#bdo collection

Epilogue Version 2 An alternate ending. If Ilhen had been stillborn, and Onris never knew. He’d never have a reason to settle down and live a simple life. He’d just keep wandering, looking for answers.

---

The days would soon be coming where the heat of the sun would bear down on those that dared to live in the dry scrub of Mediah. For now, though, the shrubs and cactus would find themselves in bloom. A pleasant spring before the sweltering summer. 

That was certainly part of the reason Adessa was able to convince Ira that he should visit their new friend in Grana. She could continue her work and he could have a break away from it. He didn’t take the heat as well as she. Besides… she might quietly hope that the two of them could someday be more than friends. He deserved that happiness.

Thinking about it brought a little smile to her lips as she made her way through the market. Call it devious but she even packed a few casks of Tarif wine made from cactus fruit. A little gift from her to Tau… and Ira.

“Oh… what’s that? It looks delicious.”

A voice from her past made Adessa stop in her tracks. A memory from a different time, a different life. She could still hear the name Veil on those lips. She dared her mind to be playing cruel tricks on her when she saw that silhouette. The same dark skin she remembered. When he finally turned back into the crowd there was no denying it.

“Onris…?”

The crate she carried crashed to the street, one of her ceramics of wine shattering on impact. Adessa cursed as she tried to clean up the mess and salvage the other goods before they were soaked. “Are you alright?” that voice stopped her heart in her chest. “Here, let me help.”

Her heart hammered as she saw his hands delicately take out the pieces of the broken vase. It was him. He was here. Snapping herself out of the daze, she quickly gathered her things to try and get away from this interaction before her heart could break again. He doesn’t remember. He won’t remember. 

“Thanks… sorry about that.”

Onris offered her a small bundle of dried fruits that had spilled from the crate. As she took it, their fingers briefly touched, and she looked up into his face. Even if she could have tried to pretend it wasn’t him she couldn’t deny it now. Those unmistakable blue eyes smiled back at her. 

“You seem… familiar. Have we met before?”

There it was. The cracks in her armor started to reform anew. It had been years since she pulled the black spirit from his mind but that vacant look, the unfamiliarity, still haunted her. Adessa quickly looked away as she gathered the last of her basket. “Oh, I… doubt it. I don’t leave Tarif much.”

“Well, be careful. Never know if there’s thieves looking for a free opportunity.” He tossed one last little satchel to land in her basket before she could run off. It was a bag of little baked sweets. She hadn’t even noticed they’d gone missing. As she glanced back up at him, Onris winked and walked back off into the crowd of the market.

It took everything Adessa had not to let that interaction break her down to her foundations. She found Ira still waiting at the stable for her to bring the last of what he would need for the long road to Grana.

“There you are! Is… is everything okay?” He could always read her like an open book.

“I’m fine, just… dropped the crate is all. Broke a vase of wine. It’s alright.”

“I know you better than that Adessa. What’s wrong? I can cancel my trip, Tau will understand.” 

“No! No, I’m… I’m okay, I promise. You deserve this trip. A little vacation from it all - and the heat.”

Ira pursed his lips and held the crate of supplies without making any motion to put them away. It was never hard for him to tell when she was keeping something from him. “Adessa.”

She sighed and looked away. “I… thought I saw Onris. It’s nothing.”

“Oh… I’m…” A layer of guilt painted itself on his face. As much as he didn’t like the man, he knew how she felt. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. Like I said, I’m okay. Just make sure you get this wine to Tau. I promised her I’d make sure she got some next time we were there.”

“Why don’t you come with?”

“Too much work to do.” Ending the conversation before he could coax her to join the trip, she kissed his cheek and backed away from the horse. “Tell Tau I said hi. And have fun, dammit! You’re allowed to.”

“Ha, ha.”

Adessa managed to keep the smile on her face as she walked away from the stable back to her small little home. Deep down everything she had been trying so hard to keep together was falling apart. As the door latched closed behind her the walls broke. Her agony poured forth as her heart shattered into the pieces that had been so delicately pieced together. The life and the mistakes of Veil came back as she slid to the floor. She screamed through the pain of those memories. Memories she could not share because he no longer held them as she did. 

With time the tears would stop. They always did. Veil pushed herself off the cold wooden floors and wiped her eyes to erase the evidence of her past. Maybe there was a chance for something new. He may no longer be the Onris she knew, but he was still Onris. And even though she was now Adessa, she was still Veil. His Veil. This could be a chance to start fresh. If he wanted it.

Cleaned up and refreshed, that renewed pain buried once again, Adessa ventured out into the market. She went to the little baker’s stall and bought a small pouch of the little baked treats that used sugars from last season’s cactus fruit. A special delicacy here. The same as the bag of treats he had briefly stolen.

Before stepping into the inn, she stopped by a small cactus to pluck the pink flower from it’s crown. Just a little something extra for the gesture. 

The innkeep confirmed that a man fitting Onris’ description had rented a room there that morning and told her which door. The second door. Never the first… never the last… never the middle… Just like she always would do. The knock on the wood came back hollow. A few minutes with no response. Adessa tried one more time but still heard nothing from behind the door. 

