There was a palpable sense of unease, as if an invisible shroud of dread had settled over everyone. The weather, once mild and comforting, now hung heavy with an oppressive humidity that clung to the skin like a damp veil. The sun struggled to pierce through thick, ominous clouds that loomed low in the sky, casting an eerie half-light upon the town. The air, once filled with the cheerful chirping of birds, now echoed with an unsettling silence, broken only by the distant creaking of rusty swings in the empty playground.

The locals couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. The usual friendly greetings were replaced by hushed whispers, and the once vibrant neighborhood market now seemed devoid of its usual bustle. The mood was sour, and even the simplest interactions felt strained, as if an invisible barrier separated each person from the other.

The food served at the local diner, once a source of comfort and familiarity, now tasted bland and uninspiring. The once warm smiles of the waitstaff were replaced by distant, haunted gazes. The unease seemed to seep into every facet of life, leaving a pervasive sense of foreboding that clung to the town like a dark shadow.

Strangers passing through couldn't help but notice the strange atmosphere that hung in the air. The usually welcoming community had become a place where hospitality had withered, replaced by an unspoken understanding that something sinister lurked just beyond the edge of perception. It was as if the very fabric of reality had shifted, leaving everyone on edge, anxiously awaiting the unknown horrors that seemed to lurk just beneath the surface.

…..

Luna was created as an arcane experiment. She was an unwitting subject, forged as product of curiosity veiled in scientific ambition during the celestial darkness of a solar eclipse. The world plunged into a twilight realm of uncertainty as the moon cloaked the sun in an unholy embrace, and within that veiled moment, she changed into a creature of the night.

Her creator, a seeker of forbidden knowledge, harbored a peculiar fascination with the esoteric forces that linger in the celestial dance. As the moon's shadow cast its spell, she can remember feeling the sting of supernatural metamorphosis intertwining with her mortal essence. The experiment, born of hubris and curiosity, sought to defy the conventional bounds of vampiric transformation. Instead of the customary nocturnal ritual, she became a creature of the shadows under the eerie pallor of an eclipsed sun.

The results were a twisted testament to the merging between science and the supernatural. A vampiric transformation formed not in the comforting embrace of night, but in the unsettling obscurity of an occult celestial alignment. The experiment, however, bore its fruits only to a limited extent. Leaving her suspended between the realms of the living and the undead, trapped in a twilight existence, haunted by the echoes of both worlds.

She remembers coming to and blacking out multiple times, living in the liminal space between life and death.  Running from where she woke up she blacked out multiple times, waking up still running.  After a while, she didn’t know the difference between the past and the present, she just knew she had to go anywhere else that would be safer. 

……

They say if you read something, but do not use the knowledge, then you do not know it.  In that case, Elijah Thorne knows little, even though he has worked at the library and studies the books every day.  For two decades, the library, a sprawling citadel of wisdom, has been both his sanctuary and his prison. Elijah does like to leave the comfort of the building and his best friend Silas is completely ok with that.  

The thing about Silas is that he is a book wraith.  He is a spectral figure of ethereal existence, no mere mortal but is an entity dwelling within the very fibers of every volume that graces the shelves. Silas lives withing the pages of every book, shackled to the pages he haunts.  Freely traveling from book to book if they touch. But is bound to them and is jailed to the books as Elijah is mentally bound to the library. 

Elijah Thorne's peculiar connection to the library and Silas can be traced back to a fateful encounter with an ancient and forgotten tome hidden in the depths of the archives. One evening, drawn by an otherworldly resonance, Elijah stumbled upon a dusty and neglected grimoire titled "Crescere Nocturna." Unbeknownst to him, this mystical volume held the dormant spirit of a long-forgotten scholar, Silas, the guardian of the written word from centuries past.

Over the years, Silas grew to trust Elijah and was able to move from just within his book “Crescere Nocturna,” to all the books in the library.  Continuing his search for knowledge and every word possible. Silas was the head and Elijah the hands. 

It was a few days after the Solar Eclipse when Elijah heard a small cry from the basement. It was more like a whimper, small and pitiful.  Nothing should be down there; it made his hairs stand up.  Elijah looked at Silas who was already looking down the basement and made eye contact.

“Ya, I don’t like that.” Elijah said, “You should go check it out.” 

Silas hesitated for a moment, exchanging a worried glance with Elijah before nodding reluctantly. He took a deep breath and followed Elijah down the steps to the basement. Silas had to jump book to book, so Elijah had made bookshelves line every wall.  The dim light barely illuminated the surroundings, casting eerie shadows on the cold concrete floor.

A young girl lay near the back of the basement, seemingly fragile and lost. She was as pale as a book. Silas approached cautiously, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. Elijah, too, kept a watchful eye on the basement as he crouched down beside the girl.

"Hey there," Silas spoke gently, "Are you okay? How did you end up here?"

The girl's eyes were wide with fear, and she clutched onto a tattered blanket. She looked at them with a mixture of confusion and desperation. Elijah could sense something unusual about her, a mysterious aura that seemed to linger.

"I... I don't remember," the girl stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I needed help."

Silas exchanged another glance with Elijah, uncertainty etched on his face. Elijah, always curious, couldn't resist trying to piece together the puzzle.

"What's your name?" he asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.

The girl hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating whether she should reveal her identity. Finally, she spoke, "Luna. My name is Luna." Following this brief exchange, an overwhelming exhaustion overcame her, and she succumbed to unconsciousness.

Elijah picked up the girl.  Up close she was around twelve years old and weighed lighter than she was supposed to.  He brought her up the stairwell to lay her down on a couch in their study.  Silas followed slipping from book to book.

“What are we supposed to do?” Elijah questioned Silas, who was looking down at the girl as if he was reading a confusing sentence.

“I don’t think she is human, or at least fully human.  I will dive into a few more esoteric books” Silas left quickly before Elijah could say anything, leave a few pages as if the wind blew them.

Elijah watched over Luna few the next few days while Silas was practically non-existent. The only thing she could keep down was bone broth, everything else seemed to make her weaker and some foods made her puke blood.  And she slept so hard Elijah thought she passed away a few times.  These combined made Elijah believe she wasn’t human, which Silas agreed with when he finally showed back up.

“I believe Luna is a vampire of some sorts, most of what I studied points to this.  But also, most written down about vampires cant be trusted.” Silas said from a book near the door.  He then slinked into the book and appeared next to Luna and Elijah. “I do have a few contacts that are more intimate with the occult and less ethical dealings, I think we should go see them.”

This made Elijah frown. Elijah hasn’t left the library in years, he much rather would send out one of his staff.

“And no, we cannot send anyone else.” Silas said as if he could read Elijah’s mind.  After as many years that they have been connected at the hip, they both knew how each other worked. “We should talk to my friend Deletto, he is in contact with the pulses of the occult. My friend Genita Robella knows the underground.  Between these two, hopefully we can figure out what to do with our new friend.”

Elijah fidgeted from his right food to his left.  Even the idea of leaving the hallowed grounds made him uncomfortable, and he knew that Silas couldn’t leave without him.  “I don’t know who to see first. Let’s let the dice decide who to go to first. On an even roll we go see Deletto and on an odd roll we see Ms. Robella.”

This was the way that Elijah and Silas made difficult, and even easy decisions.  Sometimes they flipped a coin if they didn’t have their dice ready.  It took the mental strain of deciding off their plate.  And if they were unhappy with the decision, they then choose what they really wanted, but at last they knew.

The occult specialist it is. The number four way pointing up from the dice after the roll.

Deletto was in a small house on the outskirts of town.  Not a long walk for anyone else.  But this was their first outing in what seems like eons and very much out of their comfort zone.  

They decided that the sooner they left the better, just to rip the bandage off.  Elijah doubled checked on Luna and threw the book Silas was inhabiting into his backpack.  As Elijah started leaving it was as if a vacuum was keeping him in the library and each step was more difficult than the last.

At the door it was even hard to breath.  From the backpack Elijah heard Silas, “This is more important than us my friend.”

Elijah knew that the fate of the girl depended on him.  He stepped out of the library for the first time in ages.  

The walk to Deletto’s place was reasonably uneventful, minus a few looks from the townsfolk.  Along the dimly lit streets, amidst the hushed whispers of twilight, he continued to make his way toward the dwelling. The journey, though outwardly serene, bore an undercurrent of unease, accentuated by the wary glances of the townsfolk who rarely saw the hermit emerge from his seclusion. It was is if the already sour mood became even worse for them as if they knew something was definitely wrong.  

With each passing gaze, a tension hung heavy in the air, as if the very atmosphere had soured with apprehension. It was as if the villagers harbored a collective knowledge, a silent understanding that something was amiss, and their demeanor reflected this unspoken truth.

Yet, driven by a curiosity tinged with trepidation, he continued his approach. Elijah thought to himself that this was the exact reason he hadn’t left the library before now.

Knocking on the strong brown door, he caught himself looking to his right and left as if being watched.  The door creaked open, a pale skinny man with intense eyes peered out from the dark house.

“Come in, come in old friend. I’ve been expecting you.”

Elijah snuck in the door because Delatto did not open the door fully.  Right before he closed it, Delatto peaked out his door to look both ways before closing it.   

Inside the musky house, only a few candles were lit, casting forbidding shadows around the already bare interior.  There were maps, runes, and random trinkets positioned on a lone table in the middle of the main room.  Elijah thought to himself that Delatto was certainly not ready to have been expecting any guests. 

