Agrona Vritra
"Has it been implemented yet?"
"Yes, High Sovereign. All five squads of your Wraiths are already on their way to Dicathen." The female lesser lowered her gaze as she spoke.
"Mm... good..." A low murmur resonated in the back of my throat.
I have assembled five squads of my finest Wraiths. Their current objective is to gather intel—specifically regarding that boy—while simultaneously weakening Dicathen and avoiding detection when they blend in as Dicathenians until my next command.
Hopefully, the heavy sacrifices made to strengthen these five squads will not be wasted.
"High Sovereign, if I may..." The female lesser took a small step back, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her uniform.
"...Speak."
"There is... an anomaly among the Wraiths." She began, her voice trembling slightly. "Reports state he slaughtered his previous unit. He is mentally unstable. I hope you could reconsider—"
"There is nothing to worry about. I chose him precisely for his unpredictability. He might make things more interesting." I cut her off smoothly and turned my head just enough to cast a sidelong glance at her. "Now you may leave."
"I-I understand, High Sovereign..." She dipped her head even lower, retreating a step further before turning on her heel to exit.
"Now should be the time to prepare Cecilia..."
***
Seris Vritra
"You need to rest more, Cylrit," I said softly. A faint tightness seizing my throat as my eyes lingered on the empty spot where his horns once stood.
Finally lying down, he kept his chin tucked low toward his chest, unable to bring himself to meet my gaze. "I apologize for no longer being of use to you, Scythe Seris..." he muttered, his voice hollow and weighed down by a bitter, heavy shame.
"I should be the one apologizing," I replied softly. "I wasn't there for any of you."
"Scythe Seris..." Cylrit swallowed hard, his hand clenching into a tight fist against the thin bedding. "I wish to be of more use to you... I couldn't even ask the Dicathenian dwarves for more food for the children. Worse, I forced you to do it yourself... How shameful of me."
"You can still be of use by helping protect what is left of our people," I said, looking out to see children trying to entertain themselves with sticks and rocks. "I can handle the rest myself. At least you are still far more useful than Caera."
"Caera is still young, Scythe Seris," Cylrit offered gently, his voice rasping slightly. "Mistakes are to be expected."
I turned back to him. "A stupid young girl! Who made a stupid mistake! What was she thinking?! Once Scythe Nico gave her that dragon core, her first instinct was to keep it to herself—" I broke off abruptly, freezing as I realized it wasn't just Cylrit staring up at me, but several others nearby, all watching in stunned silence.
"..."
"I'm sorry..." I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out a long, slow breath to collect the frayed edges of my temper.
Lowering my hand, I smoothed down my robes and regained my usual cool stance. "Regardless... food will be here once Delsin arrives. Be sure to help him portion out the rations for everyone. Be nice to him. And don't worry about me—I don't need to eat all... that... much..." My voice trailed off as an overwhelming, deadly pressure pierced through the back of my skull, observing from somewhere far off in the dark.
The air in the makeshift shelter turned unnaturally thin.
"...Scythe Seris?" Cylrit whispered, noticing the sudden rigidity in my posture.
My pulse spiked as my eyes darted toward the distant crowd of Dicathenians, searching through the sea of displaced faces.
There, tucked deep beneath the shadow of a tattered hood, a single pair of eyes locked directly onto mine. They burned with a raw, suffocating rage—an absolute hatred aimed straight at me.
A wraith.
A refugee stepped between us.
When they passed, the Wraith was gone.
Cold sweat broke across my skin as urgency flooded my veins.
"Cylrit, I need to reach Arthur immediately!" I commanded, my voice sharp enough to snap the room into instant motion. "Gather our people together now!"
***
Delsin Novak
"Maybe another time, alright?" I said, juggling with plates upon plates of food as three pairs of small arms suddenly latched onto my legs like climbing vines.
They all refused and immediately erupted into a chorus of whines and protests.
"Noo... Delly, come play with usssss!!"
"Delly, can you teach me how to do math? I don't understand a thing when Berk teaches me!"
"Delly, can you teach me how to write my name, please?"
"Come on, Delly!"
"Come on!"
"Come on!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!! GO PLAY SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!" A harsh, abrasive tone of voice cracked across the room like a whip.
Acting purely on instinct, the kids flinched and scrambled away toward the door, fleeing outside in a flurry of tiny footsteps.
"Thank you, Ms. Care," I sighed, putting food on one of the tables.
"And I thank you for helping us with the food, sweetie," Ms. Care said, stepping up beside me and wiping her hands on a cloth. "But those little tornadoes will be back the second I turn my back, so let me take it from here."
"No, you still have other things to take care of. Don't worry. I just need to do it fast before the kids return."
"Sweetie..."
"I got this! See? Almost done already! There are only, like... ten tables left." I assured her as I continued on putting food on other tables. "Besides, I will have to bring food for the Alacryans."
She stared at me for a moment before shaking her head with a soft, worn smile. "Fine... thank you, sweetie. But one more thing, be careful with those people, you hear? I don't trust them."
