Far below the surface, deep within the drowned maze of abandoned sewer tunnels, Nierven slithered through the darkness.
The ancient serpent moved silently through the murky water, scales brushing against cracked concrete walls blackened by decades of neglect.
His head swayed slowly from side to side as he searched.
His nostrils flared.
The scent was faint, old, but it was there.
Nierven followed it through the tunnels, gliding around corners and shifting through narrow bends where water pooled deeper in the low points of the sewer system.
Then he stopped.
His nostrils flared again.
A stronger scent.
He lifted his head.
Ahead stood a rusted maintenance ladder leading up toward a sealed manhole cover. Beside it, broken vines hung through a fracture in the ceiling where roots had forced their way underground.
Nierven approached.
Something on the ground caught his attention.
A knife.
Dark stains still clung to the blade.
He lowered his head and sniffed it once, then again.
The scent was on it.
As he investigated, his snout nudged the weapon without meaning to. The knife tipped over the edge.
Clink.
Splash.
It disappeared into the sewer water below.
He huffed in annoyance and looked down at the water where the knife had disappeared as if personally offended by the loss of evidence.
After a moment, he turned toward the hanging vines. His nostrils flared again.
He leaned closer. Sniff.
Suddenly he froze. His pupils widened.
He then continued slithering through the sewer, moving deeper into the network of tunnels, his body flowing through the water with controlled urgency.
The scent trail was clearer now. Stronger. More consistent.
Dylan had passed through here.
Nierven followed it without hesitation, weaving through collapsed sections of concrete and narrow passageways where the ceiling had begun to cave in from years of structural decay.
Nierven lowered his head and pressed forward, continuing along the path the scent indicated, no longer searching blindly—only following.
~~~
Lucas had just volunteered to take night watch. He straightened slightly, scanning the group. "I'll handle the first rotation. I just need—"
Dylan raised a hand. "I'll take it."
Lucas gave a small nod, like he was about to respond, but—
Yve cut in. "Uh… Lucas."
Lucas turned. "Yes, Yve?"
She tilted her head toward him. "Can I volunteer instead? You should get some sleep. I'll replace you and take night duty with Dylan."
Dylan shifted his weight. "Really?" His voice was low, rough. "Ain't you tired?"
Yve gave a small shrug. "Tired of what?"
"You've been runnin' around since mornin'," Dylan said. "Get some rest. Me and Lucas can handle this."
Yve scoffed immediately. "Please. I once didn't sleep for seventy hours while handling a difficult, delicate task that involved a life-and-death situation."
Dylan exhaled through his nose. "Still."
That landed wrong.
Yve's expression tightened. "Why don't you want me on night duty with you?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You hidin' somethin'?"
Dylan blinked once, caught off guard, then let out a short, dry chuckle. "What? No. Just tryin' to make sure you're not pushin' yourself."
"I said I'm fine." Her tone sharpened. "We're on night duty. End of discussion."
A beat.
Dylan stared at her for a second longer, then gave a small, reluctant nod. "…Fine." He grunted.
That made it awkward for everybody. A few shifted in place, others exchanged quick glances without speaking.
Ava stepped forward. "Okay… let's just calm down. Dylan and Yve on night duty again. I'll take the second rotation. Anyone else want to volunteer? If not, fine. I don't care. Just wake me when it's my turn."
Ethan raised a hand immediately. "I'll be on second rotation with you."
Ava turned her head slightly. "You serious? You just did last night."
"So?"
"Aren't you worried about your health, dude?"
Ethan gave a small shrug. "My health? Who cares about that. We've got Haelars. If I get sick, I'll just have Ysa heal me."
Yve cut in before Ava could respond. "Just let him, Ava. You don't want to get into that kind of conversation with Ethan. He'll never stop."
Ava exhaled through her nose. "I suspected that." A pause. "Fine. Get some sleep then wake me up."
Ethan nodded once.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Ethan lingered. He leaned in slightly, brows drawn. "What did you mean I wouldn't stop? Stop at what?"
