-Callen-

  The quiet sound of waves lapping against the shore was all that accompanied us as we walked through the darkening conditions back towards my home. Considering Crescent's condition, we both agreed that it might be best for her to stay out of the public eye. As for how to explain her disappearance, that is something we’ll have to discuss with Hew. As for tonight, it wasn’t uncommon for Crescent to spend nights in my home, which was built on the edge of town, so Hew shouldn’t be too worried. For some reason the moment that thought passes through my mind I can almost immediately picture Hew nudging me about when he should expect the wedding. A faint smile curls on my lips as the thought helps banish the stress from the earlier breakdown.

  A small shiver crawls up my spine as I gradually recollect details from my time under her spell. It worked on two levels. First the witch exploited the mystery that the void was twisting my understanding of it with a plausible alternative. Then in the second encounter, she leveraged the first misunderstanding to twist my entire worldview. Any concerns or contradictions were washed away. It all came to a climax as the spell started sealing away my memories and twisting my perception. I don’t know why I had been so confident in confronting the witch, but even acting remotely, I was dismantled effortlessly. What's even worse is that she is likely aware of the spell's collapse, meaning that the witch will likely lead her army to invade Port Town soon. I look down and sigh as my good mood vanishes again.

  “Are you ok, Callen?" Crescent's voice squeaked out from my hand. I give her a forced smile.

  “We are going to be in for a difficult couple of days, but I’m sure we can work everything out.” Our exchange comes to an end as I notice Mom waiting in the doorway with her arms crossed.

  “Mom!” I eagerly greeted as we got closer. Her expression was particularly stern until she noticed the smaller passenger in my hands. Her anger faded as concern started to fill her expression.

  “Crescent?!” She completely disregarded me as she rushed over. “What happened? Are you ok?” Mom hovered right in front of me, torn between reaching for the tiny Crescent and holding herself back to avoid accidentally hurting her. I move to the side and gently nudge Mom back inside. After getting settled, Mom reheated the dinner she had prepared for me when she heard I was back in town and sat down while I gradually brought her up to speed on all the current world events. Though I did try to downplay some of the issues, like the church's issues, since she wouldn’t really understand. Our corner of the world didn’t have a real understanding of what the church represented, so she wouldn’t really understand the context. Instead I simplified it to Callia getting caught up in a rebellion against a monster that was pretending to be human in the south. I left the elf problem an elf problem while glossing over the details of the witch of illusion, and then we reached the topic of Crescent’s transformation. Mom looked ready to storm out with a broom and give the fairy a few swats with her broom but eventually settled down for the night.

  As Mom called it a night, Callia reached out to me to catch up and request new equipment. Conveniently, I also planned to craft Crescent a miniature house so that little Rylin doesn’t abduct Crescent, thinking she's a toy of some kind. I quickly hammered out a sturdy new dagger and bow and sent them off to Callia, and then got to work designing a dollhouse-sized home while Crescent took the chance to try familiarizing herself with her new set of wings. After all the full scale projects I had taken in the past, building a tiny tiny house was an interesting twist in detailed work that I didn’t get much practice with. The tiny runes in particular required extreme focus and precision. Once the house was done, I picked it up and moved it under the dining room table in the house to hang Crescent's new home out of reach of toddlers. Conveniently, Crescent’s wings would let her reach places that Rylin couldn’t.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Crescent wearily crawled into her house, wishing me a good night, and I dragged myself up the stairs while noticing the light outside was beginning to creep back up. I flopped into my bed with regret since I needed to get up early and contact the queen to give her an update on the situation soon. At least the elves' next target is likely to be Port Town itself since the witch seems to think I know where the ring is. I pause and remember the other issue of Lexia’s army. If Lexia is coming, that means Freema will likely be in tow, and the ring will be in Port Town. I slump back, trying to banish the concern from my thoughts, hoping to drift off to get what little rest I can when Callia reaches out to me again. I almost regret not falling asleep faster, but I can’t just abandon Callia. Saving people comes first.

  I rolled off my bed and quickly suited myself back up in case I needed to fight. I jotted a quick note for Mom and the others and jogged through the early morning light to Nightshade’s tower. Upon arrival I was greeted with a burst of welcoming warmth through my connection to Nightshade. She was clearly happy I was back and even more so to share the imminent sunrise with me. I smiled a bit amused as she passed on impressions in the form of rambling about the lack of appreciation for sunlight among humans. I listened and enjoyed while sharing that Callia will need to utilize the Void Gate soon to save people. Slowly the minutes passed by, letting me enjoy a slow conversation with Nightshade when Callia finally followed up.

  “There are a lot of people here, so I’ll need to send them through in batches. Are you ready to open the gate?” I adjusted the position of the gates in the void to line up next to each other to minimize the exposure of unrelated people to our storage zone and positioned myself next to the gate. The moment I sent Callia my confirmation, she immediately called for me to open the gate. Immediately a mass of people in ragged clothing rushed through the gates, spreading out into the surrounding fields. More and more continued to rush through, then abruptly the rush stopped, and Callia signalled the end of the first batch. Looking at the hundred or so people milling about the field, I noticed a heavy feeling in the air. I reached inward to try to identify the feeling, and my heart nearly stopped as I realized Callia wasn’t just sending civilians; she was sending chosen. People who went to the citadel because they had the divine allure that monsters craved. I rushed into the crowd, grabbing one of the elders who was trying to organize the group. The man looked upset at the interruption, but I assertively drowned out his complaint with my orders.

  “I need you to take these people to the quarry zone to shelter with the earthkin. This many chosen in one place will bring disaster if we don't manage the allure immediately!” I gestured vaguely in the direction of the earthkin shelter, and the elder seemed to realize the issue. Immediately he and those around him decisively started corralling the refugees away. I started to try to help guide, but Callia’s voice rang through the connection regarding the next batch. I rushed back to the gate, activating it, and immediately more people began to pour through. As they did, I started calling out to direct them to follow the previous groups. Some listened, and the others shuffled off in the same direction like a mass of confused sheep. The second batch came to an end, but I held on to the connection.

  “Sis, how many people are you sending?” My question carried with it urgency matching the severity of the issue that I already suspected would soon beset the town. Callia must’ve recognized the concern and promptly clarified the situation.

  “There are thousands down here; if I leave them behind, the demons will leverage them as hostages or sacrifices.” I could only accept the reasoning and bear it with a grimace. I moved up, grabbed another of the refugee leaders, and ordered him to run to the gatehouse immediately and tell them Callen is calling for all guards to man the walls immediately. The man nodded but hesitated with confusion on his face as he started to ask where. I pointed off towards the general direction of the gatehouse and moved back to the gate for the next wave. Seeing so many people pouring into the town, I can’t help but be relieved Callia stored such an outrageous amount of food in the void.

  No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—