A warm breeze greeted Kaya as she began to wake up. The feeling of soft grass surrounded her, and the sun's warm rays melded into her body. The storm should have taken a few days to pass. How was the sun out already? How long had she been out? She scrambled to her feet and looked around. The trees that surrounded her were small, far too small. She tried calling her Flow to see if she could contact Kymon, but the connection felt muted. No, suppressed.

She scanned the area for some scattered Faerite ore or some other explanation that her magic felt so damn heavy.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Why is it always daytime when I get lost?"

Kaya opened her eyes, and the sky was now a black starlit blanket. Her body stiffened, and her mouth was agape.

"What is going on?" She stammered.

The fresh sky above was foreign to her. All the usual constellations were nowhere to be seen. The usual brightness of the stars was far dimmer than they should be. It was almost as if she was near one of the many Seralith mining cities. She always hated operating near them for this exact reason.

Kaya's heart began to race. Her breathing became short, labored puffs. The sky was shifting, the stars replaced, and she had no sense of where she was or what was happening. Suddenly, the stars in the sky went out, leaving a void that fell on Kaya. Darkness surrounded her, and just as the weight of it threatened to consume her, she heard a voice.

Kaya shook off the darkness and sprinted towards the sound of the voice. The words made no sense. She had never heard a language like it before. Her skull began to pound, and with every pulse of pain, she understood a new word of the voice. The world was still a void, but now she could see a light off in the distance. Her legs moved with a renewed vigor with a clear goal in sight.

When she finally reached the light, the weight of the darkness chasing her disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with a warm and serene feeling. Her heart calmed, and her breathing slowed. The light looked like the portal that had let the Gildborn soul enter the world. She could see through it like a window.

On the other side of the portal, she saw two creatures lying on the same grass field she was in earlier. She had never seen creatures like them before. They looked like Hornless Kell with feet instead of hooves. One was leaning into the other, and the one supporting it was the source of the voice she was hearing. The words man and woman flowed into her mind, then the word human. Were these creatures humans?

"Mira, you need to stand up to your father. Screw that bastard! He's been awful to you for so long." The voice was masculine without the rough growl that usually follows most Kell speech. Still, the anger in his voice was unmistakable.

Mira's shoulders slumped, and her eyes looked off into the distance. Small tears ran down her face. "I have Harley. I have. How do you think I got those bruises a month ago?" The woman's voice sounded like any other female Kell.

Harley stiffened, "Wait, you said you crashed off your bike. I teased you endlessly with jokes about that, and now you are telling me that your father beat you? Mira I... I'm sorry I... I didn't know I-"

Mira cut him off, "Don't apologize, you clown." She stood up from the grass, wiped her tears, and smiled at Harley. "Those jokes helped me get through that week. In fact, they help me with most weeks."

"I'm happy to hear that, but how long has this been going on?"

"Since mom left with Tom."

Harley covered his face with his hands and let out an exasperated sigh. "That long? Am I just that blind, or can you lie to me like a car salesman who gets a commission?"

Mira giggled and proudly declared, "Oh, I absolutely lied to you. A sad clown makes horrible jokes, and I wanted to keep you at peak efficiency."

Both humans laughed, and Kaya felt like she was intruding on their moment, but she needed to return to Kymon. Kaya shouted at them, trying to get their attention, but they were oblivious to her presence. She tried to walk through the portal, but it was solid. It was almost like... Damn it. This place was a mindscape, the Gildborn's mindscape. She hadn't realized what it was because she had only ever seen her own. This scene was his memory, an important one if she could see it so clearly.

The humans continued speaking.

"All clowns are sad clowns. Why do you think we wear makeup?" Harley divulged with mock pain.

"Is that where my missing eyeliner went?" Mira retorted.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"uh huh."

They both stared at each other, waiting for the other to crack. The pressure built until they both let out a laugh.

