Chapter 16 – Scattered.

One more night until the harvest moon.

Her teacher had been talking about it non-stop in school today, going on and on about how important it is, the history associated with it, how it could only be seen once a year, and this and that and this and that… It admittedly hadn't taken Alby long until she had fallen asleep what with her teacher's droning voice, but thankfully nobody around had noticed her softly snoring in the corner of the classroom. Well, that, or her fellow students were just used to her habitually going to sleep in the middle of class. Come to think of it, sleeping in class was something she did almost every day…

She shook her head and forced herself to focus on what she was actually out here for in the first place rather than getting lost in her memories, readjusting herself atop the branch she was perched on. There, through the shadowy forms of the branches and leaves surrounding her, the child could quite cleanly make out the almost full moon drifting softly through the starry night sky, finally coming into view above the distant ragged mountains.

Alby's brown eyes shone as she took in the sight, absently kicking her dangling legs in the air in excitement. It was so pretty! Just because she'd fallen asleep in class today didn't mean that she didn't want to see the harvest moon with all her heart. The full moon, but so much brighter… she couldn't wait!

A calm breeze blew through the wilderness, reaching her tree and playing with her short brown hair. She closed her eyes and leaned back, breathing out blissfully as she savored it all. The girl loved coming out to this spot, far away from all the lights of the village to stare out into the night sky above the dark, forested valley. It was just so peaceful.

She let out a small sigh that was caught in the wind, threading her fingers together atop her dress. Her lips tugged into a frown as she let her gaze fall from the moon and back down to the ground, her eyes growing distant.

Suddenly, she blinked in surprise, belated registering movement in her vision. She blinked a few more times, trying to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Maybe she just needed more sleep, like always?

No! There were really people down there, coming up the hill! Her breath quickening, Alby got to her feet as quickly as she could and balanced her way down the branch towards the trunk. Wincing at the leaves and scratchy branches that she had to push out of her way, the girl gingerly began her descent down the tall old tree with an acute sense of familiarity, placing her boots down in one obscure foothold after the next.

She skipped the last few steps down to jump to the grass below, letting out a slight squeak into the night as her own haste caused her to stumble clumsily and nearly fall over. Collecting herself, she broke into a run, her heart pounding as she weaved between the trees and bushes.

With one last bound, the girl leapt enthusiastically through a gap in the bushes onto the dirt path that led to her village, a brilliant, excited smile on her face as she laid her eyes upon the visitors coming up the path. "Hi there!" she cawed brightly as she came to a halt. Her smile faltered when she recognized the glint of steel in the moonlight, reflecting off the weapons the travelers had drawn the moment she had appeared.

"Sorey! Don't worry, it's just some kid."

Alby pouted at the offensive statement the disembodied voice had made. "Hey! I'm not some kid! I'm 9 whole years old, and I'm turning 10 in just a few weeks." She puffed her chest out with a self-righteous expression. "In fact, I'm the oldest girl in my class, just so you know!"

The three strangers exchanged incredulous glances in the wake of her words. Just so. She did look younger than she actually was, and it tended to surprise most adults. It always gave Alby a bit of pride whenever she announced it, she had to admit. Just a little. She tilted her head to the side curiously. "Are you guys going to the village? I can guide you there if you'd like." she offered. "The way gets kinda tricky up ahead."

After a moment, one of the two ladies of the group relaxed her body and sheathed her two shiny knives before kneeling down in front of Alby with a kind nod and a smile. "That'd be real nice of ya if you did." the lady remarked warmly. "But before that, my name's Rose. What's yours?" she asked as she extended an empty hand to the girl.

Remembering her manners, Alby quickly seized the adult's hand, giving it a proper shake. "You can call me Alby! All my friends at school do. Nice to meet you, Miss Rose!"

