As Damon stepped out of the mist, a piercing ring echoed in his ears, and reality snapped sharply back into focus. What had felt like hours wandering through haze had, in truth, only been seconds-a fleeting blink in time. Dizzy and disoriented, he steadied himself, grounding his thoughts.

  Zephyr was there, casually leaning against a tree, his expression unreadable.

  At the sight of Damon, he simply turned and walked away. To a stranger, it might've seemed cold. But Damon knew better-that was Zephyr's version of "welcome back."

  He smiled.

  Gwen, on the other hand, came sprinting up. "You slowpoke! It took you thirty-three seconds longer than me!"

  "How long did it take Zephyr?" Damon asked, nodding toward him.

  "Oh, he walked out before I did," Gwen replied. "He said sixty-seven seconds had passed before I came out. Apparently, we were only in there for about five minutes total... but it felt like an hour to me."

  Damon chuckled. "Felt like nine for me."

  That made Velira, still perched on his shoulder, squirm uncomfortably. She pressed her tiny hands against his cheek, guilt painted all over her face.

  Gwen squinted playfully at her.

  "Who's that?" she asked, then leaned closer, whispering, "Did you... give birth?"

  Velira tried to hide behind Damon's head-unsuccessfully.

  Damon smiled, gently lifting her from his shoulder. "THIS is Velira."

  Gwen offered a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Velira."

  The girl gave a shy nod.

  But as Zephyr approached, Velira tensed. Her body stiffened, eyes wide with fear.

  Zephyr gave her a rare, gentle smile-only making her tremble more.

  Gwen burst out laughing. "She hates you, Zephyr!"

  Damon filled them in on everything he'd seen in the mist, including Velira's story. Gwen knelt and patted Velira's head, vowing to personally beat up whoever had hurt her people.

  Zephyr said nothing, but his clenched fists and sharp gaze spoke volumes-he was furious.

  Velira then guided them forward, toward her village.

  Along the path:

  Damon leaned toward Zephyr, Velira now comfortably on his shoulder again. "I heard you were the first one out."

  Zephyr glanced at him but didn't reply.

  "How'd you manage that?" Damon asked. "Felt like I was stuck in there for nine hours."

  "It was..." Zephyr started, pausing as Damon stared at him, shocked.

  "What?" Zephyr asked.

  "Nothing," Damon said, his cheeks shockingly turning red. "Sorry. Go on."

  He hadn't expected Zephyr to actually answer.

  Still confused, Zephyr continued, "I saw like these shadowy figures-four of them. Thought they were illusions at first... then thought they were real. But apparently, only one was."

  He glanced at his hand. "I manage to get a hold of whatever it was, grabbing its wrist tightly, it grimaced in pain and for a second, I saw the exit. But when I looked back at my hand... it was gone. Just a handful of sand. I wasn't planning on chasing it, so I walked out."

  Damon nodded slowly. "Mine walked through me."

  Zephyr blinked. "Wha"

  "I saw four too," Damon said. "They didn't speak or attack. They just walked... right through me. Not all at once though. Like side by side. Two of them literally passed through my body."

  Zephyr frowned, thoughtful but silent.

  Then Gwen chimed in. "I threatened mine!"

  The boys turned to her in unison.

  "It started crying, then the exit appeared," she said proudly. "Though chasing her felt like an hour... maybe longer. It's hard to tell now."

  Velira, calmer now, looked hesitantly at Zephyr. "Uhm... excuse me, mister?"

  Zephyr looked up at her, silent.

  She nervously stammered, "Did you say... sand?"

  Zephyr nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Ring any bells?"

  Velira's eyes lit up, then locked onto something ahead-another girl, identical to her but with long, golden-blonde hair.

  "Lori!" Velira cried, instantly morphing into a small snake, slithering off Damon's shoulder, and transforming back mid-run.

  The blonde girl spotted her and sprinted forward. They collided in a tight embrace, tears streaming.

  "I thought you were gone," Lori whispered. "I'm sorry I left you."

  "It's okay," Velira smiled. "I made friends."

  Lori looked up at the trio-her eyes landed on Zephyr.

  She screamed and fainted.