Instead of waiting what would probably be all night she simply left the little bundle of treats and the cactus flower at his door. No note. Just… a gift. Maybe he would know what it meant. As she walked away Adessa cursed herself for being foolish. She was just a stranger to him. He wouldn’t know there was some connection between the gift and the person he’d helped in the market.

Sulking into her steps she slowly returned back home. In the morning this would be just another painful memory to put away. Maybe she would be able to catch up to Ira before he got too far. A trip to Grana might not be so bad. Enough to get her mind off things.

The door had barely shut before a shadow stepped out of the dark of her study. It wasn’t Ira - he wouldn’t be hiding from her in the dark. Without thinking she pulled a blade from the back of her belt. A few steps and he was standing in the faint light from the window. It was… Onris? Curious but still hesitant she lowered the blade a touch. “Can I help you?”

No words left his mouth as he continued to walk towards her. Anxiety pounded in Adessa’s chest. Why was he here? Why wasn’t he saying anything? The dark made it hard to read his expression. His hand reached forward and she flinched but he made no motion to take her blade from her. He was… offering something.

A kunai. Her kunai.

Realization dawned on her then. There was a memory there. He knew it was hers. He knew she left it for him. He remembered. The blade she had held in her hand clattered to the ground. She dared to get her hopes up as the pain seized her heart again. “Onris?”

His voice was barely a whisperer, struggling with the word as if he was learning to speak it again, “… Veil.”

There was no rational thought left. He remembered. Veil threw herself into him, bleeding away years of pain and regret as she felt his warmth, felt his arms around her as she held onto him. There was no point in holding back her tears mixed from joy and hurt.

“I found you,” Onris croaked out. She could feel his own wet tears on her neck as he buried his face in her hair.

They held each other there in the dark. Her hands tight on his shirt to never let him leave and his arms so tight he was afraid she might disappear. The overwhelming emotions weakened their knees as they slowly sank to the floor. Never once did they think of letting go.

“Do you remember? All of it…?” she finally managed to ask, pulling away only enough to look up at him through the dim light. That same face she remembered. It never changed. Through all the pain she’d given him he still looked at her with love.

Onris’ hands brushed across her cheeks, wiping her tears and the hair from her face. “I didn’t, not until today, until I saw you… and then I saw you.”

His forehead touched hers and suddenly all the regrets she had found their way to her lips. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” Everything that happened to them was because of her. She always left him, she was the one who did everything to him, yet he always came back.

Epilogue Version 1 Decided to play with a few options. This would be the most “true” ending.

---

Birds sang of the spring that settled into the hills and trees of Kaia Mountain’s range. Small woodland flowers had begun to bloom and cover the underbrush with whites, yellows, and pinks. A gentle breeze tousled their petals and the few loose leaves that hadn’t fallen the previous fall. Veil pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders as she trudged on. Years ago this scene might have lifted her heart but now all she could feel was the knot in her gut. Four years was a long time… but she had to try.

Adiri had told where to find the cabin once but the years had made her question the memory. If this didn’t work, Veil didn’t know if she could find the strength to try again. She just had to trust that she remembered her words right. Just a little east of Phionel’s cabin. She was still on the path, she thought.

Just when she was about to give up and turn around she heard the joyful shrieks of a child at play and her heart leapt into her throat. It was now or never.

The small cabin peeked out through the trees as she rounded a corner on the dirt path that led in its direction. A small food garden to the side. A smoke house in the back by a hunting shed. Cords and cords of wood stacked alongside to supply many winters worth of warmth. And right in front, settled onto the small covered porch, was Onris twirling a young boy of a few years.

Anxiety made Veil stop as she saw them. They were happy here together. If she made herself known it would only complicate things. Either he would remember, and probably be upset, or he wouldn’t… and she would just be a stranger intruding on his peace. She just watched as the laughter faded and the two of them sat together on the steps to joke, or talk, or do whatever they would for those bright smiles to be on their faces.

A few hesitant steps forward and her confidence broke. She turned on her toe to hide back in the woods where he trees would keep her out of sight. 

“Uh, hello? Who are you?”

Too late. Veil stopped, hands pulling her light travel cloak tight around her body. He didn’t know her… How she wished she had her old armor where she could hide her face in a shroud of darkness. There was no hiding in the dress and cloak she wore. Forcing a smile back onto her face, she turned to look her pain in the eyes. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I seem to have gotten a little lost.”

Onris had gotten up from where he stood and walked closer. “Please… stay. You seem so familiar and you’ve come all this way. I’d love to talk.”

The pain was too much. Veil looked past Onris to the porch where she saw his son sitting, wide eyed and curious, and so much like him. “I should really be going… I’m sorry. Forget I was here.”

That itch that he knew this woman did not leave Onris as he watched her turn away. Like a word stuck on the tip of his tongue he scrambled for the memory. Every second he tried to remember she drifted farther away with the memory that he could not place. He glanced back towards the porch, wondering what she saw that would make her turn away like that. His son met his eyes and suddenly he was staring into hers. 

