With everything that had occurred over the day, everyone was glad to finally face the end of what felt like a really long day. Tomorrow would come with its own challenges, but for now everyone would rest.

Riyxia was technically one of the people in that same situation, although it was only her body that would be resting. Tonight however wouldn’t be a night filled feeling removed from the world, this time she would actually be able to interact with things. The doll made for her had been something that really took some getting used to, especially since it was so obvious the doll wasn’t actually alive. It was a slightly different perspective too, she was a slight bit taller than usual, the same 7-7 Uyn as Vwyx, but a fraction of that shorter than her. Even more comical, the doll she was in wasn’t even elven anymore, leaving the doll feeling even more different. Her hair was certainly longer than any of the other girls as well, though it wasn’t made of actual hair. Technically, nothing about her was real, she wasn’t actually hearing from her ears or seeing from her eyes, another aspect that sorta felt strange. She had to wear soft slippers too, because her feet on stone made a lot more noise than people normally would. It was strange, but its vivid artificial nature gave it a subtle sort of comfort. She wasn’t possessing another body, or a reflection of herself, this was just an object designed to give her familiar options while her actual body was otherwise occupied.

Her first overnight project was to put together some stuff for this new aspect of herself, starting with clothes. Even this proved an initial obstacle for such a project, as her hands weren’t actually designed for precision movements, being a bit too rigid in design. She quickly however found a way around this problem, linking herself to the objects she was trying to manipulate so that the objects would move as she wished regardless. This effectively proved even faster and more precise than if her actual body had attempted the same process. Sewing cloth together was easier when you had possessed not only the needle, but also the cloth. She still kept her actual essence within the doll, using that perspective to gauge what she was trying to accomplish. Through her work, she produced a forest green outfit, something clearly not intended for wilderness use, but still soft and pretty in an almost casual way. A shoulder shawl breathed over a light blouse, with a long soft overcoat that extended down over her flowing skirt. The soft slippers were even redesigned to match the rest of the design, and it was finished with yet another matching beret, one fitting the style they had all frequented. Putting it on, she even felt both beautiful and surreal. Knowing she would need some reliable considency, she made a few duplicates of the same outfit before dawn arrived.

Having finished her work, she picked up the collection and made her way back to her room. By this point, other hunters had already started preparing for their day, yet all of them stopped what they were doing to stare. To everyone, it was like a goddess of the divine walked in their midst, the fact she didn’t look natural only building upon the message. She could hear the spur of questions coming up by her presence, leaving her to regret her inability to speak. In turn, she simply brought attention to her beret. This had the desired effect of opening a path for her, everyone had grown used to the emblem and the significance it promoted. However, this just replaced old questions with new one, while concern rose if this was way above anyone’s ability to influence. The admiration and concern did not disappear, and her silence was simply being regarded as no one present was worth talking to her. She was almost safely back to her room when she was suddenly confronted by Ayzherie herself, silently scanning her over to figure out where she should even begin. As it was also almost morning as is, and her room wasn’t very far away, Riyxia opted for the simplest solution for this problem.

“Hey, Ayzherie, sorry, long story. Actually, not that long, but I only just woke up, ~yawn~ so I’ll fill you in on everything later.” “A strange person with a seemingly unnatural beauty, yet actually seems more like a living doll than anything else. Let me guess, that’s you in there? Did Vwyx make this? Rather brilliantly done, in all honesty. However, leaving people to wake to such a degree of the unexpected has already caused a bit of an early morning mess, it might have been smart to at least let me know about it, so that I could ensure the right preparations were ready.” “Sorry?” “Yes, yes, you’re still rather sleepy. You go then, tend to your own physical needs, I expect there will be no issue if I borrow the company of your spectre, is there? I’m guessing you can’t talk in this shell, but that should still be alright.” Riyxia shrugged, leaving things in Ayzherie’s care as she returned to her room. Ayzherie looked over the lifelike doll before her, still amazed at how much beauty was captured in its crafting. The eyes even glittered like the emeralds and onyx they were probably made from. It was no wonder everyone was suddenly talking about this stranger who had shown up unexpectedly overnight. Ayzherie took it by the hand, feeling the cold and almost clay marble composition it was made from as she guided it back into the open hall.

