Umbren laid in the exact same spot looking up at the moon as he did the first time he visited the garden.

It was a nice breath of fresh air compared to the pantry. It also served as a place he could relax without the chance of a luxcian villager barging in and arresting him or worse. Alyze had said that type of thing would never happen, but Umbren couldn't help but be paranoid.

The again, there was also the possibility that Alyze could turn him over to the luxcians. No, that wouldn’t happen. It wasn’t in her interest to do so. Besides, if there was a chance that he would be turned in, then he would have no choice but to run away, and reunite with his party, with or without the attoka. After his brief stay in the village, he didn’t want to do that. For one the food was amazing, better than anything he had ever tasted before, though that wasn’t saying much. Alyze and Jarvus were also treating him better than he would ever have expected. Why would he be eager to give that up? The main reason however, was much more personal, and he didn’t want to think about it.

Alyze was picking flowers while the attoka watched her. He seemed to be more alert than both Alyze and Umbren combined. Alyze guessed that he wanted to protect them, and Umbren couldn't really deny that. In reality the fact that there was no covering over the garden itself was a serious threat. Any moment a Loinir Attoka could come out of nowhere and spot them. the attoka could sense one approach and warn Umbren and Alyze before it saw them.

Umbren closed his eyes and listened while the wind rustled through the trees, and the birds that were still awake singing their song of blissful life.

Umbren couldn't make the trip to the garden in the daylight. Jarvus had said it was too risky, but since Umbren could easily sneak to the area with his veil of darkness, the smith didn't worry about Umbren being caught at night.

Apparently Alyze was known to go into the forest to pick flowers, so no one questioned her coming and going from the place.

Umbren opened his eyes as Alyze sat next to him with a basket of flowers containing a variety of all shapes and colors.

Umbren yawned, "So what questions did you come up with throughout the day."

Alyze still had a certain type of fire behind those golden eyes of hers, but besides that she wore a green dress tonight with her hair in a braid. It sort of reminded Umbren of that one Hand's hair, Vale, but the Hands was much longer.

Alyze furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, as she was trying to decide which one to ask first, "I guess the most obvious thing to ask would be about the disciples."

"Hmm...what about them?"

"Well...what are they like?"

Umbren put a finger to his chin, "The disciples huh. Well Morta seems to be motherly. Like she cares for all those around her as if they were her children, especially her Hands."

Alyze grinned with excitement, "The Hands of Morta."

Umbren nodded, "Yeah, anyway I haven't really spoken with her at all, so that's just my first impression. There's probably much more to her than that."

"What about Mortis?"

Umbren's face hardened at the mention of his name, their conversation still fresh in his mind. He didn't really know what to think of him after that. His whole image of Mortis had been shattered after it.

"I don't really know him at all, so I don't think I can answer that."

Alyze seemed to desire to dig deeper, but took notice of Umbren's attitude and dropped it, "Morta sure does sound great. It doesn't surprise me. She passed through here one time. I didn't get to talk to her, but she definitely gave off the presence of a disciple."

"Morta passed through here?"

Alyze nodded, "Ya, during the momentary peace a long time ago. She basically lived in Lysets during that time, so she passed through here more than once actually.”

“Lived? Really?”

Alyze nodded her head, “Didn’t you know?”

Umbren shook his head, “No, but I guess it's possible. It's hard to believe that Mortis would have allowed it, though.”

Alyze perked up remembering something, "Hey, which one’s stronger. Mortis or Morta."

"Mortis."

Umbren didn't have to think about it. There was just no question, but his answer didn't seem to satisfy Alyze.

Umbren tugged on her sleeve, "What's wrong. I answered the question, didn't I?"

Alyze laughed a little, "Well it's just that I think a part of me wanted you to say Morta. It would have been way more interesting."

"Why so?"

Alyze started to fidget with the flowers in her basket, "Well you see...when it comes to Nocturnals, parents use them as a way to scare their children. If they don't behave they'll be taken away by Nocturnals in the night."

Umbren nodded, "I know what you mean. For us though it's the decai. Though I guess using them might be a little more cruel."

A chill ran down Umbren’s spine. The slightest thought of the monster was enough to paralyze a man. No doubt it would be the same for Umbren, if he had actually seen one in person.

Alyze seemed to notice his reaction to the monster's name, and in a shocking moment of constraint, dropped the subject.