The last time Elijah was in this house was about twenty years ago, the same year he went into seclusion.  Back then there was significantly more life in the walls.  He slung off the backpack he was wearing and opened it a bit before putting it on the back of a chair that was near a bookshelf.   

“I am sure you have recently been experiencing the recent change of mood around the area.  There is a horrible change of power that’s been occurring in our land, is that why you are here?” Delatto surmised without Elijah having to even ask.

“That, and something else I need to ask you about, which is a bit more sensitive. I do hope I can assume you won’t tell anyone what I need to ask you about.”

“Certainly, I dabble and study the esoteric and the occult, but I learned a long time ago not to delve to deeply. That’s a story for another day though.”  Delatto’s mind went blank as we undoubtedly was remembering an old story. “Anyway, you were telling me something.”

Elijah gave him the important parts of Luna showing up in his basement and how he doesn’t believe her to be completely human.

“Interesting, certainly interesting. It might or might not be related to why I thought you were coming to me.”

Elijah’s face questioned Delatto.

“Ok, one of my sources said that the devil of the lands has done something unprecedented, he has opened a position for Domini.  One of the seven Domini of the devil will be from the mortal realm.”

Elijah listen attentively as Delatto related the tale of the other realm.  One of the Domini of the seven deadly sins died, creating a power vacuum needing to be filled.  

Asmodeus, the charismatic and cunning Domini of Lust, met his untimely demise in a clash with an unknown force of cosmic origin. The news of his demise sent shockwaves through the celestial realm, for it was believed that the Domini were immortal beings, eternal and beyond the reach of death.

As Asmodeus's essence dissipated into the cosmic winds, a power vacuum emerged, leaving the delicate balance in jeopardy. The other Domini, fueled by ambition and the opportunity to expand their influence, began to vie for the vacant position. Envy, Greed, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, and Pride turned against each other.

The Devil, urgently trying to maintain the sacred number seven decided to employ an outsider, the first in all time. The cosmic order demanded a balance, and a missing Domini threatened to unravel the very essence of their existence. Satin sent out a message for those praying for his favor.

“Holy crap.” Elijah surmised.

“Holy crap is right.  Things are at work as we speak that we have no clue about.  We can be pretty sure that your frail vampire child is a side effect of the political wars between the Devil’s Domini.  Try as we might, we are all just pawns.”  Delatto always was on edge, but this time Elijah agreed.  “As for the kid, give her some of this.”

Delatto looked through a bunch of vials on the table, grabbing a couple.  He grabbed a few bottles from nearby shelves too.

“These are filled up with blood from a few different rare specimen.  The two smaller vials are vampire and unicorn, so if they don’t work she is kinda doomed.”

Elijah grabbed them and picked up his backpack, “I appreciate everything.  It makes sense why the mood has soured recently.  I’ll send an update on Luna when I get time.  Be safe.”  After he had said his goodbye, Elijah let himself out.

“I found some good knowledge.  Your friend has been holding from you.” Silas whispered.  He had made himself at home with all of Delatto’s books while the two caught up.  “Really good stuff. Some about Crescere Nocturna, Ill tell you later, but right now we still have to see your other old friend Ms. Robella”

Elijah’s social meter was already in the red, but recent times had certainly shaken up his old schedule.  He shrugged his shoulders and head to the tavern just a few blocks away.  

Elijah's heart pounded against his chest like a prisoner trying to escape. He stood at the entrance of the dimly lit tavern, his fingers nervously tracing the edges of his cloak. Social anxiety gripped him tightly, its tendrils winding around his thoughts like chains. 

Steeling himself, Elijah took a tentative step forward, the creak of the tavern door sounding louder in his ears than a thunderclap. Eyes darted towards him, curiosity and suspicion mingling in their gaze.  Everyone knew him, and even liked him, but never saw him outside of his library. Elijah forced himself to keep his head high, his gaze fixed on the far corner where whispers of the Thief Queen's presence circulated like a whispered secret.

If he wasn’t so introspective and worried about what others were thinking about him, he would of seen that they were only worried about themselves.

As he made his way through the crowded tavern, his palms grew slick with sweat, and he could feel the weight of every gaze upon him. Meeting his old friend Delatto was difficult, but this was another lever. This is why he stopped going out.

Finally reaching the corner, the Thief Queen’s smile could be seen evening while draped in shadows. She exuded an aura of confidence and power that made Elijah's feel mildly comfortable. She usually came to him, understanding his condition, this was different.

The Thief Queen's eyes, sharp and calculating, met his own, and Elijah felt as though she could see straight through him. But instead of judgment, he found something unexpected - understanding.  The Thief Queen, too, knew the weight of hidden fear.

"So you've come out of hiding?" Ms. Robella's voice was smooth, but there was an undercurrent of danger in her tone.

Elijah nodded, his expression serious. "Unfortunately, I recently became the ward of an interesting specimen, a younger girl. Who may or may not be part vampire. She's sick and frail, unlike anything I have ever come across."

Ms. Robella's eyes narrowed slightly, assessing him. "Yes, I have heard whispers of more vampires recently." She leaned in closer, her gaze intense. "In the last couple of weeks, three of my concubines have gone missing. In addition to that, I know of about seven other ladies of the night who are no longer on their circuit. And though I am knowledgeable about most of what is going on around town, I am sure there are things I am not in the know about."

Elijah's heart quickened. The situation was worse than he had feared. "I just spoke to Delatto. He had very worrying things to say as well."

Ms. Robella's lips tightened into a thin line. "Delatto doesn't mince his words. If he's worried, then we should all be on edge." She glanced around, as if expecting danger to leap out from the shadows at any moment.

Elijah's mind raced. The town was a powder keg, like any wrong move could set off a chain reaction of violence. "What do you suggest we do?" he asked, his voice low.

Ms. Robella's gaze hardened. "I have a guess where the girls are, but I am not certain.  There has been more movement up near Count Losta’s estate.  He has always been secretive, but more so recently.  I never thought he had any dealings with vampires though.   I wouldn’t suggest going up there, but it would be the best way to make sure. If you do go up there, be careful. Because if he is at fault and he finds you snooping…” She let the threat hang in the air, unspoken but understood.

Elijah nodded grimly. The danger was palpable, but they couldn't afford to sit back and do nothing while darkness consumed their town. He had to find out what was going on, whatever the cost.

Night was falling when Elijah left the tavern.  The streets were bare when just a month ago people would have been enjoying a walk during the evening.  It could be the chill in the weather, but everyone knew it was something else.

“Silas, you were saying you found something in Delatto’s house.”

“Yes, a part of an old manuscript for Crescere Nocturna.  With what we have and what I found out, I think we can finally put it together old friend. The chapter I found was anima excito.  We should be able to finish what we started ages ago.  I think Count Losta’s estate can wait.”  Silas whispered.  Elijah knew Silas could be selfish quite often.  Even he was torn between finishing their study and helping the young Luna.

Closing the door behind him, Elijah was eager to be back in his library.  Being outside was not as bad as he expected.  He was also worried about leaving Luna alone for the last few hours.  

She was fine even though she still looked dead.  

Elijah cradled her head gently in his lap, a mixture of trepidation coursing through him as he surveyed the vials before him. Each contained blood from the different animals he didn’t know which one held what type. He hesitated, a pang of revulsion clawing at his conscience at the thought of feeding blood to a young girl, but the urgency of their situation outweighed his moral qualms.

Uncorking one of the vials, Elijah watched as the crimson liquid swirl, its potency tangible even in the dim light of the chamber. Pushing aside his discomfort, he offered it to the girl, his hand steady despite his own feelings.

Slowly, she drank from the vial, the scarlet droplets staining her delicate skin, juxtaposing against her pallor. A tremor ran through her, the first sign of life since she had been laid upon the couch in a state of unnatural stillness. Elijah's heart quickened with hope.

Her eyes fluttered, a glimmer of consciousness. He knew the risks they courted—a dance with forces beyond mortal comprehension, teetering on the precipice between salvation and damnation.

As the girl stirred, Elijah whispered silent prayers to forgotten gods. 

Her eyes sprang open, she let out a primal cry of anguish and terror that tore through the stillness of the library. With a jolt, she sat upright, her eyes wide with fear, shining luminescent. Luna's breath came in short, shallow gasps as she struggled to shake off the remnants of her nightmare, the echoes of which still lingered like a haunting melody in her mind.

With a desperate strength born of sheer desperation, Luna's limbs propelled her from the sanctuary of the couch and onto the ceiling, where she clung with an unnatural tenacity. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounding a frenzied rhythm within her chest. The world spun in dizzying circles beneath her.

Her own strength surprised, Luna was reminded that she was neither fully of the living nor the dead, suspended between worlds in a liminal state of existence.  She let go of the ceiling and crumped on the ground in a corner, crying.

Elijah and Silas look at each other in bewilderment and fear.  What the hell just happened?  

“Well our little vampire is awake.” Silas said from his book.

“Are you going to hurt us?” Elijah asked.  He knew it was a stupid question.  

“I…I don’t know where I am and don’t feel like I used to. I can’t explain it.” Luna said looking around.  Every time she looked around her perspective changed.  It was a mix of looking through a fish lenses, but every floor, wall, or ceiling was possessing its own gravitational pull.  With a dawning realization, Luna understood that she could traverse any plane, walk upon any ceiling or wall, with a mere thought. The boundaries of her perception had expanded, ushering her into a realm where the rules of gravity and orientation no longer held sway."

She struggled to articulate the strangeness of it all.

“I will try not to hurt you, but please don’t touch me either.” Luna said while trying to stand up.

“Agreed. You said your name was Luna, is that right?” Elijah questioned.

