As Crow made his way through the street, he found himself wondering why he hadn’t so much as considered nominating himself to take the position in the first task. It didn’t take him long to put his finger on it, he was part of a team. Provided he got the credits necessary to bring him closer to the Eclipse’s Nectar, he had no need to risk himself. More to the point, he was a far worse choice than either Astra or Gem.

He stumbled off the road to make way for a large wagon, the back practically piled with loosely-tied barrels. A curse came out from the driver as he passed, and Crow stared at the shrinking image. Whatever horse was pulling that vehicle must have had nerves of steel, it hadn’t even begun to slow down when he was in its path.

Crow straightened and continued on his way, keeping an eye out for familiar objects so that he could use them to find his way back to the Crux. It was difficult, however. It wasn’t in the same area of Bermuda as he had been for the first two stages, nor did it seem to be anywhere near- and as impressed as Crow had been by the enormous buildings which seemed to touch the clouds themselves, he found himself even more daunted by the far smaller ones he now walked between.

It hadn’t ever occurred to him that someone would actually live in such ridiculously huge houses.

Shaking his head and silently urging himself not to get distracted, Crow strained to recall the directions he’d mentally noted down- finding no small amount of relief in the fact that he’d actually managed to recall them. Satisfied at his walk, he turned and began making his way back.

There was no longer any reason for him to move through Bermuda by foot, staying in the Crux meant that the area in which credits could be exchanged for information was perpetually a flight of stairs and a corridor away. Despite this, Crow found himself with the urge to venture outside. As the smell of some delectably sweetened pastry reached his nose, bringing an unconscious smile to his face, he was reminded why. For all the intimidating mass of the place, Bermuda was an incredibly beautiful city.

His path wasn’t nearly so encumbered as it had been in the more densely populated areas, for every four pedestrians he’d had to weave through there he faced only one now. All the same, a few days in Bermuda hadn’t quite inoculated him to such greatly numerous crowds.

He had woken early in the morning, an entire six hours earlier than the day before, and while part of him missed the fresh, crisp air that such a time would have brought to Selsis- the other marvelled at the sight of the streets in the day’s infancy. The sun’s light had shifted from pink to orange by the time he found his way back to the Crux.

Making his way through the front desk, Crow found himself pondering how he’d spend his day. The first task would not begin until noon, and his relief at being able to take part was somehow diminished by the anxiety which came solely from not having anything to preoccupy him. There was something more, too. Gem would be out there fighting for his benefit, and he’d simply be watching.

His thoughts were interrupted as he turned into a stairway, nearly colliding with someone as they came to exit. Back stiffening, Crow yelped an apology- only to falter as he recognised the mischievous face of the boy.

“Oh hey Crow.”

Ra seemed shockingly alert for the early hour, his face animated with the same energy it always seemed to carry.

“Good morning,” Crow replied. “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

Crow felt himself staring at the boy as he spoke, unable to shake the feeling that something had changed about him. After a moment he realised what it was.

“You’re wearing a shirt!” He blurted out, interrupted whatever Ra had been about to say. Before Crow could apologise, the older boy pulled a strange face and answered.

“Yes, I am. Against my best efforts Bermuda’s weather finally defeated me. It seems my will was not quite a match for the forces of nature.”

A smile pulled at Crow’s face as Ra continued.

“Anyway, how are you doing? I saw you at the orientation the night before yesterday. Gotta say, threatening to kill a Deity in front of a million people…”

Crow felt his jaw tighten, though he didn’t say anything- simply waited for the inevitable scolding.

“That was fucking hardcore, man! Didn’t think I’d ever meet a guy crazy enough to try shaking up the competition like that.”

For a moment, Crow was completely perplexed. He quickly realised, however, that Ra was indeed serious, and genuinely believed it had been some calculated risk on his part to get ahead in the Sieve. Crow decided not to correct him.

“Thanks,” he managed to force out- not able to bring himself to commit to the lie by any means more than omission. He tried not to think about how similar that was to the circumstances of him making his statement in the first place.

