“Meet? Who?” Ira was visibly confused. He likely knew everyone who called this village home, and judging by his expression he considered the chances of someone knowing Aperio to be slim at best.

“A Beastkin with a crooked ear and mottled brown fur. She should be called Moria.” Her voice was filled with excitement, the prospect of maybe seeing her closest friend again filling the Elf with a joy that she hadn’t known before.

The old mage remained quiet for a while, his brows knitted together in thought. “I don’t know someone with the name Moria, but I know who would fit your description.”

“Where is she?”

“I will have someone go talk to her. She should come of her own free will. If she refuses to meet I will not force her, and I would also ask you to not seek her out. I do recognize, however, that should you wish to see her regardless of that, I have no way of stopping you.” 

Aperio gave him a brief nod, even if she wasn’t sure if she would follow the man’s request. In response he turned to Laelia and the still cowering Thaddeus, telling them something she couldn’t understand. Not knowing what people were talking about was making the Elf quite uncomfortable. Even if I don’t have to, I will learn that language.

Laelia quickly left the building, the Human twig in tow. Through the open door the sound of people walking and talked reached Aperio’s ears. It seemed that the danger they had prepared for had been a false alarm. Or was I the danger? They wouldn’t let me in then, would they?

The longer she stayed with the Humans the more she thought that it might not be them being especially weak, but her being a lot stronger than she had originally assumed. Finding a place to figure that out was rapidly rising in her list of priorities.

“May I know why you want to meet Neria?”

“Neria? Is that her name now?” Aperio wouldn’t be surprised if she had changed it; she was living a new life after all. Maybe I should also change my name? She shook her head at the thought. She did like her name and it wasn’t like the people of the Empire had used it. For them she had been just another slave.

Ira gave her another confused look but didn’t respond. Having nothing more to say for the moment, Aperio too fell silent. Time seemed to slip by in a strange way, comfortable but yet uneasy, and by the time the door opened again she couldn't have really said how long she had waited. A guard stepped into the room, followed by a bewildered-looking Beastkin. The new woman’s eyes lingered on Ira who gave her a nod in greeting before stopping on Aperio. 

Laying her eyes on the newcomer, Aperio was certain that it was her friend. She looked exactly as a younger version of Moria should, with fewer grey hairs and an absence of hairless patches. The Beastkin woman was still a full head shorter than the Aperio herself, something Moria had mentioned was not the case when she was younger. The memory quickly vanished from her mind as her eyes landed on the scarlike mark that stretched over her right eye. There was only one person Aperio knew who had a mark like that.

Before anyone could react, there was a loud crack and the Elf had disappeared, leaving a splintered floor behind. The occupants of the room quickly figured out where Aperio had ended up as a startled yelp from the Beastkin echoed through the space. The noise was quickly followed by a gasp for air and the sound of something being pressed tighter than it should.

Suddenly aware of potentially hurting her assumed friend, Aperio quickly set her back down and checked that she had not accidentally squished the source of her joy. Much to her relief the woman appeared to be fine, if a bit out of breath. 

“Moria?” Aperio asked with a shaky voice.

The woman flinched at her words and Aperio’s smile wavered as she only saw confusion and fear on the Beastkin’s face. As no response came her shoulders slumped. Turning around, she made her way to the stool she had used when reading just a couple hours before, her wings dragging behind her on the floor.

Aperio had hoped – had believed – that the woman was her friend, but the dim glimmerings of initial doubt had been right. It simply couldn't be her. She had died long before Aperio herself and also not in a grand ritual. Even if it was only logical that she would know nobody here, the thought of being truly alone was highly unpleasant. 

She was lost, without a plan or direction.

Sitting down, she stared at the floor, ignoring the hushed voices of the other people in the room. Even though she could understand their words just fine, they simply passed through her mind. Heaving a sigh, she dragged her foot across the wooden floor, ignoring the web of cracks that followed and the splinters that tried and failed to pierce her skin. 

It all felt like one big horrible mistake. Her previous joy and crushing hug came back to haunt her as she remembered how weak people seemed to be here. She had thought the Beastkin to be a friend, and she had possibly hurt the woman in her mistaken enthusiasm. Her altercation with Ira's apprentice certainly did her no favors either. Add all that to the way she seemed to naturally break things by simply existing, and it was obvious that she was rather unwelcome. Maybe I should just leave?

They'd likely ask for her to go soon anyway. Ira would probably rescind his invitation to travel with them as well. She doubted that they could force her, but she did not want to fight them either. Her rash actions with the last group of humans had already set things in motion that she did not like.

But even with all of that, she could manage to take care of herself. Even if she did not know how strong her past opponents had been, it seemed reasonable to assume that most things would not win a fight against her. Sleep, food and drink also weren’t a problem as her body seemed to be content without them. 

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She started wondering what it was that she would do when she left. Images from the evening's readings came unbidden to her mind, and she found herself considering a visit to another continent. There was one supposedly solely inhabited by dragons. Meeting one of those would certainly be an experience. A deadly one, perhaps. The thought of a fight brought a faint glimmer of anticipation. Or maybe I would be welcomed in my kind's homeland?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming her way. Looking up she saw that Neria was only a few paces from her, hesitating to take her next step. 

