The tip toe of tiny footsteps pattered alongside Mirio in a burst as he traced his finger along a fruiting bush. His eyes flicked quickly to the source of the sound, but even the size and shape of the movement caught in his peripherals caused him to calm.

“You aren’t a monster” he smiled as he knelt down looking at the curious creature with understanding eyes.

“Nya” the cat replied with a soft blink before strolling over closer.

“I guess I’m still on edge”

“Nya” the cat replied as it turned and flicked its tail across his leg.

Mirio gently scritched behind its ear, and gave it a stroke before unceremoniously leaving the cat hanging by standing up.

“Nyaa?!”

Mirio’s face became stoic and hardened as his eyes peered through cloudtops to the peak of the mountain.

A breeze stirred through the wide streets, and with it the cat abandoned its now far less interesting scratching post for some sounds in the shrubs.

“Fuck…” he said as he dropped his eyes, “It never stops” clutching at the mark on his arm.

It itched under his skin like a desperation yearning to claim him just as it had always done, but ever since leaving the abyss it was louder somehow. It crept into places it never reached before, and the magic circles he was using to contain it had faded somewhat. The wards were slowly blending with the magic of the curse, the distinction between where his wards ended and he began were also blurred.

“I don’t think I can keep this up forever, not if I keep on like this, drifting like a leaf in the wind…”

His jaw tensed as he swallowed down a bitter thought, he was weaker now for his time in the abyss. Not only was he without his soul blade Ember, he had used the curse to survive far more than he should have. It left him thinned somehow, like a pane of glass stretched out in a broken window pane. The luck he wore like armor since his youth had eroded away to the demands of doing what it took to survive. It wasn’t even a choice, he knew he had to be careful, or else even a chance encounter with a bandit might be his end.

His teeth grit, he wished deep down that life would never come down to this, and the threat of things in the unknown could be battled and fended off to create a peaceful world. Yet it only crept in closer with every move.

He wasn’t one to linger or indulge on such things though and let it cast off him with the last of the mountain breeze. He would after all, always stand ready, and be at arms at a moment’s notice, no matter the cost he might pay for it.

In turning away from the mountain he felt a gentle song stir within his soul, and swaggered down the broad streets, passing by the fruiting trees and children’s games, until he reached a three story building that clumsily attempted to look like everything else but couldn’t manage it. The architecture still held similar angular bevels that spoke of its purpose.

“Good morning traveler, I’m Chloe of the Tier Adventuring Guild, how can I help you?”

“How’d you know I’m new here?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

She glanced down to his feet for a moment, which were grubby from the walk to the guildhall, and then decided better of revealing the source of her intuition “Everyone new to the Tier guildhall is a traveler” she smiled.

“Right, do you do short term loans? I’m aiming to do some quick quests but I lost my gear, I’ll have to stock up on some things”

“Mhm, your guild tag please” she said as she pulled a book over and got ready for the procedure.

“Uh, I kind of lost that too”

“Your rank?”

“Grade C”

“Heh?!” she almost choked at the audacity of the shoeless scoundrel, how could a grade C adventurer be careless and lose all his gear? Weren’t they often specialty make? “Oh, well then in that case I will have to ask you to perform a mock battle with our trainer on shift… Err… Nina”

“Couldn’t we just skip the fight? I mean…”

“No sir, without being certain of your rank, we can’t lend anything out. And also, without your gear you might not be able to qualify for rank C quests. Especially without a party. No no, you must test”

Mirio calmly stared past her and nodded, “Right, Nina then, where do I go?”

“Just through the big doors to the training hall”

Mirio pushed his way through the crowd at the questboard and pushed through the double doors. In Elmvale the training hall was outdoors, but here it was still inside with high ceilings and walkways on the second floor overlooking the main area.

Groups of would-be adventurers trained off in each of the corners, but Mirio paid them no mind as he confidently approached a woman who was taking notes on a mock battle happening in the center ring. He slid up beside her and matched her gaze on the fight.

An ilari spun and swept under furious swipes of his opponent who looked more like a mouse than a man. Okay, so maybe the swipes were not so furious, maybe aspirational? The ilari didn’t suffer the assault long as his foot swept up from under him and drove into the mouse’s guts, sending him sprawling out of the ring.

