No matter how he tried, Wyn couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his gut. The sense of steadiness that he'd felt from Eryndor had faded, leaving only a gnawing unease behind.

Zavi was missing, vanished from The House of Spring the night before, without so much as a trace.

Iskareth had not known where Zavi had gone either, though he had apparently excused himself quickly, stating he'd received an urgent summons, and would be on a house call. Though he'd instructed the children to remain in The House, Sadirah had ventured out to find Wyn and help her search.

He'd agreed for a few reasons. The first, was that he suspected that The Withering and whatever was happening to the tree were somehow linked. He knew that the former had been going on for far longer, so there wasn't any logic behind it, but he felt it anyway.

The second reason though—no, it wasn't so much a reason as much as it was a desire. He simply wanted to help. He was invested, not just in Zavi's fate, but the rest of the children as well, and…

He glanced at Sadirah, walking beside him as they returned from the outer limits of the city. She wasn't shaking, or panicking as she had been before. At least on the outside, she was calmer, hours of searching sanding down her initial panic. They'd scoured the area surrounding the hospital, then checked again. They'd checked every place she could think of—cafes he liked, overlooks, and eventually, a spot just outside the city where he and Sadirah had buried 'treasure' when they were younger. Nowhere they'd looked had turned up anything though.

There was one thing left unsaid between the two of them, a potential explanation neither wanted to face.

Wyn's lips parted slowly. "Sadirah…"

He was interrupted as she slapped both of her cheeks, taking in a sharp breath and forcing a smile onto her face.

"You know, he's probably just fine," she said. "Maybe your treatment worked better than we thought. If he was feeling good enough to go out, then it makes sense he'd forget to say something right? He was probably so excited he just forgot."

Wyn smiled, but he had felt the weight left on Zavi's soul. He knew better than perhaps anyone the state the boy was really in.

"Yeah… maybe so. Do you think you'll head back then?"

"If… if he isn't there then—" Her hand trembled slightly. "He made a decision, right? We all have to live with the consequences. I have to go back, don't I? The rest of them are waiting for me."

She nodded to herself. "Right. I have to go back." She took a step, then turned back to Wyn. "Will you come with me?"

Wyn's eyes widened at the question, and he couldn't respond right away.

He looked westward, where the last sliver of the sun still clung to the hills. Any minute now, it would vanish.

His fist clenched—staying out any later was against Eryndor's advice, and yet, advice was all it was. The cloaked figure wormed into his thoughts though, poisoning them with doubt. His own safety was secondary, but if he was attacked, then Sadirah might be caught in the crossfire. Even worse if he was at the House of Spring. No matter what, he didn't want to put anyone else in danger.

Wyn? Eia's thoughts interrupted his own. Something's wrong.

You don't say? He shot back before he could catch himself. Shame flowed freely through their bond. Sorry.

Eia ignored him though. Look ahead, use your mana sight.

Wyn frowned, turning back to the sight of the southern market. Vendors still shouted their wares in a lively chorus, and the scent of ripe fruits was still strong. Lanterns and stones had started flickering to light, along with light spirits in the air, and song spirits on the wind.

At first, nothing seemed amiss. The streets weren't as packed as they'd been earlier in the day, but they weren't empty either. Compared to other cities he'd seen, Liresil was active much later after sunset, as shows went well into dusk.

Then, his gaze shifted beyond the surface, peering into the currents of ambient mana that flowed just past mundane sight.

And he saw it.

Mana—a lot of mana—seeped upward through the stone and dirt below their feet like smoke from a hidden fire, rising in faint, curling tendrils. Without the ability to channel, Wyn couldn't feel it the way others could, but watching the air grow dense with power sent a chill down his spine.

Something was coming.

Sadirah seemed to notice something was wrong. She asked him a question, but he couldn't hear the words.

Eia, what's happening?

I—I don't know.

***

Aria was quiet, and Kei still felt awkward, so for a time, they didn't exchange words after Bruno left to get their food.

Kei's eyes drifted from one sight to the next. Children ran past carrying paper pinwheels, smoke drifted up from the grills, filling the air with the scent of cooking meat and fried greens. A street performer in a feathered mask played a panflute in the center of a nearby amphitheatre, attracting a small crowd. Kei touched a finger to the Ein'al mask which hung from her neck beneath her dress, and she smiled.