Everything that had happened, everything they had been, everything she was, snapped back into his mind as he stared into those eyes. So much like hers. “Wait… Veil…?” By the time he looked back she was already so far away.

There was no time for hesitation or explanation as his feet tore through the dirt. His body hadn’t forgotten what it was like to run with such desperation. The only time he ever did was because of her. Onris caught that flash of pain in her face when he grabbed her arm. There wasn’t even a chance for her to pull away before he wrapped her in an embrace. So many years had been lost, years where they could have been a family, and he was not about to let her slip away again.

“O-Onris…?” Hesitation still laced her voice.

“You’re actually here.”

Veil leaned out of his arms to look him in the eye. Her hands cupped either side of his face, taking in his words for a moment, as it all settled in. “You… remember? You really remember?”

Emotions overwhelmed both of them as he nodded. “I do now.” A hand covered her quivering lips as the tears welled up. The years had not been kind to her regrets. Onris pulled her back in for another tight embrace so she could bury those emotions under the relief of knowing it would be alright now.

“Daddy?” the small voice from the porch grabbed both of their attention.

With a little tug, Onris managed to coax Veil to follow him towards the house. Towards their son. “Remember when I told you Mommy would come back? Once all her important stuff was done? Well…” he glanced back towards her again with a smile, “she came back. Ilhen, this is your mother.”

Still holding back so many emotions, Veil knelt down to be on level with her son. The last time she had seen him he had been so small… swaddled in a blanket as she gave him to Adiri… never knowing if she’d ever see him again. “My name is Adessa, and I’m so… so happy to see you, Ilhen.”

The boy did not hesitate as he nearly jumped off the steps and threw his arms around her. Veil sat motionless for the moment it took to comprehend. This was her son, in her arms, and he did not hate her. And in that realization she poured all of her love into that hug. To let him feel the love of so many years missed.

Veil looked up to Onris and caught the curious look that questioned the name she had given him. “A new name, for a new life.”

His lips twitched into a coy smile. “Welcome home, Adessa.”

In the years that passed, things got easier. It took some time but eventually pain turned into acceptance. With acceptance joy could be found again. Little things started to bring smiles. It was easier to go back to familiar places and face the memories there. However, it didn’t stop Adessa from seeing ghosts.

Every so often she would think she saw him while rounding a corner, or through a crowd. Every time her heart started to beat faster only to have the hope dashed away. She was getting better though. Realizing the chances of bumping into him halfway across the world were slim to none. He wasn’t the same Onris she knew before, and he would likely have built a home for himself in one place now.

Now, though, she and Ira were back in Calpheon for the first time in a few years. It was a passing stop on their way through to Kamasylvia to get supplies. The last time Adessa was here she did not remember who she was. Now that she was back… she almost wished she still didn’t remember. There were too many memories in this city. Ira caught on to her shift in demeanor and stayed close by her side.

The market was busy which made it easier to ignore the dull ache in her chest. The noise quieted her mind and the people provided a visual distraction. Enough so that Adessa decided to sit outside the inn while Ira did their shopping, just so she could watch the people going by. Every odd stranger she would try to describe their life in her own way until a smile tugged at her lips.

Then she saw a dark haired man at the jeweler across the street with a child of about two on his hip. Adessa’s heart stopped in her chest. “Onris…?” She stood, about to run to them, but she hesitated. It wasn’t her place. It wasn’t her life, it was his. He wouldn’t even know who she was.

In her mind’s eye she saw herself cross the street anyway. Tap his shoulder. See the recognition in his eyes. She could feel the touch of his hand and the warmth of his body as he embraced her.

Across the way, the man she had been watching turned around after purchasing his trinket. It wasn’t Onris. No, this was some stranger, just going about his day with his son. Swallowing the renewed pain in her heart she fell heavy into her chair and put a hand to her forehead. The day she left she knew there was a chance they wouldn’t come back. Her heart was just taking its time catching up.

“Hey, you alright?” Ira came up from the side to sit with her and noticed her agonizing.

“Yeah, just… a headache.”

He didn’t buy the lie. “I know you better than that. You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” There was no point in denying it. A stiff nod confirmed it. “You know we could go and find him, right? You don’t have to keep forcing yourself to suffer like this.”

Adessa lifted her head again to watch the father and son walk down the street away from them. “No. It’s not my time yet. I’ll be alright.” Forcing a smile onto her face she patted his hand and stood from the table. “Did you get everything we need?”

“Yeah, we should be set for the week or so it’ll take us to get to Grana.”

“Let’s get going then. Still plenty of daylight to burn.”

The pair retrieved their horses and exited the city to the south. Before mounting up, Adessa glanced back into the crowds. She saw the ghost of the man she had wished to find, and the child at his side, fade before her eyes. 

“I will not be disposed of like filth!’

