have been looking for a flower like her for a long time, now. Decades! Can you believe it? A newfound, so powerful? At her age?" He ranted to his whimpering victim as if Lillis wasn't standing right in front of them.

The tear–stained cheeked Lyn whined in response, sobbing uncontrollably as the needle pressed into her skin, daring to pierce. Lillis’ rage only grew darker as a drop of blood finally drooled down her neck.

"What are you talking about?" She gritted between her teeth, unable to hold it in any more.

An amused snort escaped the nameless monster, glad to see her crack.

"Oh, darling... So willing but so foolish. Your friend isn’t even here to protect you this time, too, is he now?"

His tone confused her for a second before her mind flashes.

Blood in the snow.

She growled.

"What the fuck did you do to Kyle?" Her anger picked up. What the fuck will you do to Lyn?

His wide grin grew as if he read her like a book. It made her want to punch his face in.

"You will be my greatest piece," He promised instead, his stormy eyes locked in Lillis’, "You will be the one."

His face turned dreamy as he got lost in thoughts. He looked almost younger for a second – the wrinkles around his eyes sizing, the white hair in his beard and in his bangs disappearing. But this illusion vanished as quickly as it came – a wicked smirk ruining it all.

"Which means..." He turned to look directly at the wailing girl in his arms for the first time since he arrived. His voice emptied itself of any joy, dooming her as his cold eyes meet the tear–filled golden ones. "You're no use to me any more."

She should have run. But the teen was headstrong. Her terror aimed her hand to slap his chest- But the needle shifted into the previous shiny knife, and just as quickly dropped down to Lyn’s exposed neck. As it did, electricity shoots through Lillis' body.

She didn't think before throwing herself between them.

Her bare hand caught the blade just as it’s about to strike the girl down, piercing her palm. Big tears slip between her fingers, dark red dripping down her arms. She hissed the hurt away, raging eyes meeting his wide ones. Her hold tightened on his, trapping him.

Her anger was stronger than her pain.

But like his knife over Jo'lir and his imminent death, she saw the devil's mad grin too late. She was left useless as he pushed forward, overpowering her strength and entering Lyn’s jugular without miss until Lillis' hand was trapped between the girl's neck and the knife's guard.

Her scream didn't matter.

The gash of blood wasted no time to run against the back of her hand and down Lyn's smooth neck. She stared as the Ira frowned back at her. She looked hurt for a second, confused a moment later then her bright eyes lost all of their shine. She dropped.

Her fall to the floor was a painful re–enactment of her protector’s.

The thud was all it took to make Lillis’ heart drop. The pool of blood grew bigger, soaking the bright yellow dress, her candied face so full of life a second ago now dull of any spark. It took Lillis an embarrassing instant to accept this was over for the young girl.

Fire raged through her veins as her heart started an erratic rhythm in her burning chest.

She faced the monster smirking down on her. He looked down on her with a sort of contempt and pitiful superiority she rarely ever witnessed. Electricity seemed to buzz around them as they glared at each other.

"Why did you kill her!?" She closed in to spit in his face. "She was innocent!"

"Oh, darling," He smiled gently, a pitying look in his eyes. "Do you truly think only guilty people die? Don't you know they are the hardest to kill?"

Her breath stiffened at his condescending look. He was patronising her. She felt herself shake. He looked so content and at ease, so in control and self assured. Her eyes darkened, face leaning toward his – her nails digging in the leather of his glove.

"You should have killed me first."

She grabbed the quillon tight, stealing the knife away from his slippery glove with a sudden pull before knocking the handle back at his head.

He dodged easily, stepping back. It seemed he didn't expect her to retaliate but was amused by it if his smirk gave anything. That is until she pulled the knife out of her hand with her unharmed one; grasping it properly before jumping on him.

He grabbed her wrist at the last moment, the pointy tip merely inches away from his throat. Astonishment was unmistakable on his face. Lillis didn't waste the opportunity. She let go of the handle, the blade falling down into her slippery hand before aiming for a new stab. He was prepared this time, sending a well place kick in her stomach that she saw coming. She twisted the knife upside down in her hand and slammed the blade in his leg. He was just as quick to dodge but as easily unbalanced.

He dropped ungracefully on his side as she returned his kick. He folded in half before grunting in pain as she dropped on top of him. Tight hold on the handle, she slammed the knife down with all her strength. Her right wrist was grasped at the last moment.

She was reduced to press her wounded left palm on the end of the handle to counter his steady hold on her.

"Feisty, huh?" He growled, amusement mixing with his surprise.

The hole in her palm was painful but not as much as his pleased grin. She lifted her hips, putting all her weight to push on the handle.

"You're strong, I'll give you that," He admitted with a laughed grunt. If she thought for a second he would beg for the downing knife not to press on his neck, his cunning smile told her otherwise. He did not take her seriously for one second. An abrupt wave rose from the ground into her, knocking her off of him.

Did he just– She stumbled, not expecting the slap of wind. She was unbalanced as he kneed her diaphragm – forcing her on her back.

He towered over her, crouched by her waist and pressing his knees into her sternum to keep her still against the stones. Following her previous attack, she barely had time to catch his wrist to avoid being stabbed in the face.

Her grunts of pain became more strained under his sitting. His whole weight blocked her breathing. He was too heavy for her to rely only on his wrist, she bit down. She could see the tip of silver closing in, bit by bit.

She swore under her breath.

Her wounded palm wrapped back around the blade. The knife was slicing her skin raw but she tightened her grip to make it still. As long as it was in her hand, it wasn't in her throat. She pushed back against the guard, smirking as he started frowning.

She was gaining length.

Or at least she did until he rose to press in her stomach more pointedly, just like she did to him. His heavier weight was significantly harder to block with her strained muscles. Her arms pushed on to keep him at bay, shaking at the effort. Anything not to lose her sloppy grip.

Her own blood dripped on her face as her grip on the razor blade sliced her flesh, blurring her vision.

"But I'm stronger," He growled. His strength suddenly increased, the blade lowering worryingly fast. Soon, it’ll press its tip in her eye. She abandoned the idea of pushing him off of her, wrapping both her hands against the falling blade.

Think.

She could think of something. She could be smarter. She outsmarted Clint –in a gruesome, terrible way– but she did. This asshole would deserve it if it came to this.

Her jaw locked in exertion.

Maybe if I just manage to push him off–

The knife suddenly twisted to the side, tearing wide gaps in her skin in its reap away from her bloody grip.

Shouted cries stuck her tied throat, pain burning hot. The slices carved in her palm were now amid a gruesome mess of sliced open flesh. She didn't have time to get angry about it before he held her still by her throat, arm rising above her. The swift change from blade to needle happened so fast, her eyes merely widened before it slammed back down. His eyes reflected the same burning green content.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Is this how it ends?

Hurried steps shocked the ground above her head, followed by a boot harshly smacking her assailant's hand. The needle flew in the air, far out of reach.

Its owner looked as it dropped, bursting against the ground. The texture immediately ate at the stone in a disturbing buzz. He almost looked impressed as he turned to find out who dared interrupt him only for another kick to meet his jaw, rolling him off of Lillis.

Lillis heaved desperately at her liberated throat. Her eyes burned as air freely entered her lungs again before they fluttered to the person standing above her.

Kyle shared her bewilderment as their eyes met. Blue and purple marks covered his face along a few scratches, his shirt redder than white and jacket missing but he was very much alive.

"What the fuck are you going here?" They both gasped at the same time before a laugh snapped their attention to the now hysteric man.

The devil laughed as he rose up, sneering at the two of them. He rubbed his jaw, theatrically, a brand new syringe in hand. Lillis didn't comment on Kyle’s attempt to hide her behind him as she messily jumped to her feet; pulling away from the hand he had on her elbow to step forward.

"What do you even want?!" She growled at him, throat filled with needles. She hated how her hoarse voice made her sound so whiny.

The monster’s smile was wicked as he watched her wipe the blood off her face. He was about to go back into a self–righteous talk, she could see it in the upturn of his lips. He was amused by her trembling hand and shaky breaths.

He was spell bounded by them.

She rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck to ignore the throbbing in her slashed hand. She was ready to catch any punch he threw at her, any needles, any knifes. She was not going to wait for him to make the first move. If she did, he got to decide hers.

She ignored Kyle’s hand trying to pull her back. She was ready to jump forward- before a great wave knocked everyone off their feet. Zaps of light suddenly sparkled between Lillis and the devil. Even the latter looked baffled.

Was a new player coming to the ring? She glanced at Kyle behind her – sharing a concerned look. Neither of them were in good shape to fight a devil -even if it pained her to admit it- but two?

The tension in their jaws showed their apprehension but even then, they knew they wouldn't let that tear them down.

Buzzing blew from all sides, static brewing between them. Its strength forced Lillis to rise her arms to protect herself. When it finally calmed down and she looked up, she was shocked to see a woman stand right before her.

Honeyed blonde locks cascaded down a jacket so worn out and holed it barely stood on the curvy but muscular figure. She was taller than Lillis but it was her aura that made her seem all the more menacing. The electric air of the storm still lingered, dancing around her, twisting the curls in her hair.

Lillis quickly stepped away, annoyed at the thought of yet another fight, until she saw her face. She looked young, too young. Barely twenty and already so vengeful. Her eyes were dark and redden. If Lillis initially thought she was just a young woman, nothing compared to the murderous look of centuries of rage in her eyes.

The man before them looked unbothered, if not slightly confused. His lips were in a thin line. He was cautious. Did he know the blonde? It sure looked like she did.

"You...!" The blonde's voice was cracking like she could burst into her burning rage at any rate.

"Me?" He answered her with a faint lift of shoulders and his usual smug smirk. He danced the needle around his fingers until it turned back into a knife.

The blonde didn't seem to care as she stepped toward him, golden lightening bursting around her. Lillis stepped back at the sight, bumping into Kyle. "After everything- How could you!?"

The devil took a step toward her, opening his mouth to monologue but one of the sparkles by her hands shot and struck straight through his shoulder.

He looked unfazed as he stepped away to avoid it. His coat smoked slightly, attracting his attention to the burnt line on his upper arm. The cauterisation was clear in the material. He stared at the dark line, his smirk growing impossibly larger.

"My, my," He sang. "What a pleasure to see a level five."

Lillis heard Kyle choke. She looked over her shoulder, taking in his astonished look before she saw from the corner of her eye the knife lift back up. The woman was too heated to see the slow dance of the blade around his finger but Lillis’ urge to act knew better.

She hurried forward, putting the blonde behind her back and raising her bloody hand up as a warning.

Tears of blood dripped down as she tensed.

The devil snorted, his bared white teeth wide enraging her by the second until the knife was thrown at her. Time slowed down as she watched it headed straight to her left. She could see it, flying through the air, slamming into the stranger’s cheek until her eyes rolled just like Lyn’s before falling dead on the floor–

Cold goosebumps shot from her left hand to the sole of her feet and the top of her head. She breathed out heavily. Her heart stopped as she panted, eyes on her right hand.

The knife was in her grip.

"What?" The man snapped, catching her attention. If earlier, his confusion and surprised were dramatically exaggerated, he was now plainly disconcerted in its most genuine form.

His eyebrows were frowned as his eyes looked frantic as they passed over her, glancing between his empty hand to her face. His cunning expression was lost to pure puzzlement. A step forward and a strike of clarity seemed to hit him suddenly.

"You’re—"

Her knuckles shut him as they harshly met his face, a loud cracking bursting under her fist. Seconds passed like hours as he turned his head back to her. She felt herself smug as she drank his expression. Her fist hurt, the long jacket's sleeve having done nothing to smother the pain. Still, a smirk of her own broke on her face.

She finally went hard enough.

Long strings of red line down the corner of his nose into his mouth, tainting the tip of his finger as he inspected the damage she caused. He stared at his own blood. He looked baffled to see the crimson colour.

His eyes lighted up with something she couldn't quite differ, but it dug a hole in the pit of her stomach. It was growing fast as a growl escaped him. Redden teeth appeared as his smirk was wide yet, no amusement filled him.

Lillis wondered if the surreal frightening sight of the devil finally getting seething will be the last she saw.

"Oh. It's on, Fey."

A violent quake shook the ground and Lillis fell forward. Twitches went down her arm, cold-biting wind hurrying her to tighten her hold, but it was already fading, leaving her shivering. She steadied up. The knife was back in the devil's hand.

A simple stare shared and frenzy took over.

Lillis missed the shine of the silver threatening to eviscerate her by a short nail, escaping the pain of another gutting with a rocky dip to the left. She grunted, lifting herself back up hurriedly.

She was alone on this side of the devil, she noticed – the others behind him, disappearing in a heavy, black fog. Sure custody of the previous quake.

She jumped back as the knife chased her. The devil seemed dead on getting her now, before she could see movements in the dark; sparks and clatters reassuring her.

The other two looked far more prepared for this situation than her, knowledge and power under control but they didn't seem to know how to fight. It convinced her to stand a little more confident. She wouldn't have to be on constant look out for them if they were kept away. Lillis faced the devil as he stared back.

She could only described his face as seething.

If time was what the duo need to escape the mist, time Lillis would provide.

It put her skin on fire and her body to the test to avoid the blade but it was not unfamiliar. If she first tried to desperately gather the knife back, she quickly realised she couldn't rely on it any more. Her will didn't matter in the retrieval of the weapon; she might not even be able to keep it. ~~~~

No, her focus shouldn't be there. She sent her shin behind his knee and enjoyed the small victory of his pained hiss. No, all she has to do is to keep him pissed and focus on her.

She grunted as a cut managed to brush her side, a sharp line tearing her shirt and appearing above her hip, but it was the sudden flicker of light skyrocketing by her ear that made her stumble down. She fell on her lower back, clenching her teeth as he deviated the lightening with simple shake of the blade.

The deadpan expression of the man only held seriousness and vigilance as he frowned at the burnt mark on his blade.

"What even is a Fey?" She barked to gain his attention.

An opening was all she needed.

"The Fey is a myth," Kyle's voice abruptly spat. He appeared at her side, hand locking around the back of her jacket and lifting her easily. His words brought a sudden recess to the mayhem.

A simple chuckle escaped the devil. Her blood froze at the low and quiet tone. It wasn't the chilling sound from earlier. It felt raw, threatening. She attempted to get into stance seeing the dangerous spark in the monster’s eyes but Kyle's grip was strong and unmoving as he held her back.

"Tell yourself that, hunter," The brunet mused before the knife shifted again. "But that only makes her all the more important to my work. I am not leaving without h—"

An avalanche of flickers blinded everyone. The blonde was throwing herself at him. Kyle took the opportunity of the new fight to pull Lillis along with him– Far away from it. Or he would have, had it not been for her venomous brawl.

"Stop it– We can’t leave her!" She shouted, her sudden revolt making him stagger. He stared at her like she had gone mad.

"You’re not capable of shit against him!" He chided.

"The hell, I can’t!" She scoffed loudly, squirming. "Fucking- Let! Go! Of! Me!"

She argued, trying to escape his grip in the scuff of her jacket. He was unmoving but he couldn't hide the grimaces when her elbow met the middle of his chest. He ultimately tried to yank her along before him but she snapped, a bright fire shaking her.

She turned and slammed her hands on his chest, watching as he flew to the ground with a grunt, sliding away. She stepped back, in shock.

"I- I didn't mean to-" The words passed her lips as she swayed slightly, sharing the slight fearful look Kyle sent her. Another thud made her jolt. The girl had been sent at her feet, the knife deeply lodged in her stomach.

Lillis' eyes grew wide but before she could fully turn and face the devil, the pinch of a needle went through her neck. She froze as the clear eyes of her attacker were slightly teary. He was hurt, the dark burns on his chest saying everything. The proximity and anger were all she needed to take advantage of his situation, but the syringe emptied.

She fell to her knees.

Hot, fire burning pain.

Her mind seemed to catch on fire itself as she struggled to even breathe. Each drop of the green liquid had her reaching a new high of pain. It dig tremendous painful paths in its course, sinking in her veins and sending fire to every cells of her body.

If the pain of the substance on her skin had been excruciating, its travel from her jugular to her core was unspeakable.

Her veins swelled all over her body as the poison rushed. Visible black traced her system throughout her sickly pale skin. Her nerves begged her to cry at the hot lava gushing through her, to pull out her very veins bumping too fast, to pass out under the suffocating overwhelm – but her control over her body was numb.

Unable to even emit a sound, she dropped breathless on her side, rolling on her back.

A face appeared above her. It was blurred by the tears begrudgingly building in her eyes, and she hated how similar this looked and felt to her previous encounter with the devil not even an hour ago.

Yet, from the long locks and red shirt, she would guess Kyle stood over her.

Longer, golden hair suddenly hid him.

Lillis felt the woman kneeling but the man was quick to stand between them, hand brushing her hip. Her nerves screamed in protest at the contact: thousand of stabbing needles following his touch. Her chest constricted in on itself as something dropped on top of her.

The first tear rolled.

Her eyes were unfocused, fading in and out of focus of the bright, blinding sky. Consciousness hanged on a snapping thread, but resilient enough not to bring her to a blissful rest. Her mind could only whinge on the ache, the pounding, the spreading of the raging fire to her very soul. Her body quivered.

She could feel herself grow and die at the same time. Desperate wish to peal her skin off if only to unify the pain. At least then, it would be complete; at least, it wouldn't rage against the many exterior factors deepening her repulse and madness to the touches.

She needed it stop – now.

Death never sounded more welcoming than this millisecond.

A second tear shed at the feeling of hands carefully cupping her cheeks. She wished she could bit them off, tear into their bones until they backed far, far away from her but reacting would take so much strength and cause so much more fire.

A chocked whimper escaped her.

She was too engrossed in her state of agony to even think of gathering the strength to throw the touch intensifying her torture away.

The fingers held her face up to the sky as dark spots finally tainted her vision. The fatigue in her body only heightened along the dizziness spinning her sight. She was tempted to fight the upcoming fainting away to push these hands and their harming touch, but her body didn't listen. It never did.

She was but a doll to her own body. She could only choke.

Breeze blew through her skin, soothing the burns for a second before it sparked wider and hotter. A whisper kissed her ear before the hands finally left her. The pain remained, escalating still.

"We’ll meet soon, my love."

Her mind finally gave up.

Lillis growled, pressing her hands on her eyes. Her head pounded painfully along her aching body, but she was relieved to finally open her eyes. She'd even argue her fever seemed to have lowered.

The past days were a blur, horrendously long as she went in and out of consciousness. She had been on edge, waking with no idea of where she was only to be overwhelmed by faceless hands touching her everywhere.

The sting of her gashed palms brought a groan out of her. She clenched it. The pain throbbed as she opened and closed her fists. A hiss escaped her throat when she did so too roughly: the stitches tensing and the scabs cracking. She lifted her right palm above her head.

The light coming the window behind her showed a pristine white bandage. Acting as a tourniquet, it was wrapped tightly around her hand. No matter how she expected it to turn crimson as she worked her right hand open and closed, the cloth remained unstained.

She was tempted to tear it off and look at the damage herself but each tension she pushed her hand through forced her to chew the inside of her cheek not to whine. Instead, she sat up from the oversize bed covered in too many cushions, gripping on the thick duvet she laid on to pull herself up.

Her warm feet hit the cold of the stony floor with relief. This was a welcomed contrast against her still feverish skin. Still, her weak legs stumbled at the effort. She held onto the wooden foot column of the bed.

Anything to keep herself up.

It was the first time she could stay awake long enough to take in her surroundings in days. Maybe even weeks. Ever since she received the injection, she had lost track of time.

Days seemed endless and nights too momentary to truly rest. The green burning substance had make her delirious, weak. It turned her into a shaking leaf unable to stop the world to spin around her. She even wondered at some point if she truly was going to make it out.

If the burn subsided in a matter of hours – she remembered crystal clear the blaring irritation that followed, the pure agonising need to tear out her own veins out as her mind burst into an overwhelming hyperactivity.

Thoughts had been relentless, keeping her awake for hours on end and when, finally, she passed out – night terrors troubled her slumber until they impelled her to wake. This, more than the pain and itchiness, had been driving her mad.

The restlessness, the unstoppable nightmares, the cold sweats, the gut wrenching bad feelings, the unspeakable sights... It only dimmed enough for her to breathe today.

She did so harshly as she leaned on the wall, breathing out a shaky exhale. She barely had the strength to summon her body to stand still but she pushed through: limping, shoulder pressed to the wall.

The warm sanded paint made the sea scent coming from the opened window even more pronounced. She gasped for air, her strength already depleted by the simple act of rising up.

A glance through the large window above the headboard showed her the sight of an infinite, dark turquoise ocean shining under the pink rising sun lost in a purple sky. The waves seemed to crash right under the window. Lillis tried not to think of the nausea shaking her at the idea of being right by a cliff.

During her bed-rest, the wind dancing in the room had been awful as it made her unspeakably hot by day, and desperately cold by night. Trapped in between these extremes as she shivered in cold sweat, and today's wind still bit her skin. Her shaky legs struggled not to drop under her.

She eventually managed to let go of the wall: standing proudly in the rising heat. She didn't know where she was but the slow rising sun gave her some comfort. It felt familiar to see the bright light rising once more.

If the sun could shine again and again, day after day, without ever staying down – so could she.

With enough strength collected, she reached the vanity facing the bed. She wouldn’t stay another minute in here, she was getting out today – whether her body allowed it or not.

She needed to know if Lyn was okay, who the fuck was that fog man and what the hell did he inject her with. She wouldn’t stop until she got these answers.

She fell forward, grabbing on the edge of the fancy furniture's counter. The smell of sweat covering her skin made her grimace. It seemed it merged with the over-sized clothes she had been dressed in. The idea someone had changed and cleaned her of any drop of blood and sweat repeatedly made her otherworldly uncomfortable.

Breathe.

Her hands grabbed tightly onto the smooth stone, trembling. Her whole body was shaking from exertion. She inhaled shakily, exhales unevenly. Her moist hands from her strain slipped slightly on the counter.

Lillis closed her eyes, a drop of sweat rolling down her temple.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Her heart was aching in her chest. The awful feeling of her chest collapsing until to crawled back through her ribs made it hard not to wheeze. She pushed through the pain.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Her breathing calmed down long enough for her to catch her breath. Her hands stabilised on the edge and her body shivered down.

Five, four, three, two, one.

She blocked out the persistent pain threatening to devour her raw to the back of her mind. Migraines were common for her, but she would cut her tongue before admitting this one had been lasting longer and stronger than any other.

Now was for her to think of her next move, not on her expanding headache.

She opened her eyes slowly.

A simple bowl laid on the furniture's surface, along some medical items she didn't recognised. Apart the large cover up over the mirror, the vanity was bare of possessions. As she gave the room a glance, it didn't look like it had been used for a while, if ever.

She looked back at the bowl. It was filled with clean water, a small towel resting on its edge. It was probably what they used to ease her.

She dipped her fingertips in the lukewarm water. Her purple knuckles felt easier to stretch in it, even if it soaked the bandage. It didn't do much against the strain each movement caused her but at least the swelling died during her rest. She lifted her hand, shaking the drops off.

She was considering the room, accessing any exits when the sole door opened. She frowned at the wide eyes staring right back at her.

The stranger seemed to freeze the second she took notice of Lillis standing figure. Her hands gripped the piles of clothes in her arms, her bob hair bouncing as she took an instinctive step back. Her voice sounded as soft as she looked.

"O-Oh! Hi! Y-You're up!" She blurted out one word after the other. She didn't seem sure how to react, and honestly, neither did Lillis.

She hurriedly walked toward Lillis as her panic broke out. "Oh- You shouldn't be up!" The woman didn't seem to take offence as Lillis violently stumbled back. She lifted her hands in show of no harm. "Oh- I'm sorry- I... Let's start again? I'm Wyn'a!"

Lillis stared at Wyn'a a minute more. It visibly made her uncomfortable but she didn't move from under her gaze. As if she feared Lillis just might attack her if she even just breathed.

"... Lillis," She eventually let out, surprising Wyn'a.

"Eh?" She tilted her head to the side. Lillis was struck by how cat-like the move seemed.

"My name," Lillis held on the counter as she repeated, trying to steady herself up not to look so pathetic before this stranger. "It's Lillis."

"Oh!" Wyn'a laughed nervously, scratching her cheek as she looked down. She smiled shyly. "I've been taking care of you those last five days, so-- It's a pleasure to see you up. I mean, nice to meet you! Um-" She suddenly remembered the clothes in her arms, handing them to Lillis. "Here! It's... it's not great but it's a way not to be naked. And now that you're awake..."

Wyn'a's awkward but cheery aura suddenly darkened, a grimace twisting her smile.

"Well... Our Blessed will fill you in on that."

Lillis already had ten questions but before she could form any of them, Wyn'a waved at her as she left the room.

"I'll wait for you outside, let me know if you need any help!"

The door gently closed and Lillis could only blink at the wood. She slowly turned to the bowl of water and felt herself cringe at the kitty-shower prospect.

Toughen up, soldier.

To wash herself in such an inconvenient manner was difficult, even more so as she was quickly losing her hard-earned strength. But Lillis made due, reminding herself this was better than nothing. In fact, she was surprised the few transparent flowers in the water she didn't notice before made it smell so nice.

As she wiped herself clean, she winced as her eyes lingered on her body. Each of her veins had been drawn black, all gathering from the injection point on her neck still tightly bandaged. As if struck by lightening, her blood flow was exposed for the world to see. Most of the dark veins were fading on her extremities but from her upper arms and chest to her neck, the lines were at their worse: denser, thicker, nastier... Almost to rupture.

She hurried not to look any more, swiftly putting the clothes on. Or, as quick as one could do when they had no idea how to put them on. She stared at the oversize shirt reaching her thighs and the short large enough to fit two people in it under it.

Thankfully, considering Lillis was taking too long, Wyn'a gently knocked.

"Lillis? Are you okay?"

Lillis frowned at herself.

"I think?"

A pause filled the air where Lillis could see Wyn'a's confused head tilt through the door. The clothing would be less humiliating if Wyn'a didn't burst in laughter the second she entered again.

"Oh, right! You're not from Ni'vaal!" The girl giggled, making Lillis' eye twitched.

She bit on her tongue as she closed in and started pulling on the clothes, pushing there and straining here, throwing an excess of material Lillis thought bad craftsmanship around her as a belt.

In a mere minute, Lillis looked at the beige material spiralling tightly around her, held elegantly by the belt around her waist.

"Here you go!" Wyn'a gave her a friendly smile. "It's a pretty basic dress, but that's what most of us wear here."

... A dress. Lillis looked at the same outfit Wyn'a wore, if only in purple shades. So that's what it was. It almost reminded Lillis of those vague drapes the Romans used to wear.

Lillis said nothing not to deepen her embarrassment and let the woman lead her out of the room. She was slow and downright unsteady but she acted as if she didn't see Wyn'a's worried looks or her offered hand.

She looked as the small corridor leading to two other rooms suddenly opened in a wide room. Lillis could only describe it as a praying gather as the altar at its end faced many cushions where some people sat on.

She met their hard glares with a confused lifted brow but a man suddenly appearing blocked their sights. For his height and soft body, Lillis would have never guessed he could be so fast so silently.

"Lillis," His smile would made her pause despite the confusion of him knowing her name first hand. "I am glad to see you are better."

She didn't answer, instead focusing on studying him. He had kind eyes but their bluish-white, downright transparent, colour made her uneasy. Too alike the monster's. He was a mountain, taller than Kyle. His dress was dark blue, accentuating his dark hair cascading down his back. She could probably notice on how everyone behind him looked at him in tensed apprehension or how Wyn'a stayed right by her side behind her right – yet, all she could focus on was the long necklace falling over his chest. A craved eye in its middle.

Lillis felt all the few colours in her face leave her.

"Lil'ys."

The man's voice snapped her out of her trance, meeting his eyes with a crane of the neck and a choked breath.

"This is-"

"Let's fill you in, mmh?" He cut her smoothly, his voice lacking the accent she heard in everyone else. "You must be confused. You've had a rough couple of days. Let's get you to eat something while I explain to you."

His hand hovered over her upper back but before she could back him off, she realised he didn't touch her, merely guiding her to sit at the front of the altar where a low round table and few cushions stood.

"Do you want tea?" He asked if they were old friends, sitting back against the altar.

Lillis felt out of her depth but followed Wyn'a as she discreetly pointed to the man's right. She sat, her new friend in this madness sitting opposite of her, on the man's left. Wyn'a didn't waste time to serve all three some teas. She then produced a paper wrapped rectangle from one of the prayers and handed it to her.

"I took the discretion of having food brought up for you. This is Ei'lax, to bless us good fortune."

Lillis tried very hard not to seem disrespectful but her head was hurting by trying so hard not to frown or be rude by interrupting her.

"Ei'lax?" She repeated with all the calm she could summon, no doubt butchering the pronunciation. She winced at how her annoyance toward the delay of promised answers slipped through.

"Oh! It's a fish! People from your plane says it's like salmon!" Wyn'a kindly provided. Lillis merely had time to nod before she noticed the two pair of eyes waiting on her. They both looked insistently at her.

A quiet beat passed by. Lillis looked between the two of them with the same uneasiness as before. Wyn'a discreetly helped her once more, glancing at the food.

Oh.

Maybe her not eating or just tasting was considered rude. She winced, her stomach already revolting at the prospect of food but she pushed through. She needed answers, and if it was weird stumbling into a culture she had no grasp off or any idea how she got in, she'd do what she had to do to avoid offending anyone.

She tried very hard to act like the smell wasn't delicious, pulling on the paper to reveal a fried fish wrapped in some sort of leaves. She hesitantly took it in her hands, fingers daring to pull the long white plants around it before one glance at Wyn'a made her stop. She was shaking her head.

Oh.

She left the leaves around the fish and slowly rose it to her mouth. Wyn'a nodded.

Someone give me a break, if I mess this up--

She tried to ignore how the whole praying room and the statue itself seemed to watch her every move as she tentatively bit down on the fish.

She tried not to moan at the sweet citrus taste but her stomach very loudly growled for her. She felt her cheeks burn as the tension in the room snapped at this but everyone relaxed, cheering and nodding along themselves.

Well, great.

"First meal in days," Lillis immediately tried to save the face. She realised she was talking with a mouthful yet no one berrated her.

"I'm glad you like it!" Wyn'a beamed while the man softly chuckled.

"It is nice to see you eat," He nodded. "Now... Let's get to the matter."

He waved one of the prayers closer, the person hurriedly walking to him before kneeling before him. He whispered something in their ear. Lillis couldn't hear it well but even if she could, he was probably not speaking English.

The person took the scroll the man handed to them, sending her a glare she could only qualify as asshole-y, but in a flash, they turned and hurried out.

Lillis frowned at the scene but before she could ask about it, the obvious leader here turned to her.

"First things first- I'm Heze'kiah," Lillis choked on her food as he suddenly bowed to the floor until his forehead touched the ground by her knee. She was about to wave him off but Wyn'a sent her another face.

"It is an honour to meet you," He sat up, facing Lillis as she ate. She would have probably finished the fish had he not shocked her like that. "I am the Blessed of this temple and the one who watched over your getting-better.

"It is very rare to find newfounds so old, and especially one without a seeker, but I'll try to explain at best as I can. I can not go into details as you are well enough to go to your Hearing--"

"Wait, wait, wait," Lillis hurriedly stopped him, lifting a finger to stop him as she swallowed the rest of the meal. She choked down her spiced-smelling tea to stop the coughing of her speeded eating and turned to him. "Newfound? Seeker? Hearing?"

Heze'kiah smiled softly at her.

"It must be truly confusing. Especially..." He grimaced for a second, hesitating before nodding. "Especially with your first impression of our culture. I deeply apologise for this."

Lillis grew silent, glancing at his necklace. Heze'kiah followed her gaze.

"This," He lifted the wooden locket up. "Is my Ira mark. An honour given by the Dreamers for my dedication and connection to my God."

She felt her throat dry as she remembered how the last person she saw with one of those ended up.

"But Wyn'a called you Blessed," Lillis noted, turning to the girl.

"Yes," Heze'kiah nodded. "Blessed are the heads of temples. Being graced as a Ira was merely a gift to my devotion. Usually, Iras are seers approved by the Dreamers to work under them. As I am not gifted, it was a mere honour rather than a show of prowess."

Lillis' headache deepened.

"Gifted? Dreamers?"

The two of them had the decency to look guilty despite their smiles.

"Confusing," He repeated. "Well, in time, I'm sure you'll get it. Take it one breath at a time, child."

Lillis held back the argue he looked younger than her.

"When you get to the Yale, you will be more at ease to discover it all."

"The Yale?" Lillis felt like a parrot.

"It's a school!" Wyn'a talked, taking the lead for the first time since they sat. She smiled brightly. "I work there! I'm here to serve you until we get there."

Lillis glared at her before she could think.

"I don't need you to serve me-"

"Think of me as an assistant then," Wyn'a smiled through, never taking offence to Lillis' defensive jabs. "As someone coming from another plane, I'll do my best to help you through the Ni'vaan culture!"

Lillis stayed quiet for a moment, taking it all in before she turned to Heze'kiah.

"Roger of Duke is at the Yale, isn't he?" She asked to which the two of them nodded. "Why am I not there, then?"

Silence filled the table. Lillis watched as the two glanced at each other before the man sighed softly.

"... You were found with two dead bodies, and an injured honoured older," He reminded bluntly but not unkindly. Lillis took a second before realising the latter meant Kyle. "The Dreamers have question about what happened. And not only that, you almost were faded when they found you. You were sent here in hurry so we could get you back on your feet.

"Well, the better way to say would be if. We never faced the kind of harm you went through, so... We weren't sure you would make it, to be honest. Wyn'a was truly worried the first couple of days."

Lillis felt a cold sweat shake her. Didn't they know about the man who attacked her? She opened her mouth to ask but Heze'kiah prevented her to.

"Now that you are up, though... The Dreamers will arrange an urgent Hearing for you and the Miller child."

Almost in sync, the person who hurried out came back into the temple, attracting Heze’kiah's attention. Wyn'a's face went grave.

"... And it seems it is time."





Ni'vaal, it appeared, was an island in the middle of the ocean. She couldn't ask every question she had to Wyn'a because asking the girl something ended up in an answer along ten different fun facts that lead themselves to ten more questions.

It was interesting, sure, but Lillis was exhausted, only had a mere meal in a week if she followed right, and battled one of the most annoying migraine ever.

"Here- We're reaching Evermore!" Wyn'a beamed as they finally reached down the hill the temple was on. The fields were clear around them, which made the imposing capital all the more intimidating. Lillis felt a weight in her chest as she recognised the architecture of the east of it from her encounter with Lyn.

"Why is the temple so far away from the town?" Lillis noted as they followed Heze'kiah's messenger entering the city, one she named Asshole to make up for his lack of amiability. "Doesn't the people want to be close to their god?"

"Oh- O' Liath is just but one of our gods," Wyn'a explained. "He's not one of the most known like O' Kara'Ika that built the Yale or O' Sa'k who won the war, so not many people worship him any more."

"Wait-- Back up," Lillis stopped in her walk, turning to Wyn'a. She ignored Asshole waiting on them with an offended glare. "A god built the Yale?"

"Yes!" Wyn'a smiled brightly. "Oh- I should probably mention all our Gods were gifted that accomplished great things. Like- Humans reaching godhood through their prowesses?"

Lillis blinked but shook her head at the overload. Ten more questions. She started walking again as their guide stomped their foot in irritation. They all three headed deeper and deeper into the inner capitol.

One breathe at a time.

It was weird, seeing everyone go along their lives. Indeed most of them wore the dress Wyn'a and Lillis did, but some had downright fashionable outfits. When the girl told Lillis all kind of people went to the capitol, she did not misspoke. Lillis had to do a double take when someone passed by her in a full biker gear.

After maybe an hour of walking since the temple, Lillis felt mortified to notice her legs becoming more and more shaky. She was sweating again and at one point, she stumbled against Wyn'a as black spots blinded her.

"Lillis?" Wyn'a worriedly grabbed her arm to stable her. "Maybe we should stop-"

"The Dreamers' Hearing is by Rido. We're going to be late if we slow any more," Asshole snapped back, making Lillis frown at them.

"Let's go," Lillis gritted through her teeth, ignoring her dizziness and pushing through. Wyn'a didn't question her but remained close by in case Lillis needed an arm-crutch. She mainly just tried not to have people bumping into her as they reached a vast plaza.

The Dreamers' Council is the largest building in all Ni'vaal, you won't miss it, Lillis remembered Heze'Kiah's departing words. She thought he was exaggerating with the way he said it- No.

As she saw the vast and imposing building the plaza lead to, she even wondered how it fitted in the crowded city and its narrow streets. Even the plaza had to be immeasurably large if Lillis could see it past the crowds waving through the stands and food sellers.

As they reached the high stairs of the Council, a shine of colours attracted her eyes. In the middle of the beige aesthetic and vines covering most of the capitol, the deep golden of the Council seemed to break the monotony. Yet, Lillis noticed it wasn't the only building changing from the seeming norm.

It faced the Council on the other side of the Plaza, bright with green and white stones and over filled with people. Statues of marbles guarded the entry but even their tall figures were smaller than the doors. Another temple? Lillis was tempted to ask Wyn'a about it when she was pulled forward.

"Child of Liath, Child of Corr'a," A guard was before them.

Lillis noticed she wore the same garments as Jo'lir did. She pushed the flash of red coming to her mind away and focused on the deep frown the soldier gave her.

"Lillis is under O' Liath's protection until her sacrament!" Wyn'a hurriedly said, making both Lillis and the soldier frown but the latter didn't question it.

"Go forth then, Child of Liath. You are requested in the Dreamers' Chambers."

They hurriedly were lead inside the Council and Lillis felt like it seemed even bigger from within. The Walls reached so high, she couldn't discern when the murals painting became the ceilings ones. She could vaguely hear Wyn'a telling her about the making and history of the Council but she was too focused by the overwhelming coldness coming from everywhere.

"Why is it freezing in here?" She interrupted Wyn'a as they headed down a long stony staircase into the ground.

"Because we're entering the Chambers. It's the lowest room of the Council, where the Dreamers take their highest decisions."

"It's also where the veils to the Roots are the thinnest to connect to Them," Asshole added from the front, lighted by the lanterns on the walls.

Lillis glanced at them.

Both Wyn'a and Asshole turned to look at her funny.

"The Roots?"

"You don't know Them?" They both blurted out at the same time.

"No?" Lillis blurted right back to which she only got saucer eyes.

"... It's our Gods," Wyn'a said slowly. "Like, The unanimous Gods. The ones who made our world and granted the community aspects of Their power. The End, The Beginning and everything in between. Our Roots."

Power? Lillis frowned, about to argue before something hit her. The waves--

She didn't have time to think more on it as they reached the bottom of the stairs opening on a large room.

It looked like a judgement room: tenth of Iras all wearing the wooden locket wearing different colours held back on the two sides of the room behind rails, hushing to each other.

Kyle, she noticed, stood tall ahead, in between the two hyenas' packs. He didn't even glanced as Wyn'a pushed Lillis to stand next to him, and soon Lillis followed his eyes.

Elevated seats stood before them on a higher platform, nine people already sat behind. Looking down at them. The judges of this world, the voice of reason and the keepers of order. The Dreamers.