"Likewise!" Rose grinned back at her, standing back up and jerking a thumb at her other two fellow travelers. "That's Sorey." she introduced, gesturing at the man with a funny-looking cloak on his back. "And that there's Velvet." she added, moving her thumb towards the other lady.

Alby's eyes were wide as she trotted forward. "…Wow!" she gasped; her hands held together before her mouth. "You have really, really pretty hair, Miss Velvet!" she exclaimed, her mouth wide open in astonishment as she came to a stop before the stranger. "How can you possibly comb it all yourself?!"

Caught rather off-guard, the lady called Velvet shifted on her feet and let out an amused chuckle. "Most of the time I'd have someone else comb it." she answered, gently resting a hand on her hip. "I don't really bother these days, though."

"Boo!" Alby exclaimed, fisting her hands urgently. "You know, my friend's ma tells me that taking care of your hair is super important. That everyone should care about keeping themselves clean, so that way they can have a cleaner heart!"

Velvet raised an amused eyebrow in response. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks." she replied dryly.

Satisfied with a job well done, Alby turned from the woman whom she'd bestowed her wisdom upon to the final member of the group. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Sorey!" she greeted brightly. "That's a funny-looking cloak you've got there." she chirped. "It looks real nice on you though!"

Sorey scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Haha, thanks, Alby. You look great yourself." He tilted his head to the side, glancing around curiously. "Say, what are you up to all by yourself out here this late at night? Isn't it kinda dangerous to be outside of the village alone?" he asked.

The girl blinked a few times. "Ah, erm… well…" she mumbled, pushing the tip of her two index fingers together sheepishly. "It's uh… actually against the rules to go outside after dark." she admitted with a mumble.

Velvet let out a sigh, shaking her head in the clear, familiar disapproval of an annoying adult. "…So then nobody knows you're outside, on your own?" she asked in the tone of someone who already knew the answer.

Alby nodded glumly. "…I just wanted to see the moon and the stars." she explained gloomily. "It's hard to see with all the bright lights in the village."

Her head sank lower to the ground. "Please don't tell anyone…" she pleaded. "If you do, I won't be able to come out here anymore and see the stars." she near whimpered, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

Repetitively tapping a finger on her left bicep with both arms crossed, Velvet opened her mouth sternly.

In a bold flash of bravery, Sorey beat her to the punch. "We won't tell anyone if you help lead us to the village." he proposed hastily with a bright grin, squatting down to the child's height. "You said it's pretty tricky up ahead, right? Then if you help us make it through to the village, we won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Sound good?"

She looked at him with puppy eyes. "...You… promise not to tell anyone?" she keened.

"Cross my heart." Sorey nodded solemnly, holding her doubtful gaze with a smile. He purposefully kept his eyes far away from Velvet's general direction, from which he could practically feel the radiating waves of disapproval emanating.

"YAY!"

All of a sudden, the energy had zapped back into Alby's movements as she started tap-dancing on the spot, excitedly beckoning them forward. "Then let's go! Right now!"

"A-alright!" Rose agreed readily, hefting the pack on her back and stepping forward. "We'll be right behind you!"

As the two of them left, Sorey took a deep breath and slowly turned his head to the left, facing the inevitable. He winced as he took in the look on Velvet's face as she glared at him, a near snarl on her expression. "A promise is a promise, Velvet. Can't go back now." he said with an innocent shrug.

The traveler heaved a heavy sigh in response, turning on her heel to follow Rose and the child in the distance. "…You're hopeless." she growled as she stalked off.

Sorey let out a breath as he dogged her steps, grateful that the woman hadn't gone off on a lecture right then and there. Although he was certain that there was definitely a particularly stern lecture for him in the future. And maybe some violence to accompany that.

"You're going to regret that." Edna pointed out dryly as she stepped alongside him.

Sorey smiled weakly. "Yeah… I know I will."

High up in the sky, the waxing moon continued to shine amongst the sea of stars, untarnished by a single manmade light amidst the silent forested valley.