The black spectral form of the sorceress Xiphrel raged against the sigil scrawled into the wooden floor. Shards of ice blew around her as her rage became physical form. But none of the power seemed to reach beyond the confines of the seal.

“You can do this, Adessa! Just like I showed you!”

Panic was the only thing that she could feel in this moment. She was able to will her body to shunt the form of her black spirit into physical existence, but it was still tethered to her soul. She would need to destroy it.

"I promised you life, and I gave it. But when I promise you power, you shun me?!”

This was her fear manifested in the real world. If she could overcome it, she would become stronger for it. The things that Ira told her, the life she was trying to live before this Xiphrel fucked everything up, she wanted that back. That hope filled her body with warmth.

“That’s good! You can do this.”

When she opened her eyes again the tattoo on her arm was glowing softly. Just like when Xiphrel yelled at her to destroy it. But now she knew that she wanted it destroyed to protect herself. Adessa locked her gaze with those red eyes.

The shards of ice bit at her exposed skin as she moved into the confines of the sigil. Xiphrel lashed out at her but her semi-corporeal claws could not bite through the leather on her arm. “It’s over, Xiphrel!”

Those words seemed to send the black spirit into a rage. Something about them felt familiar on Adessa’s tongue. This would be the end of it. 

“No! I’m not done!”

The ice bit deeper and in larger shards as Adessa forced her way through the pain. The ghastly form tried to move around her but she was faster. Her kunai caught the edge of a shining iced plate and halted its progress. In the next moment her hand made contact and the whole world went white.

---

Adessa? Can you hear me? Veil?

Pain numbed her skull as sensation returned to the rest of her body. The stinging of small cuts all over her arms and cheeks, the hard wood of the floor, Ira’s hands as he tried to wake her. Ira. 

“Hey. Hey, I’m here. You’re okay.” 

Veil cracked her eyes open and saw that familiar face flood with relief. The exhausted laugh barely left her chest before he pulled her into a tight embrace. It had been so long since the last time she’d held him. She missed it so much. They held onto each other for a long while before it finally felt enough.

“So… who came back? Is it Adessa? Or… Veil?”

“We’re both Adessa, silly. You know that.” 

If Ira could look any more relieved than he did already, then he certainly did. Knowing that she was back, all of her, was exactly the news he’d been hoping for.

“I’m sorry, Ira. It was Onris, I couldn’t just… I couldn’t…” The reality of it all came crashing down on her heart. Onris losing his memories, having to make a deal with the devil to survive, and the mess that came after. It was all her fault. The emotions cracked through onto her expression and she broke. The tears flowed freely. All Ira could do was hold her until it passed.

Eventually Veil settled and was able to get her feet under her again. Ira put on some tea and they sat together for a while, making up for the past several months of being apart.

“Think you’ve got it in you to tell me what happened?” he asked as he poured out the light tea for them. The wine he’d brought still sat on the cabinet but that would be better saved for a happier moment.

“Please, don’t blame Onris for this. It’s not his fault. If I hadn’t left, he never would have… just… please don’t blame him.”

“I can’t promise that. But I won’t do anything about it. Not with how he is now.”

Remembering that hit her heart again. At least he was safe and with his family now. Adiri would take care of him for as long as he needed. “Let’s just put it behind us. He can… live his own life. With his sister.”

“And her baby, apparently.”

Veil nodded stiffly. “He can have his life, and we can go have ours. We can go explore the world. See Valencia, go beyond the ocean. See everything there is to see. Just the two of us again. For us and no other reason. If you’re willing to leave that cute little house of yours for a while, at least.”

“Didn’t you already explore all of Valencia?” he side eyed her with a smile as he sipped his tea.

“Yes, but you weren’t there. So how about it?”

“Sure. Why not. The world?”

“Adessa. Don’t do it.”

Don’t listen to him. He’s got a black spirit too - he’s here to kill you and take my strength!

Something about him felt so familiar. She should know him. He knew her name. Adessa’s hand tightened on her blade. The way he stood and the pleading in his face told her that he was not here to hurt her but why else would he be here?

Exactly. Don’t let him catch you off guard. He is an expert at hunting black energy.

Oh, she wouldn’t. At this point better safe than sorry. The stranger didn’t seem to expect her to move but was prepared for it nonetheless. Instinct moved her body and he matched every slight. It was like he knew what she was going to do before she did. Even unarmed she couldn’t touch him.

In a panic, she did the best she could and flipped the heated edge of the blade forward. The blade dropped mid strike to her off hand. He caught sight of it but had nothing to stop it before it would sink into his side. Just when she thought she’d finished this, seeing the grimace on his face, she felt him rip the blade from her hand. 

“Adessa, stop!” The heated knife clattered to the floor across the room, his hand red with burns. 

Finish him!

She tried to grab for another knife off the table but the stranger grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms. The joints of her shoulders yanked from her sockets making her scream. His weight held her to the table no matter how she tried to struggle against him.

“Please, Adessa. Stop. It’s me. It’s Ira.”

Ira. She remembered the note on the table by the bed. She’d been looking for him. For Ira. “Ira?”

