The wyrm troll bellowed and roared once more, a vicious heat emitting from its gullet as it panted in a starved rage. Even after the road’s collapse it proceeded, unflinching and unaware of those whom were now lost. All it could see was the magical canopy that had emerged from the mountainside, and a blanket of fog licking up its leaves. Phordata could only sigh as she eyed the beast, descending from the carriage.

“Aunt Phory!” Saya called out leaping down after her.

“Saya, Phordata, what are we two doing!?” Aria rode up to them.

“That thing isn’t going to stop. Not until it either eats us, or until it’s out matched,” Phordata explained.

“Then we must run,” Aria looked to them. “Princess please...”

“That won’t work,” Phordata shook her head. “I apologize you two. I was too slow in drawing in the mana I needed to do this.”

“Do what?” Saya questioned. “Wait, Aunt Phory what are you planning to...” her voice fell silent as she watched Phordata’s ears twitch.

“It’s time you saw what a witch can really do,” she turned her head back to look at Saya and the others. Saya gasped, unable to process what she was seeing. Phordata’s skin began to change, new color blossoming across her body. Starting from her cheeks, her flesh became a vibrant green, and her eyes and hair began to brighten and glow a more intense purple. Her now green ears began to elongate, until they exceeded even Mable’s ears in length and point.

“Aunt Phory, what is...”

“You see Saya,” she said as she billowed her cloak, removing it and revealing her light clothing and green limbs underneath. “When a witch fully draws upon their true magical potential, we can achieve our elemental state. Our bodies become one with our affinities, and mana flows through us at an incredible level. Even the gods I mentioned trembled before such might,” her clothes seemed to glow and change, becoming a dress made of leaves and petals as a flower erupted from the ground, its petals surrounding and curling upon her and then fluttering out as she sank into it.

“Aunt Phory...” Saya’s voice was full of awe as she beheld the beautiful power Phordata held. With a slight movement of her hands, she began to conjure countless plants from the cliffside, her blossom rising into the sky above with her many plants. The wyrm troll looked at her with awe, a dribble of steaming drool trickling down its jaw as its stomach grumbled. It greedily flapped its mighty wings with a bellow. It stretched them out as it roared, using them to lift itself off the ground in pursuit of Phordata. Phordata could only grin as she waved her plants forth, the plants reaching for the beast, grabbing hold of its left wrist.

Aria tried to snap out of the trance caused by the awe-inspiring image as she looked up. “Incredible,” she mouthed. This made the magic Phordata did back when they fought in the forest look like a parlor trick, it was no wonder they lost. The number, the range, the versatility, it was all more potent than the magic she saw before. The vines and roots grew in number, descending upon the wyrm troll, the beast struggling to resist their might.

The beast scoffed as it tried to tear the plants away, only to fail. In its rage, it inhaled, then exhaled a mighty flame, incinerating the plants to a puff of ash. “So that’s how it is,” Phordata chuckled. “Then let’s make it a little more challenging for you.” This time she thrust her arm forward, a thick tree erupting from the mountainside and grappling the wyrm troll’s arm. It tried to ignite it again, this time needing a full punch to shatter the singed wood.

Phordata chuckled gleefully. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper challenge,” She girded herself with a grin, channeling a sparkling stream of mana around and through her body, her veins pulsing with rainbow light. She thrust herself forth again, more thick trees erupting and grabbing its arms and legs. It writhed and squirmed, trying to break free, the trees beginning to crack from the force. “Not this time,” she shouted. No sooner had it torn one arm free, had she redoubled her efforts, another set of trees grabbing hold, pinning it in the air.

It roared again and again and Phordata just looked at it with bemusement. Its eyes and body began to twitch, smoke billowing from the points where the trees contacted the beast. This amount of heat, it had to be… Phordata smirked. She wasn’t going to let it happen again. One of those blasts was quite enough. The beast breathed in, and in, and in, its gaze pulling to the sky, distracting it. As it distracted itself, flowers began to bloom upon the trees, coating them in a thick bouquet. As the wyrm troll leaned forward, ready to fire another fiery boulder, its head descended into the thick cloud of pollen emitted by the flowers, forcing its way into the beast’s nose and mouth.

