Chapter 1:

A Distant Forgotten Dream

—It was a dream: A dream of a moment long lost to time, remembered by no one but me.

"Are you scared?" The Arcanian woman sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with me asked with a prod. Although the whirring noises of the helicopter were deafening, we could still hear each other clearly through the headsets we were each given. Her speech was immaculate, a dictionary rendition of the spoken language bearing no sign of any other dialect muddling her accent. It was hard to believe she was a complete foreigner who had only learned our language in the span of a week.

—Even in a dream, she remained no less remarkable as she had always been.

"Scared? I don't even know," I scoffed at myself lightly, "but nervous? Who wouldn't be, knowing where we're headed? Right now, I can't even tell if my hands are trembling because of the cold or if it's because I'm getting the jitters. Let alone whether I'm feeling scared or whatnot."

My stomach cramped as I tried to hold a smile for her through my respiratory mask, but I knew that it was nothing more than a hollow imitation, one born of a meager coping mechanism for my brain to not fry itself at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation at hand. Of which, I could see already: a landscape drained of color, blanketed with the mellow gray tone of ash, overcast with an even gloomier sky. It was as though my eyes had stolen a glimpse at the end of the world. Or, perhaps the world had already ended and we were treading over its still warm cadaver. To think that I came here willingly, as a volunteer no less. And to do what? To pull evacuees out of their coffins while potentially putting myself into one? It was so funny I lost the urge to laugh.

She clapped her hands in excitement when she heard me speak. She told me, "Ahh! So you can talk after all! My name is ———. What's yours?"

As she spoke, her tail shook as if brimming with excitement at the novelty of my response. It brushed up against me lightly, tickling my back through my many layers of clothes and making me want to shoot an instinctive glance at the appendage. But knowing myself, I knew that I would only end up making it an awkward situation had I done it. So, I held back my desire and never broke away from her eyes— her eyes which were sharp and looked just like those of a reptile's… no, akin to those of a dragon's… a Draconian's.

"Edmond. It's Edmond. Nice to meet you," I told her simply. Yet when she did not respond after a long pause, I began to worry. I had not yet been accustomed to the culture of the other world so I became concerned that I had done something rude to offend this guest of the state.

"Pardon me… but what does this mean?"

Her eyes pointed towards my outstretched hand, a gesture which I had not even noticed myself doing. I grew relieved then, and I explained to her what it meant, "This? It's a handshake. This is how people on Earth greet each other when we meet. We clasp onto each other's palms to shake our hands."

"Is that so? Like this then? Am I doing it correctly?"

"…Yeah, just like that."

I nodded to her as I felt the soft touch of her skin and the cool sensation of the Alabaster Gold rings she wore on every finger. At the same time I felt her hand grip around my own, I was made distressingly aware of the cold sweat that had gathered on my palms during the flight. While I made no mention of it aloud, I bore a strong feeling of embarrassment as I waited for her hand to clumsily adjust its grip and I walked her through the whole process of the greeting.

"Now we shake our hands up and then back down, just like this. Once is fine, but some like to do it more. Always use your right hand; never your left, even if you may be left handed. Aside from greetings, it can also be done to congratulate a person, to symbolize an agreement made between two parties, and even as a way to express farewells."

"I see," she chuckled softly, "The name is very literal. I learned something new today." Her face was bright like she genuinely appreciated me teaching her. She was the only one on that helicopter who did not need to wear a mask. It was easy to read her expressions because of it.

—I was left breathless… Watching her laugh, I felt the heavy weight of the air crush down on my chest as the last of my breath left wispily from my lungs. I realized, for the first time in my life, I had been awe-stricken by another person.

As an Arcanian from the other world, although she looked strict and even intimidating at first, she ended up being surprisingly sweet, charming, and perhaps even a little bit cute and endearing instead. It was attributed to her keen features and sharply dressed attire that stood her out from a crowd a mile away, no doubt. She looked entirely human, with human proportions, and human features. However, she had horns that grew out of her skull that were dark and rigid like obsidian glass, and she had a tail that looked like it could skewer someone if she tried. Not only that, I had never met anyone that exuded so much confidence and importance just by breathing, and yet still not carry with her an ounce of haughtiness that put herself above anybody else. She was like a unicorn, a being who should not exist outside of imagination, and I was left captivated being in her presence.

"—We'll be arriving shortly. Good luck. Stay safe."

As the pilot's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, I looked up and saw our destination— a lifeless city smothered under half a meter of volcanic ash. I felt my disheveled face itch underneath my mask as my eyes wandered. When was the last time I had the luxury to clean myself or even shave, I wondered? Then I felt a hand touch upon my shoulder.

"Are you still nervous?" The Arcanian woman said, withdrawing her hand carefully as if she was handling something delicate like a sheet of tofu.

I nodded to her in solemnity. There was no need to beat around the bush.

"I understand." She briefly closed her eyes. "Then as a token of appreciation for teaching me something important about this world's culture, let me also teach you something." She held her right palm over her chest, where her heart was, before reaching out to me with that same hand upturned. "What this gesture means in my world is sincerity. I am offering you my heart, so to speak. Which is why, Edmond, allow me to show you my sincerity."

The woman held her staff out and tapped the base of it against the floor. Almost immediately, I felt a sense of warmth swell up and envelop me from the inside. It was a gentle and simple warmth. But like a fire in the dark, it warded away all my pent up anxieties and brought about a sense of security which I had not felt since early childhood. And what she told me after that, I believed it as if she had spoken the very word of god itself.

"Don't worry, Edmond. I'll protect you."

She smiled at me. It was a smile which, at that moment, had been dedicated to nobody in the world but me… and it was something I swore to myself I would never forsake.

—From that point on, I found myself looking up to her in admiration. I followed in her footsteps no matter where it took me and no matter what dangers it led me to. And behind her, I crossed the world, faced the fear of death, and even ended up forging lifelong bonds with many who lived in entirely different worlds than me, whom I would have never gotten to know otherwise.

…All until, one day, this journey of mine brought me to my end— to stand by her side as her most cherished person. In my entire life, that was the only thing I have ever sought for.

For her…

For—

…

…

"—Verretheia…"

Whispering out her name achingly, Edmond awoke, dearly clasping the pendant that hung over his chest. He was careful as he pulled it over to dangle before his eyes. It caught a stream of sunlight sneaking through his blinds. Glinting in the light, it reflected a sheen of pure Alabaster Gold; it was an old-school piece of jewelry ceremonial for Draconians to give to their Chosens as a proof of binding during their most important eve. He had kept it close to his heart ever since.

"It's already been over twenty years… I can hardly believe it…" Closing his eyes again, he murmured. Twenty years was a length of time he could not put into measure, yet every single one of those individual days had slipped through his fingers ever so fleetingly. He sat up on the bed, and as he did, a wave of terrible nausea washed over him. He nearly puked that very instant. "Urgh… Should have drunk more water last night. Hydrate or die-drate, was it? I'm about to hurl. How can they find a pill to cure cancer but not a pill to cure hangovers?"

But what was done was done. He stood up. Tried to anyway. Groggy as he was, he immediately tripped over a bottle and found himself catching onto the air for support. After a skip, he hobbled his way back to balance as the remainder of the bottle spilled into a leaf-shaped puddle on the floor. The man was not very sad about it as he felt sick even looking in the general direction of alcohol after how much he drank the previous night.

*Beep Beep Beep*

The alarm suddenly went off, and he could hear it through every speaker in his home. He was already awake, though. He held his head and growled loudly, "Off!" The alarm did. He was talking to the home assistant module, something installed in most homes since about fifteen years ago. Although it was once considered a luxury, it was now a necessity well worth the price of admission. It made living alone much more manageable for him and even simply permissible for others more advanced in age or disabled.

"Good morning, Edmond. The current date and time is August 18, 26 AR, 6:46 AM. You have received one refrigerated package. You have 21 missed calls, 5 voicemails, and 57 new messages since you turned on focus mode."

"A package? From who? This early?"

As soon as he asked, a hologram of a box from La Petite Pâtisserie, a small but well-known luxury cake store on the south side of town, appeared before him. If it was from the shop, he supposed it arrived last night after he passed out.

"One package from Sophie Lee with the message, 'Hey Edmond, I came over to your office to bother— I mean to visit, but you weren't there. I was told you were taking the day off due to personal circumstances. Give me a call back when you have the chance. Hope you feel better soon!'"

"Thanks, Li Bai, but I'm getting a bit too old to be eating sweets like this."

Still, he appreciated her concern, and it brought a smile to his face as he chuckled lightly. Afterwards, He commanded the module to begin his morning routine as well as to clean up after the mess he had accidentally created. "Toss the bottle as well," he said, "and I suppose you can read me those messages while you're at it too."

"Understood. Starting morning routine."

At his command, several things happen all at once. The news broadcasted throughout his home, the noise of a kettle seeped in from the kitchen, and the sound of rain filled the adjacent bathroom. Additionally, a robot arm also unfolded from the ceiling to start tidying up the place.

