The next day, Mariel was back on her post in the now more established refugee camp. The pressure from the wounded had lessened significantly, but there were still many who required daily care or just a hand to hold. Charne was still having his arm treated, and needed a day’s rest to get back on his feet. She had just changed the dirty bandages on one of her patients, when a group of people came storming into the tent. They were all angry and brandishing a variety of improvised weapons. A few terrified screams were soon drowned out as the apparent leader began shouting.

“Where is he!? Where’s that filthy traitor Azinas?!” He pointed his awl at a little girl who shrieked and hid under her pillow.

“Sir! Please… Please keep it down… The wounded need to rest…” One of the sisters, shaking with fear, tried to calm the angry lot, but their collective angry stares caused her to cower in fright.

“… Damn you all!” the leader grabbed the hair of a young boy and forcefully pulled the terrified youth from his bed, before placing the sharp end of his crude leatherworking tool pointing straight at the boy’s left eye.

“I’ll pluck’em out, one by one! Unless that traitor shows himself! I’ll count to three, and if nothing happens, then the eye goes pop!”

The young boy began crying and shouting for his parents.

“Shut up, you little brat!” the leader shouted, looking around, trying to spot his target like a great eagle singling out the fattest sheep of a flock before roughly shoving the awl into the boy’s eye socket.

With a loud scream of pain, the boy lost consciousness, and the leader threw the now limp body away, sending the boy crashing into a stack of buckets.

Panic began immediately. The patients all began scrambling uncontrollably to get away, climbing over others and toppling unconscious patients in a desperate bid to get away. The tent around them was torn apart as a half-dozen emergency exits were torn out of the fabric.

Two of the sisters rushed over to the boy and were desperately trying to stop the blood welling out of the now empty hole in the boy’s skull.

The gang’s eyes were all scanning the chaos, and soon all appeared to fix themselves upon Mariel.

Before she could say anything, the patient next to her stood up, while tearing the bandages around his head away. She found herself looking at an elf, from his appearance, he was about her own height, his hair which had only a seconds earlier had been revealed as brown now had stripes of white, pulsating light running down its whole length in places.

“There he is! Get him!” With a roar, the armed gang charged towards Mariel and the elf. Mariel dropped into her battle stance, while furiously trying to remember the unarmed combat lessons. Within seconds they were upon them. She managed to kick a makeshift axe out of one of the gang member’s hand but was instantly tackled two others and pinned to the ground. As she struggled, she saw that the others were upon the elf. With a rough smack, one of them knocked him over with a thick tree branch. The blow landing against the elf’s head. In a blink, the others gathered around and began kicking or slashing with their dismantled scissors or stabbing roughly with awls and other sharp tools. The elf yelped once in pain before falling still, the body receiving the attacks without a sound. A trickle of blood began running from the elf’s mouth.

“What do we do with this one boss? We can’t kill her… She’s a demon, and there’s a lot of them.”

“Do it! Damn her and all her kind! It’s their fault my wife died!”

Before anything else could happen, a strange, cold wind began blowing into the tent. Within seconds, a trickle of water began flowing in, and from it as it went, the ice began to spread, grabbing hold of every one of the gang’s members. They all turned to look for the source, and Mariel could barely see a cloak-clad figure standing just inside the tent. With a snap of the person’s fingers, the ice rushed upwards, freezing every gang member in place.

“Damn you!” You filthy demons and all your evil tricks! Let me go! You scum! You left us all to die when our town was attacked! You murdered my family! Curse you!”

The figure snapped its fingers, and immediately, the ice surrounded the leader completely, before cracking apart, splitting him in eight different pieces which crashed to the floor and disintegrated, only the man’s feet were left on the ground.

“This is the guard! If anyone else intend follow suit, you’ll meet the same fate, now throw down your weapons and surrender!”

Within moments, a clatter of metal signalled the disarmament, another three seconds later and the remains of the tent had been rushed by guards, forming around the gang members, their swords at the ready. With a wave, the ice melted away, and every member was immediately seized by the guards.