The heat began to subside, the beast’s jaw slacking and opening wider, its eyes fluttering. The scent overwhelmed it, overtaking its senses. The beast growled, the beast purred, and then the beast fell asleep, a bright red liquid flowing from its mouth, just in time for the trees to set it down upon the mountain.

“That should calm it down for a while,” Phordata grinned as her blossom returned to the ground. “A wyrm troll like that one tends to sleep days at a time.”

“What did you do?” Aria asked.

“I think she used the plants to put it to sleep,” Saya’s surprised curled into a proud grin. “That was amazing Aunt Phory!”

“So, that’s the true power of a witch?” Rosa gawked.

“Does that mean the Princess will get that strong one day?” Brooke questioned. The knights all looked at each other in amazement before grinning gleefully at Phordata’s success. However, it didn’t take long for them to realize there was still something amiss. “The Captain, Commander, and the others,” they looked over the edge.

“Worry not,” Phordata repeated as she remounted her cloak, her body reverting to her pale human form. “Honey will keep them safe. I promise you that,” she looked over the cliff with a smile. However, despite her reassurance, Saya could only look over in hesitation and concern. Was what Phordata saying true? She sure hoped so.

* * *

Beneath the highroad stood a thick and wild forest, lush and prospering with magic and life. Surviving in such dangerous terrains was always one of the first things any worthwhile warrior would learn, and Fiona was no different. It didn’t take her long to recover herself and begin putting together a strategy as she quickly realized that she was alone, her voice swallowed by the thick wintery fog.

The people of Luxur were largely ignorant of the realms that once belonged to Ethnerta, but two longstanding legends had managed to persist beyond such ambiguities. The first was of course the tales of the Dark Forest, where Phordata lived and had many legends of mysterious magical beings making it their home. The other was the Winterfell Forest. Similar legends existed to those of the Dark Forest, to the point that many had speculated they were one and the same. And yet, standing in this forest here and now, Fiona could tell that there was a clear and decisive difference.

During her brief foray into the Dark Forest with her fellow knights, she could feel the fitting nature of the land. The Dark Forest was deep and thick, swallowing all the senses and casting them into the oblivious darkness. It was as if it actively defied perception and resisted their very progress.

But here, this forest had a very different, even chilling sensation… it felt inviting, sinisterly so. A shiver crossed her body as she felt a more dubious sensation here. As opposed to the senseless perceptions she had in the Dark Forest, here she had the feeling of a thick and cruel will, nay wills. This was clearly a land that had drank upon significant bloodshed, and the trees seemed to trap the very wills that continued to linger on. She could very nearly see the shimmers and glows of ghosts and flickers of dread filled memories as she marched forth.

It wasn’t long before she came across a stronger glow. Her senses spiked as the glow came into focus, a young girl weeping upon the ground. The girl’s sobs and softness disarmed her, her shivers of fear becoming pangs of sadness.

“Are you alright?” Fiona asked.

“My family…” the girl sobbed.

“Your family?”

“We were running away. I was so scared,” the girl wept. “Why did it have to happen?”

“What do you mean? Why did what happen?”

The girl pointed to her. “You. You came and attacked us. You slaughtered my brother and parents!” she shrieked her gruesome glare tore into Fiona, her protests seizing up in her throat, as if her very words had become gnarled and sprouted thorns which prickled her throat. “How dare you come back! You monster!” the girl screamed as she threw herself at Fiona. Fiona stumbled back as the ghostly form ran to tackle her.

Her body felt tight as the girl scrambled towards her, and she felt an intense prickling that escalated into pain. The girl’s wails dug deeper and deeper, Fiona’s legs feeling heavy as iron and her body beginning to collapse from the intense strain. She struggled to understand what was happening. Was this fear? Was it anguish? Her spirit began to wane as the girl’s words sank in. Perhaps she deserved such a fate. The girl had been wronged so thoroughly, who was she to deny her vengeance now.

“Cease!” a familiar voice rang out, its vigor acting as chains upon the ghost. Fiona and the ghost turned their attention to the trees, beyond them, the demonic form of Abbysia emerging from the fog, her wings on full display as the succubus strutted forth. “Come now little spirit,” she said softly. “Come to me.”

The girl’s glare softened, sadness pulling upon her face, her eyes drooping with sorrow as she fell into Abbysia’s arms. “Why? Why did we have to die?” the girl whispered.

