A/N: Hello, FanFiction! Excited to be here~ :) This is a bit of a pet project of mine - a story that's been rattling around in my brain for a while. Chapter lengths will vary, as well my upload schedule, so please bare with me 3 I will warn you here, this story has a few dark themes that include, but are not limited to: physical abuse, sexual abuse, depression, general adulty themes. Warnings will be posted for each chapter. Now, without any further rambling on my part, here is the very short, intentionally vague prologue.

Wizard PoV

"...Finn," I sighed irritably, bicolored eyes lifting towards the orange sprite, "For the tenth time… I know."

Finn whined, anxiously pulling on his cap, "I'm sorry, Wizard. I… I… I'm just -" Scared.

"I know, Finn… But I told the Goddess that I would help you… Please trust me."

I leaned back in my chair as the little sprite fussed, reaching blindly for my cup of coffee. My fifth. Dealing with the sprites always grated on my tolerance, and this one was no exception. In fact, this anxious little sprite was far worse. I couldn't blame him, of course: The Harvest Goddess had put one giant order on his shoulders. Finding a human who had a pure enough heart to see him would be no easy task.

"- And it's not like I'm doubting the Goddess, but it's been so long, and I haven't found anyone, and -" The sprite droned on and on.

"Relax, little one," I sighed again, taking a long sip from my cup.

"But Wizard!" he stressed, flying right up into my face, "What if… what if we find them! What if we find them and - and - they can't do it!"

"...Then the land is doomed," I stated bluntly, causing Finn to howl in despair, "Perhaps... you ought to travel to the inland. The city is a vastly different place… but you may find what you are looking for…"

I already knew that the sprite would object. Most found it hard to be away from the Goddess, even to tend to their duties. To leave the coast entirely… I did not fault Finn at all for his hesitancy. At the very least, he thought on the option, knowing that Castanet would be in grave danger otherwise. I sighed, again, and leaned forward, bracing myself upon my elbows.

"There is a newcomer arriving this week," I silenced Finn's question with a wave towards my crystal ball. Of course I would know. "If we've not found your human by then, I shall take you inland myself."

"Really?! Oh, you're the best, Wizard -" I tuned Finn out as he launched into another rambling tirade, finishing off the last of that fifth cup of coffee.

There were a very ingredients that I needed to purchase, anyhow. And the idea of stretching my legs, away from the prying eyes of the villagers was quite appealing. Dressed appropriately, none of the city folk would even begin to assume that I was not a simple human. Yes… this would be a good trip, even if it was with the nervous, hyperactive sprite.

"...Finn," I interrupted, trying not to show how drained I was from helping him. It wasn't his fault that he was so high strung, "I would like to get some of my… work done, if I'm going to be assisting you… Do you mind allowing me to do so… alone?"

"Oh! Sure, Wizard! I gotta go tell the Harvest Goddess about our plans, anyway!"

I let out a deep sigh of relief as the orange sprite zipped out my window, giggling profusely to himself. I would absolutely have to find something that he could occupy himself with on our journey - lest my sanity be tested.

I shook my head of such thoughts and stood, carefully closing books and folding up important charts. With practiced familiarity, I slid into the seat behind my crystal ball, left hand hovering over the smooth surface. The dark powers within shifted, drawing to the surface in an answer to my probing.

My mind was siphoned into the crystal, my eyes wide to the future. The broad future of the land lay static as usual, suspended in a dreary limbo - it had been this way for years, though, ever since the Goddess Tree began to wither. I repressed a sigh and broadened my spectrum, seeking the faint glow of the newcomer, yet to be revealed to my inner eye.

Frustration pulsed from with the crystal ball as the newcomers blurry future was brought to the forefront. The entities within the ball were unused to the unfocused images, and while I was not, I was admittedly frustrated myself. I had never encountered a mortal whose future was unclear, only magical entities. Yet, this being did not carry the power signature of a magical entity. I had hoped, of course, that the future would clear as time carried closer to their arrival… But that was obviously not the case.

With a gentle sigh, I wiped the blurry vision from the crystal, severing my connection from it. I leaned back in my chair, lifting my gaze to the star charted ceiling above. I had a sinking suspicion that life was going to get hectic - one could only hope this cloudy fated newcomer wouldn't add to it.

