Kaine found himself frozen, staring into her golden eyes as they shone, a blurring light seemingly flowing out of his own as well.

Lixiss too felt frozen, staring up into Jor’s glowing greens.

Neither understood it, but both of them felt the jolt of electricity rushing in from the other, a bond sparking in between them. As each felt a pull into the other, and although Kaine resisted the feeling, Lixiss did not.

“You really are…interesting” She mused.

Lixiss embraced the pull and rose into Kaine, whilst he slightly leaned away in both confusion and distrust, she fully pushed herself onto him. Her eyes closing, and her lips enclosing onto his.

Both of them then felt the feeling triple, a sensation like no other.

Kaine felt every hair on his body rise, as energy surged through his very skin. He felt it coalesce on his lips, and wherever else they touched. It was strange, he felt no emotional attachment to this girl, if anything he completely distrusted her.

Yet, this physical sensation which filled him, was unbearably powerful. He couldn’t fight it, as if it was within his very instincts to drown in it. Kaine couldn’t pull away.

Not until several long moments of them kissing passed, the sensation then slowly dissipated, allowing the two of them to respite from one another.

Kaine though was only filled with more questions as he got another look at the Elf…Her skin, eyes and hair now suddenly changed after having pulled away.

Patches of greyish violet riddled her skin, a color much like his own skin. Her eyes, one remained its bright gold whilst the other became a deep dark red. Her hair too, a mixture of its previous dark green now alongside strands of blackish red.

“L-Lixiss!” Tsarra exclaimed in a whisper as she pushed through the rest, glancing at the unconscious guards about the room before setting her eyes on her. “W-What did we talk about! I told you to wait didn’t I?! Ohh…how do I explain this?” Panic filling the Watch Captain as she spun about, “D-Damnit you only had to wait one d-day for the plan!”

“Sorry…” Lixiss smiled awkwardly as she watched Tsarra panic, “I…couldn’t help myself?” She said, then glancing back at Kaine.

“Ahh…” Tsarra groaned, nervously ruffling her own hair.

“E-Excuse me b-but wha-what…” Lara stuttered in question as she and the rest of the adventurers still stood watching from the doorway, gazing in frozen confusion.

Tsarra then froze momentarily as well, staring at them before glancing at Lixiss and then back. “Oh…” Her right palm then rising onto her own face, “Y-Yeah…This…C-Can we sit down?”

-

A calmer moment later…

-

Kaine sat alongside the rest of his party and ex-guild mates, sitting across from Tsarra and Lixiss. They followed the two Elves into Tsarra’s office, where they now sat in an awkward silence, warm cups made from a strange white wood laying in her hands. None had taken a sip yet, none other than Tsarra a she reached up with the cup then.

“O-Okay so…” Kaine then began to speak, and Tsarra suddenly lowered her cup, almost burning herself from the warm insides as she straightened up within her seat. “What…happened back there?” Kaine asked, his gazing setting on Lixiss as she calmly sat nearby Tsarra.

Too calm even, but Kaine was more interested in her appearance than demeanor at the moment. Lixiss having returned to her Wood Elf appearance at some point, he vividly remembered her mixed appearance from before.

“Hmm, I don’t know, it was definitely weird. I’ve never felt that before, but then again I’ve never met another either.” Lixiss mused.

“Another?” Kaine repeated in question.

Lixiss was about to respond, but Tsarra raised her hand cutting her off. “I…should explain some things first.” She said sheepishly, “I also should apologies for the confusion, and if Lixiss here startled you.” Taking a deep breath Tsarra then took a sip out of her cup.

“You…Jor, you’re a Dark Elf, am I correct in saying that?” Tsarra then asked, having calmed her nerves.

Kaine pondered on her question briefly, unsure if he should lie, but saw more to gain in answering truthfully. “Yes.”

Tsarra nodded, “Lixiss here is a half-blood, half Wood Elf, half Cor-…Dark Elf.”

“Hah…Just say it, I’m half Corrupt.” Lixiss then mused bitterly, “It’s how everybody sees us here Jor, we’re a corrupt seed who must be given to the Elder’s Coven for ‘purification’.”

“Elder’s Coven? The guards spoke of them too, who are they?” Kaine then asked.

“The Elder’s Coven is a council who decide everything for our people,” Tsarra explained, “They are our leaders.”

“And tyrants.” Lixiss added in.

Tsarra cleared her throat, “Lixi, let me?” She said, glancing at the younger Elf.

