The ice trail hadn't wavered in its consistency; every day traveled on the road felt the same, and every mile traveled looked like the one before. The trees would stay their orange-stained birch that Number 8 had grown fond of, and the evergreens from the mountains appeared whenever they got close to another hilltop or cliffside.

It was endless, and as the days stretched to weeks, it looked like they wouldn't get any closer to civilization. The only good news was that they were getting farther from Brago, which meant they got farther and farther from the battle...

As well as the reasons for it.

"Hey, Number 8, keep a lookout. I think there's a nest up here."

Number 8 nodded, glancing around as Vera climbed the tree with a small, misshaped nest resting high on its branches. Number 8 glanced up as Vera scaled the tree with shadowed hands that shot out of his ribs and levered him to the tree's mighty trunk. The clawed fingers of Sho pierced into the bark, acting as an anchor when Vera's fingers failed to find any leverage.

He's gotten better...

Number 8 had only caught a glimpse of Vera's new ability back at Brago, but he had seemed to develop it quickly since then. Now, he was using it to scour the treetops when he was bored or when they needed to look for a new water source, and when Number 8 felt like it, he would use his threads to join him.

He figured it was better to sit this one out this time, so he set his knapsack by his feet and waited for Vera to finish his adventure. He was curious to see exactly what was left of the nest Vera had climbed to since it looked abandoned from down here.

Hopefully, it's more food...

Number 8 was tired of eating the meat they had gotten early on from a herd of rabbits that had ignored all their survival instincts and happily jumped toward them. The happy glint in their eyes is reminiscent of pets about to get treats from their owners as they sat happily on the side of the road and waited for a meal...

Number 8 made sure only to kill a few of them since he felt bad for them, and he used every part of them except the brains and eyes. He used the pelts to make new knapsacks since they left the Vulcan bags back in Brago and to patch up the rips in their winter coats so they weren't trudging through the snow with half their clothes.

Hopefully, it isn't angry either...

Number 8 sighed at the thought, pulled out of his reminiscence as he heard the soft thud of Vera landing next to him. Number 8 could barely glance up before he heard something that made him stiffen in surprise.

"Eight, catch."

Number 8's eyes widened in surprise as an egg was tossed haphazardly towards him, his quick reflexes being the only thing that saved the egg from falling into the snow. Number 8 could barely get a hand firmly around it before he let out a breath of relief and sent an annoyed glare at Vera, who shrugged with a smug smirk on his face.

"Hey, nice catch."

"... you're annoying."

"That's not nice..." Vera said in a mock pout, earning an eye roll from Number 8, who looked closer at the egg in his hand—taking a second to trace the small blue dots along its surface and feel the smooth shell underneath his fingertips.

It's still warm...

Number 8 tilted his head, about to shake the egg to see if he could hear what was inside before Vera tossed him another three eggs. Number 8 was more prepared this time as he flicked his hand towards them and used three featherweight threads to stop their fall. The threads coiled around the eggs and held them in their grasp so Number 8 could get a good look at them.

"You found 4?"

Vera shook his head in response, waking down the road with Sho resting behind him, "Nah, there were six, but two of them didn't make it. We can cook those later, so keep them in your knapsack."

Number 8 gave a slight nod, following Vera's suggestion as he quickly turned to shove the eggs into his knapsack. His movements falter as he looked around to see his knapsack gone without a trace.

"Seriously..."

Number 8 muttered in exasperation, looking around for the knapsack he swore was next to him a moment ago. His eyes twitched as he turned towards the shadow watching him from the tree line in an almost amused silence.

"I know it was you..."

Number 8 muttered with utmost conviction; his eyes narrowed on Sho as the shadow shrugged with innocence. The mocking gesture was synonymous with 'prove it,' unfortunately, Number 8 couldn't prove it...

He still had no idea how Sho was doing it.

Stupid Sho...

Number 8 gave a small huff in annoyance, glancing away from Sho for an instant so he could ask Vera to try and solve the mystery. His eyes widened as he saw Vera had already walked too far ahead for him to be helpful.

Great...

