Within the grassy fields of the Scarred Lands a small light grew. It was an orb. Expanding. Pulsating. If there were people there to experience such a thing, they would have been hit with a powerful scent of metal and the reverberations of the trembling ground.

But there were no people there to experience it. There were only the man and woman, cloaked in black, observing the arrival of intervention.

The orb was hot, blindingly white. It whirred like a machine and when the light dissipated there was a woman, crouched, steadying herself with fingers to the circle of glowing grass that still burned bright with the energy. It slowly dimmed and there she stood in the early morning of the world. She was a tall woman, looking no older than a Human's age of thirty years. A strong and lean body. Golden hair, flowing down her back, nearly as bright as the orb of light that transported her here. She breathed slow, her back expanding along with her chest -- held it -- then just as slowly exhaled it and rose to her feet.

The woman who watched from afar with the man reached into the metallic cube within her hands, the opening of it expanding for her arm to fit, and she reached down farther than the size of the box would have seemed possible. She pulled out a black cloak much like the one they wore and approached.

"Welcome, Thea," said the woman, handing the cloak to her. Thea stared down at the fabric with a curious look then smiled up at the woman. A genuine, kind smile that made her red eyes squint.

"I forget... they enjoy covering themselves here," Thea said. She took the cloak and admired it. "I forget how much I do adore clothing..."

"Shall I check your vitals?" asked the man.

Thea had movements that appeared inquisitive. She turned to look at all that happened to her with consistent patience and curiosity. She smiled at the man after taking him in for a moment.

"I believe I'm all right," Thea said.

"It would be more accurate to know such information," said the woman. "The process is very quick and painless, and --"

"Klxwtz." Thea spoke the nearly incomprehensible name with such ease it made the woman shudder. "That is your name, yes?"

"I do not recall the identifier given to me," the woman said. Though the word was familiar. "If I was given one, it was stripped away for my given purpose."

Thea placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. The woman tilted her head, trying all she could to figure her out. Thea was beyond inquiry. She was purely... something else. Something the woman had struggled to understand for hundreds of years. Something she herself lacked a name for.

"Why don't you give yourself a name, then?" Thea asked. "Seems like a wonderful time to do so."

"I do not know how to do so."

"Don't think about it," Thea said. "Whatever comes to mind. Through how you feel."

The woman didn't understand. Thea didn't elaborate but the idea would be stuck in the woman's mind for the next decade to come.

Thea turned to the man and tilted her head.

"I believe you would be Lxkwtz then. You're the Twins. Unless you also do not remember your name."

The man simply shook his head.

Thea grinned. "I suggest the same to you as I did to her, then." Thea threw the cloak around herself, long all-encompassing fabric that would be hot as the day went on. It covered her body, neck to ankles, and she secured the ties around the waist.

"I appreciate you both for securing my arrival. But I'm okay from here."

"Shall we continue our observations?" asked the man.

Thea nodded.

The woman felt something uneasy. It was a foreign emotion but she couldn't help but ask.

"Thea," she said. "I cannot help but wonder why you have decided to come all this way. Would too much direct influence interfere with the natural order of what has been predicted?"

"Too much would," Thea nodded. "Everyone needs a little help, however. This will be the only time I bring myself into this... at least for a long time. The ones important to the fate of Nadi will need to suffer. They will need to journey, discover, learn... die. As much as I want to hold them and help them it will not help us. It will not help anything." Thea looked up to the sky. "But nothing happens without some care. Some influence. Some push in a certain direction." Thea looked to the man and woman. A tear rolled down her cheek. "The girl will either die or she will live and lose so much. The least I can do is give her a chance at life and some happiness."

The woman couldn't understand. But she wanted to.

"What is the danger posing her birth?" she asked.

"There are people who want to kill her. Powerful Aurans blinded by ideology." She paused. "I'm not strong enough to stop them all for good. But I can at the very least slow them down."

"Because she will be born early," said the man.

