Date: January 10th, year 1286 Location: Village of Oakvale

  Cassius arrives at the village with Eric, both struggling to carefully drag the wooden crate containing Josephine behind them. The jellyfish monster was tied up with rope, resting on the cover of the crate. He is met with a crowd of villagers, most of them holding pitchforks. Andreas elbows his way through the crowd, closely followed by Nyx.

  - “Hey, it’s been a few days.” He says. “I talked to them but they won’t listen. Can’t blame them to be honest.”

  - “I understand. In order not to slow you down, I will return to the woods and wait for the cure to be found.” Cassius calmly replies.

  - “No!” Nyx exclaims. “If I’m waking up anyone first, it has to be your niece! The other villagers are nice and all but I don’t know them. I’m not really as interested in what happens!”

  - “Aren’t they your people?...” Cassius asks.

  - “It’s complicated.” Andreas cuts. “She’s been like that for the past few days. Her mother and I tried to convince her too, but she’s adamant.”

  - “They can just deal with it!” Nyx declares, which elicits a few outraged comments from the crowd. “I do whatever I want!”

  - “Evil Vanessa!” A kid shouts from the crowd as he throws a rock at Nyx.

  Andreas deflects said rock with his hand, but it hits the side of his face, leaving a small bruise on his temple. Nyx immediately whips around to look at the crowd, her eyes glowing as a small star forms in her hand.

  - “Who did that?” She quietly asks. The crowd falls silent, as all gazes are turned towards her hand.

  - “Oh this is bad.” Andreas comments.

  - “Since when’s your daughter a mage?” Another farmer asks from the crowd. “She also woke up out of nowhere? That’s suspicious!”

  - “And you brought some monster with you too!” A woman shouts.

  - “Order!” Cassius commands, and the crowd falls silent again. They shift their attention from Nyx and Andreas to him. “I am Cassius Orei, and I hail from the kingdom of Polemys. As you are most certainly aware of, I am the source of the calamity that has befallen your homes.” The crowd exchanges whispers, and a few indignant shouts are heard. Some people even start throwing rocks in his direction, which simply shatter on his armor.

  - “You’re horrible!” A kid yells.

  - “You’ve ruined the economy of Oakvale!” A man shouts.

  - “My sister’s been asleep for four years!” Another adds.

  - “I hear your complaints.” Cassius continues. “I do not ask you for forgiveness, but it is unjust that you are directing your hatred towards a farmer and his daughter, who are your own people. They are the sole reason this monster’s schemes were foiled, and that your loved ones will have a chance to awaken.”

  - “Then we should burn you at the stake!” Another man yells. “You deserve nothing but that!” A few other villagers nod in agreement.

  - “Do what you will with me. However, so long as my niece has not awakened, I cannot afford to die. I am afraid I will be forced to fight back should you resort to violence.” Cassius calmly replies as his right hand lights on fire.

  The crowd slowly starts dispersing, with whispers of “I don’t feel like fighting a mage” or “Well he has a sword, it’s a bit unfair.”. Eventually, only a few villagers are left, and a boy detaches from his mother to run towards Nyx. He stops in front of her, looking up at her with his eyes sparkling in excitement.

  - “You managed to beat the bad mage guy too! You’re really cool!” He exclaims.

  - “Hey thanks!” Nyx replies. “Wait I recognize you, you’re that child that talked to me the other day.”

  - “Yeah it’s me! I-”

  He doesn’t have the time to finish his sentence, as the firm grasp of his mother clasps his shoulder. He is dragged away, kicking and screaming.

  - “At least one of the villagers is nice!” Nyx comments.

  - “They don’t mean… too much harm.” Andreas replies. “They’re just scared and angry. I know I would’ve reacted the same way they did if this guy came into town like that, if you hadn’t already woken up.”

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  - “Haha, that makes zero sense!”

  - “You’ll come to understand eventuall-” Andreas pauses, glancing at Nyx with a worried look. “Actually, let’s hope you never have to understand.”

  - “Why?”

  - “Well-”

  - “Ahem.” Cassius cuts. “I would prefer to get started as soon as possible. I have brought the monster.”

  - “Please untie me.” The jellyfish pleads. “I’m so dry.”

  - “The discussion would be possible if you didn’t already attempt to flee multiple times. Now be quiet.” He orders as a few yellow sparks light up around him. The jellyfish stays silent.

  - “It’s going to need to move around though!” Nyx comments as she walks over to the jellyfish.

  She begins intensely staring at the rope, and seconds turn into minutes as an awkward silence settles in. It is only broken by Cassius, who asks:

  - “What exactly are you doing?”

  - “I’m wishing for the rope to disappear.” Nyx replies, not diverting her gaze from said rope. “I don’t know why it’s taking so long.”