“Not ready” the ilari whispered as he exited the ring and glanced toward the woman taking notes.

“I’m sorry Ardie, you’ll just have to try again when you are a little bigger okay” Nina said as the boy stood before her nursing his bruised belly. He held in a tear by turning quickly away from her and rushing to the changing rooms.

“Good call” Mirio said bluntly.

“Well, his younger brother passed the tests actually, so I expect it won’t well on him at home”

“His brother used his agility I’m guessing? Rather than rushing in with his smaller frame?”

“Yes, it wasn’t anything special but he could survive a battle with a goblin scout if it came to it”

Mirio nodded, he knew from his earlier days that goblins were not to be toyed with, but if one was smart even when weak you could avoid their patrols with a map of their territory.

“Just a bit too hard headed then”

“Something like that, can I help you?”

“Err, whats her name at the front” he said as waving his hand in an attempt to recall her name, “Trish, no… Taby… Yeah I think that was it, she sent me for a test”

“Taby? The seer? Why would she send you?”

“Err, maybe not Taby, Chloe?” he said squinting at the probability that he still had it wrong.

“Oh Chloe, yes yes, what test was it”

“Grade C, I lost my gear and my tag, I need it to get a loan to gear up again”

“A loan huh?” she said with a raised eyebrow, sizing Mirio up for a sharp moment.

“Well, it happens”

“You seem in shape, so I won’t stop you, but I want you to face Jasper first here”

Mirio rolled his eyes and walked into the ring with a sigh,

“Aight then buddy, let’s do this quick”

The ilari huffed, and stared at him like a tiger, waiting for the call from Nina.

“Begin” she said with a tap of her quill to her notebook.

She gazed up from behind her glasses and stared intently at the start of the battle, only to huff as Mirio just stood there without a fighting stance, not even looking at Jasper.

Jasper looked back at Nina for confirmation that he was allowed to begin, she squirmed for a moment and then nodded.

“Well, your funeral” Jasper said before he swept in with a powerful sidekick that snapped through the air.

Whoosh.

Mirio had barely moved, his hand gently rested against the back of Jasper’s knee, and with a flick of his finger tossed it off to the side.

Jasper couldn’t pull back his kick, so spun with the momentum to bring his other heel across Mirio’s face.

A simple step forward from Mirio found Jaspers leg trapped under Mirio’s armpit. Mirio then gripped onto his back and shoved him to the ground.

WHOMP

Air blasted out of the ilari’s lungs as the floor met him in a slap.

Mirio slid up along the ilari’s back, and wrapped his arms tight around his neck as he tried to scramble up. And despite the ilari clasping for Mirio’s wrist and grip, it made no difference. The stranger’s choke hold was relaxed but within, his bones might have as well been made of steel, because it would not move.

Mirio sighed, “Going to yield or am I going to squeeze?”

“No no, I yield”

Jasper gasped for a moment after his release, “How’d you react so fast, you weren’t in a stance”

“Yes I was” Mirio replied

“What kind of stance?”

“An aura stance”

“Aura stance? I’ve never heard of it”

Nina placed her hand on Jasper’s shoulder and handed him her notebook.

“Very well, try that stance against me”

“Okay” Mirio said with a bored expression.

He lazily stepped back with his foot, and tilted his head away from her as he gazed off into a corner of the room rather than at her.

She shuffled out of her vest coat, and slipped on a pair of brass knuckles that hung at her waist beside her scimitar.

Mirio sighed, clearly unimpressed by the donning of her gear.

She pulled off her glasses, strapped on her goggles, and blew back a strand of green hair from her face.

“Let’s do this” she said as she pulled back her rear foot and tensed her whole body, and stared at Mirio intently.

As she approached she couldn’t help but feel his stance was a taunt. Is he trying to force me to act predictably, so he can counter? If so then I just need to get him to bite on a feint.

She slipped her foot forward half an inch and stamped it towards him.

Nothing?

Why didn’t he react?

She stepped in a little closer, and stomped again, this time with a sharp twist of her upper half to feint throwing her back hand.

