The tiny train station on the outskirts of Ashford stood like a lonely sentinel in the autumn landscape, its weathered wooden platform and handful of sleepy staff a stark contrast to Novaria's bustling terminals. As Angelo stepped down from the train, the solid thunk of his boots against familiar planks sent echoes through both the station and his memories. Two years ago, he'd left this same platform with Sleeser, his heart full of dreams about becoming a proper Auron. Now he was back, evolved and changed, yet somehow everything about Ashford felt exactly the same – right down to the way the wind whispered through the ash trees.

"Time to find ourselves a good camping spot in the forest," Angelo announced, trying to mask his unease at being back with casual indifference.

"Aye aye, captain!" Neiva's enthusiasm burst out complete with a theatrical salute that made Angelo's eye twitch in annoyance.

"What? Is 'captain' forbidden too?" She pressed, but Angelo had already started walking, leaving her to scramble after him with an indignant "Hey, wait up!"

The forest welcomed them with a carpet of fallen leaves in brilliant shades of red and gold, ash trees stretching toward a crystal-clear autumn sky. Their footsteps crunched pleasantly against the forest floor as they made their way deeper into the woods, Red and Blue's materialized forms falling into step beside Angelo and Neiva like a peculiar family out for a stroll.

"You two are materializing more often lately," Angelo observed, glancing at his duplicates while his evolved energy tendrils managed their heavy bags with occasional frustrated swats at low-hanging branches. "Red I get – he can't sit still to save his life. But you, Blue?"

Blue adjusted his posture with scholarly precision. "Previous experience suggests our internal conversations make you appear distracted to others. This arrangement should prevent such social awkwardness."

"Ha! Nice try, professor!" Red's face split into a knowing grin. "You just can't stand being left out of the action!"

"I see no reason to dignify such childish speculation with a response." Blue turned away with a sniff that fooled absolutely no one.

Neiva's giggle broke through their bickering. "You really are like three brothers! Is that how you see yourselves?" She directed the question to Angelo, who was currently engaged in a losing battle with a particularly stubborn tree branch caught in his energy constructs.

"Hard to see it that way when we're so different," he grunted, finally freeing the branch with more force than strictly necessary. "The face is about all we have in common."

"That's exactly what makes you brothers!" Neiva insisted, ducking under a branch Angelo had accidentally sent swinging. "Real siblings can be complete opposites – some don't even look alike."

"Fascinating," Angelo's dry tone made it clear it was anything but. His patience with the forest obstacle course finally snapped. "Hey, you two freeloaders! Instead of walking around like tourists, how about going smoke form and scouting us a decent campsite?"

Red and Blue exchanged a look that somehow managed to combine annoyance and resignation. Their synchronized "Fine!" and "Very well" preceded their transformation into crimson and azure smoke that streamed back into Angelo's body before dispersing outward to explore.

"Why do they have to go back into you first?" Neiva asked, watching the colored smoke weave between trees. "Seems like an extra step."

Angelo shrugged, his energy tendrils adjusting their grip on the bags. "Who knows? It's just how it works. They can turn to smoke whenever, but they have to reconnect with me before they can move freely again."

"Interesting..." Neiva mused, studying the distant wisps of color. "Though why call it smoke form? It's more like mist really – all ethereal and semi-transparent. Smoke's usually thick and dark."

"Because it's called smoke form, not mist form," Angelo replied with the particular patience of someone explaining that water is wet.

"Duh," Red chimed in internally as if that made perfect sense.

Their conversation drifted into comfortable silence as they continued deeper into the forest, autumn leaves dancing around them like nature's own festival decorations. The woods seemed to hold its breath around them, as if sensing that these visitors carried the weight of long-buried secrets in their wake.

Angelo's eyes suddenly widened as Blue's distant vision filtered through their shared consciousness. "Blue, look left – I think you passed something." Through their mental link, he watched as Blue's ethereal form twisted like morning mist caught in a breeze, revealing a perfect clearing. "Stay there as a marker for us."