After an awkward, silent pause, Ra spoke again.

“So, what are you doing today? Any plans?”

“Not until noon, I’m watching my teammate in the first task.”

By the time he realised what he’d said, Ra’s eyebrows had already arched upwards in surprise.

“You’re up first? And you’re just telling me this?”

Crow felt his face burn.

“That was, uh, unintentional.”

Ra grinned, though it felt clear to Crow that there was no genuine mockery behind his eyes.

“Well, if you promise to keep it a secret, I can let you in on something you might find interesting… So are we.”

Unable to think of anything to say, Crow simply stared at the boy- taking several seconds to gather his thoughts.

“So you mean we’re competing against each other?”

With another smile, Ra nodded.

“That we are, my friend. Or at least our teammates are...”

The Jyptian trailed off, then pulled a thoughtful expression.

“Hm, tell you what, why not come over to watch the first task with me and my team? You can invite yours too.”

Crow thought about how Unity might interact with Ra’s teammates, then how Astra would likely insist on turning the occasion into a scouting mission. By the time he realised that he’d hardly ever spoken to Xeno, he’d already begun answering without even realising it.

“I’m not so sure they’re the best people to bring to an event like that…”

As he spoke, Crow found himself frowning. Astra would most certainly have used such a meeting to gather information on the rival teams, so why would Ra behave any differently?

Before he could do anything with his realisation, a strong hand clapped him on the shoulder.

“Ah, no worries. Come alone or with company, I don’t really mind. I’ll see you at noon either way.”

Ra began to circle around Crow to leave, however just before stepping out into the foyer, he paused.

“Ah right, you don’t know where we’re staying. Just ask the clerk at the front desk, I’m in a bit of a rush so I can’t spare the time for an explanation right now- sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Crow replied- almost reflexively. As Ra began briskly walking away, he found himself taking a few steps in his direction and calling out.

“Wait, where are you rushing to this early?”

All he heard in reply was something about a geriatric bastard.

***

When Crow reached the contestant’s floor, it took a second for him to recall the layout. It was often said by followers of the Zoric faction, though not by any that Crow himself had ever met, that order was the reflection of success. The official doctrine held that all things were best when executed exactly in accordance with regulations, with each individual member of society going about their lives under the careful supervision of the Unixian alliance.

In practice, very few held such an extreme view- not a single one in all of Selsis, in fact, and while the Zoric Faction publicly held such a stance, it was never actually enforced.

The contestant’s floor, however, made Crow doubt that.

Each corridor was practically entirely symmetrical, something he’d been too exhausted to get a headache from upon first entering. As he made his way through, still slightly uncomfortable boots clapping against the smooth stone floor, he marvelled at what the motivation for such a neurotically constructed place was. Each way he turned revealed a passageway which seemed to mirror the last, from the placement of the arclight crystals to the patterns of the central, carpeted stripe.

Not for the first time, he found some irrational part of himself wondering whether he was the subject of some great trick- perhaps an Immortal was bending space around him to leave him trapped in the same single corridor as punishment for a slight he didn’t even remember making. Just like in the stories…

Crow dismissed his paranoid suspicion almost as soon as it began to emerge. He’d seen far too much reality for mere stories to hold anything he had reason to fear. None of them would have prepared him for Bermuda, never mind a real Immortal.

The trick to navigating the contestant’s floor, as Crow had learned from so many failed attempts the day before, was to ignore one’s surroundings and focus instead on keeping track of which directions they had turned. After stumbling onto the exit through pure luck, he knew that to get to it from the corridor in which his team was staying- one would need to turn right, then left twice and then right again. Which meant that the inverse should have been true for getting back to his room.

Nonetheless, Crow almost doubted himself for a moment- sure, once he reached his corridor, that he had somehow made a mistake. It was only after he tried the key he’d received from the front desk and found it worked that he finally accepted he’d managed to navigate the space.

