The morning after, Marie woke, lying next to a feathery body. Rubbing her eyes she found some twigs and straw caught in her fur, and brushed them off. Stretching and letting out a soft yawn, it woke the mother Peco sitting next to her, its child nestling close by.
Marie stared up at the bird, blinking slightly; she found the cloth around her.

"Was this to keep me warm?" she thought "It's surprising how the people back at town are so hostile towards the monsters, yet you proved them to be caring..."

"Those people cannot understand us as you do..." she replied "It's because of this misunderstanding that the humans have come to view us as monsters, when in fact it is they who are the monsters..."

The Peco looked into Marie's sapphire eyes briefly and sighed "...You're truly gifted to be able to do so. You should be a role model to your kind."

Other Pecos in the area surrounded the nest, staring from afar; keeping their distance from what might've been a threat to them. They ignored it and carried on their conversation.

"I hope so... though they might be mad at me..." Marie stared at the ground "I'm not sure when to return, but of course I 'stole' that egg back... and hid away…. Bah, they won't make a big deal over an egg, right?"

"...well, for whichever path you choose." the Peco reached over and grabbed something opposite Marie in her nest. She handed a large, glowing red gem that seemed to be shaped into a heart "...always remember that you're welcome here, Marie."

"What is she, nuts?" she could hear a few of the other birds around her squawking behind them. She great fully accepted the gift regardless.

"Thanks..." Marie said, pocketing the ruby "I think I should return to town... Kei's probably worried sick about me..."

The Peco nodded as the child stood, untangling herself from the nest and twig "...May you receive a welcome return to your kind..." the Peco attempted to bow to the best of its ability. The crowd around them quickly dispersed as Marie walked by, making a path for her to walk down as she left for Prontera.

"Thank-you!" she waved, running off through the woods, eager to tell this great story to Kei, maybe even change everyone's views on the monsters. She felt a great burst of energy, accelerating to an unimaginable speed. In a short while, the town appeared in the distance.

"Wanted: Egg Snatcher!" a poster read that was posted just before the gates of the city. "An egg snatcher has been stealing the breakfast of our beloved King Tristan III! If sighted, please report to the Prontera Chivalry immediately!"

Unfortunately for the Klonian, she could only read Cryssalian, staring puzzled at the sign. Kei snuck up behind Marie, reading it himself.

"So... you've heard the news?" he asked "The King is upset because someone stole his breakfast yesterday. Can you believe that?"

"Errrrrrrr breakfast? What kind?"

"Oh, it was just an egg." Kei replied "But Tristan is really, really strongly against defiance. So he wants whoever took it to be jailed or something..."

"Eep" Marie's face fur turned paler than usual as she fell backwards to the ground. Getting up, she shook her head, a rather odd sight; someone sitting on the street.

"Ehh... what was that for...?" Kei asked with his head slightly tilted.

"Hey, the thief's been found!" cried out a traveler behind them who was pointing toward some guards who were carrying someone off "...It's the egg thief, he's been found!"

She blinked, hoping that person wouldn't be wrongfully jailed and turned back to Kei, asking "Can we speak in private?"

"Erm... Sure, why not..." the Kitsune responded as Marie searched for a place to hide away from the gathering crowd.

"Good, maybe back around the church?"

"Uhm--...whaa!" Kei yelled rather silently as Marie tugged him off behind the Church. There they found Matilda messing around and poking a rock with her staff.

"...Devil rock, making me trip over you..." she began shouting at it "I'll show you the meaning of Trip!"

"...ahem." he interrupted her rock bashing spree. "...We need the area for a moment, would you mind taking your rage elsewhere?"

"...fine, but don't take too long. Me and this rock have to have a long talk." she walked away toward the front.

"Now what was it you were going to say...?"

"Well... it's kinda a long story..." Marie said, starting to summarize yesterday's events, the egg stealing, and the talking to the Pecos, everything to him. She felt like Kei would be the only one she could trust with such secrets, like the fact that she could communicate with monsters, and that they were really friendly.

"And in the end, the egg hatched... it felt special... you know? To reunite a mother and child..."

"...whoa, whoa, whoa, lemme get this straight..." Kei gathered his thoughts "...So it was you who stole the egg, because a Peco asked you to? ...Marie, what the heck are you on? Everyone knows that Pecos don't talk."

"They do!" Marie shown him the ruby "She even gave this to me! See?"

Kei took the gem in his hands "A Flame Heart...?" he asked Marie, forgetting for the moment that she wasn't from his world "...This thing is rare. If you got this from a Peco then..." Kei looked up at Marie with a scared face. "...You might be one--..." He shook it off, regaining his senses "We have to get you out of here Marie..."

"What do you mean?" Marie asked, taking the gem back "I might be a what?"

Kei didn't respond.

"Tell me..." she begged once again.

"... It's nothing important right now." he tugged on Marie's arm pulling her toward the city's gates "We need to get you out of here!"
Just around the corner, a snooping Matilda overheard their conversation. "...So she is a devil child..."

Kei took her to a woman who seemed a lot different from others in the town. She wore a brown dress, quite elegant compared to everyone else in the town. "Excuse me! Ms. Kafra!" Kei shouted as he approached her with Marie in tow. She turned and faced the two with a smile "Hello, and Thank you for choosing Kafra serv-"

"I need a Transport to Geffen for my friend here!" He interrupted her.

"Where's that?" Marie asked, worriedly, the aura in her eyes swirling like a vortex of water.