"There's no government so-to-speak in our world," Wyn'a explained to her on the way to Evermore. "The Dreamers are meant to keep us safe and intervene shall trouble arise. It has been two centuries since they last had to all gather in the Chamber for such an important matter. These are the first murders in just as long. Blessed are usually the ones people go to to fix their issues."

She glared at Kyle's bandaged cheek. She could feel the pain he was putting himself through not to appear in bad shape but she pretended not to. She looked back up as a loud clonk resonated.

The Dreamer in the middle stood as she spread her arms, rendering the room silent.

Lillis only now noticed the pillars behind each Dreamers. The one behind the standing Dreamer was definitely bigger than the rest. All seemed to be filled by mutted energy, to her shock.

"Child of Thyk'on," Behind the second to the left Dreamer, the pillar sparked in gust of clouds, "Child of Liath," The pillar behind the Dreamer on the far right busted in a wild fire. "You have been called today regarding the events of the Solstice of Pyr'a. Be witness to Them that we won't tolerate anything else but truth."

"Yes, Dreamers," Kyle inclined his head forward in a subtle bow, right arm crossed over his stomach. The hard eyes of Wyn'a on her back pushed Lillis to try to imitate his move.

"Good," The speaking Dreamer turned to her associates. "Us, Dreamers, will listen to your Hearing before deciding on your fate." She turned to the ones around her, starting with the far left.

"Dreamer Glaucia will listen under O' Kara'Ika's guidance," She called the large man sitting with his fingers cross before him, rumble of earth resonating behind him through the pillar.

"Dreamer Rig'mor, from under O' Thyk'on's guidance," The woman nodded at Kyle but didn't look like she was really listening, cosy clouds thickening around her pillar.

"Dreamer Si'rus, from under O' Sa'k's guidance," The man looked maybe younger than her yet his stern eyes brought a danger sense through Lillis, the razor-sharp looking crystals blooming from his pillar not reassuring her.

"Dreamer Cal, from under O' Corr'a's guidance," The old woman looked uncaring yet, had the eyes akin one staring at a pathetic creature at the zoo on them, contrasting the flowers coming to life behind her.

The speaker shifted to her other side, continuing by the one sitting on her left.

"Dreamer Ell'pis, listening under O' Al'met's guidance," The just as old lady looked kinder but still as condescending at them, the ice behind her bringing an even colder temperature to the underground chamber. Kyle, more specifically, seemed to be glared at.

"Dreamer Zosy'mos and Dreamer Mellyt, from under O' Gwen'dyl and O' E'mee's guidance," She called on the old people… seeming very dead on their seats, smiles frozen. It wasn't until Zosy'mos nodded faintly to the wind spiralling behind him and Melly't to the faint lights behind her did Lillis allowed herself to breathe.

Lillis frowned at the odd millisecond look she was given as the Dreamer reached the furthest man on the right before she went on. "Dreamer Ren, from under O' Liath's guidance," The man already had his eyes looked on her when Lillis turned to him.

The green orbs seemed to lock her still, even as his widening smile graced her, wildfire swirling around the pillar.

"And I, Dreamer Dryss, will be heading this Hearing under Their guidance," She turned to look down on Lillis, pointing at her with her perfect manicure finger. "We will cast judgement in Their names and exercise no favouritism. Child of Liath: you are to begin."

"If I may," Kyle stepped forward before Lillis could even open her mouth. "I wish to be the one to begin. I'm the one who found this seeker-less newfound, and even then, someone who doesn't come from Ni'vaal couldn't possibly know the process of a Hearing."

"You are not from Ni'vaal either, child of Thyk'on."

Kyle grew silent. If Lillis didn't stood so close to his right, she doubted she would have notice the subtle clench of his jaws.

"I am not," He relented. "But I've spent half a century in this plane. I dare say I know more than this Ra'dix planner."

Lillis thought she didn't understand right but the Dreamers started talking with each other. She watched as everything seemed to go by fast. The courtroom was heavy as all watched as the dreamers debated. The Iras in the stands talked loudly too before Dreamer Dryss lifted her arms to silence the room again.

"Very well," She waved at Kyle. "We accept your demand. You may explain yourself first."

The pillar of clouds thickened as Kyle stepped back to stand by Lillis again.

"Thank you, wise Dreamers," Kyle bowed again before looking up at them, his voice surprisingly loud as it filled the courtroom. "As I said, I'm the one who found this newfound in Ra'dix. I was lead to her by her strong essence and found her without a seeker.

"As I accessed the situation that perhaps, her seeker had been belated, I took the initiative to lead her to the Yale. Had I know she would be strong enough to misdirect my wander, I would have waited with her for her seeker a while longer. I was the first surprised to feel her essence again in the edge of the Aioni'os district, but when I got there, I could only witness as this darkened traveller attacked her."

Lillis felt herself freeze on the spot as she listened to Kyle unbothered lie right in the face of the Dreamers. She willed her face to stay as stoic as she usually would, looking at the Head Dreamer. Yet, as her skin itched, she glanced at the one sitting on the far right, right before the pillar of fire. Ren's emerald eyes were so focused on her, it made her uncomfortable.

Could he see on her face how she reacted to Kyle's words? Was she to expose him to the other Dreamers? She forced herself to follow Kyle's words, turning back to Dreamer Dryss listening intently.

"The traveller attacked us both and then attempted to harm her. When the Protectors found us just in time to scare the traveller off, I was as disconcerted as everyone to see her reaction to the poison."

"So it is a poison that was administered?" Dreamer Rig'mor questioned.

Kyle froze on the spot but Wyn'a to the rescue tentatively made her voice known.

"I-If the Dreamers would allow me to speak...?" Lillis glanced behind her, noticing the girl half stepping forward as she awkwardly bowed to the judges.

"You are the shadow appointed to care for the Child of Liath?" Dryss turned to Cal who nodded, before waving Wyn'a closer. "You may join the Heard, Child of Corr'a, but first I would like to hear about the seeker appointed to find the Child of Liath. Let's keep this ordained."

Lillis almost jolted as a door open under the Dreamers' seats. A tall man entered the court. How much taller was everyone around here?

She would flinch at the hard gaze he gave her as he stepped to stood on Kyle's other side if she didn't felt a sudden weariness toward him. He felt familiar. Still, before she could question the feeling more, his dark eyes looked up at the Dreamers.

Wyn'a came to stand by her right.

"Child of Sa'k," Dryss acknowledged the new man, her 'appointed seeker' if she even knew what that meant. "You have been called here to explain your failure to complete your duty to the Yale. Be witness to Them that we won't tolerate anything else but the truth."

"Yes, Dreamers," He nodded and bowed as they all did.

"Good. Explain yourself."

"My duty to find the newfound was given to me the moment our Ira informed us of her rooting. I was sent to find her, but when I entered the Ra'dix plane, I was surprised to find moons overfilling the place she was supposedly at."

Dryss lifted a brow at him.

"This isn't an uncommon issue. Why beat around the bush, Child of Sa'k?"

"It isn't uncommon, wise Dreamers," The seeker turned to glare at Lillis, eyes unmoving. "But there had been a murder right at the newfound's rooting spot."

Wide exclamations sparked around the room. Lillis felt herself grow weak as the man stared right at her.

He knows. Oh, he knows.

"When I tracked her essence back, she was in the North of Ni'vaal, in the North-East of the Forbidden Trees. She ran away as soon as I tried to approach her. Imagine my shock when I learned she wandered in the middle of the Council's private gardens and was the sole witness of the Ira Lyn's, a to-be-Dreamer, murder."

Lillis almost barked that he was with a full squad trying to drug her but Kyle's hand appeared before her. He gave a glare screaming "Don't" before they both turned back to the Dreamers. She did her best to keep her mouth shut.

"Silence," Dryss' voice echoed through the room as all talked in disdain. "Child of Sa'k, step back. Child of Liath," She turned to Lillis. Her hard eyes said everything before her mouth opened. "You have been found in two places across planes where murders occurred, and attracted a darkened in our most inner Capitol. Explain yourself."

"I--" She struggled to find her voice for a second before attempting to brave on through her nausea and the black spots messing her vision.

Five, four, three, two, one.

"Dreamers," She tried to give the same respect by how she witnessed everyone talked to them. At her voice, everyone turned to her. Kyle and Wyn'a especially looked at her with wide eyes. She ignored them and continued, staring right back at Dryss.

"The poison still weakens me so I am not quite sure if my memories are correct or even complete," She followed Kyle's bullshit league as if she were to do tell the truth, it would probably attract a bad eye on him.

"Spark some truth to a lie and everyone will eat it", Gina told her on her ninth birthday when she played the desperate widow for some free cake. A rare life lesson Lillis had to take a gamble on today.

"I vaguely remember the blood and Ky- the Child of Thyk'on coming to my aid," It was a lie, the visions of red troubled her all throughout her bedridden state. "I apologise, I don't remember much else about that night. But about the fog man--"

Dryss lifted a hand to stop her. She clearly didn't believe her. The eyes of Ren itched her skin even more as they didn't leave her.

"Roots, hear my ask," The Head Dreamer suddenly said, turning to the large pillar of white mist and faint shining stars behind her. "Does the Child of Liath lie?"

Lillis felt herself choke, as did Kyle on her left. The two of them stood frozen and out of breath as the starry air filling the pillar rumble in response. All the dreamers faced it as they waited in silence except one. Lillis met the emerald eyes of the sole one again staring at her still before she quickly turned to the pillar herself.

Dryss turned back to her, disappointed but undeterred.

"Very well," She nodded as she looked down at her. "It seems you speak the truth."

The breath Kyle and Lillis choked out was as discreet as they managed to do the first time. They glanced at each other in shock before quickly hiding their expressions. Did we just play the Gods of Gods?

"Child of Corr'a," Her loud voice suddenly called, making Wyn'a yelp.

"Y-yes, Dreamers!"

"You may now explain yourself. Tell us about the Child of Liath's rehabilitation in His temple," She ordered, standing ominously as Wyn'a struggled to speak with a whole room's eyes on her.

"So- Um-" She chuckled nervously, looking between the Dreamers and her fingers as she was unable but trying to hold Dryss' gaze. "I was sent from the Yale to care for the newfound. Dreamer Ren told me to head toward the temple of Liath as this was where she was sent to be healed. I did and reached her side less than a day after her harm."

The girl seemed to ease as she retold the past days as if she learned them word-by-word not to crack under pressure. Which, with the few Lillis knew about Wyn'a, very well could be true.

"The first day was the hardest, They almost took her back a few times. Her essence was so strong Blessed Heze'Kiah and I were the only one able to enter her room thanks to our lack of essences."

"It was preventing them in?" Si'rus repeated with a frown.

"Y-Yes, Dreamers!" Wyn'a jolted, clearly disturbed by the interruption in her prepared speech. "It was, like... Expanding, O' Liath's devotees said. Like an overflowing cup."

The Dreamers glanced at each other but Dryss nodded for her to continue.

"We couldn't determine the harm b-but as the Child of Thyk'on said, it acted like a poison. It rendered her unaware of her surroundings yet not unconscious. She was very feverish and it's only through time that she calmed down. It must likely faded as her body slowly purged it."

"Very well. Child of Corr'a, Child of Sa'k, you may step back from the Heard," Dryss prompted, making Wyn'a quickly stepped away with the seeker. "We've heard enough."

She glared at Lillis.

"Child of Liath. While you may be truthful, you are nonetheless suspect. In the past centuries, our community has been at rest. Yet, in your rooting, it seemed a moon and two gifted died."

Lillis slowly gulped as all eyes turned dark on her. She turned to Ren. He still didn't take his eyes off of her, and right now, he was the only one she managed to hold the gaze of as it didn't scream bloody murder.

She only now noticed the pillar of fire behind him cracked and grew in strength since the Hearing started.

"We've heard a lot since this Hearing started. She is the common denominator to our problems," Dryss continued, the room nodding along. "If we take out the problem before it reaches our Roots, we might avoid far more tragic events like these. The Child of Sa'k himself said she escaped him twice. We can't let such a being be among us--"

The pillar of fire burst suddenly. Dryss jolted, eyes growing wide. Everyone stared at the pillar blazing. Only Ren, before it yet untouched by the flames, remained calm. In fact--

"Shall we see?"

Lillis blinked. She didn't expect the soft playfulness of his voice. Dryss herself looked bewildered as the dreamer faintly leaned his chin more against his knuckles.

"Dreamer Ren?" Dryss silently questioned him, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Everyone claims her essence to be the roots of all these problems," He answered Dryss easily. The laurel stuck in the tie of his man-bun danced as he pointed his chin at her. His eyes did not leave her, not even for a blink. "Shall we see for ourselves?"

The rest of the Dreamers seemed doubtful but as the fire calmed at Ren's words, Dryss turned to Lillis.

Beside her, Lillis could feel Kyle share her apprehension.

"Child of Liath," Dryss' loud voice seemed to get stronger every time she addressed her. "Reveal your essence to us."

Lillis stared at the Head Dreamer, then blinked.

I have to what, now?

If she could bullshit her way through this Hearing not understanding 90% of the terms, she couldn't actively do... Whatever that was asked of her. Wyn'a, in her eternal kindness, quickly stepped toward her while being mindful of not overstepping the invisible lines of those in judgement and those not.

Her fingers gently touched her neck where Lillis felt some kind of bandage. She thought it had to do with the injection point and the dark thick veins under it, not to her essence - whatever that was. She did feel the difference as the wrap fell from around her throat and Wyn'a's finger brushed to take off the patch pressed to her nape. A sudden heaviness filled her, like a missing piece clinking back into her.

Yet, it lasted a mere instant before the whole room started to choke.

"What?" Si'rus immediately wheezed, eyes wide and scared as he looked at her.

Everyone panicked, some holding their chest as they struggled to breathe. The Dreamers looked less affected than the whining Iras, Lillis was sure she saw one faint, but they were still handicapped as Dryss leaned over her seat.

Only two didn't look surprised: Kyle and Ren. But they were still affected too, Kyle wincing while the Dreamer squinted his eyes and pinched his lips in pain.

"Enough," Dryss growled at her, making her frown. "Tone it down!"

"I- I don't even know what an essence is-" Lillis admitted in a confused breath.

"CHILD OF CORR'A!"

Wyn'a panicked hands quickly pressed the patch back against her nape. After a couple of missed tries, it finally stuck to her skin. The whole room seemed to calm, a collective shaky breath bracing the room.

"What was that!?" She heard from the fainting Ira in the audience. All looked madly at her.

"Silence!" Dryss repeated but she too was out of breath. She was leaning over her desk and it took her a minute to stood straight. "Silence during the Hearing!"

The Iras quietened down but they all looked shaken up. Only Ren broke into a little knowing smile.

"I guess that answers that," He mused out loud.

"It's impossible," Dryss talked over him.

"Deny all you want: we've all sensed it," Ren stood up, grin unbreakable. He walked away from his chair, heading down the stairs leading down to the stands. The Iras parted not to touch him or block his path as he reached the Heard's floor.

He closed in toward Lillis until he stood right before her.

"Not only a Fey has been chosen by the Roots for the first time in two centuries…" He leaned down to have his face right in front of hers, emerald eyes staring a breath away from her blue ones. "It's a Beamer."

If the courtroom had been a mess before: now, it was a mayhem.

"A Beamer!?" Everyone panicked.

"Can the Dreamers misinterpret her essence? A fey can't exist!"

"There hasn't been a fey in two centuries, let alone a Beamer!"

"This is a heresy!"

Voices came from everywhere.

Lillis held Ren's gaze, lost and confused. He simply smiled, finding whatever he looked for in her irises. He straightened up. For the first time since she entered the courtroom, he broke eye contact, turning to the Dreamers up of them. He seemed to act like a shield, keeping Lillis behind him.

"Whine all you want," Ren's voice was surprisingly loud as it thundered through the mayhem. "We're facing the last direct link to the Roots itself."

The quiet came back slightly, but the panic remained. All looked at Lillis like a child would to its closet. Expecting the monster to attack them at any moment.

Lillis frowned at their reactions, unable to process what was going on. If she was honest, this was her mindset for the past days: complete confusion and growing resentment to be left in the dark and treated like a criminal for it. Even if... Well, she kind of was – despite her argument that it had been completely accidental.

"What should you do about this, old friend?" Ren's last words finally silenced the large echoing room.

Dreamer Dryss had become silent.

She maintained her glare on Lillis above Ren's shoulder for a long time. Then, she rose her chin.

"The sentence is the same as any previous Feys," Dryss said firmly but Lillis could hear the slight tremble in her strong voice. "The Beamer must be condemned to a Reap-"

The pillar of fire blazed so hard it drowned Dryss' voice. If Ren had still been seated before it, he would, with no doubt, have been badly burn. The fire threatened to spread through the whole room as it raged, almost screaming audibly.

Mellyt jumped with surprising vitality to escape the burn, hurrying with Zosy'mos closer to a stunned Ell'pis to avoid the heat.

"You are angering the Gods, Head Dreamer," Ren stated coldly. Gone was the slight playfulness. She couldn't see his face but she could see how tensed was his body.

She glanced at Kyle. He was already looking at her in shock with the most wide eyes she's ever seen.

"Mind I remind you O' Liath isn't to be messed with?" Ren continued, taking a step toward the high elevation of the Dreamers' Seats. Somehow, Lillis knew it might be a huge insult toward the other Dreamers for him to be down here with them. "Insulting his Child in his courtroom isn't wise, Dryss. And that's not even considering the Roots Themselves are witnessing this Hearing."

"You know as well as myself Beamers can't be left to their powers!" Dryss countered, though she looked to be sweating nervously. "We ALL know just how powerful a Beamer can be, let alone her. She might be affected by that poison still, and her essence is stronger than any have sensed in centuries! A weakened essence! This strong!?" Dryss shook, laying a hand on the pillar behind her to steady herself. She almost seemed to be praying.

"You can not be biased, here, Ren," She almost seemed to plead. Her eyes were too dark to be compassionate, though. "She is too dangerous not to contain."

"Have you so quickly forgotten the Pavo's legacy?" Ren argued back. It sent another chilled silence through the room.

Even Dryss had paled worryingly quick.

Lillis frowned, tilting her head to see the room from behind Ren's shoulders. She was shocked to see the terror on the Iras' faces had been replaced by denial and avoidance.

"What's the Pavo?" She asked as quietly as she could, but in the silence – it seemed to echo loudly.

"... It was a prodigy," Kyle breathed out as no one answered. His eyes were still on her, as if unable to determine her. "A great architect, a gifted that went back to the Old World, your world, to try to bring back our heritage in the light and shared cultures with the non-gifted people."

"And that's... good, no?" She didn't understand the long faces.

"It was an exemplary attempt, yes," A deep voice startled Lillis, leading her eyes to Dreamer Glaucia. The imposing man had a just as scary voice, yet his tone was far gentler than Dryss ever showed yet. "Especially as he almost succeeded despite the many obstacles."

Lillis allowed herself to relax a little, standing taller as she held the man's unblinking gaze, craving for answers.

"Then what happened?" She asked.

Glaucia gave her a pitiful look, then finally breathed out: "He disappeared." His hoarse voice trailed off before nodding. "Just like all the other members of the Beamer family."

Disappear? She struggled to comprehend the implications. How does one simply disappear, along an apparent whole family? Her mind was going into overdrive, her lips opening to speak her tenth of questions already on the tip of her tongue. "But you called me a Beamer--"

"That you are," Ren did not even hesitate for a second, turning to look at her from above his shoulder. His eyes were so intense, Lillis didn't notice she stopped breathing as he talked. "Two centuries ago, the entire Beamers' essence disappeared from Ni'vaal in one night. And now, two centuries later... The Pavo's daughter reappears."

Lillis' brain paused. For a second, everything stopped, only Ren's gaze reaching her awareness before she finally spat out. "The what?"

Silence answered her. All looked at her in building suspicions, most of the Dreamers starting to look at her like a bad omen.

"That's impossible!" Kyle suddenly stepped forward. He looked flabbergasted but tried to reason both with himself and the Dreamers as he quickly spoke. "If that's true, she would have been, what- seven or eight years old during the Beamers- During that event. Even if it was true, it doesn't explain how does a Beamer escaped the Council or how only now she roots! There has to be a better explanation."

"During her rest in O' Liath's home, I came to visit her," Ren cut Kyle, stepping forward to his colleagues. "I had my suspicions when I heard they were unable to treat her beyond Blessed Heze'kiah. And so, I tried to figure out myself if it was possible."

He turned back to Lillis, smiling gently to her obvious confused frown. He reached inside the cloth of his chest.

"We all know about the Beamers' ousíās. Crystals that are as rare as they are precious to their blood, are they not?" He stated, to which Kyle confusedly confirmed, now standing almost right by Lillis.

"Yes, they are literally connected to their blood," Kyle confirmed, although unsure where the Dreamer meant to lead this.

"Indeed they are," Ren hummed. "When a Beamer is born, a crystal from the Beamer's sanctuary is carved and melted in their honour and while still hot and melting – the newborn's blood is draped in it. A connection to both the Roots and their family, the ultimate Beamer's proof."

"Ren, for Their sake, what did you do?!" Dryss finally snapped as he pulled a long necklace from his inner pocket.

Lillis blinked at the long dark cord to which a dull blue crystal dangled from Ren's middle finger. Everyone watched in awe and shock as it stilled. Suddenly she felt warm, the crystal beaming more and more as Ren closed back in.

She was stunned as Ren carefully draped the necklace around her neck. It fell against her chest, shining brightly for a second before returning to its colour. It wasn't shining any longer, yet, the crystal seemed alive. The blue was no longer dull. It gently flickered, dancing over the surface as if waves to the shore.

"Only the youngest Beamer's ousíā has ever been found, it was to be kept at the Misletoe Nursery for protection," Cal argued from her seat, standing to slam her hands on the desk. "Did you steal it, Ren?!"

She couldn't begin to untangle all that these revelations could mean. Ren met her eyes with an unreadable expression on his face that did not help one bit.

"I merely borrowed it for testing," Ren dismissed a little harsher than he had before. "And now, I am returning it to its rightful owner. The Pavo's daughter, the last Beamer ever registered... Lysi'anass'a Beamer."

Blurs filled Lillis' mind as all proceeded in her mind at light speed. Lysi'anass'a? Beamer? They were her family? One that disappeared mysteriously, along her father? She was all alone all over again? No. He would never have left. She knew it. He had written all these letters during her mother's pregnancy-- He wouldn't have just disappeared.

"Whether it is or not doesn't change the verdict!" Dryss tried to retake order of this Hearing, snapping her out of her confused thoughts. "If anything, it just dooms it more! The Beamer, a fey on top, can not be. Especially not in these odd circumstances: it makes it more unpredictable than normal."

"It still deserves respect, Head Dreamer," Ren almost growled. "I would advice you to be wiser before you insult not only a fellow gifted, but the last Child of Our Common Patron."

Dryss visibly gritted her teeth. Lillis realised how much darker the room got when Kyle himself looked at her wearily.

"Hum-- Wise Head Dreamer?"

Dryss' eyes sharply dug into Wyn'a. She almost yelped at the intensity before lifting the neatly folded letter in her hand.

"T-the Head of the Yale gave me a letter in case the Hearing struggled to have a unanimous decision?" She nervously spoke. All eyes were still on Lillis in case she suddenly turned into a vengeful demon but Dryss' two eyes were far enough to terrify someone.

"This arrogant--" Dryss closed her eyes, hissing between her teeth before lifting her hand with a sharp snap of fingers. One of the Iras quickly left the left aisle to get Wyn'a's letter and hurry up the stairs. They bowed as they gave the letter, Dryss not even thanking them as they disappeared.

She looked beyond irritated – and whatever was the letter's content did not soothe her sour expression.

"Dreamer Ren," She simply command to which he smirked. He slowly went back up to his seat, Dryss drilling daggers into Lillis as she read.

"For the possibility that the Council fails to unanimously agree on the Ra'dix newfound's fate, I offer to take her under my care as a star at the Yale. A correct education on our community and gifts might just be what she lacked, and it's our responsibility, as a community, to right that wrong.

"I will make myself accountable for any misshape during your prolonged deliberation if you agree to hold a second Hearing after her graduation, and hopefully incline you toward a more merciful decision.

"In wait of your wisdom, Roger of Duke."

Lillis immediately turned to Kyle at the name, finding the man already looking at her. He had the same unreadable look Ren had, eyes locked on her necklace.

"Those in favour to wait and see?" Ren offered, already lifting his hand.

The other dreamers did not look amused, but Glaucia lifted his hand too. Dryss sent a glare that was promptly ignored. Slowly, Zosy'mos and Mellyt lifted their hands, still ruffled from the fire. Then, Rig'mor. Cal and Dryss looked at each other before sighing and nodding. All eyes turned to Si'rus who looked still deadly at Lillis, arms crossed over his chest.

"I have a requirement," His voice demanded. "The Beamer can not be known as one. Only those in this room can be aware. The panic this news would create would raise more issues than solutions."

Lillis was about to argue she just found her identity, they couldn't hide it from her again- but Kyle's arm prevented her from taking a step forward. It distracted her long enough for Ren to pick up on it.

"Shall we lock her on the Yale too?" Liath's Dreamer mocked.

"As a matter of fact- Yes, she shall," Si'rus nodded firmly. "Those are my requirements. If the Fey can accept them, then I shall accept to elongate this decision."

"I won't!" Lillis immediately refuted as she felt wronged all over again. "What about the fog--"

"Don't," Kyle's voice quickly cut her. She turned to him, confused, only to find a grave expression of his face. His eyes were unblinking and intense as he silently begged her. "Don't."

She held his gaze for a moment, lost. Wasn't he after the man in the fog too? Why would they hide his existence from this supposedly government? Lillis turned back to the Dreamers, Si'rus looking at her inquiringly.

"What fog?" He demanded as she met his gaze.

"... I accept," She relented instead. He was obviously not pleased with this but Dryss stood tall, lifting her arms high.

"Then it shall be," She stated loudly, her right arm falling to point at her. "The Child of Liath shall go through her star training. It- She shall not leave the Yale's land. She shall not divulge her real name to anyone. If a problem arise in her name, our initial decision for a Reaping shall be inflicted. If the Child of Liath graduates without issue, we shall meet again and decide if a more merciful punishment is proper."

Dryss stared her down. Lillis held her gaze with just as much building resentment.

"This is the Council's decision. This Hearing is dismissed."







"Are you okay?" The gentle voice of Wyn'a greeted her ears, making Lillis open her eyes again. "I got you some water."

"Thank you," She quietly nodded, shakily taking the glass from the girl. Beside her, Asshole complained about the ship being late again. They had been waiting for hours now by the bay for a ship to take them to the Yale. For such a small island just half an hour east of here, the boats were picky.

"I am not taking a fey on my ship," Scoffed the umpteenth seafarer, slamming Asshole's coins out of his hand.

"She's not a fey, sir-" Wyn'a tried to calm things down.

"Who would want to ship with such an asshole, anyway!?" They retorted, and for once, Lillis agreed with Asshole that they were worst than him. She leaned to help them gather the silver coins back.

"I think we should consider taking his offer," Wyn'a spoke up softly. Lillis didn't have to follow the girl's eyes, she already felt the man's own on them.

"I don't feel this guy," She repeated, making Wyn'a pinch her lips.

"She's right," Asshole once more surprised her by backing her up. "He's sketchy."

The three of them looked on. Ra'an didn't even pretend not to have been staring.

"He's a seeker," Wyn'a argued. "He's used to wander with people. He'll get you to the Yale in seconds."

"Yeah, or anywhere else," Asshole argued. Lillis looked up at them.

"What's your name, again?"

"What?" They blinked at her.

"Your name."

"We've been travelling for the whole day together and you haven't registered my name?" They frowned, arms crossing over his chest in offence.

"You've registered mine?" Lillis got defensive. She felt very in her right not to be too attentive considering everything.

"No," They admitted without shame. "I've just been calling you 'Bitchy baby' in my head."

Somehow, this made Lillis snort a laugh.

"Asshole."

"Bitchy baby."

"Guys-- He's coming!" Wyn'a helplessly whispered, but Ra'an already stood by Lillis. He looked massive when she was standing but now, with the aftermath of the Hearing and the drawback of the poison, he looked like a titan.

"You," He simply gruffed. "Are you done being stubborn already?"

"I think she should make you wait till Cido, just to be sure," Now-Friend-Asshole snorted, uncaring of his vastly shorter stature next to the older man. Ra'an gave him a massive side-eye before turning back to Lillis. He opened his mouth to insist again for sure-

"Oh, you're still here!" A voice called out, attracting people's attention.

It was weird to see Dreamer Ren outside the eerie cold Chambers. His bun almost broke as he jogged toward them, not noticing or not caring about the awed looks he gained from the other people on the port.

He gave Lillis a bright smile and crouched before she could sit up from the box mother-hen Wyn'a made her sit on.

"I was worried you relented sooner than I could escape my duties," He hummed, pulling something from his dress again. This time it was a dirty old folded paper. He handed it to her. "Here."

Lillis looked between the paper and him, but as he didn't falter under her gaze she slowly took it. She opened the paper. She blinked at the foreign symbols and childlike drawings but from the looks of it...

"It's a map?" She blurted. Wyn'a and Asshole curiously leaned down to see. Ren dramatically swatted them away like flies.

"It is," He tapped the map of what looked like a wall behind a statue. "I don't know where it is but I know what it gets to."

Lillis lifted an unimpressed brow at him before he chuckled.

"I can't say if you'll find it either, but if you do, it'll be far more to your use than mine," He stood back up before handing her a vial. "And this is from me."

"More poison?" Lillis warily refused it.

"Painkillers, actually," Ren didn't take offence. He placed the vial in her hands with outmost care. "If the headaches get too much."

Wyn'a gasped at her side, but Ra'an didn't let distractions stop him any more as Ren departed.

"It's almost Cedo. Let's hurry," He hold his hand out to her.

She stared at everyone before sighing and turning to Ra'an.

"What do I do?"

"Simply hold onto me," Ra'an seemed relieved she finally accepted. "Do not let go until I say so if you don't want to get hurt."

Lillis and Asshole probably made the same face because the seeker immediately got defensive.

"Because of the wander! Not because I'll hurt-- Let's go," He growled and Lillis reluctantly grasped his wrist above his sleeve.

Nothing happened for a second, then, Lillis smelled heat. Steam. She forced herself not to panic as she recognised the element emanating from Ra'an.

"Oh! Wait!" Lillis turned to Wyn'a, meeting the girl's confused look throughout the building fog of humidity. She almost smiled at her cat-like tilt of the head. "... Thanks. For making sure I wouldn't die."

The smile Wyn'a gave her could only be described at blinding.

"My pleasure!"

Lillis didn't know how she didn't throw up as Ra'an held her arm: their surrounding of Evermore suddenly disappearing beyond the steam, but she didn't. She tried to look brave as she swallowed her nausea down, focusing instead on the world turning into a large and exuberant room.

The beige king sized bed was high, a violet-brown silk comforter on its top. The columns at its corners reached the painted ceiling – a beautiful yet mystic depiction you would find in a chapel.

The sole other furniture was a long wardrobe standing against the wall by the door but the dust laid on top left no doubt: no one had been here in years.

The air smelled expensive, rich of history and details but entirely devoid of life. No personal items, no decors, nothing.

It was not even minimalist – it was abandoned.

"This will be your room," Ra'an announced, letting go of her as she finally stopped staggering. He looked used to it. Even, uneasy now that they were along. He gave her a look before quickly heading out. "Change and get ready. The Headmaster awaits for you."

She merely had time to hear him, he was already out of the door, the slam making dust balls fly.

"Change?" She repeated, looking down at the dress Wyn'a dressed her in. "How do I even get out of this?" Her eyes wandered and fell on the short wardrobe covered in dust. She put the map and vial on top of it.

A deliciously sweet smell hit her as she pulled the drawer open. Mix of dried flowers were gathered in pots, reminding her of the enchanting forest she awoke in what felt like ages ago.

Her relaxation cut short as she remembered the chase down that followed that day. Ra'an was far more tactful today than he had been then.

Still, this was a huge contrast to what she currently smelt like. Hours of walking and waiting and being almost sentenced to what she could only imagine was a slow death by everyone's reaction- those kinds of adventures left a stench hard to ignore.

She looked what was left inside. A few pair of boxers, pants and shirts laid there, worn out and abandoned but cared for and thankfully, clean and washed. This was until she found a few torn and green tainted bloody garments, at least. She frowned as she lifted a fully ripped shirt, the blood that bathed it still smelling despite the obvious years.

She lifted the only outfit not looking too off and her size. She attempted to shake it as softly as possible but her sneeze was almost immediate at the dust flying. The smallest pair of undergarments she can differ in hand, she turned back to the vanity where the same bowl of water stood like at Liath's temple. Considering the state of the room, she supposed the previous owner won’t mind much if she used it.

She slipped in the bottoms after another handful cleaning. She was surprised by how light the materials were. It was thick like leather but as soft as satin. She looked down at the shade of beige harmonised with darker symmetrical abstract patterns from her thighs to her waist. She noticed the many details and attention given to the cloth.

"Is it handmade...?" Her finger passed over the sewed lines. She hissed as the sting of cut reached her. This isn’t some fancy stitching method as she first thought, but a rich design gathered of small gems. In fact, she couldn’t see the inch of a thread.

She brushed more carefully the same but bigger warm–coloured gems used as buttons as she ties the high waist up.

Royalty much?

Her hand uneasily grabbed the shirt. The white linen was just as thick as the pants’, yet, felt much lighter. She passed it over her head with some difficulty, the material rigid, strong and painful to slip over her aching body. Still, in the end, it embraced her chest perfectly – like a corset.

The collar was lifted and high, alike a turtle-neck. Its cut in the middle went down to her chest, exposing the dark lines on her skin. The shirt split showed far more than she was comfortable was but the previous owner clearly had lighter moeurs than her.

It was revealing but in the end, it sealed high enough to cover her stomach and not expose her chest at the slightest movement. She slipped the bottom of the shirt under the high-waist pants, watching as they seemed to intertwine.

The same gems from the pants were on the hems of the sleeveless shirt, shining above her exposed shoulders and dancing down the edge around her chest. It perfectly completed the form fitting outfit, extensible and comfortable like a second skin.

She glanced down at the fancy outfit.

It felt particular. Odd, but also.. Natural. The clothes seemed to be made for her, safely wrapped around her. She felt as if she always wore those clothes. Yet, she found herself minding her exposed cleavage. Not that it revealed much but the skin of her chest and its disturbing show of her circulatory system was unmistakable.

She bit her cheek. She liked to think it has faded a little bit through the past hours, but the issue was still here. It was evident the lines grew darker as it crawled up to her neck. Her hand rested on the side of her throat. She could still feel the sore point of the needle under the wrapping.

A simple brush of her fingertip made her hiss. What did it look like? She bit her cheek harder, drawing blood.

She passed her hand over the dark lines going to the inside of her left arm. If the wound looked just as bad as those ill reactions, it would be wiser to cover it. Better not attract the attention by exposing her plague–like sickness. She looked toward the vanity’s mirror. It was hidden by the drapes just like at the temple. Was their a common fear of mirror or just saving oneself the trouble of cleaning them?

She stared at it before moving on.

Her eyes looked for the discarded dress she threw while changing, finding it under the vanity. She grunted as she painstakingly knelled to grab it before bewilderment froze her.

There, badly hide away in the darkness and dust, a necklace had been ditched. Her fingers stretched toward it, not even questioning if it'll go like the last time she grabbed a random jewel. She pushed the sweaty dress to the side and carefully picked up the large collar.

It felt warm. The same kind of warmth and security she would get from her box, or her crystal. Her lip twitched before she rejected the warmth. She couldn’t afford to break down now.

She sat up, taking in the thick jewel. It was elegant, a simple but beautiful creation making her oddly more focused as she held it close. She brushed the strong yet flexible metal. It had been drawn in long and expert shapes, its depiction and meaning known only by its creator. She glanced at her pants, idled by the resemblance.

The lines intertwined to gather in the middle, creating a hole as they mashed around the emptiness.

If once, they held a pearl, it was now lost. Her finger brushed the hollow caging. She hesitated a second before shrugging. Lillis wasn’t a jewel person but this seemed large enough to cover the lower part of her neck. This will do.

She carefully took off her ousíā, placing it in her pants' pocket and just as gently pressed the collar around her throat. In a slight push, the metal slid over her skin and fitted comfortably around her neck, the strings resting over her nape perfectly.

It seemed to hug her with its ironed arms: securing her from harm, just like the outfit did. She passed her fingertips over it, glad to feel it at least hide the wrapping from view. It being large enough to prevent her from scratching the itchy injection point was a considerable bonus.

She closed her eyes. A sense of calm and easiness waved over her. She felt more energetic, her strength building back up. Her spirit was still working around what she heard at the Hearing, her weird 'gift', her heritage... How the fog man fitted into it all.

The numerous unanswered questions remained but she found herself able to look beyond them.

I'll find answers soon, I just know.

Her eyes opened as she felt a warm touch between her collarbones. She looked down, seeing the dance of a light emanating from the centre of the empty hold. It was dimmed and dulled but a flame has grown in the arms of the metal. One the same colour as her ousíā. She could almost feel it warm up in her pocket, as if in response. Her hand tentatively covered it, only to stumble against the vanity.

It flickered in sync with her heartbeat.

She stayed still for a second, feeling the gentle flame warming her fingers but never burning. She depended on it, focusing her breathing on each movement and small crack seemingly coming from it.

A wave of new questions nestles in her mind but like everything else, she put it in the back of her mind. No matter how confused, Lillis feared she'll have to deal with the weirdness without answers for now.

For now... this sense of home weakly lighted in her will have to do. For now, she will look for a way out. She will simply linger on the feeling of comfort and safety, just like she did with her box.

Just until she found some answers.

She headed toward the door on a still unstable footing but a determined one, nonetheless. She crossed the short distance quicker than she thought she would. She didn't even stop to look at the great wooden door, eagerly grabbing the cold handle in her bandaged hand and pulled.

She was surprised to miss any sign of life in the wide corridor. Taking in the dead end her room was in, she noted no sound came from any of the rooms around. They were unused, she noted as she finally dared to check some out, and they had been for a while.

The whole wing seemed to have been abandoned, she realised as she went toward the only way out. She kept on exploring the maze of chambers, unnerved by its emptiness.

Eventually, she reached an intersection. The hallway went on or a wide, marbled open staircase leading down offered her what seemed to be an exit to outside. She barely glanced at the hall leading to surely, the main building and stepped down.

Her hand held on tight on the rail as she jumped the stairs two by two before passing the archway's columns and finally-

The backlash of the strong wind made her stumble on her feet. She huffed a breathe as she stabilised herself. The sight looked straight out of a painting. The small courtyard down leading to a sanded path followed by the high edge of a precipice, wide dense forests and an almost green ocean she recognised going as far as the eye could see.

Yet, the high bit of the cliff she stood on was a contrast to the life filling the rest of the island – here, it was deserted, just as abandoned as the rest of the wing. Just a patchy ground of sandy leading back inside to the wing or to the deathly edge of a thousand feet dive into the ocean. The sun killed any vegetation that could grow in the sunny hideout.

She could jump into the deep green sea in the blink of an eye, running and diving before anyone could see her. She stepped closer, taking in the long way down. No rocks in sight, not even under the clear surface.