Umbren shook his head to rid himself of the creature, "Anyway, what does this have to do with Mortis?"

Alyze's face darkened, "Mortis is a monster among monsters to us. Parents wouldn't even go as far as to use him as a threat. Children are even punished for speaking his name like it's some type of curse."

Umbren laughed the hardest he had ever laughed since arriving at the village, "That makes sense, but it couldn't be further from the truth with us and Soluriel. We intentionally drag the name of your disciple through the mud with any chance we get."

Once Umbren stopped laughing and saw a look on Alyze's face that said that she didn't really know how to feel about what he had just said, he now desperately wanted to change the subject.

"I mean Morta could be stronger."

Alyze's eyes once again lit up.

"Maybe if she had Night then she might be able to compare with Mortis."

Alyze looked confused, "Night?"

"That's the weapon that she used during the last war."

Alyze still looked a little confused.

"Well I'm not too sure what it actually was. The most common rumor was that it was a double sided glaive."

Alyze's face still didn't change.

"Maybe you've heard of Morta using the darkness itself as a weapon."

Alyze nodded, "Mmm. Ya I have heard of that, but what does that have to do with the weapon."

"Night is what allowed her to do it. Without it her darkness can only be used as a shield from the light. If she had the weapon maybe she could stand up against Mortis. Though I've never heard a story of them actually fighting, and I hope it stays that way."

After a moment of silence between the two Umbren sat up, "Now it's my turn to ask a question."

Alyze nodded, "Whatever you want. I'll answer anything you ask. No matter how weird or personal it is."

Umbren smiled wryly, "I don't think I'll ask anything like that."

Umbren looked around for something to ask a question about and his eyes landed on her flower basket.

"So you pick flowers for fun?"

Alyze picked up a flower, "Well mostly. I pick some and put them around the house, but there's only so much room, so on days where there's room I usually set up shop in the town square to sell them."

"Really? Are you successful?"

"Most days I am. But There's old woman, Ms. Sallote, down the street that has a beautiful flower garden. She's let me see it a few times, but not that often."

Umbren smiled, "So you're saying she's your competition?"

Alyze put a finger to her lips, "Hmm...I wouldn't call her that. There's a lot of flowers here that she doesn't have. The people in Lucel don't feel like coming this deep into the forest for a few flowers, especially since they don't know where they are."

Umbren mumbled to himself, "Lucel, so that's where I am."

after having been in the village for days, he realized that he actually didn't know the name of the village, and he thought the question would make him look a little dumb.

Alyze brought him out of his own thoughts, "What did you say?"

Umbren picked up one of the purple glowing flowers from her basket, "Don't worry about it. Anyway, do you know much about the flowers that are here."

At this Alyze seemed a little frustrated, "Only the ones that are in this book I bought from a traveling merchant, but even still I find flowers that aren't in it everyday."

Umbren held out the flower in his hand, "Is this one in that book."

The flower he held out shone with the color of amethyst in the moonlight. It’s petals formed an endless spiral.

Alyze looked as if relief washed over her whole body, she must have been a little scared that he would ask about one that she didn't know about.

"That ones a Noctil."

"Sounds a little close to 'Nocturnal' to me."

The word was still foreign to Umbren but Alyze and Jarvus used it constantly around him. He had figured that it referred to a member of the Black Crescent. He could only think of one reason why they were called that.

Alyze seemed a bit annoyed that he made the connection, "Yes, their name stems from the fact that they only bloom and give off their unique glow at night."

Umbren tilted his head a little sideways, "Then why do you call people like me that."

Alyze's eyes once again regained their fire, "Do you mean that you don't call yourselves that?"

Umbren shook his head.

"Really! I never knew that. Well in that case I guess it's because in the stories Nocturnals only come out at night."

It made sense when she put it like that. The Black Crescent barely attacked in the light because it would be at their disadvantage to do so.

Umbren remembered the flowers in his hand, and felt guilty for driving the conversation away from it, "Is there anything else interesting about them?"

Alyze thought for a while then found something, "Mmm… yeah they’re...they’re..."

Her voice trailed off, not because of forgetfulness, but because of something else. Something deeper.

After a time her voice returned more somber, "They’re used as flowers for graves."

She laughed dryly to herself, "It's funny isn't it? Flowers that for all purposes have no association for the light, one could even say avoid it, being honored in such a way. I guess people want Tenebrage to care for their loved ones in the afterlife,” She paused, "Even though they hate him throughout their lives."