With four glowing orange tendrils already occupied with their massive bags, Angelo made a split-second decision that his evolved state couldn't maintain much longer. He scooped Neiva up under one arm like an oversized backpack and launched them skyward. Her startled shriek turned into a series of smaller yelps as they bounded from treetop to treetop, autumn leaves scattering in their wake.

When they finally landed in the clearing, Angelo's energy constructs dissipated like smoke in a strong wind as he dropped everything – bags and passenger alike – before collapsing onto the grass. His evolved aura flickered weakly around him, betraying his exhaustion.

"HEY!" Neiva scrambled to her feet, face flushed with indignation as she brushed leaves and dirt from her clothes. "I am not luggage!"

"Sorry," Angelo managed between heavy breaths. "Running out of... stamina."

"Hmph." She crossed her arms, her anger deflating in the face of his obvious exhaustion. Then something clicked. "Wait a minute... how did you even know how to get here?"

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"What do you mean?" Angelo asked, fumbling with his water bottle.

"Well, I thought Blue was guiding you, but..." Her forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Just seeing somewhere from above doesn't tell you how to reach it. And if you knew the forest well enough to recognize the spot, why send Blue searching in the first place?"

Blue materialized, genuine respect coloring his scholarly features. "Excellent deduction, Neiva. The answer is quite simple – can you touch your nose with your finger in complete darkness?"

"Um, yes?" She blinked at the seemingly random question.

Angelo took a long drink, rolling his eyes as Blue slipped into full professor mode.

"That's called proprioception, my dear," Blue explained with academic enthusiasm.

"'My dear?'" Red's mental voice dripped amusement. "Someone's been spending too much time with the old man."

"Quiet," Blue's internal response could have frozen fire. He continued smoothly, "This sense allows coordinated movement without visual input. We three share this awareness even when separated. Simply by standing here, I provided Angelo with our exact location."

"That's amazing!" Neiva's eyes lit up with understanding. "Super useful too!"

"NERD!" Red materialized just to shout the accusation.

Angelo pushed himself up with a weary sigh, his stamina slowly returning. "Alright, enough biology lessons. Let's get these tents up."

"Word of caution," Blue interjected. "I'd avoid using forged energy with the tendrils – they might tear the fabric."

They set to work, their basic auras providing gentler energy constructs for the task. While Angelo and Blue methodically raised one tent together, Red tackled the other solo. Neiva perched on a nearby boulder, feeling somewhat useless until her eyes widened in amazement.

"Wow," she breathed, watching Red orchestrate ten energy tendrils in perfect synchronization, his progress easily outpacing the other two's combined efforts.

She drifted closer, studying his work. "First you turn out to be an empath, now you're some kind of multitasking genius. If we hadn't gotten off on the wrong foot, I might actually think you're impressive."

Red's trademark smirk appeared as he secured the final tent pole. "What, still hung up on 'sugar-tits'? Did that ruffle your delicate feathers?"

She crossed her arms with a disapproving snicker. "Add 'pervert' to your list of charming qualities."

"Hate to burst your bubble, sugar-tits," he repeated deliberately, "but I can't be a pervert. Don't feel attraction – romantic or sexual." His grin widened. "Chaos is the only thing that gets me going."

"You're... asexual?" The word came out half-question, half-revelation.

Blue approached, leaving Angelo muttering over his tent poles. "Not precisely. Red and I aren't biological entities with biological needs. We don't eat, drink, or sleep. The same applies to attraction."

"Yeah, even that slap you gave me? Didn't feel a thing." Red's wicked smile returned. "Totally wasted effort."

"We can only experience physical sensation through Angelo's body," Blue elaborated. "We register his pain but don't suffer from it. We simply... observe it." He turned back toward Angelo at a disapproving grunt from their original.

Neiva processed this information before blurting, "So... does that mean Angelo feels attraction then?" The question escaped before she could stop it.