“You must’ve suffered so much. But it’s over now,” Abbysia smiled as she held the girl. “Go on now. They’re waiting for you,” she whispered, giving the ghost a chance to make one last contented sigh before vanishing into the blanket of fog.

“What was that?” Fiona asked her faculties returning to her. “That pain it was…”

“She was probably a spirit, one that died during the war between Luxur and Ethnerta,” Abbysia frowned. “I ran into a couple on the way here. I imagine that despair you felt was her own grief. Anguished ghosts like her can chain that pain onto the living if they want too.”

“I see,” Fiona sighed as she gripped her chest. “That pain, to imagine knights like myself caused such immense pain so callously,” she lamented. “No wonder Princess Saya felt so burdened.”

“Fiona?” Fiona nodded to the demoness. “So long as you remember her pain, I think it will be alright,” she nodded. “Carrying the wishes of the fallen is important, and it can help us prevent such atrocities from happening again,” she said with a somber yet graceful tone, as she crossed her arms, her hands resting upon her arms. Fiona smiled as she felt it resembled their form of prayer.

“But why was she here?” Fiona asked redirecting her attention to where the girl was.

“I’m not entirely certain, but I once heard that an entrance to the underworld once existed here. Apparently, this place once got its name, Winterfell, because of a goddess of the dead. According to legend, she lived part of her life with her mother on the surface, and the rest in the underworld with her husband, the Winter coming because of her departure,” Abbysia explained.

“To imagine such beings might’ve once existed here,” Fiona wondered. “It sounds more than bit frightening.”

“Yeah,” Abbysia nodded. “It’s believed that spirits still congregate here hoping to find their ways to the underworld and get lost when they can’t find their way.”

“I see,” Fiona frowned. “At any rate, we should find the others, assuming we aren’t alone.”

“We aren’t,” Abbysia confirmed.

“You can tell?”

“I guess you can call it a bit of a gift we succubi have. We are pretty good at locating others with lots of magic. We’re sort of… attracted to them,” she blushed.

“I see,” Fiona shrugged indifferently. “I suppose that probably means you are sensing the Princess, Phordata, and Honey?”

“Not exactly,” Abbysia shook her head. “I can tell that Phordata and Saya are still above us, on the highroad,” she looked up. “I’m not certain where Honey is, but I feel two more weaker magical energies in the forest. One is decently strong while the other is far more tepid.”

“Then that leaves Mable and Captain Xenia,” she grimaced. “In which case we should quickly go find the two of them.”

“R-right…” Abbysia nodded.

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing, just my nerves,” Abbysia dismissed her concerns, Fiona nodding and beginning to march on ahead, Abbysia traveling behind her. “…but why does one of them feel so similar…” she mumbled to herself.

* * *

“Curses,” Xenia mumbled to herself as she wandered through the thick fog. “Where am I now?” she boggled as she carefully scanned the area noticing a batch of glowing mushrooms. “Back where I started again,” she sighed. It had felt like hours since she had found herself in the forest, wandering aimlessly through the thick trees. At first, she was gleeful to find a batch of bioluminescent mushrooms to act as a guidepost to orient herself. Then upon stumbling another batch she felt invigorated. Then she stumbled upon it a third time, realizing it was identical to the first. Again and again, it didn’t seem to matter how hard she tried, she simply returned to this same spot. “Ugh,” she gripped her head in frustration.

She had been struggling to maintain her knightly demeanor, wracked by unease from the truth. She was rather regretful at the moment as such vulnerability opened her up to this unceasing frustration. Her cool judgement seemed an eternity away now as all she could do now was sit in a vain effort to collect her rampant irritation. She took a slow breath. In. And out. She tried repeating her Aunt Phordata’s advice from their training, an exercise to calm oneself and focus on the flow of mana. It seemed to be of little effect before, but now… nothing. She still could not focus, she still could not… She felt a familiar presence, one she had not felt in quite some time. She smiled as she realized the familiar energy of Mable’s search spell.

“Mable!” Xenia called out as she noticed a pale light emerge from the trees.

“Princess!?” Mable responded as she emerged. “Thank goodness, I was afraid that you might’ve…” she frowned.

“I am alright,” Xenia reassured her. “I assume you haven’t found the others?” Mable shook her head. “I see. Were you just wandering as I was?”