As he re-entered his room, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the ease with which his other teammates could find their way through the maze of a floor. To Gem it seemed the easiest thing in the world, though she’d likely been moving through Zoric architecture since she was a child. Xeno and Unity both simply did as Crow did, though with far less effort. Astra was the most irritating, she had no prior experience, nor did she even need to count her turns. Crow wasn’t sure whether it was somehow connected to her extraordinary skill with the Itamis sphere, but her sense of direction had always been borderline supernatural.

Closing the door behind him and taking a seat on the sofa, Crow laid his head back and began pondering just how he’d spend the hours until his meeting with Ra. The familiar touch of frustration began to snake its way into his head. How many times would he make things difficult for himself by simply not knowing how to say no?

Always stumbling into traps, aren’t you Crow? And it’s always other people who act as your shield when you spring them.

He was pulled from the depths of his rapidly darkening thoughts by a knocking at his door. Eager to focus on anything other than the place his memories had been approaching, Crow almost leapt to his feet and hurried to answer it. As he pulled it open, he was greeted with the sight of Gem standing outside.

The girl was wearing a pair of rather baggy trousers, with a plain shirt waistcoat and strange fur lining around her shoulders. None of it was something Crow recognised as Pangaean, or even Unixian, attire.

“Hi.” He said, dumbly.

“Morning Crow,” Gem responded. “Are you busy right now?”

“No, not now. Though I will be in a few hours. Why do you ask?”

Gem’s face seemed to light up slightly as she answered.

“I was going to head down to the, uh… hm, credit shop, I guess? The area we can get equipment by spending out credits, basically. Do you want to come along? Seeing as how we’re basically the only two awake at the moment.”

“I’d love to!”

Crow felt a sudden heat under his collar as he realised how quickly he’d leapt on the chance to distract himself from worrying about Ra. Gem didn’t seem to notice his embarrassment, however.

“Wonderful, shall we go now or do you need a bit to get ready?”

“We can leave now,” Crow answered. He fished around in his pockets for his room key, stepping out to join Gem in the hallway and locking up behind himself.

He waited for her to begin walking before following, much preferring to let her act as his guide than mentally exhaust himself. As they turned the first corner, he found himself thinking back to how he’d behaved in the orientation.

“Gem, about the orientation. I know it was two days ago, but I just want to say I’m sorry again.”

He could’ve sworn he heard her sigh before answering.

“Crow, it’s really not that big of an issue. It was dangerous and stupid, but you know better now. Just don’t make the same mistake again and it’ll be fine.”

Not knowing quite how to respond to that, he simply muttered some thanks and fell silent. They continued walking without a word passing between them for the better part of a minute, and just as they reached the midway point of yet another identical corridor Gem spoke.

“You know, it’s weird. I can’t help but feel slightly nervous.”

Crow turned to look at the girl as he listened, and found her suddenly seeming much younger than before.

“I know it’s stupid,” she continued hurriedly. “I mean, I fought tooth and nail to be the first one up, but still…”

She trailed off, her gaze falling to the ground just in front of her feet, and it occurred to Crow that he was talking to someone who was being confronted with the possibility of failure for perhaps the first time in her life. He knew he couldn’t begin to imagine what that was like, and yet he found himself speaking to comfort her all the same.

“I’m sure you’ll do well. You’re the Gemini, right?”

The moment the words left his mouth he realised they were a mistake, yet as Gem’s face fell and she turned away to hide it from him there was no taking them back.

“I suppose.” She muttered grimly. Upon realising she intended to say no more, Crow felt the urge to begin to talk again.

“What I mean is that everyone feels nervous, even when they’re doing things they have every chance of success at. Feeling worried is inevitable, but you shouldn’t let it convince you you’re less capable than you are.”

At that, the girl turned back to him- an eyebrow arched, though not in scepticism. She almost looked impressed.

“Did you just quote someone famous?”

Crow found himself unknowingly frowning at the question.

“Uh, I don’t think so.”

“Hm, that was quite a good way of putting it then. You should write it down, I assume you won’t come up with something else that good for a few more years.”

Grinning at the jibe, Crow felt no need to respond. Though he felt no small amount of pride bubbling up at his chest, maybe he wasn’t so useless after all.