  Gwen immediately laughed, elbowing Zephyr. "It's hilarious. You're drop-dead gorgeous-and yet everyone's terrified of you."

  Zephyr, naturally, said nothing.

  They waited in the clearing as Lori lay unconscious. Zephyr wandered off to scout the area.

  A few minutes later, Lori stirred awake, eyes darting. "Is he gone?"

  Gwen smiled. "If you mean Zephyr-then the answer is no."

  Lori instantly clung to Gwen's leg. "Please don't let him take me!"

  Just then, Zephyr returned. "No one's nearby," he reported, then looked to Velira. "You sure this is the way?"

  "Oh, come on," Gwen said. "It's her village."

  Zephyr's gaze briefly landed on Lori-then quickly turned away to avoid scaring her.

  Still, Lori's grip tightened.

  Gwen's expression turned serious. "Okay... that's not funny anymore. Zephyr, what did you do to her?"

  "What?" he blinked. "I didn't even blink that time."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Gwen knelt beside Lori. "Don't worry. I won't let him take you."

  Zephyr looked stunned. "Are you serious right now?"

  ""He... he tried to take me," Lori whispered, holding up her bruised wrist.

  Zephyr's eyes narrowed. "I haven't even met you-"

  Before he could finish his sentence, Lori shimmered-her body flickering into Zephyr for a brief moment before returning to her original form. Bits of sand drifted from her skin.

  Zephyr let out a startled shriek, a reaction so rare it felt almost unreal to him.

  His mind raced, flashing back into the mist, and his voice softened. "Oh, my... I'm so sorry."

  Gwen stormed over and punched him in the head.

  "So you did try to take her!"

  Zephyr winced. "I didn't know! She was the one who came at me in the mist!"

  He paused. "Okay, technically she didn't attack me... but I didn't know she was a kid!"

  Gwen tilted her head, mock-disappointed. "Shame on you, Zephyr."

  "Oh please, you threatened one!" he argued.

  Gwen raised a finger. "Threatening a child and abducting one? Totally different things"

  "I didn't abduct anyone!" Zephyr snapped. "I just grabbed her wrist-then she vanished into bits of sand!"

  Gwen turned to Lori, totally ignoring Zephyr "Speaking of which... who DID I threaten?"

  "Well, it wasn't me or Velira," Lori said, glancing around. "So... that would be-"

  She trailed off, realizing something.

  "Wait... where'd they go?"

  Everyone looked toward where Damon and Velira had stood.

  Gone.

  A few paces ahead, they found them by a quiet lake, both lost in the shimmering water.

  Gwen crossed her arms. "When did you two wander off?"

  Damon didn't look up. "Not long ago."

  He glanced at Velira on his shoulder. "We need to keep moving. Which way?"

  Lori and Velira pointed, leading them forward.

  ---

  When they arrived at the village, it was far from peaceful.

  Corpses lay across the land. Some were nothing but bones.

  The Triad froze-Velira's earlier warning momentarily forgotten in the horror.

  The villagers, upon seeing Velira and Lori alongside the three of them, immediately shut their doors in panic.

  All except one.

  A woman rushed from her home, falling to her knees before them, ready to bow.

  Zephyr caught her shoulders gently.

  "Please," she begged, voice shaking. "Take me instead. Just... let them go."

  "We're not here to take anyone," Zephyr said quietly, helping her up.

  Velira and Lori rushed into the woman's arms, tears flowing.

  "Aunt Selune!" they cried.

  Selune held them tightly like a mother would to her child

  Another girl emerged at the sound-a black-haired version of Velira. She threw herself into their embrace.

  "I thought you were dead!"

  Velira turned to the group. "This is Myrren, And that's Aunt Selune."

  Selune stood out immediately. 170cm tall, her pale blue hair cascading like silk, white eyes glowing faintly. Intricate sigils shimmered along her neck-delicate yet radiant.

  Damon blinked. "A changeling..."

  Gwen looked at him. "A what?"

  "They're changelings," Damon said, eyes alight. "I didn't notice before. Velira and Lori must've been too young for their sigils to fully show."

