“Well? Come now, we don’t have all day, my little butterfly.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Please, just leave! If… If you don’t I’ll scream for the guards!”

“You wouldn’t want to do that, no need for unexpected guests. Besides, it would be a hassle to clean up the mess that comes after.”

    “If anything, you’re the only unexpected guest.” She scoffed.

“Oh? Do you not remember what I said last we met, I told you that we’d see each other very soon. Ah, but I suppose that’s not the reason you look so cautious, is it the door? I knew I should have knocked. How impolite, I apologize.”

    “You- Just what do you want with me?”

“What do I want… with you? No, no. I’m afraid you’re mistaken. It is not you I’m interested in, though I admit you are quite charming. You seem unaware of its presence, yet I sense its power within you. Its power is wasted on you, and so I have come to take it.” 

“Whoever you think you’ve found, I’m not them. You have the wrong person!”

“Oh but you are.”

“No! Please! I’m telling you I’m not!” Alena begged.

“Believe me when I tell you, you’re exactly what I’m looking for and much, much more.” The veiled man began to approach her. “Don’t worry, I shall try to make it painless.”

“No… please, stay away! Get out! You shouldn’t be here!” Alena cried out. She clutched her pendant, a strange feeling welling up in her chest, a strong desire.

“I shouldn’t be here? I’m afraid I’m not going any-” 

“Huh?” The veiled man had vanished. “He’s gone…?” But how, she wondered. However, at the moment, it didn’t matter. “I-I can’t stay here.” Afraid that he might return, Alena hurried down the stairs and out into the city streets. There was only one person on her mind she wanted to see. “Alek. I have to find Alek.” 

“Alek? Ah, that must be your little boy I saw through the window the other night.” A voice called out to her.

    “You-” Her eyes grew wide in fear.

“I’m surprised you managed to invoke a reroute, but it only served to slow me down temporarily, you cannot escape me forever. That power is not yours to command.” The veiled man walked the streets as if nothing had happened.

“No, stay back! Stay away from me!” She shouted. Just once more, she hoped he would vanish like he did before. Yet there he still remained.

“Oh? Not quite in control of your powers, are you? To think you could invoke its power despite the convergence of souls being left incomplete.” He grew ever closer. “Then there is still time. There’s no need to be afraid, just come willingly. My Lord has been searching for someone like you, with the power to bring back that which has been lost. There’s no point in running, soon the beasts of amber shall descend upon this city. There will be nowhere for you to go.”

“The beasts of amber…” She began to recall those memories of that fateful day. “No! I have to find Alek, I can’t lose him!” Alena ran off in hopes of finding Alek and hopefully escaping the veiled man in the process. 

“Running away, are we? You leave me no choice, I shall take that power away from you by force.” And so the veiled man began his chase.

    Hoping to lose the veiled man, Alena found herself running through the alleyways near the city walls. Its grounds cluttered with debris and discarded belongings, a road Alena traveled through quite often having lived in the slums. However to an outsider, it would serve to slow them down and to tread carefully. Yet there was one other reason Alena chose to escape here, it was frequently patrolled by the city guards who would catch anybody wishing to escape the quarantine. 

She could see them, two men just up ahead. “Guards, Guards! Please, help me! A strange man is following me!”

    “Easy there, slow down. Just what’s going on?” The first guard wished to calm her down.

“A veiled man, he’s been chasing me. I don’t know what for, but I think… I think he’s after my life!”

“Now hold on, I recognize you.” The second guard “You’re that flower girl that greets Sir Jacek during his patrol.”

    “Oh, you’re right! She’s much prettier up close.” 

    Alena blushed. “Enough! Please, my life is in danger. You have to help me! He’s-”

“There you are! I told you not to run off, you could get yourself hurt!” The veiled man had caught up. 

“Is he the one chasing you?” Alena was startled but nodded. “Get behind us.” The guards motioned for Alena behind them. “I take it you're the man giving this young lady trouble, assault is a serious crime. You will be coming with us, do not resist.”

“I believe you have mistaken me, I’m a good friend of the girl. Unfortunately she suffers from delirium, so I was told to look after her. This is all just a huge misunderstanding.” The veiled man tried to explain. Yet the guards were not convinced.

“You’re not from around here. If you were, you would know Miss Alena is a friend to Sir Jacek.”