Kaya's breath came in shallow, silent gasps, her chest rising and falling as she absorbed every word, feeling an almost physical connection to the shared laughter and camaraderie between Mira and Harley.

Harley grew quiet. He tilted his head toward the stars in the sky, "You should come move in with me." He blurted out.

It was Mira's turn to freeze. She tried to speak two or three times without sound coming out of her mouth. When she could finally talk, the words came out resigned. "I want to, Harley, but if I leave now, Ruth will become the target of my dad's abuse. I may have had to deal with it, but I sure as hell will make sure she doesn't have to."

The idea of someone extending a helping hand, of a sanctuary from the pain she had endured, resonated deeply within Kaya. Yet, she remained an unseen witness to the profound bond before her, her heart wishing that someone had pulled her out of the darkness. Thoughts of her uncle rushed through her mind. He didn't save her from the darkness but allowed her to survive it. That was more than she deserved.

Harley asked, "Can we report him? Do you have evidence?"

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"Not yet. He is careful not to hurt me too much, and I make sure he doesn't touch Ruth. He doesn't starve us and keeps the house in decent condition. I can't afford a camera."

"I can get you some cameras. If we get enough video, we can get you custody of Ruth. You both are more than welcome to stay with me if we manage it. I know a few people in the CPA due to work."

Mira walked up and hugged him. "Harley."

"Yes."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed each other, and then the portal went dark. Kaya shook off the emotion and seated herself in the darkness. It usually took a skilled shaman to enter their own mindscape, let alone others. Usually, when someone entered the mindscape of another, it was to help with a case of possession from a void spirit. Kaya had only managed to do it once, with her mother guiding her as part of her training. Even then, she could not breach the wall of emotion locked there. She had not attempted it again; it was too painful.

"How did mom get us out of my head?" She whispered. Kaya rubbed at one of the two horns on her forehead. The memory was loathed to be dredged up from her mind, but through her constant instance, she focused on it. The past exercise into her mindscape involved her reliving her memories. Her body rejected the very notion of this, and her breathing once again quickened.

"Wait, wait, not everything was bad." She argued with herself. "I can just think about Tojo. Now, what did mom say? Just breathe and let the memory take you."

Kaya repositioned herself into a meditative posture and closed her eyes. She started to wrestle with her mind and forced it through the past. The sound of rain echoed into her thoughts. The bone-chilling cold from being soaked filled her body, and she began to shake uncontrollably. The sounds of insects chorused around her.

Her eyes opened, and she found herself in a poorly built lean-to with the corpse of a fire next to her. Rain had strangled it to death. This wasn't the memory she was trying to summon, but it could have been worse. She looked down at herself. The bony body of an underfed child greeted her. A roar echoed out of the jungle, and all the emotion she had felt that night so long ago threatened to overwhelm her rationality. Knowing what was truly coming was the only thing keeping her from slipping into panic.

It was an odd experience. Her body continued to move without telling it what to do, but she knew it was her movements. She felt every emotion that her child self was feeling. This truly was reliving a memory; any moment now, another roar would happen, and she would cry and then get up to search for food. As expected, a second roar filled the jungle, but then she saw the nearby bushes begin to rustle.

She could hear some clumsy creature breaking through the underbrush to get closer to her. It must be a Seran; no other being would be so loud in the jungle. True panic hit Kaya. This isn't what happened. Kaya felt herself mimicking the panicking emotions of her younger self. She was starting to slip into the memory. This is bad. If I don't calm myself, I'll… I'll. Kaya lost to the emotion and was now only a child weeping in the jungle.

*****

A cold rain woke Harley. The air was heavy, laden with moisture, making every inhalation a deep, almost tangible experience. He opened his eyes and saw a dense jungle canopy overhead. The sounds of insects and rain competed with each other for dominance. The sounds exasperated the pounding throb in Harley's head.

Who knew that getting your soul split and being tossed into another world would feel like the morning after a frat party? Oddly, this wasn't the strangest place he had woken up to after a blackout, minus the otherworld bit. At least he was wearing clothes. He stood up after nursing his head for a few minutes.

