Chapter Three
She is the girl everyone thinks they understand.
A scream reverberated through the halls of Huldlot, sending the dwarves working in the back porch into furious chatter, wondering what sort of prank the young mistress of the house had pulled this time. A few of them peeked through the windows of the kitchen, erupting into peals of laughter at the scene, only to be shushed by their giggling peers. The setting sun cast long shadows along the porch.
On the third floor, a petite teenage girl sniggered, making her way downstairs with glee. It worked. She smugly grinned to herself.
"What's going on now Aya—" Cordelia Malum stopped suddenly, sending an amused look to her adoptive mother - the powerful Emissary, Ayagi Larayna.
Said Emissary was currently huddled on a bar stool, having a staring competition with small - and harmless - grey mouse. And losing.
Seeing Corey enter the room, the mouse squeaked and scurried over, causing Ayagi to fall off the bar stool with a piercing scream.
"Seriously mum?" The girl openly laughed as the mouse vanished, leaving a tall, dark-haired man in its place. That was Sevdaís Dispettò, close family friend, Corey's own father figure, and famed illusionist.
Both partners-in-crime shared a high-five as they looked pityingly at the scowling woman on the floor, who childishly crossed her arms but huffed good-naturedly. "How many times exactly have the both of you done that?"
"Dunno, but yet you still fall for it every single time." Came the cheeky retort.
With a growl, Ayagi leapt towards the prankster duo, starting a mock fight that lasted for a good several minutes. Outside, the dwarves smiled, enjoying the little domestic scene in front of them. Some of them shuffled off, continuing the rest of their errands.
On the surface, this family seemed like a typical elvin aristocratic family, readying themselves for a quaint homemade dinner.
But this family wasn't your typical, run-of-the-mill household.
"Well, I'm off!" Like a young schoolgirl, Corey chirped brightly, grinning at the two groaning adults who were still slowly picking themselves off the floor.
"Sure thing, have fun sweetie," Sevdaís replied, the illusionist sharing a smile with Ayagi. Wiping a fake tear from his eye, he stage-whispered to the taller woman. "Our little girl's all grown up, look at her going to the enemy's hideout to-"
"Shh!" A loud shush from both females stopped him from continuing his tangent. Visibly affronted, he raised his hands in a what-did-I-do gesture.
Corey's upbringing was… unusual, to say the least. After her birth parents, Black Swan members Chari and Stark Malum, were killed in a freak accident involving a rampaging unicorn, Corey was involved in a long and lengthy court battle involving her mother's estranged relatives and her then-godmother Ayagi. But Corey knew her parents' deaths were no accident. It was murder. Corey didn't need any concrete evidence to know that.
So what if she wanted vengeance? Wasn't it the duty of a daughter? Wasn't it natural?
It took half a year after the incident, when nine years old, before she found out the truth about everything. She hunted Mr Forkle down and asked, begged, hemmed and hawed, she even threatened to hunt the murderers down herself. She nearly did.
Boy, she was persistent.
Eventually, he cracked. But due to her inexperience that came with her young age, Mr Forkle had ensured that she had completed a long, exhaustive list of prerequisites before she could do anything.
Immediately after that day, she started physical training with Ayagi. It was hell. But it was worth it. She immediately started work after passing, attending Exillium as compulsory education.
Five months before she turned eleven, after a particularly bad nightmare, Corey had heard Ayagi's panicked thoughts as she rushed over to console a teary Corey, officially manifesting as a Telepath.
On her thirteenth birthday, just as she was visiting her parents' Wanderlings, the flood of emotions triggered her manifestation as a Hydrokinetic, nearly flooding the place as a result.
She dedicated her life to her cause.
Light flashed across her eyes, pushing Corey's gloomy thoughts to the back of her head. A large Golden Retriever lumbered in Sevdaís' place, collapsing in the currently vacant dog bed and falling asleep. His hind legs stuck out and his head was smushed uncomfortably against the side, Corey couldn't understand how he managed to fall asleep so easily in that position, that bed was simply too small.
With a roll of her eyes, Corey walked back up to her room, grabbed a bag sitting innocently in her dresser, and clambered out of the window. The evening light caught the lighter streaks in her hair, momentarily bleaching them gold. As she jumped into the moat below her, light caught on the pathfinder and flashed into her eyes.
The location's name was drowned by the thundering crash of the waterfalls spilling from the house.
