Rin sat cross-legged on her bed.

The leather-bound book rested in her lap. The room was quiet, save for the soft rustling of pages as she carefully turned them, her eyes scanning the ancient text.

At first, the book seemed to have little relevance to her situation. It spoke of old legends, myths, and stories from a time long before the Split. Honestly, not a bad read. Rin found herself getting lost in the stories.

But then, as she turned to a new chapter, a particular passage caught her eye.

"Spirit Soothers," the title read. Rin leaned in closer.

The book described these Spirit Soothers as mythical figures who existed before the Split. They were said to have the unique ability to balance the Essence of those around them, bringing harmony and stability to their communities.

It gave a physical description as well, of course.

They were described as having four eyes, blue skin, hair so long it touched the ground, long limbs, and kind personalities.

Rin furrowed her brow, a smirk on her face as she looked at their depictions.

[Uh... Pretty sure I don't look like that.]

But as she continued reading, one detail made her pause.

"Essence Soothers were known for their distinctive golden eyes," the book stated.

Rin's breath caught in her throat.

[O-Okay,] she took a moment. [That's... That's one thing we have in common, I guess.]

Rin closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

[I want to keep reading later.]

---

Rin walked back to the shaman's chamber, the leather-bound book tucked under her arm. She knocked on a heavy wooden door and waited.

A moment later, the shaman appeared, his wise eyes looking at her with a hint of curiosity.

"Ah, Rin. Done so soon?" he asked.

Rin nodded, holding up the book.

"I was wondering if I could take this with me," she said. "I'd like to keep reading it, see if I can learn more about these Spirit Soothers on my own time."

The shaman considered her request for a moment, then nodded.

"Of course," he replied. "If it might help you ease our troubles here, go ahead."

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Rin grinned.

"Thank you so much!"

She tucked the book into her bag and made her way out of the palace.

As she stepped into the busy streets of Cardana, she spotted Lisa and Eve moving towards her.

"Hey guys," Rin greeted them. "Did you manage to find anything out from those monsters?"

Lisa nodded, her expression serious.

"I'm pretty sure this disease isn't natural," she said. "The symptoms, the way it spreads... it's not like anything I've seen before. I think someone, or something, is deliberately infecting these creatures."

Eve's wings fluttered as she flew closer.

"Oh! Rin, what about you? Did you learn anything about your nature from the shaman?"

Rin pulled out the book and showed it to them.

"Kind of," she said. "This book talks about these people called Spirit Soothers who could balance Essence. And, get this, they all had golden eyes, just like me."

"Whoa," Eve breathed, her own eyes wide. "Do you think you could be one of them?"

Rin shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't have four eyes or blue skin like the book describes. But the eye color thing... it can't be a coincidence, right?"

Lisa tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"It's definitely worth looking into more," she said. "But right now, we should focus on figuring out who's behind this disease and how to stop it."

Just then, Jany came jogging up to them.

"Excuse me," she said. "What if we try to catch the evildoers in the act? We could stake out some of the areas where the infected monsters have been appearing and see if we can spot anyone suspicious."

Rin's eyes lit up.

"That's a great idea," she said. "If we can catch them red-handed, we might be able to get some answers and put a stop to this whole thing."

Lisa and Eve nodded in agreement.

"Let's do this!" Eve excitedly replied.

They began walking in Ysmor's direction then, while Rin kept her head low.

"What's on your mind?" Eve asked.

A few memories flashed before Rin's mind.

Specifically, that day she'd been kidnapped a year ago.

"I have a bit of a suspicion as to who's behind this," she murmured. "You know..."

"The Scorned?" Eve asked, surprised. "You think so?"

"Maybe," Rin replied. "Somehow, they found a way to manipulate monsters' minds, right? I think we might have just stumbled across the beginning stages of that process."

"Now that you mention it, maybe," Lisa said, looking back.

"If it's them... We absolutely need to put a stop to this."

---

The wind whipped through Rin's hair as she and the girls soared above the Cardanian forest.

She scanned the dense foliage below, searching for any signs of the people infecting the monsters.

Beside her, Lisa and Jany shared her focus, their eyes narrowed against the rushing air. Rin's arms, all the while, kept hold of Eve, who sat in her lap again.

It was a peaceful moment. But, a short-lived one.

"WHOA!" Jany yelled out trying to pull Ysmor away from the incoming projectile, but she failed.

Without warning, a searing bolt of magical energy tore through the air, piercing Ysmor's hide.

The drake let out a deafening roar. Rin's heart leapt into her throat as Ysmor began to plummet.

[Crap, crap, crap, crap.]

She held onto Eve tightly.

As Ysmor spiraled towards the ground, Rin felt herself slipping off the drake's back.

And, soon, she was flung into the air.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The world spun around her in a dizzying blur of green and blue. Soon, she was falling on the trees.

Branches snapped and leaves tore at her skin as Rin plummeted through the canopy, Eve's tiny body still in her arms. In a few seconds, she crashed into the forest floor, landing on her back, the breath knocked from her lungs.

But, she wasn't dead.

Half her body felt like it was broken, but, hey, she was mostly alright.

Stars danced before her eyes, and for a moment, everything went black.

Beside her, Eve stirred weakly, her delicate wings bent and tattered.

"Aahhh. Shit," Eve muttered. "That really hurt."

Rin struggled to her feet, her head spinning as she searched for any sign of Lisa or Jany.

But the forest around her was still and silent.

[... Guess we're on our own.]