Chi-chink!

  To the sound of a lock, Lyi awoke. Her head hurt, far more than it had ever hurt before. That explosion of Wind... Roch must have felt the need to pacify her. A faint grin on her face, she wrought up her strength to check on her Heart Core, but... a small golden lock surrounded it with chains. No matter how she pushed her magic, the lock would shift itself to block it. It split itself to block multiple streams, and reformed to protect against a stronger stream of magic.

  She frowned. It hadn't taken much work to awaken it... why was it not responding to her now? This lock, it didn't feel like it was natural to her body. It had a tinge of a magic unknown to her, far distant from the elements she was used to. There was nothing to it - she couldn't access her Heart Core no matter what she tried. Her Mind, Soul and Wing Cores all reacted to magic, at the very least. They certainly didn't awaken, but she atleast felt relief as small motes of ambient magic entered her body. Those Cores were hungry for more, and she could most certainly feel it.

  The pain in her head started to fade as she managed to sit herself up. She was in the bedroom in the tower... Roch was right, the stones really didn't help with sleeping. Even as someone who didn't need sleep, they managed to make her feel more tired, like she had completely drained her Aura of its magic. Though, she could vaguely remember that happening during her battle with Roch...

  Awakening her Heart Core made her feel like a totally different person. She felt... anger, at having so decisively lost. Joy, at managing to use so many spells. Pride, at managing to fight hand-to-hand with no training. Before, something like this would barely make her feel anything. Even besides that, she could feel her body was much stronger than it was before. That faint golden tinge was still there, but at a much fainter level than when she had just awakened the Heart Core. This must an Espi's proper ambient state... she certainly felt much more like a person now, rather than some kind of monster.

  She found herself at the window looking out upon Poenticivt, which was now shrouded in night. Multicoloured lamps were laden through the streets, corresponding to their specific district. White for the centre, cyan for the North, yellow for the East, dark blue for the South... though the West had no lamps at all, being blanketed in total darkness alongside its tower.

  A faint sadness rose up in her. She knew that Hope, the Wing of the West, was the cause. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to blame her. Having awakened the Heart Core herself, it warped her into a completely different person... she couldn't help but think about what Hope could have been like before that. Quiet and quaint, like her? Or was she just as feisty, just not to the point of harming people?

  She could understand Hope's views somewhat. But as quickly as that thought came, it was banished back to the depths of her mind. There was no way Hope could be considered normal by any stretch of the word. As such, there was no point thinking of her in a rational sense. She must have been bordering on insane before awakening her Heart Core for her to cause such damage to the populace of Anosha.

  Looking down to the courtyard, she could just faintly see Roch wielding her Rui Undea. She never managed to ask when he had got it... no matter, it was here all the same. The man seemed to be struggling with the complex weapon, often catching the spearhead in the ground due to its bulk. Whenever he swapped it to its hammer form, the weapon would crash into the ground from his hands. It certainly already took all he had to hold it in spear form.

  Further still, his techniques certainly were not amateur, but they simply didn't mesh with the weapon. The spear form alone had a far different weight distribution to the Anshoran spears she could see scattered along the walls, what with its far bulkier spearhead and comparatively smaller shaft. Lyi could tell that he was frustrated, but the man kept practicing relentlessly. Almost certainly for her.

  He wasn't alone in the courtyard, besides. Anshorans noticeably younger than him were practicing some kind of martial technique. Considering the importance Roch placed on body strength, these must be young Mages learning under him. Only two, a fair-skinned young man with slicked back black hair and a woman of similar age, who had darker skin and long blonde hair, were not participating in these exercises.

  Rather, they were casting a Wind spell over and over. A spell in the [Click Series], as far as Lyi could tell from their motions. Every few attempts, they'd each conjure up a meagre blade of wind that barely cut the wall infront of them. However, each time they succeeded, a look of unparalleled joy dashed across their faces. From the scant Aura she could see... these two Mages had just barely started learning.

  A slight, mocking smirk sat on her face. She definitely had an advantage in the magic department, if they looked so happy from just casting a simple spell like that. Soon after, the smirk faded from her face. The Heart Core... made her mock people? It felt totally natural to her, to see those people as beneath her... another thought she had to lock away in the back of her mind. They were working hard, they deserved the happiness.

  Placing a hand on her chest, where her Heart Core laid, she couldn't help but raise her Aura in an attempt to crush it. She didn't want this! She didn't feel like herself anymore, even if it did provide her with the strength to use magic. Alas, the gems in the room let out a faint flash and her Aura was forced back into her body.