  - "That the second time you do that..." Andreas comments.

  - “You are aware you cannot wish objects away, correct? Unless that is a function of your magic of course, but I highly doubt it.” Cassius continues.

  - “I can do that normally! But you’re right, it’s weird. I can only create very basic things like stars on command.” Nyx replies as a few shining stars appear around her head, forming an aureole.

  - “It seems to be the ability of your magic indeed.”

  - “So I’m really using magic? That’s interesting but really inconvenient!”

  - “Whatever being you might be, any supernatural feat you perform is magic.” He replies as a flame forms in his hand out of thin air. “Now that the matter is settled, if this creature is to be untied I humbly request that it is monitored at all times.”

  - “Hmm ? Yeah sure I’m pretty good at that !”

  Cassius unsheathes his sword and cuts the rope in one swift motion, so quick that it creates a small gust of wind that lifts a few leaves next to the crate. The jellyfish rolls to the side and falls from the cover, landing in the grass.

  - “Dry… need water…” It complains.

  - “Water? Oh we have some at the farm!” Nyx replies as she walks over to pick up the jellyfish.

  A few minutes later, Nyx, Andreas and Cassius are standing at the edge of the farm’s pond, watching the jellyfish swim around. The crate was left in the village with Eric, who Cassius had ordered to defend it with his life.

  - “How should we proceed from now?” Cassius asks.

  - “Just bring Josephine here so we can try random things and see how they work out!” Nyx replies.

  - “This is… Are you sure?... You do not sound very confident in your methods.”

  - “Oh I have plenty of confidence, don’t worry!”

  - “I-”

  - “Well, I think it’s only fair you’re the party to take the risk here, and not the villagers.” Andreas cuts.

  - “...Very well.” Cassius replies as he walks back towards the village.

  - “Hey Jelly!” Nyx calls out to the jellyfish, who comes up to the surface. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Feel free to run away though, that’d be an interesting development! I wonder how Cassius is going to react, is he going to spare or kill you when he finds you again?”

  - “I…” The jellyfish visibly shivers. “I won’t run.”

  - “Huh, alrighty then!”

  - “What is this thing?!” They suddenly hear from the house. It was Alice, walking up to them. Her face was slowly turning red in anger.

  - “Honey, listen…” Andreas starts.

  - “What?!” She whips around to face him. “You have an explanation for the other monster you’re allowing to live in our home?!”

  - “Technically it’s outside.” Andreas replies, and takes a step back upon meeting Alice’s gaze. “I mean, yes I do actually! Remember that thing living in the Pit Nyx and I told you about? It’s that!”

  - “You’re not helping your case, Andreas Kegan.”

  - “Is father also called Kegan?” Nyx asks, confused.

  - “Shut up, you!” Alice replies without turning away from Andreas.

  - “Think about it!” Andreas says as he tries to defuse the situation. “It was some good thinking on Nyx’s part, if the monster is closer to where she lives that means it’ll take her less time to find the cure! She’s actually thinking about the people that need help!”

  - “Oh am I ? That’s great ! I’ll do that then, since you got such a good idea!” Nyx comments.

  Both Andreas and Alice turn towards her, and Andreas facepalms.

  - “You were saying?” Alice sarcastically says to Andreas.

  - “No need to hammer the nail in the coffin.” Andreas sighs. “It’ll only be for a few days, please bear it for the time being…”

  - “...Alright. If it turns out poorly, I will-”

  - “Alice isn’t angry anymore!” Nyx celebrates, smiling from ear to ear.

  - “...” Alice silently stares at Nyx’s face.

  - “What’s wrong?”

  - “...Can I talk to Vanessa? Is my daughter still somewhere in there?”

  - “Yeah sure! I don’t know how to, though, she hasn’t yelled at me since the other day.”

  Alice simply stares into Nyx’s eyes for a few seconds, and her own eyes rapidly fill with tears.

  - “I see…” She sniffles. “I’ll put all my heart into it then.”

  - “You talked to her?! How do you do that, I never managed to do it even once!” Andreas exclaims.

  - “Who knows. Maternal instincts, I guess?” Alice shrugs as she walks back towards the house.

  - “What did she say?”

  - “That she’s hungry, and that she wants to eat one of my apple pies.”

  - “...Her favorite dish, huh? I’ll help you then.” Andreas replies, fighting his tears.

  - “What’s wrong father?” Nyx asks.

  - “Nothing, it’s just… I guess that sent me back to simpler times. Don’t worry about it, you just wait at the dinner table. I’m sure it’ll be ready in an hour or so!”

  Nyx happily follows them back inside the house, and sits at the family’s dinner table watching the orange light of the sunset reflecting on the farm’s pond through the window.