"Allow us to assist you," said the woman.

Thea shook her head. "You both must continue your observations. Act when necessary."

"Ceri does not care if these people die. We can take care of them," said the woman.

"This is my mission," Thea said. "And I do not want us to kill anyone." She glared for a moment. But quickly calmed herself. "Go on. Perhaps I'll see you both again soon."

Thea watched their bodies blur, then vanish, seemingly out of existence. But that was just how they were capable of moving long distances in short periods of time. Thea stood and watched the sun rise over the horizon and admired the gentle colors. Nadi was beautiful. A different sort of beautiful compared to where she was from. She often wanted to take someone from here so they could witness... but she knew that day would never come.

According to Klxwtz and Lxkwtz, the Twins, Thea was in the perfect spot to intercept them -- these so-called Marked. She sat down. Closed her eyes. Listened to nature at work. And waited for many hours.

The sun rose higher. She heard the very heat from it seeping into her clothing, into her hair follicles and her flesh. She decided to listen to other things, as she could tune into any aspect of this world. Any aspect but one, of course. The aspect she and so many others sought.

Insects performed their responsibilities far below her. She parted her lips to taste the trees, making a face, forgetting how strange leaves tasted, how bark was not a pleasant sensation. They just always looked beautiful and she couldn't remember if it was in a tasty way or simply visual way.

The sun was as high as it could be in the sky now. Her guests were nearly there. She grabbed hold of her cloak, reaching into its very makeup, feeling the rough fabric interlaced over one another, then deeper into the small living things that made up those laces. Bit by bit she reformed the clothing into a dress that fit her body well -- removed the sleeves, let the fabric hang loose around the legs down to her knees. All the excess was returned to the invisible world that surrounded Nadi. She stood up and saw the figures approach. Those mechanical birds these people use soared ahead of them. Thea smiled and waited. She could feel their Auras from here. Powerful. It actually made her hands tremble.

The four Aurans stopped about a dozen feet away from her. The man who seemed to be leading the group stepped forward. The Hawks screeched and twirled about over their heads.

"Did you have something to ask us, woman? Or are you simply looking to stand in our way?" A black haired man of their group stepped forward to speak for them.

"May I know your names?" Thea asked.

The man looked back to his team and smiled. "I'm Kill," he said. "Pretty name, I know, I know. This little squirt to my left is Burden. To my right is Pain and Glutton. Nice to meet you," he said with snide. "Trying to sell us something? Trying to rob us?"

Thea smiled, showing her teeth. "My name is Thea. Trust me when I say... I'm a friend." She flexed her hands outward, always a helpful gesture. First she grabbed hold of the Hawks, easy pickings due to their simple existence. She drove them into the dirt and pinned them there, keeping track of their small bodies.

The Auras of the people before her spread outward. Gosh, two of them were ready to murder her. Their menace surged through the Aura surrounding their bodies but Thea grabbed hold of them all before they could act. Her telekinetic grab, powered by the very fabric of reality around them, crushed their Aura back into their bodies and held them all in place.

Thea was already sweating, however. Such a thing on four people would take effort. Four Aurans as well as a little extra focus for their Hawks... she would need to endure.

"What the f-- A Cursed, eh?" Kill squirmed in place, looking as if nothing was holding him at all, but his limbs couldn't move. His Aura couldn't travel further than an inch from his body so his abilities were rendered useless against her. "A powerful one," he grinned, furrowing his brows. "Just wait til I get my hands on --"

"She's not like us," said the young boy to his left.

Thea turned to him and tilted her head. She smiled kindly. "You're a perceptive one," she said.

"What... what are you?" Burden looked her up and down. Concern painting his face. "I've been able to sense Aura since I was very little. You don't have one."

Thea shook her head in confirmation. "I do not. I envy all of yours." She looked down. "I'm sorry the world treats you so horribly." She breathed heavier and tried not to do more than she came to do. But she did add, "Things will change someday. I promise. Someday things will change."

