Chương 4: Chapter 3

Shaya turned to the injured thug she saved, hoping to find an ally. Instead, she saw his back as he limped away as fast as he could. Fair enough, she thought, watching him go. The shark turned its head towards him, nose twitching, and rushed after the smell of blood.

"Rel!" Shaya shouted even louder than before, "Hit that thing with the powder!" She waited for the spawn to chase after its victim so it was further from her and the girl she was protecting. Shaya considered herself a good person, but not exactly a saint like her mom. Before her would-be ally turned bait could be killed, however, she flipped the shiv in her hand and whipped it at the spawn.

The ragged iron blade slammed into one of the monster's gills just as it paused to lunge, causing it to gnash its rows of teeth in pain and rage. It spun towards Shaya, tail lashing back and forth with agitation. Spit, Shaya thought as the creature rushed her, just now appreciating how it was almost the size of a bear. A little pouch smashed into its nose, exploding into a cloud of spicy dust. That stalled out its charge and hope surged in Shaya.

Only to be snuffed out as its tail slammed into her head and her world became pain. She fell to a knee, realizing the dumb girl she was trying to save was still next to her. I'm sorry, Mom. I tried to live up to your standards. The girl cried out again, and Shaya lunged towards the noise. Her fist clipped the spawn's nose as it lunged for the girl. It flinched back from the two of them, more out of surprise than pain. Rel's spice bomb covered part of his face, but not close enough to its eyes or nose to disable it.

It opened its jaws wide, prepared to end the nuisance before it so it could get to feasting. Vision blurred and red, Shaya raised her fists again as she stared into the maw filled with rows of jagged teeth, watching as more teeth grew in. I hope you're proud, Mom.

"I won't let you have her," Shaya said to the creature, spitting blood to the side. The monster lunged towards her, and she willed her body to respond to it. Sluggish from her injuries, she knew her arm wouldn't have the strength to push its maw out of the way in time. Maybe the girl would be smart enough to get away while Shaya distracted it. If only her arm would move faster. If only she had a shield or armour. If only her mom had never died and left her to this fate. You wish to defend those around you?

a voice of ringing steel asked within her spirit, outside of the flow of time. I… I wish to fight for those who can't stand up for themselves. Myself included. Do you vow to defend those who cannot defend themselves? I swear it. Then so be it. I shall be your Will made manifest. What seemed like lightning surged through Shaya as her spirit connected with the esper, opening up new possibilities as it created channels between her and the Aetherium.

The sensation overwhelmed her, as if being able to see the world in colour for the first time, but it all passed in a mere instant. Power rose through her, an Amber light that filled her with newfound resolve and confidence. Shaya had idolized her mothers and their friends—all of them mages—and knew what to do. At least vaguely.

"Get away from us!" she shouted with as much will as she could, turning the cry into a basic invocation. A shield of light exploded from her arm, carrying enough force to hurl the spawn away from her. The monster landed on the ground several feet away from her but rolled to its feet in an instant. It gnashed its teeth as it lunged at her again. Anger flared through her as Ruby light poured into her.

"Get purged, you monster!" Shaya spun towards the monster and hot, burning sunlight blasted from her fingertips. The heat burned the creature's exposed flesh and blinded it, forcing it to avert its attack. More Ruby aether poured into her and she used it to fuel her spell, tracking the creature as the searing light melted flesh. To escape her wrath, it crawled to the edge of the dock, trying to slip back into the water.

Rage burned in her, demanding that she destroy the spawn for what it represented—for the harm it had already caused her. The anger fuelled her spell, the heat intensifying to cook the creature, but Shaya grimaced as searing pain shot through her body and soul from the effort. With a force of will, she reined in the emotion before it spiralled out of control and the spell died in an instant, the shark-thing slipping away into the dark waters.

She turned to help the victim she was protecting to her feet, gasping when she realized the blast of heat had caught her as well.

"I'm sorry!" Shaya said, crouching next to the girl and taking her burned forearm gently in her own hands.

"I'm so sorry—I don't even know what happened! Gods, I hope I can heal you." Her esper took the plea as an invocation, and Shaya felt aether grow into the shape of a spell within her spirit. Sympathy flowed through her as she saw the reddened, peeling skin on the girl's arm. In that moment, she felt a deep connection to the stranger and felt the pain in her own arm as if she had burnt herself instead.