They continued on their way, exchanging jokes and jabs all the while, and Crow found himself far less tense than he had been before. As they ascended the staircase and climbed up from the first floor to the fourth, the conversation drifted to more serious topics.

“How did you begin learning magic?” He asked Gem. It was something he’d wanted to blurt out almost as soon as their meeting, however he was grateful that he had the self control not to. Surely she would be tired of questions like that above all others.

Much to his surprise, however, Gem seemed pleased to be asked. She practically sang her answer.

“I was terrible at first, and had to work hard from an early age, but thanks to Gilasev I eventually became quite good- if I say so myself.”

Despite the sincerity in the girl’s voice, Crow couldn’t help but feel as though there were something off with her words. After a few moments, he realised what it was.

“Hold on, that’s almost the exact same thing you said in that interview a few months ago. I remember Astra reading about it in the newspaper.”

The change on her face was jarring, had someone asked Crow the day before he’d have said that going from cheerful to embarrassed with such speed was impossible. Even seeing it clearly as he did, he half-expected her eyebrows to drop off.

“Yes… yes, it is. Sorry.”

Were it not for how convincing her initial answer had been, Crow would surely have bought her apologetic grimace. As things were, he simply remained silent- partly to let her explain, partly because he could think of nothing to say.

He really didn’t like people putting on facades around him.

“Okay look, I can explain.” Gem seemed to hesitate as she spoke, her words wavering even as they fell from her mouth. Finally, she finished. “Do you know how often I’m asked that question? A lot. And I fucking hate it, because when people ask it they don’t want to know how I became good at magic. You know why?”

Crow didn’t answer, sensing the rhetorical question. She continued.

“Because nobody wants to be told that someone became far better than them simply because of natural ability. Whenever I’m asked that, it’s not a question- it’s a request to lie to whoever’s asking. So I’m sorry for doing so.”

The girl began to chew at her lip, and Crow saw her eyes were suddenly quite wet just before she moved them from his sight. As he was about to say something, she spoke once more- this time shockingly quietly.

“You probably think I’m the most arrogant person in the world.”

Struggling to form words, he managed a reply.

“No!”

She turned back to meet his eye, and the disbelief was so apparent on her face as to rob him of his ability to continue lying.

“Well, yes.” He conceded. “Maybe, I’m not sure. I… I don’t know, I haven’t been in your shoes. I have no idea what it’s like to be expected to… well, do what you just described. I don’t think it’s fair for me to pass judgement on you.”

He hadn’t been able to bring himself to meet Gem’s eye as he spoke his mind, but after several seconds of chilling silence he found himself looking back at her- only to be met with an almost fascinated stare.

“You haven’t been in my shoes? You really haven’t?”

His tongue laying slack in his mouth, he simply shook his head. For a moment Gem looked as though she had more to say, however with a sudden start she looked around at their surroundings before swearing.

“Bugger, I’ve been bringing us around in circles.”

Eager for something else to bring attention to, Crow forced a smile and cut in.

“It’s a shame you weren’t born with the ability to be effortlessly good at navigating.”

“Shut up,” Gem snapped- though Crow could tell it was in good nature. “It’s your fault for distracting me, maybe if we’d been friends a decade ago I wouldn’t be in the spotlight.”

She made a show of glaring at him, and Crow mirrored her expression. They lasted all of a second before breaking down and grinning.

***

When Crow had heard mention of a “credit shop”, he’d somehow convinced himself it would resemble one of the many other shops he’d entered. His thoughts had first strayed to a blacksmith’s, with pieces of equipment hanging on hastily-constructed racks even as more were forged. He’d dismissed that, however, as unlike horseshoes and door hinges he had truly no idea as to how magical artefacts were produced.

Other ideas, such as a sweet or book shop with many appetising examples of its merchandise carefully placed in the sights of passers-by. That, too, seemed unfitting in his mind. Surely there would be no need to advertise to contestants who purchased purely for function.