It was originally Sevadís' idea for a spy to infiltrate the enemy for the Black Swan. Even though things had gone terrifyingly wrong the last time with the late Jolie Ruewen, a former Black Swan member, it still couldn't hurt to follow in her footsteps and dig a little further.
But the problem was that Jolie hadn't left anything behind, not a single report about her time with the enemy, so Corey had to start from scratch. It was exhausting working for both sides, trying to convince the enemy that she was faithful towards them and only them, and trying to accomplish her original mission at the same time: to root out spies and recruit Black Swan members in Exillium. It should have been easy enough, given her telepathic ability, but apart from the fact that there were three Hemispheres, Corey was only able to scan the minds of select people in her group.
Damn Exillium and their bloody mind blocking training.
Corey was torn back into her current situation, a scream ripping out from her mouth as she materialized a meter above the ground, just barely catching herself from stumbling into the nearby bushes as she landed. Her temporary leaping crystal disintegrated as she rummaged through the bushes in the frantically dimming light, all the while furiously muttering to herself.
"Where is it…" Being the top-secret association they were, travelling to any Neverseen hideout was both tedious and time-consuming. It was a smart safety precaution, of course.
Several years ago, when she was still gaining the trust of the organization, one of the pathfinders had landed her in perhaps the most disgusting dumpster she had unfortunately ever been in. Forced to sit there while trying to solve the almost impossible puzzle box they left behind— in which consisted of another temporary leaping crystal— the memory of the stench was still fresh in her head to this day.
Suddenly, she stopped in her search, eyes widening in unspoken horror. How could she have been so careless?
Muttering curses under her breath, Corey hastily pulled out multiple bottles and flasks out of her bag, nearly dropping them in the process. A few swigs were all it took to change her pale-yellowish skin into a warm caramel, and her icy eyes into a dark shade of indigo blue. When she threw her black cloak over her shoulders, her transformation was complete, her disguise in place.
No longer was she Cordelia Malum, daughter of Chari and Stark Malum, the current adoptive daughter of Emissary Ayagi Larayna. She was now Seraphina Rache, a full-fledged member of the Neverseen. It was time to do some serious acting.
Now, what was Cordelia doing here? And what should Seraphina be doing now ?
Spotting a small lacquered box tucked under a leaf, Seraphina gingerly bent down to pluck the box out with dainty fingers.
"Ah." She held up a glittering silvery-blue crystal rock, which instantaneously brought her to a humid and misty forest in the middle of nowhere. As Seraphina landed gracefully on her feet, the pungent smell of mud assaulted her senses, causing her to scrunch up her nose in disgust.
"Sera!" Turning around, she found herself tackled into a bear hug. It was a wonder how her hood was still up when she had finally managed to free herself from the iron grip.
With blonde hair, turquoise eyes, and an olive complexion, Guster Rasota Ovida was Seraphina's best friend and undoubtedly one of the prettiest teenagers in Neverseen. Her parents were part of the Neverseen as high ranking members, so she was let off relatively easily when it came to her testing. But her innocent, doe-eyed looks were only an illusion hiding how dangerous the girl truly was.
Corey was, without her realization even, fooled once. Rasota was beautiful - crushingly so. Perhaps that's why she had dated Alex, during her short stint in the Forbidden Cities. Perhaps why they broke up. They looked too similar, too unnerving, having to look into brown eyes and wishing that they were blue. Or was it the other way round?
Crushes aside, she was still the first member of the Neverseen to trust her, albeit not completely. Although that was, of course, understandable. How could anyone trust someone in an organization that constantly refused to give the truth? But all things being said, she was still a rather close friend of hers, and Seraphina - even Cordelia - acknowledged the fact that if it wasn't for Rasota, she would've lost her mind a long time ago. She was undeniably valuable.
As to friends outside of her operative life, she had only one , and he didn't count.
"It's been such a long time since you've come over!" Off mission, Rasota was a bouncing ball of excitement and enthusiasm, but Seraphina knew better than anyone that she was still as ruthless as the rest of the Neverseen when it came to her missions.
"I know right. I swear, my mother is such a hypocrite. This morning, she just barged into my room while I was doing my makeup to ask me to do c hores. Like, who even does that any more? Just ask one of the dwarves! " Groans and an eye-roll were executed to make the lie seem convincing. She tended to blabber on and on, exaggerating details when she was lying, and despite the countless times she had practised, her nervousness still slipped through sometimes.
