Mana Et Mecha: The Roleplay (Part One)

*It had to be.*

*What were the odds?*

*There was no way this idyllic town, an enclosed utopia amidst a sea of sand and dry despair, could be real.*

It was not perfect: the city was built up from arid sandstone, seemingly driven on the unpaid labor of haggardly slaves worked to the bone from the most difficult jobs; the only water really in sight could be found at a couple of well sites at the four corners of the settlement, one in the center, and they were crowded as thirsty citizens pined for their daily water rations; crime ran rampant, in dark alleys or broad daylight; poverty was well-known and widespread...

... But to the three weary travelers entering the city at its gates, clamoring for any sort of food or drink, rationed or otherwise, this was a paradise. They had not seen civilization for the past week and were obviously not from around these parts. Two of them were extremely light-skinned, at least in comparison to everyone else around them. The third was decently tanned but still stuck out like a sore thumb against the natives that were three times darker. Their clothes, neatly pressed and ironed and cleaned, were not accustomed to the dirt and grime so pervasive and present on the citizens' and slaves' drab shauls. As they moved slowly through the crowds of people hustling and bustling in their daily activities, they caught the attention of many. Who were these people, the people of the city wondered? What is their purpose here? They were not hostile, simply curious. The people of this city were not used to having visitors from foreign lands and wished to accommodate them better.

The only thing that unified these two scarcely different groups, the light and the dark, the prim and the poor, was their gifts given from birth. It was magic.

Not in the classical sense of magic in witchcraft and wizardry, although that was present in these parts. What is considered magical here is the ability to be in tune with nature and the souls of the earth and its natural elements, and to be able to manipulate them in a way that was beneficial to the survival of humanity. The mages of the city used fire magic to cook their food, or earth magic to move large rocks to and from places, or even astral magic to bend fate in their favor.

What was most surprising and surreal to these travelers was that in this city, using magic was commonplace and public. Where they were from, it was a religious sin and illegal act to use magic in public. But they could not say where they were from. Not now...

... At least, not the leader of this group of nomads. He was the biggest, tallest one. He seemed to be barely in his twenties, and barely keeping his composure around his other traveling partners. A heavy ruby red coat wrapped around his hips suggested he originated from a far colder place, certainly not the desert of a place he was in. Sweat dripped from his ink black locks and passed over his watchful, shifty gray eyes, which squinted from the sunlight, and from the displeasure of dealing with his companions. He stared intently at a map, as if he was following a destination marked on it. One could not tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face.

The other two were mysteries as well. The first of them was a young girl, who looked to be half of the leader's height, and half his age. Puffy pants and light slippers suggested she was some sort of gymnast, but the news cap containing her mess of auburn hair suggested otherwise. She had a cheeky grin on her face as she conversed with the last member, the darkest of the three. He had flashy, somewhat satin orange attire. He looked to be in show business of some sort with his fanciful get-up. Makeup from under his eye dripped down his cheeks from the heat, and for whatever reason, his wrists were cuffed.

They walked quietly and kept to themselves. The girl gazed into the eyes of the citizens she passed, wishing desperately to talk to someone new, but she knew how her leader felt about conversing with strangers, especially in the rare occasions that they came across new towns.

The city street they were walking down was lively at first but as they passed, the activity died down for these strangers to pass. The girl surveyed their surroundings. The buildings were simple, in basic block shapes with no glass windows, only holes. Sun reflected against the beige-white colors of these walls, and the bright blue sky of noontime contrasted sharply with the structures, blinding the trio. On the city streets, vendors bartering over fresh and pickled produce stopped and gawked at the visitors. Children playing games paused to stare, and concerned mothers approached their kids' sides to protect them, just in case. The young girl was unsure whether this reaction was common for every new person that passed through the city or if they were an exception.

Finally, the leader halted to a stop, and the other two followed suit. The girl stared up at where they were now. They had approached one of the average-looking buildings, although it was taller than most of the rest, and seemed to be in a better-off part of the street with larger houses and exterior designs on the walls and decorations at the fronts. One small room was at the top of the flat building, giving what she guessed to be a great view of the rest of the city. The place was so tall that it obstructed the sun and cast a dark shadow over the three. She grew hesitant, and slightly intimidated. Her eyes darted to the tall man with the red coat around his waist, wondering what their purpose for being here was.

The leader turned around to face the darker man, and smirked, almost haughtily. He jerked a thumb to the door of the building and chuckled, as if he was the bringer of bad news. "It's over for you, my friend," he said in a deep voice flavored with undertones of self-satisfaction. "Your journey with us comes to an abrupt halt, and end."

The girl, confused, tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she questioned, curiously and now worriedly. Her voice was soft with fear.

The leader didn't answer. He instead looked to the man in orange, an eyebrow arched and a gloating smile. The other man frowned, and rolled his brown eyes. "Stroke your ego all you want by teasing me before you hand me off," he said, his voice a little higher-pitched than the leader's but far more musical and airy, "but I feel no remorse for what I've done. I've made my choice and I regret nothing. But I pity you, your narrow-mindedness and your stifling, oppressive city. I'd rather be a slave to a man in a free land than a free man in a land plagued with oppression and hate. Don't you feel anything for what I say and mean to do? You use magic as well. What makes what I've done traitorous but what you do 'for the good of the city?'"

"You've given your last oration, performer boy," the leader taunted. He turned towards the door. "You acted out knowing the consequences. I have permission to use magic in accordance with the city's administrative edicts and allowances. You do not. And now, because of your violations to the city and religious code, you'll face those consequences."

The young girl was frightened by the language she was hearing. She had not the faintest idea of what was going on, or why the leader she had followed for so long now spoke with harsh tongue. But she was more fearful for her friend, the darker man, and what fate beyond that door he would face. It did not sound like anything she would wish even upon her worst enemy.

She could do nothing. The leader sauntered towards the building's door, and with quick movements he knocked on it, stepped back, and eagerly looked to the man in cuffs to see his reaction for what laid on the other side. The girl winced as she anticipated the door would open at any moment...

### The Roleplay

The dead moment of silence was broken by the sounds of a shout inside, muffled by the thick sandstone walls. That shout was then followed by rapid footsteps, soft yet growing louder as the inhabitant drew closer. The second that the sound stopped was when the door flew ajar, revealing a petite young woman in her very early twenties. Her skin was light for a Samadurian, although still much darker than that of the trio who stood before her. A pink scarf was wrapped around her head, covering her hair save for two long locks that fell in front of her body.

Needless to say, facing such strange and intimidating men, the sense of fear grew within her, but was simultaneously rising with curiousity. The lady looked back over her shoulder into the house, and spoke up with a meek and soft voice, "May I help you…?"

"Here's your order," the leader guffawed, his eyes close and his hands on his hips in contempt. But when he opened his eyes and saw a woman, he seemed surprise. He must not have been expecting someone of this appearance to answer the door.

His entire demeanor changed. He glanced down to the map in his hands, confused, a shaky finger now desperately trying to remain still and point to the marked location on the map. It seemed correct to him. Then he gazed up, his eyes scanning for some sort of landmark or street sign. When he could find no such help, he shut his mouth and stared expectantly at the woman.

The young woman was puzzled by this strange man and his two companions, unsure of what his words meant exactly. She stepped back, "Sorry, I don't recall ordering anything…" the lady looked behind her again, before taking another step back and gesturing for the trio follow her inside, "Maybe Inxie did… but make yourself at home while I get her up, she tends to sleep in late."

Before the others could answer, the short woman turned around and hastily made her way up the stairs behind her, and called out to someone on the second level, "River! We have guests, could you entertain them, please?"

There was a moment of silence, and while the woman did not return back down the stairs for now, another began to emerge. She placed her feet gently on the sandstone steps, carefully staring at the trio as she walked down. Her skin was dark like the others, but her eyes were a bright sky blue, and her long hair that reached to her ankles were as white as a cloud. But despite the whiteness in her hair, she was fairly young, even younger than the other woman before. Yet with her odd appearance, she seemed more astonished by the three strangers in front of her, and remained silent for the moment.

Everyone stared at each other for a long time. The girl glanced to her companions. The leader was watching this new woman with large, terrified eyes. He seemed shocked by something about her; perhaps it was the sharply contrasting white hair with her fairly dark skin. But he did not seem mesmerized. More so traumatized. The girl then looked to the other man, who was staring at the leader expectantly, as if waiting for him to do something.

Many moments passed in awkward silence.

Finally, the man dressed in orange sighed, exasperated. Now his demeanor changed. He bore a bright, winning white smile as he addressed the woman with white hair, and his shoulders, previously tensed with some fear, relaxed. His mannerisms became lax. He was taking on an entirely new persona, and he was taking the lead on this operation now.

"Good afternoon, Miss," he said kindly, waving to her in a friendly manner with his other hand on his hip. The leader did a double-take, for he had escaped from the cuffs that were around his wrists previously! How long ago had that happened?

The more talkative man stepped forward, dipped his torso a bit as if making an informal bow, and extended a hand to shake. "I'm terribly sorry that you've been given the task of entertaining us! Think nothing of doing so. We're simply a little bit lost. Apparently my friend here cannot read a map and we've stumbled across your abode. We'll be out of your hair shortly, but perhaps you could direct us for the place we *are* looking for? And if not that, could you suggest a sort of hostel or inn we may stay at for this day and we can begin our route tomorrow? We would greatly appreciate it."

River raised her eyebrow at the man in front of her, charmed by his suave body language yet still strongly suspicious of him and the others. Her eyes were just was wide as the dark haired man behind this one. She had never seen such strange people before, with their pale skin and eyes of a variety of colors. But realizing how she hadn't responded for a long moment, she forced herself to speak, "I'm afraid I don't know of any inns you can stay at, but…"

Then suddenly, River grabbed the arm of the other man and looked at it with interest, turning his hand from palm to back in her curiosity, "Why were you holding out your hand like that? Am I supposed to do something with it?"

"Oh, is hand shaking not a common practice in these parts?" he asked curioisly. He shook his head. "Oh, never mind that, though I appreciate your interest in my forearm. Perhaps your housemates know where the nearest inn is."

Another few moments passed.

Finally, the man slapped a hand to his sheepish, dark face. "Oh, forgive me so! I've been so rude that I have not even introduced ourselves!" He gestured to his own chest. "I am Thomas."

He gestured to the young girl, with a smile of admiration towards her. "That is Kestral. Say hello, Kestral!"

The young girl stared at River and have a curious, lopsided smile. "Hello."

Thomas swerved over to the other man, the leader, and wrapped his arm around his neck as though they were old pals. "And this is one of my greatest friends, Arkanov."

Arkanov stared at Thomas' wrists as though they were miniature monsters. He seemed very astonished, and even more confused.

Thomas smiled, ignoring Arkanov's strange behavior. "We're very pleased to meet you. Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home."

River smiled at this, beginning to feel more comfortable around these strangers. She flipped a lock of hair behind her neck, and bowed to the other three, "My name is River, it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

But this politeness only lasted a short moment as questions sparked in her again. She straightened her back and quickly took two steps closer to Arkanov and Kestral, staring at their faces intently almost tempted to touch them, "I hope this isn't rude, but why is your skin so… light? Did ash get stuck on to you?"

Truthfully, this was an honest question. The people of this city tended to be darker for they were directly under the sun and could thus tan easily, and also be more protected from the sun. Seeing someone so light-skinned be in these parts was understandably curious. But Arkanov stepped back and gasped as if she had just insulted their mothers.

Thomas gave an awkward half smile. "Certainly the inquisitive one, aren't you? Pay no attention to my friend's reaction. These two are not from around here. Quite a privileged lot, you understand? Like in nobility, of sorts. They're able to stay indoors more, not necessarily in the sun as much. No ash!"

"Ah, my apologies, but that makes sense now." River held her hands behind her back, yet she still was wary of that reaction from Arkanov. She was beginning to sense that she was prying too much, and was about to stop with the questions, until a thought had sparked in her mind. These people might have been able to help her, and as much as she didn't want to use them she couldn't wait in this place much longer.

The young woman crossed her arms, looking expectantly, "Just where are you three from anyways? And on your journey here, you wouldn't have happened to see any strange 'shards' of some sort? Things that look like glass shards maybe?"

"Depends on what you mean by shards," answered Thomas. "I think we saw some when we came in, though that could've been from glass bottles."

Arkanov refused to respond and looked away.

Kestral shook her head. "Why do you ask about these shards...?"

There was a small groan from upstairs, followed by a shout down to the lower level, "River, are you bothering guests with the heart shard thing again?" It was a deeper voice, still belonging to a woman, but it was much stronger than the voice of the woman who had left River alone with these strangers. But hearing those words, River stepped back and shyed away from the trio, looking away almost shamefully.

Then finally, walking down the stairs was the lady in pink from before, and a new woman who was taller, and quite beautiful. Her skin was a dark brown like the bark of a tree, and her long black hair that had exceptional puffiness and volume to it. She wore simple clothes, ones that revealed her midriff, along with golden bangles around her wrists, "Sorry for the wait, gentlemen and little lady. Lumi's told me you've come to deliver something?"

Arkanov cleared his throat, and the small smirk on his face returned. Perhaps these were the slave traders all along. He put a hand around the young girl and pulled her next to him, and then gestured to Thomas. "He's all yours."

Thomas stood, shocked at his captor's stupidity. He looked over to this new woman, and frowned. He was quite sure these women were not the slave traders. "I'm sorry about him. He's having a bit of a heat stroke."

"Am not!" Arkanov protested. His voice rose an octave in defensiveness. "Are you not the slave traders?"

"Excuse me, slave traders?!" Inxie jerked back, a hand over her heart, strongly offended by this assumption. Her eyes glared at the three of them, only to then shoo them away, "Get out of here, we don't want to partake in any slave trade! Now go find someone else to bother!"

Lumi simply nodded as she held on to her wife's arm, agreeing to this. River on the other hand felt like she couldn't let them slip away. They were foreigners, they may have seen more of the world than she ever had, they could help her figure where she needed to start, "W-Wait! I need them for something-!"

Inxie turned her glare to River, crossing her arms now, "Look, Rivvy, you can just ask every stranger here to help you find heart shards alright? They don't want to be bothered with that." She sighed, glancing back to the trio, "Unless you three are willing to scour the whole continent for things that are damn near impossible to find."

"I am!" Thomas immediately volunteered, glancing over his shoulder fearfully at Arkanov.

At this, Arkanov was infuriated. "Like hell you are!" he countered sarcastically. Now he did not seem very shy at all. He stepped forward and put a hand on Thomas's shoulder, digging his fingers in tightly. Thomas looked down to his shoulder and then back to the three women in front of him.

"I'm so sorry my *friend* here offended you two," Thomas apologized, mustering the most genuine smile he had ever given. "We had to ask about the slave traders for, you see, we are trying to avoid them."

"But-" Arkanov began, but Thomas immediately elbowed him in his gut. The sound of air leaving a balloon emerged from the taller man and he backed away.

Thomas continued. "I was a slave from the land these two are from, you see. I worked for these two. But these two, so noble — being nobility and all — they freed me, they simply couldn't bear to see me waste away into obscurity as an unpaid laborer. We've been running from the slave traders of our old city for a week now, and we just arrived here. We heard this place had an active slave trade, and these two simply couldn't bear the thought of me being sold again. Especially Arkanov here. So we have to be careful around the citizens of these parts. That's why my friend asked. He is simply looking out for me. We did not mean to involve you in any sort of shady business. If you are still upset, I understand."

River's hands were over her mouth agape, her eyes large and sympathetic towards the man. She absolutely bought his story, and stepped up to Thomas. Then suddenly, she opened her arms, and wrapped them around him in a tight squeeze of sympathy and emotional care for him, "You poor thing! It's okay, we'll make sure no one gets you!" She looked up to him, but then realized that maybe this was too personal for a stranger, and stepped back, "I might be able to help you find an inn then, I want you three to stay safe!"

If Thomas' skin tone could allow him to blush from the woman's touch, it would've. He looked over his shoulder again. Kestral nodded feverishly, supportive of what he had said. Arkanov stood silently, and his gaze met Thomas'. They exchanged no words.

Assuming everything was alright between them, Thomas turned back to River, and trying to be as personal as possible whilst still upholding respect for this young woman, he patted her shoulders appreciatively. "Really? Why, thank you so much! You will not believe how much this helps us."

"Thank you a lot, Miss," Kestral chimed in.

Arkanov gave the evil eye to the woman with Snow White hair and then turned away, grumbling. "Yes, thank you very much..."

"You're welcome, now come on! River walked past the others to the front door, and opened it up for them. Smiling brightly and clearly in blissful ignorance of Arkanov's tone. She beckoned them to follow her. But not before Inxie shot another glare at the three of them.

"Alright, you can go, but don't do anything to River," Inxie said, holding out her hand. She snapped her fingers, and her hand erupted into a controlled flame, showing her magic abilities, "Because I will give each of you burns for any scratches on her, got it?"

At the sight of the flame, Kestral gasped sharply, and then proceeded to whimper.

Arkanov put a protective arm around the girl and glowered at Inxie. She wasn't used to seeing magic used so openly and readily, especially not as a method of intimidation. "Watch where you use your magic, you batty bi—"

"You mustn't worry!" Thomas assured quickly, waving his arms dismissively. "We aren't psychopaths. We won't hurt River." He ushered everyone out of the house quickly before an altercation could take place. "Thank you so much for inviting us so cordially into your home! Goodbye now."

River quickly stepped out through the door, letting the others follow behind her, and quickly shut the door before any more words could be exchanged. She laughed tentatively, seeing how angrily serious Arkanov was, and how terrified the young girl with him had reacted. "I'm so sorry, Inxie tends to be a bit protective… shall we find a place for you to stay now…?"

"Yes please," Thomas agreed eagerly and looked around again at the bright blue sky outside.

It hadn't grown dark since they were last outside at all. "Though you can take your time," Thomas said. "The day is still young, unless you need to be home at a certain time with your sisters?"

River chuckled at this notion, although his misconception would make sense from an outsider's perspective. She began to walk along, sticking to the side of the road as not to get caught up with busy people, "No no, none of us are sisters. They're married to each other, and they've only let me stick around with them because I have nowhere else to go..."

The other three got quiet at the word "married." They made curious expressions towards River. However, Thomas regained his composure feminist, knowing he had to seem as though all of this was normal and natural to him.

"Ah. That makes sense," he said finally, after processing it all. "What do you mean you have no other place to go?"

The snow-haired woman noticed some of the strange looks she was getting from the man and the young girl. They were very silent, much more than she had thought they would be, which made her somewhat unsettled. As if she had something to be suspicious of, but she wasn't sure what it was exactly. Nevertheless, she tried to turn her attention away from them and back to Thomas, "My family's very far away from here, and I've promised them and many others that I wouldn't return until we can all go back home... but the good thing about Sihrasul is that there's people coming day in and day out, like you guys, who might be able to help me, even if it's just a little."

Thomas smiled at the woman, not so much for her story but for the fact she finally mentioned the name of the city they were in. "Well, perhaps you have to wait in Sihrasul no longer. I'm fairly certain we can help you."

Arkanov began to interject and speak up but Thomas hushed him.

"Really, you would?!" River turned her head to Thomas with a bright smile, clasping her hands together in front of her chest in glee. This was probably the first time anyone had accepted her offer, and so soon after meeting each other too. But, she began to realize that there was something wrong, that maybe they were rushing into this too fast, "But you may have to travel a lot, around all of Samadurai even. I don't know if it would be worth it if there's nothing in it for all of you..." she then turned her head back to Arkanov and Kestral, "What do you two think?"

Kestral seemed equally as excited, and nodded eagerly. "I would love to, but my brother has to decide whether it's okay."

"Kestral, Thomas, we need to discuss this before we, erm, *embark on a journey for who knows how long?"* Arkanov chided, but he seemed to be angry with them, especially Thomas, for another reason.

"We're discussing it now," Thomas answered. He seemed especially anxious to agree to this proposal. He turned back to River and gave an encouraging smile. "We'll do it! And if not them, then I alone shall accompany you."

River looked only happier with this information, at least only for a moment, until her smile dropped into a sad frown, "But Thomas, these two must have worked so hard to bring you here, wouldn't that all be for nothing if you just went off with me instead? And I don't know if I could protect us from any slave traders that would find us..." she sighed, glancing back to Arkanov, still speaking to Thomas though, "And your friend over here doesn't look very happy at the thought of that option..."

Thomas turned to his traveling companions. He tried not to meet Arkanov's gaze and settled instead on Kestral. He had made good friendship with her on their short travel together. "It would be a shame to leave you two behind."

"You're not going to," Kestral answered. She linked arms with the tall, darker man and with her brother, and beamed a childish, innocent grin. "Because we're coming with!" At this, Thomas looked back and forth between the girl and the other man. Arkanov looked defeated, and so tired and sweaty that he shrugged complacently, though he still stared daggers at Thomas.

The man in orange turned to River slowly, at the same growing pace that his relieved smile was forming. He was unsure of why Arkanov was agreeing to this so readily, but he was thankful nonetheless. "It looks as though we may join you. Though, we have not rested much on our travels. I hate to ask, but could we spend the night at a place to stay and rest up before we head out?"

"Ah, of couse, there should be an inn a short ways up ahead," River nodded her head in agreement, walking faster ahead all of them as to take the lead role for them. Shortly after, she had halted in front of yet another sandstone building, larger than most, but only for the sake of rooms and space for all of its visitors.

She turned her whole body around now, holding her hands politely behind her back, "I hope you all have a peaceful respite. But if you have the energy... do you think you would be able to come out later tonight? There's going to be a water festival tonight, Inxie and I are performing for it..."

"Well if you're performing, I simply must see it," replied Thomas, flashing his smile once more towards her. He gestured to Kestral and Arkanov for their opinions. "Thoughts?"

Arkanov grunted, "Unless she's going to threaten Kestral with those balls of fire again." He continued to stare intently at Thomas with a gaze that suggested he was plotting his murder.

"I'm sure she won't," Thomas laughed awkwardly, and then turned to River once more. "That sounds like a plan. I find it interesting, albeit strange how there is a water festival when there are water rations in this city amidst the desert, but now I am also intrigued in seeing what this is all about. I suppose we can meet out here in a few hours after we're all cleaned up. Thank you for inviting us."

"Of course! You're my future partners after all, so why wouldn't I?" River replied joyfully, holding up a hand to wave goodbye to her newfound friends, a goodbye for only this moment, "You'll see me in a blue dress, and Inxie… the only fire she'll be using is for her dancing."

"Sounds great," Thomas said in an equally jovial tone. He extended a hand and waved goodbye for then as Kestral did as well. Arkanov's gaze on the other man was unbreaking. Thomas ignored this. "Goodbye! See you this evening, River!"

### The Water Festival

Night had fallen upon the city, the moon was glowing, as braziers outside ignited and illuminated the streets with their warm fiery glow. Meanwhile inside the house of the three young women, the one with blue eyes combed through her long, snow white hair calmly, making sure it was completely smooth and silky. She donned a dark teal dress, with a pastel blue trim, along with a dark blue sash tied loosely around her waist. She had finished the last stroke of the comb, smiling pleasently, as she set it down and traded it for another piece of cloth, the same color of the sash. She tied it around her head, with a bun-like knot on the back, but there was still enough cloth to trail down the back of her hair, slightly reminiscient of a veil. She was entirely set for tonight.

Her companions in the downstairs floor however, were having a much different time. Of course, with Inxie being the main attraction, her outfit was much more complicated, as well as her hairstyle, accompanied by the accessories she was to wear. So for the time being, River trekked down the sets of stairs, down to the ground level, and stared out of the well-shaped hole in the wall that they considered a window. She could already see people along the streets makes ing their way to the heart of the city, where she and Inxie were set to perform soon. At this moment, waiting for her partner to finish, she stared along, hoping for a possible sign of the trio she had met earlier.

River was to be disappointed. Outside her house, on the main street that the trio had met her earlier, Arkanov and Kestral waited. They did not seem like they would stay long, for their satchels and packed bags from the afternoon earlier were still around their shoulders and tied to their hips. These two looked the same as from hours before, only thankfully less sweaty and more rested. But Kestral looked downtrodden, and Arkanov eager. He impatiently tapped his foot on the road, hoping the girl they had met earlier would arrive soon so they could leave. Thomas was nowhere to be seen.

The woman caught sight of the other two, but the third one in orange from earlier seemed to be missing. It was strange, maybe he was taking his time preparing as well, and the others had decided to go on without him? Or perhaps he was already at the festival, and these two were catching up. But she couldn't leave them waiting, and so she quickly turned away from the window, grabbing on to a leather satchel that she had laid in the corner of the room, for its contents she needed later. She decided she would have to meet up with Lumi and Inxie later that night.

River opened the door, a bit worried now that the most talkative member of the trio seemed to be missing, but she pressed on anyway. She raised her hand and waved over to the siblings, and picked up her pace, stopping when she was within earshot of the two of them, "Ah... Arkanov and Kestral, right? I'm so glad you guys made it! You look a little better than you did earlier."

"Thank you, River," Kestral answered shyly. As she scanned the girl's teal outfit, she smiled in admiration. "You look so pretty! I love your dress, and that cute little bandanna wrapping up your hair! I can't wait to see what you perform."

"About that," Arkanov interjected. He grabbed the young girl's hand and gave an uneasy look towards River. "Look, I'm sorry, but Thomas had to leave, as do we. We can't stay to see your performance tonight. Something has come up. But thanks for showing us the inn. Good luck."

"Wh… What? You can't leave so soon, I thought you promised the three of you would help me…" River seemed absolutely heartbroken, emphasized even more by the hand placed on her chest. Her eyes turned sorrowful, and she looked down in shame, "I… guess that's okay, you barely know me, and you're not the first ones to reject…"

River then turned her head up to him, giving him an innocent look, making her voice sweet in hopes of persuading him, "But you can at least stay for the festival can't you? After all, it's dangerous to travel at night, there could be bandits that would ambush you out there…"

Arkanov stared into her blue eyes and pulled himself away, about to reject her offer. But something in him changed. Kestral noticed this and raised an eyebrow towards her usually moody, stubborn brother. Arkanov couldn't quite place it, but something in the way this girl looked at him made him feel obligated to stay just a little longer, so he wouldn't see her complete disappointment. "Y-Yes, we can stay for the festival," he answered finally. "But afterwards we must leave and erm, look for *our friend* Thomas. He is nowhere to be seen."

River bowed her head to the siblings in gratitude, the smile turning to her face, much more humble than the last time she made that expression. "Thank you so much, and maybe Thomas is already at the center of the festival. As big as it is, with the clothes he was wearing, he should stand out from the crowd. So, let's head down there and check it out."

With that, the new trio headed down the street. As they walked, Kestral tried to meet her brother's eyes and question him with her looks. She was very confused because his earlier behavior suggested he did not have a soft spot for pleading eyes, yet he suddenly changed his mind for this girl. She wondered why. While River led, she tapped on his hand and looked up to him. "Why did you change your mind?" Kestral asked in a whisper inaudible to anyone else.

Arkanov's expression change. A crooked smile formed on his face, and he squinted his eyes. He was scanning the crowd before them. When he felt he looked long enough, he turned to his little sister and bent over so she could hear his whispering too, "I need to make sure Thomas is dead."

Kestral gasped, horrified by what her brother said. She glanced over to River and hoped she hadn't heard. It wasn't for the water festival after all. Disheartened and even more afraid, she kept her mouth shut, and instead gazed around at the city buildings. Now she spoke in a more audible voice. "I hope that's a mean joke."

River turned her head at the sound of Kestral's young voice, looking with a smile and soft eyes, "Hm? A joke? I like jokes," her upturned lips turned into a playful giggle, now glancing at Arkanov, "Am I allowed to hear it?"

"No," Arkanov said curtly, with a sour expression. "It's an inside joke."

Kestral looked like she wanted to hit him in his arm. She instead walked next to River and waved her hand at Arkanov as though warning River to not get involved. "He's a stick in the mud. I didn't take you for a joke type of girl but it makes me happy that you do, because I love 'em!"

River was interested to see the girl suddenly walking alongside her, which was a pleasant surprise considering how shy and quiet she had acted earlier that day, "That's great! Maybe some day we can have inside jokes of our own…" the young woman gave a glance to Arkanov, with a look as if ready to bite back for his rudeness, "And we won't have to tell your brother about them either."

"Good, he doesn't deserve to hear our funny jokes either," Kestral said, looking back over her shoulder at her brother. They locked eyes, a silent conversation spoken through looks that obviously meant more to them than it would have to an outsider.

Arkanov looked at Kestral as though she were a traitor. Kestral found this ironic and threw an equally accusatory look.

When the stare-down was over, he huffed and rolled his eyes. "I don't give a damn about your jokes. Make as many as you want. They're probably just as childish as you two are."

"Want to hear a good joke?" A new voice piped up. Arkanov looked to who made the statement and saw a girl, with a skin tone that finally matched his and Kestral's, although it was noticably more tanned. Her sun-bleached locks hung in curls and rested on her shoulders, and her dark blue sleeveless dress with water decals suggested she was a part of the festival. She held a board in her hand with paper on it. One could only assume it was for notes.

She placed a hand on her hip and scoffed. "This. This entire set-up. The festival begins so soon and I don't have my dancers yet, the floats are being finished as we speak. *As we speak."*

She sighed. "I hope this doesn't tank."

When she gazed her soft brown eyes over River and noticed her costume, she gasped excitedly. "Oh my goodness, okay, another dancer is here! Hi! Do you know where you're going? Go with the other dancers please. We need to hurry this along for everyone! Wow, I'm awful, I don't even know your name. Sorry... I'm a little frazzled now."

River was initially startled by the appearance of the other woman, but seeing how busy she looked on a night like this, and how she was giving out orders, she must have been the organizer of the entire festival. River then nodded, "It's okay, I'll get with the others soon, once my partner arrives-"

"Already here," a voice interrupted River as she spoke. She turned behind her and saw Lumi, along with a cloaked figure, walking up to the small group. The cloaked woman lifted her head, revealing her face to be Inxie; she must have worn that to keep her costume a surprise. Inxie looked to the new blonde girl, whose name she did not know, but the face she somewhat recognized, "We're ready to get on stage anytime, when you give the orders."

"Yay! Okay, thank goodness you guys are here," the organizer sighed happily. She grabbed the hands of the other two women and then directed them to an area down the street where the festival would begin.

A large structure veiled by a canvas cloth, leading the way for more structures covered. by more cloths, and several other dancers were waiting, eagerly shuffling and practicing steps. The blonde gestured to the group. "That's where everyone's getting ready. Just take your places. We're starting in five minutes. If you need anything, call out my name! I'm Salina. We good?"

"We're good, Salina. Thank you," Inxie said with politeness, carefully grabbing on River's hand to lead her to the other dancers. Meanwhile, Lumi waved goodbye for now, and slipped away to the crowds awaiting the performance.

So as Inxie was gently tapping her feet in different motions, to remind herself of the steps, River took the leather satchel off of her shoulder. She reached inside, pulling out a beautiful instrument of dazzling blue crystal, with silver strings that would make the music. One of her most prized possessions, and a reminder of what she was here for. She plucked the strings, testing their beautiful sound, tuning it to perfection. So when she was done, she awaited further instruction.

"Woah..." Kestral stared in awe at the instrument. She had never seen such a beautiful piece of equipment, let alone any equipment to make music with. She wondered what it was and what it would do.

Now she took more note of her surroundings as well. The town would have been dark in the night without the lanterns strung about. They were made of a thin blue paper and had parts cut out, and as they moved in the faint warm breeze of the eve they cast shadows that danced all the crowds' faces, which were just as excited and eager as she appeared to be.

She looked to her brother. Obviously he was not caught up in the whimsy of the set-up. He was looking around the crowd, probably for a sign of Thomas.

Kestral began to wonder when the show would begin. She expected Salina to make a formal announcement before it would start, but she was caught off guard by the crowd suddenly quieting as if on cue, and the uproar of singing voices from where the canvases were. The dancers were not moving yet, but the canvases moved back to reveal bright, colorful scenes depicting the ocean, of all its creatures and the vast waters it contained. Kestral gasped excitedly. She wished for it all to come closer down the road so she could get a better view, and thankfully, the dancers and the floats began to move forth...

On the stage float, in the center, Inxie still in her cloak knelt down. The wings of her left and right were another row of dancers, who were to be backups, as for this moment she was the main attraction. River was off to the side of the dancers, as she wasn't really much of a dancer, but her part would come in to play soon.

Then, as the music began to pick up, Inxie stood onto her feet. Embers began floating, circling around her feet. The woman jerked her arms up, making the cape of the cloak show, and the embers ignited the cloth. The flames rapidly burned away the cloak, resembling a Phoenix being reborn from the ashes, and there she was. Inxie stood there proudly, confidently, with her hands on her hips. Her hair was up in a long ponytail, adorned with golden bejeweled bands. Her magenta midriff top was trimmed and decorated with the same gold and gems, some tied in strings around her midsection. Her skirt was long, but cut on the sides, accentuating her legs.

Finally, the music for her had kicked in, and immediately she began to dance with the others behind her. She moved her arms so gracefully, with such elegance, yet her legs and hips moving at such a speed no one could quite follow, and even then she went perfectly along with the tempo of the music. She danced, and she danced, and she danced, until suddenly one of the others behind her had tossed her a small leather pouch, and while dancing she untied the strings. She then tossed it into the air, allowing its contents, some sort of white power, to fall out and scatter. Then with sparks from her fingers the powder ignited and burned in a blue fire. This process was repeated, each with slightly different white powders that burned green, gold, red, magenta, violet, a whole rainbow spectrum of unusual colors danced around her body.

Then, all of the dancing had stopped, their segment of the performance was over, and soon another would take over…

Kestral gasped in life amazement, dazzled by what she had seen, as the crowd erupted into applause and whistles. She never knew that Inxie was an exceptional dancer. More so, she was dazzled by the lights she had seen emerge from the pouch. They were entrancing and captured her attention. She looked every direction they came from. She didn't want this performance to end.

Finally, the floats had drawn near. Their structures were built from papier-mâché. It was simply amazing. They were in the shakes of various sea creatures and sea structures and symbols of water, like droplets or splashes. They were hollow and only got their colors amidst the darkness of the night through bright lights. Kestral peered in the floats and found that light mages, of all people, were shining bright lights and casting the glow. Following the floats were dancers in costumes of fish and octopi, dancing while moving down the street.

She gasped again, even more amazed. Never before had she seen such a vision of fun, magical culture.

Arkanov seemed to be enjoying it as well. He had crossed his arms and begun to watch when Inxie passed by and kept his attention up at the floats and magic used so openly. But Kestral could not tell based on the expression on his face whether he was pleased or disgusted. Kestral eagerly looked toward the streets for more action, and possibly to see Inxie and River again.

Kestral's wishes were granted, for at this moment, it was River's turn to take the spotlight on that float. Inxie stepped away from the center, now standing in the back, as the white-haired woman took her place. Calmly, with gentleness, she raised her crystal lyre up to her chest level and to the side. Then, she plucked the silver strings, the sound reverberating off of them creating absolute perfection of sound. Her song sounded through the entire street her float traveled down, she even began swaying side to side, and doing the occasional spin, as if doing a waltz while playing her instrument.

But this was not all, for when she took another step, water began to pool around her feet. This water then rose up to her height in spirals, circling her and moving along to they way she swayed and the way that she elegantly twirled. Then, as her lovely song came to an end, she put her hands down, only to follow by flinging them straight back up, causing the water spirals around her to spray into the air as a mist, which was caught in the illumination from the light mages, creating a rainbow illusion for only a few seconds. Then, she bowed to the crowd with a happy smile, and allowed the background dancers to make center stage once again.

The crowd went wild at the music and the display of water magic. Meanwhile, Kestral looked as though she nearly had a heart attack. She heard of water mages before but she had never met one in person, or seen them in action. She just wished she could go up and fawn over River then and there.

She looked over to Arkanov, and he seemed to be paying attention now that River was performing. He seemed impressed. Everything was going fine, and the festival moved down the street. Like a young child trying to catch up to a train, Kestral followed the floats and parade, not wanting to miss a single moment. It continued on down the street and turned a corner. The crowd applauded, in awe at the spectacle. This continued on for many minutes. Everything was going well...

Until a shot wrang out.

Dozens of people let out a scream all at once, even the light mages were startled, and the street went dark. The dancers stopped, and the float halted in its movement. Everyone was turning their heads left and right, up and down, trying to find the source of the noise, but they couldn't tell what it was.

River clutched on to her lyre tighter, while Inxie backed away closer towards her, unsure of what to do, or what was happening…

Bedlam erupted in the audience. Suddenly, crowded areas erupted into pushing and shoving matches, and bulky guards tried to break up the scuffles, but soon even passive bystanders were pushed into the fight.

Arkanov was confused, and in a flash he flicked his wrist out to his side. Kestral turned to look and see what he was doing. Slowly, an inky black sword materialized in his hands, forming like water dripping and filling a container. Soon, his weapon had formed. He took up a classic fighting stance and jutted his blade forward, daring any of the citizens to try and pick a fight with him. Some stepped away from him.

But that started even more of a commotion, as now mages near and far began to unleash their magic. Balls of fire, large boulders, weapons of all of the elements emerged from the hands of the crowd's members. They were threats for everyone, but no one. No one made a move.

A figure ran speedily down the street of halted floats and scared dancers. The darkness, since now all of the lights were shut off, kept the person's identity a secret. But, this person was wanted. Several other burly figures were tailing the smaller one, as though the first had escaped and they were all on a high-speed chase. Of all the floats, this myserious, chased person jumped onto the float River and Inxie were on.

Another noisy scuffle ensued, this time on the float. It shook and rattled. The people on it must have been having a fight.

A light finally came on. But it was not from a float, nor any conventional source of light. It looked to be from a gun, an antique-looking pistol of bright white light. Light magic. And the gun was in the hands of none other than Thomas. His clothes were even more tattered and dirty than before, and his hair was messy in a few places. His eyes were wide, crazed even. What came as more of a surprise was that he was directly behind River, and he had the gun was pointed at her head.

The light showed who had been pursuing Thomas: three large, strong, dangerous looking men. They were decked out in black and brown leather desert attire. They had a symbol on their clothes, bright red and dripping as though made with blood, or just a shaky hand painting red marks. It looked to be the shape of a head with a chain link ring around the head. In these parts, that was the semi-universal symbol for slave traders, to easily identify them among citizens.

But neither Arkanov nor Kestral knew this. They only knew that these men were visibly upset and carrying large elemental sickles of the various magic types.

One of them began to speak. "That damn runaway started this whole revolt! He's making the others crazy!"

"We just got 'im today too," another snarled angrily. "Fucking waste of money, and time. And now we've got to kill him."

Thomas looked over to River, and gave a sincerely apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I promise I won't hurt you. Just play along, please..."

River didn't quite do as she was told, and screamed the moment Thomas had aimed his weapon at her. She didn't even know what he was holding, it looked absolutely alien to her, but it was still terrifying even then. She wanted to get away, break out in a sprint and hide somewhere, but that wasn't an option. Behind her, Inxie had given them space, but flames erupted all around her arms, ready to harm Thomas any moment, as she hadn't heard his whisper to River.

The young woman turned her head around swiftly, trying to stare at her 'captor', "Thomas!" She shouted, "What are you doing?! What are you holding at me?! What is this?!"

"You make a move for me and this innocent woman gets a laser through her skull," Thomas warned when he thought the slave traders were approaching. "None of us want that. So do not move. I am not going back with you to be a slave. None of the people you've turned into common animals will be doing so either."

"Hey, we paid good money for you," one of the slave traders fumed. "We didn't sign up for this revolutionary bullshit!"

"You wanted to just keep them down in their place, didn't you?" Thomas asked loudly. By now a crowd had drawn near him, of the people that had fought with the festival guards not moments earlier. They were watching the scene take place. Some of them looked to be homeless people or vagabonds, but Arkanov looked over them and recognized uneven tans around their wrists and ankles. They had been tied up befrore. They were likely to be slaves.

"I have seen places built up on foundations of oppressing the people who inhabit it, and of cheating them out of the things they have worked for, deserve, but are denied," Thomas continued loudly, noticing the crowd below him. He seemed to recognize them from the expression of relief on his face. He furrowed his brow as if coming up with some sort of plan on the spot. "But in these places, these citizens are still guaranteed basic rights. They are treated like human beings. Perhaps they are objects to the system of the city or counry, but certainly they are not objects to people just like them, but only above them in societal class. That leads me to ask: why, then, is a town filled with the freedom of magical ability and expression of self such as this, just as hypocritical, if not more so, in policy towards indentured servitude than the places I have just described?"

A large roar of approval erupted from the groups of slaves. Thomas seemed pleased with himself. He had not even unleashed a full speech and already these people were on his side. He pointed an accusatory finger at the slave traders, and unleashed his winning smile in the form of a smirk. "I think your system is flawed. And I will be in your city and traverse its streets, but I simply cannot follow the rules of a society so cruel toward the people who carry it on its back and work for it to death."

Thomas turned to the slaves now cheering and hooting for him. "I do not think you should stand for this sort of belittlement either. Take back from them what is rightfully yours from the sole fact that you are living human beings just like me. Take back your freedom, by whatever means necessary."

With that, the slaves lunged for the traders in front of them on the float, and an all out brawl ensued that nearly tipped over the structure from how many people were on one side of it. Thomas used this opportunity to look at River, and give a thumbs-up for her performance. And then, he caused his magic gun to dissipate into the night air, removing the light from the street and cloaking it in darkness once more. One could only hear the sudden and rapid footsteps of heeled boots up the street and down the corner afterwards.

River yelped again as the darkness returned, and suddenly she felt arms wrap tightly around her. But they were familiar, not that of a stranger's, and warm from the fire that had enveloped them before. It was Inxie, thank goodness. River was almost ready to cry out of fear, but the other woman kept her together for now. She turned her around to face her, "Rivvy, sweetie, calm down, it's okay. We need to get out of here, now. Get back to the house and don't look back, I'll search for Lumi, got it?"

River nodded fearfully, her hands shaking with her anxiety as her heart pulsed rapidly. She was terrified, and broke off into a sprint the other direction, jumping off of the float, and trying to make her way towards their home before the rioting slaves could get her. Inxie called out one last time, "And don't be afraid to use your magic, defend yourself!"

That was the last words she heard before she was finally out of earshot. River kept running, holding her lyre tighter than ever, praying that she wouldn't be beaten to death by a slave or a trader. However, it was only a moment later she had crashed into another person, much taller than her now that she was fallen on the ground, and a bit shadowed by the lack of light. River screamed once more when she saw the dark sword he was carrying in his hand, and immediately she covered her eyes with her arm, as a pathetic excuse for blocking.

Arkanov grunted as she bumped into him, but he stood still and did not move much from where he originally was. Instead, he looked to see who had knocked into him and scoffed when he saw her. "What the hell are you doing?" He still helped her up anyways.

"Arkanov, don't be so rude!" Kestral admonished her brother angrily. She went over to River's side and put both hands to her mouth in shock of the sudden violence that had taken place. "River, I hope you're okay. Did Thomas hurt you?"

But at this point, Arkanov had already sprinted down the street in a speed nearly equal to that of Thomas. He lumbered down the street, keeping his sword in hand and at the ready.

Kestral, exasperated and now fearful of being alone, called after him, "Wait! Arkanov, come back! What are you doing?!"

"That damn crook is not slipping away from me so easily!" Arkanov growled in a bitter tone after his sister. "Stay here with her! I'll be back!"

Kestral looked back over to River, now in need of a new leader to follow. "What on earth do we do now?"

"We get back to the house, and hide there until this whole thing is over. If that doesn't happen, we may have to run to the next town…" River fretted, terrified as she didn't know her fate. This wasn't the first time her life was in danger, but even then it was an awful experience. She reached out her hand for the girl to take, and briefly glanced over her shoulders as she heart the shouting and screams getting closer, "Do you trust me, Kestral?"

Without even thinking twice, Kestral latched onto River's hand as though her life depended on it, for it did. All around her, the slaves were causing a ruckus and more bystanders were getting involved. City fixtures and crude buildings were being shoved over, bonfires were being lit, and the city guards were being unleashed. They had to leave now. "Quickly! Let's go back to your house!"

River nodded, holding onto the girl's hand tightly now, and ran away from the chaos of this sudden revolt. She went as fast as she could, pulling on Kestral's arm, but she was ready to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way of her young legs suddenly have out. She could hear fires burning, people shouting, the clashing of scimitars against each other. From the looks of it, there was no way this could all be resolved in one night, their best chance once they reach the house was to leave the city shortly afterwards, with Arkanov of course. River couldn't just abandon the city with someone else's sister.

In a matter of minutes after running, River could see the house, which was still thankfully intact. She bent over, panting heavily, but still opened the door, and let herself and Kestral inside. She quickly close it behind them, and continued panting, trying to catch her breath. Lumi and Inxie weren't here. "We'll be safe in here for now… when your brother comes back, we'll have to evacuate from the city…"

Kestral began to tremble from the mere excitement of it all, and the fear instilled in her. She didn't know what to do, for her brother had gone off for who knows how long, presumably to kill Thomas, and she was forced to put her trust in a woman she didn't even know. She had no problem trusting River, for she seemed like a reliable, peaceful person, but she just wanted her brother back. She whimpered slightly, and looked to River for guidance. "I don't think my brother is coming back any time soon," she mentioned in a shaky voice. "He's going after Thomas, and Thomas may be running as far as he can possibly get before he's caught. What if Arkanov gets lost...? I'm sorry, I know you two aren't on the best of terms, but I feel like I need to follow him too."

River looked over her shoulder, peeking out the window, just to be sure that nobody was outside watching them or waiting to hurt them. "Kestral, it'll be okay, I'm sure he can handle himself. He wouldn't want you to go after him, it's really dangerous out there," the woman then glanced down to her shaking hands, "And I can't protect you if I follow along, I don't know how to fight. Waiting here would be better…"

The young girl looked at her shaking hands, and something changed in the way she looked at the woman. Determinedly, she moved to the door. "You may not know how to fight, but... I may."

As she spoke, a star-shaped object began to form over her left hand. A handle materialized in her palms and she grasped it tightly. On the exterior, the star was slightly translucent and cast a purple-pink glow on some objects near her. It had bright white flecks, looking like a lit image of the starry night sky. But on the other side, a vision of a dark blue, morphing and shimmering galaxy could be seen. It was a strange star shield of sorts. In her right hand, bright white star shapes sat in her hand and at the ready. She glanced over to River. "You can join me if you like, but if not, don't worry about me. I've got fate on my side!"

She shuffled her shield and star bombs as she opened the door, and as quietly and stealthily as she could manage, she crept out of the door and onto the city's streets.

"Kestral, no!" River tried to get to her before she ran out, but she just wasn't fast enough. Now was probably the perfect time for her to start panicking. She had seriously just let a child run out into the streets where a massive and violent riot was taking place. She didn't know what to do, if that girl got hurt or even killed out there, she couldn't stand herself to feel such guilt like that again. She had to do something.

Determination filled River's heart, and she clutched on to her lyre once more. It was no weapon, but she knew that it may come in handy in the need of an emergency. She opened the door quickly, and followed suit after the girl, who hadn't gotten far as she could still see that glimmering shield, "Kestral, wait up! I'm coming with you!"

"Awesome!" Kestral cheered excitedly from hearing this. To make sure one would not lose the other, she held onto River's hand and together they careened through the crowds and small fights that were taking place in the streets.

She only knew the direction they were going. Nothing else. Kestral called out from over her shoulder, "Do you know the city near the direction they were heading?"

"N-No, not at all!" River explained, keeping up her pace beside the girl, utterly surprised by the fact that she could run with a shield and bombs on her, but perhaps it was the magic that make it lighter on her. She kept holding on tighter, afraid of losing her by accident, "All I know is that they went the opposite way of where we were before!"

"Well, this will be interesting!" Kestral exclaimed.

Suddenly, a man who had been brawling with another by scrimitars was thrown at River's direction. Kestral saw this and immediately lunged backwards so the shield would block her. The man was deflected off of Kestral's shield, but surprisingly Kestral had not been knocked over by the man nearly twice her height and double her weight. The shield had done some deflecting itself, as if it pushed the man.

But Kestral did manage to trip over River's feet, of all things, and fell to the floor. She fell with an *oof* onto the floor, and tried to scrambled back to her feet and followed River. "Oh, sorry! Well... darn, Ark took the map. Then just lead the way out of the city please! We can figure things out from there!"

River was about to lend a hand to get Kestral back up, and was about to check for any scrapes or broken bones, but she seemed totally unharmed, which astonished River. The woman took th girl's hand once again, and in the distance she could see the sandstone walls of Sihrasul, with several innocent people running towards it. It must have been an open gate, an escape route for those who desperately needed to flee, such as themselves. "Over there!" River pointed, "If we can get past the gates, it'll be safe."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Kestral said in relief. She was happy that they were so close but she was so tired and she painted heavily. But she continued on, for she needed to find her brother.

They neared the gate quickly with their pace. Some city guards were waving the small crowd of people through the gates to turn immediately to the right to an evacuation center. Kestral could not see it immediately. But that did not matter, for when the two girls passed the gates, they kept straight forward, towards another light far off in the distance. Kestral was scared to see the endless desert once again, and the waves and waves of sand swept up in the wind, but she persevered on. She figured the light was the next city, a shining beacon.

The city guards called out to them. "You two!" they yelled loudly, their voice carrying over the wind, "You should get to the evacuation shelter!"

River turned her head when she heard the voice of the guardsman, but she couldn't be worried with him. They had to find Arkanov and Thomas, before they kill each other or worse. She didn't know why they would want to harm one another, as she had thought they were on better terms than this, but as they made their way through the sand in the dark night with the city in chaos behind them, River refused to go back, at least for now.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" A high pitched voice sounded like it was wailing right behind the other two girls. Kestral turned and skidded to a halt on the slippery sand, almost losing her balance. She squinted as she tried to make out a figure that was vigorously sprinting towards them, now seeming as though chasing them. The figure drew nearer and skidded to a halt as well. It was Salina. Her dress was torn at the edges and at the top, so she had to use her hands to raise it so it wouldn't dip too low. Her hair was far more messy than it was before. Kohl eyeliner was dragged down her cheeks, matching a bloody red scratch of the same shape in the same place. She seemed frazzled. And angry. Very angry.

"Where... are you two... going...?" Salina asked breathlessly in between huffs.

"Did you follow us all the way from the street?" Kestral was surprised.

Salina nodded, and turned to River while gasping for air. "Y-Yes... you. Are you okay? And where are you two running off to?"

River was surprised to see that Salina of all people had followed them after all that had happened, and all of the chaos. Why them of all people frantically panicking in the city? Then again, they were the only ones who had made this attempt to run out of the city rather than hide in shelter. "We needed to find two of our friends… well, they're not really my friends, but Kestral's brother is one of them. Now what in the world are you doing following us?"

"I want to say that I'm so kind that I simply ran here to check on your well-being after that ordeal, but why lie to myself?" Salina had a harsh scowl on her face and gave a suspicious expression to them, arched eyebrow and all. "I'm going after the lunatic that *ruined* my festival. He caused utter chaos and now this night is a disaster. I'm against the slave trade here too but did he need to do it on this night, of all of them? I'm going to track him down, drag him back to Sihrasul and throw him in the city's jail. Or send a bounty hunter on him. Whichever comes first."

The white haired woman tensed up when she heard this from Salina. She didn't want to risk putting Thomas in any more trouble and danger, but at the same time she didn't want to lie to this frustrated, frazzled young lady. River glanced off to the side, holding her lyre in her other hand a little bit tighter in nervousness, "Y-You're talking about Thomas... he's one of the people we're looking for, and the other, Arkanov... we think he's trying to kill him..."

"... I like this Arkanov guy already," Salina declared decisively. She crossed her arms and now looked at the two girls under more scrutiny. "And just why are you going after this Thomas? You said he was one of your friends... but he put a gun to your head. And *ruined* my festival. Maybe I should be putting the bounty hunter on you two?"

"N-No, please don't!" River let go of Kestral's hand and put it up in a halting motion, trying to calm down the other girl, but she felt that it just wouldn't be enough to convince her. She took a deep breath, glacing from side to side, "It's a long and complicated story, I don't even know if I'm actually friends with either of them, I'm just trying to make sure that Arkanov doesn't get killed and end up leaving his sister alone here! And what even is a gun?!"

Salina blinked her eyes, unsure of what this meant. Then she frowned. "I'm hoping that's just a really bad joke."

Kestral moved forward to Salina and clasped her hands together. She seemed ready to beg and get down on her knees if necessary. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Please, Miss Salina... my brother is taking care of me. I can't have him possibly die in a fight against Thomas. I'm sure once we get to Arkanov we can talk it out with Thomas as well. But just let us be. We promise we'll bring both of them back and we can sort out this whole mess later. Don't sick a bounty hunter on us. I don't even know what that is but it doesn't sound pleasant."

Salina tightened the fold of her arms and stared at Kestral. She huffed.

She was trying to resist those wide green eyes. But she couldn't do it.

"Ugh, okay, fine!" Salina exclaimed, obviously frustrated with herself for caving in. "But only if I can come with you guys. I promise I won't kill either of them, immediately that is."

"Thank you, thank you so much…" River let out her breath of relief, so glad that she didn't have to deal with more angry people intent on harming one another. She's already had enough violence as of tonight, and she didn't want it to continue with Salina either. So, she looked back out into the open desert and decided, "Let's go, and get them before they get too violent…"

"Onwards then, girls!" Salina pumped her fist in the air and led the group of three down the sandy slopes and towards the next city.

### Zahafi

After about an hour of normal, walking-paced trekking through the sand and wind, the three girls made it to a new area. By now it was still pitch black night, but the but the sky was beginning to lighten ever so slightly, suggesting the group was in the early morning hours, and it would be daytime soon. It looked similar to Sihrasul in basic structure and buildings, though more tile was used in architecture. But the buildings were taller, more cleanly built and sculpted, and looked like mini palaces. One could only guess that this was a more well-off city economically.

Salina looked to the other girls as they walked quietly down the empty streets. No one was out at this time besides them. No lights were on either. "I'm guessing they have their water festival tomorrow night," Salina said to fill the silence, referring to the people of this city. "I'm curious as to why you think your friends would be in this city. It's dead quiet. I'm assuming they'd be loud. Are you sure they went this direction?"

River stared around the city, awed by the beautiful structures and towers. She had been here once before however, it was where she had met Lumi and Inxie, and where they had agreed to take her in. That was less than a year ago, yet it felt so far in the past. But River, hearing Salina's inquiry, glanced out of the corner of her eye to Kestral, "I am not entirely sure, but… I trust Kestral knows where they are. I don't know much about astral mages, but… I know that they tend to show good intuition."

Kestral gazed over at River and smiled. "How did you tell I was astral?"

"That star armor you're tricked out in kind of gave it away," Salina replied, pointing to her shield and bombs. She giggled.

Kestral blushed embarrassedly. "Right. Anyways. Let me try to gauge this spatially in my mind."

The young girl closed her eyes and stayed this way for a while as they walked, thankfully down a straight street. When they neared the corner, she frowned as though she was thinking harder about something. Finally, she opened her eyes, and instead of going down the street and around the corner as would've made sense, she turned rapidly down a dark alley."In here!"

Salina grasped at her arms again and scanned the alley cautiously. Not much could be seen, for too many shadows were being cast from the high buildings, compouned by the darkness of night. "You're gonna get us killed, kid. There could be criminals in these little dark alcoves."

"No, they're here," Kestral declared with the utmost certainty in her tone of voice.

"I don't see anyone here," Salina countered.

The young girl kept her eyes open just in case. She knew her brother was smarter than to just have a dangerous brawl in public. Even in an alleyway such as this one, there were too many risks: the possiblity of getting caught, or injuring other innocents, others to go off of. He would have had to hide and fight in plain sight.

Faintly, she could make out some moving shadows against the wall on the left to the three girls. When she squinted and tried to concentrate on these shadows, she saw they were in the shapes of two people, and judging by their body types, they were grown men. They seemed to be going back and forth, running up and down the walls, left and right. But no physical body in front of Kestral was casting them. She knew exactly what was going on.

"Arkanov!" Kestral called out. She wasn't using as loud of a voice as she could've, but it was loud enough for the noise to reverberate back and forth against the tight alley's walls. "Get out of the shadows, please. Stop fighting with Thomas!"

The two figures stopped once they heard the young girl's voice. The taller one used this momentary pause as an opportunity to lunge at the other, but surprisingly, the physical bodies of the two people emerged from the wall's shadows. The three girls could see Arkanov, his hair messy and clothes once again dirty, with a shadow knife in his mouth. He was pinning down Thomas, dirty and showing off cuts and gashes from their scuffle, by his wrists. They were panting heavily.

Kestral put her hands on her hips. "Don't take Thomas into the shadow plane to fight him," she admonished her brother, "That's cheating. Rather, don't fight Thomas at all."

Arkanov did not give up his position over Thomas, and instead pinned the other man's body down hard onto the sandstone floor by digging his thunderous thighs into Thomas' chest. Air was forced out of Thomas' mouth, and he sounded like a deflating balloon. Arkanov stared at the three girls in front of him breathlessly, showing no emotion. He took the dark, wispy, shadowy knife into his hand and pointed it at River, and his expression returned to the usual scowl. "Why did you bring my sister back? This is no place for a child."

River's eyes narrowed in a hard glare, and with her left hand she held out her lyre to Salina. Without even turning her head to look at her, "Hold this, I've got a few things to say…"

When it was out of her hand, River stomped over to Arkanov, untying the cloth around her head, and threw it on the ground. This was rare, a very brief moment where she could show true anger and frustration. It was difficult to bring out, but after barely surviving riots and wandering the desert with a severe lack of sleep, her patience had worn thin. "How *dare* you! As if YOU'RE the more responsible one! What kind of reckless *idiot* leaves their child sister in the middle of a burning, rioting city, in the care of someone that neither you or her *barely know*?!"

"This is coming from a woman who had a gun held to the back of her head by him," Arkanov noted and defended. Even though he continued to speak with her, he didn't seem angered by her comments at all. "What reckless idiot would follow me back to the place where her assailant would be? It's like you're trying to get hurt. I left Kestral with you because I figured you two would be smart enough to get indoors and stay safe. Yet, here you are."

"We tried to!" River clenched her fists tighter. Although she had no intention of hurting him or starting any sort of physical fight, it felt like a natural thing to do when yelling, "But she ran off to find you. And everyone who was fighting was getting too close to us anyways, they would have found us and attacked us, and you could have risked not having a little sister anymore!"

"Which brings us back to the question: why did you allow my sister to come here?" Arkanov asked, his voice still cool and calm, but the anger was definitely there. "I suppose you don't mind having the possibility of a young girl's death on your conscience."

Salina got between the two and put her hands up. "You two, stop it right now. The damage is done. What matters most is that no one is killed, alright?" She looked over to River. "It's no use fighting with him since you'll all be parting ways."

"… You're right, we will be parting ways. I don't want to have to deal with this anymore." River grumbled under her breath. She bent down, picking up the blue cloth she had thrown on the ground in frustration earlier. Then, as she turned to Salina, she gently took the lyre back out of her hands, and was about to walk off, "I'm going back to find Lumi and Inxie, hopefully not their corpses…"

However, her path had been immediately interrupted and blocked by someone new. A bystander perhaps, and River would have thought they were someone from the city, until she realized their skin was a bit too pale compared to the common inhabitants. It was a young man, older than herself by a few years yet not all that much taller. He has ruffled black hair that almost went down to his shoulders, and wore foreign clothes, a cream colored shirt with the color overlapping the neck of his buttoned vest. It reminded her of Thomas in some ways. He was holding a pen in his right hand, and an open notebook in the other, "Erm, hello miss, I couldn't help but notice that you and those others were having a heated argument. May I ask what the matter is?"

River raised an eyebrow at this, never hearing the term 'miss' before, and she hoped that it wasn't some insult she was unfamiliar with. She crossed her arms, glancing back the group she almost left, "To be brief, one of these guys caused a revolution, sabotaging the water festival in Sihrasul, almost murdered me, while another left me in charge of a young girl instead of helping her make sure she was safe."

"That sounds quite troublesome," a second person arrived, similar in skin to the strange man in front of her. This one was the same age, with medium-length red hair swept back, wearing black glasses and a blue long sleeved shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up some for this climate. "We were planning on making it to Sihrasul next. But *this* sounds like a much more interesting opportunity for a story." The strange man had peeked over River's shoulder and waved to the frazzled-looking group behind her, "Mind if we ask all of you some questions?"

Arkanov's eyes widened when he saw the two men who looked similar to him and Kestral. He would have been thankful any other day that they were not the only ones who appeared to be from another place besides this country, but he seemed to have an aversion to questions at the moment. His shoulder became more tense than usual and he turned his face away from them. "If you're news reporters, then no."

"Yes, yes you may!" Salina said excitedly. Though, she wasn't eager for story covering her, or to be interviewed. Rather, she pointed down to Thomas, who was barely breathing underneath Arkanov's weight. "And if you are news reporters, you can make a story on how that guy ruined Sihrasul's water festival. And you can put him in your paper's eulogy."

"Forgive us, but I'm afraid we aren't journalists. We're members of the Pendsbury expedition, and we've been researching mages and Samadurian culture here for several months," The red-haired one explained. However, when he saw Thomas being nearly crushed under Arkanov's weight, he grew somewhat cautious as he now directed his words to the dark-haired man, "Perhaps we could make this easier if you could let him up and breathe? After all, I'm curious as to why Atreans like you are all the way down here in the Zunaria desert?"

"W-We're not Atreans," Arkanov stammered quickly, nearly stumbling over his words. His eyes had grown even more wide at the word "Pendsbury." He moved away from Thomas and lifted him up by his shoulders, up to his feet. But he did not do this to comply with the red-haired man's wishes. He obviously needed assistance in talking his way through the conversation.

Thomas, confused by the sudden change in demeanor, dusted off his clothes and finally began to breathe again. He seemed surprised to find two other Atreans in front of him. "Well, his ancestors are from Atreanor, he isn't," Thomas explained to the other two men. He knew Arkanov was forcing him into the lead role once more even though he nearly killed him moments earlier, but doing this would save his own hide as well. "I managed to cause a little trouble in Sihrasul, and nearly killing me is my dear friend's form of reprimanding, I suppose."

The black haired one was already writing some notes down of this, in bullet points, not perfect descriptions of the situation but good for reference. The red haired one on the other hand nodded, and was about to ask another question, until suddenly his eyes opened wide, then followed by a slightly embarrassed chuckle, "Oh, forgive me. We were so interested in all of you that we forgot to introduce ourselves. I am Rubus Barry, and my twin here…" Rubus pointed to the man writing down notes, "Is Blake Barry."

"How about the rest of you?" Blake asked, pausing in his writing to speak to the collective group, "We might need your names for this, as we're required to prove credible sources and all."

River gave a small look of suspicion to the twins, but at the same time she felt a little comfortable. These were probably the friendliest people she had met since yesterday. And even with how kind Kestral has been, as well as Salina, these brothers were the most talkative, "My name is River, and the others…"

Salina frowned at these questions but complied. "Salina."

Kestral waved to the other men. "Um, hello! I'm Kestral." She noticed her brother wasn't forthcoming with his name so she spoke on his behalf. "That's my brother Arkanov. Don't mind him, he's a grump."

"And I," Thomas introduced formally, with his slight dip, formalities all present, "I am Thomas. Pleased to meet your acquaintance. Erm, are you going to be sharing all of this with a superior of some sort?"

At this question, Rubus shook his head, and held his hands politely in front of his torso, "Actually, we don't have a superior to report back to. We're doing this of our own wishes. You see, everything we're recording here, we're going to try having it all published into a book back in Atreanor. We figured that information about mages and Samadurai as a whole shouldn't come from just bad rumors, and instead should derive from a truly helpful and honest source. It could especially be helpful in Pendsbury…"

River was, to say the least, confused. These words and names she hadn't heard before just being spoken like normal, as if she should know this, but she didn't. Instead, she turned her head back around to the others, tilting her gaze in curiousity, "… What's Atreanor? And what's… Pendsbury? It sounds like a weird name…"

"Gee... I don't know," Arkanov said with a big, awkward shrug. He scratched his head, and looked to Rubus and Blake. "I've heard of... this... p-place before, but, uh... I don't know where it is...? Why don't you... tell us?"

Thomas stared at Arkanov, appalled. "Um. I know of Atreanor." He looked to Rubus and Blake. "I've been there before, a couple of times, for a while. It was when I had a tenure of a man's servant. It's a floating city. Are you two from there?"

Now it was Blake who shook his head to this, "Not at all. The two of us are from Floralia, a little port town on the east coast of Atreanor." He mentioned this with a smile, though it was not as wide as it could have been. Before they could pester everyone with even more questions, something began to seem… off. Blake was distracted from his focus on the pen and paper, and looked down to the side pocket of his trousers. It was almost like a pulsating feeling, not coming from him, but from what he was carrying. As Rubus started to ask more questions in his curiousity, the other brother reached into his pocket, and pulled out a strange glass-like shard the size of his fingernail, colored gold and glowing faintly like a small sun.

River seemed to be the only one who noticed this, and she released a soft gasp upon the sight of it. Her heart began racing, and she put a hand on her chest just to hold back the shock. As Rubus was blabbering on to the others about something, she stepped forward with concern in her eyes, making him stop. "Blake… where did you get that?"

"Oh, this little thing?" The black-haired man held it between his index finger and thumb for her to see, "Just happened to stumble upon it in this town, it looked really neat."

River quickly held out the palm of her hand, and switched to a sharp tone of voice, "I really, really need that. It's important, and I've been searching for it for a long time…" but when Blake had retracted, and gave her a questioning look, she rolled her eyes, "It's a heart shard, alright? I don't have a single one, and if I can have the first one, then it will lead me to the others. Please, it's an urgent matter…"

Kestral looked at the heart shard in utter curiosity. She could feel things that most others could not, and could sense power radiating from the fragment, great power. Something important would happen because of this shard. But River seemed understandably interested in the shards. "Um, River..." Kestral piped up again, stepping closer to her side, "Why are these heart shards important?"

"Yes, these are the elusive heart shards?" Thomas asked. He looked at the piece curiously. "You mentioned them before to me, but you never stated why you wanted them."

When these questions had popped up towards her, River felt frozen on the spot, and mI at nervousness began to ride slowly up her spine. She scratched the back of her head, her gaze shifting to the side, "It's a bit of a long story, are you sure that you want to hear it…?"

Rubus and Blake nodded simultaneously and silently, which was followed by the white haired woman giving out a sigh, "Y-You see… my home is a place called… Ali'ikai, but… its been destroyed by floods and tsunamis…" River stuttered and paused quite often, worried that she was beginning to sound ludicrous, "And I know someone who's missing their heart. It was stolen from them a long time ago, shattered, and then scattered across the continent. I need to find these shards to restore his heart, so that he can help me save my home. Um… did that help any?"

Kestral, Thomas, and Salina seemed to be in agreeance with this. They nodded quickly, but Arkanov seemed very confused.

"Hearts... can have shards...?" Arkanov asked confusedly. He rose an eyebrow at River, and for once finally showed no anger towards her. Instead, he was curious. "Um... I thought hearts were... soft organs."

"You're thinking of a physical heart," River noted, and while she did feel a bit more awkward having to speak to Arkanov now, she didn't feel any sort of annoyance or irritation with him. Instead, she felt somewhat interested by how he suddenly seemed curious about this, when he hadn't before, "The 'heart' I'm talking about is an essence, which is made up out of all of your emotions, thoughts, and memories. When someone's heart is taken away, then they can't feel anything, and they aren't aware of anything."

Kestral looked concerned that Arkanov was saying this, and went to her brother's side to pat his back and smile awkwardly. "He knows that! As mages from our home city... o-on here, we've gotta know all that stuff about heart essences and souls, yes?"

"Anyways," Thomas interjected again, immediately changing the subject, "River, you said there were shards, so more than one. Do you know where they are? And do you need any help finding them? Perhaps, if your question still stands, I could assist you? After all, I am in debt to you."

River's eyes went wide at this offer, she had thought Thomas had lied about helping her earlier, considering how he had ruined an entire festival and almost could have killed her. But for some reason, despite all of that, she felt a spark of hope ignite a flame in her heart, and she smiled, "You would really do that? And you're not just saying it to make me happy?" She asked, almost in disbelief, but the joy was growing, "I know that this shard could lead me to the others, so we wouldn't be lost. Are you up for a lot of traveling?"

"I don't mind at all!" Thomas exclaimed happily. "A lot of traveling sounds quite fun actually." He was about to near her to shake her hand and let her know his sincerity, but he remembered that she surprisingly did not know what a hand shake was. So he simply resorted to a smile. "And I'm not saying no this to make me happy. You really did save my hide back there by not freaking out."

Salina moved protectively to River's side. She put a hand on this woman's shoulder and tried to meet her gaze. "River, he had a gun to your head. Why do you trust him? What's he talking about 'saving' him?"

"I… don't know, I didn't do anything special…" River tilted her naive head to the side in confusion. After a short moment, she suddenly remembered exactly what had occurred at the festival hours before, and came to a realization, "Wait, you mean when you threatened to kill me to stop those guys from chasing you? I *was* freaking out! I just… didn't know if I could have fought back…"

"It was all an act," Thomas explained, "I just needed to threaten River's life to those slave traders to make it seem like I was serious. I would've never hurt her. She was so kind in showing us to an inn earlier in the day, a hospitable hostess in her home... I have no death wish for her."

He went to Salina and tried to give her an earnest smile. "You have nothing to fear with her."

Salina stared deep into Thomas' eyes to try to detect if this man was lying. Their pairs of brown eyes gazed into each other's for a long while, daring the other to speak up first. Finally, Salina gave a gentle smile, an expression she had not been wearing on her face for a long while. "Fine, I believe you. But..."

Salina returned to River's side, crossed her arms, and gave a little smirk to everyone. "If you're going with River, I'm going too. Just to keep an eye on you, Thomas. I don't want anything bad happening to an innocent citizen. Not on my watch!"

River's eyes were so wide with surprise with how these people, after so many months of searching for help, had actually wanted to assist her. Then, the feeling of gratitude changed her expression, and she wiped her eyes before she could start crying tears of joy. Her voice was a little shaky, "You… thank you so much. I've never had anyone want to accompany me with this…"

Then, Blake had held out his hand holding the shard for her to take. Gently, with a bow of thankfulness with her head, she took the shard into her own hand. The moment she grasped it, a warm feeling surged through her nerves, and thoughts, images, and sounds of joyful times filled her mind. Her smile was as wide as can be. Rubus spoke up, "You know, I think that maybe having us follow along could be helpful as well. After all, this sounds like a story which could lead to a lot of interesting information to record." He smiled, and now looked to Arkanov and Kestral, "Now, how about the two of you?"

"Arkanov, please..." Kestral turned around and gave her brother a pleading look. She approached his side and held his hand gently. "If only for a little while. This could be fun. It's better than that other plan you had for being in Samadurai, right? The more people on this, the quicker we can find them for her! They sound rather important."

All of the anger and confusion melted away from his face, and his expression softened. He looked up to Thomas to see his reaction. Thomas was grinning, as if he had teased Arkanov over something or won an argument. Arkanov did not like it. He looked down to a band around his wrist that looked like some watch, and then to Thomas, and then to River, and to Kestral, and Salina, and Rubus and Blake.

"Fine," Arkanov finally gave in, and turned away so no one could see his face. "But as soon as we find them all we're going straight home, Kestral. No games. You too, Thomas."

"Delightful," Thomas clapped his hands together, and now gave a smile to River. "When do we leave?"

"At least after noon," River decided without a moment of hesitation, and was now rubbing her head in exhaustion. She still smiled though, "We've been up for hours, and the sun's almost risen. I need a place to sleep, as well as the rest of you, minus the twins probably…"

Thomas nodded, and leaned on Arkanov's shoulder. "You're quite right. I did not find that inn that you showed us earlier, nor did I rest. We definitely need some sleep before we head out to, erm, wherever we're going."

"So we find a place to stay for the night and we meet up here tomorrow by eleven or noon?" Salina suggested. Feeling the exhaustion, she yawned. "Sounds good to me."

"It's agreed then." River nodded, trying to stop herself from yawning, "I've been here before, and there was an inn towards the center of town, so we can stay there until noon."

## The Journey Begins

It was the morning after the ruined water festival one city over, in Sihrasul. The small town of Zahafi had heard of what went down and tentions were high among the inhabitants. They had heard of guards warning the governments of cities in all directions from Sihrasul that the slave who had begun the insurrection and threatened the life of one of the citizens was still on the loose and could be anywhere.

Arkanov could feel the intensity and fear of the crowd as he walked down the street towards where he and the others were the night before. As he looked into everyone's eyes, he could feel what they were feeling in a sense. They were on edge. Strangers could be the felon the guards were looking for. He was a stranger. It did not take much thinking to put two and two together and begin watching him carefully, to make sure he did no sudden moves. Nobody wanted what had happened in Sihrasul to happen in their well-to-do neighborhood. Arkanov reasoned this city was well involved with the slave trade as well.

Thomas would always cause a stir in the hearts of many, no matter where he went, whether it be good or bad, he felt.

He looked down to Kestral, whose hand he was holding as he guided her to the area they had been. She was quiet. But the smile on her face showed her mood. She was excited to see this world that was new to her.

Arkanov wished he could have as much enthusiasm as she.

He turned into the alley they had been in before. There Thomas lurked in one of the shadows, but in an outfit different from the one he wore yesterday. He continued to wear his orange shirt, and pants and boots, but covering it now was a white sleeveless shirt that had a hood. He wore it over his face, and it nearly covered most of his eyes, but he was still wearing the makeup under his eyes, which was now fixed. Arkanov could only tell it was him because of the red symbol on his cloak; not the one to indicate that he was a slave, thankfully. It was new, a circle with a pike going through it.

"You've got a lot of nerve hiding there in the shadows," Arkanov scoffed as he walked towards Thomas. "You're a light mage, remember?"

"If you had a problem with it you should've gotten up sooner," Thomas said with a shrug. He peered over Arkanov's shoulders, and then to his hand. "You're not going to kill me?"

"I can't at this point, these people are expecting you on this trip," Arkanov huffed, "By the way? Thanks for that. Now you're forcing me to follow along with you. It feels like you're obstructing me from my original mission."

Thomas rose an eyebrow. "You could've gone on to your mission. I'm not preventing you from doing so."

"And let you run around to god knows where, doing god knows what, telling god knows who about my mission?" Arkanov asked. "Like hell I would. I've got to tail you now and watch you, and prevent you from blowing my cover. Keep it coming with the lies, Tommy. Because if you so happen as to say one thing about where we're from, or what I'm supposed to be doing, I'll kill your circus act ass."

"Arkanov!" Kestral slapped her brother's hand. "Do not swear in front of me! You know how I feel about it."

Arkanov sighed. He had to remember his sister, who was virtually a second mother with how much she scolded him, was with him now. "Fine. But I'm serious, Thomas... I will carry out on my threat if need be."

"I've no need to tattle," Thomas assured. He showed no fear as he gave a light-hearted chuckle, and stared down the alleyway. "I'm excited for this. These shards are powerful, I'm sure you could've felt it too just by looking at that one they found yesterday. I need to know more... isn't it almost noon? Hopefully everyone else shows up."

Only a moment after those words, two figures came out from the opposite direction that Arkanov and Kestral had come from. It was Rubus and Blake once more, although this time neither of their noses were buried in notebooks and furiously writing down scribbles. Instead, the red-haired twin carried a satchel, which is likely where they kept those supplies, and Blake was carrying one of his own, only it was stocked with food and canteens of water for the journey. He raised his hand to the three already gathered, and ran up to them with a smile, "Glad to see that you've made it here before us, early is always better, right?"

"Not always," Rubus corrected, stating this matter-of-factly, "But in this case, it just shows that we might have some good planners traveling with us."

Blake chuckled sheepishly at this comeback, but he didn't seem to mind. Shortly after, another person approached the gathering, it was River. Her eyes seemed to have lightened up from resting, and surprisingly, she was able to manage a change of clothes. She wore a tan, sleeveless dress, with a large red cloth tied around her waist, as well as a few strings of turquoise beads wrapped around her neck, hips, and ankle. She carried her own back as well, holding her lyre, a glass bottle holding the first shard, a comb, and other dried foods that could last a while. "Alright, I've made it! I managed to find Lumi and Inxie here, they got some things from our home in Sihrasul, and let me take what I needed for the journey. They wished us good luck… now where's Salina?"

As if on cue, Salina came down the alleyway. She was in a different outfit from yesterday. It was all pink, even the thigh-high stockings that she wore. She had two curled braids that looked more like pigtails. But her brown combat boots showed she wasn't soft, she meant business. She had packs and two bags and pockets and a backpack carrying food and drink for everyone.

Arkanov was too busy staring at River to help, so Thomas immediately went to her side to help her in carrying all of it, but Salina held up a hand. "I'm not even breaking a sweat dude. I'm cool. Hey everyone! We all ready to go?"

River nodded, and she was astounded by the fact that someone like Salina was able to carry so much all on her own without any issue. Now, all that was left was for her to find where they needed to head to next. She reached into her bag, and pulled out the small glass jar, containing the golden heart shard. She twisted off the top, and let the shard roll out onto the palm of her hand. She gripped it tight, and closed her eyes.

Everything around her went dark, as if she was in a strange space of blackness. Then, it was as if dozens of chains began to glow in a variety of colors, all leading from the shard of her hand to various directions. Some chains were tighter and stiffer than others, some a bit loose. But the loosest one was almost touching the ground, meaning that it had the be the closest. River opened her eyes again, and turned her head towards that same direction, "The next closest shard is to the north. Still in Zunaria, but probably in the outer areas, where there's not as much sand, but still dry and rocky…"

Arkanov took out the map he had earlier. He looked at it and based on the direction they had gone last night, he figured they had just moved into a town called Zahafi. He then traced his fingers along the way that River directed to see what the next town over would be. There wasn't anything that would come up relatively soon, a couple of days traveling by foot would allow them to get to the nearest town. "We'll be heading along the Samadurian coast then. At least some water will be nearby, there are lots of rivers and riparian complexes from the deltas. Good places to rest."

"Sounds great," Salina exclaimed happily. "Anything else we need before we head out? I don't want to be the mom of the group but everyone should relieve themselves before we go."

Thomas groaned, and chuckled. "We're all grown adults, so I'm pretty sure we took care of all of that. If there's nothing else... River, would you do us the honor and lead the way?"

River nodded, chuckling somewhat from that little exchange of words, "Of course, I'll take the lead. Just follow me," Then, the young lady began to walk with a sense of determination on the north road. It wasn't long before they would be leaving the town.

After several moments of walking, River could see the endless expansive ocean of sand off in the distance, she knew it would be quite a long journey to the next town. The twins following her began to realize this as well, and so the opportunity for an interview seemed as though a good way to pass the time along the way, so that they weren't dying of boredom. Rubus, being the more sociable and vocal one, trotted up confidently to River's side, while his brother pulled out the notebook and pen once more, prepared to write down what they needed. The first twin spoke, "So, River, who exactly is this person that you need to collect these shards for?"

The young lady went silent for a moment, a bit caught off guard that she was being questioned now of all times, and as they made their way through the sands, she felt a wave of shyness flow into her voice, "U-Um… it's for a man that I know, named Mana…"

Rubus pressed on, "And what does Mana look like? Are you close to him at all?"

River responded tentatively, "H-He… he looks exactly like me, with the skin and hair and eyes, or… at least he used to, from what I heard. Now he's… um… extremely different. Doesn't really look *human* anymore, b-but he can still be a good guy, once he has his heart back…"

"So if he used to look like you, does that mean you're related to him?" Rubus continued to inquire, which made River even more nervous. She wasn't used to people being so curious about her, and she had never explained her reason for being here in full without someone getting utterly confused or bored, "And do you know what happened to him to make him look as he does now?"

The young lady tried to look away from the red-haired man, but his honest eyes that meant no malicious intent were hard to bear, "It's a long story, b-but in short, we're not blood related. He's… one of my previous reincarnations, but… this might sound confusing, the soul that he once had went to my previous reincarnation, and he was given a different soul… then his body was transformed into a sort of… monster… does that make any sense at all…?"

"Loud and clear!" Salina said with a nod. Kestral and Thomas nodded as well.

But Arkanov seemed confused. "So... does that mean he's your dad...?"

River's eyes went wide at this, for the mere thought of the man of the subject matter being her father made her feel disturbed. A shudder swept down her back in the image of that, so she furiously shook her head in denial, "No no no! Not at all, I said he's my *reincarnation*, not my father... you do know what that means, don't you?" she asked, and to her surprise, both of the twins shook their heads simultaneously. It was at this moment the young woman realized that she would have to do a lot of talking during this trek to the next town, "Reincarnation is when someone dies, and their soul moves on to another person to give them life. So in short, my soul used to belong to Mana a few generations back, but now it belongs to me, and keeps me alive. All of your souls used to belong to someone a long time ago as well..."

One would've expected someone who had just heard this stunning revelation to be more enlightened and feel a sense of connection to the spriritual realm and the physical world. But rather than anything so full of depth or meaning, Arkanov's eyes widened and he could only muster, "Y-You used to be a guy?"

"At some point you were probably a woman too, Arkanov," Salina pointed out with a little giggle. "I'm surprised. You said you were from Samadurai, right? You should know this by now."

"Maybe I learned it a little differently, alright?" Arkanov asked, now flustered. "This is confusing. So... the fact that he's your past self is what makes you want to save his hearts? But how can he be alive and you be alive too if you're the same person, technically? Or you have the same soul?"

"As I said before, his previous soul went to me, and a new one was put into him as a replacement. Normally, he should have died, but… that's a long story that I should probably go into later," River explained, but now was trying to change the subject. She wasn't entirely comfortable telling so much information about her at once to people she had yet to trust fully, especially considering how two of them were writing down literally everything that came from out of her mouth.

Rubus, on the other hand, seemed a bit disappointed. He gave innocent, yet inquisitive eyes to the girl, "oh come on, please? This is starting to sound really interesting. You've been put under some unique circumstances, and it would be great to know more, wouldn't it?"

River shook her head, and crossed her arms, "No. Look, it's a complicated mess involving a god, priesthood, and a ceremony that I am sure no one wants to hear me blabber on about for the next few hours. Is it okay if we leave it at that for now?"

Arkanov nodded. For whatever reason, while Sigma tilted her head in confusion at the words River had said, Arkanov, Kestral and Thomas nodded as if the ideas of gods and priesthoods were not new to them. So, the man with the red coat around his waist once more complied. "Sure, we get it. But it sounds like you're not from Samadurai."

River turned a little more shy at this, scratching the back of her head. Though now, she realized that Arkanov had finally taken off his coat, which had always confused her as wearing such heavy clothing in this heat seemed impractical. Nevertheless, she answered, "Not exactly. I'm from a region still in Samadurai, but it's small, and no one else has been there before. It's this little peninsula, with four islands, called Ali'ikai. Actually… I don't think anyone except me and the other Ali'kians know it exists…"

To corroborate this, Arkanov looked down to his map and scanned the Samadurian coast, more inland, and to the other end of the country to see if he could find a peninsula with islands with this same name. When he could not find such, he looked for large citites, then smaller towns. He looked to the coastlines of other countries as well. He had noticed a peninsula drawn on Samadurai's edges, but it was not marked, so he had no clue if it was Ali'ikai or not. "That's peculiar. I cannot find it on here. Are you sure it's off of Samadurai?"

"I'm very sure of it, considering that I arrived in Dhabonde soon after I left. But I don't expect it to be on any maps made by the people out here." River noted, and peeked over her shoulder to look at Arkanov's map. As expected her home wasn't marked anywhere on there. Over to the other side of her, were the twins still writing, until Rubus finally slowed down to talk more to the others of the group, other than River. He figured that she may not want to let out too much information so soon.

So instead, the red-haired young man smiled at the other four, "Then, how about the rest of you? I assume you're all native Samadurians. May I ask what all of you do? And what regions you're from?"

Arkanov instinctively looked to Thomas. Thomas noted this and nodded, and addressed Rubus on behalf of the other man and Kestral. "We aren't from Zunaria. We three are from some of the outer regions of Dhabonde."

"What we do? Uh," Kestral shook her head, and giggled a little. "I don't have a job. I'm twelve."

"Eleven and three-fourths," Arkanov corrected. "Don't round up."

"Whatever! Ignore him, he's mad that I'm almost a teenager," Kestral joked. "Anyways, Thomas, h-he, uh, used to be a slave for us. But for a little while he traveled around the various regions. He even went up to Pendsbury for a little."

"Upon occasion," Thomas agreed with a nod. "I've done some traveling here and there, working under different masters, doing a broad range of jobs and such. I had to return to Arkanov's and Kestral's parents about a year ago and those two finally sprung me out. So now I am jobless and free as well."

"How about you, Arkanov?" Salina asked to the man. She had a sharp tone of voice, as if she was preventing herself from speaking more freely and was holding herself back. "You had Thomas in quite the expert hold when we went down that alley. Almost like you've been trained... surely for a job of some sort?"

"Uh, n-no," Arkanov answered immediately. His face showed he was uncomfortable from this query. "I practiced at home, things my father... taught me."

Rubus only smiled at this, oblivious to Arkanov's awkward pauses in between his words, "Well, glad he taught you that then, it's always a good idea to know some self defense. My brother and I have never been trained in any sort of fighting before."

To this, Blake nodded to confirm his words, and now he was finally the one to speak up to the others. He hadn't much before. "But at the same time, defending yourself would be much easier with the use of magic instead of physical force, which reminds me, mind if we know what all types of magic if you possess them? I happen to be air, and my brother, fire."

"I'm a water mage," River replied nonchalantly, brushing some hair away from her neck as not to have it overheat herself in the desert sun, "Though I don't know how to really fight with my magic…"

Salina grinned at this information. "Water and fire and air. All useful elements that we need in a desert! Thank goodness. Anyways, I'm an earth mage. Sadly geo though. There aren't too many plant earth mages here."

Thomas nodded. "This sounds really great for our purposes. I'm a light mage. Maybe I could heal someone up if need be? And Kestral is astral, and Arkanov is shadow. I think we have nearly all of them, don't we?"

"Huh… that's actually a good point," River noted, that new information already making her feel more confident on this journey. With her they wouldn't die of thirst, with Rubus they wouldn't freeze at night, Thomas could help if someone were injured, and everyone else seemed like they could do their part to make a good combination. "I actually think those are all the magic types. Interesting coincidence, huh?"

"There isn't any other type that's in existence besides plant magic, but we're good!" Salina said with a smile. "But we've got food and water to go through already. We'll be okay!"

They were moving out of the town's borders. "I'm super happy about this guys. Well, we'll be in this desert for a long while until we get to the next town." She looked to Rubus and Blake and patted both of their backs aggressively. "Hope you boys don't mind getting a tan on! Haha!"

### The Village Without Children

A day had passed of traveling, and now the small group of wanderers had made it to their destination without issue. While their clothes were dusted with sand and their eyes tired under the hot afternoon sun, it was as if a weight had lifted off of them when they saw the small town just up ahead. River had still been leading the group in the front, and at the sight of the short yet sturdy sandstone homes, she broke out into a run, as it was easier now with the ground being flatter and rockier instead of sandy as it had been miles back. As she trotted ahead, she turned around and beckoned to the others, "Come on, we're almost there! I'm certain the next shard is here, and we can stock up on supplies!"

"Must we run to it, though?" Salina asked. She had been carrying the bags for a day and was a little tired but she still held up strong. "Be careful, River! You're barefoot, there could be glass on the floor."

"I thought it was going to be days until we got to a town!" Thomas exclaimed, but he ran ahead to meet up with River as well. "Do you know the name of his place?"

"I'll be fine!" River smiled, running ahead anyways despite Salina's warnings, "And there's not a name for this place, a ton of nameless towns are in Samadurai!"

But her excitement was stopped as the moment she made it past the first small home, she felt something grab her forearm tightly, almost painfully. She was then yanked off to the side, releasing a startled yelp. When she turned her gaze up, she saw a brown-skinned man similar in tone to hers, with curly black hair, donning a simplistic uniform and a sheathed scimitar at his side, with a harsh glare down into her blue eyes. He growled, "You have a lot of nerve thinking you can come here in the middle of the day and get away with it…"

River's eyes turned to fear, her smile was gone, and she gritted her teeth as she tried to pull away and run back to the others, but his hold was too strong, and her weak attempts were proved futile. He continued with an even louder and harsher tone, "Didn't think you would be so young, or weak, but that won't make your punishment any easier!"

Thomas screeched to a halt when he saw this strange new man before River and threatening her so. Then he saw the scimitar. In a flash, his arm was up to the sun, and the light pistol he had before materialized into his hand. He clicked the gun and aimed it at the man, towards his chest. "Unless you've got a death wish, I suggest you let her go," Thomas called out.

Arkanov followed suit and unleashed his shadow sword. He went before Kestral, pushing her behind him, and went to Thomas side, aiming the weapon at the man.

Salina called out from behind them, "I've got a boulder here ready to throw at him if necessary!"

"Three against one," Thomas said to the man, smirking. "The odds of you making out of this alive aren't high."

"No, wait, stop!" Called out another voice from behind the unnamed man. It was another male, similar in features but with straightened hair, shorter, and about five years younger, about in his late twenties. He wore the same uniform as the older and stronger one. The young man pulled on his partner's shoulder, and now that he was distracted, his grasp was loosened, so River pulled her arm out. She rubbed her wrist, it already felt a little sore from that strong hold.

The taller man turned his glare to the other, "Come on, look at her! She fits the description perfectly. Dark skin, white hair, blue eyes-"

"*Green* eyes," the younger one corrected, trying to act as a sense of discipline for his partner, "And with *short* hair, not hair that reaches down to her ankles. Look, I know you've been stressed since the first incident, but you can't go picking random travelers the moment they set foot in town. I think you should head back to your post, lest the head guard find out about this and fire you from your sentry position."

The other man groaned, turning away from the foreigners without a single word of apologies to them, and sauntered off in the other direction. As Rubus and Blake finally caught up to the commotion, the new man apologized as quickly as the other had left, "I am so, so sorry. Things have been chaotic here recently, I guess that you happen to bear a resemblance to our current public enemy…"

Kestral seemed instinctively scared, for she had short hair and green eyes, but she could sense that it was not her they were talking about.

Thomas put the gun down, sheepishly as well, for these men were not trying to start a fight. Similarly, Arkanov put away his weapon. Thomas went to River's hand and pat her back to show that everything was alright. "Your current public enemy? Erm. What — rather, *who* do you mean?"

As River's tense shoulders loosened, her eyes still remained wide from the startlement of being yanked like that out of nowhere. The guardsman in front of her gave a look of sympathy to the young lady, but then turned his gaze down to his feet as he spoke, "We've had six children be kidnapped in less than a month. We thought they were going missing until recently, when witnesses saw a woman with short white hair and green eyes vanish into the night with a young child. I'm guessing my partner here assumed that description fit your friend here, they do look a little similar after all," the man sighed, and bowed his head in apologies once more, "And please forgive my partner for that misdemeanor, his own son was the first one to be taken, and he hasn't been the same since."

At this, the twins looked to each other in disbelief, and then to River, then back to each other. While Rubus' expression turned to one of disgust, Blake's became solemn and sympathetic. The latter took a step forward, "That sounds so horrible..."

"Not knowing what they would want with stolen little kids is what's even worse," Rubus crossed his arms, disdain and resentment for this mysterious culprit already festering within him, "Then again, maybe the truth would be so awful that it's better not to learn the reason..."

"... Is there anything that we can do...?" River asked shyly, still tentative, but she was feeling safer now that no one was threatening to harm her. The guardsman only glanced at the young girl behind all of them.

"The best that you can do for now is to report anyone suspicious, or anyone with those features I just described," He instructed. The man then raised his hand, and pointed a finger at Kestral, "And make sure you keep that girl close with you at all times. Even though mostly the little ones have been taken, a twelve year old was kidnapped among them..."

"Bring it!" Kestral dared. She showed no fear whatsoever. "I admit I was a little scared before but this is our adventure! If that person comes at me I'll fight back!"

"But hopefully we can avoid an altercation before that problem arises," Arkanov said, concerned over how excited his sister was getting over this. He looked to the guard and gave a stiff nod. "At any rate, thank you for letting us know. We'll be on the lookout."

The guard simply nodded, and turned around the other way to continue his patrol, leaving the group of mages alone. When he was gone, River gave out a breath of relief, "Yeesh, that was scary… thought that other guy was going to stab me for a minute. Heh… heh…"

Her laughing didn't really help any to elate the others, except for Kestral, but she was already fired up on her own accord. She could tell that the others still looked stern and serious. Rubus shrugged, "At least you weren't actually hurt, that could have been a disaster," but after he said that, he shook his head, getting those thoughts out of his mind to focus on the subject at hand, "Anyways, we should probably take a break here, re-stock, you know. Meanwhile, River could try to find the location of the next heart shard. Sound like a plan?"

"That sounds like a good course of action," Thomas nodded. He forced his gun to disappear and sighed. Using all of the magic he had been making his pistol with was seriously draining him. But thankfully, they could rest in this quaint little town. He turned to Kestral. "You need to stick around us closely, missy. We don't want you snatched up!"

"I could handle myself if it happened," Kestral assured with a giggle. "But that's fine. I'll stay close."

Salina now looked to River. "How long does it usually take to find one of those shards?"

"Not too long actually. I just have to follow this shard's draw towards the next closest one, then it just all depends on how close or far it is from this town." River explained, and held her hands together in front of her torso. She looked to the brothers again with a smile, "I'm sure you two could get some interviews done, if that's what you want to do."

Rubus shook his head, but Blake did not. The prior spoke, "No thanks, I'd rather look for a place for us to sleep tonight. After hearing about all that kidnapping stuff... it's really killed my mood for any note-taking right now."

So when she turned her head to Blake, he simply nodded, "Alright then, I'll just take over the job today. Besides, I sort of need work on my socializing skills..."

River understood well, and now looked to Thomas, Arkanov, Salina, and Kestral, "So I guess that leaves us on supply duty for now, right?"

"Yes," Arkanov spoke up. He had begun to talk more an more since becoming acclimated to being around with everyone, and he stared down Thomas and spoke up before he could, as if competing with him. "I believe we should split up the different tasks based on what we need. Is there anything specific we're looking for?"

"Just food, and maybe some medical supplies as well," River noted. Only, her eyes went wide when she realized what she had just said, and she felt her cheeks and forehead get a little warm from slight embarassment as she looked at the light mage in front of her, "U-Uh, it's not that I'm doubting your healing abilities, I'm just saying we might need them in case you're not around at the time…"

"I... took no offense to that to begin with Riv, don't you worry," Thomas assured with a cheerful smile to show her all was well.

"So let's split those two items up," Salina said. "It might be best if Thomas finds healing supplies. I can go with him. And Arkanov and Kestral can go with you, River. That sounds good?"

River nodded silently with a small smile, and just like that, their little group split off in different directions. Blake went out to the town square, Rubus began asking for directions to an inn or any place they could spend the night, while the other five set off to the market place off-center from the heart of the village. Now, River was alone with Arkanov and Kestral, which is when she began to realize that of everyone else, she had talked to them the least of all. Normally she would have remained silent and avoided conversation, but she figured that if they were to stick with each other for some time, better to be familiar sooner than later, right? So she spoke, with the most awkward smile she had ever made, "… Um, so… how're you doing…?"

Kestral laughed a little at this. "We're good. Well, maybe I shouldn't speak for Arkanov. I'm pretty good, all energized and ready to fight! Or look for food I guess. How are you, Arkanov?"

He grunted, "Fine."

River felt the tense awkward silence create a void between the three of them once again. However, she was rather glad that at least Kestral was open for conversation, "Good to see you're not letting the fear of a kidnapper get to you. You seem like a pretty tough kid, no way I would have handled that at your age."

"Well, thanks," Kestral said, "I am a little scared on the inside, but my dad once told me to not show people your weaknesses, and play it off like you're not afraid. So there's that!"

At the mere mention of their father, Arkanov's expression softened, and he smiled as well. "You're also just a tough girl, Kestral. Just by nature."

Now Kestral began to smile and blush a bit. "You guys are too sweet... but for being on this quest, we're all troopers. I'm sure we would've all done it."

River chuckled, struggling just a bit not to let out a soft 'aww' when she saw Kestral acting so modestly, "You're still strong for doing this as young as you are." Then, when the young lady glanced at Arkanov, she was surprised to find his lips upturned for once, and in a quieter voice she spoke to the girl, "I don't mean to be rude, but… I think this is the first time I've seen your brother smile. Is it rare for him to smile…?"

"Yes," Kestral answered, now laughing loudly at such a question. She nodded to confirm. "Very little makes him smile. But talking about our dad always does! He looks up to Daddy a lot."

The white-haired woman nodded, and as she began browsing through the marketplace, looking for food that was least likely to perish in a short amount of time, she smiled as well, "Then your dad must be a really great person…" River now looked to Arkanov, "What was he like, then?"

"He is still alive," Arkanov noted. He instinctively grasped into his sister's hand, and feeling this made Kestral smile widely. "We don't see him too often, but when we do, it's great. He works a lot but it's all for our family, to help our mother and us get by. He's a great man."

"He sure sounds like one," River commented with lightheartedness in her voice. But that was the only light she could get out of her for now, as suddenly, she began to feel solemn. Talking about this, she felt a strange sadness, as of melancholy. She began to recognize it as homesickness, "And… what about your mom?"

"She's just as kind and caring," Arkanov said immediately, with a gentle smile. However, soon, his face fell. "But she's sick. Kestral and I have to look after her a lot. Poor woman."

River's solemn eyes that were reminiscing over her own family turned into sympathy for the other's. She walked a little closer to him, lessening the small yet obvious distance between her and the two, "I'm sorry to hear about your mother… and I can relate. I have a little sister, and even though she isn't sick, she's really weak, can't walk on her own properly…"

"Oh, I'm... I'm very sorry to hear that," Upsilon apologized, his eyebrows in an upward furrow. He knew the pain of having a disabled sibling or family member. To lighten the mood, he tried to change the topic. "You have a little sister? You're an older child as well?"

River nodded in response, her eyes still showing a hint of sadness, but focusing more on the present now, a soft smile grew across her lips. "Yes, she's younger than me by a year. We look extremely similar, only her eyes are more of a pink color. She tends to be a bit excitable, and sweet as well…"

Kestral grinned at this description. "One day maybe we could meet her...? I don't know, is that weird to say considering we met each other yesterday? Still, your little sis sounds a lot like me! Excitable and sweet!"

"How humble," Arkanov scoffed with a small chuckle. "Anyways, yes. Maybe if we cross paths on this trip coincidentally —"

Suddenly, his manner changed. The light smile he had settled into a small frown, and he shook his head as if trying to shake an idea out of his mind. "I suppose only by chance, if we're lucky."

River shook her head, and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "It's a rare chance. She's all the way out near the eastern shores in a small village right now. And there would be no way our dad would let her leave, it was almost impossible to convince him to let me go myself." But then, with a sense of optimism, she smiled up to him, "But after we've found all the shards, we can go back there, and meet her, if you'll follow along…"

"Oh please, Arkanov?" Kestral asked pleadingly, with a small quivering lip for emphasis. "That would be so much fun."

"If time permits," Arkanov answered, now sounding more somber than he had before. "You know how stretches for time we are afterwards, Kes. It depends, River. It would be nice though. But at the same token, it would be difficult for you to meet our parents as well."

"That's fine, and I understand. What with your father working and your mother's condition, it doesn't seem like visiting would be easy for them," River nodded her head. She put her hand to her chin in thought as they wandered around the market place, and sighed, "I have a similar situation. My family wouldn't even allow me to be with more than half of the group all together. They, uh... don't really trust other men around me..."

"They don't trust you around other men?" Arkanov asked confusedly. He tilted his head. "Um, may I ask why? I admit my behavior in subduing Thomas was a little crude but I... I-I'm not a murderer."

River smiled to him, and suddenly nudged him with her elbow in a playful manner, "Of course you're not! I know for a fact you haven't done any of that, and that's not even what they're afraid of," and then, as she said these next words, her tone softened itself, becoming a bit quieter, "It's just… I've had some bad experiences with men, and they don't want it to happen again, that's all."

"Again, I'm very sorry to hear that," Arkanov apologized. Now Kestral hugged her arms from the awkwardness of the situation. Within less than ten minutes they had uncomfortable silences twice. Arkanov coughed. "But that just means you have protective parents. Good parents. Who love and care for you deeply."

River agreed to this with another simple, single nod of her head, and remained silent. She felt as though continuing on the subject might make things a little more awkward for all three of them, so she didn't want to say much more. That is, until a pulsating feeling suddenly traveled up her body. She recognized this feeling from only a day earlier, when the heart shard had reacted to her, but it was the first time since then that it had done this. Quickly, she grabbed into her satchel, and grasped onto the small glass bottle containing the shard. She could feel it, another piece was extremely close, but at the same time very slowly getting further Immediately, River began turning her head left and right, trying to spot a specific person, but she didn't know just who. Someone here had another shard. With urgency, she looked to Arkanov and Kestral, "Guys, wait. We need to stop, someone here has what we're looking for… we might need to re-group with the others. I can follow them with this shard…"

"Re-group?" Kestral asked. She shook her head. "That might waste time. What if they leave this place? Let's just find the shard here and when we re-group like we normally do we can show them we've already got the next shard!"

River looked at the girl, worried for the chance of this plan failing, but they had to take the opportunity. If not, then they may take even longer trying to find this tiny shard. River decided to face the risks, "Let's go."

She began to walk, her first few steps aimless, but she could feel a pull from the shard in her hand, as the pulses grew more rapid as she walked towards the pulling force. With her free hand, she beckoned for the two siblings to follow her. She wove through the small crowds of people in the marketplace, the pull becoming stronger just by slight increments, until several yards in front of her, she saw a mysterious figure. They were cloaked, with their hood over their head in the middle of the day. She didn't know how they weren't already considered suspicious. But when that person got a little further away, River could feel the forces within Mana's broken heart weaken. They had to be carrying the next piece. "Do the two of you see that person…? They… look like they're trying to leave town, I think they might have the shard…"

Arkanov gave a confused look at this statement and then looked towards the person who was leaving in a suspicious manner. He didn't recognize him or her as any one of the people in their own group. He frowned. "Hm. No, I don't think we know that person. If you think they have the shard let's tail them down. I'll have my magic ready in case...  *something* happens."