Mirio blinked and turned his head toward her, “If you are gonna stand there feinting at me, should I attack first?”

Wait, he can attack first? Out of stance? What did he mean by aura stance?

As she gazed at him one last time before his attack she saw him blink.

Her chance!

She rushed in with all she had, tearing through the air with her fists, the brass knuckles zinging as mana whipped in her aftershadow. The tightened steps of her movement were economical, and fluttered one after another as she launched attack after attack, only to see Mirio drift gently away from her like water dipped just out of reach of a drained cup.

He moved in perfect sync with her, motion for motion, remaining almost exactly where he had started, yet all of a sudden they were on opposite sides of the ring, and her foot was backed up against the outer line.

Mirio dashed forward in a flash, stomping with his foot. The threat in his eyes, like a flash of lightning in the clouds, she stumbled back with a quick defense, only to realize that his attack never came.

She looked down at her back foot which was now stood out of the ring.

Mirio smiled warmly and put out his hand, “Good attempt”.

Casting aside her pride she quickly took up his hand and shook it, a surge of confidence flowing into her from the strength in his gaze.

She hadn’t been able to assess his fighting style or what he was capable of, but despite it she felt as though she could trust in his ability. Even if he was a swindler, or an illusionist of some sort, such abilities would serve him well enough.

Nina nodded back to Jasper, who pulled off his tag and tossed it to Mirio.

“My thanks” he said as he caught it and wrapped it around his fingers, “Alright, I’m off then, I’ve got to buy myself some shoes”

He waved and turned to head out as Jasper shrugged back at Nina’s disbelieving stare.

“What the fuck is an Aura stance?”

“I dunno, but he kinda tilted his head back, and was all contemptuous like this, here come at me”

“No, he wasn’t like that, he also had his hips primed like this”

…

The smell of fish from the docks took over the charcoal ovens of the bakers in the city, as our blue haired boy wandered off the pier and into the market streets. He passed through the crowds as they haggled for wares.

“Kabi, don’t be silly, you’ve already bought five of them already”

He overheard as he saw a girl’s eyes glisten at the sight of a silver bracelet. She didn’t seem the type to wear anything ornamental, if it wasn’t for her house help, he wouldn’t have noticed the girl was nobility.

“I guess she just likes silver” the boy muttered to himself as he pushed past, and made his way to the stablemasters on the other side of the city.

“How far is it to the northern ranges from here?” he said as he handed the man a silver coin.

“If you be wanting passage, it’ll be more than a silver”

“I’m not after passage, just information”

“I see, well depends how far north you talking, but it be several months journey to the northern range”

“How about beyond them?”

“Nobody in their right mind would go into the shadowlands lad”

“But if they did, how far could they go before they saw ocean or ice?”

“Oooh, further than I’d be knowing that’s for sure”

The boy rubbed his chin and thought about it for a moment.

This world didn’t seem to span the entire globe, the cataclysm that happened here must have restricted people to a single usable landmass. Perhaps north of the mountains was a vast tundra like northern China entering into Mongolia, then far into Russia. If this was true, the northern range might not be the end of his journey. The crystal might pull him into unknown territory beyond them, if that was where its target was.

“Do you know why none of the kingdoms have laid claim to the shadowlands?”

“I believe the insectid kingdom to the northeast gave it a shot, nearly wiped them out in the attempt. Well, nearly is a bit strong, fast breeding and all. But I hear many of the subraces were down to a single broodpool before they gave up the attempt”

“How many insectids were there?”

“Ten million perhaps? Maybe a hundred span more? A bloody lot of them”

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The boy nodded, if he was to go into the shadowlands he would certainly need to find a capable team, or a guide to lead him. He had dealt with enough at the hands of chitterlings to know better than to enter enemy territories without a plan of escape.

“Very well” the boy replied as he walked north away from the city.

“Wait lad, you aren’t going to walk are you?” the stablemaster’s words caught on the breeze as the boy walked northward and undaunted by the distance.

…

Mirio clicked his tongue against his teeth impatiently as he waited for the store owner to come back with a pair of boots in his size.

“Here you go”

Miro whipped them on, and jumped up and down to test their effect on his mobility.

