People. Reial had never seen so many people gathered in one place. Sure, he had come from one of the most heavily populated states and cities in the world, but everyone was usually spread out. Not condensed like this. The bright colorful signs hanging on stalls, the laughter that filled his ears, the distant, shrill cries of people whirling around on massive Essence-powered constructs. It was all starting to give him a headache.

Not that it would be the first one he’s had all day. Ever since his proper introduction with Linithesis, he’s been trying to figure out how a dwelling Pneuma of all things managed to get itself trapped in his mind. Well, ‘trapped’ was a subjective term, the Pneuma itself had claimed that it had chosen him. As to why, he didn’t explain. More questions, and more reasons to question his own sanity. Just what he needed.

Reial sighed. “I need a drink.”

“I can go for something refreshing, myself. How about you, Scorch?” Charette asked

Her response; an enthusiastic yip curtsy of Scorch.

After sifting through the crowd for a time, Reial was struck by a wave of sweet, oily scents. Almost as if someone had dumped entire bowls of pastries and sugars into an oil vat. It wasn’t disgusting, if anything it made him feel nostalgic. Although he couldn’t recall why.

To him, it was one of the least Aunesfernish scents he’s ever smelled. It wasn’t tame and subtly rich like the heavily spiced dishes he was accustomed to. Perhaps that’s why he liked it? Because it was different. I wonder what’s causing it.

Reial and Charette wandered through a market of stalls, passing several vendors that sold refreshing drinks made from fruits like grapes, lemons, and controlled quantities of strawberries. Those didn’t interest him all that much, he wanted to find the source of that smell, and he assumed Charette did as well. Temporarily forgetting their thirst.

Scorch pawed at Reial’s legs for attention, flicking his head back to the drink stands. “Not now boy.” He mumbled.

Scorch cocked his head as if in question, though he didn’t receive a response.

There was a variety of food that Reial hadn’t suspected. From fried legs of poultry and sliced potatoes to caramelized fruits and bags of golden drops shipped from Khaantan. He would have been tempted to buy one were it not for the collection of his own he had brought along. That, and the fact that it cost fifty Yusanian dollars.

Reial noted how the Recundian’s had a strange pension for dipping foods in batter and then frying them, including—Reial gaped. Is that…fried chocolate? He thought, staring at a dark lump of dough topped off with whip cream and a sliced strawberry.

It was so wrong, weird, and foreign. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but be caught by its strange attraction. He broke off from Charette, dragging Scorch with him to the stand. A middle-aged Recundian man occupying the stall greeted him with a kindly smile.

“Welcome! What can I treat you to today, son?” He inquired.

Reial pointed to the fried chocolate clump of dough. “What’s that?”

“That? I call it rasdham. Vaes himself was said to have snacked on something similar during the crusades. Food befitting of an Empyrean.”

Reial stared at the platters of rasdham arrayed on the counter. “He certainly had…good taste.”

“No, he did not,” Linithesis commented.

“Would you care for a sample?” The man proposed.

“Ah, no, I’m fine.”

The man skewered the treat with a toothpick, then offered it to him. “C’mon, give it a try. Doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.”

Reial eyed the rasdham cautiously. “The fact that you had to say that frightens me a little.”

The man gave a hearty chuckle. “First time in Recunda?”

“Yes.” Reial arched a brow. “How did you know?”

“Cuz that’s the face most outta staters make when they pass through here. Something about the food, maybe.”

“I can see that.”

The man dropped the treat into a white paper bag and then handed it to Reial. “In case you still want to try it, I’ll give you this.”

Reial accepted the bag with an awkward thanks. He was thinking of giving it to Scorch, after all, that drog ate just about anything up.

“You’re a long way from Aunesfern.” The man said abruptly, causing Reial to freeze. “Are you visiting family?”

“How-”

“Your accent. You’re Aunesfernish, aren’t you?”

Reial blushed. “Yes, I am.”