Yve glanced at him over her shoulder. "Remember at VIRA? When I saw that Pegasus sketch you made?"
"Yeah?"
"That was a mistake," she said flatly. "Asking you about it."
Ethan scoffed. "And why's that?"
"Because you talked about it nonstop for a week."
He blinked, then laughed under his breath. "Hey, I thought you liked it. That was a bonding moment for me."
"It wasn't." Yve's tone stayed even. "I just didn't know how to get you to stop following me around afterward."
Ethan paused, then chuckled again, quieter this time. "Yeah… I did do that."
A beat.
Then, a little more seriously, "You could've just told me they were real, you know."
Yve finally looked at him properly. "If I did," she said, "would you have believed me?"
That shut him up. His mouth opened slightly, then closed again. "...Fair point."
Yve turned away. "Exactly," she said, already walking off.
~~~
Deeper into the night, Yve sat about two feet away from Dylan on the edge of the RV's roof, legs dangling into the dark.
Dylan glanced over. "Why you sittin' over there?"
Yve cleared her throat. "Nothing. Don't mind me."
"You mad?"
He shifted slightly closer. She immediately shifted away by an inch.
"You alright?"
"Yeah… yeah," she said quickly. Then, quieter, "Just worried."
"'Bout what?"
"Ysa," Yve said.
Dylan watched her carefully. "What about her?"
"I hope she's okay. I hope she's alive and well…" Her voice tightened, just for a second. "And wherever she is… I hope she doesn't feel alone."
Dylan leaned back a little. "Never seen you like this over Ysa."
"I always care," Yve said, then hesitated. "I just—" She stopped, exhaled, and looked at him. "I hope she comes back to me. Alive. I don't know what I'd do if something happens to her."
Her fingers scraped lightly against the rooftop beside her.
Dylan moved closer, slower this time. He took her hand. "She'll be fine."
Yve tightened her grip on his hand immediately, like she needed the anchor. "She is," she echoed. Then, softer, almost unsure, "She should be… right?"
"She is," Dylan said again.
A small pause.
Then Yve let out a short, strained laugh. "'Cause if she's not… I might kill somebody."
Dylan didn't flinch. "You're not that kind of person, Yve."
She huffed. "I'm not human, Dylan. I'm a siren. I may not have the mark of the realm, but my instincts don't fail me." Her grip tightened again.
Dylan gave a faint, tired smile. "True. That's what I like about you." He reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
Yve's breath hitched. She closed her eyes for a moment, holding it in—whatever was building in her chest—then forced it down, buried under everything else.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Yve broke the silence. "Have I ever told you about the one time when I was on a mission… looking for a relic?"
Dylan glanced at her. "No. What about it?"
Yve exhaled, eyes drifting out into the dark horizon. "A siren I trusted stole it from me. Refused to give it back. Said it was hers from the start." Her jaw tightened slightly. "She even accused me of lying."
Dylan shifted slightly. "What'd you do?"
Yve's gaze stayed forward. "I wanted to kill her." A pause. "But I didn't want to stain my father's name. So I did something else."
Dylan waited.
Yve's lips curled faintly. "I tricked her. Lured her somewhere she couldn't escape."
A small, humorless smile formed. "That was thirty years ago. Either she escaped… or she's still down there as bones. I never checked."
Dylan let out a low breath. "That's cold."
"I know." Yve turned her head slightly toward him. "And she was relentless. Stubborn. I'm pretty sure she got out." A shrug. "Or maybe she didn't. I don't know. I never saw her again."
Dylan stared out into the dark. "That's… diabolical."
Yve tilted her head toward him. "I know. Imagine what I'd do now that nothing's holding me back."
Dylan glanced at her. "You ever feel guilty? 'Bout that?"
Yve was quiet for a moment. Then: "One thing you should know about sirens… we don't feel guilt for those who wrong us."
Dylan didn't respond.
Yve continued, softer but sharper underneath. "If someone tries to trick me, they better know they still have a way out. A chance to come clean. To fix it."