Edmond nodded with approval: The module could cook, clean, do laundry, receive packages, and even move furniture around. It was well worth every bit of Argentum he had spent on it. The level of automation brought on by this single robot assistant made it hard for him to believe that he was truly living alone. Before long, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee would fill the condo. Meanwhile, he left for the bathroom to take that shower. He knew he had a long day ahead of him. One of the worst parts of being the boss of his own office was that, even though he could take a day off whenever he pleased, he still had to catch up on all the work later. There was no rest for the weary.

…

…

The year was 26 AR.

A great many things have happened over the course of the past hundred years. In 2020 AD, a novel virus swept across the entire globe and, due to the negligence of the people, government, and the world as a whole, caused an entire tenth of the human population to perish away in agony. The many dead filled up mass graves after mass graves as society itself grinded to a smoldering halt. Countries shut down in quarantine, hospitals became overloaded with patients, and the families of the sick were left unallowed to even attend to their loved ones' funerals.

Truly, the value of human life had been made a travesty of.

In particular, underdeveloped regions in South America, Eastern Europe, and Northern Asia among others were hit the hardest. Following this worldwide humanitarian crisis, renewed focus had been put into modernizing these places to prevent a tragedy of this scale from ever happening again. Then by some miracle, by the year 2060 AD, virtually all underdeveloped regions of the world were eliminated as high rise cities took their place.

However, while megacorporations pulled the wool over everyone's eyes with the promises of health and wealth, the looming threat of global climate change was able to gently sneak up on the world. Even though many climate experts continuously warned of the oncoming dangers should the pace of hyper urbanization continue unchecked, they were merely viewed as anti-progressive and their voices were ultimately drowned out by the mass consumer market. And so, before anybody had realized it, the average global temperature of Earth had risen by about 1.8°C and sea levels by nearly 60 centimeters.

Nature was merciless and uncaring to the difficulties of man. Beginning with coastal cities and island nations, millions lost their homes as the waves came to reclaim the land. What followed shortly after was a global food shortage problem as the world's reserve of phosphate– an important component of fertilizer– depleted to nothing, a concrete shortage as beaches were stripped down to bare rock, and even a wood shortage as trees became increasingly difficult to source legally.

Thus, the true race to find a clean source of alternative energy to fuel the world's rapidly growing needs began.

During this time, veganism picked up momentum slightly, albeit nothing could ever replace humanity's love for consuming meat. Ironically, the movement only served to increase the market share of organic and non-GMO products, resulting in less food being produced overall and it costing substantially more to compensate. That further led to the infeasibility of sustained veganism as a whole to all but the wealthy upper class.

Aquaculture, on the other hand, rose to meteoric heights as advancements in the field led to sustainably farmed seafood and algae-based protein becoming a much more significant part of people's diets.

The proposal for abundant nuclear energy resurfaced, albeit once again, it was shut down by public discontent before any significant groundwork could be laid. That was followed by a movement to turn the entire Sahara desert into a solar energy farm. However, as with many other ideas of this "global problem-solving" variety, it was met with the same fate as the dodo.

Finally, in 2070 AD, a breakthrough happened in the field of antimatter research as black hole annihilation experiments yielded the first rift that connected to another world. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcomed one. And through this rift crossed over to Earth the 300 year old Arcanian Archmagus, whom the internet quickly dubbed "Professor Dumbledore" due to his striking similarity to the headmaster of the classic book and film series of witchcraft and wizardry. With his appearance, the entire world became enlightened to the existence of the other world, Archa Astra, and the virtually untapped energy source that existed on the other side. It was "aether," the quintessence of classical Alchemic properties long thought to be mere conjecture.

The shocking revelation brought about a significant divide among the people of Earth. On one hand, Archa Astra had all the resources needed to solve their current and ever growing needs. On the other hand, it would mean establishing contact with the denizens of another world and many were unsure whether it would be a good idea or not. Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists of history, especially warned against seeking contact with aliens, citing the tragedy of the Native Americans in the New World as the prime example of what may happen as a consequence.

However, pressure from the pro-contact faction won out in the end. Even accounting for the risks, there was no doubt that Earth, in the state that it was in, lacked the resources to support all the people on it for long. Even if this novel energy source of "aether" could not be tapped and made a use of, there was still a whole world's worth of natural resources laid before them. As reasonable and logical human beings, how could they possibly turn the other way?

Perhaps it was but human nature, for man to exploit any resources placed before them until even the marrow runs dry— inevitable, as the sun does rise again after it sets. Once a consensus had been reached, it took only until the turn of the century, 2100 AD, later to be redesignated 0 AR, for the world's first permanent Stable Rift to be opened. Once it did, it signaled the bridging of the two worlds, Earth and Archa Astra, and what was once myth had now been merged with reality.

Whether this event would lead to an era of everlasting peace and prosperity for both worlds or, instead, an era of strife and conflict, only the future knows.

…

…

Arca Archa: Prelude Begin

…

…

Elsewhere, in the lobby of a mixed-use condominium apartment, the radio broadcast of an old security staff filled the air.

"…with current projections, the Blue Knight Satellite will be visible passing over Singapore this week. With clear skies forecasted for as far as the eye can see, be sure to mark your calendars and set your alarms so you won't miss this stellar sight!"

"From the time of Archimedes to the first astronauts, experts theorize the Blue Knight Satellite has been in the skies for as long as humans have gazed towards the stars. Some say it got its name because it's shaped like a knight's cross, but, quite frankly, I personally don't think it looks very much like one at all. Conspiracy theorists say it was put up there by aliens. What do you think?"

"Conspiracy theorists also believe that the Earth is flat, so what does it matter what they say? However, if it's about aliens… then we already do have some walking among us today."

"Among us?"

"Don't forget about the Arcanians. Although officially it's been twenty-six years since the stable rifts opened, don't forget that 'Professor Dumbledore' actually arrived over thirty years prior to that. What's more, according to him, Arcanians have long been appearing on Earth by virtue of spontaneous rift events 'spiriting them away,' much the same way some humans have been 'spirited away' throughout history and gone missing without a trace."

"Always thought those were just missing people who either ran away from home or ended up dead in a ditch somewhere, but no, you're right. Who would have guessed that the so-called mythical creatures of past folklore I lived my entire childhood reading about turned out to be… well, just poor Arcanian saps unfortunate enough to get nabbed by a rift and dropped here on Earth? Not me, that's for sure. But at least now we know catgirls are real, am I right? Hahaha…"

As the laughter of the radio hosts reached a jovial crescendo, a light jingle rang from across the lobby and one of the two elevators glided open. Out of it came a simple and earnest girl: Her clothes were light and unassuming, her expression was genuine and carefree, and her voice was gentle and melodious. Yet, as though in opposition to this gentle part she played, her hair– azure and light like the bright blue sky– stood out like a sore thumb.

Stopping, she greeted the old security staff the way she would a long time-acquaintance, and he waved to greet her back in turn.

"Out for work, Canaria?" he asked her.

"Oh, no. It's Sunday today. I'm out to have lunch with my friend later," Canaria responded back to him.

Grumbling, he said, "That so? Take care. One can never be too careful these days, with these spontaneous rifts opening up everywhere. Back in my day, we never had to worry about these pesky rift things opening up everywhere and ruining people's lives. Now we have to buy spontaneous rift damages insurance, disastrous rift outbreak insurance, rift abduction insurance—"

"—Yes, yes. Back in your day, you had to worry about getting hit by a car while you crossed the street too, right? I'll be fine. I've never even seen a rift in person before! Even if I do encounter any trouble, I'll just leave it to the guild!" Before the old man could continue rambling on for too long, Canaria cut him off. Then after the brief exchange, it was onward for her. To the unfettered city streets she went. However…

"Eurgh…"

A suffocating wave of humidity washed over her as she left the building. Unable to help it, she reeled back with disgust as a grimace marred her good face. Tugging on her collar, she fanned herself helplessly. From the oppressive heat that roasted her face like a fire, to the moisture that caused her clothes to cling annoyingly to her skin, everything about the state of this weather rejected her.

Before she had even taken two steps out into the open, she already felt like going back to take a shower— a perk of living in a tropical city she could undoubtedly do without. Despite having lived here all her life, she could never adapt. And really, who would blame her? It was hot and humid during the summer months, and it was hot and humid during the winter months. The only cool place to be found was in the interior of a fully air-conditioned building or vehicle. It was even hot when it rained!

"Maybe if I was a plant, this would be nice. No ifs, buts, or leaves about it, hehe. Well, if being a plant means I wouldn't have to feel hungry anymore, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad life."

Looking down at herself, Canaria felt her belly. It was thin and empty; a fact covered by the loose fabrics of the clothes she wore. She was hungry, it was breakfast time, and she was ready to eat. Yet when she spared a thought to her monthly expenses and the budget she would have to constrain herself to, she shook her head and dispensed with these troublesome desires.

So, she walked. A stroll was a rather great alternative for breakfast if she had to say so herself. "Umbrella rift insurance," she murmured absentmindedly as her eyes started drifting to the advertisements plastered everywhere on the streets, "I wonder if Anny has it?"

…

Canaria could only describe the streets of Singapore as something fearsome.