“Too heavy, got any others”

“Those were the last I had for you to try”

“Pssht, that’s fine, I’ll find a cobbler”

Mirio pushed out of the doors of the store and bit his bottom lip in thought at where to go next, without a map he ended up just following a feeling on the wind toward the center of town.

Ding ding

A bell chimed as he entered a store.

“This isn’t a cobbler” he said as he saw all manner of ritual stones and orbs.

“No, but it was where you were meant to come” a voice whispered from behind him.

The ilari gently brushed her hand down his arm, and Mirio gasped a little as he recognised the woman.

“Wait, you are Taby! Haha, I totally messed up your name before at the guildhall”

“Thinking of me were you? I admit my performance, was rather… Unorthodox” she said with a sizzle in her eyes.

“No, I’m just brainless at times”

“Really? I wouldn’t have said that about a windswept warrior such as yourself”

“Windswept?”

“A turn of phrase, come, sit with me”

“Uh, no no, I’m just looking for a cobbler”

“Before you can find the right shoe, perhaps you need to know where your feet are taking you”

“Haha, that is a really bizarre way to sell your services”

“I beg your forgiveness for my forward nature”

“No it’s all good, its interesting”

“Please” she continued to insist upon a seat on a cushion beside her and her crystal ball, “Place your hand upon it”.

Mirio slid down beside her and placed his hand upon the stone.

“Hrmm doesn’t seem that magical” he said as he experimented with pouring different types of mana into it.

“It isn’t” she said as she stroked her hand over his, a sudden ripple of magic spreading through him.

The ripple caused the cursed glyphs in his blood to dance and to change just as they had during her song.

“How do you do it?” he asked, “How do you move the curse with your song and your touch?”

Taby smiled with a subtle self confidence, secreting away her truer story and opting for another.

“There was once another confident stranger who entered tier, he too could be said to have carried a curse. Strong, generous, and capable, there was not a woman who would not gaze upon him and wonder…”

“The bard?”

“But of course, his magic was not like yours, or mine. His came from a source still secret. A power from before the cataclysm”

“People in Tier know a lot about him?”

“Yes, and no. We are marked by his presence here. His songs still linger in our halls. The wound of his sorceress still splits the city. And we are raised on stories of his terrible power, as a warning of what it means to seek such magic for ourselves”

“But what magic do you use then, if not the bard’s?”

“I am a seer, and a songstress. I dabble in illusion, and mysticism, and with my insight I peer into the past, and the future. And when I look upon you, and the gazes of women that follow, I cannot help but be reminded of him”

“You think I’m dangerous”

“No… And yes”

“Is it my curse?”

“It is your pain. You hold it within you like a storm pushed just beyond the horizon. It would only take but the wind to draw it out”

“But I wouldn’t allow it”

“Perhaps, you are indeed that strong, and pure of heart. But perhaps not… And what then” she stared into his eyes with ominous warning oozing from them.

Mirio tried to pull his hand out from under hers, only for her grip to tighten.

“You cannot dabble in his power without price”

Mirio snatched his hand loose and recomposed himself, “I don’t intend to use the mark anymore”

“That is a start… But what of your wounded heart? Surely you do not mean to shield it with your will alone?”

“I don’t, I have a plan… I think”

“It isn’t to drag that girl around as your shield is it? You know she wouldn’t survive it”

“I am not going to use anyone. I can manage it myself”

“Can you?” she said as she tilted her head and let her hair cast across her purple cheeks, “Maybe you can…”

“Well, it has been interesting but I’m off”

“I can show you a means to protect yourself from the shadow within”

Mirio’s light tone shifted an octave, Taby had struck a dangerous chord, knowingly.

Taby looked at him cautiously awaiting his response.

He was still for a moment, but if there was an oncoming storm, she could not feel it swell.

He turned around with clarity in his eyes, and a question on his lips.

“I don’t expect you to be able to do that, but if you are offering this out of generosity, I will listen”

“My intentions are not entirely noble” she teased.

“I don’t sense an agenda, beyond perhaps the price you paid for dabbling in his magic yourself” Mirio replied.

Taby tensed up as his words stung her hidden wounds. How did he spot it?

