I was getting ready to leave, feeling the tears welling up in my eyes. This would be my last time leaving. After this, I’d go somewhere with Daddy. I wanted to say goodbye to Mister Jace, but I couldn’t. He’d ask too many questions, and I’d feel too sad. It had been just over two years since I had come to live with him, and I really liked this place.

So, I did what I could. I wrote a note. The only way I could let him know. Mister Jace.

If you’re reading this, I’ve already left. I wanted to thank you for all the love you’ve shown me, even if I was just some girl you took in off the street. I wanted to thank you for giving me a family while I didn’t have one. How kind everyone is… I’ll never forget it. But now, Daddy is going to be better. So I have to go. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me and Daddy, and I can’t let them hurt him. I waited too long for this.

Please, Mister Jace, continue to be kind.

Once I finished the note, I walked over to the wall and carefully pried out one of the old nails that stuck just a little bit out. Then, I used that same nail to hold the note against the wall. Yeah, he’d find this when he came to check my room.

With a small nod, I gathered my things. The shoes that he had helped me keep in good condition. The dress that he had gotten me when I finally told him my birthday… What I couldn’t carry in my hands, I put in a bag made of smoke, and put the bag in my black space.

As I walked down the steps, I let a bit of smoke slip out of myself, using the same trick on Mister Jace that I always used on the guards to get out of town. It was better if he didn’t notice that I was gone for a little while. Maybe then he wouldn’t be waiting for me.

I felt my body tremble when I walked out that door, knowing that I’d never be coming back. Knowing that I never could come back. The thought made me run. I ran faster than I had ever ran before, ignoring the surprised shout from all around me. I had to leave, I couldn’t stay here any longer. It hurt too much.

When I got to the city gates, I only barely registered the checkpoint, sending out enough smoke to make everyone ignore me. I didn’t run to the same forest as before. That would only make me want to go back. I had to go further away from Suram.

I ran past the fields and the trees, over the hills. I ran until I could hear the ocean, and taste the salty breeze. It was nighttime when I finally stopped. There wasn’t a city in sight. Far in the horizon, I could briefly make out the glowing lights that meant people were living there, but it was much too far away for me to see, or for them to see me.

I had no idea where I was now. I knew I had to be near the ocean, but I didn’t know how far it was. I had never run that fast before. I only knew that this would be a good place to fix Daddy.

Reaching into the black space, I pulled out the jar containing his spirit. Then, I opened a hole to the bigger black space, and began taking smoke from there. I had to be careful this time, more careful than I had ever been before.

As I focused, carefully constructing the body, I faintly heard a voice in the distance. Why was I too focused to pay attention to the voice? Why couldn’t I stop it before it was too late?

“I am the keeper of the golden flame.” Why now? “I call upon the power of the holy star, the circle of the goddess.” Why couldn’t they wait just ten more minutes. “Burn and bind, restrict that which has escaped all restrictions. Wind, sea, and soul, held within a burning hand.” And… why her?

By the time I truly took notice of the voice, it was too late. I screamed out in pain, my skin burning. My dress scorched by a golden hand that wrapped around my body. The smoke I was gathering, shaping into a body for Daddy… shattered. Turning my head, I saw the pretty woman in red, and the strange man in the silver robes standing atop a nearby hill.

“So it really is you.” The woman said with a small smile. That smile that looked so nice before now… seemed mean. “And who were you planning to bring back this time?”

“That’s enough.” The man said calmly, looking just past me. He drew a circle above his chest as he prayed. “May you find salvation in the mother’s embrace.”

When he finished talking, I heard a sound that made my mind stop. The sound of glass shattering. Slowly, I forced myself to look past the pain, and saw a golden light wrapping around Daddy’s soul jar. The jar was broken, shards turning back into smoke. Why was I so weak?

The golden light vanished, but with it… so did Daddy’s soul. Tears came rushing to my eyes. Not because of the pain, but because of everything that I had worked so long for. Trying to bring Daddy back, trying to be a family… all gone now. My head slumped low, and I stared into the fire burning its way through my body. There was only one thing I could do, one thing I could say.

“Through fire, I call you back to me.” Please… please help.

Once I finished saying those words that had once been given to me, I felt… cold. My feet landed against the ground, and I couldn’t see any fire from the spell that had been holding me. The skin of my arms, my chest, and my back had turned black. They hurt to even think about.

