For two days and two nights straight, Liorin ran. The wind stung his skin and the frigid fog wrapped around his limbs, but he didn't stop. He didn't even think about it. He didn't care for the forest's whispers for him to stay, because he knew its secrets, and he knew how to navigate the thickets even when they shifted and closed off paths like they didn't want anyone to leave.

Stopping only occasionally to eat and drink and sleep for a few hours, he eventually arrived at the edge of the forest on the morning of the third day. The fog here was much, much thinner, as though the forest had finally accepted the idea of letting him go, so he stopped there—panting and completely out of breath—as he looked at what lay beyond his little world.

The world beyond the trees was… different.

Dirty, old metal fences surrounded the entire forest, most barely standing. They weren't serving their purpose whatsoever—fences were supposed to stand tall and proud—but then his eyes wandered along the fences until he found a broken gateway without a gate.

This was where the bird doctor and the umbrella lady had entered the forest from. He'd been wandering around the edges of the forest back then looking for rare herbs that might wake up the villagers when he spotted them, so if he just followed their trail, he'd find them for sure.

With a slow, hesitant step, he moved towards the broken gateway that led out of the forest—and stopped right before he could step off the soil and onto cold, uneven stone.

He'd never been this close to the edge before. He'd peeked out before, sure, but he'd never dared to go past the soil.

He never thought he'd find the nerve to even think about leaving.

…

He took a deep breath and stepped past the gateway.

The moment his foot landed on the cracked stone, a strange feeling washed over him. Like he'd crossed some invisible line. The familiar trees and the soft buzz of the forest immediately vanished, and he found himself trudging down a cold, cramped, and silent pathway, flanked on both sides by rows of tall and gloomy buildings. These ones were nothing like the huts back in the village. These were tall, dark, and jagged, made of crude stone and metal. Hostile. Utterly unwelcoming. Also, they looked like they'd be super cold in the winter.

Strange houses.

All outsiders live in these?

As he walked, he waved his hand in front of his face, trying to push away the greenish-yellow fog clinging to his mask. It was slightly sickly-smelling—and again, nothing like the crisp and cool blue fog in the forest—but he could handle it just fine. He was a healthy boy. The smell was just a bit overwhelming and a little wrong. He didn't like it.

All outsiders breathe this fog?

All outsiders strong, then!

The cramped and narrow pathway didn't last long. Soon, he found himself at a crossroads, where the path entered a much larger, wider path perpendicular to his.

Immediately, he ducked behind a large bucket-like thing, his heart racing as he gripped the edges of the bucket in worry.

Dozens and hundreds of people walked by and milled about every second, their clothes strange and foreign. Some wore freakishly large hats. Others had clothes so long they looked like tails dragging behind their feet. Most of them, in some shape or form, carried something on their backs: giant cages, rusty axes, and glass crates full of severed limbs and body parts. Oh, this place was alive, and he'd never seen so many people in one place before. Their voices were like a wave crashing over him, and their language—well, they were speaking in a blur of syllables that didn't make sense to him.

He frowned, tilting his head as he tried to pick out some of what they were saying, but it was no use. He'd only learned a bit of their language because the bird doctor and his friends weren't the first group of outsiders he'd tried approaching for help. He'd spent many years stalking outsiders combing through the forest for herbs and resources, just listening to them speak while he hid on overhead branches, and that was how he'd learned their language.

Evidently, that wasn't good enough out here. Everyone was throwing around too many strange words. The bird doctor had, too, but the umbrella lady had been kind enough to keep her speech simple enough so he could understand most of what she said.

… No need worry!

Just find umbrella lady!

He had no idea how to act, but even he could tell that his shorts, his bare chest, and his mask made for an odd combination in this city. So, the first thing he did was peer into the bucket he was hiding behind. It was filled with trash and discarded scraps of food, but a quick search through the filth yielded a large, tattered piece of dry cloth.

With a quick tug, he fastened it around his shoulders like a cloak, and he felt a lot less exposed now. He adjusted his mask a little more so nobody could see his face, but then again, most people in front of him were wearing masks as well, so on that front, he blended in quite nicely.

He stepped into the river of people.

Immediately, his heart raced even faster as the city pushed against him.

He tried pushing his way back through the throng, doing his best to avoid eye contact, but everywhere he looked, he saw something that made him feel more out of place than ever. The crowd was suffocating. The carts and market stalls around him were loud and noisy. The way everyone looked, their clothes, their eyes… he let himself be pushed around mostly as he kept trying to find a familiar face, hoping he'd see the umbrella lady or the bird doctor or any of their other companions.

In hindsight, that was a stupid endeavour. There were way, way more people in the city than he'd realized, and stumbling on the umbrella lady simply wasn't going to happen.

Two hours passed just like this, and he felt like he was making no progress.

Eventually, he found a small box in a quiet offshoot path of the larger path, and he slinked into the shade, sitting on top of the box so he could rub his temples.

He glanced around, unsure of what to do next.

Maybe… I ask someone?

