“Are we there?” Takara asked.

“I think so,” Rai replied, staring at a door at the very end of an alleyway.

The other day they met a lady who said she owned an orphanage; she just so happened to have some spots available.

Before Rai could knock again, the door swung open revealing a hefty woman in an apron.

“Rai darling, so glad you could make it,” she said. Glancing at Takara, “Get over here and give Auntie a hug.”

Takara ran into the woman’s arms, calling, “Auntie!”.

She wasn’t her Auntie, but Takara got accustomed to the nickname the woman bestowed upon herself.

“I’ve got cookies in the kitchen, why don’t you help yourself?” Lucille said.

Takara jumped with joy, running inside.

Cookies?! Rai's stomach growled.

“There’s plenty for the both of you,” Lucille chuckled.

After having their fill of sweets, Takara was introduced to the other kids while Rai talked with Lucille in the kitchen.

“No way!” Rai protested slamming his fist on the dining room table. “There’s got to be another way.”

“Aunt Lu is everything okay,” a boy peering around the corner asked, causing Rai to ease his temper.

“Everything’s fine, run along now,” Lucille said, and the kid returned to the others. Shifting her gaze back to Rai she said, “Unfortunately, this is the only way. Think about what’s best for Takara.”

Reluctantly, Rai glanced over at Takara playing with the other children. Noticing him watching her, she ran over.

“Come see my friends,” Takara said.

After a moment, Rai replied, “Hey squirt, we need to talk.”

Accompanied by Lucille they went outside.

The other kids leaned in curiously against the wall of their room.

“Hey, I can’t see,” a small girl said. Holding her stuffed animal in the air, “Any luck, Plu?” Its black beady eyes reflected in the window beside many peeping children.

“No! I’m going with you,” Takara said.

“Taka, don’t you see, this is the only way,” Rai pleaded. He was informed earlier that there wasn’t enough space for both of them in the orphanage; the extra spots had been filled before they arrived.

“I want my brother!” Takara cried.

“Sweetie, Rai will still be able to visit,” Lucille said, wrapping her arm around Takara.

“Really?” Rai asked.

“Of course. You’ll have to give me a couple of weeks to get Takara accustomed to our way of living, but once she’s settled, you’re welcome to visit whenever you’d like.”

“That’s amazing!” Rai said with a big smile. “See Taka, I can visit you whenever,” he said, patting her head.

“Promise?” Takara asked.

“Pinky promise,” Rai said, holding out his pinky.

Takara wrapped it, before jumping into Rai’s arms.

“It’s getting late,” Lucille said, gently directing Takara inside.

After parting ways, Rai searched for a spot to sleep for the night. During his search he heard voices and, looking up, saw a flickering light on the roof of a building. Climbing up roots wrapping the building, he found a few people huddled around a small fire telling ghost stories.

A sly smile spread across Rai’s face.

***

The door gently shut behind Takara.

A few of the children pretended to be asleep, while the others greeted their new roommate.

Scoping the room, a stuffed animal popped up right in front of Takara’s face.

“Plu says hi,” the youngest of them spoke. “My name’s Cici. Do you want to play with us?”

Takara wiped away her tears and nodded in agreement.

They played until the clock struck nine, signaling the time for the lights to go off.

Lucille walked in, everyone wished her a good night as she blew out all but one candle.

“Cici, it’s time,” Lucille said, exiting. She kept the door cracked open behind her.

“Coming,” Cici replied.

Takara sat up, asking, “Where are you going?”

“My new mommy and daddy are here,” Cici said, happily.

“You’re leaving...” Takara frowned, twiddling her thumbs. Handing Plu over to Cici, she slumped over.

Cici shook her head in disagreement. “Plu will be with you,” she said, giving the stuffed animal back.

“Are you sure?” Takara asked.

“Mhm,” Cici said, hugging her. “I have to go now.” Cici left, closing the door behind her.