Dylan shifted. "Come clean how?"
Yve looked at him now. "You never had to admit something? Ever try to fix what you did?"
Dylan frowned slightly. "Don't know." A pause. "Don't remember much of my life. Feels like I just… woke up one day. And here I am."
Yve's expression softened a fraction. "Everyone deserves a second chance. The universe is merciless… yes. But it's also forgiving." She leaned back slightly. "But when you get one, you take it. With both hands. Because not everyone gets it twice."
Dylan looked at her. "What if you don't know how to use it?"
Yve hesitated for the first time, just briefly, before answering. "You figure it out. Every sapient being does."
A beat passed.
Dylan frowned slightly. "How do you know if you're sapient or just… sentient?"
Yve tilted her head. "If you can ask questions like that… you're sapient."
Dylan's gaze drifted back out toward the horizon. The night stretched quiet and wide in front of them. "That's nice," he said softly.
Silence settled between them again.
~~~
Meanwhile, back at the burned-down manor.
Duncan and Darnell guided the Pegacampus down toward the ruins, the massive creature's wings stirring ash as it settled into the broken grounds. The air felt wrong—thick with old smoke and wet soot, like the fire had only recently decided to stop existing.
Duncan jumped down first, boots hitting charred ground that crunched like brittle bone.
The estate that once stood here was now a hollow skeleton of itself—walls collapsed inward, roof caved in, timber beams blackened and split open like snapped ribs. What remained of the manor was barely a structure anymore, just outlines of rooms defined by soot-stained stone and half-standing walls.
Darnell followed, slower, eyes scanning the wreckage. "How are we gonna find this David?" he asked.
Duncan didn't even look back. "Seriously, man? You've got eyes and a nose. Make them useful."
Darnell exhaled, glancing over the ruin. "Just saying… this house is toast. I mean, if he was trapped inside, he might be long gone."
"We don't know that," Duncan replied flatly.
"I don't have much hope for this task," Darnell muttered. "Never saw a human survive inside a burning mansion before."
"Shut up," Duncan snapped. "And help me look."
They moved forward together.
The ground shifted between patches of ash and warped stone, where heat had once melted glass into dull, uneven shards now embedded in the soil. Doorframes led nowhere—just empty thresholds opening into collapsed rooms filled with debris and charred furniture frozen mid-collapse. A staircase leaned at an unnatural angle, its steps missing in places, like the building had been violently hollowed out from the inside.
They rounded what used to be the side corridor.
At the back of the manor, the remains opened into a courtyard.
The garden was unrecognizable. What had once been manicured hedges were now skeletal shrubs of ash-gray branches. Decorative stonework lay fractured and half-buried, and the once-elegant patio furniture had melted into warped metal shapes that no longer resembled anything functional.
Duncan slowed as they approached the pool area.
Darnell followed a step behind, quieter now.
They moved closer to the pool.
The water inside was no longer clear or still. It had turned into a shallow, stagnant layer of murky runoff—ash, soot, and broken fragments of debris floating across its surface like remnants of something that refused to fully die. The tiles around it were cracked and uneven, edges blackened by heat long since gone cold.
Duncan crouched first.
Slowly.
His reflection didn't appear in the water—only distortion. He reached down, fingers dipping into the grime, and pulled his sword free.
Darnell followed suit, retrieving his own weapon, eyes scanning the surrounding ruins as if expecting movement from the broken house itself.
For a moment, only the distant creak of unstable wood filled the silence.
Then Darnell spoke. "What if we make a rig? A simple device that can detect a human aura?"
Duncan didn't look at him. "Sure. But how are we going to power it? We don't have an energy pulser."
Darnell shrugged slightly. "I've worked with humans for two decades. I know how their electricity works."
Duncan finally glanced sideways. "Sure… but didn't a lot change since you've been here?"
Darnell's gaze drifted across the ruins. "Yeah," he said after a beat. "Back then there were no monsters running around eating people… and the pollution." He wrinkled his nose slightly. "Urgh. Disgusting."