“Like sees like then” she whispered, “Very well, follow me then, before I can train you in what I know you must pass a test”.

“Don’t tell me you have a training room out back? I already did that today”

The corner of Taby’s lips peeled back as mischief filled her eyes, “A different kind of test, it will be… Unpleasant”

…

The boy with blue hair turned back at the city, now just a point upon the horizon and touched at the humming crystal on his neck.

VWOOSH

Where the boy once stood was a great wolf, its hair silver and blue just as the boy’s.

It huffed and then turned north as it broke into a stride, powering towards the forested horizon. If the stablemaster was right, then it this horizon would be the first of many on his journey to the far north.

PAD PAD

PAD PAD

Galloping at full stride day became night and fields became forests, only to then find the daylight once more.

…

“You can’t be serious” Mirio protested at the ilari’s suggestion.

“You heard me right, put her to bed”

“To bed!?”

“I promise that today, I am not exploiting you in this request”

“Today?” Mirio questioned under his breath as he nursed an ale under his chin.

The tavern music wound around the hall like a serpent, as the mage lights scattered about the hall lit up groups of dancing ilari, a brilliant red haired ilari surrounded by male admirers as she looked off into the distance with disinterest.

“You are crazy” he mumbled as he took a swig of ale.

“This is the price, but do not worry, I do not need you to actually ravage her. I just need you to make her want it, enough that she draws mana from you to sate her desire.

“Draw mana from me? Come on, but I need my mana”

“Stop putting it off, go over there and woo her, go on, get”

Mirio put down his ale and wandered aimlessly toward the redheaded ilari, his heart thrumming louder as he approached.

“She’s a villain” he muttered as he looked back at Taby, “Rose is going to kill me”

He imagined Rose for a moment, and felt her soft hand on his chest, “You are your own”.

He understood what she would have meant by it, but just the same, surely he couldn’t flaunt her support disrespectfully. Without an answer in mind he instead settled on just approaching closer to the ilari Taby had picked out for him.

A huddle of ilari women to his right grabbed close to each other and eyed him with suspicion as he walked on by, only releasing their grip once it was clear he was headed elsewhere. Ilari men surrounding the redhead stood up taller, and tense themselves as he approached, the redhead still gazing off to a corner of the room.

Mirio stopped before the men, and tilted his head back and away from them, not dissimilar to his aura stance in the guildhall, he gazed off to the corner of the room the ilari gazed to, and then turned to it with a mock interest.

“Oh wow!” he said as he spotted nothing of particular note.

“Its incredible”

The ilari men cautiously turned, and then turned back with derision at the obviously delusional human.

“Can I take a moment” he said with a lift of his hand to the men, but without waiting he stepped past them to the woman beyond.

“I like your entourage” he said as looking back to the corner with her, “though they are a bit stiff” he said with a chuckle.

Her eyes continued to bore into the corner of the room.

“Perhaps you could use the distraction of a man without an agenda”

“All have an agenda” she replied as she turned to him with bored eyes, staring past him to Taby in the distance.

“Well I guess that is true” he laughed.

“Go back to her with your tail between your legs, and tell her I’m not in the mood for her games”

“Wait what?” he asked shocked, seemingly at her spotting Taby and seeing through why he had come, “I grew a tail?”

She looked up at him with a tensely scrunched brow, “What the fuck? I wasn’t literal”

“Oh, phew, I’m relieved then”

Seconds passed as Mirio continued to stand there, each second growing more awkward until the redheaded ilari’s patience burst into a fiery spray “You can go now!”

“That is true” Mirio nodded, “I could go…”

The ilari men smiled at the chance to show themselves men in front of her and encroached on Mirio. Her eyes drifted towards Mirio a little bit, curious as to how he’d react to her would be protectors.

He stood there calmly gazing back at her patiently. The first man’s clutch gripping hard onto his shoulder, and the next onto his wrist.

“You know, I find it interesting” Mirio said as he effortlessly moved free of their grip, as though it were part of a movement he was already considering.

The interlopers were in shock as their hands slipped to only grasp air, as Mirio moved toward their sweet lady.

Mirio knelt partly on a chair close by as he seemingly tested its back for sturdiness, and delayed further the second half of his sentence.