“Yes. Ira. I’m going to let you go now, okay?” She nodded and he released her.

No! Don’t trust him! He will ruin you - us!

Adessa ignored the voice. Her body told her that she knew him, and that name was in the letter, written in her hand. “So what now?” she asked meekly, rubbing her sore shoulders.

“Now we talk.” In a gesture of trust, Ira retrieved the blade and offered it to her. She saw his burned palm and took his hand. Not knowing if it would work she placed her hand over his. The black spirit in her mind had talked about her affinity with ice and it explained why she was always cold. So maybe she could do this. 

No.

Adessa glowered - that bitch wasn’t the one in control here. Closing her eyes she tried to tap into whatever reservoir the black spirit held. He hissed initially at the cold but the pain seemed to fade. “What was that?”

“It was, uhm…” she tapped her head, “from her. She wasn’t too happy about it.”

“She? Is it… is her name Xiphrel?”

How does he know that?!

“I think so. She doesn’t like that you said that name.”

Stop talking to him! He’s going to destroy us!

“Listen, Adessa. I know you don’t have much reason to trust me but please I hope you will. I’m your friend and I have been your friend since we were young. You gave me this scar when we first met. Do you remember?”

There were the briefest fragments of things before, but… something about it felt like it was right. “Not really, but I believe you.”

That seemed to relieve him a considerable amount. “I’ve been so worried about you. You have no idea. I would hug you if you’d let me but I don’t want to make it too hard for you. But there is one thing I need to ask of you.”

Adessa was a little fidgety but she nodded.

“Will you go to Tarif with me? I think we can solve your problem there.”

Don’t do it! Only death will find you there!

Ira’s fingers tapped on the bottle of homemade wine he brought as he waited outside Adessa’s door. It’d been over a month since her letter saying she would be home soon. Sure, she could have gotten held up. Maybe she found more information that got her held up in Valencia. Still the silence didn’t sit well with him. It was hard enough over the, what was it… nearly six months she went quiet over the winter?

“Excuse me, have you seen Adessa lately?” 

The passing farmer shook his head. “‘aven’t seen ‘er since maybe, three-four weeks back?”

So she had been home. “Thank you.” Ira pulled the spare key from his bag and let himself into the house. It was clean, no sign of intrusion. Though the garlic hanging on the wall had started to sprout. Definitely been a while since she was home. So what made her leave?

In her little study on the far side of the house he saw her papers strewn about. On the top he found his last letter and a half finished letter to him.

Ira,

I think I’ve finally got it. The light is connected to an old power in Calpheon, and the sigil is from old Valencia. Together, they’ve been used to destroy black energy. But they were originally supposed to drive it away. If I can just find-

It ended there. Something interrupted her. But what? A new train of thought, maybe? He pulled some of the books off the shelf hoping that maybe she wrote some notes to herself in them. Something he could use to follow her path. Part way through one of her heavier tomes he found an envelope. It was small,  with ‘Veil’ written on the front in a firm hand. It was never sealed so he opened it without a second thought. It only had one word on it, ‘Ilhen’. That just created more questions.

Finding nothing else to point to her location, Ira left the house. He knew that she frequently went to the inn to feel like she was in the city again. Worth a shot to ask around there. First he asked about the word, or name, ‘Ilhen’ but it didn’t make sense to anyone there. But when he asked when they last saw Adessa he finally got something concrete.

“Some white witch or somethin’. All covered in runes and hair white as snow. She came in talkin’ about some monster by Calpheon with blue eyes and black smoke. She left in a hurry after that.”

Blue eyes and black smoke?

We both know what that means.

Ira cursed Onris’ name under his breath. The idiot had let it get the better of him and she went after him. That was weeks ago and she still wasn’t home. Anxiety pitted itself in his gut as he grabbed his horse and took off for the west.

---

Everyone he talked to had said that the blue eyed monster in the forest was gone, but no one knew what happened to it. The hunters that frequented those woods said there were battle scars in the land but no sign of a body. More questions.

When he changed his questions from a monster to that of people he did seem to find more answers. There was a small home outside the city where a woman with blue eyes and dark skin lived. Likely the sister that he’d heard Adessa mention. Not that he wanted to see a member of that family right now but it was the only lead he had.

Sure enough. Shortly after he knocked he was greeted by a rather towering woman with those blue eyes. Though her eyes lacked pupils altogether, they were certainly not too pleased by the interruption, as she held an infant to her chest. “What do you want?”

Ira’s eyes briefly flicked to the infant. The child met his gaze with that sickly blue and faded vertical pupils. Great. Another one. “I’m looking for Onris. Is he here?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I’m a friend of Adessa-- Veil’s. I’m trying to find her.”

Veil’s name seemed to make the woman relax. The tension left her shoulders and she stepped out of the doorway. “I haven’t seen her since she left him on my doorstep, but yeah, he’s here. I don’t think he’ll be of much use to you.”

