Aloryn did not recognize the moons above his head. That was fair, he thought, considering he was not used to seeing more than one, nor ones in so many different colors. Still, he painted a portrait of them in his mind as his eyes moved to the tower next, trying to make sense of its basic architecture where no building seemed to belong. It rose—a structure of brown clay holding on to the twinkling light with a net-like ball, trapping something that hummed with magic itself. Except, this magic did not spread around but rise into the night sky, casting its spells out to worlds beyond. From there, his eyes returned to the pod, where the silhouette bobbed to the slow ebb of its full inside. It looked like a garden had produced one pea, its roots lost somewhere in the liquid floor. He breathed deep as he committed to memory too. Even the smallest details about this place were important. Homunculi were products of their environment, and the only way to know the level of their power was to know exactly where their forms came together.

Aloryn, however, did not know where he was. He knew nothing about this place or the moons and could only think of one approach to the potential problem that lay before him. He could only think of one way to stop something that'd dwarf the siege on the Imeri by miles, taking the world back eighteen years in some twisted reenactment of recent history's bloodiest time. Homunculi were war machines of no compare, made ruthless with a singular purpose and given powerful ease with which to pursue it. These creatures of ancient magic were better lost to time, and as sure as Xerva needed to die, if this thing joined her nothing good could come of it. This weapon in a place of strange moons would not stay here forever, and while Xerva might not die tomorrow she would not easily be able to create this thing again. He drew his sword and took a step closer, only stopping as a different kind of magic became too loud to ignore. A hiss of it echoed around him, rising off of unseen walls as words appeared to match them.

Wys sif Shiede. Wys sif Shiede. Wys sif Shiede. It played like a chant, the words easily understood by half-elf ears. The Soul becomes a Guardian. And sure enough stone flesh pulled off of the invisible wall, giving form to a hulking gray body that pulled a spiked club from its chest. It was a golem, built to somewhat resemble a troll, staring down at him with all the malice he knew of those monstrous creatures. Its club rose in the air and the liquid floor erupted as it swung, missing the half-elf as he jumped away.

The troll golem came swinging after him—going for his body before his footing was secure. He guarded with his sword and almost felt it break, spared only by a sheath of blue energy burning along its blade. The golem pulled back and Aloryn dove in, lifting his blade toward the guardian's face.

"Scorpion Stinger!" He thrust, and the golem toppled back. He bounced up its chest, driving his blade down, piercing its cheek before it knocked him aside.

The wound meant nothing as it leaped after him, smashing the ground as he rolled away. The club swept in pursuit and he hopped over to a skidding stop. His sword shined, and he stepped forward with a thrust.

"Dragonfly dash." Four dashes took him around the golem, leaving scars in their wake. He recalled the spell two more times as it lifted its club, drawing drops of power back to his blade. He stabbed for the neck. "Hunting dragonfly." The spell drove him through, divorcing the head from the body. He didn't get the chance to smile as the club came after him, feeling even his clothes tear as it knocked him across the ground.

Bloodied on one side and holding his arm, he found that pain wasn't his immediate concern. The golem was still active despite its head, and as it placed it back on he realized decapitation wasn't the move. Xerva did not make sloppy golems. There was a soul inside this thing, alive with a similar purpose to what would drive the homunculus. The only way to kill it was to strike that point, but the Harrabaren would not leave it somewhere easy to find.

"Scorpion Stinger!" He recalled as the golem stomped in. The spell cut into its ankle, tipping it forward. With a Dragonfly Dash, he put himself behind it, checking its back for weaknesses. It pushed itself around, and he dashed again, avoiding the club. Wielding it in both hands the golem chased and tried to flatten him against the ground. As Aloryn dodged again, pressure erupted. He flew like a hit ball, almost passing out as he crashed into the tower.

Half-elves didn't heal as well as full-bloods, and even with a battle effigy, he knew he wasn't going to walk the pain off. He stayed on the ground for a moment when he dropped. The golem's thunderous approach drowned out the beat of his heart. It didn't drown his thoughts, however, as they drifted toward making it out of this area alive. Sure, he needed to take out the homunculus too, but that was more of a distant second now. Fighting one of Xerva's golems had never made it to his to-do list. The old Harragar had been at this for decades, weaving together these beings of false life solely to tear through enemy lines. Troll golems were the worse of the bunch too, with skin to rival their inspiration but minds that didn't stray from the task. On a good day, Aloryn wouldn't challenge a normal one. On a bad day, and maybe if he had no other choice, he still wouldn't have been confident he could win. Not by normal methods anyway, but as the golem's thunder stopped, he supposed those methods were the limitations of Enforcers.

The club crashed down but he was already out of the way. Feeling the blood running down his body, he reached into it with magic, pulling its power in. Reza could recall every spell in the world, but they had to recognize it first. Full-blooded Reza would never be able to do this, but the beauty of human blood was that their spells were free game too. The beauty of human blood was that he could use that blood for spells. Droplets pulled away from him, writing a circle in the air. Remembering all the ways Sasha casts spells before, he settled for one that would raise him above the guardian.

"Blood Art: Fiendish Soldier." His body heated so much is skin turned red, venting steam as the spell did its work. The golem tried to attack but he moved like lightning, sliding back as he raised his sword. "Dragonfly Dash." He shot forward, jerking it around as his sword claimed flesh.

The wounds ran deeper than he expected, reminding him of something else about himself. Human blood meant he could use this spell, but Blood magic was more potent with that of an elf. Four Scorpion Stingers ran the golem through, breaking apart as Aloryn clenched his fist.

