Irini took a deep breath. She needed to get started.

Two crew watched the doors. The other two, both fluent in Soffigen, searched the boxes by their labels. They opened some. Most they passed.

Sotir took boxes off the shelves and brought them back to the door. He moved quick.

Irini closed her eyes. She had no idea what question to ask.

“We can’t take all this,” someone complained.

“We should,” Sotir said. “We have more right to them than the Soffigen do.” He sounded mad.

Irini took another deep breath. Focus, Irini. Okay. Thread – where is the answer? The best thing this place has to offer? If we can only take one thing, what should it be?

Irini opened her eyes. A golden thread led into the shelves. Sotir hadn’t found the best thing yet. It seemed he just touched an object, got its history and decided the Scaldin should have it instead. He wasn’t looking for the best.

Irini stepped forward.

“Here are some records,” Sotir called. “They look like a timeline of experiments.”

Footsteps headed to Sotir’s location.

Irini ignored them. She moved forward in a fog, following her golden thread. She felt like a holy relic might be at the end.

“Look, study participants,” said a crewman. “There are numbers in place of names, but…”

A female soldier picked up the thought. “We could use those numbers as proof against the Soffigen. There’s bound to be a key somewhere.” Footsteps moved back and forth.

They weren’t Sotir’s because his voice came a from a consistent, stationary point. “I can use these records for a detailed reading on Era. I might need a ball or scrying disc.”

“Movie time,” the male soldier joked.

“Indeed.” Sotir’s answer was serious.

Irini entered the deep stacks. She passed a big box. Her thread didn’t want her to go there, but she opened it anyway. She scrunched her nose. She saw nothing but a ball inside. The thing was big and metal. Irini stared and thought she might have found a canonball.

“It’s a deactivated mine, used for trapping a path in space.” Sotir hurried by. “The Soffigen picked it up because they think it belonged to visitors. They’re wrong.”

Irini shrugged. “Visitors?”

Sotir moved through a different stack, but he called to Irini. “Yes, visitors. The aliens who came to Scaldigir and gave us our powers.”

“Not all of us,” the woman said, from somewhere among the boxes.

“No, not all.” Sotir ruffled through the stacks.

“Is that what those records you found say?” Irini asked.

“That’s what everything in this storehouse says. The very walls whisper ‘visitor’.” Sotir’s shadow moved across a shelf, leaking from a nearby row.

Irini moved on. “So, the Soffigen research visitors because they want to make arcanes? I thought they researched us.”

“A little bit of both seems like the better strategy,” the man called.

“A little bit of both is the necessary strategy,” Sotir said.

Irini frowned. She didn’t know much about visitors. She was just making her way through that history lesson when she had to go to the hospital for her Shift. She missed the unit, and the arcanes hadn’t picked it back up.

Irini stopped. She found a long flat box, and her thread led under it. Irini’s heart leapt. She reached for the box and pulled it off the shelf. She might have found the weapon to help Pan defeat Era.

As the box slid free, Irini saw her thread continue on. It looped under the box, through the shelf, to the other side.

Irini’s shoulders slumped. She opened the long box anyway. She found paper scrolls inside. Irini closed it and put the box atop another. It was so light; how could she have mistook it for a sword?

Irini’s real prize waited on the other side, but Irini didn’t want to round the shelf. The rows continued across the room. It would be a longish walk, and Sotir might get there first…or one of the crew.

Irini reached through the shelf to the other side. She grabbed a big heavy box and pulled. It crossed the gap between shelving, with a clank, and came over to her side. The golden thread wound around the box several times over. Irini let the box slide into her arms.

“Oof.” Irini could barely hold it. She sat down on the ground and got the box to the floor. Irini pulled it open and held her breath. She saw a book.

A book? Is this…a manual for making arcanes?

Sotir passed the entrance to her row. He backtracked and stopped. “Do you need help?”

Irini shrugged.

Sotir put his box down and walked to the center of the shelving. He knelt by Irini and scooped the book out of the box. “Well, it’s heavy.”

Irini nodded. “My thread says that it’s the best thing in here.”

“Really?” Sotir glanced up. He placed the book on the floor and opened the cover. Sotir froze. “Irini…it’s full of arcane circles.”

Irini knit her brow. “You mean like this.” Irini pulled a pendant from her chest and held it out for Sotir to see. She wore a circle, etched into a piece of metal.

“Just like that.” Sotir’s eyes glazed. He stared at the book. “All our arcane circles are in here.”