“Sort of. I’ve been keeping my spell active this whole time to find you and the others. It’s been giving me some general direction, but not much. I guess I’m not exactly useful with this stuff, huh?” she lamented, her ears drooping.

“Well, you found me, did you not?”

“I suppose so.”

“Then that is enough for me to trust your judgement,” Xenia smiled. “I am not quite prepared to trust my own right now,” she mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Tis nothing,” Xenia shook her head. “So, where too?”

“Uh, I guess this way,” Mable pointed in a direction. “I feel some strong mana that way. I, uh think,” she said uncertainly.

“Lead the way,” Xenia nodded with a slight smile, Mable giving a quiet nod as she began to march ahead.

The two trudged through the forest, leaving the glowing mushrooms as they shimmered in the darkness. As the light dimmed in the distance, the two began to notice their shadows fade into the darkness. Xenia began to hang her gaze upon the nervous twitches of Mable’s fingers as Mable similarly noticed Xenia’s quiet somberness and distant gaze. Mable had long since been aware of their growing distance, but Xenia became more discomforted from greater clarity she had found, her mind drifting as she wondered when they first began to drift apart.

Xenia’s mind turned to the past, back to the days when she and her friends and family were still eager in playing with each other. She was still a young teenager, acting in many ways as a child much younger, but she was certain she was happier then. She recalled Saya being quite girlish as Aria made bad jokes that they all enjoyed. Aurith would act like a courageous confident knight while Mable would gleefully indulge them all. Although she presently pined for her refined senses once more, this hesitation at least brought a chuckle to her face, as well as a thought. Her eyes returned up towards Mable who silently marched on, giving a brief chuckle.

“Hmm?” Mable shot a glance towards Xenia. “Is something the matter?”

“Not at all. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About when we were children, mostly. For instance, just how different you have become.”

“How much I’ve changed?” Mable wondered aloud. “What does that mean?”

“Tis just, when we were children, you were so much more excitable and giddier,” Xenia chuckled. “Your smiles were so big and wide back then. I rather miss it if I am being truthful.”

“It wasn’t just me you know,” Mable said with a gentle smile. “You may not remember, but you were pretty excitable yourself Xenia,” she chuckled. “I miss those times.”

“As do I,” Xenia gave a wry smile.

“I wish I could be like that again,” Mable’s voice hushed to a whisper. “I find it so much harder these days. Almost like I have to struggle harder each day just to be as happy as I was before.”

Xenia frowned as her friend seemed to shrink before her. ‘Struggle harder each day?’ Had Mable been struggling for a long time now? For how long? When did it begin? And why had she not noticed? Although, she knew the answer to the last question, upon brief reflection. She had trained to remain objective and keep herself facing forward no matter the situation. It had caused her to neglect Saya’s feelings, so it was little surprise that she had not noticed Mable’s plight as well. Xenia swallowed the coarse air.

“Um, Mable?” Xenia asked.

“Yes?”

“Do you...miss life in the castle?”

Mable looked down in silence, her eyes twitching with discomfort.

“I apologize. Tis just, I am worried. You came to support Saya, and you did well in that, but I fear you may have lost your home because of our decisions,” Xenia frowned to herself.

“What about you?” Mable asked in turn. “The castle was the only home you ever knew. Sure, you traveled more than Saya and I ever did, but it was where you called home. Where your belongings, family, and friends all were. It must be incredibly painful to cut that all away.”

“I suppose yes,” Xenia said wistfully. “I miss it greatly. The familiar walls, food, scents, and even the busy squabbles of the nobles that took place. But after learning all the lies father told us. I just, I do not believe that I would find any more comfort there. Especially if it would cost Saya her happiness to return.”

“You can’t find anymore comfort, huh?” Mable repeated quietly. “Thanks to all those lies.”

“Mable?”

“Y-yes’m?” she jumped.

“Are you alright dear? You have been rather distant lately. I have grown worried, tis all,” Xenia frowned.

“I...” she fell silent.

“Mable?”

“Princess,” she felt a pressure rise in her, one she could no longer deny, “there’s something I’ve been afraid of. Something about myself that I’ve been afraid of,” she whimpered. “Something that…” she hesitated then shook her head. “No, it’s nothing,” she swallowed the pressure once more.