The flame in her necklace flickered. Her eyes looked up.

The sun barely made any progress in the sky since they left the Council, but slowly, and surely, it rose. She took it in, the strong luminosity and fatigue blurring her sight. She blinked, the flame growing more vividly, feet leading her forward. The fresh air helped clear her head and calm the fever grasping her.

For an instant, she was content.

"Young Beamer… It seems time made us meet, again."

Her heart dropped in her chest.

She used to be so self aware of her surrounding. She used to pride herself on her vigilance, her alertness. Just a week ago, she could sense a cat sneaking up on her. And yet, just like Kyle did, the stranger managed to creep behind her.

Maybe she was more tired and shaken by everything than she thought. Her fight–or–flight instinct kicked in with a jolt, twisting her body around to face the danger. She didn’t know what she expected from the soft voice but the man before her certainly wasn’t.

He was worryingly tall, strong and clearly confident before her. His complexion was covered with the same scars she’d seen on Jo’lir, an angry line going up to his shaved head, from his lower lip through his right eyebrow. And yet, nothing diminished the gentleness and care he held in his pale green eyes.

His clothes were the same bright beige as hers and, even if they didn’t hold any gems as hers did, she understood by his stance alone he was the hierarchical superior here. Back straight, he looked firm but listening. A practised posture she’d seen a lot in her older, wiser patients. Those who saw too much thus shared too little.

He slightly stepped back under her scrutinising eyes, maybe to ease her frowning eyes.

"Again?" She repeated. He didn’t look intent on harming her but she couldn’t place why her guts twisted uncomfortably at his words. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I am sure you must have a lot of questions," He nodded, avoiding her question nonchalantly. She tried not to lose it at he looked mysteriously in the distance before smiling. A scoff escaped her.

"I am not going on with another banter of riddles," She warned him. She had enough of those at the Hearing. Now, she wanted clarity. If someone didn’t start giving clear answers, she'd start throwing hands. "Who are you?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, staring at the sea, before he turned on his heels. He walked away from the ledge, admiring the building rising before them. She gritted her teeth at his silence.

"Could you just take me to Roger of Duke if you won’t answer me?" He turned to her, surprised. "He is here, right? Wherever... Here, is. I think I'm supposed to meet him."

He blinked at her before a chuckle escaped him.

He ignored her questioning once more, rising the granite steps before stopping at the entryway leading to the stairs. He gazed at the warm walls, his hand passing over the pale design of the marbled columns. Not much could be seen from this side of the edifice, lodged by the cliff, but Lillis would bet the entire building had the same Mediteranean–like architecture, large enough to be a castle.

She glanced around, trying to see how far the building edged along the cliff. She couldn't.

Her eyes drew back on the stranger as he gave the column a tap. He glanced at her, his lips slightly turned up. He waved her closer. She stared, bewildered. Did he really expect her to go on without further talk? She observed the ledge for a moment.

There was only way forward.

She sucked in a deep breathe not to curse. The corridors became more lively as he took her away from the abandoned wing she'd resided in. The farther they get from the empty wing and its abandoned cliff, the more people appear.

All dressed in ancient elegant styles, going from form–fitting dresses like the one Wyn'a made her wear to revealing but fashionable ensemble like the one she wore.

She gazed at the wide hallways filled with sculptures, artistic pillars. The windowless rooms were bright solely by the thousand of candles filling the mystical high ceilings with awe. Art covered the walls up to the ceiling, from mosaics to similar painting to the Council's.

The young and older people filling the place looked like artists in their own masterpiece, immune to the beauty surrounding them.

As Lillis found herself staring at this beautiful unknown world unfolding before her eyes, so similar yet so different from the aura Evermore had. The residents then passed by her, making her but a drop in the ocean.

Here, they stared right back at her. They stopped as they caught her gaze to gasp then whisper along another. She dismissed the insisting stares as the tall man lead her further. They were probably confused, she wouldn't blame them. She, herself, was pretty damn confused. She glanced at the stranger before her. Lips locked still, she noted.

She blinked as they stopped in front of a large arc door. The high, thick wooden threshold leaded to a wide auditorium. Or was it a theatre?

If she thought art reigned in this wide place, painting and sculptures filling each corners and walls they pass by, she was deeply mistaken. As he lead her way down the velvet stairs, her eyes didn't know where to focus.

Golden cravings of different scenes filled the ceiling of the crescent room. Dazzling colours danced through the walls, depicting heart–warming embraces to piercing mournings. Vivid red racks appeared sometimes to revere thick books with beautifully carved covers.

The empty starry beige seats spread on the side of each steps of the stairs to sit hundreds made her wonder just how big this Yale was.

If not for all the faces she saw outside, she wouldn't have guessed so many people lived here. The annex back there was bland and plain, devoid of any dedication or attention. Were they truly afraid she was truly dangerous?

She stopped as she reached the front of the room. Her eyes rose to the giant wall before her. It was large, directly facing the entry up the stairs.

Now right in front of it, it was hard not to notice the inscriptions filling the mural. She couldn’t read it properly for sure, but she recognised some of the letters. They were the same of the map Ren gave her.

She observed the size and the hundreds and hundreds of smaller carvings into it. It must be important to this place by the way the man brushed his fingertips over them.

"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam," The man suddenly spoke. He tapped toward the largest elegant sentence craved in the centre top of the wall. An odd bittersweet smile took place on his scarred lips. "I shall either find a way or make one," He translated for her before facing her. "It is that saying that kept us strong, here, at the Yard."

She opened her mouth to say something before closing it shut. The man seemed willing to speak. Snarking or demanding more probably won’t help her get answers. She stepped forward to the wide mural, giving a try to touch it herself.

"I guess, this," She looked up. It felt cold just like it had during the Hearing. "Is the Yard's heart?"

He nodded, his smile softening.

"It is. This is the gather, home and school of all gifted but this room particularly holds the most of its essence."

Lillis glanced at him, testing the waters.

"Gifted? Essence?"

"Yes," He patiently answered her as if he already did this thousands of time. "People like you. Traces of their gifts."

"There’s nothing gifted about me, trust me."

"This might be how you feel, and yet, you are," He stepped to touch her shoulder.

An odd worry rushed through her as his proximity but his hand stilled at her step back. It rose to show he meant no harm. He abandoned the idea of physical contact and instead, pointed to her necklace.

"It is your heritage, after all," He nodded. "It is in your blood."

"Listen, I don’t know who you are or who you all think I am, but clearly, there is a misunderstanding–" She turned to the stairs to leave before his voice loudly resonated in empty room.

"So your step–father’s death was premeditated?" She froze midway through the steps. "Nothing odd happened then, nor afterwards? It was not an accident?"

She slowly faced him, her expression closed. Wary, but listening.

"You exhibited the gift of what we call a traveller," He took a step toward her. "A powerful ability of crossing space to your will, bending time if you are talented enough. It is a dangerous gift if not trained enough... Maddening when unexplained."

She studied his face. He looked... apologetic. She frowned at this expression for an instant before her fists tightened at her sides. Her jaw was clenched as she held back from asking all the questions she had.

"What you did that day was nothing of insanity or a dream, Young Beamer. Your gift simply burst at an unfortunate moment. Though, you did so quite greatly. It is rare to have old bloomers survive their rooting. And to show such high levels right after... Well, it should not come as a surprise, considering."

He entered the first row and sat on the arm of the first chair. His eyes looked kind but held another sentiment she couldn't quite place.

"I am deeply sorry Ra'an did not find you in time. You met too many hardships in your time of need, and saw the worst part of our community. For that, I am grateful Kyle was at your side," Lillis’ ears peaked at the name, glad to start connecting the dots.

The man caught it, his smile relaxing.

"Yes. Kyle, too, is a gifted: a traveller, just like you. And just as you are right now, he once stepped into this building at loss and afraid. But that is why I am here – to help you understand you are not mad. Simply... Gifted. And like then with him, I am here for you. Here to answer any of your wonders about those unusual events you had, and will have, to go through."

"How can you know all of this?" She snapped, annoyed that despite all his answers, it only brew more questions.

"Because I have been here far longer than you," He answered simply. "I know how our Dreamers argue and think. That is why I am in charge of this place, and thus, in charge of any gifted provided to my care. To balance what they struggle to see."

"You’re," She paused before pointing at him. "You’re Roger of Duke, aren’t you?"

His smile answered her. He bowed formally.

"Humble director of the Yale and caretaker of all travellers. I am sorry not to have introduce myself earlier, I know how confusing this all must be to you, I can only imagine how intimidating the Hearing must have been for you," He spoke gently. "I try to limit my information per minute."

His joking tone fell flat as he saw Lillis’ face.

"I don't care about what you think – I need answers. You’re just longing on, making it all the more confusing!"

"I am sorry, young one," He interrupted her. Lillis was struck by his pleading look. He seemed to be almost kneeling under her, her higher position on the stairs making him look so much smaller than he actually was. "Ask me, then. Anything. I shall answer as best as I can."

She couldn't get herself to trust his easy look. She slowly stepped down, sitting on the chair's arm on the other side of the stair. Where to start?

"Why are you calling me a Beamer?"

"Because you are," He said simply.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you are a Beamer."

"Wasn't this supposed not to be known?"

"I know many things that aren't supposed to be known."

Great. Great answers he gave her. Well... At least he answered.

"Why am I like this?"

He stood up, his hands locked behind his back.

"The Roots have decided you were worthy of a gift – one of a traveller. You went through what we call a rooting. It is a spiritual change that happens when They bond themselves to your soul for the first time. You must have felt it, did you not? The first connection is often most memorable."

She frowned.

"All I felt were–" Waves. She silenced herself before the words escaped her. How fucking stupid would she sound?

She couldn't begin to phantom how to understand the odd sensation she kept feeling every time she lost control, how was she supposed to describe it. She settled for the closest thing she could associate the unease with.

"Oppressed."

"... Oppressed," He repeated with a knowing smile. "Perhaps, like waves, crashing into you?"

Her eyes widening answered him.

"Waves..." He nodded to himself. "Of course."

She did have time to react as he glanced at the wall before facing her again with a little smile.

"Well, everyone has a different communication with Them."

"Like what?"

"Anything, really. Some are transcended, others feel warmed up, most get euphoric. It happens, too, that they do not notice anything different."

"Then why can I not feel any of that? Why do I just-" She cut herself, his looks too akin to pity not to tense. Her chin lifted up, daring. She didn’t need his sympathy, she needed answers. Her arms crossed over her chest as if it gave her any more authority over the giant man before her.

"Waves have been a sensation to come up among others, simply more rarely. Your link to the Roots is your own — unique and unwithering. It may stay this way, it may evolve. You can not control your reaction to the bond as neither can the Roots. What you can do is learn to control your gift."

Her nails dug into her skin as her brain turned the words in her mind like puzzle pieces.

"What is there to control? The waves just crash on me and then, I'm stuck in these hell loop."

His eyes frowned briefly before he returned to a usual calm expression. He sighed gently. Linking his hands before him, he crouched before her. His hand automatically reached for her knee before her jolt reminded him not to. He didn't take offence as she pushed herself away from him.

"You are strong, young Beamer," He stated firmly. His index tapped her the side of her jaw up, leading her in her proud stance before his fingertip flinched at the scar beneath his finger. "... Stronger than anyone ever thought."

He stumbled lightly as he stood back up, putting distance between them.

"We will do our best to be of help to you, here."

"I don't want this gift."

"Yet, you do not have a choice."

He stepped up, following the stairs out of the room. Lillis hurried after him as she realised he was taking them yet another place. They followed the painted marbled floor toward yet another direction until they reached an even larger archway. The main entryway, she realised as she felt the breeze and smell of pines. She followed him outside only to freeze at the sight.

The little corner back at the abandoned wing had been sandy and downright sucked out of life. But the wild nature she glimpsed at was nothing up close. The Yale was positioned at the top of the land, at its highest point, and it made for the perfect look above the small island.

They were mountains and lakes, dip and cliffs where the ocean crashed against. Throughout the many trees and gardens, she could differ birds coming and going, little insects buzzing around the fauna. Through it, only one single red sanded path from her feet lead down, all the way to the island's other side: the beach.

It was almost hidden behind the rose leafs and shining plants but Lillis could see it – wind flying in the air by the breeze, warm coloured sand going for ever... The gentle turquoise of the ocean filled with ships of all sizes.

And in the middle of this green land, people.

Tenth, maybe hundreds went around to their routines. They came and went on their journeys, with laughter or hurry, not minding as they passed her and Roger. Lost in their own bubble.

"No one here chose their destiny, young Beamer," Roger spoke again. "Not even the Roots. But we all work along so we can help everyone find their place in our world. We can help you find yours."

She shivered as a group of kids passed by her, almost knocking into her in their excitement. They went down the pristine stairs she stood on top off before they rushed down to the right, a curve fitting right along the cliff holding the Yale above everything. They gathered along others toward a sanded field Lillis could only describe as a training ground.

She blinked, agape as she saw teenagers disappear in burst of winds, clouds or colours only to reappear a few steps away. More meditated calmly nearby, elements dancing around them as they did. The few adults present must be teachers as they clapped in enthusiasm or tapped shoulders in comfort.

"I know this is a lot to take in, young one. That is why I am here to make sure each newfounds like you meet this new world as peacefully as possible. I watch over them until they feel safe enough to go on, and if needed, after," Roger turned to her. This time, his hand hovered out of reflex toward her, but he stopped himself in his attempt at comfort.

She glared despite herself.

"If you let me, and the rest of the Yard, help you – I promise we can make things right for you."

Lillis remained quiet. No threats seemed to long here, no worries disturbed the trainees on working toward their goals- yet, she couldn't help it. She couldn't ignore the sickening twist before her eyes covering the bright green ground in darkness and bright crimson.

The dark mist choked her and almost brought her to her knees by the scent of fresh blood. Screams deafened her even though her hands pressed over her ears. The piercing headache swallowing her along the wind striking through her forced her eyes closed.

Only when Roger touched her forearm did she blinked the madness away. He was leaning down toward her, a little confused. Absolutely obvious at the ill possibility the devil could very much find them here.

It made Lillis feel awfully lonely in this crippling terror the dark fog man could reappear at any second and slaughter them all in a wave of hand because... Who would believe her? It looked too safe to be real, but who would trust a housed criminal?

"So what?" Her heavy chest eventually let her breathe out. "I become the perfect traveller to avoid any danger?"

"Avoiding danger does not erase the threat," Roger followed her gaze to the training travellers. "That is why we help you understand yourself and work in harmony with your gift. You can not take away danger in life, young Beamer, but you can take away your powerlessness to it."

It physically hurt her to hold back a scoff.

She stared at the tenth of kids giving their all. She felt an odd feeling weighting in her chest. She, too, was like them once: young, hopeful, training hard till dropping for a better future. No matter the reasons, kids all over the worlds seemed to share that common helpless hope working hard could fix everything.

Her eyes fell on a boy, retreated from the little groups. He looked older than the rest and kept flagrantly to the side. He was desperately staring at his hand, as if he expected something to grow out of it. She frowned as he suddenly stomped his foot in anger. He ignored the call of one of the elders, probably his teacher. Instead, he pouted and sat against the cliff's rocks.

She tried to ignore the familiarity it gave her.

"Come with me," Roger abruptly interrupted her thoughts. He was already going down. "I would like you to meet your fellow star."

"My what?"

Her confusion was left unanswered.

She hurried after him, wincing under her breath as her bare feet slip on the hard ground. If she thought Roger's sandals would slip in the made-up trail, she was the one nearing falls down the hill. Even the sand on the training ground felt unsteady – shaking slightly and sometimes, straight out pulsing.

"Nae’yl!" Roger called, attracting the attention of the boy she was watching. Up close, she could see he was clearly not a teenager, more nearing his twenties, but his chubby cheeks and curly hair didn’t make him that much older.

"Duke?" The boy stumbled up from his crossed leg stance. He wiped the dust of his lose shorts. He looked embarrassed as the director closed in before his eyes fell on her. His eyes drastically became fearful as he stepped back, hitting his head on the wall. Lillis grimaced for him.

"Boy, I heard your fellow star left last season," Nae'yl hid his face behind the long curls as he looked to the side. He rubbed the back of his head with a pout.

Looked like he already knew where this is going.

Lillis, for sure, didn’t.

"Mico told me you have not submit a request for a new one either, did you?" Roger continued. The boy shook his head, the tip of his ears reddening slightly. The director chuckled to himself. "Are you throwing another fit toward a new partner, boy?"

The dark haired boy mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms in defense. He didn’t seem very open to the conversation. Lillis stayed behind the tall man, not knowing if she really should witness this until she saw Roger's mischief eyes as he glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Wait–-" She understood too late.

"Nae’yl, meet your new fellow star."

The boy had the decency to share her appeal. But before any of them can retort or object, Roger took this opportunity to leave.

"I trust you will answer her questions, share our culture and make the Yale proud! You both will follow training and improve together, I know it. Play nice."

And just like this, they both looked at the man cheering the kids and granting them an earlier end to their suffering for the day.

What happened to answering my questions?

She didn't even hear the loud cheer, only her jaw hanging in betrayal as Roger left, leaving Nae'yl and her alone like two idiots on the sanded ground among the joyful trainees leaving the sand.

She eventually turned back to Nae’yl. He looked as thrilled as her to be in this position. In fact, he was clearly glaring at her. He was not even hiding it, his cross arms over his chest holding no weight of intimidation.

Great. Another moody adult teenager, she thought, his attitude reminding Lillis of Lyn.

She forced the thought to leave just as quickly as it came to her, the red spill and lifeless eyes flashing before her eyes forbade to cross her mind.

"I think it’s fair to say we both don’t want that," She stated bluntly. "Let's get this over it as quick as possible. I’m Lillis."

Now, she was expecting a lot of reactions, but him immediately clicking his tongue in disdain and stepping back as if to spit on her wasn't one of them.

"Yeah, no. I don’t think so," He lifted his chin up, belittling her openly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't deal with feys."

This again? She almost rolled her eyes.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She mimicked his crossed arms and chin up. If he wanted to play and continue that way, her burning nerves still poisoned by the lasting toxin would surely give it to him. He looked confused for a second before he shook his head.

"You- Whatever. Let’s get this over with," He conceded.

She frowned as she didn't expect him to drop it so fast considering his front. She watched as he pushed himself off the walls and walked to the centre of the training ground. She followed, eyes narrowed as he let himself drop to the ground. He crossed his legs the same way he had when she arrived.

An awkward tension started to build in the air with her eyeing him warily until he loudly sighed. She almost snorted at his harsh glancing to his side before looking back up at her.

"Will you sit already?" Nae’yl snapped as he tapped the spot beside him. He side-eyed her as she sat just as ungracefully. "I'll take a wild guess and say you don't know shit. Am I wrong?"

He shared the same sweet accent she heard in Lyn, Roger and Kyle's voice but he had, with no questions about it, the most annoying voice she ever heard. She tightened her fists on her knees. It would be very rude to punch him on the simple irritation of his smug face at her silence. Maybe she could throw him a fist of sand in the quest of helping him loose his smirk and get over it?

"You’re from Ra’dix, or Earth as you call it," His slender finger drew a long line in the sand. "This is the plane you come from. We–" He drew another line, a little shorter but perfectly parallel to the first. "–are, as of now, here. It’s called Ori’. This is our plane."

Not even five sentences in, and she already had ten questions. He didn't let her get to ask them as he haphazardly drew several other lines of different length, all always paralleling each other.

"And we are surrounded by dozens of other planes. Known planes, I should say. Those planes have different time and space but they're also the same. They're constant with one another. When some days pass in Ra'dix, a season already happened here at the Yale.

"That often complicates your understanding of time but it doesn’t mean this plane is quicker and any less real than yours. Everything is happening at the same time, perception is just different. They're just.. Different worlds."

"That’s why the sun is so slow compared to Earth," Lillis mumbled to herself.

Nae’yl frowned at this, turning to the barely rose sun even though she would bet it’s been at least six hours since she awoke. The bright stars and two clear moons in the rising sun, too, from what she knew but she couldn’t complain. What’s wrong with an ever lasting dawn?

"It’s not slow – it’s past Rido," She stared right back at him, their similar wrinkled foreheads sharing their confusion before Lillis shook her head. One confusion at a time.

Nae’yl took it as a cue to go on.

"Some plane are populated, like yours or mine. Others are just passing lands or religious places, like Berg. Most have never been discovered or explored. Yet. Still, they share one continuity that connects them all..."

His index stroked down back toward him, a long line crossing all the other ones in their centre. It almost looks like a star, the horizontal lines growing bigger as it reaches the heart of the vertical one. Nae’yl tapped the sole line going down.

"The Roots."

Lillis looked up at him. Them again.

"They're a big thing around here, right?"

"The End and the Beginning," He traced back the line to thicken it. "They are the base of life and makers of everything."

"So," She tilted her head. "They’re like... Your God."

Nae'yl looked offended.

"It’s not that simple," He brushed the doodle until it disappeared. His finger fell back into the freshly returned sand. "They’re our God, yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re just a belief. Your people call it... Lady Nature?"

"You mean, Mother Nature?"

"Right. Well, it’s kind of that– But also, much more."

Nae’yl doodled a large circle which he crossed in another exceeding horizontal line. Lillis crawled a little closer to decipher what he depicted.

"In every plane, the Roots are present. No matter where they are, no matter how far they feel – they are."

He traced lines down to the bottom of the circle. Lillis couldn’t help but see it as underground roots.

"There’s The End, which provide us the ground we walk on, the water we drink, the food we eat. They also give us, travellers, our abilities to bend space and travel through planes."

His finger went on the top side of the line and traced up to the top of the circle. They looked like trees’ branches reaching up to the sky. Lillis noticed in neither case did the lines got out of the circle.

"And there’s the Beginning. They spark life in plants and flowers and beings — but also gives the seers their visions. Together," He circled back to push his point. "They make our worlds."

Things were getting a little clearer even if curiosity was biting at her. At least, the annoying boy was trying to make sense – that was more that she could say about Roger.

She leaned forward to engrave the info in her mind in case Nae’yl had another shaky case of wiping it out. She didn’t understand much but it’ll probably make sense in time. It wasn't like she could avoid it anyway. She had to prove the Dreamers she was stable to be able to learn about the fog man. It wasn't like she could go back home any more.

Home, she snorted bitterly. Did she ever have one?

Roger’s words came back to her. She gritted her teeth. She wouldn’t be powerless ever again, not if she could do anything about it. If the devil came back, she had to be ready.

"They’re our roots," He attracted her attention back. "Always been around and are never to die. Well... Until..."

The side–eye he gave her made her reconsider her face punching ban resolution. She stared right at him, challenging him to say anything. He shuddered and looked back at his doodle. She kept her eyes on him.

"Until what?" She insisted, daring him.

"Until someone like you comes along."

It was whispered and quick but she heard him. The words sank in, confusing and offensive all the same.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" She spat before she could even try to stop herself.

He looked back at her and this time, didn’t shy away from her deadly stare.

"It means you’re bad news," He shared the same venom as hers. "No one wants a Fey to be around—"

Her fist was in his face quicker than she would have thought. He fell on his back, hands rushing to his face. She could hear him whine behind them in the same language Lyn used.

She’ll take a wild guess and say it was a curse.

But while she was opening her mouth to tell him a piece of her mind, she was instead earning a mouth and sight full of sand. She’d almost be impressed if not for the burning feeling.

She coughed, teary eyes trying to blink the intrusion away but thus, almost missed the fist coming full force at her. She caught his hand at the last second to deflect this attack, tilting her head just enough so it landed on the side of her jaw.

She fell on her side but quickly rolled over and got up. She didn’t have time to hiss at the feeling of the cut provided by her teeth on her lip as he was quick to follow.

She was annoyed to see the guy was a mere few inches taller. Call it ego, but people who looked down on her made her blood boil.

It sparked another line of the many things she was annoyed at from him, pretty high on the list along that damn content smile he wore now.

If he smirked, thinking their height difference would change a thing, she hoped he was ready to be sadly disappointed.

He sure looked bitterly surprised to get another mouthful of knuckles. It didn't take long for them to fight tooth and nails and, undesirably, attracting a lot of attention.

People were quick to gather, wondering what is going on.

For a second she wondered if all this attention was really worth it until Nae’yl’s foot slammed into her stomach and threw her off.

In the words of the devil himself: "Oh, it’s on!"

Punches and kicks were thrown messily and pettily but tenaciously and undergone. She managed to break the bridge of his nose, tainting the pearly white bandage of her hand, and he succeeded to create a span of dark bruises on her forearms, mixing with the dark lines on her skin.

If she got cocky he didn’t manage to get to her face yet, it was while avoiding one of her punches that Nae’yl suddenly dropped down and kicked her in the chin.

The fall on her back knocked the breath out of her and made her bite down her tongue. Her chest burned and her mouth filled with blood but it was not as painful as the gloat on his face.

"Is that all you got?" He boasted. He seemed pretty proud of himself as she stayed down. She tried to fill her lungs back but the slightest inhale burned her.

The group that formed around them was starting to become a little too invested as Lillis heard them cheer.

She winced as she pushed herself to sit up. His nerve was unwelcome as he stood over her, leaning to smirk right in her face. Still, she smirked back.

Bad move, he seemed too understand a second too late.

Her rage gathered and she jolted up, punching him right in the chest.

She would almost wince at the sound of a bone cracking under her knuckles.

People around them stepped back, ooh–ing in sympathy as Nae’yl dropped dead with a wheeze – just like she did a few seconds ago.

She mockingly chuckled as she dropped back too. Now laid parallel to each other, she was tempted to throw her foot in his face. Instead, she focused on somehow breathing and huffing the pain away.

After a minute, she spat the excess of blood out of her mouth before pushing herself up to her feet with a groan. Maybe, she had a broken rib or two, too. She still forced herself up and lifted her hands up to her face.

"You fight like a seer," He tried to insult to save his dignity. He was struggling to get back up. Her constant circling around him was setting him on edge, his arm now cuddled against his chest while the other helped him up – he looked unsure whether to defend or attack.

She smirked, wiping the red off her chin. The sight of her crimson teeth helped him decide, scaring him into an unnecessary jolt back. His feet slipped in the sand, making him fall back on his side. If her split lip stung as she grinned at his clumsiness, she'd bet it was nothing compared to his aching side.

"Maybe, I do," She blocked her arms in front of her as he threw his leg up in another silly attempt to kick her in the stomach. She grabbed his ankle, dragging him closer towards her before pressing her bare foot to his throat. "Maybe you should ask training from one?"

He looked torn between sass-ing back and accepting his defeat. The crowd seemed already willing to accept Lillis as the winner when Nae’yl dropped his head to the ground. He tapped her shin in defeat and the crowd dispersed, fulfilled by the amusement.

Lillis got an odd cheer from some of them but she didn’t miss the dirty look they all gave at her still swollen veins. She lifted the shirt higher to her neck as if anyone could really see what was under the jewel.

Nae’yl let a deep sigh out as she got off of him, then frowned. He must have not expected Lillis to offer her hand to help him up but she did.

And eventually, he took it.

He was quick to let go, as she was, and they both tried to correct their messy clothes and bloody faces. It was silent for a while, silent glances from Lillis and pouting lips from Nae’yl until they both finally nodded to each other and sat back.

It was awkward and Nae’yl’s drawing disappeared in the fight but Lillis didn’t comment on it.

"What’s even a Fey?" was the first question she tackled him with. The snort it dragged out of him made her reconsider if the fight was really over.

"They’re monsters, that’s what they are."

The tone was so cut and harsh, Lillis almost physically retracted. She hardened her gaze.

"That doesn’t answer me."

"Tough luck."

"Then what’s a seer?"

Nae’yl sighed and rolled his eyes. She felt like maybe he needed another punch in the face.

"They’re gifted, just like travellers – they’re just... Not travellers."

She stared at him for a second.

"You're right – maybe it’s better you don’t explain. No wonder no one is out volunteering to be your fellow star."

"Hey!" His sun-kissed skin didn’t hide away the flush of his cheeks. "I didn’t want one either, okay?"

"What the hell does that even mean, anyway?"

"It’s like... status. We’re stars: it means we're still learning and training for our powers. We’re generally in pairs to help us. If we get the hang of our powers, eventually, Roger will approve of our hard work and we’ll become olders. It's basically passing the Yale's unspoken exam."

"Can’t we be dukes, like him?"

"Sure, just pass the Starry Exam that requires, among other conditions, ten years of perfect aptitudes in your gift," He looked at her like she was dumb. "Why do you think we only have one Wandering Duke?"

Her fist absent-mindfully gathered sand in her grip. She could picture herself getting some payback for earlier.

"Seers are the second kind of gifted," He snapped her back to reality as he finally explained in plain words. "They get visions of the past or future. They can be all knowing if they have a high enough level. Those usually become Iras, who then become Dreamers."

She remembered the pendant – the symbol of an eye was on it. She put this thought aside for when she’ll find Roger again. Instead, she asked, "A high level?"

"Yes, the four levels," He frowned. "You really know nothing. Damn."

She didn't have time to throw the sand as he continued.

"They are for the two gifts – which basically measure the range of powers you have. The higher, the stronger."

"I guess that makes Roger a level four?"

"You think?" Nae’yl snorted, shaking his head. She decided to open her fist, letting the grains fall – clearly showing her refusal to throw it in his face. It tightened once more, though, letting him know her options didn’t stop there.

He chuckled.

"What range are you, then?"

The quiet was sudden. She wanted to praise his decency to spare her an eye roll or a scoff but she found she didn’t like the way he silenced himself, eyes focused ahead, far away. She waited and waited, but she knew he won’t answer.

"So low, huh?" She tried to joke. She immediately regretted it as she saw his jaw tense and his eyes sharpen. Not even a bark back, nothing.

Touchy subject, she cringed.

She bit the inside of her cheeks, rising her knees up and locking her arms around them. She looked ahead too.

The sun finally rose and was bright in the pink–orange sky. No clouds ahead, only the pure bath of light reflecting in the clear coast. It was relaxing to simply watch. Her mind quietened in the peaceful scenery.

"The Beginning?"

She could feel his eyes glance at her profile.

"Yes," Nae’yl whispered back. "Yes, it's Them."

The sun was pale but comforting as it danced up in the sky.

For a second, she could even pretend everything was okay. That she'll become the perfect star, the dark fog man will never hunt her down, that she'll find her real father's fate and- Lillis felt her stomach burn.

Nausea rose up her throat, the necklace around her throat burning her.

The light in the sky dimmed red. It swell and burst and dripped into the ocean, turning it black. The tar like body of water crawled onto the island, terrifying slowly drowning all the life on it.

She gasped as she jumped to her feet, watching in horror as the warm day turned dark and misty. Her feet hurriedly took her to the edge of the hill of the training grounds, the view down to the beach making her freeze in place.

Fog started choking her, screams exploding everywhere, needles digging under her skin, straps wrapping around her limbs, fire bursting in her mind and then–

.qɘɘlƧ

Lillis opened her eyes. She was in bed. For a moment, she simply blinked.

The painted ceiling above her felt familiar. Or, it did. The more she looked at it, the less she could remember why. What was that? Where was-

She suddenly wondered why everything looked so soft and pastel, and not bloody red. For a moment, she didn’t dare to move. She didn’t even dare to breathe. A second passed, another...

She slowly sat up. She tried to remember how she got here. She was with Nae'yl, and then... She frowned. Why red? It seemed important then. But now, she couldn't even remember. Did she have a bad dream?

She pushed the brown plaid off of her- Oh. She recognised this plaid. This was her room. Or the one they assigned to her. It was just as plain as she left it, but the dirty clothes had been taken away.

She twisted on the mattress, turning to the window right against the bed. The sun was setting, the breeze gently soothing her burning skin as she gathered her bearings. There was even a glass of fresh water on the window stand. She was tempted to avoid it before her thirst was too strong to ignore.

She downed it fast enough to have a brain freeze but it was too soothing not to. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand- "What the hell?"

She lifted her arms, eyes tracing her skin. Her veins weren’t swollen. They still showed the dark colour lining every inch of her veins but it didn’t look infected. She noticed the bandages of her hands had been changed too, the cloth a pale blue.

She stood a little taller when she got on her feet. She looked at the dark night sky, admiring the cold yet still violet tones shading all. She breathed in deeply along the crashes of the ocean against the cliff before turning to her door.

She stopped as she reached it, noticing a pair of dark brown boots by it. She wondered for a second where they came from before sitting on the floor, putting on the too big socks over her feet. It had to be for her, she thought as she tied the laces of the mid–ankle boots tight.

Feels more comfortable than being barefoot, she jumped on her feet to test the leather. It was strong but easy as she walked out of the door– Only to squeak loudly as she abruptly stopped.

A few inches more and she would have knocked right into the blonde girl standing before her. If she was mildly irritated to have someone lurk around her room at this hour, she was voiceless as she saw her face.

"You're okay?!" She gasped at the woman dumbfound only to be answer by the same confused look.

The very girl that got stabbed protecting Kyle and her, if only looking a little younger. She had been sure she died then, the shake of her hands and the blood pooling down unmistakable.

Yet, it was the same long blonde curls that framed her face, the same bright eyes that stared her down. The sole difference was the miss of her old jacket. In fact, Lillis could see it folded inside the box she had in her arms.

"I’m sorry?" The girl's voice was light and cheery but quiet in the night, as if Lillis had neighbours next door.

Yet, Lillis couldn't point it out, she could simply stare.

She died, I'm sure she died, I saw her die, this can't—

"I’ve been tasked with bringing you your items back!" The woman made herself at home in her room, pushing past her and lowering the wooden box on the vanity. "I’m sorry, I know it’s late, but I had a long track and only just finished! I could have wait out tomorrow, but I also couldn’t, you know? I didn’t expect you to be awake, but I’m really glad you are– I’ve been dying to meet you!"

Lillis struggled to understand her bright smile and fidgeting hands, yet alone her quick speech and obvious interest.

"Meeting me?" She wondered aloud, a little flabbergasted. Her mind struggled to articulate her thoughts.

"Of course! I mean..." The blonde looked shy now, playing with her hair and looking at her tips. "I couldn’t believe it when I felt the essence of a Beamer. Who could, right? But here you are! I never thought I’d have the chance to ever meet one. It’s something to finally meet you as a Godfey! Oh, I’m Casey, by the way!"

Lillis felt her migraine drill into her skull. The girl was speaking so many words in such a short time span. Why was her being a Beamer supposed to be a secret if everyone already seemed to know?

"Lillis–" She introduced herself but Casey was already nodding. She decided not to ask and pressed on her temple as she went to the box. "Why are you all calling me a Beamer?"

"Because... You are one?" Casey was nice and pretty but Lillis couldn’t help her if they were both confusing the hell out of each other. She had a feeling it’s only going to get worse.

"You're not supposed to know that but, whatever–" Lillis muttered to herself, deciding to drop it for now to ease her migraine. She looked into the few belongings she had the day she got poisoned.

Heze'kiah probably was the one to send it here. There was the jacket she found at her father’s cabin and the clothes she wore that day, but Lillis’ hand dove straight to the bottom.

Pulling the military–like coat worn out beyond belief and covered in red, she felt ashamed to give back. "–Here you go."

The jacket was placed in the Casey's hands. The green eyed woman stared at it for a second, looking with such wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Lillis felt more bad if possible.

"It was like this when I got it," Lillis got defensive but Casey interrupted her.

"It’s–" Casey swallowed with difficulty, cheeks flushed. "You're giving it to me...?"

Lillis frowned at her reaction.

"Yeah? It's yours. I mean, I can try to wash it but the blood dried so–"

Her words staggered as the blonde dropped to her knees in front of her.

What the hell?

"Casey-"

One of her hands held on the greenish cloth while the other grabbed on Lillis’ right hand. Casey looked at her with watery eyes.

"I’ll take the most care to it. I promise."

Lillis felt at loss for words for an instant. The weird sudden declaration left her awkward but Casey was still looking so intensely at her, more than she already had been, and it was making her all kinds of uncomfortable.

"... Okay?" She guessed, unsure what she wanted from her.

"I won’t ever let you down."

The seriousness on her face was a shocking contrast to the bright smile she had a minute ago.

"Okay?" Lillis repeated. This situation was getting weirder by the second and she didn't have the capacity or energy to question it.

"Just say the word," The blonde insisted.

Lillis frowned, tilting her head. Was Casey expecting something right away...?

"Uh..." She tried to think through her headache. Casey's eyes sparked, looking up at her. She seemed to be awaiting orders. "What’s a Godfey?"

"It’s me! It’s my family," She replied eagerly. "We’re disciples and worshippers of the Beamers, have been for generations! I never thought I’d be able to continue my family’s way but... Here you are."

There was so much tenderness and devotion in Casey's eyes. It made Lillis grimaced. Disciples? Worshippers? Once again, one question answered resulted in ten more sparking.

She sighed, pressing on her eyes until her sight blurred. "And what’s that Beamer deal about...?"

Casey jumped to her feet, putting on the jacket as she nodded vigorously.

"Oh– Of course, you must be confused! Come with me, my love," The pet name escaped Casey as if it was the most natural thing ever. "I’ll explain as best as I can!"

And with that, the blonde disappeared out of the room into the corridor. Lillis looked where she left, wondering what the hell just happened before the blonde’s face reappeared at the door, expectantly.

"Oh– Are you tired maybe? We can do this tomorrow if you wish–"

"No–" Lillis shook her head. She had to take answers where she could get them. She grabbed her father’s jacket, carefully touching it to make sure it was real before leaving it by the vial Ren gave her and the map. "No, no, I’m coming."

The walk toward the main building was shorter than with Roger, the amazement of the architecture replaced by agape. If by day, the Yale looked beautiful, by night it was mesmerising.

Candles still danced alight everywhere but much more dimly, giving a hazy look in the night Lillis felt safe in. It didn't have that eye sore it had by day, it was faded and subtle and comforting.

She wished she could linger around a second longer– But Casey was fast on her feet, her hand finding her way around Lillis’ and unwilling to let go. It didn't spike her like it did after her drugging but it was still too much skin-to-skin contact for her to be at ease with.

Casey hurried her forward and soon, Lillis recognised the theatre room. She sighed in relief as her hand was freed for the blonde to run down the stairs to the mural. She looked at all the inscription while Lillis took her time to join her, hands in her pocket, holding on her crystal.

She wasn’t sure what she was doing her with this overexcited stranger but if Casey said she had answers, Lillis would give it a try. It was better than sulking her headache in this maze.

"What are we doing here?" She asked quietly. Nights always had a way to turn her peacefully mellow.

Casey turned her bright smile back at her before passing her hand over the mural.

"There is a tradition here to carve in the Wall after your training is complete," She explained, her fingers grazing the many inscriptions in the stone. "It’s a way to finalise your rite. It’s been so ever since the Yale has been built."

Lillis took the whole wall in, wondering how many people left their marks here. How long did it even stand? She passed her hand again as she did the day before.

Yet, now, it felt soft and gentle. She felt a kind of nostalgia she couldn't place as she traced the unreadable letters before a sharp warmth sparked in her skin. She rubbed her fingers together to wave the hotness away, ignoring Casey’s worried eyes.

The blonde looked at the inscription that burned her before a smile broke on her face.

"Ad astra per aspera," Stood the sentence that burnt Lillis. The messy handwriting above her head stared right back at her. The warmth from her necklace grew a little hotter. The silence made her uneasy as Casey just stared at it.