Umbren wanted to reach out to her, but somehow at that moment she seemed to be too far away.

Alyze shook her head, "Sorry."

Umbren shook his head too, "No it was interesting, really."

Alyze smiled at him, "I'm glad you think that."

Alyze continued to ask questions, but they became more about tenebrage country, Skotous, as a whole. For many Umbren had no idea what she was actually asking. She mentions things like trade, currency, lifestyle, government, resources, economic growth, population and other things that Umbren had thought very little about.

By the time her questioning was over, Umbren’s head was foggy and heavy, but she didn’t seem any less enthusiastic since she started asking questions.

Alyze stood up with her basket in hand, "I'm gonna start heading back, it's getting late."

"I'm going to stay here for a bit longer. I'll head back when I'm done."

Alyze started off, "Just make sure to get back before sunrise."

Umbren waved at her as he laid back down to stare at the moon.

As Alyze left Umbren could sense a gaze upon him.

"What?"

He turned to the attoka at the tree, who looked at him disapprovingly.

"Don't look at me like that. She can handle herself."

The attoka’s white eyes didn't change

"You wouldn't understand. You don't have to spend all day in a closet. Besides, this place is almost therapeutic. I can almost forget the situation I'm in when I'm here. Especially what will happen when I see Mortis again."

The attoka seemed to understand as he eased his gaze, but Umbren could still tell by looking at him that he would have preferred someone go with Alyze. Maybe even if it was him.

"You know yesterday you didn't seem to know what to think about her. I could tell a part of you still thought she was still an enemy. What changed?"

The attoka jerked his head away, making Umbren laugh, "Ah, so that's how it's going to be. But still thanks for going through the effort to protect us, even when you're still in that state. I can't say if I know if I deserve it or not; I'm not even your master."

The attoka slowly turned its head back to gaze at him.

Umbren sat up again and pointed to the attoka, "You know what! I don't think I'll ever be your master and I don't think I want to either."

The attoka tilted its head in confusion as if looking at a foreign entity.

Umbren's tone was one that declared a promise, "When we get out of all this I will never be your master. We both saw how that turned out back in Euma. Instead I propose something else. Probably something preferable to both of us. I think we should just be partners."

After declaring this Umbren laid back on his back, "But don't think that means I forgive you for what happened in Euma. You're still mostly to blame for that."

Umbren could hear a snort come from the attoka, and that made him a little irritated, but he decided to just keep looking at the moon. What he didn't see was the look the attoka made afterwards which was not negative in the slightest.

Umbren laid there for a while and gazed up at the moon. Thinking about his current situation. Lucel was pleasant, but how was he ever going to come back from this? How would he explain to Mortis why he had been gone for so long? How would he reach his potential? He bet that the heroes in the sories didn’t have to go through this. Shortly after he thought this he drifted in and out of sleep and shortly forgot about having to go back to the house.

The only thing that reminded him was the cry of the attoka.

"What is it? If you're..."

Umbren could see the night sky illuminating little by little. In short Umbren rushed out of the garden without a moment of hesitation. He ran through the bush not paying attention to the rips in his cloak that it caused.

Once he got to the top of the hill he could see the village. Umbren still had time till there was enough light for someone to notice him. In his panic though he didn't think about his veil of darkness. He ran as fast as he had ever in his life and reached the house.

Somehow the thought that the doors would be locked crossed his mind, so he scaled the house in a hurry. There had been one singular skylight, so he should be able to get in through there.

***

The man was making his daily morning rounds. Some would call him paranoid, but he always said that it would always be better to be safer than sorry. He himself did not think he was paranoid, just protective.

Protective of the village and its inhabitants, especially two in particular.

Some asked him why he made his rounds so early in the morning, and this was simple. It was the only time of day that he had the chance of catching a Nocturnal if they were really in the village.

During the day none of them would dare to act but during the night it was a different story. Especially with the Galaris right around the corner. Who knew what they might try to pull.

As the man was circling the village, right before dawn broke he saw it.

A black cloak turning the corner. It would be almost impossible to see if it was any darker out. To make matters worse it was around that house.

The man rushed around to the house and around the corner with worst case scenarios swarming around in his mind.

What he found once he rounded the corner surprised him. Absolutely nothing. As dawn broke and illuminated the space before him, there was still nothing to be seen.