Alexia could hear joy and sadness, resentment and acceptance, hate and love. Not in the voice of one person, but in the general feeling that the city gave off. It pierced her ears like the wail of a banshee, but she considered it far worse than some ghost. Her little room was her one place of solace, where she could get away from the noise of everyone around her. Especially when so many of said city’s people had resentment hidden in them that none could see but her.

She wasn’t entirely sure why she was able to hear the feelings that hid beneath a person's facade. Halerosh guessed that it could be magic related, like her senses being overturned by the magical energies of the world around her. It also led to the guess that she was the result of a magic surge, but all of it was guesses. In the end, Alexia didn’t care about that. She saw the fear and hatred all of Hisin had of her, and that was all she needed to know.

The Lord of Terror, no matter who they are or what they stood for, was now a part of why they feared her. To stand by her side would likely lead to her death, as the Council would no doubt bring them down like they had for the past two hundred years. No one knew or remembered the names of the Lords of Terror and those who stood by their side. She would be another nameless face in centuries upon centuries of nameless faces.

That was the one thing that Alexia knew for sure: she did not want to be some nameless face. What good was changing the world if one wasn’t remembered for changing it? She knew for sure that Evra needed to start moving forward, but it wouldn’t be done with a Lord of Terror. When Alabaster passed, she would be the one to take his place, and from there she would set about what Halerosh wanted: the creation of a stronger, better Evra.

From what she saw at the meeting she had taken part in five days ago, that was gonna be awhile. Alabaster had lived for a full two centuries longer than any human not named Cyrus. According to Halerosh, it had something to do with the pool of light and Evra’s Oracle, Vas’e’lou. Even if he supposedly had a serious illness she doubted it would take him quickly.

“Perhaps I should be worried I’m rooting for a man of such legendary stature to die,” Alexia said, laying on her bed with a book held to her chest. She shrugged. “Well, then again, not like I was one of the ones whose life he saved.”

She wasn’t sure if it was the amount of anger, hatred, and fear she felt that first day of existing, but she found it hard to feel empathy at times. The only true source of joy and happiness was the Council themselves, as if they were the lone ones happy with the world. It was the reason that Halerosh stuck out so much that first day of her life, her emotions sticking out like a shining beacon in a sea of negativity.

Sat up from her bed, Alexia felt an urge that she hadn’t felt before. Now that she thought about it, she never went anywhere outside of the fae’s estate without said fae. With a look out the window, she considered where she would even want to go, or if Halerosh would be okay with her wandering off. She shook her head, recalling words that the fae had said during those first few days alive.

“You are my apprentice, but you are not bound to me.”

“I guess it really is just a matter of knowing where I want to go in the end,” Alexia said, stretching her back. “Maybe… the park where I first found myself? I think I remember the way,” She tapped the blankets with her feet for a moment as she realized something, placing a finger on her temple. “Who the fuck am I even speaking to?”

She thought about it for a second, shrugged, and launched herself off her bed. She had a destination, now she just needed to get ready for the process of going out as she had not changed out of the oversized pajamas she got from Halerosh. Most of her clothes she had now did once belong to the fae, something Alexia again didn’t care about questioning. Hal had been good to the girl, and gave her all his old dresses, pants, and other clothing despite really not needing to.

She decided on a blue skirt and black crop top today, it felt the most appealing out of all of them. She then looked to the far corner of her room, a scythe mounted to the wall. Her weapon of choice, though she knew that it wasn’t typically called such a thing. Still, out of all the spears, swords, bows, and other such weapons that she had seen, this was the thing that caught her eye most. She was more attached to it than anything else, and for a moment she considered taking it with her.

In the end she decided against it, for there wouldn’t be a need for it. She hoped that Halerosh wasn’t gonna be nervous about her disappearing, but figured that they would be okay with it as long as she was back before midday struck. Opening the door, she wondered for a moment where the fae was at the moment. Then, just like so many times that morning, she shrugged her shoulders.

It wasn’t something she needed to know.

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“A night out? Right after the Lord of Terror appears?”

Alabaster looked to the fae standing over him, Halerosh having decided to make a sudden early morning visit to his home. It was an incredibly simple space, but there was a charm in how he lived. It wasn’t for Halerosh – he fully admitted he was too interested in the fancier things to live with the bare necessities – but he admired the man for finding joy in a simpler space.

“Yes, I know the timing could have been better, but I figured it had been a while since we actually did anything together as just friends,” Halerosh said, smiling. “Besides, Rashi is already on board. I’m sure your bestie would be heartbroken if you didn’t go.”

