“Y’know, it feels odd being in a city full of people I’ve never seen before, in a world that’s not mine,” Vivienne hummed, her eyes sing the bustling streets as they made their way through the city.

  Rava gnced over at her, curious. “You’ve never been to a city like this before?”

  Vivienne shot Rava a grin. “Oh, I have. I used to live i retty small, though. Only about a million people.”

  Rava snapped her head toward her, disbelief fshing in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I must have misheard you. Hoeople?”

  Vivienne shrugged nontly. “Only about a million. I was from a tiny isnd nation. The biggest city in the try had about three million, which was a quarter of the popution.”

  Rava blirying to her mind around the numbers. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but hoeople did the rgest cities have?”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, amused by Rava’s growing disfort. “I think somewhere around thirty-five million? I’ve never been there myself. It was oher side of the world, and my family couldn’t afford the trip.”

  Rava’s eyes widened even further, her tail stiffening with surprise. “That’s… that’s a whole other scale. How did people even fit in all that space?”

  Vivienne chuckled lightly, leaning back a little as she strolled. “It was cramped. They had towers that touched the sky, filled with pact apartments for residents, and the office buildings were mostly the same. Hoeople live here?”

  “Ih? I’m not sure, maybe about sixty thousand. It’s sidered one of the rgest cities ieppes.”

  Vivienne aking in the sprawling ndscape around them. “Yeah, from what I see, this world hasn’t seen mudustrialisation. I don’t think I’ve seen a single mae.”

  “Mae? Isn’t that a form of artifice?” Rava asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

  Vivienne g her panion with a half-smile. “I suppose so. Well, now I'm curious about that. Are artificers a thing here? I haven’t seen mu the way of maes.”

  “Yes, they are. It was a craft ied by the goblins a few hundred years ago,” Rava expined.

  Vivienne raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh! That’s ahing I was w about. I don’t see many goblins here, but the ones I do see are all female. Why is that?”

  Rava’s gaze darkened, her expression being more solemn. “Their history is not a happy one. I don’t know all the details, but they were the result of an experiment. A powerful exomancer created one hundred of them to help him with his experiments, as well as tend to his… proclivities. Some say they were made from a mix of different species, desigo be subservient but still intelligent.”

  Vivienne’s expression morphed into one of disgust. “That’s horrible.”

  Rava raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a wry smile. “So says the creature who keeps talking about eating people.”

  Vivienne gave a rueful chuckle. “Touché.”

  Rava’s voice softened, her toinged with a hint of sadness. “I’m irely sure how they broke their bonds, but one did, and somehow she spread that to her sisters. They killed their creator, took his teology, and disappeared. Eventually, they started showing up ilements around the world, selling the results of their craft.”

  Vivienne’s sharp cws clicked idly against her side as she walked, her mind still chewing on the goblins’ grim history. “It’s a wohey’ve mao survive at all,” she murmured, mostly to herself.

  Rava’s ears twitched, but she didn’t reply, letting the sileretfortably betweehe northern gates loomed closer, their stone archways stark against the dusky sky.

  As they passed through the bustling streets, Vivienne couldn’t help but notice the stares directed her way. Her shadowy, otherworldly form drew a mixture of curiosity and fear, and she could almost taste the tension in the air.

  “Still not used to being the tre of attention,” Vivienne said under her breath, her tone light but her gaze sharp as it flicked over a nearby market stall.

  Rava’s ear twitched at the ent. “Like you haven’t been doing everything you to draw attention so far.” she replied. Her voice carried the fai edge of exasperation.

  They passed a group of meraries lounging near an armoury, their eyes narrowing as they caught sight of Vivienne. One of them, a hulking lekih a jagged scar running down his muzzle, shifted his hand towards the hilt of his bde.

  Vivieopped mid-step, tilting her head at him with an amused smirk. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of little old me.”

