Xhez felt colder and colder with every step she took.

Maybe it was due to the nighttime chill, maybe it was due to the dark thoughts sending chills down her spine. Regardless, she felt like hugging herself as she drew closer to the human's camp.

On the way, she thought of what she was going to say to them. She rehearsed words she wanted them to hear, things she wanted to get off her chest. The experience made her feel almost like what Rin had described an "actress" to be when they went to that theatre in Dren.

In a way, Xhez did feel like a different person right now. But, one thing she did know was that she was doing this of her own volition. That much was certain.

The dark feelings within her were new, but they were very much hers. And, all it took to reinforce them was one brief image of her mother's head, missing a few of its hairs, to pass in front of her eyes.

[They cannot simply be allowed to live on as though they did not do something evil. I will not allow it! I must...] She took a deep breath, shuddering as she lowered her head and dragged her legs forward. [I must let them know about the pain they have caused. That is all I wish to do.]

With that objective in mind, she kept moving until the camp was in sight.

There was a minute fire at the center of that same small clearing from before, with three humans laying around it.

Xhez stood there for a moment, watching them, and listening. It appeared that they were still awake.

"... can't believe that," the woman with the ax said. "You sure you tied those ropes right?"

"For the third time, yes," a boy replied. "I made sure it couldn't escape before that weird bandit showed up. The real strange thing is that the ropes were cut by a knife."

"Right... Yet another thing that makes no sense," the woman lamented.

"Unless that sprite had one up its ass, I'm thinking someone helped it."

"Might have been that the bandit had the same idea we had and took the sprite from us, actually," another boy replied. "Regardless, we don't need to panic over it. We can just find another one tomorrow."

It was that statement that prompted Xhez to reveal herself. She wouldn't allow that to happen.

"I am afraid I cannot let you do that," Xhez muttered, stepping into the light cast by the campfire.

"What... the fuck?" The woman whispered as she slowly got up, quickly reaching for her weapon.

"A sprite?" One of the boys asked.

Narrowing her eyes, Xhez got closer and confirmed those suspicions.

"Holy shit," the woman barked out a laugh as she lifted her ax and rested it on her shoulder. "Guess you didn't like it with that bandit, huh? Can't imagine what she must have done to you if you preferred being with us."

"Oh? You are mistaken," Xhez murmured. "I am not the sprite you had captured. I am the one who set that sprite free."

That statement made the faces of the three humans turn from curious to cautious.

"Is that so?" The woman asked slowly. "Looks like you can talk just as much as that last one did too. Don't know how you learned to communicate, but if you can do that, the other one must have told you what's in store for you, right?"

"I believe there is not much 'in store' for me here. That may be more applicable for you, though."

Though they were still on edge, that comment did get a laugh out of a couple of them.

"That other sprite did manage to take one of us out, so, maybe you're not totally harmless, I'll give you that. Oh, by the way, we didn't get to pay her back for that, so, I hope you don't mind taking its place."

She'd noticed it a couple of times, but they didn't even refer to her mother as "she", but as "it", like some sort of object.

Or, well, a monster.

At that moment, rage bubbled up inside of her. She could see her mother's weary face in front of her, but also the cold and uncaring streets of Cradle under her tired, human feet. Two memories from different individuals, but memories that ultimately evoked the same feeling within Xhez.

The intent to hurt those around her.

"The only ones who will be receiving a punishment right now are the three of you."

As Xhez made that declaration, she cast that same ice-based spellsign she'd used on the beasts before, as quickly as she could. Spears made of ice shot out from the ground. The woman, and one of the boys, looked down and noticed them just in time to move away, but one of the men was not so lucky. The spear went straight through his right leg.

As he screamed, the ax-wielding woman ran up toward Xhez. She flinched, surprised by the sudden burst of speed, but she instinctively reacted by beginning to draw the spellsign for [Fireball] and breaking it on purpose.

The resulting explosion sent them both back, away from each other, but being familiar with the painful sensation that came as a result, Xhez was the first to recover. While the boy behind the woman nocked an arrow, Xhez drew that same spellsign from before and caused a spear of ice to shoot up, stabbing through the woman's left thigh.

"Agh!" She cried out as Xhez's head snapped up.

Xhez took cover behind a tree to her left, avoiding a few arrows.

"Help me!" The woman instructed the archer. When Xhez heard that, she went back out into the open.

The archer had been making his way toward the fallen woman. Xhez drew the same spellsign one last time, as quickly as she could.

This time, the result was different.

Xhez had aimed her spell at the man's right foot, intending only to impair him. However, just before the icy spear emerged, the man stumbled to a halt, leaning forward due to his momentum.

Because of that, the spear went straight through his head.

There was no pained cry, like what happened with the other two. Only a sickening squelching sound and a crack, before the man's body went limp and the bow he held fell to the ground.

Suddenly, Xhez pulled back.

It was as though she'd been in a fog of some sort and this moment cleared it up.

[I...]

She stared at his body as his two allies moaned and tried to get the ice spears out of their legs.

[I did not...]

Eventually, Xhez tore her eyes away from the scene before her and did the only thing she could think of.

She ran.

She ran from the deed she'd just done, she ran from the sight that had instantly burned itself into her memory, but she could not run from the subtle sense of satisfaction that sprouted as soon as that spear had impaled the last of the three humans.

That said, she didn't like that feeling. The feeling of being shrouded in spiritual darkness. And so, she sought refuge in the only place she felt she could.

[I need to see Rin,] she told herself. [Her Spirit is warm and bright and... I need it.]

---

{Rin}

As the adventurer opened her eyes, she could tell that it wasn't quite daytime, but it wasn't quite nighttime either. The twilight painted a dark blue and orange sky above, past the trees.

She felt refreshed but heavy at the same time.

Heavy, because there was something on top of her.

[What the...? Why is my chest wet?]

The answer came as soon as Rin glanced down.

[Xhez?]

Her sprite friend was laid on top of Rin's body, her head practically buried in Rin's chest. Her arms were tightly woven around Rin, embracing her.

She smiled as she looked down at the sprite.

[... Not a bad way to wake up, is it?]

Her movement must have been less subtle than she thought, as Xhez's eyes blinked open.

"Hey," Rin said. "Good morning."

It took a second for Xhez to respond.

"... Good morning," she said, after a slightly awkward pause.

Rin yawned and stretched her arms in the dirt. She moved to stand, but Xhez did not get off her. So, instead, she chuckled and laid her head back down, resting her hand atop Xhez's back.

[Guess we can stay like this for a few minutes.]

"Had a good night?" Rin asked.

"... No," Xhez replied, closing her eyes and resting her head fully on Rin's chest again.

"Why?"

"Bad dream."

"Ah..." Rin inhaled, absent-mindedly running her hand up and down Xhez's back, gently. "Well, it's over now."

Xhez's response was... strange. Rin didn't really know what to make of it.

"I hope so."

But, whatever she meant by that, Rin didn't know if she could help her with it or not. So, instead, she just held onto her a little bit more tightly, hoping that would be enough for now.