Alabaster groaned, realizing he should have known he wasn’t the first person the fae would ask. It was how their species seemed to function, being incredibly smart but putting at least half of that into emotional manipulation. They weren’t exactly the terrifying schemers that Alabaster had grown up hearing they were, but somehow he felt this was worse. There was a saying among the elves, one that put it pretty well into perspective.

“Give the fae your name, and suddenly they know your entire life,” Alabaster whispered, not noticing Halerosh rolling his eyes as he heard the human recite those words.

“We’re not mind readers. It takes a fair deal more than that,” Halerosh replied. Going around the side of the couch that Alabaster was sitting on, he sat down. Eyes landed on the book that was in his lap. “That’s… the journal you came to this world with, right?”

Alabaster clutched the journal, nodding as he looked at it. All the Council had read what lay inside those pages, for it was why they had chosen the path they did now. The journal’s pages held the account of a soldier who had fought against a horrific threat. How said soldier had been captured by his enemy and been tortured to such degrees that made Halerosh’s stomach turn. That soldier was Alabaster, of course, and the thought that he had endured such terrible treatment still rocked the fae.

“I can only hope that things have gotten better on Earth since then,” Alabaster spoke, eyes looking off into the white walls of his living room. “How many generations have passed since those days? Did the Axis push us back or not? So many years on this planet and I’m still scared to know the answer.”

“I’m sure everything worked out in the end,” Halerosh told him, putting an arm on his back. “I think you’ve been looking at it too much recently. Even more reason to go ahead and have a night out. All six of us, plus Alexia if you want, perhaps spending a night enjoying ourselves in Rashi’s pub?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Alabaster looked at the journal, allowed a smile to creep onto his face, and placed it onto the end table next to the couch. It had been a long time, way too long, but things had a way of getting jumbled up when one lived for a few years too many. He found himself accidentally chuckling as he thought of the last time all six of them had gotten drunk together, Especially Diada, for despite how the helyan tried to talk himself up he was easily the lightweight of the group.

“Sure, I’ll ask Auldinia if she is up for joining us,” Alabaster told Halerosh, wrapping an arm around his ally. “Though you might as well just take it as a yes right now. You know she would never say no to a night on the town,” After a moment he got up off the couch, took a few steps, and turned around. “Oh, and let Alexia know I’m sorry for how I was acting that day. You know what is going on.”

His hand rested where his heart was, Halerosh frowning at the reminder of the man’s limited time. The fae’s wings fluttered sporadically, showing his discomfort at the topic the man had raised. Halerosh took a deep breath, getting up from the couch afterwards and hugging Alabaster tightly. The fae tried desperately to keep his voice from cracking as he held in tears.

“I will, and don’t you dare worry,” Halerosh said, pulling back from the hug and trying to give a confident smile. Alabaster could see the water in his eyes, but said nothing to not damage the fae’s pride. “Everything will be ready when that day comes.”

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Alexia regretted her decision to go out and about. The constant glare of passersby, the whispers she swore she heard directed at her, and the negativity. The negativity was awful, even if it wasn’t directed at her specifically. The amount of hate, resentment, and fear the people had towards the Council was worrying. It shouldn’t be like this, it wasn’t supposed to be like this, and yet this is what the city was.

She did her best not to cry at all the emotions she felt from those around her. Being out and about, with all these people, it was one of the few things that managed to crack her. She tried desperately to seek peace, happiness, or just feel numb as she walked, but nothing helped. So she kept her head down and kept moving, hoping none would see the pain on her face as she picked her pace up.

After far too much walking, she felt those emotions disappear just the tiniest bit. It was not so overwhelming she felt on the verge of tears anymore. Looking up, she saw grass and trees in front of her, a look behind her showing that she had arrived at the park without knowing it. She didn’t know what it was called, but her memories told her one thing: this was where she had been born.

“A human being born at the age of seventeen,” Alexia muttered to herself before sighing. “I guess it should make sense why everyone sees me as a freak.”

This, however, wasn’t exactly where she remembered her first memory being. It was further into the park, and she wanted to see it again. Everything from those first few weeks were foggy, but she had a good idea of what it was like from Halerosh. She had been a blank page, and the fae the one who filled that page with ink. She didn’t entirely understand why the man had taken her in, but she couldn’t think of living with anyone else. He was like a father in many ways.

She didn’t remember the park being this quiet on the day she was found, worried for a moment that she had come across another one by accident. Then, however, she saw it: the road that cut through the park. The road where, several months ago, she had looked up at the blue skies of her home for the first time. The road where she had come to life, and it made her smile.

Said road wasn’t busy today. In fact the amount of “emotional pollution” as Halerosh called it was low thanks to how few people were around. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, she stared at the road and remembered how much had changed. According to Halerosh, in the span of a few months she had gone from acting like a newborn to being a rather functional human being. Some things were still tough for her, she wasn’t the most sociable person and was still being tutored by the fae in many simple subjects like writing and math, but nonetheless functional.

