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C22

  Anibeli's POV

  The creature spent all its time with her. When she woke up, it was doing something with the wood. She watched her as she foraged, as she shooed her away but followed her. When she lay down ro rest, the thing gently carried her to a tree instead of lying on the ground. It was harder, but safer. At least, that's what it indicated.

  All the while, it rarely spoke, and listened to her as she attempted to teach it imperial high gothic. It was after days of monosyllabic responses when one morning, the thing spoke. It had far less of an accent, and had an odd feminine lilt.

  "You wake again, child. This is excellent." The creature said. She stared at it, wide eyed. It just put a full sentence together?! It hadn't spoken like that before!

  "When could you speak like that!?" She accused.

  "Without proper speaking patterns, I would rather avoid sounding like some primitive." The creature's voice sounded indignant. It's dark, mechanical whisper telling her it's opinion without the need of facial expressions.

  "Ok... then what are you? Your some kind of daemon?" She asked hesitantly.

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  "Ah. Manners. I am Nezekiri, Deathmark of the Mephetip Dynasty. I am a Necron."

  "O-ok... Hello, Nezekiri. I am Anibeli, of house Berekel."

  "Highborne then. Acknowledged. You are woefully out of place, Anibeli of house Berekel. Far, far out of place. Why, you are lucky I decided to interfere with your little adventure. You would have died, I think."

  "Uhm... thank you?"

  "You are welcome. But to be honest, I saw you like a chick without parents. I expected to need to interfere far before hand. Your, what, 12? Likely, you have never survived alone in any kind of place due to your status. You were so. So very pitiful..."

  Anibeli scrunched her face and spoke. "What would you know? Your some kind of daemon!"

  "Daemon... an imaterial thing... heh. No, child. I am not from the false reality. I am galaxy born, simply alien."

  She squinted at the alien, and thought for a bit. "The God emperor says that we must hate the alien, and the heretic." Anibeli said.

  "Hmmm. 'God', you say? Intriguing. But why must you hate the alien and heretic?"

  "The alien are vile, unclean things that hate humanity with all their being. And the heretic corrupt and destroy everything." She said with pride at remembering her lessons.

  "But neither am i unclean, nor do i hate humanity. I have seen no heretic, so I will form no opinion upon them" She said. "But perhaps both statements are based in factual reality. I will refuse to judge. But Anibeli, I assure you that I hate you not." The creature said.

  "To prove this, I will assist you. I will teach you. And I will guide you. When one day you leave, I advise you think on things. Not all hate humanity. Not all will love you. But that is a conversation for another day, when mayhap you are older. Now come with me child. I will teach you self reliance. For in this galaxy, one can only truly rely on themselves." It gets up, and walks into the woods. Anibeli, confused, walks after it.

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