“Fine.” Lixiss said with a sigh, going quiet then.

“I garner that, my kind aren’t exactly liked around here.” Kaine then mused, “So, what are you planning or were planning to do with me exactly?”

Tsarra then returned to him, her anxious eyes meeting his probing gaze. “Please don’t misunderstand, we never planned on giving you into the Coven. In fact, I placed my worst two on guard with you and planned to scout out a few of your more trusted companions to aid in making you escape. Although…it seems as that wasn’t needed.” She chuckled tensely, “We…We only want to know more of your kind, for Lixiss’s sake.”

“Why?” Jedd then spoke up, “What’s your goal? What even is the relationship between you two?”

“I guess you have every right to know…” The two Elves then glanced at one another, “I am Lixiss’s guardian, I took her in after her clan abandoned her.” Tsarra answered, “Her father, is one of Sol’s Root Elders…Ah, you wouldn’t know what that means…” Pondering briefly then before continuing to explain. “Families within our people are divided into clans, a clan is a combination of up to four families. The leading family is the Root Family, and then there is the lower three Branch Families. While the Branch Families hold the clan name only partly, such as Soleil, Sole and Solis. The Root Family holds the core name, Sol.

Within each family then there is the Elders, the eldest men or women of the Root or Branch family, the family leaders. Lixiss’s father was one, a Root Elder, and as such he couldn’t bear to have Lixiss around…” Kaine saw a sorrow fill the both of them, but while Tsarra had a bitter smile on, Lixiss was emotionless as she remained silent.

“Lixiss’s mother, just a few weeks before Lixiss was born, had turned Dark you see…” Tsarra continued on, “Lixiss’s father tried to keep the change unnoticed, he hid her right up until Lixiss was born…and revealed to be a Half. Her father couldn’t bear this, without even telling her mother, he reported them to the Coven. Too afraid to lose his status.”

Tsarra’s hand then rested onto Lixiss’s shoulder, noticing the young Elf tremble, “Being a close friend to her mother, Lixandra, she reached out to me knowing what was happening anyway. Under the cover of night Lixandra handed me newly born Lixiss, and made me promise to look after her…” Tsarra’s gaze glanced over each of them as they listened, smiling although her eyes lay hollow of any such joy.

“I never saw Lixandra again after that night, leaving just me to look after Lixiss.” She said, “We two have been alone, for years I’ve been doing my best to hide her. So…please,” Again Tsarra smiled widely, “We won’t tell about your friend, if you won’t tell about us. We only have questions, questions about her power and…sensations.”

Kaine shook his head, “I’m sorry, I don’t know either. I’m…not from this world.”

Tsarra nodded, “I feared as much, but surely you’ve experienced some things?”

“I’ve only recently turned,” Kaine then said, seeing the little bit of hope within Tsarra’s eyes then falling apart. “But I wish to know more myself.”

And this Coven…They should have the answers.

Kaine then thought, but put it aside for something more important. “While we may not be able to help each other in that regard, there is something else I think we should talk about.” He then glanced at Jedd and the rest, “Did you tell them?”

“We didn’t exactly have the time, now, did we?” Rey said with an annoyed tone, seemingly not meeting his eyes.

“My head’s still spinnin.” Farvo mused.

“Right, you wanted to talk about something?” Tsarra then remembered also.

“Well it’s a good thing we’re already sat down.” Sin said with a sigh, “You guys have more details, you tell ‘em.”

Kaine nodded, turning back to the Watch Captain. “On our way through the savannah we were handed a message to give to the patriarch of the clan of Sol.” He said, glancing then at Lixiss. “I believe this message is meant for your father, or another Root Elder.”

“What’s the message?...” Lixiss asked with now wide eyes.

Kaine strained his mind to remember the full riddle, “Uh…It went; The barrier grows dim, thirty more moons and the sky goes grim? Be swift with my call, or ruin will come to us all.”

“Not a message, a prophecy.” Tsarra then said, “I presume an ancient beast spoke these words to you?”

“A Gaizedon did.” Kaine replied, “On our way into the jungle we also came about something else.”

“An army.” Jedd mused, “Kobolds, Goblins, Furies…all sorts of monsters gathering into a singular and massive force.”

“An…army?” Tsarra then rose from her seat, “Are you sure?”

“Like we’d miss it,” Dark snickered, “Yeah, we’re bloody sure.”