Lying in back in bed, Takara's eyes lingered over Plu, a stuffed sheep with black ears. Its neck and legs were wrapped in rings of soft brown fur. Rubbing her face against it, she gazed at the stars outside the window. A shooting star! Closing her eyes, she made a wish.

***

“You find it amusing, jumping out of the shadows and startling others?”

“Lighten up, it was just a prank,” Rai said, hanging upside down over the edge of a two-story building.

“By the roots of Yaitweh, Birchet, Acoro, release him,” an elderly lady scolded, arriving at the fireplace. At only a couple of feet high, she stood on the bareback of a pig.

Acoro promptly set Rai back on the roof and apologized; Birchet did not.

Approaching the fire, Rai noticed something unusual on one - animal-shaped ears, like that of a cat.

“No way, you guys are Nefarians,” Rai said, glancing around.

“Bingo,” a woman named Rosa replied—she even had horns!

“You didn’t notice earlier?” Birchet asked.

“Not really,” Rai said, embarrassed.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Hey! I’m Pinet,” leaning in she whispered, “Personally, I thought your little scare was perfect.”

They gathered around the fire to share more stories, the old lady generously provided Rai with an extra coat to stay warm.

“Seventeen. Grown adults like you and me vanished without a trace,” Birchet disclosed.

“Ghost of Dmir. Gotta be,” Rosa interjected.

Fake spitting on the ground, Pinet hopped to her feet and shook herself off, before sitting back down, confusing everyone. “Bad luck mentioning ghosts,” she said. Realizing her mistake, she panicked, quickly repeating the same action as before.

“Too bad he’s nothing but a myth,” Rai said.

“That so?” Birchet leaned in, revealing stitchings across his eye. “Care to guess the number of people that have gone missing since this ‘myth’ started to float around?” Birchet said, placing his hand behind the flame.

Rai couldn’t help but look. The number two, followed by three. Twenty-Three. Birchet then put two fingers down, leaving one dangerously near the fire, saying, “Two hundred and thirty-one.” His hand shook violently; gaze locked on Rai’s. Flames caught the tips of his fingers, burning him, until someone yanked him away.

“What the hell Birchet?” Rosa said, “Someone gets me a med kit.”

The next morning, the melody of birds woke Rai. Crawling out of a tent, Rai saw the green coat from the other night on the floor. Snatching it up, he tucked it away, before looking for a way off the roof.

“I apologize for Birchet’s actions the other night,” the little old lady unexpectedly spoke, beside Rai. She was on top of the pig feeding bread crumbs to the birds.

Seeing the arm of the sweater halfway stuffed into his pants, Rai pulled it out and handed it over to the lady, saying, “Thanks again.” It was twice his size, he couldn’t see a reason to keep it now that he was caught stealing it.

“Hold onto it. Might fit nicely in a few years,” she said, throwing out more crumbs.

“Really!? Thanks! Just wait till Taka-” Rai paused, an expression of sorrow showing on his face.

“You should know, Birchet lost all three of his kids to this ‘phantom’. The scar on his eye,” she whispered, pointing to her eye.

“The Ghost of Dmir...” Rai muttered to himself.

“Ptui!” Nearby, Pinet antlers popped through the roof of her tent. “Ahhh,” she whined.

“Well I guess I’m up,” Rosa said from her tent, voice a low, angry mumble.

Rai figured everyone was sleeping, but that didn’t seem to be the case…

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’re Nefarian’s doing way out here?” Rai asked.

Tossing more crumbs, the pig sucked it up before any birds could get any. “Looking for family,” she responded. “If you meet any of them, would you pass a message on for me?”

“Sure,” Rai responded.

“Let them know, that the sun will set over Kalumi, once more.”

After bidding his farewells, Rai crawled down the roots he used to climb up originally.

“Hey.” Turning, Rai swiftly caught a strange amulet. “Might help you one day,” Birchet said, appearing behind the roots Rai descended, “and if you ever run into that ghost, you make sure to come find me.”