It was as if, somehow, everything about the city had been designed to be able to cram as many people as possible into the densest piece of land without sacrificing a certain standard of living. She never had to wander for more than a few city blocks to be able to access everything she needed during her day-to-day life. From department stores, markets, cafes, restaurants, to even an underground mall, everything was there within a few minute's walk. There was more than she could list off the top of her head. Not to mention, oftentimes, there would even be multiples of each service just around the corner or across the street. Suffice it to say, if she never wanted to try out anything new, she would never have to wander far should she choose not to.

And the people too— oh, the people especially struck a chord with Canaria. With diversity like that of flowers in a botanical garden, the kinds of people she could see walking the streets were enough to make her sigh in amazement. If it were twenty years ago, the sight of them would have certainly been a strange thing to behold, possibly making a person second-guess themselves to be immersed in full-body VR. Now, it was just the norm.

It was all thanks to the Arcanians. From very tall to very short, very lanky to very stout, and very monotone to very colorful, they came in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors. There were the agile Felids, the fierce Canes, the stout Ursids, and many more. Being easy to spot from the get-go, they each had their own very unique distinctions that set them out from the others. To put it simply, it was their eyes, ears, tail, and, on occasion, even horns— especially the horns. Canaria liked their horns. It was the sum of all these parts that made each individual Arcanian stand out like a special jewel.

For a people-watcher like her, their presence made even a simple trip down the street a memorable experience. Since leaving her apartment, she had seen a particularly tall Ursid having to bend his back down to press the street crossing button, a Lagos with branch-like horns having to get on the tips of her toes just to throw away some trash, a Lapaca with bad eyesight having to squint her eyes trying to read the street signs, and a fit Dae casually parkouring off the tenth floor of a building to get to the street instantly. The last show was quite amazing actually. But though it was an impressive sight for sure, it was not too strange or out of place.

Canaria turned a corner into an alleyway passage.

"—Out of my way! Out of my way!"

"Oof—!"

With little in the way of any warnings, Canaria suddenly found her breath knocked out of her lungs and the world spinning before her eyes. One second, she was walking down the street keeping to herself and in the very next, something— someone had struck her square on her side, sending her hurtling to the ground. She was slow to react, but she managed to cushion her fall by bringing her hands out in front of herself quickly. Finally realizing what had happened, she groaned out with a spot of pain before turning her palms over to see the damages.

"Atch!" Canaria winced as she noticed a wound on her hand. It was covered in grime and, though blood had not begun to seep out yet, it would not be long until it would. She needed to clean it and wrap it soon. However, before she could do that, she needed to find out what had knocked her down. To her surprise, it was actually a young Arcanian boy with sharp wolf-like ears, long brownish hair, and an unkempt tail disheveled like the end of a frayed broom. Although she was stunned, she tried to help him anyway. The response she received was far from the most grateful, however.

"Are… are you alright?" she asked him carefully.

"Urgh… I could have sworn I told you to get out of the way. Are you slow in the head? Or could it be that you're deaf?" the boy retorted, slapping her outstretched hand away.

"S-Sorry? Pardon me, but, what?" Canaria's voice trembled with shock as she was taken completely aback by his behavior. There was no doubt about it— kids really did have a way with their words. The boy was either really rude or just blunt to a fault. She was not expecting any gratitude from the boy, but she was also not expecting to be insulted twice in quick succession for trying to help!

The boy nursed his head. "I was shouting, wasn't I?" he complained. "I thought I was being pretty clear. Ow ow ow…"

"I heard you, but there's no way I could have reacted that quickly!" Canaria defended herself.

"Ugh! Ladies!" the boy turned his face and sneered with his nostrils flared, as if the term was something derogatory.

Canaria was horrified. She really wanted to give this boy a piece of her mind, but she held herself back. There was nothing about this boy that was redeeming in her eyes, however, as much as she disliked him, she knew better than to get worked up over a kid. It was a simple truth that, even though the two of them might speak the same language, it would still be a long time before they could truly communicate beyond a superficial level.

"Oh no! He's here!"

"—Finally caught up to you, you rat!"

Before Canaria could do anything else, a pudgy man sporting Middle Eastern features barged his way into the scene. His face still flushed red from running, he yanked the boy up by the wrist and held him up like he had just caught a prize. The boy struggled wildly to get free, but it was pointless and it meant little for him to try. Even though Arcanian were physically superior to humans, the inherent differences between an adult and a child was still a gap that could not be surmounted. Even a human could overpower a lion if it was young enough after all.

"Let me go," the boy cried, attempting and failing to free his wrist from the man's tight grip, "you're hurting me!"

Panting, gasping, and wheezing, the man announced triumphantly, "Try to run away now, Hahaha! Still think you're like a rabbit, do you? No, you are a rat! It looks like your parents never taught you not to steal, did they? Can't expect too much from you Arcanian monsters, eh? I ought to do them a favor, discipline you, myself."

"Let go of me!"

"You know what they do with thieves where I'm from? Only one cure for thieves whose fingers are a little too quick for their own good, if you know what I mean. We have a culture of nipping problems in the bud. Can never be too careful for your own good, understand?"

"I told you to let me go!"

The man snapped at the boy's defiance. "After all the trouble I went through catching up to your rat ass? You must think I'm crazy!" He screamed, sputtering spit all over the child's face.

"You are crazy! I didn't do anything!" The boy defended himself, yet that only served to set the man off further.

The man suddenly broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Who, me? Hahaha! A liar and a thief! I really caught a pest this time! Do you know the only thing worth less than a liar's words is his tongue? If something is worthless, it should be removed! Discarded!" His voice wheezed like he was going through an asthma attack. It was terrifying for Canaria to watch. She thought the man was going to have a stroke.

The Canis boy remained fearless as he continued to refute any allegations towards himself. "I never even stole from you! What would I steal from you? Ow! Stop that! Let go of me! You're hurting me! Help!" He yelled loudly, having given up on the idea of freeing himself by force, so he took to crying out for outside help instead.

With a simple grunt, the man dealt with the boy's troublesome antics too, as if it were little more than a nuisance. "Don't do that," he said, smacking the back of the boy's head with a wooden stick. The boy whimpered and shut up after that. Once quelled, the man started to walk away, dragging the kid away with him. Where to, Canaria had no idea.

"Help me!" The boy's eyes seemed to plead for help as he was dragged away. With every step, his desperation grew. Canaria was unsure if it was a genuine cry for help or a desperate attempt to escape. Nevertheless, it was difficult to watch a grown man dragging away a powerless child.

Time was ticking. Canaria knew she did not have to do anything here. With every step the man took, it became less of her problem as well. Not to mention, the boy deserved it for being so mean after running headfirst into her. She did not receive so much as a single apology for that incident. Served him right!

…

But… as she expected, the situation simply did not sit right with her. She was watching a kidnapping take place in broad daylight, clear and cut. Her own personal misgivings had nothing to do with what was right or wrong. As a person, she should strive to be someone who would be capable of forgiving and forgetting. So she nervously called out to the man, "Pardon me? What's going on here?"

The man grunted out, "What the hell was that? Oh." For a brief moment, he redirected his glare towards Canaria, which frightened her. However, once his mind caught up to his face, his expression loosened up. He was talking to an actual person now, not some stray animal. The realization made Canaria feel uncomfortable, unnerved even. The man glared back at the boy and explained, "Just dealing with a stray. Finally caught him, the rat bastard, stealing from my shop. Nothing you have to worry about."

Canaria interjected, "I'm sorry, but even if he stole from you, couldn't you be more gentle with him? He's just a kid. He's a quarter of your size! There's no need to resort to so much violence, is there?"

The man scowled dismissively at Canaria's concerns. "Just a kid? Missy, you weren't around when things were much worse, back in the day. Trust me. Even if he looks just like a kid, these Arcanian fuckers are nothing to be trifled with," he said harshly, glancing at the boy's sharp nails before continuing, "Leopards and lions, every one of them. Boy might look harmless now, but wait a few years and he'll be able to tear a man's jugular with nothing more than his claws. It's true! I saw it happen with my own eyes! Some of the most gruesome stuff I ever experienced. I used to work with wild animals, so I know it's better to take care of the problematic ones early on. They always become bigger problems in the future."

Canaria swallowed dryly as she listened to the man's explanation. No wonder she felt uneasy; the guy was actually crazy! She no longer felt safe being around him, as there was no guessing what a guy like him might do next. However, she could not just leave the boy to suffer some horrible, unknown, fate, so she pleaded with the man, "Mister, whether he's Arcanian or human, a child is a child. He's in pain now because of how tightly you're grabbing him. Be more gentle, please? Maybe this is all just a simple misunderstanding at the end of the day. The boy himself is telling you that he didn't do anything. Perhaps we can open a dialogue and figure out what's actually going on before jumping to misconclusion?"

The man snorted in response, "Misunderstanding? There is no such thing! I hardly ever miscount my stock, but ever since this little thief started showing up believing himself to be Alibaba, I've been missing dozens of things a week! He was always quick on his feet so I never got to see it when it happened, but this time I finally caught him with my own eyes!"

The boy clearly disagreed. "Did not!" he hollered.

