Alongside the streets that are parallel to the old cathedral, only some cats walk down the street. The moon is going down, about to sink into the sea. Some bats fly from one point to another, and some people are lying down against the dirt, having failed to get back home the night before.

In a house like the others in the same, silent street, sound can be heard. It is the home of a girl with white hair, and she is currently home.

“Ugh” Titania says, sitting on a chair at the dinning table at the first floor.

“Is something the matter sweety?” an old woman comes closer, putting her hand on Titania’s forehead.

“Nothing serious mom” Titania says, as she leans towards her mother’s hand “I just went a bit overboard with the drinks.”

“Oh sweety, and you still have to go? Why don’t stay and recover? I’m sure they can send someone else.”

“Its ok mom. I’m already using my Aura to process the obscene amount of alcohol in me. Besides, no one else is in better conditions since I fell pretty early in the night” Titania answers, letting a chuckle escape.

As Titania’s mother looks at her in silence, another sounds comes by “Sis?” can be heard, from the top of the stairs that lead to the second floor. A boy is standing there, rubbing his eyes.

“Why are you awake so early Sis?”

“Joseph, I can ask you the same thing” says Titania’s and Joseph’s mother.

“Uhh…” starts saying Joseph, with one of his fingers on his chin “there… there is just too much noise coming from outside.”

Titania’s mother looks at her, and says “So it is true?”

“Yes” she answers “the entire city has been put in a state of alert. You can take the day off from work” Titania adds, smiling.

“Oh sweety, if I wanted a day off, I would have taken it in a normal day, not this… stormy day.”

“Are you going somewhere Sis?” says Joseph, as he starts coming down the stairs, each step creaking a bit under the kid’s weight, showing the old age of the wood.

Titania waits until Joseph is in front of her, then kneels, and looking him at the eyes, she says “I’ve been given a mission, and must go out of the city. I may stay some days outside, so Joseph, little bro, I’m counting on you to take care of mom.”

“Uh?” says Joseph, as he lets a yawn escape, and then adds “Don’t understand well what are you trying to say Sis, but sure, you can count on me to protect mom.”

“Thanks little bro, as always I know can count on you” says Titania, as she stands up and faces her mother, now crossing her arms “I have to go mom, please… take it easy today.”

“Sure sweety, and please, take care of yourself, you very well know that you don’t recover Aura as fast as the others.”

“I will” Titania answers, then, after a silent moment, she adds “I love you.”

Titania’s mother opens her arms, and hugging her, she answers “I love you too, my sweety.”

Picking up the bag with the bare necessities that she came to pick up, Titania goes to the door, waves back, and says “I’m counting on you little bro.”

“Yeees!” answers Joseph, still with a sleepy voice, giving a thumbs up.

Titania stands there, with the door open, looking inside the house. Then, looking at her mother once again, she smiles, and steps outside, closing the door behind her.

As she comes down the steps that connect the house to the street, she turns to her right to find a really tall man, slender, with scars all over his body. The man is silent, with his arms crossed.

“Sven…” Titania says, calling him.

Sven looks up at her.

Titania looks back at him, and says “No matter how many times I see this, I can’t get used to you being the only one in my life that can’t talk.”

Sven takes a more leisure position, and his shoulders lower a bit.

“Funny thing that I can somewhat still understand you… it is like I can still hear your voice…”

As Titania hits the ground, she says in a more serious voice “I leave them in your care Sven.”

Looking at Sven, Titania sees that Sven is looking at her too. Sven elevates his right hand, and makes a circular motion with it. This is his way of saying ‘yes’.

Titania smiles, and says “No matter how much my little brother want me to trust in him, he is still a tad young. He needs a bit of help in protecting mother, so… Thanks.”

Another circular motion with his hand.

Titania then starts walking, going towards one of the main streets in the city. Passing alongside the old cathedral, she gets to the main plaza, where the main source of noise is coming from: At this time of the day, usually there is silence, and maybe some people are starting to set up their stands to sell their wares, but now, there are a lot of people here, mostly Beheaders, stationed here and waiting for instructions. The ones that already have instructions are seen going down streets, over water channels, coming and going, and setting up defenses.

At the border of the main plaza, Titania recognizes two figures: A guy with fluffy hair, and a girl with wavy blonde hair.

Coming closer to them, she says “I’m here. Did you waited long?”

“No” says Lacus “we just got here too.”