"The fuck are you talking about?!" Kill shouted and tried his very best to break out of something unbreakable. It was as useful as trying to break out of your own skull.

"Of course she's Cursed --" the woman Pain sputtered. "How else would she be doing this to us? Are you doing this to us?!"

"I am." Thea took a seat and prepared for long nights of hunger. Heat. Cold. Boredom. Frustration. She held them all in place and looked to each of their eyes. "I am sorry for doing this to you."

"Are you going to kill us?" Burden asked.

The fear in his eyes hurt Thea's heart. "No, child. I may bring you all to the brink of ravishing hunger and thirst. But it's all for the greater good. And powerful Aurans like you will survive I'm certain."

"Aurans?" Burden asked. He tensed his face. She felt him push outward with his power. His Aura actually made her grip budge, just a bit. She flinched and clenched around them tighter, making them cry out and drop down, either onto their knees or their behinds.

"You are very powerful," Thea complimented. "I don't think anyone's been able to overpower my grasp, not even for a second."

The boy grinned and shifted in his seat. "I've practiced a lot with this Curse. I've completely made it a part of me." The sweat beaded on his forehead, dripped down from his thick black hair. "Because I use it to bring down those the High Priest wants dead. That includes..." he tried to push again... "...you... if... you get in our... way..." It was no use. Thea did not grant them any reprieve of her invisible grasp.

"Tell me," Thea said. "Why do you refer to what you can do as a Curse."

"Because it is one," the large man, Glutton answered. "It's against the Gods' will to have these powers. Only the Gods should have these powers. Even then..."

"Even then," Kill interrupted. "That doesn't make these Godly abilities. We're freaks." They were awful words but he smiled as he said them.

"Why do you believe that?" Thea inquired deeper. She didn't have to. But she wanted to hear it from their mouths. These people were damaged. Nearly broken. All but perhaps the child. He still held something within his heart it seemed. Whereas these others were hardened and violent, he appeared to hold a resolve stronger than simply violence from an anger's source. "Why do you not call yourselves Gifted like others of your kind?"

"You answer the kid first," Kill said. He seemed to stop his squirming for a while. "Cursed. Gifted. Marked. Sinners. Now Aurans. So many names. But Aurans is a first for me as well. I'm assuming all of us." He glared at her.

"You all have different views of your own kind. Some believe themselves to be blessed. But this Kingdom of yours spreads the message of degeneracy. Less than degeneracy. If you've only heard this word now, I suggest you embody it. No matter your upbringing, you are Auran. For you all are of the Aurora."

"Somebody shut her up..." Pain mumbled. "I can't stand her nonsense words! Gods strike her down already!"

Thea breathed. She looked to Kill who was now staring at the ground.

"How long you keeping us here, then?" he asked. "You said you'd bring us to the brink of starvation. That true?"

"I won't kill you," Thea said. "So I will hold you until we are all exhausted."

"Why would you do this?" Burden asked. "Who are you with?" He sat down as well — Thea allowed him to — "We're going to be here for a while, right? Tell us something. Anything."

"I'll tell you. The woman you're after is pregnant with someone who is very special to this world. The child's parents will play an important role in events to come. As for who I am with," Thea raised her arms. "I'm with the world."

"Right..." Kill sighed.

Burden stared at her. "How can you do this to us if you're not Cursed?"

"The answer to that is something that wouldn't make sense to any of you." Thea smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, at least entertain us with some hints," Kill chuckled.

"Are you..." Glutton swallowed. Thea turned her head to face him. His cheeks became red. "No..."

"What is it, Glutton?" Pain whispered. "Is she... is she a demon?"

Glutton nodded slowly.

Thea giggled. "To your religion, yes, I am a demon." She turned to each of them as she spoke. "I am a woman of great power. There are still people on Nadi who worship my kind. Though I wish they wouldn't. But it is flattering." She paused. "I'm sure you've heard of the Goddesses."