"Thank you. We'll have to keep our distance though, so that they don't suspect us following them…" River noted, and making sure to keep the cloaked figure in sight, began to follow them at a slow pace. It wasn't long before the mysterious stranger had led the three of them out of the marketplace, out to the residential area where local villagers were out doing their daily chores and the children, whatever ones weren't kidnapped from weeks earlier, played in the street. The only time the figure stopped was to look at these children as they stuck to the side of the road, but then they would inevitably move on. This behavior only made River more nervous. A few minutes later, they had followed the strange person all the way to the edge of the village, as they were now moving on to the outskirts, where there was only desert land and various red, rocky formations. River turned back to the other two, "Should we continue without the others? I don't know where this person could be going… it might be dangerous."

Kestral, who was expressionless at first, now furrowed her brow as she stared at this mysterious figure. She was full determination to find out his or her identity. Something about the way the figure stared at children as they passed, and the manner in which the figure was wandering seemingly aimlessly through the village, seemed very off. But she could not put her finger on it.

"I say we follow the person," Kestral suggested, her voice full of vivacious, lively energy. "If we don't follow this person they could get away with the shard and we lose them! Besides, it's three versus one. We've got this handled. How powerful could this mystery person be?"

"You can be surprised with some mages. Even people who look weak and harmless can cause some real damage… but we should continue on anyways." River decided to press on despite the potential danger. As they went further, she noticed the landscape becoming a bit more rugged and rocky, a little difficult to traverse now. The village was a good distance behind them now, but still in sight. Predictions as to where they were being led began to fill her mind. Maybe this person couldn't afford a room at an inn and was camping out here? Or maybe they're a resident who prefers privacy rather than having neighbors? However, neither of these were the correct answer.

The cloaked person had stopped, and thus the three following her from a distance had to stop as well. River realized that they were at a crevice, a cave-like crack in a large, red, desert rock. It was barely shaded by the dead trunk of a dried up tree that had grown there generations ago. However, that wasn't exactly what had caught her eye, for the reason the cloaked one had stopped was because of another person.

It was a man, wearing some torn and dirty clothes, but he seemed calmed and contained nevertheless. His skin was dark, and almost identically to River, his eyes were a cerulean blue, and his long back-length hair was white as a cloud. When River saw this, she didn't know what to say, all she could do was gasp in surprise, then quickly crouch down under the protection of several smaller rocks. "Wh… what the…" she shook her head, "That can't… no, this doesn't make sense…"

Arkanov was confused over River's reaction to the strange man. Arkanov peered his head over the rock to get a better look at the man. He did seem very similar to River. Thus, he figured it must be some sort of relative. He held Kestral in his arms so she wouldn't feel the urge to spring up and introduce herself, or fight. Both options would've been problematic. "River, is that your dad?" Arkanov asked curiously, keeping his voice down. "Or is he someone else? What's going on?"

River shook her head furiously, and was beginning to rub her forehead with her quivering hand. She peeked over the rocks again, and saw the cloaked figure kneeling down to give the man half a loaf of bread. His eyes were glazed over, emotionless, thoughtless, he didn't say anything and simply ate. River didn't know what to do, or how to explain this. "Th-This doesn't make any sense… that… that's Mana… the one that needs these heart shards. My past reincarnation… b-but I don't understand! His body isn't supposed to be back to normal, how was it fixed?!" She whispered with a sharp and panicked tone, "I don't even know what he's doing here! He… he's supposed to be back at Ali'ikai…"

"So you're telling me your reincarnation of yourself that should be back on your uncharted homeland that we can't confirm exists or otherwise is here, around and walking," Arkanov said incredulously. Now he had an untrusted expression. "I'm sorry to say I don't believe you."

"I know! I know…" River was panicking. She breathed harder and faster, while her heart began pounding in her chest. None of this made sense, it was absolutely ridiculous to think that this was even real. Her arms were shaking violently, "I-I never expected any of you to believe me, but this is *not* supposed to happen. I can't understand…"

But while she was whispering, she didn't realize that the figure behind her was already talking to the man believed to be Mana. When River paused and listened, she heard that the voice belonged to a woman, and quickly she turned her head around and peeked back over the rock to see what was happening. She saw the cloaked woman kneel down to Mana's level, and reached out a hand for him to grab. She could at least see the skin on her arm, which was still brown, but on the lighter side. The strange spoke something that was inaudible from this distance, and she pulled Mana up to his feet. From there, the two began to walk away from the entrance of the large crevice, in the opposite direction of the trio. River breathed out, "For a second I thought they saw us… but we're safe now."

She breathed in and out again, trying to calm herself, "M-Maybe they're friendly… after all, maybe they're collecting shards too for Mana, and they could help us… right? If we're going for the same goal… maybe…"

Arkanov got onto his knees instead of sitting down and gave a frown in River's direction. "Maybe that is the case, but I'd much rather prefer if we had the shards over a stranger. You don't know if that woman is friend or foe."

Kestral assumed a similar position as Arkanov. "I'm thinking foe. I'm getting a very bad vibe from her."

"I'm sure that she's fine. We'll never know until we confront her though," River noted, trying to stay a little optimistic. However, she was afraid to admit that she was leaning more towards the assumptions of the other two. But she didn't want to jump to negative conclusions. When the woman and Mana were out of sight, River stood up from behind the natural wall of rocks, and looked to where the two had been before. She almost considered following them further, to ask them for their help, but she was stopped when in a few steps towards the small cave, an awful smell wafted into her nose.

She recoiled, covering her nose and mouth in disgust and distaste. The scent reminded her of rotting meat, a smell she had the fortune of rarely having to endure. It almost made her feel a little nauseous, "Ugh… what is that? Where's that even coming from?"

"Huh?" Kestral stood up to her normal height and caught a whiff of the odor River was talking about. She stuck out her tongue and crinkled her nose. "Eugh!" She waved her hands to push the smell away. "When I was talking about a bad vibe I wasn't talking about that."

Arkanov stood up and breathed in sharply. When he smelled it, his eyes widened in surprise. He knew that odor anywhere. "Overripe fruit... trash... rotting meat? I'm not sure where it's coming from. Do we even want to know the source to begin with?"

When this was asked, all River did was look to the crevice. It seemed that the awful smell was coming from there, and as much as she wanted to investigate, something inside of her told her to leave this place.

But this time her curiousity had overcome her instincts, and she took a few steps closer to the dark, narrow cave. It didn't look entirely safe, so looking for assistance, she turned her head back to the black-haired man behind her, "Arkanov, do you want to check it with me?"

"Sure," Arkanov said, and went to her side. As he walked away from Kestral, he leaned into River's side so he could whisper quietly, "River, why don't you want Kes to come? You don't think it's something dead?"

"I don't know if it's entirely safe for her to go in. I mean, she could cut herself on a rock or... something..." River mentioned, leaning back towards him, her hands now held close to her torso, her foot cautiously tempting itself to move forward, "And even if it is just a dead animal that got stuck in there, I don't think she would want to see something like that."

"True, but Kestral can handle it," Arkanov explained adamantly to his companion. He gave a smile at the thought. "She's very strong for her age. Strong-willed, I mean."

River contemplated this for a moment, as she still wasn't totally convinced that Kestral was that strong-hearted, especially for someone of her young age. Whenever she looked at the girl, all she could see was softness. But on the other hand, she hadn't known her for very long. Maybe this was a time for the girl to prove herself to her. River let out a sigh, and agreed. She beckoned Kestral over to the entrance of the cave, "Alright, alright... you can come too..."

"YES!" Kestral explained excitedly. She pumped her fists in the air and sprinted to the two adults' sides. Even then she began to move on ahead and chanted loudly. "I can't wait! I can't wait! Adventure! Experience! I need a lot of that at this point."

Arkanov gave Kestral a furious look and put a finger to his lips. "Shhh! We don't know if those two can still hear us."

Kestral winced at her own mistake. "Sorry. Anyways, besides, what's the worst this smell could be? A dead rat or something? I've seen those before. They're gross but certainly nothing I can't handle."

River remained silent, as she was a bit apprehensive to say anything more, for both the growing paranoia in her as well as the risk of being heard by the strange duo from only a minute or so earlier. Covering her nose with her forearm, she approached the entrance of the small crevice, feeling sick even when she forced herself to breathe through her mouth. She turned diagonal, to squeeze into the thin hole, where the smell only got even worse. Light was becoming dimmer, although the sun could still peek in, just barely, making all the shadows a very dark gray. For the moment, it didn't seem like there was anything. It was empty.

The white-haired woman hesitated telling the others to turn around and just get back out into the open, but her mind was changed to stay in a single moment. River's blue eyes went wide when she felt something... squishy, touch her foot. She recoiled and lifted her leg, fearing it to be a snake or a rat, but instead a dead weight dropped with a very light thud. She yelped, flinching, only to find that seconds later, nothing had happened. When she finally turned her head down, she saw it. Even in the dim lighting it was clearly visible.

It was a human arm. Small, short, a little bit fat too. As she looked closer, it was attached to a body of a motionless, cold toddler, their eyes glazed over staring up at nothing but the roof of the cave. Their body had only one imperfection: a bloody stab wound through the chest, that had punctured the lung presumably days or even weeks ago. Behind that child were five more, all of various ages from three to twelve years old, in the same exact condition. Bloody, motionless, cold; dead.

"What the fuck?" Arkanov asked flatly. He immediately covered Kestral's eyes and swooped his arm down, trying to use the shadows to cloak the dead, rotting bodies. "Kestral, don't look."

"No, let me-" Kestral moved her brother's arm down and tried to stare at what was being hidden. When she saw the children about her age, she wondered why they were sleeping and covered in red paint. But when she realized the smell mixed with this image did not mean the children were sleeping, her eyes widened, her bottom jaw dropped, and a look of horror crossed her face. Tears began to flow. She made a sick, nauseous expression as well, and tried to fight her brother's arm.

Now Arkanov held onto Kestral as she began to let out horrified gasps, sudden in-breaths of total terror. Kestral began to cry loudly. "Wh-Wh-What happened!? What is this!?"

River would have screamed at the sight of this if she could, but her throat was so choked up with disgust and terror that she couldn't make a single sound. She couldn't stand to look at this any longer without throwing up. She turned around immediately and tried to push back the other two, urging them to get back to their senses and get back out into the open, away from this awful place.

She met no protest. As soon as River began to push them away, Arkanov took Kestral, who was now calming down but still whimpering, and moved the way they came out of the cave. They had to leave this place before anyone saw what they had come across. Arkanov looked at River, his eyes wide from shock. "We have to report this."

The moment they were out and back under the light of the desert sun, River felt her entire body begin to go wobbly. She couldn't even respond to Arkanov, when only a few steps outside of the cave, she collapsed right down onto her knees. She felt so weak that she couldn't move anymore, that she couldn't even think it process anything happening around her. She clutched her stomach, hunching over and began heaving, the nausea getting to her. But she had to hold it back, and took a deep breath to try stopping herself.

That was when she felt her lip quivering, and her eyes watering from both fear and sympathy. In a blink of her eyes, tears ran down her cheeks. She was beginning to whimper, as she held tightly on her stomach, "Wh-Why would someone *do* this?! All the ones that were missing, th-they were here…" she released another cry, "They were only little kids! Wh-Why did this happen…?!"

Arkanov was unsure of what to do. He had two crying girls on his hands, and if he showed any signs of fear, disgust or confusion, they would not have anyone to lean on or look up to. Thus, he gently, if not awkwardly, patted River's back. "I don't know. Whatever happened to them, it doesn't look like natural causes. They were definitely murdered. And murders of children are generally premeditated..."

He felt for the dead children. Looking at his own baby sister, he was just happy she was alive and was not present in this village to have witnessed or be victim of these violent acts. He felt as though he owed the unnamed children something. Curse his sudden, usually unwanted bouts of empathy. "But I think we owe it to these unnamed fallen children to find out who did this to them."

"I… I think it might have been that woman from before…" River struggled to hold back another sob, as it came out uncontrollably. But strangely enough, with Arkanov comforting her and Kestral, she felt herself calm enough to talk. Nevertheless, terrified and sorrowful tears still streamed down her face, but she still spoke. "She was so close to that cave, as yet she didn't react whatsoever to the smell, as… a-as if she *knew* what was in there… what are they doing this for…?"

"We can't assume immediately," Arkanov warned, but it seemed like he believed River's theory. "I don't know what her reasons are for doing this. But when we see her, we'll find out. Did you see which way she and your past self went? Maybe we can corner them and confront them."

"N-No… I don't know where they went…" River muttered fearfully, trying to wipe away her tears now, even though they were still coming down in a lighter stream. Then, she put her hand on her shoulder, clenching it tightly, "They might come back… and if not them, then whoever the real culprit is. Would we be able to wait here to find them…?"

"Criminals always return to the scene of the crime," Arkanov said gruffly. He sounded like he had firsthand experience with this sort of situation. "Maybe waiting here would be a safe bet. But what's our plan of catching them? We catch them in the act. Then what? Obviously this person doesn't play around. River, I can see you're not used to fighting. But we're going to need it now, possibly."

River felt her entire body tense when she heard that last sentence. She had never fought before, not once in her entire life. She had never even been the kind to initiate any sort of violence. When she looked up to Arkanov's eyes and saw the serious determination in them, she began to feel meek under his gaze, "H-How? I've never hurt anyone with my magic before. What would I be able to do?"

"Get a large wave of water, flush them out, or spray them as a fistraction, something like that," Arkanov suggested. "Anything that involves using water? I'm not a water Mage so I wouldn't know. You can make a water weapon, if you like, like how I do with my shadows."

River contemplated these suggestions for a moment. She didn't want to be violent, and had been hoping they could apprehend this murderer without harming them, and take them back to the village for judgement. But she didn't want to shoot down all of Arkanov's suggestions, he was only trying to help after all. Tentatively, she gave an answer, "I… I might try… I'll figure something out. But now, maybe we should get back to the village and regroup with everyone, tell them what's going on…"

"Okay, that sounds good," Arkanov nodded, with a stiff nod. He used his arms to gesture for River to exit the cave from the way they came. "Let's just hurry up then. Get out of here before she decides to come back, she might... never mind that. Let's just go."

### Back at the Village

Only less than ten minutes later, the trio had made it back to the village, unnoticed by the residents and visitors alike this time. River was at least a little thankful that she wasn't grabbed from out of nowhere again. But that feeling didn't make up for what they had all seen not so long ago. "Let's try meeting in the square with everyone…" River suggested, her voice weary, "They're probably all waiting for us. And we didn't even get the food we promised to get…"

Kestral gasped when she realized this. Thankfully she had calmed down, though she felt her eyes were heavy from how many tears that stained her lashes. She looked around frantically. "Oh no. We don't have any food. This is awful... well, Salina brought a lot. We should be okay until the next town, I would think. Or maybe we can get some after... w-we tell them..."

River shook her head, "I don't think we have enough time for that now. The lives of the children in this village are at risk, and we can't waste any time." Once that was said, she pressed on, taking lead in front of the two into the town square.

However, they wouldn't reach there as suddenly, a certain black-haired young man had caught sight of them from a distance, and had ran up to meet with them. It was Blake, and he looked flustered and concerned, "There you three are! I was worried, I couldn't find any of you after I was finished with the interviewing-" he only paused in his blabbering when he saw how frazzled and yet solemn the other three looked, "Goodness… what happened to all of you?"

"We... we need to talk about that," Arkanov warned. His voice was very grave and serious. "We saw something troubling. We'll need to discuss it with everyone. Do you know where the others are?"

Blake nodded, his eyes naive as to what Arkanov had meant, but on the inside he wasn't sure if he truly wanted to know, "My brother just finished booking a place for us to stay, while Thomas and Salina should be finishing up gathering their supplies, Rubus just left to check on them…"

At this moment, Salina and Thomas approached the town center. They were carrying the group's satchels and they appeared to be weighed down with various objects. Thomas chuckled herring the information he heard from Blake. "If Rubus is looking for us, we just missed him. What's this you all saw a little earlier back?"

Only a moment later, Rubus came running up behind Thomas and Salina. He skidded to a halt seeing everyone else gathered, and bent over with his hands on his lap, panting. "Goodness you two… I swear I was calling out to the both of you trying to catch up…"

Now that everyone had finally arrived, it was time to deliver the bad news. But first, River wasn't sure if she could dump this all on them so quickly, "… E-Everyone, I can say that we've found someone who holds the second shard, however…" she glanced to Arkanov for some help in speaking, "We've discovered something else, an awful thing, as well…"

"Something awful?" Salina asked. Her voice was now more heavy, most likely with the fear of wondering what on earth the three could've possibly seen. She looked down to their empty hands, and then frowned. "No food is awful."

At this comment, Arkanov settled a glare toward her direction. "Salina, we're serious. Those guards we encountered when we came to this town, they talked about how the children of the city were strangely disappearing. Well, we think we've found out what's happened to them. But it's very unpleasant. We went into a cave because we were following these two people —"

"Who were they?" Thomas asked.

"— I'll get to that," Arkanov muttered, and continued on, "In the cave there was this hidden alcove filled with the dead corpses of a lot of children. I think someone is killing them all off."

There was a long, deep, seemingly endless moment of silence. No one would disregard these words said so seriously, especially when the statement was supported by three of their traveling companions. It was far too dark to be an excuse for not getting what they were told to do. And yet at the same time an air of disbelief was surrounding all of them. Only a few moments later, the only one who had the courage to speak was Blake, surprisingly. Taking a step forward, and raising his hand slightly as if he were in a classroom, he spoke shyly, "E-Excuse me? You... you're not joking about this, are you...?"

When River gave him a stern glare, he stepped back to his original place. They obviously weren't playing around. That was when Rubus decided that he would have to step in, and that same feeling of resentment towards the perpetrator that he experienced when first hearing about them was obvious in his expression, "Then tell us all that happened, from the beginning, please. If you've found their corpses and the possible kidnapper, then maybe we can stop them for good..."

"We had followed some cloaked figure into the cave," Arkanov began to explain. "They just seemed very strange in the way they were looking towards children in the town. At the cave it turned out to be River's past reincarnation."

"How is that possible?" Thomas asked again.

"I don't really know," Arkanov admitted, still embarrassed to admit this. "A-Anyways, another woman came in, but I didn't see what she looked like. And then those two left. That's when we all started to smell some foul odor. We followed it and found the dead children. We think one of them is the murderer but I can't tell who did it. They went away anyways. Maybe it's too late."

"It's not too late, it can't be!" Rubus argued in a sudden fit of passionate fury. He could never be angry at the others of the team, but as for the people of the subject matter, he couldn't stand the thought of having them roam free leaving a path of lost souls behind them. His angry demeanor seemed to be getting worse, to the point where one could see small embers floating away from him. As soon as this happened, Blake had to hold on to his brother's arm before things got any worse.

River took a breath, a little worried, as she held her hands together to stop them from shaking, "It's not, don't worry. If they were able to get away killing this many children so far, they wouldn't be so stupid as to do it in the middle of the day right now. They might wait until night, which means we have time. I... was considering a plan, where we wait by that cave again, and ambush them..."

Salina's eyes, usually round and wide, were framed by furrowed brows, and they looked determined to find out what had really happened to these children. "That sounds like a good plan. We need to get justice for these kids. When can we go over? And can you three show us the way?"

The white-haired woman gave a single, simple nod to the other, as that was all she needed to do to approve all those questions, "We can show you where we need to go when the time comes. And just in case... be prepared for a fight, in case the perpetrator starts to think that they can add us to their list of victims..."

"No problem," Thomas assured with a huff. He crossed his arms to show he was serious. "If this perpetrator is brash enough to want to fight us, they'll be in for one. One versus what, seven? I doubt we'll be having many problems with that."

Rubus looked to Thomas with determination, clenching his fist tightly, taking a breath to calm himself. The only thing that could keep him in a logical field of mind was his twin brother, holding onto him, "It sounds easy, but let's make sure not to underestimate them. Even though there's a power of us in numbers, Blake and I are only novices in our magic abilities," he cautioned, and looked to the white-haired girl in front of him, "And River's told me that she's never fought in her life."

"Wh-" Arkanov looked at River incredulously hearing this. He wasn't sure whether he should show simple surprise or more genuine horror. It was surprising to someone as familiar with fighting as himself that someone could go their whole life without doing so. "Well, you're going to learn today. It's necessary."

River understood his words, so she asked no questions. She knew that even though she was nowhere close to being a decent combatant, that at least she had the backup of everyone else of violence were to occur. So now, all that was left was to go over the plan, "Now, all we need to do is get there at night, preferably right at dusk before it gets too dark and we end up being too late. There's this wall-like formation of rocks that we can all hide behind, and we might need to take shifts watching in case some of us get tired too early."

Kestral nodded. She had been quiet, scarred from the whole ordeal the entire conversation. She didn't feel like speaking but she didn't want to seem too weak. "That's fine. Are we going to... k-kill anyone? Like if we have to, if that person comes at us?"

"W-We might have to, if it comes down to that," Blake interjected, trying to remain calm, even though the anxiety was easily heard in his tone of voice. But even then, he tried to muster a smile for the girl, "But listen Kestral, we'll do our best just to apprehend them and take them back to the guardsmen here, and have them decide the punishment. We won't have to get any blood on our hands, I promise."

"Leave that stuff to me," Arkanov assured his sweet little sister. He hugged her protectively. This was probably the first time he showed true affection for anyone on the team. "Kestral, we'll be okay. We'll try to be as nonviolent as possible. But no one will be hurt on our side."

He looked over to River. "What do we do while we wait?"

"All we need to do is prepare ourselves for what may happen," River informed, and looked down to the satchel that hung from her left shoulder and dangled on her right side. She put her hand on it, "And in case it was those two we saw earlier, I can keep track of where they are with our heart shard, as they have one as well."

"So we're all set," Arkanov stated. He nodded, but his expression was grim. "Then let's prepare ourselves for this. I have a feeling dealing with those two tonight will not be easy."

### Catching the Killer

Night had fallen upon the village and its surrounding outskirts. The sky was still somewhat light from the dusk, the sun that had fallen over the horizon only an hour or two ago. The stars had just begun to show in the sky above; they would soon be accompanied by thousands more of them speck long the sky with their white glow.

But now was not the time to admire its beauty. For currently, horrible things were about to happen. There was a woman, her face covered by the hood of her dark cloak, carried something in her two arms. Upon closer inspection, one would have seen that it was a child. Only six years of age, with his long, curly dark brown hair, and sleeping soundly with his head resting on her shoulder. He was oblivious as to what was to come, but so was she.

Less than a mile away from the village, but still secluded and covered by darkness, she stopped walking when she had reached the mouth of a narrow cave. Gently, she lay the back of the child, awakening him slowly. His eyes opened, only slightly, and the woman knelt down, placing his small bare feet on the dry ground. Now was the time.

Little was she aware of the small group, seven different mages, all hiding behind sturdy formations of red rocks, waiting to ambush her…

And that they would. Upon seeing the young child in the woman's arms, one figure stood up behind the formation. It was Arkanov , and he held his shadow sword trained towards the woman's head. He held Kestral down so she could not spring up and reveal herself. Thomas and Salina laid in hiding as well, ready to provide another assault if this woman tried to assault.

"Leave the child alone," Arkanov warned. He tried to use as deep, dark and gruff of a voice that he could muster. "We know what you've been doing. Leave the child be, and leave this place."

The woman whipped her head around at the booming sound of Arkanov's voice, and she recoiled in shock. She grasped tightly on to the young boy's arm, which woke him up even more, making him slowly realize the situation that he was in, but he made no noise yet. She bared her teeth at Arkanov like an animal, believing it was only him there, until she finally realized that maybe him alone was no true threat to her. She had faced several swordsmen before after all. With a smug smirk across her lips, she muttered, in a sickenly sweet voice, "*Oh Mana*… I require your assistance…"

Then, from out of the shadows, he appeared. River peeked over the rocks, not jumping out yet, but preparing herself just in case. She glanced out the corner of her eye and saw that Rubus and Blake were doing the same. And there he was: Mana. His skin a tanned brown, his swept-back hair long and white, and his eyes a cerulean blue, just as she had seen him hours before in the daylight. His eyes were dead, expressionless, totally blank. Then, without warning, oil-like tendrils began crawling up his body. He had no reaction as they enveloped him, practically drowning him, as it warped his body in a terrifying and disgusting way. His body enlargened, the bones in his limbs could be heard breaking and clacking as they shifted into unnatural positions, as he became the monster he was once known as.

As the inky liquid dripped off his new form, he snarled and roared at Arkanov, causing the small kidnapped child behind him to scream in fear. His teeth where in a constant sharp-toothed smile, with horns that curled off his head. His arms were massive and clawed, unnaturally bent backwards, and his back arched and legs warped like the hind legs of a dog. The woman taunted now, "Do you *really* want to challenge me?"

Arkanov's eyes went wide from the sudden transformation that occured before him. He took a step back and now trained the sword on the awful creature. Even he had to admit it: he was utterly, totally terrified of Mana. He had trouble containing his fear. "U-Uh, Thomas...?"

Thomas sprung up now, and his gun was already locked and loaded. When he saw the monster, however, his jaw dropped, as did his gun. "U-Um... ah... everyone else?"

Rubus and Blake, simultaneously, furiously shook their heads, this was not what they had been prepared for whatsoever. River was merely paralyzed as she stared at the monster before her, the person she was trying to save and give back sentience to, was prepared to kill all of them. The woman simply chuckled, finding this conundrum of theirs confusing, it made perfect sense to her. "So I see that a crowd of cowards has tried to stop me. Now if you could just stop pestering me…"

The woman pulled a knife from a small leather sheath tied to her hips, and held it up to the young boy as he fearfully stepped back, starting to cry and scream out of fear. This was when River finally jumped into action, quite literally. She leapt over the cover of stones and dashed to the mystery woman. A mass of water bubbled up in her two hands, and in a split second, she forced herself between the woman and the child, splashing her with the water as she lost grip of the knife, which merely nicked River's shoulder.

The impact from the splash had blown the killer's hood away to reveal the true face of the culprit. Her skin was a similar shade to River's, with white hair cut in a bobbed style, and sharp, glaring eyes greener than the glades of a forest. These traits, minus the eyes that baffled her, were all qualities of an Ali'kian, and yet she had never seen this woman before. She was awestruck, but this was a perfect moment of distraction. Suddenly, the beast called Heartless Mana rose up behind her, swinging his right claw, and smacked River down to the ground, making her fly two feet away before her impact. She didn't get up.

"River!" Arkanov screamed out. He saw the girl touch the floor but saw no movement come from her. Already, one of their team members were down. Arkanov wondered why he even cared, for these people were not a part of his true mission, but he felt the urge to leap forth and fight for them anyways. "Thomas, help River and cover me! Salina, get the woman!" He settled his gaze on Heartless Mana. "Rubus, Blake, we need to finish this monster before it hurts someone else."

He made no other noises or talk, but the nasty glare on his face showed his true emotions. Within a flash, he had jumped onto the rock coverage, and using his powers he separated his normal sword into two smaller yet equally sharp and dangerous daggers. He lunged, using the rocks as a springboard for higher leverage, leaving a trail of shadows in his wake, and trained the daggers onto Mana's mid-back.

The beast shrieked at the top of its lungs, the one time that it's disturbing eternal smile had faltered. And even though the twins weren't really used to following orders from Arkanov, he seemed to know what he was doing. So, Rubus and Blake ran up to the right and left wing of the shadow mage, both their eyes glaring and their bodies struggling to stand strong and not tremble in fear. First to attack was Rubus, who with embers floating and dancing around him, had thrust his arm forward. A burst of fire flew from his hands, and Heartless Mana roared once more from his burns.

Meanwhile, the woman was stuck confronting Salina. She only smiled and sighed, "You all aren't going to make this very easy, are you?"

"Definitely not," Salina said with a small laugh. She lifted her fist up in front of her face. As if on cue, a red rock sprung up from in front of Eris, as if blocking her. Three more popped up in the other four directions, as if on cue. She motioned for the child next to her to run along. After, she looked at Eris, and put her fists up again, now in a fighting stance in case Eris wanted to move around the rocks and fight. "But you can make it easy and give in."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, girl," Eris spoke with a grim, foreboding, and yet taunting deep voice. Immediately, Heartless Mana had stopped attacking the three young men, and dashed back to Eris' side, snarling and snapping at Salina. The young boy that she was protecting was too traumatized and terrified to even move.

River, although she had seemingly been knocked out, felt her eyes opening again. Her vision was greatly blurry, and her body wobbly. All she could see was the outlines of everyone else, but she knew what she had to do. Her satchel was still worn on her, and slowly reaching inside, she pulled out the bottle containing the first heart shard they had found. It was only then that Mana had halted, staring at the shard, utterly entranced. He was seemingly docile. River muttered, "Mana, please… please know that we are only trying to help you… you'll be okay again…"

When Thomas saw her produce the heart shard and show it to Mana, he became concerned. Sure the monster appeared to be docile for now, but there was no telling whether this woman would take the shard, or whether Mana's tranquility was an act and he would attack once more in an instant. "River, be careful with that!" He began to produce the gun again so she could be protected at least somewhat. "He's a monster. If he seems calm, I wouldn't trust him."

"He's not a monster…" River defended Mana now, beginning to stand up once more. Her legs wobbled and her head spun, but she took a few steps closer to him. She held the bottle with the shard tight and close to her chest, "He's just me, but in a different way…"

Eris could see what was happening, but no one had ever been able to tame Heartless Mana's nonsensical feral instincts before her. She had a feeling that this wasn't going to end in her favor. She grumbled, suddenly stepping in between River and Mana, "So *you're* the current priestess, aren't you? You have Mana's *real* soul. As much as I want to rip it out and take it back right now," she scanned the area, seeing all six of these mages ready to blast her into oblivion, "It seems as though we have an actual challenge. So we shall be leaving."

Heartless Mana's docile nature faded as these words were spoken, and he released a short but loud roar from his jowls. Eris latched on to his massive, disfigured clawed arm, and the beast dashed off into the darkness of the night, too fast to pursue on foot.

"Yeah, that's right, you coward!" Thomas yelled after her. He raised his gun and shot some rounds into the ground feet behind where Mana ran, but definitely not to kill the beast. When they left he gasped in shock. "Wow, that was something else, wasn't it?"

Arkanov was panting heavily, both from the magic he used and the physical exhaustion from the attack. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. Meanwhile, Kestral popped out of her hiding spot, assuming no one was there to hurt her. "Are they all gone?"

Rubus, panting as well, wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow. His head turned to Kestral, and he was able to bring an assuring smile to her, "It's safe now, I'm sure that they're gone from here for good."

River, on the other hand, had her sights focused on the small boy that was confused, terrified, and curled up a small distance away from the group. He was crying loudly, now that the chaos from the strange woman and Mana were gone. River slowly approached him, and knelt down, her head clearing up a bit more after the impact from before. She gave a soft, gentle smile, and reached out a hand for him to take. It took the boy only a moment to realize she was in front of him. Initially, he wanted to retract, to run away from her, with the resemblance she beared to his attempted murderer. But with the way she was looking at him, there was a sense of comfort. River spoke, "It's okay, you're safe now; she's gone. My name is River… what's yours?"

The child held his hands together tightly in front of his chest. He made a small nod, and had stopped his sobbing only to speak, "M-My name's… Min…"

"Min… that's a nice name. We'll take you back to your village," River offered, holding out her arms for the boy to take, so she could carry him the rest of the way back. Immediately Min stood on his feet and ran to her, latching on to her and crying with his forehead on her shoulder. River patted his back, and lifted him up, securely keeping him in place and safe. If someone didn't know any better, one would have thought it was her own child with how carefully she was treating him. She took a few steps back to the others, "We're good to go now. We'll tell the villagers what happened here when we come back."

Kestral ran out to her brother's side and he toppled over. He had become unconscious. She appeared to be worried for her brother had fallen into such a deep sleep so quickly. But she knew the others had to return the boy Min to his family. She waved for them to go, knowing how dangerous it was it she stayed behind, but she did not mind.

"I guess we can leave Arkanov here," Salina said with a shrug. She and Thomas moved to River's side so they could all take the child home.

Blake and Rubus on the other hand didn't follow them, they stood by Arkanov's side, along with Kestral, to make sure he would be alright. Blake waved to the others as they left, "You three can go on without us, we'll stick here with him to make sure he's okay when he wakes up," he said with a smile, but his eyes showed concern, "And I wish you luck in explaining this to the townspeople."

River nodded, and waved back at them for a brief moment, only to go back to holding the child. He was still crying, but softer than before, as River's assistance made him feel a bit more comforted. As she began to walk away with Thomas and Salina, she gave out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad that we were able to save Min before it was too late. And now, whoever that woman was, won't be bothering these people anymore…"

"You think she won't be coming?" Salina asked curiously. She looked to Min, who was crying softly, and gave a gentle smile. "I hope for these children's sake that that's true. Now, Arkanov said something about your past life. Does that mean you're able to become that super creepy monster too?"

River shook her head slowly, patting Min's back as his tears seemed to finally cease, and he remained there silently and holding on tight. River gave out a sigh, "No, I can't transform into that. That was unique specifically to him and no one else, not even any of my other reincarnations from before. But now that you've seen Mana… do you have any questions?"

"Too many to count actually," Thomas said with a chuckle out how nonchalant her answer was. "Who is he, what is he doing here, why can he turn into that, who is that other woman, why are they taking children, what is even going on?!"

"… How about I just do the questions that I know the answer to? I admit, I'm just about as lost as you are." River said with a sigh, her eyes now staring at her feet as she traversed the dry and rocky ground. Then, she turned her head towards Thomas, "I don't know who that woman was, why she did this, or what Mana is doing here. All I do know is that she has one of his heart shards, and that might be what allows her to control him. As for why he can become a monster… it's a very long story, but in short… he disobeyed orders from a higher power, and then they used magic to curse him into that form, as well as shattering his heart. But, I don't know why he can change back into a human at will now…"

"I have a feeling that woman has something to do with it all," Thomas grumbled with a huff. He looked back to their direction once more, almost wistfully. "I wish we could've stopped her. She has that shard, maybe she's holding that Mana guy against his will like she's been doing to those children."

River could only agree, holding on to Min in her arms a little tighter, as she could see some lights from the town off in the short distance, "I wouldn't be surprised. Sadly though, without his heart he doesn't even realize it, he doesn't have any sort of free will. But… there's something that scares me…"

The young woman looked off to the side, a bit afraid to say this at all, "That woman was an Ali'kian, she's one of my race. But… the thing is that we're so few in numbers, that there's only a hundred or so of us left, who all live in one village, but I've never seen her face before. And… and her eyes just weren't normal…"

"Her eyes are the problem?" Salina asked curiously. Finally they were beginning to approach the town again.

Thomas seemed equally confused. "Her eyes were a green color. Is that not common? I mean, your eyes are pretty bright blue, just as bright in color as hers are. What's so troublesome about them?"

"They're abnormal," River answered bluntly, as this information was obvious to her, but she was forgetting that her companions were unaware of these facts, "Every Ali'kian either has warm colored eyes, like red, orange, and others. The only exception is blue, but… that only applies to me and my past incarnations. There's never been any word of one with green eyes…"

"Then maybe she isn't an Ali'kian," Thomas suggested. "I'm sorry, I just don't see how it can be such a huge factor. It's probably just a coincidence, maybe she changed her hair color and just did it to fool you."

"For what reason?" Salina asked, with a frown. "This makes no sense. River, what could it mean?"

"I have no idea what it could mean, and not knowing… that's what scares me…" River said with such a grim tone in her voice, only to have it be followed by silence. But the moment they had made it back to the village, everybody was awake and moving about. They must have heard the chaos from the small battle not too far away, and there were murmurs and fearful whispers among the crowd. It wasn't until the three had come into view of the town that everyone had fallen silent.

River still remained silent, holding the child in her arms tightly, when suddenly a man among the masses came marching up to her with a furious expression on his face; it was the same one who had thrown accusations at her before. "You! I knew you were the one taking our children! You've really gotten cocky to come out right now, haven't you?!"

"No, dillweed," Salina immediately retorted, coming up to River's side to defend her. He stared at the man with a glare in her eyes. "We found the real child abductor."

"It was a woman, not River though," Thomas explained as well, "This is going to be tough to explain, but..."

He beckoned for the other man to come closer so the village's citizens wouldn't hear the grim news immediately. "In the cave we followed the abductor into, there were many, many bodies... dead ones. Of children. I'm sorry, but I have to say that a mass murder of the children of the village here occurred... but I must say as well, River had no role in this. She and the others we came with here, we tried to stop her before she could hurt this boy. River is the only reason this child is alive."

With all this information relayed in such a short amount of time, the other man could only feel his heart stop. His ears had stopped listening to their words halfway through. He put his head in his hands, struggling not to cry and show weakness in front of this group of strangers. He muttered, his heart broken, "… So… my only s-son… is dead…" he couldn't control it, a sob came from him, even though his eyes were covered, "My little boy… has been murdered… and all of his friends were murdered too…"

Thomas was shocked. No wonder the man was so accusatory, grasping at straws for an answer as to where the children were going. His own son was one of the missing ones. "I-I'm so sorry," he stammered. He put a hand on the man of the shoulder, his eyebrows upturned to show his sympathy. "I promise you, we won't let her get away with this. One way or another, we'll find her, and we'll give you and everyone justice for what she's done."

The man almost began pulling at his own hair, gritting his teeth, holding back from screaming out, "Do whatever you want with that *monster*, I don't care about revenge. I… I just want my son back…" he stuttered and muttered until there was no way he could restrain it any longer. He moved his hands, and revealed his eyes already red from his tears, "He was the only family I had left! He was only nine years old! *He didn't deserve this*!"

With his voice raised, the crowds of other people began to stare at him, wondering what the problem was, and at the same time fearful for the truth of the fate of their children. River however, seemed to appear nervous, paranoid even. Her pupils were dashing to the corners of her eyes, and she began to take a small step back. She held on to Min tighter, who was also still shaken from all the events of that night. But River, she had seen dozens of situations like these, parents who have lost their children, who have lost all they love, all from a time that she wished she had forgotten. She didn't know how to comfort him, how to tell him that things will move on without pouring salt on his emotional wounds. It wasn't long before River could feel herself begin to tear up from the empathy she felt for this man, "I… I'm so sorry…" she felt herself twitch, "N-None of them deserved this…"

"No, none of them deserved this," Thomas agreed. He turned to River again, and noted the paranoia that was crossing her face, but he didn't realize what for, and continued to press on. "Is there any way your reincarnation thing works for everyone...? Otherwise... we can't bring the children back..."

River shook her head, her entire body absolutely tense and her face seeming as though it were in pain, "No… that's just not how reincarnation works. You can't shove a soul back into a body after they've left it in the first place. The bodies of all those kids are too damaged for a soul to inhabit…" she looked down, her legs wobbling from how hard she tensed up, "I should have been here sooner… I-I shouldn't have waited to start traveling…"

"Okay, that's ridiculous," Salina sighed. She left River's side and put both of her hands on her shoulders, and stared at the woman in the face. "You simply couldn't have known that there were these children here. We don't know how long this has been going on either, so we wouldn't have known to come sooner. You can't blame this on yourself. And you shouldn't."

River didn't say anything more. Part of her wanted to believe Salina, yet the rest of her could only blame herself for the awful things that had happened. She didn't snap herself out of her depressed trance until she felt Min gently tap her shoulder with his hands, "River, my Nana's here…"

The young woman turned her head, and among the crowd she saw an older lady, likely in her middle age, searching frantically for someone. There were some three other children with her, all who looked nothing alike her or each other; she must have the director of the local orphanage. Carefully, she placed the boy down on his feet, and watched as he ran off with a smile of gratitude towards the older woman. That woman then scooped him up into her arms and held him tight. River could muster a small smile, "A-At least we saved one of them, right?"

"Be happy for that," Salina agreed. She smiled at seeing such a sweet sight. "Saving one child is already an amazing feat. Now we can only hope to save more people on our journey. But really, having guilt... that will only weigh you down and it's virtually impossible to get back up from it. Just try to shake it off as much as you can."

"It's not that easy, but… I'll try, for you…" River nodded with her smile, but on the inside, she knew that those words couldn't ring true. But she had to at least press those thoughts back for the time being, and she looked back towards the direction in which they had come from, "Now that Min's safe, and the village knows of what happened… we should check back on the others. Maybe Arkanov's awake by now…"

"Oh right... he's back there," Salina realized. She sighed. Something seemed off with her, as though she was dreading returning to Arkanov. "Must we go back for him? I like Rubus and Blake, and Kestral seems fine. But there's something off with Arkanov."

At this strange note, River gave Salina an incredulous look, almost as if slightly offended. As she turned around, already heading back to where they had left the shadow mage, she spoke, "Why would you say that? He's just a normal guy… maybe you just need to get to know him better."

"No, there's just... an aura about him that I don't know why, but it's bugging me," Salina said, frowning. She followed Thomas and River, but her expression seemed desperate as if she was trying to explain herself. "He's standoff-ish. When we ask him personal questions, he gets really nervous." She looked to Thomas. "You know him well. What's up with him?"

"I suppose that's just how he is!" Thomas answered, avoiding eye contact. "He means no harm. He's just an awkward, aloof sort of fellow. He's not one for socializing with people, and certainly not so many at once. He's out of his comfort zone."

Salina held her arms, and scowled into the ground as she walked. "I think he's hiding something."

River seemed to be in even more disbelief as Salina spoke. When her tone had just changed to being so suddenly suspicious, she didn't seem to appreciate it, "We're all hiding something, aren't we? There's a lot of things you don't know about me either, or anyone else here. So I don't see the need to single out Arkanov…"

"We hide for different reasons," Salina said. "I think he hides for a bad reason. Thomas, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"No, I've never met you before yesterday," Thomas replied. He seemed anxious and tugged at his hood. "I think you'd remember me if you met me before too."

"... You're not from Samadurai, are you?" Salina asked. She stared into Thomas' eyes. When they locked, she gasped. "You're not from Samadurai! River, he's not from here. He's that guy in Pendsbury... he was working at some circus. I heard of him before. Thomas isn't from here. And now I'm pretty sure Arkanov and Kestral aren't either..."

At this point all River was hearing was gibberish, what with the unfamiliar names she was hearing. But she still refused to believe Salina, and crossed her arms, "And what difference does that make?" She asked, utterly oblivious to what the other young lady had meant, "I don't even know what Pendsbury is. Just because someone is from some different place doesn't make them suspicious. After all, my homeland isn't even on the maps; does that make me suspicious?"

"Pendsbury is a floating city full of privileged magiphobes," Salina declared. She glared at Thomas. "I'm wondering what they're doing here."

Thomas said nothing. He denied nor confirmed her statement. "Uh..."

River was only even more puzzled, and she stopped in her tracks. She then turned around to Salina, her eyes had lost their annoyed glare and instead turned to curiousity, "What in the world is a 'magiphobe'?"

"Someone who fears magic," Salina said. Her voice had begun to shake. Even she was growing fearful of Thomas. She grasped River's shoulder and hid behind the woman. "I've heard things from my dad. They don't use magic because they think it's impure. But they want to kill mages! They think they're horrible! Thomas, I think I saw him for some circus thing centered in that city. He's one of them..."

Thomas backed away from the two girls. "I need to explain myself. But with the others. Salina, I'm no magiphobe. I use magic so obviously I don't fear it or hate mages. I don't want to hurt you. I know I seem like a liar, but... I can promise you, I do not want to kill mages."

"See?" River gestured her hand to Thomas, utterly doubting the other girl without a second thought to it. Even though she had been with these others for only a short time, she already felt a strong sense of trust with them. She could never accuse them of such awful things, "They're just regular people. They use magic, and they aren't trying to kill you or I. If they wanted to, they would have done it in our sleep last night."

"Yes. Maybe they don't want to kill us," Salina agreed, but her frown remained, "But he lied to us. He said he was a slave to those two from a region in Samadurai, when he's in fact from Pendsbury. He's a pathological liar. Even if he's not a murderer, I can't trust a liar. It means he has something to hide."

River only groaned, trying to deny everything that the other girl was saying. Even though she liked Salina herself, she couldn't stand it when someone was throwing accusations at another. She shook her shoulder, trying to get the other to stop hiding behind it, "Everyone has right to their own privacy. Now, can we just get back to the others? We can't just leave them on their lonesome."

Salina stepped away from River. She seemed shocked that River was siding with someone who held a gun to her head, and someone whom she didn't know all that well. More so, she was frustrated. She glared at the white-haired woman, and turned around indignantly and walked away from the two, her nose upturned to them all.

Thomas seemed shocked as well. He kept his head down and didn't speak, and instead tried to continue to walk back, but now in silence.

It was only at this moment that River had realized she did something wrong. Her shoulders dropped weakly, and she began to hold her arms as if trying to shield herself from some invisible threat. Her walking pace had slowed down, like she was actively trying to walk behind the other two so that she wouldn't be looked at. She could only remain silent until they regrouped with the others.

### Regrouping

The three made it to the others relatively quickly after that ordeal.

Kestral saw them approaching, and tilted her head when she saw their sad expressions. "What happened...?"

River, who had still been hanging in the back, returned to her senses when she had heard Kestral's voice. Her expression was sad no longer, just surprised that the girl had picked up on it so quickly. She knew what it was all about, but she didn't want to confess about the ordeal that had occurred moments before, "It's nothing… just, when we had to tell the villagers what happened, seeing their reactions made us all get a bit down…"

The young girl moved away from her brother, who was slowly regaining consciousness, and went up to River. She did something very unexpected - she hugged River, flat-out, with no restraints, no holding back. Perhaps she figured that River was saddened from this as well. "I'm so sorry you had to do that. I don't even want to know how that was for those poor villagers."

River's eyes had opened wide when she felt arms wrapped tightly and comfortingly around her waist. She hadn't expected anything like this before, and it took her a moment to understand. She looked down, and saw how Kestral was hugging her so kindly and warmly. But it didn't take her long to return the favor, as River found herself bending slightly and hugging the young girl back, "It was rough, one of them cried a lot. I don't know how easily they can recover from this… but they're all safe now, from that monster of a woman…" then, over Kestral's shoulder, she peeked at Arkanov, "Is your brother doing any better?"

The momentary emotional lapse subsided, and Kestral nodded. She pulled away from River and wiped her eyes as if she had been crying a little during the hug, but she did not address it. "He's fine now. He was talking to someone while he slept. A sheep lady!"

"It was just a really rough, weird dream," Arkanov assured from behind. He was rubbing his forehead, but he did not seem angry. In fact, he seemed a little happy that River asked that question. "I wonder why I passed out."

Behind him, Rubus had stood up, as he had been watching over Arkanov alongside his brother and Kestral while the young man was passed out. The red-haired man shrugged, "You're probably just exhausted. It's been a long day, first with the trek to the village in the morning, and dealing with the horrible incidents here. Maybe that dream was to tell you to start 'counting sheep' and getting to rest…"

Blake, following him, piped up, "Brother, I don't think that's how the psychology of dreams work. Maybe it could be something else from his subconscious?"

Rubus simply shrugged, "You can never know. Either way, it might be best that we get back to the inn before we all end up passing out."

"Yeah... good idea," Arkanov said. He held his head once more as he got up to his feet. He seemed still troubled by his dream but he did not say much else about it. "Is there an inn within the village we can stay in? Especially after the news you told them, River, I didn't think they would be so welcoming."

"I already saved a room shortly after we arrived, so we need not to worry," Rubus noted, and River gave him a smile of gratitude for that. Slowly, she approached Arkanov cautiously, wondering if he would be okay standing and walking on his own after collapsing like that before.

She reached out her right hand, upturned for him to take, "The townspeople are distressed, but I'm sure that they know what we did was right. Anyways… do you need help getting back?"

Arkanov looked cautiously at her hand. He was not sure what she meant by holding it out to him at first, until he finally realized that she was offering help. He took hers gently, and managed to hoist himself up without pulling her down as well. He seemed exhausted from having passed out. "I couldn't ask that of you. Besides, I think I'll be okay. But thank you. I'm sure you're more tired now than I am considering I just got some sleep."

River giggled ever so slightly at his modesty, even though he and the others had fought much harder than she did. She politely held her hands behind her back, "You're welcome. But even then, it's best that we all get back and get some rest. In the morning, I'll find where we need to go next."

"Thank you, River!" Kestral said thankfully. She went behind her brother and jumped onto his back, hanging onto his neck. Arkanov didn't really react in shock, and instead held onto her legs as though this was a natural, common occurrence. Kestral placed her sleepy head on her brother's shoulders. "I'm not going to make it to the inn. I'm going to sleep now... goodnight!"

"… Aww!" One would have expected this sound to come from River, but when the others turned their heads, it was surprisingly Blake. His eyes seemed a little larger and his two hands were covering his smile, "That's so cute! Remember when you used to do that for me, Rubus?"

The red-haired man raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and gave a playful scoff, "Nope, never. You were always way too big for me to carry. You were the chubbiest of kids,"

"N-No I wasn't!" Blake defended, his face going a little pink from embarassment, even though he knew that his brother was simply playing with him, "I was as fit back then as I am now, thank you very much. If anything you were harder to carry since you were always on your butt reading books!"

And so the twins continued their playful and michevious banter, as River chuckled and rolled her eyes on the path back to the village.

## Traveling the Next Day

The group had been on foot for a while now after yesterday's antics. Arkanov now had no clue of where they were going, so he crumpled his map and put it away in a satchel for safe keeping in case he needed it. He figured he would, somewhere down the line. Instead, he looked to River, for he felt they were aimlessly wandering.

"Do you know where we are?" asked Arkanov. He glanced around. "There hasn't been any sign of real life out here since yesterday in the town..."

"It's okay, I know where we're going. We're heading east, a little more central in the desert, but that's just where the next shard happens to be," River reassured, trying to walk ahead of the others so she could lead them to their destination. She gazed around at the environment; mostly dry rocks and earth, some sand, and even some small, short cactuses that sparsely appeared. She began to wonder just how far in the middle of nowhere this shard was. At least, that was until she heard something strange. It was distant, like a faint trickle of water coming from a larger source somewhere. Her head turned to the noise, "… Do you hear that?"

Salina seemed relieved to hear the sound of this water. Although she had grown more cold in demeanor since their last stop, she trained her ears a little harder and could faintly distinguish what the noise sounded like. "Hm, it sounds like water running... maybe there's a brook out here? If it's running it could be safe to drink."

"I could always make it safe to drink, and we can use it to wash off too, in case anyone needs it," River suggested. But with the sound of running water again, it actually began to fill her with a spark of interest, and a settling feeling of content. As they continued traveling towards the sound, they had all come upon a dip in the ground, almost similar to a minature canyon, from years and years of the water in there eroding away the rock. There were even a few plants growing around it, other than catci of course, such as various weeds and thorny flowers, but it was still a sight for sore eyes to see any greenery in a vast desert.

"Wow, it's beautiful here!" Thomas exclaimed with a happy sigh. He chuckled. "Well, as beautiful as a dry desert can be. I didn't think there would be any plants in these parts."

Salina walked over, bent down, and examined the plants and cacti that were there. She pricked one of them with her finger. "These succulents are edible if we need food," she stated.

Thomas arched a brow. "I didn't know you were also a botanic mage."

At this remark, Salina frowned deeply. It seemed like she was still very suspicious of Thomas. "I'm not. I just have studied up on the plants here in these parts. Some give you hallucinations and these don't."

Kestral moved to the water's side and sat down in front of the edge where the rock met water and the pool rounded into a curve. She stared into the pool and saw her hot, sweating face on the other side. Her reflection. The water was clear enough to see it, which was a good sign. She looked to the others. "I say we rest here for a second or two."

"That sounds good to me," River remarked, smiling a little, as it felt as though this was the first time she had seen any natural body of water in months. She felt a strange sense of peace with this. The young woman approached Kestral, lifting her hair to get some of the heat off her neck, and sat herself down on the dry ground. She took her satchel off of her shoulder, and dipped her feet into the water. It was cool, which sent a shiver up her spine, but it wasn't so cold that she couldn't stand it; after all, the desert heat couldn't leave it at such a low temperature very easily. Looking up to the girl, she patted a spot on the ground next to her, "Want to cool your feet too?"

"Do I ever!" Kestral replied readily. Her shoes were conveniently easy to take off. She turned away from the water to throw off her ballet shoes which also conveniently hit Arkanov's face as he approached the girls. Then, she turned back to the water and dipped them in ever so gingerly. The feeling of cool liquid enveloping her tired feet forced the young girl to shriek in delight. "It feels awesome!"

"Guess it's not drinking water," Thomas said with a chuckle as he approached. "Mind if I join?"

"Make that two, actually!" Blake piped up from a little further down the stream, trotting down to the others with a journal in his hand and a pen in the other. River would have expected him to be doing another interview right now, but when she glanced over to Rubus a short distance away, it seemed as though he was already writing things down.

The white haired woman smiled kindly, "Of course, you two can join in."

Instead of simply taking off his shoes, Thomas did this and hoisted up his pants to go past his calves. He stepped into the pool and slowly began to wade through the water. Feeling the cool water rush over his skin, he laughed. "Wow, this feels amazing! I wish I could swim in this!"

He turned around and hollered to Rubus, "What are you doing over there, dude?"

Rubus flinched when he was called out, as he had been deep in thought only moments before. But when he saw the others relaxing and lounging, as well as his twin beckoning him over, he decided that he should group up with them. As he walked over, he only sat by his brother, but didn't remove any clothing on him, "I was just writing down some notes, that's all. And uh… I'm not a very big fan of getting parts of my body wet."

"Don't worry about it," River gave an understanding smile, and splashed her feet in the water a slight bit, "Think that Arkanov and Salina would want to join?"

"I'm not a water type of person," Arkanov hollered to them all. He was sitting on a rock, alone.

Kestral laughed loudly at this. "He loves the water. He jumped into a pool the first minute we started traveling. I don't know what his problem is."

Salina begrudgingly went to the pool's side and sat down, but did not dip her feet in either. She had not been speaking much that day.

It was at this moment River felt an awkward silence enter the air, at least from her perspective. Rubus and Blake seemed perfectly fine, as well as Thomas and Kestral. She, on the other hand, felt awkward with the other two. Arkanov, she expected would be less social, but she also hoped that maybe he would have warmed up a little. As for Salina… River felt a sense of guilt for how she had talked to her the other day, and she wished there was a way to get around it or move on.

As she glanced at the others who were relaxing and having a good time, she noticed how Blake had his notebook opened to a blank page, but he was staring intensely at it holding his pen, as if thinking of what he was to put down, "What're you doing?"

Blake's face inevitably turned a faded dusty pink, and he turned his notebook closer towards him, so now she couldn't see the paper. He stammered slightly, "U-Uhm… I was just trying to find something to draw… even though I'm not the best illustrator, it's a hobby…"

"That's alright, because I'm sure that I could show you something to draw…" River spoke, with a clever little glint to her eye. In odd places like this creek in the middle of the desert, she knew that this was a place they were bound to be. Clearings in a forest, an oasis in the sands, ruins of old temples… any place with a unique sort of mystery and charm, they had to be there. Maybe she could share this with more than just Blake. She turned her head to look at Kestral, and tapped her shoulder, "Hey Kes, tell me… ever heard of a spirit before?"

Kestral shook her head, but looked at River curiously. She tilted her head. "No. What's a spirit?"

Having heard the word "spirit," Arkanov lifted his head up in curiosity. It seemed as though he recognized this word. He moved closer to the conversation between the two girls and sat down beside him, though he did not put his feet in the water. "A *spirit*...?"

It seemed as though the attention of everyone else was already being grabbed. Even Rubus who had tried to remain focused on his notes, couldn't help but tilt his head in curiousity of just what the girl meant, "Do you mean like those monsters in fairytales?"

"Fairytales?! Please, they're as real as they get. To put it simply, they're creatures made solely out of magic. They all fall under their own elements, like how our abilities do," River smiled, eager to show everyone what she had meant. Already, she could see some of the others begin to lean closer, "And I know how to summon them, if you want to see…"

"Oh, please do!" Kestral suddenly exclaimed, breaking the somewhat serene silence with her loud voice and banter. She began to clap, she was so excited. "Summon the spirits! Summon the spirits! Summon the spirits!"

"They're not going to come if you're loud, Kestral!" Arkanov admonished, shushing her, though he playfully grabbed her by her middle and pulled her to sit in his lap, mostly so she would quiet down. She began to giggle.

"I didn't take you to be someone that would believe in fairytale-like creatures," Thomas piped up, resting his elbows against the water's edge and smirking not-so-innocently at Arkanov.

Arkanov looked down to the floor. "I think I've changed my mind," he said, and that's all he did say in reply. Now that Kestral was quiet, Arkanov gestured to River.

Seeing this gesture, River reached into the satchel beside her, and pulled out her lyre of crystal. It's blue, glass-like body shined in the bright desert sun, and the silver strings reflected back that light beautifully. But she wasn't to show off her instrument, and instead, she placed it promptly in front of her chest, just off from the center. She began by playing a scale of notes, to get a feeling for the music again, before she played her song.

She plucked the strings, smoothly and slowly, as if her song were turning into a lullaby. As it continued, odd little things began to happen in the environment around them. A cool breeze flew by despite the air being perfectly still minutes ago, and there seemed to be shadows in the water where there were no fish, and rustles in the dry weeds where there were no animals. It wasn't long until there was a sudden splash in the stream, and when River looked down to her lap, something had jumped up on her.

It was an odd little creature, only the size of a grown man's hand. It resembled a blue water droplet. Though liquid-like, it was more solid enough that it had a rather gelatinous form. It only had little light blue eyes and a silly little smile up to River. She smiled back, "Everybody, this little one is known as a water wisp. They're common, but nevertheless friendly to people, even if those people have never known spirits."

Kestral and Arkanov's mouths dropped open in awe and astonishment at the creature before them. Arkanov released Kestral from his grasp, and the young girl slowly moved next to River's side. She stared with only love in her eyes at the adorable little droplet of water.

She decided she wanted it to be her friend.

Eagerly, Kestral looked to River. "Will they let you touch them...? What is this little creature made of? How is it alive? It looks like it's made of water... THIS IS THE CUTEST LITTLE CREATURE I HAVE EVER SEEN!"

River couldn't hold back her laughter at the young girl's reaction. A wide smile was now on her face, "This little one is made solely of magic essence. There's other ones like him, but they could be made of fire, or air, or light and shadow… every element that we can control."

Then, she held out her cupped hands towards Kestral, and the little wisp seemed to… jiggle, making little ripples in its body, from excitement, "These wisps are also the friendliest of all spirits. You can hold it if you wish, but be gentle…"

Kestral eagerly put her hand out in hopes of having the little wisp jiggle and wiggle softly into the palm of her own hands. She looked expectantly at the creature, hoping desperately that it would be friendly enough to be held by her. "I promise I'll be really, really gentle. If it's super friendly we will be good friends, I'm sure of it."

River, with gentle care, flattened out her hand, and nodded her head towards Kestral's direction so the little wisp could understand. It made an odd bubbling sound, and leapt into the cupped hands of Kestral, little ripples running up and down its droplet-shaped body. It still had the widest of smiles, and River made a similar expression, "I think it likes you a little."

"Yay!" Kestral said excitedly. She continued to stare at the wisp in awe. She did not even take her eyes off the creature, but she did ask, "Are there any more? Can we have a wisp party right now?"

River looked off to the corner of her eye, considering this for a moment, and figured she should continue. Picking up her lyre again, she played her song once more, and for longer than a minute this time. When she had plucked the first note, immediately the water wisp in Kestral's hands turned to face River, and even with a little voice that sounded like bubbles, it sang along to her notes. However, in a short amount of time, one voice became a handful from all around the group. There were more water wisps floating just on the surface of the brook, and even ones of other elements began to show up. First was air, two or three little balls of some light and fluffy cloud-like material appeared, singing along with their voice like little wind chimes. Then, they were followed by earth, little circular things that resembled rocks, but with specks and flakes of different colors and minerals, and some with some green, plant-like material growing on them. They hummed along to the music.

Kestral swayed like she was on cloud nine to the music. She began to pick up the melodious tune and hummed it softly and gently, happy to hear and see the spirits. This had to be one of the most beautiful things she ever experienced. Even Arkanov was humming along.

All of a sudden, a small creature that had been moving on the sand approach Kestral. It was very small, even in comparison to the young girl. And it was sandy colored, and its eyes had a light white film over them. Kestral looked down to the creature. She had no clue what it was. Was it a slimy dog? A land fish? She hoped it wouldn't interrupt the singing session with the spirits.

That hope was to be shattered. The creature looked eager to join in on the merriment, and it reared itself with its stubby little legs, and with a defiant cry, it let out a loud, bellowing croak.

Kestral flinched with the water spirit still in her hands, and she knew she had made a grave mistake. "I-Is it trying to sing with us...?!"

All of a sudden, every single one of the spirits had stopped singing along, even though River still continued to play. However, even she slowed to a halt when she heard the other spirits trembling, intimidated and afraid of this newcomer. She looked down at the little creature, "That's certainly not a spirit at all…"

When those words were spoken, every single one of the wisps fled as fast as they could away from the scene. The water wisps plopped back into the waters, the earth wisps burrowed back into the ground, and the air wisps floated away, all of them having a single high-pitched, simultaneous yelp. When River looked back at all of the others, she saw a collective look of disappointment, especially from Blake, "Aww, come on!" He exclaimed, with his pencil in his hands, "They were all in perfect positions to draw too…"

Kestral whirled around to try and catch the spirits before they disappeared but she sadly could not reach them in time. One by one they plopped into the water, and moment by moment the girl became more and more disheartened at the sight. When the spirits were all gone, she turned to the creature and frowned. "You made them run away!"

The stubby creature slunk back from the criticism, far back enough where he bumped into Arkanov and jumped onto his leg. Arkanov surprisingly put his hand out and the animal went into his hand. It barely took up half of his palm.

"Don't be so harsh on it," Arkanov admonished Kestral once more. He placed a finger on the animal's head and pet it gently. "I think it was trying to sing along. You shouldn't have flinched to begin with."

Kestral sighed, and crossed her arms. "I'm mad at that thing, whatever it is."

"I'm not," Arkanov said. He looked down at the animal. "It just wanted to join in on the fun. Sure it didn't do things the way we expected, and it made the other spirits run away, but it should not be judged based on that. I think I will keep this little... thing, I don't know what animal this is, as a pet."

"It's a frog," Rubus jumped in to the conversation before the others could answer, mostly because of one sole factor. He seemed very confused, and even a little more shocked that it seemed as though Arkanov didn't know what animal he was even holding, "I assume you never had any frogs or toads where you're from…"

River was even a little bit more surprised to see an attitude like this coming from Arkanov. So calm, and understanding, it was nice. A rather significant contrast to the man that she had first met in Sihrasul only days ago. But this shift in mood seemed to please her, "So you're going to keep it…? What will you name it? Would we be able to feed it?"

Arkanov coughed uncomfortably, choosing to ignore the question Rubus asked, and instead focused his gaze on the creature, now which he knew to be a frog, in his hands. "Yes, I'd like to keep it. I'm not sure what these creatures eat. I'm assuming no meat."

"No!" Kestral suddenly cried out. She crossed her arms and looked at her brother indignantly. "I want that fr-... frawg...? Frig? Frag? Frig frag? I want it!"

Her brother shook his head. "You yelled at it. You must not want the poor thing."

"Then it's ours," Kestral decided. She widened her eyes and gave a pouty expression to show her sadness. "Please? You're making me feel guilty."

"I can't make you feel anything," Arkanov corrected, still scratching the frog's head. "But fine. You get to name it."

"I will name it, uh..." Kestral frowned. "I dunno."

"I'm not sure that 'I dunno' is a very good name for a pet," River chuckled at her joke, even though no one really laughed along with it, not like she was expecting them to do so in the first place. She looked down at the tiny amphibian, trying to come up with something on her own, "Maybe… Froggy? Or… no, that's not very original…"

"I liked that one you called it before," Arkanov said, "Frig, wasn't it? It sounds... cute."

"Frig it is," Kestral shrugged. She gingerly placed a hand on the frog's head, and the frog's wide little mouth opened joyously. It looked like it was just happy Kestral was angry no longer. It waddled into her hand. She screamed. "It's squishy!"

Kestral began to pass the frog around to River and Thomas and Rubus and Blake for them to cop a feel. "Touch his head! He feels like jelly!"

River, Rubus, and Blake couldn't help but laugh a little when they heard the girl use that adjective of all things to describe the little frog. First the woman gently put her two fingers carefully on his head, and chuckled just a bit more because the girl was somewhat correct; his head was a little soft. Then the twins followed up by petting him as well, taking their own respective turns. Blake was more simply fascinated that a wild frog was so comfortable around so many people, "Well, if you really want to keep him, it could be helpful. After all, frogs eat flies, so if we ever have a problem with insects swarming us, the little guy could help out."

After that comment, River turned her head away from the others, her eyes searching for someone else. She saw Salina, still standing a distance away in silence from everyone else. Tentatively, with slight concern, she tried beckoning the girl over, "H-Hey, Salina... do you want to pet him too...?"

Salina stared at River. She didn't know what to say. Though she had been staring at the frog and them having fun, she felt ashamed for making River go out of her way to invite River. "Y-Yes..."

Kestral walked up to Salina and presented her Frig. Salina gingerly placed a gentle hand on the frog's head, and then to its body. It was squishy. She smiled. "It's quite soft."

She looked to River. Slowly, her smile faded, and she looked to the floor in shame. "Hey, I'm sorry about before."

The white haired woman paused. While the others were clearly distracted, River could only stare up at Salina with wide eyes. At first, she appeared nervous, for she had no idea of what she was supposed to respond with or act upon. But, if Salina was being truly genuine with this apology, then it was worth a shot, "Don't worry, it's fine. It's okay to be a bit nervous about these new people, but… we'll all get used to each other, in due time."

Salina's eyes darted around, as if she was still suspicious herself of everyone in the group, but of course she would not mention her suspicions now. Instead, she gave an awkward smile. "Yeah. I guess I'm not used to being around new people. Back in Sihrasul I knew practically everyone. You all are the first strangers I've met in a long time. M-Maybe it's all in my head..."

"It might be, but when time passes, I'm sure you'll get used to all of us," River assured, and made her voice a little more quiet, closer to a mumble so that the others wouldn't be able to hear their little conversation. But, River wanted to mention something, and although she wasn't too sure if Salina could understand, she wanted to share it, "If I'm being honest, then… I admit it. I'm a little worried around all these people too. I mean, it's not about the Pendsbury thing you said before, but… I've just never been alone around this many men before…"

"Men?" Salina asked, tilting her head. This was a curious thing to bring up. She tried staring at the four men before them and seeing if she could sense any suspicious signs coming from them. "If you're concerned about whether or not they're creeps, I think they're fine. You'd tell almost instantly if they were a predator or anything. Why did you mention that?"

At this notion, River felt herself stammering, and even her right hand twinges a little bit. She couldn't directly look at Salina in the eye. She could only turn her head down, and gave out a sigh, "Erm… you see… my dad back home just wouldn't want me to be around to many men. He's a bit protective, and I just want to respect his wishes, that's all."

Salina noted all of these changes in River's demeanor. She was proving to be quite the perceptive one of the group. Still, she did not acknowledge this, and instead acted as though the woman meant something else. "Oh! Girl, I feel you. My dad is pretty protective too. Well, don't worry, I don't think these guys would harm us."

"Me either, they've already proved to be really great so far. I feel like I can actually trust them," River made a small, subtle smile as she glanced out the corner of her eyes, and saw all the others chatting amongst themselves and laughing. It gave her a warm feeling, warmer than the sun on their skin, that reverberated from the inside, "They all seem so friendly, and happy too… I mean, even Arkanov's smiling a little, after my first impression of him, I thought it would have been impossible."

Salina grew a little silent talking about Arkanov once more, though it was more so under contemplation and reflection than suspicion. "I think that means he's warming up to us. I thought he would've never thawed with that cold demeanor of his. But who knows, maybe we will hear a laugh from him soon?"

River smiled, and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "Probably, if we can make it come out of him." But after she said this, her mind seemed to head into a short moment of thought. Even though the subject had been somewhat dropped, she was concerned, that maybe they should bring it up again. Now, with a bit more shyness, she spoke, "Um… but about what you said before… do you think we should ask the others about Pendsbury? I don't think they're out to get us, of course, but… maybe they're something like fugitives from that place, and they need to be helped…"

The other girl nodded. "Definitely. I don't know what their problem may be, but I know Thomas is from Pendsbury now, so it's likely Arkanov and Kestral are as well. But I just wonder what their reason is for hiding that information. I suppose we'll find out if we ask."

"I'm not sure if we should ask them now, they seem to be enjoying themselves…" River glanced at the others once again, afraid that these questions would ruin the moods of everyone else. She didn't want to make it awkward for everyone.

But it was already made awkward when she saw Blake staring straight at her and Salina. River's eyes went wide and she felt her face getting warm from the embarassment. The other simply tilted his head in curiousity, "Why do you keep looking back at us like that? Are you gossiping or something?"

"No," Salina assured. She blushed slightly, angry at herself for making Blake think they were partaking in something so catty. "We're talking about telling you guys something... we have no reason to gossip."

When he was corrected, Blake could only bring himself to make such a fake laugh as a pathetic attempt to lighten any tension he accidentally caused between them. He scratched the back of his head, "My apologies, ladies. But what is it you were going to say?"

"I just think that Thomas, Arkanov and Kestral aren't from where they say they're from," Salina explained. "I believe Thomas is from Pendsbury, and most likely the others are too. But they seemed secretive about this and I can't understand why unless they're hiding something."

Blake only gave them a look of surprise that Salina would even think this, and he tilted his head in confusion. He made his voice a little quiet, as not to draw the attention of the others, "You *do* realize that they use magic pretty well, right? If they were from Pendsbury, they would be lecturing the two of you solely for even knowing what magic is."

Salina realized that she would be met by some skepticism. She sighed and began her explanation again. "Thomas, I saw him on one of the news boards here. He was thrown in jail in Pendsbury for using magic, it said. So it makes sense why he's so good, maybe he practices in secret. As for Arkanov and Kestral... they could've been using it in secret too! I mean, just look at them! They're certainly not of Samadurian descent. They're at least Atrean, and they could definitely fit in in Pendsbury. I would not think the same of Thomas if it weren't for that flyer I saw."

Blake was just about to counteract that argument, up until Salina had provided her evidence of the flyer. When he heard that, he seemed to stop, and his face was blank, purely dumbfounded by surprise. Suddenly, he covered his mouth, appearing rather… excited, "Wait, so he was arrested in Pendsbury for using magic, and his name is Thomas… did it mention anything about him being part of a circus?"

"Yes, it did," Salina nodded. She raised an eyebrow as if surprised by the fact that Blake knew this. "He was the ringleader or something apparently. Did you see the same flyer?"

Blake nodded, but he had a smile across his lips, an eager one at that. He turned his head back to Thomas, who didn't notice him, and back to the girls, "Oh my goodness, he's *that* Thomas?! We saw his performance once, it was spectacular! And he was our inspiration to come out into Samadurai too…"

"Was he any good?" Salina asked curiously. Realizing she asked an irrelevant question, she shook her head. "Uh... never mind. But I'm surprised you actually saw him in person. Why did he inspire you to come here?"

"Trust me, his shows were amazing back before he got arrested!" Blake seemed so excited, that he was almost tempted to run back over to his brother and tell them all about this. But at that moment, he realized doing that wouldn't prove much benefit, as they had been lead to believe that Thomas was from Samadurai, and he wouldn't want to explain everything to the others quite yet. "You see, you know how in Atreanor, magic is outlawed? Well, it's not like any of the authorities explain why it's evil, so we just believed it because they were above us. But Thomas... he was the first person my brother and I have known to have used magic for the purpose of good. After that, Rubus and I wanted to go out and prove to Atreanor that this was an entirely valid possibility..."

Salina's eyes widened in surprise at this. She seemed to be in disbelief at first, but she seemed to be less worried after she heard this. "Really? Well, that's not quite a bad thing after all. I had thought at first that he was using magic for evil. But if he really did use magic to show people that it was for good... maybe he's not such a bad guy. He's a pioneer in a sense."

River's head was now tilted in some curiosity, and finally she picked herself up off of the ground, her feet leaving the water, thoroughly cooled down now. She started wiping the water off her feet and ankles, with the use of her magic of course, "It's so odd to think that any place would want to outlaw magic. It doesn't make sense… it's a natural part of ourselves, so why suppress it?"

"I've heard horror stories of places like that," Salina explained. She shuddered at the thought of the country, and grimaced, which showed her opinion on the culture there. "They think it's unholy. There's a strict religion there or something that doesn't allow it. It all goes back to the religion's leader, apparently he didn't like magic. And now they're making it our problem by hurting people just for using what they were born with! I hear if you use your powers in Pendsbury publicly, you're tortured. Isn't that awful?"

River, at first, seemed to be in a moment of disbelief. There was no way a society could be that awful, could it? Then again, she had seen many terrible things in her life, this was just one she hadn't witnessed yet. She held her hands in front of her, thinking about how awful that must be, "That's so sad… it just doesn't make sense to me. Which of the gods would tell them to do that, if they all control magic? Which one do they even obey?"

"They don't believe in any of our gods," Salina muttered sadly. She wanted to hug River just by seeing how disheartened her reaction was. "They believe in an evil one, one that hates love of all types, of magic, of those of darker skin. It's horrible."

"Well their *god* probably doesn't even exist!" River said harshly, but still under her breath. Yet Blake still heard it, and his eyes widened with a gasp. She didn't take much notice to his shock, "I know that the lords of magic do exist, I've met one of them myself, and even he would never allow humans to condemn one another for using magic."

"I have a feeling they don't believe in it, otherwise they would have condemned us by now," Salina reasoned. "Still, I haven't met one of our gods myself. But I know they disapprove of such a belief towards people and the usage of magic. I don't know why they would allow such a thing to happen."

River remained in a moment of silence, a glare on her face, but not out of malice for anyone. She just couldn't believe that there was a system so unjust, and so unfair to mages and others of their kind, that it couldn't help but ignite a flame of anger inside of her. But she couldn't let this out. Instead, she shook her head, and took a deep breath to stay calm. "Salina… maybe we should ask the three of them about it tonight when we set up camp, since we're not going to reach the next town by nightfall. Maybe it would be for the best…"

At this, Salina smiled, if not weakly. For once, it seemed as though the girls were on the same page. "I was thinking the same thing. Let's head a little farther on our path and set up camp when we get tired."

### Later That Evening

The sun had fallen over the horizon, and the darkness of dusk began to settle in. The light disappeared into the west, along with its yellow, orange, and pink colors. Now, the sky was a dim shade of blue. Stars were already beginning to leak through, ready to shimmer alongside the glowing crescent moon.

The group of travelers had already set up camp for the night. A few tents were pitched, although there were no expectations of rain, it helped protect against sandstorms or desert animals that may try to get any of them in their sleep. A fire was set up in the middle, assembled by dry sticks and shriveled leaves from dead desert plants, surrounded by a ring of stones. The flames were glowing brightly and warmly, having been ignited by the magic of yours truly, Rubus. He was setting out some raw food to cook for the meals.

Meanwhile, River had emerged from one of her tents, but without her satchel or her turquoise jewelry worn on her. She could see the others, but she patiently awaited word from Salina to approach them.

Salina emerged from the same tent as well. She stretched her arms and yawned a little, for she was tired from the exertion of walking all day. Still, she saw the boys sitting around the campfire, and Kestral was there too. She looked at Kestral and nodded. "Alright, now is a better time than ever. Let's do it."

River nodded, getting up on to her feet, and walked with Salina to the others. Needless to say, she was nervous. She wasn't sure if this could really work out or not. This was going to be a very big, and very strange question, that may even cause some tension if it proved to be true.

As the two women approached, Rubus, who was still working on preparing meals for everyone, waved his hand to them. Blake was sat down to his side, recording notes of what they've learned earlier that day, and there was quite a lot to write down for him. River could see the other three as well, Arkanov, Kestral, and Thomas. Before she could say much, Rubus spoke up, "Ah, glad to see you two could come and join us."

Arkanov turned on the rock he was sitting on to see the two women approaching. At the sight of them, he gave a small smile to River. To Salina, he just shot a nod in their direction. Thomas was on a rock, and seeing the two girls he felt a sense of dread and his eyes were wide, and eyebrows upturned in an expression of worry. It was as if he could sense what was to come.

Kestral was eagerly kicking her legs back and forth, and this quickened as she saw the other girls. "Hey, guys! Come here, the food is almost ready!"

River made a small smile towards the girl, and knelt down onto the dry earth. She looked to Rubus, "So what are you making?"

The young man shrugged, stirring liquid in a pot that he hand hanging over the fire with a wooden spoon, "Nothing special. Just some lentil soup, and I've saved several pieces of pita bread in my bag for everyone. Though I could probably be able to do a lot better with a real stove…"

Though Blake seemed a bit uneasy. Not as much as Thomas was, of course, but he knew what was going to come soon. River knew too, and her voice went a little lower in pitch. Her face just a bit more serious. Her gaze now shifted to the other three, and she released a small breath to try easing her tension before she went into this subject, "H-Hey, guys… um, there was something Salina and I were wondering…"

"Are the three of you from Pendsbury…?"

Thomas looked at Arkanov. He had frozen in place where he sat, and his eyes immediately darted to the fire before them all. Kestral's eyes widened as well, but she did not seem fearful of the question, more so surprised that River had come to the conclusion so quickly. Thomas tugged at his sleeves. They had been caught.

Finally, Thomas sighed. For once, his arms shook, and he seemed nervous. It was very strange for someone who was usually so calm and cool, and self-assured. "Y-Yes, okay? We are. Is there a problem with that...?"

River shook her head calmly, although their body language made her feel suspicious. Not suspicious in a way that she felt clever for noticing, but suspicious in fear for seeing how quickly their demeanor had changed. Even Thomas of all people were unsettled, which she thought to be impossible for him. "There's nothing wrong with it. It's just… Salina and I were worried. We were starting to thing that you… e-erm… hated mages… and that you would try to hurt us, o-or something…"

"We don't hate mages," Kestral piped up. She seemed genuinely hurt that River and Salina thought that of the three from Pendsbury. The young girl gazed up at the women with wide, emotional eyes. "We are mages. We love them. We would never hurt you."

"Oh Kestral…" River's eyes went sympathetic, and she stepped closer to the young girl. She grabbed the skirt of her dress shyly, hoping that the little one would forgive her, "I'm sorry for saying it, but you just have to be cautious sometimes. We were getting worried, since you didn't tell us the truth the first time… we were scared of what you were hiding…"

Thomas realized what this was all about. He exchanged many glances with Arkanov. The first looked as though he was imploring, the second looked angry, but finally his expression settled into melancholic acceptance. "Yes, well, you see... I am considered a fugitive in Pendsbury. I used magic in that city and I escaped. I didn't know if anyone from Pendsbury or Atreanor was around these parts to try and return me to the prison I was in. I did not know if you were friend or foe."

He gestured to Kestral. "As for this poor girl, no, she wouldn't harm a fly. She just went along with her brother."

Kestral and Thomas looked expectantly at Arkanov. And Arkanov felt cornered, it was visible on his expression. A long moment passed.

Finally, he sighed. "Y-Yes... I don't agree with Pendsbury's rules. Magic... is natural. I wanted to escape as well..."

River was completely filled with sympathy now, and she put her hands across her heart as she moved a little closer to the other three, "Oh my goodness, you poor things! I'm just glad we're here for all of you, so you can be safe from people who would want to capture you again. I promise, I'll never let them take any of you back there. I-I'll even try to actually fight with my magic if I have to…"

"Thank you," Kestral said genuinely. She stared down at her new frog friend, at the expansive desert before her, and at the people around her, who she already considered to be friends. "This place is magical, I prefer it to where we're from so much. I don't ever want to leave!"

"… But, what about your parents? Other family?" River questioned, still worried for the fate of the three, but she was happy to see that Kestral was content with the world around her. "I know you two have parents, and… maybe they would be happier with the two of you, someday."

"... You're right," Kestral realized. She looked down to the floor, ashamed by what she said. "I'm sorry. My mom is still very ill. But I remember; she liked magic too. She would want me in a place with such freedom."

River smiled just a little, and understood the girl's words. She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, "I understand. In some ways, my parents think it might be safer out here for me rather than at home. But I'm sure that some day you can get your family out of Pendsbury, and you can live here in Samadurai…"

Rubus just gave her an incredulous look, raising his eyebrow as she said this. When he started to get some bowls for the soup ready, he spoke, "You *do* realize that Pendsbury is a flying city, right? It's way up in the sky, not easy to sneak people out of…"

"What?!" River exclaimed in surprise, her originally soft demeanor suddenly becoming very excited by this strange new fact. She immediately looked to Thomas and Arkanov for further explanation, "Does that mean your city is built upon clouds?! How did you even manage to do that? Do you get around riding giant birds?"

"Uh... no," Kestral said, shaking her head. "I don't even know what a bird is? It's an airship. It has engines that use coal and pump steam at a high enough power to have the city soar through the air, it's quite elaborate."

River was dumbfounded by all the words she suddenly heard. Coal and steam used to lift a city into the sky? It seemed extremely illogical to her. She tilted her head in utter confusion, "What even is an engine? And how long have you been in Samadurai without seeing birds? Surely you must have seen at least vultures in the desert… and how have you lived in the sky your whole life without ever seeing a bird?!"

"It's an enclosed city cased by metal," Arkanov spoke up to explain. "I don't know what a bird is really myself, but we only have cats and dogs in Pendsbury. Engines are these machines of metal that power a lot of the other things we use in the city. What's a vulture?"

"That's just... so strange to me. How you don't know what birds are, and I don't know what these *engines* are..." River mentioned, and now she approached closer to Arkanov, much more interested in all that he had to say. In fact, she sat herself right in front of him, so that she and her questions would be in his center focus, "But birds, they're these animals who only have two legs, and instead of arms like us, they have wings, with feathers on them that they can use to fly. And vultures, they're a type of bird, though they're not very pretty, and they tend to eat dead things."

At this, Kestral gasped, suddenly and inwardly, "AN ANIMAL THAT CAN FLY?! What? I can't even believe that! You surely must be joking with us. Animals can't fly... can they? Do they do it with magic?!"

This time, it was Rubus who had spoken up. He was already pouring spoonfuls of soup into a few bowls, and handed the first to his brother, "Not at all. Animals actually don't have any sort of magic, they can't use that sort of power. But they fly by flapping their wings, or catching on to the air current and allowing wind to take them to where they need to be. I would like to explain more, but unfortunately I'm not very educated on aerodynamics, and I don't think you would be able to understand it right away either." he shrugged, and now handed a bowl of lentil soup to the young girl, "Anyways, here's yours."

Kestral stared down into the bowl of hot soup. She smiled and licked her lips, happy to be eating a hot meal this time. She smelled its scent and sighed happily. "Thank you for explaining that, and for this soup... um, what's a lentil? I'm not complaining. Just curious!"

"It's just a type of grain that usually grows a little further up north. I managed to get some on our journey towards Sihrasul, and it's one of the first recipes that I've learned outside of Atreanor," Rubus explained, handing out the rest of the food to the others, as well as pieces of the bread loaf he had been saving, "Blake and I actually used  to live as bakers, so maybe someday with the right ingredients, we can make something special for all of you."

"You guys used to be bakers?!" Kestral asked excitedly. She looked at her brother, who now seemed very intrigued by this information. He nodded, and Kestral took this as a sign to ask, "Arkanov and I are wondering if one day, you'll be able to set us up with Temperfest buns."

Rubus seemed a little interested in this proposition. He took a sip of his soup, and relaxed his shoulders, "Sure, given we can find the correct ingredients to make any. Though Temperfest isn't coming for a while…"

"Temperfest?" River questioned. She seemed to be learning quite a number of new things today, and she could only press her curiousity further, "What's that supposed to be?"

"It's a holiday in Pendsbury," Arkanov explained. He chuckled. "The only thing redeemable about the place."

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Kestral exclaimed happily. "All the adults take the day off and just kind of goof off and have fun. That happens at night. And the next morning, they're so tired from having fun that the kids of the city can do whatever we want! Eat whatever we want! So those Temperfest buns are the things Arkanov and I love the most. They're very sweet."

"I don't know what they taste like, but if you say they're sweet… then they're probably as sweet as you, Kes!" River giggled, almost tempted to ruffle the child's hair, but in the end, she did not. Instead, she only took a bite from her bread, "We don't have anything like that back at my home, but maybe we can celebrate it together… outside of the city of course, since we likely wouldn't be accepted there…"

"We can have our own Temperfest, we don't need the meanies back at Pendsbury," Kestral said happily. She took a sip of the lentil soup, and her eyes widened. "Wow... Rubus, this tastes AMAZING. I thought you said you were a baker, not a chef! But it seems like you're both."

Rubus smiled at her, pleased with her enjoyment of the food. It made him a little proud too, and he modestly scratched the back of his head, "Thank you… I admit, I'm better at baking than normal cooking, but it's nice to know that you like it."

Meanwhile, Blake had finished his dinner, and handed his bowl over towards his twin brother. He stretched his back, "Thanks for cooking tonight! Well… it's getting dark, I'm going to head off to bed now. Are you going to stay out here a while longer?"

At this, Rubus simply nodded, and Blake understood. The dark-haired young man walked off towards their tent, but suddenly, he stopped. River took notice of this, and was about to ask what the matter was, but Blake took a tentative step back. He seemed frozen in place. He only slightly turned his head to the others, not to look at them, but to direct his voice and not break his sights on what he was looking at, "Er… guys? Do we… know this person?"

Now this was a cause for concern. River stood up onto her feet, peeking over Blake's shoulder, when she caught sight as well. In front of them, not even attempting to lurk in the shadows, was a strange figure waiting just outside of the camp. His clothes were dark, and he wore a long cape that covered his shoulders. His chest was armoires by what seemed to be the ribcage of another creature, and his face covered by the mask-like skull of a reptilian monster. In his left hand, he wielded a bone spear. It seemed as though he was waiting…

Kestral saw this man and instinctively screamed. Arkanov and Thomas rose to see what the young girl was scared over, and when they saw the bone man, they both summoned their weapons.

Arkanov only showed protective anger on his face. "Who's there? What are you doing...?" he asked loudly. Had this person been following them? Why were they hiding out, waiting? "And take off that damn mask... helmet? Whatever the hell that is on you. Let me see your face!"

The figure said absolutely nothing. He stood up straight on his two feet. There was no telling what he would do, until River saw what he held in his right hand. There were several little spheres, with short wicks attached to them. It was easy to tell he was a fire mage when his hand seemed to glow with heat, and the wicks sparked and ignited. He threw the bombs at the feet of the small group, right in the center of the campsite, and they burst into thick and concealing smoke. River, Blake, and Rubus began coughing, unable to see a single thing in the cover.

Then suddenly, through the smoke, a scream escaped from River, before being promptly silenced and muffled…

... Another scream sounded out amidst the chaos of smoke and noise. It was another adult female's, and the only other person in the group who fit that description was Salina. Her voice receded, whether it be by the smoky haze or from a muffling, one could not be sure.

Arkanov, confused and dazed as to where everyone else was, called out, "RIVER! SALINA!"

There was no response. Enraged, Arkanov began to call out to the others. "Do any of you see River or Salina?"

"N-No, I can't find them!" Blake called out from the smoke, his voice in a frantic panic over the fate of the two women, and from the fear of being caught by the mysterious stranger as well. But at this moment, his eyes had sparked up with an idea. Quickly, channeling his untrained and unpracticed magic, he thrust both of his arms out to his sides, generating two blasts of wind that bent and cleared the smoke away from the campsite.

When the area was cleared, he scanned the place, and couldn't see any sign of their attacker, nor a trace of the two women. But, he still had to call out, just to be sure, "Salina! River?!"

But there was no response. It seemed as though the only thing left from the masked man were strange, glass-like footprints in the sand.

Arkanov, confused and totally shocked to see that the girls were gone, was only concerned with finding them again. He saw the glass footprints and his voice became cold, deadly serious. "We need to follow that maniac and find the girls. Now."

"We may not have to look too aimlessly. The only thing he left behind were these prints, which could lead us right to him," Rubus noted, breathless and still struggling to remain calm and composed. He looked down at the glass prints left behind, "Though he may have gotten further than one would expect. It looks like he used his fire magic to propel himself faster…"

Meanwhile, Blake was struggling to not start shaking out of fear and worry for their missing members. He was even more nervous looking at how grim Arkanov was, "Erm… Wh-What do you think he took them for…?"

Arkanov shuddered. "I don't want to know what a man would need two girls for. But don't worry..."

Arkanov swept his hands up, and the darkness of the night seemed to crawl underneath his feet and lift him up, like a magic carpet. The area under his feet, which were now floating, was dark black. He was using his shadow powers to make a shadow skateboard of sorts. He expanded the dark carpet so the others could hop on if need be. "I have a way we can get there quickly as well."

Rubus and Blake understood; as curious as they were to uncover the motives of this kidnapper, they knew it was better not to risk letting anything more happen to the women. But even in the panic of the situation, they were still astounded that Arkanov could use his magic so well, especially for a Pendsborne. They both hopped on, and Rubus, with the most serious tone he's ever had, "Let's go."

### The Sandstone Ruins

As the darkness fell and the moon arose high into the sky, the kidnapper and his hostages had arrived in a very strange, and very new location. Now that he had finished dashing with help of his magic, River was able to process what had happened and where they were. She felt her arm being gripped tightly by him, and when she looked around, the most significant thing she could see was a large structure.

It was almost palace-like, built up with sandstone brick walls and pillars. However, it was all in disrepair, walls crumbled and a few pillars fallen, and it didn't seem like the safest place to live. Only half of the structure was even covered at the top. But, now that River turned her head and saw her kidnapper, and him holding on to Salina's arm with his other hand, panicked. She yanked her arm back, which didn't loosen his grip, and screamed out, "Arkanov! Thomas! Help!"

"They're far from us, you know," The man in the bone-helmet informed. Despite his menacing appearance, his voice was higher than one would have expected. It sounded like it would belong to a pubescent boy in fact, "And you don't have to pretend anymore, you're safe from those Pendsbornes now."

Salina was confused and dazed from the sudden travel. She had not expected to be going that quickly, and certainly she had not expected that the girls' kidnapper sounded like someone in their mid-teens. Salina put her free hand on the forearm of her captor, and gripped it as tightly as she possible could. She seemed to be beefier than this boy who took them, so she figured a fractured arm would do and they would get away safely. She stared at him with cold eyes, as if daring him to do anything else. "How did you know those guys were Pendsbornes? Were you spying on us? And we don't need your help from them, we know they're safe."

"Safe? From Pendsbornes? That's not likely, considering how they all treat mages and Samadurians. And… yes, I was spying on you, I apologize," the boy looked at Salina, and let go of her arm. Then, he lifted his skull helmet off of him, revealing his face. In that moment, it was revealed; his skin that was somewhat tanned, only by the sun as he was usually fair-skinned, and his hair was slightly curly and blonde, with young brown eyes. "But I really need your help. You two may be the only adept mages I've seen in a long time…"

"Help you? After you kidnapped us?!" River retorted, shocked to see that their captor seemed to only be a teenager, fifteen at the very most. "What would be so important that you would steal us away from our friends?!"

The boy's eyes became softer with a look of sadness that washed over his face, "I… have a friend, who's been taken over by a curse. I don't know how to save them, before it's too late…"

"Sorry to hear about your friend, but that's no excuse for kidnapping someone," Salina said. She frowned at the teenager, disgusted by what he had done and why he had done it. She put her hand on the small of River's back and directed her to the opposite direction. "Excuse us, but we're leaving now."

"N-No, wait, please!" The boy held out his hand, trying to call back to them, but to no avail. He was starting to get nervous, this plan made out of desperation was beginning to backfire on him. First the only two people who could have helped him were leaving, and now it's likely that the others who they were traveling with were going to give him the beating of a lifetime. He was at an absolute loss for words, until suddenly…

River stopped. She resisted Salina's push, and turned back to look at the teenager. She then murmured to the blonde woman by her side, "I'm sorry Salina, but… I'm sensing a heart shard nearby. We can't just leave yet…"

Salina took a breath in as if she was about to argue, but she could produce no words. The more she thought about it, the more she reminded herself angrily that these heart shards were important. She put two hands on her hips and gave a trying look at River. "Alright, can we find the shard and get the heck away from this lunatic?"

"A… shard?" The boy questioned, and pointed his spear towards the ground to show that he had no intention of harming them. He still hoped he could get them on his side, "I-I have something like that! It's in the ruins, where my friend is, but… I'm not going to give it to you until you help me. Please…?"

The blonde girl sighed. "Ugh, really dude? These things are kind of important, possibly able to save the world... I think. Do you really want to be known as the guy that allowed the world to end because he wanted to barter it for one single person's curse to be lifted?"

"Erm… to be fair, these can't save the world… but they will save my homeland," River spoke up, strangely defending the boy somewhat, but she kept her voice modest and soft to show that she was still on Salina's side. Then, she looked to the boy, "So… a life for a home, it's what I'm willing to do. What's your name anyways…?"

The boy wanted to bring himself to smile a little bit, seeing as how River was cooperating, but he couldn't. He had a feeling the other would have snapped at him, "The name's Remnant. Now, come, my friend is inside the ruins…"

Remnant took the lead of the two girls, and beckoned for them to follow. River walked behind him, taking careful steps, and occasionally looked from side to side just to check if any of the others were close by and searching for them. As they made it through the first few crumbling walls, she nudged Salina with her elbow, "H-Hey, I'm really sorry if you don't want to do this…"

"I don't really have a choice," Salina explained with a small shrug. Still, she held onto her arms, a little put off by the strange walls of the ruins around her. Something did not feel right to her. "I'm more worried about what the others are thinking. They're probably looking for us, what if we go too far for them to follow and we can't find them again?"

"I can take you back, you know. It shouldn't be too hard considering how I was able to take you with ease," Remnant noted, butting himself into the conversation just a little bit. It wasn't long before they had gone deeper into the ruins, past a few crumbling walls and pillars, that they had come up to a structure erecting from the ground that resembled a pedestal that an altar would have been placed upon. It was covered by what little roofing the place had, and on that pedestal, was something River could not have prepared herself for. Remnant tried to smile, but it came off as worrisome, "C-Candice, I'm back with some real help this time…"

On that little pedestal was what appeared to be a young lady built up out of wax. Every part of her, skin and hair, was the solid and soft yellow material. Her hair was long and fell over her face and ran down her back, resembling the top of a candle that had been lit and melting for quite some time. Her eyes were dark, black, gaping holes that constantly seemed depressed and morose, filled with despair. She had no mouth, therefore she could not scream. And finally, on top of her head, was a candle wick, lit with a large, bright flame. Remnant walked up to her side, "These two are real mages, they might know how to help you…"

Salina breathed in a little and now was seriously unsettled. She nudged River's arm with hers and gave her a concerned look, as if questioning why the boy was talking to a mound of wax as if real. Then again, they lived in a country run on magic. It would not have been the weirdest thing she saw in her life.

She approached the woman made of wax, and studied her melancholic expression. She also noted how she was lit. Salina turned to Remnant. "Well, since we're here, what is her problem?"

Remnant's eyes were suddenly filled with sadness, and he held his hands together in front of him, "Candice and I… we were just practicing with our magic, and she was using up a lot of her fire. Even when she was starting to lose endurance, sh-she kept going, until she was feeling sore. She told me she was feeling a lot of pain, a-and I thought she was going to be okay in the morning…"

Then, he held his skull helmet close to his chest with a tightness that only it could really handle, "Th-Then when I woke up the next morning, her whole body was turned to wax, a-and she had this burning candle wick on her head… so, s-someone must have cursed her!"

The wax woman, although statue-like at first, seemed to turn her head towards Remnant, but that was all she did. River jumped a little, not expecting her to even be able to move. Her shoulders were very tense, and she took a step closer to Candice. With a glance to the boy, and back down at his companion, she breathed, "Alright… I'm going to examine her, her soul at least…"

River knelt down in front of the woman, who gazed at her with her sorrowful eye sockets. River couldn't help but feel pity for her. She held out her hand, and placed it on the wax chest of the young woman. She could still feel something resonating in there; emotions, thoughts, memories. It seemed her heart was still intact. But there was something else, something dangerously unstable and terribly broken. Unlike the soul of a normal fire mage, usually warm and inviting and sparking with passion, she felt like it was burning, smoldering, and absolutely out of control. River gave out a breath, "… This isn't a curse. Candice… she's been corrupted…"

"She's corrupted!?" Salina yelped. She hurried over to River's hand and placed a hand on her chest as well. She could feel the fire raging within the poor woman, though she could sense it was not contained at the moment. River was right.

She turned to Remnant and gave a sad look. Now she did not want to leave the boy's side immediately. It seemed as though she was even pitying him. "You need to realize there aren't too many ways to save a corrupted mage's soul. There is a very large possibility that this will be her last form... unless her soul is mended pure once more, she'll stay like that until she dies."

River shook her head slowly, and stood up once more, "No… I don't think this one can even be mended. It feels far too damaged beyond repair. Even if it was possible to fix, there's no way that just the two of us would be able to do it. I'm sorry, but, there's nothing we can do…"

Remnant felt an utter weakness in his knees, and a pain that felt like a stab wound to his heart. He then collapsed, as he gasped for air, feeling the first wave of tears wash themselves down his cheeks. He had a feeling that this would have been the case, that there would be no hope for his friend. As he cried, the boy reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small, luminescent shard, shining a faint blue. "I… I'm sorry for taking you from the others and scaring you… just take this, it's the only thing that can make up for it…"

River was surprised that he would have the politeness to reward them, even if they had done nothing to better the condition of his companion. Carefully, she knelt down in front of him, and gently took the shard from his hands. She sighed, and then placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry about her… she won't be able to go on for much longer. Given that she doesn't let her emotions run haywire, the best you can do is stay with her until her time to pass on comes…"

Salina hesitated, but decided she had to comfort the boy some way. She knelt to his side, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Her soul may take over, but... take comfort in the fact that it will pass on to someone, or something, new. The fire within her may burn in utter chaos now, but it will temper, and continue to flare in the next life she takes. It won't die. She will always be in the same world you inhabit."

"But she won't be the same…" Remnant whimpered again, thankful that at least the two were able to comfort him. But he knew that all of this was not going to prepare him from losing his companion for good. He only breathed in, and then out, "I'm sorry for the trouble… I'm sure your traveling companions are worried sick for the two of you now. You should get back to them…"

"I don't want to leave you in such a state," Salina said, surprising herself for feeling so sympathetic for the young boy. "Are you going to be okay here, alone with this girl?"

Remnant only nodded, "I'll be fine, I swear. I mean… I-I was on my own before I met her, so I know that I can do it again. I'll stay with her until the time comes, and… m-maybe I can make it easier for her. Now, you two should probably go back to your friends. They need you more than I do…"

Salina nodded, and touched River's shoulder to signal that they needed to get up. But before the girls left and returned, she turned to Remnant. She felt awful for her apprehension to helping him, and felt even more badly that they could not assist him. But she hoped the best for him. "Remnant, I wish you luck in overcoming this situation. I hope it all works out for you."

The boy said nothing more, not even a 'goodbye' or a 'farewell'. All he did was stare at his candle-like companion, with sad and defeated eyes. The strength and passion that was once in him was already fading away like dust in the wind. As much as River didn't want to leave him in such despair, she knew that they couldn't stay there for long and worry their other companions.

And so, River stood up next to Salina, and alongside her walked out of the ruins. She was absolutely silent as they passed the disrepaired structures of stone being washed away by time. Until finally, they were back out in the open desert, with sand and rocky ground as far as the eye could see. "Let's hope we're not too far from the others, or else it might take all night to reunite with them…"

Salina nodded in agreement, but then slapped a hand to her head as she realized the consequences of their departure. "Oh no, I'd hate to imagine what poor Kestral is thinking right now. She must be freaking out."

"… You're right…" River realized, her hand moving to the back of her head awkwardly, and her eyes darted off to the sides. She began to walk forward towards the distance, presumably where they had first come from, "She might be devastated… the poor girl. I don't know how scared the others might be, but they must be worried…"

Suddenly, Salina heard voices echo in the distance. She could recognize a very high-pitched girl's voice.

Within seconds, Kestral's figure could be seen in the distance, but nearing closer and closer as she ran towards the two girls. She held the frog tightly in her arms and looked about wildly, searching desperately for the missing women. "RIVER!" Kestral called out, "SALINA! Where are you two?!"

"… Kestral?! Kestral!" River's neck whipped to the direction of the girl's voice. She saw her getting closer, but it didn't seem as though she could see them yet. Immediately, River grasped on to Salina's hand, and began to run, pulling her forward as she neared to the girl, "Kes! Kes, we're over here!"

"RIVER!" Kestral ran forth, and the frog sprung free from her grip so it could hop alongside the young girl and not be held. When the pair approached the women, Kestral jumped up and down excitedly. "Thank goodness you guys are okay! Well, are you okay? Did that guy hurt you? Who was he? What did he want? Where is he now?"

From behind, Thomas rushed up. He met the other girls and chuckled. "Your brother is slow, Kes. Anyways, ladies, you seem alright... what on earth was that all about?"

As River bent down to the young girl's level, and wrapped her arms tightly around her, she gave out a sigh of relief. Her smile was very wide, "We're safe, don't worry. We haven't been hurt at all." She reassured the girl. But when she realized she had just hugged Kestral out of nowhere, she tried to laugh it off, and let go, hoping that she didn't go too far. Instead, she looked up to Thomas, "And our captor isn't a bad guy, I swear. Turns out he was just some kid who thought that we were your hostages, and he tried to get us to help him with a problem he was having…"

Kestral did not seem to mind the hug, and tugged on River's dress as if to motion that she would've liked another one.

Meanwhile, Arkanov finally caught up to everyone else. He was dragging his shadow sword behind him, which one could guess was quite heavy given the manner in his gait. He was panting slightly. After he approached the girls, he drove the sword into the ground and held himself upright using the handle to prevent himself from collapsing. "Where... is that... guy who took... you...?"

Thomas saw this and elbowed Arkanov playfully. "Out of breath, Arkanov? Didn't think running was your weakness."

Embarrassed, Arkanov lowered his head so his hair would fall over his cheeks and prevent the others from seeing his blush. *"Shut the fuck up, Thomas,"* he muttered extremely quietly. He looked up and met Salina and River's gaze. "You seem okay..."

River nodded. She was rather shocked to find that Arkanov was not as durable as she had initially perceived him, though it wasn't like she could help him get back to a normal breathing rate. But nevertheless, she smiled for him, "We're safe now. Our kidnapper, that was a big misunderstanding. You see, he was a teenager, and he thought he was rescuing us from the rest of you, because he found out that you were Pendsbornes…"

"Well that is absolutely ridiculous," another voice spoke up, running to catch up with the group. Behind Arkanov followed Rubus, and behind him was Blake. They weren't out of breath, they were decent endurance runners, but they were never known for their speed. But one could tell they were very glad to see the girls unharmed, "We were more worried about him hurting the two of you than anything. Where did that guy go anyways?"

