The cold air and orange leaves rattled against themselves as Lianne trod through the dirt path while humming to herself. The knife on her hip sat comfortably on her belt and her thin shirt barely stopped the breeze. She jumped over a tree root and continued down the dirt path with a small smile. Moving to a small clearing, she knelt down near a little altar of rocks and brushed the leaves off of it. With a sigh, she looked down slowly.

“... Hey Dad.” She sat down, carefully avoiding the rocks. “Brandon’s using your sword again, Mom finally let him after last time. It’s funny, I never realized how sharp that thing could be. I… I wanted to go along with him into town, but Mom’s still following what you said.” Shaking her head, she smiled a bit. “You know, I used to think the ‘men who would take me away’ were supposed to scare me when I was little, but I guess they’re real, right? Why else would I need to stay here?” With another long sigh, her smile saddened. “I don’t want to stay scared you know, I… I don’t want to just stay here forever. I know that you and Mom did a lot for us, but… yeah, I um....”

She sat in silence, listening to the breeze. Thinking the words she knew she should say, Lianne got up and walked back down the road, swaying side to side. The trees on either side of her started to dissipate as she walked further down the path and back to the house. It stood in the middle of a grassy patch, its roof small and sunken and walls compact. She pushed open the door, stepping onto the creaking floorboards below. The fire inside was burning dully in the living room opposite of the entryway. Lianne moved towards the sound of a small metal hammer hitting a chisel alongside soft humming. A woman with long dark hair sat on a small stool surrounded by tiny shelves filled with little pieces of metal. She turned around, her blue eyes gazing gently. “Everything okay?”

“Mmhm.” Lianne walked closer, peering at the table. “What are you working on now?”

“Don’t know yet, just making patterns.” Her mother reached up to Lianne’s hair, touching the hair clip with a smile. “Were you hoping for another one?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say no, but not really.” She moved closer to the table as her mother stood up, stretching her arms and placing the small tools down. “Is your brother back?”

“No, not yet.”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “He’s going to make me worry.”

“He can handle himself.” Lianne moved out of the small room and to a little bench near the fire. Her mother moved close, sitting next to her. “... You were visiting your father?”

“Yeah.”

She exhaled quietly, wrapping an arm around Lianne’s shoulder. “He would’ve been proud of you.”

“For what?”

“Just for who you are, I am as well.”

Lianne nodded and looked over to the locked metal cellar door and around the room. She leaned onto her mother’s arm, holding on and nodding her head slowly. She remained silent as her mother hugged her tightly yet gingerly.

“It’ll be alright.”

Lianne furrowed her eyebrows, listening to the quieter tone. She looked down to the hands holding onto her. They were paler than before, and the shirt was a dirtied white. Silver hair fell in front of her face as she tried to scramble away, only to find herself frozen. The hand touched her face, turning her towards a set of red eyes. The cellar door creaked open behind them as a small smile appeared on her face and her arms held on gently. Lianne cried out and kept on trying to squirm out of her grip, only to be held closer.

“It’s alright.” Her voice was a whisper, warm and lucid. Blood dripped from her hands and mouth as Lianne closed her eyes, screaming out. The hands gripping her were so gentle, so warm.

Lianne snapped awake as Sirius’s hand shook her shoulder. Quickly moving, she grabbed onto his arm and chest, pushing him off and onto the bed. She held him down and stared into his bright brown eyes. “Why?” Her voice shook as tears dropped from her eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

“W-what?”

“Why are you still here? Why are you staying with me?” She shook her head and gripped harder onto his shoulders, trying to stop herself from breaking down further. “Why do you care?”

Sirius remained calm and didn’t try to resist. “I don’t know, I never have.”

“But what do you want? What use am I to you?”

“I… I want you to find another way, to be happy.”

She grit her teeth as the bright colours of the sky outside shone from the window. “You fucking idiot.” She whispered in a hushed tone, holding on tightly but unsure of why she was still gripping on. He slowly touched a hand to her arm, his skin warm against hers. “Get some rest, you’re still tired.”

She stared at him for a moment before looking away and wiping her tears, releasing her grip. She turned away, laying back down onto the bed while clutching a hand to her chest. Closing her eyes, she curled herself inwards and tried to lay completely still.

~

Opening her eyes, Lianne groaned as the break of dawn hit her eyes. She mumbled to herself and flopped the other way, catching sight of Sirius’s face. Her hand quickly moved to her knife but wrapped around nothing. She sat still for a moment, staring at the man laying a meter away from her. He didn’t have the constant creases on his forehead, and his expression was relaxed. It was odd seeing him so at peace, almost unsettling. Carefully swinging her legs off of the bed, Lianne got up and snuck around to the table. Her knife was still in the same spot that she had put it yesterday, the handle almost glowing under the sun. She let out a sigh and examined the blade which lay next to the flower, the petals still softly brimming with light.