The man smacked the boy again with the stick. "You're lucky I haven't gutted you already!" He roared, face red and fuming, then he speaked to Canaria again with a laugh. "Do you see what I mean? A liar and a thief!"

"Okay, I don't know what's the truth and what isn't, but is this whole problem because you think the boy stole from you? Am I correct in saying that? I just want to be clear."

"Yes, of course. I would not pursue the thief, if there was no thief."

Canaria nodded. If it was like that, she had an idea what she could do. She pulled out her phone. "What if I pay you back for your losses? Will you let him go if I do that?" She told him.

The man chewed upon Canaria's suggestion. When he was done, he gave a slow nod of approval. "Having my losses recuperated is a good thing. I cannot turn that down. However…" He trailed off and looked at the boy. "Prevention is ultimately better than any cure. Does not matter if you pay me back, if the brat will be back at it again the next day. That being said… it is true that I have accrued a loss."

"How much?" Canaria asked.

"Fifteen," the man replied after pausing briefly, no doubt having just done the math in his head. The number surprised Canaria. Fifteen? She heard that correctly, right? It was about the price of a carton of soy milk at a vending machine. For the sake of fifteen Argentum, the man sure was going through great lengths to catch and torture the boy. Canaria grew suspicious as the cause did not justify the means. What if all this was just an elaborate way to fulfill some sick fetish the man had, or worse, what if everything was part of a ruse to traffic the boy for money?

Regardless of the intentions however, Canaria had no qualms paying fifteen Argentum to settle the issue. She tapped out the sum on an Argentum transfer app. "Fifteen, right?" she confirmed, walking closer to the man to show him.

The man acknowledged the sum, but as soon as he saw the number reflected on the phone's screen, his eyes bulged open. "Yes, fifteen— No, no, no. God, no! Not fifteen Argentum. Fifteen hundred Argentum! I would not run so much to catch this rat for a mere fifteen Argentum! Are you deranged, woman?" He shook his head in disbelief the instant he saw "15.00 Ag" instead of "1,500.00 Ag" on the phone. Exasperated and fuming, he continued shaking his head and mumbled to himself, "Fifteen Argentum. Fifteen! No, no, no. All this trouble for fifteen Argentum! Insane!"

"P-Pardon me?" Canaria did a double-take. Fifteen what now? Did she hear that correctly this time around? Fifteen hundred Argentum? Just what did that boy do? Had she bitten off more than she could chew? Mayhaps it was not too late to back out yet. After all, the boy never did apologize to her after knocking her down. She needed to put fifteen hundred Argentum into perspective before making a decision.

Her monthly stipend was about 9,500 Ag. Out of that, she had to set aside 3,000 Ag for her discounted one bedroom HDB apartment, 500 Ag for utilities, 1,800 Ag for food, 1,500 Ag for transportation, and another 1,000 Ag for other bills, for a total of 7,800 Ag, more or less. She did the math in her head so it could be wrong. However, last month, she put aside half of what remained into her savings, leaving 850 Ag to spend at her own discretion.

"Fifteen hundred Argentum," the man enunciated himself intently, pulling Canaria out of her little daydream, "I will settle this matter for fifteen hundred Argentum. Water under the bridge. Like nothing ever happened at all. Deal?"

Canaria felt a lump in her throat. Considering how 1,500 Ag was about two months of her disposable income combined, she was hesitant to hand over the grand sum so easily. The man, growing ever impatient, looked at her face and said, "No deal then. That is fine."

Flustered, Canaria quickly stopped the man from leaving. "Wait! Hold on! I didn't say no!" She shouted. Once he stopped, she requested, "But just let me speak with the boy first. You can do that much at least, right?"

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Fine. Go ahead." The man grumbled and he pulled the Canis boy to face her. He did not loosen his vice-like grip over the boy, however.

Canaria got closer to the boy and bent down to talk to him with a soft voice. "Hi there, what's your name?" She asked him, but the boy looked away upon being prompted. Just like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he refused to talk. Where had that bravado from before gone to? Regardless, she tried another approach. "My name is Canaria. Can you tell me your name?" She spoke, hoping to gain the boy's trust by introducing herself.

However, refusing to speak, the boy continued to look off to the side. Canaria mused for a moment, observing how poor of a condition he was in. She saw his tail droop and his ears fold against his head. Being so close, it made all the small details apparent. He was skinny to the bone, with bug bite scars all over, wearing tattered clothing, and his shoes were even mismatched. Despite this, the boy's hazel eyes were still clear.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Canaria said, "I'm not angry from before. I want to help you, okay? But if you want me to help you, you have to talk to me, honestly too, okay? If you don't want to say anything, you don't have to! Just nod or shake your head okay?"

The boy remained silent, but Canaria could sense she was getting to him, albeit slightly. She could tell he was considering her words.

"The kid is silent. Are you done talking?" The man impatiently interrupted Canaria. She was not done just yet, however, and she requested more time. "Suit yourself," the man sighed.

Canaria placed her hands onto the boy's shoulders and looked into his eyes as she asked a simple "Okay?" again. After what felt to her like one of the longest few seconds in her life, the boy finally nodded.

"I'm going to ask you some questions," she said, "so nod your head to say, 'Yes,' and shake your head to say, 'No.' Okay?"

"—Aaron…"

As Canaria began, the boy broke his silence, although it was only to say one word. He still avoided eye contact, however. But, Canaria was relieved. She felt like she was making a lot of progress. "Aaron? Is that your name?" she began.

The boy nodded.

She smiled at him. "Then, Aaron, are you hungry?" she asked.

"?" Confused, Aaron turned to look at her. He could not understand why she was asking a question like that. Was he hungry? He was, so he nodded, but he was sure that she was going to ask about the stealing instead.

Canaria asked him another question. "Do you have food at home?" She asked, but Aaron remained still. Did he not want to answer? Or perhaps it was the wrong question to ask? Canaria tried another approach. "Do you have a home?"

The boy shook his head this time.

"Where are your parents?"

Canaria received no response yet again, although it was not a yes or no question in the first place. "Do you live on your own?" She continued with her next question, only to be met with more silence. Then, just as she was about to ask yet another question, Aaron suddenly shook his head. "I see," she whispered, patting the boy on the head. She understood what was going on. She grinned and said, "Just leave everything to this big sis, okay? I'll show you what a proper adult can do, so just trust me, alright?"

"??" Aaron looked at her with doubt. Nothing she had asked him made any sense at all. Yet, the warm gaze in her eyes granted him a sense of comfort he had never experienced before. As such, he nodded. He trusted her.

…

Gripping her phone tightly as she stood up, Canaria addressed the man. "1,500 Ag is too much. I can do 500 Ag," she declared with a surprisingly firm voice not present before.

The man's brow raised with curiosity. "500 Ag? No, no, I cannot do 500 Ag. 500 Ag is too low. I might as well keep the kid and take the loss. 1,500 Ag."

Canaria countered, "That's too much. How about 600 Ag?"

But the man refused, "600 Ag might as well be 500 Ag. I can do 1,450 Ag. No lower."

"I'm having a hard time believing a child managed to steal 1,450 Ag worth of things from you. What did he even take? 700 Ag."

"700 Ag is still no good, lady. I cannot do 700 Ag. What is 700 Ag but 600 Ag with an attitude? No different than 500 Ag. 1,450 Ag, for all the candy bars, drinks, and other foods he stole."

Canaria sighed, "If it's just food, then please cut the boy some slack. He's starving as is. What about 1,000 Ag? I'm sure you'll still be coming up on top with the discount."

The man seemed to consider it, "1,000 Ag? Now you are starting to sound more reasonable. With a discount, 1,350 Ag. Take it or leave it."

Canaria begrudgingly accepted, "Deal. I will give you 1,350 Ag." She could sense that the man would not negotiate any further from his tone and body language. Although the sum due was still a significant amount, she managed to put a small dent in it with just her words. That would have been good enough in her books. Carefully, she tapped out the correct numbers on her payment app. "I can certainly give you that much, however…" she paused, she still had one last card up her sleeve she wanted to try before going through with the transaction.

"What? Just give me the money and you can have the kid."

"Mister, before I give you the money, I just want to ask if you know what the MACR is?"

Confused, the man asked her, "No, what's that, MACR?"

"Basically, it means that in Singapore, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is ten. Any child, be they human or Arcanian, below the age of ten cannot be charged with a crime. They can do no wrong in the eyes of the law and, if they can do no wrong, you cannot restrain them for any wrongdoing. Even if you take the boy to a police station, nothing will come of it. In fact, you would be the one in trouble for unlawfully restraining the boy. You might even be arrested instead."

The man let out a discontent grunt. He did not know what Canaria was getting at, but he felt like she was dragging out time. Something was off, and he felt threatened by that sensation. Quickly, he reeled the boy in and declared, "I don't need the police to discipline the runt. I will do it myself, if you do not give me the Argentum. Transfer the money, and I will let the runt go. Simple." He pulled out his phone with one hand and opened the Argentum transfer app with his merchant QR code on display.

With the QR code out, Canaria went to scan it. But that was when the man noticed what was off. She did not scan the QR code with the payment app. Instead, it was a different interface. "What are you doing?" He asked, his suspicion growing, "Wait, why are you on a call?"