Soon, the gang was taken away under heavy guard, and a few sisters returned to care for any wounded and to clean up the mess. The little boy was carried away on a stretcher, but before they could step outside, the stretcher bearers were stopped and pushed to the side, making way for a small entourage of elves. The group hurriedly made their way over to their fallen kin, and gathered around, pushing away the sisters and the doctor working on the body.

“Excuse me… But please allow me to continue my work.” The doctor protested.

“No. Lady Eswalin won’t allow you to do so, only our sanctioned healers may treat our wounded, they are on their way here as we speak.”

“If I don’t get to operate on him, right this instant, he’ll bleed to death within minutes!” The doctor tried to force his way through, but the elves formed a defensive barrier, keeping him away.

“I’m sorry… But our lady’s orders are clear… You will…” The elven female’s sentence was interrupted by a loud shout from the doorway. The mysterious figure that had cast the ice spell spoke up with a gentle, but firm feminine voice.

“You may live longer, but our kin have experienced over the last three centuries intermittent war… I assure you… Our doctors are highly competent, and any other discretions will be dealt with later… Now step aside.”

After some internal mumbling, the group reluctantly stepped aside.

Mariel had found a toppled bed she had up righted to sit down on. The adrenaline from the action was slowly reducing inside her, and she quietly went over the events in her mind. She still felt a little worried that something else might happen, but for the moment, she was glad to be alive and able.

“Ah, excuse me young one… But you witnessed what happened here, would you like to talk about it?” The cloaked person sat down next to her. Under the low drawn hood, she could see a gentle smile directed at her.

“I’m okay… I’m used to it… I’ve seen fighting before.” She returned the smile, unsure if the stranger could see her properly.

“Oh? But that still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t talk about things. Did you get scared?”

“I learned to block it out, mostly. You don’t seem like a sister, so why are you talking to me?”

The stranger looked a little hurt, but a very gentle hand stopped on her shoulder.

“You are polite to not cut me out, so I’m curious… What would you have said six months ago?”

Mariel thought for a long time. Every memory from before her arrival on the demon continent seemed so far away in her mind. Any of the memories of home she managed to bring up felt unfamiliar, and she found herself wondering where the emotional impact had gone.

“I would… Cry, and I’d feel very afraid…”

“And now?” The stranger nodded.

“I don’t, really feel anything.”

“You’ve hardened your soul against adversity, so please take this advice from someone who means you well. Try not to forget who you are and where you came from.

“That’s true, I am on my way back to that very home…”

“Home huh? Is there someone special there waiting for you?”

“Family.”

The stranger fell silent, her words appeared to have brought up some personal memory within the stranger.

“I… Should be getting back to work. Thank you for your wise words, I’ll take them to heart.”

“Mm? Oh, it was a pleasure talking to you, I’m sure we’ll meet again sometime.”

The rest of the day went by with Mariel tending to her duties. A few inspectors arrived to ask questions about the incident, but she expertly pointed them curtly towards her scribbled and filed notes on the issue. The inspectors grumbled, made some notes and disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. She had just finished washing the various surgical instruments, when Saya appeared in the tent, her breath ragged and her eyed wild.

“Saya?”

“Come quickly Mariel! There’s a group of people down in the cellar appraising Siravin!”

“Probably just some more scholars…”

“No! One of them is a human! Come quick!”

Mariel hurriedly put away the instruments and left her dirty apron behind, following Saya towards the cellar.

“Oh, so I guess he’s finally arrived… Now just wait and see Mariel, he’ll fix your friend soon enough.” Siah quipped happily in her mind.

They ran down the stairs, at one point, Mariel nearly stumbled and fell, but at the last moment she managed to catch the next step. Her heart pounded in her chest with excitement. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they ran straight for the room. Upon arriving, they found three people appraising Siravin, whom had been put in a wooden chair, was staring straight ahead with his usual dull gaze.

One of the individuals turned around, and smiled. His blue eyes met hers and instantly gave her a strange feeling. He was a tall man, and she judged him to be about two heads taller than her. He wore a dirty blue cloak and could have been mistaken for a travelling merchant under different circumstances. He was armed with a long broadsword and shield, both of which he kept on his back. Upon the left side of his chest plate his cloak was held together by a gilded crest. A silvery lilly, fitted on a golden kite, with feather wings extending outwards from behind it. Above the shield was fitted a helmet, and around its neck was fitted an obsidian collar.