The man spread his arms out in a welcoming gesture. “I might not be the first to say this, but welcome to Recunda. Landa rolling green hills and crop fields. Pretty to look at but dwelling boring to be in if you don’t know where the fun places are.”

“And where would those be?” Charette asked, joining them.

“Here, and in Endona. Got a dwelling pretty Remnant there. Half sunk in the gulf, and it’s still taller than all the buildings there! We call her out little Cerauhlaan.”

She smiled. “Great! We were just heading there too.”

“You are? Then I’d stop by the plaza on third and fifth, heard they’re having some sort of giveaway.”

“What’re they giving away?” Reial questioned.

The man shrugged. “Don’t know. Some say it's a coach, others say it's something boring like money. Should be happening sometime by the end of this week.”

Reial nodded. “Thanks. We’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

“Ah, don’t mention it. Speaking’s what I like to do.” He turned to Charette. “Speaking of which, would you care for a sample?”

Charette eyed the rasdham warily. “Uh, sure?”

Reial watched as Charette picked a piece from the tray. She examined the treat thoroughly as if she expected a bug to crawl out. He didn’t blame her, the thing looked like something you dropped on the floor and forgot.

“Perhaps it’s more appetizing than it appears,” Linithesis said, trying to sound optimistic.

Charette nibbled on the rasdham timidly, causing the chocolatey center to ooze out. She chewed on the dark fried dough for several seconds as if to gauge the flavor. Then her eyes widened, and she took another bite, this time consuming the entire thing. Strawberry, whip cream, and all.

“What is this?”

“Rasdham.” The man answered. “A snack befitting an Empyrean.”

“How much are you charging per dozen?”

“Ten dollars.”

“I’ll take two!”

Reial stared as the man neatly laid out two dozen rasdham in a medium-sized food box. Was she really going to eat all of that by herself? This doesn’t bode well for her stomach. He thought anxiously. It couldn’t be that good, right?

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The man went on about tourist sites in Recunda and beyond as he topped off the rasdhams. From the Titan of the Shifting Sands to Cerauhlaan in Uvandra. Carcetta was a beautiful beach state, that is if you didn’t mind the smell of the salty sea and the humidity. There was Mirsey, Vaes’s home state that had once been a part of the shattered states long ago.

He was clearly an experienced traveler, which made Reial all the more curious as to why he gave up that lifestyle for this. Recundian’s certainly were strange.

Charette munched on a rasdham as he went on, telling them about the time he once heard an otherworldly roar when he was crossing the Yuson steppe.

“Do you really think a Pneuma lives there?” She inquired.

“Think?” He laughed. “I know so! Want to know why? Cuz it spoke to me.”

Reial listened intently. “What did it say?”

“It told me to stop my travels and settle down before the End came.”

Charette cocked her head. “The End?”

The man nodded. “Yup. The End. Wouldn’t tell me what it was, but it said that I would be a lot safer if I was with others.”

“That sounds more like practical advice than anything else,” Reial criticized.

The man wagged a finger. “Ah, but Pneumas are wise creatures. They always know what’s best, even if they don’t fully understand why.”

A ripple of discomfort spread throughout Reial’s being like a tidal wave. “Do you believe that to be true, Reial?” Linithesis asked him.

“Sort of? I’m not completely certain, the books I use to read about Pneumas always talked about how strong and wise they are.”

Linithesis grumbled something inaudible. Reial wasn’t completely sure how that was possible to do in his own mind, but he didn’t ask those questions anymore.

“Would you think it wrong to be regarded in a positive light after all of your failings?”

“I don’t know. Doesn’t that mean you still tried your very best despite all that happened?”

“Perhaps, but to be seen as something so great…Would They have wanted the same?”

Reial frowned. Before the Invasion, tales often spoke of Pneumas as being advisors, counselors, and the very first guardians of man before Striders took their place. They were of Solvaylius’s blood, how were they not great? How were they not something divine?