"He's back in the ruins," Salina said, jerking a finger back to where they had came from. "He also wanted us to help him with a friend of his because he thought we were the only real mages of the group."

"Only real mages...? N-Nonsense..." Arkanov scoffed shakily. Then he collapsed onto the floor once more, face first.

Kestral rolled her eyes. "He doesn't use his powers this often, I guess. But I can see why that crazy guy thought we weren't real mages, with him passing out every other minute."

"A-Arkanov!" River exclaimed, and knelt down on the sandy ground in front of the young man. She tried lifting him up from his shoulders so that he wouldn't suffocate with his head in the sand, and despite her weak muscles, she was still able to keep him up somewhat. She have an exasperated sigh, "Goodness, I didn't think he would have collapsed like this. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Salina nodded. She threw a smirk over to Thomas. "I'm guessing you Pendsbornes don't use your magic too often. It seems like Arkanov has a low tolerance for long-term magic use."

"No, he's usually totally fine," Thomas explained, shaking his head. He frowned. "I don't know what's going on."

Kestral neared her brother's side and gently laid a hand against her forehead. She gasped. "A fever?! In the desert? That's really weird."

Thomas sighed heavily, and went over to Arkanov, took him from River, and slugged the heavy man over his shoulders. "AGH! Man, he's really dense. Well, we can't keep stopping and waiting for him to wake up. I'll carry him back to our camp site."

"Thank you. Poor guy… I wouldn't have expected him to get a fever so suddenly. Hopefully it doesn't last for long…" River spoke with utter sympathy to the dark haired man slung over Thomas' shoulders, but also with a sense of gratitude towards his carrier, "Now let's head back, hopefully it isn't too far-"

River's words were interrupted by a mysterious and ominous howl traveling on the wind. It didn't sound like it could belong to any wolf, nor creature of the desert. It sounded human; disturbingly human. It was coming from the ruins, followed by a scream from what sounded like a teenage boy. The others were completely frozen in their place. River was almost about to run to the ruins to see what the matter was, but there was no need.

From behind the fallen walls of sandstone, a figure walked out. However, it was not Remnant. Rather, he was being dragged by this person, by his cape. He seemed unconscious.

His attacker was none other than the candle-like girl, her skin of wax and her head alit with flame, Candice. Only something was different. Her eye sockets were shaped in a way that only showed true hate and spite. And now, it seemed as though she had a mouth, as if she had forcefully torn it open so she could speak. But her voice was terribly warped, as if her sound was being ripped apart and put back together crudely, "*I AM NOT READY TO DIE*…"

Kestral, Thomas, and Salina stood and stared in awe at the moving wax before them. Thomas' eyes bulged out, completely in shock. Salina took a step forward and nodded to Thomas, and the man understood and dragged Arkanov away from the stand-off that was taking place.

Kestral was still staring in horror. Suddenly, she screamed, unable to contain her questions and fear any longer. "What the heck is that thing!?!"

Immediately, River stepped in front of Kestral, to shield and protect her from the monster before them. Even then, she could feel herself shaking in fear. She didn't know what to do; she couldn't fight, and there was no way she could settle the tormented mage in front of them, "Kes, that's a corrupted mage. They're extremely dangerous… l-look, follow Thomas away from here, and leave this to us."

Candice stepped forward, her movements stiff, yet her body wobbled. She dropped Remnant's unconscious body on the sand, and snarled at the others. Suddenly, the flame burning bright on her head spread everywhere else, running down her shoulders and arms and hands. "*Why should **I** have to die?!"*

Suddenly, she charged, and swung her flaming arm at River. The woman flinched, bracing for a burning impact, but found no pain upon her body. All she heard was a man's scream, and she gasped when she opened her eyes once more. Rubus had run in to shield her, and took the hit. Now his clothes were singed, and his chest had a nasty burn. He lay on the ground, grunting, clenching his teeth to try and hold back the pain.

"RUBUS!" Kestral screeched. She turned back to Thomas, and yelped loudly to him, "Put Arkanov down and heal Rubus, please! I can move Arkanov!"

Thomas said nothing; he only nodded and rushed over to Rubus' side, an extremely shocked, horrified look on his face. He wondered if someone with a burn like that near the heart could even make it. Still, he began to remove Rubus' shirt and tend to the wound.

At this moment, Salina realized she needed to intervene. She bent down to the floor, and all of a sudden, rocks and hard material on the ground formed around her hands. This lasted for a moment, and when she stepped up again, it looked as if she was wearing rocky boxing gloves or gauntlets. They were large, firecely dense things that could probably give someone a concussion if she hammered it against a person's head hard enough. In this case, Candice did not have a head, so a thorough beating would have to do.

Now with protection from the heat that coursed over the corrupted mage's body, Salina punched her fists together and took a fighting stance. She lunged forth with a hook to the right, and an upper cut aimed for Candice's center and core.

The melting wax absorbed most of the impact, but it was all still enough to push Candice back somewhat. Her distorted screams still rang through the air, and she swung her melting, searing arm at Salina in an attempt to burn her as well. Until suddenly, a strong, controlled blast of wind dissipated her flames. The monstrous corrupted mage turned to face her new opponent, and there he was: Blake.

His expression was the most serious it had ever been. One would have thought with his soft demeanor, that he would be crying over his brother's injury. But this time, it seemed that there was some sort of sick confidence. Courage that came from rage. His eyes were glaring, yet he smiled. He said nothing more as he blasted more gusts of wind at Candice, and she shrieked as her flames were being put out by each and every one of them.

River could only state in horror and awe at how her friends fought, and both at how they were all so close to the possibility of death. She kept Kestral behind her, until suddenly, an idea to save them sparked in her head. "Salina! Blake!" She called out, "Try getting her away from the others, and *don't* put out her flames!"

"Huh?" Salina grunted in confusion. She would've thought that putting out her flames would cause Candice to stop fighting more quickly. Still, she trusted River's judgement and decided to follow her suggestions. "Uh, okay, you got it!"

She careened to the other side of Candice, and began to punch and jab at her waxy self away from the group.

Candice has lost all sense of her humanity as she screamed and howled like a true beast. Her flames grew brighter, even when the wind of Blake's and the fists of Salina's had shoved her back. Nothing seemed to be working very quickly quite yet. Blake shouted over his shoulder, "River, I don't think this plan will end up well!"

"Just trust me on this!" River called back. Blake turned his glare back to the wax monster, and beckoned and teased her to follow his lead, further away from the others. With every swing she threw, he would use his magic to blast him the other direction and dodge with ease. Her rage grew as large as the fire enveloping her body. Until suddenly…

Her roars of fury had turned into screams of pain, as if she was crying out in agony to a person who could not help her. The wax of her body began melting off, becoming molten lumps on the sandy ground with no life. Her fire was finally beginning to die down, she was burning herself out, quite literally. River knew that this would happen, and she watched as slowly, but surely, Candice's flames slowly burned her away, and then extinguished as quickly as her life passed. It was finally over.

Salina gasped. She forced the rocks on her fists to break away and crumble to the floor, and bravely she approached the spot where Candice once was. That fight was horrifying, and hearing to the poor girl's screams of agony, and then her slow, emotionless, lifeless death was even more of a shock. She had seemed so downtrodden when the two women tried to help Remnant before. She certainly hadn't expected for Candice to become fully corrupted so quickly.

Regaining her focus, she ran over to Remnant's side and checked his pulse. He was fine. She sighed happily, and then chuckled, a sort of mechanism for dealing with these traumatizing events. But she couldn't keep it up, and any expression of happiness was washed off her face. "Gods, that was awful. Why on earth...?"

Blake took a large breath, and released a sigh. He could honestly care less about the corrupted mage, he was too tired and frustrated to ask many questions right now. He only returned to his brother's side, who was barely remaining conscious from the pain of his burns, and knelt down beside him as Thomas made his work to heal him. Meanwhile, River walked up to Salina's side, and knelt down in front of Remnant. Luckily, since he was still a rather light and lanky teenager, she was actually able to lift him up somewhat. "We need to get back to the campsite. We have three collapsed men, and staying here won't give them any help."

Salina put out an arm, wondering if River could take Remnant on her own, but she remembered how much she hated it when someone did the same for her, so she decided not to. Instead, she moved to Kestral, who was way out, struggling to hold her brother up. Salina took Arkanov by his left arm, flipped him up, forcing him into an involuntary front flip, and slugged the man over her shoulder. She trudged onwards back to the campsite.

Kestral was shocked by the entire ordeal. She scooted over to Thomas' side, and stared sadly down at Rubus. "Will he be okay?"

"Yeah," Thomas said with a small nod. He was still using his light powers to sear together any patches of skin and flesh that had been blown apart by the intense fire. "But we'll need to move back to the campsite immediately and get some actual medicine that can ease the pain of burns. Otherwise, he's okay."

Blake could only stare down at his twin, trying to make a small smile to comfort him, and placed a hand on Rubus' shoulder. Blake patted it gently, knowing that at least that part wasn't injured, and the red-haired man could stay conscious and calm long enough to look up to the other. Blake muttered, "Hear that? You'll be alright, we'll fix you up soon enough, don't you worry. I'll carry you back..."

Even in such pain from being burned, Rubus tried to force his body to chuckle for his brother, "After you made fun of my weight in the last town...? Heh... h-heh, either you somehow gained muscle in a day, or you were lying back then."

"Of course I was, just to mess with you, brother," Blake tried to laugh back, for his sake, even though on the inside, he felt truly sorry for his brother's state of health. When Thomas had finished what healing he could do for now, he lifted Rubus by his upper and lower torso, careful to avoid touching his burnt chest. He then looked to River, who was carrying Remnant, and then down to Arkanov who was also passed out in the sand. He gestured towards him, "Thomas, pick him back up, and we'll try to get to the campsite, hopefully before sunrise. It wasn't too far anyways, thankfully."

Thomas had been smiling dreamily from the sight of seeing the two brothers at peace with each other once more. Hearing the suggestion, he snapped out of his trance, and sighed as he moved over to Arkanov to pick him up again.

"Can I help?" Kestral asked, petting Frig. She seemed very upset with herself.

"No, don't worry about it," Thomas assured. Instead, he began to drag Arkanov along. "The best thing to do now is to head out. Let's go."

### Recovery

A handful of hours had passed since then, and the small group had arrived at their campsite not too long ago. They had already placed the injured and unconscious bodies of the three men in different tents. Rubus in the one he and Blake shared, same for Arkanov in his shared one with Kestral, and then Remnant in Salina and River's.

Meanwhile, outside in the center of it, were the others gathered around the smoldering fire pit that had been ignited hours ago. Already Blake was taking a leader-like roll that his brother would have done, and was giving out orders to the others, yet in a calm and composed voice. He looked to the other three, "Thomas, my brother is the most damaged out of the others, and I think it would be best that you come with me to heal him back to normal." He now stared at the two women and the young girl, "River, you should tend to Arkanov for now. Maybe you can use your magic to make cool water that can calm his fever. As for you Salina, Remnant's still unconscious, so it'll be a while before he wakes up and can tell you or whatever pain he is feeling. Think you can check up on his potential injuries?"

Finally, his face settled on the little astral mage, "As for you Kestral… I'm not sure if you have any healing capabilities, but it would be best if you kept your brother company for now."

Hearing this, Kestral nodded dejectedly. She held onto Frig tightly and went to where River was.

Thomas gave Salina a questioning look for her actions. Salina shrugged. She had no clue what was bringing Kestral down. Still, she gave Blake a thumbs-up and proceeded to Remnant's tent to tend to his wounds. "Sure thing, dude. And Blake, if you're watching over your brother, you should get some rest while you're at it, eh? You fought hard today."

The dark-haired young man shook his head. Instead, he simply walked towards his brother'a tent, and sighed, "Normally I would love to, but you see… I'm staying up for Rubus so that I can make sure he's okay through the rest of the night, not like there's too many hours until dawn anyways…"

Meanwhile, River was preemptively rinsing out with her magic one of the bowls that they had used for dinner earlier. Luckily, the soup from before wasn't very thick, so it was easy to wash out. Then, as she generated a new mass of water in her hands, she allowed it to pour into the bowl, at a temperature cool enough to make someone shiver if they had their hand in it for too long. And so, following Kestral, she headed to Arkanov's tent.

Kestral pushed back the tent's flaps to see her brother on the floor, amidst a blanket and some pillows strewn about. Earlier she had taken off his shirt for him, and thankfully he was wearing an undershirt underneath his breezy top. She was not willing to go much farther. Arkanov was lying with his back to the floor and his head up towards the ceiling of the tent. He was awake, but seemed lost in thought.

When he saw the two girls come into his room, he turned his head away from them. He had an embarrassed expression cross his face. "... Hello."

River brought forth a weak smile for him, kneeling down by his right side. She set the bowl of water down next to her, "Hey Arkanov… I um, brought this for you…"

She untied the red cloth around her waist, then took it by one of the tips. She dipped it into the bowl of cold water, and then twisted when she pulled it out to drain excess liquid. Then carefully, with the edge of her cloth rolled up, she set it on the man's warm forehead, hoping that could cool it down. "How are you feeling? Any better than before?"

"A little better because of that water there, thanks," Arkanov said. He felt the coolness of the cloth hit his hot skin, and he sighed thankfully. Kestral, who was kneeling by his left side, handed him the water bowl. The man sat up and drank from it.

Kestral clasped her hands as he drank and looked to the floor. "What's wrong, Ark?" she asked in a soft voice, "You haven't gotten a fever in years. It doesn't make sense in a desert either."

Arkanov tapped the water bowl with his thumb and stared down into it. It was empty now, he had dranken from it in such a vulturous way that the water was gone in seconds. He sighed. "Um... Kestral, I think the gods the people believe in here, they are real."

"Huh?" Kestral tilted her head at this statement. Now she seemed worried. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Someone spoke to me while I was passed out, but the encounter felt ethereal," Arkanov explained, "She said that all this, the passing out and the illness, was to teach me a lesson, I don't know why. She said her name was Lilith." He turned to River. "Is there a goddess here like that?"

When this question was brought up, the white-haired woman gave him a look of confusion, but yet she showed no doubt in what he was claiming. She had heard many stories of others meeting gods and other such ethereal beings in their dreams, but she had never met someone who had it happen to themselves. And besides, what reason would she have to disbelieve him if she's had somewhat similar experiences?

But even so, she was astounded that he would mention Lilith of all things, "*Her*?" She questioned, "Lilith is an extremely important goddess, she and her siblings practically invented magic. But she specializes in shadow magic… so if you're seeing her, maybe that's one reason why she's talking to you…"

"But... it was weird, she said she was going to teach me some things," Arkanov said, now scratching his head. "She said I had to go to her realm. But what on earth is a realm? Is that a building? I'm really confused by all of this."

River gave him the most incredulous look that she had ever donned on her face. She was beginning to wonder if the fever was starting to get to him, but she wouldn't deny him answers for his questions. "So you don't know what a realm is… I question what they taught you in Pendsbury. But a realm is like a specific and special place where a god or goddess resides, and where they're surrounded by their element, as well as being accompanied by spirits of that same element who take residence there."

"In Pendsbury they say these gods are all fake," Arkanoc retorted grumpily, not happy to be chastised for not knowing the terms. "Forgive me if this is new. At any rate, she wants me to go to her realm, but we're already on a mission of our own. And even if we weren't, how can I trust her? I've never met her. She looked weird too, she had no eyes and her skin looked... ghostly. And she had horns. Are you sure this magic stuff is actually true? Maybe you guys were playing a trick on me and I thought I dreamt that?"

"We wouldn't prank you like that, not when Rubus has been injured and we have to look after Remnant," River responded, almost a little offended that he was so ready to deny the existence of what he saw. But she had to remind herself that he came from a land without magic, even with how alien it was to her, she had to try to make herself understandable, "I don't know what Lilith really looks like, but all gods look different from humans in some respects. So, a lack of eyes and horns should be normal."

"Not normal to me," Arkanov huffed. He crossed his arms and looked grumpily to the floor. "It has to be a really weird dream and a coincidence then. Because I was wearing some weird wolf costume and I would never put that on myself willingly."

Kestral sighed sadly. "It could be real!"

"Nope, it was too stupid to be," Arkanov said angrily. "It was a fever dream. This magic bullshit is getting on my nerves, I never knew Samadurians could make up a bunch of lies to explain this stuff we simply cannot comprehend."

River shot a harsh, cold glare at him. She couldn't tolerate his behavior, especially after her whole life, an eighteen year long and counting experience of the magical world, was being denied in a few seconds by this one man. She clenched her fist, trying to remain calm, but she wanted to yell at him for his ignorance, "Oh, excuse me?" She snapped, "You think all of these are lies?"

Then, she turned the other way, and was just about to leave the tent alone, "Well I didn't abandon my entire race promising to bring them home, just so I could come all this way and have you insult everything that I'm here for."

"River, wait!" Kestral exclaimed. She rushed up and grasped onto River's arm, desperate to keep her there. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I'm really sorry about him. He doesn't mean to be so rude, he's just confused about magic. He doesn't mean to diminish what you're doing... we are just a little new to this world of magic and multiple gods. You've got to understand, yes he doesn't need to be so rude, but it's hard to come to terms with this new stuff."

When River felt her arm being gently tugged on by the young girl, she breathed in a very small gasp. This is what seemed to relieve some of the frustrated anger towards Arkanov's words. Her eyes returner to her usual soft expression, and she looked down to the girl, "I… I'm sorry Kes, I didn't mean to sound so angry…"

She sat on her knees once more, giving out a sigh, "It's just… I can't stand when people deny things like that. I-I mean, I've just dedicated my whole life to the gods. I've communicated with one of them and seen them myself…"

Kestral nodded in understanding. "Trust me, I do too, you won't believe how often I'm frustrated with him when I'm trying to explain things I see with my powers," Kestral said with a sigh. "But he needs to know. Maybe you could tell him about the things you've seen. Having someone who has physically been in contact with a god may give him a change of perspective."

"Hmm…" River mumbled, looking down at the dark-haired man, who still averted his gaze from her. She sighed, and brushed some of her hair away from her neck, and instead slung it over her opposite shoulder. "Alright. I'm sorry Arkanov. If you have questions, I'm willing to answer them just… let's promise not to yell at each other? Please?"

"Fine," Arkanov said flatly. He sighed and rolled his neck, trying to relieve the tension and strain within it from the anger he had previously felt. He looked over at River and stared at her curiously. "Pray tell, what do these gods do? Deities need a purpose of some sort. Why do they govern the different types of magic?"

River put a hand on her opposite shoulder now, occasionally averting eye contact with the man in fear that staring too long would make the both of them uncomfortable. But nevertheless, she spoke, "The gods here are the ones who created magic. There's six major ones that all govern and represent their magic type, except for astral. Astral magic happens to be run by multiple, smaller gods, but that's beside the point. Anyways, they watch over us, and they make sure that we're using our gifts of magic properly and maturely. That's why mages can become corrupted if they're abusing their magic, like the one that we had fought back at the ruins..."

"They created magic?" Arkanov asked incredulously. "But how on earth did they do that? And who created the gods then? Did they appear out of nowhere, or did something else happen?"

"Now that information… that's something Leviathan has never disclosed with me. I asked him when I was a child, but… he never answered…" River said with a sigh, until her eyes opened again realizing what she had just said. She put her hands up as her face went a little pink, "U-Uh, Leviathan is actually the god of water magic by the way. I've spoken to him a few times before, when I was a child…"

"You spoke to a god when you were a kid?" Arkanov asked, shocked. Then, he rode a brow in a questioning manner. "That must mean you're pretty important, eh? It sounds like he's talked to you more than once too. Why?"

At this question, her face felt a little warmer. She brushed her fingers through her hair shyly, and almost seemed as if she was trying to hide herself behind her immensely long white locks. "You see… I'm a priestess. I have been ever since I was born. Even though I was young, my job was to communicate with Leviathan and record the laws that he set down for our people, or edit ones when he changed a law. Then, the five shamans who mentored me would have enforced those laws on the other Ali'kians…"

"Wow," Arkanov's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked upon River in a new light. He was impressed. "So you were in the government... as a young girl... involving a god. That must've been fun? Is that the case with all gods? Why did this Leviathan choose your homeland as the place to look over?"

"Arkanov, you're interviewing her," Kestral checked her brother, laughing nervously.

"Do gods have physical forms?" Arkanov asked further, ignoring his sister, "What do the gods look like?"

"G-Goodness, that's a lot of questions all at once…" River giggled shyly, her face even more pink from the sudden attention. She tried to look away, but she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "I've never seen Leviathan in his normal form, though I've heard he looks extremely elegant. Erm… his monster form on the other hand…" River's smile faded, "It's terrifying. Like a freakish whale with sharp teeth… a-and… let's leave it at that."

"Gods have monster forms?" Arkanov asked. He seemed especially interested now. Sitting cross-legged, he leaned forth, resting his elbows on his legs and his head in his palms. "Why on earth would they need one of those?"

"I'm not particularly sure about that either," River mentioned, surprised by how he was now so suddenly interested by all that she had to say. It was making her feel rather bashful to be the center of his attention, after he had seemed to ignore her for quite some time, "My theory is that they have it for a show of power, to remind us that they're still stronger than humans. Or maybe they transform for when they get in a fight with another god…"

"... Interesting," Arkanov replied. Finally, it seemed as though he understood, and he nodded. "Okay, where do I sign up to become one of these gods then?"

River's eyes opened wide, and she jerked back in absolute shock that he would even say something like this. She shook her head very frantically to deny him, "Y-You can't just sign up to become a god! They're born that way, and they're immortal! You're just a human, and a human can't become a god, that's final. Besides, you're already under Lilith's rule, so even if you *could* become a god through some impossible circumstances, you couldn't even make your own magic to rule by."

"... Oh." Arkanov looked to the floor, a little disappointed to hear this. Kestral knew why. It wasn't because Arkanov was genuinely interested in governing a magic type and its elements, that was certain. Arkanov looked back up to River again, as if trying one last effort. "I thought it was like a form of government, where there are terms. No?"

"Doesn't sound like it," Kestral said, shaking her head. "Even I knew that much! But it looks like both of us have a lot to learn about magic, River."

The white haired woman breathed out a small sigh, scratching the back of her head when this was mentioned. But even then, she corrected her posture, hoping to play a mature and intelligent role for them, "Well… if you still want to learn, I could try teaching the both of you what I know about magic, and maybe it could help you all too."

"Really?!" Kestral asked excitedly. It took a lot to compose herself. "I hope we won't bug you a lot by asking a lot of questions. But we're really thankful. We just don't know about any of this stuff. Where we come from, there's only one God, and he apparently hates magic."

"Than that's a god I've never heard of," River stated, although she kept her voice a bit calmer. While she certainly disagreed with the one they had just mentioned, she figured it would have been better for all of them if she had just respected it. "But I can teach you as much as I know about magic. Even I'm not an expert at the subject, but I still know a fair amount. Though Rubus and Blake would probably want to hear a lot about it too…"

"Let's get them then and we can all swap facts about magic!" Kestral suggested, springing up. She seemed eager to leave the tent. "Well, once Rubus is better of course. But maybe we can ask Salina too. I'm curious as to her background and knowledge on magic too."

River nodded in agreement, surprised that the girl had much energy left after their long and restless night, "That could probably be helpful for all of us, considering that more than half of our group isn't familiar with magic as much as they could be. But now, I'm wondering how the others are doing. Rubus was hurt pretty badly, and Remnant's been unconscious for a while…"

"Think we should go check on them?" Kestral suggested. She pat her brother's head. "You stay here and rest. I'll tell you what I learn later."

Arkanov also seemed disappointed and embarrassed by this. He gave a pat on Kestral's back and then lied down on his own, staring up at the tent ceiling. "Okay. I hope the others are feeling better."

River nodded, and just before she turned around to crawl out of the tent, she smiled a little at the young man, "It's best you get some rest, Arkanov. And if you need anything, or start feeling worse, call us and we'll get back to you."

River then left the tent, and allowed Kestral to follow our behind her. She looked around the campsite, and saw that the others were still tending to the people who they had been assigned to. She looked to the tent that the twins shared, and heard some soft mumbling, at least that's what it would sound like from her distance. They must have been talking amongst themselves while Rubus was being healed.

Carefully, she knelt down in front of the tent's flaps, "Boys? Are we allowed to enter?"

Thomas, who had been hunched over Rubus who was lying down, turned around to see the two girls. His black gloves were off and his sleeves were rolled up. He was surprised that the two girls had wanted to come into the tent, but he didn't seem to mind at all. He smiled gently, his eyes finally showing some signs of weariness. "Rubus and Blake permitting." He turned to the others. "You guys okay with the gals coming in?"

Rubus nodded slowly, still in obvious pain of his wounds from before, but he was much more soothed now, thanks to Thomas' ability. So in response, Blake, who was sitting on the opposite side of the light mage, opened up the tent for the girls. From outside, River smiled, and allowed herself in, but remained near the edges as to not make the center too crowded. There, she saw Rubus' wounds, which she couldn't help but cringe at, and he understood perfectly.

Blake saw Kestral come in as well, and smiled, although it was very weary and exhausted, "Hey, is your brother doing any better?"

"Yeah!" Kestral nodded happily, with a thumbs-up. She appreciated Blake's concern. "He's doing great now, he just needed some water. Something about his goddess talking to him or whatever. Now..."

She noticed Rubus' wounds and cringed, as well as yelped a little in sympathetic pain. "Is your brother doing any better...?"

Blake nodded, and glanced down to his twin. Rubus only gave a thumbs up in response to signify that he was alright. The dark-haired of the two sighed, "He's alright. The burns are pretty bad, but with Thomas' help, he's been healed more than what a few weeks of waiting and healing would have done. He's a little out of it though, so he hasn't said much. But River…" he looked to the woman, and she snapped to attention, "Earlier he wanted to tell you he's glad that he got to you in time before you were the one to take the hit."

River rubbed the back of her head shyly, smiling a little knowing that at least one of the people on this team were so willing to put themselves out like that. She looked at the red-haired man lying on the ground, seemingly his conscious fading in and out from his severe lack of sleep. "Thank you, Rubus. Y-You're really brave for helping me out there, even though you got really burnt…"

"It's… okay…" he surprisingly responded, making a small smile that slowly faded once again. But he tried to focus himself on Kestral now, "And with Arkanov… what's this about him… and a goddess? Is uh… is he having that sheep dream again…?"

"Yeah, he said it was some lady named Lilith," Kestral explained. She was curious why Rubus was even caring about her rude, angry brother when he was in pain. "Apparently it was an actual goddess, which is cool I guess. But you poor thing, Rubus. You really are brave for looking out for Riv like that."

Rubus chuckled, which hurt somewhat as it stretched the burnt skin ever so slightly across his chest. He gave out a sigh, "I always wondered what it would be like to be a martyr. But I didn't die, so I don't exactly fit the description."

"Hey, don't take your luck for granted!" Blake scolded, wagging a finger at him disapprovingly, "Had the burns been any worse, I wouldn't have a brother anymore, instead I'd have a burnt crisp the size of a grown man on my hands."

Blake shook his head, but still smiling at his brother's playful nature, "Either way, I'm just glad that both Rubus and Arkanov are okay for now. As for Remnant… I haven't checked with Salina yet, so I can't tell how he's doing. But we're totally sure we can trust him, right? After all, he kidnapped you, River, and Salina as well. Trust me, you didn't want to see how bad we were all panicking, especially Arkanov…"

River tilted her head at this mention, inquiring some curiosity in her, "How did he react in a way that was so significant?"

"He seemed really scared for you," Kestral explained, smiling softly at this. "Of course he was worried for Salina as well, but hearing you were in trouble made him determined. He used up his powers for the day on making a shadow board to ride a little faster but he got tired so he had to run the rest of the way."

River seemed to be very surprised at this fact. She even looked taken aback, and her eyes were wide, yet her mouth was sealed shut. But soon enough she gave into a shy demeanor, and starting weaving her fingers through her hair as a way to occupy her nervous hands, "After that little argument we had a little earlier, I didn't think that he would care so much… then again, it's not like we disagreed for long…"

Though, if one could look at her face close enough, they could have seen that she had a slight pink on her cheeks, "I didn't think that he would be that concerned…"

"We all were!" Kestral happily replied, not picking up on the blush on River's face. She gave a happy smile to the white-haired woman. "Well, in a more objective sense, you're leading this entire mission, so we don't want you hurt then. But you're really nice. I've only known you for a day or two but I think everyone can agree, you seem like an incredible person and an even better friend."

When River stared down at the girl's smiling face, with her kind and sincere words that resonated with her heart, the woman was practically starry-eyed. Immediately, she bent down and wrapped her arms lovingly around Kestral, and giggled, "Y-You're so sweet…! I… I haven't felt that valuable in a very long time, and what you just said… it makes me extremely happy…"

The young girl gasped a little at the sudden hugging, but being in River's arms just felt right. She was quite the cuddly and snuggly person. Kestral put her arms around her in return and smiled softly, as if she were hugging her own big sister. "I'm happy it made you happy. I can already tell you're going to be a really valuable member of our team! And hopefully a valuable friend... if you wanna be friends."

"Aren't we already friends?" River questioned, though she did not seem hurt at all. If anything, she felt much more on the playful side of things, "I'd like to think we are, and I'm already happy to be here with everyone."

"W-We are...?" Kestral looked up to River so gladly, her eyes wide. They were so large that one could easily see the mistiness of them, and she stared up happily at River, as if she was about to cry. Suddenly, she lunged, and hugged River's waist then and there.

She snuggled up to the woman's waist and sighed happily. "Where I'm from, you have to ask before you become friends. It's not an unspoken agreement."

River couldn't help but giggle at the girl's innocent and adorable puppy-like nature. She put another arm around the child. "Aww, Kestral… well, out here you don't need to follow those rules. But if it makes you feel better, then yes, we're confirmed friends."

"Awesome!" Kestral pumped her fist in the air and looked around excitedly to everyone else. She saw Thomas. "Thomas, I already asked to be your friend. But Rubus, Blake...? Can we be friends then?"

The black-haired twin smiled joyfully at the child, putting his hands on his lap, "I don't see why we can't be considered companions. We are traveling together after all, and I think it would be beneficial. How about you, Rubus-"

His brother was already passed out, completely asleep. He must have been exhausted after the night, and enduring such wounds. Blake sighed and laughed, "I'm sure he would have agreed. But he's right, it's extremely late, we should all get some rest. Unless you're going to check on our uh… *guest* next. If he tries to kidnap you again, don't hesitate to scream for help, alright?"

"We won't hesitate!" Kestral assured. She grabbed River's hand and began to leave the tent. Realizing how loud she was, she quieted herself, and blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. Let's go, River."

River nodded, and followed Kestral back outside, leaving the other men to their own devices. She made sure the tent flap was closed, and gave out a small breath. Then, she placed a hand on Kestral's back, gently patting it, as they went to the final tent, "Come on, let's check on Remnant…"

Kestral nodded and began to make her way to the tent. She seemed a little hesitant because she stood protectively by River and looked up at her. Then she looked down.

She looked up again, and down again. She was unsure. "Are you positive this Remnant guy isn't a weirdo? He kidnapped you!"

River simply placed her hand atop Kestral's head, and patted gently. She didn't hear much from inside the tent, so she assumed that he may have still been knocked out. Therefore, she didn't have to quiet her voice down, "It's alright Kes. It was a misunderstanding on his part. He thought he was rescuing Salina and I from the rest of you, since he lacks trust in Pendsbornes and such. But he's just a teenager, it'll be okay."

"... Is he gonna join our group?" was all Kestral asked. She waved at Salina as she entered. She was sitting against the wall and gave a small smile to Kestral and River as they entered.

"Hey guys," Salina greeted. "What's this about him joining our group?"

When River entered and knelt down on the ground once again, she saw the boy laid down in front of her, his eyes closed, but still breathing. His helmet was off, showing his curly blonde hair and fair skinned face. He didn't seem to be hurt, but he must have taken a bad hit to the head to be out for this long, "Kestral was just wondering about it, since we're looking out for him tonight."

Then, River sighed dejectedly, as if saddened just by seeing Remnant in this state, "He didn't look like he had much of a home in those ruins, and from what I can tell he either has no family or they aren't with him, so… it's possible. But only if he would want to join, so who knows?"

"It depends on when he wakes up," Kestral agreed. She turned to Salina. "When do you think he'll wake up?"

"I don't really know," Salina answered with a shrug. "I tried knocking on his head to see if that would wake him but nothing has been working."

"S-Salina, that's not how it works!" River exclaimed in utter shock, shaking her head and flailing her hands frantically, "The reason he's knocked out is *because* his head got hit!"

But the moment she said that, Remnant seemed to be stirring. He mumbled something inaudible, and his head turned slowly side to side. His back stretched, and then relaxed again, "… Huh…?" His eyes opened in thin slits, "Where… Where's Candice…?"

Salina saw how Remnant woke up slowly only seconds before. A silly grin crossed her face as she put her hands on her hips. "I guess that's how it works NOW!"

Kestral was not so lighthearted. She knew that the three girls had to face the music and tell Remnant about Candice's demise in all of its horror, including the fight. The young girl sighed softly. "Remnant, you don't remember anything from a couple of hours before?"

The boy only released a small moan from his mouth. His vision was blurry, and he couldn't quite focus on anything yet. He heard familiar voices, but at the same time they still felt new to him, as if they were friends he had met for the first time. He lifted his arm slowly, placing it on his forehead, "N-No... I just... Candice got really angry, and she actually moved... for the first time in a long while, and... I can't remember anything else..."

"Remnant, I'm sorry to say this..." Kestral said uneasily. She looked to the other two women resentfully, wondering why they were not speaking up. "Okay, so... Candice's corruption went haywire. She went crazy and attacked us all. She was trying to kill us! W-We... she..."

Finally, Kestral closed her eyes and just admitted it. "She died! I'm so sorry, but she couldn't live!"

For a short moment, Remnant seemed to give no reaction. He did not move, his face did not change, his eyes were still closed. But then, a grumbling noise came from inside of him. Suddenly, his teeth were clenched, and while he still covered half of his face, he growled, "What did you all *do*to her...?"

River was starting to get nervous. It was obvious in her demeanor as she shuffled back, trying to get away, and she held her hands tightly together against her chance. She glanced away, unsure of what to say. It wasn't until she saw something, like a strangely small flash of light, like the first spark of a flame, emerge when Remnant opened his mouth once more. She felt like he was ready to attack them, "N-No! We didn't do it, she..." River sighed, turning down dejectedly, "Candice... she overused her fire magic, and she burnt herself. It melted all the wax her body was made of, until her soul couldn't sustain it anymore..."

Remnant's expression softened at this words. Finally, his arm moved off of his face, and his eyes opened to reveal their brown color. He exhaled a heavy breath, one could see wetness in his eyes, "So... she's gone now... gone for good..."

Kestral crawled toward Remnant and instinctively put a hand on his. She looked at him with the utmost sympathy. "I-I'm so sorry, Remnant. If there was a way to save her, we would've taken it..."

Remnant shook his head side to side slowly. The moment he blinked, he could feel a single tear run down the side of his face. He took another breath, but it was shaky, and terribly unstable. His voice was in a similar condition, "It… It's okay… she wasn't going to make it for long anyways. She… she was too far gone to save, she would have died a-anyways…"

"Don't say that," Salina said. She went by Remnant's side and pat the boy's head. "It's rough having someone die. I could tell how much she meant to you. Before she became corrupted, I'm sure she was a great person. But like I said before, her soul is now in someone or something new, you know."

Remnant sighed, shaking his head, wiping away the small tears that had formed in his eyelids. He didn't want to look this way in front of a bunch of girls, it was embarassing, but at the same time he was still learning to overcome this loss, "I know that, but… it's not like I'll ever know who she'll be reincarnated into. She won't have the same personality, only the same magic…"

"I may be able to help in finding who she is," Kestral suggested, drawing near. "I'm an astral mage, I deal with fate and premonitions and stuff. I bet if I apply my powers and try really hard, I can find who or what her soul is inside of now."

Remnant still refused, denying her assistance, even if he did truly appreciate her offer of help, "That's okay… it doesn't matter anymore. I can't just arrive on the steps of two parents and their newborn saying 'hey, I knew your kid in their past life'. I don't know what I would even do then."

Then finally, the boy sat up, using his wobbling arms to support them, "My only option now may be to return home. I feel as though my mother is missing me…"

"You have a mother?!" Kestral asked, shocked. She realized how silly this sounded and giggled embarrassedly. "I mean, of course you have a mother who birthed you. But we didn't know if she was alive or not. You have family you can go back to?"

Remnant shook his head, "No, she's my only family, I have no father or siblings. But she didn't make me either, she adopted me," then, the boy picked up his lizard-like skull helmet, and put a gentle hand on it, "And she's the one who let me use these bones for armor out in this world."

"In this world?" Salina asked. She tilted her head, confused, and became a little suspicious about his language. "Why'd your mom let you use bone armor? Bones can break, easily."

At this notion of hers, Remnant simply chuckled, almost smugly, as he knew something that she did not. River was beginning to feel a same amount of suspicion, and inched closer. Without hesitation, he held out his helmet for her to touch, and when her hand had laid upon it, what she felt unexpectedly shocked her. The skull was warm to the touch, the heat reminding her of a rock that had been lying under the hot desert sun. But instinctively, she retracted, trying to understand what it was. Remnant laughed again, "These bones are special, you see? They're pretty tough to break, and they retain their own heat for decades on end."

Then, gazing into the eyes of all three of the women, "They just so happen to be the bones of a dragon."

Salina saw the boy's expression, and looked into his eyes to try and detect any sarcasm. But Remnant seemed gravely serious toward what he said. She stared at the bone helmet quizzically, wondering if she could touch it herself. Gingerly she did, and when she felt the warmth, she gasped. "Oh my god! That's actually a dragon skull?! Um, how did you get it?"

Kestral raised a hand to try and speak. "What's a dragon?"

River seemed just as puzzled as the young girl beside her, for she had never heard this word before, even after living in Samadurai for a year now. Remnant simply smiled at them, "I found it when I was a little kid. I was lost, I had no family, and I didn't know where I was going. It was getting cold and dark, but when I found these bones and felt their warmth, they may have been the only thing that kept me alive that night. Then, the next morning, my mother found me asleep holding this skull, and she adopted me."

"That's amazing," Kestral stated. She smiled softly at the boy for the story. Even though it was hot out, she continued to touch the warm skull. "Your mom sounds really nice. Where does she live?"

"An abandoned castle, in the mountains to the northwest. She conquered it back when she was in her prime, and when she was a lot more aggressive towards humans. She's mellowed out over the centuries though-" Remnant began, but he saw the wide eyes of confusion on all three of the girls before him. He seemed to forget that this subject was entirely normal for him, but not necessarily for them, "Oh, my apologies. I forgot to mention that my mother is a dragon herself."

"... I wanna meet her!" Kestral suddenly decided. She stood up and smiled, for she seemed to have made up her mind. "I want to see a dragon, whatever they are! What are they?!"

Remnant couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's enthusiastic need to satiate her curiousity. It was adorable, even for him. "Dragons are… well, imagine lizards, right? But they're large, larger than a horse by far, and they have bat-like wings, and they're able to breathe fire. Is that a good idea of what they are?"

"WOAH!" Kestral exclaimed in amazement. She jumped up as high as she possibly could, and on the way down she sat cross-legged on the floor. She was obviously very enthusiastic about the idea of a dragon existing. "How can they be bigger than horses? That must be huge! What's a lizard? What's a bat? Does that mean they're fire mages?!"

Salina got up and put her arms around Kestral to contain her movements. "Calm down, Kes. Remnant has to go back to his mom, bringing you along will slow his journey."

"Aw..." Kestral sighed unhappily. She looked up at Remnant. "But that's so cool..."

Remnant shrugged, with a sad sigh, but still duh a playful expression on his face, glad to see someone so enthusiastic as the girl. "I would take you back if I could, but I can't really get back that easily with more than just me. Though who knows? Maybe someday, you'll be able to meet a dragon… hoping they don't have any ill intent and want to hoard your corpses."

"I'm sure there are some lovely dragons," Kestral answered innocently. "Still, I thought you were a creepo at first because you took Salina and River. But you seem nice. You think one day, we'll cross paths again?"

Remnant nodded, crossing his arms proudly, as if he was entirely sure that they would meet again, "I know it's inevitable. We will meet each other again, and don't worry, I won't kidnap anyone next time." The boy chuckled, and started to get himself up, "But, may I ask before I depart, that I spend the night in your campsite? I'll leave in the morning, and I'm sure everyone needs their rest…"

"YEAH!" Kestral agreed happily, practically yelling. "I know we need to rest, but can you tell me more about dragons and stuff?"

Salina put her hand up once more. "Yes, Remnant, that's more than alright. Stay as long as you need. And sorry about Kestral's yelling. She seems to have taken a liking to you."

"I can tell, I guess I can stay up later telling her about dragons and such," Remnant suggested, as he was already comfortable with the idea. "But I assume this is your tent… I could sleep outside if that makes you comfortable. And you need not worry about me, you already know this armor keeps me warm."

Salina looked at him again curiously. "Why on earth would you being outside and cold make me comfortable?"

At this strange question, Remnant couldn't help but look confused, if not shocked that she didn't object. So, he would question her back, "Why do you object? I mean, I kidnapped you two girls earlier, and I think your companions might be a little angry if I slept in your tent. Wouldn't they be worried I would do something to you again?"

"You're just a boy, and now that I know why you took us to help your friend, I don't think you have much else of malicious intent," Salina said softly. She tried to smile at him, for she felt bad for threatening to break his arm earlier. "Besides, I'm pretty sure if you try anything, I could snap you like a twig. No offense. So don't worry, no fear here. And if the others protest, well, what I do with my tent is my business and no one elses!"

Remnant was still a slight bit concerned, but at the same time, her reassurance made him feel a sense of relief, albeit small. So, for further confirmation, he looked to River. She gave him a very trusting smile, and giggled, "Of course, it's okay for you to stay in here for the night. It's already really late, so we should get to sleep soon…" then, the woman put a hand on Kestral's shoulder, patting gently, "You should probably return to your brother and get your energy back."

"Awww, I can't stay here and have a slumber party with the girls?" Kestral asked innocently. She gave the women a sweet smile. When she realized Remnant was still in the room, she apologized, "And the one guy? You guys have sleepovers and slumber parties in Samadurai! Let's do one! Woot woot!"

River chuckled at her enthusiastic nature. Normally she would have argued something along the lines of Arkanov being lonely, but she was too tired to say anything back. So instead, she complied. The woman laid down on the ground, untying the red cloth around her hips, and patted the spot next to her, "Come on, we can use this as a blanket. Don't think it can reach over to Salina and Remnant, but it can at least fit over the two of us."

"I don't need a blanket," Salina assured. She stretched her body out and immediately began to fall asleep.

Kestral rolled over onto her side, and tried to snuggle up against River inconspicuously. She threw a hand up and waved to everyone before she leaned against the white-haired woman. "Good night, everyone. Good night Remnant, and Salina, and River!"

"Goodnight!" River and Remnant had spoken simultaneously. Now, it was time for them to rest. The teenager was already out like a light within a few minutes, but River remained awake for only a handful of moments longer. Even though Kestral had tried her best to appear unassuming while getting in closer to River, she took obvious notice of the girl. When Kestral was so close to her, already so comfortable and trusting, it warmed her heart. So, she wrapped her arms gently around the girl, and fell into a deep slumber.

## New Day

Kestral awoke to glaring light shining across her face. She had hated this method of waking up in Pendsbury, and she opened her eye angrily to see who had woken her. It was Arkanov. He had parted the tent doors and stared expectantly at the three girls.

Then he saw Remnant. He settled a cold gaze over the man amidst the three other girls in the tent...

With the bright, glaring light of the morning sun hitting his eyes, the blonde boy had begun to awake from his slumber. His eyes arely opened, vision still foggy and fuzzy. He yawned, he stretched, and rubbed his eyelids to clear up his sight. But the moment he saw someone's boots in front of him, his gaze trailed up their body to see Arkanov's scowling face. Immediately, Remnant's face went red from embarassment, and he retracted, trying to look smaller and innocent in front of him, "O-Oh, good morning…"

"What the hell are you doing in this tent with three other girls?" Arkanov asked. It seemed he had learned from yesterday about using his powers too much, because now he pulled out a switchblade made of metal with intricate designs on the handle from his pocket. It certainly did not seem to fit in with the other weapons in Samadurai. It looked like an old world antique.

Arkanov's stare was not wavering. "You kidnapped two of these women yesterday, and now you have the audacity to lie with them as you sleep?"

Remnant yelped and flinched, covering his face fearfully at the sight of the blade, expecting to be cut up and sliced if he made one more move. However, this was not to happen, as the commotion was starting to stir River from her rest. When her eyes slowly opened, and she saw the metal blade in Arkanov's hands, she almost screamed as well. She put up her hands, "Ark, don't do it!" She pleaded, "H-He's just a teenager! We didn't want to make him sleep outside, and he didn't do anything to us, I swear!"

Arkanov looked over at River, and flicked his wrist to switch the blade into the concealed position. Kestral was still groggy, but noticed how Arkanov gave in so easily. She was surprised.

The man in the tent's opening frowned at Remnant. "You're lucky I haven't killed you yet after what you pulled yesterday."

While his cheeks had been red only moments ago, Remnant's face was now pale with fear and worry. All the color was gone from his face, and he laughed nervously. He began to get up, to get himself a little ways away from the other women, and he shuffled past Arkanov as he left the tent. River sighed, starting to get up herself, "I feel lucky that you haven't killed anyone yet…" she patted down her hair, slightly messy from her rest, "We already have a lot to deal with, like Rubus' burns, and your fever… a dead body wouldn't help. But speaking of which, is your fever any better?"

"Given the fact I can stand up now and not feel dizzy, I think I'll be okay, thanks," Arkanov said. He watched her fix her messy hair, studying her motions. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking with his expressionless face. "So a dead body wouldn't be too much of a problem."

River shook her head, as a small shudder traveled down her back from the shock of the fact that his answer was so strange. She didn't want to believe that this man was prepared to kill at anytime, but with his demeanor, he seemed like the type.

So now, she gently lifted the red blanket-like cloth from off of herself and Kestral, and began to wrap it around her waist as she was knelt to the ground. Then, she reached into her satchel, pulling out three strings of turquoise beads, and wrapped them around her neck, waist, and ankle. Finally, she took out a comb, and was now trying to brush out any new knots in her hair, "Arkanov, please don't actually hurt anyone, unless you're protecting yourself or someone else. If anyone finds out, they could set a bounty after you, and you'd be considered a fugitive…"

"What?!" Arkanov asked in outrage. He seemed offended. "There are bounties on murderers here? Killing isn't legal?!"

River, as she assumed by his own shock, suddenly felt appalled by his outburst. She gave him a puzzled look, one that was on borderline disgust, "Of course not… why in the world would killing ever be legal? Is murder *seriously* allowed in Pendsbury?"

"... In some cases..." Arkanov muttered. He now looked as though he was regretting something he said. Now uncomfortable, he inches away from River. "Self-defense mostly. Do you get self-defense here or do you let other people kill you?"

Kestral sat up and wiped her eyes. "Fighting again, you two...?"

"W-We aren't fighting!" River retorted, her voice stuttering as she tried to formulate her words. She put her comb down, and looked up to Arkanov. She sensed a slight change in his tone, so she softened hers slightly, "And no, of course not. Killing is okay if you're defending yourself or another, but you can't just kill someone like Remnant for sleeping in our tent last night."

"But that is self-defense!" Arkanov countered, loudly this time as well.

Kestral got up and crossed her arms, glaring at her brother as if she had expected him to know better about something at this point. "You guys are fighting just as much as Mom and Dad do when they're home, can you stop?! Arkanov, you told me you wouldn't do this if you got a wife."

Arkanov's expression now settled into an unamused frown. "We aren't married."

"Girlfriend then?" Kestral asked. She shrugged. "Something mom-ish and dad-ish."

River felt her face grow warm when this subject was brought up, seemingly from out of nowhere. Immediately, she pushed her way past Arkanov, standing up the moment she was outside, and put her hands on her hips, turning away from him. "As if I'd ever start a relationship with someone like him! I'm sorry Kestral, but even if you think we're like your parents, in no way am I dating your brother."

"Hey, what's so bad about me?" Arkanov asked, taking much offense to this statement. He left the tent and stormed after her, searching for an answer, his anger heightening. "I think I'm pretty decent! Certainly beyond your league. And thus is the reason why even if you were the last female on earth, I still would not court you."

"Oh brother, I just made things worse, didn't I?" Kestral asked, exasperated. She shook her head and sighed. "I wasn't saying you would date, or be married, I was saying your mannerisms together reminded me of Mom and Dad. Sheesh."

River's tense shoulders loosened, dropping down slowly with the help of Kestral's voice. She let out a breath of a sigh, and finally turned back to the siblings, "Sorry Kes, I guess that got just a bit out of hand…" the young lady now looked at Arkanov, "As for you, I'm not going to date someone who pulls a knife on a teenager just for sleeping in the same tent as a few girls."

Arkanov scoffed. His ego had been threatened. Now he was really angry. "And I'm not going to date a woman who has a harem with a young teenage boy. I'll pass, thank you."

"… A harem requires multiple people, Arkanov," she rolled her eyes. River now crossed her arms again, starting to look like an odd mix of annoyed and indifferent, "Though I guess you wouldn't know, because you seem like the type of guy who couldn't get a harem even if you had all the gold in the world."

"Yes, it was a harem! Salina, you, him, Kes-... oh god," Arkanov shook his head to prevent himself from finishing his sentence.

Kestral was confused. "What's a harem?" she asked.

"Nothing," answered Arkanov. He turned his attention to River and now scowled deeply. "And as for me, I'm certain I could get a harem if I so desired. I do not so desire, thus why I do not have one. But if I did, oh, I'd have women lining up. And if you were one of them, I still would not date you either."

He dusted off his shirt vainly. "I digress. At any rate, where I am from, a man, or in this case a boy, even sleeping a room away from a woman while the two are unmarried is a capital sin! In Pendsbury, men do awful things to unsuspecting girls. They take advantage of their naivity. I just didn't want to same for you. And yes, perhaps the method to my madness is brash compared to you, but I've been raised in a city where it's absolutely necessary. I had no clue if Remnant was as innocent as he seemed, so I took extra precautions. Forgive me for simply caring about your well-being, River." He narrowed his eyes. "I promise it won't happen again."

He moved silently back into his own tent and closed its doors. Kestral slapped a hand to her face and sighed angrily. "And just like Mom and Dad, the fights end with someone walking out. Great."

The moment Arkanov had trudged away, with anger in his heart, she tried to turn around at the last second and call back out to him. But she was too late. Her face went slightly pale from the shock of what she had just said. She hadn't been in such a heated and petty argument like that with someone before, and the fact that she had acted in such a way disgusted her. Her shoulders dropped, and she stared down at her feet. She began stroking her hair, as a nervous habit to calm herself, "I… I didn't know that was why he was getting so agressive towards Remnant… I thought he was just being close-minded. I didn't think he was trying to protect us… even if I don't agree with his methods of doing so…"

Kestral moved next to River and gave her a side hug. "I admit, Arkanov has unconventional ways of showing he cares for someone... threatening to murder somone on their behalf being one of them. But hey, that means he likes you! Er, well, *liked* you." She realized how bad that sounded. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Maybe try to talk to him and calm him down. Usually I have to or else he'll start pouting worse than me."

River smiled only slightly when Kestral put an arm around her. So in turn, she patted the girl's back kindly. Yet her eyes had no confidence. She looked to the child for assurance, "Think I'm able to talk to him right now…? I don't know if giving him some space would make him simmer down, or grow resentment…"

"Trust me, if you give him time alone to think of more reasons to be angry, he'll stew," Kestral advised, ushering River over to his tent. "I suggest now. I'd do it myself, but... it's best if you two work it out."

River shrugged, figuring she should follow the girl's advice. Despite her young age, she knew Kestral knew that man better than anyone else here, so she had to trust her word for it. Slowly, taking tentative steps, approached Arkanov's tent. She didn't enter however, and instead knelt in front of the covered opening, "Um… Arkanov…? I… I didn't think that you were looking out for us like that. I-I mean, I don't like a lot of violence, but I'm still thankful you cared…"

There was a pause in between her words. Finally, she got an answer. "You're welcome," Arkanov responded. He poked his head out of the tent and nearly bumped himself into her. He flinched backwards. When he saw her kneeling, his frown that he wore before lightened somewhat. "We don't agree in how to handle situations, obviously, but if you don't understand why I'm violent... well, I'm a protective person, I suppose." He retreated back into his tent, not expecting further conversation.

River felt a glimmer of hope when he had shown his face for a brief moment, but her heart dropped again when he returned to hiding. Shyly, she began running her fingers through her hair again, looking to the corner of her eyes, "N-No. I understand, a little. My dad back home is a bit of the same way sometimes. He has the same reasons for acting that way too… but even then, I still *want* to understand, if that will help…"

There was more silence. Arkanov emerged from his tent again, now with his face looking a little flushed. But he was not sporting the hallmark of fever as he had the night before. He seemed embarrassed almost. "Well... I don't understand it myself. I just want to make sure everyone is in one piece. Obviously you, you're leading this whole mission and if you were incapacitated, that would defeat the whole purpose. But there's something else to it as well. But I can't quite put my finger on it. Something about you and everyone here... usually I just care about Kes and I and I could care less about everyone else."

River thought about his words for a moment. She stared deeply at his face, studying his expression thoroughly, with a sense of curiousity coming into play with her thoughts. But after thinking of what she wanted to say, she simply smiled for him, "Well… maybe you're learning to be more empathetic…? It's a possibility, and well… who knows. One day, maybe you could make friends easier than enemies…"

Arkanov scrunched his nose up at this statement. He was able to take offense to anything at this point. "I make friends easily already. It just takes a while."

River retracted, her hands shyly returning back to being curled up near her chest. It didn't seem she had much of a way to get through to him. At least, that was until a moment of silence had given her enough time to work out a potential solution, "W-Well, if you have such an easy time befriending people… why don't you try befriending me…? If you can do that, maybe it would be easier to believe you…"

At this notion, Arkanov arched an eyebrow, as if she had just given him some sort of task. And that was when he realized, with embarrassment, that he did not know how to befriend this woman. He looked away from her. "W-Well, I thought we were already friends. But fine. Challenge accepted. How do I befriend you?"

River made a small smile towards him. Not one of smugness or a condescending attitude, but rather one of genuine happiness and relief that he was listening and understanding. "One of the first things you can do… just… try to talk to me more I guess? And… we can both try not to yell at each other if we don't understand something about the other…"

"Okay..." Arkanov said uneasily. He seemed nervous, as if he could make a false move at any moment. "W-What do you want to talk about?"

River suddenly went entirely silent. She didn't know how to answer that question. She was worried about this unbearably quiet moment, that it may last too long for the both of them. But luckily, she did not have to say a thing at all. For in the third tent a short distance away, she heard some grunts, and saw Rubus getting up and outside. He seemed to have a new shirt, one that wasn't charred, that was unbuttoned, exposing his chest that had bandages wrapped around his burn wounds. Next to him, giving some support and care, was Blake. "Take it easy Rubus. Thomas healed you up pretty well, but some of the injury needs to take care of itself-"

Then, when the young, dark-haired man caught sight of the pair that were conversing each other before, "Good morning you two! I heard some commotion outside… you weren't arguing again, were you?"

"N-No," Arkanov stammered, somewhat sadly. He wanted to get the chance to talk to River for at least a minute or two. "Well, it was petty. Not a concern at all. I'm happy to see you're well, Blake."

Blake nodded, though he nudged his twin with his elbow, "Thank you. Rubus is doing a lot better now, I'm extremely thankful we have someone with healing magic on this journey."

The red-haired man was now one to speak up. He began buttoning up his shirt, "It still stings, but I've had worse before. And I'm not dead, so that means I'm good to go." He smiled brightly, before he started to look around and scan the campsite, "And sorry to change the subject, but where did that Remnant boy go? Did he return home or something?"

"Uh..." Arkanov's head darted around curiously, trying to find Remnant. But he could not. He looked at River. "I don't know. Where did he go?"

The young lady looked around the area, but could not find him anywhere. She stood up again on her two feet, and begin to take a few steps, turning her head side to side trying to spot him. But as she tried, she didn't even catch a glimpse of him before she heard his voice, causing her to flinch, "Y-Yes?" Then, the boy revealed himself. He had been 'hiding' near the dry shrub land growing close to the campsite. He looked embarassed, and slightly terrified when he saw Arkanov, "Uh, you're not going to stab me… are you…?"

"Sadly, no," Arkanov answered, looking at River as he responded to Remnant's question. "I-I mean, just no. Sorry about that earlier, I was just being protective. Haha..."

"Heh… heh…" Remnant was laughing just as awkwardly as he gained the courage to walk closer towards everyone again. He had his skull helmet held in his right hand, and with the other hand he nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry for making you scared like that. But if it makes you feel better, I was actually going to return home soon…"

Hearing this, Arkanov looked distraught. The boy's statement meant a lot, it seemed. "Oh, well, I certainly hope I did not scare you away. You're more than welcome to stay if you like, it was a misunderstanding before, and I do so sincerely apologize."

This time, the boy seemed to give off a genuine, albeit small smile towards Arkanov. He hadn't expected him to be forgiven like that, "It's alright, and thank you for not stabbing me. But as great as you all are…" Remnant upturned his head, his eyes gazing at the great blue sky above, "I have a place I need to be, with a mother who misses me."

Arkanov looked at Remnant as if he was slapped in the face. This reply, about the boy's mother, seemed to affect the man in a way that seemed to change his outlook toward the teenager. Now, he harbored more respect in his gaze. He gave a soft smile in return to him. "Heh, I know how that is. Go to her, she needs you. And if you tell her where you've been, feel free to exclude the fact that I almost killed her son not minutes ago. Good luck on your travel back."

Remnant's smile widened, and he even giggled at Arkanov's comment, despite the bad terms that they were on only moments before. "Thank you, and uh… if you ever meet my mother, please don't tell her that I kidnapped your friends thinking that you guys were holding them captive…"

Arkanov smirked. "Deal."

Two figures emerged from different tents at the same time. The first was Salina, and she was yawning, seeming to have been awoken from all the commotion. When she saw Remnant, she frowned. "Leaving already? Well... Remnant, sorry about earlier. Have safe travels."

The other person was Thomas, and his black gloves were back on. He looked at Remnant, tilting his head. He waved farewell but did not speak.

The boy waved back at Thomas, and made that same gesture towards all of the others. To Arkanov, Rubus, Blake, River, Salina, and Kestral. He was deeply glad to have met them, even if he had been through much trouble the night before. He smiled, "Goodbye… I hope we meet again."

Then, Remnant slipped his dragon skull helmet onto his head, adjusting it ever so slightly. Then without warning, flames erupted from his back, but then shared themselves to resemble the bones of bat-like wings. In the area where the membrane would have been on a bat, there were blue flames. He gave one last smile to the others, whose jaws were dropped in surprise. Then, as if he were a bird, his wings lifted themselves higher, and forced themselves down in a single, strong flap. Suddenly, he was up in the sky, leaving a trail of embers behind him. Before they knew it, he was gone into the sky.

River was frozen in shock, and still staring up, she nudged Arkanov by her side with her shoulder, "Uh… you… you just saw that, right…?"

Arkanov did not respond. He simply stared in awe at the sky, his jaw dropped. His gaze followed Remnant as he ascended into the heavens. "What the hell..."

Salina and Thomas were equally bug-eyed. Kestral was the only one of the Pendsbornes who was not shocked, but rather enamored by the spectacle. She began screaming, wondering if Remnant could hear her from the feet in the air. "THAT IS SOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOL! OH MY GOSH!"

The twins were utterly silent, at least… until Blake ran back inside the tent shouting in exasperation, immediately searching for something "We've got to write this down *right now*!" And promptly, Rubus followed in after him to retrieve his own notebook.

River, still awestruck by the amazing display, was staring up at the sky for a few moments. But when she looked to Kestral, humor returned to her, "Wow… that was unexpected. I mean, he *was* raised by a dragon after all… didn't think he knew how to fly like one."

"H-He was raised by a dragon!?" Arkanov asked, much surprise in his voice. He crept back into his tent and began to close up the opening's flaps. "I am sincerely hoping he doesn't tell his mother about me threatening to kill him now."

Kestral stared up into the sky. She stopped waving eventually, and instead settled into an amused grin. "That was so cool. I wonder if we could do the same thing with our powers? ... Nah, that's his thing, don't want to rip it off from him. Anyways!"

River, with joy in her heart to see the young girl so astounded, walked up to her side, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Maybe, if you decide you want to be able to do something like that, you could always try to learn it as you grow more experienced." The young woman giggled lightheartedly, "Though I couldn't do such a thing, the height would scare me. But now that he's departed, maybe it's time that we've started to go on our way, shall we?"

"I'm sure you could do it, River, you're brave," Kestral said immediately, giving her a warm smile.

"Y-You're probably right, we should be heading out," Thomas spoke up, still trying to get over the initial shock of what he saw. "E-Erm, do you know where we're going next?"

River thought for a moment, trying to remember the direction that she had been pointed to when she was locating the next heart shard earlier. When her mind had finally come back to that thought, she looked over her shoulder and turned, "We're heading out towards the east, that's where the nearest one is, but it looks pretty far."

Salina shook her head, and looked at River inquisitively. "How far are we talking here? A day's worth? Two?"

"I can't quite gauge the exact amount of time that it would take," River mentioned, but already she was heading back to her tent to start packing up what they needed, "But your estimate is as close as I could think of. One day at minimum, two or three at maximum, depending on how smoothly the journey goes."

"Let's hope it goes smoothly," Salina said. She retreated into the girls' tent as well.

Kestral followed behind. She was fiddling with her own fingers as she looked over at the others before she went inside the tent. "Everyone, be careful. I'm getting some weird reading about the future... it's a blurred premonition, but I can tell this isn't the last time we'll get into a situation like this."

While River had been getting her things ready, Rubus seemed to be already well-prepared. He was walking out of his tent, waiting for his brother to finish up so that they could dismantle the temporary shelter and pack that away as well. But he was scribbling furiously and quickly into his notebook, recording the events that had taken place only minutes ago. At least, until he caught Kestral's words, "A premonition? Do you mean that you see River and Salina being in trouble again in the future, or… something else?"

"No. N-not just River and Salina again," Kestral warned, shaking her head sadly. "I think we're all going to be in some big, big trouble soon. But I don't know why. We're gonna come across someone who's going to get us into big trouble."

Rubus had thought over this for a moment, conceded for the well-being of his traveling companions as well as himself. They didn't seem to be in perfect condition to handle big trouble. He didn't want to believe this was true, but he wouldn't doubt the visions of an astral mage, "Alright, if you think that something bad is going to happen… we should remain careful, just in case. So that means no separating from each other, and keeping an eye out."

Kestral sighed, and walked over to Rubus simply to hug his right arm, but not his torso, so she would not hurt him. She did this without a moment's pause or apprehension. "We can be careful, but the thing with destiny and intended paths is that even if you prepare to avoid said event, it'll happen anyways. You can't change it. You just have to forge forth willingly, your fate in mind, and hope for the best."

While fear has now been planted in his heart, he couldn't help but smile a little at how affectionate the girl was being. So with a warm kind of tenderness, he reached his hand down and playfully ruffled her hair, "Well in that case, all we can do is hope for the best. I'm sure it couldn't be too awful… after all that we've witnessed just this week, I'm not too sure there's much that can top that."

Soon after, Blake had come out of the tent, with his bag slung over his shoulders, "Anyways, everyone, let's get this all taken down, and we can get a move on afterwards, right?"

Kestral nodded, and waved to Rubus and Blake as she ran off to the girls' tent. "Yup! I can't wait to see more cities!" She was trying to be as upbeat as she possibly could. "Let's get this show on the road!"

## Two Days Later

### Meeting Santiago

The group of travelers were now traversing through a dry desert area. There was space vegetation. The sun was beating down violently and shining bright. Not a landmark, not even a noticeable boulder, was in sight.

Kestral was the farthest behind, dragging her feet. She took off her hat, unleashing a mound of messy hair, and fidgeted. "I-It's so hot! River, how far are we?!"

River stared around the red, rocky terrain. Practically no sign of life, not even a cactus grew from the earth, nor did a lizard scuttle across the ground. No sound, no wind, no clouds, just hot, dry earth, and the hot sun beating down on all of them. There hadn't been signs of a village or town anywhere near here, but why would there be? It wasn't like any sources of water could even be running through an environment like this.

She turned to glance at the others behind her, who were following her lead. She saw everyone tired and sweating, and Blake stood out with his cheeks and forehead pink from a new sunburn. River sighed, and tried to wipe off the sweat from the back of her neck, "Don't worry Kes… we'll be getting there soon. I sense it getting closer, although it's still a decent distance away…"

"I sense something else coming closer too," Kestral said, with a tint of worry in her voice. "That thing I was talking about is near... but I don't know how near."

At this notion, River stopped walking, and so did Rubus and Blake who were behind her and the others. Her eyes went wide, and immediately her gaze darter left and right, up and down, trying to find anything that could pose a threat or be of some sort of danger. She even began to back up, getting closer to Kestral, preparing to protect her if need be, "Y-You said it was dangerous, right? Should we continue…?"

"... I don't know..." Kestral answered unsuredly. She did not say much else.

Meanwhile, a figure off in the distance could be seen moving. The heat waves bouncing off of the solid rock could've made the figure seem like a mirage, but the dark mass could easily be distinguished as a person, not a trick of the eyes.

Kestral stopped dead in her tracks. "Go back. Please. This is going to be something we really regret."

"G-Go back? Go back where?" River felt herself getting nervous, which didn't help their situation any more than standing there would have. There was nothing to hide behind, nowhere to run, nothing that they could do. So, River turned around to look at all the others, "D-Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Confront the son of a bitch!" Arkanov shouted immediately. Kestral gave Arkanov a death glare for even swearing, and so loudly as well.

It seemed as though the figure heard it, for it drew nearer, and soon it was beginning to grow in size. Kestral wanted to slap her brother. "Way to go, Dorkanov! Now this person is going to be angry. We're doomed. We're doomed. Can we hide someplace?!"

River shook her head, there was absolutely nowhere to hide. There was likely not even a way for their magic to help them get past this mysterious stranger that drew nearer and nearer. So instead, she put her right foot back, her left foot forward, and held up her hands. She knew that even though she had no true combat experience, that she may have to fight, "I-It's okay, we are seven people and this is one person. We can fight them if they attack…"

"Fighting? Who said anything about fighting?" Kestral asked.

"I thought you said this person was going to get us into trouble," Salina answered.

"No," Kestral said. "This is just someone who is going to really, really annoy us. That's what my gut instinct told me."

The figure was fumbling about, seemingly aimlessly. Confused, and painfully curious, Kestral inched closer. Just what was going on over there? Had he really heard what Arkanov said?

Now the figure drew closer, as if it had seen the group of eight. That, or the figure was mindlessly traveling along in the same direction, coincidentally. It was not easy to tell which was which.

Finally, the person drew close enough to be able to make out their features.

The figure was a man. He looked very similar to Arkanov in hair color, which was an off-black, and in facial features. But he was definitely more muscular and bulky than the shadow mage was. He was regrettably wearing a dark green and brown overcoat that touched the floor, and heavy pants and boots. Metallic armor, composing of a chest plate and knee pads and other pieces, covered his body. He looked as though he was dying from the heat. His hair was laden with sweat, and it drooped down his face in beads and streams. He ruffled his hair to remove the moisture but to no avail. He held up his wrist to his face and was speaking into his wrist, of all things.

"This is Santiago speaking," he said. He immediately chuckled, revealing his deep, very husky voice. "Heh, who else could it be? You were the one who sent me out here alone, it's not like I have a partner along. Though I seriously suggest sending along one next time. In fact, I request it. It gets quite cold in the desert at night and it's good weather for using excuses to put your arm around someone. Hey, would you like to come with me next time? Over."

This was met with a very loud, warped voice emerging from a circle around his wrist. It sounded like yelling. The man, now known to be named Santiago, gave a weary smile. "You can't blame a guy for trying. Anyways, back to the status report. Currently looking for Subject E7 Shadow: Arkanov E. Underwood. Subject is nowhere to be found. The coordinates you provided are shite. Over."

Santiago looked up. He saw the group of seven, and a look of determination crossed his face. "Found some folks! I will approach them and ask them where I am and what the hell I'm doing. Because I don't even know. Over." And thus, Santiago approached the group.

River couldn't help but tense up at the sight of a strange man, just wandering alone in the middle of the desert, who seemed to be talking to his own wrist out of all things, and wearing such ridiculously heavy clothing in these lands despite all common sense. Kestral was right, if he wasn't going to be a threat, he was likely a total lunatic. Scared, but still stepping forward with courage, she spoke, "W-Who are you? And what are you doing out here alone…?"

Santiago did not respond immediately. He stared at River intently, surveying her face and expressions carefully. He lifted his wrist once more and spoke into the band. "Subject E7 Shadow not found, but there is an exotic woman with a ferocious body in front of me." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I know we're supposed to hate mages, but I am seriously considering bagging her. We could've avoided this had you given me a partner for the mission. Over."

Then he turned his attention to the man a little behind her, Arkanov, and all playfulness faded. The two men locked eyes and said nothing. Subject E7 Shadow was found. But Santiago, when he lifted his wrist, did not say this. Instead, he said, "Subject still... still not found. I need to take a closer survey of the area. If the subject is not found within an hour or so I'll move onto the next quadrant based on the coordinate map you provided. I'll update the status report then. Subject E7 Geo, over and out."

Santiago pressed his wristband and put his arm down. And then he said nothing again.

River had no understanding of what he was saying, it felt like meaningless blabber to her. As if he was speaking in strange code words that had no meaning to her, or a meaning that she could not comprehend. However, it seemed that the twins that had been following behind her understood. Rubus neared behind her, with a shocked expression on his face that the strange man would use such language to describe a woman whose name he didn't even know. So now it was his turn to speak, "Excuse me sir, but my friend just asked you a question. And I would hate to be rude by repeating that question, but who are you?"

The man in question placed both of his gloved hands up and gave a confident smirk. "No one of your concern. I've business with that man, Arknaov." Though his smile was light and cocky, his eyes darted around to each individual face besides Arkanov's, as if he had not been expecting them. Then he looked to the side, and to Arkanov.

"Yes," Arkanov agreed. He looked to the others, especially towards Thomas and Kestral. "We have business to attend to. That man is Santiago. I-I must speak with him... I'll be back."

The two men parted from the others and began to walk away to the area Santiago looked to, for further seclusion and private conversation.

Kestral was the first to speak up again. "What's it mean to bag someone?"

River shrugged in confusion, having never heard such a word before. So, she looked to Rubus behind here searching for an answer. But the young man shook his head, and held his hands up, "Trust me, you ladies wouldn't want to know…" but instead this did not settle the curiousity of the two, as River was giving him a slight glare. So instead, he turned his head to his twin, "Uh… Blake! How about you explain this to these lovely ladies?"

Blake's face seemed even more pink from something else other than the sunburn, from the embarassment of having to say this. "To 'bag' someone… it uh… means to… *date* them. Yes, date them!"

With this definition, Kestral gasped, and turned to River and rested her hands on the woman's shoulders. "Hear that!? So that Santiago guy wants to date you!"

While the twins exchanged nervous glances towards each other, they tried to laugh it off. At least their little fib seemed convincing, and wasn't too far from the truth in the first place. But River on the other hand, she suddenly looked terrified. Her body was petrified in place, and she didn't even turn her head when she spoke, "I… I am *not* going to date that guy, n-not anyone else. I mean… I-I can't just get with someone who I don't even know, and…" the young lady shuddered, "He called me exotic… and… ferocious. I don't know what I want to feel about that…"

Kestral's shoulders tensed. She knew her instinct told her that this man was only going to get the group of travelers into trouble, but she did not necessarily heed her own warnings as seriously. But when she saw how shaken up River was, the young girl began to show more concern toward Santiago and what he meant. Then she patted River's shoulders. "Even if he wanted to get to know you first, if you don't want to date him, don't. He'll get the idea! Hopefully. I wonder why Arkanov apparently knows him. I've never met him before, but he has to be from Pendsbury."

When Kestral had patted her shoulders, River seemed to snap herself out of her fearful trance. Soon enough, she felt her face turn pink from embarassment of being seen so frozen in her paranoia. But even then, she spoke, "Maybe… he *does* resemble Arkanov after all, so he is probably from there too. I-I don't know what to make of him though. He seems really strange… and did you see that way he was talking to his wrist? That's just weird…"

"It was probably a wrist communicator," Kestral explained immediately. "You use them to talk to someone else on another line."

Thomas stared at Kestral and began waving his hands over his throat. Kestral saw this and began to giggle nervously. "I-I mean, or if you just want to talk to... y-your neighbor?!"

"Neighbor?" River questioned, tilting her head with puzzlement towards the young girl. She put her hands on her hips, "I don't see why you would need an enchanted device for that. They live right next to you, so it would make more sense just to visit them in person."

Kestral slunk away in shame, behind Thomas. Thomas sighed sadly from the girl's slip of tongue, and patted her red hair affectionately. Then he took the turn to explain. "I guess you can use them to talk to anyone you like. Which makes this situation ever more confusing. Who's he talking to on the other line? If it is someone, it's very unlikely Arkanov knows that other person. There are exactly 1,000 people in Pendsbury... well, er, 996 now. And Arkanov isn't prone to reaching out and socializing. Isn't that right, Kestral?"

Thankful for the save, Kestral nodded. "Mhm..."

River on the other hand, was still somewhat perplexed. She now had her hand on her chin, and was staring at Arkanov and Santiago while they were having their private conversation a short distance away, "Only a thousand people? That doesn't sound like much of a city, considering Sihrasul has tens of thousands of people living there." Then, her voice turned to one of suspicion, "And what's so important that those two have to keep it secret from us?"

"It had to be just 1,000," Thomas explained. "When the creators of Pendsbury constructed the ship, they set a maximum capacity so the ship doesn't get weighed down and crash. Even so, it's quite easy for someone like Arkanov to not know everyone. But it seems as though he knows Santiago. As for what's being kept secret, I'm not entirely sure. But it just be important."

As much as River wanted to believe that something odd was going on between Arkanov and the new stranger, she knew she couldn't jump to conclusions. It was as if she was looking for an excuse to dislike Arkanov, and she was beginning to feel ashamed for it, especially after their agreement only two days ago. So instead, she switched her mind, to focus on a potentially less suspect possibility, and more of an innocent one. "Hmm… do you think it's about his mother…? He told me that she was sick… what if something happened to her, and he's delivering the news?"

"W-What?!" Kestral asked, now quaking. She obviously did not like this idea, as she was nearly on the verge of tears. "D-Don't even say that! Mom is fine... I-I know she is! It's not about that!"

River held her hands up, surprised by the child's sudden outburst. Yet at the same time, she felt as though she should have foreseen the effect that her theorizing would have had. "Ah… I'm sorry Kes, I didn't mean to make it sound that bad. Maybe it's for something else then. Maybe this guy left Pendsbury for using magic too, like you and Thomas…"

At this moment, the two men returned to the group. Santiago seemed strained, and he now had a gash right under his vey defined cheekbone. Arkanov looked more annoyed than anything. The others looked expectantly at these two, wondering what would come about from their presentation of themselves to the others.

"You going to introduce us to your friend, Arkanov?" Salina asked, crossing her arms.

*"Not my friend,"* Arkanov muttered harshly.

Santiago gave a small, awkward smile to everyone. He seemed uncomfortable speaking to them, as if he had rehearsed this. "I'm sorry, I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Santiago Mendoza. I apologize for before. I was speaking to... m-my mother, with my wrist communicator."

Salina seemed appalled. "So you want to put your arm around your mother at night in the desert?"

Santiago blushed and looked away. "I-I really love my mother."

Salina was now unimpressed. "Huh. Okay. Now I apologize, but I don't believe that."

Now that feeling of suspicion returned, although River had said nothing. She merely stepped back, shy to speak to this stranger again after those little comments from before. So instead, it was Blake who had stepped up to Salina's side, and he inquired, "I agree with my friend here, you… seem rather suspicious. Santiago, right? Mind telling us your… *relation* to Arkanov? And why you're out here, in the middle of a desert, alone, and wearing heavy clothes?"

"Arkanov and I, we know each other from Pendsbury," Santiago said, now speaking clearly. "We aren't on the best of terms, but he inspired me to leave Pendsbury for magic. I have to return... eventually, especially because I have duties I must attend to in the city, a father to look after. But this freedom of magic use and expression is liberating. Also, I have no lighter spare of clothes and I feel as though I'm about to have a heat stroke."

While Blake did not seem convinced, River was suddenly awestruck. All that paranoia and suspicion she had of Santiago melted away into utter sympathy. Immediately, she stepped forward and pushed past Blake, and stood in front of the newcomer with her blue eyes opened wide in innocence. "You poor thing! Are you sure you can't just take off some of the clothes that you have on now? Like having a lighter layer under it? And if you're low on water, I can always offer some of my own…"

Seeing her eagerness when he told his story, Santiago grinned. "Why yes, I would love some of your juices."

This was met with a slap to the back of the head by Arkanov. "Agh!" Santiago complained, rubbing his head. "Sorry. I mean, I'd appreciate that. As for clothes, I'm wearing something heavy underneath..." He moved his coat off to reveal a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt of a tight, inflexible material, like under armor. "But I guess that is better."

River didn't exactly understand why Arkanov seemed so annoyed by this, but she wasn't totally oblivious to Santiago's comment. Though he seemed friendly enough, so she continued. "If it's still too hot, I'm sure that you can just take off that shirt-"

"R-Riv!" Blake sputtered, coming up behind her and trying to make her think twice about her words, "You can't just ask a man to start undressing himself like that!"

Instead, the woman only looked curiously at Blake, "I don't see why he can't walk around shirtless. A lot of the men back home do it all the time."

Realizing that the culture of Samadurai was indeed different from that of Pendsbury, Santiago decided to utilize this to the most of his advantage. He pulled his shirt from the bottom and over his head to reveal his muscular build. "HUAH! Freedom!"

"No, don't encourage him!" Arkanov exclaimed, running over to cover Kestral's eyes. "Put a shirt on, damn it!"

"No way, I'm never wearing a shirt ever again!" Santiago proclaimed. He placed his hands on his hips triumphantly and presented himself to everyone else. "Thank you for the suggestion, Madame. This is amazing."

"You're welcome!" River smiled at the man, glad to see that she could help him at least somewhat. Though when she turned around, and saw everyone except for her and Salina looking away, this only proved to be an uncomfortable subject to the others, "What? What's so wrong about a man walking shirtless?"

"I-In Pendsbury, showing more than 40% of a man's body unclothed is a crime; you can get thrown in jail for that," Thomas explained, frowning unapprovingly at Santiago.

"But we're not in Pendsbury, are we?" Santiago asked in a playful voice. "So there is no problem! Anyways, my gorgeously hot, sweaty, ripped body aside, I don't know any of your names. Would you care to introduce yourself to me?"

Neither of the twins wanted to really give an answer, but they knew it was the polite and gentlemanly thing to do. So Rubus, taking his courage with a deep breath of air, brought himself to turn around, and forced himself to stare at the other man. "Ahem, a-anyways... my name is Rubus, Rubus Barry. Meanwhile, my twin here..."

"M-My name is... Blake..." the young dark-haired man couldn't even bring himself to turn around and look at Santiago. Even if he was turned away he still covered his eyes as if completely embarassed. One could easily think that his face was even blushing, if not for the sunburn he had that could disprove that potential idea. Now, it was River's turn.

The white-haired woman, unlike the other two, bowed politely and smiled, "And my name is River, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" Santiago said happily. He looked to the others. "And now you? I already know you, Thomas."

"Salina," the blonde one answered, unamusedly. She looked over to Blake, concerned for his face, and then walked off.

Kestral approached the other muscular man and gave a gentle smile. "I'm Kestral, Arkanov's brother. I know my gut instinct is supposed to tell me that you'll get us into trouble, but I see how you like teasing Arkanov too. So I like you."

Santiago stared down at the small child, his face contorting into various expressions: those of anger, sadness, and back to frustration, and to sorrow, and to emotional, as though he was about to produce tears in his eyes. Finally, his settled into a plastered smile. "Cool, k-kiddo. Aheh."

Immediately changing the topic, Santiago clapped his hands together. "Anyways! Where are you all heading to?"

"East," River responded immediately. Her hand was rested on the top of her satchel, and she beamed a confident smile towards Santiago. It seemed that for once, she looked proud to be leading the group, "Don't know exactly where. But what I do know is that the closest heart shard is getting closer, maybe only a few miles ahead. These heart shards, we've been collecting them for about a week now, and we have two already."

"Heart shards?" Santiago asked curiously. He gave a grin to show his interest. "What's that, some jewelry?"

Arkanov immediately went over to Santiago's side and put an arm over his shoulder. Feeling the sweat, however, he immediately recoiled and wiped his hands on his pants. "N-No, it's a thing we're looking for and it's a long and complicated story and you wouldn't want to hear it. And we must be going, it's very important that we get these shards as soon as possible. It looks like we'll have to go. Sorry."

"Wait wait, hold up!" Santiago put his hands up, and now feeling self-conscious, he began to dab away at the sweat on him with his shirt. "I could help you guys if you like. I'm pretty good at finding things. I found Arkanov, didn't I? Heheh. U-Unintentionally of course! Completely by coincidence."

At this notion, River couldn't help but be enthused by his offer. So politely and in a friendly manner, she beckoned him along to follow. "Of course you can come along with us. We could always use the extra help, and I hope you have some of your own rations with you for the time it takes to reach the next town. After all, you came a really long way, and you seem to be acquainted with our other Pendsborne members, so why not?"

### On the Road Again

"Why not indeed?" Santiago asked Arkanov teasingly. He sauntered behind River eagerly as the others began to follow. "As for rations, don't worry, I brought my own. Enough for a week or two, so I should be fine. I wouldn't want to take your food anyways, I eat like an animal. Now, another question: where are we right now!?"

River shrugged nonchalantly, even chuckling somewhat, "I have absolutely no clue! Arkanov's in charge of the map, so he may know where we are. But all I know is what we need to find. After that, we'll find the next nearest shard, and the one after that, until we have a full heart."

Now Santiago seemed concerned. "A heart...? An organ heart!? Oh my God, are you a cannibal or something? I mean, it's not making me less attracted to you, but it complicates things."

River's eyes opened wide, and she held up her hands in a panic, "N-No! Oh goodness no! I am not a cannibal, never been and never will be!" River defended, but in a frantic tone to show that he shouldn't be afraid of her, "I mean a spiritual heart. It's an essence that contains all of your thoughts, emotions, and memories. Everyone has their own type of unique heart. However, they can be broken, this one in particular. And the shards have been scattered through the whole world, and we need to find them and fuse them back into one whole again. Then, we can return this heart to the original owner…"

Santiago's expression remained unchanged, and he moved his head to the side. "Ah... I'm not sure I follow. But hey, I'm going to see this thing myself eventually!"

Hearing this, Arkanov rushed over to River's side and looked at her with concern. "He's not going to be with us the entire journey... right? We really shouldn't bring him along for that length of time."

The young lady turned her head to the man who had run up next to her, but hearing his question, she only chuckled. "Of course he's not going to be with us the whole time. After all, he already said that he would have to return to Pendsbury eventually. But for now, he's sticking with us."

Arkanov winced hearing this. He stared at Santiago's chest for a long moment, and then looked back to River questioningly. "Why are you so insistent on him staying!? He's going to slow us down, he's already flirted with you in a weird way. Do you like him or something?"

Suddenly, River looked like she had just been slapped in the face by that question. Her eyes were wide and a bit dumbfounded, and her mouth was clamped shut. This was soon followed by an awkward feeling crawling on her back, "N-No, I don't like him in that way. I'm just trying to be helpful to him. B-But wait… he flirted with me? How?"

Arkanov was the one who seemed stunned now. "How could you not tell? He said he was attracted to you, he talked about your body, he's made several sexual passes towards you within the span of ten minutes that we've seen him here."

"I… I didn't notice…" Now, River's expression had went from one of surprise and disbelief, to one of worry, and even looking ever so slightly solemn, "It's okay. I-I'm sure its not like he would actually do anything, maybe he's just flirting for the fun of it…?"

"Do anything?" Arkanov seemed confused by this. "No, he wouldn't force you into anything. He's just doing it for fun, but I have a feeling that if you showed interest as well he would go further."

River almost felt reassured by Arkanov. While this knowledge had made her nervous, she trusted his words, as he did seem to know Santiago after all. "O-Okay… thank you. I'm not interested in him like that, but I'm still going to treat him as a friend. I'm sure he's trustworthy…"

At this statement, Arkanov grumbled, "So you treat him as a friend yet you say I need to earn your trust and befriend you..."

Embarrassment washed over her face, as she realized what she had done, and how she lacked a consistency with how to treat the two of these men. Shyly, she looked away, and stuttered, "I-It's just because you've given me some reason not to trust you. I mean… you've threatened Remnant when he did nothing wrong, and you've yelled at me quite a lot that day before. Santiago on the other hand, he hasn't done any of that. Sure I don't appreciate the flirting, but he's been a little more… gentle, I guess?"

Arkanov rolled his eyes and looked away from her. "So you want me to flirt with you to be your friend? Is that what you're saying? I can do that. I just... I just don't like being treated differently!"

At this point, River was already showing some fear as he spoke those words. The anxiety came in form of her hands seeming just a little bit shaky, as if twitching for no apparent reason. "I-I'm not saying you have to flirt!" She snapped back. But then, this was followed by a long pause, as she tried to recollect her thoughts, "I-It's just… I'm a little… u-uh… *scared*… of you? P-Please, I don't mean that I'm angry at you, I'm happy that you're here, but we don't talk often… and when we do, a lot of times it's an argument, like the other day…"

"I'm trying my damnedest now to not argue with you!" Arkanov said impatiently. "Come on, isn't that how friends are made? You speak in a civil manner and camaraderie forms automatically? I don't have many conversations without arguing with someone. Please, t-this is difficult..."

At this point, River didn't know what to say. She knew that she had just let the wrong words come out of her mouth, and she wanted to slap herself more than once to make up for her mistake. Her voice seemed to muffle itself, turning down to the volume of a soft mutter, "No, that's not how it works. It's more like… you have to trust the other person a lot. You have to believe that they're safe to talk to and safe to be with. And… I don't think you feel safe with me… and I don't feel that way with you…"

Arkanov seemed crushed by this information. But he didn't seem to have enough determination or courage to try again. He opened his mouth to respond, but decided against it. Instead, he simply slowed his pace and skunk to the back of the group so he wouldn't have to talk to River anymore.

When he had left her side so dejectedly, River felt the exact same way herself. However, she knew she was feeling anger if anything, but aimed towards herself. She just *had* to tell him that, and completely ruin the chances of them getting to like each other sooner. She wanted to slap herself again. But she knew she couldn't, and so she continued to travel on in silence.

Meanwhile, Santiago had stared silently at this altercation take place. He was happy to find the two hadn't noticed him. He didn't seem to be in a flirtatious mood now. He walked over to River's side and jerked a finger towards Arkanov's direction. "Hey, what was that all about?"

River only held her hands together shyly, and avoided looking at Santiago in the eye. Yet, her head was still turned towards him, so that he could at least hear her voice. "I'm sorry about that… Ark and I have had trouble getting along recently, and we haven't had the easiest time adjusting to each other since we met. A few days ago I thought we were starting to do well, but then something happened, and it felt like we were back to square one."

"Hm... I don't think he likes me even being near you," Santiago deduced with a small chuckle. "I know him a little, and it's definitely hard to get along with him when he's not willing to try himself. I think he's trying as hard as he can, but life down here must be pretty different. Maybe that's why he's a little hard to understand?"

"I figured that's what the problem is. I haven't experienced Pendsbury for myself, so I can't tell what it's like, but what I know is that it's extremely different than what I'm used to. I mean, he and the others didn't even know spirits existed, that was just so jarring to me..." River mentioned, now her hand was resting on the back of her neck. But she was able to bring herself to smile up at Santiago, already thankful for some of his help, "I really want to understand him, but it just feels like there's this huge barrier that we can't really get across. Do you know any way we can get past that...?"

"... Try asking him about Pendsbury," Santiago suggested. "You could always ask me, but it would mean a lot more to him if you seemed curious about where he comes from. You'll understand why he thinks the way he does, and he will feel more inclined to befriend you if you show a genuine interest in our culture as well."

The young lady considered this for a good moment, knowing that it was certainly the correct way to go. Yet on the inside, she knew that it would be a difficult subject to approach. She would have to choose her words more carefully when the opportunity presented itself, but nevertheless she was grateful for this advice. "Thank you, that would be really helpful. Maybe I can ask him about it when we reach a place to rest, later today. Or, unless now would be a better time…"

"If I know Arkanov, the sooner the better," Santiago answered. Now, he couldn't help himself, and he threw his head back to let out a husky, deep laugh. "The more you let him steep, the angrier he gets! Might as well try to patch things up now."

River peeked over her shoulder to look at the group behind her. As she expected, she saw Arkanov sulking in the back, thanks to her. So heeding Santiago's words, she quickly reached behind her, and pulled up Blake of all people, "Hey, mind taking lead for me? Please?"

"W-What?" The young man stuttered as he was pulled forward, surprised by this sudden action. But when he looked at Santiago's shirtless body again, he got even more nervous, "Y-You want me to lead and walk with him? While he's exposed like that?"

River simply nodded, and Blake didn't argue back, as nervous as he was about this situation. The young lady slipped to the back of the group, towards Arkanov, and soon found herself stepping by his side swiftly. Carefully, she nudged him with her elbow, hoping to get his attention, "Uh… hey, Arkanov…"

At this, Arkanov jerked his head up. He seemed so lost in thought the moment before that River's nudge seemed to pull him out of a trance, and almost scare him. "A-Ah... uh... hi...?" The man didn't know what to say, especially after all that had happened between them earlier. He figured this wasn't an act of friendliness. "D-Did you want me to carry something?"

River shook her head slowly, and she walked a little bit closer to him. "No, you don't need to carry more than what you're already doing. I just… wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said earlier, and… I still think we should try to get along."

"Oh... erm, it's okay..." Arkanov said warily. He looked away from her, growing a little more nervous as well. "I would like to try again as well, but... I-I don't know where to begin..."

"Me either," River commenter, only now just realizing that he hadn't quite thought this through. But, she did her best to remember what Santiago had told her. She had to ask more about Arkanov, "So… um… what is Pendsbury like? I-In comparison to here…"

"... You want to know what Pendsbury is like?" Arkanov asked in surprise. He could tell she was trying to strike up a conversation away from the one they had before, which he was thankful for. "It's quite different... from here at least. It's quite cold since we're high in the air, and it's a little dreary, not much sun or color. It rains often and hard, which is nice. Perhaps you wouldn't find it nice, but it's just what I'm used to... but it's different to a lot of things about Samadurai. You can't use magic in public... people of the same sex can't show any romantic affection. Hell, makes and females together can't show affection. It's reserved. So being here is shocking."

The woman was fiddling with her necklace as she listened to his words. She still felt too shy to stare at him, but she was intrigued. "Do you miss it there at all? I know you miss your mother and father, but… do you ever want to go back and continue living there?"

"... If I could live with my parents near to me, anywhere, either here or Pendsbury... I'd prefer to be here," Arkanov answered. The shock that settled over his expression showed even he did not expect this answer from him. But he gave an unsure, somewhat fearful, but genuine smile. "The freedom here is wonderful. I feel like I can breathe and do what I like without having to worry about the pressures of Pendsbury. There, you must act in a civil manner, never express too much emotion for fear of unleashing your powers on accident. You must always be prim and proper. But at least in Samadurai I can use my powers and not worry about a flogging or two."

At that word, River gave him a curious look, one of innocent confusion, and almost sympathy, even if she did not understand the meaning. "Um… what's flogging? Is that a sort of punishment? Is it as bad as banishment…?"

Arkanov made a shrug motion. "It's more painful," he said. "It's when you're whipped across your back. It usually leaves a scar... I have some from when I was younger, actually..."

River stared at Arkanov for a short moment. She tried to angle her neck back somewhat, so that she could see more of his back. While it was clearly covered by his shirt, she wondered just how bad the scars looked, how deep they were, and just how much they had actually healed. If she had the magic, she would have wanted to heal them right now. "That sounds so awful, I didn't think that they would do something like that to another human being. And people must suffer that from simply using magic or showing any emotion?"

"With children, their parents are flogged in their place simply for raising a 'rotten child,'" Arkanov explained sadly. "But yes. They're public affairs too. They happen in front of all citizens for public humiliation. It's harsh... and thus why I prefer Samadurai."

"I… I can't believe that they would do that…" River muttered softly, her elated mood suddenly broken by hearing the harsh reality of a foreign city she had never seen. She stepped a little closer to Arkanov as they trekked along the dry ground, "Those poor people… back home, the punishment for most crimes would be banishment. I never thought punishments so awful and humiliating like that could exist…"

Arkanov noted the way River was drawing a little nearer, and he seemed to like it a lot, for he did not move away. "Really? I don't know, I believe banishment would be worse. You would be forced to leave the people you love behind, no?"

"Yes, that's true…" River's eyes looked a little solemn, but she still stuck close to him, glad to see that this time they were both calmer. "But at least nobody would be physically hurt, right? And sometimes, it's just safer to keep criminals away from their victims… rather than 'flog' them and let them go."

"Not everyone is let go," Arkanov reminded, with an unhappy sigh. "Sometimes you're thrown in prison if the crime is of a higher degree. You can even be killed."

"... You have a prison up there?" River only continued to question, able to tell that this was such a dark subject. And yet, her curiousity could never truly be satisfied. She started brushing her fingers through her hair again, "I wouldn't really know what that's like. We didn't have them in Ali'ikai, and I've never seen one after I came out to Samadurai. Are they really dirty and filled with rats like people say they are? And when people say 'rot in prison'... does that actually mean the place starts making your flesh melt off?"

"Well..." Arkanov was trying to hold in a chuckle from the sincerity in her questions, despite their silliness. "I'm sure not all prisons have rats, but the one in Pendsbury did... does. When people say 'to rot in prison,' it means you stay in prison long enough to die and for your body to rot. I'm surprised there's no prison where you're from. How do you put away criminals?"

River had now turned her gaze up to the sky in her thoughts, feeling as though she was losing her sense of direction. Her memories of her homeland had become somewhat vague since the years that she had last truly been a part of it, but nevertheless she brought forth an answer for him. "Most of the time, it's simply banishment. For smaller crimes, like theft or violence, you're forced to be a servant to your victim for a designated amount of time. A guard may monitor you if you're more dangerous than others. Heh... now that I remember it, that's how my parents met."

The young lady chuckled softly as she remembered the story, but she quickly focused back on topic. "For most anything else, you're kicked out of society. If you have an affair, or have a child from said affair, you and the child would be banished. Same would happen if you've kidnapped someone, attempted to murder someone, or even hurting a child, you're completely gone. Only the worst of all crimes, murder, end in the criminal dying, rather slowly and miserably as well..."

"Ah! That's similar to Pendsbury," Arkanov said, though he lowered his level of enthusiasm so he would not seem overly excited over the topic of death. "In Pendsbury, you're pulled apart in four different directions so your innards are forced to burst out of you, like a water balloon. Or you're thrown out of the ship. How do the criminals die in... Ali'ikeeiagh? Did I pronounce that correctly?"

River chuckled again, a little louder this time, at the butchered pronounciation that he had given her. She put her hand on her forehead, trying to keep her smile small despite the darkly serious subject matter that they were speaking of. "No, it's Ali'ikai. Like... Ah-lee-ee-kai." then, she went back to fiddling with a lock of her hair, "Those punishments sound more brutal than what we have, although... ours isn't the best either. The criminal has their hands tied behind their back, and their feet as well. They're put on to a makeshift canoe, and pushed out into the ocean with no food or drinking water to survive on. Basically, it's death by starvation and dehydration, or drowing if they struggle and fall out of the canoe..."

"... How drawn out, and certainly torturous," Arkanov commented. He looked away, sadly. "I sincerely hope you never had to encounter someone worthy of a crime like that. Sadly, in Pendsbury, crime rate is high because most everyone practices magic in secret. But it's certainly not serious enough to warrant drifting out onto sea and starving..."

Now, River's laughs were turned to ones of nervousness, as if trying to relieve sudden stress that had appeared to infest her thoughts. At this point she turned her head away from his gaze, instead staring down at his shoes, and her bare feet. "E-Erm, I've encountered someone like that before. I mean, he never killed anybody, but he did something so atrocious that it's the only other crime that would warrant that kind of punishment..." the girl's voice became even more silent, muted, as if trying to hide her own words, "But, ever since the tsunami, we've forbidden ourselves from killing any of our criminals. Our numbers are so small already, and we can't risk letting anyone else die..."

So much information was flung at him that Arkanov needed to pause for a moment to process it. Finally, he produced some questions, "Who was the guy? What did he do? What tsunami?"

Despite her tanned skin tone, River's face seemed to flush completely pale. Quickly, she flipped her long hair to the other side of her face, covering it from him, trying to shelter herself. "U-Um... he was a friend... he used to be a f-friend of mine when we were kids. I... I don't want to talk about what he did, it... it was really awful. He didn't even get any punishment, n-no one would believe me-"

"What're you guys doing, talking about all this death and such?" said a young man's voice, which had startled River enough to almost make her scream. But she couldn't let it out, so instead all she could do was let in a heavy gasp. When she looked up, it was Rubus, who donned a curious smile across his lips. He had been listening the whole time. What was even worse, and more embarassing, was that she could see him holding out his notebook and pen, with several worlds already scribbled on. He had been recording this as well.

Seeing this, Arkanov immediately frowned, and this simple expression grew in intensity as he began to scowl, and then breathe heavily, seething with rage. "Rubus... excuse me, but don't you know a damn thing or two about privacy?"

Rubus merely laughed it off, while River appeared much more downtrodden than she had been before his interruption, although he didn't really seem to take any notice of it. He gave the two of them a glint of playfulness in his eyes, "I know what privacy is, I assure you. But these are some interesting facts that I really want to jot down. After all, this new information about how this... Ali'ikai, deals with criminals is all quite fascinating."

Instinctively, Arkanov put a protective hand on River's shoulders and narrows his eyes towards Rubus, showing he was not as amused. "Fine, perform illegal methods of gathering information without consent all you want. But don't ask her any questions. Obviously she's uncomfortable about the topic. And just give a little warning next time? I'm sure both of us would appreciate it if you asked before you wrote."

Rubus could see a dusty pink blush form across River's face, despite how much she tried to hide herself with her long hair. He couldn't tell if it was because she was embarassed, or from the fact that Arkanov had actually touched her. Either way, he held his occupied hands up in defense, "Woah, easy there. I can just scribble out what I've written down, don't worry. Besides, I didn't even write anything personal, I just jotted down the facts about how the whole justice system works, nothing more. You can even look at my notes for proof if you're really worried."

Arkanov looked down at the pages Rubus had in front of him, and tried to make out the words. With much embarrassment, he realized with anger that in Pendsbury, they had only been taught how to read symbols and pictures on a map, no words. He looked away and now began to blush as well, though not from River. He was ashamed by his illiteracy, though he tried to act as though he could read perfectly. "F-Fine. Sorry, then. Just as long as you didn't write anything personal."

"I didn't, no need to worry." Rubus smiled calmly and collectively, totally confident in himself. Now, he beamed that smile to the shy young woman with them, whose face still had that pink glow, "And I sincerely apologize, River. In hindsight, I should have asked before recording anything."

The girl simply smiled back at him, "Thank you, maybe we can have another interview when we get to a place to settle down." And with that, Rubus turned his head facing forward once more, leaving the two of them be. Now, she gently nudged Arkanov with her shoulder, "A-And… thank you too. I'm not too great with standing up for myself…"

Noticing the nudge, Arkanov moved his hand away from her shoulder, and tried his best to give a decent smile. He did not smile whilst showing his teeth often so it surely must have looked strange. "Sure. I'm sorry if you felt I was overbearing. Getting defensive is sort of a natural inclination I have."

River's face changed into one of surprise, her eyes opened wide and her mouth closed. Not from being appalled, but from the pleasant surprise of seeing Arkanov smile, for her sake of all people. It seemed as though Santiago's advice had truly helped. "It's nice, somewhat. Just uh… don't try scaring anyone here for my sake, please."

"Oh... d-damn it, sorry," Arkanov cursed himself. He looked over at River pleadingly. "Please give me another chance. I enjoyed talking to you before we were interrupted."

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not mad at you," River smiled to him reassuringly, "I just don't want the others to feel too intimidated to interact with you and I. After all, we're all together in this, aren't we?"

"Yeah..." Arkanov agreed, smiling again. Now he looked wistfully in Rubus' direction. "I don't think he looked all too scared, but perhaps I should go apologize. I just got so angry all of a sudden, I don't know why."

The woman looked to Rubus as well, and saw that he was walking rather calmly, almost happily. It seemed as though that little exchange of words had left no real effect on him. She wasn't even sure if an apology was necessary, even if it was the more polite thing to do. "I think he's alright. If you want to, you can still-"

Suddenly, she paused, interrupting herself. She felt that something was off, something around her just wasn't right at all. Quickly, she recognized this feeling. They were finally nearing the heart shard that they had searched two days for. She reached forward and grabbed Arkanov's arm, pulling him to a halt, "Wait-" then, she spoke louder to address the group, "Wait! Everyone, the shard is here, somewhere. I don't see anything, but… that might mean it's a little buried underground."

"Buried underground?" Santiago asked immediately, happy by this information. He whizzed around and ran up to River. "That's just my forte! I'm a geo-earth mage, you know."

Salina walked up to River as well and exchanged a sideways smile to her. "And I am too. Don't worry about it, Santiago, I can handle this. Just go back over where you were and flex in the sun like you were doing before."

"You're a girl," Santiago answered. "It's better if I handle it."

Salina seemed appalled. "What does that have to do with anything?! Fine, River, you decide who digs."

"Both of you." River responded bluntly. She didn't want to have to deal with an argument of the genders between the two, so rather, the most logical solution would be to have two of these mages use their powers simultaneously. After all, twice the magic, twice the power; she could sense the shard was deep underground anyways. "It's pretty far down, but that's as much as I can tell."

Salina touched the ground again and the rock gauntlets formed around her hands again. She smiled at Santiago. "I'm assuming you follow the ladies first rule? You can go first then."

