His breath caught in his throat mid-inhale as a small shape's aura became known underneath the floorboards he was standing over. The atmosphere around the hidden intruder was a fierce red pulsating in coordinated waves multiple times per second. Shane's first reaction was that this aura belonged to Cain Prime or that lanky-limbed Cain that Prime had a hold on. In that state of mind, Shane jumped further into the dwelling's unnaturally cold and dark recesses.

Less than a second later, an explosion of wood and nails shredded the space Shane had just been in. He landed, tucked, rolled, and turned in time to see the silhouette of a small person, like that of a child of no more than eleven. Shane squinted, trying hard to see the details of the child's face covered in shadow. The bright afternoon light billowing in from the front door behind the child-like being kept the details of their face shrouded all the more.

With a knee to the floor and hands out, Shane stayed tense, unsure how to react. The powerful red aura this tiny person was projecting signified that they were twice as competent in battle than he was. This could be really bad, he thought. Indeed, it was not great, and it would only get worse.

"I see you're still using those pathetic excuses for companions," the child said in a voice that could be construed as that of a girl.

Shane opened his mouth to reply before realizing he didn't know how to respond. Before he could, the girl pouted with an audible "Hmph!" His eyes were beginning to adjust to the high-contrast scene amid her illuminated backdrop. He saw she was wearing a dark cloak that traveled past the sleek, pointed boots that cut off halfway at her knees. Shane's minions circled the small girl, towering over her with their thin skeletal frames.

"I'm so disappointed," she said while quickly unsheathing two long, thin knives from somewhere at her waist in a bewilderingly smooth motion—with no wasted movements.

Before Shane blinked, his minions were poised to attack the small girl they had surrounded. After he blinked, they were nothing more than splintered, broken bones being blown apart by the speed of this young lady. Her aggressive attacks zipped from one skeleton to another faster than his eyes could follow.

Shane watched in hair-raising dread as the damage numbers of her attacks appeared above his companions almost simultaneously.

-154

-146

-161

During this moment, Shane finally rose to his feet with his new spear in his sweat-drenched right hand. He decided it was now or never and used the clone-making mechanic built into the spear. The girl approached him just as his clone phased into existence with a gorgeous flash of light.

"Prime told me you would come. You made me wait a long time," her voice was quiet and reserved.

Shane's aura sense finally picked up some emotions emanating from her for the first time since they met. Seeing this girl with such a powerful aura now sound so down and withdrawn played against his expectations. Is she not an assassin? The emotions he did sense from her only added to his disorientation.

Sadness

Longing

"Arrgghh!" A sense of exasperation overcame him as he voiced his frustrations.

"What do you mean!?" he bellowed. "I don't even know who you are!"

The girl stopped advancing upon his shouting. With her closer now, Shane finally got a good look at her features within the thick shadows. She had a round face, a short nose, and a small chin. The straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail reached about shoulder length, but that wasn't what caught his attention—it was her eyes.

They were large and round and stained with the angry tears of a child that didn't understand the harsh words of her confused and emotionally burdened creator. A pained realization struck Shane as he noticed two smaller red eyes beneath each of her human ones. Both he and his clone extended a tentative hand toward the child as they spoke in unison.

"Sharlot?"