For the entire night, Thea stayed awake. The ones she held in her grasp slept. She loosened her grip just enough to allow them to rest on the ground if they wished. A focus on breath was required for this holding, of different tightness, different angles, different weights and sizes. What got her through was the hope for unification in the far future. The uncovering of the Aurora. Peace among all beings.

The one who refused sleep was Burden. She squared off with the boy through many hours of the night, staring, smiling as he glared. Eventually, she broke the silence, the moonlight cold and the wind giving a chill across the plains.

"You are very resilient," Thea said quietly. "This is all for your Devotion? To prove that you are Cursed as they all say you are?"

Burden smirked. "Yes. And I will never stand down to demons like you. I was born with this Curse but I'll be forgiven someday. Healed. When you get tired of holding us, I'll kill you."

Thea breathed. Closed her eyes. "I feel something within you," she said. "A foreign object. It's just between your flesh and your skull." She opened her eyes and her expression softened, feeling his pain, truly, not only physically but deep within. "They tame you with this. Whatever this device is."

"I wear it with honor," said Burden.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Thea. "Though I do not believe you're telling me the complete truth."

"You know nothing about me, demon."

"I can remove it if you'd like me to." She smiled widely.

At this, Burden's eyes widened just a bit. He straightened his back, looked away, looked back again.

"It would be quick," she said. "I could remove them from all of you right now. I want to."

"Don't you dare."

Thea furrowed her brow. "Why would --"

"This gave me meaning when I had none at all!" Burden growled. "You wouldn't understand. Someone who doesn't hold the Gods wouldn't understand. They challenge us. Give us pain to grow."

Thea, for a moment, flexed her finger, sending her grasp to Burden's skull, grabbing for the strange metal that plagued him. But she stopped. It would be painful. But it would heal. And these people would be free. But without their okay... it did not feel correct. And the boy's view on pain... wasn't much different from her own. Something necessary for greater change.

"You'll be free someday, child." The world was silent.

"My name is Burden." Clouds passed over the moon, leaving them all in shadow.

"Someday," she insisted. "Someday you won't be."

The days passed. Thea pushed through the pain of hunger. The sickness of thirst. They all sat and groaned and strained through the heat and the cold, becoming filthy, becoming crazed. Pain cried and screamed after their second night together. Glutton moaned quite a bit... it appeared to be a pain from a craving that Thea couldn't identify entirely. Kill shouted at them to shut up to no avail. And Burden was his typical, determined, devoted self.

A week had passed. All before her had dry, bleeding lips, burns on their skin from the sun, much too exhausted to spend their energy fighting her.

But, much to her surprise, when she released them, and the others collapsed completely, Burden promptly sent out his Aura to deliver a strike to her.

Her eyes widened. His abilities weren't much different than hers -- it was like an invisible hand reaching out, large and intimidating, one that could push, pull or pulverize. Though, despite Thea's exhaustion she was much more powerful than him. She grabbed his reach with her own invisible outreaching embrace, crushing it, and his Aura crumbled back into himself as he dropped to his knees. His strength was sapped.

"Just over the hills behind me," she breathed, "Is a fresh stream. Drink up." The day was just beginning. "You'll need food soon afterward. There's a town a few miles up the road who I'm sure will help you out." They all slowly got up and glared at her, but none to their feet. She prepared to counter whatever they had but it was clear they were spent. "I wish you all the very best in your lives."

"Fuck... you..." Kill breathed.

Thea smirked. She knelt down, placed her hand to the ground and stepped away from the continent in the same way she arrived. A powerful surge of bright energy exploded from within, surrounding her in an orb of light. She stood up and gave them all a final look. A final reconsideration of relieving them of their suffering. But she couldn't help everyone. Not right now at least. The suffering they would bring upon others was important. And their own suffering would bring about great change within themselves.

The energy split Thea apart into pieces of herself, fundamental, invisible bits of her being and sent her back from whence she came.