The more and more I thought about the looming dangers, the more my anxiety grew. My foot started tapping rapidly as I scrubbed at the bridge of my nose. I disliked the feeling. With a barely suppressed groan, I reached out with my magical signature, brushing against the entities in the land. The mortals barely tickled my senses. Cephia's aura pulsated weakly against my probing, faintly reassuring me that, for the time being, she was okay. The mountaintop, as usual, remained quiet. But it was Vivi's aura that worried me, quiet as it was. Under normal circumstances, she would rebuke against my magic, her own signature rising against mine. Yet… she was soft and quiet, pulling at my anxiety again. I feared that she had gone against my advice, tried to user her own magic on the Goddess tree. I would have to check on her before I left...

Wearily, I sighed - immediately I grimaced, realizing just how frequent a thing my sighing was becoming. As much as I knew that I needed to work, to prepare for my departure, the idea of a nap was becoming overwhelmingly distracting. Perhaps… it would be good for my mood.

With that train of thought, I trudged to my simple bed and unceremoniously slumped on top the scratchy wool blanket, not even bothering to take off my boots before I slipped into a light slumber.

Molly PoV

"Molly!" mother yelled up the stairs, startling my briefly.

I gently laid the sweatshirt back down on my bed, schooling my expression as I flounced down the stairs to greet my exasperated mother. I needn't try so hard - her flyaway hair and dirt smudged face was enough to bring a smile to mine.

"Yes, oh mother dearest?" I chimed cheekily, earning a scowl.

"Don't you start, miss!" she howled at me, playfully swatting at me with a handful of mail as I began dumping my kitchen clutter into a large box, "The storage facility just called to tell me that they'll be here to collect your things in an hour. Darling, are you sure you won't take anything with you?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I doubt a little farmhouse will have room for my junk," I replied, waving my marinade infusing meat tenderizer in her face, "Plus… the goal is to get away from the memories, right?"

"Oh Molly…" She sniffled and I cringed.

"Hey, none of that," I groaned, brushing off my own dark feelings, "Look, this is a good thing, okay? I'll write you and dad and all that. I just… I need to get away, right? I stayed through all the court hearings and… I just need a break."

"But farming, Molls? Are you so certain…?"

"A little faith would be nice," I snickered as she scoffed, "Angie taught me a lot when I went to visit her. And hey, if it's too hard, I'll just be the world's laziest farmer and just fish all day while my cows graze. Sound good?"

"Molly," she chided, "Living off the land is hard-"

I tuned her out as I shoveled more useless knick knacks into the box - I heard it all before, several times, even. I loved my mother to death, but the repetitive lectures were a bit tedious. Dad would just tell me not to eat pufferfish without proper preparation, give me a pat on the head, and leave me to it. That being said, he'd also try forcing money on me, so it all evens out, I suppose.

The next forty five minutes went fairly fast after mother finished her tirade. She took the upstairs, while I finished packing all of my clutter. The storage people were, of course, super helpful. Twenty-six boxes, out of the house and onto a truck in less than ten minutes. Mother tipped them heartily, and then wrapped her arm around me as we watched them drive off.

I turned the door key over in my hand a few times, the worn surface rough against my fingers. A strange sense of melancholy came over me as I turned to look at my empty home. It was odd - although I longed to run from this place, I couldn't help but be sad to do so, despite the horrid memories.

As if she knew, mother plucked the key from my hand, promising to handle all of the sale business, and ushered me into her truck. I admit, I zoned out a bit as she drove, talking all kinds of nonsense about the real estate market. It wasn't until we were at a restaurant did I come slamming back down to reality.

Dad was standing outside the front doors, fists held tightly as he spoke to a man - Darren's father, I came to realize - with an obvious air of tension. Upon seeing me, he made a rather rude gesture and shooed the man away, quickly pulling mother and I inside.

Dinner was… tense, to say the least. I couldn't even remember what I ordered - a dark cloud had settled above me, and not even my parents' chatter could shake it. Hours later, I found myself snuggled into my bed, with my favorite childhood blanket pulled around me. Hopefully the next few days would go quickly… I needed to escape.

Castanet, please be kind to me.