Then it struck him. The way he viewed it was like how others viewed Striders. As beings deserving of praise when they had never worked for it to begin with. And through his link with Linithesis, he could sense that it shared a similar sentiment. Not furious, but ashamed. Ashamed that it could never live up to the expectations his people had placed on them.

Words floated around him, some from the concession stand owner, others from Charette, and the people around him. They melded together in a cacophony of incoherent noise. To Reial, it sounded as if he were hearing a muffled conversation outside his bedroom door. The only thing that mattered was their conversation. Whether that was his or Linithesis’s doing, he didn’t know.

He looked to Charette, who was still snacking on the rasdham. A third of the box was empty now. How long had they been standing there listening to this man ramble on?

Talking helped people forget about things, didn’t it? Perhaps he could help Linithesis, even if for a moment. He knew he didn’t owe the Pneuma a thing, but it being down just made him want to act.

“So, would you be considered a male or female among your kind?” Reial inquired.

Linithesis hummed. “I would be considered a male, though many of us would be considered both or neither due to Solvaylius’s intervention during our creation.”

“Does that mean that Solvaylius is…?”

“Solis Vaylius is...difficult to attach labels to.”

“Why’s that? Did you know Them personally?”

“You can say They were a teacher of mine.” Linithesis explained. “I—well, my kind was created for a particular purpose: becoming the beacon that Solis Vaylius was. Or still is.”

Reial nodded, trying to absorb all of the information at once. Truth was, he didn’t believe a single word Linithesis was saying. He was only listening so he wouldn’t be down on himself. If Solvaylius was real, he’d rather hear the truth come from it and not the voice in his head.

What a day that would be. For one of their so-called Gods to confirm its existence to him. Perhaps then he would receive the answers to his questions. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be curious, would it?

“What was Solvaylius like?” Reial asked him.

Linithesis made a sharp, clicking sound. Like teeth chattering. “Sensible and understanding. Although that mostly came from its past experience nurturing life on another world.”

So, there is more out there. “That sounds a bit vague if I’m to be completely honest.”

“No, you have every right to be confused. Solis Vaylius has always been a rather…abstract being. They often spent more time spouting riddles and remarks rather than answering questions.”

“Why? Was it trying to be funny?”

“Probably?” Linithesis guessed. “I really don’t know.”

“I thought that Solvaylius was supposed to be an all-powerful and wise God.”

“Oh, It is. Or something akin to that. That didn’t stop it from teasing us though.”

Reial grimaced. Linithesis was speaking of It so casually almost as if it was telling the truth. Then again, he was a pneuma. An immortal being with an intelligence to match man’s brightest minds. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine it could’ve come up with all of that on the spot.

Besides, Reial didn’t even know what kind of pneuma Linithesis was. Could he be the fortunate Vronfor? Or perhaps the insightful Talamana? Well, there was one thought that trumped the rest.

“Where is Solvaylius?” Reial asked.

The loud rumble of thunder caused him to jump. He looked around and found that the sky was clear and sunny. Not a cloud in sight. No, the noise was coming from within. A brooding storm formed in his mind’s eye. Not a thunderstorm, but a heavy shower of rain. Like the one’s he was constantly subjected to in Recunda. It felt...sad. Betrayed. Angry. Forlorn.

All noise ceased to be, save for the ear-splitting rumbling of the storm. It was as if all of Yushiloc’s anguish was given form inside of his heart. He hated it, he hated everything. But why? Why did he feel this way?

How could anyone function with that weighing them down? He needed help; he didn’t want to feel like this. Charette was standing right beside him, he only need call her. But when he turned to face her, he froze. She was there, but none of her colors were. Not only her but the surrounding area too. Everyone and everything was nothing more than a dark outline on a blank canvas.

