She could still remember the day they all left.

The sun was starting to set, and with it the time to leave grew closer and closer. The circle of caravan carts had turned into a single line, waiting in front of the sacred circle of runes that all the elders had carefully drawn on fertile grass with lines of sap and honey. As people loaded their wagons with provisions for the final part of their journey, Gabrielle simply sat on a nearby hill, watching over the elves. Nothing could go wrong that night, not when they were so close to finally being free.

And yet they knew that shadows were looming all around them…

Baraqiel walked slowly, carefully, leaning on their old cane to help themself climb up the hill. Of course, as soon as she notice them, Gabi would rush over to give them a hand.

“You shouldn’t be walking now, Barri!” The redhead nagged, frowning as she carefully helped the kid sit down.

“Oh shush, don’t treat me like an old man!”

It had been six years since their escape from the chapel, and while Gabrielle was almost as short as she was back in the day, she still looked much more mature than the frail Baraqiel: their ever-aching marks and stigmata almost seemed to hold them frozen in that youthful, weak stage forever.

“Are you sure of what you are doing, now…?” The child sighed, already knowing the answer.

“You told me that people deserve mercy, right? Then I have to stay.” Gabi nodded sagely. “I can leave them alone now.”

“But Gabi…” Baraqiel took a deeper breath. “You may not get another chance. Do you realize that? After the gates close, they may never open again…”

To be honest, the fear of never seeing Baraqiel or Bohllin again was a real concern on the redhead’s mind. But she was the one getting visions and strange dreams, she was the one who had bested the Demiurge back in the chapel. And, more importantly, she was the one still holding the rune on her left arm, carved painfully into her skin and never really healing, forever visible. Burnt by lightning.

So, taking a page out of her idols once again, she decided to be as valiant as Saint Martha, and as unfeeling as Mustafá, and pushed those fears aside when looking back into Baraqiel’s eyes.

“It must be done.”

The kid sighed, closing their eyes tightly. They were both kids, really! Barely had any time to understand the world or grow into it, and Barri was keenly aware of that fact… why did it have to be Gabi of all people? Why couldn’t anyone else simply take her place? Emotions rushed to Barri’s eyes, dripping down as they pushed and hugged the girl as tightly as their weak arms could allow.

“Please don’t die.” They begged, whispering in Gabrielle’s ear. “And don’t let this happen. Never, ever again!”

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Gabi never really got used to these sorts of displays, but she always did her best to reciprocate them, squeezing the kid gently in her arms and taking a deep breath. She couldn’t help but cry a little bit as well, her hands starting to tremble. The fear, the uncertainty, the heavy task to go for.

She was just a child. And she still is.

“I promise.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Gabrielle narrated, Lucrece simply nodded along and tried to imagine the scene, the greenery, the tranquility that could reign in a demihuman settlement like that. Goodbyes were always painful and the lancer knew it very well. But some questions came to mind, several really.

“So you promised this friend of yours, Barri you called them?”

“Yes.” Gabrielle had done a great job not crying once again while rememorating the moment, simply closing her eyes and taking deep breaths instead.

“That you wouldn’t let “it” happen ever again… what is “it”? And what are these dreams and visions that you mentioned? Is that regular among witches?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never met any.” The redhead confessed while shrugging. “But what “it” is, well…”

Gabrielle hesitated for a moment, thinking of just pulling off the same ridiculous request as before to dodge the question and leave it at that, but after all that had happened she felt like trying to be a bit more sincere. No, she needed to be. It was a way to reciprocate the kindness the lancer had been giving her, and it was also a necessity the swordmaiden had been ignoring all this time: to tell her tale, to ask for help, to actually be open about her feelings.

Maybe she could try, just one more time.

“Come closer, I want to show you something.”

With a bit of a cautious nod, Lucrece shimmied a bit closer to Gabi as she produced things from her belt: a rolled-up piece of scroll, and three beautiful black rings. The lancer’s eye almost immediately illuminated with greed, those rings looked very well crafted and possibly expensive!

“These are the marks of the Demiurge.” Gabi whispered, as if wanting to keep it secret from the woods themselves. “Terrible people, insane witches who wish to become angels by sacrificing others… I have seen it with my own eyes, and I can swear it on my life they exist, so please don’t doubt me so quickly.”

“I won’t!” Luci did, but only a little bit. She couldn’t really deny the fact that magic was a very real thing after hanging out some time with a witch, but this was starting to sound like a conspiracy theory of sorts. “I will do my best.”

“Good… I have been pursuing these people for months now, almost a year. “ Gabrielle opened her map once again, showing the highlighted locations. “The ones with circles are places I have already been to… and the crosses are places where my visions have told me they could be.”

“This is a good map.” Lucrece nodded, appreciating the craftsmanship. “I didn’t know you had a knack for artistry, Gabi.”

“I don’t, this was made by the elves based on what the visions told me.” The witch sighed, for she did wish she could make those kinds of things herself. “So far, they haven’t failed me… although my hunt hasn’t been the most successful.”

“You’ve got three of them, right? That sounds successful to me!”

“Only after several attempts and mostly by accident: turns out these people keep very dangerous equipment by themselves every time, and… well, making it explode is easy.”

“Bah, methods be dammed, what matters is that you got them.” The blonde reassured her with a smirk. “So you’ve caught them, and then what? Killed them yourself?”

“... I haven’t been able to kill a single one yet…” Gabrielle recognized a pained heart. “They always escape after leaving behind the ring in a flash of light. But at least I manage to destroy their studies and artifacts.”

“A bit of a shame though, all that knowledge lost… Hey!” Luci rose both hands defensively. “Don’t look at me like that. I am not saying they are doing a good thing, I’m just curious. Have you read what they discovered?”

“I don’t know how to read. Do you?”

“Well yeah. My fath—Look! That’s not the point.” The lancer crossed her arms. “I just wonder why they do what they do.”

“To become angels, to ascend and take control of magic in the world. Or something… I don’t understand it fully.” Gabrielle was quick to recognize her own ignorance. “But whatever it is, it’s not worth the suffering of others.”

Lucrece was smart enough to recognize when the girl was passionate about something, so of course she would stop pushing the subject. Then again, that didn’t mean she was satisfied with that answer. Now some questions were rolling around in her head.

“So, there’s another one in Caen?”

“Yes. And this time there is no way I let them get away…” Gabi sighed, clenching her fist and then storing her things back in the pouches hanging from her belt. “That is why I must reach Caen soon.”

“Well damn, now I feel bad. I just want to get there to go to the bank!” Lucrece cackled out loud.

“Luci, what is a bank…?”

“Oh my, let me tell you about this nasty business. First, let’s talk about money…”