“Ah, that was quick… I was told to expect some late arrivals… So, you are the one that carries Siah around these days? Think she would mind manifesting?” As soon as he said it, Siah appeared on the ground in front of Mariel. Immediately, the small mindling made a gesture of greeting, which the man reciprocated.

“It’s been a while, how’s the old lunatic?”

A short silence followed.

“I see, I’m sorry to hear that. Well I’ll be sure to fulfil his request… But, I’ve completely neglected the greetings, haven’t I? It’s nice to meet you, my name is Daristan Weisslillien, I’m an expert on these restraining bonds, or collars…”

“I’m Mariel, and this is Saya, and that is my friend Siravin, could you get that collar off him?”

“No problem… If I hadn’t lost my backpack on the way here. Ah, I’m not going to ask you to go find it… It could actually be anywhere between here and the human continent… Waste of time anyway.”

“Then… What?”

“Ah, I’ll need a potent Ki… Brandt user, and then we’ll use said person to channel a strong current through me, that will break the mechanics of the collar.”

“Sounds simple… It’s not, is it?” Her question made the man flash an awkward smile.

“Well, it is a security feature, and there’s some really fancy sigils that needs to be made too, but all in good time… You wouldn’t happen to be a potent Brandt user, now would you?”

“No… I, never had my powers activated.”

“Damn… How about you missy?” He turned to Saya, whom shook her head warily, already on the alert towards the strangers.

“Mr. Weisslillien… I take it that a lot of research has gone into our kind, to produce such a potent restraint… Could you perhaps provide some insights?” One of the other individuals, from his appearance a doctor, had turned around and addressed him directly.

“Sure… Hang on where did I put that now… Ah…” He began feeling his clothes, looking for something. After some time, he pulled out a small, equally dusty notebook from his chest plate.

“Everything’s in here… Don’t mind the sweat, and please let me have it back.”

The doctor took the notebook, made an expression nausea from the apparently rank book, and sat down with the other one, his assistant, and began making notes, while leafing gently through the damp pages.

“So, back to topic. I need a potent Brandt user…”

“I knew following the child would reveal something interesting… How are you doing Daristan? Or rather, have you even washed since the last time we tried to kill each other?”

Mariel flipped around to spot the stranger from before standing at the bottom of the stairs. She began to approach them.

“Saryssa! It’s been a while! I take it I didn’t maul you too badly when we last met… I really don’t want to fight right now though.” Daristan raised his hands in surrender.

“It was… Long ago, and you said it yourself when you spared my life, that it was only duty.” The female, her name revealed walked straight up to Daristan and took in his scent.

“Strange… It’s not deadly up close… Your scent that is.”

“Give me a break Saryssa… I’ve finally arrived after travelling non-stop… My departure from the human continent was… Hectic to say the least. So, I’d like to finish my business first, and then we can kill each other all we want afterwards… Deal?”

“Saryssa grinned, and pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing her long purple hair and orange-tinted eyes. At first, Daristan appeared aghast at the sight, but quickly cleared his throat and shook his head.

“I’m a married man now Sary…”

“What!?” This time it was Saryssa’s turn to appear aghast. Her shock however quickly replaced by a sad, almost consoling expression.

“I pity your wife.”

“Oi!”

“Really… Arranged, right? Political connections? Let me guess… Eighty acres of land, two important trade roads with tariffs included and… A title?”

“No. It was actually sixty acres and no tariffs, but yeah… Doesn’t mean I don’t love my wife though!”

“Sure thing big boy… Sure thing…”

“Ack! Let’s just get started already…”

Daristan turned back to Siravin, and touched the collar. Immediately, he grunted, and a trickle of blood began flowing from his hand. With his free hand, he began creating an increasingly intricate sigil above Siravin’s head, drawing visible glowing lines in the air. He then cut the sigil in two, shattering it, the power gathering around his free hand.

“You know… It would be really easy to kill you right now…” Saryssa grinned, approaching him from behind.