Number 8 opened his mouth to yell and get Vera's attention before his words stalled in his throat as he saw Sho slither quickly back to Vera. Number 8's eyes quirked as he turned around and saw his knapsack right back where it had been initially. Number 8 blinked at the knapsack, gently tapping his foot to test it. His suspicions slowly fell in favor of confusion and then fell to the side as Vera called from up ahead, "Hey, 8! Come on! There's a town up ahead! I want to make it by nightfall!"

At Vera's words, Number 8 completely forgot the knapsack ordeal as he hurriedly shoved the eggs into his knapsack and ran after Vera. Pulling up next to him and asking in a voice that didn't bother to hide his eagerness, "Wait, there's a town up ahead?"

Really...

Number 8 looked at Vera with anticipation, his eyes widening as Vera gave an almost amused expression, "Yeah, big town. Lots of houses, maybe even a train station..."

Vera's excitement became palpable as he started bouncing on the balls of his feet, "It's a few miles ahead, and depending on who we ask..."

Vera gave a full-blown grin, "We might be out of Isvan sooner than we thought."

Number 8 didn't have to express his excitement at the idea; he was just as eager as Vera. He wanted to see more than the icy environment that seemed to be everywhere in Isvan. He wanted to know the guild that seemed to stick in Vera's memories despite losing all the others.

Finally...

Number 8 followed with a slight skip in his step as Vera and Sho led the way to the new town, Number 8 not noticing that Vera wasn't carrying his knapsack or water since he was too busy preparing himself for the unique experience ahead of him.

There's going to be a town...

Number 8 would lie if he said he wasn't excited; he had never seen an in-tact town. He was curious to see what it would look like and even more interested in what the townspeople would be like. He had never met anyone who wasn't trying to experiment on him or had been on the receiving end of said experiments...

There's going to be people...

He would meet ordinary, average people, and it would be awesome.

Nano Leaf was an average person...

She had short blond hair from her mom and stubby eyebrows that she got from her dad. She lived in a small town with wooden lodges and a close-knit community. It was out of the way, with the only place near it being Brago, which used to be a few weeks away by foot...

Before Deliora wiped it off the map.

That was a scary time for the town, but she hadn't been there for it. There was an incident back then, and she had been at the dark guild Chrono Noise. That was the most dramatic thing that had happened to her, but disregarding that scary experience, her life was pretty simple.

She got to live with her two loving parents, and she could use her magic to help raise chickens for the winter months when the eggs would usually die due to the temperature. It helped her parents pay for food while also letting her use the magic she had been gifted, this time for something that wasn't evil or part of Nez Boom's insane plot to gain power.

Nano had a simple life, and she cherished every second of it. She never wanted to go back to the days when she was under the thumb of dark wizards, and if the mundaneness of everyday living were the price so she could live happily with her parents, she would gladly pay it...

"Your life is so normal..."

That didn't mean she liked this blue-haired stranger calling her out on it, even if he sounded weirdly impressed by it.

Why do I keep finding strange people...

The people Nano was talking about were the two kids, a couple of years older than her, who had showed up at the village unannounced and asked for directions to Fiore. It was a funny coincidence since the person who saved them from Chrono Noise's rule had asked the same thing, even though he left before Nano could say thanks.

Well, at least he was nice... this guy's just rude.

She was referring to the boy sitting on the floor beside her bed with blue hair, a strange red tattoo over his right eye, and a pair of brown irises. He was wearing a patched-up white coat with fur lining and splotches of what looked like rabbit fur tucked here and there. He had been stuck in Nano's room so his injured friend could take the couch near the fireplace...

He was also supposed to be sleeping, but he didn't see that as a priority.

"So you only use your magic... to hatch eggs?"

Nano crossed her arms, and her eyes narrowed at the blue-haired boy, who just called himself 'Eight' when they asked for his name. Her voice was slightly annoyed as she muttered, "Yeah, I hatch eggs..."

What's so wrong with that...

She watched as the boy let out a little bit of an 'ah' in surprise, his eyes wide as he spoke in an almost astonished whisper, "Wow..."

Egg Knock... a magic that is only meant to help something grow...

Number 8 liked the idea of it, magic incapable of hurting whatever it was used on. He liked the idea that someone could use such magic for only its intended purpose, without having to be adapted to do better in a practical or defeat another monster...