Rai nodded and continued on his way. Strolling across the streets, he decided to camp on a walled shrub - bushes that grew on the sides of buildings. By mid-day, most would be occupied, since they provided comfort and security, and so Rai decided to take a nap in one, waking up sometime in the afternoon. His stomach growled, below him, he noticed a juice box in the hand of a sleeping man. Using a small hook line, he snagged it from them, quickly reeling the drink back in. It was half full! Reaching into his bag of treats he got from Lucille, Rai pulled out a cookie and took a large bite. Honestly, they weren't that great, but hey, food was food. This one was vanilla-flavored and had a butterfly design. Taking a sip of the drink, he looked down once again at the people traversing the streets.

“Another prisoner escaped.”

“What!? They still haven’t even caught the last one.”

“Yeup, and he’s apparently just as bad as Lucy, if not worse. Calls himself Banu. Big ole guy.”

“Great, another reason to stay inside. Can’t even enjoy a damn cookie anymore.”

“Just try brownies,” his friend suggested.

“I don’t like brownies! Too much chocolate,” he replied.

“Beware the red rose,” the friend taunted, their voices fading as they disappeared around the corner.

What was all that was about? Rai reached into his bag for another cookie. So Banu escaped... As long as Taka’s fine, that’s all that mattered. Rai put the cookie to his mouth but before taking a bite, he realized there was a red rose on it. Recalling the earlier conversation, cautiously, he threw bits of the cookie towards the ground.

A bird flew over and gulped it down, but it wasn’t long before it dropped dead.

Rai, back to the building wall, slapping the bag away from him. Had he eaten a poisoned cookie? Emptying the bag, he realized that only half of them had the red rose. He felt fine. Climbing down, Rai turned the corner and chased after the men from before. “Excuse me! You mentioned Lucy earlier. Is that short for Lucille?” Rai asked.

“If you mean the escapee a few months back, I think that’s what she goes by…”

“Be careful,” warned the other, “she loves kids ‘bout your age. Had a good bit of them in an orphanage she ran years ago.”

Rai pushed past the two, running as fast as he could. Taka!

It took over an hour to make it back.

Bursting through the door, Rai scanned the room for his sister, but it was empty. He checked every nook, even feeling around for hidden levers or hatches. Holding his head in a panic, a growing warmth in his pocket caught his attention. Pulling out the amulet, it emitted a faint orange, getting hotter as he approached a corner of the home where a painting of a thorn bush was located. “Ouch,” Rai said, dropping the amulet. He put it back in his pocket, concentrating flux into the painting, the painting and the wall behind it peeled back into a bunch of dry crumbled leaves, revealing a redwood door. Opening the door cautiously, Rai crept inside. The floor creaked with each step he took, so he dragged his feet instead. Candles dimmed the surrounding area, and vines wrapped the floor and walls. Peering around the corner—his sister! “Taka!”

A small tube drained blood from her arm, dripping slowly onto a big red flower at the center of the table. The roots from earlier were coming from this plant.

Pulling the tubes from her arm, Rai removed her from the post she was tied to, gently laying her down.

“Big brother,” she mumbled, regaining consciousness.

Rai gave her a big hug. “Forgive me.” The chatter of children, caused Rai to look up. The other orphans!

Each one looked as if they had seen a ghost.

“Don’t worry, I'll get you out of here,” Rai assured everyone.

“I see you’ve found my little hideout,” Lucille said, standing at the door.

Rai lunged her way, but the door slammed shut in his face; a single click, confining them to the small room.

“Why are you doing this?” Rai said.

“Legend says the blood flower can grant one immeasurable power. Watered with enough of the right, nutrients, in time, it’ll bestow that power upon me,” Lucille said, voice emitting from a speaker.

Vents opened and gas started to fill the room.

Realizing the severity of the situation, Rai attempted to break the door down with a steady concentration of flux, but it wasn’t enough.

“I can help you,” a voice resonated from the elsewhere in the room.

Curious, Rai frantically searched, wrapping around the caged children, he noticed another cage with an orange-haired boy, maybe a few years older than him. Chains attached to small glowing red tiles on the ground made Rai question what he was supposed to do.

