Quin raced along the rooftops, making her way towards the location of her clone and the Althori man named Tenith. Her body trembled with unfettered rage as she recalled what she had witnessed through her clone.
During the meeting with Layhanna, she discovered the unsettling, grim reality of Revelcroft. It was nothing more than a cesspool of degeneracy and corruption for House Dumar and their allies.
The orphanage was a prime example of this. On the surface, it was an ordinary orphanage, but after Quin used her Aura Sense, she found the seedy underbelly hidden beneath it. A mill for churning the children into recruits for the Reavers Guild, and if they weren't up to standards, they'd hand them off as stock for House Dumar's disgusting trade.
She had gathered this information from Tenith, whom her clone had tracked down and interrogated. Actually, it was less of an interrogation and more of a whole mind read with her Psionic Essence.
Afterward, she had him escort her to the orphanage. Not because she needed him to, but to prevent him from alerting the Reavers Guild.
When they arrived, what her clone witnessed through her Aura Sense—the abuse and indoctrination those children endured—left her livid. An Althori woman, whom she assumed to be Qenni, shielded a child as the headmaster beat them with a very thin wooden cudgel. Other men stood nearby in the room, watching and jeering, as Qenni silently took the incoming blows.
"Release the brat, you stupid woman! She'll be of more use where these men are taking her!"
Yet Qenni refused to let go of the child, clutching her tighter.
Quin had to suppress her emotions during the meeting, clamping down on her bloodlust lest it slip out and affect the Shining Arrow Guild members. The outright cruelty of reality had hit her harder than she expected, despite having already witnessed it from Vern.
It was something she hadn't fully adjusted to yet, having come from a relatively peaceful life back when she was still a Dungeon denizen. Even though the millennia she spent with her father were nothing but violence and slaughter, it was but a product of survival and combat. Not this unnecessary savagery.
The headmaster released a huff of annoyance and turned to the men. "You lads keen on having some fun and teaching this bitch a lesson?"
The men looked at each other, and all nodded in unison as a wicked smile formed on the headmaster's face. "Just make sure she's still alive when you've finished. I'm rather fond of her, despite her rebellious attitude."
However, before anyone could act upon their evil intentions, Quin sent out tendrils of Psionic Essence to impale all the men except the headmaster and obliterated their minds, instantly killing them. They all stiffened before collapsing right where they had once stood.
"Wha—" the headmaster tried to say, but she silenced him by wrapping him in a cocoon of Kinetic Essence.
Without wasting a second, she scoured the headmaster's mind with Psionic Essence. It hadn't surprised her, the depravity that was his life. He was but a pathetic, weak man who sought to exert what little power he had over those weaker than him to make up for his own inadequacies and his paltry existence. A sad, poor excuse of a man, let alone a person. A single flick later, she killed him by snapping his neck with her Kinetic Essence.
After that, she had her clone and Tenith secure the building. The first thing he did upon entering was look for Qenni. Quin told him where she was, and when he found her, he was just as shocked as she was regarding what had happened.
That was about ten minutes ago, as she landed on the roof of the orphanage and registered an incoming party with her Aura Sense. They bore the familiar sigil of the Reavers Guild, telling her all she needed to know.
Turning her body incorporeal, she fell through the roof to the ground level. It didn't take long for the party of Reavers to arrive, and they came barging in like they owned the place, which was true until ten minutes ago.
"Bloody hells, Krimcha! What's taking you lot!" the leader of the party yelled upon entering.
He stopped when his eyes landed on her and narrowed. "Who the hells are you supposed to be?"
She didn't even grace them with a reply as she disposed of them just like their comrades upstairs.
Afterwards, she collected their corpses and made her way upstairs to where Tenith and Qenni were. Her clone had rounded up the children and gathered them in the courtyard out behind the building. Once she finished up here, she'd have to pay a visit to the Reavers Guild.
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Estrella turned to her mother after June, and Yander left the chamber. Her mother's hard stare met hers, and she shrank back a little into her seat.
"Estrella, dear, who is that man really?"
"What do you mean, Mother?"
Her mother's face turned into a scowl. "Do not jest with me, Estrella. I know that man is more than just a simple merchant. I can understand why he wouldn't trust me, at least not yet. We are essentially strangers and potential enemies in this dangerous political game we're all playing. So I will ask again, who is he really?"
Her mother was right. June had left out specific details. World-shattering details. She could only guess at his reasoning, but now he had left her trapped between her duty and loyalty to her mother and his wrath as a Divine being for betraying his trust.
Judging from her brief interaction with him, she determined that his character was that of a shrewd strategist. From what she could tell, everything he had done so far had a purpose behind it. His deliberate omission of details had to have been some plot to divine something. But what it was, she had no clue.
Her face hardened just as her resolve did. If June placed his trust in her, the least she could do was trust him in return. For now, at least.
Forgive me, Mother.
"Like you said, Mother. We are playing a dangerous political game. If June chose to withhold information, then as his wife to be, I'll have to put my faith in him and trust his judgment."
Her mother's face became steely for several long heartbeats, but her resolve never wavered. Then, her mother's face broke into a satisfied smile. "Good. Such a display of loyalty towards your husband-to-be will be enough to convince others of the validity of such a marriage, even if it is a sham."