She nodded in agreement.

“We have been caring for you the last few days, you randomly appeared in our basement a few days ago. Do you remember that or anything before that? Do you know where you can from or where your parents are from?

‘I remember waking up after the eclipse. Everything hurt, like my skin was on fire.  I ran until I couldn’t anymore.  I don’t know how I ended up here though.” Luna said looking around. “Where am I and who are you?”

“My apologies, my name is Elijah and I am the curator of the Library.  You are in our office in the Tempest library. You have been sleeping for a few days now. My college and I have been watching over you.” Silas was staying hidden from sight as usual.

Elijah continued, “I imagine you know that you are different now.  Our best guess is you are a vampire of sorts, or similar, our knowledge on this subject is limited.  We woke you up with blood, so it’s a good guess. You don’t remember anything before the eclipse? Please try to remember.” 

“I’m trying.” Luna whispered.

“Maybe she knows Prince Costa?” Silas said from the book he was hiding in.

Luna looked around to see who else was in the room talking.  “That name is familiar, I don’t know why. Who is asking?”

“Promise not to be afraid.”

“No more afraid than I already am.”

Silas’ appeared out of the book. He looked like a ghost, but with a semisolid presence made out of paper.  He knew he was frightening to most people.  It took Elijah quite a while to get used to his appearance.

Luna shrinked back into her corner even further, but did not make a sound.  Her eyes said enough. 

“I am Silas, I usually stay hidden from sight.  I apologize about my appearance, but there is not much I can do about it.” He tried to smile, which made him even more unsightly.

“It’s…It’s not that bad.” Luna tried to lie.

“It is, but we have more pressing business. Prince Costa is... well, he's not exactly a friend. More like someone you want to avoid. He's powerful, cunning, and has a taste for controlling others. If you've encountered him, it's likely you've had some dealings with the darker side of things. Until recently, we had no reason to believe he was a vampire or had any dealings with them."

Luna's eyes widened slightly as she took in this information. It felt like shards of memory were trying to pierce through the fog in her mind, but everything remained frustratingly elusive.

Silas, sensing her confusion, chimed in, "Don't worry, Luna. We're here to help you piece things together. I think you might remember if we go visit the area. We have to go up there anyway.”

Elijah gave Luna an old coat that they had from lost and found.  She said she was not cold, but Elijah insisted because of optics.  Going out so soon after his even adventure grated on him. 

Luna regained her balance rather quickly. She was obviously shaken up from the last few days but kept her cool and was mainly just quite.  She did ask them a few questions and Elijah caught her up on what they did know, which was not much.

The three (two and a half?) left shortly after, with Silas in a backpack again.  Prince Costa’s castle was at the top of the hill about half a mile away from the library and up a short hill.

Just as earlier, the streets in town were quite.  No streetlights were lit, it was eerily calm.

Until Luna heard the clack of some horse’s hooves around a building but heading the same direction.  Luna quietly got Elijah’s attention so the carriage driver wouldn’t see them.  They didn’t really have much to worry about, they were still about a block’s distance.   

Under the cloak of darkness, Elijah and Luna trailed behind a horse-drawn carriage, its creaking wheels echoing through the silent streets. Luna's grip on Elijah's hand tightened as they approached Prince Costa's castle, its imposing silhouette looming against the night sky. He thought nothing of it, but was pleased that she trusted him.

A dozen or so other carriages were parked outside the castle gates, each adorned with somber decorations. Elijah and Luna exchanged worried glances, their curiosity piqued by the sight of the carriages. With cautious steps, they slipped through the shadows, determined to uncover the mystery shrouding the castle.

Staying to the side, they circle the carriages.  The drivers must have been inside because Elijah and Luna could see nobody nearby.  Elijah creaked open the back of one of the carriages slowly, revealing a coffin.  By now, Elijah expected nothing else, it didn’t even scare him.  Luna stepped back though.

“It’s leaking.” Luna pointed out.

Elijah noticed a small opening on the top of the casket.  Getting out his pocket knife, he pried open the edge of the casket the rest of the way to look inside.

Looking back at him was a woman floating in blood, wide-eyed.

“Shit.” Elijah shouted falling backwards.  “Don’t look Luna.”

“I’m not afraid actually.” She said running her finger along the line of blood.  After tasting it, “I can taste the blood of at least six people.”

“Nice to know.” A wispy voice came out of the backpack.

Elijah didn’t find anything of not in the front of the carriage.  He was hoping for a map or some kind of directions the drivers would be following.

“Let’s go to the back of the house.”  Elijah could see movement through the front windows and sneaking around was never one of his fortes. Ms. Robella was right, getting spotted right now would mean death. Every crunch the gravel made from their boots made him cringe.

As they rounded the side of the house, the front door opened and light flooded the front of the house.  They lucked out.  All of the drivers started walking out single file with somber faces on.  At the end of the line of people, Prince Costa stood in the doorway watching them.  After Prince Costa watched all of the carriages leave, he checked his watch and walked to the last carriage. 

Elijah and Luna stayed hidden for a few minutes after the area was quite again. 

After looking around enough to feel confident that no one was around, they entered the building.  The lights were left on and there were papers everywhere.  Elijah let Silas out of the backpack he could go from paper to paper and look around.  Luna looked around curiously.

“This place is familiar. Fuzzy but familiar.” Luna said.

Elijah was at the main table moving around a large map.  What was on the map made Elijah’s mouth drop.

It showed the town of Tempest with a dozen red dots around the perimeter.  These dots were no doubt where the carriages were heading. Another red cross was in the middle of the city in the town square.  Elijah gleamed that was where Prince Costa was heading.  

On the side of the map were notes written. Something referred to as “the veil,” notes about a sacrifice, and at last there was a time.  Eleven o’clock, about twenty minutes from now.

“Silas, what have you gathered? Whatever they have been planning is happening now!” Elijah yelled.

“Yes, this is bigger than we expected.”  Silas popped his figure out of a book for a second. “He knows of the death of the Devil’s Domini and it looks like he is making a sacrifice to place his bid per say.” Silas disappeared from where he was and reappeared coming out of the map on the table.

“And it looks to be a big sacrifice.” Mused Elijah, having a hard time really acknowledging what he was looking at. He looked around the room.  While asking himself how Prince Costa did all this planning since the eclipse, Elijah noticed Luna in a corner looking at a smaller notebook.

“What did you find young one?” He asked from a distance.

“Me. Notes about me.” Luna said in a delicate voice.  

Silas once again disappeared and followed a trail of paper to appear near Luna. “Interesting indeed. But no clues on how to stop the sacrifice.” Silas said after skimming all the notes. “Elijah, Grab all the paper, we must try to warn everyone. If we can’t, we need to be able to prove what happened.”

Elijah looked at the time, they had ten minutes left until the sacrifice began.  They did not find any more information on what the sacrifice consisted of or how long it would take.  They did not know what to warn the town about or how long they had.

“I remember there being a bell tower.” Luna said. “We could ring that.  I’m not sure if that will warn anyone though.”  

“I would say it’s our best bet.”  Elijah said finishing up stuffing as many papers in his bag as he could.  He grabbed the book Silas was in and they jogged out of the building looking for the bell tower. 

At the bottom of the bell tower Elijah told Luna ring the bell as hard as she could for as long as she could.  He also told her to try to find some ear plugs.  While she was doing that, he was going to try to find some transportation for them.

 Luna looked at the side of the bell tower and paid a specific type of attention to it.  Her perspective of it changed so it no longer was lateral to her.  It looked like a normal floor and for a second the ground she was on looked like a wall.  She jumped onto the tower and practically ran up it.

As Luna reached the window sill, Elijah saw her fleeting silhouette against the backdrop of the night sky. With a fluid motion she slipped through the opening, disappearing into the shadows within. Elijah thought to himself that he would never get used to the awkward elegance of the girl.  He went off to hopefully find a horse and carriage. 

As he entered a building he found behind the palace, Elijah heard the bells start to toll.  No rhythm to the noise, just insanely loud bell clamors.  

Inside the building he was optimistic for the first time in days.  There was couple of horses attached to one last buggy, this one bigger that the carriages outside.  But before he was able to look in the back of it the ground started shaking.  

This was an earthquake of a magnitude Elijah had never felt before.  Objects and tools started shuddering off the walls.  The cement under his feet was chattering so much that the pebbles were dancing next to his feet.  He threw open the doors in front of the horses and jumped into the driver’s seat. Spider web cracks were appearing on the walls.

He mushed the horses and they jumped into action; they were just as ready as he was to get out of the building.  Right as they ran out of the door, the building crumbled behind him.

Elijah was worried about Luna because he could see the bell tower leaning and about to crumble along with every building in his sight.  The horse where having an hard time staying upright and pull the wait of the cart. 

Soon he found out there was no reason to have been worried about Luna. She appeared out of nowhere in what looked like a cloud of smoke.

“Get in!” He yelled over the ever present rumble. “Getting more confident with your new body I see” he said once she was in.  She replied, but Elijah could not hear a word she said.

“We must leave, hopefully the warning helped.  I doubt it though.” Silas said from Elijah’s backpack.

The buggy leaped over the bumpy roads, the earthquake making the ride even more difficult.  Looking down the hill from where they were, Elijah and Luna were silent as they watched the town disappear in a cloud of dust.

For the citizens of Tempest, the warning was not enough. The tolling of the bells shattered the tranquility of the stillness of the night. It was a dire warning lost in the wind's howl. Before the townsfolk could even grasp the significance of the ominous chimes, the very ground beneath their feet convulsed with a violent wrath. The earth itself seemed to cry, as deep, thunderous groans echoed from the bowels of the earth.