What he found upon reaching the place was not quite like any other shop he’d ever seen, however it was also not the entirely alien, almost incomprehensible establishment Crow had ended up convincing himself he would likely see.

The layout was orderly, though not to the excruciating extent as the Zoric-made corridor. Shelves were indeed present, each some seven feet in height and stretching through much of the building’s interior- though as the shop was merely a large, walled-off section of the Crux, it may have been more appropriately called a room.

Contrary to his mental-image of many incredibly deadly weapons and impervious suits of armour, all throbbing with magical intensity, it seemed the majority of the items on display were far more humble and unassuming. Slightly luminescent liquids in transparent vials, cuttings of material with a texture Crow couldn’t quite compare to anything else and what looked like various assortments of teeth- it was all quite unnerving.

The power could not be mistaken, though. Mystics had an instinctive reaction to the presence of magic, outside of the distractions of combat it could easily be noticed. Had it not been for Crow’s presence at the Immortal’s party, he may have been shocked.

Not sure how else he could get answers, he turned to Gem.

“What exactly are you looking for here?”

Not entirely to his surprise, the girl merely shrugged.

“I’m not actually sure,” she admitted. “I suppose just anything that might give me a significant advantage. I’ll know it when I see it, probably. ”

As she began traversing the neatly lined rows of shelves, Crow found himself staring blankly at everything they walked past. Several times, he spotted something which looked extremely effective- only for Gem to move on without giving it so much as a glance.

Whatever parameters she was judging by were unknown to him, though the persistent mumbling emanating from the girl let him know that they were ones she was putting much thought into.

Eventually, however, Crow couldn’t quite take it any longer. Unable to help, or even converse with Gem in her state of concentration, he simply felt like dead weight- and after a few minutes he silently wandered away, taking in the sights around him and leaving his friend to her own business.

Friend? When had he started thinking of her like that? He’d only known her for a few days... and yet in that time he’d shared some very personal thoughts with her- which she had likewise done with him.

Lost in his thoughts, Crow almost didn’t notice the boy before walking into him. Stumbling to a stop a step from him, he smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

The object of his near-collision was shorter than Crow by at least a hand, with brown eyes and dark skin. Incredibly dark skin, in fact- so dark it made the bronze tan of Dewlz seem pale. When he answered, it was with a sharp and quick accent that Crow had never encountered before.

“It’s quite alright. Do try to be more careful in the future though, will you?”

Crow nodded, not liking the patronising, almost superior tone with which he was being addressed at all. Before he could give any serious thought on how else to respond, however, his attention was pulled to one side.

“CROW!”

Turning to the source, his eyes widened as they fell upon a familiar face. The girl Unity had introduced him to at Adelina’s tavern. She seemed different, likely due to the far less gloomy lighting of their surroundings. Just as tall as the boy Crow had nearly bumped into, her skin was dark for a Unixian’s- though pale for a Dewlzian. She wore what would best be described as worker’s clothes, all sharp cuttings and minimized baggage to produce attire of the utmost practicality.

Her ovular face was split by a wide, almost contagious smile- yet Crow found himself dismissing it as he stared at her eyes. They were just as he’d remembered, void-black in their entirety, from the iris to what should have been the whites. Save for a tiny pin-prick of light in each centre.

Looking into them gave Crow the feeling of staring into a great, dark pit- only to find his eyes meeting the nocturnal glint of a predator.

“Hi Amelia,'' he replied with a smile- buying his entirely unfair misgivings deep down. The girl rushed over to him with only a few quick steps, and as she came to a halt the dark-skinned boy turned to her.

“Amelia, you know this person?”

As quick as a flash, the girl nodded.

“Yep, we met a few days ago! He’s a contestant too!”

As Crow found himself finally noticing the gauger strapped to Amelia’s wrist, and wondering whether he’d merely missed it in their last meeting, the boy’s eyes narrowed fractionally.

“Yes, I’m quite aware of his place in the Sieve. Crow Tempora, correct? I’ve heard much about you, and your… performance.”