  Just then, Myrren turned her gaze toward Gwen-eyes wide-and let out a sharp, startled shriek.

  "So that's who I threatened," Gwen said with a sly smile, leaning back slightly.

  Selune paused, then, with a soft smile, said, "Would you mind joining us for some tea? We don't have much to offer, but we can at least share that." Her voice, calm and lilting, echoed with a bell-like tone, soft yet subtly commanding.

  Without hesitation, the Triad followed her inside.

  At the door, Velira and her sisters slipped off their shoes, stepping inside with grace. Damon, without needing instruction, followed suit. Selune turned to him, offering a warm smile, her eyes soft as she chuckled lightly.

  Zephyr and Gwen removed their shoes inside, following selune with ease.

  Myrren motioned for the group to sit at the low table before joining Selune and her sisters in the kitchen to prepare the tea.

  A short while later, Selune returned, carrying three cups on a wooden tray. Velira and her sisters each held one as well. Together, they offered the cups to the Triad.

  As Myrren approached Damon, her foot slipped-an accident born of nerves more than clumsiness-and the hot tea spilled forward.

  Selune's eyes widened, fear flashing across her face.

  Damon's eyes glowed faintly in reflex, and the tea, along with the cup, hovered mid-air before gently returning to the tray.

  Selune rushed forward, instinctively shielding Myrren with her arms. "Please don't hurt her," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "She didn't mean any harm. I-I know she can be clumsy, but..."

  Damon's gaze softened-not with anger, but with something deeper. Sympathetic. Anguished.

  Is this really what these people have been reduced to?

  But just as quickly, the tension dissipated. Damon smiled warmly.

  "Oh no. I don't plan on doing that," he said gently, extending a hand.

  Myrren peeked from behind Selune's arms, then slowly reached for his hand. Damon helped her sit beside him.

  Selune exhaled, her shoulders relaxing, before handing Myrren the last cup from the tray. "Try to be more careful next time, okay?" Her voice, warm and musical, carried the weight of both worry and love.

  Once the tea was finished, Damon, Velira, and her sisters gathered the cups and headed to the kitchen to wash them, despite Selune's protests not to trouble them.

  Selune turned to Gwen and Zephyr, a sigh escaping her - heavy and worn with years of pain.

  "Why are you really here?" she asked softly. "I can feel that, from your flux. You're far stronger than anyone who's ever come through this village, and..."

  She faltered, her words tangling in her throat. "They only come here to take from us. Our food. Our people. Women vanish. Men... are killed the moment they step out of line."

  Her voice cracked, her head bowed low as she fought to hold back her tears.

  Zephyr clenched his fists, his jaw tight with restrained fury.

  Gwen smiled softly. "Yeah, we're not here to take anything - or anyone. Promise."

  At Gwen's words, Selune's tears finally slipped free, falling into her lap.

  "And, uh..." Gwen scratched the back of her neck, awkward. "What's flux?"

  Selune gave a small, genuine smile, her eyes brightening just a little.

  Gwen and Zephyr settled into easy conversation with her, while Damon knelt on the floor, playing gently with Velira, Myrren, and Lori.

  That night, though the house was small, Selune insisted the children and Gwen share her room. Damon and Zephyr made camp in the parlor.

  The next morning, the sound of commotion outside roused them. Selune peered through the window: the villagers had gathered in the square.

  She hurried out with Gwen and Zephyr-only to find Damon already among them, repairing broken doors, mending carts, and helping every family he could.

  Selune watched in awe as the villagers' eyes lit with hope. Gwen tapped her on the shoulder. "Yeah, he's built different. People just get pulled to him, you know-even the ones who live to hate. Even the grumpy ones." She ended with a sly grin, glancing at Zephyr, who stood nearby with his hands in his pockets, completely unaware of their conversation, as his eyes were locked on Damon and the villagers.

  Zephyr sighed deeply and silently stepped in to help Damon.

  Gwen chuckled and followed. "Hey, don't have all the fun without me."

  The villagers were smiling again, but their joy was short-lived.

  Word spread quickly-the raiders were coming again.