Cracks ripped through the cobblestone streets like scars etched by a vengeful deity, fracturing the very fabric of reality. Buildings swayed precariously, their foundations crumbling under the relentless assault of nature's fury. Panic gripped the hearts of those caught unawares, their screams mingling with the cacophony of destruction.

As if mocking their feeble attempts to comprehend the unfolding chaos, the ground tore open in gaping wounds, revealing chasms that yawned hungrily like the jaws of hell itself. Flames licked at the edges of these hellish crevasses, casting an eerie glow upon the horrified faces of the townsfolk.

With a deafening roar, the very ground beneath the town gave way, swallowing homes, streets, and lives alike into its unfathomable depths.

Amidst the chaos and despair, there was no time for prayers or farewells. The town and its inhabitants were dragged into the abyss, their cries silenced by the merciless embrace of the earth's dark embrace. And as the last echoes of their anguish faded into the abyss, the world above fell into a haunting silence, forever marked by the tragedy that befell the town lost to the depths of hell.

20 YEARS LATER

In the last 20 years everything had changed.  In the span of the last two decades, a profound transformation swept through the fabric of existence. It was a time marked by Prince Costa's fateful decision, an act of sacrifice that, in his pursuit of power, earned him the favor of the Devil, positioning him as the seventh domini of lust. Yet, this turn of events proved to be a double-edged sword for the hierarchy of the seven deadly sins. His newfound position was not welcomed by his peers, and his incompetence in fulfilling his role only exacerbated the situation. The repercussions of his inadequacy reverberated throughout both the spiritual and mortal realms.

Among the myriad consequences, some were particularly profound. The shortfall in Lust's influence manifested in a tangible decline in childbirth rates, reaching levels unsustainable for the continuity of society. The diminished intensity of desire translated into a stark reduction in the number of children being born, resulting in a scarcity of youthful energy in the world. Concurrently, there was a noticeable shift in cultural preferences, as the once prevalent melancholic melodies gave way to more vibrant and lively tunes.

Yet, amidst the chaos wrought by Prince Costa's ill-fated ascent, there emerged a silver lining. The rapid advancement of technology, fueled by the societal upheaval and the quest for alternatives to compensate for the dwindling human population, accelerated at an unprecedented pace. Thus, in the midst of a world grappling with the unintended consequences of a cosmic power struggle, the beacon of technological progress offered a glimmer of hope for the future.

After barely escaping the sacrifice, they made their way to city after city. They thought the carriage they escaped on was probably Prince Costa’s escape buggy if his sacrifice went wrong as if was fill to the brim with loot. They ended up in a trading metropolis by the ocean call Havengard

No one believed what they had to say, and the official reason was that the city of Tempest was built on a sink hole.  After talking to a slew of officials, they gave up.      

Luna looked up from her book, “Elijah, I think we are ready for the ceremony.  I’ve checked over everything a half a dozen times.  We have planned well enough and have plans for every contingency.”  She looked the same as when they found her in the basement, except her face had an expression of experience.  In the last 20 years Elijah effectively adopted her and in time she became a friend and protégé.  

Spread out in front of her was the "Crescere Nocturna" and all of the other notes they had about it.  They had collected most all of the book and what they didn’t have, they had supplemented with transcripts from other similar readings.  If everything was correct, they could now summon gods from other worlds who could grow in their power, as well as read the writings of their souls.  They were still a little fuzzy one what reading the writing of the soul meant. 

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

There were hints in the book about more powers that were hidden in the book, but they must still be missing those chapters.

“I agree. We have done all we can. Let’s begin.” Elijah said from his desk as he got up.  They were in the backroom of their new library.  It was a private athenaeum for their own study and practices they had grown.  All the furniture was pushed to the side so the middle of the rooms was empty minus the runes and symbols drawn of the floor.  

Luna and Elijah stood in front of a three circles drawn each with a book in their center. The circles were etched into the ground with glowing runes that started pulsating with otherworldly energy, casting an iridescent glow that danced around them. Surrounding them are candles of various colors, each representing an element crucial to the balance. 

As they begin the ceremony, Luna and Elijah hold hands, their connection serving as the conduit for the teleportation spell. They closed their eyes are in deep concentration, their minds reaching.

The candles flicker and dance, their flames responding to the magic surging through the air. The air crackled with anticipation, charged with the energy of the impending teleportation.

With a final crescendo, a brilliant burst of light erupted from the center of the circles, radiating outward in a dazzling display of colors. The air shimmered and distorted, forming a rift between the realms.  The three books that were placed in the circles disappeared.

The room went quiet and Elijah and Luna looked at each other

“And now we wait.” Elijah said noticeable exhausted when just five minutes ago he was fine.  If the ceremony went as well as they thought, the books that were in the circles would be sent to other worlds to find and bring back “lesser gods.” Furthermore, their readings brought them to believe these gods could bring back balance in their present world.  The "Crescere Nocturna" even alluded to being able to remove the seven domini of the seven sins, but they didn’t want to get their hopes up.  

Seeing how upsetting the balance of the seven sins changed the world the last twenty years, they also did not want to mettle in affairs where the side effects are unknown. 

Marty Barco was the last of the three to regain consciousness and then promptly through up all over the floor and himself.  Was he drinking last night, he didn’t remember going out? It wouldn’t be the first time he time traveled via booze.  And was he at a comic convention? This will be a great story to tell once he sobers up.

“Where am I? Sorry about your floor, I’ll clean it up once I stop seeing three of everyone.” Marty tried to stand up and only made it to one knee before giving up.  Was I drugged? He thought to himself.

“Take your time, I imagine the ceremony wasn’t easy.” Someone said.

Shit, they got my liver. Too bad for them. Marty thought to himself thinking of all of his drinking and hangovers the last few years. At least my humor is still intact.

“Ha, looks like he’s not taking it well.” Came from another voice, a more sultry female voice this time.

“Give him time. We didn’t exactly love it either.”

The two others that were just teleported were already standing and watching him.  Elijah brought him a cup of water and offered it.  Marty drank it greedily.  It was sweeter than regular water and he felt better surprisingly quickly. Marty glanced around his surroundings, he was in what looked like a library.  He also checked his organs; no cuts or stiches.

Next he focused on the four people around him, this had to be a convention party. There was a young girl dressed up as a vampire standing next to a model dressed as a vampire.  A tall blonde bodybuilder in what he could only describe as a burlap sack was standing by herself. Lastly two men, one dressed up in an elaborate paper ghost costume and then finally a professor.

The Professor started talking again. “Good, everyone is coherent. We need to begin the second stage of the ceremony.  My daughter Luna will need a fingerprint of your blood and a signature in the book. Once we have that, please drink from this cup.”  The younger vampire went to blonde first.

Marty watched her prick her finger, press it into the book and then sign the book with her bloodied finger. The book seamed to glow. After the blonde, was the taller pale model who did the same. The book once again pulsated.

Not usually one to fall into peer pressure, Marty didn’t even try arguing against pricking his finger or signing a big old looking book with his blood.  He rationalized to himself, it must be some sort of hypnotism.  He saw the glowing book closed and put on a desk.

The child than went to each person and offered the cup.  This new liquid tasted like flem and was about as thick as it too.  Each person made a face that looked like they swallowed something they were supposed to spit.

Once again, all three of them passed out again.  Each of them had different dreams and experiences, but they all remembered being tossed around in a tsunami.  

Fangrossa felt like a chess piece, as if her entire reason to live was to move in a very organized fashion.  Each time her piece was killed, she would die in another tsunami.  Even months after the experience, she could never truly explain it.

Nerissa felt like a rubber band stretched too thin.  In-between every crack of the taught band was a hint of dark secret that would be hidden once again when rubber was released and back to normal size.  She was afraid of the band breaking, of herself breaking.  Just as Fangrossa, Nerissa would try to explain the insight, but words couldn’t describe it.  

Marty felt as if he died a dozen times that night. The first time he woke up he felt like he had forgot everything and was learning everything anew.  His attention could only reach as far as his body.  Every subsequent time, his reality grew out ward. First he could only see as far as the bed he was on, than the room he was in, and soon he felt as if he could see through the doors.

All three of the individuals woke up out of their daze as the same time. Elijah and Luna watched them closely, as far as they knew, these people were gods from their realm.      

“What did you give us?” Asked the blonde.

“The second half of the ceremony you had a veil dissociative.  We brought you all here from you respective realms because we need help and the drink will help you assimilate and help you accept the changeds.  I’m sure you all have questions, and we will answer them all.  First, let us introduce ourselves. I am Elijah.”  Elijah said standing up from his desk.

“I am Luna.” Luna said with a small curtsy.

“And I am Silas,” Silas said after appearing out of a book on the desk.

All three of the new comers jumped back when the wraith appeared out of nowhere.  Even Fangrosa was taken about, and she had seen weird in the last three years of becoming a vampire.

Fangrosa looked around and not one to be shy, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Fangrosa, perhaps you've heard of me?"

Once again it was Silas who replied, “Before you were summoned here, we did not know who the ceremony was going to bring.  After you signed the book, each of you are now in the book, and we can read the contents of your soul.”

Marty was intrigued, “What do you mean, contents of my soul?”

“Come and look.”

The large book in front of Silas flipped pages seemingly without anyone touching the pages.  When Marty got to the book, his curiosity turned to concerned shock.  There was a short but concise biography, a resume of a kind, and numerous other tidbits of his life.  Of everything in the book, two things stood out.  

