[Aralynn, my child. Awaken. It is not yet your time.]
Aralynn couldn't feel her body. Drifting in a weightless void, Aralynn opened her eyes- or she thought she did. There was no ground beneath her, no horizon in the distance. Just endless black, punctuated by distant, pulsing stars. Strange, bioluminescent wisps floated around her like lanterns lost in time.
Who are you? she asked, her voice barely a whisper in the dark.
A soft chuckle answered.
A figure emerged- a woman, blurred at the edges like mist in moonlight. She radiated warmth, the kind that made Aralynn's chest ache. One graceful hand reached out, brushing her cheek with featherlight tenderness.
[You've endured so much already, little one. But you must not give in.]
A single crystalline tear slipped from Aralynn's eye, tracing down her soft cheek. Her voice trembled, raw and fragile. Mother… Father… My friends. My squadmates. They're all gone. Rhys is missing.
[I know.] The woman's voice was gentle but deep with sorrow. She cupped Aralynn's face, thumb catching the tear.
[I know it hurts. But you must survive. Not just for yourself- but for them. It is not your time. You still have far to go.]
What do you mean? Aralynn asked, her breath catching.
The woman's gaze sharpened, not cruel, but burning with something fierce- righteous, ancient.
[Aren't you angry? That they were taken from you? That their killers walk free? That this world allows such cruelty?]
Aralynn clenched her jaw. Her wings trembled.
...Yes. Her voice was stronger now. Yes, I am.
[Then live.]
[Fight.]
[Endure.]
The stars seemed to pulse brighter with each word.
[What lies ahead will test you more than anything before. But I will help you when I can.]
Who are you? Aralynn cried out again, desperation cracking her voice.
The figure's edges were already dissolving, like wind scattering smoke.
[Don't fret. I walk with you, always.]
[When you finish this quest, you'll find something waiting in your inbox. A gift to help you continue.]
Wait! Aralynn reached out, but her hand passed through the vanishing figure. Her fingers curled around nothing. Please- just tell me who you are!
The voice echoed, now just a shimmer on the edge of consciousness.
[I am a friend, Aralynn. One who wants to see you succeed. Now- awake.]
"Aralynn? Aralynn!" Aralynn coughed up water. Her chest felt raw, as if someone had been pounding on it. She glanced around at her surroundings. She was lying down in what felt like soft sand. Perona and Amon sat next to her. Grango, Hadarai, and Derrick were nowhere to be seen.
Perona's eyes were red and pink, like she had been crying. Amon breathed out with a sigh of relief. "You're awake," Perona said, her voice trembling. She clutched Aralynn's shoulder.
Unprepared for such a display of emotion, Aralynn didn't know what to say. "I-"
"Don't talk." Amon gently pushed Aralynn to lie back down. She swayed gently with the gesture. "Rest for a moment." Aralynn could hear waves gently crashing against the shore.
"Where are we?" Aralynn croaked, her voice hoarse. Perona offered her a flask, from which Aralynn drank gratefully. "What happened?"
"We're currently on the beach of Agemön. After we jumped off the waterfall, you sank into the water. It took a while before Perona realized that you were gone. Grango dove under to save you. After that, we luckily happened across the barge from before on their way back to the mainland, whom we convinced that we had accidentally fallen from the waterfall after a drunken patron had attacked us. They dropped us off on the shore."
"I see. Where's Grango? I should thank him. And what's next?" Aralynn shook her head. It was fuzzy, like something happened while she was unconscious, but she wasn't quite sure what.
"Grango took Hadarai and Derrick with him to scout out our exit." Perona explained, sniffing, mopping her eyes.
"Exit?"
Perona glanced at Amon. "Cyren contacted us via some spell while you were unconscious. Told us to escape from the city and meet him outside one of the side gates, by the river. Grango and his group should be back soon- oh, speak of the devil."
Aralynn heard the clanking of metal and soft footsteps on sand behind her as she stood, Perona supporting her. She was still shaky, but after a few moments she managed to stand on her own.
She bowed deeply to Grango. "I heard you swam down to save me. Thank you."
Grango laughed. "No worries. You saved our asses back then with the automatons, so think of it as me paying you back. Besides, I can't just stand by idly and let a person drown."
"Thank you, regardless."
"Any time," Grango smiled. "Glad to have you back with us. Now, if we're all up to it, it's time to get out of here- but before we do, Perona, you wanted to go to the market district, yes? It's on the way."
"Speaking of shopping…" Perona held out her finger. "You've all been registered to the system, correct?"
The entire party nodded. "Here you go, then. Here are your winnings from the casino." Perona's finger flashed pink with what appeared to be a loading icon.
A notification popped up.
[Perona, The Minstrel of Magniloquence, wishes to deposit coins into your account.]
[Accept? Y/N]
Aralynn clicked yes.
[500 gold has been deposited into your account. To withdraw gold from the system, select the {c} button from your status window, and imagine the amount you would like to withdraw. To replace coins into your account, select the {c} button while holding the coins, and imagine the amount you would like to place back into your account.]
Aralynn gaped at the number.
Without waiting, Perona took out her hair tie, letting her hair fly loose, shaking the water from her shimmering silver hair.
"What are you all waiting for? It's not everyday that we're here at an elven metropolis. Let's go shopping!"