“Something you have been afraid of?” Xenia frowned again. She looked quietly and carefully at her face. Her expression, her fear, it was like how Saya looked before they entered the Dark Forest all those months ago. The pain, the secrecy. She cursed herself for ignoring it then, and now… “Mable,” she whispered as she grew close to the gentle elf as she looked at her with her shimmering frightful eyes. “When Saya explained herself, back in the Forest, you scolded us for being cold towards her and her feelings. I do not wish to repeat that mistake again. So please, Mable, I am here for you. Please trust in me, I want to help you bear this burden,” she said gently grasping Mable’s shoulder.

“Princess Xenia...” she whimpered.

“I may be a princess. I may be a battle-hardened knight who put her feelings away,” she grimaced, “but I still care for you. I care for you so much, and I... I do not want to see you hurt. So, if I can help...” she gave a gentle smile.

“Xenia...” Mable’s eyes began to leak before she grabbed Xenia with all her might, holding her close. “Thank you.”

“I will not force you, but...”

“No, you’re right, maybe talking about it will help,” Mable sighed, her ears drooping, as small ringlets bounced off her ears. “Xenia, do you know why I lived in the castle?”

“Why? Truth be told I was never made privy to that information. All I was only told it was for your own protection,” she explained. “That father...” her voice slowed to a halt as she began to blink many times, each heavier and harder than the last. Her father had hidden much about her family. It was clear now that his intentions were not as pure as she initially assumed, causing newfound hesitation. “Mable,” the elven girl nodded, knowing what was about to come. “Was that explanation also a lie?”

Mable sighed as she looked down. “It was. I wasn’t sent to you all for my own protection. Truth be told I don’t know why I was sent away. I was never told. I could only ever speculate,” she said as she held her teal hair in her palm. “Did you know that most elves have light colored hair?”

“Light colored hair?” Xenia wondered aloud. “I suppose that matches most descriptions I have read. I’ve heard of darker colored hair as well, and lavender as well, and of course you have...”

“An unusual color.”

“Unusual?” Xenia questioned.

“I don’t remember a lot from when I was a child,” Mable continued to look down with a sorrowful look. “I just remember most of the others in my village had light hair. Brunettes were around, some red heads like some humans, but most were blonde or lavender like you said. Very light colored. There weren’t any other elves like me with this color of hair. I think when I was younger, my hair may have been like theirs as well,” she sighed. “But then it changed, and what good memories I had come to an end.”

“I... I had no idea,” Xenia frowned.

“I never wanted to talk about it,” Mable moped. “It was something I’d rather forget. Mom left us soon after, though I wasn’t sure why. And it wasn’t long after that that I was sold to your father,” she said grimly.

“You were… sold?” Xenia’s face twisted with shock and horror. “You mean...”

“I didn’t understand it back then. I only remember the elder looking at me with disgust, then the knights taking me to a caravan. I think the last thing I remember of it was my sister calling for me. She sounded so panicked,” she began to tear up. “I didn’t...” she began to cry. “I didn’t know I’d never see her again, that I’d never see any of them again,” she sniffled. “I tried to escape and go back to them, but the knights held me down, and then it was too late.”

Xenia was silent, her voice and words vanishing in her breath. She could only pull Mable closer to her in some vain effort to comfort her.

“At first I was scared and confused. Meeting you, Saya, Aria, Lillia, and Aurith helped numb the pain for a time, but I was still so confused and hurt. I didn’t understand why I was taken away. I didn’t even know I was sold off. It was only shortly after you were ordered to dedicate yourself to your training that I learned some semblance of the truth,” she sniffled.

“What do you mean?”

“I had a meeting with the King about one of my projects. He was reviewing everyone’s projects after that explosion. Do you remember it?” Xenia nodded. “During our meeting he was pulled away due to something else. I think it was another incident in one of the labs. While I waited, I got curious. The king… Zerto… he had information on all of us, and I decided to peak at mine. I saw some strange marking on it, and with some digging I discovered it was a seal indicating ownership of me,” Xenia stiffened as she heard her voice grew quiet. “A little later I managed to dig through some hidden material, and that’s when I found it. A copy of the paperwork for when I was…” she hesitated as she gripped her skirt, “...bought.”

“I… I had no idea,” Xenia said sorrowfully.