Irini studied it too. She knew Sotir worked and didn’t want to disturb him. But, she had questions. “Sotir, are arcane circles visitor things?”

“Probably, but why do the Soffigen think they’re important?” Sotir flipped through the pages. “Why does your thread think they’re important?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Irini watched the book’s pages. She saw circles and tight unfamiliar writing next to each one. Each circle was a collection of several runes. Some circles had a dozen runes, others had a mere six. Irini studied the page and saw only three or four runes alike. She used to memorize the runes, but there were about three-hundred. She never finished with the task.

Sotir straightened. “These circles. They’re our powers. They describe our powers.” Sotir left the book open.

“How do you know?” Irini squinted and tried to read the writing.

“As arcanes we don’t get a lot of education outside our immediate needs, but the mentors deemed it necessary for me to read some Visitor, just in case I saw Visitor writing in past visions.” Sotir ran a finger over the book.

“You can read it?”

“Yes. This one here…it’s fire starting. Or something close.”

Irini bent and peered at the page.

Sotir laughed. “It’s the same circle from up here.” He gently nudged Irini’s shoulders.

She sat straight again.

Sotir closed the book, placed it inside its box, and hefted the whole thing. “Good job. This thing is the best. I want to do a deeper read on it.”

“It’s even better than the records?” Irini scrambled to her feet.

“Well, we’ll say it’s as good as the lab records.” Sotir laughed. “In terms of a connection to our past though, this book has the records beat. Visitors wrote this.”

Irini felt her eyes open wide. “Visitors touched it? What do they look like?”

“I see them cloaked, as I always do. Long fingers, either black or white.” Sotir’s lids half closed. Then, they sprang open. “Come on. Let’s take it to the door. Between this and the records, I’m going to be busy for a while. I want my scryer.”

Irini’s heart pounded. “Can I touch the crystal ball?”

“Honestly, I don’t know if I brought it. I definitely have my scrying disc.”

Irini made a face. “The crystal ball is cooler.”

“Harder to pack,” Sotir said.

Irini skipped from the stacks, ahead of Sotir. “We found everything in a matter of minutes.”

“I wouldn’t say everything.” Sotir strolled along behind.

“And, I found the magic book of life and arcanehood! Me, I found that.” Irini skipped past the crewman.

He rubbed the back of his neck and watched her.

“Make sure to put that in the report,” Sotir told the man. “Irini found the book of arcane circles. It’s quite the start to her career.”

“You got it.”

Irini grinned.

“Satisfied?” Aria asked.

Alban moved through the living quarters of the Soffigen researchers.

Aria saw very little aura inside. The researchers didn’t pay much attention to their physical needs.

“I just want to walk this place one more time. Something just seems off. You can go back to the elevator if you like.” Alban’s com chirped. He pressed a button. “Yes?”

“I need Brise. I can get the door open, but I can’t disable the alarm,” Adon reported.

“Alright. You have my permission to call her. I’m sending the two arcanes your way now. Alban out.” Alban headed deeper into the living quarters on his final walk. “Go keep Adon and Hepha company.”

With a short nod, Aria turned away. She found Pan already at the door.

“Let’s go. Alban’s crew is lonely.” Pan started the trek.

Aria followed. She got a clear view of the edges of Pan’s aura. The glittering bits of Soffigen aura in the air actually enhanced it. The whole scene looked like starlit.

“I wonder…” Aria began. “What would your aura look like if you moved into the gold range?”

Pan glanced back. “Don’t start this whole gold thing again. You know I’m not gold material.”

Aria frowned. “I know you are.”

“Aria. There’s more to life than being good.”

Aria huffed and slumped her shoulders. “Well, I know that, Pan. Forgive me if I want to see a gold star. This might be my only chance for it, here where the background auras are so thin.”

Pan’s aura phased purple. “That might be the first selfish thing I’ve heard you say since I saw you again on the garbage scow. Scratch that. You did try to tell me about Gavain, but you stopped.”

Aria sighed. “We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about what it would take for you to be gold.”

Pan paused in the hall and stared at Aria. “I would rather talk about all the things you gave up to be good.” Pan raised an eyebrow. “Remember all those music lessons your parents bought you – just so you could be a competent fiddle player? Oh, but you left that off soon after we moved out of the Arcane’s Complex together. It used to be part of our escape plan. If we ever got free of the arcanes, we’d open a gallery. I’d make the art, and you’d play lofty music. And, we’d pretend it all meant something.”