She stood tall and proud, a small smile on her face as she listened to the colorless man drone on about whatever adventure he had gone on in his youth. But there was a blemish on her figure, one he hadn’t noticed before. An inky smudge on her chest and forehead. She wasn’t the only one that bore those marks. Passersby and even the man she was talking to had similar markings, although his appeared more faintly as if something had tried to erase it. The only ones who didn’t bear them were children.

He stared at the blemishes, trying to gauge what they were. Then he got a faint recollection. Reial saw himself as a young boy, helplessly watching another child scream and cry

Reial chanced a glance at the blemish on her forehead and felt an ocean of thoughts wash over him. Millions of words and emotions drowned out his own, causing him to become her. Reial knew what she feared, what she hated, what she loved, her hopes, and her dreams. They were alike in hundreds of ways, ways he had never considered before, but different in thousands more. When a thought or idea strayed too far from him, he instantly forgot about it. They didn’t belong to him; he was nothing more than a visitor in this place.

As he felt himself slipping, he withdrew once more and shut his eyes closed. He didn’t want to share in their pain. He never asked for it, he just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn’t the Almagest grant him that much?

A chorus of voices arose all around him. They cried—pleaded for him to erase their blemishes. To return them to perfection.

The voices continued to beg, trying to coax him with sobs and stories of their pitiful lives. How they were abused, taken advantage of, ridiculed and mocked, isolated, rejected, scorned. Each tearing at his being like a Talamana’s talons.

Then a voice broke through. “Rail? Rail what’s wrong?”

The world exploded with color as he finally came back to his senses. He was staring at Charette, trembling. Why was he trembling so much?

“Hyvas, you’re crying.” She took him by the hand and guided him away from the stalls and into a more private spot. Or as private as you can get at a fair.

His chest tightened further as a stream of tears poured down his cheeks. It wasn’t him. This part wasn’t him, so why did it hurt so much?

Charette squeezed his hand comfortingly. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Reial refused to look at her. He was afraid that those terrible, heart-wrenching thoughts would invade his mind again.

“Is this about home?” She whispered.

It wasn’t, but he couldn’t find his voice to tell her that. Did it belong to him, or did it belong to them now?

“I miss them too, Rail. But you aren’t alone, I’m here for you.”

That was the issue. He wanted to be away from all of this. Nothing to remind him of the life he had failed to live. A life his parents and teachers had tried making for him. One that had never suited him.

“Rail?”

Emotions swirled inside of him to the bursting point. He wanted to be...to be angry? Sad? Happy that he was finally free?

“Are you okay?”

A Veil Strider’s purpose was to act, to keep moving. That’s what he was, right? That was the one thing he knew he was, even if he didn’t want it.

With a shaky breath, he stood up. Before she could ask him what he was going to do, he Strode away. Ruby sparks erupting from underneath his boots with each step. The familiar power was of comfort to him. It was the one thing he could control.

Reial pushed every Stride harder than the last, propelling himself forward at greater speeds to flee the fairgrounds. Where could he run that was safe for both his mind and heart? A place where he wouldn’t see that face. He leapt over a fence and broke for the hills.

The setting sun greeted him with its orange-red radiance. Solvaylius, smiling upon Yushiloc. A caring, generous god of wisdom and power that enjoyed nothing more than watching them suffer.

Ruby sparks exploded from underneath his heel as he came to a screeching halt. There they were again. The fields pocketed with craters, walls standing without a roof or a door, and the remnants of a tall proud tower settled on a distant hill. A carnage that could only be wrought by clashing Striders. It was as if the land itself was trying to cover up the scars of its past.

At the center of the destruction stood a makeshift dawn stone monument. Vaes’s uniform symbol. Glorious, unbreakable, and strong. Something inside of Reial snapped, causing fresh tears to roll down his cheeks as he slumped to his knees and sobbed.

He wept for the uncaring Gods that brought about suffering, wept for the life he had failed to live, and most importantly, wept for how he had failed those he loved.