  Before the merary could respond, Rava stepped forward, her golden eyes log onto his. Her gre was a silent but potent warning, the kind that could turn blood to ice. The merary hesitated, then released his grip on the sword, muttering something under his breath as he turned away.

  “Thanks for that,” Vivienne said, a trace of humour returning to her voice as they resumed walking.

  “Don’t thank me. Just try not to provoke people,” Rava replied curtly, though the ers of her mouth twitched with suppressed amusement.

  “Provoke? Me? Never,” Vivienne said, her grin widening.

  As they approached the northern gates, the hum of the city began to give way to the quieter sounds of the surrounding tryside. A pair of guards stood watch, their postures stiffening at the sight of Vivienne, but they made no move to stop them as Rava led the way.

  “So,” Vivienne began as they stepped onto the open road beyond the gates, “any guesses on what we’re about to find? Mysterious symbols, ominous whispers, farmers vanishing—sounds like the setup to a very messy ending.”

  Rava gave her a sidelong gnce. “Hopefully not too messy. I’d rather not have to scrape you off the ground.”

  “Oh, you wound me,” Vivienne said, pg a mock-cwed hand over her chest with theatrical fir. “So, where exactly are we off to, fearless leader?”

  Rava gave her a sidelong gnce, her ears twitg in mild annoyance before pulling out one of the parts Narek had given her. She sed the notes briefly, her tourning more serious. “We’re heading to the Thaelor farm. That was the site of the test disappearaheir son vanished in the night without a trace.”

  Vivienne’s pyful demeanour shifted slightly, her grin fading into something more ptive. “A kid, huh? That makes it worse.”

  Rava nodded, her expression sombre. “It does. The family reported strange sounds outside their home before he went missing—like whispers in the wind, almost too faint to hear. When they woke up, his bed was empty, and the door en.”

  “Spooky.” Vivienne’s voice was light, but her narrowed eyes betrayed her . “You’d think someone would notice a whole person walking out of the house, even if it was midnight.”

  “Unless,” Rava said, her voice heavy, “he didn’t leave on his own.”

  Vivieilted her head, her curiosity piqued. “Possession? Mind trol? Or maybe something snatched him up while he was asleep.”

  “Possibly. That’s what we o find out,” Rava said, tug the part away.

  The two walked in silence for a few mihe open fields around the city giving way to dense woods that loomed oher side of the path. The air grew colder, and the faint chirping of crickets began to fill the quiet.

  “So, what’s the pn?” Vivienne asked, breaking the silence.

  “We’ll speak to the family first,” Rava said. “See if they’ve noticed anything else sihe initial report. After that, we’ll iigate the surrounding area. If there are markings like Narek said, they’ll lead us somewhere.”

  “Lovely. I do love a good treasure hunt, even if the treasure’s a creepy symbol and not gold.” Vivienne flexed her cws idly, her griurning.

  They tinued dowh until the woods opened up, revealing a modest farmhouse. The structure was simple but well-maintained, with a small barn to one side and a field of crops beyond it. A faint light flickered in the window, and smoke curled zily from the ey.

  Rava gestured toward the house. “That’s it. The Thaelor farm.”

  Vivienne’s gaze swept the property, her dark eyes sharp and assessing. “Looks quiet. Too quiet.”

  “Stop with the drama,” Rava muttered, though her own ears were perked, listening for anything unusual.

  The troached the door, and Rava knocked firmly. A momehe door creaked open, revealing a weary-looking woman with dark circles under her eyes.

  “Who are you?” the woman asked, her voice hoarse and wary.

  “I’m Ravanyr Serkoth,Twilight Fang of Korriva,” Rava said, ining her head respectfully. “This is my panion, Vivienne. We’re here to iigate your son’s disappearance.”