"Oh boy, does he!" Red barely contained his laughter. "You should've felt his heart racing in that toy store! Though maybe I shouldn't specify which kind of toy store-" He dodged sideways as an orange energy beam sizzled past his ear.

"RED, I WILL END YOU!" Angelo's fury echoed through the clearing.

Neiva retreated to her boulder, her face matching her brilliant red hair as laughter and threats continued to fill the forest air.

The tents stood ready in the forest clearing, their supplies tucked safely inside, but no one moved to leave. They just stared at their temporary home until Neiva broke the silence. "We're not really going to leave everything just sitting here, are we?"

"I could stay behind," Angelo offered too quickly, his ulterior motive transparent as glass. "Get some training in while I guard the camp."

"Absolutely not!" Neiva planted her hands on her hips. "You have to come with us!" Her eyes darted hopefully to Red.

"Oh no, not happening!" Red threw his hands up in theatrical protest. "I just spent hours playing office ghost – you are not sticking me with guard duty!"

"I also would prefer not to remain here..." Blue's careful deflection carried no explanation, but his scholarly discomfort was evident.

Angelo sighed, shoulders slumping. "Fine, we leave it all here. Nothing's going to mess with our stuff anyway."

"What about creating some kind of energy barrier?" Neiva suggested, her eyes lighting up with the idea.

"Two problems," Angelo held up fingers. "First, my energy dissipates when I deactivate my aura. Second, it might explode."

Blue's analytical expression sharpened with interest. "Regarding your second point – we've yet to see forged energy detonate. It may lack that capacity entirely." His eyes took on that particular gleam that meant a theory was forming. "As for the first issue, you might be able to create forged energy that persists even after your aura deactivates. The principle should be similar to temporary matter."

Angelo's brow furrowed in concentration while Neiva glanced between them in growing confusion. Red, for once, kept uncharacteristically quiet – likely afraid someone might volunteer him for sentry duty. Finally, Angelo spoke: "So... pack more energy into it? That might work..."

"Sorry, but what's temporary matter?" Neiva cut in, frustration evident in her voice.

"Later," Angelo waved off her question, making her cheeks puff with annoyance. His evolved aura erupted around him like a contained sunrise before settling into steady orange flames. He cupped his hands, pouring energy into a small sphere for nearly a minute without letting it grow larger. "That should do it," he muttered, placing the glowing orb on the ground where it cast dancing shadows across nearby stones. When he deactivated his aura, the sphere remained, drawing an impressed whistle from Red.

"Well damn, it actually worked," Red admitted, studying the persistent light.

"Wait – I've got an idea," Angelo's eyes lit up. "Quick, follow my lead!" Their evolved auras ignited in perfect sync as they each began concentrating energy into similar orbs while Neiva watched with undisguised curiosity.

"That tiny amount can't possibly protect the whole camp..." Skepticism colored her voice.

"Just watch," Angelo's satisfied smile suggested he knew something she didn't. He raised his arms like a conductor about to lead an orchestra, the glowing sphere trailing his fingers' movement. Red and Blue mirrored his gesture, and together they began weaving their orbs through the air. Like luminous thread unwinding from balls of light, thin strands of forged energy stretched between trees, creating a glowing barrier that resembled police tape made of captured sunlight.

"If anything crosses that line, we'll know," Angelo explained, pride evident in his voice. "We can get back here fast if needed."

"Perfect!" Neiva bounced on her toes with renewed enthusiasm. "Now we can all go together!"

They set off toward Ashford proper, leaving their protected camp behind. Angelo's posture grew more rigid with each step, as if physically bracing for whatever ghosts from his past awaited in the town ahead.

After 10 minutes of walking, they finally crossed into Ashford. It was a small town, one could see almost all of it from it's center. The town hall was comically in its center like something from an old movie. There were some luxurious houses with big gardens at the town's outskirts - obviously taking some of the unoccupied forest areas as gardens. Memories came rushing back, when Angelo saw his old school, the town's market and lets not forget, the orphanage.

They all braced themselves to the secrets Ashford holds, and await their imminent discovery...