“What?” Aperio asked. Her voice was harsh, harsher than necessary but she wanted her friend and not some look-alike.

The woman trembled, her voice shaking. “How do you know the name Moria?”

Aperio was sure the woman in front of her was about to break down, not that she knew why. Nonetheless she replied. “She was a friend.”

Neria looked puzzled. “A friend?”

Ira looked like he had finally remembered something and quickly produced a book from the same black rift he had gotten his card from. Aperio chose to ignore the man and his book for now. She would ask him about it later; if at all. First she would deal with the fake friend.

“Yes. Anything wrong with that?”

The hostility in her voice caused Neria to quickly take a step back and the guard at the door had his hand hovering above the handle of his sword. The room was quiet for a few breaths, but seeing the Elf hadn’t moved, the guard relaxed a little.

The Beastkin shook her head. “No, I just didn’t think I would find a friend of my mother.”

“Your mother?” Aperio tilted her head at the statement. “How old are you?”

Neria's brow furrowed, creasing the mark over her right eye. For a time, she simply stood there, opening and closing her mouth, without managing any words. Before she could piece together enough presence of mind to express her thoughts, their exchange was interrupted by Ira clearing his throat. Once he had the attention of the two women, he began to speak. “If what is written here is correct, as I believe it to be, then she is speaking of your mother’s namesake.”

“Her namesake?” Neria's voice suddenly blurted, her skepticism overriding the fear that had tainted her earlier words. “That would make her over a thousand years old! Nobody lives that long.”

Ira shook his head. “We have records of multiple people who are older. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened. The [Grandmaster] too is approaching her millenia.”

Aperio shifted her eyes between the two; she certainly did not feel like a thousand. Or a hundred for that matter, but she also did not know how long she was in the Void. Nor did she know how old she was before her sacrifice. At least she now had a vague idea of how much time had passed.

“What are you reading?” The Elf’s question seemed to catch the old mage off guard. Or he was still struggling with her voice. I really need to figure that out.

“The history of the Lycan Tribe. Before Vetus was cleansed, it was home to a large empire that collected slaves from all over the world. The higher the status of the slave, the better. One of their raiding parties attacked a procession and took with them some guards and a Matriarch of the tribe. Her name was Moria. Couple that with this” – Ira briefly paused, taking another book out of the black rift –“prophecy: Finally unshackled from slavery, the winged one seeks her place. Mistakes will guide you.”

Aperio stared at the man. She was finally free from slavery, most certainly had wings and did make mistakes. A lot of them, apparently. It was also true that she was trying to find somewhere to belong, somewhere that was not the Void. But she was also trying to figure out what she actually was; something that wasn’t mentioned in the prophecy. Maybe it was meant for someone else, then?

“Does it say anything else?”

Ira considered the book he was reading from, a thoughtful expression on his face. He stayed like that for a moment longer before he shook his head. “No. Nothing.”

His words did not sound sure, but Aperio couldn’t tell if he was lying or if he had truly found nothing more. In the end it mattered little to her if that prophecy was true. It merely stated that someone was looking for their place in the world. Nothing wrong with that.

Getting up from her chair attracted the attention of everyone in the room. Now they all seemed to be even more wary of her. Aperio just sighed. Her chance at appearing like a normal friendly Elf had, at least with these people, long since disappeared. She couldn’t complain though, it really was her own fault. Mostly. She wouldn’t take responsibility for breaking wards by just standing near them.

Walking towards the door, she stopped as Ira spoke up. “Does this mean you will not be joining us?”

That he still wanted her to come was not something she had expected, but she also wasn’t sure if she even wanted to go with them. It likely was her best bet for getting answers, and might earn her a fight with slaving nobles. But in the end those were unknowns. She didn’t even know anything about the city itself. Ebenlowe could be a city filled with people as strong as herself or, going by what she had learned, it was more likely a city full of twigs.

Answers were something she needed, almost desperately so. Offending a few stuck-up nobles was an acceptable price, and if the city was indeed filled with people as weak as Thaddeus it would be a good opportunity to train restraint. After she had figured out how – and more importantly what – to restrain. 

Having made up her mind she turned around and asked the man, “How long will the journey be?”

The man seemed surprised by her reply for the briefest of moments before his usual demeanor returned. “A week by carriage.”

A week? How far away is this Ebenlowe? “Are there no faster methods?” The absence of the feeling of disgust was a welcome change. Has it given up?

Ira shook his head. “Some might be faster on foot, but most aren’t.”

She had hoped that the man would have suggested flying, but it seemed that it was not common. Not that it was a bad thing, as it meant that fewer people could follow her should she decide to leave.

“How long until you set out?” Aperio inquired.

“Tonight,” Ira replied. “Do you need more time to prepare?”

“I need some time to think. Just point me in the direction you are going to leave in, I can catch up,” she said, spreading her wings ever so slightly. I bet I am faster than any carriage they have.

“Ah, yes.” He nodded and pointed through a window, towards the rising sun. “We will be following the main road eastwards. I do hope you decide to join us.”

Having said all she needed Aperio stepped past the guard. Once the door had closed behind her, she heard a quiet argument break out. Not caring for their squabbles, she extended her wings to their full length and took flight.