The moon sat high in the sky, the watchdog of all evildoings occurring at this time of night. Anytime someone thinks they can just steal a precious jewel and use the cover of night to sulk away, the moon lights up the world and shouts that the day isn’t over yet. The world can stay in relative peace thanks to the moon and its justice lunar light.

However, when everyone’s sleeping, and the world learns to take a break, not even the light of justice shining in the criminal alleys can reveal the wrongdoings going on down there. It’s on this daylight night that Oculus made his move.

When he heard those men say that the box on the carriage was off limits, his curiosity blazed alight without the permission of anyone else. The world around him was a mystery that he wanted to crack. There was something out there that made his Mom want to reach the peak of heaven, and he wanted to see what it was himself. That undying curiosity and ambition spiraled as one, creating the very essence that is Oculus’ soul.

He made sure to wait until the dead of night, when there was no doubt in his mind that everyone lay sleeping. He stood and approached the carriage, carefully making sure where he steps. One sharp, sudden noise could wake someone up, and then he’d have to explain exactly what he had been doing.

Carefully, getting closer and closer to the box, he took one last gentle step, and he finally found himself next to it. The entire box was just one large cube of wood, but there was a single window sticking out the side. At the end of the box was a door with three different locks on it. Whatever’s in there, they really didn’t want someone to mess with it.

However, that only made his curious mind burn ever more. Leaning in close, he peeked through the window. He found nothing. It’s not like the box was empty, but without any source of light pouring in the window, all he could see was darkness.

Oculus focused even harder, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness faster. Once his eyes finally could see inside, at least somewhat, the first thing he spotted was a pair of eyes staring back at him.

He held in a shout and stepped back, scared out of his wits. He didn’t understand why there was a person in there, but he wanted to find out who they were. His curiosity hadn’t been higher than it was today.

“Who are you?”

A female voice asked from inside the box. Oculus lowered his hands from his mouth and looked at the box in wonder.

“My name’s Oculus Yearn. Who are you?”

He could hear movement from inside the box, and suddenly an eye appeared from the side of the window. Oculus nearly screamed again, but he held back, unsure about what to do now.

“My name isn’t important right now, but can I ask you a favor?” The girl asked.

The sudden request got Oculus’ attention. “What’s the favor?”

Something hit the box, causing Oculus to get frightened and look around to see if anyone was nearby. He didn’t see anybody, however, so he assumed that the girl from inside made that noise.

“The two men who brought me here are idiots. They probably left the keys inside the carriage. Grab the keys and unlock the door.”

“Okay.” Oculus was about to walk around the carriage and search through their stuff, but their words came to mind. “Isn’t there valuable treasure in there, though?”

The girl groaned, realizing she was dealing with another idiot. “I am the treasure. They kidnapped me and have been taking me somewhere. I don’t know where, but I’m scared, so please help me escape.”

Oculus could hear the desperation in her voice. She sounded genuinely terrified about the fate that awaited her if they reached where they were heading. He couldn’t empathize with that feeling, but he knew it couldn’t be anywhere close to pleasant.

“Alright, I’ll get you out, but then I’m taking you to pops so we can sort this out.”

“Sure. Sure. We can do whatever if you can get me out of here.”

Oculus smiled and ran to the front of the carriage. He jumped inside the tent and began rummaging through everything inside with little disregard for personal respect. He tossed things that looked like they would break on impact, and tossed around the cards that were already scattered before, just made them even more difficult to neatly stack afterward.

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After moving a puffy hat to the side, a ring of keys jingled on the floor. Oculus picked them up and jumped back out of the carriage, and approached the door with all the locks. Once he made it, he began using trial and error to figure out which key goes to which lock. After a few tries, he managed to unlock everything.

Oculus was about to open the door himself, but the door opened without him touching it, and the girl inside came jumping out. Bright purple hair tickled his nose, bringing him to sneeze point, and he had to hold it in unless he wanted the girl to get covered in his saliva. Once she was out of harm’s way, he let out the mother of all sneezes.

“Gross.”

