As the sun began to set in luminous orange and red, the orphanage was abuzz with movement. With her hands full as usual, Auriel assisted Ms. Maia in the evening routine of cooking, sharing supper, and finally getting the kids to bed. JJ and Adam grumbled, unwilling to sleep just yet. Adam was particularly full of energy, springing up from under his covers.

“Jump attack!”

Auriel caught him in midair, then spun and tossed him back to his bed. Not willing to surrender, the young warrior tossed two pillows, but she caught them and returned the volley, to JJ’s entertainment as he laughed seeing it transpire.

“Haha, you suck, Adam.”

“Now boys, get some sleep okay? And no wandering around at night or I’ll eat your breakfast tomorrow.”

The boys giggled as Auriel tickled them before she tucked them in. She went to her own room, blowing out the candle and walking to her open window. Gazing at the starlit sky, she lingered, and her eyes shone with an indescribable longing. This too passed, and she closed the window with a short sigh.

In deep sleep, she clutched her sheets tightly in apparent reflex to the dire straits in her dream. She saw herself surrounded by countless humanoid beings, shivering rhythmically with their heads down and scratching at their pitch black, patchy skin.

Almost paralyzed by fear, she made careful steps to walk between them, when she began to hear a low rumbling, almost like a purring feline, somewhere around her. The growing sound fueled her fear and raised her pulse, prompting her to run as quickly as she could through the blackness until she had a sudden urge to stop.

An entirely alien sensation pulsating in her chest caused her to aggressively scratch at the area, tearing her torso. Her skin stretched unevenly as if something beneath it was attempting to forcefully claw its way out, causing her to scratch and tear more hectically, hyperventilating.

Her eyes opened widely when her stomach grew into a large mass that stretched outward from her body and fell on the floor. She looked at it terrified as it formed a monstrous deformed face, filling the air with discordant wails as the humanoid creatures all simultaneously raised their heads and let out bone-chilling screeches at her.

She could hear remnants of the echoing sound when she was jolted awake, and tears streamed down her face. She hyperventilated and cried out, checking her stomach to ensure the events were a dream. Ms. Maia rushed in and hugged her tightly, resting Auriel's head on her chest while consoling her.

“Shh shh shhh, It’s okay my dear,” she whispered as she rocked her back and forth. “Everything is okay. I’m right here, right here.”

Through unfocused eyes, Auriel saw the markings on her hands, bold under the flickering light of the nearby candle brought in by Ms. Maia. She closed her eyes and squeezed her hands tightly, and upon opening, the markings disappeared.

When her eyelids began to lower from drowsiness, her mind went back to the encounter with III and the orb. She opened them widely when she remembered fragments of the scenes she saw, then her eyelids drooped once more and she fell asleep.

~X~

In the brush just outside the walls, a now geared up III picked off a growing number of Fractured, sniping them with her crossbow one after the other. She sensed a wave of energy reminiscent of an early encounter push past her, causing her to turn and face the village.

The orb lit up and frantically shot energy in all directions, with some temporary streams that went towards the village. After a moment of contemplation, III activated her star, which covered her in an aura that summarily made her appear weightless.

She kicked off with a burst of speed, flying through the air until reaching a vantage point above the village, the crescent moon hanging in the backdrop. A section of her visor opened up, and through it, her green eyes glowed subtly in the dark. She scanned the immediate area and located what appeared to be migrating groups of Fractured in different spots around the village. Her crossbow swayed as she moved it from group to group, focusing with one eye through the scope.

“Not as simple as in and out, huh? No kidding.”

~X~

Several days seemed to blur together for a very distracted Auriel, as she completed various tasks. Her mind unceasingly contemplated the chance encounter that seemed to spark something she could not fully understand. Memories that did not belong to her, and the sensation of the unique presence that resided within all wielders, *Aether.

When it became clear she could not come to a conclusion on her own, she decided to find the enigmatic stranger, and have her provide answers. She went to the location of the encounter and stopped by to ask the stall owners about her, encountering the stall keeper who got hit with the pear the other day.

“Hey! Mr. Moreno!”

“Ellie! Hello hello!” he replied, waving to her. “Here to buy my produce? I’ll cut you a deal if Ms. Maia agrees to a dinner under the stars!”

“Yeah, neither of those things are gonna happen right now. Anyway, would you happen to remember seeing that cloaked lady from a few days ago who had a stall? I need some help.”

“Nah sorry, not after she bumped me over the head with a pear,” he mentioned as he rubbed the spot where he was hit. “Imagine, there I was just being neighborly and inspecting her stall to make sure it was up to standard then BAM out of nowhere, flying fruit!” What a waste to be throwing around food like that in this economy.”

“You were probably caught doing something you weren’t supposed to,” she suggested, skeptical of his claim.

He gasped, looking legitimately offended at her suggestion. “Me? What an accusation! I was doing my duty to the Merchant Association! Besides, no matter how very slender and attractive she was, my heart belongs to Ms. Maia.”

Auriel shook her head in amusement as he hugged and kissed the air.

“Keep dreaming. For the stranger, did anyone else talk to her? Or know where she went?”

“Eh, no, I don’t think so. Did she have something for you?”

“No, I just needed to talk to her.”

“Maybe check the West Gate? The whole village is hubbub with talk of a work request by some bigwig. Lots of able-bodied young people meeting up over there. Must be paying a lot of good money.”

“That’s solid info, thanks!”

Giving him a thumbs up, she ran off, continuing her search.

~X~

In a wide holding cell with several criminals huddled in a corner, Cannibal Tiger vigorously completed a set of pushups, then walked to the nearest wall. Recalling his earlier defeat, he punched the wall from embarrassment, prompting a guard to walk over to the cell and knock on the bars.

He swiftly grabbed the bars to the guard’s surprise, causing him to fall over in fright, while another guard stepped forward to help him up and send him away. The new guard turned, locking eyes with Cannibal Tiger, and approached him. With his back turned, he discreetly slipped a small, round container to Cannibal Tiger, and addressed him.

“For you, boss. *Stream Walker sends his regards.”

Taking it cautiously, he noticed a small, pebble-like item within it.

“Some info to pass, this evening the security manning will be low at the change of shift, due to some other event the village is focused on,” the guard informed him. “That will be the best time to break out with minimal resistance.”

After his co-conspirator walked off, Cannibal Tiger laughed to himself, musing his next moves.

“Just you wait! I’ll find you, little girl, and teach you not to mess with me!”

~End of Chapter~

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~Notes~

Stream Walker: One of the Wetland Kings, and Cannibal Tiger's assigned partner.