The first few months of school were exciting.

Niu could never thank Saburn enough for allowing her this opportunity. As a matter of fact, she never found out how he managed to do it. Some people (actually not including Mr. Saburn himself) once came to her house, but she was asked not to be present during the talks.

Whatever they did there—she was pretty sure there was some money involved, based on later talks about the subject with Gen and Shaya—Niu’s family seemed to accept the fact but without ever acknowledging it. They let Niu have a free reign as is, so this was just a new part of her routine.

Seemingly the only downside was that she’d see people of the village murmur among themselves on rare occasions she passed by them. She was apparently the only one from the entire village invited to school, and she was notorious as is, so it probably brought plenty of new rumors.

However, school was way too interesting to seriously think about such things.

Learning how to read and write came to her so easily and readily, once she had the proper environment and materials, that even her teachers were astonished. She had even been gifted several notebooks that would allow her to write. She could finally, finally express herself in a way that other people wouldn’t find hard to understand. Finally!

Discovering that she also had the potential to channel was also shocking. Apparently, people that were lacking in certain physical or mental areas were more attuned to the art of channeling, according to Mr. Saburn. He himself was also seemingly a case of that, though of course there were also many “normal” people with such abilities.

Accordingly, in addition to her regular lessons she also attended special lessons with him. Along with her was also a surly boy called Roah that didn’t interact much with the others even in normal classes, so it was a bit tense sharing an entire class with him.

Class itself, however, was pretty boring. Niu felt excited about her newly discovered powers, but the first lessons consisted only of drawing complex symbols and staring at them again, and again, and again, so much that she would sometimes dream of them. Mr. Saburn claimed that icons were an important part of channeling so she obediently followed the lessons, but she wished to make some sort of progress besides memorizing patterns.

School was fun, but if there was one thing she felt discontent about, it was about Gen.

Since she only knew him from their excursions, she’d never seen him act around other children. Although he wasn’t quite excelling in class, he still rose to a somewhat leader-like role. He was the most vocal of them all (often causing the teachers to scold him) but also the friendliest.

This meant that everyone shared him, or at least wanted to. He would still happily greet Niu every morning and talk with her excitedly about this and that, but he’d do the same with every other student. Niu even once heard some of the girls whisper about how charming he was.

There was also the fact that Niu herself was still somewhat isolated from the rest of the class. Most people didn’t have the patience to hold conversations with her due to how much time it would take her to reply. Despite this, she still managed to make a friend, a girl called Shaya.

She wasn’t shy (as many of the children would often tease her, based on her name), but she did lack self-confidence. Much like Niu she had her troubles at home, and it just so happened that the two of them hit if off pretty quickly.

Niu had lost some things, and gained others. Of course, she never expected the further loss waiting in the future.

Acrus never actually enjoyed these sorts of parties. They had conducted only two other Grand Feasts in their time, with one of them being their own crowning, but no matter how much they disliked these events, they knew they were necessary. And while the events themselves were unpleasant, there was other fun to be had.

It was all a game. Both being a Ruler and actually ruling. Acrus had already proven that by deposing of the previous Ruler after metaphorically and literally stabbing them in the back. The populace soon bowed in front of them. There had been few assassination attempts, but these had all ended in failure.

And now Acrus decided that it was the right time to get Planted. They chose it specifically because it was such a precocious time. Since Acrus’s enemies were unable to get rid of them both internally and externally, they now had to deal with another factor, an heir. It was laughable how easy it was used to both improve morale and rile up their enemies to action.

Acrus had already known there was a devious plan. They had already known that there were traitors in their midst. Just as the Stroba had infiltrated during the wave, they planned another similar assault.

So Acrus gave them the perfect opportunity for it.

Gathering most of Kalden’s important people together in a small space should serve as good bait. Would they attempt to go after the Ruler, or, more likely, after easier prey, such as the faeries?

Acrus would lose nothing in this scenario. As a matter of fact, they found the faeries a bit of a thorn in their side… Acrus ruled with power and authority, so they were cautious that the nature of legends and the unknown could sway their subjects to unwanted deeds. That was why they meticulously juggled both getting on the faeries’ good terms and holding them back.