Keeping up a lie at all times was simply exhausting and mentally impossible to sustain. But she was still partially telling the truth. Ayagi had asked her to do many things, so many that she was only able to take a break that day.
Rasota's eyes narrowed slightly, but after a split second all traces of suspicion vanished and she grabbed Seraphina's arm excitedly, squealing, "C'mon, let's take a look at the newest recruit! I've heard rumours that he's fucking hot !"
Seriously? She thought to herself. Rasota may be one of the youngest as well as one of the deadliest assassins in the Neverseen, but when it came to boys, she went completely crazy . Not exactly Corey's cup of tea, but each to its own.
Seraphina stifled her sigh and shook her head, saying, "Nah, it's okay. I just sneaked out to see if they have anything for me. Besides, if he's a newcomer, it means we'll be seeing him around a lot, wouldn't..." She trailed off and craned her head to the side, surveying her surroundings. Something felt off.
"Ras? Why is the forest so quiet?"
It was true. It almost seemed as if the forest was holding its breath, waiting for something, anything, to happen.
Was it just her imagination, or did the shadows seem a little darker, the moonlit forest a little gloomier, and the crashing of the waves on the shore a little less soothing, but rather more like bones splintering and crunching? She suppressed the shiver that went down her spine at the thought.
It all reminded her of that fateful day, the day where she lost almost everything.
" Mama… Papa… don't leave me…" A young girl, just a few weeks after her ninth birthday, had kneeled before two recently planted Wanderlings. Flowers and candles had surrounded the mounds of soil, mourning the loss of the two precious Elvin lives.
It was pouring as if the heavens had decided to take pity and cry in memory of the deceased, akin to the tears flowing from the young girl's eyes. Many friends and family of the deceased had crowded around the Wanderlings, expressing their sympathy and sorrow, shedding tears, some even openly crying into their handkerchiefs. But none had expressed more agony than the little girl who had broken down in despair, collapsing before her parents' graves as sobs wracked her thin body.
No one had the heart to berate her for showing disrespect. They had been, after all, both only forty-seven when they died. They, according to Elvin standards, had died extremely, no, ridiculously young.
Everyone knew the details of how they died— an accident involving an incensed unicorn had resulted in their deaths, as they sacrificed their lives to protect their daughter and another young child who had fainted due to her severe head injuries after the unicorn had collided painfully with the poor child. But some knew better. It had been a deliberate murder, aimed to kill.
The girl was pitied, having seen her parents' deaths take place before her eyes. Some wondered how she would be able to manage the guilt. Others doubted that she was able to handle the guilt at all, mentally preparing themselves for another planting.
Suddenly, a young woman with hair darker than a raven's wings, with ears that placed her as the same age as the deceased, stepped forward and placed a cloak over the girl's shoulders. Looking up, the girl whimpered, "Ayagi…", she was barely able to let out before she once again broke into uncontrollable sobs.
The woman kneeled and wrapped the girl into a tight embrace, whispering words that can only be described as comforting to both of them who had lost loved ones, unheard to the ears of the casual observers, as she patted her back comfortingly. Needing no words, the girl responded by circling her thin arms around her, clinging on to her godmother like she was a lifesaver - which to the young girl, she was. The intensity of the grip seemed painful, but the woman showed no signs of pain, pulling the girl even closer into her embrace instead.
After what seemed like an eternity, a young man stepped out of the throngs of surrounding elves and placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. His eyes looked like they sparkled often, but they weren't sparkling now— they were brimming with sadness and hidden fury.
" Aya…" he breathed softly. "We… we gotta go.."
Still hugging the girl, the woman stood back up, tightly carrying the girl up with her, like there was nothing more valuable to the broken figure. It looked as if she, as well, had been trying to hold her tears back. Stiffly nodding, they prepared to leave, but the girl's sudden shout had halted them in their tracks.
" Wait!" she had blurted out. "I…I wanna— I gotta say goodbye to them."
Silently nodding her permission, the woman gently put her down. The girl ran over to where her parents' Wanderlings were planted, mouthing words inaudible to anyone but herself, the little girl had bidden farewell to her parents, bowed, and walked away shakily.
