Ovie parked her minivan in a can, feeling queasy. She stumbled out and heaved. Within a few moments of driving away from Jeans and the Starlight Despair, she left the void. She surmised that Zeta and her friends must have seized the moment to destroy the mask, throwing everyone out that shouldn’t be there. She was sent back to the void entry area at Wildfire Hearts and assumed the Rising Shards students ended up back there.

The Wildfire Hearts void entry wasn’t cold and clinical like the one at Rising Shards. It was built on the ideals of the ancient Endoran Cani and the walls were mostly the same obsidian stone they used back then, barely illuminated by torches embedded into the walls.

Ovie heard Kitty’s excited chatter nearby as she gave her new recruits a quick tour of the school. Ovie scanned the group; the only people of note there were Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila. It’ll be nice to have them back. There were menial tasks that she had to do on her own without them and looked forward to having the two handle them again.

Not wanting to deal with the aftermath of the Jeans situation, Ovie quickly left, keeping her head low. Surely someone would notice what had happened to the mask soon and wonder why Jeans hadn’t returned. She stopped in a dark, mostly unused hallway and tried to will her lurching stomach to settle down.

She felt a coldness at the back of her neck, and hoped it was just a side effect of her insides feeling like they were churning. But she could feel that it wasn’t. She knew the Exile was standing in the dark with her now. Either they were there the whole time, or they somehow teleported there, she wasn’t sure.

“What have you done?” The Exile said in their rainstorm-like voice. They were quiet. Ovie knew it was an intimidation tactic, but that she was being questioned first before being dragged away to some torture chamber meant she might find a way out of this. At the very least, she could plead her case.

“I want to hear it in your words.” The Exile said, their snake eyes glimmering faintly in a reflection of a faraway light.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I just…” Ovie said. She winced, clamping her eyes. “Is…is she…?”

“No. The Exile said. “And now that the mask is destroyed, she is lost in the sea of the void.” Ovie couldn’t see them, but she could tell the Exile was closer. “I just want to know why.”

One person came to mind immediately. But Ovie decided it wouldn’t be wise to tell the Exile about 09.

“Jeans…” Ovie said. “She hurt me. So…I wasn’t thinking much. I just wanted…to hurt her back."

The silence that answered her stung. The Exile let her words linger in the air, as her actions felt like an even heavier burden.

“I’m sorry I did it to your student,” Ovie said.

“Dusk isn’t my pupil,” The Exile said. “She’s trained by Kilander.”

“Oh…” Ovie said.

“I’m only currently mentoring one student.” The Exile said.

It took Ovie a few moments to register what the Exile was saying. She felt a hand on her shoulder, somehow equal parts firm and ghostly.

“It was a grave error you made,” The Exile said. “But it was born from the rage of a true Endoran. I feel justified in selecting you.”

“So…so you won’t tell…?” Ovie said.

“No,” The Exile said. “As far as the rest here will understand, the students from Rising Shards are solely responsible for Dusk’s defeat.”

Ovie nodded. She wasn’t sure if the Exile could even see it. The darkness surrounding her felt stronger somehow, as if the two had traveled to some corner of the void without her knowing. Maybe they had.

“But we must ensure Dusk’s return.” The Exile said.

“R-right.” Ovie said. It was too soon to picture Jeans’ reactions to what had happened, to all the things she could do to Ovie now. She swallowed the thought.

“She will return. You will find her.” The Exile said, their voice barely more than a whisper. Ovie felt it for sure now, she was traveling between worlds, and The Exile was responsible. She saw a light in the distance, and somehow could feel she was back in the school hallway. “For now, return to your room. I’ll be in touch.” She could hear the Exile’s voice but could no longer even see their faintest outlines or their eyes.

Ovie took a deep breath and left, preparing herself to look surprised when she was told the news of what happened to Jeans.