"What does it mean?" Lillis asked, a little defensive.

She dropped out of school at fourteen to support her mother and the trash of a husband she carried everywhere – she never got time to stop and learn latin. They were so many things Lillis had to skip on and it was difficult not to feel defensive about it, especially with Casey's amused expression.

It felt mocking. Surely not every kids around here did too? She tightened her lips. Maybe, she should just be thankful English seemed to be a spoken language here, too.

"To the stars through difficulties," Casey answered, amused. She glanced between it and Lillis. Her hand brushed over the wall before she nervously grabbed on the hem of her sleeve. "... This was your father's."

Lillis' head turned so fast she thought her neck might snap. Her heart swelled in her chest. Her mind blanked out, focusing solely on Casey.

What the hell did she just say? Her mouth was dry and she had trouble forcing the words out.

"You– You knew my father?" She managed to gasp out.

"Oh-" Casey squirmed uncomfortably. She played with her fingers as she gave her a sorry smile. "No. I wasn't even born when the Beamers' disappear. I only know about them because my grandpa wanted me to know about them."

"It's still more than I know," Lillis’ eyes made her shift on the spot. She avoided her, she realised. "Casey."

Casey stayed silent a little longer before her eyes lifted to the carving.

"The Beamers used to be a great family," She started with a quiet voice. She sat on the carpeted ground, waiting until Lillis sat on one of the first row chair before she continued.

"The foremost travellers, the wisest seers, even most known Feys were Beamers. They were defenders and protectors of the Roots – they held a special connection to them.

"As all families, not all were gifted, but those who were, oh Lillis, they were powerful ones. They all took their duty to heart, no matter their levels – even those having none. They did their best to preserve the community and all our values since the Great Wander."

"The Great Wander?" Lillis interrupted.

"Oh- Right, sorry. The Great Wander... Well. It started so long ago. We were still on Ra'dix. We were living peacefully among non-gifted, but as always peace didn’t last. We were chased away, called demons and monsters.

"The Beamers saved us with the Great Wander from the witch hunt that had started: they found this plane and made it a home for us. They took every gifted, and shadows, who wanted to live here and made us a stable permanent stay in Ni'vaal. But... Peace still didn't last. And happened what always happened in tensed times of vulnerability and uncertainty."

Lillis felt the pit of her stomach fill with apprehension, yet, she knew where this was going.

"They still fought?" She quietly guessed.

"It was worse that a fight. It was full on war. The Foes’ War was what happened."

Casey took a minute to gather herself, shivering and hugging herself.

"We thought we were so unified since our arrival here, nothing could shake us. But a Beamer noticed the cracks and spoke about it: Y'res. He was the fey of that time.

"He spoke out the flaws of our previous system, of the reasons that we ended up here in the first place. He tried to make things better for the non-gifted that came along, and slowly, sides had to be chosen. Came what had to come: disagreement sparked, and war followed. The Beamers were blamed for things going so far.

"The war was short but so awful. It only stopped because the Beamers' Head's children were killed. The Tellers chastised their lack of duty toward their protected and gave them the punishment of ostracisation.

"Their newfounds could come to the Yard to train but they were forbade to work or teach. Living in Evermore wasn’t forbade but they couldn't have any businesses, it was inconceivable as it was prohibited to even talk about them.

"For centuries, the Beamers tried to overcome the sanctions to continue their duty. They even manage to change a part of the community’s mind. They were trying so hard to right their ancestors’ wrongs in the eyes of the Tellers.

"But... In the end, they still stood by what Y'res stood for. It was no use. They wouldn't bulge. The Beamers had been labelled as trouble, along anyone supporting them."

"... Like your family," Lillis guessed.

Casey’s smile looked forced as she turned to her.

"Yes," She nodded quietly. It felt wrong to see her so sad. "Like mine. But while your family was officially sanctioned, we were simply... Despised by proxy."

Casey stared at the engraving before sighing. She placed her elbows on her knees, nervously pulling the skin by her nails.

Lillis stood up. Her fingertips brushed the words but never quite touched.

"Eventually, they gave in," Casey continued. "They realised they couldn’t help a community that didn’t want them to any more. The Beamers took their belongings and settled away from Evermore to try and live peacefully on their own. They made their Compound north of Ni’vaal and only restricted people were allowed to enter. Only if the Head of the Beamers accepted them."

Lillis felt Casey's eyes on the back on her head. When she turned, the blonde looked at her with a soft smile.

"And eventually... There was your father."

Lillis’ voice got stuck in her throat.

"What happened?" She managed to ask. He was supposedly known by the Dreamers, by Kyle. Surely Casey knew something. Surely, she could tell her about 'the Pavo'. Yet-

"The Slaughter happened."

Lillis felt her heart stop.

Casey’s smile tensed at her expression. Did she expect her to know about this? Lillis could see the tears build up in the blonde's eyes as she comprehended Lillis had no idea. She shifted uncomfortable on the carpet.

Lillis wasn't dumb. Her father died when she was a kid, that’s what Gina kept telling her until it became a prohibited subject. The Dreamers talked about how he had mysteriously disappeared.

But Casey talked about a slaughter.

"What do you mean, a slaughter?" Lillis' voice had snapped colder and more dangerous that she intended.

Casey struggled to find the words.

The quiet of the night made it all the more suffocating. She couldn’t even begin to order her thoughts. Her body fought the need to shake Casey, the sick feeling in her guts making her want to throw up.

Somehow, Lillis knew she didn’t want to know – but she also, absolutely needed to know.

The engraving under her bandaged hand begged her to know.

Her jaw was locked tight, fist tightening against her thigh more and more as Casey opened her mouth.

"Two... Two centuries ago, the Dreamers grew worried. One of the Iras received a vision that made them sick. No one knows why or whom it touched, but they knew something awful had missed their notice. They searched the whole Ni'vaal but they couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It’s only when a Blessed of Liath asked to check on the Beamers that they... O' Y'res."

The blonde shook her head, the locks bouncing against her face.

"There's no way around it..." Casey slowly looked at Lillis. Her face was grave as she whispered the words. "They were slaughtered."

A storm wrecked through Lillis' mind. She felt betrayed. Dead, disappeared, slaughtered. Everyone had a different tale about the sole person who gave a shit about her in her life – and in a span of a few days, Lillis felt like the grieving she did for years may not only continue, but never be for the right reason.

Her eyes were focused intensely on the sentence engraved in the stone. She couldn’t make a sound, move a muscle. Her imagination had the sick idea to picture the awful dying cries her family must have made then: the cries, the terrors, the blood, the death.

She closed her eyes, her palm finally falling flat against the mural. She let the warmth coming from it almost burn her before it softened and soothed her. She could almost feel as if it healed the cut in her palm. Yet, like everything, it turned bitter and venomous.

Once, her father had stood here to crave these words. Today, she was the one standing here.

With no one left to go home to.

Worse, that family had been abandoned by all long before her. She remembered the dirty looks she got from the Dreamers, from Kyle.

What a strange feeling it was to find out about a family you never knew only to find yourself longing for them. The yearning in her heart grew heavily and unprompted. She felt her hand shaking on the Wall.

Something is wrong.

"Who did it?"

Casey jolted her head up. Lillis might have gotten lost in her head for longer than she thought.

"Pardon?"

Lillis let go off the Wall after one last touch. She turned tall toward Casey. Her guts twisted inside of her. She had to move.

Something is wrong.

"Who. Did. It." She demanded more clearly. Her tone was cold and scary but the blonde didn’t take offence this time.

"That’s the thing," She shuddered, looking helpless. "No one ever found out."

Something is wrong.

A dark cackle resonated in her ears and Lillis went straight up the stairs.

"Wait– Where are you going?" Casey called after her. Lillis barely acknowledged her.

She didn't slow, didn't stop. She was jumping the steps two by two and once she'd reached the door, she gave a single determined glance back at the blonde above her shoulder before leaving her to the Wall.

"Getting answers."

Finding Roger’s office ended up easier than expected. She already saw herself spending all night raging and wandering through the maze of corridors. The Yale was so wide, she had to get lost. What was her surprise to see someone had had the courtesy to draw subtle signs.

She was pretty sure they were none of the glowing lines on the walls ever since she stepped foot in the building, maybe it was only at night that they showed up. She wasn't going to spit on some unharmful help.

This allowed her to focus on her burning anger and stretched nerves. Her guts told her it wasn't as far as she thought anyway.

She almost huffed out as she saw light coming from an open double door room. There, she knew without doubt.

She barely contained herself as she hurried forward. Her revolted thoughts crashed along the need to make sense of it all, desperately trying to come along into an unarguable, ruthless demand–

"I said, enough."

Lillis froze in her steps. Roger’s voice had been harsh and uncharacteristically loud. She didn’t know the man well but cold and uncontrolled would not be adjectives she would have given him.

She tiptoed as she neared the door, staying in the shadows as another man’s voice responded. She got the feeling she had to hide.

"You know I’m right," Insisted the other person. The voice was calm and collected if not a little concerned. "You can’t deny the facts."

Silence filled the air before the stranger sighed. Ra'an, Lillis realised.

"I was right there. I was her appointed seeker, they designated me to be the one in charge of her and bring her back here, because of who she is. And still, she escaped me, twice."

She frowned. Was this about her?

"Ra’an," Roger’s voice was unrecognisable. It was low, dangerous and, quite frankly, terrifying. Lillis hid deeper into the shadows behind the door, holding her breath. She tried to make herself as small as possible, as if they could hear her. She stopped herself from slipping, suddenly remembering Kyle’s words at their first meeting.

Didn't he say he felt me planes away?

Shivers ran down her spine. She was barely standing ten feet away from them. What if they could feel her right now, or simply heard her? She tried not to think about it, focusing on not letting a noise escape her. Her teeth bit on her lower lip for good measure. She feared the slightest breathe would betray her.

"Roger," Ra’an didn’t miss a beat. "You know what that means."

"Lillis simply is an old bloomer–"

"For Hersa'k’s sake, Roger– she did a perfect hidden wander right in front of me. I couldn't trace her essence! She just... Faded. You know what that means. Stop avoiding it."

What does it mean? Roger seemed to know as he kept silent.

"How do you explain her flawless summoning?"

Silence.

"Her slowed planes?"

Silence.

"That's two fulfilled talents on three. Maybe she can already pause! And even if she wasn't, her battle against the Nether is in and out of itself proof enough! She faced it, she survived it. Roger. She made it bleed."

Her eyes grew. The Nether? So the fog man didn’t even have a name, only a tell–tale nomination of dehumanisation? She winced. She did thought of him as a devil. It itched her in the wrong way, but at the same time – she couldn’t blame them. He only seemed human by looks.

"And she paid for it, didn’t she?" Roger finally found his voice again.

Ra'an was the silence one this time.

"You can't ignore all the proofs," The seeker tried still. "She's–"

"Ra’an, it’s a tale you read to children–"

"It's the last prophecy of the Tellers!" Ra'an's voice resonated throughout the corridors. He seemed to struggle to breathe for a moment, then spoke so low she almost struggled to catch on the words.

"She's the sole survivor of the Slaughter. She's an old bloomer. The Ira died because of her. She bathed in the dark fog– She essenced it, Roger. You know what it means. This means the prophecy is true– And is being fulfilled. She's the Fey, but worse – she’s the Pavo’s daughter."

Her feet dragged her out of the shadows quicker than the words reach her brain.

Roger was standing behind his desk, arms tensed as they were crossed over his chest. He looked baffled at her sudden appearance at the door but he was quick to mask his shock behind an easy smile – no matter how fake.

Ra’an’s back was facing her, his broad shoulders intimidating but not measuring her anger. The mess of black curls turned and when he faced her, he immediately took a step back, bumping in the desk.

"Young Beamer," Roger greeted. "It is rude to eavesdrop."

She merely heard Roger. The terror in Ra'an's voice would make Lillis feel bad if not for her worked out nerves. His eyes were dark and unblinking, as if she'd attack if he let down his guard. She knew it: they had the answers she needed. Finally, someone who had answers. Someone pissed –or scared– enough to share them. She was not going anywhere until he spilled them out.

Blue against black, their eyes remained locked together. Her fists tightened at her sides.

She weighted her chances of out fighting them out of him. He looked tired, exhausted even, but his resting face of a meticulous recidivist serial killer tried to intimidate her. If this wasn't enough to deflect her, his arms were the size of her head and they were more than ready to harm.

Still, she was ready to take a gamble. Her knuckles cracked under the pressure, uneasy but stubborn. He lifted a single eyebrow at her. His beard was thick but cut and she wondered for a second if he would look more or less menacing without it. Then she remembered no matter the unease he created in her, he was the only one who openly talked about her father and the Slaughter.

"Who did the Slaughter?" She demanded bluntly.

Roger audibly choked and Ra’an almost fell to his knees. He turned to the director and pointed at her shakily.

"It needs to be taken care of," He emphasised through clenched teeth before leaving at the speed of light without another word or glance at the both of them.

"Hey–" She barely made a step after him when Roger stopped her.

"Lillis," He almost sounded like he’s begging her. She hissed, eyes glancing at him. "Enough."

The shadow twisted, swirled and disappeared through thin air. Was it what a wander looked like from outside? She cursed. He escaped her.

"I have a feeling it’s the only way I’m going to get answers with you," Lillis groaned loudly, turning to face Roger.

He was sitting at his desk still, not a once of remorse on his face. He looked hurt for a second but he simply closed his eyes.

He leaned on the back of his chair. He seemed already done with this discussion.

"How did you even get here–"

"What happened?" She didn't let him deflect.

He organised the mess of paper before him as he vaguely moved his free hand around.

"I heard you had a fight with Nae’yl," He played stupid. "That's not the way of the Yard, I can't have you–"

"I don’t care about earlier!" She snapped, slamming her hands on his desk.

"Then what do you care about?" He looked straight up at her. For the first time, no smile stood on his lips. It cemented the dangerous tone she heard earlier but she'd be damned if she let that slow her.

"I care about what happened twenty–one years ago."

Silence. Again. Lillis was starting to loathe it.

"Nothing happ–"

"Fine, whatever, however how long that makes it in Ni'vaan years!"

"Beamer, I said no."

His tone was harsh. It was commanding, authoritative, fuelling the fire in Lillis’ fire and yet... She found herself taking a step back. Her heart beat loudly, faster than a second ago. Her guts twisted in a torturous pain. That expression, those words, that tone... She could see the raw terror behind the facade of disdain.

The same Ra'an tried to hide, the same Nae'yl openly showed, the same she got from the residents around. Not even when talking about the Nether did Roger express such fear and yet: she saw it.

He was absolutely terrified of her.

She thought idiotic the idea a sole person could inspire so much dread into a community at first. How simply being related by blood by someone could lead to the harm Casey talked about. But here she was, being proven sorely wrong.

The necklace she wore seemed to flare up, the warmth on her neck both hurting and soothing.

"You said you would answer all my questions," She reminded him under her breath. Her voice was too low. No matter the familiar anger of this non stop secrecy they rose around her, those warnings Roger was giving her... She hated like how they kept alive this pathetic apprehension itching her.

The very same Clint took years to meticulously put under her skin. That awful afterthought of overthinking everything, that stupid terror she will be quieted again. She held on her wrath: the seldom thing that ever kept her alive, that got her out of everything.

"I said I shall answer as best as I can," He relented.

"And?"

"And I’m doing just that."

She needed a second to breathe and not flip the desk around. She took on herself not to shout. It didn’t work with Clint, she was sure it wouldn’t with Roger either. It didn't stop his calm demeanour to fire her up, though.

"How? How are you answering me?" She growled. "You're not saying anything."

"I did not know your family personally, Lillis, no one did. No one does."

The honesty in his words was raging, but she knew there was more to it. There had to be something more he wasn't willing to tell her. She could see it, it was written all over his face, in the tremors of his fingers, in the subtle movement of his Adam's apple. It was a nagging, an itch she couldn’t quite place but that so obvious he wanted to tear off.

Couldn't he see she was desperate for the slightest information? No. Of course he could. But his fear of her was stronger than his willingness to share.

Let there be what she meant or what she represented, he was fighting her off. He was fighting the first hope she had in decades to know about her father, a hope he bloomed, and now he told her he got even less? Worse, he was hiding the Pavo from her.

This ghost that left her letters now gone forever– This ghost she's been repeatedly told to abandon– This ghost this community praised yet hated for no reason– The ghost she didn't even know the name of? All of this, hidden in the dark because they were scared of her, a poor confused lost orphan?

"You said–" She heaved, fighting the shaking of her hands.

"I know what I said."

Keeping herself rooted in place was painful. She knew she wouldn’t get anything from him. It wasn't on how to do it any more, or how to talk it out: it was done. It's on his face just like it had been on Clint's: it's over. She swallowed bitterly.

Her father was dead, and all related to him, at this point, but now she also had to grieve him all over again.

"You said you knew things no one knew: what can you tell me?"

Silence. She felt like screaming. At least, it'd fill the air.

"I can tell you about your gift," Roger eventually complied, carefully avoiding her eyes. "About this place, our community– your community," He added quickly, as if it would make it true.

He glanced at her silence.

"I can tell you about the powers of the Roots or the ways to make it easier for you to control them. The Yard is our sole place reuniting our history and knowledge. It is the centre of our heart. In the end, I can give you all of this, but only if you are willing to stay and behave appropriately. No fighting, no accusation, no probing. This? Your heritage? That is... That is not something anyone can help you with, I am afraid. Not any more."

She bit her cheek to keep quiet. Always kept quiet, forced mute. Why did she think– How dare she thought it would be different? She turned to the exit, the stinging pain of building tears in her eyes. Frustration was hitting her like a sack of bricks in the face.

She looked at the dark hall. Always getting so close to the truth that would fulfil the hole in her heart only to be refused that single request.

He wanted her to stay quiet? Expected her to bite the inside of her cheek till the flesh break and she finally bent down in compliance? Silencing her not to discover why they put so much fear and hatred on her family? Sure, it might have worked before.

Before Clint.

Before the waves.

Before the freedom.

Now? He was going to be as bitterly disappointed as she was. At least, she now knew where they stood to one another. For a moment, she wondered if she could still catch Ra'an before another thought sparked in her mind.

Roger narrowed his eyes in caution as she turned to look at him from above her shoulder. The squeak of the push back of his chair was loud in the quiet.

"Is the Nether the man in the dark fog?"

Lillis couldn't miss the shock on Roger’s face if she was blind. His eyes grew wide, his chest heaved and it looked like her question went through his head like a parasite nesting itself.

"It–" He choked.

"Why did he kill that girl and her friend?"

"Young one–"

"Why is it my fault she died?"

"You don't–"

"Why did I see him kill Casey but now, she’s right downstairs, unaware and very much alive?"

He let out a heavy exhale. A shaking hand passed over his face, eyes widened before he inhaled deeply, palm running along his shaved head.

"You’re not remembering things right–"

"Is he the one who did it? Did he kill my family? Why did he spare me?"

His eyes froze on her. He looked panic struck. His eyes glanced at her chest. The dark veins were just as dark as the ones on her hands. A good reminder of her last encounter with the man and remaining proof she did not imagine or remembered wrong.

"If you gave him a name, this must mean you know who he is. It's about your community after all, isn't it?" She pressed on. "What does he want, where is he? Is anyone even going after him?"

He looked deep into her eyes before looking down, unable to speak. Lillis felt the remaining rage flew out of her. It hurt her just as much as it fuelled the poison lingering in her.

Different world, same bullshit.

She didn’t say anything else. She turned on her heels and she left.

She didn’t get what she wanted from him but that was all he seemed to be able to provided. Her stance carried all the anger trapped in her. She could hear him call for her but she didn’t stop. Not when he proved what she assessed already – no one will help her, be it out of fear, ignorance or both.

No one will even take the blame of the lost lives, especially when they have a Fey right here to take it. Even if that meant more people will be grieving soon, without any sense of justice for their departed ones.

She stopped on her feet as she saw Casey coming running toward her. Her head was pounding, dizziness troubling her sharp eyes meeting the shining green ones.

There's only one person left that might help me now.

"Do you know where Kyle is? Kyle Miller?"

"Are you sure I can't do more?" Casey timidly asked.

They were walking fast down the large corridors of the Yale, the sun finally coming out after the longest night of her life. Lillis had wanted to go straight after Kyle when Casey found her, but the blonde advised her to wait for the night to lift.

It wasn't customary to join others in the dark, the night time traditionally dedicated to alone time, introspection, rest. This made it even stranger when Casey insisted to stay with her but Lillis didn't question it any further.

It had been long day for her, and even longer night. Yet, somehow, Casey made it shorter by showing her around a bit more. She even went as far as teaching her more about the community when the hours dragged on. The talk about Lillis' family had been closed and forbidden as Casey had already shared all she could and truly, Lillis wasn't keen on reopening this wound right away.

A sleepy Casey tried to follow her non-resting flow and even surprised her by slowly filling in the gaps and helping her put a timeline on the recent events. It was then that Lillis understood three things.

First, she had been bedridden far longer than she initially thought.

In Earth hours, a day and a night happened in the span of twenty four hours. In Ni'vaal, a day was about thirty-two Earth-hours, followed by thirty-two more hours of night. She was shocked to learn almost a week and a half passed by Ni'vaan standards since her poisoning.

She had been scared to ask Casey if months happened on Ra'dix while she had been here, but Nae'yl's words about time having different perspectives between planes came back to her. Time was slower on Ra'dix than here, he said. Casey confirmed it when she supposed not even a day passed back there since the Solstice incident.

Second, Lyn's death had been dismissed to an accident along her protector, neither able to be saved, rather than a murder.

This made her guilt even more prominent, their deaths now entirely her fault. She had lead the Nether to them on the, without a doubt, most important day of Lyn's life. Casey did not seem to imply she knew about the fog or even the real reason, so Lillis kept quiet about it too. No need to tell her her doppelganger died there.

Which lead to number three... No one knew of the Nether.

Lillis didn't know whether to be reassured or not by that. Her stomach churned in guilt and anger, her tired mood drastically dropping along her vain hopes for good news as she struggled on to find answers while being here. She'd have to wait until her training was complete, she realised bitterly.

One step forward may be followed by two steps back, but it still grants length to carry on.

In an attempt at cheering her up, Casey had offered to show her the closest common showers along with giving her more fitting underwear for her to change into. Lillis will simply deny how awkward she turned as she realised the reason Casey was so red as she handed the cotton panties and bra to her was, in fact, because she was offering her own.

Some subjects were not meant to pass a light over.

Lillis had been able to shower properly and slipped in the jeans – along with another stolen, gem-filled shirt in favour of the sweater she left in the box. She, sadly, also left her father's jacket in it. The summer heat wouldn't let her wear it without needing four more additional showers.

When finally, after a restless wait, the first rays of sunshine busted into her room, she jumped to her feet toward her only viable clue for the Nether.

Kyle Miller, I'm coming for you.

"Yes, I'm sure," Lillis dismissed Casey, before glancing at the jogging blonde after her. "You've done more than your share. I appreciate your help but don't feel obliged to just because of our families' bond."

A slight stumble messed Casey's steps as she stumped her feet like an angry bunny.

"I don't!" She argued, her freckled cheeks flushing. "I'm honoured to help you, I couldn't even begin to see this as a duty! It's just..."

Lillis sighed silently, stopping in the empty hallway.

"Just?"

Casey looked uncomfortable, looking left and right. Her fingers played with the hem of her dress' sleeves nervously. Is she blushing?

"If you truly wish to go and chase after your family's killer, I want to be a part of it. I know you said you want to do this alone but– I want to be able to give you something."

Blinking, Lillis stared at her, dumbfound.

"I don't need anything."

"I know– You keep telling me– But I feel useless. I can wander farther than most! I've been praised for my tracking skills! I've been applauded for my pausing talent! I'm sure that could help you! Somehow? ...Maybe? No?"

Casey's face slowly crumbled. It was hard to hold back a sigh at her pouting expression, but so was not feeling bad at the desperate puppy eyes she was giving her. Lillis exhaled in surrender to the teary jade gems.

"Well," She vaguely waved her hand under the intense eyes locked on her. "There's this box. My father's actually. It's probably been lost, maybe destroyed. I don't know. I can't go back there, back in my... Plane, or whatever. Not that it would change anything but–"

"I will find it for you!" Casey promised in an instant.

"You don't have to," Lillis frowned. "It's just... The only thing I would need help with as I can't go myself."

The blonde studied her for a moment, the same longing and sweetness that made Lillis feel so uncomfortable. But maybe, also... Grateful.

"I will find it for you," She repeated. "Then I'll teach you how to track essences."

Promises, Lillis understood. And there, in a burst of wild air and sparkles Lillis remembered deadly, the blonde disappeared.

She blinked, alone in the hall before huffing.

What a weird person.

Looking ahead, she inhaled deeply. Her steps restarted in the empty wing and they didn't stop until she was back in the main hall by the Wall amphitheatre.

"Now, where would I -a moody, brooding bastard- hide, if I was even here?" She wondered out loud to herself.

She looked around, the pure maze offering her all kinds of options. She put her hands in her pocket in thought, lifting a brow as a cold metal met her skin. She looked down as she took it out.

The Aloe necklace.

Right. She left it in her jeans, then. After everything, it completely left her mind. She glared at it for a second before scoffing. At least, this was a clue toward both Kyle and the Nether. Wrapping the chain around her wrist, she closed the lock and pushed it under the now dirty blue bandage of her hand not to lose it.

She looked back ahead, and relying on her good old guts, headed toward the first stairs on the left.

The corridors were unbearably filled as the sun just showed up. Not as in bumping and pushing through the crowd, but as in having to meet eyes with the few people passing through if only out of decency. The hard glares and frightened looks she got soon made her share her own side eyes.

Going deeper into the Yale, she decided to head toward the more deserted paths. She didn't know what she was looking for but her guts knew – and that was what she relied on. It was not until she almost admitted to herself she got lost in some dark impasse that she saw it.

A simple sign that danced seemingly in the air above an alcove.

This is it.

She descended without a second thought, the small hidden staircase spinning into the ground. It took a little while to descend, with nothing except the few candles on the walls half melted to light her way down. The last particularly rough sets of tight stairs in complete darkness made her fear she'd burst her head open before reaching the end when she finally did.

She frowned. Only a rusted, scrapped door stopped her from moving forward and truly, she wondered how it still stood straight. The door seemed to be rotten. It must have had a lock as a clear mark could be see on the wood under the handle but there was none.

She didn't waste time entering – and she was met with dozens and dozens of bookshelves.

All trapped within the small room, Lillis was surprised to see them go up to the wall. Her head barely reached the middle of the shelves height as she passed them. All were stocked to the brim.

She walked for a minute, looking at the broken ladders inviting her to see up, before she noticed this place was some kind of archives.

She rooted in place.

Lillis’ family had been there since the dawn of the Roots, if she was to believe Casey. Or at the very least, they were since the establishment of the Yale. Surely, that meant there must be some kind of register about them.

She stared at the trapped books covered in dust. Even if there was something, how could she begin to find anything? She could open and gaze through every book just to skim through all her life and she might never come close to a tenth of the archive.

She stood next to the closest shelf, picking the first book calling to her. Its brown leather cover was smooth, wrapped around the thick book beautifully. She was trying to differ the erased title pressed into it before a shout made her jump.

Talking, laughter, shifts.

She closed in towards the noises. She was surprised to see another collapsing door, daring her to exit and check what was going on behind it. It creaked as she carefully opened it, and was she surprised.

Another library appeared but this time, cleaner and more vast. It looked straight out of a royal library compared to the old record room she was in.

Even if it looked just as vintage, the shelves were stocked full of books that didn't seem yellowed and moulded by time, much more accessible and less grim than the ones behind her. She could even glimpse at some tables up lined up and around the wide hall forming the library.

In fact, she could see two little troublemakers snickering to themselves just a table. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and snort as they chuckled to themselves.

She didn't waste time exiting the archive to go further down the stocked hall, leaving the kids to their fun. A groan almost left her as the shelves seemed to go on forever onward.

After ten more shelves and a new maze intersection, she stepped back and went to a table hidden in a corner. She looked at the large window it rested by. The sun didn't seem to have moved in all this time.

The pale pink light still mocked by the thousand candles lightening the room, Lillis opened the book more out of reflex than want.

The words were blurry and undecipherable, her mind not in the mood to go through the thick 400 pages or so book. English mixed with Latin, even Greek and other alphabets she didn't recognized. A mix of both, perhaps.

An all nighter of twelve hours of insomnia did not compared with one of thirty two hours. She passed her fingers through the pages, struggling to find anything. She bet it'd stay unappealing even with a dark coffee and a full night of sleep prior – but she couldn't afford it either.

To find the truth, she had to search. She had to search to be quicker than the Nether.

Dropping her hand on the opened page, she wondered if Kyle was even here. She had a feeling he was just around the corner, like he could appear at any second.

Yet, sitting on the weirdly fluffy chair, with the smell of old paper and salty ocean, her eyes started to flutter. Her legs propped on the arm of her chair, chin leaned on her hand, she was suddenly reminded of all that staying up and walking around she did for the past two Ni’vaan days. How most of it had been on pure instinct and blind trust.

Suddenly, she was very tired.

Her vision blurred, her mind full of cackles ringing through red teeth, needles in gloved hands and a thick mist choking her. Her eyes pushed on to focus as they roamed through the paragraphs. She flipped the pages on, barely registering the words.

Maat, Haireo, Bearer, Rift, Eclipses...

Looking for something she knew deep down she wouldn't find – it was draining. She was aggravated to her core, but she could be just as stubborn. She sighed, leaning in her bandaged palm.

The one thing she knew without a doubt: she had to stop this dark fog from spreading anywhere else, one way or another. He could be still after her, but as he said, he had other victims in case he couldn't. And to prevent that, she had to get a hang of whatever level she was and discover who this Never was to take care of him.

Whatever the Dreamers or Roger had to say about it.

She didn’t felt herself fall asleep. Dad, I'll find your killer. I promise.

She jolted up to a loud slam, eyes blinking rapidly as she gathered herself. She was still on the chair she remembered sitting to read, the book before her opened in the middle and her hair all over her face. All was the same – except, the heavy book laid on top of hers.

The culprit of her sudden wake.

Her eyes lifted to the figure on the other side of the table. Black pants and a high turtle-neck greeted her before two brown eyes met hers.

"Kyle?"

"About time," His irritated voice betrayed a slight concern. He frowned back at her. "I thought I’d have to push you off to wake your snoring ass up."

It was oddly reassuring to see his grumpy face judging her. Familiarity in this madness, one that held no fear for her – only annoyance. She wasn't sure what to expect after his quick departing after the Hearing.

"Was I asleep for long?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. Her migraine pounded still, painfully and irritating but at this point, she didn't think it could leave her.

She looked to the side. The sun shined brightly.

"I don’t know, I’m not your mom," He took the book he dropped back. She wondered how he did so with a single hand, the massive memoir yellowed by time making her grimace. "Get yourself together, they are stars scheduled for a group study in this section by Rido."

She pressed her cold hands over her burning forehead. The dark lines on her forearms were thinning now, almost gone from view. She cursed under her breath. It was too early for his bullshit.

"Rido?" She repeated nonetheless, remembering Asshole saying something similar. She could hear Kyle's eye roll without taking her palms off her eyes.

"Morning, if you prefer. Didn't you got referred to a fellow star? You've got to get used to the jargon – we can't all stop and babysit you through it."

She held back the snicker that no one was explaining her anything solely because she didn't want to expand on how her tutoring with Nae'yl went.

"There’s no hours here," He still explained. "Only Rido, Cedo and Cido."

"You sound stupid."

"You look stupid."

Her hands dropped on the table. She would think he was disinterested at first glance, nose in his book, but she could see him leaning back against the shelf behind him. His eyes glanced back at her, quickly avoiding her as she caught him.

He was not leaving.

He's waiting, she understood.

"So what – it’s morning, noon and evening?" She indulged him, rolling her eyes.

"Basically."

A snort escaped her.

"Lazy much?"

Kyle looked up. His man-bun was half loose, long dark locks brushing his jaw. His eyes shined almost orange in the sun as he frowned at her. He pointed at the bright star in the violet sky. It took a lot for Lillis to untangle her legs and push herself off her chair to join him as his hard stare demanded her to join him by the glass.

"Day and night cycles are longer here than on Earth," He said. She bit back she had already been told that multiple times. "Like, thrice as long. People had to adapt. It’s not like watches work here, anyway."

The outside was not the same as yesterday. There was no luxurious forest or deep lakes in the distance. It looked more alike the ledge of a cliff, like the one accessible by the abandoned wing.

It probably was the side of the building closer to her room. There was close to no one on the sandy path twisting through the rocks, only occasional teens running around or munching on food on their way to the closest entry. A flick of fingers under her chin made her groan, annoyed.

Kyle didn’t even look sorry. He pointed at the sky expectantly, "Follow or I’m leaving your sorry confused ass out here."

She didn’t even dignify him a response. He looked too full of himself to actually leave. He seemed like he was just waiting on to showing off his knowledge. She entertained him anyway.

The sky was colourful, a pastel yellow fading behind the large violet clouds. The sun lit the sky warmly, high off the horizon. The same glittering stars shined all the same in the daytime than in the night, and the two moons were now three.

Lillis blinked.

"Why are they three moons?"

"They’re not moons, moron. They’re stars."

Lillis found herself blinking again. She turned to him, expecting him to joke but he looked dead serious as he nodded with his chin.

"The one closest to the ocean is Rido, in the middle is Cedo and up there is Cido. The sun dances up over them every day. That’s how we differ time: when the sun hides them. Morning, noon and evening. Most people train at Cedo as it’s the brightest time, but it's not mandatory. See? It's almost hovering fully before Rido."

Lillis could see the sun nearing the top of the purple star, indeed about to hide it fully. It was almost time for the stars’ session, then.

"There's no moon to be found? What about at night? Does the sun just takes thirty two hours to drop down?" She snorted, amused by her own joke.

"It does," Kyle confirmed. He smirked at her bafflement before he turned to the sky, a soft smile breaking his mocking. It was weird seeing him smile genuinely. She almost felt freaked out. "It drifts behind them when it reaches the top of Cido and falls back down all under Rido to start a new day."

"Shut up," She spat out before thinking. She had been up at night, there had been no sun, nor huge moon out there, let alone three. Or, stars, whatever. But then, she pondered for a second.

Did she really look?

Kyle shrugged, his nonchalant stance screaming: I'm right, you're wrong. She ignored him, going back to her seat. She didn't have to witness his satisfied smirk, letting him back to his book, not even commenting as he stilled by her table. Wasn't he moaning about kids coming soon?

She let it go.

She said nothing as he leaned back against the shelf as he did before, probably to tackle her with another comment on her lack of knowledge, before freezing. He frowned, staring straight at her book's open pages.

"How are you reading about the Tunnels?"

She found herself following his eyes.

"Tunnels?" She repeated. She was starting to feel really dumb to be this lost and confused about everything. Wasn't there a dictionary around? A Learning about the Gifted Community For Dummies?

"Tunnels," He pointed at the ominous sketch of a dark cave. She supposed it could look like a tunnel, but she didn't really pay attention. When did she even flip to this page? She crossed her legs on the chair, looking at the somewhat underground corridor.

"Tunnels to what?"

His sighs were irritating, and she highly suspected he was aware of it. The fall of his book on the table made her jolt again, making her curse at him when he stole her book. He flipped through the pages expertly. He read through the mix of words Lillis couldn’t begin to pronounce yet alone, decipher as if it'd disappear at any second.

He got an annoying wrinkle in the middle of his forehead. It was uncomfortable to witness. Sure, he looked like a full-on nerd with his glasses on the top of his nose, but any teasing was lost on her in his grave look.

He eventually turned the book around to see the cover and froze. He stared blankly at the title before looking at her with big eyes.

"Where did you find this?"

She frowned and threw her head to the side.

"Back there, in the archive."

"You- How did you get in there?!"

She shrugged, chin nesting in her palm. She was still too tired to question his attitude she was finding out to be very him.

"I don’t know, I just followed the signs."

"What signs? There's no–"

"I don’t know, freaking chill."

They glared at each other, both irritated by the other. The silence was unbearable. Everyone was so silent when they got uncomfortable here. She hated it. Though, she had a feeling Kyle could not stop talking for long. She gritted her teeth, letting him sit on the side of the table. He looked enticed in the pages.

"You’re not supposed to have this," He broke, proving her right. He sounded close to whining. She rolled her eyes.

"Then, have at it?" She frowned but he still whined.

"This is supposed to be in the restricted section."

"You whine too much for someone who doesn't mind," she sighed under her breathe. She didn't care, even if seeing him abandon this book to rush through another was as funny as depressing. She could feel the rush of excitement pulsing through him as he took as much information as he could.

"You don't understand–"

"Clearly."

"–No one except the Dukes are supposed to be able to enter this section. This is forbidden knowledge. No one should be allowed to access it," He went on, as if his eyes weren't devouring the pages, imprinting them to his brain at light speed.

She snorted. His offended glare told her he heard her.

"Did you break into it?" He side-eyed her with a weird look.

She grimaced back at him.

"Why would I do that?"

“Why not? You clearly have the level to wander th–" He stopped. His mouth froze in a tight line, as if he just spilled a secret. His blank face could be amusing, if not for the pounding headache growing behind Lillis' eyes and her growing exhaustion.

"I don't have any level, I can't do shit on purpose," I tried, she kept to herself, thinking on the many times she tried to jump through the Yale last night, while Casey slept. "I don't even know how to work it."

Kyle's shock turned to confusion.

"Who's your fellow star that you're so out of it?"

Lillis took a second, trying to remember the boy's name's pronunciation. "Nae'yl?"

Kyle almost fell from his sitting on the edge of the table. "The boy you fought with!? You punched your fellow star!?"

"How do you know about that?" She might be too defensive but while she understood Roger might be aware of this incident, she didn't get how Kyle could.

"I– Everyone does!" He stuttered out. "What is wrong with you!"

"What is it, middle school?"

He scoffed, shaking his head. Lillis rolled her eyes.

"Well... That explains a lot," He tilted his head– a subtle although bitter acknowledgement. "The kid takes a rise out of everyone, always asking for a fight..."

The right corner of his mouth disappeared in the stubble of his growing beard, an annoying smirk directed right at her.

"Only one ever is stupid enough to rise to the bait, though."

It was hard to conceal the throw of her fist in his smug face like she did with Nae'yl but she forced herself for her what remained of her dignity.

"Try to get a whole mess of terms and culture by someone who can't stand you and maybe you'll get a little handsy too."

He cleared his throat, although she was sure it was a disguise from the choked chuckle escaping him. She rolled her eyes. The mutter of "Already did" was low but caught even if she didn't get to ask about it.

He dropped the book by his thigh before flipping through his, putting it back in front of her after a nod to himself. He leaned over to keep the book open, showing five little figures under the title LEVELS.

"Each gifted has powers. Some are almost invisible, barely noticeable while others are bathing in talents. We rank those through levels: the higher they are, the more talents they accumulate. For travellers, we sum it up as this..."

He pointed to the drawing of a person standing tall, surrounded by clouds.

"Level one: a traveller wanders in a sole plane. Do you know what a plane is?"

"It's the world we're in?"