Oculus raised his head from his shoulders, and he got a full view of the girl. She looked as old as he was, but she was much shorter than him. Unlike all the women in the village, she was much leaner, taking on a more graceful look rather than an intimidating one. With those blue eyes that took the same color as an afternoon sky, she looked at him with disgust, a not so common look he’s used to receiving.

“Thanks, I guess.” The girl says as she walks to the front of the carriage.

“What’s your name?” Oculus asked, hoping this time she would answer.

She didn’t bother him with an answer, however, instead taking the time to climb into the carriage. She struggled to get into it because of her hand being locked in handcuffs, making her upper body movement somewhat limited. Oculus would help her out, but she didn’t give him her name yet, so he didn’t feel like she deserves the help for being so rude.

She began digging through all the stuff as well, giving even less regard to their stuff than Oculus did. Oculus peeked over her shoulder, wondering what it was she’s looking for. Pushing a wooden board out of the way, a puffy whitish purple hat that matched the same color of her clothes came into view.

She grabbed the hem of the hat and picked it up. Using what little movement she had, she brushed off the ash and dust that settled onto her hat, then when it was moderately clean, she placed it back where it belonged. She took a deep breath, holding her hands close to her chest.

“Okay, so now we can go to pops.” Oculus said. “Follow me.”

The girl walked over to the side of the carriage and jumped down. Oculus smiled and turned away as he began walking toward his pop’s home. He expected her to follow him since they had a deal, but once he was already halfway there, he noticed the distinct lack of noise behind him. Turning back around, the girl booked it to the woods away from him. His jaw slacked so far to the ground, he had to grab his chin and shut it manually.

He chased after her, catching up on her despite her significant head start. She had promised him they would go see his pops, but now that she broke that promise, he didn’t feel the need to hold back.

The girl looked back, and upon seeing Oculus gaining on her, she stopped where she stood and turned to face him. She couldn’t beat him in a show of speed, but there was one thing she could beat anyone at.

Once she stopped, Oculus slowed down as well, and they stood at the edge of the woods, staring each other down. Oculus didn’t want her to go just yet, since there was a lot that he wanted to ask her. If possible, he’d grab her by the wrist and drag her back.

“Are you going to stop following me and just let me escape?” The girl asked.

“Why did they have you to begin with?”

The girl sighed, realizing this wasn’t going to go anywhere. She had to escape, and the person to stop her wasn’t going to be some muscle for brain.

The air picked up, but the hat from her head refused to lift off. Now that it found its way back to her, it stayed glued to her head, afraid to lose its mother. Dread squirmed its way into Oculus’ chest as the girl relaxed her entire body. He didn’t understand how such a scrawny girl could fill him with such an emotion, but he wasn’t just going to stand there and see why.

Making the first move, Oculus charged, fists clenched. However, before he could make contact, a rock flew through the air and smacked his cheek so hard it crumbled to dust. Spit flew from Oculus’ mouth as he stumbled backward, eyes blurry from the force of the impact. When his eyes cleared up, he could finally see what it was that hit him.

Floating around the girl’s head were four rocks, all of them glowing a faint blue hue. They orbited around her head like the planets would orbit the all powerful godlike sun.

“You’re a Gifted?” Oculus said.

He’s never seen a Gifted before. He’s heard of them, but not once has he ever seen a Gifted with his very own eyes. That shock quickly turned into joy as once again, his curiosity blazed to greater heights as the girl piled on new dead bark for the campfire that is his emotions.

“You’re a Gifted.” Oculus said, slightly louder and with much more excitement.

“Yes, I’m a Gifted, now can you shut up before you wake everyone up?” The girl asked.

Oculus covered his mouth, not realizing he raised his voice that loud. “Sorry, it’s just that this is the first-”

He didn’t even complete the sentence as another stone smacked him on the side of his head. That time, it landed home, knocking him out. He stood for another few seconds as his pupilless eyes stared toward the sky, then fell flat on the ground.

The girl didn’t even bother to make sure he was okay from the beating he just took. Instead, she took the time to escape deep in the woods. However, unlike Liam and Harold, she still has yet to realize where exactly they are. She doesn’t know they’re located in the Brixton Ring.