Jean fell to his knees just as one of the creatures lashed out at him, but a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind before throwing him to the side.

Jean tumbled for a moment before coming to a stop in the centre of the street.

He looked up to see Ayanna, only the darkness of the night gave her a rather terrifying aura.

One of the child-faced creatures jumped towards her only to get cut in half.

The others must have seen this as a declaration of war because they all simultaneously lashed out at Ayanna who turned towards Jean, grabbed him and ran further south.

The creatures poured out of the alley and pursued her ravenously.

One almost bit off her leg, but she quickly dashed to the left and ran into an open store.

The creatures followed her into the store as she ran into the back room where she quickly closed the door that seemingly led into a cellar of some sort.

The smell of alcohol and cheese filled the air.

Ayanna dropped Jean before pressing her back against the rather thick wooden door, slamming it shut in the process.

The sounds of claws scraping away at wood worried her, but they eventually died down before being replaced by the sounds of burrowing.

Ayanna looked at Jean to find him in a pitiful state.

“Jean?” She called out.

Jean looked up to meet Ayanna’s piercing silver eyes.

“No, don’t speak,” Jean said as he sat up.

“I’m sorry… I thought I heard- I thought I saw… my baby.” Jean said as he stared at nothing.

He raised his shaking hands before roughly rubbing his temples.

Ayanna raised two of her fingers, prompting Jean to nod.

“Yes. This is the second time. I just- I miss them so much.” Jean said as his eyes quivered.

Ayanna sighed before rubbing the top of Jean’s head.

This made his thoughts freeze for a moment.

The staircase they were in would have been filled with silence, were it not for the sounds of childlike gurgles and digging outside.

“I just realized that we have no idea what’s going on. We don’t even know if we’re gonna make it to tomorrow.” Jean said as tears fell from his widened eyes.

He then slowly dropped his head and his shoulders.

“But then again, what’s the point? We’re all destined to die at some point, right? At least you have something to live for. A reason to cling to the flimsy concept that is life.” Jean said.

Ayanna’s eyes narrowed for a moment.

She then offered Jean one of her daggers.

“Mmm? Why save a lowly criminal such as myself?” Jean asked.

“Because you said you were falsely accused,” Ayanna whispered.

Her voice disarmed Jean and so he raised his hands.

“Don’t speak.” He said as he stood.

“I’m still surprised you believed me,” Jean said as he wiped his tears.

“What if I was a real criminal? I imagine-" Jean stopped talking as soon as he saw the look Ayanna was giving him.

“Sorry,” Jean said as he accepted the dagger.

He touched its course leather hilt and felt its superb balance.

“This is a good dagger,” Jean said before taking a deep breath.

“Let’s get out of here-"

Ayanna interrupted Jean by pointing downstairs.

“You want to go down there? They're going to follow us- mmm… you have some sort of plan, don’t you?” Jean asked.

Ayanna nodded before moving away from the door and sprinting downwards.

Jean was taken aback by her incredible speed, but he did his best to keep up with her as the swarm of creatures poured into the cellar.

Ayanna and Jean quickly arrived at the end of the wine-filled cellar and it wasn’t long before the creatures caught up.

She raised her dagger and Jean did the same.

The first creature to arrive met the sharp end of Ayanna’s dagger as she stabbed it in the forehead while gnarly teeth reached out to bite her.

The creature fell to the ground just as another jumped towards Jean while extending its large hairy arms towards Jean.

Jean stabbed it in the face before letting out a strange scream.

His body trembled, but he remained at Ayanna’s side as she fought.

One after another, the creatures came and it wasn’t long before Ayanna and Jean were coated in blood.

Tears continued to fall from Jean’s eyes as he hacked away chunks and pieces from every creature that attacked him.

The two killed so many baby-faced monsters, that a pile of corpses formed before them as they fought.

Ayanna kicked some of the corpses forward, causing the pile to fall onto some unsuspecting monsters.

Jean took advantage of this and stabbed the ones that were trapped beneath the bodies of their kin.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

.

..

Jean bit his teeth as he tiredly pulled out his dagger from the body of the last creature.

He gasped for air as he surveyed the room for any potential threats.