Left him on her doorstep? Ira followed the woman into the small house and found a casually dressed Onris looking bored as he read a book on the couch. Anger immediately flooded Ira’s blood seeing him here, fine, healthy, while Adessa was missing. He stepped in front of the woman and grabbed Onris by the collar of his shirt and dragged him off the couch. “Where is she?!”

“What the hell??”

“Where’s Veil, you asshole?”

“Hey!” The woman grabbed Ira’s wrist with enough force to make him drop the other man. The strength of her grip in her off hand, while she still swaddled the baby, was terrifying. “If you’re going to cause trouble here, I will kick you out myself.”

Ira relented, stepping back from Onris, and that seemed good enough for her. “Where is she?”

“Who? Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Oh, don’t you get cute with me, bastard. Where’s Veil?”

“Who’s Veil?! Adi??” Onris looked to his sister and Ira realized the confusion was genuine.

“You.. don’t remember? What about…?”

Adiri shook her head. “Veil said she got rid of it, but he lost his memories with it. He remembers who he was before, but not since. Now, would you please stop harassing him? My brother may be an asshole but he’s still trying to catch up on the last few years.”

So she did figure it out.

But whatever she did, it didn’t quite work. Ira doubted she would have purposefully wiped Onris’ memories of her. “Sorry, I’m… just, sorry. Do you know anything about a witch or someone, a woman with white hair and runes on her body?”

“Onris told me about one, before. She hired him for a job once, getting some papers from deep inside the Kalis Parliament, and a few other things I think. Something about Caphras cave maybe.”

“Do you know where that is?”

“North of here.”

“Thank you.” Ira gave the still confused and slightly startled Onris a passing glance as he left. This was the closest he might have ever felt to pity for the man.

---

The cave itself also proved to be empty and devoid of much. It was definitely the right place. A well of black spirits swarmed out from the base of the cave, infecting any unwitting adventurer that might find their way here. 

I remember this place. Those poor fools, still trapped. Ha!

“Quiet.” Ira found a few kunai stuck in the rocks and scattered on the floor. She was definitely here. Unfortunately he also found signs of old dried blood. A lot of it. But still no bodies. She wasn’t here either. So where did she go?

Can’t you hear them? They’ve got what you want.

“What are they saying?”

Oh, you actually want my help? How cute.

“What are they saying?”

Fine. They’re talking about the… Edana’s Heart? It was here??

“Care to explain?”

His black spirit went quiet for a while but he was getting impatient. If she lost enough blood to account for what he was finding then he’d be lucky to find her alive at all. Time was important now. Ira cursed himself for waiting this long to come looking for her.

The Edana was the first. The strongest of us. He ruled Valencia with his black spirit. The power he held was sealed into a black stone from under the castle so that no one could ever use it against Valencia. It’s been lost since… forever!

“So how does that help me find Adessa?”

I don’t know, but she was here. And so was it.

“U-uhm… excuse me?” A voice snapped Ira’s attention around as he pulled his blade up to guard. A small Shai with greying skin cowered before him. Realizing there was no threat he dropped his guard. “A-are you looking for the women that were here?”

Answers! Ira knelt down, grabbing the Shai’s shoulders. “Where are they? What happened?”

“Th-they fought. The woman in white and the other one. There was a giant here too, but he left. If he’d stayed it would have been much worse.”

“What happened to them?!”

The urgent tone made the Shai cower but he could not escape his grip. “Sh-th...they… The white one turned black and th-the other one was impaled by her ice.”

Ira’s heart dropped. The blood was hers. The world felt like it was crashing down around him. The cave itself could have collapsed and he wouldn’t have noticed. “But, where is she? Where did her body go?”

“A-a scholar was here. After the black ghost disappeared, she just laid there. A s-scholar eventually arrived with Ch-Chief Valentine. They found her and t-took her to Fl-Fl-Florin.”

He was gone before the Shai even had a moment to catch his breath.

---

“I’m sorry, but the Adessa woman isn’t here.”

Again?! Ira was losing his mind chasing her all over Calpheon. “Where, then? Where did she go?”

“Calm yourself, boy. I am not your enemy here. We did what we could to heal her but her injuries were terrible. She should have been laid up here for months but after a few days she disappeared. We still have her armor, if she ever wanted to come back for it.”

“Show me.”

The bearded Shai led him across the small herbalist settlement to where the blacksmith had set up shop. In the corner of the building, sure enough, he saw her armor. The same armor she always wore when they worked. Horrible, jagged holes cut their way through the cuirass. That explained all the blood… by all rights she should be dead.

“We cleaned it up as best we could, but I don’t think there’s any saving it. Though, she did take the weapons with her. There used to be a blade in this pile and some small knives.”

That sounded like the Adessa he knew. Never unarmed. But her path was cold again. She wasn’t here and he had a really bad feeling about this. The woman in white had a stone connected to the very first person with a black spirit. And the cursed Shai in the cave mentioned a black ghost.

With a lack of any other leads he would have to go back to Calpheon. Maybe those that he once called allies would be keeping tabs on her.