Weeks later, word had spread that the girl had been adopted by a friend of her parents, Council Emissary Ayagi Larayna. Those who had attended the funeral recognized her as the woman who had comforted the child, but she had previously, and still was trying to lead a private life, and soon, most had forgotten that the Malums a child, a daughter. They were remembered for their blatant stances on twins, vehemently rejecting those who held stigma against these children. But people refused to about them, fearing the spread of their 'ideology'. They were remembered.
There was a dispute for the possession of the child, the rumours flew: how the mother's estranged brother, her uncle, longed to gain custody of the child; how the silent fury that came lasted for months. But, in the end, how the Emissary finally kept the child. Rumours of foul play swirled, but there was nothing concrete and the family went forgotten by most.
However, those who could remember could never forget the tear-stained face of that young girl, weeping in absolute agony as she kneeled before the Wanderlings, her shaking legs too weak to support her heavy heart.
How could they?
"—Sera? Sera! SERA!" A yell jolted her back into the present. Rasota stood in front of her with her hands on her hips, turquoise eyes - half-hidden by her hood - flashing in anger, laced with the barest hint of concern. I must've zoned out again, Seraphina realized, distracted.
"I— I'm sorry, what were you saying again?" She inwardly cringed at how her voice trembled from the look Rasota had given her. Dammit, she must've said something important! Concentrate, Seraphina, concentrate! She simply couldn't afford to lose focus.
"As I was saying," Rasota emphasized with a cross tone, " He's here today. And I heard rumours that the new boy's another Empath, and another Pyrokinetic."
That explained why the air felt so— dry . Widening her eyes, she couldn't help but tremble a little again, which, fortunately, went unnoticed by Rasota.
Three Pyrokinetics. If the Neverseen had recruited another Pyrokinetic to join their ranks and train, it would only spell bad news for the Black Swan.
Pyrokinesis… that included Everblaze . One of the only fires that couldn't be put out with water. As a Hydrokinetic, it shook her to her core. Even if he didn't know how to create the deadly fire, she knew that Brant or Fintan, those psychopaths, would teach him sooner or later.
She had to inform the Black Swan immediately. They had to know.
As the thought hit her, her knees finally gave way, and she collapsed onto the damp floor of the forest. Moisture seeped through her clothes, but she gave it no mind. Moisture was good for her, it always healed all Hydrokinetics and would also help calm her down.
After her parents died, Ayagi, who was already like a mother to Corey, had taken her under her wing, adopting her and raising Corey as her daughter. Sevdaís, although having no obligations towards Corey, still visited frequently, acting as the father in their makeshift family.
Family. She had already lost one family, she can't lose another. There was another reason why the Neverseen had to be taken down: not just to protect her own family, but also the families of others, the families of innocent elves. No child should witness what she had.
Seraphina closed her eyes for what felt like an extended second as she lay on the muddy ground.
"Sera! What happened? Are you okay?" Rasota asked worryingly.
Forget her mission. This was even bigger news, the Black Swan would probably not realise the extent of this new Pyrokinetic's powers until he had released them. After years of observing the Neverseen, Seraphina understood most of their tactics. They would wait, biding their time, and finally strike when their enemies were weak. And only then.
That extent of power just might be able to bring the Black Swan to its knees. The Neverseen had always exerted their members' powers to their greatest potential, and she highly doubted that they would change that now.
"I don't feel so well… I'm heading home." Shakily, she quickly sprouted out the lie, another one to top the pile she was already carrying. Well, not created, since Aya had been the one who made the excuse, but it was towards the other Black Swan members whenever Corey had needed to go home and sleep, especially if she had been working too much in the hideout. Especially when she was younger. Sleep had never come easily to her. It still didn't.
Hearing Rasota's suggestion to go home, her face still stricken with concern, she felt her lips break out into a tired smile, still playing the part of the currently exhausted Seraphina. "Thanks, Ras…Could you help me tell him ? Wouldn't want him suspecting me, wouldn't we."
Telling Rasota another lie— or was it the truth— Seraphina pulled out her pathfinder, accepted the temporary leaping crystal that Rasota had already pressed into her hands, and got ready to vanish home. Or at least, Rasota was supposed to believe that was what she was going to do. However, someone — was that white hair?— had suddenly emerged before she could vanish, stepping out from the darkness of the seemingly empty forest.
Instinctively, Seraphina dropped to the floor, years of training kicking in.