"My, travelers in Gododdin? And at this hour no less? Well, welcome!" The plump lady who served as the village innkeeper exclaimed as the three strangers walked into the old log building of hers. She blinked, glancing down at the little girl standing beside the travelers with surprise. "…Alby?" She tilted her head curiously. "What're you doing with these people?"

Before the girl could respond, Rose piped up. "She caught us coming in the front gate and helped point us in the right direction." She patted the girl's shoulder amicably. "She's been a real help; I can tell you that much."

"Uh, th-that's right!" Alby agreed vehemently, trotting up to the innkeep. "It's nice to see you, Ms. Esters! If it's alright, I wanted to help them settle into the room upstairs."

Ms. Esters put both hands on her hips and shook her head in amusement. "Sorry about her." she apologized to the newcomers. "Alby's friends with my daughter and can be real clingy sometimes, especially with newcomers. She finds people interesting, or something like that. If you want, I can shoo her back home for ya folks."

"I'm not clingy…" Alby pouted, crossing her arms petulantly.

Velvet waved a hand she stepped forward. "That won't be necessary. We'll be taking the room upstairs." Gald clinked on the wooden counter before the innkeep as payment.

The innkeep blinked in surprise. "Why, this is enough for a few nights at least!" She glanced at the three strange-looking travelers curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you folk doing here all the way here in our tiny corner of the continent for so long? I'm afraid I have to admit that Gododdin is hardly a stellar tourist attraction."

Sorey held up his copy of the Celestial Record amicably. "We're academic explorers." he explained. "We found something in some ruins that indicated that there might be an ancient structure somewhere in the Biroclef Ridge area, but we don't know where exactly. That's why we'll be staying here for a bit."

"An ancient structure…?" Ms. Esters put a hand to her chin, intrigued. "My, I do believe I may know what you are talking about."

"You do?" Sorey took an excited step forward. "Do you know where it is?!"

She shook her head. "No. But I'll ask around tomorrow and see what I can come up with. I believe I'll be able to get back to you by tomorrow afternoon."

"If you could, that would be a great help!" Sorey grinned. "Thank you!"

"Anything for one of my rare patrons." The innkeep beamed back. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." As one, the group began to follow her up the creaking stairs of the old log building before she abruptly stopped and turned around with a wry grin. "…Alby." she drawled at length. "You're not clingy. I take it back, got it, hon?" she conceded with bemusement.

"…Good." Alby nodded haughtily before enthusiastically jogging up the stairs, catching up with the group as they resumed their climb.

A quickly growing fire crackled in the hearth, warming up the disused room to toasty levels as Alby and Ms. Esters helped settle the three travelers into the room in the inn. For some reason, Sorey was adamant that they keep the extra beds in the room, even though there were only three of them. Then again, it might've been because he wanted somewhere for the ghosts to sleep or something like that. Alby shrugged, trotting over to the hearth to warm her hands. Ms. Esters always taught her not to judge other people, and to never call them "outsiders," so she wouldn't. It wasn't nice.

She blinked as she bumped into something on her way to the fire, stumbling backwards on the wooden planks with a squeak. Something caught her from falling, however, pulling her back upright. She beamed at the empty space next to her where she could tell the ghost was hiding. "Thanks, Mr. ghost!" she exhaled with a sigh of relief. "Sorry for bumping into your ghost buddy. My friends at school always call me clumsy…"

"You can… see us?" A low, rather grouchy voice resounded out loud.

"Not really." Alby replied with a shrug, still facing the empty space of air where the ghost was. "But I can tell where you are and hear your voices loud and clear!" she bounced on her feet. "I don't think I've ever met real life ghosts before, though. Aren't you all supposed to be spooky and stuff? You know, haunting old mansions?"

A low, amused laugh. "Not enough real estate to go around, I'm afraid."

"Hmph." A huff came from a different ghost across the room. "Don't go comparing us to the likes of hellions." he said haughtily. "We seraphim have standards, you know."