  The womaated, her tired eyes darting to Vivienne, who stood motionless in the doorway. Her tall, shadowy frame seemed to fill the erance, her cwed fingers casually brushing the frame as her glowing eyes fixated on Leda. When Vivienne offered a sharp, toothy grin, Leda visibly recoiled, clutg her shawl tighter around her shoulders as though it could shield her from whatever Vivienne was.

  After what felt like ay, she stepped aside, her movements stiff and uain. “e in,” she stammered, her voice trembling. “I’ll tell you what I .”

  Rava nodded reassuringly as she entered, but Vivienne’s steps seemed to echo unnaturally loud in the small farmhouse. Leda fli eae, her eyes never quite leaving the nightmare-like creature now seated at her kit table.

  The two took their pces in the warm, cramped kit, the st of wood smoke and herbs doing little to calm the tension. The woman wrung her hands, her movements jerky. “M-my name’s Leda,” she stammered, avoiding Vivienne’s gaze. “Th-thank you for ing. We’re desperate.”

  Rava leaned forward, her voice calm and steady, a stark trast to the trembling figure before her. “We’ll do everything we , Leda. you tell us exactly what happened?”

  Leda sank into a chair, her shoulders slumped, and began to speak in a halting voice. “It started a few nights ago. There were... strange noises outside. Whispering, like voices—but there was no ohere. Then, st night…” Her voice cracked, and she covered her mouth with her hand, tears brimming in her eyes. “My boy, Taron… he… he was just gone. We searched everywhere. The whole family looked, but… there was nothing. Nothing!”

  Vivieilted her head slightly, resting her on her cwed hand. The motion made Leda flinch, and the faint glow of Vivienne’s eyes seemed to bore into her. “And the markings?” Vivienne asked, her tone calm but carrying a sinister edge that made Leda’s breath hitch. “Did you notiything strange around the farm? Symbols, carvings, anything out of pce?”

  Leda nodded jerkily, her gaze darting to Rava as if seeking prote. “Y-yes,” she whispered. “he edge of the woods. They weren’t there before. I… I was too scared to look closely.”

  Rava g Vivienne, her expression tightening. “Show us.”

  Leda froze, her hands gripping the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Now? It’s nearly dark…”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, her teeth glinting in the dim kit light, and her voice turned mogly pyful, though it carried an edge that sliced through the air. “Perfect time for a mystery, wouldn’t you agree?”

  She leaned forward, the flicker of her true mouth parting into a wide, unnatural grin, its jagged line splitting her fa a way that sent a shiver through the room. Her glowing eyes locked onto Leda’s, pinning her like prey. “And don’t worry,” she added, her tone dripping with dark humour. “I’m what the things that go bump in the night are scared of.”

  Leda’s eyes darted between Rava and Vivienne, her breath ing in shallow gulps. Her knuckles whitened around the edges of her shawl as she nodded hesitantly. “I... yes. I’ll show you.”

  She rose shakily from her chair, her legs nearly bug beh her as she gestured toward the back door. “It’s he edge of the woods. Please... just be careful. I don’t know what’s out there, but it doesn’t feel... right.”

  Vivieood gracefully, her movements fluid and almost predatory. “Don’t worry, Leda. We’ll make sure nothio your family tonight.” Her voice, though light, carried a chilling promise, leaving Leda visibly uled.

  Rava gave Vivienne another sharp gnce before pg a reassuring hand on Leda’s shoulder. “We’ll ha. Just stay inside, keep the doors locked, and don’t e out until we return.”

  The trio stepped into the cool night air, the farmhouse door creaking shut behind them. A thin mist g to the ground, swirling around their feet as Leda led them cautiously toward the treeline. Every step seemed to heighten the oppressive stillness of the air.

  “This way,” Leda whispered, her voice trembling. She poio a small clearing just beyond the first row of trees, where faintly glowing markiched into the earth shimmered eerily in the moonlight.

  Vivienne crouched he markings, her cws delicately trag the edges of the intricate patterns. Her voice, uncharacteristically subdued, carried a weight of thoughtfulness. “These aren’t just random scrawls. They’re deliberate. Ritualistic. Almost like... a nguage.”