Egg Knock only hatched eggs...

It was simple...

He liked the idea of a simple magic.

"You're magic's so nice..." Number 8 whispered, without mockery or disdain hidden in his words. Nano seemingly understood the near awe he spoke with because her eyes widened. A flustered expression crept on her face as she looked away from him and muttered embarrassedly, "Um... thanks... I don't think anyone's said that about my magic before..."

At least not when they first heard about it...

Number 8 nodded as Nano looked away embarrassedly, her voice holding a curious tilt as she asked, "What's your magic anyways..."

She was curious since he had let it slip at dinner that they were both mages, but unfortunately, her parents had stopped her from asking to see it. Something about being 'rude' to request a mage what their magic was if they didn't offer to show it. Nano was sure they were just worried about angering them since the last mage stopping by their village had taken down Nez Booms and his dark guild, Chrono Noise, all alone.

They can be so overprotective at times... it's not like all mages are that powerful...

Nano was sure the boy she had met was an exception, and as soon as Number 8 mentioned his magic, she knew she was correct.

"It's thread magic."

Number 8 held his hand to show it, letting thin, white threads leave his fingertips and sway in the air. His fingers moved minutely as he formed a hand out of the flowing lines to wave at Nano, his eyes flicking from his lines to Nano to see her reaction...

"Oh..."

It was a lot duller than he expected.

"So what old lady Hanna uses, huh..."

Nano mumbled in recognition, her eyes glancing at the thin threads with a hint of disappointment. It wasn't as beautiful as ice magic or rare as some of the spells she had seen at Chrono Noise. It was just the thread magic the village seamstress used to patch up torn clothes, although it looked like he had incredible mastery over it since she had never seen Hanna control her threads with such precision.

I guess that's nice... it does suck that he only has thread magic, though... I thought he was going to have something cooler.

Nano pouted a little at that, her disappointment going unnoticed as Number 8 asked in a curious voice, "Someone else knows thread magic?"

Nano glanced at Number 8, her eyes quirking as she saw the attentive look he was giving her, the curiosity evident in how he sat on the floor and glanced at her like an expectant puppy. The honest, innocent curiosity that shone in his eyes forced Nano to reflect away, unsure how to react as her voice got a little softer, "Uh... yeah, old lady Hanna knows it. She's the village seamstress; she fixes all our clothes and stuff when they tear."

Nano tilted her head, recalling Hanna's story about when she lived in the city: "She told me that a lot of seamstresses try to learn thread magic if they aren't able to afford a lacrimal sewing machine..."

Nano trailed off as she saw Number 8 looking at her wide-eyed, his voice borderline disbelieving, "They only use thread magic... for sewing?"

That's it?

Number 8 blinked in surprise as Nano gave a slight nod, her voice confused as she asked, "What else would they use to for?"

Number 8 could only blink at her words, unable to voice his disbelief since he had rarely used his magic for 'only' sewing. He was having trouble comprehending that. People used it for sewing and nothing else; it was a tough pill to swallow if he was being honest.

Well... It would be hard for anyone else to use it in combat...

Number 8 would be the first to admit that thread magic was nearly impossible to master. He had been at the lab for years, and even then, there were still facets of his magic he had yet to understand completely.

I doubt anyone else can use it the way I do...

There were a thousand things that had to go into every aspect of thread magic: his fingers had to move a certain way, the magic he imbued had to be a specific density, and the threads had to be layered if he wanted them to be strong, but they couldn't be layered if he wanted them to be sharp. There was a long list of intricacies that he had to work through every second he used thread magic, and if he missed even one, his creations would unravel. He could see how it would be impossible for people to use it for anything other than sewing.

The fact that I have a large magic pool probably helps, too...

Number 8 hummed gratefully at the thought, getting pulled out of his head as Nano asked in a curious tone, "Hey, what about your friend? What magic does he use?"

He said he was a mage, too...

Nano tilted her head curiously as Number 8 seemed to stall momentarily, fiddling with a strand of his hair as he spoke without confidence, "Uh... shadow magic? I think..."

It's complicated...