"Remember who you're talking to." the first ghost growled.

"Exception to the norm." the feminine voice of a third ghost observed matter-of-factly. "There's always a deviant in any pool."

"…Call me that again. I dare you."

"Dezel the seraph is a deviant. Deviazel." she replied calmly, drawing out each syllable.

A wordless growl of irritation followed her statement.

Alby began giggling helplessly, muffling her smile in a pointless attempt at being polite to the first ghost. "S-sorry." she apologized through her stifled giggles. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say."

"And Deviazel isn't a very nice deviant." the lady ghost replied succinctly. "If you could see him, you'd see how weird he looks."

"You're one to talk." Dezel growled back.

"Oh?" she asked smugly. "Insulting a lady, are we? Not really helping your case."

"A 'lady,' huh?" He let out a gruff scoff. "That's news to me."

Alby promptly turned and trotted up to the lady ghost, leaning in close to where she figured her ear was and began whispering, a mischievous grin on her face. The message was obviously transmitted correctly for as soon as she stepped away, the lady ghost piped up smugly. "She says you sound like a crotchety old man who's no fun."

"…Tch." Dezel had apparently had enough as he turned away. "Whatever." he muttered.

The ghost from across the room let out a chuckle as Dezel stewed in silence. "…You know, it's nice not being at the butt of Edna's jokes for once." he remarked.

Alby grinned brightly, glancing between the three ghosts with her hands entwined behind her back. At her side, the fire crackled continuously, while the Velvet, Sorey, and Rose were busy pulling various travel articles out of their packs on the other side of the room. Ms. Esters had helped to prepare the beds, having finally managed to find the extra set of sheets for Velvet. It had been a fun night, full of new people and new strange things to discover. It was a shame that soon she would have to go, as it was getting late…

Her eyes suddenly widened as she abruptly realized just how late it was. "Oh! Oh no!" she gasped, freezing in place. She glanced briefly at the ghosts whom she felt were all looking her direction and explained quickly, "I've gotta go!"

Sorey was just about to close the door as she ran over to the exit, her expression urgent. "You gotta leave now, Alby?" he asked, holding the door open for her.

She jogged over, an apologetic expression on her face. "Yeah, I'm sorry, Mr. Sorey. I really, really need to go home now. I get in trouble if I come home late…" She hesitated. "…But I kept my side of the promise, right?" she asked hopefully up at the young man.

Sorey gave her a wry thumbs up. "I didn't see a thing." he promised.

He grunted in surprise as the child gave him a warm, tight hug in response. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She bounced back. "Oh, and let your ghost friends know that it was really nice to meet them! I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I hope we can play again together sometime."

Sorey blinked in surprise, glancing up at Lailah standing curiously behind him before returning his gaze to the child. "I'll uh, let them know." He nodded reaffirming. "Well, good night, Alby." he wished. "Hope your parents don't give you too much grief for being late!"

"Y… yeah! Me too. Okay, good night, Mr. Sorey!"

The sudden strange look in her eye and the abrupt dullness to her expression caused Sorey to frown after the girl as she charged outside and down the stairs, his brow furrowed.

"Sorey?"

He turned to face Lailah standing beside him and shook his head. "…It's nothing." he replied, dismissing the thought. "That girl Alby had a bunch of resonance, didn't she?"

"It was quite remarkable." Lailah nodded deeply, a smile creeping into her expression. "She apparently assisted Edna in giving Dezel quite the headache."

He chuckled with amusement. "She looked like a good kid." He winced. "…I just hope Velvet doesn't skin me alive for letting her go off on her own at night." he muttered, glancing furtively over his shoulder at the woman in question who was currently on the other side of the room cleaning the bedside table.

The fire seraph held her hand up to cover her smile. "That was quite brave of you, Sorey." she remarked wryly. "You have my admiration for standing up to her as you did."