The first thing that stood out was on the top of page under his name there was an annotation “Gambled on by the Gods.” That is new to him, for he had never considered himself blessed or anything of the sorts.  

The second thing that stood out even more was there was a character sheet for him with a list of attributes and numbers after them.  He had played some table top games in the past, and this looked exactly like what he would fill out.  Are the gods playing some sort of game with him? Is that what it means “gambled on?”

Looking at the page with all the attributes and numbers, Marty wondered what they all meant.  He flipped the page to see if there was more information about him.  There was, the following page had a category “skills.” Reading through them he saw that he had “Stoic Leadership”, “Tinkerer”, and “Loser.”  OK, the gods were obviously fucking with him now.

The two girls push Marty to the side, just as curious to see what the book means by looking in their soul. They asked Silas to flip to one of their pages. Fangrosa was surprised to find out that the other girl was stronger than her.  She flipped the pages of the book until it landed on the name Nerissa Sands.

The book claimed that Nerissa Sands was a demigod. Her name was at the top of the book, and under it was “Demigod – Tidecaller.”  No wonder she could out power Fangrosa, Nerissa was a demigod.  

Before they could look more in-depth at the book, it slammed shut.

“We will have order, and respect the book with your life.” Elijah shouted.  “I apologize, I know you are confused and excited.  We were getting ahead of ourselves.  Being pulled in from other realms make you all different from us that live in this one.  Moving to this world has… emphasized some of your skills.  So not only will you be able to watch and learn of your progress, once we get a more chapters, your skills will be able to grow as well. But if the book gets ruined from incompetence, you will be just as normal as all of us.”

That tempered everyone’s excitement.

“You were all handpicked for a reason, even if that reason might not be obvious to us as of now.  Nerissa Sands, it reads that you are an expert of the ocean, sailing, and have an ungodly amount of strength.  Fangrosa, the book points out you are a vampire.” Elijah paused for a second, “Hopefully you and Luna will get along. You have significant strength as well, but the book emphasizes your grace and charisma.”

Elijah was concerned about having two vampires in the same area together, he had learned in the past twenty years that often there was a power struggle when multiple vampires were in close contact.  

“Marty Barco, you are a conundrum. It looks like you are just human.  You have leadership qualities, are smart, are extremely perceptive, and can learn, but we have read over your pages multiple times and are still confused.  You have the Tinkerer skill, which lets you see how something is put together just by a quick observation. It is the last one that really gets us… “Loser,” no explanation and it doesn’t classify it as a skill”

Silas laughed from the books, which sounded more like a demonic grumble.  The two ladies kept the laughs stifled, not knowing how to react.  Fangrosa’s smirk was condescending while Nerissa’s face was more of an expression of pity.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I thought I would be more successful at this point in my life as well.” Marty said trying to make light of the situation.

Nerissa broke the awkward tension, “So, you haven’t explain why you summoned us though.”

Silas answered this question, “A few aims that we need cannot do. The world has changed recently, and the order is failing.  Our little team has done what it could with Elijah being an old grumpy man, Luna is handy, but handicapped by her youthful looks, and I’m a book. We summoned you here to help complete our book.”

“How is a demi-god, a vampire, and a loser human going to do that?” asked Fangrosa.

“How about I show you?” Luna said putting on an elaborate red robe that covered her entire face, leaving just enough room for her eyes.  The shawl on the top of her head also stuck out a few inches.  It looked both regal and intimidating.  “Fangrosa, in your realm, how do vampires go out during the day?”

‘We don’t.” was her curt reply.

“Very well, we do have a few more outfits similar to mine that might fit you, or make yourself comfortable here for the time.”

“I need sleep anyway. I will go out tonight.”

Luna could already tell they were going to butt heads.  Luna was not the only vampire around she knew, but as she was made during an eclipse, she didn’t follow normal rules.  The other vampires went out as well, but very sparingly and well bundled, as their skin would boil quickly in the sun.  The sun was definitely uncomfortable, but she wouldn’t burst into flames if she got a ray of sun on her. 

Luna, Nerissa, and Marty walked out of the back room and through the library to head out to the city of Havengard.

Both Nerissa and Marty dropped their jaws.  The stark contrast between the dreary, dark library and the scene they walked into was a complete one-eighty. The roads were filled with crowds of every race you could imagine.  Goblins were running between the legs of golems while dwarfs argued with some sort of tree creature.  About two stories above the crowd of beings were vehicles being held up by balloons and moved by propellers.

Nerissa and Marty followed Luna closely. Luna weaved in and out through everyone without a thought.  As they were passing some swinging doors, a giant ogre, that must have been the bouncer there, threw three other people out.  

“Drinking early eh?” Nerissa said judgingly.

“They never stop.” Luna quipped back. “Later, I’ll bring you to a more discerning place. But for the most part, I would suggest staying away from most taverns. Nothing there but bar fights and trouble.” Luna kept walking like nothing had happened.

Not even a block further along there was another fight breaking out.  Two gnomes were yelling at an elf claiming that he was trying to swindle them.  This one was broken up before any fists were thrown.

“What the hell?” Marty questioned. “Is it always like this?”

“Now it is. About twenty years ago everything changed. It used to be relatively peaceful. Also, not everywhere is like this. The universities, politics, economy, and technology has boomed. I’ll explain why soon. We are almost to our destination” Luna finished walking up a large set of stone stairs to a huge building. “This is Havengard University.”

As they entered the huge front doors Marty and Nerissa we greeted by massive, intricately carved statues depicting mythical creatures and legendary heroes. The statues were adorned with shimmering runes that pulse with energy, hinting at some mystical power contained within.

Passing the receptionist and walking through the welcome lobby they then exited into a courtyard. a vast courtyard surrounded by towering stone buildings that seem to defy the laws of physics, each being held up by a single propeller. Towers spiral upwards into the sky, their spires reaching towards the clouds, while bridges and walkways connect the various structures,

Marty's fingers twitched with excitement and memories of when he went to college.  Reading Harry Potter, He wondered what a magical school would be like.  He never even imagined something like this. Next time him Nerissa's gaze was calm yet filled with curiosity.

“I forget how impressive it is, but please follow me.” Luna said keeping them on task.  Growing up watching the place being built, she had largely forget how imposing the sight was.  She opened a side door that led into a classroom filled with beakers, knickknacks, and any number of experiments.

Inside, dressed in a white frock and donned with glasses was a lizard. A humanoid lizard extremely preoccupied with a container that was making an ungodly buzzing whirling noise. The lizard person was about to hit the box hard when Luna made a little cough to announce the group.  The look of anger and frustration on the humanoids expression turned into a welcoming smile.  The smile was mildly creepy, but it was well intentioned.

“Ah, Luna, I wassssn’t expecting you so soon. With company, I imagine this is the entourage that the god’ssss deemed fit to ssssend?” The creature walked towards the group.

“Yes. Montour, this is Nerissa and Marty. Nerissa, Marty, please meet our group’s resident scientist.” 

“Pleasure.” Montour replied back, “You caught me at a good… decent time. We are almost done finishing up with our newest invention, minus a few setbacks.  This new contraption we let us communicate from long distances, without the use of magic.”  The box started buzzing again with a noise that reminded Monty of radio reception feedback.

Marty looked walked over to the contraption.  He didn’t know if it was because of his knowledge from the Coast Guard or the skill that was gifted from the gods, but he had a serious inkling that he knew enough to fix the buzzing.  

“May I?” Marty asked, but picked it up and started looking over it before anyone could answer.  He might be the weakest of the group by far, but it seemed like he had the advantage of technology.  If this realm was just creating radios, he could prove that he was helpful in some aspects.  Marty also had a few doubts, because he mainly used to just operate the radios, if they broke that was someone else’s problem.

He flipped the top of the box open to look at the parts.   He could see an antenna, a funky circuit board looking thing, a few coils and a speaker.  The internal antenna consisted of copper wire wound around a magnetic core.  He unwound the copper wired and then rewound it again the other way and put everything back together.  

The humming stopped and in its place was a relatively clear voice constantly asking if Montour could hear him now. Marty was quite pleased with himself.  Taken aback when he turned around to so the other three staring at him with blank expressions.

“We have a similar tool from where I am from and one of my jobs was to use them daily.” He explained.

Montour walked up to it and answered the voice on the other side. “I have been fiddling and perfecting this for weeks. I am equal parts amazed and ashamed.”

“Don’t be, I’m just glad I could help.”

After a little more talking Luna led them back into and across the courtyard to a little café.  Sitting down, both Nerissa and Marty had no clue what anything on the menu was.  Luna ended up ordering for both of them.

“I didn’t get to look at what the book said about me.” Said Nerissa. “All three of us summoned seem a little out of place here. Marty isn’t a god, no offense. Fangrosa, well we know there are other vampires around, but in my world, they are far from welcome. Do you possibly have note from the book about me?”

Luna got out a little notepad, flipped a few pages, and looked around.  

“I did write down a few notes from your soul. Here they are.” Luna smiled under her shawl as she watched both of them lean forward on their chairs. “You had two skills that stood out to me. The first one was Ocean Affinity, so you can breathe underwater. The second was Channel Tide, making it so you can control and channel the power of the tides. Useful to have, good thing we are not in a dessert. I imagine you lived by the ocean?”

“My family were the protectors of our coast. I could already hold my breath for as long as I need to, but controlling tides sounds useful.” Nerissa was thinking about something as their food came.  “Does it elaborate about controlling the tide?”

