"Until you're free, your soul will always call to you with those dreams," Ari says.

Kita's eye's rapidly blink trying to subdue the sadness she feels hearing the truth laid out before her by someone else. Is she pitying me? A part of this all pisses her off. Emotions are better off compressed. This type of shit throws her off. Wastes her time and has her doing foolish crap like talking to foxes.

"I'm doing what I can," Kita scoffs, blinking away the last remnants of her emotions.

"You are. I just… I think you should try doing good where you can too,"

"Hmph," Kita breathes out her nose, "What's the point?"

"Your soul needs a way to live with itself once this is all done, Kita,"

"Once you become the monster, you're always with one in the darkness,"

"But, you're not a monster. You've helped as much as you've hurt,"

"I have no memories of helping anyone,"

"Exactly. With your power, you should be aware of the impact you have,"

Kita chuckles, "I'm no god,"

"You play god whenever you take a soul,"

Kita starts walking ahead of Ari, avoiding eye contact and waving her hand dismissively. "Sure, your feedback has been noted,"

•°•°•°•

Kita and Ari arrive in the Southeast of the city, walking on the pathways lit purple by the glowing lake passing beside them. Tipis here are neatly organized in rows, with signs marking the different segments. Stone bridges with seating areas suspended above the purple streams, decorated with small sculptures similar to those in the marketplace. Many of them have hair-like streams of glowing purple, waving amongst the sculpture's design.

"Ari?" calls out the voice of a young girl across the lake.

Ari barks- or something- a high-pitched squeal at the little girl across the lake. Raising her snout and wagging her thick tail as her body clatters with excitement.

"Starlet!" Ari calls out, darting across the nearest bridge and diving into the arms of the young girl.

"I thought someone stole you," The little girl embraces Ari as she sheds a tear.

"I'm too tough for that," Ari and Starlet both chuckle.

A smile peels subtly across Kita's face. It's cute, seeing how shocked the kid was to notice Ari.

"Thank you, lady!" The kid says as Kita crosses the bridge. Looking at Kita with her abyssal eyes.

"I didn't do much," Kits responds.

"She totally saved me!" Ari says.

The little girl bows her head, holding Ari up with both hands and stomping her feet close together. "Please join us for dinner,"

Free food? How could Kita say no? She had to spend all that time listening to Ari's depressing and weirdly mature view of life. Eating will do Kita good in getting her mind off of it.

"Sure," Kita chuckles. "I have a friend who'd like to join too,"

The little girl nods, "It will be my honour to cook for the both of you,"

"Let me go get her, she isn't too far,"

Kita walks further down the lake, trying to spot Raya's blue hair somewhere near the tipis sectioned closest to the lake.

Kita hates to think about it, but Ari made some valid points. She doesn't want to listen to her. Not at all, but the rational part of her mind keeps pushing her to consider it. She can't remember killing any of Ari's owners, but surely it wasn't for any reason other than consuming souls… Well, that is the reason.

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That's the problem.

She's killed innocent people. People she only saw as a means to an end. And Ari is saying she needs to see them as people? Is she supposed to actually try being a hero and only hurting 'bad' people?

"Ugh," Kita scoffs.

Casting judgment doesn't sit with her. People in this world do what they must to survive, or they die. Nobody's perfect. Good and evil don't exist. Chevo's assassins think they're good, and that Vlad's raiders are evil. Vlad's raiders think the opposite. And normal citizens think they're both evil. It's all just opinions. Conflicting points of view.

This isn't going anywhere.

What can she learn from this? She needs two hundred souls, can she get that from bad people alone? Maybe she should try it. She's mostly killed raiders anyway, but maybe she shouldn't kill people unless they hurt innocent people… Sure. She doesn't see much of a point other than 'the fox said so', but it sits better than taking nothing away from all of this. And if it gets in the way of her plans, she can always go back to not caring.

Alright. She confirms with herself. "Saviour Kita is officially on duty,"

A few tipi away, she notices a tall girl with blue hair stepping out of a tipi.

"Princess," Kita calls out to her.

Raya turns, and raises both arms in confusion. "Where's the food?"

Kita waves Raya over, "Someone's going to cook for us. Follow me,"

Raya zips up the tent and walks over to Kita before they both make their way back up to Ari and Starlet.

•°•°•°•

"Thank you for having us," Raya bows her head as she and Kita sit on the carpeted interior of Starlets family's tipi. Kita bows her head too, riding off of Raya's politeness without saying anything further.

The tipi is decorated with hanging ornaments of different shapes and sizes, the entire interior glows a soft orange and purple- each ornament is decorated with flowing purple streams that subtly cast light across the room. The candles suspended on some of the ornaments and counters around the room bring warmth to the space.

"No, thank you for bringing Ari back to our Starlet," Starlet's mother smiles, "She is very excited to share dinner with you,"

"How did you find her, Kita?" Starlet's Father asks, with an endearing smile on his face as well.

"As I told your Starlet, I didn't do much," Kita responds, scratching behind her ear. "Ari found me,"

The parents chuckle to one another, "Ari doesn't speak to people she doesn't trust," Her mother responds. "It must mean you have a pure soul,"

"Hmph," Kita chuckles, "The purest souls must be the most valuable, then,"

"We do believe that is why Starlet's was taken," The father nods.

"When did the dark one take it?" Raya asks.

"Not long after her birth," The mother frowns, "I can remember looking into her green eyes when they first opened. I was so confused, watching them slowly turn to black… I thought she was sick,"

"A baby doesn't have a strong link to their soul yet," Raya follows, "It is easy for him to reach them,"

"What a coward," Kita scoffs. "Taking souls while he hides away,"

"How did he take yours, Kita?" The Father asks.

"Hmm," Kita wonders, trying to recall how she'd lost her soul in the first place."Honestly, I can't remember,"

"We've noticed the same from our daughter," The mother adds. "She lost hers very early on and yet she struggles to hold memories as time passes. As if she no longer has the part of her that they stick to,"

Kita drops her eye contact, relating to what the mother just said a bit too directly.

"That's why she's on a mission to get her soul back," Raya says.

"Oh," Both parents respond as they glance at Kita with startled looks on their faces.

"How will you do that?" the father says.

"I'm not so sure yet," Kita chuckles.

"Can you get our daughters back too?" the mother asks.

"I uhh-" Kita stammers, completely uncertain and hesitant to make any promises. She doesn't even know if she can get her own one back. "I don't know,"

"If you discover how to get yours back. Please get our Starlets soul as well," The mother bows her head, genuinely asking out of respect.

This catches Kita off guard. It's more responsibility. And one she doesn't think she could live up to… But what else can she say? These people have invited her into their home and are about to feed her.

She can't exactly refuse.

"I will try my best," Kita responds.

"Dinner is ready!" Calls out Starlet from the connected tipi. She walks into the common room with two large dishes in either hand. One with a spiced porridge likely made out of maize. It smells like it has been mixed with many herbs- This kid can cook!

The second dish has a stew. A thick, brown sauce with different vegetables and the occasional chunk of meat lying amongst the spices peppered all over.

"There's more than enough for everyone," Ari says, walking into the room with a dish of toasted bread delicately balanced on top of her head that Starlet puts in the centre of the room with the others.

Before sitting down, both Starlet and Ari turn to Kita, and now their heads. Stopping Kita amidst reaching for the food and awkwardly pausing to be polite.

"Thank you for bringing us back together," They say in sync.