“What is it you find interesting, the chair?”

“No… Well, the chair is interesting actually, it rocks a little. But no…”

“Get to the point, so you can go”

“I was sent over by Taby to woo you, but honestly I wouldn’t know how”

“Yuh, its obvious”

“So instead, how about I just figure out something about you none of these guys did, and maybe, maybe you can help me trick Taby so I can be on my way?”

The ilari sighed, and as the men grabbed for Mirio again she waved them off with a shooing motion.

“What? Why is she listening to him” one of the men grumbled to another.

Mirio stared at her and let his intentions melt away, just focusing on her for a moment, so that he might bridge the disconnect between them and find crucial common ground. His scarred eye peered into the silver threads of the world winds as they traced around her, so many thousands of possibilities existing in each person to search between, and yet Mirio could feel one particular thread pulling at him more than the others.

“You really are a dreamer aren’t you” he smiled.

“What?”

“You apprenticed under her”

“Pssht, she just told you that, I’m not that easy to fool you know”

Mirio continued, “And she told you that you weren’t ready, that the price was higher than you would be willing to pay”

“Now I’m mad, why did she tell you private things” she said as she grabbed at her things ready to storm over to Taby.

“And you declined her, out of wisdom, knowing you shouldn’t push”

Her red hair slipped over her eyes as she peered up at Mirio. Was he a seer already? How could it be he knew something she never told Taby, something Taby in her arrogance wouldn’t like to know.

Her hair fell gently to the sides of her face as she stood up and faced Mirio square on, gazing at him through narrowed eyes.

“You… You are far too bold” she said with a push, as she slipped past and left the tavern.

Each of the men, pushed and shoved at each other in dismay… Their night was ruined of course, and standing amidst their rabble Mirio gazed at the ilari as she left through the doors, glancing over her shoulder for a moment as their eyes met.

“Who is he?” she thought for a moment before she shattered it by walking out to the streets.

Mirio slowly wandered back to Taby and raised his eyebrows, slumping down beside her in defeat.

“What are you doing?” Taby said with a palpable disgust at Mirio sitting down, “Get back out there”

“What?”

Mirio grit his teeth, he had just managed to dance through the fiery gaze of that girl and come out unharmed, and now she wanted him to go out there where he clearly wasn’t wanted? Insanity. He wasn’t going to lie to this girl, make her feel like he was truly pursuing her, was he?

Mirio scowled as he pulled himself off the stool and with hidden resentment breached out through the tavern doors.

“Wait”

He said to the silhouette leaning on the side of the tavern going through her things.

The woman ignored him as she found what she was looking for.

A flicker of fire lit for a moment, as the woman huffed on a long slender pipe that resembled a flute but much smaller.

Mirio walked over and looked at it curiously, “Is it northern? That pipe style”

The woman tossed back her hair, and blew out a puff of smoke towards the stars.

“What does it matter?” she said as waggling the end of the pipe towards him, choosing to share.

“No thanks, I have other ways to relax” he said as he summoned forth his oasis spell, and rested back against the tavern glimmering in the soft light.

“Nice cantrip, you learn it from Tab”

“Nah, its my own”

“You mind me asking, why you are even trying to learn from her?” she said as she dabbed her pipe before taking another huff.

“She offered, I got curious I guess”

“You must be a masochist then, I’m not judging but, she’s a total bitch”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” she said as widening her eyes to emphasize the point, “Better off staying away from her”

“Because she’s a bitch right?”

“No. Because she’s an avatar”

“An avatar? Of who?”

“Denya”

“Your are shitting me?”

“Nope, the goddess of delight deems us worthy of her mortal presence” she replied with only a spice of sarcasm to highlight her derision.

“So why try to learn under her?” Mirio questioned.

“Dunno, seemed the thing to do, figured who better to learn from than an actual goddess, but they are a load of shit”

“Hmph, I don’t know Taby, or Denya for that matter, but I know power isn’t always what it appears to be”

“Yeah…”

“So I should just say fuck it and not learn whatever she is offering?”

“Probably better than the price you’d pay”

“Ominous” Mirio nodded his seriousness breaking into amusement, “But on the other hand”

“On the other hand” the ilari said nodding, “Power!” lighting up her eyes with the flare of her personality she had kept hidden until now.