---

Weak structural supports crumbled dust over the damp ground as Ira picked his way through the ruins of their old office. Someone had gotten to them first. The bodies had long since rotted and been picked at by the rats. There was no smell left to drive off scavengers.

Anything of obvious monetary value had been lifted but many of the books and documents remained. Most of the bookshelves were waterlogged and modly, destroying much of the text, rendering them useless. The Headmaster’s desk appeared to have been

He saw familiar documents, illustrating Veil’s tattoo, contracts for their targets. And, as he should have expected, an order of execution for both himself and Veil. It looked like the last they knew they might have been in Mediah. There would be no new information here. 

Behind him he heard cautious shuffled footsteps making their way through the halls. He snapped backwards through space, pressing himself into the wall by the door, blade at ready.

“I know you’re in there…!” A voice yelled through the hall. It bounced off the walls and would echo down the hallways if anyone else was here. Ira cursed under his breath for this blundering. If anyone else was looking for her then they’d find him here trapped by whoever this idiot was. “By order of Elion’s Valkyries, show yourself! Why are you here in this twisted place??”

A valkyrie. Of course. He shouldn’t be surprised - they might well be connected to this sub cult of ‘Elion’s Light’. He knew their armor. Her neck would be guarded, but her sternum wasn’t. If he angled it right-

“If you mean Adessa harm, I swear by Elion that I will end you.”

Adessa?

Throwing caution to the wind for the sake of answers, Ira stepped out into the door, hands up. “You know Adessa?”

“Name yourself!”

“You first.”

Thick tension held the air as the red haired Valkyrie poised her blade over her shield. Neither of them moved. One built purely for defense, the other an expert at quick offense. One mistake would be the end of either of them. “My name is Alyxeria. I’m here trying to help a woman named Adessa find answers. Your turn.”

“My name is Ira. I am a friend of Adessa’s, though I fear she may not remember me.”

Her stance shifted a little. That may as well confirm what he had feared. She didn’t remember. “Why should I believe you?”

“You shouldn’t. But I hope you will.” Ira remained where he stood, hands up, and waited. Grip just tight enough to end the fight if she decided to start one.

Luck seemed to favor him, however, as she relaxed her guard. “What do you know of her?”

“I was hoping to ask you the same thing. I lost touch with her almost two months back and have been trying to find her. I feared the worst. Do you know where she is?”

Alyxeria shook her head. “I offered her a meal and a warm place to sleep a few nights ago. She left by morning without saying anything. If you find her, don’t expect her to know you. I’m afraid she’s been taken by a black spirit. They’re cruel things that steal memories in return for power.”

“I’m… unfortunately familiar.” Ira’s heart broke in his chest as he heard those words. His Veil, his Adessa, was gone. Whoever he was going to find would be someone new. Maybe someone darker. Fuck you, Onris. This is your fault. We should have killed you the first time. “What led you here?”

“I recognized something about the tattoo on her arm. One of our junior Valkyrie got her hands on… a dark, dastardly book, that spoke of a cult within the church. It talked about a place in the underbelly of the city. I thought there might be a connection. I assume there is, if you’re here too.”

Spot on. Impressive. “There’s nothing left here.” Ira sheathed his blade and walked towards the Valkyrie. She was still wary of his presence, giving him space as he walked by. “Before you leave, you should burn everything you find. Better this place dies here.”

---

This was, truly, the last place he expected to find himself. Standing in front of that old door that once said home for so long. Ira sighed heavily trying to will his body to move. Gritting his teeth he reached for the loose brick, but paused. The brick wasn’t there. The key wasn’t there. Throwing a glance down the street in either direction nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No one was watching him.

Slowly, he checked the door. It was unlocked. Taking a moment to pause he took in everything he could see. The dirt by the door was scuffed but that could have been from his feet. The door had been unlocked - presumably using the hidden key, which no one should have been able to find.

What if…? Ira held back his hopes. Even if it was her, it wasn’t her. He swallowed hard and pushed the door open.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. There, in the middle of the room, stood Adessa. Looking absolutely terrified. Then his eyes started to take in everything else. The candle on the table, the burned edge on the blade, her torn open sleeve.

That tricky bitch.

Days of trying had led to few answers. Adessa found herself walking in circles chasing the passing memories of a life she didn’t remember. Faces that her heart ached to see, places her feet wanted to run to, only to lose them before she could fully grasp what it was. Every time she stopped they were gone.

No longer paying attention to what she was doing, she just wandered. She refused to look at the people for fear of seeing another face she could not recall. All she could do was stare at her feet as they moved. Until they stopped. Adessa looked up and just saw a door. Old but sound. She knocked, hearing the dull thud against the thick wood, but got no answer.

This place doesn’t have what you’re looking for. Go back, and I can lead you to real answers.

Adessa ignored the voice in her ear again. If she didn’t want her here, that meant there were answers inside. She took a step back from the door and looked around for any sign of a way in. No windows but… her eyes fell upon a brick in a random spot on the wall. It didn’t look out of place but her instincts told her that was the one. Sure enough, it slipped loose, and she found a key behind it.