Number 8 wilted under Nano's unimpressed eye, crossing his arms as he tried to defend himself, "His magic is weird. It's name is Sho and-"

"His magic has a name?" Nano interjected, the disbelief in her voice ignored as Number 8 continued explaining, "Yeah, its name is Sho. He's a part of... or he hides in Vera's shadow? I'm not too sure. He's pretty nice, although he does like to play pranks every once in a while..."

Number 8's expression fell like a rock, his shoulders sagging as a twitch of annoyance crossed his eyes, "I'm pretty sure he's been playing one on me since we started traveling."

Ever since they left Brago, Number 8's rations have been disappearing. Lately, it was the bird eggs Vera had been able to snatch from the stray nest; before, it was the rabbit meat he claimed from a herd with no survival instincts whatsoever, and even at dinner, his water skin kept vanishing when he wasn't paying attention.

He was missing his knapsack right now, actually. He hadn't gone to Vera about it because he was confident it would show up the second he said anything. Whenever he asked Vera about it, his rations would magically reappear as they had never disappeared in the first place.

It has to be Sho...

Vera wasn't as stealthy as Sho was; there was no way he could've done it for this long and kept getting away with it. The shadow had to be the culprit; the problem was...

Number 8 couldn't figure out how he was doing it.

Maybe he's burying it under the snow... or does he hide it in the trees... how else would he-

"Oh, so that's what's in his shadow. I thought it was weird that it felt different than normal..." Nano muttered under her breath, looking up to see Number 8's wide eyes and agape jaw, a very undignified 'huh?' leaving his lips before Nano explained what she meant, "My magic, Egg Knock. It gives me a little insight into what's inside the eggs I hatch, kind of a way for me to make sure the process is going smoothly..."

Nano glanced around the empty room like a spy, leaning forward with a small, mischievous smile as she whispered to Number 8, "That means I have a sixth sense of finding living things. Like Mrs. Jiji, by the train station. She's pregnant. I have to keep it quiet, though. Otherwise, it would ruin the surprise..."

Nano gave a proud smile at Number 8's astonished expression as she crossed her legs on the bed, her mind thoroughly wandering now that she had a roommate to talk to, "I thought it was weird. It feels like something is living in his shadow, even though I can't tell what it is... it's odd."

Nano had never felt it before; it was like a living, non-living thing inside the shadow. It was like she was looking at an egg but unable to tell where the shell ended, and the yolk began. It was dark and blurry and blended...

Even the demon egg was more straightforward.

It's too bad he's asleep; it sounds cool...

Nano sighed, a little bummed she wouldn't see any unique magic like Gray had shown. A slight pout crossed her lips before Number 8 spoke in an almost curious tone, "So wait, does that mean you could use your magic on Sho?"

Number 8 watched as Nano tilted her head, humming thoughtfully before shaking her head, "I doubt it. I couldn't feel anything clearly from the shadow, just that it was alive or that something inside it was alive. Anything my magic has a chance of working on is usually clearer..."

Nano gave it a long thought, smiling as she met Number 8's wide and curious eyes, "We could try it out, though."

Number 8 was starting to like ordinary people.

Nano wasn't sure what she expected when she snuck into the living room to use her magic, but she had to reevaluate what she had thought earlier. She had believed that Vera's shadow was clouded, but it wasn't just that, it was damn near invisible. Every time she reached out with her magic to try and see if life was in it, she got lost in the pit of murky water that made up 'Sho.'

I'm right next to him, and the most I can tell is that it's alive... or supposed to be anyway.

Nano was getting mixed signals from her magic; the sixth sense that she had grown had been going haywire. It was unable to tell her with clarity or certainty how 'Sho' and 'life' interacted, just that they had a connection in some vague sense.

"There's no way my magic will work on this..."

She murmured by the still shadow reflected off the light from the crackling fireplace and stretching from the couch Vera was sleeping on. Number 8 was next to her, giving a small whisper, "Really?"

Nano nodded, whispering not to wake the sleeping mage or the... probably sleeping shadow, "Yeah, nothing's coming through. I can tell it's... it's something living or close to it, but nothing else. I doubt my magic will work if it can't tell what it's trying to hatch."

