The nameless girl sat bound to the rock, small legs dangling, dress torn and dirty. Her black curls bounced when she tilted her head, and those eyes,blue like deep water, pupils blooming into black rose.watched us with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
We had dragged her far enough from the fight site to feel safe, but not far enough to outrun the prickle under my skin. The symbol hadn't glowed again, but I felt it watching. Waiting.
The group formed a loose circle around her, weapons still ready, breaths heavy from the fight. The air smelled of dust and ichor, the ground scarred from our struggle. My hands shook on the shovel handle, heart still racing from seeing a child shot and then... not dead.
Lira stood closest, knife in hand, face a mask of stone but eyes burning. "Talk. Who is Lord Azael?"
The girl grinned,that wide, wicked grin that made her cute face look wrong. "Big bad wolf, I guess. The one who makes us stronger. Smarter. Hungrier. Lives in a castle far north. Lots of Xenophores scared of him. Worship him too."
Kai crouched to her level, voice gentle but firm. "Show us the way to the castle."
She laughed,a high, mocking sound. "No. Not a chance. You'd die before you got close."
Amie leaned in, eyes sharp. "Why?"
The girl tilted her head. "At your current state? You'd all just die. Meet Lord Azael like that? He'd play with you. Break you. You'd need at least one month of training. Real training. To even stand a chance."
Lira's grip tightened on her knife. "If we don't find him, he'll reach our goal first. The Books. The origin."
The girl shrugged. "Heard he takes his time. Research. A month or two before he looks for the location of the First Book of Origin. Plenty of time for you to get stronger... or die trying."
We exchanged glances. Time we didn't have. But time we might need.
The girl tugged at her chains. "Release me. I told you enough."
Lira didn't move. "No."
The girl's face changed,eyes widening, lower lip pushing out in a perfect pout, tears welling up like magic. Puppy-dog eyes, big and pleading, lashes fluttering.
"Please?" she whimpered, voice tiny and sweet. "I'm just a little girl. I helped you. Let me go."
Kai turned his head away sharply, cheeks flushing. "Damn it... she's too cute for this. Maybe we should release her."
Amie snorted. "Don't fall for it."
Xeno said nothing, but his hand tightened on the shovel.
Suddenly, the girl's head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "Quiet. Listen."
We froze.
Distant wings. Many. Approaching fast.
"A lot of Xenophores," she hissed. "Coming this way. Run. Now."
We didn't hesitate. Chains rattled as we grabbed packs, weapons.
But Kael,his broken hand, the limp from the fight,couldn't run fast. He stumbled, pain slowing him.
The girl strained against her bindings. "Untie me!"
Lira hesitated.
"Do it!" the girl snapped. "Or we all die!"
Kai sliced the ropes.
The girl stood, small wings spreading,bat-like, strong despite her size. She scooped Kael up like he weighed nothing, cradling him against her chest.
"Hold on, old man."
We ran.
The terrain was rough,rocks, cracks, dust clouds rising. My lungs burned, legs screaming. The wings beat overhead, closer, closer.
The girl flew low, carrying Kael, keeping pace with us. Her small body shouldn't have been able to, but she did.
We dove into a narrow ravine, hiding under an overhang as the swarm passed overhead,dozens of Xenophores, wings blotting the gray sky, cries echoing.
Safe.
For now.
We collapsed in the shade, panting, sweat cooling on our skin.
Lira rounded on the girl. "Why help us?"
The girl set Kael down gently, wings folding back. She sat, hugging her knees, looking suddenly small again.
"Because I'm tired of running alone," she said quietly.
Then she told us her backstory.
"I wasn't always like this," she began, voice soft, eyes distant. "Back when I was just a Xenophore. Small. Weak. The others laughed at me. Called me useless. No claws, no wings worth having, no hunger strong enough to take a soul."
She paused, fingers tracing patterns in the dust.
"One day I found her,this body. The girl was already dead. Cold. Alone in the dirt. No one around. I thought... maybe I could use it. Be strong. Perfect transition. No one had done it before. Not like this. Not seamless."
She looked at her hands again, flexing them.
"I did it. Woke up in her skin. Felt everything,the wind on cheeks, tears rolling down, hunger that wasn't for souls anymore. It was... nice. Scary, but nice."
Her voice cracked.
"I went back to show them. 'Look! I'm strong now! Perfect!'"
The wicked grin returned, but bitter.
"They tried to kill me. Rip the body apart. Tear out the power and take it for themselves. Said it was wasted on a weakling like me. So I ran. Been running ever since. Hiding in this skin."
She hugged her knees tighter.
"I haven't killed a single human. Not one. But every day... I feel less Xenophore. More... her. More human. Feelings. Guilt. Fear. Loneliness. It's eating me from the inside. I hate it. But I can't stop."
Silence fell heavy.
Then her face twisted. She gagged, body convulsing, and vomited a small bottle onto the ground,clear liquid inside, faintly glowing, covered in saliva and bile.
Kael stared at it, then at his splinted hand,the pain constant, limiting.
"What is it?" he asked, voice rough.
"Heals anything," she said, wiping her mouth. "Wounds. Bones. Don't remember where I got it. Stole it, probably."
Kael looked tempted,the bottle small, innocent-looking, liquid shimmering like water with light inside. But covered in her slime, her vomit. From a monster. He turned away, revulsion winning.
Lira's eyes narrowed. "Xenophores acting up lately. Why?"
The girl tilted her head, black-rose pupils blooming wider.
"Because the curse bearer is close."
Everyone turned to me.
I froze. The air felt thick, heavy, pressing down.
The girl blinked, registering slowly. Then that wicked grin spread again.
"Wait... y'all telling me *this* kid is the curse bearer? Wow. She looks like she couldn't fight a fly. World might end sooner than I thought."
Lira stepped forward, knife raised. "What do you know about the curse bearer?"
The girl shrugged. "Heard whispers from high-rankers. Something about ancestors breaking a promise. Old deal with... something big. Generation suffers for it. That's all. Memory's fuzzy. Eating away."
The answer was vague. Unsatisfying. It left more questions than answers.
We debated long into the evening.
Kill her?
Too risky—she knew things.
Trust her?
Impossible.
But ally?
Maybe. After the escape, the carry, the backstory... maybe.
Kai, ever hopeful, suggested a name.
"Rose? For your eyes."
She made a face, nose wrinkling. "No. Sounds weak."
"Lily?"
"Worse. Too soft."
Amie tried "Nova."
"Boring. Like a star that's dead."
The girl looked around, eyes landing on Xeno.
He stood apart, silent, shovel in hand, blindfold hiding everything.
She tugged what was left of her chains toward him, small body leaning. "You. Name me."
Xeno didn't move.
She pouted,adorably, terrifyingly, lower lip pushing out, big eyes pleading. "Please? You're interesting. Hide your eyes too. We're alike. Corrupted things hiding."
Xeno's voice was flat. "No."
But she kept staring, drawn to him, black-rose pupils blooming fully as she looked.
The group watched, uneasy.
We had a possible ally.
A monster in a child's skin who was becoming human.
And Lord Azael was coming.