  Lyi let out a sharp sigh. Roch already thought about this situation... it must have happened to Hope. Atleast she knew what the useless gems did now. She just had to... settle with how she was now. With the itch in the back of her mind that made her feel superior to others. Though, she certainly felt many more emotions as she was, so it couldn't be all bad. All those Anshorans... they felt these feelings too. Even the people who's species she couldn't recognise, they shared in the emotion of the others around them. Not like her...

  She tore her eyes from the courtyard below, turning to walk the stairs down the tower. Little particles of magic she couldn't see before, those of pure black, parted as she walked down the steps. Orange particles flitted around the torches on the walls, pure white particles sitting calmly on the spots where the light was brightest. She traced her hand through the air, those particles parting for it and never touching. It was... beautiful. She couldn't help but wonder, had the world around her always looked so beautiful?

  Before she knew it, she was in the courtyard. The howling winds from earlier in the day were back, but she couldn't help herself from admiring them. The way the Wind particles flowed and twisted to form the breeze, working in perfect co-ordination. They even carried along scant amounts of Ice particles, contributing to the cold in the air. They would rush in support of the young Mages, letting their words and motions not be for naught. They felt kind, almost. They even wrapped around her feet, making it easier to walk through the grounds.

  As she walked through the courtyard, she noticed the passing glances from the Anshorans and people of other species. There was no fear, like Hope thought would be present. Even thinking back, Hovi and the other researchers presented no fear. From what she could tell, all they felt was curiosity. She made a quiet humming noise, wandering up to Roch. He seemed busy, swinging the Rui Undea without end. She should wait... but she didn't want to wait, and as such she spoke,

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  "Roch, I want to see the... what did you call it again, the city? P... something? I want to see it."

  Roch's swing stopped in its tracks, the spear embedding itself in the ground. His hands... shook? She couldn't quite tell what he was feeling. His breath sounded sharper than normal, just as shaky as his hands aswell. The students around had stopped their actions alongside him, besides the casting Mages, a look of surprise filling their faces. What was up with them? She had just asked a question. Even the Wind particles around Roch stopped their movements.

  Drip...

  Lyi's ears drooped slightly downward. Small droplets of water were falling from Roch's face, forming a pool where she could see some Water particles moving about. She leaned down, to look at those little particles. They pranced alongside the Wind, more and more coming out to join their little parade. Her wondering stopped, however, when a pair of heavy hands gripped her shoulders hard. She lifted her head, only to see Roch's scrunched face, trails of water flowing from his eyes.

  What was this called again...? She racked through her memories, but certainly couldn't put a word to it. It certainly wasn't something she had experienced. The grip on her shoulders kept tightening, only loosening slightly when she let out a quiet whimper of pain. This wasn't how Roch acted, atleast based on the short amount of time she had known him. There was a short moment of him staring right into her eyes, before he spoke,

  "H-Hylimdem... you, you said you wanted to go see the city, you wanted?"

  "Its not that strange a request, no?"

  "Y-you, you're still... you? It's you, right, you don't want to hurt anyone?"

  "Why would I? Can I go for a walk or not?"

  "Of c... course. Kanh, Frir, could one of you show her the city?"

  Accompanying Roch's voice was a trace of Force particles, causing the two young Mages to turn their heads and snap out of their apparent trance. The young man with slicked back hair made some small hand motions to the blonde-haired woman, who put her hand to her chin whilst nodding. The two then started some kind of handshake, though the young man seemed to mess up the motions and threw his hands to the air in frustration. The woman let out a chuckle and with a smirk pushed the clearly bashful young man forward.

  Rubbing his hands lightly and occasionally looking back to the young woman, who was pushing her fist up into the air, the man made a small bowing motion towards both Roch and Lyi. He seemed to be wanting to speak, but there was a layer of anxiety behind his eyes that even Lyi could see. The boy was constantly glancing at her wings. She frowned slightly, looking back at Roch,

  "I can walk alone. Don't like him."

  "Hyl-" but before Roch could even start his sentence, the young man yelled out,

  "MY NAME IS FRIR! I'LL SHOW YOU AROUND THE CITY MA'AM! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME!"

  Lyi looked at the boy, at Frir. He was loud, so loud he had scared off the Wind particles around him. No wonder she could barely feel his presence and felt aversion towards him, magic must hate him. His hair looked awful too, like he clawed it back with his hands and stuck it together. Though, she could certainly do worse with a forced companion. He would have to do.

  "Stop looking at my wings, I just want a walk."

  "YES MA'AM!"

  "Don't call me that either. It's Lyi. Just Lyi."

  "UNDERSTOOD!"

  With a groan, Lyi separated herself from Roch's arms, wandering out the courtyard with the incredibly loud Frir following behind her.