Nano honestly felt slightly disturbed by it, more so than when she had almost hatched a demon egg. Even though the demon had been disturbing, an amalgamation of acid and hatred that shook her to her core, she could at least tell what it would be...

She had no idea what Sho was supposed to be, and it was scary if she was being honest.

"Are you sure that it... uh, Sho... are you sure that Sho is safe?" Nano looked at Number 8 with a concerned and worried expression, startled as Number 8 shook his head almost instantly, "Of course not. If Sho wanted to, he could probably kill all of us in our sleep."

Number 8 wasn't exaggerating.

Even if he wasn't an... admittedly deep sleeper, he still didn't think he could survive a surprise attack from Sho, at least while he was sleeping. The shadow was too silent, and at this point, Number 8 had grown too used to the shadow to keep his guard up while unconscious.

The same couldn't be said for Nano, however, as her eyes widened in fright before flicking to the shadow. Her face went pale as she hesitantly opened her mouth, probably about to suggest they return before Number 8 intercepted her panic with a calm and quick breath.

"I don't think it's an issue, though..."

Number 8 said almost contemplatively; his head tilted as he looked at the silent shadow. His eyes trailed to the mage at an even more significant risk than him regarding the dangers Sho possessed since he was the one the shadow was attached to.

"Vera trusts Sho..."

Vera hadn't once shown any wariness of Sho, and Number 8 was starting to lose his original vigilance of Vera. After hearing about Fairy Tail, the guild they were going to, it was hard for him not to trust Vera a little more...

"I... I want to trust Vera."

Vera had told him something important, not everything, and maybe not even something considered a secret, but it was significant...

"I want to trust the faith he has in Sho."

Number 8 didn't take that lightly, so he figured he should defend Sho's... honor. Maybe honor wasn't the right word, but he wanted Nano to know that Sho wouldn't hurt her; he wouldn't hurt any of them.

Unless we threaten Vera...

Number 8 didn't see a reason to tell Nano that, so he let his words sit and watched as Nano digested them. His attempt at vouching for Sho seemed to work because he saw Nano lose a bit of the tension that had strung in her shoulders, gaining back a bit of the confidence she had from earlier. Her eyes determined as she gave a small puff of her chest and walked over to the harmless shadow, "All right then... let's try it out."

What's the worst that can happen...

Nano reached a hesitant hand towards the shadow, reaching with her magic as she muttered the incantation, and a magic circle of frail, pale, pink light hovered over her fingertips.

"Egg Knock"

The magic circle began turning clockwise as the shadow shimmered in response, whatever was being affected under the surface of the pitch-black surface hidden from their view. The process ended in less than a minute, but the eerily still shadow made it seem like it had taken an eternity. Nano could only let out a relieved breath once her magic had finished spinning and the light faded from underneath her fingertips.

"It's done..." Nano said quietly, glancing at Number 8 to see him nodding softly; they both turned to the shadow to see what effect her magic would have on it. The two watched quietly as the shadow seemed to shimmer and shuffle, almost as if waking up from a nap.

"Sho must have felt something..." Number 8 said quietly, watching with laser focus and preparation as the shadow on the wall grew into a life of its own. Number 8's intrigue fell into caution as Sho extended up the wall until it towered over the room with a tense, blank stare etched into the shadow's faceless expression.

Something's different...

Number 8 quietly brought his magic to the surface, willing a few thin threads to leave his fingertips in caution on the odd chance that Sho reacted poorly to Nano's magic. His eyes trained on the shadow to see what it would do, a surprised yelp drawing his attention as he whipped his head towards Nano, who had fallen back in surprise.

"Nano! What..." Number 8's words trailed as he saw what had scared Nano, a small figure leaving the bottom of Sho's enormous shadow. Number 8's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the frail creature waddle towards Nano and give a tweet of affection.

"... a bird?"

Number 8 muttered in surprise, looking at the petite chick with down feathers and big doe eyes. Freshly hatched and looking, trying to claim Nano as its mother by the looks of it.

"Oh my... it's so cute!" Nano muttered appreciatively as she held the tiny bird to her chest, the praises of Nano drowned out by Number 8 as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. Well, he knew what he was looking at; it would be more accurate to say he was trying to figure out why Sho had... birthed a bird.