Shaya and the girl gasped as Jade light suffused the wound and the burns faded away, to be replaced with fresh skin lacking the tan that the rest of the arm possessed. Exhausted, Shaya sagged and took in a deep breath to steady herself against the flood of emotions that had rushed through her. The confidence, the rage, and the sympathy were all gone, leaving her feeling drained and the world a grey, dull place.

The smell of brimstone and the iron tang of blood filled the area for the moment, but the rotting fish smell was retaking its territory quickly. She snorted in amusement as this realization slowly sunk through her pounding skull. As she opened her eyes, Shaya saw a glowing, ephemeral spirit floating above her—a tall, armoured woman with feathered wings, a crystal sword, and a heavy shield.

"M-mom?" Blinking tears from her eyes, she stared up at the woman as she got to her feet, wobbling as pain thundered through her head. The spirit unmistakably looked like her mom, but she had never possessed wings or such splendid armour. Even her physique looked supernatural, like a statue chiselled to a perfection that her mortal form could never hold. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

She felt the connection between her and the spirit, a bond she'd heard of in the tales her family and friends told her of.

"Are you…my esper now?" You are worthy. She felt the voice more than heard it. It…it didn't really sound like her mom, but there was an eerie similarity to it. I am Phaedra Amon, Guardian of Light. The Pact is sealed. Then, it simply faded into motes of light that absorbed into Shaya as she stood there, stunned.

"Sis!" Rel called, rushing towards her.

"What was that!? Was that Mom?! Why are you glowing? Oh my gods, did your crazy plan actually work?!" Reeling from his tackle hug, Shaya barely caught her balance before they toppled over. She couldn't even begin to parse all the emotions behind his words—excitement, fear, nervousness… jealousy?

"Yeah, Rel." She smiled down at him.

"That's our ticket out of here."

"What do you mean?" He pulled away from her. I mean I'm basically a god, Rel, she thought to herself. I can channel up to three colours! Half the spectrum! Though I don't like what came over me when channelling Ruby aether…

"We're going back to the orphanage," she told her brother.

"But—that place is terrible! We were basically slaves there!" Shaya clenched a glowing fist.

"Things are going to be different from now on, Rel. Now they'll have to treat us with respect. We'll be able to reach Mom's friends now."

"What if they only want you though?" Anger entered his voice.

"I'm not going to let them separate us, Rel." Shaya turned back to the girl that had started this all and offered her a hand up. She took it tentatively, eyes still wide with awe—or maybe a bit of shock, now that Shaya really looked.

"Th-thank you for saving me," she stuttered as Shaya pulled her up.

"I'll find a way to pay you back, I promise!" Given that I just Awakened, I might owe you my life.

"Don't worry about it," she responded with a smile, "consider us even. Rel and I have to go now."

"I figured I'd find you at the centre of this mess, Shaya," a large man called out as he approached the scene, surveying their handiwork with some appreciation. He was a kitahm, but taller and broader than Shaya since his giant bloodline wasn't diluted. Two other enforcers flanked him, these ones demigol with wolfen traits, each carrying simple clubs.

"Good work."

"Took you long enough, Zymish," Shaya said with a smirk, head still spinning from pain.

"You know as well as I do that there aren't nearly enough enforcers around," he replied.

"If you want to come back to my group, I wouldn't say no."

"Sorry, boss, but…" Shaya looked over at her brother.

"Rel and I are leaving." Zymish rolled his eyes.

"What's gotten into you? I don't think Jericho would let one of his better thugs, or even thieves, just up and leave." Shaya grew up listening to stories of mages and their heroic deeds. She knew all too well what to do. This part was easy.

"Phaedra!" she invoked, putting her will behind the name. Golden light flared from her eyes as her esper reappeared behind her. As it manifested outwardly, she felt her spirit grow as the esper connected her to the Aetherium and its infinite possibilities. Gods, I hope I learn how to cast that healing spell in the next few minutes. With your basic incantations, the effort would kill you, the steely voice said in her mind. Well, spit. Zymish blinked.

"Wow. You've, uh, really been holding out on us, huh?"

"New development, boss." She gave him a bloody smile.

"You understand. We want to part amicably."

"Uh-huh."

"Rel, give him our haul." She nodded to Zymish.

"For Jericho, mind you. Consider it payback for taking us in these past years." Rel, who had been hugging the bag of loot tightly to himself, eventually relented and tossed it to Zymish. The giant caught it casually with one hand and smiled as he heard how much it jingled.

"Alright, off you go then. I'll give Jericho your best."

"Thanks, Zymish."