"Mmh... More or less. See it as a part of the universe, like planets in a galaxy. They all exist, connected by the Roots, but you can't access one from another by physical means. Do you know–"

“Yeah, yeah – the End, the Beginning, Mother Nature, God, whatever."

He scoffed at her, rolling his eyes, but another swallowed snort also escaped him. He went on.

“A level one traveller can wander a short distance. Think of it as like, teleportation. It differs for each, some can go a few meters away while others can wander to the other side of the plane. Distance doesn't matter, it's the success of the wander that does. It's at level two that a traveller can wander through different planes."

The next drawing depicted a person, hand forward and disappearing through some sort of mirror.

"Some can only go a couple of planes close by while others can go to the tips of the Roots."

"What is that?" She couldn't help but ask, pointing at the mirror.

“It's your element: the one a traveller summons in order to wander. Here it's a panel of water but it varies for everyone."

"Casey's are sparks and yours are clouds, right?" She thought back on the soft clouds he made her drift her through. He looked surprised by her comment before bashfully nodding.

"Clouds are the most common one, yes. Sparks are unusual but not rare."

“What's mine?" She asked curiously.

He promptly ignored her and she found herself vexed far more than what was probably necessary.

“At level three, a traveller has a deeper control of their gift. Planes don't matter any longer – it's about talents. They are three of them: summon, slow and pause. You can only hope to ever master one fully."

The sketch showed a person sitting on the floor, meditating. Lillis was suddenly reminded of Nae'yl. "It can take years for a talent to be perfected, let alone acquired."

"You, you can slow planes right?" She interrupted again, remembering their first meeting. He hummed in agreement. "Can I do any of that?"

"Can you?"

She frowned at him. She had expected irritation, disdain, maybe fear. Instead, he shared her curiosity. Shrugging, she turned back to the book. He got her silent request.

“Finally, level four. Those travellers usually gain this level by bond rather than training. Those who fall in this category have the essence necessary to wander with other people."

"Wait– Bond? Essence?"

"Yes, your gift's source. Your knot to the Roots."

She frowned at him and he sighed, hands pushing a lock out of his face.

"Jesus– Okay," He leaned, index hovering above her left hand. He had a slight tension at the sight of the dirty blue bandages and the bruised knuckles but he simply gulped. The tap on her fourth finger was oddly careful. "Your bond comes from the Roots. One of Them choose you and dedicate a part of Them to you. They do so literally: they give you a piece of their essence for you to make your own."

She looked at her hand, feeling a strange pull.

"This essence is one split in two, a knot linking them to you: one that establish a connection between you. You're bonded to them as they are to you. It's literally what the rooting is: They root their soul to yours."

He leaned back, sitting back on the edge of the table more comfortably.

"And if you're talented enough, you can feel and follow others' essences – their ties and the traces they leave behind. They are rumours some can even see them."

"That's how you found me," She realised.

He simply nodded his head with a cocky grin.

"So that makes you a level four?"

His smirk dropped suddenly, the more familiar sulking expression taking place on his traits.

"No," He mumbled, bitterly. "I just passed level three."

"Passed? You can change levels?"

"Of course," He looked at her like she grew another head. "The Roots can't give you more than the rooting gave you but with enough hard work and dedication, you can strengthen your bond and gain the most of it. You can't do miracles but if anything, you gain better control and trust from Them."

"That implies they can take it all back."

His face closed up. Kyle stayed silent. This time, he glanced at her with an odd expression. He did not restart the conversation.

She looked back at her book still peaking from under. A drawing was crossed and blurred out. She could barely distinguish the person holding a lamp or the description under it.

"What's this, then?" She pointed to it. "The Tunnels?"

Kyle put his hand over the page.

"This," He got up on his feet. "is why you don't go to the restricted section. It's a myth."

"Like the Fey?" Their eyes were harsh and cold as they both grimaced at each other. The reminder of that day had been carefully avoided by the man, just like the Hearing, but Lillis could only pretend for so long now that he was here.

He dodged it still.

"There was once people believing a fifth level existed."

She tried not to roll her eyes, instead pressing her fingertips over her burning eyes. The Nether claimed Casey was that high – but she failed to see what more she seemed to have compared to Kyle.

"What did it give more than the others?"

He sighed. Slipping her palm to cup her cheek, she looked at the battle on his face. He looked annoyed and irritated, but also uneasy. Tempted to say more.

His insatiable need for knowledge and to show it off was something Lillis was taking good note of. She was not a patient person, but he looked almost pained to keep his mouth shut and if she could just keep still a little longer–

"It supposedly opened Tunnels to travellers," He spilled. "Allowing them to wander through the End rather than simply wander by them."

"Some sort of corridors then? Door to door?"

"Yes, but not only. If travellers can only wander from one place to another, some stories say those talented enough to enter the Tunnels by wandering in them could hide inside the Roots – in Their Tunnels. Even crazier stories spoke of the dead being stuck inside, unable to leave, like Seers in the Mist."

"The Mist being... The travellers' Tunnels equivalent for the Seers?"

"See, you get it, moron."

She did try to get it all. She turned to the five drawings.

"So... What am I? I can't do anything on purpose," She frowned. "I wandered a couple of times, and in different planes, I'm pretty sure. I could be a level two?"

"Roger already said you're level three that's why you're–" He stopped himself once more. This time, there was no shock or embarrassment. Just pure regret, followed by the worst thing possible.

Pity.

She straightened up, ignoring how loud the chair winced behind her. He was quick to wipe that stupid look of his face, but she found herself not liking the disdain he had for her too. It finally gained him– The step back, the hatred, the fear. She wasn't sure but she saw it at the Hearing, when they called her a Beamer.

In the end, he was just like all of them. She could only play on his knowledge to gain anything out of this situation. She tensed, her whole body becoming rigid as Kyle didn't look away from her burning eyes.

"What's a Fey?"

"You don't need to know about that."

"What's a Fey?"

"I said-"

"What's a Fey?"

"You're just-"

"Just tell me what's a Fey!"

"An abomination, that's what it is!"

She would almost wince. He had no hesitation, just like Nae'yl didn't.

"I thought it was a myth," She reminded the words he said then.

"Doesn't make it any less of a despicable thing."

"What–"

"It's time you leave."

Her eyes widened as he closed his book and stole hers for real this time. In a second, his back was turned on her and he was leaving toward a large staircase. He disappeared through a wave of teens hurrying done, laughing, screaming and running.

Rido was here.

Lillis hurried after him. She fought to pass through the teens, surprisingly many. She almost lost the tall bastard in the crowd.

"Wait!"

The tight stairs emptied, allowing her to jump the steps. She let out a short breath as he was not far– barely away, in fact.

Her fingers brushed the back of his turtle-neck but his sudden stop prevented her from pulling on the cloth. She still knocked into his arm, holding onto him not to fall down the small spiralling stairs.

He almost looked scary here in the lights of the candles.

"I told you enough, didn't I?" His voice was off, something passing under Lillis' understanding. "Go back to training, star. Be mindful not to start more shit and break more rules," He roughly pulled himself away from her. She was tempted to start a fight. "And stay away from the restricted section."

And to think at one point, she was worried about the bastard.

She gritted her teeth, watching him walk up the stairs. Resentment was heavy in her chest along a burning pain supported by the flame in her necklace. Her fists hurt under the tight flex. She could almost picture pulling on his damn bun to make him still, but she didn't have to.

"No."

Her voice resonated nicely in the close space. It was simple, concise, and definitely snatched his attention right back.

Kyle twisted, left foot rooted on the top step as he slowly turned to her.

"No?"

"No."

She didn't back down as he glared at her. She bit her cheek not to create a fight but she didn't settle for whatever bullshit he was pulling on her. She reminded herself of the specific interest in him, the sole reason she bothered looking for him. His bastard-attitude would not take her away from that.

"Tell me what you know about the Nether."

He had the guts to laugh to her face.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you want him dead." Just as I do.

Silence was deafening. Kyle's eyes were narrowed, not letting her read anything in them. His whole face darkened. If she thought he looked reserved, now he was a closed door.

"You said you just passed level three," She argued. "You also said I am level three. If I gathered anything from your rambling – training makes perfect. No one seems to know anything about him, I even doubt you know much."

His brows frowned dangerously at her point but his silence convinced her she was right. As his body fully turned toward her, never leaving her gaze, she went on.

"This means I need to perfect my wanders to be able to gather information on him. I heard I have two talents– I just need to master them. All I need is a decent teacher. Are you a decent teacher?"

It was low to play on his pride, but she was desperate. He didn't look enchanted, in fact, he looked down right pissed, but it paid. He puffed his chest, not stopping her from continuing.

"Now, you can wander all you want, if you can't stand against the Nether. You won't be able to make it out on your own. I'm going to take a fat chance and say you're not much of a team player," She ignored his scoff and went on. "Which, I get it: same. But we both can gain something from the other."

"And what could I possibly gain from you?"

"Combat training," She was quick to lift her hand as he opened his mouth in protest. "You're a nerd, you're a book guy. Nothing wrong with that. You're big and tall but you won't have the same luck as last time if you go running head first without proper training."

He looked offended, shaking his head as if she didn't find half his blood in snow. He turned away from her, lips pinched.

He's thinking about it.

"You teach me to wander, I teach you how to fight," She repeated clearer to cement the idea in his mind. "Then it's good luck to the one finding him first."

A crease appeared between his brows. She could hear the wheels spinning in his head.

"Deal?" She leaned toward him to catch his eyes.

He reluctantly looked back. The same unreadable emotions were splattered all over his face. She frowned, trying to discern it before it was gone.

"I hope you slept well, I won't go easy on you," Was all he said before turning on his heels and going up. It took her a second to register his words, his glancing eyes hurrying her. "Are you coming or what?"

She ran up after him.

She didn't know the secluded part in the forest he took her to, as she didn't have the time to explore yet – nor, the will. For all she knew, he could be taking her to a secluded place to kill her. She'd like to see him try.

"First off, we're going to work on your essence," He declared. "It's the foundation of your gift, your direct link to the End. You need to be as relaxed as you possibly could ever be to be able to communicate with them. Can you manage that?"

She took off her boots, as requested. He already did, pulling his sleeves up to his elbows. How is he not dying from the heat already?

"I'm always relaxed," She mumbled under her breathe, kicking the socks in the leather shoes. The grass was dry but smooth under her feet.

"Sure you are," He rolled his eyes before dropping on the floor. "Sit down, moron."

Her eye twitched but she sat. They only just started. She'll let the lesson last longer than five minutes before throwing hands – in Nae'yl's honour.

He groaned at her stance, crawling forward and slapping her hands as she evaded him.

"Stop being so god-damn difficult," He hissed as he slapped her knee. "Cross your legs, make sure your feet are against the ground. Didn't you already learn this- Who am I kidding, it's the S'ak kid we're talking about. Alright, now, tighten your fists– Not so fucking much, what do you do? Boxing?"

"Sometimes."

"Well not right now: calm down, Rocky. Put them like this," Her hands' fists relaxed, keeping their closed forms while Kyle made them met. She pressed her knuckles together. Her fingers faced the sky, the inside of her forearms bare to its light.

She felt oddly vulnerable.

"Good," He nodded before mimicking her position two steps away. "Now straighten your back. A little more. Here we go."

He took a deep breath and she found herself doing the same. By his nod, she got it right. A heavy breath out and he closed his eyes.

"This is either pass or crash," He prepared. His voice was strangely soft, almost whispered. "You'll have to start over if you miss. You might have to try multiple times – don't let that discourage you. You have to find your bond and open yourself to it. Can you find it?"

"What am I looking for?" She argued but followed the soft tone anyway, not daring to disturb the calmness.

"It can be anything. A feeling, a call, a sensation–"

"Can it be waves?"

She cracked an eye open as the silence dragged on. She met his raw expression of surprise.

"I– Yeah," He gasped out. "Yeah, it can. Are you feeling them?"

She closed her eye, breathing in.

It was calm in the forest, far from the Yale's main building but close enough she could hear people pass by the trail they left a bit farther. She could feel their steps in the ground, the rumble of the ocean dancing on the sand of the nearby secluded beach they passed by earlier, the crashes of the waves against the cliffs... Against her chest. No.

Against her heart.

"I got it," She whispered.

It was subtle, so tiny so – but it was here. A soft waving, like the soft dance of ripples in a lake. The grass against her skin seemed to reach and link itself to her ankles.

"Already? I– Amazing. Yeah, that's great! Try responding to it."

She tried to focus onto it, to hold onto it, to linger into it. The feeling was cold, but refreshingly so. She fell onto it before it snapped under her. She frowned. Focusing more intently. It was growing distant, harder to reach.

Woe filled her.

"You're trying too hard, moron," Kyle's voice was just as distant but held no bite. "Relax."

"It's rejecting me–"

"No, you're trying too hard. Let it go."

She was about to argue before feeling her necklace warming up. She found herself still chasing the waves, the hotness on her throat probing her.

"Calm down."

Her grimace turned pained as she felt a burn itching her neck.

"Moron, you need to breathe."

She wanted to argue she was but the sudden intake of air made her dizzy. She forced herself to steady her breathing, unconsciously calming down. For a moment, she indeed stopped breathing.

"Good. Now, focus on finding it back. That's it, just find it."

She sighed but obeyed. The necklace stopped burning her. Its warmth had been sudden but calmed as soon as Lillis relaxed. She had to force herself still, to stay calm.

She made herself let go of the tension, the warmth, the cool... She made herself glance into her heart.

She tried to keep calm.

"I got it."

It was even subtler... But it was still here.

"Keep it up. You're doing good."

Lillis inhaled shakily. She almost focused it all onto it before breathing out.

"Let it come to you, not the other way around."

And so, she did.

She kept herself light, kept herself relaxed. She felt her usual ache in her bones fade. She felt her body lighten up. She didn't hear outside any more, unaware if Kyle was still even here.

Then, a tug.

It was delicate, soft, as if afraid to hurt her. It did at first, stinging like a root wrapped around her heart. She hissed in pain.

It stopped.

It felt heavy in her chest, heavy as it prevented the pulse of the organ. It hurt almost even more as it continued to wrap and tight around it.

"Let go."

She shakily exhaled through her nose. A hand straightened her arched back, easing the pain.

"Let go, moron."

She tried to, desperately. She focused solely on the feeling rather than trying to stop it. The pain lingered, then accentuated as the growth continued. A subtle branch broke out, fading as a wave rippled down to her stomach, another fading to her shoulder... Then it spread lose.

The roots latched themselves all over before bursting into thorny waves, crashing through her veins, knocking her breath away and pushing her on her knees. She heaved as an icy wildfire seemed to glow under her skin, physically leaning over as it fuelled her necklace before a strong wind pushed her backward, sending her on her back.

It calmed suddenly to a dull numbness.

She felt heavy yet lighter.

"Lillis!"

She blinked as Kyle stood over her.

"Are you okay?"

She let out a shaky breathe before nodding.

"I think so?" She sat up, ignoring his offered hand. He didn't take offence as he took back his own sit before her. "What the hell was that?"

He looked astonished before stuttering in disbelief.

"That was your embrace."

She scoffed, rubbing the centre of her chest. No pain resided, but the ghost of it made her wary. Her headache was drilling back into her skull. She winced, earning a concern look.

"Do you seriously have a weird word for every weird shit happening?"

"I'm pretty sure we do," He bantered back but his spirit wasn't into it. His almond eyes didn't even blink away from her. "How are you feeling?"

"Weird," He scoffed once more, ready to ask her again, but she dodged the question with shrug, "What was that for?"

"That, was acceptance. The rooting is the Roots' bonding to you – the embrace is yours to Them," He clapped sarcastically. "Bravo, you are now One."

She wanted to flip him off but the tenderness coming from her chest was much more familiar than the waves. She snorted. She did feel like finding a piece of her back... Her smirk grimaced. Still not entirely whole.

Kyle's stand helped her snap out of it.

"Now, what, teach'?" She forced as she laid on the grass. Before, she felt exhausted. Now she just wanted to be buried.

"This might be too much for your first lesson," He dismissed her. "I honestly did not think you would success on your first try."

"I took me three tries."

"You shouldn't have been able to succeed on your first day."

"Why, how long does it usually takes?"

"Weeks, some need months!" He shook his head before quieting. "It shouldn't come as a surprise though, considering you're..."

They stared at each other. Lillis' eyes were hard on him, daring him to finish.

"Let's stop here."

"I can take it!" She snapped.

Kyle lifted a brow at her.

"You want to ruin yourself? Alright."

He walked away from her. She was about to call him out when, five trees further away, he turned back to her.

"Come over here."

She frowned at him, confused. Her feet rose to take a step forward before his hands settled on his hips.

"No: let's see you wander, moron."

"What?" Lillis gasped out in, flabbergasted. "You didn't teach me yet–"

"I shouldn't have to," He shrugged. "It's like breathing. Simply picture where you want to go and do. You already did it, remember?"

The Rehten Lake flashed before her eyes. Her face hardened in resolve. Staring at the tree behind Kyle, she pictured it in her mind.

It was tall, reaching higher than she could see, the blue leaves hiding them from the direct sunlight – the bright green birds resting on its branch singing quietly. She looked at how the wind made them flutter.

It should be simple. She did already wander. Yet no matter how long she tried to get the waves to flow back into her and storm her there... She couldn't. The waves were merely a ripple through her, starved from strength.

"Not so easy, is it?" Kyle's face suddenly appeared right before her, clouds dispersing around him. It felt cold against her skin, just like it had then.

She gritted an insult back through her teeth at his smirk.

"Lesson number one," Kyle mused far too self-righteously. "Wandering depends on your essence. Think of it as a power station. The more you take, the more you give. Feeling tired, much?"

"I'm always tired," Lillis snapped back as if it stood a point.

"Lesson number two: get some fucking rest."

"Yeah, like you're one to talk," She pointed at the heavy bags poorly hidden behind the round of his glasses. He glared back at her.

"My part of the deal is done. Tomorrow, it's your turn."

She looked at him for a second, blood flow loud in her ears before raising her hands before her.

"Show me what you got, we'll take it from here."

"You think you can handle me, stick-woman?"

It was her turn to smirk at his poor defensive stance, watching him turn around.

"You talk a lot of shit for someone who sided a three to one battle because he was shitting his pants."

Kyle took the bait with glee, hands dropping to his side in indignation.

“I was not–"

He choked as she threw her foot at his side, kicking hard just enough to destabilise him.

"Lesson number one," She imitated him. "If you listen to your opponent, you don't focus on the combat."

Slamming his shoulders, he stumbled and dropped on his back, losing his breathe. She stood before him.

"Lesson number two," She offered her hand. "Know where you stand."

He looked hurt in his pride. He slapped her hand away, lifting himself up on his own. She nodded, pleased with his decision and took back a defensive stand.

The fight began.

She'll give him that – he was raw strength and heavy power. He soon caught on how to block her kicks and dive away from her punches. He thought quick on his feet and even managed to surprise her once or twice.

But he still struggled to place his body and thus, if he handled the defensive, delivering good attacks wasn't quite what it could be.

He started to grow irritated as she escaped him again, making him fall head-first before throwing her fist in his side, winding him down.

"Fuck– What is that punch you got for a hobbit?" He mumbled as he leaned on one knee, catching his breathe and rubbing his ribs painfully. "You are Rocky."

She rolled her eyes, easing the bandage on her hands. Her knuckles were raw once more but it was familiar, almost pleasant. The pain took her mind off the drill of her migraine.

She noticed the chain left an imprint in her skin of her wrist under it.

"Why did you even start to chase the Nether?" She asked. "I thought no one dared to acknowledge his existence."

Kyle's face turned somber. She was surprised by his sudden jolt up, blocking a kick with her forearms just in time.

"He became this myth – no one ever got bothered enough to know his name, keeping him a story for children to behave."

He grunted as she retaliated, taking a punch in the sternum.

"Don't know where he's from or where he goes. He controls dark fogs, talented in summoning. He's sickly obsessed with gifted – killing them, especially. He abducted many, but they never reappeared. The only ones who did wounded up dead."

His elbow missed her throat by an inch.

"That's all I managed to gather over the years."

She blinked at him.

"Nothing more?" The hard kick he managed to send to her thigh was answer enough. "What's done against him?"

She grabbed his wrist before it could slam into her side, twisting it to hold his arm against his back. His breath was ragged as she held him still, "As I said, he's a myth. The Dreamers don't lose time with myths and the Tellers are forbidden to contact the public so... We are, I guess."

She let him struggle for a bit before he finally saw how dropping down threw her stance off and allowed him to push her away. She stumbled back at his strength, falling on her arm. She'd probably knock her skull here if she didn't have the quick reflex.

She winced as she felt the wounds of her hands finally reopening. It was bound to happen between Nae'yl and this. Sitting up, she pulled at the bandage of her right hand, the more wounded.

Kyle took it as small break, falling on his ass and breathing wheezy. He was looking too red, the turtle-neck sweaty, drops sliding down the thick collar. She shook her head at his dressing choices.

Unwrapping the bandage provided more eventful than first thought. She frowned as it got stuck in some adhesive. She pulled harshly, wincing as blood sank through the layers of the gauze in her battle. Having enough, she ripped it off, letting it tangle and fall off her hand.

She ignored Kyle's guilty eyes as she took in the stitches. It was swollen and bleeding but less painful than it looked. She tapped the slipping tears on both side of her hand, checking the stitches didn't break before rolling the cloth back and pressing it harshly around her palm. The light of the chain reflected with the momentum, attracting Kyle's attention before she could even notice it.

Even less before she was thrown on her back.

"How the hell did you get that!?" He snapped, ripping the chain off her wrist. His hands hurried to snatch the broken jewel back yet, she couldn't help but notice how careful he was being not to break the Aloe pendant.

"I found it looking for your bleeding ass! I didn't know it was yours," She kicked him off of her, letting him the necklace. He was oddly tender as he took it in his raging state, relieved not to see any damage. "I thought it was the Nether's. If I knew, I would have given it back sooner."

When his eyes lifted up, they were as dark as the night.

"Keep your fucking hands to yourself, will you?" He stood hurriedly, his back already turned on her when she managed up.

"Where are you going!" She called but it was ignored. She jogged after him only to slow as he flipped her off above his shoulder.

Talk about a moody, brooding bastard.

She bit hard on her lower lip not to alight a new, much pettier fight. It cracked under the pressure.

"You're welcome, bastard!" She scoffed, walking behind him but not trying to catch up.

"I'm supposed to thank you?" He scoffed, glaring at her from above his shoulder. "Remind me who saved your ass, twice?"

The flame was dangerously dark in her necklace – but so were his eyes. The fire inside her was as different as the waves but just as suffocating. She felt like a ticking bomb and his words only rushed the countdown.

She had to leave before she did explode.

"You know what? Fuck off, Miller," She pushed his shoulder as she pressed on forward, passing by him and leaving ahead before it exploded more between them. "I have bigger problems than a lonely asshole picking fight over a stupid necklace."

She went down the stoned path, wishing she could just vanish away from here. But the brunet had other plans for her as he roughly grabbed on her wrist.

The contact burned her, eating at her skin, sparkling her fever hotter. Her body familiarly begged for it to leave at once. She wanted to knock it off as she normally would, to rip his weak hold away.

Her skin ruptured under his hand and yet, she stayed still.

"Fuck you, Beamer!" He spat, holding her painfully. "You think you can come out of nowhere and be the one to go after him? You can't even wander! You don't know shit about this monster!"

Her throat itched to lash out and yet, she stays quiet.

A slow panic rose through her as she noticed for the second time in such a short span: she lost the ability to control her body.

Her heart beat out of her chest, painfully, rapidly. Her blood flow got cut under the bruising hold. It still didn't keep the torturing burn away from the numbness.

Her thoughts kept crashing into each other. It buzzed the usual migraine into a heavy dizziness that made her see blurry.

She found it impossible to breathe, stumbling on her feet and crashing on the ground. It didn't rip her away from the man. Paralysed under the unbearable contact, the raw pain grew so large it brought tears to her eyes.

Her knee scarped through the material of her jeans, dirty wounds appearing as her skin pressed deeper into the sharp stone it fell on.

Loud voices blended along Kyle, drowning him and all her senses alike.

"Hey!" A voice drowned them all. She could tell it was shouting out, but it sounded so far away, distant. The cacophony of her heartbeat in her ears swallowed it, rising up around her.

She heaved. Her nails dug in the grass under her palm, desperately grabbing onto anything to snap out of it. The felt an odd texture surrounded her unbandaged hand.

She could feel spit fall from her lips as her lungs refused any intake or out-take of air. It simply and helplessly begged for any. Her throat burned at the extend effort of trying to provide.

Was she hyperventilating? Was that simple? Was that pathetic? A hand brushed against her back, helping her to lean forward. It only added to the burn, if Lillis was honest.

Mortification swallowed her.

The awful stupid apprehension she was about to get beaten worried her for a second, but it was nothing to being found like this. She was making a public scene out of her herself.

Still, all she could do was hope that the harrowing overwhelm would knock her down face first on the ground not to see any of it. As if she could see.

The black spots that grew in Lillis' vision since Kyle's hold were now so wide that she was blinded.

"Don't pass out on me, now," Called the voice again. Its hand pushed her hair out of her face, rolling her on her side.

She couldn't see the person's face standing over her. Her heart stopped in her chest. Was it the Nether coming to finish what he started? She would think after days of pushing the idea away, she would be unbothered at the realisation of it.

She realistically knew he'd come back to finish her off, even if she pushed it to the back of her mind. And now face to that fact, and to her surprise... she panicked.

She panicked harder than she had ever.

Desperate for relief of the fire, she went to fight him off blind. To kick and scream –or more accurately- gasp and squirm as she couldn't get to push anything pass her throat or her weak nerves.

Her fight for freedom was quickly interrupted. Her wrists were all but caught and held in place. This shouldn't surprise her in her deplorable state but it still hurt her pride.

LET GO!

She worked so hard to make herself invisible, it was belittling to feel so vulnerable and powerless.

Powerlessness, Roger said – she had to train never to feel that ever again. And she did train, she trained so much all her life to subside the punches, isolated to support the departures– Stood against the freaking Nether not to be taken alive.

LET GO!

All the waking time she had here at the Yale, which could easily consist of mere days, she spent looking for training no one would give and understand a world no one wanted her in.

LET GO!

Only when the exhaustion knocked her unconscious did she stop. And it was threateningly growing close to this outcome, now – all of this was for nothing. Because now, she couldn't even focus on anything but wonder- Am I crying?

LET GO!

The lack of oxygen became too much as the crushing weight of the loneliness and resentment she held for everyone pinned her down.

All the lot of them who begged of her to understand and hide herself away, to do it all by herself or to be thrown at the pariah kid because they decided those two had to be excluded, might as well punish him with the big bad Fey. Even Kyle the all-mighty whined and feared. Sole Casey helped her, even if only by interest.

Even now, I'm all alone to fight.

"It’s okay."

A hard sting on her cheek made her choke. Her head was thrown to the right, her neck popping at the sudden move. Her deprived lungs fell on themselves as her eyes started rolling down into her head.

Her migraine pursued on like a drill on her skull as her thoughts passed the screams. The screams never quieted down. Maybe they were what kept her away? Who even were they?

"Breathe. Don't be scared."

Lillis' eyes succumbed to the dizziness as she couldn't find it in herself to pursue breathing on her own. Not even the rasped, hurried breath made it any more. Maybe this could end like this. Maybe this would be as close as peacefully her death could be.

The trees' green in the sun disappeared for the blackness of her eyelids and the screams rose so high they burst her ears to silence.

"I'm always right here with you."

Darkness.

Darkness everywhere.

Then, the swing of a light.

A drop of water.

A laugh.

It was quiet, sinister. Chilling.

The armrests under her naked arms were strong and painful as the leather strips dug in her skin. Her legs were immobilised, unmovable. They were taped from the floor to her knees.

She blinked, trying to see through the dimmed and dark room until she met ocean eyes.

His eyes.

Her heart seemed to still forever, her breath lost on her lips.

"Welcome back, little flower."

A second ago, Lillis was shaking on the floor, consciousness slipping away from her.

Now, she was eyes deep into the Nether's and every inch of her limbs stuck into place.

"Now, now, my flower," He sang. "Are you ready for your turn?"

It was disturbing how even in the dim lighted room, his eyes stood out so much.

The blue was almost too much to witness. Intense, tracking, soul reaching. His smile was less crazy compared to their last meeting but just as disturbingly wide. His beard was thicker, white strands spread through the chocolate subtle.

And between in slender gloved fingers, right between their faces, was held a long needle holding a fluorescent green substance.

The sight was enough for her to gasp in terror, body violently pushing back against the chair she was tied to. The yellowed light coming from above shook with her shake, and allowed her to catch her reflection in the glass.

Or rather... The reflection looking back.

Instead of the detestable reflection of her sickly, tired face bearing her bagged blue eyes, burst open lips and half died blonde locks, she was facing a smooth, umber brown skin bearing shiny golden eyes, full lips and long curled black hair.

She shook as she was struck to find out she was not herself, with no idea of who she could be or who put her here. Her guts– No, their gusts twisted and their heart raced in harmony of Lillis' torment, but they were not her own. And she wasn't the only one aware of the paranormal.

Her host could see her too, she could feel the body choke right back at her reflection.

The light above the chair danced still, reflecting on the needle's glass but not enough to share the whole room. Only them and the Nether stood in the light and only them were seen in this dangerous hue.

And the man was closing in. He intended to harm her body companion along her kept inside.

If anything gathered this woman and Lillis, it was the sight of the needle closing in unanimously making them become one. They both knew and dreaded the consequences of a single green drop in their system.

They were more than aware of what was coming.

It dawned on them like a brick thrown in their faces. They wouldn't make it out, there was no escaping this, they were done for, they might as well be dead.

Yet, maybe death would be too kind of a fate to be granted by the Nether. This would make the pain stop. They had a slight feeling pain was the needed element to whatever he was reaching for.

But they'll be damned if they didn't fight him.

"Shh, shh," The Nether hushed their panicked fight against the bonds. "You know it's no use. It'll be over soon, love."

The head of the needle on their skin was freezing. They jerked away. They couldn't go through this, not again. Ignoring the migraine thrashing their brain, the suffocating warmth coming from the back of their neck, the pain eating away at their body, their tears threatening to drop–

They fell forward, attempting to open the healing wound on his nose. Their sloppy fight was unwelcome as they were stopped last second.

A simple slap of palm on their forehead did the trick. They still took gratitude in his groan of annoyance. No matter the sudden stop, it felt right. They won't go down without a bark, maybe a bite if the opportunity presented itself.

Yet, their breath got stuck in their throat as their eyes were facing their arm. The syringe was slowly vomiting its poison in their veins.

The pain lied an anew path of fire down their blood, and if it was subdued, it was only to allow them to scream their agony out.

The woman cried, Lillis waged.

The burn in their eyes built and fell down their cheeks as they shook in anguish on their seat. The chair's feet slammed the concrete floor, fighting their body free but in vain.

Their fight echoed along their laments throughout the room until the exhaustion was too much. Their throat was hurting from the intensity of their sobs but nothing could prevail their agony.

Their hands were sweaty, the fever eating at their skin unbearable. They couldn't even try to wipe it off, the feeling of the tightly bond linking them to the armchairs breaking their skins deeper and deeper with each shaking.

A hand patted their head. They tried to chew it off, but the show of sharp teeth passed through their breaking spirits. A chuckle made their heavy lids easier to lift up.

Humming.

They were screaming in indignation, raging their agony, and he sang.

The sight of his retreat in the dark shadows was the only thing preventing them from going berserk and admitting they'd lost... For now.

They gritted their teeth, mind roaming for a solution they both knew didn't exist.

Break the bonds, suggested Lillis before her other half pulled on their wrists, unsuccessful.

Drop backwards, countered her host before Lillis vainly stumbled them back, strengthless.

Their eyes were harder and harder to keep open as the glowing venom spread through them. Their battle against dizziness soon would be another lost one.

His shadow became distinguishable. His back was turned toward them. He seemed to be meddling at a table and they stupidly had the same idea to jump on him before being held back by the restrains.

"Don't," A quiet voice sighed beside them. So quiet the Nether didn't move, so quiet they wondered if they went mad for good. Madder than accepting two souls could reside in one's body. They turned towards its source, a drop of sweat sliding down their face.

Confusion turned to pure astonishment.

At their side was another person tied to a chair, along one, two, three– Four other helpless people also sequestered. If not for the pain of turning around to witness the pale, dying people behind them, they would have never been none the wiser.

The man at their sides was the only one who wasn't pushed back to the wall, almost right by their side. He seemed in his late twenties, but would surely appear a lot younger if not for all the blood covering him.

His brown hair were soaked dark and his eyes must have been melted gold before they became so dimmed, so opaque, so... Lifeless.

If they had to bet the cause on anything, it would be to the long painfully forced tube locked in his neck. Their wrists jolt occasionally against their restrains. Did they share the same awful dark link at the back of their head? It would explain the excruciating pain developed by their nape.

His shivers and twitches on his chair brought their attention back on him. The chattering of his teeth was constant but subtly hidden in his clenched jaw.

Bo, the name suddenly came to mind, courtesy of her host.

He's not going to make it, added Lillis. It was unwelcome but agreed to all the same.

"Just–" Bo's voice was husky, hoarse, cracked, breaking. He could barely breathe out. "Stop moving. It'll be harder to–"

His voice suddenly stopped as his eyes meet theirs.

"You..." He breathes out. "You're not Lanie."

Who is Lanie?, wondered Lillis' mind the same instant the other one asserted, I AM Lanie!

Bo's eyes narrowed. A flicker of confusion shook him before the dull green of his irises turned to a pale blank. Lillis and Lanie watched in horror as a long string of red slowly traced down the brunette's cheek from his left eye, his absent irises unblinking on them.

"Lanie, you can not host–" Bo heaved before another tear of blood fell down his once white collar. Time felt like it froze as long as their eyes lingered in the blind ones.

"No..." Bo's jaw dropped as his eyes widened. His terror was obvious before it turned to determination. "No- You need to reject her. Lanie, right now. Now, before he notices, hurry!"

Red tears dropped down his unshaved cheeks. Both Lanie and Lillis felt the sensation of a warm similar caress streaming down their face. Bo's eyes were pining them down, spiralling their messy thoughts into an incoherent paralysing madness.

The earth rumbled under their feet, the chairs tapping against the cave ground as the quake intensified. Then- Lillis' consciousness suddenly felt brushed by Bo's striking blind eyes.

Her vision blurred as she felt pulled into a blinding white light, forced away from Lanie. She tried to fight it, felt Lanie dragging her back, but everything was so painful and they were both so cold–

"He can not see you succeed!" Bo's voice was both so close and so far. Just like Kyle had in the cloud. "If he does–"

Bo froze mid sentence. He gargled, blood pouring in his mouth and leaving in strands down the corners. Blank void filled his eyes for another instant before they were forced into their original pale golden colour.

Warmth burned Lanie and Lillis much deeper than any poison lingering as their consciousness slammed back into each other, and time flowed back.

Sounds rushed to their ears slowly before all was overlapping and deafening.

Hands probed on their neck. Bo's face was drenched in blood, stealing their focus from the pain sparkling stronger in their nape. The red shined in the mid light as he leaned forward.

The swinging lantern displayed the veins around his eyes swelling in a dark throbbing tar, and–

"This can't be," His voice finally broke. His parted lips trembled. His eyes were shining with tears, mere exhales falling out of his chest. They glanced behind them – every souls were looking at them.

An instant of maniacal laughter was heard from afar and made them all quiver before Bo's last words reached them. "O' Roots, hear my plea-"

Light busted all around them, blinding and freezing,

"O' Roots! Do not forsake us! O' Roots, for the Fey has returned, for we are all doomed – O' Roots, we beg of you, do not abandon us!"

The scream threshing Lillis' throat as she found herself jolting up threatened to never let her breathe another sound out.

Her face was covered in sweat, head pounding from the violent awakening as she struggled to understand why she was in bed.

This was becoming old.

She trembled as she sat up, leaning her back on a headboard. She lifted her hands to press them over her face – only to wince as her right arm was pulled to the side. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of an IV stuck in the inside of her elbow.

She hissed as she pulled the thin needle out along its adhesive dressing. She didn't care for the wound it created and the tears of blood dripping.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," A voice made her jolt.

The Nether didn't stand before the bed, looking mad and bloodthirsty. Instead, a woman was watching over her. Lillis caught her breath with difficulty. She stared back while trying to hide her confusion.

"You haven't eaten anything solid in weeks. You need to rely on this if you don't want to drop. Again."

The older woman had coiled brown curls reaching her ears, narrowed eyes that struck her down. Clear gold irises pined her down.

Just like Bo's, Lanie's, Lyn's, Lillis shivered.

For a second she didn't recognise her, nor her surroundings. She was not there, wherever there had been, that's for sure. She took a second to look at the bed she's in. She sighed, out of breath.

This stupid brown plaid again. At least, she was as close to safety as she could be.

Lillis still let the needle drop, ignoring the odd looking liquid in the IV bag dripping on the cover. She pressed her thumb roughly on the slight bleeding hole in her skin for a moment.

Her bandages around her hands had been changed again in her sleep. This time, they were pink-ish.

"Drink this, at least," The rough voice reached her ears once more. Lillis didn't jump this time. Even if the stranger was standing right by her, she sounded distant. She watched as she walked around the large bed, stopping by the IV stand to hand her a glass of water.

Lillis took it warily.

"I'm Ry'a," She introduced herself. She pushed the IV drip to the corner of the room and sat on her chair Lillis didn't notice. Maybe she brought it. "Nice to finally meet you consciously."

"Do we know each other?"

"I'm the Seeing Duke here. The Seer in command, if you will. I'm the one who found you hyperventilating with the Miller kid."

Leaning against the wood, Lillis stared at Ry'a uneasily. Her hands tightened around the freezing glass. The wounds in her left one were almost close, she could feel it, but the ones in her right hand stretched painfully.

Still, Lillis tried to push away the fear and anxiety eating at her guts. As if.

"Was it the first time?" Ry'a sipped on a steaming tea.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, physically hurting her as she heaved a storm of nausea.

"What was?" She eventually replied the older woman.

Ry'a scoffed, a grin taking ten years off her face.

"Witnessing. Experiencing a vision awake, if you will."

Lillis looked at her like she grew another head.

"A what?"

"A vision," Ry'a was patient, but just as sarcastic. "Was it past? Future? About a loved one? A stranger?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lillis breathed out for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"... Oh," The seer's looks softened. "Yeah, I bet you don't.”

For the first time since everything, the words sounded sincere and sympathetic.

“What did you see?” Ry'a asked instead.

The fresh wind coming from the window helped Lillis clear her head. She wiped the condensation off the glass with her bloody thumb.

“It was just a nightmare,” She whispered. Ry'a made her feel oddly vulnerable.

“Humour me.”

She hesitated still.

She sipped the water to gain time, a brain freeze immediately making her grimace and a nausea rising. She didn't know what it was- but this was not water.

Ry'a smirked, as if waiting for her reaction.

"Say, how is your migraine?"

"I don't–" Lillis automatically responded before choking.

Coughing up, she pressed her fingers on her chest. Only now did she realise: her head did not drill itself any more. She was feeling awful, true, but not the usual awful.