  Rava k beside her, her eyes narrowing as she studied the patterns. “But what is it for? A summoning?”

  Vivieilted her head, her gaze distant as though listening to something beyond the mortal pne. “I don’t know what any of these mean, but this one here,” She traced her cw along its grooves, “Is for loam aether. These other two are dusk and sea respectively.” She leaned forward and her monstrous tongue snaked out from between her lips, running it over the symbols. “At least I think so. I taste the traces of aether ging to it. It’s faint but defihere—like a mishmash of different sources. Sea... soil... and night. Something tried to blend them all together.”

  Rava’s brow furrowed. “That’s not possible. Aether ’t mix like that, not without blowing up in your face first. Whoever did this was either desperate or extremely skilled.”

  Vivieraightened, brushing her hands together as if shaking off the residue of her thoughts. “Or just reckless! That’s always an option.” She sed the treeline, her glowing eyes narrowing. “This isn’t a farmer’s doing, that much is obvious. Someone wao draw something here— something through.”

  Before Rava could respond, the low, guttural whisper they’d heard earlier stirred again, louder this time. It rippled through the stillness like a breath of ice, the sound crawling up their spines.

  Leda, who had li a distance, gasped audibly. “It’s starting again!” she cried, clutg her shawl tightly.

  Vivienne’s lips curled into a sharp grin, her cws flexing with an almost feliicipation. “Oh, is it now? I think we’ll manage just fine. Run along, little Lekine. Lock your doors tight, and don’t e out until m.”

  Leda didn’t o be told twice. She stumbled backward, her wide eyes fixed on Vivienne as though staring too long might draw something monstrous out of her. Without another word, she turned and bolted back toward the safety of her home, her footsteps eg in the quiet, darkening air.

  Rava crossed her arms, fixing Vivieh a gre. “You could try not terrifying people who are already terrified.”

  Vivieraightened up, tossing her curls over her shoulder with a casual shrug. “She’ll be safer indoors, won’t she? Sometimes fear works wonders as a motivator.”

  “Sometimes it also makes people hate you,” Rava shot back, brushing past her to examihe symbols again.

  Vivienne didn’t reply immediately, her eyes flig back to the carvings in the earth. “True.” She crouched low, her fingers h over the grooves but never quite toug them. “I don’t hem to like me.”

  “It will make your life harder, an attitude like that.” Said Rava.

  Vivienne chuckled softly under her breath, a dark sound that seemed to settle in the air between them. "It's funny, really. Hirious, even." Her gaze drifted to the ground, as if she were musing on something distant. "I used to care so much about making people like me. Used to bleed myself dry for everyone else... for their approval, for their affe. But now?" She looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly, their iy shifting. "Now, I barely make myself care. In fact..." Her gaze locked onto Rava’s, steady and unfling. "The only person whose opinion I care about is yours."

  Rava froze, her breath catg for a moment. She blinked, as though the words themselves hadn’t quite registered. For a long stretch of silence, she simply stared at Vivierying to parse the weight of what had just been said.

  "You're serious?" Rava asked, her voice a soft whisper, the incredulity clear ione. She wasn’t sure whether to be surprised, honoured, htened.

  Vivienne's smile softened, but it wasn’t her usual pyful grin. This one was more... fragile, a quiet vulnerability hidden behind her sharp edges. "You were the first person I met here, weren’t you?" Her voice was lower, quieter than before as she took a step closer, her eyes fixed on Rava’s. "The first person I entered in this world. My first impression of it."

  Rava’s breath caught ihroat, her heart beating faster than usual. There was something heavy in Vivienne’s words, something deeper than she had expected. She didn’t know how to respond, unsure if Vivienne sought fort or just firmation of what was true.