But there were limits to everything. Also, Acrus knew that the negotiations with the world of light were not going well, on account of them demanding too much, albeit purposely. This game was dangerous, but enjoyable.

That was why letting the Stroba do as they pleased would serve to benefit them. Using them, Acrus might both get rid of some or all faeries, as well as unite the citizens of Kalden against them.

The plan was not perfect, Acrus knew, but they liked it. Nearly all of the party thus far had been spent in blissful tension as to when it would happen. From time to time, after drinking and chatting with various people, Acrus would glance at the faeries strewn around the hall. As expected, they all attracted plenty of attention. Not many directly approached them (owing chiefly to communication issues) but many watched them from afar and whispered amongst themselves.

This meant that, as soon as the actual attack began, Acrus was watching it happen.

“Oh?”

There was an eruption of white clouds all around the hall. This was followed by screams, shouts, and flickering of the countless phosphorescent plants illuminating the hall.

Acrus raised their brows. They’d never have imagined that this would come so soon into the evening, when everyone was still alert—they honestly expected that attack to take place much, much later, perhaps around the closing of the Feast. Perhaps those nasty Stroba chose to act precisely because of that. The very fact they dared attacking so openly was also remarkable.

“Aisbroom!” Acrus shouted. Their trusty general appeared within moments, weapon drawn, as if they were waiting for exactly that call. Well, they’d probably rushed to Acrus as soon as it all happened, but still.

“We are under attack… should I intercept them?” Aisbroom asked.

“No. Stay here to protect me.”

Looking at Aisbroom’s face, it was completely devoid of any emotion, but Acrus liked to imagine that it was filled with simmering rage beneath the surface. Honestly, it was quite annoying how resistant Aisbroom was to taunting, so Acrus had to fill the gaps themselves.

Surely Aisbroom wanted to protect the faerie children? They even took one of them under their wing. However, Aisbroom functioned as the perfect general—a perfection that also made Aisbroom wary.

“Understood,” was Aisbroom’s immediate response. They and a couple of other guards who’d already been stationed nearby made a perimeter around their Ruler, ready for any attack to come out of the smoke.

“Did you understand that lesson just now…?” Shaya asked one day during lunch break. This was after a particularly baffling math class, so it was a warranted question.

Honestly, no, Niu wrote back, smiling faintly.

Shaya sighed. “I’m sure Roah did, but I’m too scared to ask him for anything.”

The boy in question was already gone from the class. In fact, he would come late to most lessons, so it was great wonder he was still allowed to enroll in the project—then again, his grades were among the highest in the entire class, so there was that. If anyone could understand how these stupid numbers and letters worked, thought Niu, it would definitely be him.

“Need something, girls?” the smiling figure of Gen appeared.

“Um, we were just wondering about this lesson just now,” replied Shaya. Niu nodded. “Have you possibly managed to understand any of it?”

Gen chuckled nervously. “That was probably the most confusing nonsense I had ever seen.”

“I know right…”

I know right…

The three of them sighed together.

“Let’s all ask Mr. Saburn to do a review next class, yeah?” Gen suggested. “Anyway, I’m going… see you after break!” He strode outside the class, joining his friends.

Niu felt sad while she waved him off, but never let it show on her face.

“Today’s your special class, right?” Shaya broke into a new topic. Neither she nor Niu were prone to play with the others outside, and they didn’t have many friends anyway. They would spend many of their breaks simply chatting. “How’s it going?”

Hmm… Niu wondered how to answer that. She then finally wrote, Not much is going, really. We’re still in the really early stages, Mr. Saburn said. We haven’t been doing any real channeling anyway.

“Do you think channeling is… scary?” Shaya asked suddenly.

Niu tilted her head and then started writing. I wouldn’t call it scary. I mean, it can be used for scary things, I suppose. But that’s why we are being taught to control it, so it can be helpful for us and for others, she summarized with a smile.

Shaya smiled weakly at that but she still looked hesitant. “My… my family says it’s like a curse.” She clenched her fists. “I hope that’s not true.”

It’s not! Niu insisted, adding an exclamation mark for emphasis. If anything, it helped me feel like I’m actually worth something.