Crow’s heart sank. Yet another person who knew him by reputation alone. Before he could even begin to think about how he might explain himself, the clearing of a throat resounded from his left- as he turned to it, he saw Gem standing with a wrapped bundle under her arm.

“I was wondering where you’d gotten off to, thought you’d ditched me for a moment.”

Relieved to have someone else there to break the tension, Crow hurriedly answered her.

“Sorry about wandering off, Gem. It’s just you didn’t really seem like you needed me.” He paused, then gestured to Amelia. “Uh, this is Amelia and-” as he motioned to the dark-skinned boy, Crow realised he didn’t know his name. Thankfully Amelia came to the rescue.

“That’s Faroah!” She chirped. “He’s our team leader.”

Gem narrowed her eyes, and Crow could tell her thoughts had shot towards her previous argument with Astra on the night of the orientation.

“There are team leaders?”

The boy named Faroah raised a pacifying hand, seeming slightly embarrassed- a strange expression to see on his face.

“What she means,” he quickly clarified, “is that I’m the member of our team who’s been unofficially deemed the leader by the rest.”

Before either Crow or Gem could respond to his explanation, Amelia happily chipped in once more.

“And I’m the brick.”

Faroah turned to her, seemingly irritated.

“You are not a brick Amelia.”

The girl frowned, apparently confused. Her face made Crow wonder how he’d ever managed to feel the slightest unease around her.

“Bim calls me a brick.”

“Don’t listen to Bim.”

Seeing a lapse in the exchange, Crow cut into the conversation.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but what’s a brick?”

Both Faroah and Amelia went to answer at once, however the girl was quicker by far.

“It means I kill everything while everybody else hides nearby.”

Crow stared at Faroah, expecting the boy to offer an alternative explanation- out of the corner of his eye he saw Gem’s head turned to him as well. The boy merely sighed in defeat.

“Well, as lovely as it’s been meeting you both, I was just coming to tell my teammate that it’s time for us to go.” Gem said, rather coolly. Crow found himself stunned at her nonchalance- yet simultaneously perplexed, it seemed she really didn’t want the conversation to be going.

Faroah interrupted his thoughts with his answer.

“Yes, we were just about to finish up too. It was a pleasure to meet you though, Gemini.”

Gem smiled at the boy, though even Crow could see it was slightly forced. As she turned and began to walk away, he had no time for more than a quick word of parting to the pair before hurrying to catch up with his teammate.

He walked beside her without saying anything, breaking the silence only when they had left the shop and neared the staircase.

“What God’s tear was that?”

Looking quite harassed, the girl shifted her head slightly as though to glance over her shoulder before answering.

“Sorry, I just… I don’t like being around that girl. I don’t know why.” Her face fell as she sighed. “Ugh, that was incredibly rude and for no reason. She seemed so nice…”

Crow said nothing, his own feeling of being ill-at-ease not being something he was at all comfortable discussing, even with someone who shared it. He wondered if his time interacting with Immortals, prodigies and fanatics had instilled some instinctive distrust of people as entirely pleasant as Amelia had been. It would certainly explain why Gem shared it.

***

The first thing Crow did upon re-entering his room was kick off his shoes and throw himself down onto his sofa. The soft seats buckled instantly under his body, and he found a great amount of satisfaction in the sensation of sinking into them.

While his body relaxed, however, his mind was awhir. Gem had been different, and not in any way which left him at ease. Her reaction to his telling her he didn’t know what it was like to live in her place was something that still had him confused. If there was anything Crow had learned from having an older twin sister, however, it was that girls would, in some way, always be a mystery to him.

He glanced over at the large clock resting against his wall, checking once more to be certain that he hadn’t misjudged the time. It was more habitual than necessary, he’d already made certain thrice. There was still another three and a half hours until he was due to meet Ra’s team in his room.

Already having decided he wouldn’t bring any of his teammates, but would have to attend, Crow had nothing more to do than kill time until noon. Climbing to his feet, he marched over to the still-packed bags containing his possessions which had been dropped off at the room the day before and started sifting through in search of his book.