"If it's true that someone is really behind the attack, I'll bet 10,000 Aether coins it's Lysander." Elian saw the confidence in her eyes as she said those words.
Everyone knew Lysander was a terrible and greedy supreme leader. He tasked every citadel, made them work tirelessly for his benefit and punished anyone who stood against him.
He had once destroyed an entire citadel that failed to serve him. It became the dead city, a lost citadel that was scratched off from the realm's map.
Could he be the one behind the attack? Did he want to extinguish Destitropolis too?
But if Lysander was behind the attack, then his vision was false. Celestralis also suffered the attack in his vision. Nobody was spared, not even Lysander and the rich that lived in Celestralis.
"And your theory about mutations?" Elian asked.
"I don't think I really believed that. It was disturbing to think of another theory so I held on to any natural explanation for as long as I could, but with your dream..." She trailed off. "Whatever is happening now isn't normal."
She was right.
All this felt very abnormal. The thought made Elian's skin tingle unpleasantly.
"So, what exactly have you been chosen for?" She asked. "Do you know?
Elian chuckled. "You know, I'm surprised you believe me when even I have trouble believing I'm still in my right senses."
"I believe in two things." She poked the fire violently. "The things I can control and the things I can't explain. With my own eyes, I saw you do something I still can't explain. I have to believe you until we come up with a better explanation."
Elian lowered his head so she couldn't see the tears that had formed in his eyes. The crushing, lonely feeling was back, and it was worse.
"I don't want explanations," He murmured. "I want my family back."
"What happened to them?"
Elian swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. At last, after a long struggle, he was able to say, "They are dead. They were killed yesterday. That place you walked into was my home. Just before you came, I watched those creatures take my mother and sister away from me. The worst part? I was too damn weak to do anything to stop them."
"I'm sorry for your loss," She said quietly, sounding genuinely sorry. "At least you survived. That's something, isn't it?"
Elian scoffed. "Survive? Did I really survive?"
She gave him a puzzled look. He pointed at his bloody shirt and the long tear that ran across it. "You see this? One of those things dug its talons into my stomach and ripped my guts out. I'm very sure I died, but get this. When I woke up, there wasn't even a scar, but my family was still dead."
She gasped, and her eyes widened in shocked surprise. She kept glancing from Elian's shirt to his face.
"You're special, alright," She finally said, her voice full of wonder. "I've seen a lot of strange things in the realm, but you... I've never seen something or someone like you."
"I'm not special," Elian argued. "I just want to end whatever the hell is happening."
"To do that, you have to know what is happening," She pointed out. "Did you see anything else in your dream? Something that could explain what the voice told you."
Elian thought hard. "I saw faces and some objects." He sighed. "I think I am supposed to find those people and objects."
The girl raised her eyebrows. "What makes you think you're supposed to find them?"
"Because I saw you too."
She sucked in a breath. "What?"
"I've never been more serious in my life. I don't think meeting you was a coincidence. You saved my life for a reason."
She frowned. "I know someone who can help with the dreams and even tell you the meaning of what you saw."
Elian felt a smile, the first in what seemed like a long time. "So does that mean I get to stick around you for a while?"
She pulled out a knife from an inner pocket and threw it to him.
"Keep it," she said. "You should get some rest. Tomorrow, we will have to go to Aetherforge."
Aetherforge? It had always been Elian's dream to visit there.
"That's my favourite place in the realm." He revealed.
"Why?"
"It's where I've always wanted to live." He licked his lips. "For as long as I can remember, I've dreamt of working there, becoming a forger, forging weapons and artifacts, controlling the flow of Aether coins." Elian grinned. "What could be better than that?"
"That's not a life," She told Elian scornfully. "I don't like any citadel that serves Celestralis because they don't have free will. Every citadel apart from Gilded Glades and Bounty's Perch slave day and night for Celestralis. And for what? A few Aether coins while those in Celestralis become almost immortal. You want to be a forger, right? Even the forgers are not allowed to make their own weapons. Lysander and the other rich bastards keep getting richer off the blood and sweat of other citadels. Your dream life isn't really a dream. It's suffering."