“You’re worth a lot,” Shaya hurriedly said, “I mean, you get better grades than me, and all that.”

There was a lot Niu could say as a counterpoint, but she knew there was no need for that. Instead, she just smiled and nodded, mouthing a Thanks.

“…I have a question, but it’s a bit personal,” Shaya said after a short pause. She glanced around as if to check no one was eavesdropping.

Go ahead.

“Alright, here I go. Do you like Gen?”

Niu’s eyes widened with surprise. She never expected Shaya to ask that sort of question; she herself seemed embarrassed about that even as she asked.

“I’m sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have—”

Niu raised a hand to stop her. Then she quickly jotted down her answer.

Yes, I do like him. As a friend. You know he’s the only reason I’m here in the first place. We used to meet up and play in the forest before all this happened, but I guess those days are gone.

“It is hard being Mr. Popular,” Shaya agreed, wearing a faint smile. “Have you tried just… inviting him, though? I’m sure he has some time for you.”

Niu was again caught with surprise at this suggestion. Ask him out? But now with school and everything he was surely busy…

“You know how nice he is—I’m sure he'll say yes. We have our day off for that, you know.”

Maybe it wasn’t as farfetched as it seemed. Why had Niu neglected to even consider this option? Perhaps she was too used to giving up on things she knew that she’d never get. But now things were different. She could properly express herself now. And Gen was her friend, after all.

Thanks, Shaya! she wrote.

Even understanding the meaning of Boum’s words, Niu’s sluggish mind still struggled to make sense of them. Before what felt like moments ago, she’d been dancing and having fun, but all that was now replaced with mind-numbing fear. There was now no doubt that she’d been kidnapped by the Stroba, and it was very probable that her friends were in danger as well.

How could she have been so stupid?

She tried struggling even though she knew it was futile. First of all, her body was still half-paralyzed, and secondly, she was clearly surrounded by at least three people including Boum carrying her, based on what she could see. Maybe Gen or Roah would’ve been able to do something, but she was too weak.

“Shhh. Relax,” said Boum’s calm voice. Following this there was another whisper from nearby, but Niu couldn’t understand the language. Boum then became engaged in a short conversation.

Was the surprise attack really that successful? Niu hadn’t felt any struggle, just them running away. Boum seemed to be moving at a decent pace, not hurrying. She didn’t know if any help would be coming.

She recalled the other times she’d been in danger. There was that fateful day with the black monster. She had been rescued back then, and during the mad rush toward Kalden as well. Yes, she couldn’t do anything on her own. Not even going to school changed that.

Perhaps that was fine, though. They weren’t going to kill her, and so far, it didn’t really seem like Kalden was going to actually help them. Maybe the Stroba would somehow actually find a way for her to get back home… or they would simply lock her there forever and conduct experiments on her. She didn’t even know what the Stroba wanted from them, after all. Thinking about it, the state of her mind and body might have been due to one of their infamous products.

Even if her other friends had also been targeted, she was definitely the best target—even Shaya could at least scream for help. Yes, perhaps it was Niu’s fate to be taken away like this. Her just desserts for that horrible day when she could do nothing to help her friend. Nothing changed since then.

Gen…

Wait. There was something that did change, after all. She purposely avoided thinking about it so she’d forgotten about it, but there was her newfound ability.

This, however, also brought a pang of guilt to her heart. Why had she awoken it only so recently? And would it even help her, if the others were at a similar situation?

I’m so pathetic, she thought. She was once again going to be a burden, just as she was to her parents. She was going to be selfish and beg anyone who could hear her for help. That was who she was, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Gen… help me! she shouted in her heart.

Niu had been extremely nervous, asking Gen out. However, just like Shaya told her, he agreed almost immediately. It was just going to be a nice stroll near the forest for a some time, like they used to, but it made her very happy.

Thinking about it, was that sort of what people would call… a date? She only really learned about the concept recently, when she started interacting with other girls her age, mainly Shaya. But no, they were just friends having fun together. And besides from Gen being a little bit protective, there weren’t ever any signs that he viewed her as anything more than a friend.