He shook his head ruefully. "I think the reason for why I did it was because I was just thinking about how Mikleo and I broke Gramps' rules all the time back in Elysia..." he supposed with a shake of his head. "Anyway, I made the decision, so now I suppose I'll have to face the consequences, as always." he said as he turned around and walked away, headed to his own bed. "Argh. This feels just like how I'd feel back then when I knew Gramps had it in for me…" he grumbled.

"Once a rule breaker, always a rule breaker, it would seem." Lailah commented wryly, following in his footsteps.

The fire in the hearth popped and cackled as it grew ever bigger and stronger, its enveloping warmth filling every single being in the room as they settled down for the night, mimicking their own thoughts as they fell asleep.

Something nudged her. She shifted slightly and ignored it.

"…Psst! Alby!"

"Ngh…" Drearily, the 9-year-old swatted in the vague direction of where the irritating noise was coming from. Why couldn't she just be left alone to get some more sleep? She was tired!

"Alby!" the voice hissed even more urgently, tinged with a bit of… embarrassment? What was that sound in the background…?

"…Kyle?" She blinked blearily, staring at her childhood friend poking her rather urgently in the shoulder. "What's going…"

Suddenly, the girl shot up in her seat, yelping as she nearly toppled over all the while registering the grinning faces of her peers as they giggled back at her in the corner of the school, alongside the very, very stern expression of the teacher. "…Alby." he stressed as he shook his head in disapproval, leaning back in his chair at the front of the classroom. "Am I truly that boring? I swear, this must be the fifth time this month."

"Actually sir? It's her seventh." one of the boys provided gleefully.

Alby stammered as she got to her feet, her cheeks beet red. "S-s-sorry, sir!" she yelped. "I… I didn't get much sleep last night! I won't do it again!"

The teacher's expression was the definition of unconvinced. "…Somehow, I doubt that." he shook his head. "Take a seat, Alby." he told her sternly, turning the page in the book before him. "Everyone, turn to page 29. You'll see some drawings there by the authors that show the harvest moon above the Fields of Triumph. This would be how people harvest a good chunk of their crops during the night, using the brighter and longer lasting moonlight. Well, that is if there wasn't a famine like nowadays, but as you can imagine when there were fields full of…"

Alby's eyes slowly slid shut again and she was asleep once more within the minute.

…It wasn't her fault! She was just so tired!

When class finally got out after an eternity, she and Kyle were near the first ones charging out the gates and into the village proper, dodging between the adults heaving construction material and the chattering shopkeepers, giggling hopelessly as they devolved into a game of tag. The sun was high in the air, shining above the small cluster of buildings known as the prosperous village of Gododdin.

Alby cackled as she dove through a gap in the fence, barely managing to dodge Kyle's grasping hands which gave her enough time to blow a derisive raspberry at her pursuer before she turned around to pelt through the pen. The inhabitants of said pen, multicolored chickens minding their own precious business, were forced to scatter with indignant squawks as the girl raced through their territory with a boy hot on her heels.

Eventually, their legs ran out of energy and they slumped tiredly next to each other against the well at the center of the village beside the schoolhouse, both gasping for breath like a pair of fish out of water. The abruptly froze and stared at each other at the same time, before both simultaneously bursting out into uncontrollable giggles at how stupid they'd sounded.

Men and woman stepped around their forms as they went ahead and drew water from the well they were leaning on, chattering on and on about adult stuff; things that Alby barely understood and therefore barely cared about.

"War nearly broke out between the two nations." they'd say with serious voices.

"Word is the church and the Platinum Knights are fighting each other for the King's favor."

"Those freak storms in the capital are apparently getting worse."

"It's going to be a bad crop this year too, I can tell."

"Murders and crime are rampant in Lastonbell, and people are afraid to leave their houses."

"People say that Shepherd guy is somewhere here in Rolance."