Canaria grinned triumphantly. She had been on a video call the entire time. "Great! Thank you, Mister, for confessing to your crimes." She said in a loud and excited voice. "I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen. We've been on a phone call with the police station for a while now, and you've just provided them with everything they need to charge you with conspiring to wrongfully restrain a minor for ransom. The punishment for which is life imprisonment and even execution."

*———!!! ———!!! ———!!!*

As if on cue, sirens began to ring through the air, faint and distant but unmistakable. Canaria was pleasantly surprised. "Oh wow, that must be them right now! They sure are on top of it today!" She giggled.

"What…?" The man was stupefied and could only let out a single word. That was the last thing he said before his face drained of color in real time. Canaria could almost see his thoughts surface in the absence of it. "Fuck! Shit!" He cursed loudly, before dropping the boy and running away as fast as he could, disappearing into the many twists and turns of the alleyway.

…

Canaria crumpled to the ground. She let out a heavy breath, "Phew… thank god he left." Now that the man had fled the scene and Aaron was safe, all the tension in her body dissipated, and her legs lost the strength to stand.

Aaron rushed over to her, his face etched with worry. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"So, you know how not to be rude after all, hehe," Canaria said, smirking somewhat irritatingly before ruffling the boy's hair. She ignored his little "Hey!" of complaint and did as she pleased. She felt she deserved to vent her frustrations a little. The boy's wolf-like ears stood upright and stiffened with her touch, but they still folded and gave way when she ran her hand over them. After she finally had had her fill, she pushed herself off the ground and brushed her skirt free of grime.

When Aaron realized that she was done, he spoke the question that had been on his mind. "Did you ask God for help? Is that why you thanked him just now?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

Canaria giggled. "That's not what I meant. It's just a figure of speech. I was just relieved that my bluff wasn't found out," she admitted.

The boy was very confused. "A bluff?" he said, "does that mean you were lying to him?"

Canaria opened her mouth. "Yep!" However, the one who answered was another person entirely. It was a Felid "catgirl" who just arrived on the scene. She looked to be several years older than Canaria, and she was overjoyed as she hugged Canaria's sky blue head of hair from behind. She introduced herself. "You expected the police, but it was me, Angelica! Luckily, I was nearby, but, jeez, Aria, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Don't just send me your location out of nowhere with a single word, 'help.' When I heard what you were talking about during the call, I thought you were about to be abducted."

The boy was amazed when he heard what Angelica said. "Wow, awesome! Is this what you mean by showing me what a proper adult can do? I want to be able to lie like that too!"

"Ah, no, that's not it— Hm," Canaria opened her mouth to object but stopped when she realized she had no comeback. How awkward. It was true she told the boy to watch what she could do, but she felt the boy's takeaway was completely different from what she had intended. She wanted to show him that adults could be relied on.

Angelica got on her tiptoes and peeked at Canaria's face from over her head. "Ohoh?" She smirked. "What's this? Aria's teaching kids how to lie? Curious. Very curious. Is there something I should know about, hmm?"

Adequately annoyed, Canaria blew a puff of air towards her friend's grinning eyes. "Anny! Shush!" she said, before getting into properly explaining what happened, starting from when the man grabbed Aaron, all the way up to when he ran away.

Angelica, in learning of what had gone on, became furious. "Tell me where he ran off to, I'll gut him!" She growled, baring her teeth, which were sharp like fangs. "Assholes like him are a dime a dozen! No one will notice if one or two of them go missing!" Canaria panicked when she heard Angelica go off like that. She truly did think her hotheaded friend might do something illegal if she did not stop her.

During this exchange, Aaron wadded nervously in front of the two girls. Canaria let out a surprised "Oh," as she had forgotten about the actual boy in question who caused the whole situation. She listened attentively as he apologized. "I— I'm sorry for causing so much trouble…" he said, ears and tail drooping. He continued, "And I'm sorry for knocking you down. Sorry…"

"…!" Canaria's heart softened at the sight of the boy's distress. He looked like he was about to break out into tears. She quickly shuffled over to comfort him, patting his head gently and stroking his hair to calm him. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm not angry at you. Don't be sad," she assured him. However, there was something she wanted to talk to him about. Once he stopped looking so sad, she adopted a stern expression. "I'm not angry, but, I hope you understand this whole situation started because you stole from the man first."

"I was hungry… and he had a lot of food. I didn't think he would get so mad over it," Aaron explained dejectedly. As a matter of fact, he still was hungry. Although he had taken something to eat earlier, it was just a candy bar, which he quickly consumed while making his getaway.

Canaria nodded. She understood where the boy was coming from, and she deeply empathized with his situation. However, she knew that it was important to teach him about what was right and wrong. "Things turned out okay this time. But really, the man was in the right, you know? You wouldn't like it if you had your things stolen, would you? That's why you shouldn't steal. It isn't fair to who you steal from. It doesn't matter if he had a lot of food or not. His things are his own. Got it?" She spoke in a way even a child could understand. Not to mention, she had a sneaking suspicion that his troublemaking was a symptom of some other bigger issue. The easiest way to figure that out was to simply ask.

"I asked you earlier about your home, but you didn't answer me back then. Could you tell me about that now?" she asked him gently.

Aaron nodded. "It's not my home. I don't want to be there. They're not my real family. They wouldn't care if I'm hungry or not," he replied.

If he was never home, it would explain why he was never fed properly, Canaria thought. However, she probed further, sensing there was still more to the story. "What happened to your real family? Your papa and mama?" she asked next.

"My mama and papa aren't with me anymore. They went off to go somewhere far away, but they didn't take me with them," the boy explained stiffly.

Canaria simply nodded. "I see. That must have been really hard for you." She paused for a moment before continuing. "But you know, just because they're not blood related, it doesn't mean they can't be your family. Just because your parents aren't there, it doesn't mean you can't call a place your home."

"But I don't know them!" Aaron argued back. "They're strangers! My parents told me not to talk to strangers."

Canaria closed her eyes. She really did understand the boy's feelings and, because she understood them, she had to give him a deeply needed hug. When she pulled herself away, she told him in the most gentle voice she could muster. "I know it might be hard to understand now, but everyone starts out as strangers. Weren't we strangers just now? See?"

"Uh-huh…"

She further explained. "Even your mama and papa were strangers once upon a time. They had to get to know each other before they became a family. It's the same with the people around you. You just have to get to know them and give them a chance to get to know you."

Aaron seemed to take in her words, but his voice remained uncertain. "I don't know if I can."

Canaria smiled warmly. "That's okay. You don't have to rush. Take your time. Grow up. But don't be afraid to open up a little. If you can do that, then one day you'll find that those you can call 'family' may be closer to you than you think."

Aaron looked up at her and then down at his feet. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was only after he shuffled his feet and looked up again that he could finally bring the words to his mouth. "Okay. I'll try."

Canaria ruffled his hair playfully. "Good," she said. "Now run along. Go back home. Go eat. And go open up to them, your 'family.'"

…

…

The two girls watched as Aaron disappeared into the streets. "It would be nice if he took what I told him to heart," Canaria sighed. Foster children had to deal with a lot of issues and problems. She bailed the boy out of trouble and imparted what wisdom she could, but ultimately it was still up to him what he would do afterwards. She could only hope he followed her advice.

Angelica placed her hands onto Canaria's shoulders. "Look at you, being an emotional support animal. How cute," she teased.

Canaria stretched her arms. "Ah jeez, I'm hungry now," she complained, pouting. Now that everything was over, she was reminded once again that she had left home without eating anything for breakfast. She checked the time. She did not like what she saw as lunch was still hours away. Luckily, the friend she was supposed to meet was already with her. She asked Angelica, "Anny, I know it's a bit early, but since you're already here, can we go for lunch? I'm famished!"

Angelica nodded, wanting to get out of the alleyway already. "Of course we can! Bubble tea? There's a place I've been wanting to try," the Felid suggested, but Canaria was not so agreeable.

"No!" Canaria rejected the suggestion with vehement force. She even crossed her arms to show just how much she hated the idea. "Absolutely not! I refuse to drink dessert for lunch!"

As the two discussed the prophesied lunch, Canaria felt something strange. "Hm?" She let out a questioning tone as she turned around. She could feel an odd sensation, like the air pressure had increased or something. "Hey Anny? Do you feel that?" she asked her friend.

Angelica did not notice anything. "Feel what?" she asked, suspiciously, "Aria, what are you talking about? Are you okay? What are you looking at over there?"

Something strange had appeared in the air before Canaria— thin as a fracture line, it shimmered like a crack through a wall into another world. "Anny, do you see this?" Canaria asked again. As she got closer, she saw it was actually glowing on its own! Her brows furrowed as her own curiosity deepened. "How strange, just what is this thing?" she mused. "Could it be a hologram?"

Although there was a chance it could have indeed been a holographic projection, there was nothing in her surroundings to suggest it. Yet, it looked too real and hung off the air for it not to be. Before she knew it, she was nearly close enough to kiss it with the tip of her nose. She reached out with her fingers.