Finally, the day came—it was the only free day from school. Of course, there was still homework and some assignments to do, but Niu usually spent it the way she used to. She also had a few excursions to town with Shaya, but never with Gen. This time, however, they went to the forest just like the good old days.

“Channeling sounds amazing,” said Gen in the middle of that. Now that they were going to school and Niu could finally write, they were finally able to have a decent conversation, and about multitudes of topics—so naturally they arrived at school subjects, especially the one that Gen himself wasn’t taking.

Niu shrugged. They only barely started practicing actual channeling instead of mindlessly memorizing and drawing icons over and over again. However, she was still unable to do much more than blow a small ball of cloth like in her first meeting with Saburn.

“Have you ever heard of Stard Molton?” Gen asked.

Upon shaking her head, she was immediately bombarded with a passionate lecture about the entire history of Stard Molton, national hero. Not that she minded it; she liked listening to Gen and he of course emphasized the man’s more interesting exploits. Having lost his legs in an accident while at war, he discovered his hidden talent as a channeler. He went and rose to fame—both metaphorically through the ranks and literally through the air—and ended up becoming a legend.

“He even has legendary swords!” Gen kept going excitedly. “They’re called Windbreaker, Windburner, and, uh, I forgot the third one…”

Niu giggled voicelessly.

“What are you laughing at?” Gen asked, though he was smiling as well.

Those are some really silly names, she wrote.

“What… no, they’re really cool!”

They’re too blunt! They need to be a bit more poetic.

“Oh yeah? Then you come up with something.”

Challenge accepted. After thinking for a while, tip of pencil on her lips, she wrote, How about “Silverwind, Breath of the Fairies”?

Upon seeing that name, Gen burst laughing. “That’s… what’s up with that name…” he erupted into another laughing fit.

Hey! That's rude! she wrote down, but he was too busy laughing. After glancing at that name again and seeing how Gen reacted, however, she also started laughing herself. Maybe it was even sillier than the actual name.

After calming down, the pair lay down on the grass, watching the blue sky. They were on a small hill overlooking the nearby forest. The sun was only starting to channel toward east, but it was obscured by the clouds just enough for it to not be too warm.

There was a short while of silence. These were nice too, at times. Niu liked writing, but it was also tiresome. Just letting the presence of nature wash over them while thinking of this and that was just as well. She peeked at Gen next to her, and found him peeking back. They smiled at the same time and laughed.

“You know, I really want to be like Molton,” Gen suddenly said. Niu raised an eyebrow questioningly, but signaled him to continue. “What I mean is, err… he started small, then nearly lost it all, but managed to become a hero despite everything. I also want to be like that. I’m just a merchant’s son in a nice town, but… well, I don’t know. Going to school is a start, though. I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but I wanna do something meaningful. Do you understand?”

Niu considered this. It was only less than a year ago that she had lived meaninglessly and aimlessly. It was a wonder that her family hadn’t thrown her away, being their useless child. She started with almost less than nothing and continually gained more and more.

Even so, she knew there was still a long way to go. Saburn had told her he saw potential in her, but potential for what? Sure, she could write, and she could draw pretty well, too, but no more than that.

She wanted to do something. Help people. Be of use, just like Gen said.

Finally, she nodded. She understood his feelings perfectly. The moment she did so, however, there was a sudden strange sound from nearby. A growl, and then a large shape that appeared in the edge of her vision.

“Niu!” She could see Gen’s eyes widening as he barely leapt ahead, pushing her away and allowing the grey shape to hit him directly.

Niu’s mind was paralyzed even as a sharp scream erupted from Gen’s mouth. Right in front of her eyes, Gen’s form was being attacked by a wolf, spraying fresh blood.

Right in front of Gen’s eyes, there were several explosions of smoke around the party hall.

“Wha…?!”

There was immediate chaos and shouting, but Gen managed to identify a high-pitched shriek as one who belonged to Shaya. The hair on his nape standing on end and his eyes widening, he broke into a run.

He didn’t have an eyesight as good as Roah’s, but he noticed a certain shape leaping from the smoke and was shocked to catch a glimpse of Shaya’s violet dress. A burly-looking, tall fairy was carrying her, pushing the crowd away in the confusion.