Duncan gave a short, humorless breath. "Yeah. You've said that."
Darnell crouched near the edge of the pool, picking through fragments of collapsed debris. "Frankly, in my opinion… I think Earth activated its own immune system to clean itself."
Duncan let out a low chuckle. "That's a wild hypothesis."
"It's not really," Darnell replied, turning a piece of burned debris in his hand. "Look at the surface now. Compare it to fifteen years ago. It's cleaner. Way cleaner."
"I wouldn't know," Duncan said flatly. "I've never been here before."
Darnell grunted. "Right."
Something jutting out of the cracked stone caught his attention—a half-buried utility box embedded in what used to be a maintenance wall near the pool's filtration system. The casing was warped, blackened, and split open
He crouched.
Duncan glanced over. "What is it?"
Darnell didn't answer immediately. He brushed ash off the front panel and pried at the edge.
The metal gave way with a brittle snap.
"Utility box…some toasted wires." Darnell muttered.
Duncan stepped closer.
Darnell reached in carefully and lifted part of the interior panel. The moment it shifted, flakes of burnt insulation fell away, revealing deeper layers—thick conduit lines that once fed power outward toward the manor and down into the pool infrastructure.
Darnell exhaled slowly through his nose. He tugged at the wires.. Harder than intended.
Duncan immediately turned. "Are you serious about building that stupid human detector of yours?"
Darnell didn't even look guilty. "Look. We could spend an entire week here looking for someone who might already be dead. Or we speed up the process by building a human detector."
Duncan stared at him for a moment. Then exhaled through his nose. "Fine… but I don't have much hope for this project."
Darnell straightened slightly, energized again. "Come on. You're an artificer. Where's your artificer pride?"
Duncan looked down at the broken ruin around them, then at the wires in Darnell's hand. "Right here," he muttered. "Wondering how we're gonna power this 'detector' up."
Darnell wiped his hand against his coat, leaving a streak of soot across the fabric. "Didn't you set up a makeshift electricity pulser here?" he asked.
Duncan glanced toward the ruined pool and the collapsed utility box. "I did… but I took it apart and brought it with me to Havenwall."
Darnell let out a short breath through his nose. "That's fun." He straightened, scanning the wreckage again with a more focused look. "Well… help me gather some usable materials first," he added, already stepping away from the broken control box. "While I think of a way we can generate electricity."
Duncan gave a small nod.
~~~
The moon shone brightly across the deep blue horizon.
Far below, the ruined world stretched endlessly beneath a sea of clouds while dozens of Pegacampus riders cut through the evening air.
Lysander glanced toward the sinking sun. "We need to find water," he said. "We only have about an hour left before we start suffocating."
The mood immediately darkened.
Ysa's jaw tightened as she scanned the horizon. "The night is deep," she said. "It's going to get more dangerous out here."
Raine guided her Pegacampus closer. "What if we spread out?" she suggested. "Cover more ground. Whoever finds a water source sends a signal."
Ysa considered it for a second. "Good idea." She looked toward Lysander. "Lysander."
He gave a single nod. Without slowing, he raised a hand. "Three sirens with me."
Immediately, three riders broke formation.
Lysander's Pegacampus angled sharply eastward, accelerating through the clouds. The three chosen sirens followed close behind as the group disappeared into the orange haze.
Ysa lifted her own hand. "Saige."
The young siren straightened immediately.
"Take five with you and head down. Wait for the signal."
Saige nodded.
Ysa's eyes drifted briefly toward the massive bus suspended beneath several Pegacampi.
Inside, the prisoners were still bound hand and foot. Even from this distance, shouting could be heard. Some were screaming threats. Others were begging. Several simply trembled in terrified silence.
"Do not let the prisoners escape," Ysa continued. "Form a defensive perimeter the moment you land."
"Understood." Saige peeled away from the formation.
Five additional riders followed him. Together they descended toward the cloud layer.
The transport bus followed shortly afterward, suspended beneath four powerful Pegacampi. The prisoners' voices gradually faded as they disappeared below.