What Canaria did not know, yet, was that this tiny action of hers would be the start of a series of unimaginable events which would forever change the course of her life.

—Tap.

Canarias touched the crack with the tip of her index finger and the force it exerted back resisted her finger like an opposing magnet. So it ended up not being a projection after all. "Huh, neat," she simply said, having her curiosity satisfied. However, as soon as she made contact, the crack pulsed before a tremendous force expelled forth, causing her to flinch.

When she looked up again, the hair-like fracture line had split open into a harrowing crevasse as tall as a man and just as wide. It was ragged, sloppy, and festered like an open wound. Yet, it was clear that such was no wound upon a living being which blood would bleed. It was a gash upon the very world itself, and it was the essence of the world that came gushing out of it like a flood of water that pushed her back both physically and psychologically.

Canaria trembled. "It's… It's a rift!" she realized in horror. She was witnessing a spontaneous rift open before her eyes! Up until now, she had only ever seen it happening over the internet. Even then, she had never seen the precursor of a rift opening. It was simply something which had never been documented before! That meant, somewhere on the other side of this rift was a whole different world, Archa Astra, a world of myths and folklore, motherland to the Arcanians. However, this was not so tamed a rift as the ones permanently opened and maintained for transportation and immigration. Instead, this rift before her was dangerous in a way no different than wildfire— an unstable and uncontrollable rift which would bring about only hazard and harm to everything around it if left unchecked.

It was then that Canaria finally realized she needed to run. She needed to escape right away, get as far away as she could. "Anny! We have to run! Now!" she shouted. However— "Arghh!" She screamed involuntarily, her mind going numb with pain. The moment she made an attempt to take off, she felt something like a bolt of energy strike her leg, and it sent her hurtling to the ground in a mess. That was the second time she had fallen to the ground, only it hurt so much more than being tackled by a child. At least, back then, she managed to cushion the fall with her arm. This time, she collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Aria!" Angelica screamed.

Canaria heard the frantic yelling as she fell to the ground, but her senses were too overwhelmed to pay it any attention. She groaned out miserably as her friend made it to her side. "It got me right behind my thigh," she said, hyperventilating. Whatever hit her, it certainly did not hold back. The lasting pain and tenderness served as a potent reminder of what just transpired. Her mind raced with a flurry of thoughts and her heart pounded rapidly as she stared at the spot covered by her clothes. She hesitated to check, nearly backing out of it entirely, but her worries subsided as soon as she pulled back the scorched fabric of her skirt and saw no wound underneath. The spot was red and tender, but there was no sign of any lacerations or burns.

Angelica breathed out a massive sigh of relief along with Canaria. "Thank god," the Felid said, reaching out with her arm. "Can you stand?" she asked. The two of them had little time to be relieved as they still needed to leave. The rift was beginning to look violent. The pressure it was exerting on them was increasing. Bolts of energy radiated from within, like a tesla coil discharging into the air. It was one of these that hit Canaria earlier.

"Grrr Grgrgrgrgr…"

As Canaria stood up with the help of her friend, she heard a noise like a low static-filled rumble filling the air, crackling and popping with every sound, growing louder by the second.

"Yikes!" Angelica yelped nervously as she heard the noise. While she did not know what nature that ominous sound possessed, it was pretty clear where it was coming from, and she did not want to stick around long enough to find out. She grabbed Canaria's arm and tugged, urging her to leave, but her friend was unresponsive. "Aria…?" Angelica asked.

Moving as though in a trance, Canaria pulled her arm away and limped over to the mouth of the rift. Her sky blue eyes reflected the deep shade of the rift, which was red like freshly spilled blood. It made her look like a completely different person. Enduring the outflowing pressure, she reached out with her hand.

"Aria, no! Stop! Don't touch that!" Angelica warned, attempting to stop Canaria from doing whatever she planned on doing. But it was too little too late. Canaria's palm touched the rift and the entire thing trembled like the surface of a pond during an earthquake. Before their very eyes, the rift began to waver. It was shrinking! It was closing!

"Shhh!" wincing, Canaria hushed her friend. "This is… difficult. I have to concentrate or I might mess up!"

Angelica quickly covered her mouth with her hands, not wanting to disrupt Canaria's focus. However, as she watched, she noticed something strange above her friend's head. It was so faint she could barely pick it out in the daylight, but it was there, for just a split second before it faded, she saw a wisp-like crown of light.

Canaria continued. "Almost there…" she murmured, struggling with the last stretch, before she finally exclaimed triumphantly, "Ah-ha! Got it!"

Angelica felt her eyes bulge as she watched what her friend had just accomplished. "How…?" She was at a total loss for words. Her friend had done something thought to be impossible, but it was equally impossible to deny the accomplishment. The rift really did close before her own eyes.

Canaria let out a weak giggle, feeling thoroughly exhausted by her act. "I don't know, actually. I just felt like maybe I could do something, so I just went for it! Hehe~" she explained, fully expecting Angelica to be happy with her. However, her friend was not amused. It was quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.

"Aria! What have you done!" The Felid cried out in horror, her sudden outburst catching Canaria off guard. "Don't ever do that ever again!" she continued, leaving the girl utterly confused and lost.

Canaria asked weakly, "Huh…? Aren't you excited, Anny?" She had thought her friend would be just as excited as she was, about what she had just accomplished.

Angelica grabbed Canaria by the shoulders, pinning her to the spot. She scolded her, "No! Don't you understand what you just did? Ever since the spontaneous rifts started appearing and causing havoc all around the world, nobody has found a way to close them by force! Not even the guild can do anything about it other than to send their operators to camp it out! If they ever find out, they'll force you to close rifts until the day you die, or worse, they'll lock you up in a research facility and pick your body apart to figure out how you do it!"

Canaria was taken aback. "A-Anny?" she stuttered. She had not given thought to the possible ramifications of her actions, but she also felt that Angelica was overexaggerating. Was it really that big of a deal? The potential consequences felt very unrealistic. There was no way the guild, which was a government entity with strong ties to the United Nations, would lock her up like that, would they?

Angelica shook her shoulders. "Canaria!" she cried out loudly.

Canaria replied attentively, "Y-Yes?!"

"Promise me you will never do this again! And promise me you won't tell anyone about it either!"

"O-Okay—" Canaria spoke, only to be interrupted mid-sentence as Angelica glared at her in the eyes.

"I said to 'promise me,' not to say 'o-okay' like someone just asked you to pass the bill at a restaurant!" Angelica stated. Canaria tried to back away to no avail. Despite her slim physique, Angelica was quite strong due to her Arcanian heritage. Even with a single hand, she could easily overpower the delicate and lightweight Canaria. With both hands holding the poor girl down though? Canaria had no choice but to say the only thing she could.

"I promise! I promise!" Canaria quickly said. "Now can you let me go? It hurts—"

—Then, the rift previously thought to have been closed by Canaria suddenly exploded back open with a force several times greater than what it had exerted before. Angelica, who had her back to the rift, winced as she bore the brunt of the force shielding Canaria.

"Grrr Grgrgrgrgr…"

When Angelica reopened her eyes, she heard the growls from earlier resuming. "Oh no!" she gasped, realizing that the danger had returned. She exchanged a quick look with Canaria, and they both nodded in agreement. They needed to flee. Canaria was not going to try again to close the rift.

However, as soon as Canaria took off, the pain she had so conveniently forgotten about in her leg returned with a vengeance. The moment she tried to run, the muscles in her thigh cramped up and she nearly dropped right that instant. Fortunately, Angelica was right next to her and was able to support her. Behind them, the face of the rift shimmered, and wolf-like creatures emerged from it.

"Elementals!" Canaria gasped, picking up the pace. The creatures resembled feral dogs, or perhaps more like wolves due to their size, however the superficial resemblances ended there. These were elementals, abnormal phenomena driven crazy by the chaos and imbalance of the two worlds being forcibly conjoined by the unstable rift. They were maladies which should not exist, yet they walked the earth and wrought about destruction like any real being could. To fight them was a task suicidal for any "Man." Conventional weapons like a gun or a taser would do nothing. For, after all, how does one fight back against the formless wind, intimidate the living earth, or subdue a torrent of water?

Achieving such a feat would be nothing short of mythical.

Angelica stole a glance at Canaria as they made their retreat. "Aria…" she whispered almost inaudibly. She knew that with Canaria's limp, they would not be able to escape together. If this continued, they would both get caught, so she understood what had to be done. She let go of Canaria and turned around to face the incoming danger. "Go," she instructed her friend simply. "I'll distract them, buy you some time to get away."

Canaria stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Angelica in total disbelief. "What? You can't be serious, Anny," she said in utter refusal. "You can't do that, do you think you're some kind of a hero? You're younger than me! I've known you since you were in pre-school! Come on, let's go!"

But Angelica simply did not. Standing firm, she shook her head and gave Canaria a confident smile before taking out her "claws," her Arcanian artes that coated her hands like a protective pair of gloves. Indeed, it was a mythical feat for "Man" to fight against these embodiments of nature… fortunately, she was Arcanian. As a descendant of those very same braves who came to Earth to aid humanity during the wake of the Great Rift Outbreak Event of 0 AR, it was in her blood to fight and to protect.