There was no time to think. There was no time to check what Aisbroom or any of the other fairies stationed as guards were doing, nor check on his other friends. Gen leapt into action.

“Shit!” he grunted as he climbed on a table and then smashed his ethereal arm underneath him, using the momentum to launch himself forward.

It was a technique he hadn’t the time to refine, but it allowed Gen to propel himself forward. He nearly crashed into yet another table, but used another blow of his “arm” to land safely and keep running. This maneuver allowed him to close the distance with the fairy holding Shaya just as they approached a nearby staircase.

Recalling the tree from outside, it probably had about three floors. They all entered through the topmost floor and went down one floor, so there was probably only the ground floor left. Gen rushed down the stairs, barely able to avoid tumbling down them as he kept pursuing his target.

As he did, he saw that the Kaldenian fairies had, actually, taken faster action. The fairy holding Shaya was surrounded by a few guards, but threw something to the floor. This time Gen could see it—some sort of sphere made of glass-like material that, upon being smashed on the ground, unleashed a concentrated cloud of smoke. In addition to that, he also saw a few other fairies running inside the smoke from the other side. Perhaps they were enemies.

Gen ignored them all and continued pursuing Shaya. The fairy was taking her inside what appeared to be a hole opened in the ground—there was an earthen hatch smashed there among many crates, so perhaps it had been hidden there.

However, as he approached it another fairy came to intercept him. At this point Gen assumed that they were facing the Stroba again. Also, since they took Shaya, then they would possibly also try to snatch him along as well. The fairy wielded a set of vines.

“Don’t stand in my way!” he shouted to pump himself, materializing a shield that deflected the slithering vines aimed at him. The surprised fairy flinched for just enough to allow Gen to also punch them aside.

He continued mindlessly forward, which was probably a mistake. Something captured his lone arm from the back, making him stumble. He skidded on the floor only for a second before the vines started pulling him back.

Glancing behind, another vine-wielding fairy stood there. Just how many Stroba infiltrated this place, anyway? What were Aisbroom and the rest doing?

Filled with anger, Gen used his other arm to yank on the chains as hard as he could, pulling the surprised fairy into the air and making them crash against the ground. Gen was released.

Clicking his tongue, he scanned the surroundings. There were a few other fairies fighting and some running toward him, so he hurried toward the hole, leaping inside without even pausing to check it. A stupid move, but fortunately the drop was short.

The narrow, twisting tunnel was only lit very slightly by mushrooms jutting out of the ground here or there.

“Shaya! Shaya, I’m coming to get you!” he shouted toward the cave. There was no response. Was he mistaken? Or was she simply too far away or else incapacitated? Regardless, he could do nothing but move along.

Suddenly, something echoed in his mind. It wasn’t a voice, per se, but more like the words directly embedded themselves into his brain.

Gen… help me!

Hearing that, he froze.

Gen had his doubts, the previous times; once or twice could be chalked up being just his imagination, but in the current state there was no way he could hear Niu, of all people, calling for him, unless he was crazy. The very fact that he knew it was Niu made it all the weirder.

Please… help me…

It was as if he only just now realized the situation they were in. Shaya was kidnapped right before his eyes and he’d dashed to rescue her, so did the same thing happen to Niu? If so, where was she?

Gen gritted his teeth and kept running. He couldn’t just stop in place like that. His body was shaking and his heart pounding so hard he felt it would burst. He wanted to help Niu. He really did. Her voice urged him so desperately. However…

He’d made his decision. He couldn’t be in two places at once.

I’m sorry, Niu, he thought. Maybe I can’t save you this time…

It all happened much too quickly for Niu to follow.

Where did that wolf come from? And why? She’d spent so much time right around this area before and nothing of the sort ever happened. Niu felt stuck in a nightmare while she was watching the events in front of her unfold.

Screaming and snarling turned into one as the boy and wolf struggled. Gen tried pounding and kicking his adversary but wasn’t powerful enough to do any real damage; this, however, then led to the both of them losing their balance and tumbling down the hill.

There was a thud, a scream and a howl of pain.

Only then was Niu’s mind released from the spell restraining it. She had been struck with such fear that she couldn't even move a muscle, either to run away or to help Gen. Yet now she carefully made her way down the hill, nearly slipping down as she did.