  One of the villagers rushed to an elderly woman. "I heard them say they'll take everything this time-and all the women, everything we've ever owned, we'd be lucky, if we even get a home to sleep in.

  Panic swept through the village. Doors slammed shut. Mothers pulled their daughters close. Everyone prayed they wouldn't come.

  As night fell, Damon, Zephyr, and Gwen waited outside.

  Gwen sat casually on the front steps, while Damon and Zephyr stood on the rooftops, calm and watchful, the wind pulling strands of hair across their faces.

  Selune eventually called out to Gwen, "You sure you don't want to come inside."

  Gwen gave a relaxed smile. "Nah, I'll be fine. I've got the boys protecting me," she said, winking at Selune. "Take the kids inside."

  Selune smiled, not arguing, and led the children inside.

  Then came the noise-the raiders had arrived.

  Damon raised an eyebrow. "They must be carrying some kind of ancient relic to get through the mist that fast," he muttered.

  The raiders were cloaked in heavy hoods, one of them holding a torch. He pointed it toward a house, signaling the others to break down the door.

  But just before they could move, Gwen spoke-calm and unfazed, her hands deep inside a cookie sachet.

  No one even knew where she'd gotten it from.

  "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said casually.

  One raider scoffed. "Whaaaaat, trying to play hero now, are we?"

  The others laughed.

  He pulled out a dagger and stepped toward her. "Wanna know what happened to the last woman who thought she was brave?"

  Another voice from the back jeered, "Don't mess up her face. We gotta check her out later, y'know?" followed by a nasty chuckle.

  Gwen's body shivered in disgust. "It's always the loud ones who are the weakest," she muttered.

  Tossing the empty cookie sachet aside and brushing the crumbs from her hands, she looked up toward her boys.

  "Yeah, Damon, I'm heading in. You guys got this, right?"

  Though the spot where they stood was a little over twenty-five feet high.

  Damon leapt down casually, but rather than crashing, he descended gently-almost as if the very essence of the wind carried him.

  Zephyr simply teleported to the ground in a blink.

  Damon opened his mouth to speak, but Zephyr cut him off.

  "No way we're doing it."

  Gwen shrugged. "Well, I don't want to do it. They're gross and pathetic. And did I mention gross?"

  "I don't mind handling it," Damon said, raising a hand casually.

  Zephyr shot him a flat look. "Figures you'd volunteer."

  Turning to Gwen, he added with a mocking lift of his eyebrow, "What happened to 'I promise we're not here to take anyone'?"

  "I know that, moron," Gwen snapped. "Yh, and look at me. Do I look like someone who'd turn down a fight?"

  Damon grinned and cut in, "Wanna settle this with rock-paper-scissors?"

  Gwen and Zephyr exchanged glances-then nodded in unison.

  "Yeah, that works."

  ROCK. PAPER. SCISSORS.

  Gwen and Damon threw paper. Zephyr threw rock.

  Zephyr sighed. "I could've just let you do it earlier."

  The raiders stood frozen, completely confused by what they'd just witnessed.

  "Cool," Gwen said, walking toward the house. "Try not to be too loud." Then she disappeared inside.

  Meanwhile, Damon lay on the ground, gazing up at the stars as if none of it mattered.

  Zephyr scanned the area. "Only five of them? Huh. This'll be quick." He stepped forward casually.

  "Any chance I can talk you all into leaving this peaceful village and never coming back?"

  The raiders scoffed. "Are you drunk?"

  Another raider nudged the largest of the group and nodded toward Zephyr.

  "Take him out. We don't have all day."

  The big one-easily twelve feet tall, cloaked and hulking-stepped forward. From beneath his hood, he drew two faintly glowing battle axes, one in each hand. Deep within the shadows of his hood, a single eye gleamed an eerie, faint red.

  Zephyr smiled, casually tying his hair back. "This won't take long."

  The brute lunged forward with shocking speed, the ground shattering beneath his charge.

  "For a big guy, you sure are fast" Zephyr noted calmly.

  The massive raider swung one of his glowing axes in a wide, brutal arc, aiming for Zephyr's gut.

  The wall beside them crumbling from the sheer shockwave of the attack, creating a heavy dust cloud.