“Yeah” says Tomoe “we were just seeing how the Beheaders are moving up and down the city.”

“Seems like I’m not the only one that the sleepiness is attacking right now.”

“Can count on that” says Tomoe.

“At least Tomoe is already free from the migraine off last night.”

“Already?” says Titania, a bit surprised.

“That’s a Blue Aura for you” says Lacus, words at which Tomoe draws a smile on her face.

“Lets get going” Tomoe says.

“Right” Lacus answers.

“Right behind you” Titania says.

And the three start moving up the main street of the city, the one that connects the main plaza to the main entrance. As they are moving up, they can see unusual things happening. Beheaders are easily recognizable for their uniform, but there are another unusual amount of common people outside in the city as well.

“What is with this?” wonders Tomoe “why are so many Aquamarines out by this hour?”

“Maybe it is just my common sense, maybe my common sense is wrong, but is it weird that this many Aquamarines are out at this hour?” says Titania “Aren’t hunters usually up by now?”

“Yeah” says Tomoe “but there aren’t these many hunters in the city.”

“Weird” says Lacus “any idea on why all of them are carrying bags and moving carriages?”

As the three turn to each side of the main street, many Aquamarines pass. The ones going to the main entrance of the city had clearly empty bags, empty carriages, and the ones coming from the outside, back inside, had bags that clearly were holding stuff, and carriages with objects covered by blankets.

“It seems that, whatever happened, it happened outside of the city, so lets go” says Titania.

As they cross the main intersection that connects the main street to the street were the entrance to the Aquamarine mansion is, Tomoe stops. She looks at her right, then back, looking over the city.

“Something the matter?” Lacus asks.

“Taking in the view. Nothing more” says Tomoe.

As Lacus and Titania stop and turn back, a wind caresses the usually asleep city, with the flooding of the lower plains starting to go back to the sea.

“Today is going to be a busy day” says Tomoe.

“You can say that again” says Lacus “Only Polsen is more than enough, and we have this state of alert.”

“Come on, lets continue” says Titania “I would like to stay and help with Polsen, but honestly I think we may be in luck.”

“Hope that we are sent over there to the outpost for something meaningful” says Lacus.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

“I hope not” says Tomoe.

As the group reaches the main entrance of the city, they cross under the arch and to the other side of the drawbridge. The walk is still ever so slightly upward, as they hit the natural road, starting to walk across the farmlands that are to the sides. Vegetables, fruits, rice, and many more fields that go all the way to almost the feet of the Stardust forest.

Many Aquamarines are here, bent over in groups along the road, but strangely so also even on the fields. Then, Titania, looking at the ground, notices something.

“Wait” she says, as she puts an arm up to stop the group from moving forward.

“What’s the matter?” asks Lacus.

“Look” Titania answers, pointing to the ground: A small skull, like one of a squirrel, or a cat, laid on the ground. Little bones were scattered around it.

“What the actual-” says Tomoe, not finishing, while looking back at the groups of Aquamarines that are together in groups, and then to the ground further down the road.

An Aquamarine that is going back to the city comes by, with a bag clearly holding stuff. Lacus steps a moment in the way.

“Ehmm… excuse me man, can I ask you something?”

The man, in about his thirties and still asleep, clearly startled, regained a bit of composure “Don’t come at me like that! At this hour on top of things, only to ask a question. What is it?” he says, as he starts rubbing his moustache.

“Why there are so many Aquamarines outside here at this hour?”

“Ah. Weird, thought that it may already be spread all over the city.”

“What is it spread all over the city?” Titania comes closer, asking this time.

“Well lady, that for some reason, animals are abandoning the Stardust forest, and are coming out on this side of the forest.”

“What?!” says Lacus “and you are out here hunting them?! Don’t you know how dangerous the animals of the forest can be?”

“That is what I thought at first too!” says the man, letting a chuckle escape “but, for some reason, they were all injured, almost dead. Heck man, some already were dead, and those were pretty big ones!”

“What?” says Titania “so, these little bones, and all those humps the Aquamarines are around off, all of them…”

“All dead animals, missy. We even have dead magic beasts too!”

“So,” says Lacus “someone came outside early on, found the corpses of the dead animals, ran back in, advised everyone, and thus we have the situation at hand right now?”

“Pretty much lad. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go take care of this” says the man, giving a tap to his bag and then continuing his way.