There were two unmoving shapes lying at the base of a large tree.

Gen! she thought desperately, feeling the blood drain from her face.

“N-Niu…”

Gen looked terrible. His whole body was covered in scratch marks and blood, but the most dreadful of all was his right arm. It didn’t even look like an arm anymore, but a bloodied, long piece of meat hanging from his shoulder.

She didn’t even look at the wolf, slightly twitching next to him. Its jaw was wide open but it seemed stuck in place and there was blood oozing from its head. She startled for a second but then pulled her teary eyes away back to Gen.

“I think I-I killed it… maybe,” Gen spoke, every word in agony.

Niu would only find this out much later, but Gen had apparently managed, by a stroke of luck, to bash the wolf’s head against the tree as they rolled, cracking its skull by the impact.

“Help me, get…” he groaned.

A wave of nausea passed through her as she touched his bloody clothes and tried lifting him. He also grasped her with his unhurt arm and tried straightening his body. However, the moment he tried to stand up he shouted in such pain that it caused Niu to drop him.

Only then did both of them notice that one of his legs was twisted at an unnatural angle.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath. If this was any normal situation perhaps Niu would’ve been startled at his sudden cussing. “I’m sorry… I don’t think I can…”

Niu was internally panicking. Gen needed extreme medical attention. There might also be other wolves nearby, for all she knew. They had to get out of there as quickly as possible.

She tried pulling his arm again and lifting his body, but that was obviously doomed from the start. She was a small girl; she would never be able to carry him using her own power. What was she supposed to do, then? Why did she have no idea how to help him? Why was she even going to school if she didn’t learn anything really important?

“Get… help, Niu,” he finally spoke, “go to town… no, maybe the village is closer…”

But—

“Please, go…” Gen begged her. He grunted as he clutched his bloody right shoulder. This sight nearly caused Niu to faint right there and then. “Go!”

She turned on her heels and broke into a run. There wasn’t even a second to spare. She had to find someone to help Gen. She still wasn’t sure if just leaving him like that was the right option, but she had to try to save him somehow.

Running up the hill, she nearly stumbled and fell, but managed to get onto the road, whereupon she actually did fall and scraped her knee so hard it started bleeding. But that was nothing; certainly when compared to Gen’s wounds. She had to keep running and she had to do it as quickly as possible.

If she was lucky, perhaps she’d find someone passing by on the road, though it was unlikely at this hour of early noon. But Niu couldn’t give up hope. She had to stay positive and make the world accept her will.

She couldn’t lose her very first and only friend.

Thinking back to this moment, perhaps going to the village was a mistake; most people there were working through the day. Also, most of them knew her by face. Reaching town would have taken longer, but getting help probably would have been easier.

The moment she reached the first house she saw a woman tending to some hen. Niu knew her by name, but had never interacted with her.

I-I need help! My friend is hurt and—

Once she caught the woman’s attention, she mouthed these words desperately. Obviously, no sound came out of her throat. Even more obviously, the woman couldn’t understand a thing.

“…What do you want from me, defect?” the woman spat in discomfort.

Shit, now she cursed as well in her mind.

Then she finally recalled: she had no need for mouthing or pantomiming anything anymore. Now Niu had a method to communicate with people. Thinking this she reached for her bag—

Niu froze. Her bag wasn’t there, of course. She’d left it on that hill back near the forest. Such an idiot! She panicked so hard over Gen’s condition that she forgot something that became so essential and important to her. She wanted to hit herself.

Thinking more about it, though, the woman probably didn’t know how to read anyway. Then again, even drawing the situation would probably work.

Cursing again in her heart, she ran off; this woman probably wouldn’t be able to help her. Next, she tried a man walking on the road with a wheelbarrow, but he was too busy and shouted at her to leave him.

Next came a few children, who knew her and simply laughed and mocked her despite her shedding tears. Next a few chatting older women that regarded her with a hostile stare. And so forth.

This nightmarish situation just continued on and on. Time was ticking, Gen’s life was running out, and Niu found herself powerless to help him in any way. She wanted to shout at herself, shout at the world, but mostly shout at people to get their help.