“Is that right? Okay…” He sighed. “I tried to settle things in a peaceful manner, but it didn't matter. Why do I even bother? Alena, I warned you not to get others involved… Their blood is on your hands now!” He grinned. The veiled man placed his hand on the castle wall. “I had planned to wait until after I caught the girl, but it seems I’ll have to move the plan along ahead of schedule.” The veiled man began to chant some words before a magic sigil was placed upon the castle wall.

“Magic!? But that means he’s a-” 

“Charmer. This isn’t good.” The First guard turned to Alena. “You have to get out of here.”

“B-But-” 

“Don’t worry about us. It’s our job to protect the people.”

“R-right, of course… Thank you.” 

“Yeah.” He nodded. Alena reluctantly left them behind in hopes of finding her brother.

“Now then… you bastard, I won’t let you cast that spell!” The First Guard charged toward the veiled man, however it was too late.

“Geo-Break.” The wall exploded, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the city walls' defenses. A black-fur beast dragging its knuckles emerged from the dust and let out a terrifying roar. 

“Is that a Bauk, but how?!”

“Well shit…”

“Now then, how would you two like to play with my friend here, hm?” The Bauk roared. 

“Man or monster, we won’t let you harm the people of this city!” The Second Guard began his assault to no avail.

“Don’t-!” However it was too late. The Bauk grabbed the eager soldier and brought him close to its face.

“L-Let me go!” Yet there was nothing he could do.

“My friend here hasn’t eaten anything good in quite awhile. Thankfully, there’s plenty to eat around here.” The Bauk bit the guard’s head off and began to chew. 

“N-No… there’s no way…” The First guard stood there defeated. Having finished its meal, The Bauk approached the remaining guard. 

“You’ve certainly got an appetite, still hungry are we? Well, I suppose there's no harm in having another bite. But once you’re done, I’d like you to get acquainted with the people of this city, I shall capture our butterfly in the meantime.” The veiled man gave a sickening grin.

***

Alena managed to escape the slums and into the city proper, hoping to find Alek; it wasn't long before she bumped into a familiar face. “Alena, what are you doing here?”

“Eula!”

“I heard about what happened, I was going to go visit you. Hey, is everything alright? You look dreadful-“

“No, stop. Eula, you have to get away from here; from me! I don’t want to see you get hurt! So please-”

“Calm down. Did something happen? Just tell me what’s going on-”

“Ah, found you! Oh, what’s this? Another one of your friends?”

“He’s here…! Eula, you have to run!”

“That man… a Disciple of the Veil?” Eula grabbed Alena. “Alena, come with me!”

“Huh- W-wait, you have to get away from me! Eula!”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me.”

“Oh, trying to run away again? I won’t let you!” He let out a bolt of magic that hurdled toward them.

“Eula, watch out!”

“Tarcza!” Eula conjured a magical barrier that protected them from the blast that left Alena surprised. “I told you, you’d be safe with me.” She smirked. 

The resulting blast had caused a scene among the people gathered in the streets. The people began to panic and ran, and yet more guards came to investigate the commotion.

“Well now, to think there would be somebody familiar with charms in this city. They may have evaded me, but I’ll catch up to you soon enough- Hm?” 

“Halt!” Yet his pursuit was stopped by the appearance of guards.

“Really now, I have no time to play with you bunch. But if you insist, let’s finish this quickly, shall we?” They stood no chance, for when the guards came charging at him, the veiled man stunned them with magic. “Halt! That is what you said, was it not?” He grinned. “And now, I want you to ‘Burn’.” 

The men began to ignite, their bodies on fire as they were cooked from inside their armor. The people in the streets were horrified and some women began to scream. “So noisy.” And with a glance they caught on fire as well. “I’ve grown bored of these games, I think it's about time we finish this.”

Having run through the backstreets, they managed to escape their pursuer for the time being. Eula had only one destination in mind to keep Alena safe, having brought Alena all the way to the only other place they knew, Eula’s workshop. However it wouldn’t be long before her veiled stalker would catch up to them.

“There you are!” He shouted.

“Inside now!” Eula hurried Alena inside the building. 

“No you don’t!” A blast of energy knocked Eula away from the door. 

“Agh!” Her leg injured in the blast, she was left helpless on the ground.

“Eula!” Alena screamed.

“Now then…” The veiled man approached the door but found himself shocked before he could even touch it. “A Charmer’s ward? How very clever of you, woman!”

“I won’t let you have her.”