“I need help.. getting these off,” he said, pointing at the chains on his ankles.

“Soon, I’ll be like everyone else - no, I’ll be better,” Lucille’s voice echoed.

“You’re crazy you old hag!” Rai screamed before refocusing on the lock. The tools he carried were great for unlocking and snagging food from storages, but this, not so much. “Hey, what’s your name anyway?” Rai asked.

“Eiji.”

Click! Opening the cage, Rai quickly gripped the chain, but when he did, he felt dizzy. Falling onto his butt, Rai stared cluelessly, saying, “What just happened?”

“The chains are infused with negative flux,” Eiji said, weakened.

“Okay,” Rai declared. Preparing enough flux to help counter the negative flow within the chain, he yelled, “It’s all... in... the legs!” Gripping the chain again, Rai quickly yanked it, tearing it out of the ground.

With the negative energy severed, Eiji steadily rose to his feet, giving Rai a nod of thanks.

Outside the door, both Rai and Eiji stood, determination burning brightly in their eyes.

“Let’s hit it at the same time,” Eiji said.

Rai nodded. I don’t sense any flux force. Does he know how to use it? Charging flux force, Rai shouted, “Go!” unleashing their attack, simultaneously smashing their fist into the door, bursting it open; and the gas ceased as a result.

Rushing to the front, a knife barely nicked Rai's neck.

“I was born with AB- blood type! So why am I not like you?” Lucille yelled, swinging her knife at Rai. “Why can’t I use flux force? It’s not fair!”

Takara came running around the corner.

“Taka, stay back!” Rai shouted.

“Come here, you little brat,” Lucille said, reaching for Takara. Grasping the edge of Takara’s hair, she yanked a small amount of Takara’s hair out as she darted off, but Lucille quickly chased after her.

“Leave her alone!” Rai shouted.

Chasing Takara, Lucille slipped, smacking her head against the kitchen counter, and falling to the ground unconscious.

Rai carefully stepped over Lucille, covering Takara’s eyes from the blood gradually oozing across the floor.

The rest of the orphans were dropped off at the police station, along with an ‘anonymous’ tip of the whereabouts of Lucille. Despite suffering a heavy blow to the head, she was still alive, however, she would soon have her very own spot in a much more secure prison, within the Kingdom of Keltzer. Her days of terrorizing those around with poisoned goods were over at last.

Meanwhile, later that day, Eiji was staring at the setting sun. “The sun sets over Kalumi once more? That doesn’t make any sense, the sun sets in the west?” Eiji said, scratching his head. It turns out Eiji was half Nefarian, even though he looks completely human. After freeing the human children, they uncovered another secret room housing young Nefarian as well, so naturally, Rai brought up Elder Zinnica. “Kalumi is south,” Eiji said to himself. Slowly, dragging his hands down his face, he said, “Meh, guess we’ll head south. You guys good with that?” Eiji asked the Nefarian children, who nodded. Eiji sat up immediately. “Once more, seems to be in a couple hours, so we better get going. Thanks again.”

“Thank you, without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to save Taka, let alone everyone else.”

After bidding farewell, Takara looked up to her brother, asking, “Can Plu come?”

“Plu?”

“Mhm,” she responded, lifting the stuffed animal in her hands. She was adamant about bringing it before leaving the orphanage.

Rai smiled and agreed to bring Plu along.

Later that night, in an alleyway where wind wasn’t particularly present, Rai covered himself and his sister with the coat he was given.

Plu turned out to be a blessing in disguise; it was incredibly warm and soft.

They both dozed off almost immediately.

A few hours later, stretching his arms, Rai felt around, but upon touching a stone-cold floor, his eyes widened, stating, “Taka.” He panicked—his sister was missing!

“The man, the myth, the legend,” Banu said, kneeling next to Rai. “Lose something?”

“Where is she!” Rai lunged at Banu, but a hard smack across the backside of his skull was the last thing he remembered from that night.