Santiago laughed with a tight jaw. Instead of resulting to gloves, Santiago simply threw his right arm into the air, and with brute force, he slapped his hand hard onto the ground, making a sizable dent in the red rocky floor. Salina jumped high into the air and slammed her fists down into the floor as well, now cracking it. Santiago seemed impressed by this. "Damn. You became a little more sexy to me."

Salina seemed like she wanted to break Santiago's limbs. Sensing a fight, Thomas called out, "Take out your anger on the floor, not his face!"

Salina pounded more furiously that she had before.

Thomas gave a confused look to River. "You believe the shard is underground?"

River nodded, confident in her judgement. "Yes, I'm very sure of it. Right now I feel it right below us, it's so close, but happened to be in a very inconvenient spot."

Now concern washed over his face. "Are we sure this doesn't open up into an endless chasm that we all fall into and die?"

"Hey, don't fret about it," she assured, placing her hands confidently on her hips as she watched the two do their work on the hard, dry earth. "It'll be fine, and if someone gets hurt, that's why we've got you. Right, Thomas?"

"Haha... I can only heal cuts," Thomas qualified with a worried tone of voice. "I can't fix broken bones, unless the bone protrudes from the flesh. Tell Salina and Santiago when you want them to stop."

"You still healed some of Rubus' burns, so you're better than you think," River commented one last time. Then, she looked down at the cracked ground, realizing that any more hits would make it break too quickly. So, she held up her hand, and called out, "Alright! It's good, you can hold off now."

Simultaneously, both of the earth mages stopped pounding. Santiago wiped the sweat off his brow and rolled his shoulder muscles, glancing over to Salina to see if she took notice. "Ah..."

Salina did not take notice. If she did, she ignored him rather well. She gave a gentle smile at River, not sweating at all. "So! What next?"

"Simple, we dig out the shard." River said matter-of-factly, stepping forward to the cracked and broken up ground. But the moment her weight was put on to the fragile earth, it started to crumble away, suddenly dropping down into utter darkness, like a hidden pit in the earth. She stepped back, flinching, as she thought she could have fallen in. Some more pieces fell away, and she put her hand on her chin, "It looks hollow... I guess you could say? There might be an underground cavern or something like that in there..."

So, without saying another word, she stepped up to the newly opened hole in the ground again, and knelt down. She stared down, "Hey Thomas, think we could get some light in there? There's no telling how far it could go."

Now Thomas looked freaked out. It was the first time he ever seemed scared on the entire trip. Still, he put out his hands and from his palms, beams of light were emitted. The lights were cast over the darkness, illuminating the cavern. "Uh, what are we looking for here...? And how do we get down there?"

"The shard may be in that cavern, and there's only one way to get in there, of course. Just ease your way down there, with some help of course." and without much of a warning or forethought, River was already kneeling closer, putting her first leg forward. This shouldn't have been super difficult considering that the diameter of the hole wasn't too tight for her to enter, quite wide matter of fact. The rocks had fell in such a way that they seemed decent for climbing down, and as she put more of herself in, she used said rocks as footholds and something to grab onto if she slipped. In a matter of moments, it looked like she was down in the darkness, until there was a sound of a soft splash, a sound that seemed most out of place in this dry desert, "Come on! It's safe to go down, there's even water in here!"

Kestral now took off her cap, and Frig was underneath it. The frog began to hop excitedly down the area with the cracked floor and sadly fell through, falling into the darkness. The young girl seemed confused and saddened. "Frig?! What the heck?! Wait!"

She ran quickly over the edge of the rock and did not gain her footing quickly enough to step carefully on the rocks, so she slid down, and screamed loudly.

Both Arkanov and Santiago ran to the rock's edge, and shouted down, "KESTRAL, NO!"

Arkanov gave Santiago an angry look that seemed as though he was wondering why Santiago even cared. He looked down into the darkness. "River, catch Kestral! Kes, I'm coming down now! If Riv doesn't catch you, use your bubble!"

When River saw the young girl stumbling and slipping through the rocks, she immediately held out her arms, and ran up to the falling girl. She steadied her feet, bracing herself for impact. Then, when she felt the child's weight hit her torso fast and hard, she stumbled back in startlement, wrapping her arms tightly around the girl, "Ah! K-Kes, I got you!"

Kestral jumped into River's arms and hung on even though she was not falling anymore. She shivered instinctively. "R-River... what happened...?" When she saw the darkness, she gasped. "Oh... I fell. I'm so sorry... thank you for catching me." She still kept her arms around River's shoulders like a child to their mother.

"IS SHE OKAY?!" Both Arkanov and Santiago shouted out from above. Arkanov shoved Santiago away and then spoke alone. "River, did you catch her? Is she hurt? What's going on?"

"She's alright!" River called back up, holding onto the girl tighter to keep her comforted, and to give her a sense of security. She could tell that tumble definitely scared her, and she couldn't just push her off like that. "Don't worry, I've got her in my hold! She's safe."

Finally, Kestral slid out of River's arms, and looked away, embarrassed from having fallen so foolishly. She did not speak a word as Arkanov, Santiago, and Thomas stumbled down the rocky path to the cavern floor. Salina skipped along unphased. Upon reaching the ground, Arkanov wrapped his arms around Kestral and flung the little girl into the air. "Oh lord, Kestral, I was so worried for you! What were you thinking!?"

At the twirling, Kestral giggled girlishly. "I'm sorry...! I was just scared for Frig. Where's Frig?"

Arkanov ignored this question for now, and luckily, the small frog suddenly appeared on Kestral's head. The girl giggled. "Frig's alive!" Then she looked up at the hole above. "Rubus, Blake! Come on!"

The twins looked down into the dark hole, only seeing the faint outlines of all their companions in the darkness. Rubus had no hesitation, starting to crawl and slide down slowly with patience. When he expected his brother to come following, he looked up and saw Blake's face still staring down, he beckoned him on. His brother shook his head, his shoulders shuddering in uneasiness, "Come on Blake! What's the holdup?"

Blake shook his head again, backing away, as Rubus made it to the bottom with the others. He called back, "U-Uh, you know what? Maybe it's better I stay up here and not go underground where it's dangerous."

"It's not dangerous!" Salina called up. She looked around the dark chasm. "There's not another living soul in sight besides us, Blake. You sure you want to stay up there?"

"I don't want to go!" Blake blurted out, his hand on his head, looking like he was pulling his hair from the anxiety that the cavern gave him. "I just… I don't want to go in there. What if there's a cave-in and we can't escape? O-Or we get separated? I'm staying up here, and maybe I can keep watch if there is anyone up here…"

"... Okay," Salina answered, a little disappointed. "Wait, do you have claustrophobia, Blake? There's no cave-in. If something happens I'll use my powers."

"I-I am not claustrophobic!" Blake defended, despite how he was practically trembling in his boots. "Look, I'll be fine up here, the rest of you guys go, okay?"

Sadly, Salina sighed, and decided to wave along everyone else to move. "Okay... but just know, being up there alone could make you be in more danger than if you went along. So, River, where do you sense the shard is?"

River said no words, and looked into the darkness of this underground cavern. She felt water on her feet, as if there was a small spring down here, though it didn't go up very high. It really only was able to reach her ankles. So, she stepped further, even without the light, into the darkness. The only point she stopped was when the cold groundwater suddenly felt warm, almost hot even, like the water of a bath. Yet of course, this water wasn't the cleanest, so that wasn't the best comparison.

She bent down, careful not to get her dress wet, and starting sifting her hands through the muddy ground under the small rise of water. Then, before her eyes lay a bright red glass-like shard, with heat radiating off of it like a solid ember. She grasped it with her hands, and while she winced at the slight burning sensation the touch gave her, she knew the shard could cause no harm. "I've found it, we can get out of here now…"

Rubus clapped his hands together, "Sounds like a job well-done, then. Looks like Blake didn't have to scare himself by coming down here after all-"

Then, suddenly, a demeaning shriek reverberated throughout the cavern, causing Rubus to cover his ears and bend over. There was a whispery voice, belonging to no man, woman, nor child, "*That is MINE…*"

Everyone froze. Bravely, Kestral called out, "U-Uh... who is it...? Who is that...?"

Suddenly, from the shard that River held in her palms, a glowing blue essence emerged. It poured out like ghostly water, and fell like fog. Slowly, it raised itself, as River's eyes went wider, and she stepped back towards the safety of the group. Then, from the fog, a figure was forming itself. It was a strange being, with glowing white eyes, a reptilian face with horns and long whiskers, with a long, slithering body that floated him in the air. It hissed with disdain, and River could tell that this was a hostile spirit. "*That is mine, you petty thieves…*"

Strengthened from being in the dark, Arkanov easily produced his shadow sword and aimed it high at the serpent's face, towards its brains. Thomas tried to make his light pistol, but found he could only maintain the light for the moment with his magical energy used up. Salina rose her arms as if ready to force the rocks from the ceiling onto the serpent's head.

Kestral put her hands up. "Stop, don't fight!" she pleaded. She turned to the serpent, surprised. She was fearless for the moment. "No, we need this heart shard. The person it belongs to does not have their heart, it's only fair that it's returned to the rightful owner. Surely... you understand...?"

"*NO!*" The spirit shouted back, his voice echoing. Even Rubus, though he was not much of a fighter, already had embers swirling around him. River, on the other hand, had absolutely no intention to fight. She would never harm a spirit, there had to be something wrong to make it act this way.

In a sudden reaction, she reached into her bag to pull out the glass bottle holding the other heart shards, but she was too slow. Suddenly, the serpent spirit lunged forward, and clamped his sharp-toothed jaws down on her shoulder. The girl shrieked, some blood being drawn, as she stumbled back.

"RIVER!" Kestral shrieked. Now she was angry. She produced her star bombs and began to swing, but immediately following this, Arkanov stepped forth to take advantage of the situation. The serpent had lunged far enough to place its neck in a position where Arkanov could simply swing down on his sword on its long neck in hopes of slicing it cleanly, and so he did.

The serpent released a ghastly scream, and dissipated after being struck with the sword of shadows. River immediately clutched her shoulder, her teeth gritting from the stinging pain. Rubus ran up to her side to check on the fresh wound, and seeing the blood made him feel ever so slightly queasy. He then put his hand on the injury, blocking the leakage of blood and applying pressure, as he heard that was one was supposed to do with an injured person.

But River shook her head, still in shock from the sudden attack. But even then, she opened her eyes to see the wispy serpent reforming again, readying to strike someone else, "G-Guys! Don't attack it, it's a spirit-!"

"Why shouldn't we attack it?" Arkanov asked. He did not seem concerned by River's wound for the moment, and instead he swung his sword in a circular motion in his hand, placed a hand behind his back, and bent his knees, assuming a Pendsborne swordfighting position, one he was most likely more comfortable with. He rose his sword to attack the serpent once more. "It's hurting members of our team. It needs to be killed."

Salina and Santiago both began to ready rocks. Salina's rocks from the ceiling began to crumble and tremor, though she seemed worried about the direction this fight was heading. "Can we even kill it? It's reforming!"

"Please, don't hurt it!" River begged, but soon realized that pleading would not solve this problem. She would have to take action herself. So the woman reached back into her bag, despite how Rubus had tried to prevent her, and she pulled out the jar of shards. She twisted off the cap as fast as she could, and shoved the new, red hot shard inside, and closed it once more. It was finally contained.

Then, the moment the serpent finally reformed, it had no anger in its eyes. Instead,it stared around with confusion, looking as though it was lost…

Everyone kept their weapons raised in case the serpent would attack once more. Thomas still held the light and was able to show his confusion readily with a frown. "Wait... i-is the serpent nice now? Why isn't it fighting?"

River did not answer, and now, the serpent seemed to be fearful. They slowly floated back from the others, looking left and right, seeing all of their weapons pointed at him. But River, she stepped forward, placing the glass bottle back into her satchel. With her arm attached to her injured shoulder, she held out her hand calmly, her palm upturned. "It's okay, you're safe now. That shard won't be messing with your mind anymore…"

Hearing the gentle softness of her voice, the serpent hesitantly approached her. Then, he pressed his snout up against her palm, making a faded, echoing sound of purring. But yet, it looked up to her with sad eyes, "It… it has been so many years, since that shard fell into my possession. It… changed me… the power of human emotion is too strong…"

Seeing the open wound on River's shoulder, the spirit gasped, and immediately starting wrapping itself gently around and up her arm. Then, when it's head was next to the wound, he stuck out his blue tongue, and licked the blood off, like how a dog would have done. Then, suddenly, the hole in her flesh began closing in on itself, healing back to normal, with only the few blood stains leaving a mark of what had happened earlier. With an apologetic and remorseful look, the serpent swirled around River's body, "I am so sorry for attacking all of you. That… shard made me lose sight of my duties… now all of the other spirits are missing, and my oasis…" his head turned to look at the dirty water sitting still on the floor of the cavern, "I let it fall out of the sun's sight, and all the beautiful palms that once surrounded it must be dead too…"

Kestral gave a soft, pleased smile towards the serpent. She had known in her heart that there was pureness and kindness in its own somewhere. The shard must've temporarily corrupted the serpent. She stepped forward next to River, again fearlessly. "Well, I'm sure we can fix your oasis by moving the rocks. But what do you mean by the other spirits?"

"Spirits tend to make their home in the oddities in the world…" the serpent spoke, now lowering his smooth flight to circle serenely around Kestral's shoulders, "Whether it be an oasis in an unbearably dry desert, or an abandoned home in the middle of a dense forest, spirits are bound to be living there. But now, I've taken away their home… and… you said you would be able to remove the earth over this cavern…?"

"I'm sure once we move the rocks from the top, the your other spirit friends will come back," Kestral assured with a gentle smile. "But yes. Santiago, Salina? You guys could do that, right?"

"Of course!" Santiago grinned and gave two thumbs-up. "At your service! But I'm warning you, maybe we should move first. If we move them all at once it could cause an avalanche falling on top of us."

River nodded in agreement, looking back to the entrance they had first entered from. Light was still shining through it, and she was sure that Blake was still waiting for them at the top. "Let's get back up to the surface then, and break away the ground that's been built up. Then, serpent-" she said, now catching the spirit's attention, as he paused and stared at her, "We will help you restore this place."

"Okay..." Arkanov nodded. He still gave a look to the serpent of distrust, but decided he would have to follow River's will. He looked to her. "How the hell do we get back up to the top? Do you think Blake would be able to lift us up?"

"We were able to climb in here, weren't we? Er… except for Kestral that is… but we can climb out the same way. And im sure Blake can assist." Rubus finally spoke up, as he had been in silence since the spirit was calmed. He was already making his way back to the hole in the ceiling where light shine through, "Hey Blake! Can you hear us? We've got the shard!"

Meanwhile, back on the ground level, the dark-haired man heard his brother's voice, but could still not see them very easily in the darkness of that cavern. He knelt down to the ground, trying not to get too close, and held out his two hands, "Alright! I'm here for you guys. See? It was a better idea for me not to go into that cave, wasn't it?"

"It wouldn't have been had we gotten stuck," Arkanov said. Kestral immediately jumped onto his back and clung to him as he began to trek back to the surface first. Santiago waited for Salina and Thomas and then looked to River with a smirk. "Need some help?"

As Rubus was being pulled back up to the surface by his brother's hands, it left only River and Santiago alone in the cavern, with the serpent spirit now floating by her side. The woman smiled kindly, and took a step closer to Santiago, "Some help would be much appreciated."

"Heh, will do," Santiago chuckled loudly, and waited for River to go first. "You go on ahead, I'll hold onto your waist... so you don't fall, of course."

Hearing this from above, Arkanov immediately turned his head and looked angrily at Santiago. "River, go last. Santiago just wants to stare at your behind!"

At this, Santiago shrugged. "I'm not even going to deny it."

River clamped her mouth shut, while the spirit by her side showed no reaction, for he didn't quite understand this human behavior. While he floated back up to the surface, River was backing away uncomfortably from Santiago. She laughed slowly, nervously, and averted her gaze, "Uh… hey, look… how about you climb up, and maybe just pull me up…?"

Santiago was confused by her visible uneasiness to his proposal. Usually, if he flirted and a girl did not appreciate it, he would be put down and insulted. There was certainly no reason to retract in fear. Again, he shrugged, and began to scale up the rocks. "Sure."

When he got to the top of the ledge, he put down a strong arm to help her up. "Sorry. I thought you found those jokes funny."

"They're not jokes!" Arkanov's voice called up from above again. "You're being serious and you know it!"

Santiago frowned at the voice that was ridiculing his every action. "Okay, maybe I was being serious. But I didn't expect that reaction at least."

Now that she was back on the surface, River brushed off the dust on her dress. But hearing the notion that was brought up from Santiago, she only seemed to look nervous again, "Ah, heh… sorry if that isn't what you expected. I find it a little fun, a-as long as you're not actually serious…"

"Oh," Santiago laughed nervously, climbing up once more so he could lend a hand to Rivee again. "Yeah, because I totally wasn't being serious or anything..."

Now that everyone was back on the surface, and no one was left underground, it was time. The serpent spirit turned to Salina and Santiago expectantly, thoughts of restoring his home being the only thing on his mind. "I am ready. Now is the time to break away all the rock over my oasis, and then I will take it from there."

Santiago and Salina nodded to each other and resumed the beating upon the rock. Blow after blow, the rocky floor gave way, crumbling and snapping, fading and blowing to dust in the wind. At a certain moment they both backed away, the floor continued to make crumbled noises until the floor collapsed. The large crimson rocky chunks gave way until they all disappeared into the cavern below.

"Thank you…" the spirit spoke, his expression unchanged. Now, it was his turn.

The serpent slithered through the air down into the cavern, plunging himself into the darkness, which was now being filled more and more by light as the rocks had been crumbled away. There was a silent moment, stillness was everywhere, not even a breeze blew by.

Then, without warning, a startling geyser of water blasted up from the ground, only the water was not steaming like a real geyser would, thanks to the spirit's magic. The misty spray fell on the group of travelers, cooling them down from the desert heat.

Finally, the pressure from the water spout faded, and suddenly the massive dark pit was pooling with clear and beautiful blue water once more. It shine under the bright sun, small ripples bouncing from here and there and the edges of the spring. It was beautiful, and this was only just the renewal. In a few years or less, foliage and flora was bound to grow once again, and the spirits who had once lived here would return; for wherever there is water, there is life.

The serpent splashed out of the water, a smile across his reptilian face, showing his sharp fangs, for he knew making this expression was how humans showed happiness and gratitude. "It is now restored! Thank all of you, so much…" then, before he plunged himself back into the water, "Please, use my spring for any of your needs should it be necessary. It is the best I can do for you."

Arkanov stared in amazement at the sight. He looked at the serpent. Obviously he still did not trust it for how it harmed River, even if it did heal her soon after. But the magical occurrence before him and the creature's inherent kindness despite everything showed Arkanov there was goodness within. He felt pretentious for thinking of something so corny, but he smiled. "Well, thank you, for both the shard and for allowing us to use the spring."

The elated and content spirit nodded, and dove back into the water; he didn't emerge again. All was at peace now, and the objective had been accomplished. The third shard out of many had been found, a spirit had been saved and brought back to its duty as a guardian, and there seemed to be nothing else to worry about.

Blake, on the other hand, seemed to be a little more confused than anything. He glanced at all the others, his eyes moving from one person to the next, as he scratched his head, "So… what was that all about again? From up here, all I heard was some voices, and a little screaming…"

"There was a serpent that had the shard," Salina began to explain, "It had become overpowered by the emotion the shard conveyed. So when River took it to its rightful place, the serpent became nice. Apparently the spring is where other spirits used to be but with the shard making the serpent angry and the rocks, then the spirits were scared away."

"I bet you wish you had followed us down there to witness it," Rubus teased, poking and nudging his brother's waist with his elbow, tickling him and making Blake release a few laughs.

"H-Hey!" He chuckled, but stepped back so that he would be able to talk coherently, "I wouldn't have gone in there even if I knew about that spirit."

River smiled when she saw the brothers being playful with each other once more. But when she looked up to the sky, and saw that the sun was already leaning towards the west, she knew that it would likely be dark in a few hours. Today was a long day, and they would need their rest for the future ahead. "Everyone? How about we set up camp here for tonight?" She suggested, "I think it's a good place. The serpent said we could use this oasis however we wish, so we can refill our water and wash off."

### Cool Pool Time

"Perfect," Kestral said happily. She immediately sat down on the hard floor with Frig in hand, and she began to rub the frog's head gently. "It's been quite a long day. And, it's been quite a long time since we've bathed. I bet we're all super smelly! Heehee."

Arkanov neared Kestral's side, and sat down next to her. He ruffled her hat and hair, still sentimental from the fear of almost having her hurt earlier. "That's quite true, we haven't had a proper bath since Pendsbury, eh?" He looked up to River. "How should we work this out?"

"First of all, after we get camp set up…" She spoke, and with her next words, her eyes immediately looked to Santiago, "…We separate the genders. It would be a bit inappropriate if we all went in unclothed at the same time…"

"Wouldn't it be inappropriate if we still went in multiples…?" Blake spoke up, his shoulders seeming to be rather tense for some unknown reason, "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable getting naked in front of everyone, even Rubus. A-And we'll need to find a way to shield the water a little bit so we don't accidentally peek on each other…"

"You guys are so sensitive," Santiago scoffed. He began to stretch his arms, crack his knuckles, and put his hands on his shoes to take them off. "In the Pendsborne latrines everyone goes at the same time. Separate genders, of course, but then again..." Santiago looked up to Blake and have a playful little look with the eyes. "That works for me too."

"Santiago!" Arkanov hissed. He got up from his seat and looked as though he was ready to kill. "That's disgusting! There are children here!"

Santiago shrugged. "Just one."

"What?" Kestral looked up now. She had gotten distracted by Frig. "What's disgusting?"

Arkanov looks squarely to River and then stood by her side. "We will go one at a time. Santiago needs to be sequestered and he can go last."

River shook her head, denying this decision of his, "Sorry, but that would take all night, it would be too long," then, she now smiled and put a hand on Blake's shoulder, "And don't worry, you don't need to completely strip down, you can still just wear the clothes that you're okay with getting wet. That's what I'm going to be doing after all."

"Oh, we're not getting naked?" Santiago asked, a twinge of sadness in his voice. "Aw, well, that's no fun at all. Don't worry then, I won't be looking at you all, there's no point."

Arkanov smirked. "Good. Then let's just all go in at once, or whoever wants to go in, just to keep things quick."

Rubus nodded to this, as he would have been comfortable with either option. "Alright, so it's agreed then? We should probably set up camp first before we get in though," he glanced to Blake, "Since some might want the privacy of their tent to get dressed again."

"True," Thomas said. He began to move to the packs to open the tents.

Meanwhile, Kestral moved over to River. "I-I'll go last. I don't mind. I have towels for everyone, just in case. It's in my pocket dimension!"

River seemed to be the only one who had heard her, as the twins as well as the others already seemed as though they were unpacking and setting up everything that they would need. Except for the young lady, who only gave Kestral a curious stare, "A… pocket dimension? Don't you just mean your pockets? Though I don't think you can fit much in there…"

"No, it's like a mini black hole I put my stuff in," Kestral answered. She smiled innocently. "I just use my magic to summon it, open it and close it. You wanna see?"

"A black hole? I don't even know what you mean by that…" River put a finger on her chin, her voice almost seeming a little playful. But she quickly bent down a little closer to Kestral's height and giggled, "But I'm interested in seeing what this is all about!"

Kestral threw her arms in an outward, dramatic motion. Towards the end of the movement she flicked her wrist in an elegant, ballet-like sort of motion. From her fingertips emerged a dark, circular mass in the middle of the bright blue sky of the desert, and within the hole was a vision of sublime beauty. It was the starry night sky, littered with purple and green cloudy masses, the hallmarks of distant, yet visible galaxies.

The young girl inserted her hand, though the rest of her arm could not be seen from the other side of the hole. It was as if it disappeared into the void. From it, she produced a stack of old, ragged towels. Once she was finished, the hole shrunk in size and folded in on itself, and disappeared with a pop. She looked down sheepishly. "Sorry these aren't the best towels. They're from home. But hey, it works, right?"

The astonishing sight had been so fantastic, that River stood in silent awe with her mouth agape. Everyone had witnessed it, even Blake and Rubus stopped in what they were doing just to observe. It was utterly amazing, and all of that just for storage?

Before River could say anything, Rubus had dropped literally everything he was doing, and ran up to Kestral with notebook in hand and an excited look on his face "What in the world was that?! That was spectacular! How are you able to use your magic so well when you're from Pendsbury?"

"That was my pocket dimension!" Kestral stated with the utmost pride in her smile. She enjoyed the attention she was receiving from Rubus. "And, thank you. In Pendsbury, people kind of wondered that too. I'm considered a prodigy just because I haven't had much training... but really, it's kind of easy! Apparently you have to learn that astral magic skill but I just had it when I started practicing magic at like, six or something?"

Salina, who had been watching the feat transpire since Kestral began, walked over to the young girl and smiled, impressed. "If you have that innate magic, your soul is either imbued with that of a spirit... or you have the soul of a past mage that was really, really powerful."

Kestral took a moment to process this. Once she did, she gasped, a horrified expression on her face. "You mean I'm secretly *old* on the inside!?"

"Of course you are, in a sense. Your body is not old of course, but your soul has existed for an unrecorded amount of time," Rubus explained, but looked up to River for confirmation of these facts, "At least, that's how you said it works, right?"

When she nodded, he was confident in his answer once more. "So in other words, the thing that gives you life and magic is the old one, not the rest of you."

"Oh," Kestral nodded, beginning to understand. "So I guess the old me knew how to do this. Then why didn't my abilities reset once I was born? That's kind of weird."

All of a sudden, a splash could be heard from the springs. Kestral turned her head and saw Santiago emerge from the waters. Upon surfacing, he flipped his hair and it stuck up in a spiky style on his head. Kestral frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry... I couldn't wait!" Santiago said with glee. He was in a shallow area of the springs and was simply wading for now. "I had to get in. There's never been a body of water this big in Pendsbury before. It's AWESOME!"

"Well, in that case it's time for me to join in too," Rubus noted, standing back up on his two feet, and walking over to the edge of the pool, but made sure he was a short distance away from the ladies. Even if this was normal in their culture, he still personally felt uncomfortable showing himself so close to them. So he took off his glasses, and then his shoes and socks. Then, he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the bandages covering his burn wound. He was even unwrapping that as well, as the waters may soothe the injury.

While he was getting undressed, Blake took notice, and felt a little pressured to join in with him and Santiago. So he began to do the same thing and unbuttoned his vest, followed by the rest of his clothing. When both were down to their undergarments, they took no time to show off and instead sprinted to the water and dove right in as well, making two splashes after one another.

When the coolness of the water hit their skin, Rubus sighed in satisfaction, but Blake shivered, "Gah!" He exclaimed, "Why is desert water so cold?!"

"It's pretty warm," Santiago affirmed, trying his best to manage swimming, but he was fumbling. That did not detract from the amount of fun he was having. He gave a smirk to Rubus. "Maybe you're just not used to it!"

Salina jumped up and down excitedly from how everyone was getting into the pool. Eager to join, she began to throw piece after piece of her outfit off. First came her boots, then the stockings and vest, and flowing shirt. She was left in a nude-colored bustier and shorts.

As Salina passed by Arkanov, the shadow mage seemed extremely uncomfortable. He ran over to Kestral and covered her eyes once more, but not before he stared after Salina before she entered the pool of water. His face was bright red, and he was beginning to work up another sweat.

Seeing Arkanov's reaction, Thomas arched an eyebrow in his direction whilst removing his own clothes. Arkanov noticed this. Thomas grinned. Arkanov immediately shook his head, refusing the implications of the look the light mage was giving him. "I-I-I'm not used to seeing women so barely clothed...! Th-This is considered illegal in Pendsbury. Thomas... what are you doing!?"

Now that everything besides his undergarments was off, Thomas sauntered over to the pool of water happily. "I'm going to try swimming! This lack of clothes is liberating, no?"

"NO." Arkanov sat down and dragged Kestral down with him. He rocked back and forth, brushing Kestral's hair with his hands, refusing to even glance over to where everyone else was. "Th-This is unnatural... oh Almighty Mortim, forgive me, for my eyes have just viewed the most unholy, dastardly things..."

When River saw this sharp reaction from Arkanov, she felt a number of emotions. Her initial reaction was confusion, when she wanted to feel offended, but she couldn't, and thus it left her feeling sympathy for the young man. While the others were already having fun splashing around at each other, she stepped forward towards Arkanov. She knelt down by his side, and tapped gently on his shoulder, "Hey, it's alright, no one said that you had to go in if you didn't want to. If you're uncomfortable, you and Kestral can always just wait until the rest of them are finished. I can even wait with you..." she sighed, "I admit... I'll probably just end up using my magic to clean myself off. I don't know if I can have anyone looking at me half-naked..."

"Right? We barely know each other too well and already we're stripping to our knickers!" Arkanov agreed. He sighed. "I don't want to leave Kes alone while we bathe."

"Please leave me alone," Kestral pleaded, trying to shake loose, "It's warm and you smell! You should take a bath! Go on!"

Offended, Arkanov moved away from Kestral and frowned. He looked back and forth between the pool and River and Kestral. Finally, he gave in. "I-It's fine, River, but thank you. If you're uncomfortable though... I can wait and make sure everyone doesn't look while you go in after."

When this offer was given to her, River's eyes were suddenly awestruck. She didn't expect him to make such a kind proposal, even though he appeared even more uncomfortably and uneasy than she was at the moment. She gave a warm smile, and if one could look closely, there was a dusty, faded pink on her cheeks. "Y-You would do that for me...? Thank you... as long as you promise not to look."

Seeing her expeession, Arkanov gave a soft smile in return. "Of course I'd do that. I know how you feel, I don't like the feeling either. But don't fret, I've no reason to watch you. I'll respect your privacy."

At this moment, Santiago and Thomas climbed out of the pool, for they were finished. Like dogs, they shook their heads, and droplets of water flew in all directions. Most hit Arkanov's face. Annoyed, Arkanov wiped them away, and sighed as he looked to River again. "I'll get in now so you can have the pool alone when you go."

Quickly from unease, Arkanov unbuttoned his shirt and removed his boots and trousers. But being the stickler he was, he folded his clothes neatly before he rushed over to the pool.

"So Arkanov, finally decided to join the party?" Rubus called out to him as he floated nonchalantly in the water, laughing somewhat. He slicked back his hair, cleaning out whatever dirt or sweat had collected in it for the past few days. "Figured as such; it's not like Pendsbury rule applies all the way out here."

"No, but... if anyone else from Pendsbury knew of this, my life would be over," Arkanov declared fatalistically. "So don't tell my mother, or my father, or anyone."

Salina heard this, and expertly swam underwater and popped right next to Arkanov, who flinched. "Are you expecting us to meet your parents?" Salina asked in a cutesy voice. She went over to pinch his cheeks. "That is adorable!"

Arkanov recoiled. "DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU HAVE NO CLOTHES!" he yelled, and he fell back into the water, his head underneath the surface. Because he could not swim, he began to flail and struggle.

When he flailed around so much, Rubus began to laugh, that is… until he realized this was serious. It seemed as though Arkanov didn't know how to swim. Rubus suddenly dashed through the water over towards Arkanov, and tried to grab him and lift him up from under his arms. He was smacked in the face once or twice by the struggle, but nevertheless he pulled up the other back towards the air and supported him, "Ah! Bloody hell, Arkanov! Don't try drowning just because a girl got close to you."

Amidst spurts of uncontrolled coughing and wheezing, Arkanov attempted to explain himself for what had happened. "I-I wasn't trying to drown myself! I didn't want her touching me so I fell back! But, I don't know how to swim. There are no pools in Pendsbury! I don't know how to float or tread water of any sort!"

Salina looked down to herself, puzzled. "Is something wrong with me...? Why don't you want to touch me? I was just going to pinch your cheeks."

Arkanov sighed, and shook his head. "It's your lack of clothes, don't you understand!? Thanks for saving me, Rubus. I'm just... not used to things around here."

"You're going to have to get used to them," the red-haired man chuckled, and now let go of Arkanov seeing as he was fine now. Now, he only rolled his shoulders and relaxed, "How long have you been in Samadurai anyways? Blake and I have been here for a few months, but less than a year. We've already learned quite a lot, but there's still a decently large culture gap."

"Including the time I've spent with you guys?" Arkanov asked. He sunk back down to his shoulders in the water. "A week... maybe two. Obviously not a lot of time to assimilate."

"Only a week?!" Rubus exclaimed, his arms suddenly splashing the water as a sharp reaction from his shock. He swam over closer to Arkanov, "That's insane! I could have sworn you would have been here at least a little longer than that. So you haven't even seen regions other than Zunaria? Not even Dhabonde?"

"Zunariwhat?" Arkanov asked. His pronunciation was always off, so attempted to repeat what he heard. "Do-band...aid? Uh... no. What on earth is that?"

"… You don't know much about geography, do you?" Rubus realized, but he figured that this question would seem more mocking than helpful to Arkanov. So he shook his head, slowly, as not to splatter water at the others, "Zunaria is where we are right now. It's known as the desert region, with very little water and a lot of sand towards the south. Dhabonde on the other hand, is located in the mid-north, a ways before the border with Atreanor. I find it quite charming; there are fields of tall grass, and much more water sources. There is also an astonishing diversity of wildlife, and the native tribes there have such a complex and fascinating culture, that varies from each tribe to the next."

At this description, Arkanov did a double take. "Then what on earth are we doing in this dry wasteland!? Could there be shards there? This desert is awful. My skin keeps peeling..."

"I'm sure there are still here that we need to find, so we can't move on yet. Isn't that right, River?" He called out to the woman who was still hanging around the edges of the oasis in silence. She simply nodded to confirm. "See? She's not done here, and she's the one leading us to the shards. Even though I really like Dhabonde…"

Blake then was the one to go into action, swimming up closer behind Arkanov, "You may want to take his words with a grain of salt. I'm sure he just likes that place because he has a certain fangirl who comes from a tribe there."

"Oh, is that so?" Arkanov asked in a more playful tone. He crossed his arms and smiled at Rubus. "Of course, everyone just had an ulterior motive, hm? Why on earth do you have a fan girl? Are you famous in those parts?"

Rubus' eyes had opened so wide that he looked almost like a deer. Getting caught off guard, he let out a chuckle of nervousness, but still kept up that playful demeanor in front of Arkanov. "I'm not famous, not at all. She's just this girl who was really interested in where we came from and what we're doing here. She liked to talk to me a bit more than Blake though…"

"Oh, this is interesting," Thomas, who had been overhearing the conversation while he dried off, now moved over to the edge of the pool and looked between the three men. "We've got some conflict. Either Blake is a little upset that the girl wasn't into him as much, or Rubus is getting flustered."

"Sorry, I'm just not into that girl," Blake spoke up, crossing his arms, but giving a smug little look to Rubus. It seemed as though the tables have turned, for usually it would be the ginger twin to tease his brother and make him feel flustered and defenseless. Now, it was finally Blake's turn to pay back the jokes, "But I'm sure that Rubus was!"

"N-No I was not!" Rubus defended, his face slowly fading a pink, then a red, almost the same shade as his own hair, "She's probably too young for me anyways. Last time we saw her, she was only seventeen-"

"But that was months ago," Blake pointed out, and saw Rubus slowly trying to sink himself into the water to hide his face, "I'm sure she's considered an adult by now."

Salina, who was also listening, snickered. "If age is the only thing stopping you, Rubus, then it looks like you're free now. So, when do you think we can meet your future wife?"

Rubus shook his head, and planted his feet on the sandy floor of the oasis. He started to walk out, squeezing out the water in his hair, and as he got further out onto the edge, he grabbed one of the towels that Kestral had summoned earlier and dried himself off, followed by wrapping it around his hips. "No, she is not going to be my future wife. We don't even know each other all that well," he noted, now grabbing his glasses and picking up his clothes, "Though, if we did meet again and have that connection grow... it could be a possibility. Though I'm not sure if the family would approve of me marrying someone like her..."

So he walked off, back towards his and Blake's tent that they had set up earlier, so he could continue drying off in peace, as well as get dressed. When he was gone, Blake's shoulders dropped, and he sighed, "I wonder why he still thinks that sometimes. I mean, our dad is from Samadurai after all, so there shouldn't be a problem our parents would have with it."

"Your dad is from Samadurai?" Salina asked, intrigued. She drew nearer to Blake and looked at him inquisitvely. "But I thought you were of Atrean descent. How did that work? I hope you don't mind me asking... but really, there isn't a problem at all marrying someone who's Samadurian, or Pendsborne or Atrean. It's sweet, actually."

"Dad's from the much more northern regions of Samadurai, from what he told us. His people were close to Atreanor, and as a result from some mixing of the races in generations past, he had a rather similar skin tone to Atreans. But he had to cross the borders for safety when he lost his home, and he met Mum when he came to the town of Floralia, where we were born and raised," Blake explained with the faintest of smiles across his face. Just talking about his parents was enough to spark some nostalgia of his hometown and family like this, and it made him happy, "I just think that Rubus is more worried about people outside the family finding out. He's had some bad experiences with it, and he's wanted to prove that the anti-magic laws and hatred against Samadurians were wrong ever since he was a kid."

Salina smiled. She finally understood. "Now I see why you guys are on this small expedition. You feel the same about anti-magic laws, I assume. No wonder you're both so passionate about it."

"And no wonder you used to like Thomas' old show," Arkanov spoke up with a nod. "It would have to be something like that; otherwise it's hard to genuinely like it."

"Always a dig with you," Thomas scoffed, shaking his head. He sat down by the edge of the pool and gave a gentle smile at Blake. "Your desire to prove those laws are wrong, you two, it's very admirable."

Blake smiled and chuckled modestly, rubbing the back of his head with his fingers that were already starting to get pruny. "Aww, you're flattering us too much. Though I admit, Rubus should be getting more of the credit. He got the idea in the first place and has been big about helping spread knowledge about this continent. I was scared and skeptical at first with the idea, but I soon found myself loving it as much as he did."

"Well even if he came up with the idea, following through with it is just as much of an accomplishment," Thomas said. Noticing how Blake's skin was, he offered a hand for Blake to take out of the pool, while Salina and Arkanov left as well. "You should be getting credit as well. But I'm happy there are people like you openly spreading the word about the laws. The much I could do was do so in secret. But it drives the message more quickly if you're open and attack those horrible laws."

Blake took his hand with gratitude, pulling himself up and out of the water. He gave a shy smile, and now that he was out and standing, he immediately grabbed a towel to cover himself once more. "I… really appreciate what you just said. I just think it would be better for magic to be accepted, and much more practical. Day to day tasks are just so much easier with magic, you know?" He chuckled a little, "Anyways, I'll be drying myself off."

And, just like his twin, he crawled back inside his tent. Now, River was left sitting at the edge of the water, staring in content silence while the others swam.

Arkanov walked slowly through the water to the other side where River sat. He hoisted himself up onto the pool's edge. He did not even retrieve a towel first; he immediately assumed the position of guard for the area, and stood with his back turned to the woman. But he turned his head around to smile at her. "You can go now, if you like."

When River saw him already so vigilant, she was surprised to say the least. It actually made her feel somewhat safe, like she could trust him with this. It was a strange feeling, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.

While he was turned away and looking out for others, River began to undress herself, first by unloading the strings of beads around her neck, hips, and ankle. Then, she untied the red cloth around her waist, letting it drop to the ground. Now, came the most nerve-wracking part for her. Grabbing the skirt of her dress, she began to pull it up revealing her legs, and it was at this point she closed her eyes. She took it off of her as quickly as she could, revealing underneath a simple wrap of cloth that covered her chest, and a bikini-like garment for her abdomen. She didn't look at herself for long before she dove right into the oasis, making sure that she was covered once again. Once she was in and pulling back her hair, she spoke softly, "It's okay, you can look now! A-And… thank you, for looking out for me…"

Arkanov turned slowly around in case River had something else she needed to do. When he saw she was in the pool, relaxed and content, he smiled again, more softly this time. "Of course. I don't want Santiago making you feel uncomfortable while you clean yourself. I'm surprised he didn't do much to Salina, but I'd like to be extra sure."

River smiled a little back at him, but lowering her face as if hiding in the water. Her shyness was a little obvious, and she was thankful that the slowly falling darkness of dusk could cover her from him. "Seriously, thank you so much. It's scary to have others looking at me like this…" she spoke, and even more silently, she turned her gaze away from his eyes, but still stared, "And… I wanted to say that I'm sorry… f-for earlier, when I said I was scared of you…"

"Oh, it's fine, that was justified," Arkanov said with a chuckle. He began to play with the water by sticking his fingers along its surface. "Hopefully I can provide you reasons to not fear me..."

"You already have," She giggled bashfully, but still she swam a little further away to keep her distance. She then cupped some water in her hands, and rinsed it through her hair. It was satisfying, to be swimming like this again after living a year in desert. She felt almost as though she was home again. "I know you're a good person, it just takes some time to get to know you…"

"Yes. Well. Hopefully that will be enough time before this quest ends and we part ways," Arkanov said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

When River heard this, she looked surprised. She had entirely forgotten that factor of this journey of theirs. They would have to part ways and live their own individual lives. But, she knew it could be different. "We don't have to part ways, if you don't want to. I-I mean, we may part, but… I would like to visit you and Kestral, when you and the rest of your family have settled outside of Pendsbury…"

At this, Arkanov seemed surprised, more so by the second portion of she said, about settling down in Pendsbury. He seemed nervous as well. "Assuming we're even allowed to settle in Pendsbury. We'd be considered traitors... I didn't think you would want to visit us after all of this is done and through."

"I don't see why not," River gave him such a soft smile, wading in the water, her shoulders just peeking out into the air. "You… you've been a lot nicer than I expected from first impressions, and if this journey ends quickly, I want to know you better after that. You're interesting, but in a good way."

Arkanov stared at River as she said these words. He could not easily recall a time in his life had someone had genuinely said such kind words to him. He crossed his arms, and realized with a start that he could feel his face become slightly more warm. He was blushing, faintly. Had he ever really blushed before?

He tried rubbing his cheeks. Perhaps it was just the last ray of warmth from the sun that was just beginning to dip behind the horizon. Arkanov thought before he could never blush, and he believed that no particular reason other than heat could allow himself to become so susceptible to another person's words. Despite this somewhat troubling event, his smile did not fade toward River. "Good, I-I honestly thought I was weird just for wanting to get to know you after all this is through."

He suddenly felt strange opening up to her. He tried to change the subject. "And Kestral has taken such a liking to you as well. That would make her happy."

River smiled back, laughing even, but softly so that none of the others would be able to hear her. She was ever so slightly charmed by his words, and she enjoyed hearing them. But now, she kicked her feet off of the ground and swam closer towards the deeper center of the oasis, "Of course, I would want to see the both of you. It would be nice to visit everyone else too, like Rubus and Blake, and Salina, and Thomas, wherever they end up in the future..." she commented, and now tilted her head towards the young man, "Though... how long are you going to stand there? Not that I mind, but I might be in here for a while..."

"Oh, erm... well, if you don't mind, I'd enjoy talking to you more, so... as long as you stay in the pool," Arkanov answered. He seemed embarrassed. "If you'd rather I leave, I will happily oblige, no offense taken."

River shook her head, running her wet fingers through her long hair. "No, stay, since you want to. The company is nice, and I like talking to you." She spoke so sweetly and so shyly, "You're the first man I've ever let near me when I'm like this. I've never felt comfortable with it until now…"

Arkanov continued to stare at her mannerisms. He could see why she might be uncomfortable by other men. She was quite an attractive woman, so she must've had many suitors. But her statement made him curious. "Wait, really?" He sat by the pool's edge and stuck his legs in the water once more to cool off. "Why is that, might I ask? I find it surprising since you said I scared you not too long ago."

River sighed, but swam a little closer to him nevertheless. She didn't want to stare him in the eyes as she spoke, but she felt as though she had to answer his question somehow. "W-Well… I mean, when I was younger, there was just this incident where a… a-a guy had been watching me bathe for a while, and I didn't catch him for a long time. B-But he's gone now, things are okay."

"Oh... ugh," Arkanov groaned at this. He should have expected something like that. Now self-conscious, he glanced around to see if someone else was there. No one was staring at River. "I'm sorry that had to happen to you. Hopefully that wasn't a common occurrence for you."

River now almost seemed fearful. When she saw Arkanov scan the area once more, she began to go the same thing as well. She was nervous of the possibility of someone watching her. Paranoid of this possibility, she hid further under the water again, making sure her shoulders were covered. "N-No, nothing like that has happened since I was fifteen… I was pretty safe and secure after that."

"Good," Arkanov said. He noted how River was becoming more paranoid, so he tried to act as cool, calm and collected as he possibly could for her sake. "You'll be even more safe and secure now, since you have many others looking out for you, including me."

"Thank you… thank you, and the others, so much. I've never had this many friends at once before who care about me like this…" River smiled shyly, and now looked up to the sky that had finally turned a dark blue with the sun gone, and the sea of stars began to fade into view. She stood up again, "Though, I'm clean now, so… maybe you should turn around, and uh… n-not see me half naked…"

"R-Righto," Arkanov agreed to this readily as not to seem strange to River. He removed his feet from the pool and turned his entire body around. He scanned the area for any signs of another person. "The time flew by quickly just talking to each other, hm? You don't have time-speeding magic or whatever, do you?"

"No, there's no such thing as magic that can change the flow of time," River spoke, lifting herself out of the water, and shuddering when the air touched her skin after having been so well adjusted to the water. Making sure she wasn't uncovered for long, she grabbed the last dry towel on the ground, and wrapped it around her torso. As much as she didn't like having this much of her legs revealed, it was good enough for now, "But… thank you for keeping guard for me…"

"Of course," Arkanov assured. He did not turn around still. "I think Santiago hasn't come around because he knew I was watching over you. So that's always good."

River's curiousity was stimulated by these words of his, and she wondered why he had said something like that. It was strange, and yet she wanted to know, "Oh…? He… he hasn't done anything bad like that, has he…? Y-You know, watching someone when they're unaware…"

"He's tried but he does stop if you say no," Arkanov grumbled. "He's never watched someone when they're unaware. He can't be quiet long enough to be inconspicuous..."

River nodded, understanding. Finally, as she felt so comfortable with Arkanov now, she walked past him right into his gaze. She was heading back towards her tent, but she had stopped to look at him, and gave a lovely smile, "Well, whether he or someone else was looking or not… I'm happy that you stayed back to watch after me."

Then, with those words, she went back into her tent to get dry and dressed.

Arkanov got the chance to look at River's body as she passed, and he knew he would hate himself for it, but he took it. His eyes followed the her curvature, and he was moon-eyed. But he tried to play it off as if he had innocently seen nothing, but his blushing face suggested otherwise. He would have to get used to seeing scantily-clad women. He was not sure whether he liked it or otherwise.

Nervously, he scratched his head and gave an awkward chuckle. "A-Any time! Heheh..."

When she was gone and back inside her tent, there was a moment of still silence in the ever darkening night. At least, that was until a sound of rummaging came from another one of the tents, where the twins had been getting themselves dried off. Poking his head out, and then crawling out with a burlap bag slung over his shoulder, now wearing a loose white shirt with shorter pants that went down to his knees. He was planning on heading to the center of the campsite to start a fire and make meals for everyone. But he was immediately halted when he saw Arkanov still standing there, without his clothes, and while he remained still for only a moment, he burst out into laughter, "Haha! Goodness, knowing how prude you are, I wouldn't have expected to see you still out in the open and half-naked."

Seeing Rubus suddenly, Arkanov flinched. At his accusation, Arkanov scoffed. "I'm not nude! I have a towel around my waist. B-Besides, I was guarding River." He staggered over to the tent Thomas set up for them. "Don't look at me!"

Rubus only laughed more as the man ran off and away from him. But his laughter was cut short once he was gone. He chuckled again for a moment, but when his thoughts returned to him, that smile was replaced with a frown. "Guarding her from what…?" He questioned under his breath to himself. He shrugged, and began preparing to start a fire.

## Midnight

It was just near the turn of the eve. All was still in the desert. No creature was moving, and no wind blew what little vegetation there was to sway in the breeze. Despite the fact that there was no wind, a chill was cast over the area. The midnight black sky seemed to provide a neverending shade that settled the desert into a near deep freeze. It was half as warm as it had been before. In his sleep, Arkanov groaned. There could never be an equilibrium. The temperature was always extreme. At least the silence made it somewhat easier to fall asleep.

But even then, this was disrupted by the sound of thunder. Arkanov sprung up from his blanket on the floor in surprise. How on earth could there be thunder, the hallmark of an onset barrage of rain, in the middle of a barren desert?

The crack of thunder was enough to wake up River in a heartbeat. She yelled from the loud noise, immediately lifting her torso up and putting a hand over her heart, her eyes wide in surprise. Her chest was suddenly pounding from the shock, but she breathed in and out in an attempt to calm herself down. She saw Salina still asleep next to her, and quickly she grabbed her shoulder and shook, "Salina! Did you hear that? There's thunder, in the desert of all places!"

Salina still snored, sleeping soundly. She was definitely a heavy sleeper, considering how she only woke up at eleven last time something disturbed their room.

Meanwhile, Kestral had woken up, and she began to shiver from fear. "R-River!" she called out, her voice wavering, "What was that?!"

When River heard Kestral's voice on her other side, she turned her body over to face the young girl. Seeing her shivering, she immediately reached out an arm, and put it around her, hoping a hug would calm her down, "It's okay Kes, that was just the thunder. It can't hurt you, but… I don't know why there would be thunder like that in the middle of the desert…"

"D-Do you guys get storms here?" Kestral asked. She frowned, and immediately moved her body closer to River's so she could rest in the crook of her arm. "I thought we left those behind at Pendsbury. If there's lightning, are we gonna be safe here? Out in the open where we can be struck? I... I don't see it in our immediate future, but those things are unpredictable."

River shook her head slowly, and cuddled a little closer to the girl to help give a sense of security. "We don't get rainstorms out here, and if we do it's extremely rare. The most that happens are sandstorms. But it's alright, I'm sure we're safe here. Just close your eyes, and try to get some rest."

Thunder clapped again. A light shone through the tent from the outside skies above. Kestral leapt to her feet and screamed. "It's lightning! River, what's going on?! Do we need to run?!"

River lifted her torso again, and gently grasped Kestral's hand while she was up. She carefully tugged, trying to get her to come down again, "Ah, Kestral… it's going to be okay. I'm here with you, you'll be safe from the storm, I promise. Would you feel safer if your brother was with you…?"

Kestral did not want to admit that she would, but she nodded reluctantly. She seriously needed some comfort, even though River was already helping.

River was glad that she could at least get her to calm down somewhat. She got onto her knees, not standing up to prevent herself from touching the top of the tent, and started to lead the girl outside. She held her close, keeping the flap open, and looked to her, "We'll have to go outside in the storm to reach him, just for a few seconds. Will you be able to do that?"

Kestral whimpered softly and gently. She did not like the idea but she nodded for she knew it was what she had to do.

Holding Kestral's hand tightly, she stepped out into the outside, and looked up to the sky. There was no beautiful sparkling sea of stars as she had expected, and she had not gotten used to them being absent. They must have been covered by storm clouds looming above, which were hard to make out in this darkness. There wasn't any rain yet, and the thunder still roared. Quickly, she spotted the tent where Arkanov had been sleeping in, and pulled Kestral along, making sure to keep her close and tight.

When she was at the entrance, she didn't give a warning that they were there. She immediately opened the flap, and whispered, unable to see anyone in the darkness, "Arkanov? Are you up? Kestral really needs you…"

Arkanov poked his head outside not a moment after River spoke. Immediately, Kestral ran into the tent and did not emerge. Arkanov looked at River, and from the thunder before, he knew what was going on. "Thank you for bringing her here. She has a fear of thunder... you can come in if you like. Thomas and Santiago, I shoved them out, they're in another tent further down."

"You'd let me in?" She questioned in some surprise, and went inside the tent anyways under cover from the mysteriously dark clouds above. "Of course, I want to stay and make sure that Kestral is safe and sound. This storm has me worried too, I've never seen one like this in the middle of the desert before…"

Arkanov was in a simple pants and short-sleeved shirt outfit to cover himself from the desert cold. Kestral scurried into his arms and remained there, like a child to their father. Arkanov, now rocking Kestral gently, nodded to River. "I don't think this is natural. I know I'm not one to judge since I'm new, but what could've caused this?"

"Perhaps this is the doing of another mage?" River suggested, and smiled just a little bit when she saw the siblings so close together. It was heartwarming and yet gave her homesickness for the times past with her own sister. She laid herself down beside them, and focused back on the subject at hand, "Maybe a spell had gone haywire, and it's affected the weather. Or, the least likely scenario, a storm showed up in the desert for no real reason."

"That's the only reason I can think of," Arkanov agreed.

Suddenly, Kestral's back arched, and her eyes widened. She seemed to be contorting for whatever reason. The look on her eyes suggested she was being stricken with sudden onset fear. "This is the work of a mage... this mage, they're coming for us. They're doing this to hurt us! They have malicious intent!"

Arkanov looked at Kestral curiously, now with some concern of his own. "Do you sense it in the future? Is it another one of your premonitions?"

Kestral nodded sadly. "We've got to go..."

"Wait, where are we supposed to go? We've still got to get everything together, and we have to get everyone up and explain the situation…" River rose with concern, reaching her hand out to the girl, and placing it on her shoulder, "Are you entirely sure of what you saw?"

"I don't see, I... I-I feel it, in the pit of my stomach," Kestral explained, taking River's hand to be lifted up. "I just sense someone is coming, right now even. Towards our campsite! They're looking for someone... m-maybe they're lost?"

"Maybe…" River muttered under her breath. This was starting to make her more worried than before, she wasn't sure if this could end well for any of them. She held onto Kestral's hand tightly, and glanced down to her brother, "Arkanov… do you think that we should go out there and see what's wrong…?"

Arkanov nodded and began to get up as well. "If this person truly is lost, we might be able to help them in this thunder storm."

River nodded, but still tried to stick close to the other two. As a strike of lightning flashed through the tent, followed by a crash of thunder. She had never felt this scared over a storm before, but she had to investigate for their sake, "O-Okay… let's go check it out. W-We should stick close…"

Arkanov moved past the tent flaps, followed by Kestral and River. Outside, the sky was a stormy gray. Again, no wind blew through the desert, but the clouds swirled around them all, with no gusts to guide them. They were forming a circle above the tents, as if they were targeting them.

Arkanov gave a look to Kestral. "You're the astral. What does this mean?"

"I don't know!" Kestral yelped. "I can't see anyone around here either! What's going on? Should we split up?"

Suddenly, a voice cried out. *"BELVEDEIGN!"*

River yelped, and immediately closened her proximity to the two siblings, going to them in hopes that their numbers together would be safe for all three of them. She turned her head left and right, and saw nobody there, so she had to call out into the open, "N-No one like that is here! You're looking in the wrong place…!"

Kestral could get the most vague sense that someone was behind them all. She dared to turn her head, and she was not ready for the sight she confronted. There was a man before all of the tents, breathing heavily. He was as dark as River, and his hair was just a sandy, dusty blonde, most likely bleached from the sun. He was decked out in nearly all black, hood and cloak and all. Across his chest were leather straps from the two packs he carried at each of his thighs, and underneath was a breastplate made of a metal that was surprisingly purple. This would not have scared Kestral were it not for the look in his eyes. He had white irises, and under his eyes were extremely dark circles. A cut in the shape of an X was perfectly aligned on the bridge of his nose.

Kestral did not know what to make of this man, but she retracted in fear when he smiled sickeningly and revealed sharp fangs. Had he sanded down his teeth to make them that shape?

The man remained in place, keeping his arms at his sides, his fists clenched, and his muscles taut, as if he was trying his hardest not to move an inch. "Where is Belvedeign?" he asked. His voice was even deeper than Arkanov's. Kestral did not think this was possible at first. "I sense him among you. Answer truthfully, where is Belvedeign?"

River stepped herself in front of Kestral, trying to keep her back and hopefully keep her safe. She put an arm around the girl's shoulders, trying to keep her close. She stared at the man for a long moment, and then glanced to Arkanov out of the corner of her eye, not moving her head. She took a shallow breath, "We have never heard of someone named Belvedeign, and whoever they are, they aren't here. I'm s-sorry, I'm afraid that you're looking in the wrong place…"

The man did not seem pleased by this answer. He rose his right hand to the skies, and the thunderclouds boomed to life. Light flashed and lightning crackled, surprisingly into his palms. He held the lightning with his bare hands and the streak fell limply to his side. It was like a whip. He did not seem phased.

As the white and yellow light hissed in his hands, the man gave a curt smile to River. "I said answer truthfully. I shall give you another chance. Where... is... Belvedeign?"

River let out another scream, so short and so high pitched that it sounded more like a squeak if anything. There was no way she would be able to fight this man, and even though she had Arkanov by her side, she didn't know if he was capable of fighting against such magic. There had to be some way around this.

She froze for a moment, and then quickly slapped her forehead, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I almost forgot!" She exclaimed, and pointed out to the direction behind the stranger, off in the far distance of the near endless desert. "I remember crossing paths with a strange man named that earlier today, he was heading in that direction." She nudged Arkanov, "Right guys?"

Arkanov kept his mouth shut. Kestral seemed thankful for this, for she already knew how much of a terrible liar he was, so she stepped in. "Yes, he was certainly strange. We saw him near the outskirts of the last town over here—"

Suddenly, the man lashed out his whip, and as quickly as the lightning had struck at first, the streak zapped at Kestral's arm. Kestral cried out in absolute pain, but the torture was not over, for the whip coiled around her arm, tightened, and yanked Kestral over to the man once he began to pull on it. As he did this, the whip sparked more and more, heightening the intensity. Kestral arm was beginning to burn.

Amidst her whimpering and sobbing, the man settled his cold, yet delighted gaze upon her, and sneered. "A little serpent, are you? I sense *Belvedeign's soul* here. You are lying. I told you to answer truthfully. A child of astral magic, too. Have you no shame?"

He pulled the child in closer so their foreheads were nearly inches apart. "I am *Aries,* god of tempest storms, god of the winds of fate, god of inevitable disaster and destruction. And as your magic's god, you will do as I say and tell me where Belvedeign is."

He looked over to Arkanov and River. "I will stop hurting this child if you get whoever is in those tents of yours and tell them to present themselves before me. Do so quickly. Any longer of this and your dear little girl will not survive the heat."

"KESTRAL!" River screamed, stepping forward, ready to attack this monsterous man any moment. But she knew that with how poorly she fought, and the situation that they were in, that not only would it destroy the girl, but it would likely hurt the others here. She didn't know what to do.

However, it wasn't long before the commotion was enough to wake up some others. Scrambling, running out of one of the tents, were the twins Rubus and Blake. They both looked messy, their hair unkempt as they had been sleeping before. But they were still awake and alert enough to tell what was happening. Blake was hiding behind Rubus, and he lowered himself and kept his legs apart in a battling stance, "What…? What are you doing?! Get away from that girl!"

"Neither of you are Belvedeign," Aries said, readily dismissing these two men. He settled his gaze over to Arkanov, who was seething with rage. "Produce the others."

Arkanov readied his swords in an instant, and charged at Aries, screaming angrily from seeing his sister hurt. Aries chuckled, for this shadow mage was not thinking. He produced another lightning bolt from the sky and shocked Arkanov. Arkanov trembled violently as if having a seizure. When the convulsions ended, Arkanov, his face charted and his clothes burned, fell to the floor. He did not move.

"A-Arkanov!" Kestral cried out. Tears did not stop coming down her face.

"Only one way to end this," Aries said to River, no expression in his voice. "Produce the others. I sense more. Three souls near here, one of them is Belvedeign's..."

Not wanting her friends to be killed at the hands of this freak, River's demeanor turned submissive, ready to obey his orders for the sake of the two. She turned around towards the twins, her eyes panicking frantically. "Rubus, Blake, go wake up Santiago and Thomas. I'll go get Salina, alright?"

Understanding the dire situation, they nodded and ran off towards where the other two men were sleeping, while River sprinted back to her tent. She took no time crawling in, rather sliding in through the entrance, and saw Salina still sleeping there. This time, she grabbed her shoulders with both of her arms, "Salina!" She shouted, hoping to gain her attention, "Please, get up!"

"Nyah?!" Salina suddenly woke up, snorting as her light snoring was disrupted by the sudden jolt. She opened her eyes full of sleep, and when she saw River had woken her up, she frowned for she was not amused. "River..." Salina groaned angrily, "Why'd you wake me up? It's the middle of the night, come on..."

"That doesn't matter anymore! Please, we need to get outside-!" River warned, her voice exclaiming and wavering with fear. Her hands were shaking in panic, and her head lowered as the rest of her body was beginning to shake violently. "Th-This freak is here, he's hurt Arkanov and Kestral, w-we need help!"

At this, Salina woke up immediately. In a flash she sprung to her feet, and still in her pajamas, she headed outside the tent with River.

Once outside, she noticed everyone, including Thomas and Santiago who looked confused and angered. Especially Santiago. Thomas was holding him back.

Aries settled his gaze over them all, and when he got to Salina, his eyes lit up. He gave an easy, self-assured smile as he released the lightning whip's grip on Kestral. The young girl sank to the floor, panting and wheezing, as if trying to hold onto her own life. Aries paid no mind to her and instead stepped forth to Salina. "Belvedeign... there you are... I knew it." His eyes traced the curves of her body and he turned up a surprised brow. "You coward. You go so far as to conceal your true identity by inhabiting the body of a woman? You know very well this is a battle between men."

Instinctively, Salina did not like this. She noticed Kestral's reaction and glared. "What on earth did you do to her? I'm sorry, you don't have the right person. I'm not Belvedeign. I'm Salina. And you just hurt my friends, so I'm going to have to hurt *you* now."

"Is that so?" Aries taunted. He looked to everyone else. "I thank you all for your cooperation, even if it took a while for my demands to get through your thick, dull human skulls. I shall be taking Belvedeign and going on my way."

River was too shaken and too scared to move, fearing that another wrong step could get her or her friends killed. She couldn't take action, and Rubus clearly saw this, he was the only one able to do anything. Fearlessly he marched forward in front of the powerful mage, glaring at him with fierce and cold dark eyes. "You're not taking anyone. We outnumber you, and if you think you can treat us this way, you're going to be destroyed. So if you're a reasonable person, turn and walk the other way…"

"Ah, I see you didn't catch my speech earlier," Aries chuckled. "I am a god, and you are a mere mortal. So you see, I outnumber *you* in skills and ultimate, godly power."

Salina went forward, past everyone else. She was certain that this man would keep hurting everyone if this continued. Even Arkanov, one of the strongest on the team, was taken down. Maybe he was a god in a human guise. "Fine, whoever you are. I'll go with you, wherever you like. Just don't hurt my friends, please."

"You're smart, Belvedeign, but don't act like you don't know me," Aries chided. He turned around so Salina could follow him...

... But Salina took this opportunity to summon her rock gauntlets, and swiftly, she punched Aries in the back of the neck. The man was thrown down to the floor with incredible force, and the thunder subsided.

Startled, Aries scrambled back so he could face Salina. He touched his nose. It was broken. Blood trickled down over his top lip. He grinned. "You've got that punch of yours still, eh?"

Salina did not seem in the mood to joke around. "Leave."

Aries did not seem in the mood to play anymore either. "I said to come along nicely or I would hurt these mortals. I will do as I said I would." He got back into his feet and began to summon another lightning bolt. Instead of using it as a whip this time, he decided to select a random target: the other black-haired man, Blake.

He tried to jump out of the way, even going so far as to attempt using a blast of his own wind to make himself leap faster. But it was futile, there was no way a mere human like him could outspeed the strike of a lightning bolt. The electricity flooded into his chest, flashing brightly, and he screamed out in horrible pain. It was coursing through him, feeling like it was burning away all his nerves and organs.

Rubus stared in horror with his mouth agape, as the lightning finally left his twin brother. He ran to his side, and put his hands on the young man. His eyes were closed, and he didn't move. There was no way of telling whether he was unconscious, or truly passed to the other side. But, seeing how deadly that attack was, Rubus could only assume the worst.

His teeth were bared, his fists clenched, embers swirling and flaring around his body. He would never let anyone hurt his brother, and if they did, there was no way in hell that they would get away with it. Suddenly, when he took his first running step, it was as if his entire body had burst into flames, and with such ferocity and fearlessness, he rammed himself into Aries.

Aries attempted to create a wall of lightning to protect him, but he could not do so in time. The flaming man rammed into him, and Aries was sent hurling back. He tumbled onto the floor, and as he rolled, he used his large, callused hands to dig into the ground to prevent himself from sliding back any further. He stopped. His clothes were on fire but he made no expression of pain, just as he had when he held the lightning in his hands. Pain did not seem to register as much for him.

Salina took her rock gauntlets and with an angry roar, she slammed her fists onto the rocky ground. The earth shook. She had just induced an earthquake, and Aries could not keep his balance. But it was stronger than Salina expected. The ground was beginning to crumble and open up into two sides separated by a void. The horrifying sound of ground snapping in half and crumbling into ash echoed througout the desert. And the ground beneath Aries saw the largest crack of all. Everyone, even Thomas and Santiago, who had been trying to create weapons to fight with, could not balance themselves, and they toppled over.

Suddenly, the fault could not withstand it any longer. It split, and Aries, dazed, almost fell, but he clung onto the edge with his strong hands and arms. He was surprised, to say the least. "N-No! Damn you, Belvedeign! I won't let you win again!"

Salina approached Aries, who was clinging onto the edge. She peered down into the void. It was pitch black. Was there an end somewhere? A ground to hit? Was this a chasm? She did not know.

"I'm not a man," Salina declared, glaring. "I'm not Belvedeign. And I'm certainly not someone who lets people hurt my friends."

She rose a large foot, and with all of the force she could muster, she stomped Aries' hand he used to hang out. Aries let out a blood-curdling road of pain, embarrassment, and completre rancor. As he fell into the abyss, his volume lowered and lowered until it was inaudible.

There was no sound that indicated he hit the floor.

There was nothing but dead silence, all was still, and the air felt dusty. At least, it was this way until Rubus began panting heavily, the flames on his body dispersing, as he clutched his chest. He hasn't used his magic so strongly, not since he was a child. It hurt, but it hurt him more to see his brother injured. Standing up without help, he walked back to Blake's side, clutching his chest, and stared. He looked for a long while, and saw Blake's chest slowly moving up and down. He was still breathing.

He wiped away tears of relief that were forming in his eyes, and he let him lay there still, fearful that messing with him may worsen his condition. Meanwhile, River was practically collapsed onto her knees, holding her head with her eyes wide. "Th-This can't be happening… wh-what do we do now?!"

"We don't cry about it," Salina said, her jaw taut. Truthfully, she wanted to have a breakdown now as well, but seeing how River was already falling apart, she realized she could not succumb to her own feelings right now. She walked over to River and put a hand on her shoulder. "Help me pick up Arkanov, will you? And Kestral too."

Slowly, River nodded, with her eyes still wide like a terrified doe that had just spotted a wolf. Seeing the injured siblings, she sprinted to them, her hands shaking, as she approached Kestral first. She had more confidence in the possibility that Arkanov had the better chance of surviving, considering he was a strong, full-grown man.

She knelt down beside the girl, and picked her up in her arms, lifting her gently, "Kes… I'm so sorry, I can't believe this happened to all of you…"

Kestral held onto her forearm, wincing and writhing alone on the floor. When she heard River approach, she looked up. She began to cry again from the pain, but also because she was simply frustrated that she had become a liability for the team once again. She covered her arm and looked away. "D-Don't look, it's gross," begged Kestral in between sniffles, "I-I'm sorry, I always get hurt on this team and I don't do anything to help!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay." River hushed in such a soft, caring voice. But it was deeper, closer to the voice of a woman than the voice of a girl, as if she was intentionally trying to sound more motherly. She held the girl a little tighter, hoping she could calm her, "I wasn't able to do anything either. But you have more of a reason, you're still only a child. L-Look, he just saw you as vulnerable, and thought that you would make an easy target. But it's alright now, he's gone…"

"I-I don't want to be a target, I wanted to fight and help!" Kestral said indignantly, with more anger towards herself. She looked down at her forearm again. "Besides, this thing looks gross..."

"It won't be for long. We still have Thomas here, and I don't think he's used up too much of his magic, so he can heal your arm," River said, trying to avoid looking at the wound in order to respect the girl's wishes. "I'll continue to carry you, if you need to…"

"... Please?" Kestral asked. She blushed in embarrassment. "I can't get up, because my arm really hurts..."

Thomas, who was still dazed from the shock, rushed over to Kestral. Because he could not see the wound, he looked to River. "Where's the wound?"

"It's on her arm," River spoke, and grasped Kestral's hand. Slowly and gently, she lifted the arm, hoping it would show her exposed wound.

Thomas immediately got to work on the arm, summoning an intense light beam onto Kestral's arm so the burnt skin could peel away and there would be less of a scar.

Kestral winced, for this was still painful, but she gave a gentle smile to Thomas. "Thank you... h-how's my brother...?"

"He's unconscious, and hurt, but I think that he's alright." River reassured. She put her arms under the girl's legs and back, and lifted her up. While she wasn't very strong herself, she was at least able to lift up someone of Kestral's size. When she turned, she saw Arkanov laying on the ground unconscious, with Salina attending to him. Not wanting to keep the siblings apart for long, she ran up to them in haste, "Salina, how is he doing? Is he alright?"

"He's starting to regain consciousness but he's muttering something under his breath," Salina explained, her brows furrowed in puzzlement. Arkanov could be seen with his lips moving lightly and soft, shallow breaths were coming out. Salina turned to River. "Probably Lilith inducing him to chant or something weird like that. Otherwise, he's fine. No sign of any serious trauma, even though it looks like he was zapped badly. I'll carry him."

River nodded, understanding. Then, when she saw Rubus beginning to pick up his own brother, she knew that things may not be as fine as they seem. She called over to him, "How about Blake?"

"He's alive, thank god. He'll be alright, at least from what I can assume. He will need some tending to though…" Rubus mentioned, and turned his head up, staring off towards the horizon, "We may have to get a move on. It's not safe here with a fissure in the ground, and who knows if we'll get attacked again out here?"

"I don't think the rift will shift anymore right now, but let's be safer than sorry," Salina agreed. She looked to Thomas and Santiago. "Can you guys pack up the tents?"

Santiago seemed a little annoyed by her orders, but Thomas happily obliged. Salina looked to Kestral, and gently ruffled the girl's hair. "We'll get you and your brother and Blake out of this, alright? Don't worry about a thing."

Kestral nodded and began to lean on River's shoulders. "Do you think he'll come back...? Who is Belvedeign? Who is Aries? Are there other astral gods?"

River simply nodded, keeping her strength to hold up the child and keep her secure. Her eyes were now gloomy, they seemed less vibrant than from before, "I don't know where Aries is right now, but knowing that he is a god, he isn't dead. And I don't know who Belvedeign is either. But… yes, there are other astral gods. It's rare for them to attack humans like us, I don't know what has gotten into him…"

"H-He must really hate that Belvedeign..." Kestral said, and looked over to Salina.

Salina noticed the look and put her hands up into defense. "I'm not telling you a false identity." She looked to Kestral. "I swear, I'm Salina. I don't know who Belvedeign is. I'm going to ask around the next town over to put this dispute to rest."

"I believe you," Rubus spoke, his eyes from and serious from everything they had witnessed already. River only nodded silently in agreement, she knew that Salina was who she claimed to be. Rubus continued, "After all, that man said he was looking for another man. I can tell you're a woman just by looking at you, so he must have been very mistaken. But resting at the next town seems like the best option."

"Maybe we can inform the bounty hunters localized there about this Aries guy," Salina suggested. She just seemed thankful that everyone believed she was who she said she was. "Tell them to wrangle in anyone who even matches his description. He's a lunatic. For all we know, he could be a corrupted mage claiming to be Aries."

Kestral seemed very confused. "What's a bounty hunter...? I think we should inform the constables of Aries if we need them to do something."

River shook her head slowly, giving out a heavy sigh after a deep breath. "No, there aren't really constables that work outside of their towns and cities. Bounty hunters on the other hand, they are like constables, but they work anywhere, and they choose which criminals they want to take down and they earn direct payment for it. They're a better option if you're attacked while traveling Zunaria."

"Okay... then let's talk to a nice bounty hunter," Kestral agreed with a shaky nod. "They don't sound nice to me with the word 'hunters' in their names but they're the only option we've got."

"Don't worry, they're only scary if you're the one with a bounty on your head," River assured once again, this time in a sweeter, less fearful voice. With Kestral safe in her arms, and their threat currently out of sight, she felt safe for once.

But soon, she looked out to the horizon, and sighed, "But anyways, we need to get a move on soon to the next city, and hopefully find a safe place to rest."

Everyone agreed. But Thomas, who had finished picking up a majority of the tents while Santiago lagged, seemed confused. "So, do you know what the next city is?"

"No, I don't know what it's called." River denied, readjusting her hold on Kestral to keep her more stable in her grasp, "All I know is that it's even further east, past this dry stretch of desert that we're in right now."

"L-Let's go then," Kestral whimpered weakly. "We should start soon, so we can get there hopefully before the sun rises. We shouldn't waste any time..."

## Qijihaz

The new town was approaching, slowly but surely, as the group moved toward it, exceptionally slowly, but surely. With the members of the team they were forced to carry, those who were conscious and functioning were forced to lag behind with the extra weight. But eventually, they all made it to the town's entrance.

Salina immediately dropped Arkanov, who had been slugged over her shoulder, down onto his head. She winced in apology to the sleeping man, but he seemed to be awake now.

He groaned angrily, rubbing his head from the impact of the fall. "What the fuck... where are we..."

"A-Ah! Arkanov, goodness, are you okay?!" River exclaimed when she saw him fall hard on the ground like that. But he seemed safe and unharmed on his head, despite how much that had scared her. She gave a small breath of relief, "Look, we've made it to the city, we're far from that strange man from before. We're getting everyone help here, and a safer place to rest…"

Arkanov looked down his own shirt to see if what had happened was true. Sure enough, there was a burned, charred mark on his chest from where the lightning struck. He sighed. "I'm surprised none of us are dead... well, uh, wh-what city *is* this, anyways?"

"Qijihaz," River answered. Just up ahead of them was the opening main street of the town, paved with sandstone and a dried, mud-colored earthy material that sealed the road, built in to prevent cracks. This place was much larger than the previous villages that the group had traversed through, it resembled Sihrasul more than another simple desert town. Even from this distance, one could tell that there seemed to be rings of the city, three to be exact; outer one for the poor, the middle for the middle-class, and the center ring for the aristocrats and nobility. With how the city was structured, it seemed as though they would have to navigate the poverty ring for now.

River continued, "At least, that was what the name said on the map. We need to get everyone to a safe place to stay, and get some medical help. I don't think Thomas has enough magical strength to heal all of us on his own."

"As much as I hate to admit my limitations, I have to agree," Thomas said sadly. He went over to Arkanov and patted his back. "Don't worry though, I've already been able to fix up Kes. Blake needs help too though."

"Help Blake, I'll be fine," Arkanov muttered. In a daze, he looked over to Rubus. "Is Blake okay...?"

Rubus was trodding solemnly behind the others, he hadn't said anything since the attack in the middle of the night. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his glasses looked like they were slowly slipping off of his nose. But he didn't have the time to worry about that right now, for the only concern he had was the well-being of the person he carried. Blake was still asleep, still breathing, but had barely moved. He was entirely limp, and his clothes were certainly burned. But when he was addressed, that was the first time Rubus had said anything since they had begun traveling. "Uh... he... he'll be doing alright. He's been unconscious for a long time now, but that's why we're getting help here..."

"Wait, he's been unconscious?" Thomas asked. He seemed extremely concerned. "If he's been out for a while, that could be a bad sign, of brain damage. Can we get him some help now? Or as soon as possible?"

"Once we find an infirmary for him to stay in, yes." Rubus seemed to have no reaction to Thomas' concerns, his eyes glazed over in a trance, for the only thing he knew what to do was to get his brother back to safety where others could heal and help him. But seeing the city so close filled his heart with determination, he had to find a place as soon as possible. "Come on, we can't waste anymore time."

Thomas seemed a little shocked by Rubus' expression to Thomas' warnings. He had never seen both twins so cold and lifeless, only Rubus truly intended it because he was conscious. He knew then what a trying experience this all must have been for them. He felt as though he needed to emphasize the important of what he said but he sighed. "Alright. Fine... lead the way then."

Rubus only nodded, and took lead in front of everyone else. Even after a restless night and carrying his brother for so long, he still somehow had the strength to keep going like this. He didn't have the same stamina as some of the other men in the group, but it wouldn't stop him.

As they entered the city, they had begun to navigate through the dirty and crowded streets. As they all passed by, each one of them were given suspicious and curious looks for all of their foreign appearances, but that didn't stop them. They walked and searched, until finally, they had found just what they needed.

Just ahead of them was a fairly large building, looking rather well-kept among the run-down homes of this poverty district. The sandstone walls were smooth, no trace of cracks anywhere on it. On the cloth cover of the entrance that took place of where a door normally would have been, was a symbol in the shape of a red crescent moon. Rubus looked back towards the others, "I'll go on ahead and take Blake there. I'll probably be there a while, to stick with him until he awakens. Do you all think you can find a place for us to stay while I do that?"

"Yeah... will do," Arkanov nodded. He seemed to sway a little as he said this.

Salina immediately wagged a finger at Arkanov and pointed to a spot on the ground. "No no, you can't come with us, Arkanov. You've probably got some damage that needs to be fixed up too. So you stay here with Rubus and Blake, and everyone else will go look for a place to rest."

Arkanov did not like the idea of being a debilitated member of the team yet again, but once he realized he was slowly losing balance, he figured this was the best idea. Angrily, he went over to the door so he could lean against it, grumbling under his breath. "Yeah, sure... fine."

"The same goes for you, Kestral," River spoke up to the girl that she was still carrying in her arms. While the others split away to find shelter, River followed behind the brothers and Arkanov.

Rubus pushed past the curtain covering the entrance, and inside, he found that surprisingly, hardly any patients were inside. The infirmary was organized in a rather basic and primitive fashion; there were no separate rooms for everyone, there were mostly beds organized in rows all in this one space. Only a handful of people were laid on said beds.

When one of the nurses observed the small group walking- or stumbling- in, her eyes opened wider in surprise, but she did not gasp. She had certainly seen worse before in her career. Quickly, she gestured and called out to the other doctors and nurses working here for assistance.

A handful of about four or five of them rushed over, and soon a male doctor lifted Blake out of Rubus' arms, and laid him down carefully onto one of the beds. Almost immediately, he was being analyzed and diagnosed. One of the nurses beckoned Rubus away from the others to question him on his condition, leaving Arkanov, River, and Kestral to wait.

"Uh..." Kestral seemed uncomfortable being alone with River and Arkanov. She did not know what this place was. The people running about in uniform and attending to others greatly confused her.

She looked to River for guidance. "River... wh-what is this place...? We don't have anything like this in Pendsbury."

"I think it's what they call a 'hospital,'" Arkanov said, though he seemed unsure. "Right, River? Will someone come to take us too? Where do we go after that?"

"They'll just be taking care of you, that's all…" River explained as briefly as she could. She looked to the left and right, and saw that the genders of the patients seemed to be split. Males seemed to have been sectored off to the left wing, which is the area where Blake was currently lying, while three female patients were lying on beds to the left wing. She looked between the brother and the sister, wondering if they could do any well separated. "They're trained to know how to help you, so no worries."

One of the female nurses approached the group, and seeing a child, she gave the girl a gentle smile to alleviate her worry. "What's the matter?"

"M-My arm is burned," Kestral explained. She moved her sleeve back to reveal the gnarly, nasty scar which now began to bleed.

The nurse's eyes widened in alarm, and quickly, she patted the girl's back. Kestral got up, and the nurse directed her to an area on the female side of the wing.

Arkanov saw his sister leaving him, and he began to grow anxious. "Are they going to hurt her?" Arkanov asked, insecure. "Why do they keep taking her away?!"

River quickly grasped Arkanov's shoulder, and could tell that he was going into a badly panicked state, and she was the only one available to calm him. "Arkanov, it's okay, they won't hurt her. They're going to help her, okay? They just keep the genders separate here, that's all."

"B-But why?!" Arkanov asked furiously. "That makes no sense! I'm her guardian, I have to be with her or else she'll start panicking without me!"

"A-Arkanov, it'll be okay, I promise-!" River tried to calm him down in a hushed, but worried voice for him. She grabbed him by both of his shoulders now, trying to stop him in case he did something brash. She couldn't risk him doing that, as with his current state of health, it wouldn't be for the best. "It's okay, they're just keeping things more organized. Sometimes men and women need different medicines for the same ailments. You can see her after the people here are done checking up on you…"

"I... I'm going to be checked on too...?" Arkanov asked. As if in response, two male nurses came out from a room on the men's side. They immediately saw Arkanov sitting next to River, and could see from down his shirt the nasty red, purple and black burn mark on his chest. They took his arms, signaling for him to get up, if he could stand.

Arkanov did so, but he seemed as if he felt compelled to do so, and he turned around to River, giving her fearful eyes. "What are they going to do?" Now he resorted to anger, and he began to snap his arm up in an attempt to punch the men in their faces so he could flee. One of the men inserted a needle into his neck that contained a vial of clear fluid. Immediately, Arkanov's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he went limp. While one nurse took Arkanov away, the other turned to River confusedly. "What's happened to all of these people with the burns? Do you need help too, miss?"

River shook her head, and she seemed much more attentive now, despite how she had no sleep from the previous night. She seemed frazzled, with dark circles under her eyes and her hair in a frizzy mess. She rubbed her forehead, "I'm so sorry about his behavior, I don't think he's been in a hospital before…" River spoke, and then sighed, "But I'm fine, just tired. We were attacked by a mage with lightning magic in the middle of the night, the three of them have been unconscious for most of the journey here…"

"Lightning magic?!" The nurse exclaimed in surprise. "Is that even a thing? That sounds like god magic. I'm not sure if we have the proper tools to treat lightning burns."

"We can still try, can't we? Can't they just be treated like normal burns?" River asked, her eyes wide hoping that what the nurse said couldn't be true. She didn't know what to do, all she really could do was wait there for the others to be taken care of. She sighed, and her shoulders dropped, "P-Please, do whatever you can, as long as they can make it…"

"There's no doubt the girl will make it, and maybe your dark-haired friend here has some brain damage with the extreme paranoia... I'm not sure about the one who came in with the red-haired one," the nurse admitted. He sighed. "We'll try what we can, but I can't promise a miracle. It's going to take one to fix everyone up."

River nodded, understanding what he had meant. She gave out a breath, holding her arms uncomfortably, fearful of what fate lay for her friends. She even began running her fingers shyly through her hair, as she averted eye contact, "Thank you for helping them... I-I'll wait here, until I know they're all okay..."

The nurse nodded and slipped away to attend to everyone.

An hour or so passed before the same nurse would emerge from the room he came out of. Some blood was on an apron around his waste, as well as fragmented bits of dead skin and matter, but for the most part, he did not seem frazzled. He walked with purpose over to River and beckoned her to come along. "I'm afraid you can't visit your male friends until they're conscious again. Blake seems to be coming along rather well despite it all. We've had to sedate Arkanov... several times. But that's given us ample time to treat his wounds as well. He should be alright. But the young girl, Kestral, she's okay. She wants to see you."

When those words traveled to her ears, River's grim expression immediately lightened up. Her eyes seemed filled with life again just at the mere thought of being able to see Kestral after everything that had happened. With such a brimming smile, she bowed her head respectfully to the nurse, her hands politely held together in front of her torso. "Thank you... thank you so much..."

With that, River turned to the right wing of the hospital, and trotted through the open arch that led to the women's ward. When she saw Kestral laying there alone on one of the beds, she felt a great surge of relief flow through her veins. With greater speed, she sprinted to her side, and held her hand on her own chest, "Kes! Thank goodness you're okay... how are you feeling?"

Kestral's expression softened hearing such an affectionate nickname for her; one could only guess a family member back in Pendsbury called her the same name, probably her mother, or Arkanov. Seeing River was an even better surprise. She threw her arms, one being bandaged heavily with medical gauze, around River and smiled brightly. "I'm fine! Thanks! This hospital thing, it's absolutely wonderful. They rubbed some spirits on the burn and gave me a cordial and I'm good as new! Did you hear about the others? Are they okay?"

River, with much more gentleness than what the girl had, wrapped her arms around her back. Then, when the hug was over, she only slightly pulled back to look at the child in the eyes, and place her hand gently upon the Kestral's short burgundy hair. But hearing her question, she only glanced off to the side slightly, "Well... they're okay, for now. Blake's being healed, though he still hasn't woken up. As for Arkanov, he's being tended to... though um... he tried fighting the doctors, and they've had to force him to fall asleep a few times..."

Kestral's expression immediately dropped, first into sadness, and then into bitter disappointment. "Sorry about Arkanov... I bet he thought everyone was trying to kill him with these scalpels and needles and threads and what not," Kestral explained, giving a hoarse chuckle. "Hopefully he didn't hurt anyone. But I'm so thankful they fixed Blake, poor guy. When can we see him?"

River patter the girl's head softly, with reassuring kindness that couldn't be broken so easily. "We can visit him when he wakes up, and is able to talk to us. I can't tell all of what happened to him by looking from the outside, but he will get better."

Kestral nodded at this. Being the impatient young girl she was, she looked inquisitvely to River. "So, when do you think they'll both wake up?"

River shrugged at this question, for she did not know the answer. But she didn't have to provide words at this moment, for now one of the staff working here had walked into the ward. It was a woman, likely to be a nurse, and she pointed to River, "Are you the one accompanying these new three patients?"

The young lady only nodded her head in response, to which the nurse continued. "Well, one of them have awoken; er… Blake… I think his name was? When you're able to, you should check on him."

Hearing the good news, she smiled towards Kestral, and grabbed her hand gently, "Hey Kes, do you think you're in good enough condition to get up and see how he's doing?"

"My arm was the thing that got injured, not my legs!" Kestral said with a small giggle. "I'm so eager to see Blake! I hope he's okay. Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"Alright, alright," River laughed sweetly, charmed by how excited this young girl was. Gently, she grasped Kestral's hand, and lifted her off of the bed. Then, she guided her towards the men's ward, where the other three must have been waiting. When she walked in and saw the two rows of beds on both sides of the hallways, she noticed that each and every one of them were empty, save for two of them, which Blake and Arkanov had occupied respectfully. She saw Rubus speaking in a smooth, low voice to his brother as he stood beside him, and Blake was using the same tone. When the girls were noticed, the older twin beckoned them, "Ah, ladies! I didn't expect you two to be in a fair condition already."

River chuckled, and approached the two of them as she was told. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Blake's shirt was unbuttoned, and he had bandages wrapped around almost all of his torso. He laughed, "Good morning you two!" He beamed with such a bright smile, "Man, you should have seen the scars that injury left, they were so weird! Apparently lightning scars turn out looking like ivy crawling up your skin, it's fascinating! And what's even better is with these and Rubus' burns from the other day, it's like we have matching wounds."

"I didn't know you could find something enjoyable or intriguing about getting struck by lightning," Kestral said with a small chuckle. She was just happy to have Blake back in his personable self. "Well, I'm just happy you're awake now. Are you sure you feel better?"

"Of course I do! After sleeping for so long, I'm pretty good on my energy levels," Blake responded with such a chipper attitude. He seemed perfectly fine now, he even had the strength to stretch out his hand and ruffle the top of Kestral's head, "So I'm doing just fine. Now, how about you? How's everyone been since the attack? What happened to that Aries guy?"

"Everyone's... living," Kestral said after a long pause. Her face fell, for she realized that she had no clue how everyone else was handling the situation away from her. "Aries is dealt with, hopefully. First Rubus caught on fire and shoved him back super far away, like fifty feet back, and then Salina opened a crack in the ground and Aries was hanging on but she pushed him back in!"

The moment he heard this, Blake's smile had dropped. He imagined the horrible implications of what had happened to their attacker after he had been damaged and knocked unconscious. "Oh… s-so… there's a man with third degree burns lying dead at the bottom of a fissure in the middle of the desert…? Oh my god…"

"If it was what had to be done to save you and the others, it was worth it." Rubus responded with a strangely cold tone, and a heavy sigh. It didn't matter what he had done to someone else, as long as his brother and friends were safe.

"Did you lose control of your magic this time around?" Blake questioned, and Rubus simply shook his head to deny this. "Good, I'm glad that at least you're getting better control of it…"

Kestral looked to River because she was not entirely sure of the validity of this statement. It seemed as though Rubus lost control to her when it happened, but she did not address this. Instead, she nodded on Rubus' behalf. "Rubus helped save everyone, he did a really good thing. I feel bad for saying this, but... I hope Aries doesn't come back..."

"That is entirely understandable," Rubus agreed, now his hand was on his chin in thought. He glanced over his shoulder, towards where Arkanov was asleep, and then back at his brother and the two girls. "If that psychotic man comes back and hurts anyone again, we'll all get back at him. No one is getting hurt like that again, not on my watch…"

Kestral immediately went over to Rubus and hugged his legs with as much enthusiasm as she would have hugging a real person. She looked up to him with misty eyes. "T-Thank you... After yesterday, I know you can protect us."

Rubus looked shocked when the girl had suddenly latched on to him, but even though he hadn't felt very close to her before, in this very moment, he did now. He reached his arms down and hugged her tightly, "N'aww… of course I would look out for all of you, Kestral. We're all companions now, aren't we? And we need to look out for each other."

Kestral giggled from hearing his and looked upon Rubus happily. "Yes, yes we are. We're all friends now, aren't we?"

At this moment, Arkanov decided it would be great to wake up from his slumber as well. He let out a heavy sigh as his eyelids fluttered open. For a moment, Kestral thought his silver eyes turned pitch black, but she blinked again and he seemed normal. He looked over and saw Rubus and Kestral hugging, and his expression changed to one of slight jealousy. "Wh-What's going on?"

Hearing the young man stirring from his sleep, Rubus had turned his attention towards him, letting go of Kestral now, but still leaving a hand on her shoulder. "Ah, Arkanov, good to see you're awake. I hope you're feeling alright…"

"Definitely! You were giving the doctors here a bit of a hard time…" River mentioned, and quickly walked up to his bedside, "Is everything okay with you?"

Arkanov beckoned for Kestral to come over to him. Kestral did so, and scampered over to her brother so now she could hug him as well. Arkanov seemed more comforted by this, but he did not trust his surroundings. "I don't know where we are right now or what's going on... what is this place?"

"You're in a hospital!" Blake explained from his bed, leaning over to his side to face Arkanov and have a better communication with him. "This place is just where doctors work, rather than the call-in ones like Atreanor. They've patched you up like they did me and Kestral, just look."

He placed a hand on his chest, gesturing to the bandages wrapped around him, "See? You probably have a few bandages on you too. Nothing to freak out about."

Arkanov looked down his chest and saw that his shirt was unbuttoned, but bandages were wrapped round and round his torso just as Blake's were. And hearing Blake's explanation, he heaved a heavy, relieved sigh, though his expression still conveyed slight annoyance. "Oh, that's all this place is?" he asked. "That's fine and dandy then. Then I don't understand why those doctors couldn't have just told me that's what this place was for, they just said nothing and forced me to start thrashing them!"

Kestral seemed more annoyed than Arkanov was. "Really, Arkanov? They forced you to hurt them? Why couldn't you have calmed down and let them help instead of make them have to put you under?"

For this question, Arkanov had no good answer. He crossed his arms and looked away from everyone embarrassedly. "I-I just didn't know, you can never be too sure!" he grumbled.

"Well, the good thing is that we know now," Kestral said with resolve. "And Samadurai is amazing! They just have a place where a bunch of doctors can help everyone all at once! And there's more than two or three doctors like in Pendsbury! This country has it all."

"That's quite flattering…" River chuckled lightheartedly with the girl, her face almost a little bit pink. But when she glanced back and forth between Arkanov and Blake, she figured that things would only get better for them health-wise from here on out. "Well, when you two are well-rested and able, we can catch up with the others. They've been out finding an inn for us to stay at, though I haven't heard back from them in an hour."

"You think they're okay?" Kestral asked curiously, though she didn't seem nervous. "I think Thomas and Salina would be alright, but I don't know about Santiago..."

"I'm sure that they're fine. After all, this city is rather large; not as big as Sihrasul, but still large enough to take a while to traverse." River reasoned with a smile of optimism to the girl. But before she can continue, it seemed as though there was a strange commotion coming in from the entry room. She went silent, and with new curiousity, naturally she looked towards the source of the sound. It sounded like one of the nurses, and… another patient, possibly? She could hear their voices from here.

"Please, I must ask you to get back to bed. Your condition isn't stable enough to start wandering off like this-" one of the nurse's voices warned. Suddenly, another barked back, in a wobbly and weak, yet aggressive tone.

"Shaddup, you can't tell me what to do!" The sound of a woman's voice grumbled. Her tone was like gravel, and she sounded like a much older woman, perhaps in her fifties. Suddenly, said woman waltzed herself into the men's ward where the others were conversing, which made River freeze in surprise.

Just as she had suspected, there stood a wobbly, middle-aged woman whose hair was already very white, and her face was pale for such a normally dark complexion, showing clearly that she was sick from something. Her hair was a mess, so River could hardly see either of her eyes. The strange woman grumbled, and surprisingly started to trudge towards the others before being stopped by the nurse again. "Miss, if you keep persisting, I will call in the others to sedate you. Don't make this too hard on yourself."

"How about you keep your nose out of it?!" The patient snapped back. Seeing this response, the nurse gave a look of disgust, and immediately made her way out of the men's ward to gather the others for assistance, leaving the patient and the small group alone together. The stranger brushed the messy, stringy white hair out of her eyes, revealing soft red irises fixated on River. She chuckled, "Heheh… it looks to me as though they finally banished you too, huh, priestess? To think we'd end up in the same rut after all these years…"

Kestral, being ever so naive and innocent, smiled brightly upon seeing this strange woman, who was familiar with River. She cheerily took a step forward and extended a polite hand in her direction. "Oh, you know River?" she asked invitingly, "A friend of hers is a friend of mine! Hello! I'm Kestral. Who are you?"

"… And it looks like you've befriended some pale-skinned freaks…" the woman rolled her eyes at the child with disgust, and turned that gaze into a glare towards River. The young lady was frozen where she stood, suddenly seeming extremely scared of this stranger. She stepped back, and grasped Kestral's shoulder, trying to keep her away.

"M-Myra, what do you want this time?" River asked defensively, her tense body showing the obvious signs of her fear, "If this is about the tsunami, forget about it, th-that was years ago…"

Myra sneered, and stepped up closer to River with a cold display of hatred in how she stomped so harshly and yet so quietly on the floor. "Forget about it? Oh, like I can just forget about my dead son and husband, which, must I remind you, is all your fault. You're such a little prick, you can't even own up to your own idiocy."

"Hey, you old fuck!" Arkanov suddenly called out from his cot. Kestral immediately winced from the curse, and she knew this Myra woman just opened a can of worms. She turned around and saw her brother who seemed to take the ultimate delight in his sister's shock and repulsion from his behavior. But he still showed immediate hatred towards Myra when he addressed her again. "I don't know who you are or what problems you have with River, but you do not call her a prick or an idiot. Fucking bugger. I may be incapacitated right about now with these bandages but I swear, I will get up and kick your old haggard ass right now! Back down, bitch!"

"Arkanov, stop, you know I don't like that language!" Kestral screamed. She shook her head. "The nerve, and the mouth on you! As for you, Miss, that's really quite rude! Don't call River that! You're horrid!"

The twins seemed absolutely disgusted by Myra's words, but as much as they wanted to retaliate, they soon saw that Arkanov's words were more than enough to put this rudeness back in its place.

But while Myra was preparing to go off on this group, River only retracted nervously. Her eyes were wide, and her teeth were clenched as though she were in pain, even if nothing was physically hurting her. Myra continued on, "Oh what, so you're okay knowing what she did? Like any sane person would support a damn murderer like her…"

River's hands were shaking, every muscle in her body felt tight and painful. Even some tears were welling up in her eyes, "M-Myra, please stop. I didn't c-come here to talk about this…"

"Why are you denying me? I'm just… stating the facts." Myra spoke with a weird air of smugness, as if nothing mattered to her. "What the hell are you doing out here anyway? Was the shaman just too soft on you and let you get away with a banishment? Because that *completely* makes up for the thousands of deaths you caused…"

Arkanov heard these accusations, and slowly rose, supporting himself against the cot so he could stagger over to Myra. He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Let me tell you, you evil witch. You're making false accusations you can't back, and River has told you to stop." He decided it would be best to make his point known more seriously, so he summoned a shadow knife in case she decided to fight with him physically. "*I'll* cause a death if this doesn't end soon. I told you to back down..."

When River saw the knife, immediately she knew she couldn't stand back and watch this happen, even towards someone she was terrified by. She stepped up, placing herself between Arkanov and Myra, but still faced the woman even through her tears, which were slowly falling one by one down her cheek. "S-Stop, please! Don't talk about this anymore, let's just go our separate ways and forget about this-!"

"No!" Myra shouted back, "I'm still pissed at the stunt you pulled all those years ago! Damn it River, you only had one job to do and you ran away from it like a coward! So maybe get your act together for once, and at least take one thing you deserve after these eight years!"

Then with that, before anyone else could react, the woman raised her hand up, and slapped the blue-eyed girl across the cheek as hard as she could. The sound bounced off of the walls like an echo, and River now covered her red cheek with her hand, refusing to say any more...

"You're just going to take that?" Arkanov asked indignantly at River when he saw her simple reaction. He knew then what he had to do. In Pendsbury, proper chivalry and manners called for not laying a hand on a woman not courted. He decided he would leave these societal boundaries for the moment, and promptly approached Myra and extended a hand to slap her in return. Then he held up his shadow knife and trained it to her neck.

Kestral, who was usually not so violent and did not condone such behavior from her brother, seemed devilishly delighted by what she had just seen. "MAKE HER PAY!" she cried out, bloodthirstily awaiting the next move.

"NO! Stop!" River begged, but her pleas could only fall upon deaf ears. She knew she was too weak and fragile to end this conflict on her own, but luckily for her, she didn't have to. Quickly taking action, Rubus suddenly shoved Arkanov back, away from the woman, and then grasped her wrists to prevent her from using them on River anymore. His grip was surprisingly tight and strong. Myra tried to yank her hands back, but it just couldn't work.

It seems as though others had heard this commotion too, as before they knew it, the nurse from before came running in with two other doctors at her side. When she saw the scene before her, she gasped sharply, similar actions being shown by the other two beside her as well. Quickly, the two that had accompanied her took Myra from under her arms and pulled her away from the others, restricting her movement as wobbly and disoriented as it was. Just as what had been done before to Arkanov, the nurse quickly went to Myra's wrist, and administered a tranqulizing shot into her veins. Only twenty or so seconds later did she calm down, and her eyes began to close. Then, she was dragged away out of the men's ward, back to her own bed on the opposite side of the building.

The nurse quickly bowed down in apologies, her eyes very worried. "I... Goodness, I am so sorry. I didn't think she would be harassing other patients and visitors like this, and in such a short time too. M-My sincerest apologies..."

Now with the immediate threat out of her presence, River gained the courage to speak up once again. She quickly tried to wipe the droplets of water off of her face, but it didn't do much else, as the red in her scleras and how she rubbed her cheek still earned a wince of sympathy from the nurse. "I-It's okay, we're fine... what's caused her to end up in here...?"

The nurse sighed heavily, "Alchohol poisoning, it seems. She was nearly dead when someone brought her in from the streets, and it seems she's been having an issue with addiction. We've come to the conclusion that her aggressive behavior is from frustration of not satisfying that addiction..."

"Let her drink herself to death, the miserable scrubber," Arkanov cursed. It appeared as though his accent flared more from being riled up by such an argument. "She oughta sod off. Hag."

Kestral now blushed profusely, angry toward herself for ever condoning such behavior from her brother. She slapped his wrist, and then slapped her own, and looked to the nurse. "Forgive us both for fueling the fire further. Poor woman though. I bet she's not even in the right frame of mind, not one bit. Can we really blame her then?"

Arkanov humphed, "Yes, yes we certainly can."

"River, who even was that woman?" Blake asked from his bed, finally lifting himself more as the shock from the sudden event giving him the energy to get up so easily despite his healing wounds. But this question reacted with River strangely. She flinched, almost as if she had been hit by her own emotions, and quickly she darted her eyes off to the side and let her shoulders drop with shame. She inhaled, and then exhaled deeply.

Nervously running her fingers through her hair, she spoke, "M-Myra... she used to be a resident of my village, before she committed a crime and was banished. As you can tell, she uh... *really* hates me... I-I think we shouldn't go into that part right now. Let's just get away from her, and get back to the others, please..."

Kestral nodded eagerly, and looked to her brother with disgust. "I can see you get up just fine," she remarked. She looked to Blake afterwards, and rushed over to help him. "Are you sure you're okay to continue on? You're still probably healing!"

"I'll be fine, I assure you," Blake held up his hand calmly to ensure to the child that he was all fine and dandy. In fact, he even turned himself on the bed and set his feet down. He took a breath, and quickly, stood up. Though the speed made him a little dizzy after having been unconscious for quite some time, he seemed alright. "Now, I say we find the others now, and get out of here."

"Agreed, let's go," Kestral nodded quickly. She directed her woozy brother out the ward doorway, still giving apologies to every nurse that passed, whether they were involved or not, for her behavior, and the group made its way back onto Qijihaz's urban streets.

### To the Inn

Kestral led the group of others and wandered through the streets of Qijihaz aimlessly. She did not know what to expect; she had never been in this new city before, and she had no clue where the inn Thomas and Salina had found was, or where they were, or if they were back at the hospital looking for them still. She anxiously looked over to the others. "Um, do you guys see them at all? I can't see any sign of them."

The twin brothers were looking left and right for any clues to the whereabouts of their companions, glancing down different alleyways and roads, even the suspicious and shady corners, for the possibility of the others being there. River on the other hand, didn't seem to be doing much to help. All she did was keep her mouth shut, as she walked with the others, staring at the dusty street while they walked. Rubus sighed, "No, I can't see them anywhere. I'd hate to ask, but your astral magic wouldn't happen to help us find where they are, right...?"

Kestral slapped her head. "Am I daft today or what?" she asked with some annoyance to herself. She closed her eyes, and as if she was possessed, at a crossroads, she turned left down the street corner. Sure enough, Thomas and Salina were coming down the street as if they were in search of the others at the same moment. Kestral was about to run forth to greet them, but using her magic made her a little weak, so she instead approached calmly. "You're okay!" she exclaimed happily. "You found the inn?"