The two of them stopped at a stall selling jewelry, and Kei noticed Aria lingering near a tray of silver hair ornaments.

"This one would look nice on you," Kei said, pointing to a small silver hairpin shaped like a swallow in flight.

"Do you think so?" Aria picked it up, turning it in her fingers. "I don't think too highly of birds"

Kei blinked. "That's an odd thing to say. Who hates birds?"

"It is, isn't it?" Aria laughed. "And I wouldn't say I hate them… I just prefer baro beasts."

"Those ugly things? Are you serious?"

"Ugly? I'll have you know their shagginess only adds to their charms!"

Kei almost snorted. "Have you ever smelled one? They spend all that time in the water and mud, and it collects in their fur and stinks. And hang on a second, in any case, why would liking baro beasts mean you wouldn't like birds? I think you just don't like birds!"

"Darned winged devils," Aria muttered under her breath. "They think they're so much better than us, flying around in the sky."

Kei had to turn away, fighting to contain herself. "So that's a no on the hairpin then?"

Aria set it down and looked at the shopkeeper with a completely straight face. "Do you have any baro beast ones?"

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"Please leave. I have other customers, you know?"

That broke the dam, and the two of them collapsed into laughter and stumbled away from the stall.

As they caught their breath near the edge of the platform, Kei leaned against the railing and watched the performer play his flute.

"Shouldn't you two be practicing?" she asked, steadying her hair with one hand as the wind caught it. "I didn't expect you to invite me out."

"Well, I insisted that Bruno take a break. He's the one who wanted you along."

"Oh you didn't want me here huh?" Kei smirked.

"I wouldn't have asked," she admitted. "But to be honest, I figured you were sick of my brother already."

Kei cast a glance over towards the kebab stall, where Bruno had made it to the front of the line, but seemed to be embroiled in a heated argument with the vendor. He was waving his hands around, and kept pointing to the sign, though he was too far away to make out the words.

"He's nice, however he acts sometimes," Kei said. "I haven't met enough people to grow sick of anyone like him."

"I figured you were involved with one of the other two."

Kei turned her head slowly to meet Aria's eyes. She smiled. "Those two? No, we're just friends."

"No fun, I thought you'd give a bigger reaction than that." Aria pouted, though her gaze soon turned curious again. "Then, are you interested in my brother?"

Kei turned back to the performer in the amphitheatre as her gaze grew a bit unfocused. "I don't know. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about the other two either. I don't think I'm experienced enough to know."

"What does that even mean?"

"I had a strange childhood," Kei shrugged. "Those two were my first real friends. Isn't that sad? It took me seventeen years. I don't even think I could understand how sad it was until recently. So, how I feel towards them, how I feel towards your brother, or anyone else for that matter? I guess I'm still figuring it out."

"What a boring answer." Aria rolled her eyes above a smile.

Kei studied the girl's expression. "You're different than I thought you were."

"How's that?"

"You just seemed quieter before."

The songstress laughed. "I didn't know you all that well, I still don't, in fairness. But I'm more comfortable around you than I was."

"You're just so different from each other. And considering your talent, I guess I'm just surprised you're not more confident."

"You should see me on show days," Aria giggled. "I'm always a nervous wreck before going on stage. If it wasn't for Bruno, I don't think I'd manage it. It's funny though. He practices so hard every day, but on show days, it's like his mind goes somewhere else entirely. Those are the days when he talks about Taravast the most."

Kei frowned. "You know, the way you talk about it makes it sound like you don't care as much."

"Ah… well The Theatre Caelestis would be a wonderful place to perform."

"But it's not your dream, is it?"

"I suppose not," Aria smiled sadly. "At least, not in the way he sees it. But you see, I don't know if I really have one at all. It's as I said the other day. I am already content. Maybe after we reach the Theatre Caelestis, I'll search for a dream of my own, but until then, I'm more than happy to simply drift wherever he goes."

Kei was quiet for a while after that. The sentiment was so familiar, it was like looking into an old mirror. She could understand that feeling well.

"Alright!" Bruno interrupted the silence as he returned, holding out two kebabs for each of them. "That scoundrel attempted to swindle me, but I have returned with the spoils of our intellectual battle! What are you two talking about?"

Kei smiled, taking her food. "Just your sister's strange hatred of birds."