“Not really.  It says, ‘Channel Tide: control and channel the power of water and the tides.’ I imagine all three of you will have to play around to figure out how to actually use your powers. Whether they are passive or you have to do something.” Luna leaned back as the food they ordered was placed on the table.

Nerissa ignored the food and lifted up her glass.  She looked at it intently and soon after she could feel the water’s movement somehow through the glass.  Shortly after she managed to have it spinning around the glass quite enough that the centrifugal force was strong enough that the water was pressed to the sides.

“I think I might like this realm after all.” Nerissa said thinking about how useful the skill would have been back at home.

After eating, they packed up and made it back to their library homestead right when the sun was setting.

Everyone was asleep by the time Fangrosa woke up from her slumber.  No one had bothered her

Look at those peasants Fangrosa thought.  Than she shoke her head to clear it. She knew she shouldn’t think like that. These pea..people where sent with her, so they should be the same strength, or more.  Something she needs to remind herself about.  Now where is that book.

Fangrose got up from her bed to search for the tome.  From on outside perspective, it would like she was slinking with an mixture of strut, but that was just how she walked.  The book was still on the lectern.  Finally she would get time to look at what it said about her.

She flipped to her page and gleamed over what she thought was boring just to read the important parts. She had something called a  Shadow Veil,  This skill allowed to slip into a shadow and become a shadow.  Interesting, she enjoyed the attention on herself, but if needed she could see how this could be useful, or fun.

She looked down over herself.  Three days in the same outfit was not something she usually did.  Actually, it was an outright offense, but she was not gonna wear anything from a stranger.  She still looked like a model walking down a catwalk, because well she did come from a show.  Can’t let a good outfit go to waste.

Fangrosa opened the door and stepped into her new world for the first time.

Even she was taken back from the onslaught of motion right infront of the front door. She had two thoughts instantly.  That door did a great job keeping out the noise.  And didn’t these people have any idea of city zoning. For the second time since waking, she willed herself to not be so judgemental.  New place, new Fangrosa.

She allowed herself to be takin by the crowd.  She noticed her fair share of people staring at her, though she was doing her share of staring too.  Everyone was dressed insane, so in a way she fit in.

As she walked, every bouncer and doorman opened their door for her, which was nothing new.  Fangrosa was looking for something more discerning.  Not matter how much she willed herself not to judge, she had not intention of finding herself in what she considered a dive.

She looked up and around the cityscape.  It was massive and beautiful in its own way.  Not the modern city which she was used to. The city was a mix of every type of architecture.  She could tell it was all functional and she was looking for the type of people that lived in more ornate dwellings.  

She scanned the horizon and found just what she was looking for.  Little did she know it was situated close to the university that the rest of her group was at earlier in the day.

Even though the crowd was still dense, it had changed from merchants and sailors who just wanted to drink the night away, to students and socialites.  Fangrosa smiled smugly as she affirmed to herself that she still was the best looking by a large margin.

Looking around she found the club with the largest que of people waiting. She walked straight to the front of the line and with the smallest of smiles the host let her right in.  

This is much too easy. She thought to herself.  

No wonder there was a long line, this place was beautiful, even to her standards.  It wasn’t like a usual night club; the entire place was lit with a pastel green light.  There were plants growing up every wall and hanging from the ceilings.  The layout was definitely inspired by sacred geometry, but only in an aesthetic fashion.  Even her mood got palpably better, like she was light on her toes and even more graceful.

Fangrosa elegantly walked to the back bar so she could get a good view of the space and who came and went.  She was leaning against the bar taking in the grandeur of the place when the bartender asked her what she would have.  To which she ordered a soda and bitters, not that she would drink it, but it was better to have something in her hand.

“We both know that’s not what you usually drink.” A suave voice came from behind her.

“Excuse me?” she replied.

“You’re not from here, that is certain. I know there is no traveling troupe or fashion show.” The Fai stepped next to her. “and I do not hear a heartbeat” he whispered.

Fangrosa didn’t sense any antagonism in his voice, more so just casual flirtation. She decided to play his game, she understood the courage it took to try to start a conversation from nothing.  He was a little short for her and deffinately different looking.

“I’ve been told I’m heartless a few times.” She rebutted.

“I’m sure you have, though that’s not what I’m talking about.” The Fae chuckled.  “You’re brave being out after what your kind did.”

Now Fangrosa was out of her comfort zone.  “Excuse me, what? I just got here.”

“Oh, a mean girl. I love it.” The Fae bantered back.  The amount of miscommunication going on was amusing. Fangrosa didn’t know about the destruction of the city Tempest.  She was used to no one knowing that she was a vampire and if they did they were more afraid than amused.  Where she came from vampires were at the top of the food chain.  

Could this gentleman know? She thought that maybe she should have stayed with the group.  

Fangrosa smiled at the gentlefae and excused herself to the garden.  

Much more peaceful out here, she thought to herself.  Maybe I was a little brazen to be out in a new place, a new world by myself.  But they said I was like a god, why fear anyone?  

She sat down to enjoy a smoke, which was an old habit that didn’t die when she did.  Now, there was no negative repercussions either.  Fangrosa took a deep draw and held it in. While here I should try my new power, take advantage of the pros that come with the cons.

She tried to will herself to become like the shadow that she was sitting in.  Nothing happened.  Trying harder, she tried to feel the shadow with her mind.  Still nothing happened. WTF. Dropping the ciggerette to the ground she got up from her seat and walked to the edge of the garden.  

When she reached the wall she kept walking right into it.  She felt her body disappear and all her weight faded as well.  It was indeed an out of body experience, even her view changed.  She was no longer using her eyes to see.  From what she could tell, her entire viewpoint was anywhere she wanted from the shadow she was inhabiting.  

As she was experimenting with her new power, she noticed three people heading to the gardens from the bar area.  One of them was the gentleman she was talking to a few minutes ago and the two others were bouncers.

“How did you let a vampire in? how did you not know she was one? What do I pay you for?” the man was berating the bouncers.  

“Sorry boss.  She has to be out here.” 

Fangrosa could hear the doubt in the guy’s voice.  How am I hearing? She thought to herself. Fangrosa knew she didn’t want to be caught even if she could somehow overpower the guys.  She had the feeling there would be no talking her way out of the situation.  Slowly she felt the shadows around her and started heading up the wall she was currently hiding in.

Once at the top off the wall where it met with the roof, she materialized again, standing on top of the building.

“Bit off more than you could chew? Eh.” A young voice came from behind her.

“Holy Hells!” Fangrosa exclaimed, turning around to see Luna above her. “Why and how is everyone talking to me from behind tonight?”

“It’s a better view than the front.” Luna said. “And maybe you need to start paying attention.  Being beautiful here is often a curse.”

“How did you even get up here?”

“You are not the only one with powers. Yours might evolve into something more powerful, but quite a few people around here have hidden abilities that they have been practicing on for years. Never underestimate anyone.”  Luna fell silent and looked down at the city below her.

After a few minutes of silence between the two vampires, Luna suggested they make their way back to their library after a short tour of the city.  It took a few attempts for Fangrosa to become part of the shadow again, but she finally succeeded.  It was a weird expeiance for her to be part of the shadow and watch Luna walk straight down the wall like it was usual.

During the tour Luna caught her up on how vampires were not usually welcomed in most area and were actively hunted often.  The history of Tempest was went over as well as a bit of the fight between the Seven Deadly sins.  By the time they made it back home Fangrosa’s head was spinning.

When the two vampires closed the door to the back room of the library, Marty and Nerissa were eating breakfast and making small talk.

“Ah there they are.” Elijah said looking up from his desk.  “Have a nice time at the gardens?”

Fangrosa felt her irritation rise up again after it finally simmered down from the beginning of the night.

“You guys ARE spying on us!”

“We didn’t even have to. You sauntered right into one of the oldest and well-known establishments of the city. The Fae gentleman you ran into is an old friend of mine. He is let’s say still in the dark about Luna and we will keep it that was, some people are well set in their mind.  I was notified first thing this morning that there is a stunning vampire model parading around town.” Elijah explained.

Fangrosa was starting to feel the strain of being up and knew the sun was rising.

“Where I am from, vampires are nearly worshipped and are welcomed anywhere.  But you wouldn’t know about my earth obviously.”

That got Marty’s attention. “I’m from earth! Pretty sure vampires do not exist there.”

 “No, I’m from earth.” Said Fangrosa.

“We don’t have vampires on earth.” 

“Yes you do.”

“Ninety-nine percent sure we don’t.” Marty said with a little more doubt. That would answer lots of questions, He joked to himself

“You’re here now!” Luna yelled at both of them, but mainly Fangrosa.

“Because you summoned us” Nerissa “I was a god there, now I have to hide in the shadows, I do not like hiding in the shadow or blending into obscurity.”

“We thought we knew what we were doing.” Interjected Elijah. “Now we understand that we might have bitten more off than we could chew.  We were expecting our gods. Gods that know of our plights, our battles and history.  We didn’t expect an entitled vampire and a normal human. Luckily Nerrisa at least is a demigod from where she comes from.”

Marty was mildly offended, but Elijah was right.  Still, he didn’t have to be quite so rude.  None of them asked to be here, even though living in a real life RPG story was cool for him.

“Summoning anything is never a good idea. Everyone knows that, and look you got me, a regular dude. A Vampire, maybe from my world, maybe not. And a god of the water, who is not Poseidon.”

“Who’s Poseidon?”

“Doesn’t matter” Marty started to hate this language barrier as well.  They might have well been speaking completed different languages when none of their histories or words mean the same thing. “Where I am from, Poseidon was the god of an old civilization.”