Aria froze. She’d forgotten about that stupid plan. As if they could just make a gallery materialize and retire from arcanehood.

Pan continued, “After you lost that little part of yourself, you took up a new hobby. You taught me how to cook, and we started to embark on the adventure of making our own cake. Remember, that was our second escape plan? A cake shop. I would decorate, and you would bake. But, that idea only lasted so long too.”

The bake shop idea had been more realistic. Aria bowed her head. She hoped Alban couldn’t hear them.

Pan sighed. “It all would have failed anyway. I couldn’t change the fact I was a reaper, and you can’t get free of auras. So, here we are. What’s left of you, Aria? What do you do for you that doesn’t involve anyone else?”

“Nothing I suppose.” Aria focused on getting Gavain and before that any man. She wanted to be prepared for the potential ten to fifteen years she could have for herself, but aside from family life, what would she do for herself?

Pan turned and took her steps slow. “Brynn says that you and Sotir both want to manipulate me. To be good. To be with you.”

Aria startled. Of course, she knew it was true but to hear it from Brynn. “What? Why are you still listening to her?”

Pan’s aura shone in grey. The edges twinkled. “Because she’s right. Aria, you do have plans for me. You want me to come home. You want me to be gold.” Pan turned and picked up her pace.

“I think everyone gets manipulated a little.” Aria felt the very core of being arcane was to be manipulated. They just had to deal with it. Aria slipped close to Pan. “So, I try to manipulate you, but you do the same. I try to get you home. You try to take me on an adventure. You try to make sure I don’t know you’re a reaper.”

Pan winced. “I did that because I thought I had to.”

“Right,” Aria agreed. “I forgive you. I think I should be forgiven for my little infractions, which I think are in your best interest…” More like only choice. Aria looked into the dining hall. She saw a strange aural pattern. She stopped to study it.

Pan looked in the same direction. “What?”

Aria shook her head. “I’ve never seen an aura like this before. It’s white and silver with a bit of color at the core.” Aria stared hard. “It’s all broken up, kind of like pencil shavings or bits of eraser.

Pan shrugged. “So? You’ve learned a lot of new things about auras in this place. How do you know that isn’t normal?”

Aria squinted. “I don’t. Except. I see…” Aria felt her eyes go wide. She saw symbols and remembered she saw the same effect around a shaft in Perikop.

In the Soffigen’s abandoned cafeteria, she could see the symbols with clarity. They were arcane symbols from Scaldigir.

“There was an arcane here,” Aria warned.

Pan backed up. “How are you sure?”

“I see something I would only see on Scaldigir.” Aria saw Scaldin cultural decorations on the floor.

Pan gestured for Aria to stay put. “How old does it look?”

Aria felt herself relax. “Old. And yet…” Aria shook her head. “It’s old. It wouldn’t look so faded and broken if it wasn’t.”

“I’m going to look inside.” Pan strode forward.

“What? Why?” Aria started to follow.

“You stay here.” Pan glared over her shoulder. “You suck in a fight.”

Aria stopped. She backed up to her original spot. She couldn’t return the insult. Pan did not suck in a fight, not anymore.

Aria called as quietly as she could, “We should wait for the others.”

Pan stopped at the cafeteria’s threshold and shone her light inside. “I’m just going to see what was so awesome about the cafeteria that an arcane had to use his or her powers here.” Pan stayed at the threshold and sent her light all around. She drew a portal and looked through it into every corner of the room.

Aria slumped against a wall. Relief flooded her limbs. Pan took danger seriously. She proved to be very thorough.

“Does it seem…?” Pan asked. “That we keep finding ourselves in deserted places?” Pan continued to search the room. “First, the factory. Now, this storage house for research. And, before all that – the waypoint.”

“I’ve never been to the waypoint,” Aria said.

“Right. That was just me.” Pan closed up her portal. “Well, there’s nothing in there but some empty cans. Looks like an animal got into some of them.” Pan turned from the door. She still waited at the threshold, but she faced Aria.

Aria looked behind Pan. She saw something creeping in the dark, person sized. Her eyes went wide. She stuttered and pointed.

Pan whirled. Her aura flared in terrified yellow. “Mother Tree, what is that?”

Aria opened her mouth, hoping to say something useful. She settled for an alarmed squeal.

A big shadowy thing pushed Pan aside and crawled onto the ceiling. Cans rained down on Aria’s head. Aria cowered and took cover.

Pan ran by. “That’s what passes for arcane around here. Come on. Let’s chase it.”

Aria didn’t want to, but she followed.