The door swung open slowly to an abandoned home. Dust had settled on the furniture. Rats had gotten into the dried grains. It didn’t look like anyone had been here for months, if not longer.

You’re wasting time here.

“Then that means I’m in the right place.”

But where to look? She started going through drawers and cupboards. There were a few old papers that had names and locations on them. Most were Xed off, but she did find some that weren’t.

We can use these ones, without the x’s. Keep them. Wait, what- no! Don’t put them back!

“If you want it, then I don’t. I’m not here for you--” A headache split through her skull again, but she was getting used to this by now. Grimacing behind grit teeth she waited for the spirit’s tantrum to pass. Then she tore the pages up and burned them over a lit candle. “You’re not the one with power here. Now shut up.”

That seemed to drive the point across as the voice remained silent. A folded paper by the bedside caught her attention. It wasn’t as dusty as the rest of the place but definitely hadn’t been touched in nearly as long. The handwriting immediately felt familiar.

I found Ira. He’s alright.

Was this? Did she… live here? With Ira? A dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. This wasn’t from her spirit’s little tantrum. The name felt so familiar but it was like it was stuck behind a wall of stone and she couldn’t quite get to it. 

I’ve decided to go to Tarif to look into what my mark means, and if it can be used to help people with black spirits like you.

She knew someone like her. Someone with a black spirit, and she was… trying to help them? What could she have possibly done? Even that Valkyrie made it seem like they don’t just go away. What could her mark possibly do to help? Wasn’t it just a tattoo?

I miss you. I hope I’ll see you soon.

I love you.

That ache roared into a painful migraine with white hot light behind her eyes. She felt every heartbeat and with each one she saw something new. Those faces. Clearer. A bloody forehead scar and a gross apology. Ira?? A cut belt and pain behind those blue eyes, almost agony. Adessa grabbed at her hair and screamed against the pain. She couldn’t make sense of any of it. 

Listen to me! That’s enough of this! You’re only making it worse!

“Shut up!!” Adessa screamed into the empty room.

You need me and you know it. You can’t handle what you did and that’s why you can’t remember. You did this to yourself. If you just listen to me then you can fix all of this.

“I said shut up!”

A light erupted in the room, emanating from the marks that covered her right arm. Panic flooded her pain-addled mind and sent her scrambling across the floor trying to get away from it. “What did you do?! Stop it! Turn it off!!”

I’ve done nothing. This is all you. Your past is coming back to destroy you. That mark will do nothing but cause you agony and ruin everything. Only you can make it stop, and only you can make sure it never happens again. Breathe.

Deciding to listen once more to the black spirit as it hovered over her shoulder, Adessa breathed through her panic, waiting for the shaking to stop. The light slowly faded from the tattoo until she sat alone in the dark room once more.

Good. Good. Now you need to get rid of it. A hot candle and a flat blade should be enough to disrupt the sigils so they no longer function.

Anxiety still pulsed through her veins but she listened. Taking the knife from her belt, she heated it slowly and evenly over the single lit candle in the room. It took time - so much time - but it was finally hot enough to burn. Grabbing a leather strap from one of the drawers she placed it between her teeth and sat at the table. This would hurt.

Hurry!

This is nonsense!

“I’m not listening to you.”

That red haired church twat has no idea what she’s talking about.

Adessa ignored the insults ringing in her ears as she continued to wander around Calpheon while ignoring the direction of the spirit at her shoulder. It only infuriated her more. Likely in retaliation, a splitting headache pierced between her temples and sent her to one knee. “Cunt,” she hissed back at the spirit.

It took a moment for the pain to pass before she could get back to her feet. The ache made her woozy for a moment and she had to take her time reorienting. 

“Hey! You there!” A thick accent accosted her ears while she was still recovering. When she blinked her eyes into focus, she saw a tall spindly man with a limp rushing in her direction. Confusion held her feet in place more than anything. “You! How are you still alive?”

The man shoved his way into her personal space, looking her up and down. In his case, well dressed definitely did not equal well behaved. He grabbed her chin to turn her face and she slapped him.

“Unnecessary!” he scolded, looking down his nose at her. “You wouldn’t even be alive if not for me. Where’s the respect? Though being alive at all is a feat in itself.”

Adessa released the hand that instinctually went back for her knife, her curiosity now piqued. “What do you mean?”

“What, you don’t remember? The indignation of common folk. Pah. I found you bleeding out at the bottom of Caphras cave. If I hadn’t been in there, you would have died alone and surrounded by ice. Though…” his mind seemed to wander away as he looked off into his recollection, “why there was ice at that quantity in the middle of summer is beyond me. What do you know of it?” His attention snapped right back to her.

“You’re asking the wrong person.”

Run.

For once she and her black spirit agreed on something. Adessa took a cautious step back. Her curiosity wanted questions answered, but this man was not the kind of person she wanted asking her questions.

“No, I do believe I’m asking the right person. No memories, incredible survivability, in Caphras cave of all places. You wouldn’t happen to-- Hey!”