“I’ll just have to kill you then, it’s time I squashed you for good!” However the next blast of magic he shot at Eula was repelled. “Another one of your tricks? But just how long will it last, I wonder?” Blasts of energy began to assault Eula.

“Bastard…!” She knew she wouldn’t last much longer. “Release!” The energy of her shield was dispersed outward, knocking the veiled man against the building, seemingly unconscious.

“Are you alright!” Alena came running out the building.

“I’ll be fine… but we have to get out of here.”

“But you’re hurt-”

“Don’t worry about me, you need to worry more about yourself. Alena, you can’t let him take that pendant away from you.”

“My pendant…? That’s why he called me…” Alena came upon a sudden realization, a solution of departure, she knew what she had to do. “This pendant once belonged to my mother, it's the only thing I have left to remember her by…” She paused. “But if it brings harm to my family, my friends, everything I hold dear to me then I’ll just have to throw it away.”

“Wha- No, Alena. You can’t.”

“But why?! You said he won’t stop until he has it, then shouldn’t we get rid of it?”

“It’s not that simple. It holds immense power, far greater than you could possibly know. That pendant, it’s already bound to you. Its power lives inside of you. Even if you were to throw it away, there’s no telling where it would end up. It’s safer in your hands than it is with anybody else.”

“Then what if we… break it?”

“Thats-”

“You two are starting to really piss me off…” The veiled man had seemingly recovered from the blast. The veil was torn and his face revealed, it was none too curious yet there embedded upon his forehead was a small amber crystal. “I’ve decided… I’ll just kill both of you and be done with it. I don’t need you alive, I can just as easily take that power away from you!” 

“Bastard, just won’t stay down will you?” Eula struggled to stand up. “I won’t let you harm her!” 

“You… you’re just a nuisance!” The man conjured another blast that struck Eula, it was far too strong for her to block and knocked her off her feet once more. “It’s time we finished this-” A piece of debris was thrown and managed to hit the man in the head.

    “Get away from my sister!” There stood the young boy, the one Alena cared for the most.

“Alek!” As happy as she was to see her brother, she realized it was too dangerous for him to be here. “No, It’s not safe! You have to get away from here!”   

    “I’m not leaving you, I promised!”

    “Alek…”

“The brother…? Ah… how wonderful! How fitting for you two siblings to come together, only to die together.”

“No! I won’t let that happen… I can’t!” Alena clutched her pendant once more. “Please, take us somewhere else!” Yet nothing happened. She closed her eyes, wanting for somebody or rather something to take them away. “I’m begging you… take us away from here!” To a place outside the city, she thought, there was only one place that came to mind, where the water flowed. 

“(I shall take you there.)” A disembodied voice heard her plea. 

“Alena!” Alek called out. 

She opened her eyes and found herself outside the city in the fields, and there beside the river where it all began.

“It worked… it worked!” Alena cried out. She turned to find Alek running toward her, and she welcomed him with open arms. “Alek, thank god you’re alright!”

“Yeah! I tried to find you but you weren't at home. I searched everywhere… I’m so happy to see you!”

“Me too!”

“How nice, I’m glad you two managed to find each other… Urgh!” An injured woman cried out in pain.

“Ah, Eula! Are you alright?!” Alena rushed on over.

“Don’t mind me. It’s nothing that won’t heal in time.”

“Eula…”

“Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

“Huh?” Alek spied something in the distance.

“What’s the matter Alek? Is something wrong?”

“The city… it's…” There they saw numerous Fragmented swarming the city walls.

“It’s no longer safe here, you two have to leave.”

“But what about you?!”

“You’ll have to go without me, I’m afraid I’ll only slow you down.”

“No. You’re coming with us! Alek, help me lift her up.”

“R-right!”

“You really are… far too kind.” Eula muttered.

“Once we’re in the woods, they won’t be able to find us.”

And so they carried her to the river where they would soon cross the stream. Yet there was nowhere for them to go, for monsters soon emerged from the woods. They were surrounded.

“This can’t be…!”

“Cantor beasts… nothing but mindless fragmented corrupted by chaos. They’re weak, but with this many… I don’t think I’ll be able to fight them off in my condition.” Eula explained.

“I told you. There is nowhere for you to go.” Their pursuer called out.

“But how… I brought us all the way here! So why… Why can’t I escape you?! Why can’t you just leave us alone!”