"I don't hate them!"

"I've always liked birds," Bruno frowned. "But then, Aria did always prefer lazier creatures. You know, she still sleeps with a stuffed baro beast she got when we were children. What's his name again? Oh yes, 'Theodore'."

"Bruno!" Aria protested, red-faced.

He winked. "It is an older brother's job to tease his younger sister as much as it is to protect her."

"We're twins," Aria grumbled.

"Ah but I was still born first."

"And how would you even know that?"

Kei just laughed as the two argued back and forth, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of the midlevels. They ate and talked, wandering the market some more, the three of them, and she couldn't help but feel—

Kei paused, noticing a commotion by the amphitheatre. Several figures in deep purple robes had pushed their way onto the stage, and drawn the performance to a halt.

The crowd was muttering as the masked performer approached them in confusion. Something tingled in Kei's chest, a feeling of uneasiness perhaps?

One of the figures had a hood dyed blood red, singling them out from the half-dozen monochrome others present. Slowly, they pulled their hood back, revealing the face of a young woman, half hidden behind a curtain of straight black hair which draped down to her waist. She was grinning from ear to ear, her lips stretching unnaturally wide as she gazed out over the crowd.

The murmurs rose in volume as the crowd grew restless. The performer was halted by the men in robes as he tried to get closer.

Deep purple cloth… Something tickled the back of Kei's brain. She had a good memory, she was proud of it. Where had she heard of something like this before? Dark robes… this uneasiness…

Her eyes went wide.

The woman threw her arms out to the side and began to shout.

"Greetings dearest citizens of Liresil! Now please listen closely everyone! I am an Acolyte of The Old God, representing Delusion! Weep for the joy of getting to serve me in these troubling times!"

In the crowd, a man shouted back. "Who the hell are you? We were trying to watch the show! You can't just barge on stage like this!"

The woman's head turned slowly, her open grin falling slightly. Her hair began to undulate, picking up and drifting as though she were underwater. "Eh?"

From the front, someone else complained. "Get off the stage you damn—"

The end of the sentence was cut short as the man started grasping at his neck. As a button popped away, Kei realized that he was being strangled by his own shirt. Kei took a step back, grabbing Bruno and Aria's arms as she inched away from the stage.

The woman stepped to the edge of the stage, her smile gone. The man clawed at his throat, choking as the thread tightened around him. The woman's hair took life, reaching out and wrapping around his neck like a noose. Was it longer now? It stretched further, hoisting him into the air as his feet began to kick the air beneath him.

Her face contorted, and she slammed him into the ground, and the crowd was silent. The white marble dyed red as she slowly lifted him back up. Kei turned away as she heard another crack. The woman began to scream, underscored with the sound of the man's body smashing against the stone.

"I will not be spoken to in such a way! Wretched creatures such as you, spoiling the very air I breathe, don't deserve my touch! Thank me, yes, thank me you pitiful thing! For doing this service to you in your final seconds! Wretched and disgusting and revolting and putrid and foul and loathsome and lowly and…"

As she continued ranting, another man surged forward, trying to help. He only took a few steps before a dagger embedded itself in his chest, thrown by one of the other robed figures. Screams erupted from the crowd as he fell. Some tried to run, but more of the robed figures had shown up and out, keeping them trapped within the slopes of the amphitheatre.

Finally satisfied, the woman dropped the body of the first man onto the ground, fixing him with a contemptuous glare. Then, she turned back to the screaming crowd, and her smile returned, wide as ever. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Dozens in the crowd dropped to their knees, gasping for air, and Kei realized that they'd literally had the screams choked out of them.

Her stomach turned.

"Now, where was I? Ah yes, celebrate! Rejoice! The day you have longed for—the day you've craved, deep within your ugly little hearts since the moment you were born—has finally arrived! I, Callithea al Scense, am here to bring light into the dark recesses of your soul!"

The crowd was silent, confusion and horror still bubbling beneath the surface. They were afraid to do so much as whisper. Then, Callithea frowned for a moment, and the tension grew even thicker. Many in the audience shielded themselves instinctively, but the acolyte just mumbled something to herself and smiled again, though her voice was notably less enthused.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot… I was supposed to inform you. You are now all witness to The Church of The Old God. This wonderful city of Liresil, is now under siege."

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