Angelica waved her hand and tested the flexibility of her fingers. She explained, "I wanted to keep it a secret so I could surprise you properly later, but I've actually been training to apply to the guild as a field operator. It was difficult to practice since there's barely any aether present on Earth, but now that I'm close to the rift, to Archa Astra, using my artes is actually a breeze. I've got this, now go, run! I won't forgive you if you get caught!"

Canaria bit her lips and squeezed her eyes shut in guilt. She knew Angelica well enough to understand that her friend would not change her mind. "Damn it!" she swore loudly. "Then you better catch up soon!"

Angelica let out a soft chuckle. "Relax, I'm only giving you a head start. Don't worry, I'll catch up once I finish playing with these mutts."

…

*———!!! ———!!! ———!!!*

Blaring sirens filled the air as people scurried away like rats. The speakers announced over and over again that a rift event had been detected. Soon, the guild and its field operators would arrive at the scene to handle the rift. However, no matter how quickly they acted, they would not be able to help Canaria in her predicament.

Canaria fled as Angelica held the elementals at bay. Being powerless to do anything else, she despised herself for only being able to run— for being unable to even do that properly with the pain in her leg tormenting her every step. Canaria could hear the snarls and growls of the elementals behind her as they attacked Angelica, but she refused to go back. She gritted her teeth and suppressed the fear and worry pounding away in her heart. Canaria had to keep on moving, no matter what. The longer she took to escape, the longer Angelica would be exposed to danger, and that was something she could not allow to happen.

"Hey, you! Get out of there!"

As Canaria emerged from the alleyway, a man's voice yelled out to her. For a moment, she wanted to yell back at him to ask just what exactly he thought she was doing, but she was too focused on getting out of there to respond. Suddenly, she felt a force pushing her down. "Huh…?" she muttered, turning her head around. Her eyes widened as she saw one of the elementals had gotten loose and caught up to her.

She let out a groan and struggled to breathe as the force of the elemental pushed the air out of her lungs. She was falling. However, instead of feeling fearful about the elemental snapping at her, she felt only exasperation at the way her day was going. It was nothing but a rollercoaster of events that started out great, with a leisurely walk and plans to get lunch with Angelica, but then she got tackled to the ground, had to deal with an insane shopkeeper, encountered a spontaneous rift, got dropped to the ground a second time after getting struck in the thigh, felt a false sense of security when the rift closed, only for the damn thing to explode back open again. Now, she was running for her life on Angelica's borrowed time, but she failed to even do that properly.

She felt exasperation, true undeniable exasperation. She just did not have it in her anymore to view the situation as "unfair," nor did she lament "woe is me," at the unjustified series of unfortunate events she had to endure. The only thing that remained in her mind as she found herself hurtling towards the ground for the third time that day was simply—

"Not again…"

…

"—Hrah!"

*Twack!*

It happened in a flash— as Canaria fell, a blurry figure flew across the street and tackled the elemental off her back. The impact was so strong that she felt it, even though it only hit the wolf. Although nothing was pushing her down anymore, she continued to fall towards the asphalt. She braced for the impact, squeezing her eyes tightly and reaching out with her arms to protect her face. Yet, the pain never came. A pair of arms caught her across the stomach, arms that were firm and steady through a lifetime of hardship, and she let out a little gasp of surprise.

"…?!"

"—I got you! Made it right in time. Phew…"

Canaria, with her own arms still outstretched, glanced up dumbfoundedly at her savior. The sun shining in her eyes made it difficult for her to see anything but his age-streaked hair and vague facial features before a loud crash diverted her attention. She saw an Ursid bear-man with a colossal and stout physique savagely beating down on the elemental, the very one that was on her back just a moment ago, with nothing but his bare hands.

His arms and legs were enveloped with a protective sheath of light as he fought. Those were his Arcanian artes, a much more experienced application of the same one Angelica showed off. The aura allowed him to directly interact with and harm the elementals without being burned, shocked, or having his strikes pass harmlessly through their bodies instead. He kicked, punched, and tossed the elemental around with ease. He closed his hands together into a double ax handle and smashed the wolf to the ground.

After bringing the elemental down, the Ursid walked up to its head, lifted his leg, and prepared to crush it. As he did so, his artes surged towards his leg, gathering into an even fiercer, more brilliant, aura.

*DOOM—!*

He delivered a stomp that shook the entire street where they were standing. The body of the elemental fell apart, unable to hold its form any longer, and withered into nothingness.

Terrifying, Canaria shuddered at the display. As expected, it took an Arcanian's artes to put an elemental down. However, as the one was eliminated, two more appeared from the alleyway. Canaria felt her stomach drop at the sight of them. "Oh no, Angelica…!" she whispered, horrified and fearing the worst.

"I'll take care of this, Boss," the Ursid gruffed before going at it again, charging towards the new threats before tossing them around as if they were party balloon animals.

"Got it," the man replied before turning back to Canaria. "Hey, listen. You have to get out of here. Hanging out around an unstable rift is not the place to be," he told her. But with her mind occupied, she was unresponsive. "Hello? Hello? Are you there? Maybe you're not okay after all," the man contemplated seriously.

He nodded. "Ioan, I think this one's in shock! I'm going to carry her to safety!" He announced before doing exactly that. "Apologies, but if you will bear with me for a moment, I'll get you out of here," saying this, he wrapped his arms around her body while mumbling about how it had been a while since he had done this. Before Canaria fully processed what was going on, the man effortlessly picked her up and placed her over his shoulder like a sack of rice. "Hey, you're pretty light. How much do you weigh? Are you eating enough?"

Ioan fought. However, before he could finish off the two elementals, three more emerged from the alleyway. Strong as he was, Ioan could not hold down all five of them by himself. Though he managed to catch one of the new elementals by the ankle, the other two shot straight past him and headed towards Canaria. "Sorry, Boss!" Ioan apologized.

The man shouted as he realized the imminent danger and began to run with Canaria on his shoulder. "Hold on tight!" he warned her. At first, his gait was unstable since it had been a long time since he had to carry someone and run, but after only a couple steps, he adjusted his center of gravity to account for the weight imbalance. Then, he broke out into a full sprint, jerking Canaria out of her trance as he did so and causing her to "Eep!" in surprise. She squirmed to hold onto him for stability. The man was faster with her on his shoulder than she could run herself! But no matter how fast he could run, there was little a normal human could do to match the speed of a beast that ran on all fours.

"W-Wait!" Canaria quickly said. She hit the man repeatedly in the back to get his attention. "My friend is over there! She's a Felid. She stayed back at the rift to give me time to run away! You have to go help her! Please!" she told him. She saw what Ioan could do to the elementals. She heard Ioan call the man "Boss," so if he ordered it, Ioan would go to save Angelica. This was the only thing she could do to help her friend.

But, the man denied her request. "No," he said, shaking his head.

Canaria felt her heart sink. "Is it because of me? Am I the reason you can't go help my friend? I can get away on my own. You don't have to worry about me! Please, just go help her!" she begged. However, the man did not budge.

"That's not it," he sighed. His words were cold, but his tone was not. "It's the responsibility of normal people like us to stay away from the rift so we don't get in the way of the real heroes."

Canaria shook her head vehemently as she denied his words. "Anny's not a fighter, she's not a hero! I've known her since we were children! She used to cry because someone bumped into her! There's no way a scaredy-cat like her can be a hero!"

The man's lips curled into a thin smile. "Maybe you don't know her as well as you think," he said simply before turning into a narrow alleyway in an attempt to get away from their pursuers. In that brief moment where the corners of the alleyways aligned, Canaria caught a glimpse of the rift— of Angelica. The Felid had joined forces with Ioan, and both were punching and kicking their way through the pack of elementals like true fighters.

…

Canaria wanted to scream the entire time the elementals chased after them. They were hot on their heels, and it was a miracle that the man had managed to keep running for so long without ever slowing down. It was even more of a miracle that they managed to avoid all the obstacles hampering their way; things ranging from dumpsters to chairs and boxes piled taller than a person. The man weaved through all of these without a hitch, even knocking some things over to slow the elementals down. Although his actions never bought them more than a moment of time, the split second it did purchase was often the difference between taking a hit and not.

"Duck!" Canaria shouted. She heard a snarl from above as an elemental leapt off an AC unit towards them. The man heard her warning and reacted instantly, practically dropping to the ground in a sliding motion before springing back up to make a sharp turn to round a corner. Canaria cried out in pain as he slammed against a wall and skidded over it for several strides before he was able to correct his course. Unfortunately, this decision led the two of them into a dead end.

"Shit!" the man swore loudly. The elemental hounds were already back on their tail, but he did not give up. His eyes darted like pinballs as he looked for a way out of the predicament. Then he saw it. "There!" he exclaimed before leaping for a low-hanging AC unit. He caught the ledge with one hand and used the friction between his shoes and the side of the sheet metal to propel himself over the top, all with Canaria still on his shoulder.

Canaria was left even more impressed with his athleticism now, however, this alone was not enough to get away, as one of the elementals had leapt off an AC unit of a similar height just earlier. "Hold on tight!" the man said, continuing without rest. Canaria nodded obediently. Using this new vantage point, he was then able to reach and use window ledges, balconies, and even exhaust pipes to climb until they finally made it to the roof of the building.