"You think you can make it out there?" Shaya paused.

"Yeah, I definitely plan to." He nodded.

"Good luck, Shaya."

"Thanks, you too, man. I'm sure everything will go to plan."

"Halt there!" A gruff voice shouted, torch-light closing on them from nearby allies.

"No, m'lord, wait! Likely just scum, don't trouble yourself."

"I heard shouts of Titan spawn," another voice replied, filled with confidence. Something about it clawed at the back of Shaya's mind.

"And sensed aether up ahead, I'm not going to let you deal with that yourself." Zymish and his men had already run, and Relios tugged at Shaya's arm so they could do the same. Resisting her own instincts, she didn't budge. Shaya laid a hand on her brother's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, smiling down at him.

"We're done running, Rel," she murmured.

"They'll have to respect us now, and one of mom's friends… they'll find us this time. Not like the other families that took us in."

"You can't know that for sure!" Rel whined, his voice high-pitched, eyes growing wide as the clangour of armoured boots came closer than they'd ever allowed before.

"Come on, we still have time if we run now!"

"I won't let them hurt us again," Shaya assured her brother.

"Trust me, trust my esper. Life goes up from here, for us." Her younger brother still quivered, but he stood tall next to her and she was so proud of him in that moment. Shaya's stomach nearly sank when the man who rounded the corner was tall, with bronze skin and radiant golden eyes that marked him as an Astorian nephilim of some potency. He slowed with recognition, lowering his bow at the same time his jaw went slack.

"Phaedra?" he whispered, looking up at the angel floating behind Shaya.

"It.. can't be…" The voice was familiar to her, but it had been so long since their mothers died… that she had seen any of her friends, that she couldn't piece it together. Neither could the man, his eyes drifting slowly from the esper down to Shaya. He walked towards them, confused, and Shaya instinctively dropped into a fighting stance, putting a hand out to shield her brother. The stranger paused, resting his bow over an arm and raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

The guardsmen had no such intentions though, and moved forward, cudgels drawn at Shaya's hostility. The nephilim waved them back, studying Shaya, but it wasn't until the torch light illuminated her and Rel that recognition finally dawned on him.

"Shaya?" he whispered, not believing it as tears formed in his eyes.

"Relios?" Shaya glared at him as he came closer, shuffling back as the guardsmen encircled them.

"It's me, Lumir," he said, dropping to a knee out of arm's reach.

"Your moms' friend, remember? You used to play with my bow when you were young, and tried to hide it when your strong little arms snapped it." Blinking, the memories came back to Shaya, painful for how much joy filled them.

"Lumir… Heirosoth?" she asked.

"What… why now?"

"I'm sorry," he said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"We tried looking for you everywhere, but couldn't find you. The Inquisition they… they said you had vanished, were assumed dead. I never gave up, but… Gods, I'm so sorry Shaya. Sorry Relios, Seven protect, what happened to you?"

"A lot," Shaya snarled, anger flaring that she immediately regretted and reined in.

"A lot… Lumir."

"I can't change the past, but now that I've finally found you, I can help both of you. I'm a Duke in Kelahk, I'll take you in, raise you as one of my own as I had intended ever since…" his words drifted off, face twisting in pain. Shaya and Relios had lost their mothers, but Lumir had still lost his close friends.

"We don't have the best, far from it really to be honest with you, but I'll give you what instruction and training we can offer."

"Anything would be better than here," Shaya said, nearly sobbing at the thought of escaping the nightmare she had endured the past several years. Of not needing to look after her younger brother, to make sure he had something to eat and drink every day.

"We'll take it, just please get us away from here. Away from them, and the orphanages and the foster families… and… and…"

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here now," Lumir interrupted, closing the distance and wrapping his arms around her. Shaya clamped down on reflexes honed on the streets, stopping herself from shivving her saviour's kidneys.

"I won't let anyone else hurt you. You won't have the most comfortable life, but you'll be safe, fed, and trained to defend yourself against the monsters in the world." Lumir meant the Primordials and Titans, the creatures twisted by their corruption or descended from their spawn, but as much as Shaya hated those creatures, she knew the monsters that would haunt her dreams for some time were nephilim that looked an awful like Lumir.

"Thank you for finding us, for not abandoning us even after all these years," Shaya murmured, setting aside her fear of his appearance and what it triggered in her.

"For getting us out of here, and giving us a real home." As Shaya slowly stirred to consciousness, she knew that her plan those few years ago had worked out without a hitch—for once.