"Yes, of course we're okay and of course we found the inn," Salina snorted. She patted Kestral's head lovingly, though at a certain spot, for she knew Frig was always hiding out in her hat. She looked to Blake and Arkanov. "Happy to see you guys are, well, alive! Everyone okay?"

Blake smiled brightly upon reuiniting with the others once again, "Yes, we're perfectly fine! We've all been patched up pretty well, and that time we spent unconscious I guess managed to do a lot of good for us. Or, at least for myself, I've been rather energetic ever since I woke up. That, and I'm a little excited that Rubus and I now have matching scars."

When Rubus and River approached, they both seemed to have extremely different expressions. The red-haired man seemed just as glad as his brother was, only much calmer. The experience of the previous night and the relief of his brother being healthy again had seemed to humble him, and he appeared rather calm. Meanwhile River on the other hand was still silent, with such a sullen and sunken look to her eyes. Rubus glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and his smile faltered, until he realized this and put it back on once more, "I say we're doing alright, for the most part..."

Salina nodded happily to see a majority of everyone was feeling better. Thomas immediately gestured to everyone, delighted to see their happy expressions. "Come along then, the inn is just this way. There's currency they take here but they recognized me and said that we could have the rooms for free? Isn't that simply grand?"

Arkanov seemed flustered by this, and once they walked, he immediately fell in line with Thomas and exchanged quiet words with him. As everyone moved toward the building, Salina stood back and gave River, who was obviously disheartened, a curious look. "Are you alright, River? What happened?"

River only had the slightest of reactions to Salina's interjection. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond, and she suddenly appeared very uneasy and uncomfortable. She held her own arms, and walked with a slight hunch now. "U-Um… at the hospital… we ran into someone that I knew from a long time ago. S-Someone… who doesn't like me very much…"

"Who?" Salina asked suddenly, immediately putting her fists together as if she was just hoping for a fight. "Oh no, do I need to hurt someone again? Did the person hurt you? Are you okay?!"

Salina's questions were spot-on to what had happened earlier at the hospital. This made River more paranoid than before, she was even beginning to wonder if the other had some strange psychic abilities. Yet, she still spoke, "U-Um… no… I don't know if I'm okay. She slapped me… across the cheek… i-in front of everyone. I didn't fight back… but the others stepped in to help…"

Salina did not know what to do. She wondered about the implications of such an action, and if any physical or verbal altercation ensued beforehand that caused the woman to slap River in public. But she also noticed how panicked River looked in the vulnerable situation she was putting the other in from such questions. Salina simply stepped in and did the one thing she could think of doing, which was to hug River, gently of course, so she would not hurt any of her bones with her arm strength. When she pulled away, she looked equally flustered, and blushed.

"S-Sorry if you don't like hugs from people who aren't Kestral... i-it was the only thing I could think of doing," she apologized, for the first time ever sounding and seeming meek with embarrassment. "But at any rate, I'm so sorry I wasn't there to totally beat another person down. I hope she got some reprimanding though. You don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to."

River's eyes were as wide and round as a doe's when she had been hugged. It had caught her so off guard that her mouth was clamped shut and her shoulders tensed. And yet, with such calming words from Salina, it slowly brought a smile to her face, and her muscles relaxed themselves. "Thank you… m-maybe we can talk about it later tonight, I… kind of want to get it off my chest…"

At hearing this, Salina smiled brightly, thankful her emotional nature did not scare River off. "Well, you're more than welcome to share and get it off your chest with me. I'll listen, and hopefully you never have to meet that awful woman again, whoever she is."

"I don't ever want to meet her again, not after today. I didn't even want to see her face ever since what happened between us a long time ago…" River's voice muffled itself into a soft mutter, feeling so thankful to experience empathy from someone like this. "I think we would be able to talk about it in our rooms, erm… assuming Kestral is okay hearing what I have to say as well…"

"I'm sure she will, she cares about you too, just as much as I do," Salina assured. Then, after some thought, she began to chuckle. "I'm guessing with how much Arkanov cares, he stepped in too, am I right?"

River chuckled hearing this, but it was not one of delight or humor. It was awkward and nervous, "W-Well, I mean… he uh… held a knife up to her neck for a few moments, but then Rubus shoved him aside so that no one would get actually hurt…"

Salina has obviously not expected this answer, for her jaw dropped immediately. "H-He threatened someone with a knife?!" she gasped in surprise, and slight horror. She shook her head angrily. "Doesn't he think with his head? I didn't think Pendsbornes would be so bloodthirsty. I would've just hit the woman back had she hurt you, not threatened her with her life."

"It was terrifying, I've never seen someone jump to violence so quickly. What was even worse was that after Arkanov pulled the knife, Kestral started cheering for him…" River shuddered, and looked up to the others who were conversing just ahead of them. She had to make sure her voice was quiet enough that only Salina can hear, "I'm worried about them now. Just how violent is Pendsbury? Is there any way we can teach them that you don't have to hurt anyone who incites an argument…?"

"It's a cultural thing, I suppose, it's what they grew up with," Salina said with an unsure shrug. "We could teach them, but it may not get through immediately to them. It will take a lot of learning."

River shook her head, and rubbed her shoulder in discomfort at the subject, "Or… maybe I'm just the one in the wrong… am I? I've never known many violent people, and maybe I've just been with more peaceful people up until now. I-I mean… when I was hit, I… felt like I was expected to fight back. But I've never done that before…"

"Oh, well honey, therein lies the problem," Salina said, now growing concerned. "You didn't immediately hit her back when she slapped you? Why not?!"

"… I'm not allowed to…" River admitted, certainly confused and offput by Salina's questioning, but at the same time she felt downtrodden to have to admit this. "I mean, being trained for priesthood, I was told to never fight or harm anyone unless absolutely necessary. But even then, most of the time I just ran away from conflict and went back to people that I trusted…"

Then, River released another nervous laugh, "A-And besides, I'm just a girl… I'm not strong enough to fight, and girls who can fight, like you, and like Inxie, are really rare…"

"We need to make them more common," Salina stated firmly. She stopped walking and looked squarely at River. "If you can't defend yourself and be independent, what will happen in a situation where you're all alone? You can't rely on someone else all your life. I can help you train."

River found herself blocked by Salina, and she looked forward at the others who were walking ahead, and didn't seem to notice them. Suddenly, she appeared as though she was flustered and embarassed, "I… I can still run away from conflict, can't I? I mean, it's easy. Just distract whoever is attacking me, and then go off in the other direction. Then, I-I'm sure I can find someone who could protect me…"

"What if you can't distract them?" Salina asked quizzically, wondering how someone could even say that, "What if you can't run away from them? What if there's no one to protect you? There are strange men out there in this place. Men who want to use women for their bodies, men that can overpower you. You need to protect yourself from them in ways more than just fleeing."

Finally, it seemed it was those words that had made River give in to Salina's persuasion. She wanted to argue back, but she knew that the other was right. She couldn't defend herself in a real fight, nor even in a debate such as this one. She sighed, "O-Okay… then… just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I've never fought in my life, I need instructions…"

"You've got to punch back!" Salina instructed, already assuming a fighting position. "Kick! Scratch! Use a weapon! Whatever you need or like to get someone off of you, do it. We need to get you more fire in you. We can train as we travel for the heart shards."

River then raised her hand tentatively, as if she were a student in a classroom, "Um… how about splashing them with my water magic? Does that count? I mean, it doesn't hurt the other person, but it would put them off guard enough that I could get away…"

"That... could work," Salina stammered, not sure of what she meant by splashing. But the topic of water magic made her more upbeat. "You're water magic though. You can make ice weapons if you cool the water, right? Like ice daggers or ice mallets? Actually hurting the person would do more damage."

River gave Salina the strangest look she had ever made. Her eyebrows were suddenly crooked, the corner of her mouth pulled to the side, an odd little mix of being disturbed and being utterly dumbfounded was painted across her face. "Hate to be rude but... what in the world is *ice* supposed to be?"

"I heard it's like cold water," Salina explained. She frowned. In truth, she did not know what ice was, for she had never seen it. "It's common in Atreanor, and it exists, I swear it does! But we can't see it in person because we're, you know... in a desert. And cold things don't come around too often."

"... We've got to ask the others." River declared, her heart being filled with sudden determination emerging from her curiousity. Seeing the other members of the group just up ahead, as they had stopped walking earlier to talk, she grabbed Salina's hand and dashed forward. She swerved in and out of the clusters of people traversing through the streets, running to catch up with them.

Then, once they were finally close enough, she reached out her other hand, and grasped onto the shoulder of the person closest to her, which just so happened to be Thomas. "Thomas!" she exclaimed, "You're from Pendsbury, explain to me what 'ice' is, I need to know!"

"Hm?" Thomas whirled around from his walk and looked at River with an arched eyebrow. "You don't know what ice is?"

Arkanov turned around as well and frowned. "Why didn't you ask me?"

"Ice is a solid form of water," Thomas began to explain with a delighted smile. "It's cold, colder than anything you've ever experienced probably. It can melt, and turn back to liquid water if it's hot enough. It can condense to make snow and it's soft and it will fall from the sky! That happens on occasion. Then there's hail, that's pure ice falling from the sky. That's horrid."

"Water can be SOLID?!" River exclaimed, shocked and ecstatic all at the same time. Her attitude was much more chipper than moments earlier, she didn't even realize it herself. Now, she looked to Arkanov, inquiring for his perspective on the subject matter, "What is that like? Can you still swim through it? Do fish live in it or not?"

Arkanov lifted his chin, now happy that he was able to answer some of her questions and that his ego was saved just in time. "Solid water is quite a marvel. Though you can't quite hold it in your bare hands for long, you need gloves to do so. You can't swim through it either, that would give you frostbite and you'll die that way. But you can play in the snow if you've got proper clothes. Fish cannot live in it either, it's far too cold. I know in Atreanor some people are able to live in the snow though. Or so I've heard..."

"That sounds so amazing!" River had the brightest smile across her lips now, her white teeth showing. "I want to see this snow some day! I want to know what it's like and what you can do with it. And you guys seem so used to it like it's nothing. What color even is snow anyways? Is it still blue?"

"Snow is white," Arkanov said with a small chuckle. "And you're a water mage, aren't ye? You should be able to create your own ice and see for yourself if you train enough. Maybe you'd like that."

"I would like that!" River exclaimed, curling her hands into little fists held close to her chest in such excitement. She was pumped up by the mere concept of this snow and ice, the thought of learning such a new and unique skill seemed fascinating, "Maybe when we can meet someone who knows how to use that magic, they can teach it to me. Ah, I can't wait for that day!"

Arkanov looked away from River for a moment's pause while he thought this over. He was familiar with someone who could control ice and snow, it seemed. But his expression suggested he did not want this person to meet River. "Just don't abuse your power when you get it and you should be alright," he warned vaguely.

"I won't, I won't," River smiled, brushing off his warnings as she already knew that she wouldn't lose control of her powers so easily, and she had never abused them for the sake of her own convenience either.

But now, after this time of traversing through the streets of Qijihaz, she could see a structure off in the distance that stood out from the old, small, and shambling homes of the poverty district, mostly due to its size. It looked large enough to host several residents, so by that notion, it seemed to be the inn they were staying at.

"This is it," Salina gestured to the inn with a flourish, thankful to see the building once again. The walk through the busy streets had been quite difficult to traverse. As they all entered, the more poverty-stricken home dwellers seemed to stare them down as if with jealousy and some envy. Salina looked into the eyes of all of them, wishing she could help, but as she passed through the doors, she was just thankful to have a place to rest for the night.

Inside, the building was somewhat nicer than the outside. The main lobby was quite open, as the rooms were situated on the balcony the floor up that could look down on the center they were in. Simple furniture was placed about, but the wide-sweeping sandstone arches and columns showed this inn was still quite nice in comparison to the rest of the neighborhood. Salina looked to the left and noted how Santiago was leaning against the front desk, buttering up to one of the ladies working behind it. As the woman giggled, Santiago turned his head and noticed his friends had come in. He waved them away, signaling to them that they should leave him be for now.

Arkanov completely ignored this and walked right up to Santiago. He obviously could not take hints very well. "Yeah, good to see you too, Santiago," he greeted with the utmost sarcasm. "Blake and I could've died in that hospital and you don't even bother to see if we're alright? Bugger you."

Santiago tore himself away from the woman and, for the first time, seemed quite a bit upset with Arkanov. He tossed the room keys to him and then went back to his conversation.

Confused, Arkanov turned away from him and went back to the others. He was frowning. "He's trying to get laid, the arsehole. Just ignore him, he's an idiot. Well, I suppose we go up to our own rooms then."

Blake nodded, and then looked to his twin to take his bag back to their temporary resting quarters, but Rubus refused to let him carry anything. "Sorry, but no. You're still weak from last night and need more healing, so… I'll be taking these. You just go ahead and get some rest."

As they went off, River was about to follow suit to wherever the girls' room was. However, before she continued, she had to ask one more thing. Looking to Arkanov with curiosity, and a hushed voice, she spoke, "Hey, um… what does 'get laid' mean? I've never heard that phrase before."

Arkanov felt a little uncomfortable explaining this to River, but he decided it would be best for her sake to know. "H-He wants to have sex with that woman," Arkanov stammered, bristling from her question. "Not in our rooms though."

River's eyes went open wide when she heard those words and realized the true meaning of this term that she had previously been unfamiliar with. She straightened her posture, "Um… hehe… thank you for telling me. Though now I regret asking, I don't know if I wanted to know that. Does he do that often…?"

"Y-Yes," Arkanov muttered. Now his face was beginning to turn red, and he looked down to the floor with a bit of shame. "Very often. I suppose he's been holding himself back for when you met him. But he usually takes just an hour... or so... oh lord, I am so sorry about him."

"An… hour?" River seemed oddly disturbed by this. She began to wonder, if Santiago had ever tried flirting with her like he was doing to that woman, if she would have ended up being 'laid' by him. The thought seemed terrifying, especially after she had sworn off such acts for quite some time. "… Well… I'm glad that at least you don't do that… right?"

"I never have," Arkanov admitted. He scoffed. "Some people find that funny. I simply never have had the desire, and quite honestly, I don't think I ever will."

"… The desire to get with someone 'like that'…?" River questioned, her curiousity constantly needing to be satiated. But then, she reached out a hand and patted Arkanov's back firmly, "Good, because I haven't felt anything like that either. At least we can relate on that…?"

"Yes," Arkanov agreed. He smiled for this, though he conceded his earlier statement, "I've felt... love, before, of course. But not the desire for sex. That is where I cross the line. I'm not sure if we relate in that sense."

River smiled in understanding. Carefully, she reached down, and grasped his hand, and was beginning to lead him towards their temporary sleeping quarters. "I know what that is like. I used to have affections for someone when I was still a child, but… I haven't felt much of a sexual desire, really. But who did you first feel love for?"

"Well, it was a woman," Arkanov asserted. With Samadurai, he knew he had to disclose this outright instead of assuming River knew he liked the opposite sex. "I thought she felt the same, but... it turns out she did not. It was disappointing... and I don't think I want to love someone else after that." He looked down to their locked hands, figuring that River was leading him some place. "As for you? Who was the man... or, erm, a-any person, I mean, that you loved?"

River led him to follow the others, though she still kept back a fair distance as to keep the conversation only between her and him. After all, she had remembered how embarassing it was last time someone else had barged into their exchange of words from eavesdropping. "It was a boy… I met him when I was only six, or maybe seven summers old. He was my closest friend, and we knew each other for a long time, u-until…" suddenly, she gave out a sigh, and her face became sullen, "He drowned in the tsunamis that pushed us out of our homeland. After that, I hadn't felt the same way towards anyone that I felt towards him…"

"Oh... I'm so sorry," Arkanov muttered. He looked to the floor and squeezed River's hand to show how this story had affected him, and to let her know he was there. "Those tsunamis. They must've been awful... and I'm sorry you lost such a close friend."

River remained silent for a moment more, letting her hand held by him for a short while longer. It was comforting, at least to some extent, that she could still faintly smile as she spoke. "It's alright. Whenever I remember him, it's just one of the many things that reminds me why I need to take that place back as our own again, so that the memories of him aren't wasted away."

Arkanov nodded, and gave a small smile, though it was hard to do so with such a dark topic. "Then I promise you, River, we will find those shards as quickly as possible, so your memories of him don't fade, and that this all won't be in vain."

"… You're very kind, Arkanov…" River couldn't help but feel her face grow a little warmer when she said these words. It was just so strange, to hear him talking this way only an hour or so after what had occurred back at the hospital. But she enjoyed it nevertheless.

But now that everyone had seemed to find their rooms based on respective gender, she slowly let go of his hand, and raised her voice again to address the group. "Alright everyone, after we get ourselves situated and settle our things here, I suggest we go out into town and buy some supplies. Then we all meet back here and rest for the night. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds superb!" Thomas did not look back, but instead threw a thumb up over his shoulder. "Shall we delegate who gets what supplies as well? But I say, you and Arkanov sound like you're enjoying yourselves."

River was about to defend herself from this statement, until another person decided it would be funny to continue. Not surprisingly, it was Rubus, who had peeked out from the room designated to the men of the group, and he chuckled at the two, "It definitely did. You two were holding hands even, I didn't expect something like that from either of you!"

"Are they a couple now?" Kestral asked curiously, now snickering from everyone's teasing. She relished this moment.

"No!" Arkanov immediately defended himself, and released River's hand to prove his point. "She was holding my hand to show me where to go, you imbeciles."

River wanted to hold on to his hand for longer despite the teasing, and she felt strangely rejected when he pulled away, but she knew that this was for the best, as he didn't want to be embarassed any further. But when this happened, Rubus only sighed, "Aww… for a second I thought it was something more, it seemed nice. But if you two want to only stay as friendly companions, I guess I can't change your minds…"

"No, you most certainly cannot," Arkanov chided. He felt more embarrassed that somebody would see him in such a vulnerable state than anything. "I quite like River, but only as a friend, and I know she feels the same towards me. Shall I tease you about your lover girl, Rubus? Since you are so on the topic of romance?"

"...Touché..." Rubus muttered, crossing his arms, realizing that he had backed himself into a corner when he just wanted to join in on the fun. He sighed, accepting defeat, but still kept that smile of confidence that showed he wasn't truly hurt. "Alright, alright, I'll respect you and River as friends as long as you do the same for my Dhabonde companion and I. But if you do end up getting together... I may not keep that promise."

"Then I need not worry," Arkanov countered with a glare, "For I have no intention of becoming anything more than friends with her."

River almost felt tempted to return this statement with something else. Something that she wasn't quite sure of, something that she did not know herself. However, she just couldn't articulate these words, and decided to focus more on the subject at hand, "Aheh... um... anyways, now that it seems you all are finished up, let's get what we need and regroup come nightfall..."

### Nightfall

At night, when the group had gathered the things they needed in town and headed home, they all returned to one of the boys' rooms to take inventory momentarily before they all headed off to bed for the evening. Salina addressed them all as if with a mental checklist. She smiled happily to them all as she set her pack down. "So, everyone. Did we all get what was on our lists?"

Rubus, as expected, was carrying two bags over his shoulders, taking over the responsiblity for his brother while he healed. While Blake believed that he was easily strong enough to hold his own, there was no way the older twin would allow someone with his injuries continue like this without some extra assistance. Like a soldier, he responded to Salina proudly and sharply. "Yes, we've got everything checked off that we needed. We've collected up on food supplies that would last us about a week and a half in the desert. And we've even got some date fruits, which was a pretty good score."

Meanwhile, River came back carrying her satchel by her side, certainly fuller than it had been before. "I was able to find a shop that sold gauze and healing tonics, though there wasn't much else other than that which they sold. But assuming we don't run into someone like that Aries guy again, I think this will be fine for now."

"That's perfect," Salina clapped her hands excitedly. She looked to Kestral. "And you?"

"I got Frig's food!" Kestral chirped. She removed her hat and the little creature croaked quietly.

Salina giggled. "Good, good. Thomas and I scouted out some people to see if they had heard of anything about a shard, Riv. They said it sounded familiar but they weren't quite sure so we'll check back tomorrow. Arkanov and Santiago were off... doing something."

River smiled happily at this news, paying no mind to the tidbit added at the very end. "That sounds great, and of course I can still track down the shards with the ones I already have. I can sense one near this city, but it's not really *in* the city. It's too late to go out and search now, but I believe that tomorrow will be perfect." After giving that little report, suddenly, River opened her mouth wide, closing her eyes, and yawned. "But now, I'm ready to call it a night…"

"Agreed," Salina nodded, and the yawn spread like wildfire to her, then Thomas, then Kestral and Arkanov. Everyone laughed at this. "I guess we're all more tired than we thought, eh?" Salina asked with a chuckle. "We've been up all night. Let's hit it, and get a huge rest to make up for it. We'll go hard in the morning."

"See you in the morning then, ladies!" Blake had finally spoken up, waving to them in a friendly manner as he and his brother returned to their room, without another word. Then, it was River's turn; she made a similar gesture.

"Goodnight everyone!" She smiled kindly, and now making her way into the ladies' bedroom, she beckoned Salina and Kestral to follow suit after they had said their 'goodnights'.

Salina waved to Thomas and Arkanov and the others and trotted out. Kestral could not leave, however, without being running up to her brother's arms, and swung by him through the air. After they nuzzled each other's faces for a moment, Kestral bounced after the girls. She smiled sweetly. "Can we sleep late, you think?"

As River closed the door behind her after letting the other two in, she nodded to confirm this question. "Of course, we can sleep in tomorrow. We'll be needing the extra rest."

As she looked around the room, she saw two beds placed adjacent to each other, with only a small space between them. They weren't traditional beds, at least River assumed that was what Kestral was thinking at the moment. They were more like soft mattresses placed on the floor with no other support, with blankets draped over them and decorated with a handful of pillows. They were even large enough to hold two people at a time, but this led to a question that was necessary to ask. "Well… there's two beds, and three of us. One of us is going to have to share with the other…"

Salina looked down to Kestral and smiled softly, sure that she was going to choose either her or River to share the bed with. She moved over to one of the beds. "They sure are nice though."

Immediately, Kestral took the other one, and gently sat herself down on the mattress. She removed her hat to reveal her messy auburn hair, and Frig stumbled out, sliding off of her hair. She giggled. "I can't fall asleep next to someone, I have to be in my own bed. Sorry!"

Salina twitched. "S-Seriously, kid? You'll have that entire bed to yourself and force two grown women to share?"

"I'm not alone!" Kestral insisted. She pointed to her frog friend. "I've got Frig. Please...?"

"… Can't argue with that." River shrugged nonchalantly. Immediately she began to undress herself appropriately for nighttime. She slid the turquoise beads around her body off, and placed the set of three into her satchel, and then she proceeded to unwrap the red cloth around her waist. Now that she was down to her base, cream-colored linen dress, she sat herself at the foot of the bed.

Before she was to fall asleep, she reached into her satchel for one last thing. She pulled out a comb, a beautiful magenta in color, but was plain and had no gems embedded into it nor were there any designs carved. She began brushing through her long, white hair, untangling the knots that had formed throughout the day. She brushed, and brushed, until a few minutes later when it appeared that her hair was clear. But, she could never be too sure.

River reached out the comb in her hand towards the blonde woman's direction, "Salina, could you check to make sure I got all the knots out, please…?"

"Sure thing," Salina said. She had been stripping down to the bodysuit she had worn earlier as well, since that was all she needed for her night sleeping outfit. But she gently took the comb and scanned for any knots. She spotted a few toward the center roots and gently untangled them with the comb. Then she stood back and admired her hair. "You have such beautiful hair... anyways, you're all clear." She handed the comb back.

"Thank you, though I'm a little jealous that you two are allowed to have such shorter hair," River chuckled a bit. She put the comb back into her satchel, and covered it with the flap that sealed it closed. Then, she backed up further onto the bed, and leaned back, laying her back down and her head comfortably upon the soft pillow. "It looks so light and easy to manage. Not to mention it takes a lot shorter time to wash…"

"That is all true, but having such long, white hair, it looks flawless, like a cascade of white clouds," Salina said with admiration. "But you're not allowed to cut it short? Why not?"

River was quite flattered by Salina's compliments, which made her smile ever so softly. She turned to her side, her elbow on the mattress and her hand supporting her head. "It's just part of my religion. Cutting my hair would be considered disrespectful to Leviathan, since it's what marks me and the rest of my people as the ones he rules over. We're only allowed to cut it if the hair gets matted or cut off by accident."

"Ah, that makes sense," Salina nodded. She sat down cross-legged on the mattress as well, wondering just how they would position themselves in it. She was a stretcher in her sleep. "No wonder I haven't seen many others in Sihrasul, or even all of Samadurai with that type of hairstyle, that color, and that length. It's unique to you Ali'kians, huh? Even the men have hair of that length?"

"Certainly!" River responded, now shifting herself so that her elbow took all the support of her upper body. "The men have long hair too, though in order to distinguish genders, they typically pull their hair back, while the women normally let their bangs go loose. But even then, the length is really bothersome… there's been many times it's gotten caught on something, or those times when someone's pulled on it…"

"Or when someone steps on it and trips you up!" Salina pointed out. "Or if it goes completely and utterly tangled! That'll take hours to straighten out, won't it?"

River nodded, affirming this inference that the other young lady had made. She gave a little sigh, "Tell me about it. There's a good reason Lumi and Inxie gave me that comb before we left for our journey. I certainly need it, maybe more than a lot of other people. Heh…"

Now, River finally laid herself flat on her back, and slipped her feet under the covers. Then she pulled the blankets over her body, up to her shoulders, "Anyways… I'm going to try falling asleep now… though um… it might be hard… I admit my mind is still hung up on some things…"

"If you want to talk about it, let me know," Salina assured. She patted River's leg and laid down next to her, trying not to touch her in case she was uncomfortable by that. "Good night then."

"… Maybe…" River muttered softly, and turned her head towards Salina. She wondered if Kestral was still awake and hearing her, for what she wanted to say may not be suitable for the girl. So, in a hushed voice, she spoke, "I… um… just wanted to talk about what happened earlier at the hospital. I know you weren't there, but… that woman, Myra… makes me worried…"

"Myra's her name?" Salina asked curiously. She peered over River's figure and saw Kestral. She was completely curled up on the mattress, and her back faced the other women. Frig was nestled on her hip, and the creature's eyes were closed as well. Salina looked back to River then. "Tell me about her, and why she makes you worried."

River shuffled herself a little closer to Salina, not minding the close proximity of the other woman. She sighed, her eyelids half-closed. "Salina… that woman, she… she was yelling at me about something awful that happened, back when I was a kid. She… lost her husband and son to the tsunamis in Ali'ikai, and… and she blames me for it. The others, they were defending me, and I appreciate them for that, but… but she's right. A lot of times… I know that she's right. I… I don't think I should be pretending that I'm not guilty in front of everyone…"

"You... y-you caused tsunamis...?" Salina asked. She dipped her head for she was a little confused. Surely, this was not right. She knew River would never do this intentionally. "I'm not quite sure what you mean. Did you...? Why? I am not trying to persecute you. I just want to know why."

River couldn't bring herself to look at the other in the eyes. She had to close her own eyes to avoid staring, and she tended her body, hiding herself more under the covers. "I'm not supposed to be alive today…" she muttered, breathing with a shudder, "I'm a priestess, and that means that I serve Leviathan. When Leviathan visits Ali'ikai… the priest or priestess is sacrificed to him, and then reincarnated. H-He arrived when I was ten, and I… I ran away. As punishment, Leviathan attacked our people. I should have just stayed there and taken my part…"

"Well... your reaction is understandable, if anything," Salina stammered. She gently pat River's head in hopes of calming her and clearly felt slightly uncomfortable. "Well, River... I know the guilt you must feel. I'm sorry. But I think these things happen for a reason. Understandably, people will be upset. But... this is more Kestral's forte, but fate instilled the urge for your flight response. There's a reason you're alive today. So going against that by sacrificing yourself would've been disrupting the balance of the universe and what the other gods really want for your destiny..."

"But that isn't what Leviathan wanted. He wanted me to die… I don't know why I didn't do it…" River was slightly comforted by the feeling of Salina's hand on her head, but this wouldn't be enough. She felt her eyes beginning to water, she struggled not to cry. "What good does thousands of deaths do for the universe? I treated them all like my life mattered more than the rest of them…"

Salina could see the impending waterworks before her. So instead of a simple pat of the head, she reached around and put her arms out to envelop her with a full hug. "Those people's souls... they're in this world again by now, River. I'm not saying their lives don't matter, that's not true. But they have the chance to live again... and you feel remorse. The best thing you can do now is strive to protect all souls, to prevent something like that from happening again. I know it's not what we want, you'd rather give those people their lives back, right? But since you can't... the best option is saving lives of the people you encounter from here on."

"I… I want to do that. I want to help others and make sure they're okay. I can't let anyone die again. And… that's why we're getting these shards, to give a better life to the ones that I ruined…" River tried to smile, but it was very weak, and a single tear dropped down her cheek. "But it's really hard, you know…? S-Sometimes, I can't tell if I'm doing it for the good of them, or if I'm doing it so that they'll forgive me… what do you think?"

"Why worry about the motive for it?" Salina questioned, hugging her one last time for comfort before she pulled away and looked at her with circumspect. "Both are understandable and honorable reasons. Asking for forgiveness shows your remorse, and for their good is noble because it shows you care about your people."

When River opened her eyes, she could only stare at Salina in silent awe. She had never heard such kind and supportive words before, from someone she had only known for around a week. Her mouth was clamped shut, but she still smiled and wiped away her tears, feeling as though this help was healing something in her, something that had needed to be fixed for a very long time. "... Thank you. No one has ever told me that before. I remember everyone glaring at me when I left, and I remember no one believing I could do this when I ventured out into Samadurai... you, and all the others... I just want to thank you so much..."

"They were upset probably because it affected them," Salina reasoned, now turning onto her stomach so she could smile down at River. "But from an objective standpoint, what you're doing is just fine. It's more than fine, actually. It's wonderful. You're protecting people from getting hurt again. That's all they could ever ask for. And, believing in you is what we're here for, after all. You're the leader of this whole quest! I have no doubt in my mind that you can do it. We all believe in you, River."

River felt so flattered by all these compliments, that she could already feel warmth growing on her face. With the dark light and no reflective surfaces, it wasn't as though she could check to see if she was blushing from her bashfulness. But she still smiled anyways, burying her head into her pillow. "... Thank you, Salina. You're the best friend I could ever have... though, let's get to sleep. Don't want to wake up the others with our talking, heheh..."

Salina smiled brightly from her words. She had never had a best friend before, and she had always wanted one. She was glad it was someone like River. But still, she nodded, and got up from her mattress to go over to the candles lit for light. She blew them out with a gentle breath, and returned to her spot to lie down. "All of that was my pleasure, I'm glad I could talk to you. But... you're right. Poor Kes may be a awake right now."

She paused. Kestral made a small snort in her sleep, and Salina laughed. "Okay, maybe not. But we need the rest anyways. Sooo... good night!"

"Goodnight, Salina..." River said with her soft tone and an air of happiness surrounding her, warming her heart. She closed her eyes, curling up under the sheets, and fell asleep.

## Enter the Bounty Hunter

At around mid-morning before noon, Salina awoke first. She was used to being a late sleeper, so she groggily lifted her head from the pillows and looked around to see where she was. With the surroundings, she was able to surmise that this was the inn they were staying after yesterday's traumatic events. The paneless windows allowed a gentle, warming breeze through that enveloped the entire room. The low-pitched hum of morning shoppers at the bazaar on the street and citizens milling about was not as loud as it had been in Sihrasul. All was still.

She turned away from River and stretched out her long, strong arms. Salina rose, and went over to her clothes and began to put them on once more. Kestral was already up and in her clothes, and Frig was sitting on her head as she looked to Salina from her corner. "Good morning."

"Hey," Salina turned around and smiled at Kestral. "Slept well?" Kestral nodded, and Salina chuckled. "I would've hoped so, considering you took an entire bed for it."

Kestral shrugged, and skipped over to River's side to shake her awake. "Riv, come on! It's morning now!"

The woman had her head buried in a pillow, her hair draped over and covering her face. She flinched when she was shaken, but she still remained lying in bed. It was the comfiest place that he had slept on in a while, and she didn't want to give it up quite yet. She yawned, "Ugh… come on, can't I get a few more minutes…?"

"This is *your* quest," Kestral pointed out. She sighed heavily. "I know, I'm tired too, but we're going to be burning daylight! Good time to travel! We need to take advantage of it!"

River gave a heavy breath, and used her arms to push her torso up. Her hair was certainly a victim of bed-head, strands fallen over her face, and looking a little more wavy than the combed and straight style she was always seen with. She turned over, sitting up now, and rubbed her head. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Think the boys are still in bed? If you're feeling mischievous, Kes… we could scare them awake…"

"Oh. My. Goodness." Kestral immediately sprung up and ran around their room in an excited frenzy. "YES! Wait until you hear Arkanov's scream when you catch him off guard! He sounds like me!"

River laughed brightly with Kestral's ecstatic reaction. She got herself up, and figured that she shouldn't be dressing herself entirely just yet. Now on her two feet, she pushed the curtain covering the arch off to the side, and saw he boys' room across from theirs. She hushed her voice down to a whisper, "Hmm… Kes, think you can use your magic to make a little flash of light for them…?"

Kestral put her hands up next to her shoulders and hunched over to creep to their bedsides, at the ready. "Heheh, with pleasure. Lead the way..."

River smirked with a playful air acting like an aura to her. Slowly, she stepped forward, grabbing the curtain before her, and slowly pulled it back. She tried not to make much sound, nor let too much outside light shine through. She couldn't see the others very well in the darkness, so this seemed perfect. She glanced to Kesteal. "Go get 'em girl…"

Like the lightning yesterday, Kestral unleashed her magic, and a light set off in the room that was as bright as the sun. Arkanov woke up automatically from this bang, as he was quite susceptible to light, and thinking there was another battle, he yelped as he tried to jump up from the bed but got caught in the covers and fell. Thomas was dragged along down to the floor.

Blake screamed the second the light flashed, and he thrust his arm up like a punch, which triggered his magic. A ruthless gust of wind flew up and blew the covers right off of the bed he and his brother were sharing. The light and the sudden cold made Rubus gasp and open his eyes, which were squinting from both morning eye-crust and his impaired vision. River chuckled, and patted Kestral's shoulder, "Morning, guys!"

Arkanov slowly rose up from his spot, using his covers as a means to prevent the girls from seeing his body. His lip quivered as if he was about to speak, but no words were produced. His face was bright red, and suddenly, he became very cross. "Why on earth did you do that?! I was sleeping just fine!"

"Yes, cuddled up next to Thomas, sure," Kestral agreed, now laughing as hard as she ever had on the trip.

Arkanov immediately turned his neck to her and shook his head furiously. "We were NOT cuddling."

Thomas was the only one of the two who seemed to take this lightly, and instead laughed just as much as Kestral. "Jeez, y-you guys got us... haha! I never thought light would scare me, of all people."

"… Is it morning already…?" Rubus moaned groggily, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He didn't seem to care that his chest was exposed, much unlike Arkanov, and reached behind him to the side of his pillow, picking up his glasses and putting them on his eyes.

Blake on the other hand was terribly frightened. His heart was suddenly pumping and his body frozen in place. "Oh my god, don't ever do that again! It scared me so much I even used my magic! What if I had hurt someone?!"

River only giggled and laugh at his panic, "But you didn't hurt anyone, so it's completely fine. And good morning! We have a busy day today, so let's get to work."

Grumbling, Arkanov slunk back under the covers and sighed heavily from the embarrassment he still felt. "Can we change in peace then, without you in here?"

"Ah, right, of course!" River chuckled, and reached down to take Kestral's hand. She pulled herself out of the doorway, and quickly closed the curtain over their room. "We'll be waiting for you guys when you're done!"

Shuffling could be heard from the other side of the door, signaling that the boys were now getting dressed. Kestral gave River a high-five. "That was AMAZING. Did you see the looks on their faces!?"

River laughed so hard that she even let out a snort. She bent over, holding her stomach, "It was hilarious! They looked so scared! Well, Blake and Arkanov at least. Did you see the way he flipped out with his magic?!"

"I got a little scared," Kestral admitted with a chuckle. "We should keep the sneaking to a minimum unless we want to get blown away by wind or choked out by shadows."

"Ah, you're right. They're pretty tough mages so… maybe we should scare them a little less the next time around…" River chuckled bashfully, and returned with Kestral to their own room to start getting ready again. Letting go of the girl's hand, she began to cover herself with her usual attire, the red waist cloth and her turquoise beads. She then followed through the quick routine of combing through her hair once more.

Now, she was packing away several items into her back, and then, she reached back inside to grab the glass bottle containing the heart shards that they had obtained thus far. While the others were readying themselves, she closed her eyes and tried to track where the next shard would be, but what came to her mind confused her. When she opened her eyes, she raised an eyebrow. "That's odd…" she muttered, "The closest shard seems to be… moving. I think someone in the city has gotten ahold of it…"

"Really!?" Kestral asked, her voice going up an octave from worry. She turned to Salina. "What could that mean?"

"Someone's picking it up," Salina explained, just as River had said. She looked to the white-haired woman with concern. "We better hope it's not a merchant of some sort. If they sell it to a shopper, who knows where it'll go then?"

"… Oh my god, you're right…" River's eyes opened wide, and quickly she slung her satchel over her shoulder. A look of determination crossed her face, and even when she had only been awake for a few moments without breakfast, she looked pumped up enough to take on the world. "Alright, once everyone is prepared, we'll go out into town and track this person down, whoever they are."

As if on cue, Arkanov and Thomas emerged from the boy's room and their door could be heard being closed. Kestral immediately swarmed them and began shoving them towards River. "Come on! The shard is getting away!"

"W-We need to wait for the others," Arkanov insisted, resisting his sister's surprisingly strong force. He looked to River. "What's this about the shard getting away?"

A moment passed and the Barry twins came rushing out of their room overhearing the strange news. Rubus appeared shocked by this new information, his eyes wide now, "Since when could the shards start moving on their own?!"

River held up both of her hands, trying to calm down the others before they got too loud. "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that someone else has a shard in their possession. They must be carrying it around, not knowing what it really is. Luckily, with the pieces we have… we can track them down."

"Let's go then!" Kestral declared with resolve. She ran to the doorway and beckoned for the others to follow her. "Come on! This person may start running with it, and then we'll have to run, and I don't like running..."

"Got it!" River nodded, understanding what they had to to. She followed suit after Kestral, and then she was followed up by Blake, and then by Rubus. They ran down the hall, back towards the entrance room of the inn, dodging any newcomers who had decided to stay in these facilities as well. When she pushed past the door into the outside world, River was greeted with the shining sunlight, and an even stronger sense of the shard being nearby. She looked left and right, but she knew it wasn't here. "Everyone... as logical as it would seem to split up, we don't know who we're dealing with, we may need to find them all together. I think they're deeper in the city, somewhere like an alleyway, but I can't be too sure..."

"An alleyway?" Salina asked. She seemed confused by this. "Well, if they're deeper in the city, I suppose we should go after them together then. But be ready for anything. Does it seem like they're still moving?"

"They are, but not as much as they used to. They seem to be slowing down… maybe they're wandering, or something." River inferred, and began to lead the group away from the inn, out onto the busy streets that were already bustling at this time of day. Noise levels were certainly rising, from the sounds of people talking, and the beasts of burden merchants owned snorted and clopped their hooves on the stone streets.

River knew that she couldn't be bothered with them at this moment, she had to find whoever had the shard in their possession. Taking lead of the others, they manuvered through the crowds, walking down the street, as River could feel the resonating shard growing stronger as they came closer. Then suddenly, she felt a pulsating feeling come when she found herself stopping at the entrance of a dark and shady-looking alley. This could only mean it was somewhere in there, but it gave her very, very bad vibes. She knew that strange and suspicious people liked to linger in those areas, and she didn't want to get anyone into that sort of trouble. But she knew that what they needed was in there. "Everyone… it's here. We'll need to track down the person in there and, hopefully, convince them to hand us what we need…"

Arkanov immediately moved to the front of the group when he saw the nature of the dark alley. He looked at River anxiously, suggesting he did not want her to delve any further into the narrow space. "R-River, I can go in for you," he offered, hoping she would take it. "Or at least part the shadows." He stared into the abyss, trying to make out any figures. "This seems... unsafe."

River gave him a similar look of concern, but it was not for her own safety. She didn't want to risk Arkanov going alone there in her place. Even if he was stronger, things may not end well for him if he was hanged up by anybody. She glanced back towards the others, and then towards him. "We're all going in together, and we're all sticking close to each other. It'll be fine, there's seven of us after all…"

"Okay, well... everyone have each other's backs," Arkanov advised before they all ventured forth. "Kestral, what do you see?"

Kestral closed her eyes, but the strain in her face showed she was having trouble. "I can't get a read on it," she said after a minute. "We just have to be careful..."

River understood the situation, and took the first step into the dark alley. It was shady, but not entirely dark and pitch black. She could still easily see everything here; some crates for storage that the residents here used, dirt, soot from fires that the homeless had lit during the cold nights, and yet it was still vacated of any other human. River could feel the shard very close now all of a sudden, as if it was right there in front of her.

Then, from behind the corner, a man turned and emerged. Judging by his face, he seemed rather young, but his height was plenty intimidating. His black hair was covered by his hood, that was attached to a dark blue sleeveless tunic. He wore leather gauntlets, and boots of the same material. With his dark eyes, he only glanced up to the group in front of him. "Ah… visitors. What can I do for you?"

Arkanov saw the face of the young man, and immediately, the tension in his shoulders was released. He did not smile, but instead assumed a polite, yet serious expression. "We believe you have something that we would like, perhaps if you're willing to trade for it."

"Are we?" Kestral asked.

"Yes," Arkanov hissed, and looked to the man frankly. "A shard, or something of that sort. Perhaps there's an aura around it as well..."

The strange man smirked, and reached into his pants pocket. Then, he pulled out a blue, gem-like shard, and held it between his two fingers in front of everyone. River flinched, almost feeling the need to reach out and grab it right then and there. "Hmm, you mean this thing? Looked like a jewel to me, though now that I look at it, it only feels more like a piece of stained glass. Probably worthless." He shrugged, approaching River now, "I can just hand it over to you right now. I'm not any con artist, so I'm not making you pay for this piece of crap."

River almost felt insulted by his words, but she knew that it was a dumb idea to argue. They had to negotiate this safely. But before another word came out of her mouth, the man tossed the shard, and with quick reflexes, she caught it in her two hands. She gave a breath of relief. "Thank you, thank you so much. I was scared that this was going to be difficult… what's your name anyways?"

"Just call me Myrro," he smiled, and reached out his hand. River stared at him with confusion for a moment, but then remembered the very moment she had encountered the first friends behind her. She recalled when Thomas had done something similar, and so he grasped his hand, and shook it. It seemed logical; after all, this man's skin was a bit pale, he may have been of Atrean descent. "Now, how about your name?"

"I'm River," the young woman smiled to Myrro. She seemed pleased that for once, obtaining a shard had gone successfully and peacefully. This was just so easy.

"Well, River…" Myrro muttered in a lower voice. Suddenly, there was the sound of chains clanking, and the feeling of cold metal on her wrist. The girl looked down, and suddenly saw a shackle linked onto her, the partner of it held by the man before her. Quickly, he turned her around, yanking onto her other hand, and shackling both of them behind her back. She pulled and tried to get out, but they were far too tight. It wasn't as though she could even break out of them if she tried harder, because he shoved her and pinned her to the wall. "You're under arrest for theft and assault. For a criminal you're fairly gullible…"

Arkanov looked down the the chains, and raised an eyebrow at this. However, he said nothing, and did not react much at all, for it was Salina and Kestral who reacted initially in shock. The two girls both recoiled and gasped quite loudly. "River?! You're... a felon?!" Kestral asked in horror.

"Oh ye of little faith," Thomas now chided. He held onto Arkanov's wrist to prevent the man from blowing up immediately into a fit of rage, and attempted to address Myro calmly. "Surely there's a misunderstanding. River is no criminal. She's far too kind and sweet to be one. I'm certain you have the wrong person."

"The wrong person, eh? I don't think there's many young women wandering with a small group, who just so happens to have long white hair and blue eyes, and is searching for these colorful shards." Myrro said with a very strong hint of sarcasm present in his tone of voice. River struggled, thrashing her arms about, trying to escape, but this man was just too strong for her. She had never been able to fight back against someone before, this wasn't going to end well. "Your *friend* here just so happens to have a very high bounty on her head, and I've been hunting her down for a few days now."

River growled, and tried kicking her legs, but to no avail. In frustration and terror, she yelled out, "And just who put this bounty on me?!"

"... I'm not allowed to disclose my client's personal information without their consent." Myrro responded simply. Once it seemed that River was finally panting from all of her struggling, he pulled away, knowing that she had already wasted some of her strength. He looked to the others, shrugging nonchalantly. "I apologize if this is a heart-breaking departure for all of you, but the good news is that we've got another criminal off of the streets. Now, I'll be heading on my way back to my client..."

Thomas did not know what to do, for Arkanov was becoming so furious that he seemed as though he wanted to strangle Myrro, and the ladies were concerned and concerned as to whether they should believe this man or not. So, Thomas simply formed his light pistol, since Arkanov was indisposed, and he cocked the gun towards Myrro's abdomen while keeping it low towards his own waist so no one from the outside street would be able to see it. "I'm afraid I cannot let you do that."

At the sight of the gun in Thomas' hand, Rubus immediately took charge of the situation. He stepped forward, placing a hand on Thomas', and tried to push his arm back down. "Calm down, there. We're gentlemen, aren't we? I'm sure we can still talk this out." He tried to reason, and now looked towards Myrro once more. "I apologize for the behavior of my companions. However, how can we be so sure that you're a bounty hunter? You haven't shown us any licenses, certificates, or identification, and you haven't even disclosed the name of your client. For all we know, you're kidnapping our friend right in front of us."

Myrro rolled his eyes and groaned, "Damn Atreans always have to be so official…" he sighed, and pulling River further back by her shackles. She winced, but did not speak. "Look, out here we don't need any certification. But if it makes you feel any better, I guess I'll have to disobey some of my client's wishes. It's a woman named Eris…"

At those words, River's eyes opened wide, and she gasped. Myrro only smirked. "Finally rings a bell, dear?"

"That crazy bitch?" Arkanov asked hoarsely. Kestral immediately slapped Arkanov's wrist, and now the man realized this would happen every time he swore. But he could not contain his anger. He looked to River, and back to Myrro. "That's that woman with your past self, right? Um, sir, you must realize you shan't continue out on your little job for your client, for she is a lunatic. She tried to kill us. She's the real criminal!"

River began to panic; she wasn't sure what Eris would want with her, but she knew that it couldn't be good. She began to thrash again, harder this time than Myrro had anticipated. He almost lost his grip, until River kicked her heel back and hit his shin with all the force she could muster in her leg. Suddenly, he let go and grunted. She pulled away, trying to get back to the others, "You can't take me to her! She's insane, she's murdered kids!"

"Urgh… that's the most pathetic excuse I've heard to get away…" Myrro grumbled. Before she could get back to the safety of the group, the hooded man yanked on to her shackles again, and swung her to the side. The back of her head hit a wall with an echoing thud. Her eyes closed, and a thin stream of blood began to run down her head. Her eyelids grew heavy, her vision fading in and out, until suddenly they were closed and her body had fallen limp.

As he was gazed upon with utter shock and disgust, he knew it was best to make a break for it now. Lifting up River's limp body as fast as he could, he turned around and sprinted back down the alleyway. When he ran, smoke-like darkness began to ride up his feet, and with the use of his own shadow magic, he and River disappeared into the shade.

"ARKANOV!" Kestral suddenly screamed from what transpired, and as her brother already zoomed off to get River back, she called out, "Go into the shadows and get him!"

Arkanov did so. With a flourish of his hands, and thanks to the endless shade, he disappeared into the shade as well, and pulling off something new he had just learned recently, he ran into the wall and fused with its own shadows. Now he was a black figure against the wall - *within* the wall - and he was a shadow. This way it would be easier to traverse through the alleyway to catch up, since his running skills left something to be desired. He continued running this way along the wall in search of Myrro.

Myrro knew he couldn't slow down, even if he was out of sight of the others, he could see Arkanov's shadow off in the distance following in pursuit of him. This wouldn't be easy, especially when having to carry around this unconscious girl with him.

When he turned a corner, still hidden in plain sight by his magic, he saw what would perfectly make his escape. It was a stone manhole in the ground, with access to the underground sewers. Not only would this be an easy getaway, but he could reach his client sooner through there, the only downside being the smell. Quickly emerging from the darkness, he used his shadow magic to reach out, like an extension of his own arm to lift up the manhole. Then, he jumped down nimbly, and with that same shadow magic, closed it back up again, so that there would be less of a trace.

Arkanov could still hear the sound of the manhole cover slipping off, and speedily, he burst out from the shadow wall, and in a strange sight, he took physical form once more. Using the same motions Myrro did, he created a dark arm to slip the manhole off clumsily, and the metal disk flew in the air and into the side of the building. Without really thinking, Arkanov simply jumped down into the dark, treacherous hole, hoping for a soft landing.

Myrro heard the thud of Arkanov's landing behind him, he had to get moving. He observed his immediate area, seeing streams of filthy water flowing left, right, and forward in a grid-like pattern, said streams being lined with stone "sidewalks" that allowed people to traverse through without wading through the waste. With the girl still in his arms, he dashed around a corner, and continued running, hoping that Arkanov hadn't seen him, nor have been able to catch up with him.

Now, Arkanov really wished he had fate-seeing abilities to be able to tell where Myrro had gone. He now formed the shadow pad under his feet that allowed him to travel more quickly since shadows were in excess. After zooming around aimlessly, he saw Myrro carrying River. Instead of focusing on stealth to sneak up on him, Arkanov flew over to Myrro in hopes of ramming his floating mass of darkness right into his side.

Suddenly, Myrro was smacked in his side by the blast of shadows, and he collapsed on the stone path. He dropped River, finding himself on top of her unconscious body. He saw Arkanov right behind him, and he had to act quickly. Suddenly, he lifted himself back onto his feet, and wrapped an arm around River's waist, facing forward towards Arkanov. Then, he pulled out a knife from a hilt attached to his belt, and pressed it up against her neck. "Look, if you continue chasing me, I'll have to kill her, which will be a big loss for both of us since I know you want her alive, and so does my client…"

Arkanov immediately used the shadows under his feet for the shadows that twisted upwards in his hands to create his shadow sword, and he pointed it at Myrro's neck. "Well, if you kill her, I kill you, and you don't collect your bounty, so nobody wins. I don't think you want that, do you?"

Myrro stared at the sword intently; for the first time in many years, he had felt truly intimidated. No one had ever been able to catch up to him before, and no one had ever been so persistent. He gritted his teeth, and grumbled. "You're quite determined, aren't you? Hey, look, I'm sure your little girlfriend is going to be alright, okay? I never take a client who will kill the fugitive. She'll just be given some jail time she deserves. This doesn't have to end in anyone being harmed…"

"She is not my girlfriend," Arkanov immediately asserted. But this little side comment did not derail his main focus, and he instead took some steps forward so he could train the sword closer towards Myrro's collarbone. "And if she has a death sentence or a day in jail or otherwise, you are still not taking her. Your client tried to kill her and the rest of our friends before, so you did take a client who has a death wish for their fugitive. Surely, this won't end with her getting harmed... you, however, are a more likely target if you don't hand her over this instant. May I also remind you that if you do, in some twisted act of improbability, take me down, you've got another six of us to deal with?"

"Not if I can't escape them first…" Myrro muttered under his breath. He was very irritated, he knew that for once, he couldn't win. He was under the premise that this was supposed to be an easy capture, and an easy pay that could last him a few weeks. He was never informed of some shadow swordsman to stop him.

But with the situation they were in, it appeared as though he would have to go a day without coin. He sighed angrily, and pulled the sharp edge of the blade away from River's neck. He then put said knife back into its sheath, and gently set River down on the ground. "But you've got me in a box here. Just take her, go, and I'll inform my client that she will just have to hire someone else, alright?"

"That's more like it," Arkanov smirked from how easily Myrro gave in. He kept the sword in one arm, and expertly picked up River and gently placed her over his shoulder on the other shoulder. But something in the way Myrro looked so disappointed changed Arkanov. He realized with a start that bounty hunting was probably this man's only means of survival. This changed his heart, and impelled him to do something.

He rummaged through his pants pockets and produced a velvet pouch tied by a straw rope, filled with the currency of the city. It was Salina's, something that she gave to him to buy food and supplies for their trip, or what was left of it at least. She had wanted it back, and Arkanov knew she would kill him if it was not returned. Instead, Arkanov tossed it to Myrro, and immediately turned his back to him so he could return to his friends. "I don't know what came over me to be so nice," Arkanov said over his shoulder, "But you best run along before I change my mind. Everyone wins this way."

Myrro stared at the pouch in his hand with utter shock. After everything that he had put them through, hurting this girl and stealing her away, then making this man chase after him through these dirty sewers, he still had the mercy within him to spare him a week's pay? He was indebted to him now. With uncertainty, he stared for a moment longer, then suddenly bowed his head respectfully towards Arkanov. "... Thank you." he muttered. Then, he turned around, and began to go further down into the sewers, considering that it was a rather quick way to traverse the city, "... If we ever cross paths again... I will do something to make up for this. I promise you."

And with nothing else to add on, he broke off in a sprint into the darkness.

Hearing this, Arkanov made a bittersweet smile. The man's help could come in handy if they ever crossed paths again, but the probability of coming across him again, out of all of the people in Samadurai, was second to none. He just gave away their money for food to someone who almost hurt River. His smile morphed into a scowl from the stark realization of his own stupidity. He sighed, and began the long trek back to the others, River over his shoulder.

After a long while because of the laborious task, Arkanov emerged from the manhole. He had set River up there long beforehand, and as he caught his breath and forced his shadow sword away, Kestral sprinted down the alleyway corner and found her brother. She gestured to the way she came, suggesting the others were following her. "They're over here, you guys!"

At the sound of Kestral's voice, everybody ran up behind her to reunite with the other two members of their group. Blake, lingering from the back of all of them, suddenly shoved past everyone when he saw River's condition. Her blood staining her white hair, dirt on her skin and clothes, and being perfectly unconscious was plenty to worry about. He knelt down by her side, and grabbed her wrist, pressing his two fingers gently against the underside of it. Her pulse was still going.

The young man gave a sigh of relief, and then a look of sympathy for the young woman. "Poor River…" he muttered, and glanced to Arkanov, "How did you get her back from that guy?"

Thomas pushed past everyone so he could remove from bandaged and supplies to clean her wound. Meanwhile, Arkanov looked off to the side. "I threatened him with my sword and he gave her to me. And I... *gave him some money because I felt bad.*"

"What was that last part?" Salina shrilled with anger. "MY money I gave for supplies?"

Arkanov shrugged and tried to muster a chuckle that just would not fit with his serious expression. "Come on, he's a bounty hunter, he needs money to live on."

"NOT OURS," Salina hissed. She looked to Rubus, Blake, and everyone else, "Can I kill him? Pretty please?"

Rubus stepped forward, shaking his head and crossing his arms, "No, no, no, Salina. We're not going to let you kill him, he's still a member of this team too. Also, he saved River, so a life for some money is good enough for me." He sighed, but then shot a glare at Arkanov, "But as much as I respect that act of kindness you showed him, now we don't have any money that we'll need for future supplies. We're going to have to start earning some ourselves now."

"Well, that can be... fun," Arkanov tried, but he knew he would not win this one. He slumped his shoulders, until he got an idea. He looked over to Thomas. "Thomas, can't you go street performing for us like you did in Pendsbury?"

Thomas looked unsure about this idea. "The allure of forbidden magic disappears in a place where everyone uses magic and it's not forbidden. But I suppose I can try."

Arkanov gave him a genuine look of gratitude. "Thank you. I'll help in any way I can. But goodness, I try just once to be kind to a stranger and it blows up in my face! I won't do that again."

Blake looked at Arkanov with a frown, not one of disappointment or disdain, but with more sadness than anything. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Kindness is a virtue, and I'm sure that River would be glad that you spared that bounty hunter. Keep helping people, but of course, I guess just think twice before giving them money for supplies."

"... Lilith told me to do it anyways," Arkanov explained, but he regarded this fact nonchalantly. "I just won't listen to her anymore. Again, my apologies."

At those words, both of the twins gave him the strangest of looks. While Arkanov had certainly spoken of this information to River, he had not mentioned a word about it to the Barrys. Rubus raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Lilith? You mean the shadow goddess from the mythology here? Arkanov, you're Pendsborne, and you've only been here for a few weeks. Have you already converted your religion?"

"Never, I swear myself to the Pendsborne church," Arkanov gasped sharply from this accusation as if offended. He scratched his head after he calmed down, however, for he realized what difficulty he had explaining all of this. "I keep having dreams and little thoughts in my head urging me to do things. It's a woman's voice and she calls herself Lilith."

Kestral stared at him in disbelief. "You're going mad, aren't you? You're now a bonafide looney."

"No!" Arkanov hissed. "I'm serious!"

"… I believe you…" a weak, feeble voice spoke. One would have expected Blake to say something like this, but it seemed as though all heads were turned towards River. Her eyes were half open, and she barely moved, her body feeling damaged and vulnerable after such a hard hit to the head from before. But her glazed over eyes stared at Arkanov, and she tried to make a small smile for him, "Gods… sometimes like to talk to people… also um… what happened?"

"Y-You're okay!" Arkanov stammered happily, and he fell to his knees so he could look at River more closely. He smiled gently for her sake as well. "Some bounty hunter tried to arrest you, and he knocked you out. I had to chase after him to get to you. I'm just so happy you're okay..."

River chuckled, and slowly lifted her back. When she shuddered and almost collapsed again, Blake reacted and put a hand on her back, supporting her again. "Ah, thank you…" she nodded with gratitude towards Blake, and then back to Arkanov, "And thank you for saving me from him. You didn't hurt him… did you…?"

"No, for once, I didn't succum to my violent tendencies," Arkanov stated proudly. "I threatened him, but even when he gave you back, I didn't hurt him!"

"Wow," Salina rolled her eyes, "You're one step closer to becoming an actual human."

"Rude..." River mumbled towards Salina, staring with a slight glare at first, but it immediately melted into a playful smile when she couldn't take herself seriously to talk to her like that. She put a hand on the back of her head, and while her head still felt pain from the wound that was there before, she was thankful that Thomas at least had healed it. But she still felt some dried blood in her hair which she would have to wash out later. "But I'm glad we've got the heart shard now, and that no one else had to get hurt. Though... now we know that Eris is searching for these, and is trying to hunt me down..."

Kestral moved over to River's side and kneeled by her as well. She put her arms around the woman like she would to her mother, and she nodded. "We've got to protect you, River. Protect each other. And we need to make sure to watch our backs, because we don't know if Eris is following us or not."

"I know we've got each other's backs..." River wrapped her arms back around Kestral, pulling her in close and comfortingly. She began to move her legs from their stretched and flat position, looking as though she was considering getting back up from off of the ground. "And I can't thank you enough for that. We shouldn't stay in this city for too much longer, since she's sent someone after us already... we should also avoid being attacked by random people too..."

"Agreed," Kestral said. She helped River up to her feet, as did Salina when she saw the girls needed assistance. Kestral looked over her shoulder out of anxiety. "So, you're saying we should leave? I agree. But we need to find Santiago..."

At the sound of his name, it seemed as though everyone started looking at each other. Whether they were looking for answers from someone else or looking for said earth mage, there was no response. Rubus spoke up with this, "You know, where did he go anyways? I haven't seen him since last night. He certainly wasn't with us in our rooms at the inn. Has anyone else seen him recently?"

Arkanov sighed sadly from their concern over Santiago, as though searching for him was somehow a lost cause. "He's not been lucky lately, this last night will make him go crazy..." Arkanov muttered. He stood up as well. "I say we leave him behind."

"Leave Santiago behind…?" River would have spoke louder and with more urgency if it weren't for the pain in her head. With wobbly legs, she tried standing up, and immediately Blake was already supporting her. "Isn't he your friend? You can't just leave him behind…"

"He will only inhibit our search for the shards," Arkanov explained, showing no signs of wavering in his suggestion. "Besides, what kind of person makes an entire group of people wait or look for them when we were so kind in allowing him to join us? And I am most certainly no friend of his."

When River thought over these words, she figured that maybe he was correct. Santiago seemed like someone who could handle himself alone, and he didn't seem to be adding himself as a permanent member. And besides, she knew talking against Arkanov would be a bit rude considering all he had just gone through to save her. "Okay… we could let him go then. I just hope that Eris doesn't learn about him, or if she already has, doesn't send someone to kill him…"

"Well, if she did, maybe she would be doing us a favor," Arkanov remarked. He rolled his eyes. "I hate him. But we are in quite a hurry. We should pack up and head out."

"Hmm… even then, you shouldn't wish for someone's death like that, whether it be joking or not…" River muttered, but she was sure her opinion on the topic didn't really seem to matter at this point. She sighed, and still being supported by Blake, was guided by him back towards the open streets. "Anyways, I believe we've gotten all of the shards in Zunaria. The next place we can visit… we can head over to Dhabonde. I sense quite a number over there…"

"Ooh," Salina guffawed at this statement and giggled. "Dhabonde? Where Rubus' lover is? Heck. Yes. Onwards!"

At those teasing words, Rubus' face flushed as red as his own hair. He tried not to respond, but everyone could easily tell how flustered he was. It seemed that Blake would have to take over speaking for his brother. "I'm sure he would love that. Now, onwards to Dhabonde! I'm sure you're all going to enjoy it there."

### The Middle of the Desert

After many hours of traveling, the group came across a desert clearing. The trees of Dhabonde could be seen in the distance. But the sun was beginning to set now, far more rapidly than it had before. Darkness was cast over the desert and it spread like wildfire. The only light could be seen from the sun's last shining rays painting the entire landscape bright orange.

Kestral began to yawn. "I know we're close to Dhabonde, but can we rest?" she asked no one in particular, but she hoped for an answer.

When the trees could be seen just among the horizon, there was a strange sense of hope. After being out in the desert so long with such little scenery, this was such a nice change compared to all the sand and rocky earth, with no clouds to cover the searing sun. While the heat was still significant, they knew that the grasslands would be coming to them soon.

River took her side by Kestral, and nodded her head, affirming in agreement. "Of course, we've been traveling for quite a while, and we need to gather our strength. It's dark anyways, and in this region, there's a little more than just bandits to fear at night…"

Arkanov immediately came up behind his sister when he heard this, and he gently put his arms around her shoulders protectively. He gave a look of concern to River. "Bandits?" he asked. "Should someone stand guard through the night to look after everyone?"

When she saw Arkanov's drastic reaction, she knew that he wouldn't like the answer to this question. But nevertheless, she nodded, "We might have to keep a night watch or something. Bandits are much more common in Zunaria, and I'm surprised we weren't attacked while back there. But in Dhabonde… it's the animals you'll have to worry about a lot more…"

He nodded in understanding. Then he rose his hand with a somewhat cocky smile. "I'll stand guard all night. I can stay up quite a while without falling asleep."

"Need help?" Salina asked, offering her help.

Arkanov immediately shook his head. "If you fall asleep, you stay asleep. I'll be fine, don't worry."

At this, it seemed as though the others were already putting their bags down and preparing to set up camp for the night. While they were getting everything prepared and ready, River remained standing by Arkanov's side, and nudged him with her elbow. "I'd still like to stay awake with you, if you're okay with it…"

"Really?" Arkanov asked in surprise. He seemed to like this idea. He nodded. "Well, yes, I wouldn't mind. But you're injured. You sure you don't need any rest?"

"It's just a bad bump on the head, that's all." River brushed off her injuries from hours earlier, seeming very, very nonchalant about it all. She held her hands politely behind her back now. "I… I also really wanted to thank you for saving me earlier. I was wondering if there was something I could do for you to return the favor, but only if you would allow it."

"Oh, um... I-it's not necessary," Arkanov assured. He chuckled nervously, for no one had ever been kind to him in such a way. He smiled gently at her. "But I suppose you could... if you really want to. All I can ask of you is that you speak to me while we stand guard. I enjoy speaking to you."

At these words, River felt herself feel… warmer. They were already in a rather warm environment, so it couldn't have just been that. It was something else. If she could have seen her face, she would have seen a faint, rosy pink on her soft cheeks. But this only made her feel more comfortable with him. Shyly, she fiddled with a lock of her hair, and stared down at his feet. "I… I was wondering if I could help you with a certain someone…" River mentioned, now gaining the confidence to look him in the eye, "I want to help you find out what Lilith wants with you. I know methods on how to reach her, but the only way it can work is with a shadow mage, such as yourself. I think you would want to know why she keeps coming into your dreams…"

"Y-You do?!" Arkanov asked happily. He seemed a little confused by what she said but he seemed hopeful as well. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "I'd love to. That would be good. Assuming Lilith actually is receptive... but if she's a shadow 'god,' will she allow a water mage into her realm? Or whatever it's called?"

"She may, or she may not. It's all up to her decision." River informed, and now gave him her full attention, not being distracted by any of the noises behind them. "What we need to do is figure out why she's always visiting your dreams, and what importance it has. Now the way to communicate with her… we only need a shadow mage, but to make the chances of speaking with her higher, we should use some sort of wool-made clothing. Do you have any of that sort?"

"Y-Yes, actually..." Arkanov nodded. He seemed confused by this. "I have a sweater in my satchel made of wool material. Would that work? At least somewhat? I wonder though, why do we need that?"

"From what I've studied of her, she has an affinity for wool, or other sheep-related products. I'm sure it has to do something with her monster form, though I haven't found much information of that." River explained, already planning out how to perform the ritual in her head. "She also tends to appreciate… dead things. Like dried flowers, and *maybe* animal bones, though that last part is more of an assumption than actual fact. Also I would rather not hurt an animal to obtain said bones."

"She did mention she likes to graze on dead plants..." Arkanov agreed. But the beginning of what River said caught his attention the most. "But wait, what's this about a monster form?"

The noises behind them stopped. Everyone else had set up the tents and were beginning to head in. Kestral swayed over to them and gave both Arkanov and River goodnight hugs. "You sure you'll be okay?"

At this, River felt a little spark of warmth in her heart, and she wrapped her arms around Kestral for a goodnight hug as well. With an assuring smile, showing kindness and determination, she spoke. "We'll be fine, Kestral, I promise you. Besides, I don't think any animals or bandits would be willing to travel this far out to find us, even though we should still check for safe measures."

"Okay..." Kestral nodded, rubbed her eyes, and went to bed. "Scream if you're hurt or see someone. Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight!" River said with cheerfulness, and yet with a voice soft enough for the shadowy night. When she had gone back into her tent, and the others began to do the same thing, she glanced over towards Arkanov. "Well… now would be a good time to get that sweater, so we can ask some questions."

Arkanov nodded, and immediately hurried off to the boys' tent to retrieve the article of clothing from his satchel. When he returned, he brought back a wooly, black sweater that resembled a turtleneck, but the collar was not high enough as to go up the entirety of his neck. He handed it to River with hesitation. "Will I be getting this back...?"

"I'm sure that you will, sometimes the gods don't consume their offerings, just... browse through them, I guess." River reasoned calmly, and took the sweater into her hand. With her other hand, she gently grasped Arkanov's arm, and pulled him down with her as she knelt onto the dry ground, which had very few and sparse patches of grass growing. Then, she set the sweater between the both of them, and held onto his hands, closing her eyes and turning her head down. "Are you prepared?"

Arkanov assumed the same position that River did, but he obviously did not take note of he significance of these actions. He shrugged. "Sure? But I think you're confused. Lilith is just this person I see in my dreams, she's not real."

River merely chuckled at these words. While she would have been offended by this when they were more strangers, she knew he had no experience with this sort of thing. Besides, she was going to prove him very wrong very soon. "I'm certainly not confused. If she were of your dreams only, and not a goddess, then there would be no record of her. However, she's very… famous, in the lore out here."

Then, she held his hands tighter, and took a deep breath. She kept her head down, channeling her thoughts in deep concentration. She began to mutter something inaudible under her breath, and awaited signs of the goddess' appearance.

### The Shadow Realm

No goddess, person, or even a living creature came forth. Instead, a dark ripple in midair was created. Suddenly, a dark, inky mass pulsated and floated in the air. One would've been afraid of this, but Arkanov seemed pleasantly surprised. "Oh, this is the thing I see in my dreams too."

The aura wavered. Suddenly, it shone bright and the entire world went dark as the shadow enveloped every bit of space and matter in the area. Arkanov closed his eyes, for the sudden darkness hurt his eyes. But when he opened his eyes, he was caught off guard.

Now revealed was a new location, one like they had never seen before. It was the same desert location as they had been in before — in fact, it was the exact spot — but the colors were inverted, it seemed. The sky was a deep, morose purple, and the sand was an ashy black. No sun or stars were visible in the sky, which showed there was no way of telling what time it was. All bright things were black, and wispy clouds of smoke seemed to rise off the ground and fly high into the sky. Arkanov realized upon closer inspection that these wisps were actually shadows, just like the ones he used, but they were evaporating, which was strange. This entire area was strange. The plants were dead and decayed, all signs of life were nonexistent, and the putrid odor of death lingered in the air.

Arkanov looked down to himself and gasped sharply in surprise, for his outfit from before had miraculously changed. Now, he bore no shirt at all. He only wore pants and boots, which were now way more fuzzy with the same woolen material as the sweater he wore. On his head, when he looked up and noticed, was a hat. It was the entire head of a dead wolf, and the fur of what Arkanov assumed to be its back trailed behind and draped itself down his behind and over his shoulder as some sort of cape. His entire body was practically lined with black paint.

This was when he realized his bare chest was uncovered. He embarrassedly covered his body with his crossed arms and his face blushed profusely. "D-Damn you, Lilith!" he cursed in anger. "What the hell is this?!" He immediately turned to River, wondering if the shadow goddess gave his friend the same treatment.

When the young woman opened her eyes, everything that she had seen shocked her. This was not how it was planned out at all. She had intended for them to merely speak with Lilith, not transport themselves to the shadow realm itself! River certainly didn't have this sort of power, but she only realized the true cause when she stopped to think for a moment. The only one that could have taken them there was the dark goddess herself, so there had to be a reason for their summoning.

When River looked at Arkanov, and saw the strange clothes he was wearing, she stared with wide eyes. She had never seen him wear any exposing clothing before, nor have such strange markings upon his body. But he was not the only one who had changed. River felt lighter on her body, like her clothes had somehow thinned. Only then did she examine herself.

She wore a strapless, elegant white gown made of some sort of silky, lightweight material. There was a black band around her waist, and on the skirt below was a lovely arrangement of feathers patterned to resemble wings. And finally, around her eyes were dark markings, accentuating the lines of her eyes and eyelashes. When she looked back to Arkanov, River could only ask the first question that came to mind. "… Why do we look like animals?"

Arkanov stared at River with wide eyes, and he did not speak. He seemed to be blown away by River's outfit, and especially the way she looked in it. This was justified. She was gorgeous. It had never occurred to him, however, that she was so beautiful. He had been so focused on their mission that he never took the time to notice her features.

"Because we're all animals," a sensuous voice purred. Arkanov whirred around but could not find the skiffs of the voice.

"Who said that?" Arkanov asked. "River, do you see anyone around here?"

River looked left and right, turning her body around and trying to find the source of the sound. Unfortunately for her, it seemed as though she couldn't spot a single thing other than the dark, ashey sands at their feet. "N-No… but I certainly heard it. Is anyone there…?"

Arkanov twisted his body, and suddenly, he saw her. Her skin was ghostly pale, almost purple, as were her lips. Her eyes were rolled in the back of her head. Her white hair was cut neatly in a bob, and she wore a black shawl and dress that cascaded and faded into thin air. She had no feet. She truly did look undead. In a quiet pur, she cooed. "My favorite shadow mage. Hello."

"I'm not your favorite," Arkanov barked hoarsely, despite the fact he was speaking ill of a goddess.

"You're right, you're not," Lilith replied. Her voice warped and wavered, as if she were on another ethereal plane. Then, she turned to River, and smiled. "The company. Hello, dear."

River almost screamed when she saw Lilith in front of her. Not from her corpse-like appearance or warping, but from the fact that she was in the presence of a goddess herself. Immediately, she dropped to her knees, and put her hands together, bowing to the mistress of darkness. "L-Lilith, ruler of shadow magic, i-it is such an honor to be in your presence for the first time." She then stood up, taking a deep breath, "I have prayed to you for an answer. Please, we wish to know why you continuously visit Arkanov in his dreams and… I wish to know what grand destiny he has, if you are paying such special attention to him…"

"Grand destiny can only be shared between myself and the astral mages," Lilith answered coolly. She gave a small smile to this water mage as if she were endearing, and floated before her. Now, her bones could be seen more easily. She was certainly skinny, on the verge of being underweight even. This made her look like a walking corpse. As if she were a mother, she put her hands on the sides of River's face and gently cupped her cheeks. Now her dark ebony sheep horns could be seen. "Skip the formalities, my child." Her white eyes shone. "I pay attention to Arkanov because he plays a pivotal role in the spread of magic, my dear. More than anyone would imagine, considering his background... and his traitorous escapades."

Suddenly, Arkanov froze. "You bitch. Don't speak of that."

Lilith simply ignored this comment as if Arkanov was simply a misguided toddler. She kept her eyes trained on River. "I suppose he hasn't told you. Well, you will find out in time just what I mean. I cannot tell you myself lest I hope to interrupt fate running its course. And I don't intend to do that."

River would have questioned Lilith further, but she knew that when a goddess gave her commands, that she should never disobey. So, she looked up at her with trepidation, holding her hands close to her chest. "If I am not allowed to know what you mean from that comment, then I'll only ask the prior. What role does he have in spreading magic? Should our companions and I assist him with this…?"

"Oh, you will, in the future," Lilith replied. She chuckled from River's inquiring nature, admiring her curiosity. "He is the catalyst to a catastrophic event that will reshape Atreanor, Pendsbury, and Samadurai. And you and the others will play on this."

"Wait, what?" Arkanov asked. He moved closer to River and Lilith, and now he seemed more confused than upset. "This is news to me too. What do you mean?"

Lilith gave him a curt look. "Just what I say. Your deceit will prove to be beneficial... but it will end in the way you least expect it."

With all these words, River couldn't help but be somewhat disturbed and concerned about her future with her friend Arkanov. From the words 'deceit' and 'traitorous', she was beginning to worry deeply. Just what in the world was Arkanov supposed to be hiding from her? And even the other things that Lilith had said were stranger. "I… I don't understand. What catastrophe will happen? Are we even allowed to know?"

"No," Lilith answered simply. "You might avoid the event and that's going against fate. Yes, it is so large of an event, and perhaps so traumatizing, that if you knew what it as you would try to avoid it."

River looked down to her bare feet, trying to keep herself silent as she followed behind the goddess. She looked between Arkanov, and then to Lilith, finding it difficult to comprehend that they couldn't have just gotten a simple answer without transporting to the shadow realm. "Lilith, I… I must ask, if that's all you can tell us, why did you bother summoning us in your land and to be in your presence? Wouldn't that be more trouble than it's worth?"

"No," Lilith said. She grinned. "I want to see you in person. After all, you play a very important role in his fate, in the fate of magic itself in Pendsbury. Oh, I'm saying too much. But if I can say one thing, I will say that this is not the last time we will be seeing each other, River. And besides... I want to see you in your costumes. Don't they look so lovely on you both?"

River looked down to her dress. She genuinely appreciated the style and look of it. It was so elegant, and lovely, that she didn't really want to take it off. Yet at the same time, she couldn't help but feel bad for Arkanov, who was clearly out of his comfort zone with the costume he had to wear. "I think they look great… though I can't imagine this being the only thing you summoned us here for. There must be some alternative purpose to his change of clothes…"

"It's allegorical," Lilith said with a shrug. "Well, actually, it's also just because I want to see you two as you are right now, in this moment. In the future you will be bound by many things... so I want to see how you are now. As a comparison."

"… As a comparison to *what*…?" River inquired curiously and suspiciously. She wanted to trust this divine being, but with her cryptic words and secrets, she found it difficult to find that trust. "I apologize for questioning so much, but I must know…"

"As a comparison of your relationship with him now to what it will be," Lilith answered. She said nothing else as if this were a valid, reasonable answer.

River simply raised her eyebrow at this notion, but she feared that asking any more questions would begin to annoy the powerful deity before her. Instead, she looked to Arkanov, who was thankfully closer to her. She nudged him quickly and carefully, and leaned in to whisper to his ear, "Do you have any idea what she means by that? I don't exactly understand gods most of the time…"

"Just what I say," Lilith repeated with a coy smile. Her large, sheep-like ears flicked, showing her superb listening ability. "You two are friends now, but you become something more later on. You will have an unbreakable bond.

River spent a long moment thinking about those words, racking her brain at the possibilities of what the hell Lilith really was trying to say. But at the words of 'unbreakable bond', her eyes opened wide for a moment. But then, she chuckled and tried to laugh this idea off, as it seemed ludicrous to her, "You don't mean marriage or something, do you?"

Lilith didn't answer. Instead, she floated away from River now, and circled around Arkanov, who was turning bright red. Whether the bright blush was from the unbreakable bond portion or from the fact that his chest was still visible, one could not be sure. Lilith lifted his chin manually with her bony hand and gave a motherly smile. "That's for you to decide, River. It depends on how you think of him. But an unbreakable bond could also be through friendship, of course. Besides, there is no love between you and him right now." Lilith looked back to River. "The odds of marriage are small at this point."

River breathed out a small sigh of relief. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the idea of being with someone like Arkanov in the future, but she knew she wasn't ready for a commitment as serious as that. So for now, she would settle with the idea of a friendly, platonic bond between the two of them. "Then, with all this new knowledge in mind, and our questions have been at least somewhat answered… I assume that we have permission to return home."

"No," Lilith answered, and she smiled playfully. "To leave, you must dance for me first."

"D-Dance?!" River stuttered ever so shyly, with a flustered look on her face. "I don't know how do dance, not very well even…" then, she turned her worried gaze to Arkanov, "Do you know how to dance? Because I certainly don't…"

Arkanov nodded, but he still seemed hesitant. "I know ballroom. It's the only kind of dance we're allowed to do at Temperfest."

"Can't you show her the ropes?" Lilith suggested.

Arkanov turned to River and sighed heavily. "If we have to do it to leave this place..."

River had never heard of this so-called 'ballroom' dancing. The word had never been spoken to her ears, and she stared at Arkanov with utter confusion and curiousity. She didn't know if this was a dance to be done as a pair, or as individuals. So, with these questions in mind, she asked, "Arkanov... how does this work? What do I need to do?"

"I'll lead," Arkanov offered. Somewhat awkwardly, he put his arms out to her and his hands on hers. He moved them up to his shoulders with her elbows bent and outwards, and then he rested his hands gently on her waist. He tried to give an assuring smile. "Just be sure to follow the movements of my feet, alright?"

The young woman's face flushed a soft pink when she felt Arkanov's hand on her waist. She didn't know how to react, she was entirely clammed up at the thought of him even getting close to holding her like this. Her body began to feel warm, even in the lightweight clothes that she was wearing. But she found herself pulling in closer to him, and she mustered a nervous smile, "O-Okay... show me how to do this..."

Slowly, Arkanov moved his feet. He put one foot forward, directing River to move hers backwards as he dipped his torso into hers. Now he used one hand from her waist to support her back to allow her to lean on him. He brought his feet together as he took a step to the right, and allowed for River to do the same. But on this move he did a half-circle turn so now the two switched positions. He gave a soft smile. "I-It's just this movement repeated for a while."

"Oh…" River realized, and began to follow along with his movements. She stepped right, and turned, and was so surprised that she was already performing a dance that she had never heard of until moments before. She smiled, her nervousness began to melt away. She leaned in closer towards him, "I… didn't suspect you would be good at dancing…"

"It was the only thing I was good at back at Pendsbury," Arkanov said with a chuckle. They continued this movement for a while, slowly circling across the dry desert. He was about to dip her, but finally, Lilith rose a hand.

"Stop," Lilith instructed. Arkanov immediately put River up and set her down. Lilith nodded. "You two dance beautifully together. You're free to go."

River turned her attention to the shadow goddess, and seeing as they were done now, River politely bowed her head, much of a sharp contrast to how she had been on her knees earlier for the divine being. "Ah… thank you. It was an honor to dance for you…" River spoke with a calm smile, "Now, I guess we must be heading back to our realm…"

Lilith chuckled. "It'll do be marriage."

She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, the world reverted back to its original colors and life. The mages' clothes were back to normal, to the same outfits they wore before the conversation with Lilith. Arkanov keeled over, as if he had been kicked in the gut. "S-So I suppose we got no answers..." he muttered, clutching his gut.

When River heard his pained grunts, her eyes opened wide in worry for him. Immediately she ran and knelt down by his side, placing a hand on his back. "Arkanov, are you alright?! What's wrong?"

"S-She does this every time..." Arkanov muttered in pain. He grimaced. "She'll make me feel pain right after we speak together as if she kicked me square in the ribs. It's only temporary. I'm fine."

River still kept a hand across her chest in empathy for the man. She gave a breath, patting his back softly, and hoping that his words rang true. "It's alright, I understand. I don't know why she would do that, but if you need any help…"

Arkanov suddenly latched on to River's waist once again, as he felt his knees buckling. Breathing heavily, he looked up at her. "I-It'll pass! I assure you. Don't worry..."

"Arkanov!" River fretted, quickly holding him closer to her body, and trying to keep him still in hope that it would make the pain pass through him faster. She didn't know what to do, and she didn't expect him to grab her already again. "A-Are you sure you don't need help?"

Arkanov looked up into River's eyes, and attempting to fake a smile as best as he could, he gave the most superficial, painful smile probably known to exist. His acting needed a lot of work. "Y-Yes... I'm okay... she's punishing me, you see."

"P-Punishing you?!" River exclaimed. She had experienced the wrath of a god herself before, and yet she had never experienced this level of physical pain. She held onto him tightly, and put her hand on his head, her fingers in his hair, "Oh my god, you poor thing… w-when will it stop?"

"Once I pass out from the pain," Arkanov answered, and as if he were a tree just freshly cut for lumber, he toppled over into River, and fell on her. His eyelids flew over his eyes as quickly as he had made his stumble, and he was out cold within seconds.

River gasped sharply when he fell upon her in unconsciousness. She stared at him for a moment, uncertain of what to help him get back to normal. Carefully, River grabbed his shoulders, and tried to push him off of her, but unfortunately… she was rather weak, and he certainly weighed more than her. She couldn't get him off of her, but she could still easily breathe even with him on top of her. Realizing this situation, she wasn't sure how to react, but she couldn't stop her face from growing pink again…

After a few moments passed, Thomas emerged from the boys' tent. He was in his sleeping clothes, a long-sleeved shirt the same hue as his collared one, and dark pants, with bare feet. It seemed as though he was looking around for Arkanov since he had not come to bed yet. He treaded the desert landscape for a while... until he saw River and Arkanov in their position. He gasped. "O-oh my."

Despite his somewhat dark complexion, a very visible bright redness could be seen on his cheeks as well. Obviously, he was not used to seeing two people so close. He covered his face and bit a fist. "I-I'm terribly sorry to have... erm..."

"N-No, wait, don't go!" River reached out a hand to Thomas, even if Arkanov's weight had held it down somewhat. She looked desperate now that Thomas had seen the two of them, and the gravity of the situation had finally affected her. And yet, before then, she was beginning to wonder if she actually was okay with what just happened. She tried to repress those thoughts for the time being, "Arkanov passed out, and I can't get him off of me. I-I'm not very strong…"

Thomas' blush immediately disappeared, and his eyes widened. "Oh." He immediately scurried over to her side. He put his hands underneath Arkanov's arms and lifted him with some difficulty, since he certainly was not as strong or muscular as the shadow mage. He had to awkwardly set Arkanov to the side then while he helped River up. "I-I'm sorry then," Thomas apologized. It was uncommon to see him so nervous and flustered. He looked off to the side, and he could not meet River's gaze. "I thought you two were in the middle of something..."

The white haired woman pulled herself up with the help of Thomas' hand, and she looked even more flustered than he did. Her eyes were wide and avoiding meeting his own gaze, her face still a rosy red, her shoulders clearly tense. "A-Ah... it's okay, I would have thought the same. Especially with how he was on top of me... and really close... but I shouldn't worry about that. We should probably be more concerned about what happened moments before you came out of the tent..."

Thomas agreed with a nod and looked down to Arkanov. He was calm once more. "So, why on earth did he pass out? Does he need healing?"

"He might, but... I don't know if you can do much to help. This was caused by magic... Lilith's magic..." River muttered, wondering if Thomas would even believe the words that she said. Arkanov certainly met her explanations with skepticism and disbelief, and with the man in front of her coming from a somewhat similar background, she was prepared to have the same treatment. "Look, I uh... tried to pray to Lilith with him to understand why she kept visiting Arkanov's dreams, but... she ended up teleporting us to her realm. We talked for a bit and it was a very, very odd place with odd customs, but after we got back here, he collapsed, saying Lilith as uh... 'punishing' him..."

"... Odd..." Thomas muttered, putting a hand up to his lip as he walked around Arkanov's unconscious body, surveying and inspecting him. Thomas was more aware of the cultural differences between the two of them and decided he would respect River's culture and beliefs more than Arkanov would. But it would surely be difficult. "D-Did she say why she punishes him? Did he say anything?"

River shook her head slowly, showing that she had no further information that could help the two of them with their current situation. She moved her forearms, and held onto herself shyly and nervously. "I'm sorry, I wasn't able to ask him why before he passed out. B-But... Lilith was saying some really strange things, something about our 'unbreakable bond'... also she made us wear costumes, and in order to leave we were required to dance for her..."

At this, Thomas chuckled. "Really? It sounds like she wants you to have a relationship then, one that is more than friends."

River hook her head more furiously and even began waving her two hands in front of her to signify that this was not the response she quite appreciated. "Th-That's not it at all! She said we could either be that or just friends and still have a good bond, okay?! It's not like that, please don't start telling the other groups we're together in that way or something…"

"I notice the way you look at him when he talks to you..." Thomas said softly. Now, he began to look down to the floor, his expression settling into something more despondent, sad almost. "Are you sure it's just a friendship?"

When she heard those words, River appeared just as disheartened as Thomas was, and she seemed very embarassed when he had pointed out those factors of her behavior. She had felt her heart flutter many times while speaking to Arkanov, and her eyes were always in such a rose tinted daze. "I… I don't know. I like him as a friend, m-maybe more than that, but… I'm not ready for a serious relationship like that…"

"Of course, but... the feelings are there," Thomas murmured in a quiet voice. It was as if he has realized something now, and has to accept it. He looked up to River and for once, he gave an awkward smile. "I-It's a possibility you will one day be together in that way. Isn't it?"

River gave no response for several seconds. She had to think this over, whether her response would be be right one or not. Quietly, tentatively, she nodded her head to Thomas. "It… could be. But I'm just not ready for something like that. S-Sometimes I still don't know if I can fully trust him… he's done so much for me already, but… I just can't be too sure with some men…"

Thomas seemed as though he wanted desperately to say something, for he opened his mouth and shut them again without any words. "I-I... may I ask why?"

River's expression of embarassment quickly morphed itself into one of fear, paranoia, and nervousness. Her eyes were wide, teeth uncomfortably clenched, and her shoulders close to her neck with their tenseness. "… I… knew a guy back in my village. H-He seemed like a nice person, but… after spending some time around him, h-he turned out to be a total creep. I uh… left before he did too much though…"

"I-I'm sorry," Thomas apologized. He gave her a genuine look of sympathy. "But I assure you, Arkanov is not like that. He has secrets... but no dark intentions towards women."

River seemed to breathe out a small sigh of relief from that statement. While she wasn't truly afraid of Arkanov or any of the men here, having some confirmation was always nice. But, as she thought more about this, she seemed to look guilty now. Her eyes were sad and yet her body still very tight. "But aside from that… it's a stupid idea to think that I can even be with him in the end anyways. I'm… not really allowed to fall in love with someone. Ali'kian law say that priests and priestesses are forbidden from marriage and romantic affairs. A-And… because of that, I'm not allowed to reproduce either… so what good is loving someone who you can't spend your life with and start a family with?"

"That's restrictive..." Thomas muttered. Now Arkanov stirred, and Thomas immediately went by his side to help him up. "Why can't you break the rules? It's unfair to deny you the love everyone else has."

When River saw Arkanov begin to stir awake, she was worried whether he had heard everything she had been saying or not, but she still continued to answer for Thomas' sake. "My past lives have tried before, and they were punished for their actions. In short, Leviathan can't allow us to reproduce, and we have to take as many measures possible to make sure that doesn't happen, which includes forbidding any intimacy. If our blood passes on to another person, so does our magic, and it makes the whole system very complicated…"

Thomas thought about this more as River spoke. He propped Arkanov's head up with his hand and tried to move the hair out of his face. He didn't seem to be waking as much, so he continued to speak with River. "That's unfair... has this Leviathan loved anyone before? Maybe if he did he would understand why it is so important, and why it cannot be helped..."

"He's never told me. And I highly doubt he has felt love, he is a god after all…" River said with a sigh, staring back down at Arkanov's closed eyes, and then back up to Thomas. She placed a hand upon her own shoulder, "… Do you think he would still want to be with me despite all those rules and regulations…?"

"Love... i-it's a powerful thing," Thomas said. He looked down into Arkanov's face as well, as if he wanted to say something again. "It doesn't follow the rules. It is limitless. And if you try to restrain it, the odds are, it will not bend. Love as strong as one between partners is unbreakable. If he did feel love, it would be regardless of those regulations."

Those words, so poetically strewn together, sounded so beautiful that River could only stare at Thomas in silence with her wide, sky blue eyes. Her hand was upon her heart, and slowly, she surprised face melted into a warm smile. "You sound like you talk from experience. Is there someone that you've been yearning for…?"

Now Thomas blushed again, and he looked away from her. "Y-Yes, I hate to admit it. But we're not talking about me now, are we?"

"No, we're not, but... I'm interested. You're my friend, and you seem very wise beyond your years. We all don't really know that much about everyone here and each other, do we?" River asked, now positioning herself to be sitting on her rear rather then her bent knees. Then, she stretched out her legs on the dry ground, "I just want to know more about anyone. I haven't had this many companions since I was a child, and... I'm curious about who you like here, or... possibly back in Pendsbury, or somewhere else in the world."

Thomas rose an eyebrow at how River was speaking now. "Touché." He had not expected River to be so curious about his own life or story, despite how everyone seemed to be so knowing of River's at this point with how much was revealed. Thomas still seemed secretive and locked away, as if he could not tell her some things. But, as he sat down himself, he decided he would share a few points.

"Well, since you're so curious," Thomas began, "I suppose I can share... some things. Back at the circus in Pendsbury, I fell in love with many people. I did not expect as such, but seeing how intimate of a troupe we were, it was inevitable that some friendly connections blossomed into more passionate relationships. Most of them were quite meaningless, as sad as it is to say, meaningless in the fact that it was built upon a shallow physical attraction and nothing more. A warren, of sorts." He began to chuckle. "I suppose none of them have lasting feelings now, considering what I did." He said this part under his breath. "But it was helpful. That was an example of what love isn't. Because they did not love me despite the regulations considering I was a felon, ha. And I did not return their fairweather feelings.

"And now?" Thomas looked down to Arkanov's expressionless face once more, wondering if he was hearing any of this. "I feel something quite different for someone back home, from Pendsbury. I-I think? I can't be too sure. I just know it's different from the types of attraction I've felt before. It's more pure; I believe it to be love, or at least some demented form of it. I've tried to stop, because we are from two very different worlds, socially speaking. I-I've tried to stop, but I cannot."

Thomas looked to River. "So you see, despite these expectations, it's very hard to stop the lover from loving. If Arkanov does really, truly love you, and if he is confronted with said expectations... he may try to stop, but he cannot, and he will not. So don't give up hope just yet. If loving each other makes you two happy... don't try to stop."

A singular warm, salty tear dropped down the brown-skinned cheek of River. She blinked, and another came down, and she tried to wipe that one away, only more kept coming. She smiled, laughing, even though there was nothing very funny. She kept her hands over her chest, and kept her head down, letting her white hairs fall over in front of her face.

She looked back at Thomas, and stretched out her arm to reach him. With her hand on his, her words emerged from her mouth in a wobbly voice, "… Thomas… th-that was so beautiful. I never knew your words could be so helpful… I… I-I…"

Then, with a sense of determination, her voice became clearer, "I won't give up, not ever. If he really does love me back, then I'll break those laws and stick with him." Wiping away her tears fully now, her smile was ever beaming, "And when you meet that person in Pendsbury again, I want you to go after them, never give up on them no matter the circumstances. If they care for you in the same way, then keep going."

Thomas smiled awkwardly, and his eyes looked watery. "Thanks, River. Maybe."

Suddenly, Arkanov grunted and groaned. As his eyelids fluttered once more, he looked up into the first pair of eyes he saw, which was Thomas' that stared down into him. From the shock of his waking, Thomas stumbled back. Arkanov's head hit the floor because Thomas' leg was not under it. "Ow! Damn you, Thomas!" Arkanov cursed. He sat up and rubbed his head.

"S-Sorry," Thomas muttered; he looked away from Arkanov and River.

Arkanov looked to both Thomas and River as he rubbed his head in confusion. "What the hell happened while I was out? Lilith had to talk to me again."

Seeing him awake, River experienced practically the same reaction that Thomas had. She yelped, jumping back. She hadn't expect him to be back so soon, and she prayed that Arkanov hadn't heard a single thing of what she said. If he did, she would have had a heart attack at that very moment. "U-Uh…! We were just talking to each other, and trying to figure out if you were okay. That's all… but are you feeling better? And what did Lilith say?"

"She chewed me out, apparently she didn't want to with 'the company,' a.k.a. you," Arkanov grumbled. He sat up, still feeling angry about Lilith, but he chuckled. "I'm fine, thank you. Thomas, what are you doing here?"

Thomas flinched. "I came out to see what was wrong, since you hadn't been in the tent for a while", he answered sheepishly.

Arkanov seemed to feel a little bit better from this information. "Really? Well, that's thoughtful... I think. Let's head in now then, it's starting to get cold out here... sorry we couldn't find out much, River. But thank you for joining me."

"It was my pleasure…" River dipped her head respectfully to Arkanov. Her smile was so inviting, so polite, from her own determination that Thomas had put into her. "I'm happy we could at least learn something about this issue. As long as we're here to help you through everything fate has planned for us, I'll be happy."

Arkanov now formed a wide smile, which again looked strange considering he rarely smiled. "River... that's so kind. Thank you." He looked away and had his hair cover his face for a moment as he got up, and he extended a hand to River. Thomas got up on his own and walked back into the tent alone.

"Oh, um… goodnight Thomas!" River called out to the young man, waving her hand politely for him. Then, her attention returned to Arkanov, and she grasped his hand that had been held out for her. She chuckled and smiled, "Anyways, let's get ourselves back to bed. We're going to really need the rest…"

"Yes, let's," Arkanov agreed, still keeping his strange-looking smile. He kept his eyes trained on their locked hands as they walked to the tents. "I suppose it's midnight now. We need our rest to travel to our next destination. Hopefully one without shadow gods."

River giggled at his comment. While he was staring at their hands, she was staring at his unfocused eyes. She couldn't believe that these affections were growing already, but she didn't want to worry about it for now. Instead, she noticed something a little more about him. "You're smiling really widely, I haven't been lucky enough to see it often… what's the occasion?"

"You..." Arkanov admitted, looking back up to meet River's eyes. He did not feel self-conscious about his awkward smile, for now it was brimming. "What you said, about wanting to help me through fate. No one's ever been that kind to me before, and I've only just met you, but... I feel close to you already."

River gasped softly at those words, and yet she couldn't help but take pleasure in what he had said. She knew she would remember this moment, and that she would remember these words for a very, very long time. She walked a little closer to him, and felt the warmth of their bodies a little more. "I'm glad… I want to be close to you. You deserve the help, considering that you've got a goddess on your back now. But it's hard to believe no one has ever been that kind to you before…"

"Where I'm from... I'm not necessarily well-liked," Arkanov admitted. His smile faltered somewhat from this. "You've been one of my first friends. Well, assuming you consider us friends now. So you mean a lot to me."

River felt a warmth, not only on her face, but inside of her heart too. She felt like a fire was burning inside of her, but not one of rage. The fire she felt was controlled, contained, and safe. It gave her light, and it made her feel truly appreciated by this man. She laughed again, "I understand what it's like to be… not well-liked by a lot of people. And I want to be the opposite of that for you…"

Arkanov smiled gently at River now, and he realized with some degree of sadness that he has arrived to his tent. But he did not want to stop talking to her. "And I want to be the opposite for you, especially since you've given me a chance. Thank you..."

"And thank you…" River said with a content sigh. Strangely, she stepped forward towards his tent, acting as though she was going to enter with him. But then, she suddenly stopped, realizing the thoughtless mistake she had almost made, almost acting as though she wanted to spend the night with him. "U-Uh… aheh… anyways, I hope you have a good night's rest…"

The shadow mage noticed this and gave a small smile as he squeezed River's hand. "Goodnight. I'll talk to you in the morning, okay?" He walked off into his tent after that.

When he had gone back inside, River stared down dejectedly at her own barren, calloused feet. Her hands were held together behind her back, and she gave out a little sigh. "Okay... Goodnight..." she said with the sweetest of voices.

She turned around, and took the first few steps back towards her own tent. At this point, she didn't know what she was really thinking herself. They had only known each other for such a short time, and yet she already was aware that she was falling for him? What the hell was she doing?

River has disobeyed everything that her instincts told her, all for the sake of this man. Fragments of phrases she had heard from years before began to recall themselves in her mind, bouncing off of the bone walls of her skull. *Don't be alone near a man that isn't family...* she remembered her father telling her in a low, serious voice from three years before. *Never give in to the temptation of love, my child...* the old, wavering voice of the shaman from her childhood echoed through her mind once again. She shuddered, remembering the chilling words that would soon follow; words that had stuck with her for so many years. *For whoever you love could be punished, and a child born from that love would be killed...*

As she arrived at her tent, River laid herself flat on her back, and then slowly flopped to her side to find a comfortable position on the sleeping mat below her. With these thoughts and memories in mind, she was sure of it. She didn't deserve someone like Arkanov, and he doesn't deserve the consequences of being with her...

Meanwhile, in the boys' tent, Arkanov and Thomas were circling each other. The latter was at the sharp end of the shadow mage's dark sword, yet he showed no fear on his face. As he reversed back into the tent's flimsy wall, Thomas stuttered, but his furrowed brows showed his true anger. "Arkanov... you have to understand, I need to tell River. This is becoming too detrimental to your mission, and she will end up hurt in the end because of your betrayal to her. You do realize what she is feeling now, right?"

"I am betraying no one," Arkanov countered quickly, now coming closer with the sword. Thomas stumbled back onto the floor, and in a flash, Arkanov fell upon him with the sword trained expertly to a spot on Thomas' neck. Arkanov glared. "I-I'm serving my city, and you're the one who has betrayed Pendsbury, Thomas." Something in the way Arkanov said this, with some stumbling, suggested he was beginning to have doubts in what he was saying. Thomas noticed this, and out of anger, Arkanov shook his head. "I-I am pretending to be her friend. Whatever she feels, I cannot have any control over, but I am continuing with my mission as planned."

"Oh?" Thomas asked, now in quiet outrage, for he had to keep his voice down. "I'm sorry, but when I think about a plan to destroy Samadurai by overthrowing its cities' governments, I don't particularly imagine the agent romancing a mage girl, skipping and holding hands, as a part of it!"

Arkanov jammed the sword a little deeper into Thomas' neck, and Thomas let out a small, whispered yelp from the sudden pain, but he did not say or do anything else.

"This is an artery," Arkanov said. "Would you like me to go a little further and slit your throat? *Shut the hell up."*

Thomas said nothing. He could only look into Arkanov's eyes sadly, as if all hope for him had been lost.

Arkanov let go of the sword and it vanished into thin air, and he returned to his sleeping mat on the opposite side of the tent. "To some dregree, you're right. There have been distractions in the mission. Most likely, Santiago will cover for me back in Pendsbury, at least for a few days. I need to come up with some sort of plan as to how I can get in contact with one of the monarchs here."

"So you can overthrow them?" Thomas asked, shocked and appalled. "Have you no remorse in the slightest for this? These people around you, Arkanov, they trust you now. And like it or not, they will find out your true intentions, and you will lose everyone you love. You talked with one of their gods, Lilith. Don't you feel as though you understand their culture now, at least on some basic level? So will you have mercy?"

Arkanov grunted unceremoniously. "I love no one here. If I destroy their hearts, I'll consider it collateral damage. I've sworn my allegiance to Pendsbury, not to their shamble of a theology. And I am keeping my promise to the Elite Seven." He looked down to the floor. "Not for anyone or anything else but my family."

"But Kestral is your family," Thomas implored, "She loves it here, and all of the magic and wonder and freedom this land has to offer. You will be ripping it away from her if your mission sees completion."

Arkanov kept his eyes on the floor. "She will understand later on in life why I must do these things for her, for my mother and father. I'll take some years of not speaking to her if it means she is supported and stable for the rest of her life."

"I hope the payout is worth it," Thomas hissed. He slammed his body down on the mat and turned away from him so Arkanov was facing his back, "Because you will ruin the lives of everyone in Samadurai all for the sake of your family, and you will always be one selfish prick, Arkanov."

Thomas said nothing else, and he fell asleep soon after, his hand on the tender wound from Arkanov's neck. The shadow mage looked down onto his mat expressionless, as if he did not know what to think. Obviously, he was having apprehensions to his plan now, but he was realizing this would only impede his mission. With resolve, he turned facing Thomas just in case, and mumbled. "I need to cut off all emotional ties with anyone in this group. Starting... now..."

And with that, he fell asleep.

## Daybreak

The orange rising sun of morning began to break through the darkened sky, lighting it up to a beautiful blue color. The Barry brothers were already in the middle of deconstructing their tent… well, one of them anyways. Rubus was the one busy with that work, while Blake was simply staring off dreamily into the sky as he sat on the dry, earthy ground.

"Er, mind helping a little there, brother?" Rubus asked, grunting from his hands full of cloth coverings and thin support sticks.

"No thank you, I'm quite fine on my own," Blake brushed his brother's request aside, while the redhead rolled his eyes and groaned, wrapping up the tent supplies and strapping them onto his pack. But nevertheless, Rubus soon found himself sitting down beside Blake watching the rising sun, and put a hand up ruffling his black hair. This made Blake chuckle a bit.

"We have some time before the others wake," Rubus noted, "I guess it's reasonable you would want to watch this with some silence."