Ayanna, unlike the tired Jean, looked completely fine even as her silver eyes darted across the room.

“This is only the beginning, isn’t it?” Jean asked.

Ayanna gave him a pat on the back before walking over the mountain of corpses as she made her way out of the basement.

The two then cautiously left the store to find themselves back on the streets of Sùith.

They ran back towards the seamstress's home where they sneakily entered the house to find a sleepy Ayden waiting on his seat.

“What happened?” Ayden asked with a yawn.

“We- I got into a bit of trouble with those strange baby things," Jean said.

He then noticed that he was covered in blood and sitting anywhere would undoubtedly create a mess.

“Shit, what are we gonna do now?” He asked as he looked himself over.

Ayanna seemed less disturbed by her bloody state and so simply stood with crossed arms.

Her thick leather jacket and rather tight leather pants were coated with blood, but she didn’t really care.

“Oh my, what happened here?” The seamstress asked as she walked down the stairs. Her light brown hair was tied into a neat bun and she wore a rather comfortable looking nightgown.

“We ran into some trouble,” Jean said while spreading his arms slightly.

“Mmm… there’s a bathhouse just up the street. I’m sure it's empty.” The seamstress supposed as a clacking noise came from behind her.

“Is it still nighttime?” Fea asked.

No one knew his exact position in the dark, but his voice helped everyone pinpoint his general presence.

“Yes. I thought only winter nights were this long… anyway, how many houses away is the bathhouse?” Jean asked as he and Ayanna turned to leave.

“It’s the sixth building to the left.” The seamstress said as she walked into the kitchen.

Ayanna and Jean left the house and began their journey north.

Jean walked with his head lowered as he thought back to the creatures from before.

His eyes trembled as the faces of countless dead children flashed in his mind.

He and Ayanna eventually arrived at the bathhouse and sitting about ten meters in front of it, in the middle of the street, was a well.

They entered the bathhouse to find that although it was dark and empty, its interior was well-kept.

They passed the wooden counter before entering the actual bathing area.

It was a large room, covered almost entirely in what looked and felt like marble.

Countless high windows allowed the light from the crescent moon to seep into the room.

“I’ll fill up a few of these,” Jean said as he picked up two wooden buckets.

Ayanna nodded as Jean turned to leave.

He walked out of the bathhouse and used the well to fill the two buckets before returning to the bathroom.

There he found an undressing Ayanna.

She removed her shirt, revealing to Jean the countless scars that lined her otherwise smooth skin.

Jean turned away and poured the water from the buckets into a larger wooden bucket.

He then left the bathhouse and filled the buckets once again.

He returned to find a completely naked Ayanna and this time, he couldn’t help but stare.

She was tall, incredibly so and her dark curly black hair, strong arms and silver eyes mesmerized Jean.

Ayanna noticed that he was staring at her, but she simply sat on a stool in front of the large tub.

Jean shook his head before pouring the rest of the water into the larger bucket.

He then removed his clothes before sitting beside Ayanna as she playfully touched the water.

“Thank you,” Jean said as he stared at his reflection in the larger bucket.

“Thanks for saving me," He said before rinsing away the blood on his hands.

Ayanna mimicked him.

Jean looked at her in confusion only for Ayanna to smile warmly.

She then ruffled his long dirty hair.

Jean sighed as he felt a complete sense of warmth coming over him.

He then noticed that a tear had begun to fall from his eye and so he splashed some water onto his face as Ayanna ruffled his hair.

“That’s enough, thanks,” Jean said, even as his throat tightened.

Ayanna didn’t relent and it wasn’t long before Jean had broken into a full wail.

“Shh,” Ayanna sounded, not in an attempt to stop Jean from weeping.

.

..

Ayden and Fea puzzled over the meaning of the rune on a certain necklace.

The seamstress had long since started a fire in the fireplace and so Ayden had plenty of purple light to work with.

Speaking of purple light.

Ayden and Fea had lit a candle and placed it outside next to the door, just in case Ayanna and Jean lost their way.

“I’m so confused,” Ayden said.

“We are going to have to rely on Jean for this.” Fea eventually said.

“You're right about that.”

“I know,” Fea said as the front door opened.