“The barrier dims…It can’t be?” Lixiss then mused in an unheard whisper, as for a long moment silence filled the both of them.

“I have to report this in…” Tsarra said, “But, nobody can know of you.” Adding as she looked at Kaine.

“Those two know.” Nova said with a hissy chuckle as she hung from the ceiling, wrapped around a vine.

“And the others who were with you when you captured us…” Roy added.

“My men won’t say a word unless I tell them to.” Tsarra assured, “The recruits would be a problem, but they don’t know anything about you yet either. Only my trusted have knowledge of you so far, we should keep it that way.”

“How do I know I can trust them?” Kaine then asked.

“Because they know of me too.” Lixiss answered, her gaze rising to meet Kaine’s, “They’ve known for years. You can trust them, if you can trust me?” She said with a cheeky grin.

Rey wanted to puke, fully glaring at Lixiss now.

“Fine,” Kaine said, “So-”

“Wait, we’re not actually trusting them?” Rey then said in surprise, “They snatched us and locked you up!”

“Girly surprisingly has a point.” Dark mused, “Who’s to say they won’t go and backstab us, just to shut us up about this half-dark one.”

“Hmm, after all what’s the best way to hide her if not giving another up and make a show of it?” Sin added in agreement.

“Right!...Wait, what?” Rey then asked in confusion, a shiver going up her spine as her thought of simple mistrust was suddenly concocted into something much more by Dark and Sin who stood behind her seat…

Lixiss suddenly rose then, “I would never betray another…I know no one else, no one else like me so why would I?...” She said, wearing a horrified expression over her face as she gazed back at Rey.

Rey felt cornered, flustered as Lixiss now stood at the brink of tears before her. “Ah I-I didn’t mea-”

When a wide smirk then grew over Lixiss’s face, “Hah…” her eyes shining red as her entire expression changed into annoyance. “If I wanted to trick and betray, I’d do it against and not for the people who took my mother.” Her smirk turning into a bitter smile, “But if you don’t want to trust me…I understand, I’m used to it.”

Lixiss turned to walk out, “Lixi…” while Tsarra tried to stop her, grabbing her by the shoulder. Lixiss though pulled away, continuing out through the door and leaving behind a room now fallen silent.

Several long moments of this silence followed, only Sin breaking the ice after. “Well, can’t say we haven’t a point.” She said with a sigh.

Kaine rose up, “Yeah…but I have no choice.” He said, turning to her and Dark.

“Guess this is where we split.” Dark mused, turning to leave then.

“Huh? Already?” Sin asked, glancing in between them.

“We don’t want anything to do with their mess, let’s just wait for the others to catch up.” Dark said as he reached the now open door.

“Others?” Tsarra repeated questioningly.

“Ah, right.” Dark then turned briefly, “There’s thousands of us out there, good luck filtering through what I’d bet is several dozen more Dark Elves to come.” He said before walking out, Sin chasing after him, she waved at Kaine before leaving as well.

Another moment of silence followed, as his words sunk into Tsarra, as she sank back into her seat. “Thousands…” Eyes wide at the thought, “An army…” She sighed. “What’s this world coming to?”

Suddenly rising back up, “Well, first thing’s first, I need to form a report to send through…” She announced, staring straight at Kaine. “I won’t make any mention of you, but I have to mention your group as a whole and…what is to come.”

“So what, will he have to hide for the entire time we’re here?” Farvo asked.

“Something…like that.” Tsarra said before stepping around her desk, “Close the door please.” She told Roy who was standing behind his sister.

And after he had done so, she stepped to kneel before Kaine. “I spent years researching, finding ways to help Lixiss move around the city unhindered. Still I could never find the perfect spell. Only this one,” She explained, raising her right palm to hover before his face. “Show not what lies outside, show only what the inside wishes to be seen. Show not what is, only what can be.” Tsarra chanted, her voice rumbling with power as a bright greenish energy left her palm.

The light showered over Kaine, spreading across his entire body before sinking into his skin…yet seemingly nothing happened.

“Think of how you looked before, before you became a Dark Elf.” Tsarra said and Kaine did so, he thought of how he had created his character.

And as he did each of them then saw a change occur to Jor’s appearance, the skin returning to a pale white, his hair losing the strands of green and regaining its light blue appearance…His eyes too, morphing into a normal set of irises as the green brightened up.

“There, just another Wood Elf.” Tsarra mused with a smile, “It took me years to learn this spell, but I warn you, it’s not perfect. Lose your temper, and the effects will dim.”