Thomas emerged from the tent with a hand over the sword wound from the night before. He rubbed his temple and seemed somewhat surprised as he noticed the Barry brothers watching the sunrise. With a small smile, he sat down beside them. "It's beautiful... I didn't think the sun was orange."

Blake turned his head towards Thomas, and smiled brightly when he saw him approaching. His look seemed to falter for a moment when he saw the mysterious wound on the other man's neck, but he had to ignore it for now as he stared back out into the sunrise. "It usually looks orange-ish when it comes up over the horizon, then it turns into a yellow once it's fully up in the sky. Do they look any different in Pendsbury?"

"There is no sun in Pendsbury," Thomas answered with a chuckle. "It's always foggy and raining in that place. The clouds are always up no matter what. You only hear things about the sun and never see it."

"… It's strange, isn't it? How the most important city in Atreanor has such a drastically different experience than the cities in the rest of the continent…" Blake noted, his voice wistfully floating like the wind. His eyes were still fixed on the sky, "In Floralia, we always saw a sunrise like this over the ocean…"

"You're lucky then," Thomas said with a small laugh. "Pendsbury is definitely different from all of the other cities linked with Atreanor. I'm jealous of you guys. I would've done anything to see a sunrise as a child."

Blake put up his hand, and patted Thomas firmly and heartily on his back. "You're seeing it now, aren't you? That's better than being stuck in that city and never seeing the sunlight. Now, you don't ever have to spend a morning without it."

Then, he sighed and glanced to his brother. Rubus' eyes seemed glazed over, he must have been deep in thought with something else, maybe taking mental notes of this morning, or simply enjoying the moment. Even being his twin, Blake could not quite tell. So he focused his attention back to Thomas. "Though I admit, I particularly enjoy the mornings here out in Samadurai than Atreanor. It feels more… free, you know? Like there's more breathing room, and no tight schedules to live by… and of course, no fear of using a little bit of magic to your convenience."

"Tell me about it," Thomas agreed with a happy sigh. "I don't have to worry about being arrested just for using lights now and then. It's amazing. I am considering not going back to Pendsbury once this is all over..."

"I feel the same way…" Blake muttered with a content and calm smile. But soon, it faded when he thought over the implications of his words. Now, instead he had released a sad sigh, "But we still have to return to Atreanor. To publish our notes into a book, and to be with our family again… but after that, I… want to continue living here. It would be best for people like us, especially Rubus-"

At the mention of his name, the read head snapped back into awareness and looked at the other two men suspiciously, "Just what are you talking about in relation to me?"

Blake suddenly seemed nervous, and he gave a light chuckle, "U-Uh… you know… your magic isn't the most… *stable*. Flames tend to start coming out when you're running high emotions…"

"That would definitely be troublesome in Atreanor or even Pendsbury," Thomas noted with wide eyes. "In Pendsbury you're flogged for that sort of thing. But you don't seem to have been punished yet so I assume you have control."

Rubus only looked away, refusing to give a response to that statement. He suddenly seemed serious, and very, very distant. Blake's shoulders dropped, for he knew what his brother was thinking at this very moment. He sighed and looked back to Thomas, knowing he would have to give an explanation for this behavior. "He's almost gotten in trouble for it when we were children, but… a family member was able to bail us out of punishment, though not very easily… and after that Rubus began to try using up all of his magic before the day started so that it wouldn't accidentally come out of him later."

Rubus groaned at this, and crossed his arms. "Come on Blake, don't sugarcoat the story for him…" he grumbled, and finally looked back at Thomas past his brother. His eyes were serious, a little agitated even, like he had just been wronged by someone. "Our aunt took the bullet for me when my magic got out of control once, and she was arrested and executed for that. Since then, I couldn't accept those damn anti-magic laws…"

Thomas seemed very embarrassed for having obviously discussed something very serious and personal to the twins. He showed extreme embarrassment and remorse and simply looked away from the two. "I-I'm very sorry. But I feel what you are describing. The anti-magic laws are more oppressive than anything in the world. Your aunt is noble for what she did."

"She is, she was very brave for her two elementary school nephews…" Rubus muttered in a lower voice, showing a sense of brooding anger towards that moment in the past. It was something that he just couldn't let go of, and it was something he could never ever forgive and forget. The expression he wore at least said that much. "I just can't stand it. The only reason I even had to use my magic was to protect Blake, and yet that's somehow warrants a death? It's a disgusting flaw, and I don't want anyone to experience what happened that day…"

Thomas was distressed from seeing Rubus in such an angry state, but he felt his emotions and frustration. "We'll try. We just need to let people know why magic restriction is so wrong. It's hard to convert those very conservative Pendsbornes though. But people in Atreanor hide their magic in the same ways that you did. There are many who are persecuted. Hopefully one day, it would be good to save some."

"There's no way we can change any of their minds immediately, but it's possible to change." Blake spoke up, hoping his optimism could lighten the mood of the other two on his two sides. "That's why we're taking the slower, safer approach. Causing a rebellion or something would hurt too many people and cause chaos. If we can change the minds of others through reading our book, currently in progress, they could change with as little violence as possible."

"True," Thomas agreed, though he seemed apprehensive to this idea. "But I've caused rebellions and they seem to work well. Yes, they stir up violence, but... well, it spreads the desire to act out against those horrible, oppressive ideas."

Blake nodded in understanding, but he didn't really appreciate the idea very much. "Of course, of course. Sometimes a strong push is necessary, but the slow change is the most effective over a long period of time."

Thomas sighed heavily and put his head on his hands. "I just wish that... I wish these thoughts would die out, but I don't know how. Apparently my dad was killed for being a mage, and I don't want that to happen to anyone ever again."

Rubus looked at Thomas over his brother's shoulder, and tried to formulate a smile despite how angry he had felt recalling these memories once before. He wanted to say nothing, but seeing a friend in distress was too much for him. "That's one mission we can try to accomplish out here, right? We may be in Samadurai now, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were any heart shards in Atreanor. If we have to travel up there, we can try to spread some more *sense* into the anti-magic enforcers…"

"You think we can?" Thomas asked happily. He looked off into the sun once more as it rose high over the horizon. "I hope so."

Now, Arkanov emerged from the tent. He seemed to be in an angered hurry as if he were looking for something. When he saw Thomas, his tense shoulders relaxed, and he forced a fake smile. "Hello, everyone. You're up early."

Blake, already feeling awkward from this tense conversation from before, immediately focused his attention on Arkanov, who he hoped could lighten up the mood. He waved to him in a friendly manner. "Ah, good morning, Arkanov! We were just planning a bit ahead for later ventures. I assume you slept well?"

Arkanov seemed pleasantly surprised how Blake seemed lovely, upbeat, and genuinely concerned for his well-being. He smiled softly. "Yeah, I did, thank you. I assume you all did as well, hopefully. What are you planning?"

"Just thinking about what we have to do when we reach Atreanor." Blake informed with such a warm and calm demeanor, as if nothing could affect him in this moment. "River did say they were scattered everywhere, right? So that may mean there would be a few shards up in Atreanor, and considering everyone here… that might be a difficult task."

"Most certainly," Arkanov agreed, and he looked away, as if he were embarrassed on the Atreans behalf. "They don't even believe in hearts there, let alone magical ones. It will be very difficult to find."

Blake nodded, understanding what the other had meant. Though, he wasn't sure if Arkanov was sure of the full implications of their future journies. "Very true, we couldn't rely on others to give us hints. But, well…" Blake then turned his gaze to his other side, looking at the girls' tent not too far from them. "We have two Samadurians with us. Salina could pass for an Atrean with a wardrobe change, but River… there's no way she would have an easy time up north. We can't just change her skin color and dye her hair…"

"You can dye her skin," Thomas said now, "At least I believe you can. In the circus, there's this certain paint we use to lighten skin, and there are probably magic potions out and about, right? With that and her hair she can at least pass for some sort of albino..."

"But how many albinos have blue eyes?" Rubus piped up with his question, starting to brainstorm his own ideas for how they could get around this issue for the future. He put his hand on his chin and rested his elbow on his lap, "And albinos aren't very well-liked in Atreanor, so even then she would have a rough time, but not as much as she would if we went in with no disguise..."

"It'll be better than coming up with an obviously Samadurian girl," Arkanov pointed out. He sighed. "I think giving her more fair skin would be the best bet. Maybe there's hair dye, Thomas, don't you use that?"

"Yes," Thomas answered, "it is a possibility."

Blake then looked at the others silently, he suddenly seemed rather concerned now. When he glanced to the girls' tent, and back at the others, he sighed. "Does anyone else feel weird that we're talking about this without her input?"

But shortly after he had mentioned this, there was a slight sound of rustling from inside the only occupied tent. A moment passed, and River had walked out, fully dressed, with a comb in her hands as she brushed through her hair. "Good morning, everyone… what's going on here?"

"We're talking about how to sneak you into Atreanor," Thomas said bluntly, with a pleased smile on his face. "I don't know if you can feel shards there, but it's likely we'll be visiting that country and we will need to get you in somehow. Any thoughts off the bat as to what you think would work?"

"… What's so wrong with Atreanor?" River questioned with wide and innocent eyes, not even adding to the list of suggestions that the others were already generating. "I know they don't like magic, so I can just not use it. But why should I have to hide what I look like?"

"In Atreanor, there are racists," Arkanov said flatly, yet with a bit of sadness. "If they saw your darker skin, they would immediately persecute you. That is the case in Pendsbury. I'm surprised Thomas was alright in that city."

"P-Persecuted…?" River stuttered nervously. She looked to all four of them, trying to understand the specifics of what they could possibly mean by that description. But at the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She focused her words towards the taller, dark haired man before her. "U-Um… Arkanov, what do you mean by that? What would they do…?"

Arkanov seemed hesitant to say such explicit and dark things, especially since he knew how fragile River was. But he decided it was best for her to know the truth. "They beat the darker ones first, and then they throw them out of the city, and let them fall to the ground usually..."

River couldn't help but gasp at the mere thought of this, despite how she wanted to look stoic and calm when confronted with such dark imagery. She covered her mouth, and immediately looked away from the others. "That… That's awful… I don't want to think about how many people who've had to endure that…"

Blake stood up, and walked over to her side. He felt sympathy for the poor girl, seeing how shaken up she suddenly was. "Hey, it's alright, you don't have to go through that. You've got magic, and a lot of Atreans have used their magic so little that they don't even know how to hurt others with it. Besides, if anyone tries to, I'm sure all of us can help you…"

"We can definitely take on anyone who tries to hurt you," Arkanov agreed with a solemn nod. "They're forbidden from using magic by their society. We, however, are not, and can use it against them. It's hard to fight magic."

At this, River found herself trying to laugh. But it came off as nervous, and very forced. Realizing how bad she sounded, she immediately clamped her mouth shut again, and began to fiddle with her hair as a habit to try warding off the slight anxiety. "Th-Thank you guys... it's nice, k-knowing that I won't have to be murdered... just for how I look..." the young woman rubbed her head, groaning, "How is that even okay...? Aren't there laws to stop people who do that?"

"No," Arkanov said sadly, "There are people who create the laws who have this racist intention in mind and skew the laws in their favor."

River looked suddenly very defeated when she had learned this dark fact. She shook her head, not wanting to believe it, but she had heard many horrible things about Pendsbury already. It seemed as though there were no truly redeemable qualities of that place, as much as she wanted to believe of the existence of good anywhere. "W-Well… at least we don't have to worry about that right now. We're on the border of Dhabonde, a-and luckily no one there would want to kill us for our looks…"

Arkanov nodded. "Yes. Though do you sense any shards far off, possibly... I believe it's northeast of here? That's where Atreanor is."

At this, River nodded, with such a solemn look on her face. "Yes, there are faint traces of the shards far up north. I assume that's where Atreanor is. We… aren't going to have a very fun time up there, are we?"

"Afraid not," Thomas said with a sigh. He stood up and patted River's back with some hopefulness. "But hey, it's for a good cause of getting the shards."

River understood his words, and rolled her shoulders back with a straightened posture. "Well... I guess there's no use freaking out about that stuff right now. After the other two get up and we're all finished with this, we can go on ahead and find the next shard, a bit further inland to Dhabonde."

Arkanov nodded, and moved over to the girls' tent to see if he could wake the two up. However, when Salina came out in her sleep gown of her own accord, with her kohl make up streaked and a distraught expression, Arkanov halted. "Salina? Are you okay?"

Salina flinched. Obviously, Salina did not take to Arkanov, so seeing him concerned scared her for a moment. However, she regained her composure in a moment. "I-I'm fine. Sweaty... what's going on?"

"Just planning ahead for the future," River answered, but the second she saw Salina in her rather messy state, she covered her mouth. Immediately, she dashed up to the other young lady and put a hand on her shoulder. Eyes of utterly kind sympathy were being displayed by River towards her, "Goodness, if you were feeling hot last night, there's nothing wrong with taking off some clothes. O-Or did you have a bad dream? Is everything alright?"

"Apparently there is something wrong with taking off clothes, don't want to freak Arkanov out," Salina chided. She threw Arkanov a playful look, and Arkanov immediately grew uncomfortable and scurried away. Salina giggled at this, but with less energy than usual. "I'm fine, Riv. Just hot."

River still smiled for her friend, and pat her shoulder lovingly and assuringly. "You can always shed off clothing when in the privacy of your own tent, no one would have judged you," then, with a quick glance back to the other men, with her gaze a little more focused on Arkanov, "I'm sure they wouldn't *really* mind anyways. Even Arkanov can get over something like that, I bet."

"Not really," Arkanov retorted. Salina and Arkanov exchanged dirty looks to each other. Arkanov continued. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to it." He walked away.

Salina rolled her eyes and gave River an appreciative look. "Thanks, Riv. I'll be honest with you... I really wasn't sweaty in the tent. Um... I was crying?"

When she heard this, River quickly glanced over her shoulder. She wanted to make sure that not everyone was overhearing their conversation. Carefully, she guided Salina a little ways away from the others, and let the men talk amongst themselves. With worry, she stared into the other girl's eyes. "Crying…? Salina… that sounds really serious. Are you going to be okay? Want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to trouble anyone," Salina insisted with a shake of her head. She smiled gently, or weakly, for her friend. "I'll be fine. But a hug would be pretty great right now."

Doing as she was told to help her dear friend, River quickly wrapped her arms around he other tightly and firmly. She didn't want to let go, fearing for what Salina was feeling. She pay her back softly. "A-Are you sure you can't tell me? I just want to know if you're going to be okay, and I want to help you…"

"... I'm a little afraid of Aries," Salina said sadly. She returned the hug and held on tighter. "I had a nightmare and I thought it was real, that's all. I'm just so sorry that I let that happen to everyone."

River nestled her face a little more into Salina's shoulder, hoping that the closeness would bring her more comfort. She wasn't sure what to do for the other, but she would have to do her best to keep her going. "No, don't think that about yourself… you, with Rubus' help, still saved us all. You and him fought Aries back and made sure that he couldn't return. You did the best that you could, and everyone here is still alive and well, aren't they?"

"But I got everyone hurt," Salina muttered hoarsely, "I can't forgive myself ever for that. Kestral and Arkanov were hurt, Blake almost died. There is no excuse for that!"

Quickly, while holding her, River put a hand on the back of Salina's head, pulling her in a little bit closer. She sighed, being as gentle as she could to help her. "Don't beat yourself up over that, you're the reason everyone is alive right now." Then, with a look of such kind assurance, she mustered a smile for her, "And don't you remember what you said to me the other night? What matters now is that you continue helping and protecting everyone when they need you. That's all I could ever ask of you."

Salina blushed slightly hearing her kind words. With a small smile, Salina wiped away her ruined makeup and smiled gently at River. "You're a good friend, River. Thank you so much, well... I won't beat myself up over it. But I know if I ever see his face again, I promise you, I won't let that pain and torment happen to everyone. Never."

"I know that you will, because you're the toughest girl that I've ever known!" River assured with a smile of determination. Now she backed away, with hands on her hips. "You're strong, and you know how to fight. You can do things I can only dream of. Don't ever forget that, and prove to the world that you're not letting an incident like before happen again."

"I-I will!" Salina said with a smile, eagerly shaking and determined to prove herself right then and there. "River, you should have a job of motivating someone to do things. You're great at it. Thank you... how can I repay you?"

"No need to," River denied her offer of gratitude, but accepted her words lovingly and whole-heartedly. She glanced back to all the others who were already getting themselves set up for entering Dhabonde. "All I care about is that you keep going strong. For me, for them… and for yourself. Don't forget it."

Salina couldn't resist. Because of her muscles, she swept River up into her arms and gave her a tight hug, but she remembered to not hug her too tightly unless she wanted to break her back. "You're the best, River!"

"AAH!" River exclaimed when she was suddenly lifted up into the air. For a moment she was scared that she would have been dropped and met an unfortunate landing, but when she found herself being held up by Salina, she only laughed at how enthusiastic she was.

This seemed to have caught the attention of some of the others, specifically, Blake. While the rest of them seemed busy, the dark-haired young man stepped off to the side to check on the two women. "Goodness, what's going on here to incite a hug-fest?"

Salina immediately put River down on the floor when she noticed Blake had taken note of what they were doing. She was not necessarily ready to admit to everyone else about the guilt she felt, so she instead forced a bright smile for the man's sake. "Nothing! Just a good morning hug to my friend. How are ya, Blake?"

"I'm doing just fine," Blake smiled back to the girl. He noticed how odd her own smile was, how it seemed rather forced. But he didn't want to mention it, for fear that it would cause offense to the other. "Once we get Kestral up and get everything packed, we can cross the border into Dhabonde."

"Salina, can you help us out?" Thomas asked with a pleasant smile from where they were setting the tents back into the packs. "We need your strength."

"Sure!" Salina nodded. She looked to River as she walked away, "So, can you go wake Kes so we can put her tent up too?"

River nodde, glad to see that she could make her friend elated once again. It made her proud to see this coming from her. Now, she turned to the last tent that had yet to be disassembled, the one she had come from this morning. She knelt down, pushing past the fabric flap and poking her head inside. There, she saw Kestral still sound asleep. She crawled in, and gently pat the girl's shoulder, then speaking with the sweetest of voices, "Kes… Kes, it's morning. Time to get up…"

"Mmmmm... River...?" Kestral murmured in a daze. Her eyes opened, and she seemed as though she was about to be somewhat angry for being woken, but when she saw who it was, she smiled gently. "Good morning... do we really have to get out?"

"Yes, sadly we do." River sighed, but it was one of content happiness from being with her small companion again. She gently pet the girl's hair, with such softness and gentleness. "But the good news is that we're almost out of the desert. We'll be seeing some grass and trees again soon, and a lot more animals too. I know you haven't seen much more than dogs and cats…"

Kestral slowly rose her torso and sat up to give River a questioning look. "Well... I'll get up, but only if you tell me what animals there are besides dogs and cats." Kestral got up and began to dress. "Or rather you tell me what they're like while we travel."

River chuckled a little, wondering if she should be spoiling any of this to the girl. She wanted to see the girl's reaction without her knowing anything beforehand, but if she was to take an easy way to get her up, she complied. "Well, there's many animals. In the plains, there are lions, which are like massive cats with gold fur. Then there are zebras, like horses with short hair and black and white stripes. That's only a few of them…"

Kestral donned her pants and shirt, and immediately placed her cap on her head, under which Frig was sleeping. "Woah!" Kestral exclaimed. "Wait, why are they dressed like that? It seems silly for animals to wear such strange costumes."

"It's silly to think that they're wearing costumes." River laughed outwardly at how she jumped to such a strange conclusion, and also from how the child kept Frig nestled on their head like that. "It's all part of their body. That would be like saying my hair is a wig… it's different, but natural."

"I just didn't imagine hair to be able to come in stripes!" Kestral immediately replied, a little embarrassed. "Sorry. But now I need to see this for myself."

"Well, if you want to see them eventually, let's get up with the others and start packing our things away again." River suggested, already grabbing her satchel which she had left in this tent earlier. She slung it over her shoulder, "They're waiting on the two of us, since they're all ready to go."

Kestral yelped at this and immediately walked out of the tent so they could take it down. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't know everyone was waiting. Let's go then!"

"Right behind you, Kes!" And with that, River followed suit after her out of the tent.

Once the girls were out, the boys and Salina immediately fell upon the tent to bring it down. Kestral looked to River excitedly. "Where do you sense the next shard is? Lead the way."

"It's definitely further up north, not too far. I think we can reach there in less than a day," River informed, her hand in her bag grasping the glass bottle of heart shards they have already collected. "Let's start heading out."

### Lush Grasslands

It had been several hours since the crack of dawn, and it was well into the afternoon now. The band of seven had crossed into vastly new and different terrain; no longer did they trod through hot, shifty sands or parched, dusty earth. Their feet were now upon softer, cool dirt, and traversing through tall emerald blades of grass. Trees were becoming more common and more clustered together. There were no signs of animals, at least not yet.

River, Rubus, and Blake all found this terrain familiar and even somewhat nostalgic. They had been in a land like this once before. But the three of them knew that everyone else here had not. So they all curiously wondered about the reaction of their companions…

Salina breathed in and out heavily as if she enjoyed the fresh air from the plants. The Pendsbornes, however, seemed more distressed. Kestral, upon seeing the grass and trees, jumped behind Arkanov's back, and instinctively, Thomas did so as well. They peeked over his shoulder as Arkanov summoned his shadow sword. "Don't worry!" Arkanov gallantly declared, "I'll protect you two from this green monstrosity!"

"It's so bright..." Kestral murmured, "What is it?"

Arkanov did a dramatic flourish of his hands and chopped some of the grass down to have blunt-edged ends. However, this was one small patch. When he noticed how much grass he was, he seemed alarmed. "Damn it! There's too much of this stuff! How will we defeat it all?"

River simply walked forward on into the grass, that had went up to her knees. The twins followed her nonchalantly into the field, but hearing the commotion behind them, they all turned their head in confusion. All three of them had rather mixed reactions. Rubus frowned, looking unamused, as he expected even Pendsbornes to know that plants were harmless. Blake on the other hand, looked on in sympathy, finding it depressing that the others had never learned about something like this. Finally, River just laughed and called out to them, "Come on guys! They can't hurt you, they're just plants! Grass can't move and bite you, just take a few steps through them."

"We have plants on Pendsbury... well, one," Arkanov said, still hesitant. "Wheat. Hyacinth grows the wheat for everyone. But it's not green... I don't trust this. Nothing is ever this bright in Pendsbury."

"That's likely cause to a lack of sun exposure," Rubus noted. He pushed his glasses in, and begun to explain. "You said that Pendsbury has cloudy weather is very poor, clouds and rain. Plants, in order to grow as green as this, need a fair and equal amount of sunlight and water. This is just the most natural and healthiest state of plants, that's all."

Arkanov still seemed unsure. Hesitantly, Thomas went out from behind Arkanov and touched the grass. Then he took off his gloves and did the same thing. "It's... soft."

"Soft!" Kestral remarked, "I thought they were sharp and pointy little green blades!" Kestral looked to River. "Are you sure... they're safe to touch?"

River giggled softly at how hesitant the child was being. She followed back in her tracks to approach Kestral again, getting closer. But she didn't get too close. She beckoned her to come over. "It's safe, don't you worry. They're called blades just because they look like blades. They're soft and harmless. Animals eat them all the time, and you can even weave it into various things."

Seeing River's go-ahead, Kestral scurried over to her side eagerly. As she felt the grass blades brush against her exposed calves, she giggled. "What kinds of things can you weave them into?"

"Kestral, be careful!" Arkanov ran over to Kestral's side and immediately examined her. "Are you okay? Did the grass hurt you? Goodness, your skin is exposed, you'll be shredded by the time we're through here!"

River laughed rather loudly at Arkanov's alarm, finding his fretting and worrying absolutely hilarious over something so simple and so harmless. Quickly, she reached out her hand and grabbed his arm without warning, and pulled him into the grassy field with them against his wishes. "Try it yourself! It's totally safe, there's no way you can be cut by any of these things."

"STOP, RIVER!" Arkanov put one hand over his face as if to protect himself, and he practically pleaded with River to let him go. But before he could protest any longer, he noticed that the grass only brushed slightly against his trousers and boots. Arkanov rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Eh...?" He bent down, and let the grass glide over his uncovered arms. He gasped. "My god! It doesn't hurt at all!"

Kestral was already taking her shoes off so she could feel the grass underneath her feet. She looked to River curiously. "It's like this in all of Dhabonde?"

"Pretty much." River answered gleefully, just from the enjoyment of seeing these people so unfamiliar with this environment to experience everything around them, for the first time. She began to turn around, walking towards their destination once more, breathing in as the wind blew by. "This entire region is filled with foliage. Sometimes they're different, like further north, some of the grass is more of a golden-yellow than green. But there's other things, like trees, flowers, ferns..."

"... But not all plants are necessarily safe," Rubus pointed out, stopping in his tracks so that the others could catch up with him, as he was already a bit up ahead. "Some of them are poisonous if you touch them or eat them, or they could be home to insects, or a predator could be hiding, waiting to strike."

"That doesn't alleviate any of the fear," Thomas muttered. He stood up and smiled warmly. "Still, they don't have grass like this in Atreanor, most of it is dead or covered in ice."

A noise could be heard from the trees off in the distance, and the intense, frantic swaying of leaves sounded. The Pendsbornes turned their heads and stared at the tree that was nearest the noise. Thomas seemed surprised. "Oh, is that a predator? Or do trees make sudden ruffling like that?"

"Only if there's wind, but..." Rubus was now focused on the source of that noise. He stared at the tree, his eyes squinting as if trying to see better, although his glasses already corrected his vision quite enough. He didn't feel any wind this time, so this movement made him rather suspicious. "... It could easily be a small bird, or a rodent. Nothing dangerous..."

Thomas approached the tree thoughtfully, and looked up into it. He saw two very large, dark masses. "Oh? I don't know what birds or rodents are but there are two animals up in this tree. Perhaps two birds, or two rodents? Or one bird and one rodent..."

Without warning, a figure suddenly fell from the tree's branches and landed expertly on its feet with a large thud from the ground and the heavy steel-toed boots it wore. As the figure rose, its features could be distinguished. It was a girl, with long dark brown hair in stringy tangles all aound her face and ended just past her shoulders. Her light blue eyes bore heavy, dark gray bags underneath, as if she had not slept for a long while. Her pale face was flushed, which made sense considering the fact she was wearing a dense metal breastplate, long-sleeved shirt, pleated skirt, cargo pants, and the boots. Around her arms were thorny vines that looked like whips.

And surprisingly from the tree fell Santiago as well, but he did not plunge as gracefully, and he fell on his thick skull. That did not seem to phase him. He was wearing a new outfit now, one identical to the one the girl wore except for the skirt. He seemed to be uncomfortable again as well from the heat. He got onto his feet just as easily as he had fallen, and tried to restrain Hyacinth, but the thorns on the vines made him recoil and wince in pain. "Hyacinth, stop, please!"

The girl named Hyacinth gave Santiago not a moment's focus. She flicked her arms with great strain, and the vines cracked to life as they flung into the air and slapped with a snap down onto the grassy floor. From the thorns, grass was cut with ease, and it flew listlessly in what little breeze there was. Obviously, this woman was upset.

"Arkanov," she said in a somewhat hoarse voice. Her eyes were trained on the shadow mage.

Salina seemed threatened, and immediately put her fists up to fight. "You know this girl?" she asked Arkanov. The entire time, he looked shocked, horrified, and almost fearful.

"Arkanov!" Hyacinth suddenly shouted, and her voice echoed throughout the rows of trees. "I know you hear me. God, y-you look like one of them... Here! Step away from these filthy vermin mages. I'll tend to them."

Upon the reveal of the two, one being familiar and the other a complete stranger, there was immediate alarm. River stepped back, her eyes suddenly fearful. From how the woman was talking, she expected a possible fight to break out. River knew that she wasn't built for fighting, and hopefully, she wouldn't have to attack.

Instead, Rubus had taken the front for her, stepping ahead both her and his own brother. He stared with a glare, but a glint in his eye seemed to hint towards a sense of confusion that he felt. He seemed ready to strike with his fire anytime. "And just *who* are you? I don't want this to get violent, but I don't appreciate it if you have an issue with my friends…"

Hyacinth noted the man before her with some uncertainty. "You're light-skinned. Atreans? What are you doing among those rats?" She looked to River and Salina.

Rubus was not one to let his anger go out of control. He was a gentleman after all, and he wanted to settle this in a gentlemanly manner. But nevertheless, this insult still sparked an anger within him. "I really don't appreciate you calling my friends… *rats*…" he hissed, disgusted by that description, "So please, if you could explain who you are and why you are here without any aggressive undertones, that would be much preferred."

"They've clouded your judgement!" Hyacinth screamed, and immediately, she sent the vines cracking towards Salina and River. However, Santiago speedily sailed in front of the vines at the last moment, and the thorns tore his shirt into some shreds and drew some blood. As he fell to the floor, he winced and grunted in pain, but did not seem affected even still.

"H-Hyacinth, stop!" Santiago pleaded with her, "I can explain... we can explain what this is all about..."

Hyacinth shook her head. "I've got to kill these damn mages before they convert you to their sinful ways!" Again, Hyacinth sent the vine sailing towards River, perhaps out of racism for her darkest skin tone, but mostly because she was the closest mage by.

River didn't know what to do; they were coming so fast that she couldn't make a reaction. Quickly, she threw up her arms, trying to shield herself with a bubble of water, but she was far too slow. She couldn't pressurize the water, and so the vines burst the bubble and made it splash on her. The vines whipped her arms and torso. She let out a scream of agony, her skin now ripped and bleeding, as she fell down to her knees.

Arkanov saw what little River did to protect herself and fight back, and frustrated, he cursed, "Damn it, River!" Then he turned his attention to Hyacinth. He immediately drew his shadow sword and cut Hyacinth's extended vines with a flourish. The cut ends fell listlessly to the floor.

Frustrated, Hyacinth tightened her hands. As if the vines were starfish, their ends regenerated with ease in a few seconds. Once this was done with new purple thorns, Hyacinrh growled. "I'm not fighting you, Arkanov. Let me have her. I've almost finished that witch off."

Arkanov looked to Rubus and Blake, and then shot a purposeful look over to Hyacinth while he was speaking with her. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, Hyacinth. Calm down or I will use this sword against you." As an addition, while he tightened his grip on the handle, "You've felt its edge before."

With haste, Blake ran up to River's side as she tried to cover the fresh bleeding and stinging wounds. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and lifted her back on to her feet. Then, he pulled her back, trying to get far from the scene and keep the vulnerable girl safe.

Meanwhile Rubus remained on the front lines. Seeing this woman harming his companion, he knew this was a dangerous situation already. Without thought, he focused his magical might, and thrust his arm forward with a stream of flames aimed at the woman.

Some of the Flames hit Hyacinth's skin, and with this, she cried out in pure agony, some flames bounced off her from the metal breastplate, but she was still obviously in pain. She fell to the floor as he hair covered her face and she breathed out, crying, "Arkanov, Santi, h-help..."

Arkanov stood over Hyacinth but did nothing to assist her. Hyacinth began to form tears in her eyes as if she were betrayed. "Y-You're with them..." she muttered quietly, and with that, her head dropped to the floor, and she was unconscious from all the pain.

Blake stared from a distance, utterly wide-eyed at the woman's sudden collapse. He didn't know what to say, as he was still busy trying to keep River from bleeding out, but he could tell from his twin's glaring expression that this matter was too serious for him to make much of a comment about.

Rubus looked as though he felt no remorse. His face didn't change, and he simply looked away from the burnt woman before him. He sighed, "Good riddance. She doesn't deserve our help…"

"N-No!" Santiago suddenly got up from his spot on the floor. He shook from the pain he felt, but he was in such a hurry to reach Rubus in time that it did not matter. "Please, you, Thomas, someone help her. She's our friend..."

"Trying to get laid again, 'Santi?'" Salina asked in a bitter tone, now over where Thomas and Rubus were to help River. "What kind of friend would harm innocent bystanders?"

"Someone from Pendsbury," Arkanov spoke now. Salina turned to look at him and her eyes widened with the sudden realization that Hyacinth was in fact a manaphobe.

Now she turned to Rubus. "Then you could say her own judgment was clouded..."

"N-No…" a voice from behind stuttered. Upon turning heads, it was revealed that it was River, who was holding her arms to cover the bleeding wounds. She stepped forward, shaking Blake off, and looked down at Hyacinth. "Help her anyways… I'll be fine…"

Blake stared at her with utter shock, even some disgust with how merciful River was acting after being hurt like that. He knew even the softest people wouldn't react like this after being attacked, and yet with blood trickling down her arms she still had the will to help her attacker? "Seriously River?! You can't just save the person who hurt you, because chances are she's going to do it again!"

"I'll hold her down," Arkanov and Santiago said in unison. Arkanov frowned at this, and looked to River and the others with a blank expression. "She's been under some heavy influence. She used to like magic but the people in Pendsbury, they've... they've brainwashed her. So maybe she won't be responsive at first, but we will restrain her so she can't hurt you anymore. Hopefully we can send her back."

"G-Good, as long as she doesn't have to continue to suffer for this…" River muttered, smiling a little despite the pain from her fresh wounds. When she stared at Hyacinth's unconscious body, she didn't feel any rage or resentment, just sorrow and sympathy for the poor girl. But even then, the Barry brothers behind her looked to her and back to each other as they could not understand why she would be acting this way.

"So how will we send her back?" Rubus finally spoke up, crossing his arms, "It's not like we have a very fast mode of transportation here…"

"I'll take her back," Santiago volunteered immediately. He looked off to the side as if he were hiding something. "I've got a means of getting her back home..."

"As long as you get her away from River and Salina, I think we can be okay," Rubus stated harshly. His anger certainly not subsided, seeing as how heartless he felt towards the fate of the earth mage before them. "I wouldn't want to keep her around when she has murderous intent for innocents."

Santiago moved sadly over to Hyacinth and hoisted her over his shoulder. He gave Rubus a sad look. "I know you're upset, but really, she doesn't know any better," he pleaded.

"He's right, Rubus…" River muttered softly from behind him. At the sound of her voice, his glare had to fade away. When he looked at her and saw her injuries, the bleeding getting slower from the blood clotting, he reasoned that resuming his fury wouldn't do much to help her.

With a sigh, he put his arm over her shoulder and start to lead her back towards Thomas, "Come on, let's just get you patched up. Santiago can deal with her…"

As Santiago lumbered off with the woman over his shoulders, Kestral eagerly ran toward River to see her. She noticed her brother was standing with his arms crossed away from everyone else, but she ignored this for now and instead looked upon River with worry. "Will you be okay, you think?"

"I'll be fine…" River assured, looking to the girl with a gentle and calm smile. She didn't express her current pain at the moment, and waited for Thomas' assistance. "It's just a bit scratched up, I'll be fine…"

Thomas examined the cuts on River's wrists carefully. He removed the red handkerchief he had kept from his old outfit and dabbed the last droplets of blood on River's arm. 'It'll be easily to heal, since your blood is already clotting. Thankfully these didn't cut too deep either." He placed his hands on her wounds and light shone from his palms that was buried from his large, yet delicate hands. Slowly, the light brightened as if it was finally all warmed up. He looked to River. "Does this hurt at all?"

"It stings, quite a lot, but it's a little better than before…" River mentioned. She watched as his magic began to heal her. She was still entranced by how he did it so well and so effortlessly, and she felt more appreciative of his presence here. "Thank you, Thomas. S-Sorry that I couldn't block her attack in time…"

"Please, don't be sorry, love," Thomas said lightheartedly, with a small, sad chuckle. "I'm sorry I wasn't there in time to shield you from the attack."

At this, Thomas noted Arkanov lifting his chin and giving a sharp breath in of air. Thomas shrugged and continued speaking. "You could not have done much anyways. Those vines moved like lightning."

"Heh… they were really fast…" River laughed, followed by a pathetic sigh. She wasn't really all that lighthearted about the attack, but she was just glad to have everyone here to help. Though when she thought over his words, she tilted her head in a slight bit of confusion, "But what you just said… 'love'…? Is that a nickname?"

"Yeah!" Thomas said enthusiastically, with a nod. He chuckled, "Usually you use it for your lover in Pendsbury, but I call people my loves when I'm close to them. See?"

River smiled brightly at this, happy to hear that he thought so kindly of her. She giggled, "Thank you… I was confused for a moment. I thought you were flirting with me… but the fact that you see me as a close friend is very flattering."

"No," Thomas chuckled again, "You're a good friend of mine, River. I'll leave the flirting to Arkanov."

"… Arkanov?" River glanced over her shoulder to look at the dark swordsman hanging behind them, wondering if he had heard this little comment. She still didn't believe that he had the same feelings towards her as she felt for him. She looked away, now returning her attention to Thomas, as her face appeared ever so slightly more pink. "Heh… you must be mistaken… Arkanov isn't really that type…"

Thomas laughed even more seeing this reaction from her. However, he seemed somewhat reserved, and almost sad from seeing River, as if he was apologetic for something. However, in a friendly sort of manner, he put a hand before his face and leaned in to her so he could whisper, "Not necessarily. He has told me he believes you to be... pretty."

River gasped softly, as this new information only made her shocked as she couldn't process quick enough what it had really meant, or whether it was true or not. She tried not to look back to Arkanov again, and desperately hoped that he and the others were distracted from her as she whispered back to Thomas, "He… he really thinks that about me…? Wh-When did he tell you?"

Arkanov was certainly distracted, for he went off with Santiago to move Hyacinth away. This gave Thomas ample time to lean into River once more. "It was in a rather nonchalant way, I suppose. We were in our tent discussing Pendsbury... and he said he was surprised that a Samadurian like you could be so beautiful, for the depictions of mages in pictures back home show you people to be quite savage creatures."

While the others seemed to be off watching Santiago and Arkanov take care of Hyacinth, River was thankful that they weren't able to hear a word between her and Thomas. Feeling ever so flattered, she put her now healed hand on her chest, and tried hard not to stare the other in the eyes. "I never thought he would have said that… that's so sweet…" but then, the woman sighed, "But it's a shame how he only thought that way because he had low expectations…"

"Well, it's still a start," Thomas said, now giving her a small, weak smile. "Now for the personality, why don't you exceed his expectations?"

"P-Personality…?" River questioned, now suddenly appearing nervous. This was one aspect she was very, very unsure about. "You're his friend… do you know what kind of person he likes? Would he like someone like me?"

Thomas thought about this for a moment. He seemed to relish the fact that River thought the two were friends. He smiled gently, but realized he felt uncomfortable from the conversation. "The past woman he loved, the only other one, was a strong leader. Someone who could defend herself, and someone who was definitely a role model and mentor to him, in fighting, however. I see fighting is not your forte, but perhaps you could be a mentor in magic for him."

"A… mentor…" River repeated out loud in a soft voice. This thought seemed like the best probability for her chances of getting closer to Arkanov. If he needed a teacher on magic, she may be the best one for him. After all, she knows quite a lot about the subject matter itself, and she could tell that the man of her affections needed some guidance. "I… okay, I'll do it. I want to teach him as best I can, even if I can't fight, I just want to show him what magic has to offer…"

The light mage nodded. "This seems to be the most easy way of winning him over... yes?"

"Winning who over?" Arkanov asked. Thomas jumped from the scare of having spoken about Arkanov himself. When he looked up, he saw the shadow mage with his hands on his hips, giving the two an unamused look. "Hm?"

Thomas immediately came to the rescue with more lies. "Hyacinth. I know I said him. But it was a mistake. We'd like to hopefully show her that magic is okay... at least down here."

Arkanov was extremely gullible, and he gave a small smile. "Oh. Okay." He turned to River. "I promise, I won't let her hurt you again."

River stared up into Arkanov's eyes in a brief moment of silence, that to her felt like just the right time. She was so happy to see him smiling, even if just a little. But now she realized what Thomas had meant the last night, about how she looked at Arkanov strangely, and then proceeded to try and shake those thoughts out of her head. "Th-Thank you… your help is very appreciated. I'm sorry I'm not a good fighter…"

This seemed to bring Arkanov's mood down somewhat, as he became more apologetic. But he did not notice the way River looked at him. "No, I'm sorry I cursed at you. But we do need to get you to believe fighting is normal, so you can take care of yourself."

When River heard this, she was surprised to hear that he actually wanted her to start learning about combat. At this moment, the moment of opportunity struck, and she realized what she could do. With a smile across her face, she offered, "Then… how about we do a trade? If you could teach me how to fight, I wouldn't have to keep everyone busy from trying to protect me. Then, m-maybe I could teach you more about magic…? O-Only if you want to… it could help you with your own skills too…"

"Ah?" Arkanov seemed to be somewhat taken aback by this, perhaps because no one on the team had ever suggested or even offered to help him with his understanding of magic or Samadurian culture before. It seemed strange that River, after all of the squabbles those two had together, volunteered to help him, but his smile widened from the surprise. "Well... yes, I would quite like that, a lot actually. I suppose we have a deal."

"R-Really?!" River smiled excitedly, her heart felt as though it had just fluttered. But she couldn't show this outwardly any further. Trying to keep her composure, she took a breath, and bowed her head respectfully before Arkanov. "Thank you… I look forward to teaching each other."

Arkanov became excited for the first time around these new people, and he nodded eagerly. "Hopefully we can begin training at dawn." He nodded once more, and headed off to find Santiago, probably to check on Hyacinth.

Thomas turned his head and gave a pained smile. "Congratulations. It worked!"

River breathed out heavily, as if she had been holding air in her lungs for such a long time. When Arkanov was gone, she looked up to Thomas with the brightest smile she had ever made. "Thank you so much! I never thought he would be so accepting, but I'm even happier that I was proven wrong. Thank you for helping me with this…"

"Of course," Thomas said in a robotic voice. "Anything for a close friend of mine. Perhaps you and Arkanov will soon become even closer as well... if he seems to not realize how you feel, don't give up hope. He cannot pick up on other people's feelings too well, quite honestly. Give him time."

"I'll keep that in mind," River smiled gleefully and warmly. But now they had gotten that ordeal overwith, she found her eyes following where Santiago and Arkanov were arranging the situation with Hyacinth, still unconscious before them. "Though I just hope we can get back to normal after Hyacinth leaves. If they're sending her back to Pendsbury, what if she tells the people there that you, Arkanov, and Kestral are here? I'd be scared of others hunting you three down…"

"I have a feeling she won't," Thomas said, happy the subject was changed, "Because maybe, if you're Arkanov's mentor... we can be her mentor in showing her that magic isn't all that bad. And maybe she can join the rest of us."

"What?!" A voice exclaimed, that did not come from River at all. Upon a turn of heads, immediately they saw Rubus looking back at them. He crossed his arms in front of him like an X shape. He must have caught at least the last part of their conversation. "I don't think it's safe to put her in the presence of non-Atreans whatsoever! If she wasn't so skilled in combat I would be okay with trying to change her mind. But this idea is like trying to train a wolf not to kill a deer. It's possible, but too risky."

Thomas met Rubus' skepticism with understanding, and instead of getting into an argument with him, he smiled gently. "Ah, but Arkanov and I, we are very dangerous wolves ourselves, aren't we? And yet, we've taken the time to understand magic and Samadurian culture. But not without your help. If it was possible for us, it is possible for her."

"But you didn't try to murder River the moment you saw her…" Rubus growled in a lower tone. While he truly appreciated that Thomas wouldn't argue and instead used reason, his own anger was still clouding his judgement. "We need to find some way to restrain her from attacking anyone if we really want her to accompany us."

Thomas laughed outwardly at this. "Oh, don't give the poor girl the same treatment I got! I'll tell you, metal chains and handcuffs aren't all they're cracked up to be. Perhaps if we encourage her to accept magic of her own volition, she won't need the restraints."

Rubus still didn't seem any more alleviated. In fact, he almost seemed more irritated than anything. With crossed arms and a quick sigh, he gave a strange look to the light mage before him. "Well then, how do *you* propose we go about helping her without putting everyone here in danger?"

"We show her why mages aren't different from how she is," Thomas explained, "And that it's nonsensical to persecute mages when we are in fact the same people. Some people in Pendsbury are allowed to use their powers and they're the city's bodyguards. I suppose she is one of them. Thus, we must convince her we are allowed to use our own magic in the very same way." Now Thomas arched a brow. "Besides, as you said before, we must change the hearts and the minds of the people through peace, not violence or constraint. Right?"

"Yes, I did, and I still firmly believe that." Rubus said, and was starting to feel that the other wasn't quite understanding what he was trying to say. "What I mean is what are we going to do when she wakes up? We can't just have her wake up after we knocked her unconscious and expect her to act completely rational and reasonable. She's either going to be scared, or angry, and those emotions often lead to someone getting hurt."

Thomas smiled easily. "We'll just talk to her then. When people wake up from being unconscious, they're usually calm and confused. We can speak with her then."

Rubus rolled his eyes, he knew that there wasn't any way they were going to agree on the safety precautions with this new botany mage. He crossed his arms, sighing heavily. "Fine, we'll do it your way. But we're still going to keep a close eye on her, alright?"

"Of course!" Thomas agreed, and gave Rubus a playful wink. "Safety first. Now I suppose the first step to this process is to... well, actually wake her up. River... I'm not sure if you can make water cold, but perhaps you could give her a splash and she'll grace us with her conscious presence."

River nodded assuredly, for she was already capable of cooling her own water. When she gazed to the two men currently handling Hyacinth, she took a breath, mentally preparing herself for the worst. "Then let's get to it. Hopefully she doesn't freak out…"

Thomas guided River to where Santiago and Arkanov were. They were kneeling around Hyacinth. Santiago, in a surprisingly gentle manner, brushed the hair out of Hyacinth's face so she would not overheat. Meanwhile, Arkanov kept an eye on the girl in case she showed signs of awaking.

Both the others looked up to see Thomas and River approaching. While Santiago immediately returned to tending to Hyacinth, Arkanov seemed surprised. "Hello?"

"Arkanov," River spoke affirmatively, with an air of determination around her. Yet, she could only feel trepidation when she looked at the woman unconscious, laying in the bed of emerald grass. "We need to wake her up, and hopefully… we can convince her not to attack us."

Arkanov shrugged. "You can try, but Hyacinth is a very... enthusiastic person when it comes to telling off mages. Santiago and I will hold her down once she wakes, but no promises."

River nodded in understanding, knowing she would have to take her precautions. The others were standing behind her, and she knew to run to them and have their assistance if Hyacinth were to lash out "I hope you're ready then."

Then, the white-haired woman swerved her hands smoothly and elegantly, forming a perfect sphere of water about the size of her head. As she breathed out, it looked like the air escaping her mouth flowed into the bubble, and cooled it down to a chilly, but not freezing temperature. But she was getting nervous, her hands were already shaking as she anticipated an attack. But nevertheless, she unexpectedly flung her hands up and the ball of water dropped like a rock, splashing onto Hyacinth's face.

Hyacinth's torso sprung up like a rocket in response to the cold. She coughed, as some of it went down her nose and throat, and when she noticed the two men held down her arms, she attempted to break free. Physically, without her plants, however, she was weak. She grunted in discomfort and anger. "AGH! Now you're water boarding me?! You cruel, horrible monsters!"

She noticed how the Pendsbornes were her captors, and she showed the same hurt, betrayed expression from before. "Santiago... They turned you too?!" Now she looked to River. "Wh-What happened? Why did you try to drown me?!"

River yelped, releasing a small and short scream, and jumped back to the safety of the group behind her. She was clearly trembling, and Rubus was ready to step in any time. But she held up a hand to him, showing that she still had this covered despite her fears. "P-Please understand, I'm not trying to drown you! I was just trying to wake you up, a-and they're holding you down so that no one gets hurt…"

"The only person that will get hurt is you," Hyacinth practically growled this all out in one breath. Arkanov tightened his grip on Hyacinth in response, to which she spat on his arm. "Damn you, traitor."

Salina, who had been silent for quite some time, came forth and bent down to her level. Then, she stared into the woman's blue eyes, as if she was trying make a connection with her on a deeper, more personal level. She was not afraid of what Hyacinth had done or Hyacinth herself. "We need you to understand who we are," she said gently. "Please... before you try to hurt us, understand what mages are all about."

"Why?!" Hyacinth asked in a frenzy, "So you can convert me to your sinful religion! I-I've heard about you all in Pendsbury! You're polytheistic animals who flaunt magic whenever you can and have sex with anyone you can get your hands on! You're sick scum!"

Rubus was just about to go into a fury like this; he couldn't stand watching this culturally blind woman insult the ones he had gotten so close and comfortable with. But River had to speak up, and try to negotiate with her. "We aren't animals… we're human, just look at us. And we're not… eugh, *copulating* right now… that's not a thing at all. I don't know why you would think that, it doesn't really make sense."

"You let men copulate with men and the same with women!" Hyacinth cried. "That's sin! A-And I refuse to believe that I am within the same species, let alone the same chordata, as you primitive, uncivilized monsters."

"I… wouldn't say primitive…" River stepped back, growing more nervous as she heard these words spat out of the other's mouth. Was this really what Pendsbury had thought of mages? Of Samadurians? With these thoughts in mind, it made her anxious, especially because she wondered if the other Pendsbornes here harbored the same thoughts deep down. "That would imply we couldn't speak… and we're talking right now, aren't we? And we have civilization… just look at Sihrasul."

"Shut up, you whore!" Hyacinth countered angrily, "I bet you've been passed around to everyone here, haven't you?"

Arkanov tightened his grip on Hyacinth and glared. "Say something else if you want to get hurt, Hyacinth."

The girl lifted her chin and frowned at them all. "There is nothing you can say or do to convince me that mages are good people."

River did not look upon Hyacinth in disgust, but rather averted her gaze in shame. She didn't quite appreciate that comment she had made before, in fact, she was truly utterly furious about it. But she could never let her anger show. When she glanced at the snarling woman again, she saw the mild burns on her that Rubus had left with his magic. Maybe her words weren't strong enough, and she needed the action of another. "Thomas," she turned to the light mage by her side, "I'm so sorry to ask you of this after you used your magic on me, but… do you think you can heal Hyacinth's burns…?"

"Yes," Thomas nodded, and he went over to Hyacinth's side to help her. Quite forcefully, he put his hands on the burns on Hyacinth's back and arms, and he began to heal her with gentle magic.

Hyacinth gave Thomas a loathesome look. "Oh, it's you again, the circus faggot freak. I thought I locked you up in Pendsbury Prison a long time ago."

"Heh, then you're mistaken," Thomas replied, his kind expression unwavering. He continued to heal her, and once he was all finished, he slapped his hands together. "And I'll have you know I'm straight, and there is nothing wrong with being gay. Pardon you."

"Still doesn't make you less of a magic-loving freak," Hyacinth snorted. She looked to River, and she began to calm down, but she still obviously harbored some skepticism for this group of people. "Why are you trying to help?"

"We're helping because we don't want to hurt you…" River answered, not quite sure what her insults towards Thomas had even meant, but she didn't appreciate the tone. "You look confused, and really misinformed. Maybe if we could disprove everything you think about us, then… we could just get along."

"Oh yeah?" Hyacinth laughed right in her face. However, she was weary from the burns and the fight beforehand, so she hung her head low so her hair could cover her face. "I don't know how you can prove you're not whorish, indecent swine to me, but I need a laugh right now. Go ahead and try."

She looked to Santiago and Arkanov, and held her right hand up to them. River spoke with an air of authority to her, as if she knew what she was doing, at least somewhat. "Release her, don't hold her down anymore," she requested. The woman knelt down in front of Hyacinth. "Are you hungry? Thirsty, maybe?"

The men released her, but kept their hands nearby in case they needed to hold her down. Surprisingly, Hyacinth did not protest or make a sudden move, and she stared at River, still keeping an untrusted expression. Her volume lowered, and her shoulders relaxed somewhat, but she did sit up more. "Huh...? Are you trying to posion me?"

River shook her head no. Quietly, peacefully, she reached into her satchel, and pulled out a small glass jar that had been covered by cloth. She twisted off the cap, and poured out a handful of small, what appeared to be reddish dried fruits. She stretched out her hand to the other woman. "Hyacinth, these are called 'dates'. They grow on palm trees in Zunaria. They're sweet, but they have pits in them, like plums. Do you want to try them?"

Hyacinth looked at the dates before her. She gasped, and immediately fell upon the dried fruit like a ravenous animal. She stuck it in her mouth and munched quietly, curling up into a ball, and she crawled a little closer to Arkanov to feel safer. Santiago did not like this, obviously, as the expression on his face showed his contempt.

Hyacinth did not seem to notice, for instead she ate until the date was gone. Then she looked up into River's eyes, and blushed hard when she realized just how desperate for food she had seemed. "Wh-Why...? Why did you do that? Will I die?"

"No, of course not. If anything, they should be keeping you alive." River assured, glad to see that her next words were not insults. She saw how savagely she had consumed the dates, and deducted that she must have been starving. Looking back to the others, she patted the grassy ground, inviting all of them to sit with her. "It's the afternoon. I think it would be a good time for lunch… how about you?"

Hyacinth watched in some shock and awe at how everyone came to sat down in a circle, one that included herself. She gave them all incredulous looks as they began to open their packs and procured food as well. She looked back to River as Kestral and Salina took seats beside her, and brushed her hair out of her face. "S-Seriously!?"

Reluctantly, Rubus knelt down as well, alongside his brother who was already passing out food in a friendly manner. River seemed pleased to see everyone acting as peacefully as they always should. She smiled ever so warmly, and having been passed a small roll of bread from Blake, she passed it on to Hyacinth in a friendly offer. "Yep, we're serious about this. I don't know how long it's been since you've eaten, but I think that it's best to talk through this with a meal, right?"

Hyacinth looked down at the piece of bread in her hand, again looking upon it with great hunger and desire. She slowly took a bite out of it and chewed. She almost seemed to be drooling. "Th-This stuff is better than the bread Waverly makes."

"I think you're just hungry," Arkanov noted, but he was just thankful no one was being hurt at this moment. "And maybe that bout of anger was just because you haven't eaten.

Hyacinth ignored this comment and continued eating. Within seconds, the roll was gone, and Hyacinth looked up to them all. "I... I ran out of food two days ago," she explained, unable to meet their gazes with her pride. "How do you suppose we 'talk through this' then?"

"Simple," River took a bite out of her own roll of bread, though she wasn't quite educated on Atrean table manners, so she still ate with her mouth full, "It would be nice to know what you're doing here. And also why you attacked us…"

Arkanov suddenly leaned in and whispered into Hyacinth's ear. Obviously, Hyacinth had not expected this, for she flinched when he did so, but the more he spoke, the more her eyes widened, and the more she looked upon everyone around her with a new expression — one of understanding. Once Arkanov was finished and he sat back onto the ground, Hyacinth gave him an appreciative, almost proud smile. Just like Arkanov, it was easy to see she did not smile often, for with her dark eyes and pale skin she looked ghoulish. However, she turned back to River and while she was hesitant to speak, she did so. "I was sent here to look for Arkanov... I heard he escaped Pendsbury and converted. I am supposed to bring him back."

"… Oh." River realized, her eyes wide. She wasn't quite sure how to continue talking peacefully if this involved Arkanov and Kestral's safety. She swallowed her food, and rested her hands politely in her lap. "I'm sorry, but… we can't really let you take him back. I've already made a promise with him to teach him magic, and I couldn't do that if he were taken back to Pendsbury. That, and he's done a lot for me since I've met him… I still have to repay him."

Hyacinth was about to add a rude comment to this, but she held her tongue for the moment and instead looked to the floor. "I understand, but I received very urgent orders. If he doesn't return, more people will come looking for him."

"I believe I'll be fine," Arkanov said gently, patting Hyacinth's hands. "When you return you must tell them I have died."

Hyacinth seemed distraught from this. "Even your mother?!"

"N-No," Arkanov shook his head, and looked away. "You can tell her and my father the truth. No one else really cares about me there, so it should not raise too much concern." He now looked up to River. "I don't plan on returning any time soon."

River breathed out a sigh of relief, and returned to her elated and undisturbed mood. "That sounds like a good plan of action. Tell the ones who matter, and the ones looking for you wouldn't know any better." She then took another date out of the jar she had left open, and popped it into her mouth, "So… Hyacinth, why did you attack us anyways? It's not *just* because we're Samadurian… right?"

"I-I did not expect mages to be with Arkanov," Hyacinth said softly, still unable to look at River in the eyes. "But... yes, it was just because you are Samadurian. In Pendsbury, we are taught in Prinsburn that if we are ever to come across people like you, we are to purge you from the earth."

River gave a rather strange look to the woman, and she almost looked a little uncomfortable with that comment. But she had to keep up her front of calmness, in order to understand where Hyacinth was coming from. "I don't mean to be rude, but... maybe if Pendsbury landed on the earth itself, then they would learn that we don't have to eradicate one another... just some food for thought." she mentioned, "But I've never heard of this... Prinsburn, you call it? What is it?"

"Prinsburn is the school that everyone attends in Pendsbury," Hyacinth explained, now showing some fondness for reminiscing about her home city. "We learn about all the ways that magic is sinful, and how we need to never use our powers, and how we are to loathe the very existence of mages. But I'm allowed to use my magic in Pendsbury because I am a part of the Elite. I use my magic to help rid the city of the magic of others... it is completely just."

"That… doesn't make much sense to me." River commented, now looking down at the grass at her knees, watching as they swayed in the light wind. "How would that even work? If you kill all mages using magic, then that would make you the only mage left to kill, and your goal would be incomplete. If you died of old age or killed yourself, then wouldn't that allow others to freely begin training their magic without fear of being murdered?"

Hyacinth chuckled at this question. "Of course. But, you see, us Elites, we have been tested from the Mortim himself on whether or not we are able to use our magic and remain loyal to the Church's teachings against magic. We have sworn an oath of faith that if and when the mages of the world were eliminated, we would give up our powers and live among the non-mages normally. If we lied, we are to be killed by the Mortim himself. But the Mortim believes the best way to stop magic is to use it against you mages. After all, if we simply used our machines to terminate you all, that would give you the unfair advantage of unnatural magical capabilities. And if one of the members of the Elite perish, another fills its place. The Elite never dies."

River had a strangle sour look on her face, but she knew she couldn't voice her own opinions about this. It wasn't as though she could change this woman in the span of a day, or at least make her reconsider so soon. But for now she just had to understand. "So… this 'Mortim'… who are they? Do they have a name? Are… are they like a shaman at all?"

"In a way, the Mortim is a shaman," Hyacinth said with a nod, ignoring her look. "Except he does not commune with spirits. He wards us away from them. The Mortim has a name, but we are not allowed to use it; not even his own son, Morgrim, is allowed to call him 'Father.' He is the Mortim, and that is final. And he is the leader of the Pendsborne Church. But not of the city. The city's leader, who works in joint with the Mortim, is Vlaus Rajjin. The two are the head coordinators of the Elite."

Suddenly, River gasped. She couldn't seem to hold it off anymore, though she didn't express any anger. Just utter shock, that coursed through her body. "Wh-Why would you ever want to ward away spirits?! They're so innocent, and peaceful. All they want to do is live in harmony. They treat humans with kindness if you're kind as well…"

"We are taught they are evil and deceitful," Hyacinth explained, though she seemed somewhat confused by River's reaction. "I have never heard of a kind spirit."

"B-But there are so many gentle spirits...!" River argued, breathless when she heard more and more of what seemed like nonsense to her. She shook her head, and immediately reached into her satchel again, about to pull out her lyre to prove Hyacinth wrong, "I've got to show you what they're all about-"

"-Wait!" Blake exclaimed, and as he was right next to her, he put his hand on her arm and tried to hold her down and calm her. "L-Listen, maybe that can wait. I don't think that summoning spirits so soon would be the best. It might... startle her..."

"Y-You can summon spirits!?" Hyacinth asked in shock, sitting back. "Th-That is equivalent to summoning demons in Pendsbury! How...?"

"Easy. Spirits really like music, and playing it for them in such a nice, quiet, and nature-filled place like this is bound to draw them out. I can imagine them making their home here." River said, and more slowly, she pulled out her lyre, shimmering of blue crystal as light reflected off of the instrument. "I could demonstrate, if you wish…"

Hyacinth looked fearfully between River and the lyre. Then she turned to Kestral next to her, who was bouncing giddily with joy. The child looked back over to Hyacinth with an assuring smile. "Trust me, it'll be awesome," she said happily, "They won't hurt you, and they aren't demons. They're actually cute."

Reluctantly, after a long pause, Hyacinth nodded. "U-Um... alright then..."

River smiled, and propped the lyre on her side. She gently plucked one of the shining silver strings, and played her soft, melodic music. It echoed through the field. The notes carried itself on the wind, flowing like the waves of an ocean and traveling like a racing stream of water. As she played, she even began to hum a long to keep herself in tune.

Then, for some strange reason, what appeared to be leaves began to sprout at her feet. They had no stems, and were very close to the ground. She didn't stop playing, even when the sprouting leaves began to form a circle around her.

Then without warning, dirt suddenly started flying up, and before they knew it, a number of little earth wisps had appeared. But they were a little different than the rocky ones everyone had witnessed in Zunaria. They were round, and were shaped like flower bulbs. They all came in various colors; blue, green, pink, but all in soft shades. Like children, the spirits squeaked with glee in response to the music. River paused for only a moment. "Hyacinth, these are called earth wisps. They're harmless… they're almost like children, but they can't speak, and they've got a bit of a limited mindset…"

Hyacinth crawled backwards, as shucks as she could, next to Santiago and sat in silence and awe after creatures before her. She yelled in surprise and was obviously not impressed from the spirits. "Wh-What?! But they're plants! How are they... well, living?"

"They're not plants, of course," River laughed and chuckled at Hyacinth's fraction. She watched, as one of the little earth wisps left River's side, and began to hop up in front of the Pendsborne woman. It squeed again, and nuzzled its green face against her leg. "That one seems as though it really likes you. Go on, pet its head… I can tell that it wants one."

As if her life had led up to this momentous occasion, Hyacinth put a dainty pale hand on the earth wisp's head. Then, she emulated the motion she would use to pet a dog, and gently rub back and forth on its head. Then she looked into her eyes... and her expression broke. Tears welled up in her eyes, the corners of her mouth picked up, and she smiled with as much enthusiasm as she had in what seemed to be her entire life. "Th-This is so cute..."

The little wisp squeed in delight, loving this affection and attention. But for a moment it pulled away, only to turn and squeak to the other few wisps that accompanied it. Before everyone knew it, every other wisp bounded over to Hyacinth's side, some even hopped up into her thighs, and they all nestled themselves comfortably on her. This made River laugh even more, "They all really like you now. These ones in particular love anyone who treats them kindly…"

"A-Are you sure it's not because I'm a botany mage?" Hyacinth asked, giggling from their affection. She put her arm around them all and smiled. "Can they tell where I'm from...? Do you care?"

"They can tell. And while some spirits are attracted closer to those of the same element, these ones enjoy any company," River explained, glad to see Hyacinth already enjoying the little spirits that were with her. "They don't care if you're from Pendsbury or not, they only care about you as a person."

"But I'm supposed to hate you..." Hyacinth mumbled gently. "Why don't they hate me...? Th-This isn't like what Prinsburn taught."

"Then… maybe Prinsburn was wrong this time." River suggested, with such an air of gentleness and calmness, that this comment didn't come off with any sort of snarky attitude. "Sometimes, you can learn more from experiencing the world rather than hearing about it in a classroom."

"I-I..." Hyacinth almost seemed on the verge of tears. It was understandable; the whole world as she essentially knew it, or at least as she learned about it, was wrong the entire time, or so it seemed to be. She looked down to the floor, crestfallen. "I do not know what to believe now. These spirits do not wish to hurt me, but they are supposed to, according to the books! I... I am sorry." She looked over to her comrades from Pendsbury for support. "Is this why you left the city? Because you could tell how it was built upon lies?"

Thomas nodded. "You know the story of how Pendsbury was created, yes?"

Hyacinth nodded as well, though she began to sniffle. "O-Of course, I know it by heart."

"Rubbish," Thomas remarked. "The Original Mortim created the city of Pendsbury because a mage on the Samadurian floor slighted him. Ever since then, we have been taught to persecute mages, and that they are evil and cruel, and the religious they base themselves on is wrong. None of it is true; the people here, the spirits here, are the most wonderful people on this side of the earth that you could ever come across." He gave a bitter, wry laugh. "We've been missing out on our own kindred down here on the ground for hundreds of years. But, Hyacinth, it is not too late. Practicing magic and utilizing it to your full potential is an amazing experience, and being among other mages, using your powers for the good of spreading magic, not stifling it, is wonderful. You have your biases, but Santiago, Arkanov, Kestral and I do as well. As long as we work through them and attempt to understand these people and their customs, however, we may undo the sins our Original Mortim has enacted by condemning these magic-loving people." He reached out a hand to her. "Magic is good, pure, and natural in every single way, and we want you to believe so. Would you care to join us?"

Hyacinth seemed tempted to take his hand, but she let her hair cover her face, and she looked away shyly. "I would like to. But, I am with the Elite to help support my family... I cannot leave lest I wish to bury them all in our financial woes. I am sorry."

River looked on to Hyacinth with utter sympathy, surprised to see her mind changed rather quickly, but nevertheless her heart couldn't stand the thought of the woman and her family suffering. She didn't quite know what to say, as she couldn't offer much advice on how to help, considering how little she truly knew of how Pendsbury worked. So instead, she looked to the Barry twins thinking that they would have an answer. Blake looked attentive and yet deep in thought at the same time. With a hand on his chin, he suggested, "Surely there has to be some way to sneak your family out of Pendsbury, right? But if there isn't, then... maybe there could be a way for you to spread the word about the true nature of magic..."

Hyacinth gasped at the notion. "I-I could never. They give public floggings to the people who speak outwardly about the nature of magic, and they hurt be family of those naysayers as well. I could try to sneak them out, but it would certainly be difficult considering how the only escape vessels are under Pendsbury's controls. But I suppose if I did it to land here... I could try it for my own family."

"It will have to take a long while, yes," Blake understood Hyacinth's troubles, and only wanted to offer help the best way that he could. It was rather difficult however, as he still didn't quite know how to arrange all of this, "If there's anything that we can possibly do to help, I would participate. But... if it's possible, maybe..." the young man turned his attention to the young girl, Kestral, "Kes, you know how to make those 'pocket dimensions', right? Can people be held in there?"

"Yeah!" Kestral answered readily and happily. She gave a toothy grin. "I snuck into Arkanov's pack making a dimension!" Suddenly, she gasped. "Wait a moment! I can just make one for you and your family, Hyacinth!"

Hyacinth had tears in her eyes again. "You would?"

"Yes!" Kestral nodded eagerly. "Spot on, Blake! Problem solved. The only question is how do I get back to Pendsbury?"

"I- um... I don't know..." Blake muttered, scratching his head and trying to think of a solution. But it seemed as though there wasn't an easy way to get anyone from location to location very quickly. They had been traveling by foot this entire journey so far, and it seemed as though it would likely take months to reach the borders of Atreanor, partially due to stopping along the way to find heart shards. "W-We can think of something, can't we? Or, maybe we can all start traveling together, and by the time we reach Atreanor with the way we're going now, we can get your family out of Pendsbury."

Hyacinth moved closer to Blake, her hands in her lap. "Y-You would do that for me? Really? After all I said. I suppose I can join you on your travels occasionally, but I may need to return to Pendsbury from time to time to keep up appearances."

"Of course, we couldn't let the authorities there get suspicious." Blake reasoned, understanding what they needed to do from now on. "We may be busy in Dhabonde for a while, but when we can make it close enough to Pendsbury, we'll get your family out of there safely."

Hyacinth did not know who to turn to first. Suddenly, in an outpouring of emotion, she bit her nails and gave a long, drawn-out breath. "Th-Thank you, all... I am willing to learn the ways of your culture if you let me do so. I am sorry for how I acted and what I said. Perhaps I can learn something new..."

Santiago immediately slid next to Hyacinth and wrapped a large, muscular arm around her waist. "It's more than alright, Hyacinth. We're here for you. *I'm* here for you."

"I was not talking to you," Hyacinth said flatly. Santiago slowly and awkwardly moved his arm away while Hyacinth kept her sights on River and smiled warmly. "So, what business have you in this Dhabonde area? It seems like a long trek for such a large group."

When this question was brought up, River suddenly seemed much more serious. Her playful nature faded, and instead morphed into a mature, and humble one. "We are searching for the shards of someone's heart-" but she paused, and remembered how the others in the group had freaked out when this was explained to them. She held up her hand, "And no, this isn't the heart that pumps blood through your body. This heart… it contains all emotions, thoughts, and memories. When we have all shards and can restore this heart… we can give it to the original owner."

"Oh," Hyacinth nodded, and giggled. "For a moment, I thought you meant the internal organ. But I did not know that hearts could shatter into shards. Is this in everyone?"

"Not all of them," Arkanov grumbled.

"Well, I find this all rather interesting," Hyacinth replied, and kept looking at River and Salina, intrigued by what they were speaking of. "Would you care to explain more whilst we walk towards your destination?"

"Of course!" River accepted enthusiastically. She saw that everyone had seemed to finish their food, and so she started to pack away her lyre and her half-full jar of dates. The others started to do the same, and she stood up. "Let's get a move on, then. I can sense the next shard nearby, it's not too far from this field."

"Perfect," Salina sighed happily. She actually seemed rather uncomfortable throughout the entire scene that played before her with the others, so she was ready to return back to their quest. However, she moved over to her pack. "But first, I need to give Hyacinth some clothes."

Hyacinth turned her head to the earth mage. "Pardon me...?"

Salina shrugged and she pulled out a pile of muted green attire. "Well, you're burning up in that outfit, I can see you're not used to the weather here. Don't want you to die of a heat stroke!" She passed the clothes over to her. "Go change in the trees. We'll wait."

Hyacinth looked down to the clothes, and then to the trees a little nervously. However, she nodded gratefully and moved off to change. Santiago looked to Salina hopefully. "Any clothes for me?" He smiled.

Salina now looked to River. "How far away do you think this next shard is? It's quite fortunate how we came upon it so quickly."

Somewhat distractedly, River watched as the little earth wisps burrowed their way underground once again, seeing as how their human companion was leaving for now. The white-haired woman didn't turn her gaze, "This one might be an easier one. Out here, I don't imagine anyone picking up the shard, and I don't sense it moving, so it must be stationary somewhere."

"Perfect, we don't want to flag anyone down like last time," Salina said, throwing Arkanov a side glare.

Hyacinth reemerged fairly quickly from behind the tries. She seemed, for the first time, quite comfortable in her own skin. The green tunic had darker plant decals on the front, and slits and exposed her legs, which were covered with stockings which had been under her original clothes. She kept her boots on, but she tied her hair up with a purple flower that was growing off farther from the field. She crossed her bare arms so they would not be seen. "I-I am sorry I took more than a minute."

She walked over next to River while Santiago stared with an open mouth. Hyacinth did not seem to notice, and instead she smiled gently at River.

Thomas frowned at Salina. "What did you need a plant mage's attire for?"

"My older sister was a plant mage, it's a hand-me-down," Salina explained. "I just wear it when I have nothing else to wear. Ready, Hyacinth?"

"Yes, very much so," Hyacinth nodded eagerly, tightening the grip around her own body. She gave a faint smile to River. "I surmise you are the leader of this quest. Then forge onwards and we shall follow."

"My pleasure," River said with a polite bow of her head. She starting trotting forward, taking the lead of the group of nine now. The grass swayed as their legs brushed up against them, and the further they went, the more dense clusters of trees became. It took some time of walking, certainly less than an hour, but more than just half an hour, to reach what seemed to be their destination. With the sun still high in the sky, River could feel it, the shard was just in their reach. But where? She couldn't see any sign of the shard here.

That is, until she stared at the rather short and thin tree just ahead of her. It looked average, not necessarily eye-catching, but she knew what it contained. "… There might be a problem. I think the shard is embedded in the trunk…"

"Oh?" Salina seemed confused by this. She put her hand on the trunk as if she was trying to sense it, but obviously she could not. "Really? Maybe someone hid it inside."

Hyacinth stepped forward to the tree and put her own hand on it as well. "Yes. There is certainly something inside. Would you like for me to force it out of the tree?"

"Yes, if you're able to, that would be great," River nodded to confirm, "It's not too deep inside. I can only assume that the shard must have gotten lodged in the bark somehow, and that it must have overgrown…"

Hyacinth put he other hand on the trunk and closed her eyes. Then, in a sweeping motion, she moved her hand away from the tree, and like paper, it peeled off, revealing the light inner wood center. "See it?"

River gazed inside, and saw a glimmer of a deep golden hue. With patience, she reached inside, grabbing the shard, and wiggled it around a bit to loosen the grip on it. Then, with a quick yank, she pulled it out, showing it to the sun. It sparkled with a beautiful show. How many did this make now? Four? They were getting close to half the shards they needed. "Thank you for your help, Hyacinth."

But when she looked at the woman before her, a thought sparked in her mind. Then, she looked over to Arkanov, and beckoned him to come near. "Hyacinth, Arkanov, come here. I've promised to give you some lessons in magic, and one big thing about magic has to do with hearts…"

Hyacinth drew nearer while Arkanov walked up next to River as well. While he seemed inquisitve, Hyacinth seemed rather concerned, and almost scared. Arkanov gave an eager smile to River. "What's this now?"

"Look at this shard," River said, holding out the golden fragment out to the sun where it shined beautifully. "A full heart is made of a spectrum of colors. Each color holds a certain emotion, and holds memories that reflect those emotions. This one is a golden yellow, so… my best guess is that this shard holds emotions like pride and satisfaction."

When she looked up from the shard in her hands, she even saw Rubus starting to jot down some notes in his journal about this. Even though he was not one of the 'students', he still raised his hand for a question as if he were in a classroom again. "But wait, what does this have to do with utilizing magic?"

"I'm glad you've asked that," River noted with a bright smile, "Because it's important to know that hearts are the reason we can control our magic in the first place. They don't contain magic themselves, but the power of will and emotions can channel magic through our bodies and allow us to control it. Without that will or thought, with no heart, we couldn't use magic… unless, of course, someone else was channeling it for us through power of suggestion rather than will."

"So... you're saying the reason I'm able to use my magic is because I feel things?" Arkanov asked. He looked down to his own gloved hands curiously, and then back up to River. "Well, does that mean if someone lost all feeling in their heart, would they lose their magic? Can it come back?"

"The magic is still contained in the soul, however, it just can't be used, or accessed, for better wording," River explained. Then, she stepped up to Arkanov, and gently grasped his gloved hands, "When you use your magic, you do it because you wanted to. Even if it comes out by accident, that's because it's triggered by emotions. That's the heart doing its job in allowing the use of magic."

"Ah," Hyacinth boxed, now understanding. "So the heart and soul work together to allow magic. That is interesting... what are they made out of?"

"They're made out of… uh… m-made of…" River stuttered, her face suddenly looking as though she had been slapped, with wide eyes. "I… don't really know what they're made out of. No one has ever taught me that… but, whatever it is that they're made out of, spirits, like those wisps we saw earlier, are made of the same things."

"It is an other-worldly essence," Salina chimed in. Hyacinth turned around to stare intently and expectantly at this woman as she explained, and Salina was obviously more than happy to inform her of this. "The world is comprised of all of the elements the magic types fall under, but some things are not made of all of them combined. For example, the ground is made of geo-earth and botany-earth magic, maybe water magic as well, but it's not made of something like fire magic. However, souls are combinations of different types of magic we are not able to comprehend; that is the magic of the gods."

"Oh," Hyacinth nodded. Then, she frowned, and looked to River. "Erm... 'gods?'"

"Ah, right, you never learned about them…" River started. Finally, she put the shard that had been in her hand back into her satchel where it belonged. "You see, gods are the creators of magic. There's six gods for each element, except for astral magic, which is ruled by multiple smaller gods. Hyacinth, you're an earth mage, so the creator of your magic is Behemoth."

"I-I have so very many questions," Hyacinth realized, "Like when am I able to meet this god named Behemoth? How many shards do you have now? How many are there left to go? Where is the next one? What do we do next? This is quite overwhelming."

"It's okay, it's okay," River held her hands up with a warm smile. She spoke in such a soft, understanding voice, hoping this would let Hyacinth know that there was nothing to fret over. "We just keep tracking down and collecting shards until we have all of them. There's twelve, I believe, and we have four so far. As for Behemoth… don't worry, most people never meet him in their lifetime."

Hyacinth held herself, wrapping her arms tightly around her chest. "Oh. A-Alright. Forgive me for asking so many questions and diverging from our main objective. We may continue on to our next destination."

When River heard these words, she put a hand across her heart, and looked to the other woman with kindness in her wide blue eyes. "Don't apologize, Hyacinth. Asking questions is always good, it helps you learn more when you want to. But I agree, let's start heading off."

"Yes, let's," Hyacinth nodded. She smiled when she realized that River was so kind and forgiving in all that she had done to make her feel welcomed. Remaining close to her, she walked off with the others further into the grasslands of Dhabonde.

### Hours Later

The sun had fallen over the horizon, and there was still not a sign of civilization in sight. That was to be expected, Dhabonde wasn't known for having many large cities or clustered settlements. With the sky so clear, the stars sparkled like lovely fragments of gemstones scattered across the dark void above. Even the moon, which wasn't yet at its full peak, luminated the earth below at least somewhat, so that it would be easier for the much less nocturnal group of travelers to see where they were going.

However, it wouldn't be beneficial to continue in this lighting, where ambushes from humans and wildlife alike were much more likely to happen. So River, who was currently leading the group, halted when they all came across a fairly clear and safe spot among these plains. The grass was a bit shorter, and had a blueish hue from the moonlight. She turned to the others, with her hands politely held in front of her, "I say we set up camp for the night here. It's far too late to continue on..."

"What a lovely spot you've chosen for us to rest at!" Thomas marveled at the sight of the blue grass, and immediately plopped down onto it with his bottom. "Ark, be a dear and set up the tent for me tonight, will you? I'm afraid using my powers to heal Hyacinth has left me fatigued, heheh."

Arkanov rolled his eyes as he went forward with the tent to begin setting it up. Now Hyacinth turned to River, and smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I do not know if you planned on sharing a tent or not, but if you do not wish to or if there is no more room, or if you simply do not want me around considering today's behavior, I am not offended. Besides, the grass is soft enough to make for a bed all on its own. And I would love to get to know my element in its natural state..."

When the others had already started setting their things down, stretching out their sore muscles, and preparing everything for the night, River had begun to do so as well. But upon hearing Hyacinth's proposal, she gave the woman a wide eyed look for a brief moment. Then, shaking her head, she simply continued her work, "You *can* sleep out in the open if you want to, but... I really wouldn't recommend it. Tried it when I first left home, got bit by an insect while sleeping, and was poisoned. I wasn't really safe until a hunter found me and took me back to his village to be helped. So... no, I refuse to let you sleep outside and get sick." And yet, despite such seemingly serious words, she still gave the kindest of smiles to Hyacinth, "And besides, we've had to fit four people in a tent at once, so there's nothing wrong with the spaciousness in there."

Hyacinth did not seem to realize the gravity of her words, for she simply have a gentle smile in return to River. "But I would hate to be a burden to you all and have you continuously try to provide shelter and food and drink. If I come along with you on your trip, may I please at least grow some food when we stop so I am providing the team with something? What is an insect?"

"An insect? Oh, right… well, they're these really tiny things that are hard to see, and they always have six legs. Some of them walk, some of them can fly, but a lot of them are able to bite people and animals and poison them or pass on a disease," River explained with confident knowledge. As she started to pin down the stakes, she continued, "So in order to avoid them, you're sleeping with us. But if you're really willing to use your magic to provide food… that would be very kind of you. We've been running low on money to buy supplies after an incident in Zunaria, and we may need some help…"

"I am more than happy to provide food for you all!" Hyacinth exclaimed, with a small giggle afterwards. "In Pendsbury, I grew the wheat that made all of the bread for the entire city. I am used to it. Besides, it is the least I can do for you for being so kind and courteous in allowing me to join you, after all."

"Thank you," River bowed respectfully to Hyacinth, as a way of showing her gratitude to the earth mage. But now it had seemed that everyone had finished setting up their shelter for the night, and as usual Rubus was clearing away the center of the area to start up a campfire. "Hyacinth, you're really sweet. But uh, don't exhaust your magic trying to make enough for all of us, okay?"

"I can never exhaust my magic," Hyacinth said with a weary smile. "I take drugs to counterract that... well, they forced me to take those drugs, so I did not want this skill. But, I can make a lot of plants before I tire, I assure you. What would you like?"

"Oh…" River breathed out when she heard that first part. She didn't quite understand what 'drugs' were, but at the same time she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. "Well… I guess that would be up to a majority vote, but yams grow really well in this environment, and they're really filling."

"Yams?" Hyacinth seemed curious by this word, but she smiled because she was at least somewhat familiar with the plant. "Ah, I grew those in Pendsbury once before for a Temperfest! I will do so with pleasure."

Hyacinth moved over to a different part of the field, and cracked her knuckles, as if she had not practiced this for a long while. Thankfully, however, she knew of the root she was supposed to be growing. In a delicate manner, she put her hands toward the dirt beneath her feet. Her fingers floated as though she was playing the piano ever so lightly, and with a sudden jerk of her hands upward, as if she was uprooting a weed. Suddenly, from the brown dirt emerged bright, vibrant green leaves nearly in the shapes of hearts, from very thin, yet sturdy, stems. Hyacinth bent down onto her knees, grabbed hold of the stalks, and pulled upwards. The bright orange-red roots came up and swung listlessly in the soft evening wind. Hyacinth turned back to River and handed her the entire bundle of approximately nine to ten yams with a smile on her face. "I am not sure if I did that correctly. Hopefully these do not taste horrible. Perhaps if I had put some water on them first..."

River stared wide-eyed at how quickly that had all happened, without even the use of extra water or sunlight. Despite having lived among other mages for years now, never had she seen something like that be performed so quickly. River took up some of the yams, though only about half of them considering her rather weak muscles, "H-Hyacinth… thank you so much, this is perfect! Let's give these to Rubus, he'll know how to cook these."

Hyacinth smield brightly, for once feeling as though she was contributing. "Y-Yes, alright. He is the one with the red hair, right? I fear he does not like me very much."

"No worries, he'll warm up to you soon enough." River brushed off Hyacinth's concerns like it was nothing. She approached the red haired man as he was finished arranging dry branches and brambles in a small mound. With a snap of his fingers, a ball of fire sparked in his hands. Then, touching the wood, it ignited in a warm, glorious orange blaze. Finally, some warmth for the night, and smoke that would ward away animals and bugs.

When he saw River approaching, he greeted her with a wave of his hand, but seeing Hyacinth following behind, his hand dropped. "Oh… what have you two got there?"

"E-Erm..." Hyacinth did not meet Rubus' gaze, for she was still too ashamed about her behavior earlier on in the day. Instead, she produced the yams before him. "These are for dinner..."

Rubus glanced at them for a brief moment, and then back up to Hyacinth. While he was surprised that they had found these so quickly, he wasn't necessarily ready to congratulate the newest member of their team. He turned his head back to the fire, and grabbed one of the yams that was offered to him. "… Thanks. I'll start cooking these once the fire gets big enough. How about you go check on the others?"

Hyacinth held her head low and sheepishly. Without a word, she walked off into the twilight-lit field of grass they had set up in, looking for the others, though she seemed to be going in the opposite direction from the group.

Salina, who had finished setting up the girls' tent, saw how Hyacinth was carrying herself so sadly. "Oh great, she's going to wander off and get lost in the woods," she muttered. As she began to follow Hyacinth, she looked to River, and with her thumb, gestured to Arkanov and Thomas, who seemed to be in a tense argument over the nature of the tent that was not put up yet. "Hey Riv, Arkanov says wanted to talk to you in private, I don't really know what for though."

River's attention was immediately turned to the shadow mage not too far off from where she stood right now. As Salina left to go after Hyacinth, she gave them one last glance before turning, and walking off to the other two. As she approached, she heard their words a bit louder, but did not interject herself into the conversation. Hoping not to startle him, River put out two fingers, and gently tapped his shoulder from behind. "Arkanov? There's something you needed to talk about?"

Arkanov flinched and turned around to see who was interrupting him. When he saw it was River, his agitation with Thomas, who seemed to be wearing an expression of concern and actual fear, faded. "A-Ah, River, just the person I was looking for!" He immediately put the stuff for the tent down, and rested a hand on River's shoulder as he guided her away from Thomas so he would not hear their conversation. "I must speak with you about Hyacinth. Please, do not ask her about anything involving the Elite, or... its members, or what it specifically entails."

"The... Elite?" River questioned with a sense of innocent curiousity to her voice. She tilted her head, and tried to keep her focus away from the fact that he had actually touched her bare shoulder. Even in such a serious conversation, she felt like a fool for even acknowledging that fact. "U-Um... why not? Does something about it bring up bad memories for her?"

"Yes," Arkanov nodded eagerly, though he did not seem to have much else to say before she made that statement. "She was tortured by those people, and she may still be a little... well, brainwashed. Please, for her sake, she would prefer if you do not speak of Pendsbury anymore. Until she is forced to return, however."

"O-Of course..." River stuttered, and dipped her head somewhat shamefully. She didn't even realize this possibility when speaking Hyacinth earlier, and she didn't know just how much she may have caused an issue for her if she had ever brought it up. "I... I didn't know that they had tortured her like that. I won't ever bring it up when she's around, I promise you. She's a really kind person already, and I wouldn't want to ruin her happiness when she's out here..."

Arkanov gave a genuine, yet somewhat pained smile. "Thank you for welcoming her despite what happened. She's my friend... well, sort of, and I really appreciate that. But I don't think she'll ever speak badly about magic ever again."

"That... I don't really care too much about," River mentioned, with a shy and somewhat awkard chuckle. Her hand was on the back of her head, as she was a little nervous to look him in the eye as she spoke, "I just wanted her to know that we weren't bad people. Even if she didn't change her mind about magic like she did earlier, I would have been happy enough just negotiating with her not to fight."

"Really?" Arkanov asked in surprise. He chuckled as well, though his laugh was not awkward like River's was. "You're not kidding? That's amazing. Your sweet-talking really paid off then, didn't it? I don't know if she'll convert fully, given how indoctrinated she was before. But if she does, it's because of you."

If one could see her face well enough under such moonlight, her cheeks were visibly pink from that compliment he made. She was bashful, unsure if she really deserved this sort of praise, but it made her feel good anyways. "Th-Thank you so much. Let's help her as much as we can, until she's finally away from the Elite for good. At least she's the only one here who's associated with them, right?"

Arkanov coughed. "Uh, yes. The only one that I know of, of course. Haha..."

"I… I know you told me not to talk about it," River said with soft shyness. She was able to tell that Arkanov seemed a bit nervous, but she wanted to know… "But do you think that other ones will start coming after us? Could they be able to be changed like Hyacinth?"

Arkanov drew in a breath and gave a small, uncertain look, but he still nodded. "Yes. Erm, well, it depends. Some people are not likely to change and that is the fact of the matter. Perhaps others will come after me, but if they do not join us, we will most certainly be forced to fight them."

"I wish we could convince them to change…" River said with a sad sigh, her head lowering. "But… some people just to too far to change. If we encounter another Elite… anything you know about them would be a great help."

Again, Arkanov produced a pained smile, yet he nodded as though nothing was wrong. "I know some people in Pendsbury. Maybe it'll happen to be an Elite. I'll let you know. But hopefully we don't come across them at all."

River nodded in agreement to this, unsure what to say in response exactly. But then, she realized in this moment, there was an opportunity with Arkanov that could be reached. With a smile, she stepped closer to him, "But the good thing is that we have so many skilled mages here to defend each other. Especially you, with such great sword skills…"

For once, Arkanov genuinely seemed surprised, as he had not expected such a kind comment from River. In modesty, he blushed slightly, and scratched his head. "Me? Oh, heaven's no, back home, I'm just a novice. But thank you."

"You've got to be kidding, there's no way you're on a lower level of swordsmanship, right?" River asked, shocked to learn this fact of information, "But your skills are always really impressive, and you always look so strong and cool when you fight…"

Arkanov could feel his face grow more hot, which meant he was blushing even more. Nobody had ever complimented him on his swordsmanship as sincerely as she was. "Y-You really think I look cool and strong when I fight...?"

"Of course you do!" River exclaimed, such a bright smile upon her lips, "It's so cool to watch sometimes. You go with such precision and strength. You always look like you know exactly what you're doing, and you're not flailing the sword around like an amateur. If I could see it someday in a situation where our lives aren't in danger, it would be really fun…"

"Well, I'd quite like that," Arkanov said. He turned his head and looked into River's eyes for a long while, simply beaming with pure pride from her comments, the rosiness on his cheeks not fading. It was in this moment that Arkanov looked away and noticed his hand was still on her shoulder. However, when he made this realization, he did not move his hand away. "I didn't think you would be interested in seeing my sword practicing, but I'd be more than happy to show you. And that'd be a good time to get that training for you that we talked about in, no?"

"It would be!" River spoke with such happiness, such enthusiasm, that it looked as though she was prepared to get into training right this second. She took another step, leaning up forward, closer towards him, less than an arm's length apart. "And knowing that you consider yourself a novice, which I believe can't be true, it kind of makes me wonder just how much more you can improve…"

Arkanov leaned forward onto the balls of his feet, and chuckled. "I suppose we'll just have to improve together, won't we? Heh, this all just gives me an excuse to spend more time with you than anyone else in the group." Out of the corner of his eyes, Arkanov glanced towards their main camp, and gave a cheeky smile to River. "Truth be told, you're my closest friend here. Thank you for that."

"I… I am…?" River looked up to his silver eyes, clearly feeling a sense of disbelief. For a moment, she thought, maybe she had misheard him? Or maybe his words had come out wrong. But when he went a moment without correcting himself, it only elated her to a new level of happiness.

Suddenly, she leaned further forward, with arms open, and wrapped her arms around Arkanov tightly and warmly, "Th-Thank you… thank you so much, I haven't had a close friend in so long…"

"Ah?" Arkanov seemed to jump back from the sudden act of affection. His blush now subsided as he seemed more nervous than ever. In Pendsbury, it was considered risqué to hug a girl not from your own family, so this was the first time Arkanov had done anything of the sort. However, he figured she meant it in a sort of friendly gesture, and gently, he put his arms around her too. "Really? I find that hard to believe now. But if that's the case, it's an honor to be one of your closest friends."

With his arms around her, she couldn't help but nestle herself a little closer to him. She had never been hugged by another man before, not one from outside of her family, and she was pleased by how comforting it felt. "You're so kind, Arkanov. I'm happy to have you with us on this journey, and… when this is all over, and we've retrieved all the heart shards, I still want to spend my time with you."

Arkanov said nothing else, but instead he kept the comforting hold. Suddenly, however, Arkanov jumped back, for he had seen a figure in the trees spying on them. His surprise turned to annoyance when he realized it was simply Santiago.

The earth mage was leaning against one of the trees, smirking playfully at the two before him. "I think I know where this one is going."

When Arkanov pulled back, River had first thought that he had rejected her. She looked to him with disbelief, only for a moment, until she heard Santiago's voice. That split second, she spun to look at the man leaning against the tree, and let out a little yelp of surprise, "S-Santiago! Why were you spying on us?!"

"I was coming to look for you two to tell you dinner was ready," Santiago answered, now chuckling deeply. "Sorry, were you two in the middle of some foreplay?"

Arkanov's face grew bright red once more. Now he wore a pouty expression, for he was being teased and did not like it. "Hell no! We were just talking. You could've warned us that you were coming."

Santiago grinned. "You best hurry along back to the tent site before the others believe you two are copulating."

At those words, River's face was more red than it ever was, not a speck of brown from her natural skin color remained. She looked back and forth between the two men, nervously, her shoulders tensed now. Then quickly, she bowed to both of them, "I… I-I'm sorry…"

And with those final words, she turned around and returned to the center campsite.

Santiago chuckled, and ran back to the campsite as well, while Arkanov chased him from behind, his gaze settled into a death glare.

Thomas looked up and noticed the three figures emerging from the forest. He smiled, but as he noticed River's and Arkanov's red faces, and Santiago's stupid grin, his face fell. "Um. What's going on, you guys?"

Upon the return to the others, River was far too nervous to give much of a response. She merely greeted Thomas with a wave of her hand, and words that had a clearly faked tone of calmness, "N-Nothing, we were just talking… you know?"

Meanwhile, the twins who were sitting around the fire, which currently had a pot propped just above it, were looking over to them was well. Rubus beckoned the other three over, "Well come on then. I've never cooked with yams before, so I just boiled them. I hope they're alright…"

"I'm sure they're amazing," Kestral said with a soft smile to Rubus. As she sat down in front of the fire, and Thomas and Arkanov followed suit, the young girl looked to Santiago. "Salina and Hyacinth?"

Santiago sat down to the left of Thomas, and smirked at Kestral. "They said start without them, Hyacinth got hurt already," he said cryptically, and left it at that.

"Well, I'll save leftovers for them anyways," Rubus shrugged, rather nonchalantly at that. Pulling a small net from his back, he unrolled it and let it flow out. Then, he placed it into the pot, making sure that it made it to the bottom and that the edges didn't touch the water. Then, he carefully pulled it back up, straining the boiling water out, leaving the cooked yams that we're now of a paler, white color. Blake was assisting him, holding out bowls to carry the food in, and passed them around one by one.

When everyone had their meal, minus the two who hadn't joined them yet, Rubus smiled and laughed modestly, "I hope everyone enjoys it! But it's probably a bit bland, not like we can afford spices with our money situation right now…"

Just as everyone was about to dig in, a gentle breeze blew by, and there was the faint sound of shaking grass. However, it didn't seem like that wind would have been enough to shake anything, which was somewhat suspicious. River looked to the others, "Um… did… did anyone else hear that?"

"Sounds like something moving in the grass," Arkanov mumbled, not looking up from his food, which he was eating rather ravenously. "Maybe it's just an animal or something.

Kestral nodded and chimed in, "Maybe it's Frig! I let Frig wander around for a bit."

River's worries were wiped away when she remembered this, and let the subject be for now. That is, until the grass rustled once more, which the others tried to ignore. But this time around, it was certainly something that no one could turn a blind eye to. In the darkness, a strange silhoutette appeared from the grass. Humanoid, rather short, and certainly scrawny. Everyone in the campsite seemed to tense, not knowing what this person, or *thing* was. Some even prepared an attack, anticipating its movements as it walked slowly and meekly up to the others.

But then, the moment that the light of the campfire reached them, their face and body could be revealed. It was a young boy, no older than Kestral's age, with skin on the more pale side of brown. His hair was smooth and black, and his eyes a sharp green color. He looked rather skinny, and the tunic and scarf that he wore were dusted with dirt of the plains. Suddenly, he weakly dropped to his knees, and let out an exasperated breath, "F-Finally... I made it..."

Thomas' cautious expression fell, and upon seeing the child fall to his knees, he immediately sprung up and ran over to help him and see if he needed healing. "Y-Young lad? Are you alright!?"

Arkanov looked up only for a moment to glare suspiciously at the child, holding his food protectively in his arms. "What? Hey kid, where've you made it to, exactly?"

Immediately, Rubus, Blake, and even River dropped everything to help Thomas attend to this strange child. They knelt down, and River quickly took an arm around the boy to examine him for any wounds, infections, illnesses, or any poor conditions of the like. The boy heaved and huffed heavily, catching his breath as he could finally rest his legs. He looked utterly exhausted, "I... I've been lost out here for a few days now... my family's been traveling in a caravan, and... we got separated..."

When he looked up to River, he suddenly leaned into her, and close his eyes, "I saw the smoke from your fire, a-and I just wanted to get some help..."

Kestral looked down to her yam, which had not even been touched yet since she had not eaten. Immediately, she got up from the floor, and went to the child her age, and knelt down by his side. "I'm really sorry to hear that!" she remarked with a remorseful expression. "Here, have some food. I'm sure we'll be able to find your family. Are you hurt anywhere at all?"

"Just a little shaken up…" The boy's breathing seemed to become more stable, as he was able to catch his breath and was already resting. With gratitude, he took the yams she had offered him, and began ravenously munching down on them. River patted his back, as with this behavior she assumed he must have gone without food for several days.

"What's your name?" River asked sweetly, acting as a mother would to a child. Her arm still around him.

"M-My name?" He repeated, with his mouth full. He swallowed quickly, to give a clear answer to her, "My name is Morde. It's… kind of a dumb name…"

"That's not a dumb name!" Kestral insisted, giving Morde an assuring grin. "That's actually a super cool one! But now we should tell you all of our names. I'm Kestral."

"And I'm Thomas," Thomas greeted, giving the boy a small smile. "Trust me, your name is simply delightful."

Arkanov looked up from his yam only for a moment to mumble, "Arkanov."

"I'm River," the young woman close to him introduced herself, and gestured to the twins with her.

"I'm Rubus," the redhead greeted.

"And I'm Blake, it's nice to meet you, Morde." The brother spoke with kindness, and reached out his hand kindly for the boy to grab onto. Showing hesitation, Morde grasped onto his hand, and was able to pull himself back onto his feet. "We can help you out, I promise. I'm sure your family is looking for you, and we can find them. But until then… we'll take care of you. What does everyone else think?"

"That's more than alright with me," Thomas and Kestral said in unison. They giggled for they had not expected to speak together like that.

Arkanov crossed his arms. "Sure."

"Thank you…" Morde muttered under his breath, a smile finally coming upon his face from the satisfaction of being with others that could finally help him. With Blake's help, he walked with a wobbly pace over to the fire, and sat, resting his legs. He seemed relaxed now, and at ease. "Are you all your own caravan? Er, then again, I don't see any oxen…"

"I don't even know what a caravan is," Arkanov replied, looking to the fallen child with some degree of pity. "But if it means a group, then yes. We're in one of our own, on our own sort of journey. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Zunaria," Morde explained, munching down on another pale, somewhat bland slice of boiled yam. As he huddled up closer to the warm fire, he figured that it would be best to explain, "I'm from a family of traveling merchants. We go wherever the market is best for our goods. We travel with similar groups of families and friends, though not all of them are really merchants. Like you guys... you're not carrying any wares, right? Are you all on a pilgrimage or something?"

"Heh, something like that," Thomas chuckled, sitting down at the fire once more. "We're on a quest for some shards of a heart! That belongs to River's past self, somehow... it's complicated."

Morde glanced over to River, who was sitting right beside him next to the fire, and he gave her a strange look. "Oh... heart shards, you say?" he questioned, and she nodded to confirm his inquiry, "That sounds like a difficult task. And I guess this has to do with reincarnations too... how many shards do you have so far?"

"Just about four," River responded, and reached into her bag to pull out the small glass vial keeping the shards safely in captivity. When it was shown out in the open, the shards were glowing in their lovely colors like fireflies. Morde stared at them, entranced by their beauty for just a moment, but it was quickly ended when she had returned them to her satchel. "Though I think if I tried explaining the whole story right now, it would confuse you. Goodness, I don't even think that the others here quite understand what I need these for..."

"No, we don't!" Kestral chimed in agreement to her statement. "Maybe you can explain to us right now, so Morde can hear too?"

"You... really want to hear it...?" River looked around to everyone, and saw that they all had approving glances. And just as expected, one of the twins was already pulling out their journals just in case, despite how difficult it would be to write in the dark lighting. The young lady took a deep breath, and sighed, "Alright... I'll try not to get you confused."

"A long time ago, two generations before I was born, there was another one of my kind with blue eyes and possession of water magic. His name was Mana, and he was the priest of his time. But... u-unfortunately..." River stuttered for just a moment, worried of the reactions that the others would get from hearing this, "As tradition, every priest or priestess always dies by being sacrificed to Leviathan, usually when they're still young and healthy..."

"That's horrible!" Kestral cried out, shaking her head furiously. Even though this was in the past, she looked worriedly toward River. "Well, I don't think he died since we saw him. But how did he escape that?"

"He fought back," River stated simply, and continued to elaborate. "When Leviathan showed his face, he immediately declared battle, and tried to use his magic to attack Leviathan. Being just a lone, untrained mage... he was defeated just as quickly as the fight had started. So as punishment for his treason, Leviathan took away his soul, and let it be reincarnated to the next priest. Then, he took a magic-less soul, and used that to replace Mana's original one. Then, he corrupted his body and turned him into a monster. Finally, Leviathan took his heart, and shattered it, sending twelve shards scattered all around the world."

The others looked at her as she paused for the moment, and she suddenly looked a little bit strained. Rubus raised his hand, and asked, "Wait... I still don't quite understand. I know that you want to restore him and all, but... why?"

"Mana... he's the only one who can help me." River rubbed her forehead, averting her gaze shyly, "I-If I can restore his heart, and give him the determination to extract revenge on Leviathan... we could fight alongside each other and defeat him. Then... then Leviathan can give my people their home back. They'll be safe, and back to the way everything was before, and I won't have to be sacrificed, nor any of my future reincarnations..."

Arkanov, now getting the full explanation of their quest, seemed more concerned than ever. "It all makes sense," he said now, leaning forward into the fire. "Now I see why you're so intent on finding these things. Is this time sensitive? Can we run out of time?"

River slowly shook her head as an answer to his question, "No. Thankfully, that's the easiest part of this quest. We have all the time in the world to restore his heart and take back my homeland." But then, she began to hold her arms, looking suddenly meek and fragile in this position, "But… I can't stand the idea of loitering around and going about this so slowly. I've already caused enough trouble for every Ali'kian by forcing them out of their home for eight years. If I made them wait any longer… heh, let's just say that I would be remembered as the most pathetic priestess of all time."

"You are not the most pathetic priestess of all time," Arkanov assured, to which Kestral, Thomas, and Santiago nodded in agreement. Arkanov continued, "You're the bravest one of them all for trying to do this for your people. Attempting to fight Leviathan at any speed is more than anyone before you has done."

River looked at everyone, utterly speechless. Then, her eyes had a strange shine to them, almost glass-like. It was easier to tell that she was starting to tear up when she had to wipe her eyes. "Thank you, you're so kind. But… it's still my fault for causing them so much pain in the first place…" then, she looked away, and curled up with her knees pulled in towards her body, "Th-They were all really furious… the ones who weren't mourning, at least. I… I got a lot of death threats, and I sometimes can't be sure if they would be happier with me gone…"

Thomas moved closer to River and sat beside her. He frowned. "They'll be happiest when you do this for them and prevent anymore priests or priestesses from dying at the hands of Leviathan. The past is done and dealt with. Now the only thing you can and should do, instead of wallowing in pity, is to try and make things right for the future. And that's what you are doing."