Seraphina stifled her scream as her pathfinder slipped out of her hand and tumbled to the ground. Thank goodness she was wearing black clothes. Holding her breath, she tried to blend into the darkness of the night.
That must be him. The boy had white hair, and pale skin, his face almost completely devoid of blood. The only spot of colour on him was his piercing blue eyes. He looked simply hilarious. His hands, tensed and clenched into fists at his sides, were littered with tiny scratches and burn scars. He wore them like medals . Rasota seemed to have come to the same conclusion of his identity, as she tossed her hair and fluttered her eyelashes. Corey felt like throwing up.
He reeked of newness.
Well, he's sorta okay-looking… if you like people who look like clowns, that is, she reasoned with herself, trying her best to hide her obvious snickering. He was simply not her type. At all.
Alas, not everything went to plan, as he heard her muffled laughter, and looked down, right at where she was still lying on the ground.
Crap. I've been spotted.
Tightening the strap of her belt, Corey stretched her consciousness out to brush against the new boy's mind. Then, she rose to her feet calmly, brushing the dirt off her clothes, and lifted her chin as she turned to face him, a smile already plastered on her face. She did all this in an unhurried fashion, lest she did something even worse to lose her face. She might be a dirty spy, a liar for all of her life, but she still had her pride and dignity.
She knew she had succeeded when Rasota smiled in approval. Ras might have been trying to impress the new guy in an entirely unflattering way, but she knew when someone was just the right amount of cool.
Raising an eyebrow, the new recruit opened his mouth and spoke. "The hell ?" He spoke condescendingly like he wasn't impressed at all.
Like his clown disguise could do better.
Hearing those two words come out of his mouth, so different from Rasota's strong approval, she could feel her frustration reach boiling point.
Her temper had been getting harder and harder to control as the days slipped past. The stress of being a double agent was finally getting to her— and he was just the icing on the cake. The recruit just had to change everything in the game.
Before she realised what she was doing, she retorted, "What's your problem?" And with that, she slapped him hard on the cheek, feeling the sting on her palm.
When her hand came into contact with his face, she inwardly cursed. Dammit . She was currently Seraphina, not Cordelia. Seraphina was cold and calculating in missions and a complete bitch outside of it. Corey might act like a bitch sometimes, but that was just a mask. Sassing people was so much more fun than bitching around.
"Hmph. You didn't react fast enough. Newbie." Seeing no other way out of this, she scoffed at him and muttered a quick goodbye and short thank you to Rasota— who looked at her with an indistinguishable emotion in her eyes — raised her pathfinder, and vanished home.
When she landed in front of the grand mansion, the dwarven guards nodding as they let her strut past the sterling silver gates, she recalled what she had seen in the guy's head: Embarrassment; anger; and slight frustration. Fucking Empaths.
(She knew it broke every law as a Telepath to read one's mind without permission, but she had never been one for the rules.)
Sighing, she threw her arms back and yelled to the sky, causing a few skittish birds to fly away.
Corey stared at the blank space in front of her, brooding over what she'd just found out. Great. Not only was he a Pyrokinetic , but he was also an Empath. Empaths were always such annoying people to be around.
But it wasn't the time to dwell on matters like these. Footsteps thudding on the metal bridge, she rushed across the moat, unlocking the heavy doors with a glance.
"Aya! I need to talk to the Boss! It's important!"
She didn't realise that at that time, but her days were going to become much more interesting.
Somewhere far away, someone grinned. It has begun.
AUTHORS' NOTE
Audrea: Sorry for the late update guys (you can blame Yvonne haha). Happy reading, and thanks for all the support!
Yvonne: My own daughter has finally made her appearance! Took a while (*cough* exams). And yeah, I know, but whaddaya think of her? (sorry proud mama here.) Well, as you might've noticed, our updates are sporadic. We've got a lot of obstacles blocking our way, and we'd prefer we take things slowly, so that y'all get better stuff.
Audrea: Anyway, Chapter 4 is coming soon and hint: it's about a certain polyglot.
Xylia: See you next chapter!
UPDATED A/N: yvonne - hi. i have nothing to say for myself. I know I said this really long ago, but here's the updated version, so if you read through, you'll see that we've changed quite a bit of detail! (It's been a really stressful year guys haha :) Anywho, we've been working hard on chapters, so quality over speed right? :) Well have fun reading!