Is Sho secretly part bird or something...

Number 8 was utterly baffled, and when he looked back at Sho, he was met with what he assumed was a similar expression. The previously eerie air surrounding Sho was gone instantly and replaced with his formerly childish and attentive attitude. A look of surprise was painted on the shadow that was stiff with confusion and maybe even a little fear...

Number 8 figured that was fair; he would be worried, too, if he hatched an egg.

"Hey Sho, why did you-"

'Chirp' 'Tweet' 'Chirp'

Number 8's words fell dead as he saw three more baby birds walk out of the shadow, all tweeting and shuffling over to Nano, who looked like she was in heaven—the entire thing playing like a dream before Number 8's eyes widened in realization.

Wait... four birds...

Number 8's eyes narrowed with a glint as he whipped his head over at Sho, who had shrunk to regular size. Now, with a posture of fear plastered on the surface of its inky skin, as if he had been caught in the act and was now wondering how he would escape.

"Sho..." Number 8 muttered, his eyes narrowing in anger as he glared at the shadow that wilted further under his murderous expression. A breath of rage escaped his lips as he muttered slowly, "Where is my bag?"

A few seconds of tense silence passed before Number 8 saw his bag plop out of the shadow, entirely intact, with pieces of broken eggshells littering its surface. The rabbit meat, waterskin, and everything else that had 'vanished' whenever he wasn't looking were all in perfect condition like they had never been gone.

"Oh..."

Number 8's eyes twitched in anger as he glared at Sho, who tried to slither across the walls to escape. The attempt stopped as Number 8 flicked a thin, razor-sharp wire across the trail connecting Sho to Vera, severing the connection and forcing Sho to fade out of existence. Number 8 watched with an annoyed expression as Sho reformed in Vera's shadow and glanced wearily at Number 8, who only had one thing to say to the prankster.

"Whose idea was it?"

Number 8 watched with righteous vengeance coursing through his veins as Sho seemed to think long and hard about what he would do next...

Before Sho immediately pointed at Vera and went dormant, selling out his friend instantly so he could not be on the end of whatever revenge Number 8 was cooking up...

One of Sho's better decisions if Number 8 was being honest.

"Hey, Nano..."

Number 8 drew Nano's attention from the baby chickens swarming her in cuddles and affections. Number 8 tilted his head with a hidden smile as he asked with a slight, mischievous, Sho-like glint in his eyes.

"You have any extra feathers you don't need?"

Number 8 was sure he would enjoy the rest of his trip through Isvan...

"Sure, the chickens lose them all the time."

He was also sure that Vera wouldn't.

It was about dawn when Vera woke up; the quiet of the night and the cozy fire the friendly family had let him sleep by nudging him awake. Vera could blink the light out of his eyes with a yawn as he shuffled on the couch, having slept more comfortably than he had in...

Well, probably in forever.

That was so nice... cushions are so comfy...

Vera mumbled to the couch cushions, thankfully, since they were the first things he had slept on that weren't snow, a cave floor, or a shitty mattress. His mumbles of appreciation faltered as he shifted and felt a few extra attachments to his patchwork winter coat.

Huh?

Vera looked down confusedly as he felt something poke him, his eyes settling in understanding as he saw his previously white winter coat chock-full with chicken feathers sewn into the surface. His entire costume was made even worse as he stood up and realized the feathers didn't stop at his coat...

Shit...

They were sewn onto his pants, too.

How'd he find out?

Vera switched his gaze to the culprit; the door to Nano's room creaked open so he could see Number 8 sleeping like a baby on the floor next to Nano's bed. Nano was sleeping amid four freshly hatched baby birds that seemed to have adopted her as their mother.

I thought he was only suspicious of Sho... unless...

Vera frowned as he turned to his shadow, a mental prod being all it took for Sho to form and meet his discerning gaze. The silence stretched before Sho started silently laughing on the wall, his hands on his knees as he trembled with every glance at Vera's new outfit. All the while, Vera could only grumble in begrudging annoyance.

"You sold me out, didn't you..."

If Sho's laughter could be heard, he was sure it would have woken up the entire house.