  Roch watched on as the Espi left his courtyard. The tears in his eyes started to dry up as he looked into the night sky above, taking care not to look towards Lata. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it could have torn out of his chest. He didn't feel her coming through the Wind. A technique he mastered, even invented himself. Yet, he didn't feel her approaching. Much the same to whenever he encountered his Tulemti.

  Though he couldn't see them, he could tell that the tiny particles that composed magic must love her, to let her tread with nary a trace. Most creatures had to tear their way through them. This time... waking up her Heart worked. It didn't send her mad.

  "How many cycles has it been?", he wondered to himself. Since that day he first woke Tulemti?

  Lata Calendar Year 79983, The 52nd Day of the 3rd Cycle

  ???????????????

  ???? Region, Quadrant ?, Anosha, The Western Continent

  "What the FUCK Roch! Get the hell up! We need to stop her now, we've barely got anyone left!"

  A woman with slicked back black hair was yelling into Roch's ears. Her Aura was clearly pushed to its limits, streaks of golden lightning tracing through it. His was flaring too... he couldn't remember why. The rock behind him was comfy... but the constant faint laughter irritated him to no end, to the point he couldn't enjoy this fine stone. The woman besides him seemed so serious, a club so strongly clutched in her hands it was bending.

  What was her name again? It didn't really matter, she seemed like a killjoy. He had Tuli anyways, he didn't need anyone else. Though every time he tried to get up, the woman would drag him back down to the ground. She must really like him, to keep him from le-

  His eyes widened as he watched half the woman disappear from infront of him, her hand still grabbing onto his collar as the detached arm smacked against his chest. What remained of one of the woman's eyes rolled up against him, the remnant half of her corpse falling backwards as blood coated the ground. The cape that was attached to her outfit was caught under it for but a moment before it flew off in the wind, slight sizzling noises emerging as the corpse burst into a blue flame.

  A smell of barbecued meat wafted into his nostrils, before the corpse turned into ash. The striking Aura that surrounded her disappeared into complete nothingness, though he could tell from the Wind that the magic it contained flowed in a certain direction. Following the Wind's guidance, he peeked his head out from the rock he was hiding behind, taking care to bring his Aura back into his body. Wouldn't do to be noticed by that floating figure...

  That floating figure with wings and sharp ears...

  His Tuli?

  What was she doing up there? It was dangerous!

  His Aura skyrocketed as the Wind dragged him upwards. Tuli seemed to notice him coming, good, she would be safe if he could grab her. But why, why was she the one laughing? Why was she casting a spell? Those pale yellow eyes reminiscent of the sunrise, they still looked the same. So why then, why were her beautiful eyes looking at him with such malice?

  He barely felt the pain from the {Snaprend} Tuli fired hitting him, only seeing her turn away to fire spells at other people around. He remembered now. This experiment to finally wake up Tuli's dormant Heart, the one Core of hers that was damaged, it went horribly wrong. It should have only lasted a few seconds, just long enough to make her body strong enough to prevent it from collapsing under its own Aura.

  But it had been more than three days. That Mage he had been sat with, the Western Custodian, Riah, she was the last Lightning Mage their city had left. Even now, looking down on the battlefield... only eight of them were left. All of this... this was his fault?

  He just wanted her to live. That was all he ever wanted.

  Just before he collided with the ground, the Wind caught him and set him down gently. There was pain rising in his left arm and chest, both obviously broken. With his left arm gone, {Windburst}... even {Windblade} wouldn't be accessible spells. He could maybe move it enough for {Clicksquall}, maybe even a {Snapsquall}, but...

  How could he ever hurt his Tuli? She had hurt him before, on accident, this must be another episode like that... right? Even if it had been 12 years since her last, there was no reason why she couldn't have another. She was an unknown creature afterall, there was so much they didn't know. Maybe they were overreacting? It could be a mind control spell... it could be any matter of things other than her Heart! So why...

  Why was everyone around him dead? Why were there rolling heads on the floor, entrails covering his clothes? It couldn't be real, there was no way that was his Tuli. Either she was still safely at home, carving her favourite wood sculptures... or... or...

  He shook his head. This had to be real, the pain was real. His friends were dead, his students dead. There was no time to think about where the blame laid. All he could do was raise his Aura and slice his hand through the air, clicking three times to unleash a {Snapsquall}. The Wind would guide it, he thought, as his parched throat barely managed to eek the word "Sqa!" out.

  He watched as the blade of air flew through the sky, just about to hit his Tuli, and closed his eyes. He couldn't see her get hurt, even if it was necessary... even if it was the only thing he could do to atone. But as he opened his eyes, her face filled his vision. Those eyes he adored so much, the purple hair with golden ends that was like nothing else on the planet. Those beautiful, gigantic wings... and just before his vision went black, he faintly heard her soft voice,

  "Stop looking at my wings."