The adults always went over the same gloomy-sounding topics these days, over and over and over again until it was no fun at all to listen to them. Life was alright for them here in the village, though, far away from it all. Whatever came next, they'd be alright, just as they'd always been. And Alby was fine with just that.

Suddenly, she jerked around and slammed her hand on Kyle's abdomen, causing him to keel over more surprised than pained as she took off once more, taunting him derisively. Grumbling loudly, the other child quickly took off in pursuit as the children once more began running through the village, dodging the adults in their own separate world. Eventually, she had to say goodbye to her best friend as the sun began to set in the distance, blanketing the town in a golden white hue.

She herself stayed out, however, as there was still time before dark. She chattered with whoever was willing to talk in the streets, walking amicably alongside traders, farmers, builders, and basically all of the adults who were busy going home after a long, long day of work. She played with some of the cattle at the farm and then chased chickens until she was shooed away by the owner who claimed she was making them "too nervous."

But eventually the inevitable came to pass as the sky began to darken in the absence of the sun that had long since sunk behind the distant mountains of the ridge. With each passing moment, Alby's cheer lessened somewhat, until her eyes were filled with nothing more but resignation and disquiet.

Slowly, she trotted down the familiar path to the small secluded house nestled in the corner of the village, resting on the side of the stone wall that served as protection for the village with its back against the rough cliffside that ringed in a good portion of the settlement as well.

She never liked going home. Really, she hated it.

Already beginning to feel her heart racing and her palms sweating, Alby carefully stepped up to the front door of the house, reaching up to grasp the latch of the front door with the gentlest of touches. Ever so slowly, the nine-year-old pulled the old door back as slowly as possible, biting her lip as the annoying thing began to squeal and screech with the slightest of movement. Once it had been opened to the point where she could barely slip through, she did so, repeating the process to close the door behind her.

She quietly slipped out of her boots and stepped into the hallway, carefully eyeing her surroundings as she did so. The darkened wooden space was deceptively tranquil, but she knew better from years of experience than to be lulled into a false sense of security. At any moment a door might slam open, and then the shouts would begin.

She took another step and froze when the putrid smell hanging in the air entered her nostrils. Every single hair on the back of her neck shot up in alarm while her heart began to beat even more rapidly. It was that strange pungent smell – the one that always made him the worst. It had been a long time since she'd last smelled that stench in this house, and it brought up horrifying memories. She had been scared before, as per usual, but now she was absolutely terrified.

Quietly yet as swiftly as possible, Alby tip-toed across the hallway, expertly navigating the squeaky boards with her feet as she made her way to her room. She sighed with relief as she rested her hand upon the cool iron of the door handle, looking behind her down the hallway furtively before pushing, stepping quietly into her room and gently shutting the door behind her.

She turned around and screamed, finding him sitting right there on her bed, wreathed in that putrid, putrid smell.

"F-Father!" she gasped, her heart pounding.

There he sat on her small bed, swaying slightly from side to side while still wearing his dirty and soiled boots which had evidently tracked mud all over her normally clean room. He was still wearing his armor. He mumbled something under his breath as his eyes, distant and unseeing, slid over to meet hers. "…A…Ah… Alby, sweetheart." he groaned, a single line of drool falling from his mouth. "…Why won't it go away?"

"I… I don't know, Father." Alby stammered, backing up as he began to lumber to his feet, gagging as she inhaled more of that putrid smell absolutely engulfing her room. "Wh… what are you doing in my room?" she dared to ask.

He stumbled over to her, barely managing to maintain his balance with gritted teeth. "Why won't it go away?" he asked her again, towering over her diminutive figure. "I tried everything damnit. The drink, smoke, and now even this crap!" With a roar, the bear of a man abruptly twisted around and flung a small container into the wall across the room with such force that it shattered on the spot, the sound causing Alby to squeal in alarm.

Her father twisted back to her, placing both of his bulky hands on her tiny shoulders. "Why won't it go away?" he repeated dumbly, his eyes glazed and unseeing. "Why?"

