On a white beach populated by jagged metal shreds of torn ships and rotting seaweed, they tied us together and left us propped up against a leg of a derelict transmission tower. I would’ve thrown a fit about the injustice and absurdity of it all — we were both alive despite everything, so why worry? — but as soon as my sight returned, I squashed all complaints and allowed Elias and Nina to carry out their judgement.

The problem was exactly that: my sight returned.

The stench of something like rotting eggs on top of salty sea spray. Cold winds and humid air. Chapped lips, dry mouth, wet clothes, a cold pain of metal in the right side of my head. Sensations I had long forgotten assaulted me, overwhelming my already disoriented mind.

Hunger. Thirst. An aching pain embedded like burning threads through my entire body. I let out an involuntary cry as something convulsed against my chest; it felt like I was being stabbed by a serrated rusty dagger. For the first time, I smelled the acrid, rusty tang of fresh blood.

The remains of a broken bottle lay near me in the damp sand. I desperately leaned forward, trying to piece together what was happening to me—

—that was a mistake.

This wasn’t my body. I wouldn’t accept this result; I pulled out of Owl’s body, reaching for my original container. The sickeningly pale tendrils crackling with blue energy stabbing into her seemed to be mine — they seemed to respond to my will, but flicked and undulated with their own volition. At least she didn’t scream when I pulled them out.

Elias and Nina soon came running towards us, weapons at the ready. A moment’s worth of concentration caused the abyssal tendrils to disappear, but I’m not sure how much they saw. Probably a bit too much, given Nina’s panicked expression.

“Stop moving,” Nina said, aiming a sleek white pistol at the tied-up girl. “Owl. Tell me you’re still in there. Don’t make me do this.”

Owl twitched. Her head lolled forward and vile black water came dribbling out of her mouth, a small stream at first. She convulsed and threw up on herself, hacking and coughing up everything that had gone in during her swim.

When she recovered, she looked up at Nina blankly, blinked twice, and said, “It hurts. Kill me. Please. It hurts, it hurts—”

Her words turned into a scream. Time itself began to unravel — colour flickered and faded and was turned into a slideshow of her trying to break free of her bonds, kicking at the sand and writhing in chains — I was dragged along with her, forced to experience the same agony.

The pain of being torn apart. Drowning in murky waters. Suffocating in air. Some part of her was already falling apart; her existence was incomplete and disjoint, lifeforce and consciousness slipping through the cracks.

She needed Ether, and there seemed to be a new connection between us. Sending a steady stream of fuel to her seemed to ease her suffering and allowed her to stabilize.

“I don’t… I don’t understand,” she said, frantically looking around. Her eyes flitted between Nina and Elias and settled on me — she scowled and grit her teeth, shaking her head in a combination of horror and apprehension. “What did you do to me? Why? What… who am I?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Nina asked.

A resolution to die, rather than face one’s sins.

Owl kept looking at me, as if expecting me to answer for her. When she realized I was mute again, she set her gaze downwards. “I… We got back from a job. The Laughing Arlequins. Took what was supposed to be a fatal wound, then I heard a voice talking to me. Saw… things.”

A voice that spoke without words. Though I couldn’t gleam what she said or showed to Owl, I could confirm that it was that damned woman’s presence — merely sensing her made non-existent blood boil.

Three incidents were enough to establish a general pattern. That woman had something to do with the existence of Stigmatas and my current sediment-based predicament. She had to. How many others were there like me and Owl?

Was she the one who created all the Husks?

“Wait,” Owl said, frowning, “who said that?”

It was happening again. But this time, I was confident that I could protect her from further influence — I wouldn’t let anybody toy with her again.

Of all the people I’ve met so far, she was the one who deserved the slightest grain of happiness.

“Who said what?” Nina asked. “What are they saying? Can you still hear me?”

Where was she? I’d kill her for real this time.

“Shut up,” Owl grunted. “Both of you. Fucking worry about yourselves — you’re giving me a headache.”

Owl doesn’t have a headache, I observed, still keeping a vigil.

She scowled at nothing in particular, unsure what to vent her anger at. “How the fuck do you know that?”

Nina and Elias exchanged a look. Then, dropping her pistol, Nina staggered towards the bound Owl and dropped to her knees. Ignoring everything wrong with the current situation, she held the girl to her chest and squeezed tight enough that, somehow, even I felt a warm, soothing embrace.

“What are you doing?” Owl asked, more confused than ever.

When Nina was satisfied, she pulled back and sat in front of Owl. “Do you really not remember anything?”

“I just told you what I remembered. What else do you want from me?”

“Elias, do you have a mirror on you?”

“Something close enough,” he replied.

He buried his blade tip first in the sand and stepped back, clenching his fist. The black finish flaked off and revealed a mirror-like surface that allowed Owl to see what the rest of us already knew.

Brass and engraved clockwork ate away at her, having already replaced her left arm entirely with a claw-like contraption and one of her eyes with a black mechanical orb with a red ring spinning within. Similar orbs spun in partial armor made of metal feathers that were sporadically placed across her body, and spourting from her forehead was a twisted horn that shone in the false daylight.