Fangrosa scofted, “No such god.”

“Ha. See! Different home earths!” Mart yelled.

The massive tome of Crescere Nocturna started flipping pages even with no wind in the room. Silas raised out of the book. The lighting in the room went darker as a few candles flickered out. “Yes, you were all summoned from drastically different worlds.  We must believe that was for a reason.  There will be disagreements, but you will work as a team. You will have to, or you will die and we will have failed.”

There was silence in the room.  It was so quite that they could hear the pages settle down.

“Our plans have changed, well not changed but moved forward.” Elijah followed up Silas’ diatribe.  “One of our informants let us know that the goblins made a surprise advancement on their liquid reaper.”

Nerissa looked around, “Liquid reaper? Why are we just hearing about this now.”

“Because you just got here yesterday, and we found out about this development an hour ago.” Elijah said. “There is a huge tavern that the goblins took over a few years ago.  They were nothing to worry about until they started creating a sort of liquid gas that if breathed will petrify you and if set afire will explode. They are making it at a terrifying rate now and we need to stop them”

“How are we supposed to stop them, isn’t there an army or militia that is for this kind of stuff.” Nerrisa asked.

“They would take too long to mobilize, the goblins would see them, and… if we do this, the governor said we would let us be registered as an official club.”

“I thought this was like a secret cult?” Marty asked.

“No, we are just too small, but we have quite a few powerful people that we work with. We are growing consistently. You just don’t know them, and they don’t know of you.  This little group here will be the secret front aggressors.” Elijah explained. “But just because they do not know you does not mean they do you support you.”  As Elijah said the last part, he pulled out a large heavy trunk made of material that none of the three could identify into the middle of the room.

“Our silent investors have given us some toys that they thought would help you from the little they know of our division.” Elijah said while starting to pull out some of the pieces.  The first thing he pulled out was the box that Marko and Nerissa saw Montour working on in the university.  Elijah explained that it had been perfected and could now send and receive clearly.  

Following the magical radio Elijah pulled out two daggers. “These two babies are blood vampires.  When you stab someone, they will siphon blood from them to you.  They were originally made for Luna, but we have unanimously decided that they would be better in your hands Fangora.”

Fangora stood up and gracefully walked over to grab the daggers.  They felt heavy and clumsy in her hands, but whe could tell they were well balanced.  She had never held anything more than a steak knife in her life.  These felt dangerous, possibly even to herself if she wasn’t careful.  

“Nerissa, we don’t have anything that matches your skills, luckily you’re the strongest, but we do have a few things that can help you in the missions to come.” Elijah pulled out some glasses.  “These glasses have the ability for you to see in the dark and through fog and mist.” Soon he was holding a quarterstaff, “Even though not the most impressive looking, this quarterstaff is indestructible and once a day can create a air pocket strong enough to protect you from a long drop or to propel you up a few stories.”

It was now Nerissa’s time to grab her gifts.  She wasn’t unhappy at all, Nerrisa hadn’t been expecting anything and she knew she already had the most strength and strongest abilities of the three.  She had about three times the strength of Fangrosa if the character sheets were correct, which meant about ten times the strength of Marty.  Now she could see though most anything if it wasn’t solid, had an staff that could withstand her strength, and could control currents; she was set for anything.

Marty was sitting by himself now, wondering if he was going to get anything.  

“Marty, we have a few things for you, but right now you have to provide more support than anything.  We have the radio for you, a blueprint of the known areas of the cavern and this.” Elijah pulled out what looked like a wizard’s staff with a odd large scope on it.”

Marty almost laughed at the bizarre looking relic. It looked like a makeshift stick gun that he would of loved when he was in second grade. He also learned quick enough not to judge anything too quickly.

“What does ‘this’ do?” Marty asked.

“It’s a precise magic that attacks at a distance.  We can’t have you too close to the action. You look though the scope and when you cast its spell a rock spike will shoot out from the ground.  Nobody will know where you, the user, will be hiding.” Elijah said.

So, its like a magical sniper rifle. Marty thought to himself.  To Marty, this place was a magical joke, even the most “high tech..magical” items were still catching up to his world.  Somw of the magical items did have a cool twist to them though.

There was a loud cough from the Crescere Nocturna. “And for the love of all that his holy, read your character sheets! When you use your abilities, it puts notes in the book. It seems as you used them, you will gain proficiency and they get more powerful.  They are literally powers from the gods, do not neglect them!”

“Now that you know our mission, and you have your tools, you have two days until they are going to start transporting the liquid reaper to their buy.”

“Who is their buyer?” Nerissa asked.

“That we do not know, our informant did not have that info available. Just that they are loading it for transport and that is our best time to stop them.” Elijah replied.

“So let me get this right. Us three, the unintended “gods” you summered, who are less than what you hoped for are somehow your best chance at stopping a deadly gas poison that goblins have been making for quite awhile that you knew of. So instead of getting actual trained men to stop them, you send us because if we succeed, you get the governor’s good graces, and your club can become official?”

“When you put it like that…” Elijah couldn’t answer. Neither could Silas or Luna who were watching the conversation deteriorate. 

After a little while Marty answered. “I’m in.” He didn’t get isekai-ed into this world to lay around and not do cool fantasy adventures.  He had daydreamed of this stuff happening to him when he was younger, but his creativity died slowly as he grew. He remembered times in church sitting there hoping that some alien would crash though the wall and he suddenly had special superpowers to fight the adversary.  This is close to that.

“Well, you aren’t going to be in any danger.  You will be watching from some hillside, safe and sound.” Fangrosa said.

“Well, I am not a vampire or demi-god with that power to literally became a shadow or control water.” Marty rebuffed.

Nerissa stood up, “I am in as well. How difficult can if be to blow up a cavern?”

Shortly after that Fangrosa begrudgingly accepted too.  Secretly she was excited to use her new daggers and she was hungry. She realized that she hadn’t ate for about 3 days; no wonder she was feeling a little weak.  Vampires could go for about a week, but that was good idea for nobody.

With that awkward conversation over, Luna walked over to a cabinet close where her wardrobe was.  After shuffling though a few of the drawers, she pulled out two vials.  One was filled with a thick viscous fluid that constantly changed colors and looked like it was mixed with glitter.  The other one was such a dark red it could have been black.

Luna brought the two vials to Fangrosa.  She put them in Fangrosa’s hands and told her to drink on before bed and one when waking up.  They were the blood of a unicorn and the blood of druid; both extremely rare and hard to get.  They should tide her over until she could fend for herself.  

Fangrosa went to bed wondering if Luna could somehow read her mind.

Marty and Nerissa sat there looking at each other at the breakfast table.  Neither knew what to say or do after getting that bombshell dropped on them.  In about a day, they needed to head out and what? Destroy a goblin encampment, stop the shipment of a secret, deadly gas.  

“Wanna go over the blueprints?” Marty asked hopefully.

“You think I know what ‘blueprints’ are?” Nerissa answered in jest.

For the next few hours Marty and Nerissa studied the available blueprints.  Nerissa caught on to a point.  There were three entrances to cavern.  The main entrance was where the goblins would be moving the reaper liquid out of, leaving two other entrances to sneak into.  

Of the two other entrances, one was over a sheer cliff right over the ocean and one was near the top of the mountain.  The one over the cliff was impossible to get to unless you could climb down to it… or sneak in as a shadow.  The one at the top of the mountain was easier to get to, but you would be exposed on the way to it and getting away.  

There was a another mountain peak close to the one that held the cavern They agreed that Marty would be positioned on the top of the second mountain, close enough to cover Nerrisa and Fangrosa as they  entered the cavern and then would direct the two as they went down to destroy the reaper liquid. Marty would be far enough away that he was out of any danger.

The two did not have any plan of how to destroy the reaper liquid yet.  They needed explosives or some way to light a flame from a distance.  They thought that would be easy enough to get from the invisible donors.

It was about three o’clock by the time they took a break and found Elijah to tell them what they needed.  He promised that they would be able to get them something by the morning.

Marty and Nerrisa didn’t know what to do for the rest of the day.  They were apprehensive and restless knowing that following night they were going into a hornet’s nest.  

“Wanna watch me test out my new toy?” Marty asked.  He had been thinking about his magical sniper riffle all day.

Nerissa couldn’t hide her excitement, hell yeah, she wanted to see how his magical artifact worked.  She also wanted to see how her own quarterstaff worked too. 

They found the stairs that led to the roof.  They both brought up their weapons; Nerissa had her staff that would make a strong air cushion and. Marty had his staff.  

Upon going through the door and walking out to the rooftop both were once again surprised by the vastness of the city and what lay beyond.  They could also see the ocean from the roof.  Nerissa felt the draw of the ocean like it was calling her.

Marty did not know how to begin, should he shoot at a building, the ocean? He didn’t know the rules for this.  Might of well start small, Marty held the quarterstaff like a rifle and looked down the scope.  It was a powerful scope. He could see the little details in the stone that was blocks away, the sweat running down someone’s forehead, and even some fish swimming in the ocean.  The scope would automatically zone in or out naturally depending on what Marty was looking at.

Finally, he decided to pull the trigger figuratively speaking. Marty aimed at the rooftop of a nearby building and realized there was not trigger to pull.  He had never casted a spell before, how does one cast a spell?  Marty tried to think to himself that this is normal, he knew the over thinking things never helped.  

Marty breathed in and out still holding his aim towards the empty rooftop. Everyone thinks casting magic is so easy. How does one even cast it? There is no trigger.  Do I will it to happen? Shake the staff? ARRHG!

