I gasped for breath as my eyes shot open, everything was blurry and the room was spinning, I didn't realise how much I'd overdone it in my desire to see my vision through to the end. I wobbled and felt myself falling backwards but I couldn't summon the strength to stop as I collapsed onto the bed.

"Joan! Joan! Are you alright?"

Moth– no. It's the head priest's voice calling to me. The room wouldn't stop spinning and my vision kept fading in and out. I could only spare enough energy to raise my palm to show that I'm fine but the rest of my time was spent breathing deeply while trying to remain awake.

Eventually, the icy numbness subsided as warmth and feeling began to seep back into my body, the world slowly came back into focus and I breathed steadily once more.

I looked over at the high priest's worried face and forced a smile to let him know that I'm fine physically. Mentally I've taken a beating. I didn't have any other experiences to draw on but it seemed like it was more taxing for me to tend the blade of a living person. I was weaker when I tended my father's blade and yet I was able to have a longer vision. I wouldn't know for sure until I tested my skill on others.

"If you're really fine would you mind telling me what you saw?"

I told him in as much detail as I could the vision that appeared before me whilst tending his blade. As I spoke he nodded along with a sad expression on his wrinkled face. He knew exactly what I was describing, although he wouldn't tell me what happened explicitly I feel like I had a vague understanding from my vision.

"And what's your verdict tender? From what I've heard I'm supposed to receive guidance from you based on what you saw."

he said. I was still a little fatigued so I didn't properly think things through, I just blurted out the first thing that popped into my head.

"No clue, this is all still new to me. The only thing I felt strongly was my desire to pull you away from the red one when I saw how much they hurt you from the start."

"Heh. Maybe things would've turned out better if I knew someone like you back then. You can't change the past so live without regrets Joan. Live for a better tomorrow."

"You too." The words slipped out without thought.

The head priest just smiled wide with that youthful grin.

"I might not have much time left, but you're right. Let's see what I can squeeze out of these old bones. I believe our meeting was more than chance. Everything in this life moves according to the will of the gods, remember that and you can find strength in the most hopeless times."

If the gods did influence everything then that's where my anger should be aimed. If everything moved according to their wishes then that would mean they planned for and allowed every bit of suffering. I wanted to believe that they watched over us, that they had no influence on anything except for how we were judged in the afterlife. The good join them in eternal happiness, while the evil souls burn to fuel the great forge.

We said goodnight and separated to go to sleep. I was still lying down with my legs dangling off the side of the bed. Despite my tiredness, I thought that I would have trouble drifting off to sleep, for fear of the unknowns that tomorrow would bring but my eyelids were heavier than ever before and soon I was off to slumber.

Another dreamless night. I awoke refreshed but that was quickly replaced by the anxiety that was quickly becoming my default state of mind. For all my talk about saving the children I was scared, my mind was a chaotic mess trying to predict what might happen and how I should react. In the end, there was no point in trying to divine the future.

Judging by the paperwork dropped off along with her 'gift' the collector at least wanted to give others the impression that she was doing things by the books but I couldn't let my guard down. I exercised, got dressed in my tattered sleeved white dress and ate my fill of stew before being led up to the surface by the head priest. The transition from the dwelling to the surface was never that bad because of how gradual the change in light was over the long staircase. Still, stepping out of the shade of the wall and into direct daylight always made me squint.

I couldn't imagine what it must've been like for the kids that had only known the faint blue glow of the underground. To be stolen from their parents and thrust into the sunlight without care before being mutilated. I needed to hold on to my fury until the moment was right. I needed to take things one step at a time.

Instead of our usual route the head priest brought me closer to the richer centre of the city, to the tower. I could see it looming in the distance, my near-death experience flashing before my eyes as we approached. What if it happens again? What if the powerful person behind those great doors lives around here? I couldn't risk falling over dead. I pointed at the white tower and whispered into the head priest's ear,

"Hey the guy at the rite won't be around here, will he?"

The head priest looked puzzled for a moment as if he was trying to decipher some sort of code in my words before going back to normal.

"I guarantee the presence from the rite won't be here until next year."

One piece of good news at least, I gave my silent prayers to the forgemother that more good news would be on its way. Eventually, we arrived back in the courtyard where the tower stood. True to his word I heard no trace of the cacophonous song. He gestured towards one of the five giant manors that encircled the tower saying,

"It's all you from here. Remember if you're in danger, just run. Find any member of my clergy and they should bring you to safety."