Ysa turned back toward the remaining riders. "Raine."
"Yeah?"
"Take three and search north."
Raine nodded immediately. "You got it."
"Callista."
The white-haired siren looked over.
"West."
Callista inclined her head. Without another word, she motioned for four riders to follow and banked toward the western horizon.
The formation continued shrinking. Groups split apart one after another until only a few remained.
Ysa glanced around. "Rest of you. Follow me."
The sirens acknowledged instantly.
Within moments, the once-unified formation had fractured into multiple search teams racing across the sky in different directions.
Callista lowered slightly beneath the clouds, eyes scanning the terrain below. The air had begun to feel thinner with every passing minute, a pressure building in her lungs that made her jaw tighten.
"We've been flying for quite some time now," one of the sirens beside her said. "I don't see anything."
"Neither do I," Callista replied. Her gaze didn't leave the horizon. "And the air's starting to feel thin. We have to find water."
The siren glanced downward. "Don't humans have structures with water in them?"
Callista frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Darnell once told me a story," the siren said. "When he was living up here, he used to visit something called an aquarium."
Callista repeated the word slowly. "An aquarium?"
"Yeah. He said humans keep a lot of fish inside them. Like a display. Glass walls, water inside. And apparently…" the siren hesitated, "there are sirens inside too."
Callista's head snapped slightly toward them. "What?"
"I don't know," the siren admitted quickly. "That's just what he said. I'm not sure how it works."
Silence settled for a beat as Callista processed that.
Then she exhaled sharply. "We don't have time to search human-made structures. We need actual water. A body of water."
Her eyes narrowed again as she scanned below. "And we find it fast, or we don't last much longer up here."
One of the sirens suddenly pointed ahead. "Look."
Callista followed his gaze. "What?"
"That's water, right?"
Callista narrowed her eyes. At first she saw only darkness. Then moonlight spilled across something enormous.
Her eyes widened. "That's water." Without waiting another second, she urged her Pegacampus downward.
The creature folded its wings and plunged through the sky. The others followed.
Then the structure emerged from the darkness. A colossal wall of concrete stretching across an entire valley. Beyond it lay an immense body of water that seemed to stretch forever into the night. The reservoir was so large it resembled an inland sea. Water thundered through the spillways, overflowing in great white torrents that vanished into darkness below.
The Pegacampi landed atop the massive structure.
Callista stared across the reservoir. "It's like a big river." Her gaze traveled across the endless surface. "What's the purpose of this wall?"
The other siren looked around. "Humans are weird."
Callista glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
He gestured toward the reservoir. "They built this massive thing just to hold water." He shook his head. "There's probably a reason for it." His eyes drifted toward the rushing spillways. "And they're trapping the energy of the water somehow."
Callista looked over the structure again.
The scale of it was difficult to comprehend. Thousands upon thousands of tons of water. Held in place by nothing but stone and human engineering.
"Whatever weird purpose it serves," she said, "it just saved our lives." She looked toward the others. "Let's call the rest."
The sirens nodded. Without hesitation they dove from the dam. The moment they struck the water, their transformations began. Legs reformed into a tail beneath shimmering scales.
The Pegacampi transformed as well, slipping beneath the surface as aquatic forms reclaimed them. Majestic tails unfurled behind them. Wings receded into long fins spread gracefully through the reservoir.
Callista descended into the depths. She motioned for the others to mirror her position.
The sirens formed a circle beneath the dark water.
Callista extended her hand and energy condensed around her fingers, forming a translucent bow. Around her, the other sirens mirrored the motion until glowing bows shimmered beneath the dark water.
Together they rose toward the surface. Moonlight reflected across the reservoir as their heads broke through the water, droplets cascading from their hair and shoulders. One by one they drew their bowstrings back. Energy gathered between their fingers, stretching and condensing into brilliant arrows that illuminated the surrounding water.
Then—they angled their weapons inward until the glowing arrowheads met. The moment they touched, the separate constructs began to merge. Streams of light flowed together, weaving themselves into a single projectile suspended between them.