"W-w-why won't what g-go away, F-Father?" Alby asked weakly, beginning to tremble.

"…the PAIN!"

Alby's cry resounded through the house as she was lifted bodily up against the wall, her kicking feet doing nothing against her father's steel armor plate as he held her mindlessly in place. "She died! She died ages ago!" he roared in her face, spittle flying out of pure rage. "I wanna live damnit!" he roared. "I want the pain to go away! Why won't it go away?! After all these damn years?!" His pudgy fingers tightened around his daughter's neck. "Answer me! ANSWER ME!"

BANG!

The father's head jerked to the side to glare behind him as the foreign noise registered in his clouded, confused mind. He blinked dumbly as he registered an utter stranger standing in the middle of his daughter's room, a sword in their hand.

"You…!" the young stranger breathed in clear astonishment. "You're… not a hellion?!" Utter nonsense.

"PAH!" the man possessed by the drug running through his veins growled. "You… I don't know you." He blindly turned around to face the intruder, unintentionally dragging his daughter to his side with her neck still in his left hand. "You wanna break into my house? Threaten my family?! I'll… I'll kill you for that!" He lumbered forward, frothing at the mouth with unseeing eyes. "Ain't nobody here gonna hurt my precious daughter… NOBODY!"

"I'll protect her… I'll protect my family…" With a clumsy hand, the soldier reached down and yanked his old broadsword from its sheath, brandishing it in the air with his body swaying clumsily. "I'll kill you…" he growled, stepping forward again, his daughter still clutched in his left hand with her feet dragging on the carpeted floor.

Sorey's eyes were wide and frantic as he backed up against the corner of Alby's room, his gaze flashing between the hulking human approaching him and the helpless eyes of the girl in his grasp as she dangled in his grasp. "N… no…!" he stammered. "Stop!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the man roared, clenching his muscles and charging forward.

The fist clutching Alby's neck tightened with crushing force. Spots flashed in the girl's vision, her feet kicking uselessly in reaction to the pain surging through her body. She shuddered one last time and let out a small breath, her eyes rolling back into the inside of her head.

The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was a funny little bubbling noise, and then, nothing but silence.

Sorey's boots left little imprints of blood as he stumbled through the darkened hallway, the unconscious body of a little girl in his trembling arms.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to focus one thing and one thing only; getting the girl to safety. Adrenaline pumped liberally in his veins, causing his every sense to be amplified to the extreme. His heartbeat consumed his world, whereas his eyesight had narrowed down into a tiny cone of focused attention and nothing else. He could hear the small child's wheezing as he brought her to the front door, the sound egging him urgently onward as he shoved through the entryway and into the open.

He stumbled down the steps and into the night air, grunting as he tried to find his footing in the grass and stone before the tip of his boot snagged on an outcropping stone. He swore and twisted his body around as he crashed down onto the ground, letting his shoulder and back bear the brunt of the impact and protecting the unconscious little girl's body in the process.

"SOREY!"

He gritted his teeth and forced himself back onto his feet, swaying with the weight as he readjusted the girl in his arms. Absently, he registered Velvet, Rose, Mikleo, and the others all running up to him with wide, shocked eyes. He forced his mouth to move and to utter something. Anything.

"We need to get her away from here." he managed to say. "The square."

Edna twisted her umbrella sharply. "Mikleo." she ordered almost harshly.

"A-alright!" Mikleo shook himself and nodded sharply. "Let me give you a hand!" With that, his childhood friend reached around him and supported his and Alby's shaky weight, leading his steps forward as they carried the child into the village proper.

"Come on!" Rose had jogged up ahead. "The coast is clear right now." she beckoned.

"Sorey…" Lailah breathed, her eyes filled with worry as she walked alongside the Shepherd and Mikleo.