"You've been out for more than a day. It's not better than the rest you got at the temple of Liath, but that's nice too," Ry'a ignored her wide eyes and grabbed a cigarette out of the biker style outfit she was wearing.

It was oddly fitting with the ancient aesthetic.

"Good to see your rise up now, kid."

"A day? So- Thirty two hours of sun and thirty two of night? And more?" Lillis' mind still lagged in shock. She went to stand. She quickly abandoned the idea as her head spine, making her grip the blanket.

"Yup," Ry'a lighted the paper with a match. The scent of flowers made Lillis pleasantly surprised. She had apprehended the loathed smell of tobacco. "Repressing causes migraines. If you hold them back for too long, they can cause coma when they snap. I thought you wouldn't be up for another two days, to be honest."

The smoke was bluish as she exhaled it.

"It's actually worrying you're waking this early – especially when a little birdie tells me you have been repressing for a long time."

"I don't understand," Lillis' lips seemed on loop. She turned, her legs falling over the side of her bed. "This was just a nightmare."

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. It doesn't matter since you have much bigger problems coming to be debating about trivia, kiddo."

Ry'a let her search for her words but spoke up again as she remained silent.

"I've heard you in your strain," She took another inhale of her flower smoke. "You spoke about what you were seeing. Things you shouldn't know. Things I'm sure you don't remember, now. Your essence changed, too, during your Witnessing. It grew wider by the hour, stronger. Scaredly so. I never saw that in my long years, but considering–"

"Considering I'm a Beamer, I know," Lillis snapped, tired of it. Her throat complained the use. Now that she noticed it, she sounded like she hadn't talk in days. She winced at the thought. I didn't.

She grabbed the clothes laid out for her at the bottom of the bed. Her jeans and a sleeveless top in the same style as her sweater. Somehow, Lillis knew it was a courtesy of Wyn'a.

Ry'a had the decency to turn around.

"My, my, so quick to anger," She heard the seer sing as she dizzily put on the clothes. "Totally not a side effect of days of repressing for sure."

Lillis snarled in response. If she felt less heavy-minded, she was just as tired and provoked as when her eyes were closed. She cleared her throat as she sat back, letting the Seer know she was decent.

... More or less.

Ry'a turned with a grave expression.

"Still... Beginning and End sharing one's soul. Mist and Underpass claiming one bond," She whistled lowly, then strangely inhales on the red tube. The fog is sweet as she talked it out. "The rumours were true. The Fey has returned."

A vase suddenly broke.

Lillis merely had time to turn to the sound before she was slammed into. Shaky arms surrounded her in a bone crushing hug while a rose smell hit her nose.

"You're okay!" Wyn'a cried in her neck, making Lillis both incredibly uncomfortable but also a little guilty.

"So you're the one who took care of me again," Lillis sighed, awkwardly tapping Wyn'a back. "I'm okay. Sorry. Thank you."

"I'm just happy you're okay!" The sobbing barely made any sense through her babbling but Lillis was grateful for the sentiment. "But- how are you up?"

She rose up from her, cheeks covered in tears but face filled with devoted concern.

"That's not supposed to happen so fast, right?" Wyn'a turned to Ry'a, starting to fidget. "I was supposed to change her needle and check on her wounds and check the poison level and-"

"Give us a minute, kid."

Wyn'a hesitated, worriedly glancing at Lillis. "... I'll come back later."

Ry'a turned back to her when the door softly closed.

"So," She took a new drag. Lillis was surprised the huffs differed in colours with each exhale. "Your visions. Or well, the one you remember. Clearly, it was intense."

"Hold on– Fey. Everyone spits it out like a curse but no one explains. What is it? I am a traveller, no?"

"And also a Seer. Which makes you a Fey."

"But– What does that mean?"

"It means you got yourself in the worse situation imaginable. Sadly for you, it turns out things are about to get a whole lot worse from here."

Lillis watched as she finished her cigarette. Ry'a didn't skip a beat as she lit another.

"Tell me about that nightmare," She changed subjects. Lillis would be tempted to tell her off but she was so tired and Ry'a had been calmer and gentler than most.

She looked out the window. The sun was tilting past and behind Cido. Night was falling... Along the sun. Damn Kyle for being right.

Her memories started to blur at her wake and she lost more with every second. Still, the Duke didn't pressure her as Lillis got lost in her own mind, simply watching her rise her cross her legs.

"I saw the Nether."

Ry'a was patient as she gathered her thoughts.

"I was with a girl," Lillis recollected with difficulty. "Or– Rather, in a girl. I think. As in, in her head. I was seeing through her eyes, feeling through her body."

No reaction escaped the Seer.

“We were tied to this chair and he... He...” Lillis' eyes dropped to her arms. She was surprised to see her veins finally took their original shape and colours back.

They were visible but normally so, only because of the thinness of her skin.

"There was another person, too. Many actually. But this guy... He looked,” She shivers. “He looked in pretty bad shape, but he saw me.”

This earned a frown from Ry'a.

“Saw you? As in–”

“As in me, yes. His eyes turned all white and bloody and he talked to me. I'm sure I remember right what he was saying," She frowned, the memory of his eyes the last clear detail she had. "Bo's got to be the reason I woke up."

The teacup broke on the floor. Ry'a's were wide as she stood suddenly.

“Bo?” She almost shouted, puzzled. "Bo? That's the name you said?"

“Yeah?” Lillis stepped back instinctively but Ry'a grabbed her wrist, too shaken to wince her wince.

“This man was Bo?!” The woman insisted, slightly unnerved. “Are you sure?!”

“Yes–” She thought hard on it, the memory becoming more and more slippy from her consciousness. “Yes, I'm sure. Long wavy hair, light golden eyes, a little scar above his right brow on his forehead–”

The woman turned around, hands grabbing at her hair. Lillis found herself struggle to stand up, sensing her urgency.

“What's going on?”

“You saw Bo,” Ry'a stated, still walking in circles. "You saw him."

“It was more like he saw me–” Lillis argued before Ry'a stopped.

"He disappeared years ago!" Her eyes grew large. "Everyone thought him dead! But... You... You were straining... This means... Oh, could it be?" Ry'a looked beyond herself. "Could you have transcended...?"

The ashes of her cigarette dropped from not being smoked for so long. Lillis started to wonder of the ridicule of the number of terms they had for everything. Could anyone be clear for once?

“Ma'am, with all my respect, it was just–”

"You transcended without embrace," She sparked again. "Or..."

Ry'a looked at her with an expression so sadden and intense, Lillis struggled to understand the sentiment behind it.

"... post-reaping? Now, that has to be the worse scenario imaginable... But you're a Beamer, so- O' Roots."

"Ma'am-"

"You're– This was your first vision, as far as you know?"

"It was just a nightmare, like any others–"

Ry'a's whine hovered her.

"You had more dreams like these?"

"What–?"

"Quick, tell me!"

"Yeah, I guess!" Ry'a's rising panic was getting contagious, even if Lillis didn't understand what was panic inducing. She stepped back but nothing did against the woman closing in to her.

"How long?"

"I don't know-"

"Estimate!"

"I've always have weird dreams, I don't know how or if they were different–"

"Do you understand how dangerous the situation is?" Ry'a cut her. "Witnessing for years, transcending without proper training? If you saw things Dreamers and Iras missed despite their talents-"

The Duke looked completely staggered. Lillis felt the seer's agony and concern but she couldn't begin to pinpoint how to help.

"Oh no, this... This is bad. This is so much worse than I thought. You shouldn't be able to reach such high levels at all, but especially if you never noticed. Oh, you're not an old bloomer or a reaped alright– You're a hidden. Who has been stupid enough to do this?"

Her frantic walk slowed so she took in Lillis' confounded expression. Ry'a's panicked face morphed into hardness. Something grave passed in her eyes.

"Your mind is going to snap to the Sight, kid. Do you understand?"

"I can not stress how much I really don't understand!"

Ry'a's dark eyes shined before she sighed.

"I know," She repeated but any kindness was long gone. She tensely patted her shoulder over the material of her shirt. "We might have time. A shredded one, but it's better than nothing."

The older woman puffed her chest, staring straight into Lillis' eyes.

"I'm taking you to train under O' Corr'a. She will know what to do. Maybe she'll train you if you're deemed worthy."

Lillis needed a minute to process the words.

"Train me? Wait, I'm already training my wanders–"

"Not any more."

"But–"

"Let me put it this way," She headed toward the door. "If you pursue your traveller's training, you're simply going to gain the ability to wander. If you purse your seer's training," She smacked her boot on the broken pieces of the ceramic lingering on the floor to press her point. "You prevent your mind from crumbling to the Mist like this. Thoughts?"

"I'm not a seer,” Lillis insisted. A new headache was blooming in her skull. "I don't see things, I just–"

"Call it intuitions, premonitions, gut feelings, whatever– You're the Fey, kid. Now is the time to accept yourself as one and work for it not to kill you before it kills us. Let's go."

Lillis watched Ry'a turn around and walk away.

Closing her mouth and wondering what her words meant, she sighed. Was she doomed never to have a normal day? Ever?

She followed barefoot. Wyn'a had stripped her off the necklace she found in her room, and she felt oddly naked as she left without it.

The walk was tensed as Ry'a lead her outside and down the red sandy path leading to the large beach she saw south of the Yale.

Lillis took the time to look up and admire how the three stars became darker in the already dark orange swallowing the purple sky. The dawn was breath-taking, seemingly never ending.

Sure enough, a pale, almost translucent sun was falling behind them, twisting and dictating the sky darker. It could only be seen if you were at the right angle to see it poking out.

She didn't know how far they were going until Ry'a suddenly lead them through the trees, the path disappearing. She dared question the Duke's orientation skills after ten minutes before a majestic shrine appeared through the denser part of the forest, hidden from everyone but the nightlight.

She was reminded of those ruins in Athens, admiring the fancy stones, beauty of a lost architecture preserved through time. Yet, it looked as gorgeous as s if it had been made yesterday.

In the growing night, candles lightened up magically and unevenly on the sides of the square shape opened temple. Crickets fluttered their wings hidden in the large soft looking bushes. A soft humming sang distantly. It gave the deserted site such a comforting aura, Lillis felt at peace.

Ry'a was the first to walk the two steps, passing through the columned arcs forming the altar. Lillis' eyes took how the lack of walls and ceilings made it open to all before daring to rise up the couple of march.

She locked on the person praying before the giant sculpture standing in the centre of the marbled floor. Kneeling by its feet, they look enticed – palms and head up to it. They looked so hypnotised, Lillis didn't dare to speak a word.

Especially after she realised this was one of the very place place the Nether and her fought.

She stayed quiet. Did she imagine the whole thing? Probable, she had remained unharmed after the ordeal whereas scars from their fight at the Solstice were still forming.

How could she remember the details of a place she never went too so perfectly? Déjà-vu, her reason tried to calm her panicking mind.

She stood still by a column while Ry'a busied herself to the one of large marbled altar on each side of the 2 meters high statue.

The rosy stoned woman looked more lovely than in her memory. The clear dedication provided in her representation was obvious and heart-warming. Her long braids still reached her thighs, hands still offered to her devotees. Hands full of the one currently praying to her.

Lillis stayed back, taking in the duvets covering the floor around the statue, the cushions resting on them, the large empty gold-covered bowls all around. The view from outside made it look small, but the open temple was larger than she thought.

The slight wind of the ocean passing by the columns soothed her. She didn't dare to lean on them or to the seats so instead, she joined Ry'a.

She was still at the altar at the right of the devotee. Lillis made extra effort not to make a sound as she tiptoed behind them.

A chalice was in the duke's hands. It was filled with white tainted water and flower petals. Lillis flinched when it was handed to her. She shook her head, shaking her hands in silent refusal before it was forced anyway to her chest.

Her lips escaped an oof and reluctantly, she held it up carefully. It smelled of honey, milk and garlic.

Her grimace escaped her resolve.

She forced it to her lips under Ry'a demanding eyes before stopping as they grew wide. The old woman slapped her head over the head of the chalice before pushing it down.

Lillis froze, unsure of what she was supposed to do, and another smack greeted the back of her head. An another to her fingers holding the body of the gem-filled glass. Ry'a was worse at silent communication than her.

“You're supposed to smell it, not drink it,” Came a smooth voice.

They both turned as the prayer rose to their feet. Helped up by her Goddess, she revealed herself as an cute, petite curvy woman. She would look like Wyn'a were her braids not similar to the stone next to her. They reached her ears, locks of gold and copper intertwined through the white bleached locks.

She smiled easily, content and straightforward as she faced Lillis.

Lillis could feel the tremor of an immense power behind her. She couldn't quite place what, but something very powerful emanated from her.

She tensed as she was looked up and down, a frown messing the devotee's easy-going expression. It was gone as soon as it came, replaced by pure delight. For a second, she had the perfect copy of the Nether's content grin.

“An old bloomer?” She smiled at the Duke.

Ry'a avoided to answer her and instead nodded to Lillis. For once, proper introductions were possible.

"I'm Lillis," She nodded politely. "Are you O Corr'a?" She asked, perhaps naively, because her only response was a loud, hard laugh.

"Don't be such a flirt!” The woman waved her off to Lillis' pure confusion. “I'm Jamee'la, though everyone calls me Jay. I'm still very much in training, just like you, though... I can tell we're going to have fun. What are you? Level 4, too? 5, maybe?"

"I thought there was no level 5?"

Ry'a promptly shut them up as she passed between them, waving Lillis over.

"Travellers and their big ideas. You can barely measure the Roots' upbringing, and here they go, trying to limit them. Astonishingly stupid," She knelt on one knee before the statue, whispering under her breath, before standing back up. She turned to Lillis. "You are a level 5 – no doubt about it. The trick now is going to span decades of training and careful evolution into a matter of days."

Lillis was quick to stand tall.

"I don't have days–"

"No, you probably don't," Ry'a accentuated for her to understand the gravity. "At this rate, you won't make it without a proper Embrace. We can just bury you in the ground right now if that's what you want."

She remained still as the older woman stepped forward.

"You don't understand, kid," Ry'a's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "Our gift, as wonderful as it is, depends on our training and our control. While those travellers can play all day with their little jumps – us, Seers, have to triple our efforts.

"If we don't, and especially if you're above level three, your life gets endangered. Your mind threatens to collapse under the essence of the Mist with every repression. So I'm going to ask you one last time."

Lillis fell on the steps as Ry'a walked behind her and pressed on her shoulders, forcing her on her knees. Unbeknown to her, this was right where she stood with the Nether.

Her eyes met the sculpture's.

"Mind broken, or salvaged?"

Lillis gulped loudly, staring at the stone before carefully putting her hands in hers.

"O' Corr'a is one of our many Gods," Ry'a sounded calmer with a cooperating Lillis. "But she might be the sole you can contact who might seek your well-being. Reunion with her and gather her wisdom. She will help you through your Embrace."

"Can't you do it?" Lillis asked small, unsure what to think of the idea of believing yet alone meeting a God. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do-"

"O’ Corr'a is the last seer who wasn’t a Beamer to ever show signs of level five, kid. There's no one else."

"But–"

"Powerful gifts lead to powerful destinies, Lillis," Jay appeared by her side. "You do not need to know how to mneme with Her, she'll understand what you want by your reaching out alone. You just have to let go, and let Her take you to Her."

Lillis choked a forced chuckle.

"Let go, huh?" She looked up to the goddess. "Last time I did, I only took a day-long nap."

"And She'll teach you how to pull the best out of it."

The women step back. Lillis found her hands trembling in the cold, careful hold. She breathed through her nose, looking at the Goddess one last time. How funny it was that she could think of all kinds of excuses to leave this place all of a sudden.

Do I really need to control it?

I could just leave and hide in my father's cabin.

I could just spend my days hunting and renovating it, making it a real home again.

Slowly going insane isn't that bad – I could live of fresh water and loneliness, they are worse fates.

I'd have peace, wouldn't that be great? Even if it's only for two or three days, I could–

“It's okay.”

Lillis closed her eyes.

I can't escape this path just because I'm scared.

Not only am I going to learn how to control this– I'm going to push it to the limit like none of these feys ever had.

Not when my father's death, and my whole family's, stays unaccounted for.

Not until I made sense of it all.

Not until I made it right.

Ignorance isn't bliss – I'll find the answer and fix it myself if I have to.

One last deep breath... And warmth.

She felt tingle of warmth in her fingertips. It almost burned, crashing against her cold skin, draping over her palms to her wrist and rising to her shoulders.

It was slow and she had a hard time not moving or remaining still to the burn, but-

Pain is only secondary.

Alternating between seeking the warmth and letting it spread, Lillis' mind pinged into numbness.

Through the mist of her mind, two hands reached for her. Long fingers brushing hers softly, a carefully-crafted hand chain flowing gently from the warmth coming from Her. The gentle and loving hold could make her sob as She held her naked hands.

Lillis' paler-than-usual scarred skin contrasted shockingly against the delicate, mat flawless skin of the Goddess.

"Are you–?"

A gentle brush of Her thumb on hers stole her voice, confiding her into silence. A small sun grew in their joined hands, glowing brighter and brighter from in between their palms.

She blinked as the woman before her revealed herself as a perfect copy of her effigy. The beautiful smile that grew on Her lips made Lillis' heart miss a beat.

Peace, love and security filled her – the warmth of Her hands different from Her earlier burns. Lillis' mind appeased as the gentle soothing reached her heart.

A wild burst of colours exploded to dance around them. At first, she only saw the familiar shades of colours alike northern lights waved through the space; but soon, dark shooting stars glimpsing through them were just as mesmerising.

Life and void – perfectly mixing together.

Then, white light pierced through her head space, blinding everything. One by one, the colours faded and disappeared into the blank, seeding gorgeous flowery gardens.

Her light turned the wild waves of her mind into stillness.

"Let go," The soft-spoken voice demanded.

And Lillis did.

Or... She thought she did.

The sun created in their gentle hold deflated suddenly and the warmth found itself paralysed. Trapping both Corr'a and Lillis – a loud noise brew in the distance. Slowly, the cold did not restrict itself to her head space but to it whole.

Their hands burned to the touch, the flowers around them suddenly being teared off. Something twirled through the air, rapid vivid movement.

A storm was coming down. Lillis wondered what kind of rain could be so hot and dark, so hurtful yet lost before – she saw the perfect rain drop on her fingers.

A rain of blood.

Pain made the Goddess scream, and Lillis lost her breath as the storm fell like thunder. It drowned both the flowers and any sparks of colours or shooting stars trying to rise, and as the red burning liquid rose to their knees, she feared they'd be drown in it next.

"O' Corr'a?" Lillis' mouthed but no sound came out. Displeasure and confusion were all over the goddess' face. Her contrite expression shifted to an aghast one. Her golden lips parted to speak- And the deity faded out like smoke.

Darkness crashed down faster than the light ever came. The red storm whipped at her Lillis' face, blinding her as she stumbled up to her feet, searched for the Goddess. The heavy blood mud slowed her down, the rain slicing through her skin.

Thunder cracked and she fell head first in the river of blood.

Her screams died in her throat as her lungs filled. Doom seemed inevitable as Lillis felt her chest empty only to refill all over again, trapping her in an endless cycle of immortal drowning.

The drop hastened.

Her mind was spinning at the apprehension of the fall yet it never seemed to be granting her to one.

Flashes made her flinch.

Through the never-ending dark and pull under, images appeared before her eyes.

On the long days Lillis had been stuck in bed at Liath's temple, she had dreamt. She knew she did, even if all she could recall were dark dog and blurry ocean eyes.

She knew it'd come back the next time she closed her eyes. Still, she knew she would forget about them at her wakes, losing them to the dizziness of her fever.

And it did. Again, and again, and again. Every time. She never pursuit to remember, leaving it to the darkness of her subconscious. It felt safer to.

But now she was drowning in the shreds of her own mind, and they were all waiting for her to crumble.

A foot kicking her harshly and sending her against a burning pit-

A throw making her fall on her arm, her limb bending in an odd painstaking angle-

A gurgling noise as she hid herself under a sheet, pressing a hand over her mouth not to make a sound-

Nails digging into her legs as she crawled desperately over ashes, distorted voice calling for her-

A strong hand pulling her through dark sewers, a tetanizing laugh closing in as she tried to reach an non-existent exit–

Hands cupping her cheeks gently before burning liquid exploded all over her face, a mutilated body soiling her dress–

“ F I N D U S . ”

Eyes jolting open, her mouth was filled. She merely registered Jay's horrified face before she started choking.

Lillis half swallowed the mixture as she pushed to sit up, spitting out the rest of the flowers and whitened water.

“I thought this wasn't a drink?!” She wheezed out with difficulty, uncaring of the saliva dripping down her chin as she retched the awful drink.

Jay carefully tapped her back before Lillis elbowed her away. The white haired girl held the chalice tightly in her trembling hands, fixated on her as the coughing calmed down, the last petal hitting the marble.

"Only in case of sighting–"

Lillis' breathing caught as mist flashed behind Jay. She choked, wiping her mouth hysterically as she jumped to her feet. Jay frowned as she stumbled, following her stance and gaze.

“Lillis?” She called after her eyes met with nothing. “Are you okay?”

The night had fully fallen through her prayer. Not even the lit candles helped in the outside sight. Lillis struggled to rely on her sight showing her there was no one or the little voice in her head telling her-

Something is wrong.

“I–” Lillis' throat was dry as she looked, paranoid, all around them. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

The calm forest now seemed oddly menacing beyond the opened arcs of the shrine. She didn't even notice Jay putting the chalice in her hands, pressing it to her lips.

Lillis was about to find only for fresh water to grace her life. She drank it, calming a little as it soothed her throat.

The aftertaste was awful still on her tongue but it was lessened by the clear drink.

"What happened?" Dared the girl.

Lillis' eyes focused on her direction even though she couldn't ignore the sticks snapping and leaves cracking a few steps away.

"Shouldn't you tell me?" Lillis snapped, glancing at the statue. "Where is Ry'a?"

"She was sure your Embrace was going well, so she left–"

"Then, what are you still doing here?"

"I wanted to watch you," Jay admitted a little too easily. Lillis' brows shot to her forehead.

"Watch me?"

Steps seemed to hurry away as Lillis caught a blur of movement in the trees. She shivered.

"You're powerful. I had to see how you go. I have to admit... Didn't expect you to succeed but neither to snap right after. I'll take you up as my rival!"

The blur disappeared, leaving her unsure if it boiled to hallucination, paranoia or a true threat. Lillis pressed her bandaged palms over her eyes.

Migraine back.

"Rival?" Lillis choked before focusing on the more important. "What are you on about? What does snapping even mean, is it getting rejected by your Goddess?"

"She rejected you!?" Jay stumbled forward.

Lillis stood on shaky legs as she circled around the shrine to be sure was outside beyond the columns.

"It was a waste of time–"

"You need to try again."

Lillis stopped dead in her walk to gap at her.

"You're joking, right?"

Jay's white braids danced as she shook her head.

"You have to. You were about to give in to the Sight– Your mind can't handle the power from the Mist. You need to Embrace it to balance the powers and create a barrier."

Blood pounded behind her eyeballs.

"A barrier? A barrier for what?"

"Don't you have a– Oh! You don't have a fellow star yet, do you?” Her smug grin broke the momentary seriousness. "I will be. After all, got to look after my rival's progress. Okay!"

Jay shook in excitement. At least one's having fun here. Seriousness calmed her as she went on.

“The Mist is where the Beginning draws its power – where we draw ours. It's basically the Roots' form holding the Seers' powers. For travellers, it's the End's Underpass.”

Lillis wasn't really listening as her eyes kept drifting back to the dark trees and unnerving complete silence. Jay pushed her back to the statue, Lillis fighting not to fall at the two hands pushing her back to her knees.

Corr'a looked grave now. She almost seemed distressed as she looked down on her. She shuddered as Jay made her fall flat on her ass.

"Jay–"

"You need to try. At least once more. Please, rival."

She glanced up. Jay held a ridiculous pout, glimmering eyes begging for her sympathy. It was Casey all over again. Lillis hated how in neither case, she didn't have it in her to fight them.

The girl let out a excited 'Yes!' when Lillis tentatively grabbed the hands of the Goddess for the second time.

The cheer died pretty quick as Lillis flew out of the temple.

She heaved at the sudden light that threw her off in a harsh wind, barely missing a column as she was sent away. Her kick out was only stopped as she knocked against a tree and dropped in the thorny bush under it.

Lillis growled as she looked up at the tree's leaves, the thorns of the bush pressing in her back. Fuck me.

"Lillis!" Jay shouted as she hurried toward her, jumping off the march to run to her. "Are you okay!?"

"Peachy," Lillis said through gritted teeth as she struggled to escape the bush. “Fucking deities' powers of my–”

She managed to roll, scratching both her backside and her front side, but she dropped out of it. She got back on her feet, tapping the broken thorns and leaves out of her hair and clothes.

She needed a word stronger than exhaustion.

“She rejected you!” Cried her new fellow star as she reached her.

“Oh, really? I couldn't have guessed!" She snapped, unable to hold it in, before immediately regretting it. Her palm pressed over her left eye. Never did the migraine grew so strong so fast.

She gasped as it shoot a ripple of pain through her skull, dragging her to her knees.

“Lillis?” Jay kneeled by her side, putting a delicate hand on her shoulder blades. “What's wrong?”

“It's nothing-" she tried to say but the words died as another groan took their place.

“Migraine?” Jay guessed worriedly, a soothing hand rubbing her back.

Lillis could only grunt in reluctant admission. She shook Jay off, even if it unbalanced her already foggy mind. She dropped on her elbows.

Jay was arguing back and forth but Lillis couldn't find in herself to try to listen to what she was saying.

The pain was once more unbearable, stars dancing before her eyes as darkness grew in the corner. She let out a shaky breath.

Was this the preamble of horrible visions? Was this what she already went through, chasing after Kyle's jewel? Was she about to be stuck in another loops of fights with the Nether?

“We need to go!” Jay's voice finally reached her as the woman screamed it a breathe away from her ear. Her hands gripped Lillis' wrists as if she could drag her up with her. The girl might be curvier but Lillis was stronger.

Still, she complied after a couple of stubborn pulls.

“Where?” Lillis tried to argue but her voice was weak. Jay was helping her walk on her trembling legs as she lead them into the forest.

It was not until they reached a barely noticeable tight path that Lillis got a response. Following the ledge of a cliff hidden behind a tall rocky hill, carved through the sharp stones, they stood before the entrance of a cave.

Black candles surrounded the hole in the rocks, the light still not able to penetrate through the darkness inside. Jay still walked her through it.

“To the Hollows.”

The pale candles' lights reflected dangerously through the flow-stone. As they went down and down into the ground, Lillis found her headache easing but also growing heavier. She exhaled with difficulty, lifting her dead weight up from her companion.

After a few minutes of descent, the duo stopped.

They had reached a beautiful cenote. Lillis looked up the hole. Far, far up. The light of the three violet stars gave a strange hue along the red lightening down there. They almost looked like irises. Still, the vegetation coming down along the crystal-covered walls of the cave gave a mystical, if just as eerie as the feeling of her guts.

The lake seemed to growl as Jay closed in.

"This is one of the thinnest veils separating us from the Roots," She whispered religiously as she knelt. She pressed her hands on the rocks surrounding the lake.

Reverence, Lillis understood as Jay leaned all the way until her chest pressed to the ground.

"O' Corr'a never refuses anyone in their quest of Embrace," Jay continued as she sat up. "If she did... It means They intervened."

The growl rumbled louder at her words, crystals clinking in echo. Lillis founds herself awkwardly bowing in respect.

"What do I do?" She asked, anxiety making her fidgety.

"You're going to ask them for a Reunion in the Mist," Jay said as if it made sense. "If They accept, They will Embrace you directly. It's the purest form of Embrace, but They don't allow it to everyone. If They don't--"

Jay sucked in a breath as a ripple coming from the depth broke the surface's stillness.

"What was that?" Lillis was already a step behind, eyeing the ripple never reaching the shore.

"They're," The seer murmured hurriedly. "They're calling."

Lillis' eyes grew large as Jay pushed her toward the lake.

"I don't–" She started to step back before the hum grew stronger.

A crystal broke from the wall. It dropped toward the surface... And vanished as soon as it made contact with it. Lillis froze. She blinked as another ripple disturbed the quiet.

"They are curious and willing," Jay said before pushing her forward. "But far from patient. Don't make them wait any longer."

Lillis' body was frozen in apprehension, unable to do anything as she stumbled a foot into the lake. She was surprised to find out the lake was ankles-deep. It was hard considering the night to evaluate but the colour of the lake was so dark, she thought it meant it was deep.

But fuck, was it cold.

She turned to Jay. She was smiling slightly at her, perhaps to ease the uncertainty on Lillis' face. Her expression was odd, a first yet familiar. It struck Lillis: she was terrified.

With a heavy heart, Lillis put her other foot in the lake-pond. Her bluing lips let out a shaky breath. Considering the heat of the day, her body still struggled to accommodate to how cold the Yale got at night.

Her bare feet felt like frozen bricks as Jay's voice encouraged her to go to the centre of the body of water. The bite of the air didn't even let her shake. Her lungs felt frozen in her feverish chest.

The ground trembled in its growl-like tremor with each step closer. Her walk on the sharp rocks was more and more shaky. She wondered if she'd open her soles open like her palms before she reached the eye of the storm.

Bubbles and ripples broke the surface the closest as she got to the pond's heart-- Only for the water to freeze. Lillis turned to Jay. The girl had vanished.

For a second, Lillis wondered what the hell she was doing here. She pondered her life, what decisions lead her to stand bare feet in summer clothing in the middle of the night in a lake. She questioned her sanity, her willingness to go along craziness, her crumbling mind to start some craziness on her volition.

But, the water rose.

The waves went to the air, gathering above her, filling the cenote, and then crashed over her. At first, the cold wasn't noticeable. Her body was alike desensitised. The crash looked intimidating, making Lillis close her eyes and prepare for the slam, but it merely felt like a breeze of wind.

She opened her eyes only to notice the floor opened. She had been pulled under and now, the cenote's light seemed far, so far up ahead. Needles poked her skin, the cold indeed testing her resistance. She was not succeeding. Desperate bubbles of air escaped her mouth as she descended further and faster into the depth.

Just like her fall after her attempt to meet with Corr'a, all became too dark and too suffocating too fast. Hands seemed to reach out to her, grabbing her sleeves and pulling her legs, holding on and clenching, bruising and popping her joints out--

It felt odd when her back hit a hard surface.

Lying after a harsh blow snapped her reality back in place. No water, no fall, no hands, no harm. All that lingered... Was steel. She blinked hurriedly, turning around. She was locked in a box. Metal under her feet, metal around her, metal on the low ceiling.

A dark feeling weighted in her guts. Only the echo of her feet on the metal as she walked around the small room. It was quiet– Too quiet. Ominously so. She swallowed harshly. She searched and searched, closed and open her eyes but... The cage remained.

Her fingers glazed over it.

No, not steel. Not even metal.

The top was cold and hard to the touch but also pinched back if she pressed it too harshly. Lillis jolted away at it formed into a needle that pierced through her finger. She looked as a drop of blood glided down the wound before it got swallowed by the texture.

"What the fuck is going on?" She shakily gasped out, out loud. Her breathing stopped in her chest as soon as words passed her lips.

The walls previously so strong were now see through. And behind the cage the room formed, a tall humanoid figure. Could she even call it that? It was more of a shadow in the already low light than a fully fleshed being. Unbelievably large, it made the small room feel even smaller. Its long limbs were limp to its sides as its back arced leaning down toward to box to stare at her.

Lillis never comprehended the terror of claustrophobia until now.

The disturbingly dulled three empty eye sockets focused on her, or seemed to. The numerous faint lights that seemed to filled the sockets were difficult to gauge what they focused on. It terrifyingly reminded her of the Yale's stars. Each one on top of the other.

Lillis could only stare, absolutely petrified, as two eyes struggled to form in the outer eyes sockets.

Two blue, human, eyes clashed into two circled blind, mystifying ones.

“ FOUND YOU. ”

Dread swallowed her whole at the echo. It had been low and hoarse, as if two voices were forced to speak at the same time. It should have been muffled beyond the box but to Lillis' horror, the 'voice' came directly from her mind.

Staring at traits that she couldn't find herself to word, she couldn't find in herself to move a single muscle under its gaze. Not even when it faded and came. It was... glitching? Movement made her snap out of her paralysis as the box twitched along the being, growing thicker. She merely had time to notice eight discernible arms slowly lift at its sides, all aiming for her head, before the walls darkened again.

All the hair on her body rose as she heard an unanimous loud thump.

Discerning panic threatened to burst under her skin, in the trouble of her breath, in the beat of her heart, in the flow of her mind– The black out cell cracked. Still, the gurgling sound made Lillis see clearly what was happening.

The room was closing in on itself.

Hyperventilation took hold of Lillis beyond her better judgement. What was outside was terrifying, but it was less so than getting crushed to death. Her leg started kicking at the wall- Only to be thrown back to the other side. The blood dripping from her temple seemed to fuel the cage, closing faster with each new tear.

"NO!" She madly tried still to fight her way out. It's over, her mind fogged, making her tremble – but she stubbornly refused it. "I WON'T DIE IN HERE, NOT LIKE THAT! I WON-"

Lillis' heart dropped, the fear the sound burst in her making her stumble and twist her wrist. She looked around the darkness madly as the room seemed to have stilled. She could barely sit up.

It sounded so far away, so subtle – but it was unmistakable. The arms outside were reaching out to her box of death again. She tried to move, tried to push the walls before the fists ended up crushing her inside. Vain attempts, as all hers ever were.

The walls surrounded her still, madly alternating between cranking closer and freezing. Lillis hissed sharply as something just opened the stitches of her palms back – and it wasn't due to her reckless panic. She blindly felt again what cut her with caution.

A lock with a broken key inside.

She felt around more, trying to tune out the cranks of the walls closing in to focus. A reinforced metal door that was not here a second ago stood before her.

It felt large, and heavy, but shrank along the room with each size down. Her hands shakily patted down for an handle.

The locked lock was all but one. Her hands found tenth and hundreds of rusted locks all with broken keys inside. The ridicule of the excess had Lillis calm down a little, a nervous snort shaking her. Even if she knew how to pick a lock, she couldn't even bother to try to differ and break them all. She wouldn't have the time to--

She crouched down, the ceiling pressing on her back. She ignored the tears of panic in her eyes, ignored her whole state of panic all together. She had to get out.

Breathe.

She nudged and slammed her shoulder again and again on the door, the locks clinking with each attempt. It didn't bulge an iota.

Her heart beat loudly in her ears. Her eyes widened. A crack had appear in the bend of the metal. The slight line allowed a blinding light from behind to slip in before a shadow passed over her.

“STOP!” A voice cracked as it screamed. She didn't realise until her throat hurt that it was hers. “HEL–”

She stumbled back, a sudden heaviness having her heaving. Or maybe it was just her panic.

Her hands pressed over her ears, the noise deafening now with the door cracked. The echo trapped every thunk with her in the tiny cage. She opened an eye she closed without noticing. The sight of the seemingly unbreakable metal was bending to the force. One by one, the crunching of the locks wrenched and pierced her ears before they exploded.

“HELP!” She didn't even care about begging, her pulse too full of adrenaline to focus on anything else than her survival. She grabbed on the locks, frenetically pulling along to weaken the chains. "HELP ME!"

The desperate knocks gathered inhuman strength with each hit. Lillis found herself grateful for it until the ceiling now forced her to kneel down. Her knees painfully digging into the ground but it was nothing to the burst of metal digging in her skin.

She wouldn't stop fighting. She already promised herself she wouldn't stop fighting as long as her body bent to her will -- even while shaking with terror.

A padlock burst to the pressure of the combined force, knocking into her solar plexus. She heaved under the shock, gasping for air but the stumbles against the wall right before her pushed her to move on. She lifted her arms above her face just in time to block the next broken lock from bashing in her left eye.

She felt her blood run cold as the wall behind her didn't let her pull on the locks any more. Her vain fight to stretch her legs and push against it quickly proved useless as it pressed twice as hard back.

Her face was a mess of tears and blood, her trembling hands barely holding on the walls to stop her crushing. The walls were on her, the ceiling too. The lack of air made her panicked breath painful in her chest. She was pressed by all sides, forced into a ball as the confined space swallows any hope of survival. She felt the echo of the punches to the door as it pressed to her forearms. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't–

The lack of oxygen made her train of thought irrational. Her sight was blurry, the now small square door left with one last lock that just couldn't break from the lack of space. She went limp just as her cheek pressed to the cold metal, nails digging in revolt. She choked as she felt it react against her. It was… foaming?

Lillis felt cold as she came back to herself. "Where... am I?" She wondered out loud.

Her voice sounded as strained as she felt. Her mind struggled to comprehend why she remembered creaking fire, gentle snow and soft feathers. The white mist surrounding her was unfamiliar. Even so, she didn't feel in danger. She didn't feel much, actually. She felt light but heavy. Hot but cold. Full but empty. Calm but on her last thread. Mind filled with the world's knowledge yet amnesiac.

The numbness was familiar, but the more she tried to move and react – the more disconnected she felt to her own body and mind. Or it was before a hand appeared through the mist. One the size of a car. It was slow from its size but the ground rumbled as Lillis barely roll away from it.

Feeling as if she was shot with adrenaline, she stepped backward with more emotions in her chest that felt humanly possible. She looked at the hand. It had fallen right where she had lied. Grey skinned, boney, almost deadly so.

At least, this time, there was no walls or ceiling to prevent her from running away.

A random burst of air behind her made her shiver. She wondered what kind of weather was possible without dispersing all that mystic fog she was lost in. Lillis felt apprehension. The hand still didn't move. She didn't know why but this stillness felt worrisome.

"... Hello?" She hesitated to call. Her voice echoed through the eternal space.

Shivers ran down her spine. The breeze passed before her, and the sick looking skin of the hand followed. Lillis' wide eyes stared in horror as it turned to dust along the flow of the wind.

The whitish tone of the mist now felt even more unsettling.

She stepped forward.

Her body buzzing with overwhelming joy, rage-fully wrath, heart-breaking sadness, kneeling fear, nauseating disgust and shaking surprise made her tremble. It felt too much for a her aching body but she had to move on. She could see shadows of limbs all around her.

She had to find something – anything. Bright flashes of light blinded her every few seconds, burst of air swinging her left and right as she feared she'd get turned to dust too. She headed faster and faster ahead, sprinting through this endless mist before a burst of wind slammed violently in her face.

She flew backwards. She barely saw four hands rushing to her, only to miss her. Her eyes widened at the clear sight of their pale veiny skin. Was that what was making the wind? She turned on her heels, not running toward a possible exit – but running away from the limbs seeking her. Not that it mattered.

With the size of a toothpick to the entity, she would never be fast enough.

A vast flash of light exploded right in her face, making her heart drop as she found eyes within it staring right back at her. She dropped on her back with a loud wheeze. Her eyes opened despite the pain in her back.

She took Ry'a in over her with a second or two of blank. The woman was scolding her harshly, harsher and unfair than she ever thought the Duke could be. It soured the already hurtful weight of guilt in her stomach.

Lillis' blurry eyes couldn't be certain but wonder why Ry'a looked... Younger. At least, a decade younger. Her hair was no longer short but reaching her chest, her face free of the wrinkles time kissed on her skin.