His gaze darted from one strange figure to another as he caught his breath. There was a scary-looking man with six spider arms and a mask made of human leather walking past. There was a scary-looking hunchback lady dressed in full, thick wool gear, her backpacks hissing with steam as she dangled upside down on an overhead wire. There was a scary-looking group of well-dressed men armed with extra long metal claws, and these men were patrolling the larger path back and forth, their eyes scanning the crowd with the precision of early morning birds.

None of them looked nice. None of them looked like they'd even want to talk to him. He shivered and hugged himself where he sat just thinking about going up to any one of them—

And then, all of a sudden, the lid of the box he was sitting on lifted, and he was thrown onto the wet ground with a muddy splash.

Ow!

While he rolled over onto his back, wincing in pain, a little girl popped up from the box he was sitting on. She wore a beautiful full-face flower-patterned mask, and though the leather straps and belts across her clothes looked uncomfortably restrictive, she had giant, translucent wings sprouting from her back.

He stared at her wide-eyed, entranced by her looks. In response, she didn't even seem to notice him as she stretched her arms over her head, yawning lazily.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Then, and only then, did she seem to notice the time as sickly green sunlight fell straight onto her mask.

"Shit," she muttered, her voice thick and rough, as she scrambled to climb out of her box. "I took too long of a nap. Gotta deliver this crate to Old Banks. Dammit, dammit, dammit—"

And then she tripped over the edge of the crate in hurry, making her fall right next to him with an unceremonious grunt

Liorin blinked as she lay flat on her stomach, staring at him from the side.

He could just tell she was scowling at him even with that mask over her face.

"And what are you lookin' at?" she snapped.

Liorin froze, hands shaking. He instinctively raised them, offering her weak, nervous gesture. "I—I not… looking," he stammered. "Are you… okay?"

She huffed, not even listening to him as she scrambled to her feet. "Well, get outta my way. You gonna fight me or somethin'?"

Terrified, he shook his head. "No, no! No fight!"

"Good. Then get the hell outta here. Ain't nobody want to see your—"

But then, just as quickly as she stood up again, she fumbled, dropping a small vial of glowing green liquid from her pocket next to him. It shimmered in the dim light, catching Liorin's attention, because the vial was just so pretty.

He couldn't help but stare at it as it glowed on the ground.

Before he could say anything or study the strange words scribbled on the piece of paper wrapped around the vial, though, the girl snatched the vial off the ground and grabbed him by the collar.

"... Did you see?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "I dunno if Mister Halloway wants to keep it a secret, but did you see the ingredient list? If you did, I'm gonna have to kill you."

Liorin's heart leapt into his throat. "No! No see! I no read!"

She glared at him for a long moment before she grunted and dropped him back onto the ground. Then, she picked up the lid, slammed it over the box, and then picked up the entire box—which was at least twice her size and thrice her weight—by placing it on top of her head.

Without another word, the girl unfurled her wings to their full size and took off into the sky, vanishing into the sickly green mist with the crate in hand.

Nobody around them cared. People continued milling about as though a girl with wings like that was just an everyday occurrence.

… Scary.

Outsiders, scary.

He let out a shaky breath, a knot loosening in his chest. The girl was pretty, but terrifying. He never wanted to see her again.

Sitting there in the mud, though, he felt more lost than ever. He wasn't sure what to do next. Everyone around him was so focused—so busy with their lives—and here he was, alone like always. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples again, trying to think.

And a strange feeling under his palm caught his attention.

Something hard and sharp was pressing into his palm. He blinked, confused. His hand brushed the surface beneath him, and then he flipped the object over until he was holding it up.

It was a little pouch.

The one the bird doctor had given him as a 'reward'.

He hadn't realized he'd dropped it during the tumble with the girl. He hadn't even realized it was still with him, tucked under his waistband, but now…

With a small grunt, he stood up and leaned against the nearby wall to steady himself. He couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope as he opened the pouch—and inside, he found a small piece of smoothened stone, roughly carved with some sort of marking.

His fingers traced the lines on the stone, and though he couldn't read the words, he could see the large, pointy-tipped building carved into it.

His eyes lit up for the first time since he left the forest.

This where bird doctor lives!

Must be!

The stone was warm in his hand as he gripped it tightly, running back out into the large path with fresh energy in his legs.

His stomach rumbled. His throat was dry, and even his skin burned a little from the thick, yellow-green mist that clung to everything, but none of that mattered. Not right now.

He just had to find that building.

"Excuse! Excuse!" he called, voice cracking as he tugged on the hem of a not-so-scary-looking man's coat. "This place—do you know?"

He held up the stone, but the man scowled and swatted him away. "Bugger off."

His shoulders curled in as he stumbled back, but he didn't linger.Instead, he immediately picked another stranger. Then another. Then another. A lady in red feathers ignored him. A hunched old man spat at him. A tall girl in spiked heels told him to go die somewhere else. His voice grew hoarse. His steps grew slower. He knocked on doors, waved down carts, stood on boxes to be seen—but all he got were curses, confused glances, or no glance at all.

Still, he kept moving. The sun above the fog turned dull, then dim, then vanished altogether.