“I understand, I’ll be careful.” Kaine said as he glanced over his own hands, “Thank you.”

Tsarra nodded, rising back into standing then, “As for the rest of you…feel free to walk about the outpost but I warn you not to roam off too far. There are things out there…not even we can control. Word will also reach the city quickly, so I’ll receive orders back just as quick. I’ll want to notify you as soon as possible…and maybe reason out what is to happen next.” She explained, then gesturing at the door.

Kaine rose from his seat, “We’ll leave let get at that then,” He said, gesturing at the others as he moved to leave.

“One last thing.” Tsarra then said as they all now rose up, “Don’t mention what we spoke of in here…with anyone. None of it, we don’t want panic to spread…”

“We won’t,” Jedd said in understanding, “But I do expect an update on your superior’s reply. We’re in this together now.”

Tsarra simply nodded, remaining still as they left, drowning deep in her thoughts.

Closing the door behind himself, Roy gave a long sigh. “Well, can’t say I expected all…this.”

“Civilization at last though.” Farvo mused.

“As strange as things are, we’ll just have to roll with it for now.” Jedd added, moving then to stand before them all. “We can’t say we’re safe either, we need to keep our eyes peeled.”

“So…what do we do now? Just wait?” Rey asked as she glanced off, watching Dark and Sin exploring the many platforms that lay about.

“We still know too little of these people,” Kaine pointed out as he glanced around.

“Right, so we’ll spread out and find out as much as we can.” Jedd then said, “Talk to whoever we manage, but don’t be too conspicuous. Like Rey and those two said, we can’t know if we can trust these NPCs…yet.”

“Npcs…” Rey then mused, “Yeah…God I almost forgot.” Realization going through her, as her eyes widened.

“What did you forget now?” Roy groaned, gaining himself an elbow.

“Shush you, I just…It’s nothing, it’s stupid.” Rey replied, turning away she then walked off. “Spreading out remember?”

“We’ll meet back up at the central platform by night time,” Jedd finished before leaving herself.

“Aight, see what they all gotta say about dwarvish ol me.” Farvo groaned as he too walked away.

“I-Uhm…” Lara though caught Roy just as he was about to walk off, gripping his sleeve with her right hand.

“Ah, yeah.” Roy glanced at Kaine and seemed about to ask him something, but Lara cut him off.

“Can I just, c-come with you Roy?” She sheepishly asked.

“Right, sure.” Roy agreed, although as Kaine noticed, he didn’t seem like he wanted to.

Strange, he’s usually…Ah.

Kaine thought, knowing Roy to usually being the kind sort, although now realizing that he couldn’t think of a time when Roy and Lara did anything together without Jedd being in between. This thought lingered on as he watched them leave, remaining as the last to walk off from Tsarra’s office.

I’m thinking too hard…

He told himself, too focused on seeing things in between the lines as everything around him still lay a mystery to be solved.

A riddle to be figured out.

Why…

He asked himself, as it all now gathered into his mind.

The quest…Dark Elves…The chain-sickles…How are they connected? What is…What are you trying to do?

Kaine pondered on all of the happenings so far, trying to make reason out of them, trying to figure out the underlying plot of what this world has in store for him. As he glanced up at the tree tops, the sky’s light just barely shining through.

What…do you want from me? What fate are you trying to force onto me? Entertainment…That’s what you want right? So what…You couldn’t have known, you couldn’t have known about those, about her…Unless-So why, how?

Raising his right hand then onto his forehead, Kaine pulled his all too long fringe aside. His hand then clenching into a fist, reddening as he gazed up at it.

History, repeats itself huh? I won’t let it.

Kaine promised what he knew was listening, shaking with anger as he lowered his hand.

I know, so I won’t let you. Read my past, my mind, my memories. All. You. Want. I won’t be controlled!

A smirk grew over Kaine’s face, as he glanced around at the outpost.

I’m done squirming, I’m done struggling to decide! You’ve shown me enough, this game…this world is just as unforgiving as home. I understand, you want us to fail, you want to enjoy watching us fall…

A step forward, Kaine began to walk away.

I’m not gonna fail, not again…

Never again.

With his thoughts in disarray, yet mind set on a singular goal, Kaine wandered off in search of Lixiss.

Not knowing what fate had in store for him, he did know one thing for sure.

I'll live, I'll survive this damn game.