“What’s going on?” The woman in red asked, looking down at her hand. “I am the keeper of the golden flame!” She began chanting again, only to be cut off by a gentle voice that seemed to whisper along the wind.

“Not this time. I have promised this child a token of protection. You will not have her today.” I knew the voice. It made me smile, remembering that there was still someone who cared. In the next moment, my vision flashed green, and I was suddenly somewhere else. Somewhere that I had never been before, with the moon higher in the sky than it had been seconds earlier.

Standing in front of me was the spirit lady, kneeling down on the ground to be level with my eyes. She smiled gently, and I felt something snap. I jumped forward, wrapping my arms around her neck, and I cried. Harder and louder than I remembered crying my entire life.

She didn’t say anything, simply letting my cry against her. Only when I had run out of breath did she speak. “I’m sorry, child. I did not expect them to take such actions…”

“Daddy… Daddy, he…”

She shushed me softly, shaking her head. “His soul was carried to the realm beyond. He is not extinguished. Perhaps, you may see him again in the future.”

“Realm… beyond?” I wiped my eyes with a charred hand, wincing at the pain. “Where is that?”

“‘Tis where all souls are meant to go when they pass the mortal coil.” She explained, but then thought of a way to make it easier to understand. “It is where you draw power from, when crafting with the energy of spirits.”

“You mean the big black space?” My eyes widened when I heard that, but she put on a difficult expression.

“I have never been there myself, so perhaps? I merely know that the energies of that world are the same as the people who come to guide lost souls. If you are fortunate, your father may find such a position for himself. He may be able to find you once again.”

I nodded my head slightly, though only half paying attention at this point. My thoughts were on something else now. “Thank you… but, why were they even there? Why then? I thought I was far enough away…”

The woman closed her eyes for a long moment. “The note.” She began in a soft whisper. “Your former caretaker became worried when he read it, and took it to a friend. His friend was the woman from before. When she read the note, she suspected that you were the one breathing life into the lost. So she called the cleric, and tracked you down.”

“Mister Jace did..?” My eyes began to tear up again when I realized that it was my note that had caused Daddy’s soul to be taken away. If I had just run out without leaving it, Daddy would be here right now, he’d be all better.

“Unfortunately so. To stop her from finding you again, I gave the woman a small punishment. For the next three days, she will not wield the power of the world. You have three days to find somewhere to begin your new life.”

“Thank you…” I nodded my head. Three days was more than enough. I didn’t even need three hours.

The pretty spirit lady leaned down, pressing her forehead against mine. “Stay safe, child. May you find the joy you desire at the end of this journey.”

With that, she began to break apart into green lights again, floating away on the wind. I reached out, as if to capture one of the lights and hold onto it, but it simply slipped through my fingers. I’ll call you again when I’m back. I thought to myself as I watched her float away.

I wiped my eyes again, more determined than I expected as I stood up. My body was numb now, and I could no longer feel the pain of my blackened skin. So I stretched an arm out, finding my wrist difficult to move. But that’s okay, all it took was my focus, and the pattern began to draw itself into the air.

The hole to the black space opened, and smoke gradually came pouring through. “Bigger.” I said quietly, and the hole began to expand. “Bigger.” Soon, it was the size of my head. But that wasn’t enough. “I. Said. Bigger!”

The hole suddenly expanded rapidly, large enough to form a gate. I knew I couldn’t hold this for too long, and quickly walked through, the hole closing behind me. Inside, I felt my feet standing on soft ground, but there was nothing beneath me.

In the distance, I heard a howl that shook my body. Looking over, I saw a silver stretch of land that began crawling towards me. On top of it was a large, prowling cat. It stood tall enough that I just barely came up to the top of its paws, and it was staring down at me.

But for some reason… I wasn’t afraid. Smoke rushed towards my body from all directions, my skin returning to a healthy tan. Even my dress began to reform around me, my shoes appearing on my feet.

I smiled, and began to walk towards the giant cat as well. “My name is Dana Jafer.” I said, and ground began to spread from beneath my feet. Whereas the cat seemed to spread a grassy hill, mine was flat stone. And when the two clashed, the grass shattered, flattening out.

I felt my body growing larger… or maybe the cat just got smaller. It was hard to tell. But every step brought us closer together, until I was the one looking down at it.

“And I’m looking for my Daddy.”