The arrow grew larger and brighter with every passing second. The water around it hissed and steamed as raw energy bled into the reservoir. Maintaining the formation, the sirens pulled their strings farther back and angled the weapon toward the heavens.
Then they released.
The merged arrow shot upward with a piercing whistle, tearing through the night sky like a blazing serpent. It climbed rapidly above the reservoir, twisting and coiling as it ascended until it disappeared into the cloud layer.
A moment later, the sky erupted.
Fire and radiant energy burst above the clouds in a brilliant explosion. The shockwave rolled outward for miles, scattering entire sections of cloud cover as the heavens flashed bright enough to rival daylight.
The signal had cost them dearly.
One by one, the sirens swam back toward the massive concrete wall and pulled themselves onto the top of the dam. Water streamed from their hair and scales as they collapsed onto the cold surface.
Several lay flat on their backs.
Others sat hunched forward, breathing heavily.
Unlike the others, Callista, being a Senzara-gifted siren only cost a tiny fraction of her energy. She looked around at the exhausted group. "Alright," she said. "Come on. Let's do this."
The male siren nearest her didn't even open his eyes. "Do them first," he muttered. "I'd like to keep my eyes closed for another minute."
A few tired laughs followed.
Callista shook her head. "Fine."
She swam towards another siren and took both of her hands. The moment their skin touched, Callista closed her eyes.
Energy flowed between them.
Faint blue lines spread beneath their skin, branching outward like roots weaving through soil. The glow traveled up their arms, across their shoulders, and briefly illuminated the network of veins beneath the surface before slowly fading again.
The exhausted siren inhaled sharply. Color returned to her face and the tension left her shoulders.
After several seconds, Callista released her hands. "You good?"
The siren blinked twice, then sat upright. "Yes." She flexed her fingers experimentally before smiling faintly. "Thank you."
Callista nodded. "Alright. Next." She moved down the line. Again and again she repeated the process.
Meanwhile, the other search teams were scattered across dozens of miles of sky.
Ysa continued scanning the horizon from atop her Pegacampus, her eyes sweeping across the darkening world below.
Then the night exploded. A shockwave rolled through the clouds without warning.
Her Pegacampus lurched violently beneath her. Ysa grabbed hold immediately.
Around her, the other riders struggled to maintain control as the sudden disturbance rippled through the air.
"What was that?" Atticus shouted.
Nobody answered. They were already turning.
Far across the horizon, beyond layers of clouds and darkness, fire illuminated the sky. The distant glow pulsed like a second sunset.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Ysa looked toward the others. Understanding passed between them instantly. She nodded once.
The riders needed no further instruction.
Their Pegacampi banked sharply toward the fading light and accelerated. The clouds parted around them as the formation surged forward.
At the same time, Saige waited with the transport convoy. His Pegacampus hovering in the sky, waiting for the signal.
The prisoners below remained secured inside the bus while the surrounding sirens maintained their defensive perimeter.
Then the shockwave arrived.
Saige nearly let go of the reins as his Pegacampus shifted beneath him.
Several of the guards stumbled.
"What in the—"
Saige turned immediately.
A distant glow flickered across the horizon. Even from here it was impossible to miss.
His eyes widened. "There." He let out a sharp whistle.
The sirens below looked up. No explanation was needed. The signal had finally arrived.
Miles away, another search team continued through the clouds. The distance spared them the worst of the shockwave. Most of them barely noticed it.
One of the riders happened to glance over his shoulder. Then he slowed. "Wait."
The others looked toward him. "What?"
He pointed.
At first, there was nothing. Then they saw it. A tiny flicker of light far beyond the horizon.
Small. Distant. But unmistakable.
Raine turned in her saddle. "You think that's the signal?"
The siren kept his eyes fixed on the fading glow. "It's worth checking."
A grin spread across Raine's face. "Good enough for me." She pulled on the reins.
The Pegacampus immediately changed course.
The rest of the team followed. Across the ruined sky, scattered search parties began converging toward the same destination.