At that time a spike rose out from where the staff was pointed. It happened so fast.  The point was about three feet high, and Marty could tell it was sharp.

Marty sat back, his head reeling.  He had made it happen. He didn’t know how, but somehow a huge stone thorn was projecting out of the rooftop down the street from him.  Marty had done magic! Now he needed to remember how.

When he casted, the only things he remembered was a sense of frustration. Had he sent his emotion though the staff?  No, magic is not ran by frustration.  He had used the artifact as a conduit of his will.  It was not something he would ever think possible a few days earlier. Now, in a new world, he might possibly use magic was a wonderous thought.  Is this the gamble the gods took?

Too many thoughts ran though his head to think clearly.  Cloudy heads do no good for anyone, especially right before a big mission.

“Nerissa, Marty! There you are. Get out of the way.” Elijah yelled.  Elijah must have come to the roof when they were not paying attention. “Move aside, do you not see the transport coming. I’m glad you are up here for we are leaving now.  We must move forward our work once again.”

As Elijah was shouting, an airship that looked like an air balloon carrying a basket the size of a train container drifted close.

“What is happen?” Nerissa asked as Luna single handedly was carrying up a coffin.  Luna was in her shroud, covered head to toe in a beautiful red cloak.  The coffin surely held Fangrosa, who had no clue she was being transported.

“The goblins have been busier than we have. They have been sighted already moving barrels of their liquid reaper. We must act tonight.” 

The airship landed roughly on the rooftop.  A middle-aged man with shaggy hair, huge goggles, and soot all over him opened a window from the airship.

“Got here as quick as I could!” he yelled over the engines.  

Elijah opened the back cargo bay doors so Luna could set down the coffin holding Fangrosa inside.

“Get in you two.” Luna said a little to casually for this situation. “I’ll explain on the way. I have the blueprints and notes you were working on.”

Both Marty and Nerissa were visually agitated, this was too fast.  The three that had summoned them were obviously over their head and were running this whole mission on cope mode.  But nonetheless they got into the cargo compartment of the airship and sat down.  

Luna closed the doors behind them, “Elijah and Silas are staying back.  They will communicate over the radio set while watching Crescere Nocturna if any more notes appear.”

The inside of the airship was filled with intricate gears and copper piping that started to hiss with escaping steam. Marty lurched and the massive balloon above start billowing with hot air, pulling its mooring lines. The airships twin propellers began to spin, first slowly and then with increasing speed, their rhythmic thrum resonating through the structure.  With a loud hiss, the steam valves opened, and the vessel lifted from the roof.

There were only two small windows for Marty and Nerrisa to look out of. Rising above the cityscape. The airship offered a breathtaking view of the sprawling metropolis below.  Cobblestone streets crisscross below, lined with bustling markets, elegant townhouses, and towering clockworks.  Smoke plumed from countless chimneys as the ship glides effortlessly over the marvel and lush parks.

As it soared higher, they could see the old-world influences blend into the industrial changes.  The airship’s course shifted towards the distant mountains; their peaks still shrouded in mist.  The city slowly receded, replaced by rolling hills and dense forests.

Approaching the mountain, the airship bean its descent.  The pilot, dirty as he was, skillfully navigated the vessel towards a flat, rocky outcrop.  With a final burst of steam, the airship touched down gently, still ruffling the company.  

While they were flying over the city, Luna had given Nerissa a load of explosives.  They had a ten minute timer, so once they were set, they had to move fast.

The sun was setting behind the other side of the mountain by the time they landed.  The outcropping they landed on was below where Marty needed to get to and a longer journey for Nerrisa and Fangrosa.  Since the sun was below the mountain, they thought it safe to wake up Fangrosa.

Nerissa thought it would be a best if she woke up the vampire, no one know how she would raise from her slumber.  Sure enough, when Fangrosa was waken, she flew up like a bat out of hell.

“Who dares wake me!” Fangrosa snarled as she jumped up spreading her hands.

“Yeah, yeah.” Nerissa said nonchalantly. “Good morning sweetheart. Our mission was moved up, as were you.” Nerissa aloud herself a little laugh. “You and I are going into the cavern, Marty will be hanging back and guiding us.”

Fangrosa looked around disoriented. Last she knew was that got daggers that could siphon blood.  From a model to a shadow.  She looked around, just going with the flow, waking up different places. Knowing just pieces of the puzzle confused and angered her.

Luna handed each person a radio. “Fangrosa, Head up though the opening on the cliff, Marty, get a good sight. Nerissa go through the top as you planned. Press this button to talk and keep the radio with you at all times.”

Hurry up and wait. Marty was used to this kind of stuff from his time in the coast guard.  He started trucking up the hill to a good vantage point.

Fangrosa’s slumber was waring off and she was less out of it.  “Where am I going, get me up to speed.”

“There is a cave opening up that cliff, we need you to sneak up the cliff and infiltrate. Ultimately destroying the shipment of liquid reaper.” Luna said pointing at a opening very high up on the cliff facing away from them.  The cliff was above the ocean about four hundred feet up.

“So go up the cliff, sneak in and kill all the goblins?”

“Yeah pretty much, Nerrisa has the explosives. ”

“Oh good, we have explosives now?” Fangrosa quipped.  How much did she miss when I was sleeping?

Fangrosa, still in the dress she had been wearing for the last three or four days begrudgingly set out. Down a small gradient and  over a small creak before finally standing below the daunting cliff.   

While Fangrosa was heading to the bottom of the cliff, Marty head up the peak of the close mountain to get a vantage point of Fangrosa’s cliff opening and Neriisa trudge up to her opening.  Even though it was a long tiresome hike, he thought it was beautiful at the same time.  The sun was going down over the horizon and it was entering golden hour.  

Nerissa headed straight up the mountain where her opening was atop of.  She moved significantly quicker than Marty, running straight up like a linebacker.  Where Fangrosa was like a graceful cloud, Neriisa was like a raging bull.

Nerrisa reached the top of the mountain and it was unguarded.  There was nothing up on the top, just grass and shrubs.  Nerrisa looked around kicking stones out of the way, nothing.  

Marty was at the top of his peak when he looked through his scope to see Nerissa kicking rocks.  

“What are you doing?” Marty asked through his radio.

“The entrance is not here!” Neriisa yelled through the radio.  “I’ve looked the entire place twice, there is no opening, and yess I have looked for anything that looks out of the ordinary!”

“Try to feel around with your senses” Marty yelled back. They had looked at the blueprints together so he knew they at least used to be there.  He started feeling worried if the blueprints were old or if there was a cave in a long time ago. Anything could have happened.

“I am good with water! Oceans! I am on a mountain!” Nerissa yelled back stomping around 

“Start prodding with your stick!”

“You prod it with your stick!”

In the meantime, Fangrosa scaled the cliff easily to the other entrance.  There were two goblins on the rock the jutted out. They were kind of standing watch, but one could tell they were just looking out into the abyss, not paying attention.  Fangrosa slinked out of the shadow, kicking one of the goblins off the cliff and holding the other goblins neck.

“One word and you’re dead.” Fangros said and the goblin gulped.

Then she kicked the goblin off the cliff anyway

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Said a timid voice from in the cave.

Fangrosa peaked into the cave.  It was a small room with two beds for the watch standers, a small desk with the usual cards for games and a small weapons rack to the side.  Tucked away in the farthest corner was a tiny holding cell with a little gnome locked inside it.

“Oh, and why not?” Fangrosa asked the curious little creature.

“He had the keys.”  The gnome whispered.

“I don’t need keys to get through.”  Fangrosa bragged.

“For me…” The gnome anguished, realizing that the lady standing in the doorway was not there for him.  The gnome started to cry.  He had just given up hope for freedom. Than his hopes jumped because he thought his friends must have sent someone to free him.   And then he realized the lady didn’t care about him in the least, so he was sad again.

“Um, I will try to help you. Please, God, please don’t cry.” Nothing annoyed Fangrosa more than crying babies, now maybe crying gnomes.  “Who are you and why are you here anyway.”

“I am Blurry the Seer.” Said the gnome sitting up a little straighter.

“You must suck at your job.” Fangrosa said.

“Sometimes, often.” Said Blurry. “But don’t we all when we are starting out?”

“How long have you been a seer?” Fangrosa asked.

“Only two hundred years.” The gnome replied.

“I’m gonna let you practice a bit more.” Fangrosa said as she slipped into the shade and through the bars that would have kept any normal person out of the caverns.

After leaving the weird gnome seer, Fangrosa reached out to Marty. “I’m in the caves, where do I go now.”

Over the next few minutes Marty helped direct Fangrosa around the cavern. Fangrosa moved silently through the cavern labyrinth, her eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. The shadows clung to her like a second skin, their inky blackness masking her presence. She relished the cool, damp air of the underground, a stark contrast to the burning sun she avoided at all costs. Every so often, she would pause, listening intently to the echoes that bounced off the stone walls, making sure no one else was around

Finally, she reached the heart of the labyrinth, where a narrow passage spiraled upwards towards the mountain's peak. She climbed swiftly, her movements fluid and effortless. The passage was tight, barely wide enough for her slender frame, she knew Nerissa was going to have a heck of a time in this cave. As she neared the top, she saw it—a secret hatch cleverly concealed in the rocky ceiling. 

Fangrosa extended a pale hand, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns etched into the hatch. The hatch responded with a soft click. Slowly, it swung open, bathing her in the soft glow of moonlight. She emerged at the top of the mountain, the night sky stretching endlessly above her.