Then came the day she had seen Rashi and Halerosh spar against each other in the yard behind the fae’s manor. She had been hooked in an instant, the two supposedly having been training partners for decades. Rashi’s metal magic, not to mention her skill with axes, hammers, and great swords was something to be feared. Halerosh was just the same, her floral and water magic making her a deadly force, though it was more often the staff she used to win matches or end fights than said magic.

The two were absolutely brutal in their friendly spars, and Alexia loved it. That love didn’t go unnoticed by Halerosh, and after showing some promise early on she was chosen to take over for Alabaster when the man passed away. Apparently, that time was coming soon, though to Alexia he looked as healthy as could be. Still, she would do her best to reach his level, to become someone worthy of replacing him.

“Excuse… me.”

Alexia snapped back to reality, turning to her right and noticing an elf staring at her. She seemed a little younger than the human, which of course meant she was likely at least a hundred or so years older. They wore a long blue nightgown, brown gloves, and had dark brown hair. Her head tilted to her right side, her eyes seeming lifeless and still. They never moved, they never blinked, and it gave Alexia shivers.

Yet the strange part was, she could not read the girl’s inner emotions.

“Uh, um, hi,” Alexia said, the fear in her voice sounding so unnatural to her that she swore she was acting like a completely different person. “Can, uh, can I help you?”

I was just… wondering if I could… sit next to you?” The elf asked. Alexia swore she could see the girl's neck tilt further, just enough where it seemed unnatural.

Alexia knew she should say no, but she was afraid to say it. This was the first person she couldn’t read the emotions of, and their stare had a soul piercing quality. She felt scared, threatened, and that this girl wasn’t afraid to hurt her if she didn’t get what she wanted. So, doing her best to put on a friendly smile, she slid over and patted on where she had been sitting. The elf girl smiled oddly and bowed to her.

“Thank… you,” The elf said, before sitting down. “I’m… Laurolia. Who are… you?”

Alexia was officially freaking out on a mental level, having not expected the elf to say more. Her speech was weird, halting mid sentences as if she didn’t truly have a grasp on speech, and yet part of her was more concerned that she could not hold a conversation. She took a deep breath, telling herself that it was just a greeting. No way she would go beyond that.

“A-Alexia Cortesia,” She told Laurolia, holding out her right hand quickly and stiffly. This was her first time interacting with anyone without Halerosh, and she was doing the best she could. “Your speech is unique.”

She wanted to hit herself against the bench as she heard herself speak. Her eyes once again looked to Laurolia’s, that stare of death still locked on her. She had done it now, for in her attempt to strike up a friendly conversation she had insulted someone's speech. At least she thought she did, only to feel her hand lifted up gently by the elf, as if preparing to kiss her like a princess. For the first time, she saw the girl's eyes move off of her, and she realized too late that her attention was on the Sign of Fog.

“Just like… sister,” Laurolia said, she cupped Alexia’s hand with her own and smiled. “Servant of… the Lord of… Fog. I am at… your service.”

That finally did it. Alexia felt her mind breaking as she tried to figure out what was going on. Laurolia waited for a reply, but it didn’t come. Looking back to the human girl she saw a face that she could not read, staring off into the distance at nothingness. Laurolia realized what she did, uncupped Alexia’s hands, and looked away. She didn’t understand humans, but at the same time she could say that she didn’t understand any of the recognized races, including her own.

“I am… sorry,” The elf said, the words somehow allowing Alexia to piece her mind back together just enough to talk.

“No, no, you did nothing wrong,” Alexia said, waving her hands frantically in front of her. “I’m the one that fucked up. I’m not used to talking with people on my own, you see. You are the first person I’ve ever talked to without my mentor around.”

Laurolia looked back at her. “Really?”

“I’m a lot younger than I appear to look, truth be told,” Alexia told the elf. “You see, about seven or eight months ago, I just appeared here in this park,” Her eyes instantly landed on the spot she knew was where she stood. “I'm basically an eight month old baby disguised as a seventeen year old girl. Well, I guess mentally I’m older than a baby but you get the idea.”

“No… I don’t.”

Alexia slumped forward, realizing that she had probably chosen someone just as, if not more, socially inept as herself to talk to. Yet, she also felt a determination within her; an unwillingness to let her failure stop her from what laid in front of her. WIth a deep breath, something she never even thought of doing before entered her mind. She stared at Laurolia with a look of determination, marking this as her first attempt to ever make a friend.

Besides, the fact she couldn’t read the elf’s emotions had made her endlessly curious.