He patted my back before handing me the stack of registration papers. I nodded heading towards the gigantic building. It had a cobbled foundation and a steeply sloped roof of red tiles but a majority of its structure was made of dark wood beams. Between the crisscrossing beams were flat sections of wall that were painted red. It looked very expensive and sturdy but a pessimistic part of me couldn't help but see the wood beams as the bars of a cage. A cage I would willingly enter.

Two men were standing guard outside the manor, one was unknown but I'd recognised the eyelashes on the other guy. I kept walking normally but internally I was screaming trying to remember his name. I specifically asked for it during Alessia's search but so much had happened since then and I was drawing a blank right now. Though I had no way of knowing if he was trustworthy, especially because of the place he was guarding.

As I approached, the unknown guard stood to attention and spoke,

"This is the Fleur Guildhouse, state your name and intention."

"Uh, Joan and to enter? I've got some paperwork here."

I thought that I was expected so I wasn't sure how to identify myself properly.

The unknown guard appeared to be older than Eyelashes and had experience dealing with new people.

"Welcome, if I could just verify those documents quickly you can be on your way."

I handed the older guard my paperwork and he started to flick through the pages. I watched him work until I heard a voice from my side.

"Moving up in the world eh?"

Eyelashes was attempting to strike up a conversation.

"I guess."

It was hard to hide my displeasure at being here but I sucked it up not wanting to seem rude,

"Do you know if it's good here? Like, do people enjoy working here?"

"Can't say I've heard any complaints, well not from the staff at least. They must be paid well with all of the people that come here to moan about the prices."

"Do you guys receive a lot of complaints?"

He sighed,

"Yeah but it's our job to deal with them quickly and discreetly."

I was initially considering asking more targeted questions, maybe even telling him about the atrocity committed. But after hearing how he 'discreetly' let that information about complaints slip I thought better of it and just waited until the older guard had finished his checks.

"It looks like someone else filled this out for you, they left the spaces for your signature blank, see here, and here and here."

"Is that a problem?"

I've never needed to fill paperwork out before, I just assumed that everything was already handled since so much of it was already filled in.

"Not a big one, you've come here personally bearing the documents and everything else is in order. I could accept verbal consent and note that on these forms for you. What is your full name as well as any titles?"

"Joan Briar."

He nodded and kept waiting for me to continue until eyelashes spoke up.

"Ah, Sir. She is not of noble birth and does not hold any titles."

The older guard looked at me a little closer while stroking his chin before musing.

"Unlanded? My apologies it's not often that people like you are offered such positions. But you already have the relevant signatures and seals, they don't look like forgeries… I'll handle the paperwork, for now. You will be contacted if there are any issues. You can head inside. Oh and give your name to one of the women at the front desk."

I cracked the doors open cautiously and caught a heavy whiff of floral perfumes that billowed out like smoke but when nothing else happened I gained the confidence to fully open them. The inside wasn't quite as expected. In the large reception room, there was a desk that stretched across the back wall with women wearing the same clothes as the stall workers standing almost shoulder to shoulder behind the desk. Each one was dealing with at least a few people wearing fancy-looking embroidered clothes. There were five doors in the room, the one I entered through, one to the left and right that customers were occasionally led through and two behind the desk for staff.

I sheepishly joined the shortest queue feeling out of place among the men and women of clearly higher status. A few of them glanced in my direction but it seemed that most of them had better things to do than pay attention to me. The line moved pretty fast and before long I was face to face with an older woman wearing a stern expression that appeared to be natural for her.

"Hello, my name is Henrietta. Do you have an appointment? Are you looking to make an appointment? Or are you here for a query?"

She had a lovely, high voice that sounded odd coming from such a serious face. I just did as the guard told me,

"I'm Joan Briar I'm here for–"

"Understood. Would you please follow me."

It was phrased like a question yet spoken like a demand. The thought that it wasn't too late to turn back and flee flashed through my mind but I banished the thought, I was ashamed to have even considered it. I followed Henrietta to the edge of the desk where a section lifted to allow me entry.

I was then led through the staff doors into a room with mirrored walls. Through another door at the back, we entered a huge area with a grand curving staircase and many doors lining the walls. We walked the steps up to the very top floor where a larger than average set of double doors awaited me.

Henrietta rapped the doors three times and stood in silence. So I waited with her and waited and waited. Had she made a mistake? An uncomfortable length of time passed where we just stood around until the collector's voice rang out,

"Enter!"