She blinked stupidly as the seer suddenly blurred at her pondering. The same kind of blur she saw when–

Her head snapped to loud crack resonating to the side.

She was not standing on a beach any more but sitting on a hill. It was night, with the sun setting in the distance. Rainbows glowed all over her. She stared amazed at her hands, the pale lights fading in and out but there nonetheless. Her throat was tied when her cheeks felt cold from the wind. They were covered in tears. Despite it all, she feels overwhelmingly happy.

A footstep made the floor crack behind her.

She was in a cabin as she lifted her head up. Her skin looked much paler than what she knows it to be, the shape clearly different too. Most worryingly, the necklace between her fingers made her sick. Thumb brushing against the rusted crafted Aloe, she felt bile rise up her throat.

She didn't have time to question anything as a candle lighted before her.

Her chest was heaving, out of breath. The Yale's entrance felt menacing somehow. She was facing one of the large statues she glimpsed at on the first floor the stairs by the Wall lead to. A place she was very sure she never went to.

And despite it, the sight of the dark stoned sculpture eased her mind. She felt absolutely serene and seen. The man depicted exuded kindness and warmth. He was not necessarily tall but imposing, his eyes intense with purpose.

She couldn't help but admire how the bronze statue might have gotten rusted by time but it still resisted neglect. The hands were bright as gold thanks to numerous hold they went through. She'd laugh at the lips also being golden before she noticed the spark surrounding her. Casey's.

Lillis admired the golden nail polish of the hands rising before her, thin feminine shape but callous skin proving hard training. I'm back in a hell loop, she almost panicked before remembering Ry'a words. She stared at the hands with a different feeling taking over her.

Ry'a's younger form, the odd rainbows, the necklace, Casey... Were those visions?

Her chin slowly rose up as the rumble form words in the back of her skull again.

" AT LAST. "

The disturbed rough voice was clearer this time. Glitched and muffled still, but clearer. She roughly inhaled. A giant eye stared back at her. The ground rumbled more strongly. This... something so much bigger than herself was reaching out to her.

No shadow, no long-limbed three-eyed creature; but, still a Creator.

The Mist's humanoid form was somehow scarier in this pale light rather than faded in darkness. It seemed to have enlarged, struggling even more to hover over her, but shaken all the same. She was not sure she could even begin to explain the being standing before her. It wasn't less an issue of comprehension rather than one of wording.

How did one begin to explain a maker?

White mist danced around Them. It made it more confusing as to where Their skin alike a ripple began and when the fog ended. Algae spread through their torso, rising like a turtle neck up to their jaw, both flourishing and dying. Their limbs were instead to the number of four but their length made them disappear in the mist. Their chest had just as much growth up to their neck than down to their hips. She only recognised lotus through the organism making Them them, both thriving and decaying.

Their stomach was flat, unhealthily so, but it was the roughly scarred line that made her suddenly dizzy. Unable to look away, she stared as her eyes traced it: from between Their navel up to Their ribs, crossing Them horizontally.

It shined as if colours hide inside but only black tar evidently dripped from the rotting wound.

The sight of the goo dripping upside down made her mind crumbled. It flashed with horrendous visions, pushing her to tear out her eyes of their sockets, her vocal cords breaking to the strain of her screams, her skin clawed until the raw flesh digs of her nails tore it off, choking on her blood until she reached her heart–

In a blink, she was looking back into Their eye, all memories of the scar forgotten.

She shakily breathed. She didn't even try to remember or wonder why she felt so sick. She felt the hole in her memory but made no attempt to fill it. She only knew NOT to seek the reason of the sole apparent top half of Their giant form.

She struggled to swallow her saliva. Her mouth opened and closed. Her internal fight begged her to speak, but not a single word passed her cracked lips.

The Mist simply stared at her with their sole circled magenta eye, unconcerned by her uncommunicative state. The other two sockets remained empty.

It occurred to her the sick blank face had no facial attributes despite the three holes lined up.

A low hum shook the space. One of Their four arms rose and put out their hand out. Its size was terrifying. It'd only take them a second to slap her down like a mere bug. Instead, its fingers tensed up, an (human) arm length away from her. They spread

Lillis stared as Their ring finger pointed out to her. Her left hand lifted at her size without her thinking. She didn't even see herself reaching out before the fingertip of her annular gently pressed against Their own fingertip.

Her blood boiled in the pad of her finger, then Their hand rose, pushing her to place her palm flat against Theirs. Fire spread out through her body. She could feel the distinct feeling of roots growing over and along the previous one in her heart.

If the previous Embrace had been ice cold, this one filled her with burning warmth. She felt on fire, but the sentiment felt acquainted – like a lost friend. She shook as all her scattered emotions eased into a peace and ease she had forgotten she knew.

Then, as quickly as it begun, it stopped. The Mist faded away and Lillis was alone once more. She looked around. She felt fuller than she ever had.

It's a veil, Jay told her. This is where gifted seek the Roots. This is where one seeks answers.

Breathing in deeply, she mimicked the seated position Kyle taught her... And seeking, she did.

She sought her father, she sought the Nether.

She sought justice, she sought vengeance.

She sought her gifts.

And as hastily as her demand went, they were answered in instant.

The fog gathered in a rush and slammed into her.

She was a gifted on Yale's training ground; a traveller walking through a colourful forest.

She was a runner in dark trembling sewers; an explorer in an abandoned conservatory.

She was a little kid finding diving into a staircase going under a large body of water trapped in the heart of a snowy mountain.

All these emotions submerged through her, shaking her more than the seeking, making each trip messier than the one before. They piled and clashed and stomped and overwhelmed her mind. She forced herself back to the Mist's plan, sweating and trembling but only able to fall down another spiral of hell loop.

She was driving the highroad; she was a simple seller in a poor town; she was drying flowers; she was knitting by the fire; she was sketching; she was following a butterfly–

“That's not what I seek!” She frustratingly yelled through the unstoppable visions, shaking. “That's not what I need!”

She waited for a sign it'll stop, a sign from Them.

Nothing.

The spiral twisted faster and faster, mere glimpses through people's eyes.

A man following another in a dark alley, a infant crying their fears away-

The overwhelm threatened to split her head open.

A parent seeing their child for the first time; a child seeing their parent for the last-

Her screaming she didn't notice she started grew louder and louder.

A teenager hiding in their closest to escape a shadow, a girl being thrown in a pit–

"Lanie."

Lillis struggled to realise time had paused. Her knees hurt, she thought distantly as she blinked. Her legs were kneeling by the pit.

A grave.

Some clarification weren't meant to be spoken.

... I'm sorry.

Down, deep down in the pit, was a girl. She hoped she was simply sleeping. In a way, she was. Her long hair framed her peaceful face gently, her clothes looked comfortable. She was even laid on her side, as if in deep rest.

Only her opened eyes devoid of any life broke the illusion, along a familiar puncture point in her neck. Her dark veins danced throughout her deadly pale skin but hid quickly under the soft looking dress.

Lillis stared, eyes burning at the golden eyes and the black curls.

... It is Lanie.

The smell of death made her want to puke. Or maybe it was the bash in Lanie's skull on the right side of her frozen face that was merely hidden in her styled hair. Dusting off the dark jeans she wore, the edge of the infamous coat of the Nether reached her thighs.

Shock filled her along the realisation of whom she was having a vision from. Lillis felt revolted as she finally realised the nausea and pity she felt were his disguised as her own.

"So long, little flower," The Nether's voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "I will watch over the others."

Her– His hand closed his victim's eyes carefully before turning around. A pinch in his heart stopped her breathing before pain spread like electricity. One similar to one's green substance. Cold shudders shook him as dark mist appeared.

"Your sacrifice won't be in vain. I promise."

A foot lifted to enter the darkness, before stopping. A small girl stood in the corner of his eyes. Lillis felt paralysed as the Nether slowly turned to her. She looked warily at him, shining golden eyes tearing up in fear as she got caught witness something she shouldn't have.

Her braids drifted over her face as he approached her.

No matter Lillis desperate attempted to make him stop, she was sorely reminded she was a simple passenger here. She could only witness as he walked closer and closer to the child. He stopped a couple of feet away then crouched to her size. His hand drifted into his coat, a long necklace appearing in his hand.

It was with a tied throat that Lillis watched him put it around the kid's neck.

It fell down to her knees, the jewel too long for her small form but more disturbingly, too red to recognise its emblem. Yet, Lillis did.

"Aren't you a powerful one, gaining such power at such young age?" the Nether hummed quietly. He brushed the blood of the jewel that stained the kid's cheek when he put it on her.

"I hope we won't meet again in the future, little Ira."

Lillis could only watch in horror as a tear dropped from the eyes of the young Lyn.

A heave wheezed out of her as the Mist spread back around her. She coughed her lungs out as she was finally herself back in the empty space. Back in her own body. Master in her control. She found the clear fog more comforting in comparison to the Nether's.

Her body shook under the exhaustion of it all, of the mixed emotions of those she saw through. It took so long, too long to leave her. It bleed with her own, making her mind a confused stance of where she ended and They started.

She knew she couldn't control this gift; but she also knew she couldn't let that stop her. She'll be damned if she let that stop her now.

“More,” She growled through her teeth as her mind chased after the Nether.

She could see that green cord dancing in the mist, tangled in knotted memories. She just had to reach for it– Pain shocked so brutally into her, she was left dizzy. She grasped at the situation before her. She was back at his hideout, but this time the body she was in blinked at the sudden light.

They were hurt, she could feel the ache in their bones. She could taste the blood in their mouth. She could sense the dormant dread in the pit of their stomach. Yet, they stood tall and straight, facing the light eyes of the Nether with a bravery Lillis could only respect.

They didn't even have the slightest ounce of fear toward the man pressing his palm to the side of their neck – only contempt. They didn't even flinch as he half-choked them.

“I won't do it,” Her host spoke. A woman's tone. Seeing through one's eyes was a thing, gathering one's knowledge was another. Lillis could only feel the pain and the ache and the resolve of her host as she watched the horror unfold.

“But you will,” the Nether's dark voice countered. His face was lost in the darkness of the basement, only his eyes piercing through it to stare intimidatingly at her. “You will do it. Out of your own devotion. Or else, I will have to make you do it.”

Her host didn't leave any reaction out for him, but Lillis could feel the dread growing. A pinch pressed on the nape of her neck, just below his fingers.

“You will bring me the Fey, Selina.”

“Or what?”

Blinding pain stopped her breathing. Raw fire poured through the back of Selina's head into her veins, making it impossible even for Lillis to think.

“Or else, all of this will be for nothing!”

White noise filled her ears as they both fought to find their breath back.

“You will hurt for nothing!”

She could feel her muscles spam under the affliction.

“They will all have hurt for nothing!”

Her lips screamed and yelled, arms thrashing and relentless, legs kicking and slamming. Words Lillis couldn't comprehend but undoubtedly understand escaped Selina all the same. Even in the mayhem, and unsure if it even did anything, Lillis tried to send comfort and support to her suffering host. She felt her mind crumbling, close to snapping like a tea cup dropping to the ground–

"Oh?"

A gasp. Then, a laugh.

She didn't truly notice the fire had stop until Selina shakily cried out. The quiet broke with another laugh. And another. And another, and another. And the Nether fully delighted in her silence.

A gentle caress pushed the hair out of Selina's face as he hummed and sang and praised. She was blinded with light as he did so, preventing her to spit at him away correctly. Nothing could stop the smugness out of his voice as it dropped in her ear.

“Thank you, little flower. I shall make good work out of yours. Perhaps, we'll all soon be set free.”

Dark fog exploded around them, drowning her sight. When she came to, she found herself standing on a beach. Lillis frowned.

Who am I?

She lifted the calloused hands to her eye level. The short-cut nails to avoid biting, the slightly twisted index from a badly healed broken bone, the scar of a bike accident... her hands.

I'm me again.

She was back in her body, in her skin. She flexed her fingers. Her movements. Yet, no sign of the mist or the cave. She was alone, facing the slow rising sun in the ocean.

Where am I?

She turned on herself before catching sight of the rocky hill a little far up the path. In the distance, the dark hole of the Hollows stared ominously at her. Looking around, she gulped. The forest was clear beyond the sand, the long marches leading up to the familiar building of the Yale.

But this wasn't how she knew the island.

The beautiful purple light of day that should shine everywhere in pale hue was in the darkest red. Her heart picked up in pace. She ran, jumping the steps two by two. She knew the place to be calm, peaceful and gentle. Despite the hateful glare of the trainees and wary steps back of the adults, the place had been kind and welcoming.

Her eyes burned and her throat tied on itself more and more with every glance to each blade of grass, each rock, each step, each column. Accepting to truly look over each slumps on the ground, each trunk on their sides, each form torn apart would mean accepting the sight before her.

Bile rose up her throat as the scent of blood filled her nose. She came to a full stop as she finally reached the building's entrance. Knees wobbling at the sight inside the open hallway, she twisted to look back down the island. She blinked and blinked and called and called.

Nothing changed.

All stayed quiet.

All stayed the same.

All stayed red.

All stayed dead.

"They've all been slaughtered," She found herself mumbling: over and over again, like a mantra begging to be proven false. "It happened again... The whole Yale has been slaughtered..."

She opened her mouth, preparing for one last desperate call out for any survivors. It died instantly as dark fog caught her sight. She could see it crawl at her sides from behind. It brushed her arms like it had with Jo'lir, threatened to swallow her.

She didn't even think twice as she felt a hand brush her nape. She gathered all her strength and turned on her heel. She slammed her fist forward with all her might. Her hand passed through a chest, stopping any movement from her opponent as her fist came out on the other side.

All stopped.

Instead of a smug dark fogged Nether, she was met with a shocked young man's face. She watched as blood started spilling from his thin lips, his wide eyes twitching in confusion. She could only hold his gaze: looking into his right grey eye with a long scar to his baby green left one.

His long bang fell in front of his eyes as he looked down to where her fist pierced his chest. One last look up at her and he fell to his side, the foul noise of his flesh sliding off her wrist making her gag. Tremors overtook her as she stared at the body of her feet. The poor innocent boy was still staring up at her, even as life left him.

They still held all the trust in the world.

She choked as she saw the blood gathering under him turned into a pool. It stained the white canvas shoes she was wearing just as it covered her entire left arm.

And just like at the Yale, all turned red. Unless it already was, her mind supposed as she noticed the two other bodies lingering a few steps away in the swamps that replaced the island.

To Lillis' dismay, this time, she recognised the victims.

Wrenching cries resonated in the forest as she dropped to her knees. She didn't even realise they were hers. All she could process were the dead eyes of Kyle and Casey glaring back at her.

The silence was pathetic beyond her screams, her attempts to crawl toward them and press on their wounds useless. She desperately tried to save them, pumping their chest and breathing into their mouths, anything to bring them back.

It took her too long and too much effort to understand they had been gone long before she noticed them.

She stood at Casey's side, hands trembling as they laid on her chest, CPR long abandonned. The slash at the junction of her neck and shoulder was evident. She couldn't see even the golden tone of her skin with all this red.

Her eyes drifted to Kyle on her other side. She didn't even feel the tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at his broken glasses.

“E-enough,” Lillis' tied throat wheezily let out. "I-I don't want to see this."

"But you need to," a voice whispered.

“That's- That's not what I sought-” She stifled, standing and stumbling over Kyle.

"You do," the voice insisted as she slipped on the blood-filled mud trying to escape the scene, dipping into the trees.

“I wouldn't do this– Stop!” She yelled as she reappeared on the other side. Their unmoving forms were following her with her eyes as she started to jog. She popped once again on the other side of the trees.

"You will," the voice screamed as they all stare at her with their glassy eyes as she tried again and again. The loop brought her right back to them every time.

"I'm not a murderer!" She choked at the emptiness, the three corpses begging to differ. She almost stepped on Casey as she stumbled back out of the trees.

"You are!" the voice burst her ears. The mud slowly sank her feet into the ground. The trio started to rise their hands toward her as she shakily stood in between them.

"I didn't do this! STOP IT!" She couldn't escape the blood splattered over the trees, the ground–

"You did!" the voice wormed in the front of her mind.

–their faces, her face; their clothes, her clothes–

“SHUT UP!” She crawled away as the mud trapped her up to her knees, backing from the gorish nightmare. "I WOULD NEVER HURT THEM!"

Silence.

“THAT'S ENOUGH!” She screamed till her cords gave out. "STOP THIS!"

Silence.

“I DIDN'T DO THIS,” She persisted, stumbling through the swamp on her knees only to reappear on the other side of the butchery for the umpteenth time. "I WOULDN'T! IT CAN'T BE ME!"

Silence.

“STOP IT!” She merely missed to step over the stranger's arm. She slipped, nerves making her fall chest first by his side and lose her breath.

Silence.

“Please, stop,” She wheezed out, rolling away from the stranger's gaze. She pressed her palms against her eyes to escape theirs as she found herself in the centre of their bodies once more.

It didn't work.

Even with her eyes closed shut and behind her hands, nothing could take away the dead stares forever engraved in her retina.

No gift to rely on, no path to escape, no exit from her own mind.

She had nothing left.

Lillis didn't know how long she lingered there; surrounded by death in the form of three betrayed souls.

She didn't know how long she stayed seated in place; mumbling, crying, shaking, crippling.

She didn't know how much time passed before her mind gave out and her body dropped to lay among them.

She didn't know how much it took before she started to await for death to take her too. Looking at the red sky, her eyes never stopped the tears. She didn't bother to hide her bereavement. She couldn't find a remedy against death. And when it was clear death left her here to rot too, she closed her eyes.

She was exhausted: mind, body and soul... But at least, it was calm.

The heartbeat in her ears slowed, the migraine slowly leaving. Or maybe it was so prominent, she couldn't feel it now.

All that lingered to her consciousness was the weight of her guilt.

Her chest rose. Her breathe stumbled. Her chest fell.

And time passed.

Her chest rose. Her breathe stumbled. Her chest fell.

Time passed.

Her chest rose. Her breathe stumbled. Her chest fell.

The loop went on.

Her chest rose. Her breathe stumbled. Her chest-

Her eyes opened sloppily. She stared at the sky. It was as red and unchanging as it'd been in her eternal loop of madness. She thought for a second her under-stimulated senses were hallucinating when another growled slowly built under her.

She turned her face to the side, glancing to the swamp between Kyle's rotten eyes and the boy's blood soaked shoe.

A large rock stood by its edge. It looked more of a crystal than stone. More disturbingly, it looked like those crystals in the Hollows. Her body was unresponsive as she stared at the surface. It rose, she slowly realised. It was barely perceptive at first, hard to notice through the swelling of her red eyes but as it rose to the rock-

She watched as the tide grew bigger and bigger. A ripple broke the calm surface with every tug on her heart, but she was so tired. The water was oddly gentle as it reached her. It was cold, cooling her burning skin and slowly hiding the crimes she committed. She watched as it took the bodies away, rising past the mangled limbs.

Even as they were pulled under and away from her sight, Lillis could still see their accusing eyes.

She didn't fight as it took her too. She didn't fight as it filled her lungs and hugged her down, the feelings of hands gently pulled her making her upset. The Mist should punish her for her crimes, even if she knew They'll never do enough.

She'll forever condemn herself for the blood lingering on her hands.

Waking back at the surface of the cave's lake made it all the more upsetting.

She opened her eyes, blinking as the water kept her afloat without harm, or maybe it was the feeling of the hands still holding her up. She felt them disappear as the depth grew and solidified under her.

The crystallised cenote ceiling above her shined in the light of the night.

The dark sky was still filling the sky, and Jay was still gone.

Keeping the Yale blissfully ignorant.

Keeping her crimes silent, if in unforgettable retention.

Lillis was still alive but in the aftermath of an eternity in hell.

And it'll never be enough.

She struggled to sit up, slouching over for an instant. Maybe this would be the worst punishment, indeed: living with herself with the knowledge. If Ry'a taught her anything in their few exchanges, it was that seers saw both past and future. That meant... She swallowed her nausea.

What can you do when you have to acknowledge the path you walk is the one of the worst version of yourself?

Mind you, she knew she was not far off of it but she thought... She hoped her values would keep her away from such betrayals.

I have to face the facts, her hands were clean but she still scrubbed the blood she knew stained them. I already killed a person in cold blood. I'm responsible for at least two more death. Can I be naive enough to think things will get better from here?

She looked down at the low levelled lake.

"... Why?" She found herself breathing a whisper to the water. "Why show me that? Why trap me there? Do you think I can change that?"

The silence felt heavier than any belittling.

"Do you think I can stop another slaughter, with my bare knowledge?" She would deny her voice cracking in tears as she stood, voice jumping through the crystals. She frowned angrily at the still surface only broken by her tears. "My own family couldn't survive theirs – and they were good, more than good! They relied on you! Why should I do it if it means Casey, Kyle and that other boy have to die!?"

“ YOU MUST TRY. "

She jolted, the loud voice resonating. This time, it came from under her feet.

“I must?!” She shouted back. “You have much better gifted! I've have this for barely a week! You made me sick, bedridden– I've only been training for a couple of days at most! Now you want me to use these so called gifts?! I can't even wander, and you push me to See? Trap me in these hell loops?"

She turned the water, heading toward the edge of the lake that would allow her to leave the cave.

"Fuck you!”

Their growl shook the ground in response, messing her stand in the lake. She dropped to her knees before she could make two steps.

The shock hadn't been that great yet, she felt a crack in her jaw.

Trembling, she slowly lifted her hand.

She carefully opened her mouth, her index and thumb sneaking around the back. She shivered as she felt her molar moving. She fretted, pulling it out far too easily but as just as painfully.

Confused and disgusted, she watched the white piece between her fingers, drenched in blood. And as she clenched her jaw to hiss: her eyes grew wide.

The sound of breaking glass froze her before the sensation of her teeth breaking against each other even reached her nerves.

Heaving, she hurriedly touched them again. Horror fuelled her as pieces of teeth dug into her skin, falling past her bleeding lips.

One; two; three; four; five; six; seven– Her quivering hands hit the roof of her mouth and suddenly, it was by dozens that those pieces of teeth fell out.

Between shock and terror, she leaned forward over the water, gurgling and coughing only to retch blood and bones. Teeth that were far too numerous to even be hers any more, but her reason had ditch a while ago.

She could only choke at the pile getting higher and higher.

The sharp canine dangled from their roots, cutting her gum and her poor hands trying to prevent their fall. She stubbornly tried to push them back into place only to have them fall in her hands.

Blood pooled out down her chin, suffocating in the back of her throat. The amount was high, too high, she tried to calm herself, but it never seemed to stop.

It wasn't until she heaved at the red entirely covering her hands to her forearms, sending flashes of corpses through her eyes, that the spit mixing with incisors and flesh abruptly stopped her agony.

The teeth sunk into the water, allowing her reflection to stare right back at her. She looked clean out of the blood and any missing dentition she still felt, yet, her horror didn't stop.

In the surface of the water, in the dark hue of the night, she watched as the reflection of her blue eyes slowly turned black, like blood in the moonlight.

Her irises extended: doubling, tripling, quadrupling- circles soon filled her scleras. A tear drop fell from her left eye down her cheek, then her right down her nose, but she didn't feel them on her face.

Her heart dropped as their crimson colour rolled down her reflection's face until it dropped in the water – the ripple making the water boil fleshly.

The mirrored hand lifted toward the surface.

Lillis felt panic strike her but no matter how much she wanted to advert her eyes to her ruined jeans or her bandaged hands, desperate to breathe evenly and get out of this nightmare, she was still.

Her hand lifted by itself, mimicking the reflection perfectly. She tried to scream as it dove into the burning bubbles but she couldn't. She was just a passenger in her own body. Maybe she always had been.

Relief stupidly made its way in the back of her mind as she felt her teeth clench in her mouth – intact, unbroken. Yet, the sharp movement sliced right through the inside of her cheek. Hurt and terror increased to incomprehension of what was happening.

The rumble growing from the depth of the lake make crystals fall from the cenote, dropping dangerously fast in the lake. It cut her shoulders, sliced down her back, dug into her legs. The pain allowed Lillis to break the trance, stumbling back and allowing panic to fuel her away.

She quickly crawled back, before the hotness in her eyes made her wipe her eyes. The tears of blood she saw in the reflection's eyes were dripping down her own eyes.

Her sight filled with red, unable to see the body escaping the boiling point until it was too late.

The hand finally pierced through the surface of the lake, gripping on it like a hold for life. It struggled to pull itself out of the depth. Rot seemed to follow it, the air putrid and darkening as if getting sick from it just being.

Terror paralysed Lillis as an eye opened in the darkness, then another, and another- until thousands of eyes fixated her from beyond the salvaged version of her reflection.

Its hands stumbled as it dragged itself closer and before Lillis could think of running away, its hand gripped her wrist.

Its human skin shed away as they held on tight, slipping like a sleeve to reveal the grey one underneath. Its nails fell for black claws to grow in their place. It almost draped on top of her petrified form sitting in the water, its weight both heavy and fading as if it was dissolving due to the pressure.

The heaviness snapped Lillis out of her horror trance and pulled to rip herself away from the creature mimicking her traits.

Her fight resulted in the razors claws to slice through her skin like paper, amputated fingers dropping into the blood pool and filling the air with a putrefied smell. Lillis screamed as they immediately grew back from their wounds.

The pain of both losing and gaining them back was so much she can only gasp helplessly. The last nail ended its growth when she finally gathered the air to howl.

It growled in response, its face melting like wax as it rose itself to kneel – a wheeze-like breath escaping the hole of the fallen skin of its throat. She could see her alter ego's face broken like a mask, skin pulled and falling at parts. Unlike her wounds, it wasn't growing back.

The deformed mouth almost made her gag but it was the red eyes falling from their sockets that did it. Dark clotted blood slipped out of the empty orbits, its wide mouth pooling a similar liquid to let a deafening growl out.

It's not just the Mist, Lillis shook. It's both of them. It's the Roots.

They pulled the shell of her reflection as their puppet, falling on the lake's surface, crawling toward her in quick but long successions to try to stay afloat.

“ WE ARE THE ROOTS, " They confirmed her thought. They used her voice but it was barely understandable past the high glitch of Their broken shell.

" WE ARE THE PROVIDER AND THE PROVIDER, WE ARE THE MAKER AND THE MADE, OUR GIFT IS YOURS AS YOURS IS OURS. YOU MUST FOLLOW YOUR PATH-- ”

“I don't–” She struggled to push the words, the sole presence of Them suffocating her consciousness. Yet, the more They crumbled, the puppet unmade for their being, the easier it became.

“ -- WE ARE BONDED FOR WE ARE FATED TO BE, FOR IT IS US AND YOU, ” They crawled back over her laps and grabbed her hand to press Their left palm to hers. “ GIFTED MAY BE OURS FOR WE MAY THEIRS--BUT BEARERS ARE US FOR WE ARE THE SAME. YOU MUST TRY FOR WE ARE LAST, FOR YOU ARE THE LAST. ”

They fell on top of her, drifting as if pulled back to the centre of the lake. They clawed at her ankles, deep lacerations at each attempt to hold up that instantly healed up in burns. The skin of Lillis that healed was the skin of Them that broke.

“ YOU WERE GONE BUT YOU ARE WILLED. YOU SUCCUMBED TO THE REAPING, BUT WE ARE ONE ONCE MORE. FOR THIS, YOU ARE STRONGER THAN WE WERE. ” Black tar fell from their lack of skin, dipping into her wounds in raw pain. Lillis tried not to wail in terror as eyes grew inside Their wounds. “ FOR THIS, YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU WERE - OUR FATE WILL BE SEALED BY THIS CHOICE. ”

“Fate?” She choked. “Fate? What do you mean fate!? Don't you decide fate!?”

The broken body fell as it visibly melted. Sprouts of trees and flowers grew desperately from the eyes grown in Their flesh only for those to die even faster.

“ ONE CAN NOT DETERMINE ONE'S FATE; THE BEARER'S WILL, ALONE, DOES. YOUR WILL ALONE WILL DETERMINE OUT OUR ALL'S FATE. ”

Their growl became lower and lower as they sunk back into the lake.

“ CONSI... DER... CAREFUL...LY... FEAR...NOT... ”

“Fear not?! I don't have the faintest clue what the fuck I'm supposed to do! I'm the last one!” She repeated their words, the dull miss of her family weighing back on her heart more with each thought. “I have no one!”

They went limp at her feet, drowning as strength left Them. She tried to help Them up, to hear Their answers, but They were too weak.

A rupture in Their face splitting in two allowed Lillis to catch a glimpse of two circled eyes: one magenta and one yellow. The thousand of eyes she glimpsed at earlier seemed trapped in there too.

“ OUR ANCESTOR IS WATCHING... BEARER...” A bright light blinded her, the numerous eyes hiding in the shadows filling the cave. She fell on her back, their sight bringing more blood tears to drip down her face as she struggled to hold the weight of their gazes. “ THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE PATH YOU'RE... CHOOSING... AND SO... SHALL... YOU... BE JUDGED... IN THE DEPTHS... ”

Their words stroke her down as voices wailed in terror and pain, the cave echoing them ten times louder. Their intense gazes came from every sides and every hides, a new voice adding with each new eyes met.

As she sat, alone and small, in the middle of the lake, under their dreadful eyes: her body filled with panic. She turned and twisted on her, trying to escape their crazy glares too similar to three certain bodies – but they were everywhere.

She couldn't escape them, couldn't escape their judgement, couldn't escape-

A burst of light blinded her, forcing her to hide her face in her forearms- And silence abruptly came back.

When Lillis lifted her head up fearfully, she was alone.

The lake's depth suddenly disappeared and she sank like she had when she entered the lake.

Bubbles escaped her mouth, rushing to the top but the water only swallowed her, the scent of fire and blood making her choke while the voices rushed into her mind, louder than they ever could in the wide resonance of the Hollows.

She almost wished to rise back to the eyes up above simply watching her drown deeper as the inescapable voices trapped themselves in her head, all speaking incoherently at the same time at the highest pitch.

Now trapped in the locked compartment of her crippling mind and lost in the burning darkness, the flood of screams through her crippling mind revealed themselves as much more important than some nightmare chasing her since childhood--

“Lillis!”

"Lillis, wake up!”

“Don't you die on me!”

“Lillis, wake up!!”

“Lillis!!”

“LILLIS!”

“LILLIS!”

"LILLIS, COME BACK!"

Coughing and choking at the same time, Lillis was thankful for the hand pulling her to her side and slapping her back. She spat the remnant of water out of her lungs with a wheeze. Still, the liquid dripping her chin hurt less than the whispers already getting lost on her.

“For Liath's sake, Lillis!! You scared me to death!”

Jay was kneeling at her side, a wide look on her face. She had a tentative hand on her shoulder and Lillis found herself pushing her off. She couldn't afford to lose it now. She sat up.

“Did They grant you a Reunion?” Jay asked warily.

Lillis nodded, throat too tied to answer. She was not even sure how she should answer. Looking out the night sky, she contemplated. It was probably safer for everyone if she kept what transpired for now to herself.

If not all made sense, she guessed she still had more clues to figure out why the Roots were dying. Why it was linked to her, how her blood came into that, and how she was supposed to get in those Depths.

She wiped the water of her face, cursing as she felt blood running down her eyes. That latter remained then. She went to stand before she was stopped, hands gripping the back of her shirt.

“You've gone through an exhausting trial, don't move just now! I'll get something. A sweater and a snack will be a good start. Then, we can talk about it.”

We won't, Lillis thought but pretended for now, nodding as she sat by the lake. It was calm, deadly so. Looking at it now, she couldn't feel the Roots as prominent as before. Now that her bond with Them was fully fleshed, though, she could feel the sickness in it.

“You're truly dying,” She whispered under her breath.

Jay looked bewildered by her statement, following her gaze. She didn't ask about it. Instead, she promised to come back quickly and departed in a run. In a way, Lillis wasn't wrong. They didn't talk about it.

Though, she didn't picture it would be because Jay got caught.

Seated in the beach down of the Hollows, her bare feet buried in the sand to escape the cold breeze, Lillis held the thick comforter closer around her. Ahead of her, she could see Ry'a harshly scolding the seer in training. Roger was at her colleague's side, trying to temper things but sending numerous uneasy glances at Lillis.

She ignored them all.

She didn't ask either why Casey and Kyle were here, poorly hiding their curious eyes behind the tall man's back. She looked at her feet as she felt their insisting gazes. She couldn't see them, not now. Not when their dead stares still haunted her.

She tried to blink their ghosts away. In vain.

Her eyes fell down, her arms hugging her legs. She had taken off all she could not to get sick. Seated in warm shirt and short pants Ry'a gave her but already sucked the water off her skin, she wished she could be dismissed to change into warmer, drier clothes.

She felt exhausted, but rest was unimaginable. Not now. Not after everything.

She watched as the sun slowly turned the sky in light purple. Dawn was here. A peace gained her, one that sparked since the Roots had bleed into her. If wary, she welcomed the temporary serenity. She could sense it had been a last gift, a final act. They were in pain, sick, powerless beyond the veil. They were probably too weak now to even call to her.

But They were right. Now that Lillis embraced her gifts, both of them, she felt... fuller. Stronger. Even if she couldn't see or talk to Them, she could feel Them.

She could feel the slight hum under the palm of her hand pressing into the sand in response to her seeking. She could feel the soothing presence of their roots walled around her heart, both End and Beginning holding her. It felt safe, if painful.

Could her father linger in the Roots? Did he linger in the eyes?

She didn't dare to hope.

“Lillis?”

She bit down on her tongue at Casey's voice. She kept her head down, toes wiggling in the sand. She could see the woman kneel before her from the corner of her eyes.

“You must be tired," Casey talked softly. Lillis' temporary hyper-sensibility appreciated it. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to bother you long. I just wanted to give you this.”

Hands reached to her. The golden nails were red for a second before Lillis remembered to breathe. She let out a shaky breath as her eyes snapped shut. She forced herself to count to five before lifting her head up. Casey looked worried but not overly so. She looked... Calm.

So different from the hyper side she'd came to identity her by.

Lillis looked at her offering. Once more, she failed to find her breathing.

“Where did you find this?” Her voice was hoarse and rough but transparent in her surprise.

Lillis grabbed her father's box reverently. Her nail drifted under by habit. She heard the false end open and relief consumed her as the letters tumbled against the tip of her pinky.

“I followed your essence up to your home on Ra'dix. There was no one there so I even managed to grab some of your clothes for you! There weren't any more items, you might have been robbed, I'm sorry. I put all I could find of use in your room, by the way!”

Lillis nodded absent-mindedly, the warmth of the box spreading to her chilling arms. She felt exhausted but a tired smile pulled on her lips as she looked at Casey.

“Thank you.”

Shock painted Casey's face before a clear blush creeped up her neck to her ears. The blonde dismissed her with an even brighter smile before turning around.

“Of course! Just say the word, 'kay?”

And with that, the blonde happily went back to Roger to be dismissed. Lillis could sense her essence trailing after her like a golden line, even as she disappeared in a burst of sparkles.

With a sore heart, she looked down at the wooden box. She felt terrible to only now realise the blonde had taken the time to repair the broken hinge.

She ignored the warm feeling in her stomach and instead forced herself up.

No more time to feel sorry for myself.

She stumbled slightly but caught herself on time by leaning on a tree. Movement caught her eyes and she discovered with shock Kyle looked like he was coming in a jog to help.

When he met her eyes though, he huffed and turned his back on her to focus on Roger.

She ignored him too and walked past him to the still berated Jay.

“Don't be too harsh on her,” She demanded of Ry'a as she closed in. “No harm was done.”

The Duke's eyes grew wide and even Roger took a step back.

“No harm was done?” She repeated. “No harm was done?”

“None.”

Jay tried to interject but stopped when Lillis glanced at her.

“You could have died in there! Do you know why we don't go Embrace with Them?” The dirty look she sent her student would make her wince if it wasn't partly her fault. “You know about this, Jamee'la. That was stupidly dangerous!”

“Yet, here I am.”

Silence answered her, and for once, Lillis didn't mind it. Looking at Roger, she kept her chin up.

“Powerlessness isn't an option. Right?”

He looked surprised before a smile was forced to twist his lips.

"... It is not, indeed."

“Then, that's it," Lillis concluded, turning on her feet. "Thank you Jay for helping me Embrace the last part of me.”

“The last part?” She looked confused before her eyes widened. “Wait-- You're the Fey?”

Lillis couldn't find it in herself to be disappointed. Jay had suddenly stepped back, fear filling her, but she just couldn't care. They were too much to do right now than allow the hurt to settle. Instead, she left without a goodbye and walked back up to the Yale.

The walk was long as her room was farther than any others, but it was calming to see the grounds so colourful and full of life.

She thought back on her vision, and remembered the Roots' words. She just might have seen one of the possible futures – one she could influence on. One she might not be able to stop if she didn't act but if she chose right... Her eyes drifted to the lights following the path, watching it twist inside the woods.

She stopped. Then, headed right.

O' Corr'a's temple remained pretty and peaceful. No shadows threatened to attack her, nor did she feel the same migraine as before. Instead, she felt a pull. Following a faded pink line, she reached O' Corr'a.

It was empty, but for how long? Chasing the trail to the goddess, she grabbed the hems of the comforter with one hand to hold the statue's with her other one.

Her fingertips gently brushed the polished stone, admiring its smoothness before sliding her palm in Hers and closing her eyes.

At first, nothing happened. She didn't expect much but the pull in her begged for her to wait a second more, just one. It was just here, within her reach she just had to find the right essence...

She tumbled down and fell harshly on her side.

Wind knocked out of her, she gasped against the two marbled march stairs under her. She could feel her ribs bruising already. She groaned as she lifted herself up.

The feet of the tall effigy faced her, its beautiful light red marble matching the floor dimmed by the darkness in the room. Looking up at the curves of the beautiful woman, as if for the first time, long braided hair falling down her back, Lillis found herself breathless at the kind eyes sculptured looking down at her.

What the– She wheezed as she was kicked back on the marches, a loud crack coming from her shoulder. She teared up as her chest burned up. A foot pressed on her wrist and this time, the crack of her bone made her scream.

But as the Nether appeared above her, she realised it felt... like déjà-vu. She already lived this scene. She went limp. The body continued to struggle and fight. The pain was first felt but she could sense she wasn't the one in control.

She was Witnessing this scene for the second time. But who was she seeing it through?

The fire fuelling her host was admirable, but as the broken syringe was grabbed and ready to be thrown in the Nether's face, Lillis knew what would eventually happen.

Tensed, she watched as the glass slashed the Nether's cheek, blood dripping in his beard. She felt the body jump up, grabbing the expensive chalice to use as a weapon. Shock filled her as Bo's reflection appeared in the liquid, but it was quickly gone as he thrashed it at his attacker.

As she thought, the fight abruptly stopped. A needle was pressed deep inside the Bo's neck.

The young man went limp, falling to the ground.

His vision faded, the Nether cursing and wiping the blood of his face next to him. Yet, Bo wasn't focus on him. Instead, his eyes went to the Goddess. Her feet most specifically. She felt the worry and fear shaking him. His focus was entirely on a piece of paper escaping the marble. It lightly turned to relief as hands reached for him and dark mist thickened out of thin air.

His body passed out, and so did her vision.

She gasped as she opened her eyes. Standing only by the grip of the Goddess, she slowly caught her breath.