“You had no way of knowing,” Mable shook her head. “I don’t think many in the castle knew. But after finding out I began to realize much of Zerto’s generals knew, especially after how they’d treat me,” her voice grew shallower.

“But I don’t understand. Why? Why were you…?”

“I think I know,” Mable pulled at her hair again. “It was something I ran across while studying at Phordata’s. Books about my kind, the elves. At first, I was simply intrigued. I wanted to know more about the people I was taken away from. But then I became concerned as I began reading certain pieces, and then I became frightened as I dug deeper.”

“What did you read?” Xenia’s eyes shook frightfully.

“I think my people sold me, both as a way to get in your father’s graces, and to get rid of me because of my bloodline,” she explained dejectedly. “I think… I think it might have been because of who my mother was… because she was…”

* * *

“Do you know how much longer this will take?” Fiona asked Abbysia as she carefully stepped down from a thick root and back onto the stable soil.

“We should be running into them… ah, there they are!” Abbysia smiled as she pointed towards a faint glow.

“What is that?”

“It’s light from a surveying spell. I’m impressed if I’m being honest, it takes great talent to extend something like that so far out,” she said as they followed the glow. “But now that we’ve entered its influence, we should run into each other very soon,” she grinned.

“I am grateful to hear that,” Fiona gave a breath of relief. After a few more moments of walking her captain and the young elf emerged from the foliage trading a weary smile with their own as they finally reunited. “Captain, Mable, I am glad you are both safe.

“As I am of you two, Commander,” Xenia nodded. “Has there been any sign of my sister or the others,” the two shook their head. “That is quite unfortunate,” she frowned.

“Hmm?” Mable blinked looking up confusedly.

“Is something the matter Mable?” Xenia asked.

“The fog is lifting,” Abbysia commented. “No, that’s not quite right. It’s more like it’s converging, gathering upon us.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Fiona scowled.

“Wait a moment, I recognize this feeling,” Mable said.

“This is…,” Xenia looked into the woods as the final wisps of fog retracted behind a nearby tree. From beyond it emerged a woman of thick fluffy white vapors, her naked body obscured by a certain cloudiness. Her hair draped upon her body, whisked around by the gentle breeze around her, soft white ears drooping about her soft round face. “Aunt Honey?” Xenia asked in awe. “Is that you.”

“It is,” the cloud like Honey said, her sweet voice wrapping around them like a windy whisper, as her vibrant pink eyes shimmered with kindness.

“So, this is your elemental form,” Abbysia said as her red eyes glittered with excitement.

“Elemental form?” Xenia wondered aloud.

“Teehee,” Honey giggled as she stepped forward, color returning to her floofy body as it seemed to sink down to her normal appearance, Xenia, Mable, and Fiona gazing at her in surprise. “It’s something Phory and I hadn’t gotten to teach you about yet. Essentially, when a witch fully master’s their affinities, they can become one with those affinities, their very form changes to fit their own element,” she said as she gently stroked her chest. “For me, since I have an affinity for weather magic, my body becomes like that of a cloud, and I can become one with the weather.”

“That’s incredible,” Mable said in awe. “But why were you in that form?”

“When you all fell down here, I leapt down after you. I used my elemental form to protect you all until we could all reunite. And the most effective way to do that was to expand myself into a blanket of fog,” she giggled. “Although that prevented me from talking with all of you.”

“That is all fascinating Lady Honey,” Fiona interrupted. “But what of the others?”

“The others are fine. After being ambushed by the beast that attacked us, the wyrm troll, and sending you all down here, Phory managed to drive it back with her own elemental form,” Honey explained.

“You saw all of that in your fog form?” Mable gawked. “That’s incredible.”

“Oh, no,” Honey shook her head. “We actually have spells to contact each other mentally,” she giggled again. “We’ve been figuring out what to do as I waited for all of you.”

“Does that mean you can take us to the others?” Abbysia asked.

“I could yes,” Honey nodded, giving the four a chance to relax before hesitating.

“Wait, could?” Mable wondered. “It sounds like…”

“Truth be told,” Honey gave a hesitant smile. “Phory and I decided upon another plan. We won’t be meeting up quite yet,” she said as the others gave a weary sigh. “I know, I know,” Honey tried to sympathize, “but this gives us a great opportunity.”

“Opportunity?” the others asked as they looked to each other.