“N-not now Sary… Take my hand.” His breath was ragged, his words penetrating gritted teeth.

“Pff… Boring man.” She closed her hands around his, and immediately, a bright current began forming around the point of contact. Daristan roared, the sheer strength of the energy starting to disintegrate the leather glove up to his elbow.

"Easy! It's too much power! I just needed a little, not the full serving!" Daristan took his eyes off his other hand just to see the last strands of his leather glove disintegrate in a small puff of ash.

"No no, really, I think I've been rather lenient with you so far, why don't I give you a little more?!" Sarissa flashed a wicked grin and immediately, tiny flakes of skin began to peel off from his arm. He grit his teeth, but was unable to contain a groan of pain.

"Do you see it now? I've trained, I've worked and bled to have this power, all so I could finally one day hold your life in my hands! So what will you do!?"

"Save lives." His curt reply made her grin twist and curl into one of anger and spite. "Regardless of what you do to me!"

Mariel, whom had observed the procedure with increasing alarm felt an urge to intervene. Whatever feud these two carried from the past had nothing to do with her or her friends. Next to her, Saya appeared to be of the same mind, her hand resting warily on the pommel of the sword by her side.

The flashing light continued and blood from Daristan's arm had already begun to sizzle and burn away. The man kept his focus entirely on Siravin, the sheer power involved taking a real toll on his body.

"It's... Almost done!" He shouted, but it only made Sarissa angrier. With a loud cry of frustration, she appeared to apply the full, unshackled strength of her powers into his arm, the crackling energies starting to flow up along his arm, disintegrating every piece of clothing that happened to be in the way. Only the chain links of his mail and his shoulder guard remained intact.

Saya had gone into her battle stance, and looked ready to separate them, but Daristan shook his head.

"Stay right there! It's really dangerous right now!"

"But you might die!" Mariel shouted back, trying to convince him to somehow do what was necessary to survive.

"It's okay! I... Have faith in Sarissa!"

At that moment, the sparkling and crackling energy dissipated immediately. The collar around Siravin's neck began to show signs of cracking along its entire circumference. Daristan was heaving for breath and in considerable and visible pain.

"... Daristan. Tell me straight. Why did you let me live?" Saryssa's previously evil grin was replaced by a serious, and intent expression. She kept her eyes fixed on him, unblinking. With a deep breath as an artistic pause, Daristan gathered his thoughts.

"I let you live. When I ran you through, I saw your rage and bloodlust, your frenzy replaced by a deep intent, a wish to live. I realized something at that moment, that we were merely pawns, sent out to fight each other. I wondered why, when we didn't even know each other, why we were fighting."

"That's not true... You're lying... Right? I only remember waking up in a metal cage."

"I stabilized and treated you until I got a battlefield doctor to have a look at you... I asked them to not harm you further."

"Fool... All of your kind, treacherous, lying fools... I endured months of torture, humiliation and survived on rainwater and rotten bread... I knew. I wanted to kill you."

The collar began to come apart, flakes drifting momentarily in the air before being immediately consumed by flames. Soon, the collar broke, and Siravin slumped in the chair. Daristan lowered his arm and was about to turn over when Saryssa caught him in her arms. Immediately she began to heal back up his largely ruined arm.

"Take your friend upstairs, I'll take care of Daristan." Saryssa gestured to Siravin. Immediately, Saya and Mariel rushed over and very gently began to carry Siravin towards the stairs, holding his body up between them.

"Ahah... By Tyrik this hurts..." Daristan groaned weakly.

"Shush silly man... And lie still. In the end, it seems I'm also unable to finish the job... I don't really know what to do anymore..." To her surprise, Daristan stroked her cheek with his good arm.

"How about, we try out this whole love thing? And if it fails, we could always try to kill each other again?"

"But, you said you had a wife... Not that it matters... I'm prepared to be your mistress... If your wife will allow it..."

Daristan shook his head. "You said it yourself, arranged marriage... She has long since moved on... And we're married in title only..."

Mariel and Saya continued upstairs, supporting Siravin, leaving the two to sort out their differences.