“Ah, but you did escape. However, It seems you’ve yet to master and control the power that comes from the pendant and thus ended up taking me with you. I ended up in the woods and watched from afar, I let you have your little moment. Now then, shall we get this over with?” The man pulled out a strange dagger, its blade in the shape of a spiral and at the base of its hilt a dim crystal.

“I won’t let you hurt her!” Alek stood his ground.

“Stay down.” The gem on his head began to glow and Alek fell to his knees.

“Guh!” Alek felt immense pain in his chest as if his heart was being squeezed.

“Alek!” Yet the path to her brother was blocked, and the man soon approached.

“It seems I’ve finally caught myself a butterfly. Now, I shall pluck its wings so that it may never fly again.” The man plunged the blade deep into her stomach. Alek’s eyes grew wide as he witnessed the light escape her eyes.

“A…Ale…na…!” He wept, his tears running down his cheeks as he could do nothing but struggle and remain helpless. 

There she fell to the ground and saw Alek, however it wasn’t long before her vision began to blur. Alena wept with tears in her eyes, not because she was dying but rather the thought that she would be leaving Alek behind all alone in this world. She could feel the blood pooling in her mouth. It was cold, she thought. Staring up at the sky she saw what looked like shimmering white spots falling to the ground. 

"Ah… it's snowing." She managed to say. 

The snow began to fall, the river and its surroundings shrouded in a frozen mist, the skies a sea of blue-gray clouds. 

“(Ah, I can't even move my body anymore... If only I could've done more to protect... I'm so sorry Alek, but it looks like your sister couldn't keep her promise…)” 

("A soul fading from sight, yet she still holds regret. This is not how you wished for it to end, to leave your loved ones behind. Tell me, is there not a desire you've left unfulfilled? Speak it, and I shall make it so.") A disembodied voice rang out.

"I’m sorry Alek… but it looks like this is it… I wish I could have been there for you… that I could find a way to go back in time… just once more… one last time… to rewind."

“(If that is your desire, then I shall make it so.)”

***

    “Alena!” Eula cried out and crawled toward the dearly departed.

“How strange… Was I mistaken?” The man held the dagger and examined the crystal on its hilt, its appearance still dim. “It should have been able to extract its essence from the vessel it was bound to. That is of course, unless…” The man kicked Eula aside and examined the corpse. “There you are… finally!” Holding the pendant in his hand, he snapped it away from her. Yet upon a closer look he realized, the amber color was all but gone from the pendant. “It’s no longer here… That can’t be! Tch, it wasn't you? No, then it must've been the brother that inherited its legacy. Very well then, the boy will do just fine.”

“You can’t! Leave the boy alone, he has nothing to do with this!” Eula begged.

“Be silent. He has everything to with this, if its soul did not reside within her then it must have found its way to the next of kin. But do not worry, for when I’m done with him, I’ll be sure to take my time with you.”

And so the man approached Alek, ready to claim the long desired prize for his Lord. And yet something was wrong, for with every step he took he found himself back where started. He sensed something was wrong, could it be? Had the boy taken control of its powers, or perhaps he misjudged the distance? He had to know, and so he ran toward the boy, yet found he was unable to get any closer before being sent back to where he started. Perhaps he could trick the boy. And so he changed his motive and decided to run in another direction, yet once again whether he walked or ran or however far he went, he found himself right back at the beginning, there beside the river bed.

“Th-This can’t be. Did the boy somehow master its power?! No, no…!” He paused for a moment. “It doesn’t matter, even if I can never get closer to you, I can just as easily kill you from where I stand!” And in an attempt to conjure his magic, it would not come to him. “Wh-Why?! Why don’t I have any power!”

    It was then all three of them noticed the changes around them, that something was different about their surroundings. The wind had stopped blowing, the noise from the city, the screams of the people and the roar of the beast couldn’t be heard. Eula was keen to realize that even the grass itself did not sway or move, and the snow falling around them had all but suspended itself mid-air, as if time itself stood at a stand still. And then both Alek and Eula saw the reason for the strange occurrence, for there she was, standing at the riverbed as if nothing had happened, seemingly alive.

“Alena…?” Alek’s eyes grew wide. 

Yet he immediately noticed something was wrong, her hair turned a silver sheen, the color of her eyes a golden amber and there dancing across her skin were unbelievable mesmerizing patterns, her beautiful fractals.