“Haha!” Mirio chuckled back sincerely, “Yeah, fuck power” he continued settling back into his oasis spell up against the wall.

The ilari took another puff before allowing her lips to form a question that doubled as an invitation, “So you going to tell me your name, or should I just call you rainbow guy”

“I kinda like rainbow guy, but I’m Mirio, and you?”

“Iona”

“Cool, so no chance then you’ll just steal some of my mana so I can take a peak at what she’ll teach and coming back to you saying you were right?”

“Pfft, you are cute and all, even with the skar but, I’m going to say no”

“C’mon, I could teach you the ways of the rainbow spell” he replied playfully.

“Haha, tempting as that is, ilari aren’t that easy. I know guys like to think we are ravenous, but truth be told we are selective when it comes to a man’s energy we touch with our own”

“Isn’t it just energy? What does it matter?”

“Energy merging, is more than just sex is to humans Mirio, it is to trust someone with your own future, to merge their lot with your own. To do that with anyone, is like peeling back the petals of a flower in the naive attempt to see it bloom”

“When in reality you are waiting for the sun”

“Exactly” she said with a nod and a tip of her pipe, “Well, its been a pleasure Mirio, but I’m off”

“See ya round I guess”

“Probably not” she said as she emptied her pipe and put it away, “You only get one shot sometimes” she winked.

“Wait, did I have a shot?”

“No”

“Damn it” he said loud enough for her to smirk as she left.

Mirio slumped down on the stool and looked up at Taby with one eye, “Don’t tell me you want me to stalk her now?”

“Would you hurry up and do it already?” Taby said before playfully nudging him.

“Did I pass your test?”

“No” Taby said as she got up to leave.

“But wait, I thought you wanted to teach me? And now it’s over like that?”

“It’s over like that” she said with a curt smile before leaving the bar.

Mirio pushed the ale Taby had left for him back to the bartender, “What the hell was all that about?”

It couldn’t have been that this was Denya’s real intent, for him to fail? Or did she expect the world of him? Perfection almost? And even if she had, wasn’t what he managed to do perfect in its own way? Why mutilate the dance of getting to know someone to drag it to bed, why ignore the substance of who they were?

He wrestled with the thought for a moment before turning to the dancing ilari that had cloistered up as he had walked past them to talk to Iona.

Were they all interesting too? Or people to ignore? Was he meant to somehow recognise everybody? And in doing so, how then could anyone be special? Wasn’t being special to someone then just an arbitrary choice to look them in the eye or not, when deciding about them?

Mirio chuckled at the realization that understanding women was perhaps just as complex as the battlefield.

“Wait, a battlefield?”

Mirio pushed himself up from the bar and walked over to the group of ilari’s from earlier, his intensity blaring as if he was about to fight, yet with whisps of energy streaming off of him that were colored like the rainbow.

As they cloistered up he again walked past them until they relaxed, and took a seat where Iona had been. He gazed towards the corner, and pouted as Iona had done. He imagined the groups of admirers crowding about him, and the idea of a lone man splitting that tide as he had done. And suddenly it dawned on him.

“Shit, she WAS interested”

It didn’t exactly make sense to him yet, but as a man he was too sterile, too intentional, too based on actions and not enough on intuition. Perhaps all Iona really needed was to know my choice was my own, and to display why I was so confident in it.

Mirio flicked his eyes across to the group of ilari who were quite obviously aware of him, though not showing it.

He tilted his head back, and repositioned his body language, extending his knowledge of aura stances, and molding it to suit the women across from him. He gently rose from his seat and smoothed over to them with a whisper.

“I wanna… Just…” his hand gently grazed against one of their shoulders, “See something… If I’m right or not…”

The woman didn’t pull away, but instead let her energy flow a little into his own before smiling and turning away.

“You knew too…” he smiled as he pulled back his hand.

“It all only makes sense, because they know” he muttered under his breath as he headed back to his seat, he tossed back his hair and laughed, “I get it”.

“Hahaha”

His gaze fell down like a dark waterfall had emerged from behind him, as he fell into the depths of the shadow within him.