"… Yeah, r-right…" River stuttered, trying to bring forth a smile for Thomas' sake. But it just couldn't work out. Her smile looked forced, painfully so, as if it hurt her physically to try smiling with such thoughts returning to her. But soon, that smile dropped, and she bowed her head to apologize, "S-Sorry that I got really down on you guys. I probably shouldn't have brought that last part up…"

Thomas could tell a bad fake smile when he saw one. "It's okay. I know, I wish I could say everything in the past was alright. But what matters is doing better from now on, and that's what you're doing. You're making amends. And you can share that with all of us. It's what we're here for."

"Heh… I-I can only hope that they think the same thing," River tried to make a laugh, but it didn't work as well as she had hoped. She appreciated Thomas' help, but it was just so strange. She didn't know how to react to this kind of support. She's never known someone to talk to her so encouragingly, and thus she really had no clue how to respond. "I'll be happy, as long as I can make things better for them… I'm sure of it."

"And you will make things better!" Kestral said, hoping to inspire something in River as well. "So you will be happy then? Hopefully?"

"I'm sure I will," River finally, genuinely smiled, and put an arm around Kestral's shoulders. She pulled her in closer, "And they can all be happy too; everything will be back to the way it should be."

"You're their hero," Kestral murmured softly. She leaned into River's shoulder and then looked up to her with her large, green eyes. "And you're ours too, River. We mean it."

"… I guess you guys are all my heroes," Morde finally spoke up after his moment of thoughtful silence, "You saved me not too long ago, and I'm sure you can save all those other… Ali'kians? That's what your people are called?"

Hearing these comments of kindness, River's smile grew even wider, and she put her second arm over Morde, "You two are so sweet! This… it's all actually really helpful, and you all make me happy to be here, on this quest…"

"Well, good," Thomas leaned back and stared up at the now darkening night sky above, and he put his arms behind his head. "It's helpful to love what you do."

After he said these words, the two girls from before emerged from the forest. Hyacinth had one arm around Salina's shoulder and was limping. Her foot was bandaged by Salina's pink and purple cloth around her wiast, and she seemed exhausted more than pained. However, Salina did not seem to mind carring Hyacinth. Both the girls had secret smiles on their faces, as if they had been exchanging inside jokes the entire time. Their faces fell when they noticed the child around the campfire, and now Salina seemed more concerned than amused. "Hello! Who are you?"

"Huh…?" Morde turned his head to see the other two women approaching, the fact that there were more people of this group than he initially thought had somewhat surprised him. He put a hand on his own shoulder, "Uh… my name is Morde. I've been lost out here for a while, and I saw the smoke from this campfire and decided to follow it."

But before the other two ladies could respond, Blake, surprisingly, jumped up to his feet and ran to check up on the two of them, "H-Hyacinth, what happened to your foot?! Are you alright?"

"Hello Morde, welcome," Hyacinth said gently to the child by the fire. However, when she noticed Blake's sincerity of his concern for her, she blushed slightly, and looked shyly away. "Oh, heheh..."

Salina began to chuckle somewhat as she explained. "She wanted to see how the grass felt underneath her bare feet, and of course in that moment, there was some glass on the ground. She's fine, but she's gotta rest it overnight."

"Glass? Yeesh, sounds painful…" Blake winced at the thought of stepping on glass and slicing up his own foot. He did not quite appreciate the image. "We should probably be careful where we step when we're out here then. Glass out in the open is pretty rare, but there's also sometimes traps that hunters out here leave for animals. Wouldn't want to get caught up in a noose or anything…"

Salina's eyes widened. "Yikes. Well, we've definitely learned our lesson. I thought the glass might mean that civilization is close though. Unless I'm completely wrong."

"It 's entirely possible," Morde piped up, holding a finger in the air matter-of-factly. "But sometimes traders drop things on their journey that break. But Dhabonde has little villages scattered everywhere, so I'm sure you'll find some place eventually."

"You know this place?" Salina asked the young boy, with an inviting smile. "Well, since you're going to be along with us for a while, maybe you can help us if you know the area?"

"Of course, I could always try," Morde accepted the request, and gave a kind and caring smile to the blonde woman before him. "Though don't trust my judgement on everything. I mean, I got lost for a reason, heheh…"

"Hey, you know the terrain better than all of us even with the lost part," Salina admitted with a chuckle. She gave the boy a gentle smile. "Don't beat yourself up, kid. And we'll get you to find your guardians."

With this, River reassuringly ruffled Morde's dark, somewhat dirty hair, and he smiled and laughed with it. "Hehe… thanks. But we should go in the morning, it's scary going around here at night anyways. And I'm really exhausted…"

"Then you should rest up," Salina suggested with a warm smile.

"Yeah!" Thomas agreed cheerily. He gave the boy a small smile. "There's room in our tent if you like, Morde."

"... You... y-you'd let me sleep in the same tent as you?" Morde asked, his eyes shined with such an innocent and hopeful glimmer. With a nod, feeling so warmed by the kindness of the group that he had only just met, he let out a little laugh, "Okay... I'll sleep in your guys' tent tonight..."

"Of course!" Thomas assured. He felt that the child's laugh was infectious, so he began to chuckle a little as well. "We wouldn't let you sleep all on your own outside where it's dangerous. You're more than welcome to join us."

"I've been wandering around all day, I think I should get to sleep about now…" Morde said, and then followed up with an exhausted yawn. He stood up onto his two feet again, which weren't wobbling anymore, and began to walk off to the tent that Thomas, Santiago, and Arkanov shared. "But uh, I apologize in advance, I have a tendency to move around a lot when I sleep…"

"That's more than fine, there's enough room in the tent for wiggle room anyways," Thomas assured. Santiago nodded, and watched as the child went off by himself. "Make yourself at home!" Thomas called out. He turned to the others. "We'll probably all be heading off to bed soon anyways, won't we?"

"We should," River spoke up, and stood up as well. As she began to head off to the girls' tent, it seemed as though the Barry brothers were going off into their own tent as well. She was already starting to get herself ready, sliding off the turquoise beads around her neck. "I'll see everyone in the morning, alright?"

"Goodnight," Arkanov gave a warm smile to River before he headed off to his tent.

Kestral got up, but noticed that Hyacinth and Salina were still staying by the fire. She looked to them curiously. "You aren't tired?"

"We're just talking," Salina explained gently. Hyacinth nodded eagerly and said, "We wouldn't want to go into the tent to speak while you and River are trying to sleep. We'll be there soon enough. Goodnight, ladies."

"Goodnight!" River called back, a charm of sweetness to her voice. As she walked back into her tent with Kestral, the Barry brothers seemed rather bushed themselves.

Rubus waved goodnight to everyone else, but was a little too tired to say much. Blake on the other hand, just simply smiled to everyone, "Godnight everyone. And Hyacinth, Salina, don't stay up too late."

"We won't," Hyacinth assured. Santiago stared daggers at the two women, especially Salina. He knew it would be awkward if he intruded on their time, so as he slunk back into the tent reluctantly, he kept a watchful eye on the two, knowing it was likely that the two would talk into the ungodly hours of the night. And so they would.

## An Unpleasant Awakening

The morning introduced itself to the land by way of the rising sun, illuminating the world and showing its golden-orange glow. Birds began chirping to greet the dawn, and that noise combined with the light peeping through the thin fabric of the tent was enough to awaken the Ali'kian girl from her slumber. Her blue eyes opened slowly, and she didn't turn around to check on the others in the tent just yet. Instead, she rose herself, sitting up with a hunched and tired posture, and grabbed her leather satchel. It was best that she track down where the next heart shard would be, to save time for everyone.

Yet when she reached inside, she felt her lyre, and her beads, as well as various jars that stored some of the group's food supply. And yet, the vial containing the shards were not in her hands. Suspicious, she opened the bag wider, and held it up to the light. She couldn't see any colors reflected. Now she was desperately worried.

Suddenly, she began unpacking everything. Taking out all her supplies and setting them out, even her instrument and her beads, even her comb. But once she had taken everything out, the bag was empty. The shards were missing.

Kestral's eyes opened slightly when she heard River struggling to find something in her satchel. Sleepily, she sighed. "Hey, River... what's the matter...?" she asked. "Your rummaging woke me up."

River's eyes were as wide as a startled doe's. She immediately looked at Kestral, already looking extremely stressed, with her hand grasping tight onto her hair. "K-Kes… the shards are gone… they're not in here…"

Suddenly, Kestral's eyes shot straight open, and she seemed confused. "You're joking, right? No offense River, but I don't find those types of jokes funny."

"I'm not joking, Kestral!" River exclaimed, already looking extremely frazzled. Her hair was already out of sorts from grabbing it so much, and her forehead was sweating from the sudden stress. Immediately, she got up, and ran out of the tent, back into the outside. She saw the extinguished campfire with its burnt twigs and brambles, and saw the other two tents that the rest of her companions were sleeping in. "Kestral, we need to get everyone up to search for them, okay?"

Kestral rose up relatively quickly now. She could tell from River's expression and frazzled nature that she was certainly not playing around at all. She nodded, as she immediately turned to Salina and Hyacinth and began to shake them awake. "You get the boys to get up, I've got Salina and Hyacinth,"

River nodded, and immediately ran up to the entrance of the tent opposite of hers. She knelt down in front of the entrance, and immediately pulled the flaps apart, shining some light through. It revealed Arkanov, Santiago, and Thomas all sleeping... but for some odd reason, Morde was missing from the group. She didn't have time to worry about that at the very moment, and she spoke up, "Guys! G-Get up, the shards are gone!"

Arkanov lifted his torso up with one arm, and rubbed his eyes. He looked to River in a curious, groggy daze. "Gone? Where did they go?"

Thomas seemed to be already awake. He was just finished dressing and had put his sleeveless hooded cloak over his body. He seemed rather calm about the whole ordeal, however, and put his gloved hands up in hopes of calming the woman down. "River, relax first. Think logically and try to retrace your steps. Did you misplace them? Can you remember moving them last night?"

River held her head in her hands, and suddenly it seemed as though her shoulders were twitching. She took a deep breath, "I... All I remember was going to bed, and then waking up and the shards weren't in my bag anymore. The last time I saw them, I was showing them to Morde, and then put them back in my satchel. B-But, they're gone now and I don't-" then, when she looked up again, her eyes widened with fear, "... Where's Morde...?"

Arkanov turned his head and looked to the empty bed mat that had been left out for Morde. He frowned. "Well, he's certainly not here."

"Maybe he's out for... erm, a walk?" Thomas suggested, now scratching his head in confusion. "Or perhaps you didn't see him outside?"

"I… I don't know…" River muttered under her breath. She turned her head to look over her shoulder, and didn't see any sign of the boy from the previous night anywhere in the campsite. "So now we have a missing child and missing shards… wh-what are we going to do?"

"I don't think that's a coincidence," Arkanov commented sharply. He shook his head in frustration and disgust, and looked away from them all. "Unless someone stole both Morde and the shards away from us. I don't know who would even do that though."

"The only one who would want these shards other than us are Eris…" River muttered under her breath, her hands shaking violently. She couldn't stand the thought of being in here any longer not searching for the shards. "Y-You don't think she could have found us, could she…?"

"Possibly," Arkanov said. He moved over to River's side and remained close to her to comfort her. "Hey, River, don't fret too much. If Eris has taken the shards we've collected, we will find her and take them back."

"H-How are you so calm about this?!" River suddenly exclaimed, her hands latching desperately onto his shoulders, as her breathing began to pick up pace in her panic, "Arkanov, I can't track any of the other shards. I need at least one of them to know where the others are. Without any of them, we could be wandering around the world with no direction and no hope for finding the rest! I can't waste another year aimlessly searching..."

Arkanov put his hands on hers that were on his shoulders. He did not want to admit that the reason he was so calm about this was because it did not affect his own mission and thus did not necessarily care; however, he knew this would not be a sufficient, or polite, answer. Instead, e said, "Because thieves have patterns. We must think realistically. It can't be more than eight or nine hours from last night when we went to sleep, assuming Eris stole the shards then. That means to catch up to her, we must travel faster than whatever rate she is going at. I'm sure we can. That, or perhaps she is in one of the villages right now."

"Then we have to get moving!" River ordered, immediately standing up, and starting to head back over to her own tent. She wasn't in the mood for waiting, she had to get the shards back as soon as possible, "Start packing everything up right now, we can't waste anymore time."

Arkanov's eyes widened at River's sudden snapping, but he was surprisingly intimidated, and immediately hopped up to begin packing the tent. He motioned for Thomas, who was dragging a sleeping Santiago, to leave the tent so they could clean up. "Alright then, you might want to tell the other fellows to do so as well."

River didn't say any more words as she ran up to the tent that the twins were staying in. She didn't even bother to explain the situation to them when she woke them up. She simply opened up the flaps to their tent, waking them up with the light, and spoke with such a scary and harsh tone, "Get up, we need to get moving, *now*."

Then she immediately left them to get to work, and returned to her tent to see if the other women were awake, "Hyacinth? Salina? Come on, we can't take our time with this."

Hyacinth and Salina were up and getting dressed hurriedly. Salina looked up to River confusedly. "What are we moving for now? I thought you were looking for the shards!"

"Morde is missing too, there's not a sign of him anywhere." River alerted, and began to pick up her own satchel, not bothering to adorn herself with turquoise, and instead just simply wrapped her red cloth around her waist. "I talked with the guys for a moment, and it's possible that someone may have managed to sneak through here in the night and take the shards, as well as kidnap Morde. This isn't just about the shards anymore, we need to save him too."

Salina immediately sprung up with this, and forced Hyacinth somewhat brutishly out of the tent. Then she tossed out the bed mats, their other clothes and satchels and packs so she could remove the tents. She looked to River expectantly. "Alright, let's hurry up then, before he goes away farther than we could possibly catch up to."

Once it seemed as though they were ready, River looked out to the rest of the campsite, and saw the twins finally emerging, in unison of course. They were barely ready, but they at least had the decency to be dressed in the morning. Rubus, being the most sociable one, began to talk, "River, what in the world is this all about? What's going on?"

River groaned and rolled her eyes again, growing extremely impatient, "The shards have gone missing, and so has Morde. We can only assume that they've been stolen and kidnapped him as well."

Rubus gave her a rather incredulous look, raising his eyebrow in suspicion. He looked to the other women, wondering if they believed this possibility as well. "Excuse me, but… don't any of you think that maybe *Morde* stole the heart shards…?"

"He's a kid!" Salina gasped, strangely offended by the notion Rubus suggested. "He was lost from his parents, thirsty and fatigued. How is it possible that he could've stolen the shards and then ran off if he was so tired? Besides, only a truly evil child would've stolen things that valuable."

Rubus put up his hands defensively, and flinched at how suddenly she snapped at him, "Calm yourself, Salina! I was just trying to offer another possible reason for this, we can't just jump onto the solution that we like the most and have our judgements based on those assumptions-"

"- Doesn't matter. Let's just get everyone here, leave the campsite up." River ordered, taking charge despite her normally very passive nature, "We'll find Morde and the shards, then return here with both of them. For whatever reason they're gone, it doesn't change the fact that we need to find them. Now until everyone here is finished, we'll go out and search. Given our size, it would be best we split up into groups."

"I-I'm sorry, Rubus," Salina apologized embarrassedly, running her hands through her hair in nervous fidgets. She seemed very confused, and she could obviously tell how important the shards were to River and to Ali'ikai. "These shards are worth everything to River, we need to get these back for her. I-I'll go towards the directions of the tents."

"I'll join you," Hyacinth suggested immediately, which seemed to make sense given she knew no one else besides Arkanov. Arkanov, who emerged from the tent, seemed surprised that Hyacinth did not want to join him, but he said nothing.

"I'll join you!" Santiago immediately volunteered. He stumbled awake, still in his sleep clothes, but he remained by Hyacinth's side, and smiled at Salina. "The three of us then."

Arkanov shrugged. "Well, it makes sense. We should have one person who somewhat knows the terrain of Dhabonde in every small group."

"I've spent a good amount of time here before, so I can be a part of one group." River spoke up, and then gestured to the Barry brothers in front of her, "Rubus and Blake have explored this place before too, and they each can make their own individual groups, or stick together. So whoever doesn't know the terrain here, choose your groups."

Thomas and Kestral were the only ones left. Thomas gave a small, somewhat dubious smile towards Rubus. "Oh, I've been meaning to talk to you. I suppose now would be a better time than ever."

"Okay!" Kestral exclaimed excitedly, and bounced over to Blake's side when Thomas said this. "That leaves us together, Blake! The fun people of our group!"

Arkanov seemed somewhat offended by this. "You don't want to go with me?"

Kestral stuck out her tongue. "Nope. Frig doesn't either."

Arkanov turned around and smiled at River somewhat awkwardly. "Looks like you're stuck with me then."

"Good, at least you can help if we run into trouble," River said sternly, hardly making much of a friendly comment towards their partnership. All that seemed to matter to her now was accomplishing their objective. "Now that there's four groups, and no trace of Where Morde or the shards have gone, we should search in each four directions. Ark and I will head west, Rubus and Thomas can go north, Blake and Kestral east, and Santiago, Salina, and Hyacinth go south. Sound like a plan?"

"Yep," Salina nodded and directed the other earth mages to follow their lead. "I say if we don't find them or the shards by a little past midday, near evening, we head back. And we yell out if we have any troubles, alright?"

"Yes, we'll meet back by then." River agreed, and turned to the west to set off with Arkanov. Turning her head over her shoulder, she saw the other groups go off to explore their assigned areas. When she looked back out towards the west, she saw the vast plains of Dhabonde, with very few shrubs and trees scattered around. "Well Arkanov, let's head out."

Arkanov nodded and followed behind River. He looked around at the small number of trees and shrub and sighed in relief. "Less foliage means we're less likely to get lost in them, I believe."

"But unfortunately, I have a feeling that it would be hard to catch anyone hiding here. It's so open…" River mentioned, her shoulders now slumping as she almost lost some hope. But she took a deep breath, and had to keep herself going. She looked around the immediate area, at the waves of golden grass, but couldn't find anything suspicious. "And Eris… if it really was her… I'd be terrified for Morde. He's only a kid, and… we all remember what Eris was doing to children when we first met her…"

Arkanov shuddered at the thought. "Don't remind me. It just means we have to find Morde all the sooner. I don't know where Eris would want to go with him though. Would there be another cave that she could dump the body in?"

"I don't think there would be any places to hide him, unless Eris turns out to be an expert digger and buried him… b-but I don't want to imagine the possibility of him already being dead, especially after we just saved him…" River shook her head, her teeth clenched and eyes glaring as if she were in physical pain at the mere thought of this. "I-I don't know what she would want to do with him… a-and why does she need the shards anyways? With everything she has done so far… I can't understand her motives…"

"They hold the key to unlocking Leviathan's emotions," Arkanov said, though he seemed unsure. "And we saw her with Leviathan. Maybe she wants something to do with him, but I'm not sure what for either."

"... I think you mean Mana. Leviathan's a god, and there's no way he would associate himself with a mortal like her," River corrected in a rather apathetic tone, as she wasn't the one to take pleasure in fixing someone else's small mistakes. "I just... I have no clue how she even got a hold of him. He's supposed to be savage, and ruthless, and uncontrollable without his heart. How she has him under her power is beyond me, and why she needed to kill those children... it makes me sick, but... we need to stop her, and whatever she's doing. None of this can be for a good cause."

Arkanov, still a little offended by the correction, looked to her. "Well, if you were Eris then, where would you go with powerful shards and a young boy?"

"... I'm not sure. I would probably just run as far away as I could to the next town and hide myself there until the scene has calmed down," River mentioned, breathing out with a sigh. When she looked out upon the savannah, she couldn't spot a single thing, sign, or marking showing that they were even heading in the right direction, or if they were anywhere close to finding their targets. There was nothing but just open space, and this was starting to agitate her somewhat. "What would you have done in that situation?"

"I would've hit the nearest town and hid among its people inconspicuously," Arkanov muttered. He began to note River's somewhat agitated stance and frowned. "But I'm happy to say that my mind and Eris' are not very alike at all, so there's no telling if she would've done the same."

"That's the worst part of it, we can't even predict what she would do, since we're all so different from her..." River mentioned. She rubbed her head, and despite the morning hours still felt exhausted from the mere stress of this incident. She didn't know what they would do if they couldn't find either Morde or the shards in time. Her head was even starting to hurt from wracking her brain trying to cope with it all. When she looked back to Arkanov, and saw him in a much calmer state than her, she began to wonder...

"Arkanov...?" She asked, hesitance in her tone of voice, "If... I-If we can't find anything, and no one else comes across what we're looking for, a-and we can't find them ever again... would you leave...?"

"The group?" Arkanov asked. He seemed slapped this sudden question, and he awkwardly looked off to the side. "Well, I must take care of my mother, you see... without Kestral and I, she's all alone..."

River lowered her head at this, wanting to slap herself for forgetting this very important factor, "Ah… o-of course. I'm sorry I asked… but… this is all really scaring me. If we fail this, everyone will go their separate ways, and… I'm scared to be alone again…"

Then, she put her palm on her forehead and sighed, "… I'm being selfish. I mean, w-we don't have to meet up again if you don't want to. But… all you guys… you're the only real home I have now. I can't even return to my family and be happy there…"

"Well, of course I'd visit," Arkanov quickly interjected, though he seriously wanted to slap himself in the face for doing so. "You're my friend now, aren't you?" He seemed like he wanted to stop, but obviously he was not going to. "I'd only visit Pendsbury to take my mother and father and leave to move here."

At those words, it seemed as though a look of hope began to return to her eyes. She stopped walking, only for a moment, so that she could stare at Arkanov with her wide blue eyes. She couldn't quite believe what he had told her. She's never known someone to still be loyal like this to another person.

With a new sense of determination, she reached down, and grasped his hand firmly, but almost lovingly. "I… I thought you were going to abandon us… but, thank you. Now, come on, let's not make that scenario a reality. We'll find the shards and Morde together."

He looked down to their locked hands and swallowed hard. He knew the words he had just spoken would have to be lived to, but he was not quite sure if he could. But those matters were unimportant now. He instead squeezed River's hand back, and looked up towards the horizon. "Don't you worry. We'll find them both before we even have to think about life after this quest."

"Then let's go!" River declared, her heart finally starting up with life again, and she pulled him forward along the seemingly endless fields of gold. She seemed ready to take on any challenge that was presented towards them. But now that they had walked for a while, she could see something off in the distance of the horizon. It looked like a long cluster of trees, probably growing around a stream of water traversing through the land. When she saw it, she had an idea, "Hey, Arkanov? Morde could very well be over there. If we can't spot him out in the open, then he must have been hidden out there, maybe the kidnapper too…"

"That's really the only place to hide," Arkanov agreed, and he sped up, pulling River along with him to the river banks. He began to laugh happily. "I hope that's a stream! With you as a water mage, you should be able to subdue the kidnapper with it... right?"

"You're definitely right," River gave a quick nod to her head of agreement, feeling confident that they were getting somewhere at least. She continued forward, running with him up to the riverbanks and the foliage that surrounded it. It wasn't long before they both were among the clusters of trees themselves, which weren't all that tall. Only for a moment, she let go of his hand, and cupped her own hands around her mouth to call out, "Morde! Morde, are you out here?"

There wasn't a response, at least for now. They would have to continue, "Come on, let's start calling out for him."

Arkanov cupped his hands around his own mouth. In contrast to River's more soft volume, Arkanov huskily called out in a voice louder than a hawk's call, "MORDE! ANSWER US! ARE YOU HERE!?"

With no response, Arkanov blushed in embarrassment. "I don't know if he's here."

However, Arkanov was about to be proven wrong. There was a sudden rustling in the trees and bushes that could be heard. It almost gave Ruver deja vu of the previous night when they had first met the child. She immediately ran into the foliage ahead of Arkanov, searching desperately for the child. "Morde! Morde, please answer!"

Then, when she had made it past the trees and up upon the flowing riverbanks, she caught sight of the dark haired child once again. He wasn't facing her, but stood staring out in the opposite direction. He was alive, and seemed entirely unharmed. But at the very moment she stepped closer, he turned around and seemed extremely shocked, even scared. River breathed out, and beckoned him to come to her. Slowly, with hesitance, the boy came forward, and immediately clinged on to River. He held on tightly, and didn't say anything more, while she gently pet his head, "Arkanov… I… I found him…"

Arkanov was not as calm. Something was off. His senses were heightened, which he usually took to mean that he was in danger somehow. With a flourish of his hands, he drew his shadow sword, and he kept it at his side while he looked to Morde critically. "Where are the shards, Morde? Do you know? They went missing, conveniently at the same time that you did."

"I…" Morde breathed out, suddenly his eyes were much wider, and he looked even more startled than before. He thought that River would have come here alone, but it seemed as though she was accompanied by one of the more fearsome fighters of this group of travelers. He pulled away, and looked at the two of them. One calm and loving, the other suspicious and unforgiving. "River…? I'm… I'm sure that the Ali'kians are good people, but…"

"My mother needs these more." Then in the blink of an eye, he slipped out a blade that he had hidden in his sleeve, and with a tight grip on the hilt, he rushed forward and stabbed River in her thigh. Taking it so unexpectedly, she screamed out in pain.

"Morde, wh-" and before she could finish, the boy turned and darted off to the left, back into the trees.

Arkanov gasped as if he had taken offense to this, and he grabbed River's wrist as he leapt over the shrubs and into the trees and brush after Morde. "The conniving weasel! Morde, who is your mother!? She doesn't need these more than hundreds of other people do!"

River grunted in pain when she was pulled along, she could run very well with this new stab wound in her leg, and she was still in shock of the sudden betrayal. But the two of them had chased Morde down to a large, tall tree, with a wide and thick trunk. He stopped there, and turned back to look at his pursuers. He glared at Arkanov, and didn't give so much as a glance to River, he felt little regret for having hurt her. Looking side to side, there wasn't an easy escape. So, he called out, "M-Mom! Help!"

He was answered with silence, and faced against two adults who could easily hurt a child such as himself. He closed his eyes, bracing for an attack, until…

There was a loud, echoing roar. It was grossly distorted, as if the throat had been badly damaged and shrieking. Trees suddenly snapped, breaking and collapsing. Thus, the monster was revealed. Skin as black as night, glaring, soulless eyes, a sharp-toothed permanent grin, an arched back with warped, clawed forearms. It was Heartless Mana.

Followed behind the beast was the woman who strode with confidence. Her green eyes cold and unforgiving, her hair white as snow and bobbed. She walked with her hands behind her back, and approached the boy who was guarded by the terrifying monster. When she saw the other two, her expression did not change. "Oh, well hello. It's been a while since we last saw each other…"

"Damn it, Eris!" Arkanov cursed. He should have known something was off with this child, even though they bore no likeness physically. Then he looked to Morde. "You are spawn of an evil woman. Eris, we know you want the shards... what have you done with them, and where are they?"

Eris looked down to her son, and immediately, he pulled out the glass bottle that he had been hiding in his shirt, and handed them into his mother's hand. She examined the bottle inquisitively, staring at the four beautiful shards that it contained. "Ah, I'm sorry you two, but they belong to *us* now. My son proved to be a good thief, no? Certainly better than that worthless bounty hunter from Qijihaz."

She moved her hand down to pat the boy's head, and he seemed more than pleased, smiling brightly, as if he had been truly desperate for her approval. The woman looked to the man and woman before her, "We'll be off on our own way now, thank y-"

"No!" River exclaimed, limping forward as blood began to trickle down her leg. For once, she seemed ready to fight. Bubbles of water had formed around her arms, and her hands were curled into fists that were ready to punch. "Arkanov, w-we're not going down without a fight! Quick, get your sword!"

"It's already here," he replied calmly. He lifted the sword up and aimed it just near Eris' throat. He seemed to want to take a hit on the child but he decided against it. "Eris, you can try to run off with the shards you did nothing to find. But you will die in doing so..."

"Like Mana would let that happen," Eris rolled her eyes at the two, just as the dark clawed beast came up in front of the woman and child, shielding them from the sword. He snarled at Arkanov's blade, lowering himself closer to the ground, looking like he was ready to pounce at the man.

But then, he changed his trajectory in a split second, and jumped onto River, knocking her over and pinning her down. She yelped, and gasped in shock. She tried lifting her arms to punch him off of her, but she was stuck. Yet she did not cry out for help, "A-Ark! Get the vial out of her hand, quick!"

Arkanov was torn. He really wanted to assist River in getting Mana off, but he knew, sadly, that River's safety was not her own first concern. He put his hand behind his back to assume the fighting stance, and with the blunt, non-sharp edge of his sword, we made an X-shaped motion with the sword towards Eris face to slap her, hoping the sudden move would shock her into dropping the vial.

In a split second reaction, the woman lifted her wrist to block the sword without thought. She didn't think this plan through, and the bottle suddenly flew out of her hand. It suddenly smacked against the bark of another tree, and the bottle shattered. The four shards inside scattered across the grass, and it would have been difficult to see if not for their radiant glow.

When they were released, Heartless Mana had a strange reaction. He paused, and could only stare at the shards on the ground. His grip on River loosened, and now was her chance. With the water still around her fists, she raised her right arm, and punched the beast with all the might she had… which admittedly, wasn't much. It merely made him flinch, but it was enough to smack him back into action. He took up guard in front of Eris and Morde once more, while River struggled back up to her feet and ran to the shards. She tried to grab as many as she could in a handful, but already Morde was down and trying to collect them as well.

Before either of them could fight over what they had collected, Mana suddenly lunged between the two, splitting them apart. Eris just looked on, unamused by everything before her, and sighed. She beckoned both her son and Mana to come closer to her, "Come on, we've already got some of what we needed. Let's get out of here."

Then, she, Morde, and Heartless Mana turned and dashed off further into the trees, at a faster pace than anyone else could catch up with. River heaved, and looked in her hands. She was able to grab two shards: the one bright red and burning hot, and the one that sparkled a beautiful gold. She put a hand on her forehead, "We… we lost two… I'm so sorry, Arkanov…"

"Well, we may have lost two, but we also took back two," Arkanov said, which was surprising since he wasn't always the most positive member of the team. He went over to River's side and gently lifted her up back onto her feet. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Besides your leg, of course."

"N-No. I feel a little strained, but I'm okay…" River slowly got back up to her feet, but she clearly wasn't stable. She limped back up to Arkanov, trying to cover the stab wound on her thigh. It was bleeding less this time, the wound was trying to clot, but it wasn't very helpful. "We need to get back to the others… I just hope they didn't get into any trouble…"

"But I've got to stop you from bleeding..." Arkanov muttered softly. He looked down to his shirt and, unceremoniously, he ripped off the wrinkled edge of it, just the width of a palm or so. It was more than enough to cover a stab wound. Then he gestured over to himself. "Please, let me wrap up your wound..."

River stared at him, feeling somewhat dumbfounded by how willing he was to just take apart his clothing and help her out like that. Modestly, she flipped her hair to cover at least half of her face, to conceal her slightly blushing face. "I… okay. You can wrap it, please… it really hurts…"

Arkanov knelt on one knee so he could be eye level with River's waist. However, he did not begin, for her knew her wound was farther up her leg than her ankle, which was the only part visible. "You'll need to... erm... r-raise your skirt, so I can see the wound," Arkanov informed, seeming just as uncomfortable as he sounded.

River's blushing face instantaneously went pale. She looked at him with wide, suddenly terrified eyes, her heart was suddenly pounding out of her chest. But she knew he just had to get work done, and with shaking hands, she grabbed the edge of her skirt, and slowly pulled it up, careful to reveal *only* her leg, up to her thigh, exposing the injury. "P-Please, don't look too closely… j-just try to do it quick…"

Arkanov nodded, and dabbed at the wound first to rid the skin of the excess blood. Then he tied the cloth gently around her leg, and quickly tied it with a knot. Some blood from the previous wipe was on the loop but otherwise the job was clean. Arkanov's face was quite red, as he had been near an unclothed part of a woman's leg only once before. He slowly backed away with his hands to his side. "It's done."

The moment he finished, River immediately pulled down her skirt and covered her leg once more. She then put her hand on her chest, feeling her intense heart rate, and breathing slowly to try calming herself down. She looked extremely worried, but she still tried to give a smile to Arkanov, "Th-Thank you, so much. But we should start heading to the campsite now…"

"Of course," Arkanov agreed. He moved over to River's side and stared straight ahead, hoping to not make eye contact with that awkward situation. "We don't want people walking off too far when we've already found some of the shards..."

"Right," River breathed out, and looking for some support to help with her limp, she put an arm around Arkanov's torso, as she wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulders. "I hope none of them will be upset when we could only bring back two shards…"

Arkanov held onto River and kept her up as they walked. He tried to muster a small smile. "From having none to two, I'd say that's pretty good. Why would they be upset?"

River was glad to see that he could smile, and she gave back the same expression. "I'm not sure, but… I don't want to disappoint anyone anymore. If I messed up this bad at home, I don't know what they would have done to me…"

"You're not home with those people right now," Arkanov stated. As River had done before, he gently grasped onto her hand with one, and put his own hand over theirs with the other. "You're with us, and we won't treat you badly for trying your best."

"Thank you…" River muttered, smiling a little bit. She held his hand back with a certain warmth, and holding on tight, as he gave her a sense of security and safety. "I'm just so happy that you and the others wouldn't get angry. I knew a lot of people who would want to hurt me over this…"

"Really?" Arkanov asked curiously. Now he seemed more concerned. "Like who...?"

River simply turned her gaze away, and gave out a defeated sigh. As much as she wanted to keep it to herself, she knew that the closer she got with him, that he would need to learn about it sooner or later. "Two people from my village, Yein and Byrune. They lost a lot of loved ones after I failed the sacrifice, and like the others, they blamed me for it. They were my friends when I was younger, and I felt obliged to be with them, but they… well… enjoyed giving me harsh punishments if I got on their bad side…"

"They sound horrid," Arkanov stated flatly, repulsed by their descriptions. However, he seemed more concerned for River than anything, even if he was angered. "River, were they really friends? Or were they just bullies? They sound more like the latter to me. And they're still after you?"

"No. They're not my friends anymore, I'm glad I realize that now. They aren't hunting me down or anything, luckily… th-they left me alone after an incident…" River sounded even more nervous, but still seemed like she was trying hard to keep herself calm as she recalled the memories. "When I get back, and can save our home, I want that to be enough to prove to them that there's no reason to be violent anymore…"

Arkanov stared down at the floor in silence. He seemed to be taking River's explanation slowly, as if it were a lot, but obviously, he was very sympathetic towards her, given the way he was looking upon her now. He lifted his head up and smiled gently. "Don't worry, River. We'll get the shards back — all of them."

She smiled back at him, comforted by his kind and assuring words. She felt a little closer to him, and it made her happier despite their recent misfortune. "I'm sure that we will, and now we can track down the rest with the ones we have now. We can make it…"

"Of course," Arkanov said. He was about to speed up to lead her back to the campsite, but that was when he realized he was horribly lost. He frowned. "Eerm... I don't remember our tents being this far..."

River looked around, left and right, seeing nothing but the long grass around them. She felt rather... confused, to say the very least. She didn't really recognize the area around them, and couldn't recall being here before. She looked to her friend, and gave a worried look, "Arkanov... where are we? I don't think we've been here..."

"I-I don't know!" Arkanov stammered. The vast amount of dirt before him was more troubling than anything. He turned to her. "You know this place better than I would. Does any of it look familiar?"

River shook her head slowly, starting to get more worried as she couldn't spot a recognizable landmark in sight. She looked more nervous, holding on to Arkanov just a little bit tighter, "I... I don't know. We haven't been here before... we can't be lost, right? Right?"

"We might be," Arkanov said with no pause. He put his hand on River's shoulder instead, and tried to seem somewhat hopeful. But we can surely find the others again if we call out their names. I think they'd be able to hear us."

"... All the way out here...?" River questioned with a sense of trepidation. She didn't like how any of this looked, she wasn't sure if they could be anywhere near the others. But... perhaps if they were all the way out here, they could run into another one of the groups. After all, they all had gone in various directions. "O-Okay, let's try it. But we have to be cautious, sometimes too much noise might attract attention of people or things that we don't want..."

Arkanov nodded, and he was about to cup his hands to begin screaming once more, but he stopped suddenly. "Wait, would Eris and them find us if we shouted?"

"It's possible, though I can't imagine her hearing us all the way out here…" River muttered, her voice seeming a little less smooth and now much more unsteady. "We could try it, if it's our only option…"

Arkanov cupped his hands and loudly shouted, "THOMAS! RUBUS!" He looked to River. "Since they went north, and we're west, surely they'd be the closest ones to us... right?"

"Most likely…" River nodded in agreement, and cupped her hands around her mouth, her voice much softer than Arkanov's, but she still tried as hard as she could to make a loud noise, "Thomas! Rubus!"

For a long moment, there wasn't a response. River was about to call out once more, until she heard an echo in the distance. She wasn't sure what they had said, but the noise was certainly human, and sounded like a male's voice.

Arkanov's expression lighted up, and then he grabbed onto River's hand and began to sprint toward the sound of the voice. "Y-You hear that, River?! Thomas! Rubus! Is that you!?"

"Arkanov!" A distant voice called out. River tried to peer out over the horizon, and in the distance, she could spot a figure, the most significant feature being bright red hair, and next to him was another whose colors seemed to blend in a little more with the golden brown grass…

"River, Arkanov!" The other figure called out. It was Thomas. His accented voice cut through the silence of the grasslands, and feeling more energetic than he had before, he sprinted towards the other two men.

Thomas' face lit up when he saw how excited Arkanov was to see them both, and he waved in a friendly manner to Arkanov. "Hey! Are you two alright? What's going on?"

Rubus caught sight of the two, and waved his hand along with Thomas to attract their attention. He suddenly grabbed Thomas' wrist, and pulled him along to run with him. When they were getting closer, River realized that they would have to tell them of their unfortunate discovery. "W-We're okay! Sort of… I… k-kind of got stabbed…"

"WHAT!?" Thomas jumped up in shock. Frantically, he looked to River for answers. "Who did it? Where and when? Show me the wound; I'll try to heal it up."

Hearing this, Rubus immediately sprinted to her side, and began to examine her body looking for wounds. He saw the tear in her dress that was stained with her blood, and he gasped sharply, retracting even. "River, what happened?!"

"C-Calm down guys…" The woman held her hands up, which were a little shaky. She took a deep breath, trying to get through the pain of her injury, "Rubus, your guess was right. Morde stole the shards, and… I understand if you don't believe me, but… he's Eris' son. He stabbed me in order to get away, and we were only able to get back two of the shards. I'm so sorry…"

"W-Well... getting away with two is better than getting away with none at all," Thomas said calmly. He still seemed distressed, but he was staring at River's body and not necessarily because he was upset over the shards. "Seriously, River. Where did you get hurt? I can help..."

River wanted to slap herself for forgetting about this. Carefully, she began to lift up her skirt, still nervous at the thought of showing her leg, but did her absolute best to show modesty. She revealed the wound in her thigh, currently wrapped my Arkanov's cloth. "H-Here…"

Thomas rose an eyebrow, but not because she lifted her skirt. He was more confused by what was around her leg. He began to remove it, and inspected the cloth carefully. "What on earth is this?"

Arkanov embarrassedly grunted, "The corner of my shirt..."

Thomas looked up and noticed that indeed, the bottom of Arkanov's shirt was ripped. He frowned while he began to use his magic on her. "A shirt that's dirty is not a proper bandage for a wound that could possibly get infected, you know."

"He was just trying to help…" River defended her friend, but she didn't quite make the strongest proclamation. She knew that Thomas was right, no doubt, but she didn't want to let Arkanov think his help had gone to waste. "We were just trying to stop the bleeding, that's all…"

Thomas looked up at River from how she had tried to defend Arkanov, and took this as a slap to the face. It was very obvious who she was siding on. Then he looked over to Arkanov, who seemed more embarrassed than anything.

Thomas sighed, and tried to laugh this off. "I-I know," he said, "I'm giving Ark a hard time. He's not one for first aid. The first time we landed on Samadurai, he nearly killed me trying to save me from a bite I had gotten from some wolves. Heh..." He laughed to himself as he finished running his hands gently, and certainly not strangely, over River's leg, and decided his light magic had healed her wound enough for the time being. He stood up. "Well, that's about as much as I can do for now. But it's not infected. You'll be alright."

"Thank you, Thomas," River smiled with relief up to the man, hoping that he understood she felt no hard feelings for anything she said before. She didn't feel any pain in her legs anymore, thankfully, and seemed to be safe and able to walk on her own without trouble. She lowered her skirt again, "Heh, I'll have to sew this back together when we have the time. Let's get back to the campsite, we can't do much else out here…"

"Yes, and do tell us about your encounter with Morde along the way," Thomas added with a quick nod. "I just hope the others haven't strayed too far."

"I doubt it," Rubus spoke up, looking up towards the sky now as they began to make their way back. "We all agreed to return at a specific time regardless of what we found or not, so soon enough they'll all start to head back. Anyways, let's hear this elaboration on Morde…"

River glanced away for a brief moment, trying to figure out how to put this all into words. He took a deep breath, and sighed, "Morde was lying about being part of a caravan. When we found him, we were at the riverbanks, and I hugged him because I had been scared that he was gone for good. But when I asked him about the shards, he stabbed me in the leg and ran away. Arkanov and I chased after him, but when he had nowhere to go, he called out for his mother and… a-and… Eris appeared, with Heartless Mana…"

Thomas gasped in shock. "So, he was a snake. Well then, no wonder he happened to stumble upon us so easily. They must've been watching us. Well, I assume you two fought them off, given how you're alive now. But where did they seem to head to?"

"I don't know. They ran off after we had fought with them…" River informed, letting her head drop down in some shame of letting them escape. Yet at the same time, she had been somewhat glad that the conflict hadn't gone on any longer than it already had. "But next time, we should be a lot more cautious about people we don't know…"

Thomas looked to the floor. Obviously, he was feeling a little angry and betrayed, given the unfitting scowl on his face. He looked more like Arkanov than he ever had before. "Yes. Most of us trusted him. I can't believe I fell for his facade..."

"I knew there had to be something wrong with him," Rubus grumbled and growled unhappily as well. He certainly had something more to say about this situation, but he held his tongue for the moment, "I wanted to doubt him just because he was a child. But to think he was a child that could lie so easily and steal from right under our noses…"

Arkanov muttered, "He has his mother's apathy. He played us, and now they have some of our shards. But we'll get them back. I just hope we don't see Morde again."

"I don't know if I can look a child the same way again, after learning that Morde stabbed a grown woman without a second thought," Rubus grimaced from the mere imagining of how the scene when down, "We need to be more cautious around people who want to join our travels, so that this never happens again…"

"I'm wondering if we should let anyone else in at all," Arkanov said, already somewhat agitated from the topic of conversation. He glowered. "With Hyacinth and Santiago, we already have a crowd."

"But…" River spoke up, her voice shy and modest, as if fearful to speak her opinion about his matter, "We have to help someone when they're truly in need, right? I'll do my best to protect the shards we have now, and… the thought of abandoning someone who needed us is something that I don't want weighing on my conscience…"

"... Fine," Arkanov agreed reluctantly, but he sighed. "But the problem is that we need to seriously examine someone before we let them into our group. They may not be after our shards but they may kill us."

River was thankful that he listened and obliged to her request, and she was able to smile at least somewhat. "If we run into someone entirely new… then, we shouldn't even let them know about the shards. Never show them where they are or what they look like, until they can prove we can trust them."

"Yes," Arkanov agreed. However, he patted River's back gently, and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "We've learned from our mistakes, at least."

Rubus saw this small gesture that Arkanov had made to River, and raised his eyebrow just a little bit in curiousity. He hadn't really seen him act quite that assuring towards her, but he figured that he shouldn't think too much about it. When he looked forward again, he saw three tents off in the distance, still set up, and the site was currently empty. "Either way, we've made it back here before the others, we'll have to explain this to them… I hope none of them take it too harshly…"

"They shouldn't," Thomas said. He moved over to the tents and looked out into the distance as if trying to see the others, but he could not find them. "At least I don't think they'd be. They're very kind, they won't scold us for something so hard to control and fight against."

"That's… not exactly what I meant…" Rubus shook his head, placing his hands in his pants pockets. "Admittedly, we have a lot of empathetic and sensitive members of our group. Blake, Kestral, Salina… I just… don't know if I can see their devastation when they learn about what Morde's intentions were…"

"Kestral especially!" Arkanov agreed, and now that he suddenly remembered all the other group members did for the small child, he grew increasingly angry. "She gave up her dinner for him, and he went around like this and stabbed us all in the back! Perhaps Salina will be more angry than anything..."

"I can already imagine Blake broken-hearted…" Rubus mentioned with a pang of sadness to his heart. When he saw River's sullen and disheartened expression, he figured that his brother would have made the same exact face, "It's hard on everyone, the way that kid betrayed us after we tried to help…"

Arkanov sighed heavily. "The best thing to come out of this is that we've learned our lesson. Now... I feel that it's been quite late such we parted ways with everyone. Should we be concerned?"

"No…" Rubus sighed, looking towards the southeast direction where the others had gone before. "I'm sure that they'll return soon, and we can reunite with them eventually. They just might have traveled a little further than either of us did."

Just off in the distance, Arkanov thought he could spot a small and taller figure away from them all. He expected three other figures of a similar height to emerge, but he realized they were not present. "I think I see Kes and Blake right now, actually. But no sign of Salina and Santiago and Hyacinth..."

The others turned to look over the horizon, and as expected, they saw the young man and girl approaching towards them. It was certainly Blake and Kestral, without a doubt. As they came closer, it seemed as though Blake had spotted them as well, and waved his hand happily, speeding up his pace to a run, and he beckoned Kestral to follow along with him. He called out, "Hey, guys! Did you find anything?"

"Heh, did we find something..." Arkanov chuckled wryly from how inocent Blake's question was. "We found Morde. He's Eris' son, and he conned us this whole time and took the shards. We got into a little squabble but we managed to retrieve two of the ones we had before..."

After that dump of information, Blake stood there frozen in his tracks, his eyes wide in utter surprise and shock. "Uh… o-oh… that's what happened. Um…" he stuttered, unsure of how to react to all of this. Instead, he thought that maybe changing the subject would clear his mind and make him remember how to speak, so he looked to River, "Uh… what happened to your dress, with the stains…?"

"Morde stabbed my leg when I didn't suspect it," River said, crossing her arms with a dismayed grumble, "I feel ashamed for trusting him like that…"

"H-He... stabbed you...?" Kestral asked shyly. Her green eyes were wide and full of fear and confusion. She obviously had not expected the news for she seemed to be visibly feeling the same betrayal the rest of the members had. However, this feeling was overtaken by the fact that River had been injured. She stepped forward, and wrapped her small arms around the woman's frame. "I-I'm so sorry, River. He's awful, and horrible... a-and so is Eris..."

Suddenly, she began to cry softly, and she dug her face into River's dress. "A-And now they have some shards! I hate them!"

River out her arms down, and wrapped them gently and carefully around Kestral. She tried to muster a smile to the girl, despite how she herself was still bitter about their situation. She couldn't stand to see the girl like this. "Kestral, it's alright, we're going to be okay. Thomas already healed me, and we have two shards anyways. We can still use these to track down the others, and then track down Eris, and get back at her for everything that she's done."

"O-Okay, but..." Kestral simply sighed from how she had gotten so emotional, but she continued to have tears stream down her face. "It's still really mean, what they did..."

River patted her back softly, and gently put her thumb up to the girl's cheek, trying to wipe away her tears. "It is awful, and they deserve punishment. But we'll be the ones to get back at them, and we can get all the shards too. I promise you Kestral, we're never going down because of them."

Kestral nodded slowly, and gave River a very small smile. "I never want to give up our mission... especially not to people like them. The best revenge is succeeding... so we'll get all the shards, right?"

"We certainly will," River assured, smiling for the girl and even letting out a little chuckle from the happiness of seeing Kestral's determination. "We'll get the shards and restore Mana, and then get back at Eris for all that she's done to us, and many others."

At this moment, three figures seem to near the tent. Judging how there were very few people in the vicinity, one would assume it was Kestral, Hyacinth, and Salina. Kestral turned to them and immediately shouted out, "COME HERE! Morde took half our shards!"

The figures drew nearer, and finally, features could be made out. Salina seemed confused as she passed the tents and smiled somewhat awkwardly, as if this was a joke. "What was that?"

"Morde took our shards!" Kestral explained in exasperation. "He was the one who stole them. He also stabbed River. And he's Eris' son. And he took two of the shards and ran off with Eris."

"Alright, so I'm assuming you want us to kill them all?" Santiago asked casually.

"N-No!" River exclaimed, shaking her head curiously at this proposition. As much as she wanted to get back at their enemies, she was in no way prepared to think about killing any of them. "We aren't going to have them die. Eris, while she's a criminal, we shouldn't be the ones to kill her or anything. I would much rather let officials in Sihrasul decide what to do with her. As for Morde, he's still just a child... he can be helped, and who are we to say that he hasn't just been brainwashed by Eris?"

"Some people are rotten to the core," Santiago said with a shrug. "Well, I don't see how we'll get the shards otherwise. They won't give it back to us politely. We must rip it out of their cold, dead hands! Yeah?"

River made a small gasp, and looked even more disgusted by Santagio's suggestion. She put her hands up and glared, "We are *not* going to kill anyone! Even if they're awful people, we shouldn't have to take their lives. Especially not Morde's... he can be saved if we find him the proper help..."

Hyacinth seemed concerned that Santiago spoke so openly towards the suggestion of death, and she put a gentle hand on his shoulder to silence him. That shut him up, as he seemed more lovestruck by this act than anything. Hyacinth turned to River. "I-I'm sorry. I guess us Pendsbornes don't tend to be too forgiving. But if we ever come across Morde, perhaps we will have to give him a second chance..."

River breathed out a sigh of relief, holding her hand across her chest. She looked much calmer now, seeing as how her shoulders were no longer tense and she didn't hold up that glare of anger. "Thank you, Hyacinth. I'm glad that you understand. There has to be a way to help him, I can't imagine living with a mother that insane is healthy for the mind..."

Hyacinth sighed. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I suppose the best way ro move on from it is to... move... but we don't know where they're going, are we?"

"Thankfully, since they have three shards now, we do." River mentioned, looking out upon the horizon, "It's possible to still track them down as long as we still have at least one shard of our own. But I can't be sure if it would be safe, with how she somehow managed to get Mana with her…"

"Mana...?" Hyacinth asked curiously. She chuckled gently, "Well, another man like we have should not be a real problem, yes?"

River made a suddenly uncomfortable look. She just now remembered that Hyacinth was rather new to the group, and would need some help and explanation, "Er… Mana isn't just any sort of man. He's… frankly, a monster. He can change form, and he is extremely lethal when he's a monster…"

"Ah..." Hyacinth's eyes widened, and she seemed very surprised, and scared, that this was the case. "Haha. What do you mean by a monster...? Like, he's in a costume?"

"No." River said bluntly, crossing her arms and looking down at the ground. "He's a literal monster. He's deformed, sharp teeth, horns, claws, even a tail. Without his heart, he has the potential to kill dozens without remorse, feeling, or restraint."

Hyacinth gasped from the very solemn and stern response she got. She did not expect did a description. In Pendsbury, there were no monsters. Her face contorted into an expression of fear. "Wh-What?! That cannot be real. It sounds horrible. No wonder you had such trouble fighting him off!"

River nodded her head, a sad and somewhat empty look to her eyes. "That's just one reason why we need to restore his heart, to give him his humanity once again, and hopefully… to get him away from Eris."

"Then we must forge onward and continue in the quest!" Hyacinth cried out with the utmost passion. "We must tame the tempest heart of this creature and embark on the rest of the journey as soon as possible. Before Eris and Morde find more shards than we do!"

"That is exactly the spirit that we need right now, Hyacinth." River smiled to the young woman. She certainly appreciated her spunk, and was glad to see her so ready to take on the world. "If everyone is up for it, we can start traveling to search for the next shards right now. Now that we can track them down, I can sense the closest ones towards the northwest."

"We already have everything packed up," Thomas said with a small smile. "So I suppose we should head out now, before they manage to find the shard you can sense before we do!"

"Then, let's head off," River decided, and looked up at the sun. It was around the afternoon already. While they likely wouldn't get too far with the time that they had less, some progress was better than none at all. After all, they had to do what they could to get as many shards as possible back before Eris does, "I'll lead the way."

Thomas, Arkanov, and Salina slung the packs and tents over their shoulders once more and began to make their way behind River, while the others followed. Arkanov smiled. Thomas seemed genuinely confused by this. It was almost as if Arkanov seemed excited to continue this quest aside from his actual mission. And this could be seen when he happily replied, "We're on your six."

"Same here!" Rubus complied happily, slinging his bag over his shoulder and the rolled up tent materials. Blake followed closely beside him with his own happy-go-lucky smile. River only smiled back, and led forth for the team.

## The Illness

Approximately five days had passed since the travelers had lost their two shards, and unfortunately, they had only made marginal progress towards the next one of the scattered shards, it seemed their progress had strangely slowed for an unknown reason. They were currently traveling through a very similar terrain, though being much more inland now, more and more signs of wildlife were appearing as they made their own path through the golden plains. Small herds of gazelles could be seen off in the distance, and birds of various sizes and colors were fluttering from tree to tree or soaring through the skies.

River smiled at this, and she was well aware that they had more Pendsbornes in their group than Samadurians. She knew that they were used to only an extremely small variety of animals, and so as she led the front, she turned her head over her shoulders to see their reactions.

Kestral pointed up to the sky towards the birds and tried to trace their path with her finger. Seeing their wings flapping wildly in the wind and their tail feathers bristle, the girl smiled, intrigued. "Would you look at those air horses!" she remarked happily. "Their mouths seem quite solid, don't you think?"

"And these hoppy ones too, yeah?" Thomas agreed with a small chuckle, referring to the gazelles. "I didn't know horses came with such large horns!"

Rubus practically burst out laughing when he heard these descriptions, thinking that their naivety was rather adorable. Catching up closer to the others, he gestured to the birds soaring in the sky, "Remember a while back when River was talking about birds? Well, here's what they look like," then, to the gazelle, "And these are called gazelles. They're one of better prey options for predators here, but they multiply rather fast, so they're not going away anytime soon."

"Birds...?" Thomas repeated slowly, somewhat unsuredly almost. He looked up to the sky at them. "What a peculiar name for such creatures."

Kestral looked over to Rubus excitedly and inquiringly. "What are the predators here?"

"I'm sure we've told you before," Rubus informed, looking rather confident as he spoke, "Often times leopards, but also lions. Then there are animals that pick up scraps, such as hyenas. Though, I'm sure you don't want to run into any of these…"

"Ah yes, the big cats!" Kestral smiled proudly as well, for feeling as though she knew what they were talking about when it was obvious that she did not. "What is a hyena? Why would I not like to run into those?"

"To put it simply, they can snap a bone in half with one bite." Rubus said rather bluntly, with the intention to startle Kestral so that she wouldn't even consider encountering such wildlife, "The females are especially much more aggressive. Actually, on second thought… most of the large and grand animals here are rather dangerous, even the herbivores…"

"O-Oh..." Kestral grasped her own small hands and looked down to the floor in solemnity from the disheartening news. "So I suppose you say we aren't going to be able to touch these creatures..."

"Not at all," Rubus shook his head, "Unless they're tamed or domesticated by a native person, and if they give permission. So you may have a chance, but a very small one."

"Speaking of natives…" Blake piped up, and strangely enough, his breathing was getting heavier and heavier, as if he had been running, but he had been walking alongside the others the whole time. "When do you suppose we're finding a village…? I'm starting to get exhausted…"

Salina shrugged, and she tried to look past the horizon and animals loping around them to find any structures or buildings nearby. "I'm not quite sure. Villages in Dhabonde tend to be very spaced out. But we've been traveling almost a week now. I believe we'll find some refuge soon enough, right River?"

The white-haired woman nodded and smiled, affirming this inference. Yet, as she continued walking, it looked like Blake was being slowed down more and more. As they continued further for another minute or two, it was starting to get concerning, until at last, there was the sound of a loud thump, and a small cloud of dust puffed up.

Rubus suddenly turned his head around, and saw Blake collapsed on his knees to the ground, his hands had barely caught him from his fall. He gasped, and knelt down to his brother's side, "Blake! Blake, are you alright?"

"Y-Yes… I'm fine…" Blake breathed out. He looked like he was ready to faint. His face was pale, and Rubus did not trust his words at all. He put a hand on his twin's forehead, and felt an unsettling amount of warmth.

He looked to the others with a grim expression, "Blake has a fever, we'll need to stop here and let him rest. Any further and he'd be strained."

"A fever?!" Arkanov asked in a rather annoyed voice. He put his hands on his hips, turned around from his waking to stare at Blake. "How on earth? We haven't come into contact with anything weird or anyone weird."

Rubus looked to his brother with worry, he looked so faint and so tired that it was beginning to make him panic. The redhead put his brother's arm over his shoulder, patting his back, trying to comfort him, "Blake...? Do you know if you have any mosquito bites on you?"

Slowly, Blake nodded his head, but did not say anything more through his exasperated panting. From his bag, Rubus pulled out his water canteen, and placed it in the hand of his brother, who almost instantly started gulping down the clear liquid. The older twin's eyes were wider now, more stressed, "Damn it, I can't believe I forgot about putting up nets. N-Now you're sick with whatever these bugs have been carrying..."

All the Pendsbornes looked quizzically to Rubus, and their faces began to fall with some fear. "What's a mosquito?"

Salina stepped in to explain, "Think of it like... erm... a very small bug. Do you know what bugs are?" The others shook their heads, and Salina sighed. "Think of it like a very small bird. It has wings and flies around. Though it lands on people's skin and bites them to suck blood and transmit diseases as well."

Kestral's eyes suddenly widened, and she looked to Rubus fearfully. "A-Ah, I think I got bit by one then. I thought the 'mosquito' was being nice and landing on me like Frig did... Frig ate the little thing up though."

"Shite," Arkanov cursed, slapping a hand to his forehead. "The bugger got me too."

Santiago took this opportunity to hold onto River's bare shoulders and looked at her with frantic fear. "Are we going to die!? I get why the bug landed on me, I'm beautiful. But I don't want to die yet! Or at all!"

"... Oh no... no, no, no!" Rubus looked around to everyone, his teeth clenched and wanting to slap himself. He suddenly looked frantic and frustrated all at the same time, knowing that he should have taught everyone here about the hidden dangers of Dhabonde, "How many of you have been bitten?!"

River looked down at her own body, and sighed in shame. She had tried to hide the fact that she had been bitten, as not to come off as foolish for falling under the same illness again, "I-I'm sorry, Rubus..." then, she looked to everyone else, "Thomas, Hyacinth, Salina...? What about all of you?"

Thomas rose his hand. Hyacinth, who was watching as Santiago looked down to River's body, rose her hand as well. Salina shook her head. "I'm all good over here, I wasn't bitten. But now we've got to find out what you all are sick with specifically so we can find the right medicine for you. A fever is a symptom for many, many things."

"It is," Rubus agreed, looking at all the others with utter worry for their fate. He didn't know what exactly could be wrong with them, and he was no doctor. Their best bet was finding help in a village somewhere out here, wherever it was. He looked to Salina, which happened to be the only other person here who wasn't infected, "I suggest everyone here rest and try to take care of each other before symptoms begin to get too bad. Salina, I believe we should go on ahead and look for help, right?"

"Yes," Salina nodded, and she clapped her hands together. She began to walk away from everyone, though she smiled brightly at the others to encourage them that all was well. "Don't worry, you all. We'll be back soon. Stay hydrated! Maybe you can sweat out some of the bacteria."

River nodded, and took over Rubus' place with taking care of Blake. She now put his arm over her shoulder, and led him to a nearby tree where he could get some shade out of the heat. Then, as they were going along, Rubus began to continue walking along their path, and beckoned Salina to follow. He knew that it would be a very long time before they could reach any sign of civilization, "We'll be back soon you guys, before sundown, I promise. We'll get you help."

As the two began to distance themselves from walking away. She gave Rubus an incredulous look. "You seriously think we'll find civilization and be back before sundown? It feels like noon already."

Rubus looked out towards the sky, illuminated a beautiful blue by the bright sun. He figured she was right, it was already rather high in the sky, it had to be noon, or maybe even later. "I'll be honest, I'm not really sure. I just said that to reassure them... and to keep ourselves going. If they're sick, they'll be even more vulnerable when it goes dark. I don't want to imagine what could happen to all of them after that..."

"I know that diseases transmitted by mosquitoes tend to be a little greater in degree," Salina recalled sadly. She looked off to the distance as well. "So we must hurry. But what illness do they have...!?"

"I... I can't tell, I haven't studied diseases back in Atreanor, I don't know anything on how to cure them..." Rubus only slightly stuttered, looking down at his feet with a determined glare, trudging forth. "B-But don't worry, they'll be okay, I promise! We'll find people who can heal them..."

"... It's deidrosis probably," Salina realized with a somewhat curious look to Rubus. Despite the gravity of their situation, she smiled warmly. "I think that's the Atrean name. Here we just kind of call it mosquito quakes because the infected start having seizures. I had it once back in Sihrasul. Nasty stuff. It almost killed me when I was younger! But luckily, if you administer a cure within twenty-four hours, we can save them. And I know what goes in it, vaguely. But we definitely need to find a vendor in a village of some sort with the ingredients for a tonic."

Rubus suddenly gasped at this description, the mere thought of everyone having to endure such pain with their illnesses were enough to make his heart leap out of his chest. He looked even more panicked, and picked up the pace to nearly a jog. "W-We can't waste anymore time then! I'm not letting Blake die, nor any of the others. Not like this…"

Salina shrugged at Rubus' sudden jogging, but she took up the same pace beside him complacently. "Yeah. I don't want them to die either. But seriously, don't freak out! Assuming we sprint to the nearest town and back, we'll find the right things. Did we get any money for ingredients?"

Rubus shook his head sadly, looking tired already from the stress they had experienced so far. "No, we're still low on money after Arkanov gave his 'donation' to that bounty hunter in Qijihaz. If there's some way we can convince them to give us help for free…"

"Oh yeah. Right," Salina muttered, her usually smiling and perky face now settling into a very irritable frown. "Well, we need to find someone who's very kind for that. Some people ask for very weird things to do them a favor."

Rubus nodded, yet at the same time, he was curious as to what exactly she had meant. He raised an eyebrow at her, "Erm… exactly what kind of favors…?"

Salina turned her head to Rubus and told him frankly, "Sexual ones."

"Oh." Rubus looked like he wanted to slap himself for not coming to that conclusion himself. He looked a little nervous, and scratched the back of his head, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite think that through. But even then, I'll make sure nothing like that happens to either of us…"

"Yeah, they'd especially love you," Salina remarked, almost with a sort of dry, morbid laugh, as if the thought of this was somewhat ironic. "A light-skinned Atrean is considered exotic here. But don't worry." She turned around, and once more, her bright white smile appeared, and she gave Rubus a thumbs-up. "I won't let anyone get to ya!"

She turned back around and faced the landscape once more. "Now, if I'm recalling correctly, which may or may not be the case, the nearest town from where we initially hit Dhabonde and the direction we've been traveling is maybe a couple miles from here? But it could be in any direction. I never really got the concept of north, east, south, west. Heheh."

At this notion, Rubus' eyes lightened up and he immediately reached behind him into his bag. Without taking it off, he blindly rummaged for a moment before suddenly grabbing something, and pulling it out into the light. It was a bronze, circular object, with strange red and blue needles inside on a disc with lines and letters, resembling a clock. "Aha! My compass, good thing I didn't accidentally leave it with Blake. If we need to figure out directions, I always have this to help."

"Ah...?" Salina looked down to the object called the compass with a confused expression. She looked up to Rubus curiously. "I-I'm sorry, but how can this help us? What even is this...?"

Rubus proudly held out his compass, showing it off to Salina. He pointed his finger to the inner mechanisms of the needles and markings. "I'm glad you asked. You're an earth mage, so I assume you already know about some metals, like iron perhaps. This needle is drawn to ferrous metals through magnetism, and it just so happens that the further most north and south points of the world are very magnetic. So, it always tells us where North and South are, and thus we can deduce the various directions. Sound simple enough?"

"Don't know what ferrous or magnetism means, but if it can tell us where north and south is, I'm good," Salina replied happily. "The next little village is about seven miles northeast. You ready to get a jog in today or what?"

Rubus realized that his spouting of knowledge had fallen on somewhat uneducated ears. He sighed, but laughed nevertheless. He looked down to his compass, and changed the direction he stood, observing it for a moment. Then, he pointed his finger in the direction that he deduced to be northeast, "You bet I am! Let's head out, and get this all finished as soon as we can."

"Alright!" Salina chuckled, and obviously did not notice Rubus' disappointment. She began to take off at a quick pace towards the direction. "Then let's go! Hope you can keep up!"

When she dashed off like that, Rubus found himself stumbling to keep up with her. While he had been more of an athlete in his younger years, currently he wasn't the most in shape, and was a bit slow. He was already ahead of her, "I-I'm coming! Just… you're a bit fast, that's all!"

Salina giggled at this statement. "Thank you! Wanna race me there? I promise I won't whoop ya too hard."

"I'm sure that you'll win, but... if you really want to, and if it's getting us there faster..." Rubus gave a clever little glint of his eye and a smirk. He looked confident, even though he knew he was not the best runner whatsoever, "We'll see who can make it there first, blondie."

"Okay, ginger," Salina replied with another laugh. Given that they were at the same place while jogging, she began to count down. "Three, two, one... GO!"

Rubus broke off in a sprint, the fastest that he had run in quite a while. He had a bright smile on his face, and was practically head to head with Salina by how close their running speed was. He hadn't even broken a sweat, at least one that wasn't a result of the heat. He chuckled, "You're not so bad! Was running your thing in Sihrasul?"

"No, boxing was!" Salina said in sporadic breaths. She was not sweating either, but she was already beginning to be out of breath from the exertion from a different part of her body. She chuckled. "And were you the sprinter in Atreanor?"

"More like the reclusive bookworm!" Rubus laughed heartily, only panting ever so slightly as he ran alongside her, "But a lady such as yourself can fight like that? Out in Atreanor, a man would never let his daughter get into any sort of fight."

"Sihrasul's far different," Salina explained, happy to talk about her own home life. "I was a boxer there! Sometimes I got into professional fights but I wasn't allowed to as much, being a baron's daughter... but rest assured, I got enough practice in to beat you to a pulp if I wanted!"

"Trust me, I wouldn't want to get involved…" Rubus laughed, slowly losing more and more breath as he pressed himself to run and talk at the same time. "I was starting to wonder why you looked a bit tougher than the other women with us. But you're a Baroness…?"

Salina winked at Rubus happily. "Darn right! *The* baroness of the city actually. But gee, you think I'm tough? Aw, you're so sweet!"

"Of course you are," Rubus chuckled, slowing down in his pace. Though he didn't realize this, as he was personally rather caught up in conversation. "You've shown more fighting prowess than a number of us, but it's just strange to me how someone of nobility would be involved in a sport like boxing."

"You're so sweet," Salina said gently, and she slowed her pace down to match his as well. She took heavy breaths, but her smile shone. "Well, I suppose it is strange. My dad doesn't really like it. But boxing is something I'm good at, and I love doing it. There's something so exhilarating about releasing stress by pounding someone's face in... and my dad does not want that to come around on him, haha. So he doesn't object."

"My father would have loved for me to pick up that sport. Would have been a great method of self defense without using magic," Rubus chuckled again, only this time it seemed… weaker. His smile wasn't as wide, "It tends to go out of control when emotions are running high, especially when I'm angry or scared… so basically what I feel in most fights I've been in."

"I hear that's because sometimes, mages bottle up their real emotions when they actually feel them too much," Salina said softly. She looked away. "I'm not speaking for you, but perhaps the uncontrollable bursts are because of a final trigger after a culmination of other things."

"That… actually explains some things…" Rubus muttered a little quieter, slowing down to a jog. It seemed as though he forgot they were still racing each other. "The first time I had it happen was when I saw Blake being bullied and hurt by other boys when we were just children. I knew something was going on, but I didn't really know until that day…"

"Oh, Rubus, I'm so sorry," Salina murmured. She obviously wanted to put out a hand to touch his shoulder, but because they were jogging, that would've been awkward. Instead, she gave him a look of genuine sympathy. "Maybe it's not my place, but can I ask why he was being hurt? Why would the kids be so cruel there?"

Rubus looked down at his feet, his pace growing slower and slower as if was more like he was speed-walking rather than jogging. "You see…" he began, giving out a breath, "They hated him, *just* for being a little more effeminate than most. Sure, he had longer hair than most boys, and he wasn't strong, but it didn't mean he deserved to be hurt like that. When I saw them surrounding him, and all of his bruises, I snapped. My fire magic just went out of control, and I burnt a lot of them…"

"I'm sorry you had to do that," Salina apologized in a gentle voice. "But I hope if anything resulted from that situation, I seriously hope those bullies got off of Blake's back. He's a sweet guy and he doesn't deserve that..."

"No, he doesn't," Rubus agreed with a sad tone to his voice. And yet, it seemed somewhat harsh, maybe even a little vengeful. "Everything that followed after, he didn't deserve to go through either. I really tried my best to protect him, but they just wouldn't stop sometimes…"

"'After?'" Salina asked in shock, thoroughly horrified. "What on earth could they have possibly done next?"

"He was still bullied for the exact same things, despite how I had taught them all a lesson before." Rubus commented, glaring down at the ground, "And he blamed himself for the aftermath of that first instance. If I had come forward about using magic, I would have been executed. But our aunt, who helped raised us, took the blame and let herself be hanged for my actions. Blake wouldn't stop crying, and I couldn't forgive myself for any of it."

Salina stopped talking for a long while after this comment. She looked to the floor, to the sky, or any place where she would not have to meet Rubus' gaze. She knew that Atreans could be cruel in regards to magic, but she never knew murdering someone for it would be the greatest punishment. She was unsure of what to say. "Your aunt sounds like a very courageous woman," Salina remarked softly. "And you're a courageous man for standing up to those bullies. You got them off of your brother's back, and off of your own. That's all your aunt could've wanted from the situation, it sounds like she loved you two a lot..."

"She did…" Rubus' running slowed down to a walk. He was panting and breathing more, the running from before finally catching up to him. But at this point, it seemed as though the race didn't matter anymore. "She was like a second mother to us. But after her sacrifice, I've wanted to set my life on disproving the supposed 'evils' of magic. I wanted to show that magic shouldn't be feared, and that no one should be killed for using it…"

Salina unwrapped the cloth around her waist and handed it to Rubus for any sweat he may have wanted to wipe away. She gave him a small, yet enthusiastic smile. "I love that. Thank you. If it wasn't for people like you, Atreans wouldn't be inspired to fight back against those laws or know that magic is okay."

Rubus gratefully took her cloth, and wiped the sweat off of his forehead and neck. He breathed heavily, though it was slowly steadying itself. "You're kind for saying that. But in all honesty, I'm worried. When we organize all of our notes into a book, it's not likely we can publish it. The church would certainly try to censor it, or before that happens, companies would reject the book just to avoid trouble with the church…"

Salina frowned at this realization, and was sad it was true. "Oh. Are you sure you can't just publish it in Samadurai and have it spread to Atreanor?"

"I'm certain of it," Rubus sighed, putting his hand on the back of his head. He looked off to the horizon, still not much of a village in sight, "The church will likely censor it, or even ban it from all schools or libraries. They have a nasty trend of neutering education, which is why quite a lot of Pendsbornes aren't even literate…"

"Really?" Salina asked curiously. She sighed as well. "That explains why Arkanov couldn't even read the map he brought. Then I suppose the only way you'll be able to publish is if some hopefully peaceful revolution occurs and all magic is perceived as good."

Rubus nodded, walking forward with his head hanging low, and his shoulders dropped at his sides. "That's the best case scenario I could hope for. Or the book itself causes a revolution, who knows? But we can find some way to get around this. After all, Atreanor is already somewhat trying to understand Samadurai through the Pendsbury Expedition."

"Pendsbury Expedition?" Salina asked again. Now she was not necessarily curious, but more so confused. "So... what on earth is a Pendsbury Expedition?"

"I'm glad you asked," Rubus at least managed to smile a little bit, with his finger on his chin. With the subject change, at least he was somewhat calmer. "It's a project where travelers and researchers travel to Samadurai to record and study information that they learn there. This could be used to learn of other cultures, or of the nature of magic itself. Blake and I are one of the members, but we have yet to encounter another expedition member out here."

Salina's eyes widened and she suddenly gasped from sudden realization and recognition. "AH! You know, funny story, my mother was supposedly one of the members! I knew I heard that name somewhere, I was a little confused. I see other expeditioners in more populous towns and villages, occasionally in more remote regions to learn ancient or forgotten dialects of languages. Maybe you two will run into some on your journeys, surely."

"That explains it!" Rubus snapped his fingers in realization, and turned his head to look Salina in the eye. He was observing her basic features, for at least a moment, "I noticed you looked quite different from most Samadurians, what with your eyes and hair. I didn't mention it before, but now it makes sense. I had no idea that you're half Atrean. And… well, it just so happens that Blake and I are half Samadurian…"

"What?!" Salina asked in shock. She now peered into Rubus' face as well, looking for some Samadurian features of any sort. "Ah... yeah! I see it now, in your eyes. I should've known! But that's such an amazing coincidence. I didn't know we had a bunch of halfies with us! Just don't go around telling everyone I told you I wasn't full Samadurian. For being a baroness, I'd probably be teased for it."

Rubus put his thumb and index finger together, and ran them over his lips, showing he would keep his lips sealed. "No worries, I won't let them know. After all, we haven't told anyone back home about where our father came from, and our father has hidden his ethnicity for years. It's not that hard when you tend to take after one race or the other."

"Yeah, no kidding, you look pure Atrean!" Salina remarked. She looked up and noticed some buildings were beginning to form figures in the distance. She sighed in relief. "Blake, not so much though. Not many Atreans or Pendsbornes have dark hair like that. I guess Arkanov has it too, but you've heard him and his Pendsbury rants. He is pure blood for sure."

Rubus nodded, and felt a wave of relief when he saw the small village coming up in the distance. It seemed to have buildings built from red earth and wood, with roofs constructed from the golden fields of grass, rather typical for a Dhabonde village. He quickened his pace to get closer. "Tell me about it, he would have been kicked out of the city long ago had he not been pure-blood. I can only hope that none of the shards have ended up there, or else we run the risk of losing a member or two by law."

Salina shook her head. "Nah, fate wouldn't be so cruel. Hopefully. But I guess a good sign is that we're near the town now. Do you think we've been taking too long in getting to the village?"

"No, I think we've made good time," Rubus disagreed, but he began to smile when he saw the village coming closer, and he could even start seeing some of the residents from this distance. But instead of running, he still walked towards them, as charging forward might have startled them and caused some worry. Considering how it didn't seem like a village many people would pass through, he considered a thought, "But we may need to prove to the villagers that we're safe and that we legitimately need help. If there's anything I've learned from my travels, is that small towns and villages tend to be very skeptical of newcomers."

"Hm, I thought all Samadurians were kind to newcomers! Especially converts," Salina mumbled softly, but she did not mean for this to be as loud as she was thinking it. She replied further in a louder voice, "Well, how do you think we should prove ourselves to them then?"

"Just approach calmly and modestly," Rubus advised, and they drew closer, and already the other villagers had turned their heads and begun to notice them, standing out like a sore thumb. Rubus may have felt slightly tentative, though he did not outwardly show his shyness and continued walking. "... Though I admit, I feel awkward coming in uninvited..."

"Hey, it's not a party!" Salina noted, and she tried to look all the villagers in their eyes as she walked toward them. "It's best we show them we mean no harm by trying to be friendly, right?"

Before they had gotten much closer, Rubus and Salina's path had been blocked off by an approaching child, seeming to be no more than nine or ten years of age. His skin was dark brown, as were the other residents here, and his curly black hair was a bit messy and overgrown, looking like it hasn't been cut in a long time. He looked at the two strangers, and then turned his head over his shoulder to look at a woman behind him, who seemed to be in her early thirties with waves of black hair tied back in a ponytail. "Hey mom? Who're these weird people?"

Catching the woman's attention, she quickly stopped what she was doing and approached from behind her son, touching his shoulder, and giving a confused look to the strangers. She tilted her head, "Sweetie, don't be insulting to people you've just met." She scolded, yet said it in such a kind voice that it was difficult to detect any sort of harshness. "Are you two lost? We rarely get visitors out here."

Salina did not seemed phased by the child's question, and just seemed happy to even have a human contact after the solitary desert. "No ma'am, we aren't lost. We were looking for any village nearby. Our friends are ill and we need a tonic to help them, but we don't have any ingredients."

The son looked up to his mother, and she knew what she had to do. She beckoned the two to come forward, and started to walk back towards one of the earthen homes, which Rubus presumed to be the woman's own. She spoke, "Luckily for you, my brother happens to be a healer. What are your friends sick with? How many of them are there?"

"Mosquito quakes," Salina explained, knowing the woman probably only knew the illness under this name. "As for the number of those sick, like seven? I know it's a lot, we're a big group."

The woman nodded, and understood. She turned around, facing into her home, and cupped her hand around her mouth to call out, "Faraji! Come out here, these newcomers need some help!"

Very slowly, an older man came out from the shade, a wooden walking staff in his hand for support. He wasn't on the far side of elderly, in face some dark hair was still visible on his grayish-white head. But there was a clear age difference between him and his younger sister, as he looked to be entering his sixties. With squinted eyes, he examined Salina and Rubus carefully, noting their foreign clothes, paler skin, and lighter hair. "Mosquito quakes, eh? Almost every traveler gets 'em at some point. It's a necessity to keep some on me at all times." He muttered with a slightly gravelly and worn voice. He turned his head and called back over his shoulder, "Kwo! Accompany me, please. We've got work to do."

There was a groan inside from one of the other rooms, from a very deep and masculine voice. His steps even had a slight thumping sound as he walked outside into the sunlight. It was a young man that towered over his father, aunt, and cousin. He was a whole foot taller than Faraji, and while he was certainly heavy, all that weight derived from his muscular body and broad shoulders rather than any fat. He had a stone jaw, and his short curly hair was shaved in particular areas to look like artistic swirls and curves. Though despite how much of a powerhouse he appeared to be, he had soft and somewhat tired eyes, and yawned like a lazy lion would. "Ugh, alright, alright. Don't get so worked up about it." He looked to the strangers, "Now just who are you two?"

Salina seemed a little unsure of this man, for she was not sure if a man looking like a bodybuilder would be able to create a sufficient tonic like a trained healer would. However, the two needed any help they could, and she could not voice her concerns over this man's looks for now. But she was surely impressed by his muscle mass, given how she was a bodybuilder herself. She gave Kwo a gentle smile, like the ones she would use in Sihrasul towards the others. "I'm Salina," she said, and gestured to the man next to her, "This is Rubus. We have many friends with mosquito quakes. Can you please help us?"

"My father can," Kwo pointed his thumb to the shorter and older man beside him, "I'm just following along to watch his and your backs, in case we run into any trouble-"

"-And to learn about medicine," Faraji flicked his son's shoulder, as his forehead was a bit too high. Kwo flinched, but he was used to this kind of treatment. The older man leaned his staff forward, "Anyways, Salina and Rubus, show us the way to your friends, please."

"Ah, you'll actually come forth to meet them?" Salina asked, and she seemed pleased at first, though that morphed into concern. "I'm sorry sir, but our friends are miles away. Are you sure you two don't mind and are able to make the journey?"

Faraji gave Salina the most incredulous look, the type of look that was difficult to classify as shock, disgust, or a mix of both. He walked forward, already leading them out of the village, "Of course we can! I'm not that old… yet. And besides, we can't force people with mosquito quakes to walk for so long, the exertion would trigger seizures faster than resting would."

"I-I didn't mean that you were old!" Salina quickly corrected, now slightly blushing in embarrassment. She could not recall a time in her life when she blushed before. "I mean, we could never ask such a favor of kind strangers. You're going out of your way to help us."

Faraji held his hand up, and laughed just a little. He let Rubus and Salina walk forward ahead of him as to lead the way. "No need to worry, my family and I help others all the time. There's rarely ever a time when we're *not* needed to cure someone's ailments or wrap up wounds. The day's been slow anyways, we need something to do."

After giving that reasoning, Kwo, who was lazily lingering behind, looked to the two travelers with a curious smile. "So what are you and your friends doing out here? Don't mean to judge by your skin tones, but are you immigrating converts?"

"Heheh, uh... no," Salina laughed a little awkwardly. Back in Sihrasul, everyone assured she was one hundred percent Samadurian-looking, and now this man suddenly saw she was not pure? For whatever reason, she was slightly embarrassed. "Well, Rubus here is technically one. I'm actually a native from Sihrasul. We're helping a friend from Ali'ikai on a quest, she's looking for many shards of someone's heart."

At this, Kwo suddenly narrowed his eyes and frowned. He looked concerned, and crossed his arms as they traverse through the fields. "Your friend… she wouldn't happen to be a *necromancer*… would she? If so, then we probably shouldn't even be coming along to help…"

"Necromancer? Gods no," Salina shook her head quickly. "She's a water Mage. Nothing suspect."

Rubus looked to Salina, and then back to Kwo. He didn't quite understand what they were talking about. He had never heard of 'necromancers' or anything of the sort. "Excuse me, what is a necromancer? Are they a type of mage?"

Faraji picked up the pace and walked closer to him, shaking his head, "No, not at all. A necromancer is someone who manipulates hearts and souls to force people to do what they want. They're infamous for shoving souls back inside of corpses and demanding them to do their bidding, but some don't kill and instead steal another's heart to control them. They're monsters, less than human…"

Rubus suddenly seemed very tense, unsettled by this grotesque and disturbing description. He nudged Salina with his shoulder, "Erm… you haven't ever *met* a necromancer, have you…?"

"A couple, but I obviously wasn't a friend with them," Salina ensured. "But I think the woman River is running from, Eris, is a necromancer."

Rubus looked even more concerned, his pupils were even dilated just slightly, if one could notice. He looked back and forth between the healers accompanying them, and then to Salina, in a hushed voice. "You can't be serious, right? There's no way that Eris can control dead people like that. I-It's just not right…"

"Eris doesn't really care, I think she's a sociopath," Salina whispered back, giving Rubus a sad look. "I mean, why do you think she would need heart shards anyways? That must be her intention."

"I… I don't know…" Rubus muttered, furrowing his brow, and then rubbing his forehead. "I'm scared to think about what she would do with it. And doesn't she already have full control of Mana…? But, then again, he's disobeyed before…"

"Truthfully, she probably does. But we're coming for the shards so she needs to keep them for herself to maintain control of Mana," Salina reasoned. "It's okay. We will stop someone as evil as she is."

Rubus nodded his head, understanding, and calming himself down. He figured there wasn't much need to fret over such things anyways, after all, Eris was likely far off somewhere else in Dhabonde right now, as it had been several days since they last encountered her. "Right, we shouldn't have to worry right now. Let's just hope we don't run into another necromancer on this journey of ours..."

"Maybe that crazy Aries guy is one," Salina muttered sadly, "I still doubt he's a god, just a lunatic."

"And luckily for us, he's dead." Rubus noted, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, as they had begun to slip down just a little bit. "A fall like that is near impossible to survive."

Then suddenly, the old man from behind them shoved his walking stick between the two shoulders of Salina and Rubus, and quickly interjected. "Eh? Sorry, my hearing's getting worse. What were you two saying?"

"Discussing necromances," Salina answered honestly. "Thankfully we don't know too many."

Faraji narrowed his eyes with a slightly suspicious look to his clients, but didn't think too much of it. Rubus felt somewhat tense from this conversation, but he tried not to let the thought of possessed corpses get to him. Soon, the landscape was growing more and more familiar, it seemed that they were nearing the place they had left their traveling companions. "We should be getting to them soon, I'm sure of it. We didn't leave them behind too far…"

Salina saw figures lying on the lush landscape's ground in the distance. She sighed happily and gave a wide smile when she pointed to them all lying about. "There are our friends. Oh no, most of them weren't on the floor when we left. Some of them are now, they must be feeling worse."

"Figured," Faraji shrugged nonchalantly, and walked his way ahead of the other two to tend to the infected group. He saw seven of them, and was secretly thankful that he had brought extra tonic for good measure. He saw all of them, most of them with paler skin, and luckily for him it seemed that they were still somewhat conscious.

When he came closer, he seemed to have gained the attention of the woman with white hair and blue eyes. River's eyes were half closed, and next to her was Blake, who had fallen unconscious from his exertion. His head was rested on her lap, and she looked exhaustedly up to Faraji, "H-Hello…? Are you a healer?"

Faraji nodded, and gave a friendly smile to the young woman. He began to reach into the bag slung over his back, but then he looked closer at her features, and raised an eyebrow. Turning his head over his shoulder to look at Kwo, he asked, "Son? Didn't you bring this same girl to the village about a year ago for the exact same disease…?"

Kwo, who had been distracted keeping a lookout, suddenly noticed the Ali'kian, and his eyes lit up. "Wait… River?! No way, I thought she was off in Samadurai. How did she even get with all these people?"

Arkanov looked up in a half-conscious daze to Kwo. Seeing such a large man before them all, he immediately felt threatened, and began to shout. However, with his illness affecting him, it was more of a slur. "G-Get away from us... I-I'll fucking... fight yooou..." He continued to mutter various obscenities before he passed out for the sixth time on the trip.

Salina rolled her eyes. "He's hallucinating. Anyways, we ran into her in Sihrasul when she said she needed help with this quest."

"K-Kwo…?" River stuttered, and looked past Faraji's shoulder. She smiled when she recognized him, but then immediately raised her elbow to cough into. Instead she had to focus on the healer for now. She watched as Faraji finally pulled out a vial the size of his palm filled with some green liquid concoction. River tried shaking Blake gently to wake him up enough, and his eyes opened, but he didn't say anything, only breathing. While she propped his head up to help the medicine go down, the old man popped the cork out of the vial, and poured a sip of the liquid into Blake's throat. He began coughing once Faraji pulled away, but he knew it was already working.

Then, he did the same with River, although without much effort as she was still mostly conscious and could help make the job easier. When that was done, he still had a bit over three-fourths of the medicine left. He now knelt down in front of Arkanov, and beckoned Rubus and Salina behind him to assist, "Can someone keep him conscious enough to take the medicine?"

Salina nodded and bent down next to Kwo. Then she proceeded to slap his cheek to wake him out of his daze. "Arkanov, open your mouth real wide, okay?"

Arkanov made a sour expression and closed his eyes. "No, he's trying to poison us... save us, Salina... g-go..."

Salina pondered this for a moment, but a devilish grin crossed her face. "Pretend you're kissing River with that mouth."

This seemed to wake him up. His bloodshot widened and he opened his mouth to gasp.

Faraji quickly shoved the end of the bottle into Arkanov's mouth, and poured down the proper amount of medicine in his throat. Once he pulled away, Faraji laughed and patted Arkanov's shoulder heartily. Then, he got up, and proceeded to tend to Kestral, then Thomas, then Santiago, and Hyacinth.

When it was all finished, Faraji put the vial back in his bag, and picked up his walking staff once again. "Now that's a job well done. And since we happen to know River… you're all allowed to spend your time recovering near the village."

Salina clasped her hands together and raised them up to Faraji. "Ah, thank you. I'll get them all to the village, no worries." She turned to Rubus. "Can you help me move them close together? I'll raise a rock ledge and push them to the village... gently of course."

"I think I can help you out here," Kwo spoke up, stepping up in front of Salina, cracking his knuckles in preparation. "I'm no earth mage, but I can carry about two or three of your companions myself, if you allow me."

"Certainly!" Salina smiled happily at Kwo, and then chuckled. "Trust me, I can carry three myself probably, I just don't want to have Rubus stuck carrying some too."

"I'm perfectly capable of carrying someone on my own," Rubus scoffed, only slightly offended by Salina's assumption. And as expected, he had took Blake out of River's hold, and propped him up, with his brother's arm around his shoulder now, keeping him as carefully close as he could.

Now it was Kwo's turn, and as River was trying to stand up despite her weakness, he simply took her by the arms and put them on his shoulders, lifting her up, and having her piggyback onto him. She didn't say much else due to the illness slowly being cured, but she kept her hold tight and closed her eyes. Kwo then looked to Salina, "I'm not too sure if they others would be alright with me carrying them, but once you get your magic going, we can start to head out again."

Salina stomped an authoritative foot on the ground and then removed her foot. Within seconds, a platform from the same dirty, grassy material rose the other unconscious team members up from the floor. Salina began to walk forward, and miraculously, the dirt platform did as well, leaving behind a dragged dirty trail behind. She kept her palms low and towards the platform to steer, and she nodded. "Yep, I'm ready. Let's head back again."

Kwo smiled, and so did Rubus. But instead of taking lead, they both silently decided to let Faraji lead the way back.

### The Village Among the Golden Plains

Less than an hour had passed, but already so much time had flown by since the travelers had been infected that the sun looked like it was already beginning to set, leaving a beautiful orange light to wash over the tall grass and fluffy clouds. The four that had set out to cure the others of their ailments had finally returned to their homes, and some of the others were already beginning to gain consciousness again. First, it was River, with her white hair a little messy and strands covering her face. She was surprised to find herself carried on the back of a familiar man, and with a confused and tentative voice, she asked, "Where... Where are we...?"

Salina saw River was awake and sighed happily. It seemed as though she and the others were healing up just nicely, and for this she was thankful. She shrugged in response to her question, however. "A village we found!" Salina said. "How ya feeling, Riv?"

"What?" River raised her head, and jumped off of Kwo's back to try standing on her own. She stumbled and fumbled somewhat, but she looked around and saw the familiar quaint little town just ahead of her. But even moreso, she saw the tall, muscular, dark-skinned man before her, and her eyes lit up with joy. "Kwo?! It's been so long, I haven't seen you in a whole year!"

The man turned around and smiled modestly, nudging the girl with his elbow. "Well aren't you lucky you got to see more of me? Hehe, it's great to meet up again, though not in the exact same way as before. I can't believe you came down with mosquito quakes a second time. You should have known to put up nets while you're sleeping by now!"

River laughed bashfully, embarassed by this fact. "I know, I know... but thank you, again." Then, she looked around everywhere else, and recognized all the other members of their group being transported by none other than Salina with assistance of her magic, "So, how are the others doing? Any better?"

Kestral lifted her small head up from the earthen platform. Her face was still red as if she had a fever but she appeared way more calm and lively than when she was not treated. She smiled softly. "I'm okay, everyone else is sleepy."

Then, she looked to Kwo and yawned. "Ah, who are you...?"

The large, burly man saw the young girl, and couldn't help but smile a little. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did have a bit of a soft spot for kids, and Kestral was no exception. "My name's Kwo, I'm a friend of River's, the first person that she met after leaving her homeland was me. Now…" he gave a curious look to the girl, "Rubus and Salina over here haven't told me your name, so… who are you?"

"I'm Kestral," she introduced in a soft voice. She giggled lightly, obviously still dazed from her illness. She patted Arkanov's back gently. "I'm this dork's little sister. Hello, Kwo..."

Kwo chuckled, glad to see that the child was much friendlier and accepting than her brother seemed to be. Yet at the same time, he found it hard to believe that the two were even related. "*That* dork? Heh, believe it or not he was threatening to fight me before he passed out from the fever."

Kestral rolled her eyes as Salina had before. "That sounds like something he would do. I'm sorry. I love him, but sometimes he can be really annoying."

"Kestral, don't say that about your brother, even if he isn't awake," River scolded, but the lack of harshness really didn't leave an impact. "But yes, even I was a bit surprised that he threatened Kwo. We're really sorry about that, he's tense around strangers…"

"No worries," Kwo held up his hand and gave a calm smile. But before entering the village, he and Faraji stopped, "And… I apologize, but we don't have enough room in our home for nine other people. We don't have any sort of inn either, so… you'll have to set up camp just outside of the village."

Kestral smiled. "It's okay. We have tents. And since we're recovering, it means Salina and Rubus can set them all up for us." She looked over to Rubus and gave him a pleading look. "Correct?"

Rubus rolled his eyes, giving a disappointed look to Kestral. Yet he still knew that the others were still recovering, so it was his and Salina's duty to pull this off. "Alright, alright, we'll start setting up camp. By we're only doing this for you guys as a one-time situation, alright? Unless you fall gravely ill or get badly injured, you're still helping next time."

"Of course!" Kestral assured, although she seemed mildly disappointed by the arrangement. "I'll enjoy it while it lasts."

"Think I can help at all?" Kwo offered? But Rubus shook his head, and took Blake off of his shoulders. He handed him to Kwo to carry, which the tall man took as a surprise.

"It's alright, we'll take care of the tents, just watch over my brother, please," Rubus said politely, and then began to unpack his own bags and unravel the cloths for the tents. While he and Salina were getting busy with their work, River watched quietly and patiently, not saying a word.

Kwo noticed this, and nudged her once more, "So how's the heart shard quest been going so far? Did you get any leads?"

River nodded her head slowly. He couldn't tell if this was from her recovering illness or for some other emotional reason. "Yes… we had collected four by the time we arrived in Dhabonde. But…" River sighed, and her voice dropped into a low grumble, "Some kid that we had trusted stole them in the night, and we could only get half of them back. We've been following the trace of the shards further northwest ever since…"

Kwo could easily tell that she was distraught, but was rather talented at hiding such an emotion. He gave her a little smile, "Well… this might not help much, but I know someone who *might* possess one of the shards…"

Kestral took the deepest breath in her little lungs could handle, and she gave Kwo an excited look. "Oh, really?! Who?"

Kwo suddenly looked away, averting eye contact with either of the two girls. It was strange, to see someone such as himself strangely appear so shy, "H-Her name? It's... Mitozi. She's a woman from this village who travels quite often, she's been a gladiator in the Sihrasul Arena for years, and I think that she's picked up a shard from her travels..." he said, but then turned back to the others in nervousness, "I would never want to take it from her by force, but... I um... I'm... scared, to talk to her..."

Once Salina heard these two facts, her face lit up in surprise and eagerness to meet this mysterious woman. "Mitozi! I heard of her, of course," she said, her smirk in breaking. "Haha. But why are you too afraid?"

Kwo looked even more nervous, and his heart was beating faster. He had to cover some of his face when he spoke, "Mitozi, she… she's just so beautiful, I don't know what to say when I'm around her. Then she's always so confident and brave, and it's scary because when she speaks to me, I start to stutter out some nonsense back…"

"So it's a crush!" Kestral exclaimed. She smiled mischievously at Kwo. "You're so strong, I didn't know you'd be afraid of talking to a girl."

Kwo's strong, stone face suddenly looked as though it was melting, with a goofy smile and his cheeks a rosy pink. "I-It's not a crush, I'm sure of it! I've never fallen for anyone before, and s-surely I can't have a crush… right?"

Kestral scoffed. "How you described her is how someone would describe a crush. I wanna meet her!"

"Y-You could…" Kwo stuttered, putting a hand on the back of his head shyly. He chuckled, but it was clearly out of nervousness, "But I can't talk to her. Even if I'm strong physically, I don't think that she would like a man who can't hold a conversation…"

When Salina heard this admission of belief, she shook her head in disappointment at Kwo. "Well, Kwo, how on earth do you hope to get better at conversation by not talking to her? Don't you ever want to see it grow?"

River leaned in a little closer to Kwo, giving him an encouraging smile, "If you're really that shy about it, we could always help you out. I can't leave a friend feeling nervous about this kind of stuff, and besides..." she bumped him with her elbow, chuckling, "You said she may have a heart shard too? Then it's all more than worth it."

"You... you would?" Kwo asked incredulously, looking at the woman with disbelief, and then back to Salina, "You would know how to help me?"

"I've helped many in your situation," Salina assured him and gave a confident smile. "If you let us, we can help each other out."

Kwo would have gone up to give Salina a strong, grateful hug, but unfortunately at the moment, he was still watching over Blake, who had yet to come to consciousness. "Thank you..." he bowed his head respectfully, though he rarely showed this kind of gratitude to many people, "Perhaps I can get some advice from you in the morning...?"

Salina chuckled at Kwo's enthusiasm and appreciation. Seeing this made it obvious to her that he really liked this mysterious fighter, which made Salina all the more intrigued. "Whenever you want to talk to us, we'll be there!"

Kwo nodded, and continued to watch as the other two had begun to finish setting up camp for the night. But as time passed, he felt something shifting in his arms, and turned down to see Blake slowly awakening, his heavily eyelids drifting open, and his back stretching out. He seemed to be awake enough to speak, in a slow, airy tone, "Huh...? Where... Where are we?"

"We're getting somewhere for the evening," Salina explained, lightly patting Blake's head in an endearing manner. She gave him a pleased look. "Are you feeling better at all?"

"Yes, a little..." Blake spoke, but didn't nod or move a part of his body. He still felt exhausted and drained of his energy, and it was apparent that he wouldn't be getting up again until most likely the next morning. But the only thing that mattered was that he was alive and getting healthier by the minute.

When Rubus had heart his voice, he immediately dropped everything that he was doing, and ran to his brother's side, kneeling down with the brightest and most relieved smile on his face. Without a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Blake's shoulders and lifted him up, pulling him close in an adoring hug, "Blake! You're alright! You had me so worried..."

"Heh... I'm fine, I swear," Blake laughed weakly, so tired that he couldn't even bring up his arms to hug his twin back. So instead, he just nestled his head closer to him to make up for it. When he pulled away for a brief moment, he turned his head, glancing at the three girls already awake, and the unfamiliar man with them. "Are the others awake? How are they?"

Just at this moment, deep-pitched grumbling could be heard from the pile on the raised rock platform. It was Arkanov, and he seemed to rise from the multitude of others around him, and some of their limbs were even on top of him. Angrily, he dusted himself off and looked around frantically.

"Huh?" he asked in confusion. He turned his head and saw Kwo. "Ugh!? Who are you?"

Kwo gave a little smirk in Arkanov's direction, disregarding the others as he crossed his arms. As much as he wanted to give him a hard time for being so hostile earlier, Kwo knew that it was best to treat even the rudest of people with kindness, at least until they cross the line too far. "Name's Kwo, I'm a friend of River's. My father and I brought you and the others a cure for your sickness, so... you're welcome."

"I didn't say thank you," Arkanov replied hotly, turning up his nose at this stranger. As much as he hated to admit it, he was slightly jealous of him, and it was actually rather obvious from the way he looked at Kwo. What for, however, was a mystery. He looked to Faraji, and since his smile usually scared people off, Arkanov gave him a small nod. "Thank you."

He looked at Kwo and said nothing. Now he turned his attention to Kestral, scooped her up and away from Kwo, and he moved off the earthen platform. "I could've been fine without your medicines. I have quite a strong constitution."

"You were acting like a drunk man trying to start a fight with Kwo," River spoke up, calling out Arkanov. She put a hand on Kwo's back, and smiled, "If it weren't for him and his father, you would be having seizures by now, and then you could have died not too soon after."

Arkanov muttered grumbily, "Pity he came and saved me then."

River raised her eyebrow to Arkanov, giving a strange look at him when he said this. She wasn't exactly sure what to say, but Kwo was the first to step in for her, "No need to be morose about it, friend. We're glad to help anybody who needs it, and any friend of River's is a friend of mine."

Arkanov looked stormily away from Kwo and did not try to say anything else further. Kestral saw his little rant was over, and went over to Kwo to tap his shoulder. "I'm very sorry about my brother," she said softly, "He is just plain rude."

"I've met worse in my days," Kwo simply brushed it off with a lighthearted laugh. Though as much as he wanted to show how he was unaffected by this, he was rather surprised that Arkanov was so strangely grumpy about something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. But nevertheless, he saw that as their campsite was now set up, and that their members were slowly awakening one by one, that it was soon for him to leave for the night. He stood up slowly, and gestured over his shoulder, "I should return home for tonight, I'll see you in the morning to get some advice about Mitozi. And don't forget to put up your mosquito nets, alright?"

Kestral giggled at this piece of advice and waved to Kwo. "We've learned our lesson. Thank you for all of your help, Kwo. We'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Kwo!" River called out to the man, and waved to him as he left, and he waved back the same. As he went back within the vicinity of the village, River looked back to all the others, and stopped when she focused her gaze on the others who were still unconscious, "Well, as much as we should get rest… I've been sleeping all day, and I can't just pass out again."

Salina heard this and immediately gave a devilish grin in delight. She looked to River and said without pause, "Then we should stay up for a bit and talk!"

River chuckled, but for reasons that she herself didn't know why. It was like an odd reaction to seeing Salina's grin, and tilted her head, "... What did you have in mind? Is there something that you've been needing to talk about?"

"Uh... no," Salina admitted sheepishly, and she gave a small awkward smile. "I just hear all the other girls in Sihrasul do it, so I thought we might as well."

Kestral agreed to this, and eagerly nodded her head at the proposal. "It's like a sleep over! Without much sleep."

"… What is a 'sleep over'?" River questioned, raising her hand politely. Her eyes were opened a little more wide, feeling as though she was the only person who didn't know, "I've never heard it before…"

"It's when you sleep at someone else's place for the night," Kestral explained happily, "But sleeping isn't really the main event. You usually eat snacks and spend a good portion of the night talking to each other or playing games!"

"That sounds counter-intuitive, considering the name..." River mumbled, but then shrugged nonchalantly. She figured that if they had the time, they might as well go along with it, "But we should do it anyways. Even though I've never had something like a... 'sleepover' before."

"Then there's a first for everything!" Salina replied happily. She turned to the girls and beckoned for them to set up camp. "Only if you want to, River."

River nodded her head, accepting this offer. Seeing as how everything was already set, thanks to Salina and Rubus' efforts, she was beginning to take off her turquoise beads and place them back in her satchel, now relaxing herself a bit more. "So... what exactly do we talk about?" she questioned, glancing to the other girls, then the twins, and then Arkanov, "Anything in mind?"

Arkanov scoffed at her invitation and turned away from them. "I'm not getting involved in this girly nonsense. I'm going off to find Lilith."

"Oh…" River's shoulders dropped from this rejection, but she knew not to take such behavior too harshly. Instead, looking back to the others, "Anyways, let's get started on this sleepover situation."

Kestral giggled happily. "Yes, let's."

## Morning of Recovery

After a lovely night of chatting and playing little games, everyone had worn themselves down again back to have a peaceful night of sleep. Luckily, they had remembered to hang up the mosquito nets, so that the same misfortune would not fall upon them once again.

The morning sun peeked through the clouds with a soft light. There was a pleasant silence, only being interrupted occasionally by the chirping and cawing of birds. The first one to awaken was River, and as now her daily routine, she first checked on the shards in her satchel; luckily the two they had were still there. Then, she looked to the others sleeping here, and was glad to see them resting peacefully. So, for the moment, she decided to not awaken them, and simply waited patiently for them to come to.