Jean and Ayanna entered the house.

Ayanna walked up to the seamstress's seat and once there, she plopped down, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Jean on the other hand was wide awake.

He sat down and tapped his right foot repeatedly as he watched Ayden and Fea read through several documents.

Jean then grabbed the journal Ayden had given him.

He was about a page or so in before his nervousness died down.

His eyes slowly began to fall and it wasn’t long before he too was asleep.

Ayden sighed in defeat before standing up.

“I’ll be right back.” He said before walking up the stairs.

He then walked over to the room where he first met the seamstress.

The door hung half open and so he quietly entered the room to find that it was empty.

Ayden looked at the sewing machines and various other tools in the room.

He saw that most of them were worn and old, but they seemingly still worked as evidenced by the countless coats Ayden saw lying around.

Ayden wondered what the seamstress specialized in making.

He wondered what kind of person she was, but his thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of the door behind him.

“Is something the matter?” A low and feminine voice asked.

Ayden turned around to see the seamstress gracefully walking towards him.

“No, not really. There’s just a lot on my mind.” Ayden said as the seamstress sat on the chair near the window.

The seamstress placed her hands on her lap before deeply sighing.

“I too find myself thinking about many things on nights like this. Perhaps by lending you an ear, I could ease the weight that burdens your mind.” She said as Ayden walked up to her.

“Mmm… you and another person keep calling me Prionnsa. I don’t know why, but it's confusing because I'm just a kid.” Ayden said as he placed his hands in his pockets.

The seamstress looked out of the window.

“Do you think yourself unworthy of the title?” She asked.

“Definitely. I feel like people take one look at me and think that I’m of noble blood, but I’m not all that great. Heck, I can’t even read.” Ayden said.

His passion or dispassion caused his ears to heat up slightly.

“Maybe we see something that you don’t.” The seamstress said.

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“You are young. Full of potential. Perhaps you represent the light of new dawn and this generation of doomed men sees you as a beacon of hope.” The seamstress said.

Ayden’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s… an exaggeration.”

“Maybe.” The seamstress said.

Silence befell the room and Ayden looked deep into the seamstress's eyes.

“May I ask what your name is?”

“I am a seamstress. Nothing more. Nothing less. Although if you require it, I could assume whatever role you desire.” The seamstress said.

“So if I were to call you by a name of my choosing, you’d be ok with it?” Ayden asked in the hope that he’d get her to spill the damned beans.

“It would bring me nothing but joy.” The seamstress said with a slight bow.

Ayden bit his teeth before comically pacing around the room in thought.

He wanted to give her a nice name, but he’d have preferred it if she just told him hers.

“Àlainn…” Ayden muttered.

“A beautiful choice.” The seamstress said with a bow.

She raised her head, revealing a warm smile, but Ayden waved his hands dismissively.

“Don’t you have any suggestions? I mean, Àlainn was just what came to mind.” Ayden said.

“I am fine and will be fine with whatever you choose to call me.” The seamstress said as Ayden lowered his hands.

“Ok… then from now on, I shall refer to you as Àlainn.” Ayden while offering Àlainn his hand.

Àlainn accepted it before gently shaking it.

“Now that that’s out of the way. I also wanted to ask you something else. You said that yesterday was the day of lamentation. Why?” Ayden asked.

“That’s because I felt a deep sadness reverberating throughout the world. This may be the faulty intuition of an old maid, but that sadness felt more akin to anguish.” Àlainn said.

Ayden’s eyes then suddenly widened.

“Uh- do you have… gills?” He asked.

“Gills? Do you mean these?” Àlainn asked as she unbuttoned her gown, revealing a set of gills beneath her breasts.

“You could’ve just said so! Please cover yourself!” Ayden cried, prompting Àlainn to cover herself.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask if you knew what they meant,” Ayden said.

“Unfortunately, their purpose is unknown to me.”

“Then what do you know?” Ayden asked.

“Not much. I was sitting here in the evening before the air was filled with screams which quickly faded into the night as it swept across the land.”

“I see.” Ayden droned.

“Then we’ll need to find others if they somehow manage to survive this nightmare and ask if they can help shed light onto the truth of this day.”