The elemental wolves eyed them from below, but realizing that they had no real way of getting up there, they slowly backed off before dispersing completely. They were someone else's problem now. The man breathed a sigh of relief and set Canaria down onto the roof. The danger had passed.

Canaria gazed at the man, who was still panting and sweating from the intensity of the chase, and said, "Thank you." She was very grateful for his assistance. Considering the lengths the man had to go through, including climbing a building, just to get away, she realized that she would not have been able to flee on her own.

The man merely shook his head as he wiped off the beads of sweat from his brow. "Don't mention it," he replied in short bursts between gasps. "No big deal. I've had worse. It's fine. Just another Tuesday for me."

It was Sunday, however.

"Actually, how did you do all that?" Canaria asked excitedly. "It was really amazing how you could run so fast without breaking a sweat! Are you Arcanian? You don't look like one though: No horns, or particular ears, or a tail either."

"No, I'm human, through and through. Unless my parents lied to me. I just exercise here and there."

Canaria looked at him skeptically. "I don't know about that…" She told him. She did not know whether to view this as a humble brag or the man's actual humility. Either way, it was seriously impressive what he had done.

"Look over there," Edmond suddenly told her, pointing in the distance, opposite of where they had gotten onto the roof.

"Is that where the rift is?" Canaria asked. Edmond stayed silent, but she had a feeling what the answer might be. It became abundantly clear after seeing the emergency response vehicles piling up in the streets. Ambulances were there to take care of any injuries, police were on the scene to block off the area, and firefighters were stationed just in case. However, the ones doing the real heavy lifting were the Guild of Singapore's field operators, spreading out to eliminate all the elementals and secure the rift.

"Anny…" Canaria murmured. Now that she had some space to breathe, thoughts of her best friend, which had been shoved to the back of her mind, started racing to the forefront again. "Do you think Anny will be okay?"

Edmond glanced at her and nodded. "I'm sure she will be just fine. Ioan is with her." It was a simple answer, but for some reason, the look in his eyes and the warmth of his tone reassured Canaria.

"Alright," Canaria exhaled deeply, then asked, "So what are we going to do now? We can't just stay up here forever. I'm honestly worried about slipping and falling."

"There should be a fire escape around here somewhere. If not on this building, then on one with proper roof access. We can use that to get back down to street level once I'm sure those elementals won't be coming back for a second chance at us," he explained to her, before starting to look around to take in their surroundings on the roof. Then he changed the subject. "Oh, I'm Edmond, by the way," he said casually. "Sorry I couldn't introduce myself earlier. I was honestly a bit preoccupied with getting away. I hope I wasn't being too rough with you. It's difficult to run comfortably with a person over your shoulder."

"Canaria," she returned the introduction before then shaking her head in reply. "No, no, it's fine. I'm actually really thankful you carried me, in fact!"

Edmond's eyes glinted before his voice rose to a chuckle. Out of nowhere, he placed a hand over Canaria's head and patted her like he would a child. "Hahaha, the world would be a better place if there were more thankful kids like you growing up to become adults."

Canaria froze— Hold it, did he just call her a kid? Did he think she was a kid?

"I'm 24! I'm an adult!" Canaria exclaimed. "I work and pay for my own rent! I'm not a kid!"

"24?! If you're 24, then I'm 64! I thought you were 16— no, 18 if we're stretching it, but 24??" Edmond's jaw fell slack, then he quickly waved his hands in the air to calm Canaria down. "Whoah, whoah, take it easy or you might actually slip and fall!"

Canaria huffed, crossing her arms as she felt a mixture of annoyance, frustration, and embarrassment. People around her had always told her that she looked younger than her age, but it had never happened to such a degree where she was mistaken for a grade schooler! She seriously wanted to retort, but she could not find it in her to yell at the person who just saved her life. Her annoyance dissipated. "It's fine. It happens a lot," she said, uncrossing her arms. "But, seriously, I'm not a kid."

Edmond chuckled again, only this time he held his hands up in surrender. "Alright. I believe you. It was a genuine mistake on my part and I apologize."

…

"Give me your hand," Edmond instructed, reaching out to Canaria. Once he deemed it safe to descend, they scanned the sea of roofs for a fire escape and found one only three buildings away. Although Edmond could get down by himself with or without an easy way down, Canaria was a different story. She lacked any bit of the athleticism the man had, and she was ashamed to show it. Of course, Edmond paid it no heed, given that he was the much older one of the two.

Canaria nodded, her heart pounding with nervousness. She was not a fan of heights; a very common and human fear. The thought of potentially falling while making her way across the gaps between buildings was not reassuring. All it took was one mistake. She tried not to dwell on it. She forced herself to take a deep breath before taking every step in an effort to calm down. Even then, she was so terrified that she felt like she might pass out.

"Easy does it," Edmond reassured her. "You're doing great," he said softly, encouragingly. Eventually, with much help and coaxing from Edmond, they made their way to the edge of the first roof.

Canaria looked down– a terrible mistake– and her heart skipped a couple of beats. The ledge she needed to stand on was so much narrower than she had anticipated, and there was nothing for her to hold onto except for Edmond's hand. She turned to look at him, her eyes fearful, and her voice trembling. "You want me to jump this?" she asked. "It's kind of far, isn't it?"

Edmond placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "The average person can jump farther than they expect." He said firmly. "Don't think. Just do it."

Canaria gulped audibly. "What," she stated. The gap was more than three meters long! She was not confident in her ability to jump over it, even with a steady foothold and a running start, let alone attempting that while being up here on a sloped roof.

Edmond brushed off her concerns. "I'm serious. It's easier to do than you think. Watch me." With that said, he made the jump in one smooth motion and landed across the gap without any issue. Canaria was seriously starting to doubt the man's claim of not being Arcanian. Either that, or he was secretly an Olympian because no one who only exercised "here and there" could pull off a jump like that.

Poor Canaria shivered. "Now I really don't think I can do it," she told herself, shaking her head repeatedly. "No way. Impossible. I'll fall and die."

"You'll be fine, I'll catch you if you mess up!" Edmond reassured her from the other side, where she could do nothing but throw threatening words at him.

"If I fall, I'm going to haunt you!" Canaria threatened him while nearly tearing up.

Edmond chuckled heartily. "I have enough friends hanging around me already. I don't need another one," he said. While marriage was 'til death do us part, friendship was forever.

"I'm serious! I'll haunt you for real!" But, after expressing her fears, it was time for her to perform. Slowly backing up to give herself some running space, she swallowed, screamed, and took a leap of faith.

…

"Gotcha," Edmond said as he pulled Canaria up by the forearm. She missed the ledge by a long shot, but true to his earlier promise, he caught her, and everything ended up being okay.

"Oh my God, I'm alive," Canaria struggled to gasp air into her lungs as she spoke. When she was finally pulled onto the roof, she stated firmly, "That. Was. Terrifying. Never again."

On the other hand, Edmond was pretty happy with her and his grin showed it. "Hey, you did it!" he exclaimed, clapping. "You're pretty good. Half the people I know wouldn't have made that jump."

Canaria snapped back, her eyes bloodshot. "What do you mean 'pretty good'?! I clearly didn't make the jump! I just saw my life flash before my eyes!" She was positively mortified. "Never again!" she repeated herself.

Edmond scratched his chin in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Like I said, half the people I know would have simply stood there instead of jumping. But you actually made the jump, however, and that's very impressive. You have guts. We take that here. I'm proud of you."

"I almost fell," Canaria grumbled bitterly.

"Well, you didn't, and success rounds up." Edmond chuckled, giving Canaria a pat on the back. "Come on, let's get out of here. Fortunately, it looks like there's a fire escape we missed earlier, so we won't have to jump any more gaps."

"Thank god," Canaria breathed in relief. If there was one positive thing about the situation, it was that after nearly falling off the roof, walking over the tiles no longer felt as scary. She easily made it over to the fire escape and descended the ladder. Once she felt solid ground beneath her feet again, she immediately turned to Edmond with a huge smile on her face. "We did it! We did it!" she cheered triumphantly, repeatedly. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

Edmond smiled wryly. He found it amusing that she included him in the "we" part of her celebration, as if it was part of his achievement as well. While he never doubted his own ability to get down the entire time, he supposed that he did help her get down. "Glad I was able to help," he cheered with her.

—And with that, they parted ways. While Canaria knew she would never forget the man who had saved her life, the only thing Edmond would take away from the experience would be a newfound appreciation for just how young the newer generation could look.

That was how the two's chance meeting should have ended, only… Canaria froze after taking just a single step. "I think I sprained my ankle," She announced meekly, her face turning an embarrassing shade of red that contrasted nicely with her sky-blue hair. She had not felt it earlier due to the adrenaline, but now that it was flushed out of her system, she felt it, and oh, did she feel it all at once.

Edmond closed his eyes and sighed. "I have an office nearby. I'll get you an icepack and some painkillers."

"T-Thanks…" Canaria replied gratefully, albeit reluctantly.

…

…