Lillis was visibly shaking. The strong breeze had dropped the blanket and box to her feet, exposing her soaked body to the freezing air. Even so, Lillis dropped to her knees. Her hands patted the feet of the statue. She felt over the slight stand underneath them before starting to curse. There had to be something, it couldn't be just--

She froze. A panel had open in the stone. She stared in awe. She glanced back at Corr'a, sending the statue an apologising grimace before she slid her hand in the secret trap.

She felt the paper and pulled it out. A notebook was half stuck inside. It was small and not relatively thick but lone pieces of paper peaked from the pages. The most prominent had to be the one that sliped out of the panel.

She hesitated for a second before a breeze made her quiver once more. She hurriedly took it, ignoring the piercing itch it left in her skin; closed the panel and hurried away with her box and comforter after one last unaccustomed bow to the Goddess.

The next time she stopped running was only as she reached her room.

She dropped the now dripping wet plaid on the vanity. Her eyebrows rose as she noticed the refined necklace placed on it. Her hand absent-mindedly reached for her throat.

She sighed.

Her room was warm despite the cold night, window thoughtfully closed and broken ceramics wiped away. Casey indeed put her few belongings in neat piles inside the wardrobe. She found some sweaters missing, but it was more than she hoped for. Especially when she noticed her good old bag here too.

It was comforting to wear clothes she was familiar with, and after a hot shower, she slipped in a good old hoodie, jeans and her boots before turning to her window. The breeze was still strong so high against the glass but it'll be bearable dressed warmly.

She gently took off the bandages that were all kinds of dirty.

Her lips were in a thin line as she looked at the stitched wounds of her palms. She truly had been stupid to grab a blade with her bare hands. Her left hand turned, examining the damage done by the pierce of the knife. It was still swollen, the stitches only hiding the hole that still hadn't closed.

It made sense, in a way. Time was both faster and longer here. What would heal in two days might take a week here. How long will her body need for this to scar? She checked the stitches of her right hand but beyond the slight redness of the wounds, she'll have to make it work.

Tucking her box and the notebook found in her bag, she disregarded everything else before throwing it over her shoulders. She was about to leave when she stopped, eyes drifting to the vanity.

If the necklace mysteriously disappeared in the hidden pocket of her backpack, no one will be none the wiser.

She was careful as to use the last bit of strength given by the Roots to follow that same green line she now associated with the Nether. Her legs were shaky under her, her feet unsteady but they pursued.

Her mind felt clearer and more receptive than ever.

With the comfort of the Roots wrapped around her heart and a somehow more expended knowledge as to what she was doing, she felt prepared for what was next. Next being: figuring out how to wander to jump after the Nether.

She ended up in the library, an odd serenity coming from the large hall as empty as the rest of the building. Entering through the main entrance, Lillis pushed the heavy wooden doors. She followed the ghost down the few steps and drifted to the left. She passed through aisles and shelves, heading straight to the far end she first came from.

Her confusion and disappointment was just as prominent as her impatience as she came to a plain wall, the line fading into it.

“What the hell.” She groaned. She looked for a hidden door, patted for a secret entry: for something, anything.

She pressed the wall, knocked, kicked. She frowned as nothing still happened. She even doubted herself for a second. She had been so sure this was where the archives had stood.

She turned on her heels. She went left, right, discovered a second floor, then a third, but no matter the hidden corners of the large library or the oddities in the walls, the archives remained hidden. Did she imagine them?

For a moment, she was annoyed. If she couldn't follow essence to their full length nor snoop for clues on the Nether in the data books, she will need a drastic change of plans.

Let's find a different path.

Turning to the historical and myths section, she was irritated not to find more.

Sitting on the floor of the section, she hid in the shadows of a dark corner to avoid the students starting to roam the library. Luckily, her wing seemed not to interesting for them today.

She glared at the far too many books spread before her. Almost all were written in Latin, few dubbed and even less annotated in English.

Only one did she found, and by pure luck only: a testament of the help of the British Gifted Community during the Great Wander. That was how she managed to pick up some more facts and explanations about Casey's story. To plan the whole community's mass escape from a sure genocide organised by the none gifted, the woman had understated how crazy and difficult it had been.

The moons, as the non gifted were called, had been the worst type of oppressors: the scared ones.

Latin and Greek being basics here became obvious as she found out the first populations coming to Evermore were mostly from the North Mediterranean. The importance of veils around Rome and Athens at the time reunited them there, but she deplored the lack of English or any other cultures.

How many died because they were too far, or not enough to protect and guide them to Ni'vaal?

"The Roman gifted sanctified the thinnest veil up in Britannia through their damn occupation, but they didn't find it important enough as too include their language in their texts?" She scoffed to herself, flipping the pages. "Give them so damn credit, poor bastards from the North had to travel their seers all the way to Athens to escape. Add their languages out of respect for those who made it, and those who didn't."

She closed the book harshly. She put it to the side, sitting back on the floor as she scanned through the books still waiting to be read.

“Wouldn't it be easier to make an open door to wander in a stagnant place for those who can't wander, too?” She mumbled under her breath before opening yet another book.

The letters Y'res, the Fallen were carefully calligraphed as title to the memoir. It sounded familiar. Didn't Casey talk about him? She said he had been a Beamer, right? Why dub him as the fallen?

Don't we all fall at some point?

Sole autobiographic book she found in English, she still couldn't find it in herself to be excited. Her eyes passed over the pages, barely focusing, twitching on the floor, rolling on her side and groaning every few seconds. She couldn't focus on what felt like a call out post.

Lillis snapped, unable to stand in place a moment longer. She couldn't extricate any real relatable information from them and it was starting to grow her frustrated. She sat up with a growl. Many travellers wrote down their lives, their adventures, their guidance. They shared their training tips and advice to strengthen one's gift but she found it so useless.

Or, more accurately, she failed to follow them.

Cursing at the ridicule, she quitted trying the meditation made by that S'ak fellow to throw his book to the side. Uncrossing her legs and standing up, she huffed in pain as her back ached.

“Stupid S'ak- What is different about lying down rather than crossing your legs up?” She complained, standing up to walk in circles and try to calm herself.

She crouched back, putting her jaw in her hand. Her eyes narrowed hatefully at all these authors that should but wouldn't help her. Throwing it back, it bumped upon her bag standing against the table's leg. She paused then, reached out to it.

The notebook was inside her hands before she even realised it. Nothing stood on the simple leather journal's cover past its blue colour soothing her tired eyes.

The piercing itch returned faster without the bandages to prevent skin contact, quickly sharing a certain anxiety mixed with relief. It had a familiarity she couldn't quite place to it.

Leaning against a shelf, she opened it carefully.

She couldn't differ the foreign languages lingering inside but she now recognised them mostly as Latin. The sketches were a surprise, though. The simplicity yet beauty of them all hypnotised her, admiring the peaceful scenes to the disturbing ones.

She couldn't help but notice how all of them seemed to be depicted from a first point of view.

Just like my visions, it hit her.

Maybe a dream journal?

Her hands tightened around the pages as scenes turned out far too familiar.

A barn.

A store.

An alley.

A dark lab.

All held that oppressing dark fog.

She gulped as the last entry looked hastily written, faded red drops dried in the paper. Ink had spread on some letters and a large line underlined some words. The last sentence ever written remained the one most unsteady.

She could feel the panic the writer had inputting their last words on the page, the paper crumbled and covered in dried tears. She remembered the messy hiding place under the sculpture and her heart ached in her chest.

"Oh, Bo... What did you see?"

She closed the journal and pushed it on the table.

If Bo saw the Nether's doing before getting caught, she could only imagine the fear he had when his nightmares' main character appeared above him. How terrified he must have been knowing he'll be subjected to him too.

She went to put the sketchbook back in her bag, unable to stare at the remaining pages of yet someone else she was too weak to save. She mandated herself to give it back to him, swearing to make sure he will get to draw and write more and-

She stopped her movement.

On the back of the book stood the same pretty handwriting Bo had but more disturbingly, had an odd version of her name on it.

She brought it closer to her face, dread filling her empty stomach as her eyes fell down the list of names.

Lillis froze.

She stared at the name. The appellation was different but... Lil'ys. Lillis. That. That couldn't be. It was a coincidence, right? Right?

"Right..." She shook her head without a sound, trying her best not to shake at the way it was so heavily circled. All the meaning it could have behind, eyes quickly following the rest of names before her breath finally escaped her fully. Her fingertips drifted down along each name.

For a second, she blinked in disbelief. The next, she was blinded by a light, the smell of Aloe filling her nostrils, and wind flowing gently in her hair.

She had trouble getting adjusted to the light, but when she did, the face of Nether looked right down on her. He looked tired, wrinkles at the corner of his eyes accented by his furrowed eyebrows. He looked dissatisfied, holding her in his arms. It felt far too reminiscent of the old cabin for Lillis.

She forced herself to look behind his shoulder. It was blurry and uneven but it was the old cabin. She tried to see farther than that before the substance running through her host's body and the pain she was under made it impossible to focus- There was a figure behind him.

Her heart clenched. There was a third person in the cabin, there was someone behind him, taller, broader, scarier and--

Sprawled on the library's carpet, she stared at the high ceiling. She never noticed it harboured vast numbers of chandeliers and kind-looking silhouettes watching over the readers. She prevented a groan from escaping her as she sat up, using her arm to rise herself up.

“You know this is a library, not a hotel, right?” A voice called out.

It sounded detached and uncaring but as Lillis met Kyle's eyes at the table, she was suspicious. He was sitting at the table she used for her piles, checking over the memoirs she found. The sense of déjà-vu annoyed her, but what annoyed her more was his hand on Bo's notebook.

She was about to stand, open her mouth to share a piece of her mind for the way their last encounter went and his now thief but as she leaned forward, black spots sparked through her vision and dizziness weighted her limbs.

She stumbled, but stubbornly went to rip off the book from his hand. His hand slapped her away easily, shining the jewel on his wrist to blind her – and her whole body fell back as she lost her breath.

“You don't know what you're doing!” Kyle's voice was harsh in her ears.

He was suddenly standing-- but also far younger. Lillis looked at the cabin they were standing in, one she saw just a vision ago, but somehow, the ambience was much grimmer now than when the Nether stood here.

“You don't know anything about my work,” Came words through the host's voice, one she recognised in an instant. One that tried very hard to stop her when she was looking for Kyle.

“They don't even care about you, Selina!” Kyle's pubertal voice whined.

Her host passed past him, pushing his shoulder in the process as he searched for a fight. Lillis felt unsure how to feel about this. She had the sentiment of violating Kyle's privacy, but maybe it was Selina's cold brewed guilt.

He was ignored as she reached the large bowl full of water under the mirror. Beautiful dried flowers danced in the liquid. It almost made Lillis forget about how close to drowning in it she got the last time she saw it.

Her shock was more about the female version of Kyle appearing in the reflection. Same almond, dark eyes and beautiful, black curls, but it was nothing next to the long Aloe necklace around her neck.

“What is it about those people worth fighting for?” He asked from behind her, bewildered.

She glanced at him, meeting his eyes through the mirror. His hair was shorter and his face thinner – almost sickly so. His whole body and stance were smaller, one of a child. He looked barely older than fourteen.

He also looked absolutely enraged.

“You don't help people because they will return it, Kyle,” Selina's voice was strict but so beautiful and understanding Lillis couldn't feel upset. “You help them because it's the right thing to do. To give them peace.”

“What about me? Don't I deserve peace?”

Her host and her shared surprise to the raw resentment in his tone.

“Kyle–”

“You're going to leave, just like that, for people who don't need you!? Who doesn't even know you!?”

“It's more complicated than that and you know it.”

“But it's not!”

His shout resonated in the small cabin. Outside, birds flew in fear. Selina watched them for a while, long leaves of Aloes surrounding her door. She faced Kyle slowly. Lillis felt terribly uncomfortable at the exchange. He was red and embarrassed, fists tightened at his side. For a split second, Lillis saw her younger self in him.

“You complicate things, you decide when it's worthy of your attention or not,” He scoffed, turning his head to the side. He was suddenly much quieter, if still as angry. “If you cared, you'd actually pay attention to me.”

Hurt spread through her host's body. Her long black curls danced as she faced the teenager, hands carefully holding his frail shoulders.

“You know I care,” Selina ignored his eye roll to grasp him harder. “But those people need me more. You can understand that, surely?”

“No,” Came the stubborn reply. “No. They don't need you. They are tons of Iras around, they can go become Tellers themselves: They can't force you.”

“Don't be childish,” Selina sighed. “You know it's something I can't refuse. They're no one else to replace Pat. You're almost fifteen now, I need you to be mature about this.”

“And I need you to be the sister you claim to be.”

Silence was oppressing in the little home. Kyle's eyes were full of unshed tears and Selina felt such sorrow at the sight, it was making Lillis tear up.

“I will be here for your ceremony,” Selina promised instead. It didn't stop the frown on his face but it attracted his gaze back. “Can't miss my baby brother becoming an older – especially when he's the youngest traveller they've ever had in a century, can I?"

“... I'm not,” His frown deepened, arms crossing over his chest. “I told you it's the other girl... That damn Godfey.”

“... Oh,” Selina winced but was quick to smile as he pouted. “Well, I'll still come! Not everything has to be about trophies. Then we can get some ice cream!”

Kyle was silent for a moment, eyes glancing at her.

“You'll come even if I didn't pass level 3?”

Selina was surprised at the soft question before a chuckle escaped her. She pushed her hand through his hair, messing the black locks despite his complaints before nodding.

“You could be level 1, or even a shadow, and I wouldn't care,” She promised once more. It finally helped him relax before she grimaced. “That's why I need to go and prepare now. I'll only leave for a couple of days – I'll be back just in time for the Gathering, and your ceremony.”

Selina ruffled his hair once more before pushing him out.

“Go now, little Wanderer. Show me those pretty clouds and think on a badass engraving for the Wall, mmh?”

“But-”

“I have to do this, Kyle.”

He looked to the floor. He was clearly unhappy but was devoid of any fight. He shook his head, going to the door before stopping.

“I don't understand why,” He broke the silence quietly.

“Why?”

Eyes closed tightly in concentration, clouds slowly appeared around him.

“Even with all the knowledge of the Roots, we will still fail to understand each other. That's a fact,” He glanced at her, vulnerable and defeated, as he hid inside the rainy clouds. “So why bother?”

Selina was silent for a moment, until he disappeared through the element he called.

“Because people are worth fighting for, little brother. You just have to find who you'll fight for.”

Lillis wasn't sure how to feel about Selina's green dress in the reflection being the same as the one in her first vision of this cabin.

The drop back in her own body was less and less pleasing with each visions, but even more so when someone pushed their knee in her side. She glanced at Kyle's face above her. His brows were frowned and he looked worriedly confused.

She pushed him off of her without another look. She was tired of seeing his face every time she fell. He was quick to scoff at her, turning back to the books. His enforced calm was too different to the raw emotions she saw just a second ago, too detached – too alike his alter ego's in the swamp.

She shivered.

Friend or foe?

“Are you losing it, Fey?” His voice didn't even try to hide the disdain behind the simple word. Crazy how such a syllable could turn everyone now that it was known she was really one. Was she that diabolical?

He was back at the table, reading, when she lifted her gaze.

“Who is Selina?”

His head snapped to her, eyes wide and jaw tensed. She knew that she was Kyle's older sister, that she held her head up against the Nether, that her name was on Bo's hall of fear, that somehow she transcended through her, but she needed more. She wouldn't drop it even when she knew he was about to force her to.

Not when the vision made so many wheels spin in her head.

“How do you know her name,” He straightened up on the chair, prepared to jump and attack her. She stood up, uncaring of his growing anger.

“Where is she?” She ignored him.

“I asked you why you know her name!” He barked back.

“She has to be connected to the Nether,” Lillis rambled, walking away from his face as she processed the information. “That's why Bo knew her, why I saw her, why he got after her- She has to be a seer. That's why he's after gifted, right? After Lyn, after Bo, after me- She has to be of some importance, like they all were, that's why you...”

She suddenly froze. Her eyes locked in his, his confusion to her rant quickly melting as she pointed at him.

“You-” She had to force herself to speak the words. “You lied to me.”

His shock was absurd, but she was far too angered to care. Especially when he bashfully avoided her eyes to focus on the shelf.

“You did,” She couldn't help but spat in disbelief. “You're trying to get to him to find your sister. That's why you found me that night. You somehow knew he'd come after me, didn't you? How easier can it get to find someone if you get to where you know he'll show up?”

He stubbornly avoided her gaze still, his fingers tensed as he gripped the shelf.

“Answer me!”

“Go fuck yourself.”

Her eyes grew wide at his words. He wasn't only ignoring her now, he was being a bastard for the sake of it. Again.

He jumped as she slammed her hand on the shelf right by him.

“What did you expect!? That he'd lead you to her? That I'll buy you enough time to weaken him and give the final blow? What's a death when you get to him, right? How many seers did you let him kill to get to her? How many had to suffer your childishness for the hope to find her again?”

“Back. Off.” Kyle gritted, stepping away quickly to avoid her. His voice was of a warning venom but she couldn't care.

She went to grab his shirt, trying to shake sense into him but Kyle grabbed her wrist over her sleeve. They both trapped the other in a more painfully grip the more the other tightened its hold.

“I said: back off!” He growled. He was clearly reaching his breaking point. His dark eyes were giving her one last chance to let it go. One she deliberately decided to ignore.

She couldn’t even pretend to care any more, not when she needed answers so badly. Not when he looked so responsible of so much of what happened. How many abductions could he have prevented? How many did he create? She pulled herself out of his grip, throwing him off balance.

“Make me,” She hissed. The shelf stumbled as Kyle's back knocked into it, books falling. It echoed loudly in the empty wing. His face couldn't hide his irritation. She could see the second his patience snapped but she didn’t let him time to bellow.

“You used me,” She snapped herself. It was both thrilling and enraging to word out loud. She pointed an accusing finger in his face not to throw her fist in his jaw. “You needed a bait, and you used me to get to him! How many more did you use like that!?”

“You don’t know–” He tried to stand but she pushed his shoulders, making him fall back in the chair.

“I don’t give a shit about your reasons!” She fumed, the whole shelves around them starting to shake with her anger.

Her veins were burning, atrocious, boiling strength with the still lingering power of the Roots. Her wrath was contagious, spreading like wildfire inside her. Flashes of a tied Selina appeared in Kyle’s face as he struggled to stand back up, pushing the table violently toward her.

On the edge of another vision, Lillis didn't see it coming. It hit her hips harshly.

She stumbled backwards, not having anything to grasp on. The pain helped her blink the hurtful migraine and its flashes away.

This isn’t the moment to have another episode, she chided herself.

She pushed the vision away, forcing it out of her mind along the disapproval of the Roots, to focus on the fuming look on Kyle’s face.

“You’re a liar,” She stated again, not caring about the wind speeding and the thunder growling around them. “You’re a fucking fraud, claiming you help while all you do is serve your own selfish interests–”

“Poor whiny star!” He cut her off, stepping toward her quickly. “You don’t know a single thing about this world, your own damn family and history, and you want to act all so righteous? Give me a fucking break!"

She didn’t move as he faced her, his higher height even more imposing now that he had straightened up in rage but she'll be damned if she didn't stand her ground. She lifted her chin, daring him to give her a reason to punch him.

“At least I’m doing something about it,” She argued, earning the most enraging belittling look.

“Oh, you are now?” He mocked. “Please, do tell, what did you do?”

“I–”

“I’ll tell you what you did so far," His voice drowned hers without waiting. “You threw spit and blood at whoever looked at you funny; you hid away from everybody ever since you came here; you won’t follow practises or help your fellow star-- hell you won’t accept help from anyone! You’re scaring the shit out of everybody, and worse of all: you’re a freak to your own blood! You can’t even be what you were made to be!”

The tension was thick enough to make Lillis choke, the electricity in the air threatening to explode and light everything up.

“You’re an abomination,” Kyle’s voice growled low. “But that isn’t even the problem. It’s the fact that you fucking act like one.”

Lillis loathed how quiet this made her. She had to take a second to digest the blow, using it to mask her face. She had to contain the sting, remain calm if only through gritted teeth.

“What about you?" Her tone was ice cold, far sharper barely above a whisper than it was when she shout. "You just use people for what they can give you, hiding in a library so no one can figure out you don't have the slightest clue what's happening. You’re so weak in every sense, it's pathetic. You want to talk about me? What did you do?”

“Hey," Kyle's acting wasn't good. His hurt was painted all over his face yet, the satisfaction was not there as expected. He looked exactly like this younger self and she loathed the guilted pity it strick in her. "I saved your life–”

“You did not," She countered, making herself as tall as she could. "Casey did, and she died-- She is going to die because of that! For me and for your pitiful ass, to make sure we’ll be okay!"

“Exactly! And look where that got her!”

Thunder burst in the distance.

The silence was heavy as they realised they both should step back now. They both knew if they crossed that fathom line, they’ll both be too proud to stop – uncaring of the consequences.

Kyle lifted his chin up, putting distance between their enraged faces, but not able to actually take the step back. Lillis clenched her jaw, her jaw so tensed her teeth might just break all over again, but tempted to send her forehead in his nose.

The words were too agonising to keep in than to word out. They both kept silent still as they faced each other for another second, the breathing heavy and their eyes throwing daggers.

“You’re a bastard,“Lillis finally cursed under her breath, closing the conversation.

It took all her willpower to grab her bag, rip Bo's journal from his hands, and turn on her heels without looking at him. Her boots’ heels clinked in the empty library while Kyle lifted his fallen chair.

“And that's why you're alive,” Was the last thing she heard from him, his mutter clearly meant to be overheard.

She walked hurriedly to the heavy doors with throbbing rage. Her arms trembled at her side in anger and the enormous doors close loudly behind her. She could feel the Roots' last remain fading and along it, the barrier keeping the slamming weight of exhaustion at bay. Her steps staggered.

It was difficult to get to the isolated cliff by the side of her room but when she did, she felt like she could breathe again. Inhaling deeply from her nose, she closed her eyes. The pain was still pounding her skull, shaking her every muscle, tearing her eyes and shaking her hands but she could breathe.

She sat on the ledge.

It was high but she found the waves slamming on the rocks at the bottom mesmerising. It was peaceful here, the fresh smell and cold wind calming the burn of her skin. Waiting as long as the sunrise reaching its ascension halfway to Rido, she realised her anger finally bottled up.

The adrenaline of her body had calm to the soothing constant of the ocean but it had done nothing against the war in her mind. She lingered there for a while longer before closing her eyes and exhaling deeply.

“The most important step is to be at ease,” She remembered a short extract of Y'res memoir. “For wandering to become second nature, the gifted must learn how to trigger it in calm situations at first... Focus on breathing...”

Breathe.

She focused intensely, remembering the odd panic that triggered her waves. Far from calm, she still chased after them. She felt herself demanding them back. The roots around her heart tightened so painfully it stilled for a second, and another-- The waves crashed into her. It was strong and uncontrolled, messy and overwhelming. Yet, this time, she was expecting them.

She welcomed them.

Breathing more deeply, she felt the hold on her heart lessen and eventually, the waves disappeared for wind. She was confused, thinking it all messed up but as she opened her eyes, familiar flashes of colours surrounded her.

She gasped as she jolted to her feet. If she thought the wind was within her, it was now strong against her skin and around it, striking bright shades of blue, yellow and magenta and the mixes they created as they danced along each other.

She was blinded by their luminosity, wondering if it could burn her eyes or hurt her but instead, her breath got stuck in her throat.

The strong northern lights danced in swirling patterns, fluttering up and down as it twirled around her.

The wild colours sparked from everywhere, awaiting her command. She hesitated. The wind shocked them apart before it twirled greater around her. A familiar head-wrecking feeling stretched through her body.

The world beyond the lights faded and she took a deep breath in.

Trust yourself.

Her first wander after her Embrace was just as important as the one after her Rooting, she remembered reading. The feeling of one's first successful wander post Embrace will forever be the one she'll have to seek to master her future ones. And her first wander had been messy and panicked, scary and fearful.

The power of the wind, the brightest of its colours, the strength of its waves. She lingered a moment longer in the cold current and its hidden fire before she fell forward, diving over the cliff. The crash of the waves at its end got louder and louder, threatening to slide fear into Lillis' skin but she retorted to relying on the lights, mixing trust and anxiety just like Bo did.

With a last push, she went after this pull she felt planes away-- and stumbled on grass, feet first.

It's warmer than the nights at Yale, was her first thought.

Looking around her, she took in the park she'd stepped in. Signs indicated her she was in a British historical site. It made it more surprising to find this Sacros Park so empty on what appeared to be a sunny afternoon.

The euphoria of nailing her first wanted wander was too much to think about it, though. She inhaled the soft breeze, gently brushes the flowers and smiled softly as the familiar nature was so alike her hometown, the gentle boy mirroring her calm--Wait, what?

She looked abruptly at the boy before her. Man? He was tall, ridiculously so, but like a stick. All skin and bones. The wind alone could hurt him for sure. She could only look in terror as he held the softest of expression. He watched so kindly over her, eyes full of warmth and genuine empathy...

A large scar crossing his right eye.

Thin, it went from the bridge of his nose to near his temple, noticeable despite the length of his chocolate bangs. She would feel bad for staring but she couldn't help but stare at the pupil paler than the left green one. The eye was dead. Too akin to one in a vision still vivid in her mind.

The stranger didn't seem to notice her meltdown, a cute smile spreading over his lips. He stepped forward, ignoring her own step back. He took her left hand in both of his with all the care in the world.

She almost recoiled but he was careful not to touch her skin or brush the stitches with his sleeves going past his fingers. His hold was gentle and soft but held the same admiration Casey had.

As he leaned toward her, she couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think--

It's the man you killed, her mind screamed so loud she would wince. It's the man you thrust your fist through for no reason, the man who trusted you with his life--

"Hey Lillis!" He beamed. "I dreamt a lot about you!"

“So let me get this straight,” Lillis straightened her back, her sandwich wiggling as she counted down. “You dreamed about meeting me in this place two months ago. You took the road, hitch-hiked with strangers and walked all the way here from the capital to this deserted town all in the hopes I'd be there?”

“And you are!”

Lillis couldn’t help but stare at the blinding smile the young man was sending her.

”That's not the point!" She couldn't seem to stress it enough.

“It kind of is, though," Tim shrugged, biting in his sandwich while talking at the same time. "I saw you here, you are here. Just like I knew you would. I don't really understand what the big deal is?”

"You could have been harmed, kidnapped or worse!" She waved her hands around to accentuate her point. "Do you realise how demented you sound?!”

"I'm fine, though," He smiled brightly.

Her arguments were clearly flying high above his head.

"... You're fine, I guess," She conceded as she munched on her own snack.

He looked content with himself at her reluctant acceptance. He ate with more happiness than her despite the poor wet bread the two bucks in the bottom of Lillis' bag could afford. By his enthusiasm, she had the awful feeling this was his first meal in a while.

Well that made two of them.

She turned to the pond they sat by to eat, the park deserted. She thought they'd be able to watch the little ducks swimming in the pond, but their parent hid them the second they sat down. Tim seemed particularly disappointed by it as he pouted. He tried to catch a glimpse of the little ducklings. No avail.

"So, did you dream about me?" He broke the silence after annihilating his food.

Lillis almost chocked on hers. She suddenly found the soggy bread so fulfilling a second ago, suddenly repulsive. She silently threw the barely bitten meal in the nearest bin and focused on the horizon.

Tim tilted his head to the side. It reminded her of Wyn'a.

"... I'm not a seer," She choose to say, making Tim chuckle.

"Of course you are. You see things, you--"

"I don't," She interrupted. "I don't see, I barely feel, I-" She sighed. "... It happens but I have zero control over it. And I have zero clue how to even start."

"... I have some?"

Lillis frowned, turning to him.

"Have what?"

"Clues!" He cheered. "It took me... A while. But I got the hang of it not to let it overwhelm me."

He closed his eyes, dipping his hand into the lake, and froze. Lillis blinked, watching him uncertain. Was he having a stroke? She almost reached out to him before he opened his eyes.

"Here!" He got on his feet and jogged farther right around the pond. Lillis winced, fearing he'd hurt himself by moving too fast.

She followed him uncertain, until he dropped behind high grass. There, by the side of the lake, hidden among the tall bamboos were the little ducklings. They splashed and swam happily, taking advantage of their short independence to mess around.

Lillis broke in a faint smile as she watched Tim's fingers being used as a trampoline, the little things jumping on him before dipping in the water. His giggles made her forget for a while of her continuous impending doom feeling.

"I saw you, at the plaza," He broke the illusion suddenly. Lillis tensed, frowning at his soft tone. He didn't look at her. He seemed to sense he was on thin ice as he focused on the birds but they started swimming away from them back to their parent.

"... I'm sorry about the pain," He said as he stood back up. He was taller than her but he was hunching on himself so much he seemed like an ant under her boot.

"What do you know about my pain?" Lillis grew cold, looking away as she gripped on her bag. "It was nothing."

"It's okay."

Lillis glared toward him. His voice was so gentle, and caring, she almost had to force herself to feel offended and belittled.

"I felt it too," He continued, unbothered by her rude eyes. "It was really brave of you to hold on like that."

Lillis was at loss for words for a moment.

"You saw it through me?" She managed to breathe out.

"Yes," He beamed again. "Though... It's more like dreaming than seeing. It's not clear as a vision, more... Blurry. Vivid, but quickly forgotten. Like a dream."

"Then you don't remember it right," She rejected and went to walk on. She heard Tim's hasty steps after her.

"I don't agree," He said easily but didn't speak more.

As they reached around the deepest part of the park, trying to walk around Lillis' awkwardness and avoiding the elephant in the room, they found themselves before a fountain.

Without having to speak, Lillis understood Tim's shiny eyes. She handed him the coin ruming at the bottom of her bag and he excitedly ran to the fountain.

She watched as he stopped in a praying motion.

"How come you're here?" She found her voice. "Did you never went to the Yale?"

Tim's silence went on before he sent the coin in the water. He giggled as the sploshing sound and eventually, hummed to himself.

“I almost did once," He nodded, turning to her.

"Almost?" She lifted a brow at this. "Why not?"

"Someone told me not to," He reply simply. "So I just visited the country. Did you know that up north there's this giant underground--"

"Wait, wait, wait-" She frowned. "Someone told you not to?"

"Yeah," He grinned as they walked on again. He stood by her side this time as he talked energetically with his hands. "When I was little and the dreams became more and more intense, one night, I dreamed of them. They told me I had great power, but that I must hid."

"Didn't you think you were just..." Lillis hesitated, searching for the right word. "... Crazy?"

Tim laughed and turned to her.

"I did at first! I was terrified, actually," He pointed to his blind eye, the large angry scar crossing it making her uneasy. "I tried to blind myself when it got to much. It's that person who stopped me from blinding the other."

Lillis barely had time to digest the bomb of information before he went on.

"They told me it's a great power I have, and that this would only weaken me. They said they saw what's ahead of me, and that my power will be needed then."

"You didn't... See that?" She asked, unsure whether it was impolite to ask more of his eye.

"It's blurry," He grinned as he saw her stare. "But when I'm asleep, I dream. Or See, as you say. It's like... I don't need eyes."

He noticed her frown and looked up, humming.

"It's like..." He tried to word, holding his hips in thought. "I'm... everywhere. Omniscient? I hear, feel, see, I sense what's happening. But I also already know how it ends as it starts."

He turned a little sadden to her but didn't lose his smile.

"That's why I felt your pain while also knowing how you'd push through it."

She didn't know what to say to that. She took a moment to process it all and Tim gratefully granted her that. He kicked a rock as they walked through the trees, watching it bump before hurrying to catch it when it threatened to lead astray of the path.

"... Why did you come to meet me, then?" She spoke again as they reached a flower field.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Lillis struggled to contain her shame and guilt as his so open and trusting expression.

"Because-- Because you saw me. You saw your future."

"Oh no," He laughed. "I never dream about me. I only saw you here, coming to this park."

"... Then, why come?" She asked again, dumbfound.

Tim pondered his response. He could only watch as the rock disappeared in the bushes.

"... The person who told me to hide," He said quietly. "They're also the one who helped me get the hang of my gift. I don't know much about the whole community there is in Ni'vaal, but I know it would have been problematic to come out until my Maat started."

Lillis frowned.

"Your what?"

"My Maat," He repeated. At her silence, he mimicked her grimace. "Weren't you taught about that? Your Maat is the prophecy the Tellers See. They See the big changes and events of one's life. They're sometimes of such incredible importance we need to be aware of it."

"I doubt there's a prophecy with my name, then."

Tim smiled knowingly.

"Aren't you curious about mine?"

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

"Sure, share with the class."

"You are."

She blinked.

"... What?"

"You're my prophecy," He grinned simply.

Lillis stilled on the path, Tim taking a moment before stopping too. He was smiling at her with such admiration and adoration, too alike Casey, but his words had sent another raging storm through her mind.

"On my ninth birthday, an angel came to me and told me I had to survive to help the Brightest when the time was needed. I had to get hold of my power and come to understand it to the deepest part of my soul so when the day comes and the Fey bursts in colours once again, I would be there to help them See the way."

Above them, the sky turned a gorgeous red colour as the sun set.

"You're here, so I am too," He said gently. "I'll help you See so that you can fulfil your own Maat."

"I don't-"

"Maybe you're not aware of it," He smiled. "But it doesn't make it any less real."

"... I don't want that," She stubbornly refused. "I'm not going to do whatever someone saw me do just because that's expected of me."

"Then do it for me?" Tim shocked her into silence.

She lifted her eyes to him. He smiled apologetically, before being unable to hold her gaze. He played with the hem of his too long sleeves.

"I know it's selfish," His soft voice was barely above a whisper. "But... My Maat has been what kept me going forward so far. I won't force you to fulfil your Maat if that's not what you want, I wouldn't want that... But..."

He hesitated, unsure how to word himself. Carefully, he walked toward her. His sleeved hands held out to hers shyly.

"Please, let me help you see. Just let me do my part so I can feel like I did something right. Then, I'll help you with whatever you want to do after."

It was Lillis' turn to hesitate. She stared at his hands, hanging in the air pathetically. She turned to look down the hill they ended up on. The park was still desert, but from high up, she could see the lake. The ducklings cradled to their parent as they seem to watch the sun sink beyond the trees.

"... I don't have much time."

Time was something Tim could work with, he promised. "First off, you'll need to find your element."

"My element?"

"Think of it as a conduct," He gathered some of the lake's water in his palms, holding it up in a cup before him. "The Dreams will come easier if you're holding on what connects you to them. Think of it like the keys of a car. You could theoretically start the car without them, but it truly speeds up the process."

Tim inhaled deeply, closed his eyes... And the water rippled in his hands. A whirlpool began to swirl, gentle yet steady. His eyes opened again and Lillis had to held back a jolt.

His eyes were completely empty. Mist seemed to fill them instead.

Lillis opened her mouth to ask him what it was before his eyes rolled back into his head, blinking at her before smiling.

"You were such a cute kid!"

"Shut up," She rolled her eyes, not doubting he was pulling her leg. "How do I find my element?"

"Oh, that depends really," He waved her closer and dripped the water in her palm. "Water is the basic every Seers can See through. Like a universal key. But with your element, it'll be more intimate, more intense."

"More real?" She blinked and he nodded.

"What liquid did you use before?"

"... What did I use?" She repeated.

"Yes," Tim frowned. "Seeing is extremely difficult without an element."

"... I can't think of anything," She admitted. "I've only ever Witness like, three times. Neither were truly deliberate."

"How about you try now?" He cheered.

"You mean..." She frowned. "... With you?"

"Don't sound so charmed," He snorted. He extended his hand to her, lifting his sleeve.

His skin was so pale, sickly so. She winced, before extending her cupped hands. She prepared herself for the skin contact, already grimacing as he bumped the back of his hands against hers-

"... It's not working," She bluntly stated.

He giggled.

"Are you trying?"

"I am!" She took offence.

She could feel the slight coldness of his hand, feel the steady rhythm of his heart. She could sense his own unease and his discomfort, but she couldn't see anything.

"How did you see before?" He asked, keeping his hand against hers.

She thought about it.

"It was more like a whiplash," She tried to word. "Like a string snapping. One second I'm me, the other... Someone else."

Tim blinked.

"You see through their eyes?"

"Yes," She took in his shocked expression. "Like I'm them. Bodyswap? But I can’t control them. Don't you?"

"No," He vividly shook his free hand and head. "Omniscient, out of the scene point of view! Never... Inside."

Lillis tried to gloss over his wording.

"I don't know what to tell you. I just feel you, I guess," She grimaced.

Damn, now my wording is weird too.

"Tell me," He pushed her on.

"... I feel you're tensed," She hesitated. He nodded for her to continue, so she did. "You're uncomfortable," She spoke without thinking, trying to let her tongue find the words of that growing bubble in her chest. She felt like in a trance, mind going blank as her lips moved on their own. "Like when you sit too long in one position-uncomfortable. Like my touch is averse but you have to keep going. You're trying to be kind about it but you're unsure what to do or to say to help me. You want to be there, but you don't have the slightest clue who I am or what I'm capable off. You're scared I'll hurt you. You want to try your best, but you doubt that'll even be enough.”

Lillis only found herself stopping because her eyes suddenly noticed the water had disappeared from her hands. A faint steam rose from them, as if it boiled it out. She blinked at her redden hands before looking up at Tim- And finding him entirely petrified.

"Did I do wrong?" She called out, only for him to flinch.

"N-no," He hid his face, snapping his hand away from her. He looked away. "No you... You did good. We just, um..."

She frowned, not understanding his sudden pull away.

"Did I say something bad?" She asked, trying and failing to remember what she said already.

Tim flinched again, but quickly shook his head.

"No!" He hurriedly said before lowering his voice. "You're... Let's find you somewhere else."

"Where?" She lifted herself up.

"Somewhere you feel safe," He said quietly. "I... Don't think I have anything to teach you. You See. The problem is… You're stuck."

Lillis thought for a while before opening her mouth.

"Somewhere safe... It's not here."

"Well, we can hitch-hike-"

"No," She shook her head. "It's not on this plane."

Tim sent her a confused look before looking at the hand she extended to him.

"I'll take you there."

Lillis didn't expect to manage another Wander so swiftly and so soon after her first wand, but she somehow make it. She held Tim's sleeved hand, closed her eyes, thoughts deeply about her father's cabin--and poof, here they were.

Tim looked amazed at the sight, and Lillis took this opportunity to enter the ashes. She dig around until she found a jacket to lean to Tim.

The jacket, and a bonfire revived later, Lillis sat on the dead tree, legs crossed. The icy water from the lake numb her hands but she held on.

"Try to find something to look for," She heard Tim from the other side of the fire's cracks. "Anything that calls out to you."

She frowned. She could feel the wind coming from the lake, its fresh and humid smell, the lingering ashes bringing sparks of blood and fire and-- She refused to seek after them, instead turning to the lake.

Its smell, the gentle calls of its waves, the fathomless depth... Lillis paused. Was Tim crying? She tried to open her eyes, but she found herself unable to. She had become so heavy without realising. Her body seemed one of a statue, unmoving despite her building panic. Her limbs strained from the lack fight her mind begged them to push through until-

A deadly jab of a needle in the nape of her neck, sucking the sanity out of her as she screamed for help–