Three days had passed since Rey was accepted by the tribe. In that time, he had healed more from their kindness than from any herb or bandage. It was strange—monsters had tried to kill him for years, yet these ones had offered him shelter.
Fianna had been assigned to watch over him, though it felt more like a reluctant partnership than trust. She always kept a small distance, as if trying to measure him from a place of suspicion and curiosity.
That morning, the tribe bustled with quiet activity. Children with small tusks ran around playing with bone-made toys. Adults sharpened weapons, stitched clothing, and tended to their massive, scaled herbivores used for transport. There was order here—a culture shaped by survival.
Rey sat near the camp's edge, sipping a bitter juice made from something they called zherin grass. It was sharp on the tongue, but kept his body warm and eased hunger.
Fianna approached, holding two wooden bowls filled with colorful fruits and thin, green leaves.
"You should eat," she said, handing him one.
Rey took it gratefully. "Thanks. These… they look poisonous."
"They are. To those with weak guts," she smirked faintly, then sat beside him, not as far this time.
As they ate, Rey glanced at her. "You said you'd tell me about your tribe."
Fianna nodded. "We are the Starseeker Clan. We don't call ourselves monsters. We are Elysians. Guardians of the Dark Bloom Forest."
Rey raised an eyebrow. "Guardians?"
"Yes. Long ago, our ancestors protected sacred roots said to link every realm of the Abyss. But now, we hide. The upper clans hunt us. Call us savages. We're not like them."
She pulled a blade of grass from the ground. "See this? We call it Whispertouch. It lets us speak with the forest. The stronger the plant, the more knowledge it carries."
Rey leaned closer, fascinated. "Like a living library?"
"Sort of," she said. "Though most of our stories are still passed down by voice. Songs. Rituals."
He watched as she began to hum softly—a melodic rhythm that somehow calmed his mind. A lullaby of her people.
After a pause, Rey asked, "And you? Why were you on that cliff alone?"
Fianna's eyes narrowed slightly. "I was scouting. Looking for danger. I didn't expect to find a strange human pretending to be a monster."
"I wasn't pretending!" Rey defended, almost laughing. "Okay, maybe a little. But you caught me."
"Not hard. You smell… different."
"Is that a compliment?" Rey joked.
She cracked a rare smile. "No."
He chuckled and looked up at the sky. It was a deep violet hue, always shifting like ink in water. "I haven't seen a real sky in years. Not since… everything."
Fianna looked at him curiously, but didn't press. Instead, she stood and dusted herself off.
"Come. The chieftain wants you to learn our ways if you're staying. Tomorrow, we hunt. You watch."
Rey nodded. "Alright. I'll do whatever it takes."
She started to walk away but turned back slightly. "By the way… my name."
Rey blinked. "Huh?"
"You never asked properly," she said, then added with a proud glint in her eyes, "Fianna Starseeker. But… you can just call me Fianna."
He smiled warmly. "Rey. Just Rey."
As she disappeared into the shadows of the village, Rey felt something stir inside him. For the first time in the Abyss, something besides pain and fear. Maybe—just maybe—he had a place here.
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