“Could I get everyone’s attention please? Thank you. There has been some concern about the sudden reveal of our latest secret project, and I suspect a good number of you would like some clear answers. Fortunately, I can provide at least a couple of updates for everyone. I’m sure everyone by now is familiar with the three girls we’ve had supporting us here, our super weapons against the threat of the beasts. Many of you have at least seen the sort of amazing things they are even capable of. However, little do all of you know, even with their measure of greatness, all three girls have been seeking ways to improve even further, to find new ways to move forward. What you’ve seen here is only the latest in their most recent discoveries. She might only look doll-like to you, but rest assured, this is a completely inanimate doll that has been infused by the will of one of their own. It is also probably only the beginning, I expect we will see a number of other inanimate objects travelling these halls in accordance to their wills. This particular creation isn’t able to even talk, so you will not get to ask it any questions at this time, but rest assured there is one of the three within this doll, she is perfectly aware of what is going on here as well. It’s only a prototype, an example of what such a technique would be capable of, and I’m certain I’m not the only one who sees the potential of such. When you see such animated objects, be certain to treat them with respect.” Ayzherie went quiet as chatter returned to the halls. As Ayzherie brought the spectre to a chair central to the room, sitting at a table, everything started to socially unfurl around them. Riyxia was being grand-staged in the room, held upon a pedestal as someone of great significance. With such going on, her body almost simply hid in its bed, unwilling to face such immensity so suddenly.

“You’re used to matters of business, what chances do you think there are that an instrument could be made to replicate that sort of thing?” “Sadly, none. Instruments replicate the gift, after all. I’ve only been slightly exposed to Sryine and her friends, but I’m almost certain it's Riyxia in there, using her flame thing to pull this off. The gift can’t replicate what she’s capable of, nothing about the flame is of this world at all. Remember, she’s not even actually either elven or human, she’s something else, something only possible because of the flame, leaving her with unique abilities impossible for anyone else.” “Maybe, it’s just that I know my sister would have loved to tap into even a fragment of the same potential. Not even just her, the city as a whole would love to know that something this magnificent had been discovered.” Jwyexzn contimplated the magnitude of their circumstances, only slightly disappointed at Hyusziq’s reply. He had never shared the same dreams as his sister, he had his own dreams. As a reporter, he dreamed of discovering news that would change the world once it was revealed, something exactly like this. It might not be something he had the permission to share, but that would simply be the next clear step forward.

“Riyxia, why are you hiding under your blanket?” “A certain doll might have caused a really big scene first thing in the morning, and is now the center of everyone’s admiration.” “Oh, is that all? Really, we’ve been the center of attention for a while now, if you’ve been paying any attention to any of the other hunters. Right from that performance at the cafe, even more so after all the augmentation. If everyone had suddenly discovered that Sryine and my gift’s potential had just doubled upon itself, that would have caused a scene too, but I think people just think we’ve just expanded upon the original.. cause of the whole augmentation thing.” Vwyx pulled away Riyxia’s blanket, discouraging her from hiding. Sryine picked up a book from her bedside before going to lend Vwyx a hand in getting Riyxia out of bed. Riyxia shook her head, neither of them understood just how much everything was being grandstaged right now, how everything was just…

“Look, fine, we’ll all go and face things together, get this taken care of, as long as you agree to let me finally read this book afterwards. You kinda took away that opportunity yesterday.. which wasn’t exactly fair. Actually, you haven’t given yourself much time either, have you? Responsibility this, responsibility that, no wonder things have escalated so far, you spend far too much time worrying about being helpful and less time worrying about you. You’re going to need to take some time for yourself too, figure out your own dreams and ambitions, and how you’re going to get there. I know, simply by the way you live, your mind isn’t something that ever gets to rest, but you need to at least learn how to relax, okay?” Sryine was practically waving her book around like it was a weapon as she went on her admonishing rant. Riyxia was still tempted to correct her, clarify that her nights typically went by very calm and relaxed, but her thoughts clung to one point in particular that otherwise silenced her as she joined the others in preparing for the day. Dreams and ambitions.. dreams were something much harder for her to technically have when she didn’t even sleep in a dream-like state, a lesson she had only learned far later when nightmares plagued her friends. However, it wasn’t like she was left without a personal vision, something she had come to learn had in truth been passed down to her.

“What I still really want to do is to find a way to reach towards the stars. I know, that’s more what Khyzae wanted to do, but I did inherit what remained of her essence, so it is a part of myself too. That’s why I spend my nights typically watching the stars.. stars that always seem so far away.” “Even the moon is really far away, trust me, Khyzae had me personally do the calculations. Setting up a gate to the moon had even failed, possibly because the distance was just that far, maybe it was something else. Closing the distance though might be a bit too difficult.” Riyxia pondered the problem Sryine presented, closing the distance. The stars had always seemed so far, except for that one night when she flew free, high above the clouds. Had she a way to fly even higher, maybe then she could have… “Wait, would that actually work?” “Would what work?” “If shortcuts like teleportation are impossible, bring things one step at a time, actually fly the distance.” “Is it even possible to fly through the world’s border? Didn’t Khyzae say that’s where things got really complicated?” “Sryine, let me ask you this then. You know the Terran Mythos well, was there ever any record in that of leaving their own world.” “There.. actually was. Countless tales speak of a dangerous border that destroys things trying to pass through, but that they had taken to the sky beyond at one point to make monuments of their own purpose… Riyxia, this is ridiculous, and very dangerous. The gift itself gets very weak the higher you go, we simply don’t have what it takes to make such a journey.” Riyxia passed Sryine a sideways glance as they took a seat in the main hall, first the girl told her to dream more, now she needed to be more realistic?