“Shit,” Owl said, not sounding or looking or feeling too concerned about the dramatic corruption. “Did I get kidnapped and forced into some sort of black company experiment?”

“You killed yourself,” Nina bluntly replied. “Vivian managed to bring you back, but… I don’t think you’re completely human anymore. Physically, at least.”

Owl blinked, and all the fight fled from her. “Oh.”

The restraints came off when both were sure Owl was still herself.

“Nina took the liberty of fishing all your stuff out,” Elias said, laying out her gear on a cliff overlooking the sea. “Most of it’s still here.”

Above the beach was a cliffside that looked like it was smashed by a celestial sledgehammer and left to erode until the sea finished the job. Weather and time smoothed out the rugged cracks and split land, but the undeniable signs of great violence remained. Our group found shelter in the remains of what was once perhaps a restaurant — there were some forks and knives and spoons that had persisted — but was now a caved-in hut with aggravatingly checkerboarded furnishings.

Understandably, Owl kept some distance from her firearms. She occasionally rubbed at the metal plates poking out of her skin, hesitating to touch the spot where she did the deed several hours earlier.

There seemed to be a direct line of communication between me and Owl. It felt similar to the connection I formed with Lyra, except this time, I could see many more memories and emotions and practically felt through her mind and body.

Something critical snapped within after the last job. Owl didn’t seem to be entirely aware of what it was, which was probably for the best; I needed to figure that out before her and seal up the cracks before a certain somebody could dive in and break her again.

I wasn’t brave or cruel enough to try it, but I bet I could’ve hijacked her body again if I really tried.

I hopped back in my drone and thanked Nina and Elias for dealing with me. While the latter only acknowledged my existence with a nod, Nina cradled me like a puppy dog and sat down beside Owl, who was clearly trying to avoid any sort of social contact.

“I think it’s about time we showed our hands,” Nina said, letting me go. “At least, I think I’ve been hiding a bit too much from you two. I can’t just… watch anymore.” She pulled out her mechanical badge and held it emblem-side up. “I’m working on commission for the Bureau. RID department, investigating the recent uptick in the amount of Qliphoth cases. Yours is one of the many cases of Stigmata bearers I’m observing, but… I don’t want to lose you.”

A pang of sadness and betrayal, quickly suppressed. No need for unnecessary emotions.

“You weren’t fooling anybody in the first place,” Owl briskly replied, “but I’ll be fine. You’re worrying about nothing.”

“There’s a reason I’m being very upfront with all this.”

“I’m listening.”

“You can’t keep doing this. The scans, the data, everything—”

“I don’t need to hear any justification,” Owl abruptly said. She looked away from her friend and rolled her eyes. “I learn from my mistakes. Just say whatever you’re gonna say, I’ve still got a job to do.”

“That’s the same thing you said about the Abyssal Flowers gig. You’re one of the only survivors of that one and you’re still going.”

A shrug. “What can I say? I’m just wired that way.”

Grinding gears, bleeding heart. Machines never stop.

“Look at me, Owl.” When she didn’t comply, Nina straddled her legs and grabbed her by the collar, a firm determination burning in her eye. “Look at me. Look at yourself. You already worked yourself into the grave once, and you’re already back at it again. Your body’s mutating. Don’t you get it? Look. At. Me.”

Owl kept ignoring Nina. What was the point in replying? Nina didn’t know. She didn’t know anything.

Somebody who was born sucking on a golden pacifier could never understand what it took to make a single change in the world.

Just a little more strength. Just a little more effort. Just a little more grease, some more spare parts, some more fine tuning, a little more fire and fire to get the job done.

There was no time to rest. Not yet.

Just a little more, Owl thought.

“You’re losing your cool,” Owl commented, finally looking Nina’s way.

Hands loosened and fell. Nina turned away, smiling bitterly. “Just know that you’ve got friends and allies. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We're here for you. I’d…” She paused. “Nevermind.”

Nina looked at me for only a fleeting moment, but the meaning and weight of everything she had done for both of us coalesced into a single clear image when I saw the despair in her eyes.

They had known each other for five years, but even with a hundred, she could never reach somebody who couldn’t see the hand being extended towards them.

Whitelight may have been an option, but I was the last one left she could personally rely on.

Her final hope.

“Let’s get back to Hadron before somebody notices,” Nina said. “I’ll do the necessary paperwork and cover up for this — let’s just pretend this never happened. Your smoke cloak should cover you up until you can either get a better disguise or control your Stigmata better.” She helped Owl up and began fidgeting with her Oracle badge. “It’ll take a few minutes for my portal request to go through.”

“In that case, I’d like to make a request,” Elias interjected. His request caught everybody off guard — once again I barely noticed his presence, even though he was waiting behind the nearby counter. “If I may borrow your ears for a few moments still.”

Owl’s belongings were bundled and cleaned in front of him, lacking any evidence that they were recently covered in her brains and blood. He pushed forward the whole package and neatly clasped his hands together, waiting for a response.