Kestral awoke next, and with her childish yawn and her torso lifted, she gave a contented sigh, she turned to River and noticed she was awake, and doing nothing. She crawled over silently as not to disturb the others, and she plopped herself into River's arms. "Hi."

River saw the girl suddenly in her hold, and only found herself smiling soon afterwards. She pulled Kestral in just a little bit closer, cuddling her warmly and carefully, almost as if she were her mother, or her sister. With one of her hands, she gently pet the back of Kestral's hair, and sighed, "Morning Kes... did you sleep well? Any dreams?"

Kestral began to blink rapidly, as if trying to ward off the sleep that begged to pull her eyelids closed once more. She smiled again. "Thank you for asking. Well, I rarely dream of anything unless it's a premonition of a momentous event. So it looks like nothing devastating will happen to us soon, since I didn't dream of anything." Kestral looked back to where she slept and made a grabbing motion with her hands. From underneath her sheets, Frig hopped energetically over the sleeping girls and into her hand. Kestral smiled gently. "Frig slept like a baby too. Did you sleep well, River...?"

River chuckled a little when she saw Frig hopping up. She still wasn't used to the idea of pets, but if it made Kestral happy, she would learn to adjust. "I slept just fine, thankfully. Now that we're back to healthy, and everyone's recovering, this is the most peaceful I've felt in the night in a while…"

"Really?" Kestral asked curiously. She seemed surprised that such a calm woman had a hard time resting easily earlier on in their quest. "Why weren't you at ease before then?"

"You know…" River softened her voice, curling up and holding the child warmer and closer. "It's scary sometimes, when a kid your age can steal the shards in our sleep, or when some strange lightning mage can attack you out of nowhere. We haven't had the best luck on our journey, but I feel safer after yesterday…"

Kestral nodded, finally understanding. She pulled away from River only to give her an encouraging, optimistic smile. "Well, my mother has a saying she tells Arkanov and I whenever things don't go our way. 'A little rain must fall to pave the way for sunshine.' So we may have had some trouble a while ago, but that means that only good can come our way for a bit."

"That saying… I like it. My mother never had any phrases like that," River gave out her breath, one of contentment and peacefulness. "Neither did my father. But I want to keep those words in my mind now, they seem helpful."

Kestral giggled at this response. "It keeps me motivated to keep living! Because a little rain must fall in life, literally and figuratively."

"Even after a lot of rain, seeing sunlight would be very relieving. It makes you appreciate the sun a lot more…" River agreed, already feeling so relaxed and soothed by these words, and the day had barely started. "You're a strong girl after all of this, you know? I didn't have as much endurance or determination as you do when I was your age."

"Me? Strong...?" Kestral seemed to almost laugh at this compliment. "Geez, I wish. Thanks, but I just use this saying to stay positive. It's tough to go through the rainfall when you actually live it. Easier said than done."

"I know just what you mean," River smiled warmly. She gently patted Kestral's back, trying to encourage her, "At your age I was quite a lot more sensitive! I couldn't, and still can't fight, and it was easy for me to start crying…"

"That's how I am right now," Kestral admitted sadly. "I'd like to be a better fighter to help everyone more, but you've seen how I've burst into tears in the middle of a fight. I'm not really cut out for it."

"Neither am I," River pointed out, but had an interesting mix of emotions. Her brows were ever so slightly angled, and that with her smile was showing determination, yet her eyes were still so soft and inviting. "But you've got so much potential. I can sense your soul whenever I touch you, and from what I've seen, you have such strong magic radiating from your soul that it's hard to comprehend. You can already predict the future and create small dimensions at your age, it's impressive."

Now the young girl looked down to the floor and blushed profusely. "Thank you. But I thought all astral mages could do that right off the bat. But you're powerful too, River. I sense it in your soul. It's under lock and key, but you've got an arsenal at your fingertips with your magic."

"You really think so?" River asked, pondering this possibility. If what Kestral said was true, then River would have quite a lot to learn about her own magic herself. "Maybe it can finally come out… you know, when your brother's training me how to fight. I've never used my own magic to defend myself, and personally, I would like to try."

Kestral gasped at the comment River had thrown so nonchalantly into the middle of her response. "What?! You mean Arkanov is going to train you?"

River put a finger over her own lips, signaling Kestral to hush her voice just slightly so that the others wouldn't unexpectedly wake up. But nevertheless she nodded, "Yes, I thought you already knew? We made a trade. I agreed to teach him more about magic, and he would teach me more about combat."

"He didn't tell me about that," Kestral huffed angrily. "He never tells me things about he girls he likes."

"Girls he… l-likes…?" River felt her entire body get a little warmer, and she quickly glanced off to the side. "He actually… likes me? H-How do you know? I've never been able to tell…"

Kestral laughed again. "Of course he likes you, you're his friend. I'd argue you're one of his closest friends. Actually, I concede, and say you're probably his closest friend he's ever had! He smiles more than he has in his life when he's around you... well, except for when he's around me, of course."

"Oh, I… thought you meant 'like' in a different context. But even then, I'm happy that he sees me as such…" River confessed, her body relaxing again, and smiled, "I'm glad that I can be close to him in that sense. While I still don't understand everything about him, I do like him too, and I want to know more…"

"Oh, you thought I meant 'like like?'" Kestral asked softly. She gave River a smile as if she found this notion endearing. "You know, he probably does like you that way. He looks at you the way he looked at his last lady friend..." However, when she said this, she began to grow concerned, and she noticed how River seemed to be relieved that she meant something else. "Would it weird you out if he did?"

"No, not at all," River closed her eyes, still smiling calmly and gently. She brushed some hair behind her ear, "I… kind of want it to happen. I really like him, and I am a little nervous to think about how I would tell him if he ended up liking me too. I just… really hope I don't remind him too much of his other 'lady friend'… whoever she is."

Kestral looked at River for a long time. The expression she had on her face when she usually talked with her changed drastically within seconds. She only regarded River as a sort of family friend between her and Arkanov initially. But with this new information, it dawned upon Kestral that it was very possible she could have a new sister within years. Of course, the little child was naive in immediately assuming a consequential marriage outright, but she hoped this would be the case given her affinity for River.

"I wish I could see that far into the future to tell if it's possible," Kestral said gently. Her small smile grew. "But don't worry, you are nothing like his other lady friend. He liked her but she didn't feel the same. She was very mean to him, she broke his heart..."

"I promise, I won't hurt him like that…" River lowered her head, assured in herself that she could never betray Arkanov as this mystery woman had. "I'll treat him kindly, and respectfully. I can only hope he would return the same affections…"

Kestral nodded. "I find it strange how you like him though. Why? When did this happen?"

"I... actually, I'm not that sure. I can't remember an exact moment when I started feeling something for him..." River admitted, chuckling a little bit nervously, hoping that Kestral didn't think of her as strange for this. Not remembering why you feel something for someone was rather embarassing, "I mean... after we had obtained our second heart shard... I finally got a better chance to talk to him. And since then, I've been wanting to know him more and more, and... I don't know how to describe it. I've seen him in a much nicer light since then..."

"Huh," Kestral seemed a little confused. With resolve, she said finally, "That sounds like friendship, Riv!"

River's eyes opened a little wider, and her gaze darted off to the right corner of her field of vision. She suddenly looked very concerned, and took a short breath, "Have I been lonely for so long, that I can't tell the difference between friendship and real affections…?" But then, she shook her head and sighed, "I shouldn't be dumping this on you, you're just a kid…"

Kestral realized how what she said affected River and she gave an extremely apologetic look. "Yeah, please don't take what I say to heart. I'm just a kid and I don't even know anything about like liking people."

"No, don't be too harsh on yourself, Kestral." River reassured, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder, "I'm worried that I'm rushing into this too soon. I've never felt this happy around anyone before I met Arkanov, and… we've only known each other for about a month now, right? I don't even know how to pace a relationship anymore…"

"If love at first sight is possible, I think anything can happen," Kestral reasoned with a small smile. "I would ease it on him though, slowly. It takes Arkanov a long time to open up to people. But once he does to you, you'll definitely have his heart. I think he may already start to like you anyways."

"R-Right…" River let out a little huff of air, "I won't rush, I promise you. I can't even tell if he really likes me the same way yet. I mean, I've only heard of what he's said through Thomas…"

"I can tell you what he's told me!" Kestral volunteered happily. "If you want!"

"Really?" River questioned, and peered over her shoulder, checking to see if the others were still asleep. When she saw they were still laying there with eyes closed, she looked back to Kestral with curiousity, "Alright, please… tell me… as long as it's not an invasion of privacy of course."

"I don't think so," Kestral said. She assumed a straighter posture as if the information she was about to relay was of the utmost importance. "I was telling him about how much you reminded me of my mother. He said he thought of you just as closely, but in a very different way. When I tried asking him what he meant by that, he began to sort of turn red and he didn't tell me."

"In… a different way?" River questioned, only more curious by news of this information. She wanted to know more, but she knew she couldn't rush these things as they went along. "I can only hope you're right, Kestral. Maybe… just maybe, he does feel the same way, and after that… well, I can't be too sure."

Kestral asked innocently, "Would you court or marry him?"

"M-Marry?!" River exclaimed, struggling to keep her voice hushed as not to awaken the others. "That's a really big decision. It's permanent, and besides, I'm nowhere near ready to have a solar tattoo…"

"Huh?" Kestral seemed to understand the first part of her statement, even though she was not quite sure how old River was. "I'm sure you're of legal age to marry. What's a tattoo?"

"You know… it's a mark that you draw on your body, and it's impossible to remove." River informed, but chuckled a little nervously, "And… I'm only eighteen summers old, and while I could get married… it's scary to imagine going into it already…"

"Girls in Pendsbury get married at fifteen," Kestral pointed out as if unimpressed. "You wouldn't be the youngest."

"Seriously?" River questioned in strong disbelief, thinking that Kestral was pulling her leg or something like that. But when she thought more, she had heard stories of other girls getting married even younger, and she shuddered, "That sounds so… sad, to be married off so young. The only time anyone back home would get married at that age would be to avoid having illegitimate children…"

Kestral nodded. "Ah. In Pendsbury there are no illegitimates... none allowed at least. So when people are married off young it is sometimes out of love, but mostly out of parents wishes. You and Arkanov though, you can be the exception to that rule."

"But… even if we did get together, and if I was allowed to marry, would you and Arkanov's parents accept me?" River questioned, shifting over to lay flat on her back, and sighed, "I've already heard the horrible things they do to Samadurians in Pendsbury, and… I just wouldn't know what they would do if Ark and I were a couple."

At first, Kestral just stared at River with wide eyes, as if she was surprised River even asked this question. But after a moment, she stopped herself and nodded assuringly. "My mom is fine with the idea of Samadurai. And I am too. Of course we would accept you, River."

"… That makes me glad, then. I'm happy that she would approve of me…" River smiled just a little bit, but then raised an eyebrow at another thought, "But what about your father? Don't father's have the most say in a relationship like that?"

As much as it pained Kestral to do this, she shrugged unsuredly. "I don't know if my dad is okay with magic or not. He is a wild card in that situation. I'm sorry. But I'm sure he will like you for how nice you are if anything!"

"I hope he does…" River scratched the back of her head, still a little nervous at thoughts like these, especially when they were talking about an entirely hypothetical scenario. Then, she put her elbows behind her and pushed her torso up, "Anyways, I think we should all start getting up. After all, we've made a promise to Kwo last night."

Kestral nodded and immediately hopped up. Frig seemed a little shocked at this sudden movement, but the creature happily jumped upon Kestral's head once the girl stopped moving and perched there for the time being. Then Kestral began to round up the other females of the group. First she moved to Salina and jumped on top of her torso, knowing how much of a heavy sleeper she was. "Wake up, Salina!"

"... Mrrrugh," Salina groaned, a rather delayed reply to the child's incessant hopping. She stopped Kestral by grabbing her in her arms and squeezing. Kestral squealed.

This prompted Hyacinth to wake up as well. She opened her heavy eyelids slowly, and lifted her head from the bed mat. She looked over to Salina and exchanged eye contact with her. They both smiled at each other. Then Hyacinth looked to River and yawned softly. "Hello, good morning. You are going to Kwo now...?"

River nodded with a bright smile to greet their awoken companions. She was already getting herself dressed, and spoke as she tied her turquoise beads around her neck, "Yep, we're going to see if we can get some courage in Kwo. I don't know if the others are up yet, but if they aren't, could you tell them where we went when they get up?"

Hyacinth nodded. "You would not wish for me to come? Oh, alright... I will notify the others when I see them."

"Oh, you can come if you want to," River offered, holding out a hand for Hyacinth to take, giving a warm and inviting smile, "I just assumed you were going to stay back with everyone else. I don't mind whichever you choose."

Hyacinth smiled gratefully for River's welcoming enthusiasm, and took her hand lightly to pull herself up. She was beaming simply from being included so readily. "I choose to assist you in helping Kwo, if that is alright with you!"

River was happy to see her already beaming at this time of the day, and was almost ready to leave the tent back into the outside world. But before that, she looked to the blonde girl next to Hyacinth, "Salina, do you want to come along too?"

Salina nodded slowly, and lifted her heavy torso up, and then commanded her legs to follow suit. "Yeah, I kind of promised him too... let's head out then."

"Good!" River answered, and finally, crawled out through the opening of the tent, and stood up on her feet out in the open. The sun had just come up over the horizon, her shadow and the shadows of the trees stretching out due to the angle. No one else in the camp seemed to be awake and about yet, but River could already hear the villagers not too far away talking amongst themselves. They were in a rather rural area after all, it was normal for their day to begin early. "Well ladies, here's to hoping we can help a man talk to his crush!"

So then River took lead of their small group, strutting forward confidently towards the village, "So… considering how this Mitozi girl is a gladiator, think that would that make our job harder? After all, Kwo might be scared to talk if he's intimidated."

"Oh, you know our job will be harder," Salina said with a smirk. "The object of the game is to then make Mitozi appear non-threatening, like a normal girl. Which I'm sure she is."

"You're right, we shouldn't blow this out of proportion. The real challenge will be Kwo himself," River agreed, and walked confidently into the village. Men and women alike were heading out to the not-so-far-away fields to tend to their crops, while others stayed behind to watch after children or the elderly, while some were starting their chores early. Some waved at the women as they passed, and River gladly waved back. Then, they finally came upon the home of Kwo and his family once again. However, when they walked in, the girls were greeted by Faraji, who stood over a dark pot with a controlled fire under it, seemed to be boiling… something. It had a strangely colorful hue, so he must have been brewing more medicine.

"Good morning, ladies. I see you're all doing better," He remarked, not taking his eyes away from the pot as he stirred with a wooden spoon. "If you're looking for Kwo, he's in the room to the left… still sleeping in. He didn't get any rest last night."

"Oh? It's best we don't wake him then," Salina said. She seemed confused about what Faraji was concocting, but especially about Kwo. "Why didn't he get any rest last night?"

"He told me he was stressed over… a girl, I think?" Faraji answered, but with a shrug as he was rather unsure. "I don't understand why he would be scared to talk to a girl, when that young man can jump out in front of a charging wildebeest without fear just for fun…"

"Love does things to even the fearless of people," Salina said with a small chuckle. "I didn't think he'd be nervous for today, since we're supposed to be helping him get over his fear."

Kestral looked a little concerned. "He may be procrastinating."

"Procrastinating?" River questioned, and suddenly her hopeful look changed to one of mild chagrin. Without another word to Faraji, she turned to the left and marched off into the next room, and upon pushing past the drapes covering the entryway, she finally saw Kwo. The massive, dark man was laying on his side, back turned to River, and his breathing was slow. Definitely asleep, but she wouldn't have this.

The young woman knelt up to his side, put her hands on his back, and quickly shook him, "Kwo! Come on man, get up! We promise to help you out, remember?"

He suddenly woke with a start, flinching, and then shuddered. Kwo quickly turned around, and saw River right in front of him, "R-River?! No, it can't be morning, can it? Please be wrong…"

Salina and Kestral barged into the room and the blonde girl called out in a cheery voice, "GOOD MOOORNING!" Salina went by Kwo's side and proceeded to roughly, almost violently, shake him out of his bed. "We're not wrong! You need to get up and get ready for your future giiiirlfriend!"

"Sh-She's not my girlfriend!" Kwo retorted, trying to cover his face to hide from the personal embarassment. River looked at him with curiousity, and he only peeked behind his own hands for a moment, "I don't even know if she likes me back, she probably doesn't even know my name…"

"That's why I said future," Salina chided relentlessly, "Because today, we'll give you the tools you need to make sure she knows your name and falls in love with you!"

Kwo was rubbing his head, still clearly stressing over what exactly he would do, even if he did have help from these four women. But he slowly rose up to his feet, and let out a heavy sigh, "A-Alright, I know where she would be at this time of day, she's probably training right now. Is there anything I should know before we start looking for Mitozi...?"

Salina nodded. "Be more sure of yourself!" she replied without pause. "And if not, then pretend to be. Mitozi sounds like a woman who knows what she wants. Why'd she date a guy who doesn't himself?"

"H-Hey, I've just never talked to a girl before! Other than River of course… and my aunt…" Kwo muttered, crossing his arms and already leaving the room with the four girls following behind him. As he started to make his way out of the home, he sighed, "But of course, I have much different feelings about Mitozi. I just need advice, if you have any for the moment."

Kestral looked to the floor. She was slightly embarrassed since she was unable to help given how little she knew about romance, so she listened in. To break the silence, Hyacinth volunteered her voice. "Please be yourself... there is nothing worse than someone who is fake. In speaking with her, speak as you would to a friend or someone you are close to. It will show your genuineness."

Kwo took these words, and let them sink themselves into his head for a moment. He was silent, stopping in his tracks, thinking everything over. Even if he was rushing his thoughts, he knew that he couldn't be a coward with this anymore, especially not for something as easy and simple as talking. Suddenly, it seemed like a fire had ignited in his dark eyes, and he marched forward with determination, "... Then let's not waste any time! I know I can do this, I just... need to try!"

Salina looked over to Hyacinth in utter surprise that she, of all people, inspired Kwo more than she had. Though she was impressed, and she gave the girl a thumbs-up motion for what she did. Then she turned to Kwo and gave him a slap on the back. "That's the attitude! Your dad says you jump in front of wild animals. Do the same for this! Tackle it headfirst!"

"Faraji told you that?" Kwo laughed, his determination still fueling his feet as he began to make his way out of the entrance of the village again, "That was only one time, and I did it to protect my little cousin. That old man has a habit of exaggerating some stories…"

Salina rose an eyebrow and laughed. "Seeing how excited you are now, I bet he wasn't exaggerating with how fearless you can be."

"Now that is all truth!" Kwo proudly proclaimed. Once they were out of the village, the man suddenly took a turn to the right, heading off into the fields of what seemed like… nothing. At least, there wasn't much for now, but he clearly knew where he was going. "The real challenge here… instead of a wildebeest, it's a woman. I'll need to be clever about this…"

"Oh gods," Salina groaned, and nearly slapped her own face. "You should run it by us first."

"But Salina," Hyacinth looked over to her and gave a small frown. "He really should be himself."

"Yeah, but... it depends on what you mean by 'clever,'" Salina conceded, now looking to Kwo with concern.

Kwo rolled his eyes and followed up with a light laugh, crossing his arms as he walked off into the fields, "Clever as in I actually have to think about what I say. It's not like you have to worry about conversation starters when grabbing an animal by the horns and throwing it into the air. This may require more mental than physical strength."

"Ah, then I know how you're feeling," Salina sighed sadly, though again, she gave Kwo a slap on his back. "Whatever you do though, don't go in with a cheesy pickup line! Those are the worst and they'll end up embarrassing you! Maybe try asking her about her gladiator fights, if she's training at all? It's something she loves so she may want to talk about it more with you."

"She should be training around this time, so..." Kwo began, but suddenly he had halted in his tracks and his entire body froze up. His ears had picked up on a distant sound, just beyond the hills up ahead. It sounded like klings and klangs, the sound of metals clashing. They were close to Mitozi's personal training grounds, and Kwo suddenly felt his heart jump out of his chest. "L-Ladies, I don't think I can do this anymore..."

Salina huffed in exasperation. "What were we just talking about? Kwo, we know you can do this. Go in fearless. You're just talking about her training, that's all. It's no big deal!"

"R-Right…" Kwo stuttered nervously, and forced himself to step forward, one foot after the other, his movements much more stiff as they began to cross over the hills. He breathed heavily, his palms already sweaty, as they approached the top. When they were finally high enough up, he peered down and saw the familiar arena. It was a circular little clearing, with beaten down earth that didn't grow any grass. There were various human-like structures made of earthen rock, rather efficiently-made training dummies for an earth mage. His eyes searched, and almost instantly his gaze locked on to *her*, Mitozi.

She was a tall, Amazonian woman, with an athletic build and strong muscles. They were large enough to be significant to her appearance, but not so bulging that it detracted from her beauty. Her skin was rather odd, for it was dark like Kwo's, and yet much paler spots of skin on her body were arranged in a stripe-like pattern, resembling a tiger. Her long brown hair was frizzy and tied back, but nevertheless lovely in the sunlight.

In her right hand was a spear with a metal shaft, and a tip carved of diamond, and strapped to her other arm was a steel circular shield. With determined eyes, Mitozi targeted her weapon at one of the rock dummies, preparing a strike. Kwo looked back to the four girls with him, and took a deep breath, "O-Okay, when do you think I should go…?"

"Right after she finishes this throw," Salina murmured softly. Her eyes were trained on Mitozi. She was fascinated by what she was pulling off, and she was staring at her as if sizing her up. She furrowed her brow. "Definitely not before she's throwing it though. She could impale you."

Kwo nodded, and observed Mitozi as she aimed her spear. She was acting as if this were a real battle, and wasted no time preparing her attack. Suddenly, she threw her spear at the earthen doll, and the diamond spear tip impaled it through the head, thrusting the whole way through it, and out the other end in a clean shot. She smiled, and thrust her fist up in the air excitedly, congratulating herself.

Kwo knew that now was the perfect time, and if he procrastinated any longer, Salina likely would have pushed him out there. He stepped forward, walking down the hill towards Mitozi's training grounds, and tried his best to hide his nervous shuddering. He abruptly held up his hand, waving to her, "H-Hi Mitozi!"

The man wanted to slap himself for sounding so ridiculous, but he didn't have the time. Her fast, cat-like reflexes made her jump, and she immediately leapt for her spear. When she grabbed it, she held her shield up and pointed her weapon at him, and he held his hands up in submission. But once she processed who it was, she groaned and rolled her eyes, lowering her spear and shield. "Oh my god Kwo, don't sneak up on me like that! I could have hurt you…"

Kwo let out a breath, his heart pounding faster than it ever had before, and he put his hand on the back of his neck. He was about to apologize, but the woman spoke up before him, "So what's going on? Is the village on fire or something?"

"N-No, nothing like that…" Kwo laughed, obviously not very relaxed. He wanted to run off in embarassment right now, but he couldn't let down the ones supporting him from the sidelines, and he couldn't make even more of a fool of himself in front of this warrior woman. "I was wondering if… if…" he glanced back over his shoulders to the girls, and then made direct eye contact with Mitozi again, "If I could help you practice. I don't have anything to do today, and I thought it would be fun t-to see you fight…"

Mitozi have him an odd look, but shrugged and smiled, "Alright, you can help me out I guess. I haven't gone up against many fire mages, so… this could be interesting…" the woman remarked, and as she walked backward to set up her dummies again, Kwo turned over his shoulder with a smile, looking up to the girls back on the hill, and gave a thumbs up to them. Their mission had succeeded.

Salina returned the gesture to Kwo and smiled widely. She was ecstatic that everything worked out. She looked to Hyacinth, Kestral and River and whispered, "Looks like our job here is done, ladies."

River smiled brightly, and watched as Kwo now walked off with his crush, having newfound confidence that he had finally started the path of a potential relationship. She turned around, back towards the direction they came from, and beckoned the others, "You're right, Salina. I'm proud of him… but we should get back to camp before too long, and try to stock up on supplies if there's any available in town."

"I don't know about supplies here," Salina said, though she did turn around to head back. "This town doesn't look like it has a commercial bazaar at all."

"You're right…" River realized, sighing with a shrug, "Last time I was here, there wasn't really a place to buy or sell anything, it's mostly neighbors trading with neighbors. But we should still wait here for a bit, after all, Kwo promised us he would give us Mitozi's heart shard in exchange for helping him."

Kestral gasped at this realization, and jumped up and down giddily. "Oh, you're right, aren't you? Woohoo! We're remaking progress in our quest so quickly."

Hyacinth nodded. "The only question now is when Kwo will return."

"I suggest we stay here for the rest of the day, in case he spends a long time with her," River offered, walking back down the hill, and returning to the village that was off in the distance, "In the meantime, the guys back at camp should all be awake by now, so we can catch them up on Kwo's situation, if they're willing to hear."

"They should be!" Salina assured with a smirk. "Arkanov will have to start taking notes on how to talk to you, so it should catch his attention."

The moment Arkanov was mentioned, River suddenly tensed up like she had been splashed with cold water. She fiddled with a strand of white hair that had fallen onto her face, and laughed stiffly. She could have sworn that only Thomas and Kestral knew about her crush. "Haha… w-what makes you say that?"

"The fact that he's so awkward!" Salina replied with a large laugh. She nudged River with her elbow, though with her strength, it may have come off as a little rough. "He's not much of a talker, is he? Only around you." She looked over to Hyacinth. "Hey, you've known him since he lived in Pendsbury. Does he go silent on everyone, or just us?"

Hyacinth nodded. "Yes, well, mostly everyone. We were in the same vicinity a lot..." She seemed to tense up at this question as well. "A-Although, with me being in the Elite, a-and him not being in it, it was not t-too often, you see. But, when I saw him, he barely spoke. River, you must be very special to him then."

Kestral smirked at River just as Salina had. "I'll say."

"S-Special…?" River wondered, putting her hand on her own shoulder shyly, as if subtly shielding herself from her own embarassment. "I, um… well, a few nights ago, Arkanov *did* say that I was his closest friend h-here…"

Hyacinth and Salina exchanged telling looks to each other, and then looked back to River.

Salina rose an eyebrow. She was not necessarily ecstatic visibly. She seemed more concerned if anything. "It could be more than that."

"M-More?" River stuttered senselessly. She tried to play it cool, to give no reaction, but her suddenly cracking voice was a dead giveaway. She smiled like an idiot, "I don't think he really likes me *that* much. I'm sure he would rather be friends… right?"

Hyacinth giggled at her reaction to this information. "He has never been this happy before. It could be that you two are really good friends... or potential lovers."

"It's such a strange concept though!" Kestral gasped, playing dumb. "True love isn't big in Pendsbury. But I love the idea of you two going against the norm. Awww!"

"Y-You think it's cute?" River nervously questioned, and slowly it seemed as though her cheeks, normally a soft brown, we're fading into a rosy pink. "I mean, even if we were together, it would still be hard, wouldn't it? I mean, my father- no, my whole *family* would try to kick Arkanov out for various reasons…"

"Yikes, kick him out?" Salina asked curiously. She seemed to be relieved by this information, though she was obviously trying to not seem so. "Why?"

River suddenly sighed, and her body was not so tense as it had before. Her shoulders dropped down, "My family doesn't want me to get with *anyone*. I'm not allowed to get married, nevermind dating someone. They're pretty much scared of any male coming within my vicinity…"

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that," Hyacinth apologized. She looked down to the floor.

Despite how uncomfortable Salina seemed about this conversation, she looked over to River with a serious, grave expression. "Hey, you need to follow your heart, River. If Arkanov calls out to you and you two think you would be happy together... y-you need to jump at the opportunity."

"If you really think it would work, I want to go for it…" River muttered shyly, and yet she couldn't help but feel a little bit of curiousity when she looked at Salina, "But I have a question. Why do you seem nervous all of a sudden? Is everything alright?"

"... Yes," Salina answered. All she could do was sigh. "Everything is a-okay now... or at least I hope it will be... w-with you two being together."

"What do you mean by that…?" River pressed on curiously. These words, she didn't know exactly their meaning, but with how they were spoken, it made her quite concerned. "Would something be wrong if we ever did get together?"

"No," Salina said with a strained smile. "It can only bring good. I was thinking to myself, about something else."

This would never be enough to satisfy her interest. River leaned in a little closer to Salina, putting a finger on her chin in thought, "Well... would it be okay for you to tell us about it? I just want to help, in case you need it..."

The muscles in Salina's arm tensed as if she was about to lash out. She averted her eyes, just as she saw the tents they had set up far off in the distance, given that they were now in the village. She looked to River and tried to say in a soft tone, "I'll talk to you about it later." She seemed worried.

River raised an eyebrow at this. She wasn't sure what to say next, but knew not to press on further, at least for the moment. Now, thankfully, they were back at the campsite, and she could even see some of their companions out and about. "Alright, well… when you want to, you can talk about it later…"

Salina nodded. "It is so important. To you... it's about Arkanov. It's about... y-your happiness." Salina gave a weak smile. "I'm so happy for you."

"Happy?" River questioned, even more confused, wondering what exactly her friend was going on about. As they approached closer, she lowered her voice somewhat, "Happy about what? It's not like we are together or anything… but when do you want to talk about this?"

"I'm happy you've found someone to love," Salina said softly, with a fake smile still on display. "But we can talk whenever you want to hear this."

River nodded, understanding. She figured that they would have to continue this conversation later, as they now finally came upon the campsite once again and were in view of the others. The moment they arrived, River was suddenly hit by a strong impact in a flash of a second, suddenly feeling restrained. She yelped in shock, but to her surprise, she found that it was just Blake, who had excitedly hugged her as a greeting.

"Ladies!" He exclaimed, with a bright smile, "We were wondering where you went! We just woke up and there wasn't a note to where you all disappeared to."

Kestral giggled lightly at Blake's enthusiasm. "Heheh, sorry! We were out helping Kwo land a girlfriend and I think we succeeded! So we should get a shard in no time."

"That's where all of you were?" Blake realized, and a wave of relief washed over him. He sighed, and smiled down at Kestral now, "I didn't think you would all be playing matchmaker. But this girl you set him up with… she has a heart shard? I don't know if he said it earlier, I was still out of it from those mosquito quakes…"

"She does, apparently!" Kestral confirmed, still more eager than ever. "And he agreed that if we set him up, he'd try to get her shard. Hopefully she understands and she's forthcoming with it."

Blake looked glad, and backed off away from the women in case they were uncomfortable with him remaining so close to them. He then put his hands comfortably in his pockets, "That sounds good, and hopefully we can get a heart shard out of helping him. Then after that we can head out next morning to the next one, wherever that may be..."

Kestral seemed a little disappointed by this, and she made a sad expression. "We're leaving a new friend we made so soon...?"

"We have to, won't we?" Blake reasoned, looking up to River's face in questioning, just to see if she was going to confirm this. "We need to collect heart shards as soon as we can. We've already lost two of them, and we know that Eris is going after shards too. Before we know it, this thing will become a race…"

River sighed, and reached out her hand, putting it gently upon Kestral's shoulder, "He's right. We'll have to leave tomorrow if we want to stop that woman from obtaining other shards. But we can still say our goodbyes to Kwo and Faraji."

"Oh, alright..." Kestral mumbled sadly. She did realize how dire the situation was and she was willing to adhere to their mission, but it was disappointing to leave a new friend. However, she tried to look on the bright side of things. "Well, soon, we'll have three, and Eris only has two now. So we're still ahead at least!"

River suddenly looked a little worried, as she didn't want to break Kestral's spirits. Yet, at the same time, she didn't want to hide the truth from her. "Actually…" she started tentatively, "Eris already had a shard when we first met her. Assuming she hadn't collected any more before she stole half of ours, that would mean we're on equal footing by the end of today…"

"... Oh," Kestral deflated again and sighed. "It's better than being behind, I suppose."

"Let's not get too downhearted about all of this, it's better to be catching up," River smiled at Kestral, and pat her back assuringly. Then, she focused her attention once more at Blake, "So where's Rubus? And do you know how the others are doing?"

Blake looked over his shoulder to the other tents and shrugged, "I haven't seen much of Arkanov, Thomas, or Santiago. But Rubus is in the village conducting interviews with some people. I've just been waiting here holding fort… and sketching a little."

Kestral seemed to do a double take at this information. "Huh!? Wait, Blake, you draw things!? Can you show us some of your sketches?" She jumped up and down excitedly, and then hopped around Blake in a circle, like a rabbit. Obviously, she was in good spirits again. "Show us! Show us! Show us!"

Blake suddenly seemed very embarassed, and yet flattered by the enthusiasm at the same time. The only other person who had shown so much support for his artwork was his brother, and he had been far too shy through his whole life to show any of his drawings to strangers and friends alike. His face was a little red, and slowly, he reached into his bag slung over his shoulder, and pulled out a leather-bound sketchbook. He laughed a little, and scratched the back of his head, "I uh... don't have much in here yet, this one is new, and I've been saving it for this entire trip. There's mostly animals on there, but... I *did* sketch one picture with you in it..."

Kestral's jaw dropped. "What?"

Suddenly, she clung onto Blake's leg, and rubbed her face against him profusely, nuzzling him. She squealed with utter delight. "You actually drew me in something!? Oh, thank you! I've always wanted someone to draw me before. Since Pendsbury! Oh, may I please see it then?"

Blake nodded, and opened up the sketchbook. He was clearly nervous of judgement, so he skipped several pages as fast as possible so that she couldn't see his previous works. He flipped over to one of the pages, and hesitantly, held it out to her eye level.

Upon the paper was a sketch drawn from graphite pencil. It was a scene, a rather familiar one at that. The background seemed to be a desert, and in the foreground, were two girls. One was Kestral, her proportions and expressions drawn as accurately as Blake's skill could allow, and she seemed very, very happy. Beside her was River sketched in a similar style, peacefully playing her lyre as wisps of various elements surrounded them. However, Blake's face was far too red of embarassment to say much more…

Immediately, Kestral pounced on Blake and gave him a tight, happy squeeze. She went from burying her face into his leg to looking at the drawing more closely, and this went back and forth until she finally simply stared at the picture and did not take her eyes away. She noted every detail, from the shading to the nuances in the expression, and the curvature of the lines and the highlights and the lowlights. She was surprised, for she certainly underestimated what she was expecting. "Blake, your sketch is beautiful! It looks so realistic!" she enthused. "How long did it take to create this...?"

Blake was initially unsure of how to react to her sudden hug and her kind compliments, so he only laughed and chuckled shyly. "It… took be about a a few minutes, the line work at least. I didn't add in the shading until later. I started drawing this when River first introduced us to spirits, and the scene was just so perfect, I had to capture it."

"MINUTES!?" Kestral seemed almost disturbed by this information. She looked at him with wide, concerned eyes. "Were you an artist where you're from or something of that sort? This is seriously incredible and you're acting so nonchalant!"

"It's just a hobby, really," Blake felt his heart rate begin to slow down, but it was still at a fairly fast pace. He wasn't sure just how to to about this situation calmly. "I practiced a lot, ever since I was a kid, and I only got better over time. Though sadly, drawing real life like this might become obsolete if those 'picture boxes' ever get more popular…"

"Yeah, everyone in Pendsbury loves the telly! Arkanov especially!" Kestral replied. She seems to enjoy it as well, but when she realized what this meant for Blake, she frowned. "I'm sure your drawings won't become obsolete. A picture box has nothing on a beautiful picture only hands could create."

"A… telly? Your family can afford that?" Blake pondered curiously, now suddenly seeing the girl in a different light. "But, by picture box, I meant more of those… ugh, I can't remember the name now, but it's that device that takes in light and transforms it into a picture of whatever it was facing. It's more accurate than drawing, and sadly it might make the skills useless in the future…"

With all these confusing words that Blake and Kestral were exchanging, River nudged Salina's side and whispered, "Should we know what they're talking about…?"

Salina shook her head. "It's fancy mechanical Pendsbury stuff, I believe. Don't think too much about it. I'm sure they'll explain it to us. Eventually."

Kestral continued on. "Ah, the camera you mean? Even so, there's something about hand-making a scene that's better than what a picture box can capture."

"You're very kind, it's almost hard to believe you're related to Arkanov…" Blake laughed lightheartedly, but it was cut short when he looked over at the only two Samadurian women with them. They both seemed utterly confused.

River stepped forward, tilting her head to the side curiously, "What's a… telly? And a camera?"

Kestral smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I'm sorry, you don't have tellies and cameras here! Well, a telly is an electronic box." She moved her arms in a square motion not much larger than her torso. "You turn it on and moving pictures play through it! It's fairly new, and quite expensive..." She looked back over to Blake. "Really, Arkanov worked extra hard to pay for it for my eleventh birthday. But, heheh, he uses it more than I do."

She turned back to the Samadurians. "And a camera is another electronic box, but it's certainly not as large. You hold it up to something taking place in real life, even though it's usually on a stand. Then you click and bam! The thing captures perfect images of the scene you want on a paper called polaroid film. And you can keep it forever. It's very reliable if you have bad memory. I think I brought one in my pocket dimension, actually..."

River's eyes were wide like the moon when she heard of such a magical device. The concept of something like that was completely astounding to her. Something that can take perfect images of life whenever it can? The open-mouthed smile on her face showed all of her excitement, "That sounds so... so... *cool*! When can we use it?! Should we get everyone back here to make a picture?! Do you need magic to use it?"

"No, no magic really, just an eye for a good shot," Kestral answered with a giggle. "We can use it whenever you like, I suppose. And if you want everyone in the picture, that works too! Whatever you want, Riv."

"I want to have everyone here to see this. It sounds so fascinating, and the fact that there's something that can perfectly capture images…" River looked star-struck, her hands on her cheeks gleefully, "Where are the other guys anyways? We've got to get them all together for this."

"Heh, Ark's seen it, he's not a fan of taking pictures, but he'll suck it up for you," Kestral teased playfully. "And Thomas has probably lived his life in front of a camera, which will make him like taking this even more!"

Salina laughed, "I think the guys are in their tents sleeping in, but they must be awake by now."

"We've got to get them then!" River exclaimed joyfully, and immediately ran off to the tent off past all the others, eager to get them in on the action. Suddenly, she knelt down in front of the closed flaps of the tent, and stuck her hand through, pulling them away. She didn't take a moment to look at them before she spoke, "Guys, we're going to make a picture, and I want you to join!"

Thomas was in the middle of changing into his shirt, and he peeked out from underneath it before he slipped the whole thing over his head and proceeded to do the same with his hoodie. "A picture? Why, of course! What a fantastic idea, we can remember our trip better."

Santiago, who was already all dressed, sat cross-legged on the floor as he watched Arkanov pack up the sleeping mats. He smirked. "Want me to beautify everyone else with me being in the shot, do you?"

Arkanov rolled his eyes at this comment and instead turned to River. "I'm assuming Kes told you about her camera. Why do you wish to take a picture, though?"

"How are you not fascinated by the fact that you have picture boxes?!" River asked excitedly, smiling so brightly and hardly offended by their nonchalance. She put her hands on her lap, "It's so amazing, and you don't even need magic to use it! It would be so amazing to get an instant drawing of us! I've never seen my face through anything other than a mirror and a pool of water…"

At this, Arkanov realized just how much this picture box meant to her. He folded the bed mats up and set them away for now. "Ah, well, I suppose it's not a shock to us given that we've seen one before. But I suppose they are quite remarkable, if you've only seen yourself through the eyes of a mirror..."

He sighed with reserve. "Alright, well, let's go take this thing and get it over with..."

"Yes!" River exclaimed, followed by an ecstatic squee escaping from her mouth. She quickly grabbed Arkanov's hand, holding gingerly and carefully, but still pulled him towards her and out of the tent. Then, she called out to the other two, "Santi! Thomas! Come on!"

"'Santi?'" Santiago chuckled lightly. He smirked at this and got up. "We're giving each other pet names, huh?"

He turned around and looked to Thomas. The light mage seemed a little saddened from something. He looked down to the floor quietly. Santiago sensed something in Thomas changed, but he was not sure what exactly. Instead, he walked out of the tent and motioned for Thomas to follow.

Meanwhile, Arkanov was being dragged along back to where the others were, and he seemed apprehensive. "Oh, but must we really? I have very good memory, or at least decent memory. I don't need a picture to capture all this."

"I do too," River chuckled, and stopped when they had all regrouped together with Blake and the other girls. "I just really want to see how this thing works! Plus, it's fun just to get everyone together out here…"

Kestral was now fiddling with a wooden and metallic contraption. The metal portion was rectangular and had a small light on its top and a large circular lens on the ediface facing everyone else. The entire box was on rosewood stilts that lifted the machine much higher than Kestral was height-wise, and draped behind the box was a long, black tarp. The young girl poked her head out from underneath the drapery. "You managed to bring Ark so quickly! You must've sweet-talked him really well."

"Haha," Arkanov gave a wry laugh. The other guys followed behind him. "Let's just hurry this along, you know I don't want to see this photo when it comes out.

Kestral giggled. "You make the best faces with the flash every single time." She looked over to Hyacinth. "You're taller... can you please press the button for me?"

Hyacinth nodded. "Of course."

Kestral smiled. "And then join the shot!"

Hyacinth looked shocked when the little girl asked for her to be in the picture, but Kestral's unbreaking gaze confirmed her initial skepticism to the genuinity of the offer. Hyacinth brimmed with delight. "Y-Yes, of course, Kestral."

As the young girl scampered off to River and Arkanov, Hyacinth placed a hand on her heart and moved under the tarp. "Alright, you all will need to squeeze into the shot to fit everyone. The timer is down to ten seconds." The sound of a button clicking could be heard. "Okay! It begins now!"

Kestral looked up to River and smirked. "You need to get close to Arkanov so we can all be in the shot, River..."

Hearing this, River gladly squeezed in a little closer to Arkanov, to allow enough space for everyone else in the shot. But, when Blake had come in on her other side to get in view of the camera, she was pushed even closer to him, and now their shoulders were already touching one another. She suddenly felt as though her heart had beat twice in one second, being this close to him again. Nevertheless, she tried to outwardly hide this feeling by staring dead straight into the lens of the camera, not knowing the normal etiquette of smiling for a photo.

Kestral frowned at River. "You've got to smile, Riv! It's the thing you do in being in a picture." She grabbed her arm and tugged him close. "Get closer!"

Hyacinth came out from under the tarp and went over to join everyone. Meanwhile, Thomas seemed to be a bit happier and he slammed into Arkanov's side, his hands on the other's shoulders, and he put two fingers up behind Arkanov's head while smiling a bright while smile. "Haha!" Santiago joined him and jokingly rested his arms on the man's other shoulder and gave a relaxed, playful expression.

"Damn it! Don't do that!" Arkanov cursed. He scowled at Thomas, for he had been shoved closer to River as well. Now instead of being shoulder to shoulder, he faced her chest, and was inches away from her face. He smiled awkwardly and apologetically. "I-I'm sorry, it's all Thomas' fault," he immediately said. "Did I bump into you too hard...?"

River couldn't respond, she was too choked up for any more words. Her face was as red as an apple, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. Whether that was from her being flustered or the lack of space that there all was, she wasn't sure. But even then, she had to provide an answer to Arkanov, "Ah… I'm… I'm fine, hehe. I uh… didn't know we had to get this close together for a picture…"

"Short field of view on these cameras," Arkanov explained with a small chuckle. "The wide-capturing ones are far too expensi—"

Suddenly, from the top light came a flash of bright white. Arkanov was mid-sentence in the middle of the shot, and now that the camera had flashed, he was reeling and covering his eyes. "Ow... daft contraption...!"

Kestral immediately moved over to the camera and eagerly awaited as a thick, glossy piece of paper slowly rolled out of a slit on the front of the camera. "It'll be ready any minute now!"

River flinched from the flash, her eyes widened and her arms were up from her startlement. She didn't expect it to happen to suddenly, but she quickly sighed and calmed herself down, "Ah, alright, good. I can't wait to see the picture…" River said, and nudged Arkanov's elbow, "I guess it scared both of us, huh? Does it always do that?"

"Every single time," Arkanov muttered hoarsely. He sighed. "I hope your eyes aren't hurting. They did when I took my first picture."

Kestral hurried over with the photo in hand and wagged it in the air. "Your eyes better fix themselves quick! The photo is almost finished!"

"I'm seeing a whole bunch of dark spots in my vision…" River remarked, her steps stumbling and fumbling from the mildly disorienting flash. She shook her head in an attempt to regain her attentiveness, and walked up to Kestral, "Is it done? I can't really tell…"

Kestral looked to the photo. The black that had been in the center was now full of bright vivacious color of them all standing smiling and proud. She handed the picture to River. "Here ya go. I used my color film! It's better than black and white, and it was the last sheet I had... but it's worth it."

"You actually can afford color film?!" Blake suddenly butted in, staring at the photograph in amazement. Only in very rare occasions had he seen pictures in full color, but however, it seemed that River was even more astonished.

She didn't care about how ridiculous her face looked when she flinched from the flash, or how they were all oddly squeezed in together, but her eyes were wide and her mouth upturned and baring her white teeth in a lovely smile. "This looks so amazing! It's exactly is from a moment ago! It's just so strange… years from now I can look at this and remember what we looked like when we were young…"

Kestral smiled. "I'm so happy you like the photo. Even I look silly in this one. Yeah, color film is expensive, I only got it for Temperfest as a gift from my dad for acing my classes at Prinsbury, but... I vowed I'd use it to remember moments I wanted to keep for the rest of my life! Heheh, I had a lot before this, but now I wish I had kept them all for this journey."

"So not all the pictures are colored?" River questioned, still staring in awe at the photograph, examining it from various angles curiously. She looked so happy to see such a creation, "That's strange… why not? If it captures real life, it should be colored…"

"Well, the less expensive cameras only capture in black and white," Kestral explained awkwardly, scratching her head. "A colored filter is hard to come by, not many are made. My camera only shoots in black and white, but a friend of mine back home, he made me a faux colored filter I could replace instead of the one that came with it... a-anyways..."

"That's so strange…" River remarked, and finally returned the photo back to Kestral for her to keep. But then, she suddenly froze in her movements, and she had a sudden reaization, followed by the want to slap herself, "I was so eager to get everyone here together for the picture, but I completely forgot about Rubus…"

Kestral frowned and looked into the picture. "What?! I thought he was here in the photo! Heheh, that's okay, we can always take another picture! It just won't be in color."

"We'll need to wait until Rubus gets back from doing his field work." Blake decided, sighing as he foolishly forgot to include his own brother in the photograph, "Either way, we can relax until then, or whatever else you want to do…"

"Relaxing sounds fun!" Kestral replied happily. Salina nodded and immediately went away into her tent, and Kestral turned up a brow. "Hm. She must be sleepy. Is Rubus out with his girlfriend?"

Blake chuckled at this, but shook his head nevertheless, "Nope, but if she were here I wouldn't be surprised if he ran off to find her. But she's all the way out in a seaside town to the east, so we may meet her later…"

As he continued to talk, River took notice of how Salina was wandering off away from the others, and back into her tent. She had remembered only moments earlier when the young lady had seemed so distraught, and she knew that she needed to talk to her. River glanced at the others for a moment, hoping that their eyes weren't following her,-!: returned inside her tent once more. There, she saw Salina, and she knelt down on the ground with her hands politely resting on her lap. "Salina?" She asked, "Whatever this is about, I'm ready to talk…"

Salina, her back still turned to River as she began to settle up the sleeping mats, sighed heavily. She showed no fear or surprise in River's sudden appearance, so she obviously hoped River would come this way. She turned on her heels. Her eyes were somewhat somber and she bit her bottom lip as if she was uncomfortable. Obviously, from her expression, she was.

She did not sit down, and instead tended to packing for the trip out. "River, I... I don't want to tell you this, because you're so happy, but... I don't really think you being with Arkanov is a good idea."

River's curiousity was held at a standstill for a sudden moment. She looked at the girl before her with wide and confused eyes. She tried her best not to appear appalled, as to avoid giving Salina the misconception that she had been offended. And yet, she wasn't sure how to react to this statement. "Why shouldn't I try to be with him…? This isn't about the Pendsbury thing again… right?"

"I don't even think it's that..." Salina muttered. She gave a long, drawn-out sigh at how she was having this conversation again. However, that did not detract from the graveness of her expression. She looked sideways so River could see her profile. "I'm not xenophobic. I think people from Pendsbury can change, but... I just don't trust him with you, alright? There's something about his story that's off to me."

"Just what about it is off?" River questioned, fiddling with a lock of her white hair absentmindedly as she stared at Salina, "It makes sense to me. He's just trying to escape Pendsbury officials with his sister and Thomas. Though I admit, sometimes I feel as though he hasn't told me everything yet… but this to be expected, it's been about a month since we first met in Sihrasul…"

Salina breathed inwardly sharply. "I don't think his intentions are so pure, River. I don't know, there's something about the way he talks about Pendsbury, and specifically, why he's here. He dodges subjects, he relies on Thomas to talk his way through things. Thomas seems like he's telling the truth, but there's more to Arkanov. Surely you've noticed?"

River looked strangely at Salina, trying to keep a straight face, but truly, she knew the other was right. She had found it suspicious of how highly Arkanov would speak of Pendsbury sometimes, and how Thomas often steps in to talk for him. She didn't want to admit it, but Salina had made a great observation. River sighed, "I-I'm sure there's another reason for him to be acting like that. He's not very good at talking to others, that much I can tell, but… maybe he'll open up soon and explain some things…"

"I have to tell you something important," Salina interrupted suddenly. Her tanned face had gone pale and she tugged on her braids as if nervous. She went by River and now looked her in the eyes, for something very important was about to be spoken. She knelt down in front of her. "I... I think he tried to hurt me, River."

As if she knew this was going to inspire some shock, she immediately went to explain. "Here, let me try to describe what I mean. Last night, I was sleeping in here, but I awoke a little. Usually I'm a deep sleeper. You know me. But I didn't feel right, and I think it was intervention of the gods that forced my eyelids open."

She began to tense up her muscles. Any other person would have probably begun to shake, but instead, Salina seemed more on the offensive and ready to pounce to attack than anything. She grasped River's hands softly. "I woke up on my side and looked up. I saw his figure towering over me, River, Arkanov's. And he was staring down at me. I thought maybe he was looking for Kestral, but no, we made eye contact. And when he saw how I was awake, he fled the tent, but he must've crept in from the shadows since he woke no one else. And I saw something in his hand... jagged, like the sword he uses, but smaller."

This was the largest, brightest, most vibrant red flag that River had ever caught onto in her life. She would have immediately refuted these statements, dismissing them as a ruse or some sort of tasteless joke. But... when she saw that true terror and anger in Salina's eyes, she knew that she couldn't reject her. River knew what it was like to put her trust in someone and have it thrown back at her without a second thought; she would never do that to her friend.

She lunged forward, and wrapped her arms suddenly and tightly around Salina. She could tell that the moment the previous night must have traumatized her, and she didn't let go. "S-Salina... why didn't you tell me earlier? Why didn't you wake any of us up?" she asked, desperate for some conclusive solution to this awful predicament, one that would let them stay all together with both Salina and Arkanov, "I... I'll talk to Arkanov about this, okay? I'm not going to try dancing around the subject, I want to get answers from him of what he was doing and why he was in here last night..."

"Thank you," Salina said in a soft voice. She rested her head on River's shoulder and put her strong arms around River as well, simply relieved that she did not immediately reject her story. "Thank you for understanding. I didn't say anything because I knew you care about him, and maybe he had no dark intentions. But I know he was there, and I can't shake that wondering clasing at me. Why would he be in here?"

"And you said he was specifically looking at you?" River questioned to confirm. She didn't want to believe that Arkanov would be so shady and evil as to attack one of his own traveling partners in the night. But at the same time, she wouldn't doubt Salina, and she always did her best to remain vigilant around another man. She knew she must have gotten too relaxed around him, and because of this, Salina could have been hurt. "Okay, when night falls, I'll confront him about this. I'll try to lead him away from the others, so that they don't get suspicious. But I can't say for sure if he would try to attack me or not… I wouldn't want him to…"

"He wouldn't attack you, I can genuinely sense that he likes you," Salina assured quickly. "I think he doesn't like me as much, though, because I don't trust him at all... that must be the answer."

"Sometimes, you never know with a guy…" River had her eyes glaring down at the ground, her dainty hands curled into fists. She looked angry, and yet devastated at the same time, like she was ready to lash out. "You can try to trust them or give them a chance, but they'll turn on you without a second thought… I don't know if I can be safe going alone. Maybe… if you could somehow follow us, we could have each other's backs…"

Salina nodded. Her expression still remained pained, for she obviously felt guilt for making River so upset over this, but she was more than glad to see she was taking what she saw seriously. "Without a doubt, of course. And if he tries anything, I'll be there to intervene. I've got your back on this one."

"Thank you Salina, and I promise we'll get answers out of him," River said with a strong sense of determination. But this moment she realized something, this was the most assertive she had ever been in years, and she wasn't sure whether to feel proud, or terrified. "When dusk comes, I'll lure him away from the others. Let's just hope that he doesn't have the same idea and brings someone else with him for security…"

"I imagine if he senses he'll need to explain himself, he'll bring Thomas," Salina murmured, knowing River did have a point. "Alright, try to make him think you want to tell him something deeply personal, or something that isn't going to interrogate him. And if he's alarmed, immediately take him away privately."

"Understood," River nodded with a look of determination. Whether or not Arkanov had truly ill intentions or not, she would be the judge of that. Her main goal for now was to make Salina feel safe after that incident. "I'm sure that I can lure him away, perhaps… you did say that he does like me, after all…"

"I have no doubt about that part of him," Salina admitted, though she managed to chuckle at this one. "But for your happiness' sake, I hope he turns out to be who you think he is right now."

"I hope he does too…" River sighed, and let her shoulders relax. She rubbed them slowly to ease them and calm them down, "I just don't know why he would be in our tent with a knife in is hands. I can't think of a legitimate reason, because nobody else was in there as well…"

Personally, Salina could not find a good reason herself, but she tried to think of some ways for River's sake. "Maybe he just had a knife for some reason but he was coming to wake up Kestral. Or maybe it wasn't a knife, but... a writing tool? I... I don't know, actually. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Salina. I'm just so thankful that you trust me enough to talk about this." River reassured, patting Salina's shoulder and smiling ever so gently. "Writing wouldn't make sense for him either, I already know he's illiterate, so it must have been a knife or a similar tool."

Salina grimaced. "This looks really bad on his part. Then let's just hope his explanation is better than what we've got so far, alright?"

"Now we just wait until dusk." River noted, and put her hands back on her lap politely. She sighed, glancing to the closed flaps of the tent. "Let's just hope that they didn't hear anything that we've been saying to each other, that could be troublesome…"

"Especially not poor Kestral," Salina agreed. "I know she's innocent, and would probably get offended if I accused her brother of something she did not witness personally."

"I don't want to imagine her reaction to something like this…" River said with such a low, dreary tone at the mere thought of Kestral hearing this accusations towards her only brother. "The poor girl… we need to hope for the best until dusk, and hope that she doesn't find out anything."

"Well, dusk isn't too far along, eh?" Salina tried to remain optimistic now that she had managed to get the accusation off her chest. "Just try to act natural around Arkanov until sun sets, and we can investigate from there."

River nodded, and finally, she was starting to get back on her feet. "Then we should probably get back out there, so we don't cause anyone else to get suspicious. Let's hope for the best."

"Yes," Salina stood up and nodded. "Nudge me before you take Arkanov aside and I'll trail you guys from behind. Good luck, River."

River smiled, and finally, left the tent to be out in the sunlight once again. The sun was high in the sky, it certainly must have been the afternoon or around there. When she looked on ahead, she saw all of their companions minding their own business or conversing with each other. Rubus was among them having returned from the village, and he was busy trading notes with Blake at the moment.

Kestral seemed to be badgering Rubus. "Hey, you're back!" she said happily, and looked up to the red-haired man with excitement. "We wanted to take a picture with everyone but you were away... can we do one now?"

Rubus saw the young girl, and brightened up even more when he saw her. He wasn't as close to her as Arkanov or River were, but he did appreciate talking to her. "You took a photo? And you managed to bring a camera all the way out here? Guess those pocket dimensions are really handy…" he chuckled, loving her enthusiasm. "But if you insist, I would love take a photo with everyone."

"We would love it if you did too!" Kestral replied with a giggle. "Because our group is not complete if you're not there, Rubus!"

In an authoritative stance unfitting for her age and height, Kestral turned to all the adults before her and called out, "Okay everyone, back to picture formation!"

Rubus understood, and immediately took a place next to Blake, as he had assumed that was the best placement for him to be in for the photo. However, despite how happy the twins were, River had a sudden sense of dread. If they were going to make it just like the previous picture, she would have to get in rather close with Arkanov, which she was beginning to see in a rather different light. Slowly, she forced herself back into center, waiting for the others...

Arkanov returned begrudgingly to the center, and Thomas and Santiago reverted to the exact same pose. Arkanov looked down to River and looked away from her, still as awkward as he was before. "This again...?"

River didn't want to say anything to Arkanov, now as she had heard of Salina's experience from the previous night. Goodness, she wanted to constantly avoid his presence until nightfall, but she had to restrain herself from those thoughts. She still really wanted to like him, she wanted to know more about him, but with such a suspicious story centering around him, she didn't know how act. She sighed, "We're doing this for your sister, you know. I can't blame her for wanting to have everyone in our group included."

"I can't blame her either," Arkanov said with a small shrug. "She's a very sweet girl. But the problem is that this photo situation isn't my cup of tea. But if it makes her happy, I don't mind..."

River looked straight on ahead as everyone was placing themselves and Kestral was getting the camera ready. But, in a hushed and soft voice, she leaned in closer to Arkanov, so no one else could hear, "By the way… I need to talk to you about something. It's really important, and I need to let someone know. Can you come with me at sunset?"

Arkanov looked down to River. He seemed surprised that she would ask this now, of all times, and he rose an eyebrow. But he did not protest, and instead, he nodded. "Ah, sure. What's this about?"

"I can't talk about it right here…" River whispered softly. She glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if no one else had heard what she was saying. "It's really personal and private. I want it to be kept just between us. I really need help… so, we'll meet away from the others at dusk, sound like a good time?"

Now Arkanov was even more curious as to what River meant by all of this. He sucked in a large breath through his mouth, and if one could see against the sun shining down on his skin, he was blushing slightly. But he nodded. "That sounds fine, whenever you need to tell me, sooner or later, let me know..."

Kestral had finished setting up the camera now. She motioned for everyone to return to their spots, and now she jumped up to press the button and scrambled back into her old place. "O-Okay, smile everyone, not like the faces from before!"

River understood, and turned her face towards the lens, smiling brightly. Blake smiled the same way as well, but Rubus had put his two fingers behind his twin's head inconspicuously. Wasn't very original considering Thomas had done the same earlier.

At the last moment, when Arkanov wondered aloud if the camera was on and began to voice his concerns, the light flashes and the camera clicked. Arkanov held his hands up to his eyes and closed them. "Every single time..."

Kestral practically sprinted over to the camera. It produced the shot and Kestral saw the photo as it processed and smiled widely. "Yay! This one looks even more colorful. I actually found some pieces of old color film in the pocket dimension not in the camera loaded up, so this one will be in color too!"

"That's great!" River smiled even brighter and put her hands together. Now, it seemed that they all had free time until it became dark…

### Dusk

The sun had fallen over the horizon. The group had realized that its packing up was taking too long, as it was already nightfall, so the tents were set up once more just for the evening, and most of the others were out preparing for the night. Hyacinth and Santiago both volunteered to collect fire wood for dinner and were off on their own. Kestral sat silently in front of the place the fire would be, in the center of all the tents. She looked down to the photo, and in one hand, she circled a bright, shining white star that rolled over her hands. Arkanov was on his back next to her, staring up at the sky's watercolor array of orange, pink, and red.

Salina was opposite from them and looked at Arkanov. The man did not seem to notice, and almost even began to doze off. However, Salina's eyes were wide and alert, and she looked around for River, knowing their confrontation would be soon.

River had been in the women's tent, checking one last time on all their heart shards to see if they were all accounted for, and to check where they must head next in their journey. But for now, she had finished, and now emerged out into the open world again. She saw Arkanov alongside Kestral, and Salina not to far away. She knew what to do. Slowly, attempting to look as casual as she could, walked up next to Arkanov and knelt down in front of him. "Hey… Ark… I'm ready to talk now, so… if you could follow me, please?"

Arkanov looked up to River, and did not immediately lift himself up from the ground. He instead closed his eyes and pretended to nod off to sleep.

Kestral saw this and was not amused. She slapped Arkanov's thigh. "Get up, you ogre!"

Arkanov slowly rolled himself up, and chuckled slightly at Kestral's reaction. As he went by her side, Kestral turned her head to the two and looked up at them curiously. Specifically, she looked up to River and gave a cheeky grin. "What are you guys going to talk about?"

When River saw Kestral's innocently curious expression, the young woman returned with a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry Kes, I can only tell this to Arkanov. Maybe sometime later, but for now…" she held out a hand for the man to take, "We need to keep it between the two of us."

"Oh, I think I know where this is going," Kestral remarked slyly. She giggled and winked to River. "Hehe, well, good luck then, you too."

River nodded, and beckoning Arkanov to follow, she began to walk. She glimpsed over her shoulder, to check if Salina was keeping an eye on them, and then continued forward. They went past the small ring of tents that made up their campsite, out into the golden fields with trees scattered about. She walked, and walked, until the camp and the nearby village seemed to be objects just on the horizon. She stopped under a short tree, and turned around to Arkanov. "So… a-are you ready?"

"Yes," Arkanov nodded. He had his hands in his pants pockets and he looked up to the tree above them, as if he wanted to reach out and touch it. Then he looked down to River curiously. "Now please, humor me with what you've been meaning to speak about. Is everything alright...?"

"No, it's not alright…" River spoke in a suddenly grim tone. The darkening blue sky, with the faint shadows of the tree's leaves falling over her eyes. She looked so dark, almost cold even. "Arkanov, I need to know…" she turned her head up, revealing her serious, glaring blue eyes, "Why were you in our tent last night?"

"Y-Your tent?" Arkanov asked in surprise. He seemed to be shocked from an accusation, and he shook his head quickly. "I wasn't in your tent last night. I would never. It's disrespectful for a man to be in a woman's room — erm, tent, unless they're married."

River crossed her arms, looking even more upset. She knew that this was a lie, considering his stuttering and nervous reaction. "Then if you weren't the one in there last night, just *who* was in our tent holding a knife?"

"A knife?!" Arkanov suddenly retracted and looked shocked, and horribly appalled. "There was someone in your tent with a knife? River, why didn't you tell me earlier? That could've been some lunatic trying to kill you!"

River didn't look amused, yet at the same time, she appreciated how he seemed concerned for her. Whether it was genuine or all an act, she couldn't be too sure. "Oh really…" she muttered, "Let's just say… someone sleeping in our tent had saw them, and made eye contact. They recognized it as you…"

Arkanov's eyes widened suddenly as he began to realize what this was all about. And soon, his expression morphed into a highly offended frown. "I see what this is now. You think I was that person with the knife? I'd never put a knife on you or anyone in the tent for that matter! How dare you even suggest that!"

"H-Hey! I'm not the one who saw them!" River defended, putting her hands up in an attempt to appear non-threatening. She should have expected him to lash out at accusations such as this, "I'm going by what someone else had told me! Look, I don't know everything about you, and it's reasonable to be cautious about someone that you've only known for a month."

"You haven't known anyone in this circle for more than a month," Arkanov replied hotly, looking away from her with a glare. "You don't know everything about anyone here. So just what exactly gives you more trust in them than in me?"

River had her arms crossed again, and averted her gaze away from her eyes. She leaned against the trunk of the tree. "Arkanov… I really do like you, and I want to know you better, but…" River put a hand on her forehead. "What she said she saw makes me very worried. I wouldn't deny an eyewitness statement. She was terrified when she told me… and I need to investigate you for her safety."

The man glared. "Whoever 'she' is, I woudn't hurt her. I don't know what more I can tell you besides that."

"I guess we still don't have an answer for who was in there then," River sighed, and stood back up with a straight posture again. She found it awkward to stare him in the eyes after that predicament. "But… I'll be keeping an eye out. Not just for you, but for anyone else it could be. I know you're mad at me for accusing you like this, but if you really aren't the perpetrator, then you would keep the lookout too."

"I-I will," Arkanov muttered hoarsely, and throwing his hands in his pockets again, he already began to walk off to the tents. However, before he went away without her, he threw a look over his shoulder and gave her another glare. But there was something else to the look. It was regret. "Obviously you don't have my trust, even after all this time. Personally, I don't feel like pursuing it any further."

Now he finally walked off, and left River there alone. From another tree, Salina emerged, as she had been stealthily hiding the entire time. She looked over to River and said nothing.

When Arkanov had left and Salina emerged, she didn't know what to say. River was frozen there, staring at the blonde girl, with her hand on her own shoulder. She couldn't make herself smile very well, "S-Salina... I'm sorry if we didn't get what you were expecting. But I think it's okay now... r-right?"

Salina nodded, and stared after Arkanov. She showed utter fear. "River... I think he's right. I'm so sorry. I can sense he's telling the truth. I still don't trust him, but he wasn't lying to you..."

River, out of nowhere, was astounded by these words of hers. She had truly been expecting the worst from Salina's response; she assumed that she would have been ridiculed or chastised for not pressing further on the shadow mage. She expected to be hated for being too gentle with an interrogation. "W-Wait... he wasn't lying? Not at all...?"

Salina shook her head. "When he lies, he folds and calls on Thomas for help in backing up his story. He didn't stutter at all."

"But, Thomas wasn't with him this time..." River mentioned, but she could easily see Salina's other reasoning. She knew that something was off about that explanation that Arkanov had given. He was sure of his alibi, and he didn't seem like he was trying to hide anything, as much as she had expected him to be up to no good. "Then again... I trust your judgement. Just who was with us last night then?"

Salina shrugged, and immediately held onto her arms. "Someone. I know that person was real, but... who could it have been? I could've sworn it was Arkanov..." She sighed sadly. "Sorry this was such a bust. Let's just head back, alright? I'll be sure to stay on watch while I sleep from now on."

"Well... did you see any of their other features? I know it must have been dark and hard to see, but anything can help," River suggested, and with a beckoning hand, she began to walk her way back towards the campsite where the others must have been awaiting them. "And were you able to tell who they were aiming the knife over, if they were ready to strike when you saw them? If it wasn't you, then we might have another girl here in danger..."

"I'm certain he had black hair!" Salina murmured to herself, almost angry. "The knife wasn't pointed at anyone, but I know it was meant for one of us."

"I highly doubt it could have been Blake, since he's the only other guy with black hair with us..." River mentioned, her chin on her hand as she tried to think deeply about just who they were dealing with. She couldn't be sure about it, "Was hair all you could see? Were you able to tell the texture of the hair, like if it was frizzy or straight? It might not even be a group member at all..."

"Wasn't straight, wasn't curly," Salina replied with a distressed expeession. "And the only other thing I could see besides hair was eye color and it was just light. That sounds a lot like Arkanov, right? Nobody else in the group fits that description."

"But it wasn't Arkanov, and it's impossible for it to have been Blake… who's the only dark-haired man with us?" River questioned, struggling to conjure an answer. "You… don't suppose it could be Santiago, could it? He's the only other one with dark hair here, but… I couldn't imagine something like that happening…"

"No, I don't think Santiago would want to hurt us," Salina shook her head quickly, and almost rolled her eyes. "He'd want to sleep with us if anything. Maybe it was someone else outside of the group..."

"Well, what if Santiago wanted to-" River started, but quickly stopped herself. She shook her head, and let her gaze drop down to the ground. She suddenly seemed sorrowful, and immediately regretful, "N-Nevermind, that's a stupid idea. It had to have been someone outside of the group…"

"That's what I'm thinking too," Salina muttered. "It can't be Aries. He would've killed me in an instant had he gotten any chance, and I don't think he needs a knife. You said there were bandits in these parts, that's probably who it was."

"It has to be, and we might need to get a move on if they're hunting us down. We'll have to leave tomorrow morning, it's too late to head out now." River decided, and began to hold her arms weakly as she walked. With a heavy sigh, she saw that they were all approaching closer to the campsite now, where everyone must have been waiting for them. "We'll have to tell everyone to get ready to leave early in the morning. I'm not sure if we can tell them the reason why, after we accused Arkanov like that…"

"I hope this doesn't ruin your relationship with Arkanov," Salina whispered silently. She hung her head. "This is horrible. I'm so sorry... I was wrong the entire time."

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Salina," River did her best to assure the other that things were going to be alright despite this conflict. She sighed heavily, but still attempted to make a caring smile, "I'm sure things will mend with him. It might take a while, but it can happen."

Salina signed as well. "And you two were doing so well too... hopefully I can fix this. But I don't know if I'll screw things up again."

"Don't worry about it," River reassured, and walked forward at a faster pace. "It's still my fault anyways for being harsh with him. Now let's get back to camp before everyone starts worrying too much about us."

"I'm sure everyone thought you were confessing your feelings to him," Salina replied, chuckling bitterly. "They won't be too worried."

River shook her head, trying to force a smile, but she felt more sheepish than anything. As she could see the others up ahead, she muttered, "Well, they'll be disappointed. Probably took a huge step back even, and I don't want to have to explain that to them."

Salina shook her head. "No... you're not so far behind. I'm sure he'll understand that we had it wrong. Here, I'll explain to him if it helps."

River nodded, understanding what Salina was going to do. Finally, the two of them had come upon the campsite again, where River was dreading to answer whatever questions everyone had. Rubus was preparing a meal as usual, Blake sketching alongside him, while the girl just remained silent and watched.

Kestral looked up and saw both Salina and River emerge from the trees. She smiled happily, and almost eagerly, especially when she looked upon River. "Hi!" she greeted. Her expression fell when she noticed River all alone. "I noticed Arkanov came back early."

River looked upon Kestral, and struggled not to keep such a sour expression upon her face. She didn't want to let the girl know just how down and low she felt, especially with what had just happened moments before. She sighed, and while she didn't smile, she didn't glower either. "Yeah, he did. Things didn't go as well as planned, so..."

Now Kestral's face fell completely. She seemed downtrodden to hear the news, and she looked to her curiously. "Oh, River... what on earth happened...?"

River didn't say anything initially, and turned the other cheek. She stared off, refusing to look Kestral in the eye as she confessed, "I… I said some dumb things to your brother, and he has every reason to be upset with me. That's all…"

Kestral looked down to the floor silently and stared solemnly at her feet. Suddenly, Salina entered the scene and blurted out, "River, I'm going to go tell him everything right now."

River looked up to Salina, and let out a heavy sigh to ease the tension that had been building up in her chest. She nodded and understood, "O-Okay… should I go on with you then…?"

"Yes please," Salina nodded, and beckoned her along. "He needs to hear from you how this was all my fault, and maybe he'll forgive me and be good with you."

River understood, and waved her hand goodbye to Kestral, at least temporarily. She followed up behind Salina, and was dreading for what was to come soon. Her hands were held tightly in front of her, and she didn't know how to soothe herself. "I hope that he does forgive us… I can't imagine him doing so, but I can only hope…"

Salina looked over to River and gave her an encouraging smile. "He will definitely forgive you. It was not your fault in the first place, and he likes you, way more than he likes me. If he doesn't forgive me, I understand. I just want him to know you didn't come up with those accusations."

They stopped outside the boys' tent, and Salina was just about to open the flap to peer inside when Arkanov emerged and bumped into her chest. He recoiled, and looked at the two women in shock, and with some anger. He looked at River.

"You have the gall to try to talk to me after that?" Arkanov asked angrily. He then looked to Salina, who seemed more remorseful if anything. "What are you doing here? Did she tell you I was in the tent too? Look, I—"

"Arkanov, it was me," Salina suddenly blurted. Arkanov looked confused, and words began spilling out of her mouth so quickly that she almost stuttered. "I was the one who thought I saw a man with a knife in our tent. I could've sworn it was you, he had black hair like yours and light eyes. I just assumed since you sometimes use shadow knives that you were him. A-And I told River, and that's why she confronted you. She was looking out for me."

After that long explanation, she took a breath in. "So please don't be mad at her for accusing her of not trusting you. I'm the one to blame. I was just paranoid. We just know so little about you, I only assumed it would be the more mysterious character of the group who might try to do something awful in the shadows. And I realize that was wrong of me. But please, you and River were getting along so well, and I don't want to ruin that."

Arkanov seemed to have been slapped in the face from the sudden admission, but it has tempered his anger somewhat. He looked to River before saying anything else. "Is that true?"

River silently nodded, keeping her gaze at her feet. She looked so downtrodden, with her head hanging low and her shoulders dropped. She looked as though she were carrying a massive weight on her small body. She was clearly too scared to look at Arkanov in the eyes, and took in a shaky breath, "Y-Yes. I'm so sorry, Arkanov, I… I tricked you to get you to follow me and I accused you of doing something so awful. I just wanted to help Salina, but I should have known not to jump to the conclusion of you trying to hurt her…"

"I... I see," Arkanov said softly. He was very quick in his reply, and simply sighed before he said, "That's fine, I forgive you. It was such a sudden accusation out of the blue, but I can see now where it came from and why it was directed towards me. I'm not upset then."

"You're not…?" River finally held her head up to look at Arkanov in the eyes once more. She didn't smile initially. But suddenly, she wiped her eyes as quickly as she could, getting rid of the tears that had begun to form. Only then did her lips upturn, "Thank you so much… I was scared that you wouldn't forgive me at all…"

Arkanov made a pained expression when he saw River's tears. He squirmed, as if he was unsure of what to do in this situation. "Oh, please don't cry, it's quite alright. Truth be told, I would've forgiven you eventually."

"You would have?" River questioned with a glimmer to her eyes. She still looked tentative, but was so happy to hear these words that she wasn't sure how to formulate her own sentences. "Heheh… I didn't mean to tear up like that, I'm sorry. But I'm just happy that you'd forgive me anyways…"

Arkanov began to seem a little more nervous. He looked away from River, and gave a small chuckle, as his face began to then a little more red. "Oh, I could never stay mad at you for too long."

River giggled bashfully at this comment, and found herself smiling even more than she had before. With a quick glimpse over her shoulder to check for others that may witness, she turned back and lurched forward to wrap her arms around Arkanov's body. "Thank you so much… I didn't think you would be so forgiving…"

Arkanov staggered back slightly from the sudden gesture, and his face turned bright red. He obviously was not used to such signs of affection, but he gently placed his hands in his backs the expression on his face showed he was enjoying himself. "I guess only when it comes to you."

Salina, from behind River, suddenly coughed. "Still here."

River felt the same warm, blushing sensation that Arkanov had, and slowly, she forced herself to pull away from him. Shyly, she pulled her hand up to the back of her head, trying to look as casual an nonchalant as possible, despite the pinkness on her face, "Ah, of course, of course. I'm just... really happy right now..."

Salina gave her a knowing look. "I think I can tell why. I'm not getting a hug either?"

Hearing this, River chuckled again, and opened her arms wide for Salina to fall into. "Then why not have a group hug?"

Salina immediately wrapped her arms around River. Begrudgingly, Arkanov extended his arms around them both and brought them in tightly. "This is strange. I've never hugged someone besides family."

"Me either," River laughed and smiled, clearly elated now as compared to her previous dreariness. "I've only ever hugged my own family and friends- well, actually… you guys are my friends, so I guess this really isn't anything new. Either way, I like it…"

Salina coughed, "Maybe more than friends."

Arkanov looked to Salina curiously from her muffled statement. "What?" He looked to River. "What did she say?"

River found her heartbeat suddenly skyrocket when Salina had muttered those words. Praying that she wouldn't blabber out the truth, and hoping that Arkanov wouldn't learn what she had actually said, she stuttered out, "U-Uh, um... I didn't hear her either! I think she was just coughing, that's all."

Salina coughed again to corroborate River's claim. Arkanov seemed skeptical, for he knew bad acting anywhere considering how he handled fibbing himself. But given how he did not want to start a new argument, he let it slide for now, and instead shrugged. "Alright."

He began to walk toward the fireplace and beckoned for the other girls to follow him. "Now that that's taken care of, I say we join the others for dinner, yes?"

"Of course," River politely bowed her head, gratiously accepting his offer with a gentle smile, "Let's go."

### The Men's Tent

After dinner was over and finished, everyone retired to his or her own tent to rest for the night. The girls went into their single cabin while the boys went to their divided two. Thomas made it in first, and promptly stretched his arms out and went to flop onto his bed mat playfully. Arkanov, more reserved, simply came in and sat on his bed mat and began to take off his heavy boots. Santiago followed and did the same.

As Santiago and Arkanov undressed, Thomas lounged on one elbow and decided to strike up a conversation. He obviously seemed curious about something. "So, Arkanov," he began, "... What was it you and River were talking about separately?"

Arkanov lifted up his head from his work on the boot and grunted. "What, you mean in the forest?"

Thomas seemed uncomfortable by this question. "Y-Yes."

"Why would you like to know?" Arkanov questioned, now obviously more skeptical and on the offensive.

"Ah, well... River made a big deal about it, so I was wondering if everything was alright with her," answered Thomas.

Arkanov squinted at Thomas. "Well, I suppose I should tell you gentlemen since it affects is too. We had a bit of a scare.Apparently a strange man came into the girls' tent and tried to kill Salina. Just because it looked like me, they tried to question me about it. They thought I was him. Obviously I was not! That's what River was curious about."

Thomas made a classic, dramatic flourish of his hands and gasped. "That's horrid! I can't believe they didn't tell everyone! The man looked like you, you say?"

"Yes. Black hair, light eyes. A knife. They didn't tell anyone because they thought I was the intruder! But alas, there's no way of finding him now. They were right about bandits nearby."

"I'll say." Thomas looked to the tent door. "Think we should have one of us all on watch outside the ladies' tent? Or perhaps set up some sort of alarm system? Maybe one of your shadow creatures can do the trick, Arkanov."

Arkanov chuckled wryly. "I have a feeling Salina will then accuse us of being chauvinists three. I'm sure they can protect themselves. After all, she was the one who—"

"—Woke up in a split second and saw him," Santiago suddenly interrupted. He nodded. "I know."

At this interjection, Arkanov and Thomas looked to each other in confusion, and then back to Santiago. Given that this was news to Thomas and that Arkanov had told no one about the story, Santiago should not have been aware of any fact of the story so readily. Arkanov voiced this puzzlement. "You shouldn't have known. I didn't say anything about it earlier. Did River or Salina tell you?"

In a smug sort of manner, Santiago put his arms behind his head and leaned back onto his bed mat. He had no expression on his face, however. "No," he answered. He turned his head to them. "I was the intruder."

Stunned, Thomas looked over to Arkanov once more, and then to Thomas. "What, why?!"

Arkanov usually would have been in a rage-filled frenzy, but instead, he seemed even more perplexed. "Wh-What the hell?" he sputtered. "You're teasing, right?"

Santiago shook his head, and he began to scowl as he looked up to the tent's inner top. It was very strange to see such a light-hearted, usually jovial man confess to trying to kill a girl and then show no remorse for it as he confessed. It sent chills down Arkanov's spine as Santiago answered, "No. I'm not teasing. I'm helping."

Now Arkanov was angry. He began to crawl over to Santiago so he could get a good look into his eye. "Helping with what? Killing our friends?!"

"That's your problem, Arkanov," Santiago replied with a chuckle. "You think they're friends."

As Arkanov took a few moments to think over the meanings of this statement, Santiago lifted his torso up without any need of his hands, and he wrapped his arms around his own legs. Even though he was addressing Arkanov, he looked to both him and Thomas, the only other Pendsborne men in the entire group. The only ones who knew Arkanov's secret.

Suddenly, from the way Santiago was staring at them all, Arkanov got the vaguest sense of what this is all about. But if he had no clue, Santiago cleared his throat to cut the awkward, bitter silence in the room, and he began to speak, "We came here for a mission: swoop in, induce utter chaos in Samadurai, and wait for Mother City to overtake all of the mages. It's been four weeks since you touched down in the desert floor. I've seen absolutely no chaos. It was supposed to take a week to get this all together, Ark. Two at most. The Director sent me out here not to check in and tag along with you for your journey to tame the beasts and make new friends with savages. He sent me to figure out what the hell is taking you so long. And what's taking you so long is your sick infatuation with that girl!"

"I've no infatuation with anyone!" Arkanov immediately barked back, before he even addressed the remainder of what Santiago said. He was obviously very defensive about this topic. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about, but I know I'm keeping track on my mission. You should tell the director I've found a new route."

"A new route under some girl's skirt?" Santiago countered.

Arkanov practically growled at this jab. "No. We've been visiting various little villages along the way. I... I've been setting some traps."

Thomas and Santiago said nothing and awaited Arkanov's explanation.

"Traps," he repeated slowly. "Just today, while the girls were out, I had Thomas ask people who the leader of the village was. And I've set up a sort of shadow bomb... to go off. Based on the mines the Director gave me before I left."

Thomas said nothing to this statement, but Santiago seemed impressed. "Really?"

"Y-Yes," Arkanov replied. He stared into Thomas' eyes the entire time he spoke this, and Thomas looked back into his. Their gaze was unbreaking. "A couple of other places too, in Sihrasul, for example. I set them all off and their social structure as they know it falls. Fights for the throne will ensue and Pendsbury can land to take them all."

Santiago's expression did not change initially, but slowly, his smile grew wider and wider. "How brilliant! After all, why take Sihrasul and then wait to infiltrate the others when we can take them all at once?"

At this, Arkanov grimaced. "That's what I thought too. So tell the Director that, please. And keep the ruse up with the Samadurians and the men here too. Otherwise they won't take me... t-too all of the other small places we can conquer. Yeah?"

Santiago dipped his head a little closer to Arkanov. "Yes, of course. I'll make the call to him right now. I only want what's best for you, Arkanov. And the best for you is making sure the Director knows you're doing your job... and he doesn't come looking for you with the cavalry."

"I-I know," Arkanov muttered. As Santiago practically leapt up to leave the tent and make the line, Arkanov was let me with Thomas to wonder how someone could confess to attempted murder and jump for joy within minutes.

Finally, Thomas broke the silence once he figured Santiago was gone. "You weren't kidding when you told me he was a numbskull."

Arkanov laughed again, dryly this time. "The numbest."

"He couldn't even see the caveats in the plan," Thomas remarked in disgust. "Bombs? Really? You're more of a swordsman than an explosives sort. And how are we to be sure that the bombs will go off when the leaders are even home?"

"That's for us to laugh about and for him to ignore," Arkanov said simply. He leaned back. "Let him have that idea in his head for a long while. He loves it. Don't know why he cares so much about me."

"I'm not sure if it's you, or himself. No offense, Arkanov, but he may be thinking with a different kind of head than the ones we use."

"Eh?"

Thomas sighed, feeling awkward for explaining. "Haven't you noticed how Salina and your Hyacinth friend have been cozying up to one another quite a bit? Perhaps as friends, yes, but it's obvious Santiago feels something for Hyacinth, and I think he feels threatened by Salina."

Arkanov's eyes widened. "That's why he would kill her first. It would make more sense to hurt River, given how he thinks I fancy her. You're right. He was trying to fix the problem for himself."

"I don't think he has any problem with the Samadurian girls," Thomas agreed, "Besides the fact that one of them is closer to Hyacinth more than he is."

Arkanov nodded. It all made sense to him now.

After some silence, Thomas began to chuckle. "Your acting skills have been improving since I've taught you, by the way. Quite the little white lie you pulled out of your hat do quickly."

"I learn from the damned best liar there is. Even if I had to look at you the entire time while I was doing it."

Thomas sighed lightly, and gave a soft, dreamy smile. "I didn't mind at all."

"Good, I'm going to need you to help me keep this up," Arkanov said, and began to unbutton his shirt for sleep. "And you're going to have to teach me a few more things while you're at it, eh? For a prisoner... you come in handy. But don't think you're getting out of your fate."

Thomas simply rolled onto both of his elbows. His stomach was on the floor, and he rested his head in the palms of his hands. While Arkanov wasn't looking, Thomas watched him, and then looked back to the tent's opening. He sighed contently once more before he rested his head down on the sleeping mat, and closed his eyes. "Well, I will enjoy it while it lasts."

## The Second Morning

As the second morning in this village had arisen, nobody else except for the three Pendsbornes knew what had occurred the night before. The first one to awaken to the new dawn was none other than the redhead fire mage himself, Rubus.

His dark eyes opened to the light peeking ever so faintly through the tarp of their shelter. Quietly, he pushed himself up with his elbows, yawning and stretching his arms, legs, and back. He quietly rubbed his face, trying to get rid of that newly awoken feeling, and especially trying to get rid of that ever so strange crust that appears on his eyes every morning. As he began to button up his shirt, he turned his head to check on his twin brother next to him. As expected, the young man was asleep, and the way he curled up almost reminded Rubus of a child. He chuckled at this, and figured that it was best he didn't wake up Blake for now.

Finally, he arose and left the tent, and saw that no one else had seemed to awaken yet. As much as he was wanting to get a move on to the next location, he figured that perhaps a moment of calm, slow silence to start the day was the best they could do.

Soon after Rubus left, another man took to outside the tents for a morning walk. It was Arkanov, and he sensed go practically gasp fresh air in after he emerged from the tent. He looked over to see if anyone else was outside with him. Thankfully he had no trouble finding Rubus with his bright red hair, so he would not risk blowing his cover by making a call home. But now he froze up, for he was unsure of social interaction with any of the brothers. "Erm... good morning."

Rubus made a friendly wave towards Arkanov's direction, greeting him casually as a friend would. "Nice to see you up so early. Most of the time I awaken to see a still sleeping campsite."

Before Arkanov could respond, however, Rubus heard what sounded like soft footsteps from behind him, and turned around slowly to see who it was. To his surprise, it was the tall, dark, and bulky man they had met only two days ago. He had his hand curled like he was holding something, and over his shoulder was a wooden bow and quiver of fifteen or twenty arrows. Rubus almost jumped when he saw Kwo so unexpectedly, but as the gentleman he was, he regained his composure and bowed his head.

"Ah, Kwo, it's nice to see you again," he greeted, "What are you doing here so early?"

Kwo didn't bow in return, and instead placed his massive hand on Rubus' red hair and ruffled it as if he were a child, while Kwo laughed. "I just came to deliver some things. Gifts, as a thanks to the girls who helped me yesterday. Are they still asleep?"

Arkanov immediately felt threatened by such a tall, lumbering man, and looked at him with skepticism. "Yes. They'll probably be asleep for a long while. They didn't say you'd be giving them gifts."

"I figured it would be for the best, after they helped me talk to someone that I've liked for a long time..." Kwo chuckled, oblivious to Arkanov's suspicious attitude. But after that, he uncurled his hand, and revealed that what was held in his palm, was a hard shard glowing an emerald green, "But I promised to give River this heart shard after I convinced Mitozi to hand it to me. I know that it's extremely important to her..."

Arkanov stared in awe at the glistening shard before him. He knew it was for River, but just by stating at its luster, he desired to reach out and touch the piece of shard desperately. He could only wonder what emotion the verdant hue signified. "Ah, you will certainly make her day by giving her that, heheh. Thank you very much for it, from all of us."

"I didn't think one could be obtained that easily..." Rubus remarked, observing the shard and wondering the same questions that Arkanov must have been thinking right now. But looking at this, he glanced back to the women's personal tent, and figured that it was never too early. "I'll go wake up River, she'd definitely want to be awake for this."

And at this comment, he turned around calmly and walked off to the tent, kneeling down, and peeked through the opening flaps of the tent. There, he saw the three women sleeping in a row as expected, but River was resting on her side. When the light hit her eyes, they began to open up just slightly, revealing her blue irises. She yawned, stretched, and sighed, "Uh... huh? Rubus? What is it?"

"Kwo's come back," Rubus informed, and held out his hand for her to take, with a friendly smile on his lips, "He's got the heart shard for you, and I think something else too."

Hearing this, River immediately jumped up and ran out of the tent with no regard for whether she woke up the others or not. She didn't even have her beads adorned nor her red cloth tied around her waist. When she saw the massive tribesman before her, her expression only lightened up. She suddenly ran up to him and wrapped her arms tightly in a compassionate hug. "Morning Kwo! Did your date go okay? Does Mitozi like you?!"

Like how he did with Rubus, Kwo ruffled her white hair happily, "We're going to train again today, and we've been getting along pretty well if you ask me. But I made a promise for you, and I wanted to hold up my end of the deal..." when she pulled away, he held out his hand revealing the green shard, and gently, River took it into her own hands. "I was able to convince Mitozi to let me have it so I could give it to you. Make sure you keep that one and the others safe. But... since you were able to help so much... I decided to let you have something else too..."

With that, he pulled the bow and quiver off of his shoulders, and held it in both of his palms to her, "You've told me before that you used to practice archery, and figuring how you're not the best fighter, these could help you when you get back into practice."

At this kind gesture, Arkanov laughed. "Oh, good man, she doesn't fight. She must have been teasing you." Arkanov looked to River with an eased smile. However, noticing the silence after his words, his smile faded, and he looked to River. "Erm, right?"

River saw Arkanov's reaction, and couldn't help but feel the need to cover her face shyly. With the bow in her hands, she held it up closer to her chest, and her face was quite a bit red in embarassment. "A-Actually..." River started, coughing into her shoulder, "I... *can* shoot an arrow... but, I've been so out of practice that I don't know if I can do it very well anymore. But, I've been training since I was about eight, but I stopped at around fourteen..."

Arkanov was stunned. "B-But why? And how come you don't use similar weapons when fighting then?"

"To put it simply…" River started, embarassed to have let this knowledge come out to Arkanov's ears. She sighed, "I didn't have a bow until this very moment, and it's not like I know how to make a weapon out of my magic like you do, Ark…"

"W-Well, if you want, I can teach you," Arkanov stammered to offer. However, he turned his head to Kwo and gave an awkward smile. "But I think this bow Kwo gave you is amazing. You should use that instead."

"Of course, but some day it would be nice to learn," River smiled happily, and now looking to Kwo with a sense of respect and humility, she lowered her head in a polite bow. "I can't thank you enough for this, I'll try my best to practice when we have the time, and I'll be sure to use it when the time comes..."

"I'm just glad I could return the favor," Kwo chuckled at her surprisingly serious reaction to receiving these gifts, and patted his large hand on her rather small shoulder. He looked back towards the direction of the village, "Anyways, I've got to start getting ready for the next training session with Mitozi. I know you're going to be leaving soon, but I wish you and all your friends good luck out there. And make sure to keep your mosquito nets up when you're sleeping!"

And with that, he took a step back, turning around, and made his way back towards the village.

Arkanov watched as the man left, and he did not smile, but the muscles in his shoulders relaxed. He looked back to River, and to the bow he gave her. "Now we've got something to train you with, eh?"

River chippered up with a bright and optimistic smile. With the new wooden weapon held in her hands, and the strap of the quiver slung over her shoulder, she couldn't be happier. "That means we can start training at our next stop, right? I don't know if you know much about archery, but, anything that you do know can help me get back into the swing of things..."

Arkanov nodded slightly. "I know some things on archery, but Thomas is probably better at it than I am. He can help us both, if that's alright with you."

"Sounds like a plan!" River clapped her hands together, and then proceeded to put the bow over her body for easy carrying. She looked around to the rest of the camp, and then to the two men with her, "We should probably start getting everyone up and ready to go. Best to get to the next shard early."

Arkanov agreed and headed back to the tent. "Sounds like a plan, heheh. I'll wake the other guys. Do you sense where the next shard is? Is it near, or far?"

As Rubus went off to awaken his brother, River stayed to talk with the dark-haired man before her. "Last time I had checked, it was out to the east. I can tell that it's in a much larger town than this little village, and it's next to the… 'Lifeless Sea' I think?" But at those words, she shook her head quickly, "Uh, don't be intimidated by that name, please. It just means that it's a sea with no fish or other life growing in it."

Arkanov sighed in relief, and looked to River with an almost thankful smile. "Thank goodness. I thought it meant we would never escape alive! But I actually have a question. What does a sea actually look like? I've only read of them in books."

For a moment, River seemed absolutely shocked when she had heard this information. But, it took her a few seconds to remember that the man had lived in a city his whole life, and there was no way he would have been able to see many interesting bodies of water while all the way up there. "Well, you see..." she began, "They're basically... giant pools of water. Ones bigger than you can imagine, almost all of them are bigger than the world's largest city. They're blue, and they have all sorts of life growing and surviving under the surface. But it's barely been explored... considering the fact that we can't breathe water, and the water isn't even drinkable. It's salty water, which makes you more thirsty..."

The expression on Arkanov's face was priceless. Even before he could begin to process the idea of a pool of water with life underneath, he pondered feverishly the concept of a body of water larger than a city. Obviously he was still thinking over it for since River mentioned that note of information, the man's mouth was wide open. He was simply astonished over the possibility of anything of that sort. "Th-That sounds wonderful! So, do you just look at oceans? Can you go inside of one? Can things float on the surface of one just like the little wooden miniature ships we'd put in the bathtub in Pendsbury?"

"Of course you can, all three of those actually…" River noted, struggling not to giggle at how amazed and fascinated he was by the subject matter, especially considering how she had known nothing but the ocean her whole life. "Though, minature wooden ships? That's not very accurate. You'd need a much, much larger one that you can stand in to actually get anywhere."

Arkanov squinted his eyes at River with some caution before proceeding with the question, "Just how much larger are we talking here?"

River put a finger on her him and glanced out the corner of her eye, trying to think of a good size comparison. "The ones we had used at home were smaller than most, but the ones that I've seen used for trade in Samadurai tend to be around the size of a house, if you include the sail into height…"

Arkanov's eyes widened immensely, and he practically squeaked. "D-Don't they sink if they're that big? How is this even possible...? Surely, you just show me everything there is to know about these oceans. I'm most curious about this 'swimming' activity. At home they have a pool, but I never learned how to swim. I can only assume if one is able to perform the task in a small pool, they could do so in a large ocean as well?"

"It's harder to swim in an ocean. That's why most people still try to swim near the shore, where the water is more shallow. But... if you're a skilled water mage..." River informed, finding all of Arkanov's reactions of surprise absolutely adorable, "It's possible to bend the water around you to make your own air bubble to breathe in, so you can walk on the sea floor without fear of drowing. I actually did it a few times when I was a child and... if we ever get the chance, I... w-would like to take you to the ocean, and show you what it's like underwater..."

"That would be amazing!" Arkanov enthused happily. He smiled at her brightly. "I didn't know it was possible to even do such a thing! Let's make a date of it, yeah?"

"A... date?" River realized at this moment, she had practically been setting up the two of them for a date. Pretty soon at their next destination, they would be alone, together, in a new and unfamiliar place. She suddenly felt her heart racing, and tried to laugh it off, "S-Sure! Let's do it. When we reach the Lifeless Sea of course... haha..."

Arkanov chuckled at this. "Hopefully we don't walk away from it all lifeless, haha! But that would be absolutely lovely. But... perhaps we can do something similar before we reach the Lifeless Sea? If it's far off I wouldn't want to wait for something fun like that with you."

River suddenly felt even more shocked and yet excited all the same time. Her heart was beating fast, making it difficult to talk, but she was just so elated from talking about all of this in the first place. "Y-You would want to go even before then...?" she questioned, and then smiled even more with an affirming nod, "Yeah! Let's do it, next time we run into some place that looks like something fun, we can go out there together..."

"Yes!" Arkanov nodded in affirmation, and seemed happy that she agreed to the idea. He could feel something changing on his face. His cheeks were warming up; was he blushing? He realized after a moment, however, that it was because he had been smiling for longer than he ever had before. "I... I'd really like that..."

"I'm glad we could agree on it..." River smiled just as brightly as he was, and stared at him for a long moment. She looked on as if yearning, hoping that something more could grow from the two of them. But sadly, it was not to be, as she suddenly felt a hand touch her shoulder. She yelped, turned around, and put her hands up, only to see the other Atrean man before her: Rubus.

"Ah! Goodness, River. You're on high edge right now, aren't you?" He asked, chuckling at her startled reaction, "Anyways, I've already stirred everyone up enough, so we'll start getting prepared to go soon."

Arkanov was obviously not as nervous as River was, and he looked to Rubus in an almost impressed manner. "You managed to get everyone up!? Even the ladies? Even that lazy bones Kestral? Good man, you're a master. Thank you! Though I haven't even begun to pack my things." He made a little wave to River and to Rubus before heading off to the tent. "I suppose I should do that now."

"You probably should!" Rubus called out to him, and then put his hands on his hips as he watched Arkanov run off. When he had left, he gave a sly little look to River, with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "So, dear... I just happened to overhear the last bit of your conversation, but you're going on a date, yes...?"

At this, River's red face grew even brighter, and she put her hand on her forehead to try hiding her embarassed expression, "U-Uh... yes, actually. I've never been on a date before, and... well, I'm a little nervous, but really excited..."

Rubus chuckled a little at this, and pat the top of River's head as if she were a little sister. "Well, one word of advice? Don't panic about yourself and your image. Don't treat it as that big of a deal, and you'll both go along nicely," and then, as he began to walk back towards his own tent, he gave one last comment from over his shoulder, "Not like you didn't go well together before. I'm rooting for you, Riv."

## Further Into Dhabonde

It was several days after the little talk between the unlikely couple of mages. The group had been traveling feverishly to Dhabonde, with little to no rest in hopes of obtaining the shard as quickly as possible. The grasslands became more lush as they journeyed inwards, and quickly, large forests of trees began to spring up.

The travelers had to wander through the thick brush of the grass and the scattered placement of trees. No real signs of civilization could be seen for miles. Perhaps this was because of the foliage blocking all line of vision, but the more likely reason was because no one simply lived here.

They had seen the same landscape for several days now, and obviously, it was taking a toll on the young excitable one, Kestral. She leaned her head back and sighed heavily out of complete and utter boredom. "This is horrid," she muttered. "River, are you sure you sense a shard nearby?"

River shook her head, sighing. There was sweat coming down from her forehead from the heat and humidity. She was at least thankful that the leaves of the trees offered a fair amount of shade. She looked ahead, and could not see a single thing other than more and more forest. "No, I can't sense the shard here, it's still quite a ways away. I'm really sorry, but we'll have to keep going…"

Kestral sighed and they continued to walk along.

An hour later, however, something in the midst of the road piqued all their interests It was the fact that there was a road. Before, they were treading over the high bushes and blades of grass, but now, there was a conveniently formed dirt path leading deeper into the forest. Kestral, who rushed ahead of everyone to investigate, peered down the narrow little way. The forest only got darker from there.

She turned to River and gave her a confused look. "Hm, what do you think we should do? Say we go down here? Huh? Can you feel the shard down there?"

"I don't sense a trace of it down there at all…" River muttered, staring down the mysterious dirt roadway. This was one of the less expected things that had come up on their traveling for the day. If there was a path here, there was a possible chance of them being closer to society. "But… I say we continue down the road anyway. It's easier to walk on, and if we find a town, we might be able to stay there and restock our supplies. We're running really low right now after all…"

"Really?" Kestral asked, somewhat unsure of this decision. She looked back to her. "What if we waste time and we miss a shard...?"

"If we get the shard and run out of supplies, we may be starving and sick in the middle of this forest," River countered, still staring down the dirt path, "I say we go where it leads and try to get what we need."

Arkanov, who now took up the lead since his sister was still stopped, nodded in agreement with River's argument. Then he began to walk toward the path himself. "I think Kestral is just afraid of something like a thug waiting to mug us down there."

When he had walked on ahead confidently, River gently nudged Kestral with her elbow, hoping to encourage her. "See? It'll be alright. Besides, we can easily outnumber any thug that would try to mug us. We've got multiple skilled mages, so we'll be safe."

Kestral nodded sheepishly, and clung onto River's arm instinctively. "Yeah, okay... but can I stay with you like this?"

River couldn't help but giggle a little when she felt Kestral's arms wrap tightly around her own, and with her free hand, she patted the girl's head softly. "Of course you can, Kes. I'll do my best to keep you safe even if there aren't any bandits."

Kestral giggled as well. "Now that you've got that bow, you can even fight the bandits! That'd be so cool!"

"That's right, and I just hope I haven't gotten too out of practice with my shots," River commented, keeping the girl close to her side. Even if there were no immediate threats, the thought that Kestral looked to her for security was flattering. "Though if there is a problem, you should get behind me or someone else, I can't really aim an arrow with a cute girl hanging onto my arm."

At this comment, Kestral smiled giddily, giggled like the small child she was, and patted River's arm. "Y-You think I'm cute? That means so much coming from you!"

"Of course you are!" River encouraged with a loving smile, "You're the cutest kid that I know, and you just get better every day."

Kestral squealed and wrapped her arms around River's waist and held onto the woman tightly. However, with her weight, it was like she was anchoring River in place. "Y-You're so sweet! Thank you! And you get more and more pretty every single day."

River had to stop walking from Kestral's sudden hold, but happily, she wrapped an arm around her, and patted her back carefully. "N'aww... thank you, but I don't think that last bit is entirely true. I probably look more strange than anything compared to the people you're used to..."

"Just because you're different doesn't mean you're not beautiful," Kestral pointed out, looking up to River and giving her a wide-eyed look. She was shocked that River even said this. "I don't know much of what Samadurian culture considers pretty but *I* think you're pretty."

River stared at Kestral for a moment, with her eyes wide and her face growing a little pink from this compliment. She glanced away to the side, and coughed into her shoulder. Her voice was more quiet now, to keep the conversation only between the two of them, "That's very kind of you. I just... I thought you would like someone more like Hyacinth or Salina. Their skin is lighter, and their hair is darker... they're more normal."

Kestral shook her head. "They are pretty, and they are what I'm used to seeing in other people. But I still think you're pretty too, just in your own different way." The child decided now would be a good time to get a dig in on her, and began to giggle mischievously. "Arkanov is used to seeing girls like Salina and Hyacinth but he still finds you the most beautiful girl of all of them here."

River felt her face grow even more warm, and she did her best to keep her voice as soft and quiet as possible. "I hope that he does... I mean, we *did* kind of set up a date after all. Something like that would make me hope that he sees something in me..."

"He told me he does think you're beautiful," Kestral advised, but then gasped in shock at River's words. "But wait, you're saying you guys have a date set up?! So you're courting?!"

"Well... yes!" River chuckled, and for a moment, she looked up ahead of her. There, she saw Arkanov, leading in front of the team, and kept her eyes locked on him in admiration, "I agreed to show him the ocean when we make it to the next shard. I really wanted to see him be happy there."

Kestral practically screamed in approval. "Ah, surely this means he is considering you to be his betrothed, River! In Pendsbury, men only court women they wish to marry!"

"Betrothed?!" River exclaimed. Her suddenly loud voice had turned a few heads, but she quickly hushed herself and tried to remain soft spoken. "You can't be serious, right? I can't get married, and out here, dating just means that you're testing to see if someone is a suitable partner..."