“Y-You… so the convergence had occurred after death… Hah…Haha!” The veiled man began to laugh maniacally. “Impossible… never has this happened before! You were already de-!” 

“אִתחוּל.” She spoke a language never heard before. The man was hit with a flash of green magic before falling to the ground.

“Alena!” Alek, now freed from the magic, called out to her yet she did not respond.

    Ignoring his cries, Alena lifted herself off the ground and ascended into the skies above. There she beckoned to the skies, with arms outstretched, as if she was calling something to her. There she coalesced a torrent of chaotic amber energies, a manifestation of magic unlike any other and did the impossible. 

“גש הלום! אני מתחנן בפניך, לסלוח על מעשה ההתרסה שלי, אני מוסר את נשמתי לך תמורת אחר. להסרה מהמחזור. גש הלום! לך המתגורר באושר רגוע בעולם הבא, אשר לו חרטה עמוקה. לך, הו אלנה טובת הלב Alena. באתי להיענות לרצונך. כי אתה תלך על פני האדמה, רגע בזמן לפני שתנשמת את נשימתך האחרונה. אני מתקשר אלייך. גש הלום!”

As if parting the clouds, there the invocation had made manifest the unseen boundaries between worlds. A vision of a grandiose tree and under its shade showed a canopy of stars. The sky had all been illuminated by her energies, a power not of this world. And there descending from the sky a sphere of light, a kind-hearted and kindred soul, beckoned from beyond and granted unto herself.

“How can this be…?! A tear in reality that has all but shattered the blue yonder… her power is far greater than I could’ve ever imagined. Alena… for what desire did you manifest, for its power to be this strong, to break even the boundaries between worlds.”

“This… this must be because of that man, he did something to her! It must’ve been the dagger, it turned her into a Fragmented! There has to be a way… I can’t lose her! I have to turn her back, I have to save her!”

    “Alek, no! That isn’t what’s happening-”

“Eula, you have to help me. I can’t lose her, not like this!” He begged with tears in his eyes.

“That’s…” Yet Eula could not find the words to te

But before she could answer, they had forgotten that they were surrounded by Cantor beasts, ravenous and hungry now that their master was no longer in control. The sudden appearance of this new Alena and her ascension had caused them to become crazed, as they all began to attack one another while others attempted an assault on their lives. 

“Why now?!” The beasts began to close in on them.

“Ward!” A spell had been cast and I found myself protected from the strike of its claw. 

A knight came charging out of the wood. “Away from the boy!” He lunged and slew the rabid beast in one fell swoop.

“Just who-”

“Are you alright, lad?” The knight pulled Alek up off the ground.

“Y-Yeah…”

“Damn beasts!” More people started coming out of the woods, killing every single monster in sight.

“Banish!” An illuminating spell dispersed a large pack of beasts.

“So they’ve come…” Eula muttered. “Lindull’s finest knights, you sure took your time.”

A man approached the injured Eula. “Captain Albin! We’ve got another wounded one over here! Are you alright Miss?”

“I'll be fine. Thank you…”

“Captain Albin…” Alek remembered the name. 

“Hm? Have we met before, boy?”

“N-No… but I need your help. You have to help me! My sister she’s-”

“Captain, how should we deal with the one in the sky?”

“No idea. I’ve never dealt with one with that kind of power. We’ll just have to catch her off guard and finish her off quickly-”

“That’s my sister!” I shouted. They all stood there seemingly stunned.

Captain Albin stood there a moment before kneeling to meet me eye-level. “Hey kid, what was your name?”

“...Alek.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Alek. I’m sorry to have to tell you this but I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. There’s no saving her, she’s all but been corrupted by the chaos. If we don’t stop her now, she might just end up destroying the city, if not the entire kingdom. This is the only way.” Captain Albin ordered his men to get ready.

“No… You can’t!” Yet his plea for help was ignored.

“Izabela, ready your prayers. Borys and Marcin, you’re with me. The rest of you, clear the field of beasts.”

“Please, you can’t! You have to save her… please… there has to be a way… somebody help me save her!” He cried out. "Please... Somebody, anybody! Help... Help me!" He cried out once more. And at last, something had listened.

"(A desire unfulfilled, a fleeting wish or perhaps... Do you wish to save her?)" A disembodied voice called out.

"Save her... Yes…! I want to save her! But who-?" Yet there was no one to be seen.

“(Then I shall grant that desire, if you so wish it.)”