As the three kept walking, the smell of roting corpses and blood started to reach their noses.

“Indeed. The winds kept the smell away, but now it is pretty clear… ugh, this smell, disgusting.” Says Titania, as she covers her nose.

“This doesn’t combine well with a hangover” says Lacus.

“Glad I got over it by now” says Tomoe.

“Oooh, look who decided to be smug right now” says Lacus, as Titania chuckles.

“Look” Tomoe says, as she points towards the Stardust forest entrance. An old lady, pretty short, is standing there, trying to get the attention of a group of Aquamarines working on the side.

Titania says “on it” as she pases Tomoe and comes forward. She then extends her arms and tap the old lady on the shoulder, saying “hi there.”

“Oh my,” the old lady says, turning, clearly beyond her prime years “A Weiss! You are really beautiful sweetheart” says the old lady, as she puts her hands on Titania’s cheeks “Looking closer, you’re a half aren’t you? Oh it doesn’t matter, you’re still beautiful.”

“Look at that, Titania is truly incapable against compliments eh?” says Lacus, as Titania froze in place, with the face now red.

“Is something the matter?” now Tomoe comes forward.

“Oh, look at you dear, blonde hair, what a rare sight” says the old lady, as she leaves Titania’s face, and stretches her hands towards Tomoe.

“Thank you very much” says Tomoe, as she takes a step backward, then adding “is there something you need help with?”

“Oh, true true, very true” says the old lady “were are my manners? My name is Averna, and I indeed need help.”

“My name is Tomoe” then, pointing towards Titania, she continues “This half-weiss’ name is Titania” and then, points towards Lacus “This fluffy one is Lacus. We are Beheaders, and we can help you.”

“Oh my, look at you” says Averna, giving each one a good look “so young, and they are Beheaders! Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Averna” says Tomoe “now, what is the trouble you are having right now?”

“Oh yes, my trouble. The thing is dear, I’m very, very worried, right now. My husband, the old fool, when he heard about this rare happening of the animals leaving the forest almost dead, he talked to me, and said he had an excellent idea. Can you guess what was his foolish idea?”

“No idea Averna, what did your husband wanted to do?”

“He said to me: ‘If there are animals leaving the forest almost dead, then, what if there are already dead animals inside the forest, corpses there and there, littered all around? I’ll go and get them all!’” Averna says, as she sighs “can you believe him?”

“The logic is sound at the very least” Lacus says.

“As sound as it might be, I’m worried for that knuckle head that went in, thinking only in the sound of coins falling over coins in his ears, and I want help to search for him, to bring him back.”

Tomoe looks at Lacus, then Titania, who was standing besides her. Having regained composure, Titania comes forward, and says “well, we are now supposed to enter the Stardust forest on a mission. We will help you search for your husband while we are at it.”

“Oh my, thank you, my dear. I only hope that that knuckle head is ok” says Averna, as she starts walking into the Stardust forest together with the group.

As they enter the forest, the silence that embraces them makes Titania clearly hear her heart, pounding unusually hard in her chest.

Now, now, calm down. There’s no need for this.

Even with these words, Titania couldn’t shake the odd feeling. As they enter the Stardust forest, she turns to see back, to give the city a good look again before continuing into the forest.

This is nothing. A fluke, a false alarm.

Yet she was biting her lips without realizing, her attention in keeping her legs steady.

This was so unnatural of her. In the face of danger she is always steady, ready to act and react accordingly in order to contain or eliminate danger. She couldn’t afford to hesitate if she wanted to return home that night or the next day. Many times facing danger like this have made it so that it sweep into her personality, making her feel at ease in the most dangerous situations.

But… this wasn’t like all the other times.

Breathe Titania, breathe.

Putting a hand on her chest, she tries to calm herself. This annoyed her immensely. Since when was she like a child facing a really large dog for the first time?

All of this is because of the rumors. Titania, get it into your head: They are rumors, unconfirmed information.

She looked at the light that is filtering through the leaves of the trees, yet a thought floated in her head.

If it is all true… I must go back as soon as possible. I sure pray to Hazuki that it isn’t the case though.

A tinge of red ran fast through Titania’s face, surprising even herself, yet she couldn’t figure what was she feeling shame about: is it because of putting duty first or her family first?

Lost in thoughts, Titania didn’t realize that the city was no longer visible, having walked right into the forest’s embrace.