Velvet's eyes were hard and calculating as she walked on Sorey's other side. "Sorey. Tell me what happened." she ordered lowly, her eyes flitting across her surroundings as the group walked through the presently deserted streets of Gododdin. "Now."

Sorey's jaw set as he forced himself to comply with the order; a small part of his brain telling him it would be best to do as she said. "He… he wasn't a hellion." He took a deep, shaky breath. "He just wasn't himself. She… Alby was dying... I… I had to…" he shut his eyes furiously, scrubbing at them with one free hand.

Velvet exchanged a meaningful glance with Rose in response to Sorey's words. The assassin's expression was deathly serious in response. "We need to get outta here." she stated plainly. "I'll go get our stuff."

Velvet nodded sharply. "I'll stay with Sorey." she stated. "I know where we're going."

"Meet you at the top?"

"Yeah."

With that, the two women nodded succinctly and split up, with Rose dashing through the darkness with the finesse befitting that of an assassin. Velvet's eyes were hard as she resumed her vigil, watching out for any potential passerby that might catch them in such a compromising position. "Lailah." she prompted without looking. "Heal the girl."

The fire seraph nodded unquestioningly, raising a single hand as she matched Sorey and Mikleo's pace. The low hum of her mana resounded off the surrounding walls of the village as they approached the empty school building in the center of Gododdin.

"Dezel." Velvet glanced over at the wind seraph with a tone that brooked absolutely no dissent. "Be ready to throw them off our scent."

The wind seraph did nothing more than respond with a nod. Even he recognized the severity of the current situation.

All the while Sorey stared ahead with almost manic fervor, his teeth gritted as he forced himself to think about nothing but saving the girl in his arms. He had to do what he had to do, and that was all that mattered.

A coughing fit drew their collective attention as Alby, having been healed by Lailah, stirred in Mikleo and Sorey's grasp, her utterly confused and horrified eyes blinking awake as she stared at the world around her. Blood ran up and down her clothing, staining her arms and her neck. "F… Father?" she croaked through her bruised trachea.

Sorey squeezed his eyes shut.

As they laid her on the ground with her back leaning against one of the fence posts of the school grounds, the girl began to regain clarity in her eyes. "Wh… what happened? Where… where's Father?" She coughed furiously, her breathing weak and battered.

Slowly, her gaze landed on Sorey's, her eyes wide in horror. "…What… what did you do?" she breathed softly.

Sorey trembled in that moment, with the daughter of the man he had murdered with his own hands right before him. He opened his mouth but failed to find anything to say.

"F…Father…" Alby hiccupped before closing her eyes, tears running down her cheeks and intermingling with the blood. "…FATHER!" she wailed, the cry echoing off the surrounding houses and rock with a piercing screech.

All around them, dogs began to bark, while confused villagers scrambled awake, their cries and shouts resounding throughout the night as the village roused itself. Alby continued to cry, curling up in a ball and wailing continuously, regardless of how hoarse her throat was.

"Let's GO!"

Sorey was jerked from his horror as a hand on his shoulder shoved him violently forward, causing him to stumble and nearly fall into the dirt. He grunted as Velvet latched onto his wrist, forcing him bodily forward towards the exit to the village. As he began to run on mechanical limbs, he noted absently that Dezel had disappeared the moment the shouts had begun, off to delay the villagers and support their escape.

It was in this manner that the Shepherd and his followers departed from the hallowed village of Gododdin like a gang of thieves in the night, hidden underneath the dark shadows cast by the abnormally bright full moon overhead. The body of the fabled harvest moon was unusually large as it rose into the dark and quiet night sky, wreathing the land in its innocent beauty and bestowing upon mankind the gift of light amidst a dark, unforgiving world.

Amidst the abnormal night borne of warped light and dark shadows, the distant wailing of the traumatized child continued to echo through the air, ringing horridly in Sorey's ears as he ran away.

Massive thanks to Paragon of Awesomeness for betaing this chapter!