Pulling off the shirt and putting on her coat, she quietly fastened the belts and put on her boots before moving towards the nightstand next to Sirius. Her hand hesitated before she moved towards his body, lightly and gingerly touching the piece of rope which hung the crystal from his neck. She tried to untie it for a second, but gave up and took her knife out, cutting it free. It shimmered under the light from the window, refracting light all over. Shrugging, she held it between her fingers and let her ether flow. It surged with power, glowing brightly as she quickly realized she used a lot more than it needed. She raised her eyebrows; It looked like Sirius had to use a lot more than that, but maybe it was just him.

The sounds of the bedsheets broke the silence as Sirius stirred in his spot. He slowly turned over, his eyes blearily looking towards her. They stayed still for a second and Lianne froze, barely able to move. He pushed himself upwards and looked from the crystal to her. She shook her head, taking a step back and looking away. “Sorry.”

He quickly got to his feet as she concentrated on the crystal. He almost reached her as a bright flash took over her already blurry eyes.

Stumbling as her feet hit the ground, Lianne’s eyes quickly darted around her. She grumbled, realizing she was a bit off from her destination. The further away the target the less accurate the jump would be, but then again, she didn’t actually know the exact distance from Genstem and the City. The fires had now all settled, leaving a blackened heap of rubble behind. She racked her mind for her exact location, trying to judge it off of the remains of buildings surrounding her. Shrugging, she moved along the roads. As she walked, a familiar storehouse came into sight.

Her steps slowed as she moved towards the centre, feeling her eye pulse in pain. The orb was gone, only leaving a dark black puddle. She touched her hand to the liquid, feeling how cold it was. Cursing, she realized her route back was gone. There had to be another way, right? Her boots waded through the darkness, barely making ripples. The liquid fell off her soles as soon as her feet left it, returning to a shiny black sheen. As she reached the middle, a shimmer caught her eye. Reaching down, her fingers wrapped around a small shard. Her eyes furrowed as she realized it was a crystal, the same one that was shoved into the monster’s chest. Part of it looked like it was broken, forming a sharp edge.

She gripped it tightly before looking down to the puddle, nodding. There was a chance it could work, what exactly that chance was she didn’t know. Undoing the top part of her coat, she placed the tip of the crystal into the gap between her ribs. Chuckling at how insane it was, she closed her eyes and pulled inwards.

Her skin stretched and gave away, and the sensation of the crystal grating against her ribs pulsed through her mind. She tried to gasp in pain but could only choke on her own breath. Her mind raced as she realized that she probably just killed herself. What the hell was she thinking? Why would this even work? Her eye thrummed in agony from the ether.

Well, I’ll have to say I didn’t expect that.

Lianne tried to push herself up but failed to move past her hands and knees. The voice echoed in her mind, sending a chill through her.

You have a link to her, was it the infusion? I was admittedly confused by your signature at first, but now I get it. Was it the constant pain that pushed you to hate her? Nevermind, I’ll give you a hand.

A cold sensation spread from her chest which then turned to hot pain. It burned, somehow getting worse as it went on. Grasping at the floor, she tried to scream out as a numb wave washed over her, drowning her body in darkness. The crystal dissolved into her chest and her vision cleared up again, revealing a black void. She got off her knees, touching a hand to her now intact chest. Taking a second to feel her skin, she shrugged and buckled her jacket again. Breathing in deeply, she called out. “Where are you?”

Nowhere and everywhere at once.

“Shut it with the riddles.”

It’s not a riddle.

“What do you want from me? My memories?”

In a way.

“If you’re going to look at them just take them from me completely.”

I had a feeling you would say that, but no. I’m more interested in seeing what you’ll do.

“Shut up.”

A lot has happened while you were gone.

“I don’t c-”

You will.

Before she could respond, the void disappeared, revealing a somewhat familiar destroyed city. Lianne looked around, narrowing her eyes at the sun in the distance. It was setting instead of rising, at least it looked like it. She grumbled to herself, wanting to go back to sleep again. It was all so tiring, so exhausting. It would only last a bit longer.

She started to walk along the path while trying to shake the bleariness from her head. Her eye was burning again, but very slightly. Trying to concentrate on where the pain was directing her, she kept moving forwards.

~

Sirius cursed himself while strapping on his armour. He should’ve known, he should’ve acted faster. She wasn’t the type who would stop after being talked to, but for some reason he let down his guard. Reaching into a pouch on his belt, he fiddled around, grimacing. His hand wrapped around a small chain and he pulled it out. He took a moment to look at the locket in his hand, smooth metal on one side and crystals on the other. With a small, sad smile, he gripped onto it. “You always were looking out for me, huh?”

Attempting to not think about the subject more, he tried to think of where Lianne would go. If she was trying to get back, there was probably only one option. He only had enough energy for one jump, so it had to count. Focusing, a small blue flash emitted from his palm and enveloped his body.

