Reddy happily whistled a tune as he strolled down Cross Road Village’s market street. He was carrying bushels of groceries in his hands and on his backpack basket. Naturally, he was in his human form. Just another common and skinny young man in a modest brown tunic and pants, with tanned skin from hours spent out in the elements working hard. The locals said he had a sweet and kind heart shaped face with innocent amber round eyes, made more innocent with his fine flowing short brown hair. Albeit a bit messy all the time. Like, when does a shapeshifting bird-man have time to comb their hair? But today, he looked decent enough to get a compliment from the fruit stall seller.

“She even game me an extra apple.” He happily polished the red apple in his hand like it was his winning prize. Apples had been cheap for the day, so he bought lots from her for Fat Monk to make an apple pie.

As he was crossing an arc wooden bridge over the village's small brook that ran through the market district’s center, a little girl, about the age of eight in a frayed blue dress and bare feet, frantically raced into him by accident. Her bob of black hair was plastered to her face with sweat: she looked frightened out of her wits, and seemed to have been escaping from something for a long time.

“De… mon.” She kept bumbling at him.

“It’s okay, little girl. Demons are okay. We’re all demons.”

She shook her head, like she wasn’t saying the right word. “Not these. Not us. Dead. Demon…. dead!”

Reddy yelped when the girl collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He fretted on the spot and called out for help, but people just gave a quick glance then ignored him as they walked past. He didn’t want to leave her there. So lifted the girl in his arms, then the grocery bags and carried her back to the headquarters.

“Fat Monk. Peacock, you home?” He called out as he stepped into the barroom, and carefully placed the unconscious girl on the plush leather sofa near a set of tables.

“Did you remember the Sherlock-lamb cutlets?” Fat Monk called out as he flew into the room and shape-shifted into his human form of a big belly cook in a white apron tied over a brown tunic and pants with a white chef’s hat on his round shaved head like a monk’s. A thin brown mustache covered his chunky upper lip. He scratched one of his thick bushy eyebrows at the sight of the little girl, who was napping on the sofa.

“Why’s she here?”

“She ran into me like she was running away from something. She fainted, so I bought her home.” Reddy grabbed a nearby cushion and propped it behind her head to ensure she was comfortable and napping with correct posture.

“I’m starving. What’s for dinner?” Indigo said with a yawn and stretch as she entered the room.

“Be patient. I’m gonna get dinner ready now.” Fat Monk banged Reddy’s back to get his attention and help for the groceries.

Indigo glanced at the girl then turned away, but paused when she registered that she had just glimpsed of a strange girl on their barroom sofa.

“Reddy! What’s she doing here?” She hurriedly yanked him back by the arm. And shooed off Fat Monk’s grumbles about grocery carrying. “You have big arms, and you’re gonna use them any way, so take them back to the kitchen yourself.”

Reddy and Indigo stared at the girl.

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“Explain.”

“She ran into me then fainted. So I brought her home.”

“Tsk. Reddy, she isn’t a stray sheepdog puppy! We’ll have to take her to the Royal Guard.”

“But, she was frightened and running from something.” Reddy mumbled with genuine concern for her safety.

As they were discussing further on what to do with her, the girl stirred awake and recoiled with fear at the strangers before her.

“It’s okay little girl. Remember me? On the market bridge. It’s me.” Reddy calmly said as he crouched down to be at her level.

After a brief moment, the girl calm down and nodded. But she was persistently saying the words ‘Demon’ and ‘Dead’. And looking consistently frightened.

At that moment 669 and 789 entered, which caused the girl to hop off the lounge and hid behind Reddy’s leg.

“Where’d the girl come from?” 669 pointed at the girl.

“Reddy brought home a stray.” Indigo wryly said with her arms folded over her chest and an open-close snap of her wings.

“Demon. Dead.” The girl mumbled to 669.

669 sighed and eased into a friendly smile at the girl. He crouched down to her level and gentle asked, “Do you know your name?”

But the girl shook her head, like she was struggling to say other words. All she managed to say were the same words she had told Reddy. To the point she was going into a panicky state that was shutting down her body’s system.

He activated his Vast Eye skill to see what was causing her to squirm and writhe about with pain and saw a dark purple and foreign virya energy trying to consume her spirit energy. It was an energy he had encountered during his layman fodder solider days, trekking through Salem’s dense nightmare forest region called Amesgai where he had to guard.

“Corpse Puppet Magic.” He gasped. If he didn’t activate a counter spell to dispel the energy and heal her aura, she was as good as dead.

He lifted her up and laid her on the sofa, then moved his fingers in a rapid motion to activate a healing spell throughout his body. A mellow green glow swelled about his hands, which he moved about to capture the energy and make it stable for healing, then passed his hands over the girl's struggling body.

Everyone else held their breaths as 669 moved his hands and magic over the squirming girl, whose complexion was going pale and breath shallower. But he intensified his focus on healing her by draining out the harmful virya, which was akin to drawing out poison and placing it into himself to neutralize it with his magic.

A dark and intense hour had passed, where everyone dared not say a word while 669 was concentrating on healing the girl. 789 had fed some of her magic into his back, to keep him running. His body broke out in a feverish sweat and limbs were struggling to remain steady. The virya levels were depleting fast.

“She’s not going to make it.” Indigo’s lips trembled with tears and concerns for the girl.

“I didn’t hear that. As long as I’m a healer, she’ll get better.” 669 said with weak breath, but he readjusted his position and hands over the girl to ensure a steady flow of healing magic over her, while drawing out the bad energies.

“All most there.” His eyes were wavering, and his muscles felt weak like jelly.

The girl finally stopped squirming and lapsed into a deep sleep. Her skin showed a promising healthy color.

“Looks like you did it!” Indigo squealed with delight and slapped Reddy’s hand with a hearty cheer.

“Great.” 669 pulled his hands and energy away, clumsily deactivated the spell then staggered to a nearby chair and slumped down on it.

“Reddy, get me a stiff drink.” His forehead slammed on the table as his head dropped face-down on it. He was snoring like a baby.

Reddy smiled and patted his back. He whisked out a blanket from his spacial pouch and placed one over his slumped back, then another over the sleeping girl.