"That's just because you haven't tried getting to know them," I replied smoothly. "They mean no harm at all."
"There was once a time, an Alacryan—no, a Vritra, to be exact—came in here asking for more food for his people. A handsome young man with his horns sawed off."
"Did you give him what he asked for?" I stopped to listen.
"No. He appeared out of nowhere and startled me half to death! So I screamed for guards. He said he was sorry..."
"Oh..."
"Then later that same day," she continued, a faint scoff escaping her lips, "a young lady with white locks and a long pair of horns, dressed in an old elven traditional attire, came here with actual manners and asked for the exact same thing... we shared some of our leftovers with her out of pity."
"..."
"That's all. And again, be careful when you're around them, Delsin." She warned, smoothing down her apron before turning on her heel and heading back toward the kitchens.
I waited until the swinging doors muffled her footsteps, then picked up my pace. Soon enough, my name was called again.
"Delsin?"
I spun around, a grin breaking across my face as I caught a sight of her in the doorway. "Hi, Caera. I'm almost done. Can you wait?"
She stepped inside the dining hall, leaning her shoulder lightly against the wooden doorframe with a faint tilt of her head. "Well, since I don't have anything better to do, I could give you a hand." She said, her arms folded comfortably beneath her chest.
"No need. We both don't want the locals seeing an Alacryan helping prepare their food—no offense."
"None taken," she said quietly, offering a small, graceful shrug that didn't quite reach her eyes. "If you don't want my help, then I suppose I'll head back."
An idea sparked instantly. "No, wait, wait, wait!" I practically slammed the stack of plates onto the nearest table and hurried a few steps toward her.
She paused, looking back over her shoulder. "Change your mind, Delsin?"
"Yes! Can you sit over there? Near the entrance. Protect me, please."
"Protect you?" A look of genuine confusion crossed her face as she pushed off the doorframe and approached the table near the entrance, lowering herself down slowly onto a wooden bench. "I don't understand, Delsin."
"You're helping me by just sitting there." I said, turning back to my work with a victorious smirk.
"And what am I doing to help exactly?" She leaned back, crossing her legs.
"You'll see."
"..."
I picked up the next tray, wiping off the surface with a rag to pass the time. "So, how did you get here?" I asked, striking up conversation.
"By walking?" Caera replied dryly, raising a single eyebrow.
"No, I mean..." I gestured toward my own head. "You don't hide your horns anymore."
"They all know and remember my face, Delsin," she answered quietly, her gaze dipping toward the wooden grain of the bench before looking back up. "I don't think it really matters anymore."
"That's fair. I mean, your red eyes and distinct features—you stand out in a crowd." I remarked, not breaking stride as I aligned another pair of bowls on the table.
Her brow twitched slightly with her head tilted lightly. She shifted a bit against the wooden bench, keeping her posture composed as she watched me.
"Hey, what are you doing here anyway? Do you really not have anything better to do, Caera?"
"Mm-hmm. Scythe Seris doesn't seem to have anything for me to do," she said, letting out a small, quiet sigh. "So I thought, why not come here and help you and Berk with things? People here might gain a different perspective on the Alacryans staying in Dicathen. Or, at least, become a little less inclined to scream 'Get back to where you came from, you reptile!!' and all sorts of curses."
"Oh! That's great, Caera. Then you can start off small and try to get along with them!"
"Who is 'them'?"
A rapid patter of tiny footsteps could be heard approaching the dining hall.
"Dellyyyyy!" The kids entered.
"Yea?"
"Come on, are you with the—" The lead kid stopped dead in his tracks. The others slammed into his back, freezing as their eyes locked onto the red eye woman with a pair of fearsomely sharp horns sitting right beside the doorway.
Her crimson eyes gleaming with playful realization as a soft, musical chuckle escaped her lips. "Hi there~"
"A-Ah..." The kids backed up a step, their faces going pale as they stared at the sharp, curved horns resting above her dark blue hair.
Caera leaned forward just an inch, flashed a mischievous grin, and dropped her voice into a low growl.
"Boo!"
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
The kids scattered like startled quails, screeching in terror as their tiny footsteps thundered back down the corridor, fading into the distance.
I burst out laughing, setting the final few plates in place and dusting off my apron. "Told you sitting there would help."
Caera just shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her as a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "You really had me sit here just to use me as an oversized scarecrow."
Before I could reply, another rush of footsteps could be heard outside, far heavier and faster this time.
"Come on! Come on! Move it!" A harsh voice barked outside.
"Aww, what now?!" a soldier complained loudly. "We were just about to break for food!!!"
Outside the doorway, several armed guards sprinted past, their armor clanking loudly as they rushed toward the main square. More and more soldiers were spilling out of the barracks, joining the commotion.
The humor vanished from Caera's face instantly. Her posture straightened as she stood up.
I dropped the rag onto the table. "What's going on?" I muttered.