Elian let out a laugh. "You're only saying that because you are privileged. I'm guessing you were not born in the slums of Destitropolis. If I were a forger, my family wouldn't have suffered and lived off scraps from other citadels. I would rather suffer daily in Aetherforge than remain stuck in Destitropolis."
"Well, you'll get your chance to go there tomorrow. Then you'll see if it's worth it."
Elian felt his insides twist suddenly as he remembered something. They couldn't just walk into Aetherforge. If it were that simple, he would have done it years ago. They had to be superior officers to move from one citadel to the other.
"How can we even get there?" Elian asked. "It's impossible."
The girl smiled.
"It's not," She said confidently. "I'm going there to collect a bounty. Everyone in the realm knows that it's better to face a witch than to deny a bounty hunter entrance."
Elian's breath caught in his throat.
The girl? A bounty hunter?
Seeing his look of surprise, she said, "I thought you would have guessed what I am after seeing these." She gestured to the neat row of weapons at her feet.
"I have never left Destitropolis before, so I've never met a female bounty hunter. I'm surprised girls can be bounty hunters."
She rolled her eyes. "And I'm surprised sexism also exists in Destitropolis."
"I'm sorry," Elian said quickly. "I only meant that it's a pretty dangerous job, even for a man. Did you, um- willingly decide to be a bounty hunter?"
She nodded. "It was my choice. My father is one of the greatest bounty hunters ever. I guess I'm following in his footsteps."
"Wow. You just got more impressive than I initially thought you were."
She tried to hide it, but Elian could clearly see the blush stealing across her cheeks.
"So tell me, who are you hunting?" he asked.
"Zephyrion Luminoth," She replied. "There's a 2000 Aether coin bounty on him. He was a forger that made his own special weapon. I was on my way to collect him when those creatures attacked."
"He made a special weapon? That's all?" Elian asked, slowly grasping what life outside Destitropolis was like. "Why would he be hunted because of something so trivial?"
"I told you, didn't I? Aetherforge is like a prison." She shrugged. "Anyway, don't think too much about it. Get some rest."
"Why don't I stay up and watch since I've already been out for hours?" Elian offered.
She didn't like the idea, but finally, after a little back and forth, she agreed that they would take turns keeping watch. Elian would take the first watch. Elian watched her pile up some rocks to lay her head on.
He shook his head as she stretched out on the ground, "I can't believe I told you all that without mentioning my name. My name is Elian. Elian Vance."
"I'm Selene." She replied. "Selene Willow."
********************
Elian's lips moved. His eyes were closed as he tossed restlessly on the floor. He was dreaming.
"Beakstorm Reapers," he mumbled.
After some seconds, he continued.
"Beak---Beakstorm Reapers."
"Aether sto-stops them."
"Find them."
"Beakstorm Reapers."
"Aether stops them."
"Find them."
"Elian!"
The voice was loud. It broke through his dream. The next instant, he felt someone shake him violently.
"Elian! Wake up!"
With a gasp, Elian's eyes flew open. He had a moment of panic where he imagined he was under attack. His hand instinctively curled into a fist. He raised it at the face before him, then dropped it when he saw who it was.
"Oh. It's you," he croaked. "Wh- what happened?"
"You were talking in your sleep. It's morning now." Selene's voice had a note of urgency that hadn't been there the night before. She shot a quick look behind her to the entrance of the cave. "I can hear the creatures somewhere out there, so there is a change of plans. We will have to take the underground tunnels that lead to Aetherforge."
Elian stared at her, slowly recalling the fragments of his dream. Only these things were not really dreams anymore. They were visions; pieces of the future and past were colliding in his mind.
"Beakstone Reapers," he said.
Selene stared back, and then she blinked. "What's that? You were repeating the same words in your sleep. Did you have another dream?"
Elian slowly rose to his feet. "The birds are called Beakstone Reapers, and I know how to stop them."