"Mantis Dance." Blades spun around it, dicing its arms, shredding the sides of its body. Aloryn teetered as his vision blurred. Right. Using your blood freely was exclusive to Abyss Born. Still, he hadn't struck the soul. What were a few more drops? "Blood Art," they splashed up his sword. "Bad Blood." He rushed forward, plunging it deep. The blood flowed off and into the golem's body. It would be an almost useless spell on something without a heart, but Aloryn didn't need the stab to be fatal.

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Letting his magic sense feel once more, he tightened his jaw against the homunculus's power, following the blood art as it coursed through the golem. He drew back and swung into its side, metal sinking where the blood didn't flow. The golem went limp. As Aloryn drew back, its body began to glow. He tried to Dragonfly Dash away, but the explosion caught him, launching him like a hit ball again. He only absently noticed he tore the pod as he hit the tower for the second time. This time he did pass out, falling into a deep hallucination.

He was small, and back in Sasha's office, shortly after showing her would type of person he'd be. He was supposed to get a report, which she read over now, but his body still protested from the trouble he met along the way. The Councilor dutifully ignored him, until her eyes squinted at one line and she looked at him at last.

"So let me get this straight," she started as she read the line again. "You were just supposed to get the report, but you decided you couldn't let the attackers get their way."

"They were going to get away! I wasn't going to let them."

"Clearly!" The woman laughed. "But this kinda defeats my plan you know. Eventually people are going to ask questions about you. Your brother already made this business difficult enough with that bounty."

"You want me to only do my job next time?"

Sasha laughed again. "No! Do whatever you want to do. I'm not the type of person who tells you to ignore what's right in your heart. Just know the wrong move will come back to bite you. There's only so long it will stay under a rug." She gave him a once over. "And make no mistake, it can bite you twice."

"What if it bites you too?"

The woman smiled wistfully. "Then I'll bite it back. Don't turn your back on yourself yet, and don't do it for my sake."

"I might get you into a lot of trouble one day…"

"I bet you will. I'll figure out what to do about that when it happens."

"Not if?"

"Absolutely not!"

Aloryn felt a smile sneak across his face as his body moved to a sudden push. Opening his eyes seemed like a terrible idea, but he did nevertheless, wondering how much time he lost. The first thing he saw was the torn pod, completely peeled open with nothing inside. That pulled his eyes to the thing that pushed him, and confusion overwhelmed his fear. Homunculi were born from living souls growing in their pods as they observed the world. Forging a body was the first step, and their appearance remained malleable, changing whenever they saw a likeness that would suit them best. Aloryn was a newborn when Xerva's last homunculi wreaked havoc, but he heard about what they were from Dhan and Ysala. They resembled harragar like the woman who created them, mix-matched with the traits of other races. Their chimera traits were accessories to something he could recognize, but this homunculus was completely different. He could recognize it too, but not in any way that made sense. The dark-skinned child sat beside him, watching curiously as he pushed up. They sat on their knees in a full-body suit, made of the same green material as the pod. Golden eyes met his, waiting for a response, but his mind was stuck on a question. The eyes were the wrong color, but there was nothing to deny. Why did this child look like the scarlet-eyed girl he saw traveling with Danson?

He picked up his sword with haste, turning it on the weapon. They looked at the sword with the same curiosity, stopping him from making the swing. The blade felt too heavy, forcing him to sheath it as he gritted his teeth. He kneeled in front of the child instead and offered a hand.

"Do you have a name yet?" They shook their head. "Then we're going to have to come up with one. Would you like to come with me?" They nodded, taking it.

Aloryn didn't quite know what he was going to do next, but two thoughts came to mind. The first was that he'd get out of here, recalling the same spell that let him inside. The second? He wasn't sure how it'd turn out, but he decided he would follow his convictions. The homunculus wasn't just a weapon anymore. With their pod broken, they were alive and he wouldn't take the life of the innocent. He walked them back to the enforcer base where Wynn gasped as he stepped through.

"I was not sure I should wait, but I'm happy you came back."

"Can you cast the spell now?"

"It's already in effect." The woman's eyes moved to the child. "And they are?"

"A homunculus." Her eyes shifted with the same urgency he had a moment ago. As she swung her arm to form her blade, he held his hand up. "But they're incomplete. Xerva didn't have the chance to make them a tool."

Wynn looked at the child and the intrigue bright in their eyes. She could see it too. Not a lifeless thing but a person still new to the world. Her blade faded as her attention went back to him.

"So what are you planning to do with them?"

"Take them far away from here and let them live somewhere safe."

The woman smiled. "Yes, that does sound like something The Hero would do, but are you sure you want to cross Xerva like this."

"Your theory was that Xerva came here to let an extraplanar event happen, right? Well, I think the homunculus tells us something else. She wasn't here to let it happen, she was here to take advantage of it. The gate took me to a place with many moons—a place I assume is sort of like the celestial realm for you."

"And in that place there was a homunculus growing."

"They're extremely powerful too but…" Aloryn looked at the child. While their magic beat like a drum against his sense, he couldn't put his finger on it. He couldn't tell what type of magic it was, and considering how they looked, that alarmed him more. "I don't know what type of magic it is."

"I feel like there's another but there."

"There is…I wonder if I know someone that might." He shook his head. "First thing's first. What are you going to do next, Wynn?"

"I suppose I'll head back to the Frontier. My work here is more or less done, all that's left it's training you like I promised."

"I'd like you to take this child with you when we're done. Maybe we can work out a plan to take them somewhere safe."

"Sounds like you'll be going in a different direction."

"I am, I'll be heading to the Sea Festival this year, I'm going to reunite with my brother and…"

"And…?"

"I have questions for the girl with the scarlet eyes…"