Unfortunately, she could only shout at the void, her nonexistent voice unable to reach anyone in this world—

The worst part was that this was all her fault. If she hadn’t invited Gen none of this would have ever happened. Most importantly, if she was normal, she could have simply talked and solved the situation easily. Despair and guilt weighed her down with every step that she took.

It took many minutes until she finally managed to get help.

Why is this happening? Shaya thought miserably.

One moment she was simply sitting at the table, waiting for her friends to return, when there was suddenly a puff of smoke and someone grabbed her. She managed to shriek but then felt something prick her, and her body went numb.

She thought she could see TriX trying to help her, but it was stopped—or something of the sort. Shaya couldn’t really make out the whirl of activity with her body and mind both paralyzed. She only knew that she was being carried away.

When she came to, she was inside some sort murky tunnel. Whatever it was that seemed to affect her mind was slowly wearing off, and she started feeling fear in earnest.

Not again, she thought. It was just like that night, when they first came to Kalden—except that this time she’d been clutched right from the midst of the party. How could something like that happen? And would anyone save her?

This was supposed to be a nice, pleasant evening. A time where they could momentarily forget about their worries and just have some fun. Even Niu seemed to be enjoying herself for a change, though it was a bit strange. Was she fine, right now? And what about the others?

Tears started streaming down Shaya’s eyes. She was going to be taken away and never see any of them. And that was if they were even going to let her live.

Only then she noticed that the fairies were talking around her in hushed voices. She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but they seemed tense. Actually, she hadn’t noticed until now that there were several fairies there, including the one carrying her.

Could she hope for someone to come rescue her? The moment she thought this, she bit her lips. She hated relying on others all the time. She hated being manipulated and used by anyone and everyone around her. She wanted to be able to do things for herself.

Just like Gen. And even like Roah. She now knew that Niu felt the same as her, but did it have anything to do with them being girls? No, that wasn’t it at all.

Shaya was sick of waiting and complaining. She’d even hurt Niu by being that way. Yes, she was unworthy of her cursed powers, and was punished whenever she had used them… but surely this was different. She wasn’t actually helpless. Also, there was no one watching her, anyway, besides her enemies.

Her heart began pounding when she reached this resolution. She turned her gaze toward the larger-than average fairy that was holding her.

I’m sorry, she still apologized in her heart. This time, however, it wasn’t play or some part of Roah’s bizarre schemes. It was self-defense.

“Raaaah?!”

It happened instantly. There was a sizzle on the fairy’s skin and they shouted in agony, dropping Shaya. She landed with a (somewhat painful) thud on the hard ground, but she wasn’t actually free; at some point she had been bound by sturdy vines and the other end of it was still wrapped around the fairy.

The other fairies shouted something and she could hear their footsteps, but right now she focused on her fetters. Invoking the channel of heat, the vines briefly glowed red and burnt to ashes. Shaya winced, as this action singed her as well. Stupid, but serviceable. The large fairy extended their hand to her, but suddenly fell to their knees as she looked at them, overwhelmed by the channel of weight.

This was quite weird. Shaya was filled by a sense of exhilaration that she’d never felt before. She was filled with power and with purpose. She rose to her feet.

Turning back, she saw three others fairies rushing at her, weapons drawn. Were they going to restrain her or just kill her, now that they’d seen her powers? She didn’t know nor care. One she threw to the ground using weight, another she felled using heat, and yet another she smashed against the wall using movement.

During this time, as Shaya relaxed her attention on the larger fairy they rose to their feet, mumbling something under their breath. The remnants of vines in their hands started dancing in air, assaulting Shaya from all directions.

Had she really been completely helpless, a few moments before?

She flung the vines back. They struck the fairy in the face and then wrapped around their head. It was too dark to see, but had they been controlling these vines using icons? Shaya only tried using icons once and it was disastrous, so she never fully grasped their usage.

Her channeling, however, was as free as the wind. And so was she, now that she realized it. She only needed a few more blows to knock out her captors; there was no need to kill them outright if she could help it. She wasn’t quite that drunk with her own power.

Now to get out of here, thought the newly-born channeler.

Shadow fetters bind my past

Shackles leaving me aghast