“If you’re problem is lacking resources, there is a very reasonable solution for it, one even my sister employed for much the same reason. In fact, I believe it was Khyzae’s idea in the first place. The modern world is empowered by business, and building a case that intrigues people can provide plenty of resources if the case is good enough. Present a strong case, and the doors of trade open wide, something I’m certain a lady such as Sryine would be able to take considerable advantage of. Building a strong case might be a first step, and that might seem daunting, especially if you’re poised for something world-changing, but you’re forgetting who you’re working with, and your forgetting what you’re capable of. You’ve still got everyone over there amazed by your latest creation, by the way, a creation that proves your ability to achieve great things, but only for those who know about it. Meanwhile, as you all know, I profess myself as one who brings information to the public, to raise awareness of great things going on. I’ve kept silent on much of this, because it had been expected, because I’ve agreed to it, but if you need a case that brings support from more than just the hunters of the hall, that rallies the entire city.. maybe even beyond.. I’m certain I can put something together to turn attention your way. From there, you just need to negotiate business, ensure that the return you get from any potential investors gives you what you need to reach for your goals. You’ve seen what support this has provided for my sister, and she’s still effectively a normal person with some big dreams to work towards.” Jwyexzn surprised all three girls by showing up almost out of nowhere, though they really shouldn’t have been so surprised.. considering that was pretty much what he did normally.

Riyxia returned her awareness to her spectre, still the center of attention, leaving their current table rather quiet. Rather than doubting she could command vast degrees of attention, the question was more if she even wanted to. While they were a big deal among the hunters, they were basically nobody important within the city. She recalled her trips through the city, especially the congested population of the malls. To command the same admiration of that many people.. would she even have room to breathe anymore? However, more than admiration, she also had the support of the hunters, that’s how she had gotten the opportunity to develop as far as she had.. and even that wasn’t enough to breach the distance of the stars. Was asking for help really that bad, when the challenge was so immense and the reward so impressive? Was she so easily ready to give up on the stars, just because of getting even more responsibility? There was actually a part of her that really wanted to do more things for people, to provide more for society, and maybe she would have to seek help for herself before she would be capable of helping others. At the very least, she had her friends by her side, people she could count on to help. Sryine took one look at Riyxia’s expression and held up the book she carried in defiance, clearly picking up on Riyxia’s resolution. Right, her friends had their own things to worry themselves on, but she knew she at least had their support where it mattered. In fact, the information from that book might help them in a number of related ways, so leaving Sryine to her book would still work out for now.

“Sryine, yes, you should get started on that book, just let me know if you learn anything useful from it. I went through a lot to bring that back, so I certainly hope we can get something from all that work. You should even make sure to take the day to your own pursuits, maybe get some more work on your own business in the process. That training simulation idea had probably gone stagnant, this might be a good opportunity for you to return to it. Jwyexzn, you and I will work on setting up a good plan for this idea you're proposing, let’s see what sort of ideas you’re capable of. Vwyx unfortunately will be busy catching up with some unfinished work today.” “Wait, I am? Did I miss something?” “Ayzherie, thank you for coming. Sorry for drawing you away from the others like that, but we can’t have everyone waste the day away by just sitting and staring. There have been plenty of tasks that have just come up, so I’m going to be busy today. Vwyx however has missed out on yesterday’s lesson, one I’m certain you will be able to catch her up on while the rest of us are occupied. You know the basic goal of the lesson, I’ll leave the finer details in your care.” Riyxia didn’t miss Vwyx’s look of dread as she got up from the table. Ayzherie returned Riyxia a slight smile as she called Dhyinze over to help with the lesson once again, letting the possessed doll return to Riyxia’s care in exchange. Sryine didn’t even get up from her chair, opening the book and diving right in where she sat, finally being given her opportunity. The rest of the crowd had also quickly dispersed after being obviously threatened with additional training, had they continued to ‘waste the day away by just sitting and staring’. It wasn’t even Ayzherie that had pressed on the threat, but no one was going to take any chances.

In the opening left by Ayzherie’s exchange, both Sryine and Vwyx took the opportunity to notice exactly what Riyxia had achieved overnight with the doll they had left her with. In all honesty, with results looking that beautiful, it actually wasn’t surprising things had escalated so suddenly.