"I'll fill you in on the details later..." Kei released her hand. "...Just follow what this lady says, and wait for me when you get there..."

Marie nodded, following the lady. She felt so confused and this strange behavior from Kei boggled her mind. He watched as his friend walked away letting out a great sigh.

"Phew... She should be safe there..." Just as he turned around he was near instantly knocked to the ground by the might of someone's fist. A Man in a large jacket and jeans stood above him, cracking his knuckles. Behind him stood Matilda with her arms crossed. He heard her whisper into his ear, before blacking out, "...You didn't think you'd get away with treason, did you Kei...?"

From afar Marie looked back once more, knowing she was too far away to see him anyway. She sighed, following the lady like she was told to.

Back at the church, Sabin sat within the Chapel for sermon, the same spot he'd always taken for everyday he wasn't forced to go find some food, though today felt different from all the others.

"...What is it..." he whispered to himself "...what's sending this feeling of regret into my mind... something--..." A hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Matilda's rather serious face "...We need to have a little chat..."

Meanwhile, Marie trekked through the valley behind the experienced lady with the now scary infinite smile on her face. As she walked, Marie glanced at her face, wondering why her grin never faded. Suddenly while in the center of a forest, the Kafra stopped and turned toward Marie with that smirk still on her face "...Tell me, young one. Is there something you'd like to ask me?"

"Ummmmmm" she thought "You have any clue why my friend was acting so strange?"

"Maybe it's because he was afraid..." she answered; her voice sounded a little distorted "...Afraid of you getting hurt."

Her pleasant smile began to turn evil as the expression on her face turned from happy to psychopathic.

"Eeeeeeeee" Marie shrank away, sensing something wrong. Marie's eyes glowed more than ever now, her monster essence showing.

"Aww... young one, don't be afraid..." the demented Kafra began drooling as it edged closer to the child "...I only want your blood..."

"..." she backed away, materializing a sword. Leaping backwards, she landed in a tree, assuming defensive stance. Staring the Kafra down, Marie's attitude seemed to change from worried to confident, saying "You'll have a wicked hard time getting it!"

The form reached out toward her in a rather zombified fashion "...come on... it won't hurt one bit... just give me a little--..."

Marie swiped her sword to ward off its hand, accidentally chopping it off.

"..." It leapt back and lost its Kafra-like shape, gaining that of a man with armor "...I see how you want to play..." where its hand was, a blade slowly grew, followed by another hand at the end "If that's how you want it, that's how you'll get it!"

"A shape shifter!" Marie realized, materializing a second sword. She used a water burst at his face, blurring his vision as she came at him at full speed, swinging the swords rapidly across his body. Before giving him any chance to counter, she retreated some distance, resuming fighting stance.

"Auugh..." the creature groaned "You'll pay for that..."

He ran toward Marie swinging his sword rapidly, only managing to chop down a tree. Marie easily sidestepped his rageful attack.

"...Two-Hand Quicken!" he yelled as he pulled the sword from the wood and dragged it on the ground dashing toward Marie with a smile at blinding speeds. His speed was now surprisingly able to match hers. As he attacked she lifted her sword, deflecting his left and right. Everything he threw at her got blocked to some degree, sometimes she suffered damage, but it was rather minor. Soon she found an opening in his attack pattern, striking there and flinging him into a nearby tree.

"..." He devised a new strategy, shoving his sword into the ground and snickered before yelling, "Frost Diver!"

The column of ice Marie seen coming from the wizard was now heading in her direction. She flew to the side; surrounding herself with water she flung a huge spray at him.

"What the...augh!" the liquid pelted him as if they were bullets, practically posting him to a tree for a few moments. He slowly slid to the ground, where he picked himself up to one knee "...Hammer Fall!" He slammed his sword to the ground like a hammer, causing the entire area to shake violently. Even ground monsters began to shiver in its wake. Dopple used this moment to attempt a charge on Marie. She looked up, regaining her footing only in time to receive a blow. Sent flying into the river, she sunk towards the bottom, staring up. Marie used this to her advantage, manipulating all the water into a swirling typhoon, aiming it towards the monster. He was himself tossed far into the forest and into a random tree with a loud thud. Marie rose from the water looking in this direction, along with a few porings who watched their battle.

"Oh..." she thought, letting the typhoon fall back. She emerged from the river, looking back towards the direction of town. Certain that the doppelganger was gone; she started off in that direction.

"...Where do you think you're going...?" she heard his twisted voice call out behind her "... I'm not done with you yet..." He held himself up on a tree holding his arm out in her direction, sword still in it. He opened his hand, dropping the sword to the ground with a surprisingly loud clang that echoed through the forests. After the echo, a loud rumbling was heard; a few black horses whose legs flowed in the wind like cloth surrounded him.

"...Her..." he pointed to Marie. The horses raced in her direction, a small quake with each step.

"Manyu..." she thought "I have no time for this..." She materialized what seemed to be her beam swords, but clasped her two hands together, a giant beam of energy forming. Pointing it at the horses, she let out a flying burst of energy at them.
The blast of energy dispersed the horses in the wind and continued forward, directly toward the doppelganger. The blast hit him right in the chest, and then surged through his body before exploding. What was left of him lied there in the grass, slowly fading away with a smoke. Marie decided not to stick around, suddenly realizing she was alone. She turned around, taking flight towards town. She had this bad feeling at the pit of her stomach.
As she left, the ashes became a puddle of shadow and slowly sunk into the shadows of the trees.

"...Don't think we're done just yet, Marie..."