Six, seven, or eight hours passed like this. It was sundown now. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been walking. His legs ached. His arms ached. His soul ached. He wandered into a narrow path between two quiet rows of buildings, slumping against the wall as the sky bled into sickly green twilight.

Maybe… tomorrow morning?

Maybe try again tomorrow—

"Sweetheart? Are you alright?"

He flinched, head jerking up. Kind tone. Brass mask. The lady who stopped at the mouth of the path to frown at him held two small children in her hands, and her voice wasn't sharp like every other person in the city. Hers was soft like moss.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out, so he simply held up his stone with trembling hands and pointed at the carving.

"Building," he said slowly. "Know… where?"

The lady squinted at it.

Then her eyes widened a bit.

"Oh. That's the Heartcord Clinic, isn't it?"

His heart jumped. He was pretty sure she just said something resembling 'yes', so he nodded quickly, so quickly his mask nearly slipped off.

"Do you… know where?" he asked, the words clumsy and broken but full of hope.

She tilted her head and thumbed over her shoulder. "Of course. You'll want to go back to the main street, then turn left, left again, then right, then another left. Go up the stairs, left, left again, then down the stairs, and straight until you see it at the end of the street."

He blinked. That was a lot of turns, and maybe he didn't catch all of it, but he nodded furiously anyways.

"Thank!"

And he didn't wait for her to say anything else before bolting out of the narrow path.

The directions blurred in his head—left, left, right, up, down, whatever—but he chased them like fireflies in the dark. He tripped over a broken crate, caught himself on a lantern post, ducked under ropes and pipes, and clambered up the cracked stairs two at a time. The fog was thicker after sundown, and the tall lights were turning on, glowing faintly with some kind of magic that hummed softly over his head.

His legs were jelly. His lungs felt like dust. But finally, at the end of the long, empty street, the building came into view.

It was a larger building than most others he'd seen, and it had a tall tower at the back with colorful windows. Strange, glowing green crystals filled the cracks in the walls, and it was a lively-looking place compared to the rest of the gloomy city—but what made it even more lively, he thought, were the people hanging out by the front door.

He recognized those people.

The older sister lady was sweeping the front steps with a long broom, her back hunched, humming something to herself. Two others dangled above her from thin, dangerous wires on the front-facing wall of the building, both carrying baskets full of green humming stones. One of them was the bird doctor, and the other was the umbrella lady.

His heart kicked as, even from a distance, he heard the bird doctor and the umbrella lady squabbling about how best to arrange the humming stones around the clinic.

So he didn't even think as he ran straight forward, panting loudly like a hound in pursuit.

The older sister lady was the first to notice his pitter-pattering footsteps.

"Hey," she called out casually. "It's the kid."

Both the umbrella lady and the bird doctor twisted awkwardly in their harnesses to look at him. The moment they realized who he was, the umbrella lady unhooked herself from her harness and dropped down. The bird doctor wasn't so lucky. He yelped as his own wires were pulled taut and snapped, sending him plummeting with a crash of limbs and scattered stones.

Neither of the two ladies cared about him, though, as they stepped forward to meet Liorin—so before the umbrella lady could even say a word, Liorin crashed into her waist and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

He buried his face in her stomach, and he didn't let go.

Warm.

He didn't say anything. His eyes were shut tight, and the lump in his throat was too big to talk around, so he just held on.

She was real.

She was warm.

This was not a dream.

…

And the umbrella lady matched him by standing perfectly still for a few seconds.

Then, she wrapped one arm around him and patted him on the head.

"Was it difficult finding this place?" she asked softly.

He shook his head, even though it was a lie.

"It's getting a bit late, too. It's not safe out here… ever, really. Do you want to stay over at the clinic tonight?"

He nodded, even though he wouldn't be satisfied with just a single night.

"Do you want to eat my cooking, too?"

He pulled his head back. He blinked up at her through his mask.

She was wearing a black metal mask that covered her mouth, but somehow, he just knew she was smiling under it.

"I've gotten better at cooking, I think," she said quickly. "I don't think I'm as good a cook as the Doctor is, but I'm getting there. Do you… want to try my dishes?"

He nodded just as quickly back, making her laugh and ruffle his hair.

Together, the umbrella lady and the older sister lady guided him gently up the steps to the front door. Even before stepping into the building, he found it already smelled like clean stone and bitter herbs inside, which… surprisingly, wasn't that bad a scent. It smelled warm. Lived-in. Nothing like his poor excuse for a 'hut' back in the village.

As the three of them trudged up the steps, though, the bird doctor groaned from the ground beside him, making him pause.

"You're from the forest," the bird doctor muttered, still sprawled on his back, "so you know better than anyone else how to place these aero-resonating stones around the clinic for maximum beauty and effectiveness, right? You do it, then. Make yourself useful."

Liorin stopped just before the door, staring directly down at the bird doctor.

…

Then, before he knew what he was doing, he started laughing.

Tears came again, hot and fast and impossible to stop.

"What's wrong?" the older sister lady asked, turning with concern.

"Are you hurt?" the umbrella lady asked, tilting her head in confusion.

So, in response, he simply shook his head and skipped into the 'Heartcord Clinic'.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.