Almost like a hawk.

“You helped me out on a whim,” Nina said, rubbing her nape. “Even though you’re... Well, you.”

“No need to mince words, Miss Nina. I am fully aware of what I am, and I believe pretenses and positions are irrelevant in a place like this — we are simply stragglers who find themselves stranded from the beaten path. If that is the case, let us speak like windswept travelers and speak freely.”

“Go on.”

He placed a crumpled picture on the counter and beckoned Nina closer. Owl and I joined, and we took turns studying the scratched ink.

“I have little interest in Relics, prestige, or money,” Elias continued. “The only reason I entered this Godforsaken land was to capture a fugitive; I’d like your assistance in capturing her. Alive.”

Nina raised an eyebrow. “Really? An Executor needs help?”

“No man can do everything.” He leaned forward, taking his time to appraise each of us with his robotic eyes. “Mister Tapio and Jaxl have been most accommodating, but I have my suspicions that both of them are withholding critical information from me.”

There were twelve people posing, yet only one whose features weren’t scribbled out. I recognized her instantly — the only thing different was that she was in a black and purple uniform and wearing the same emblem as Elias.

“Cassandra,” Nina said. “Yeah, one of the many pains in the Bureau's ass. Why do you want her alive?”

“She is responsible for the Blood Crescent Nights. Not only did she slaughter over a hundred priests and warriors in the course of a single night, she murdered the crown prince — a mere child at the time — and planted his severed head in the emperor’s bed.” He took back the picture from Owl and tucked it back into his coat. “She must answer to her crimes. Death is not a satisfactory punishment — not only will she witness what she did to her victims, but I have personally vowed to uncover the truth she is concealing. Though I fear many would prefer her to be silent.”

“You want us to spare somebody who destroyed my Meridians and left me to die,” Owl stated.

A walking monster drenched in crimson.

He bowed his head. “If it’s too much to ask, then I will humbly retract my request. But I still believe in her — I want to know the reason for her rampage from her own mouth.”

Nina narrowed her eyes. “You Executors really are opportunistic bastards.”

“I am but a lone agent in an unfamiliar land,” Elias said. “Nina, you have a good heart — it is a rarity to see. Consider my blade yours, if you wish to cooperate. I can also offer my knowledge as well to make this a proper partnership.”

Owl shrugged. Whitelight and money were her areas of concerns; revenge was below her. Not like she stood a chance against a monster like that.

“Help me keep these two alive and sound of mind and we’ve got ourselves a deal,” Nina said. “I won’t be around for a while — lots of other work to do. And keep quiet about what happened here. I’m sure you already know what’s going on.”

I sure didn’t, but I gleaned enough circumstantial evidence from dialogue to figure out the gist. At least I knew where and how to pry; better than stabbing around in the dark.

I got a very uneasy feeling from Grimm, but Owl’s new state of existence seemed similar — we both might need to ask for help in mitigating whatever the hell was happening to us.

Perhaps she too knew about that damned woman.

We sealed the deal with a round of handshakes. When Elias got to me, he shook one of my stubby drone legs and held his first out for a bump. I headbutted his knuckles.

It was midday when we got back to the office. We had a free week until Jaxl and Tapio finished concocting the next part of the plan, which I felt like was a horrible idea from a practical standpoint — leaving killers and mercenaries to their own devices couldn’t end well. But waiting inside was Sier and Wiz working away at a stack of corporate-looking paperwork and Grimm listening to music; they looked painfully normal at first glance.

“If you so much look in this direction,” Sier said, tapping away at a keyboard, “I am legally obligated to tear out your eyes.”

“I’ve somehow been dragged into becoming an accountant and technical writer,” Wiz said. “Shit.”

“It’s your internship.”

“...Am I getting paid for this?”

Elias only stopped by to drop me and Owl off. “I’ll be in the city if you need me,” he said, turning out the door. “Call me.”

“I need to sleep,” Owl said, retiring to her room. She didn’t try to shake me off this time — she probably realized that I was somehow keeping her alive in her unknown state.

She collapsed in her bed without bothering to change her clothes. She was at her limit both physically and mentally; in an effort to keep her down, I sat on her back and used my wind to toss an extra set of covers on both of us.

“You don’t need to do that,” she grumbled, distinctly lacking her usual edge.

You’ll sleep for thirty minutes then immediately run off to go grab another contract after doing enough drugs to kill somebody. Your body needs some real rest.

“What are you, my mother?”

I will be, if you wish me to.

That gave her some pause. “Whatever. Don’t do anything funny to me, and make sure nobody stabs me in my sleep.”

She dozed off then. I took a look around, looking for somebody who would stab her in her sleep.

What I failed to notice was the person following us. When I saw their manic eyes and sharp smile, the rapier already found its mark.

I felt Owl sharply inhale, then stop breathing. My own vision and senses were flickering — I only caught the shadow of Grimm raising a finger to her lips and words I wasn’t sure I really heard:

“Sleep tight, beloved sisters. You will inherit the truth.”