  Vivienne leaned in closer, her face mere inches away from the lekihe sileweeretg for a beat longer, each sed ed in a delicate tension. “I never asked for anything but to apany you,” she tinued, her voice softer, almost vulnerable. “But when you could have run away... you didn’t. When you could have turned your bae the moment you arrived home, you didn’t.”

  The words nded like a weight in the air, and for a brief moment, Rava didn’t know how to respond. She had thought she uood Viviehought she had her figured out. But now, in the quiet stillness of the night, the yers of her panioions were suddenly id bare, and Rava was unsure where to step .

  “I didn’t.” Rava finally murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Vivienne’s smile was fragile now, the sharpness of her usual grin gohat’s the thing about people,” she said softly. “They’ll leave. They’ll find a reason, a way to walk away from you after they drained every drop of you dry. They always do. I used to think it was me—something wrong with me. But you… you stayed.” Her voice faltered slightly as she looked at Rava, a rare hoy in her eyes.

  Rava took a breath, her heart catg in her chest. “You think I stayed because of some... obligation?” she asked, her toant.

  Vivienne shook her head slowly, her usual sharpness fading into something softer, more vulnerable. “No. Not obligation. You could have walked away too. I thought you might, after everything. I know I be a pain, I know I’m a monster,” she admitted quietly, her gaze turning inward for a moment as if she eaking truths she hadn’t allowed herself to aowledge before. She looked up then, her eyes log with Rava’s. “But you didn’t abandon me. And that’s why… Well, that’s why your opinion means so mue.”

  Rava’s breath caught ihroat, a flutter of warmth blooming in her chest. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Vivienne’s face, from those plush lips so close to her own, the air betweehick with unspoken tension. She could feel the cold breath of Vivienne on her skin. Her pulse quied, and for a moment, it felt as though the whole world had paused, leaving just the two of them croug there in the quiet of the night.

  Vivienne pulled back abruptly, the air between them crag with the sudden shift. Her face twisted into that familiar, monstrous grin—the ohat made her seem both terrifying and strangely captivating all at once. "But that’s her here nor there. We have a mystery to solve, do we not?" she said, her tone light, almost teasing, though it held an edge that felt as sharp as a bde.

  Rava exhaled slowly, her heart pounding against her ribcage as if it were trying to escape. The rush of heat in her veins was a stark trast to the cool night air, and she could feel her chest tightening as the weight of the moment pressed on her. Her mind was still rag, caught iermath of Vivienne’s words, the quiet iy of their exge, and the way Vivienne had looked at her—like she was something important, something worth sidering, something more than just a panion in this strange and dangerous world.

  She had to force herself to focus. The tensioween them, however much it lingered, had to be pushed aside for now. There were things at py far bigger than her heart skipping a beat in Vivienne’s presence, and the mystery in front of them demaheir attention.

  Rava gave a small, tight-lipped smile, trying to shake off the heat in her chest. "Right," she said, her voice hoarse, betraying her flustered state. "We do have a mystery." She took a steadying breath, her gaze shifting back to the strange symbols etched into the earth, the feeling of unease creeping ba as the reality of their task settled over her once more.

  Vivienne’s grin softened just a touch, her eyes lingering on Rava for a beat lohan necessary before she turoward the woods, the shadows of the trees stretg long and ominous in the fading light. "A mystery, a missing boy, and strange markings in the dirt. Could be anything, could be nothing. But I’m really hoping it’s dinner." Her voice dropped, ced with an almost predatory thrill.

  Rava nodded, stepping forward. The air between them was still thick, but now there was a new energy to it. “Let’s find out what’s going on here,” Rava said, her toeady, though she knew she couldn’t shake the undercurrent of emotion Vivienne had stirred in her. It was there, gnawing at the edges of her mind, but she would deal with it ter. Right now, there were more immediate dao face.

  Together, they moved toward the woods, each step drawing them closer to whatever awaited in the darkness beyond.

  SupernovaSymphony