Harley clapped his hands together and said, "Time to find some goat people-." A massive pounding hit the inside of his skull. The pain brought him to his knees, and he wretched. He spoke again, "Kell. Time to find some Kell." The name suddenly felt more natural, like he had used it all his life. His legs wobbled as he stood up and walked off into the jungle.

With bleary eyes, Harley's gaze shifted upwards to the overcast sky; a thick layer of pewter gray clouds loomed like a heavy shroud over the lush, expansive jungle. The rain would not relent and began to increase in volume. Harley was looking for any signs of possible shelter when he heard a primal roar screech through the jungle. The jungle went silent in deference to the sound before continuing with the chattering of bugs.

Harley stood still, waiting to see if another roar would follow the first. Whatever the hell that was, he wanted to ensure he was going the other way. He deviated from his path to head in the opposite direction of the roar. As he continued to travel, the names of various plants began to appear in his mind, each revelation accompanied by a drum of pain in his skull. However, as time passed, the headache grew less severe. After about an hour, Harley could point out any useful plants in the area.

He was looking at one stunning glowing purple flower when he heard the same roar from earlier, only louder; the sound of crying followed it, the crying of a child. Harley sprinted towards the sound of the crying. He pushed through the plants that marred his path. When his thoughts finally caught up with his body, he slowed. This is a different world. Who knows what I am

running into? Harley kept pushing towards the crying, but now he was moving cautiously.

A wall of leaves blocked his path. He slowly pulled back a single leaf and saw a small clearing with a Kell child cowering underneath a poorly made shelter. She looked scared and was already brandishing a small knife in his direction. Her body was shivering, and her hand looked like it would drop the knife she was holding on its own. Harley thought he had been stealthy, but since she already knew something was there, it would be best to reveal himself.

As he stepped out slowly into the small clearing, he announced, "Hello, I mean no harm. I'm coming out with my hands up." The words that left his lips surprised him. They were not English, but he knew the meaning. His voice was guttural as some of the words left his mouth.

The girl had stopped crying, her fear giving way to curiosity." Wh-where are your wings?" She stuttered.

"Wings? What wings?" Harley paused momentarily, thinking about what this little kell was talking about." Ohh, you think I'm a Seralith."

"Uncle said any person without horns is."

"Well, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Nope"

"Yhea"

They both went back and forth on this point a few more times. With each repetition, the little kell's body shook less and less. Harley noticed this, and when she had calmed enough, he explained, "Look, I'm not a Seralith, but I am also not a kell. I'm a-"

"Human."

Harley was surprised by her sudden interruption. "Yes, that's what I am." He spoke slowly, asking, "Have you met another human before? Do you know what a human is?"

The kell reached up and rubbed at one of her horns while tilting her head.

"No, it just..just came out."

Harley was about to press her for more information, but then another enormous roar echoed from the jungle. This one felt close rather than some distant threat. He looked at the girl and whispered, "Best we get out of here. My name is-"

"Harley."

Harley almost shouted in surprise, "Kaya, how did you know that?" Harley froze at his own words. He knew that was her name. How did he know her name?

She began to shake again as she answered," I-I don't know." Kaya looked to be in just as much confusion as he was.

“Let’s figure all that out later. You heard the roar. I think we need to move out of this area. I dont want to be in the territory of a dangerous animal.” Harley reached out an arm towards Kaya. “C'mon let move”

Kaya shook her head and pointed towards the direction the roar came from. “No, now is the best time to go for food. The Hydra should have gotten its food so we can try for scraps.” She began walking into the jungle where he had entered.

Harley took a moment to gather himself. What do I know about wild animals? I should have watched more animal planet. Wait. Did she say Hydra? He was lost in the middle of a jungle in a different reality. He should listen to the local even if said local was a child. He fought with his instincts to run and followed Kaya into the jungle.