Azela's day passed slowly at the library. She didn't talk much to the librarians, and wasn't able to concentrate on reading anything. Words on pages seemed to become nothing more than ink on paper. The only things that caught her interest were books and scrolls on the local species of flowers.

She wondered why Shi-Yon was not allowed to tell her about some parts of her past. There must have been a reason. Could some events of her life be so terrible that they were best left forgotten? If so, did they regard things done to her, or things that she did to others? Was she a victim or a villain?

Shi-Yon had told her not to seek out her past, but her curiosity was too insistent.

While the memories may be gone, accounts of whatever tragedy she had endured could still exist. She left the books about flowers behind and began to look through the haven's records and most recent history.

Among observations recorded about the settlements nearest to Jastria, she made a strange discovery. Certain events on a few dates had been purposely removed. As she glanced at these, she noticed a young librarian watching her suspiciously. Azela considered her options. She clearly should stop tempting fate, and whatever information was censored from the public wasn't guaranteed to have anything to do with her past. The fight on the beach when she was found allowed her to see Ayan's power firsthand. Approaching him or his followers was a foolish idea. They would be unlikely to tell her anything. These secrets were the will of a being with the powers of a god. She suspected that there were other ways to uncover what she wanted, however. Standing up slowly, she tried to appear as calm as possible. This librarian had to know something about the missing information. When the librarian turned and walked toward the front desk, Azela stealthily followed.

The librarian met with an older one and began discussing something with great urgency. Azela crept as close as she could without being noticed, spying on the two through a bookshelf. Her ears twitched as she listened intently.

"What am I supposed to say?" the young one asked.

The other appeared to be unsure but said, "There's nothing we can do. If she asks about it, we'll tell her the truth; that it was an order from the First Apostle. But under no circumstances are we to tell anyone about Vane's attack or the escapees. Even high level threats like Sierrix and Evisceron are not to be discussed until Apostle One or Ayan himself says so. That's what he commanded, and he seemed very serious. There must be a good reason for it."

Evisceron.

Her skin tingled. The name gave her the impression of a key to a locked door. It sounded familiar. Not from the recent days she had spent in Jastria, but from somewhere else.

The sound of footsteps coming closer suddenly made her jump up, and she moved like a passing shadow to her previous seat, evading the librarians' view. No one gave any indication that they noticed something out of the ordinary, despite her heavy breathing and pounding heart. It was close, but Azela felt proud of her skills in stealth. She made a mental note of it, in case she ever had to use them again.