The light dissipated and he stumbled forward, waving away the dizziness. Ash-fallen streets and crumbling buildings lined either side of him as he breathed a sigh of relief. It was the right place at least. Stepping over a blackened arm, he tried to locate where he was. It was completely different than an hour before, but then again, he wouldn’t be able to accurately travel through Genstem even when it was still standing.

After a good minute of aimless wandering, he caught sight of a collapsed church near the outer walls. He had to be close, it was just a small walk from there, right? Touching a hand to a small stone storehouse, he looked around a corner. A pool of black sludge swirled in the stones, trying to pull itself upwards. It didn’t look right, well, it never did, but this time it seemed malicious. Grumbling to himself, he moved towards it, realizing how stupid this was. Before he could change his mind, his foot entered the puddle, sinking into it. Tendrils latched onto him, sending a cold sensation through him. It shot into his veins like ice, making its way up to his head. His vision went black as he tried to bear through it.

His body burned with agony as he tried to scream out, feeling his limbs pull and groan. Calming his breathing, he grit his teeth as the pain subsided.

Of course you’re here.

Sirius clenched his fists, straining his vision. “What’s going on?”

It’s an incomplete link, she’s not a full conduit.

“What?”

It’s customary for conduits to help each other, well, she technically isn’t one, but it’s close enough.

“Lianne? Is that what she is?”

You want to chase her, I know. But my curiosity has been satiated.

Sirius paused and looked to his hands. “... What do you want.”

What will you give?

“I don’t…”

You won’t get through without my help. The voice let out a droning sigh. How about this, a favour. Sometime in the future.

“Fine.” Sirius grimaced at the hastiness of his response, knowing he would regret it.

Ah, that was easy. I must say, speaking to you has been invigorating. I’m assuming you want to be in the city with her?

“Yes, wait, the city, what is it?”

The city? Well, it’s the city. Same as yours, just much older.

“What?”

Ah, that doesn’t matter. Go forth.

Before he could respond, Sirius felt his head swim. The fog started to clear up to dirty stones which crunched underfoot. A sudden movement caught his eye as he held into his temple. Looking over, he saw Lianne standing still, her hand near her sword and her face plastered with a mixture of confusion and exhaustion. “You couldn’t just stay back.”

He stood to full height, looking her in the eye. “Of course not.”

She stepped back again, averting her gaze and grimacing. “There’s no point in asking why, is there?”

“Lianne-”

“What makes you think you can change my mind?”

“Because you know the reality of the situation.”

“Huh?”

“Everything you told me, you know exactly what you’re doing, and I know you’re better than that.”

“You don’t-”

“I do.” He tried to move closer to her, but she retreated back further, gripping onto the handle of her blade. “Shut up. You don’t understand anything.”

“No, I do, and-”

“You don’t know who or whatever the hell I am.”

“... Is that how you see it? Is the eye the reason why you can’t let her exist?”

“She killed my fucking familly, is that not reason enough?”

“But you cared about her.”

“Shut up.”

He shook his head, letting out a long sigh. “I can’t watch you go down this path, this won’t make you feel better.”

“You would know.” Her words were spiteful, but nothing behind them felt legitimate. “You think I’m doing this to be happy? Do you really think I’m that naive? I gave up on that a long time ago, but she’s the one who took it from me.”

“You’ll never regain it if you keep doing this to yourself.”

“Myself?!-“

“The only one pushing that life away right now is you. Nobody forced you to hold onto this spite. How many years has it been? How long have you been destroying yourself?”

Her eye twitched and she drew her sword while hissing. “You really want me to kill you, huh?”

He stood firm, standing straight while keeping his hands by his side. “You told me you’re not naive, so that means you should’ve already realized that yourself. She wants to repent, and she cares for you. Do you realize how few people would do everything she has for anybody?”

“... Stop it.”

“No.”

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?!”

“Because you need somebody to look out for you. The one damn thing I’ve learned is that the most mistakes are made alone, and you’ve been tearing everything apart for a long while.”

“You’re not righteous, you’re not my fucking saviour.”

“I never-”

“Shut up, just shut the hell up.”

He stared at her and let out a long sigh. “Stubbornness won’t get you anywhere.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“... We can keep going back and forth if you want, but I know you realize this is a mistake.”

“It’s not one I ever wanted to make.”

“Then why are you still going through with it?”

She looked away from him, pointing her sword to the ground. “I won’t let it all be for nothing.”

“... Lianne-”

“Get out of the way.” She moved forward while raising her sword. Sirius stood firm, watching her approach and not flinching as her blade neared his body. Her feet stopped short of him and she tried to keep his gaze for as long as possible. “Move or I kill you.”

Sirius shook his head. “Fighting won’t solve all your problems.”

A swish cut through the air as she raised her sword to his face, almost stabbing him. They stood still for a second before she growled in disgust and promptly rushed past him. Exhaling slowly, he turned around and followed her.