She slowly released the breath she had been holding onto, happy that her mother somewhat understood her reasoning.
"Now, are you still going to marry the man after all of this is dealt with?"
"No," she said with a frown, "June was the one who proposed the false marriage. I actually think he doesn't find me attractive."
"What makes you say that?"
"Just the way he said it."
"How?"
She gave a tiny shrug. "June said it'd only be an act and that he meant no offense."
Her mother scowled. "Was that all?"
She thought about the interaction for a moment. "June did briefly look at Yander before saying that."
A rich laugh burst from her mother, one that had wholeheartedly caught her unprepared. "What? What's so funny about that?"
"Estrella, my child. It's more likely than not that June finds you attractive."
It was her turn to scowl. "What makes you say that?"
"Dear, does June strike you as a keen man?"
She nodded in response.
"So it'd be safe to surmise that he may already have picked up on your relationship with Yander. His words were meant more for him than you."
Her jaw went slack. How had she not thought of that possibility?
"It seems like you still have much to learn, Estrella," her mother said with a light chuckle. "Still, that is good to hear."
"What is?"
"That you will not marry June," her mother said with a sly smile.
A shiver ran down her spine at the sight of that smile. "Mother!"
"What? Do you expect me to remain alone for the rest of my life?"
She shot to her feet and made her way around the table. "Nope, I don't want to hear about your desires."
Her mother's laughter followed her all the way out of the Council Chamber before the shutting doors silenced it.
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Qenni had suffered her entire life, from her father beating her to her mother never lifting a finger to help. Then came the day when they died suddenly and violently during a robbery. Her father had fought and paid for it with his life. Her mother ran, abandoning her, only to fall to the thief's blade, thrown to impale her through the heart.
That was when she arrived here at the orphanage. At first, she thought it would be a sanctuary, but soon it became apparent it wasn't. The other children came from homes just like hers or even worse, making them even more terrifying than her father. Her father beat her, but that usually only happened when he drank, and he drank a lot. Despite that, he'd stop after she apologized several times.
However, a mob of children didn't know when to stop. Her only saving graces were Tenith and the headmaster. Tenith always stood alongside her, trying to defend her from the beatings, while only ending up taking them with her. The headmaster would then always arrive to save them and tend to their wounds.
It was because of his grace and kindness that she remained at the orphanage to help him. Never again would any children have to experience what she had. That turned out to be the worst decision of her life.
It all started on that fateful first night as an adult at the orphanage. The headmaster had come into her room and forced himself on her, threatening the children if she didn't obey his every command. So she did.
The next morning, she reported what had happened to the guards. Somehow, the headmaster had discovered this, and later on that night, he punished her severely. That was when a realization hit her. With Tenith no longer there, she was truly alone.
Thus began her hellish existence at the orphanage. Things continued in this manner for years. She endured, doing whatever he wanted, and he'd leave the children alone. That was all she could do to protect the children. They became her only light in a life full of darkness, the only thing keeping her from ending it all.
But then recently, the children started disappearing. She investigated and discovered that the headmaster was selling them off. To whom, she didn't know, but that was of no concern to her. She needed to save the children.
But that presented another problem. Qenni was only in the Mortal Realm. There wasn't much she could do. Still, she had to try.
Unfortunately for her, the headmaster had planned on taking a child on the same day she planned to flee with them.
That was how she ended up here, in the room surrounded by men as the headmaster beat her for defending the child, Viktara.
The headmaster's voice bellowed as he shouted something, but she tuned him out, having grown accustomed to his tirades. She hardly registered the pain from the cracking whips of the baton smacking her across the back. That was something her body had long since become numb to.
But then the incoming blows stopped, and the headmaster went silent. When she finally deigned to open her eyes, the sight before her was puzzling. The men lay dead on the floor, while an invisible force suspended the headmaster. A loud crack sounded as his head violently spun to the right, a full rotation before he fell limply to the floor.
"Sister Qenni?" Viktara asked, looking up.
Before Viktara could see what had happened, she covered her eyes, shushing her. "It's okay. Everything's okay."
However, her shaky voice betrayed her words.
But she had to be strong for her sake.
She held Viktara close and slowly shuffled on her knees towards the door. Before she could even reach the door, loud stomping footsteps sounded from the other side of the door, approaching quickly. She clutched Viktara closer and tried to stand, but stumbled backwards, falling onto her rump. Viktara released a startled yelp before she slapped a hand over it, but it was too late as the footfalls stopped just beyond the door.
She turned and shielded Viktara, bracing for whoever it was to enter. Her heart stopped as the click of the doorknob echoed loudly. Its hinges creaked as the door slowly swung open.
However, what she had expected to happen never did. Instead, a slightly familiar voice called out to her. "Qenni?"
She slowly turned, and her eyes widened at who she found standing at the doorway. "Te… Tenith?"
He sure looked like Tenith, just a little older, but it had been years. She couldn't remember how long ago, but to her, it had been a lifetime of misery and hell that she barely recognized his face.
To her shock, Tenith bolted forward, charging towards her. Fear clouded her reasoning, and she instinctively flinched, preparing for an incoming strike.
However, it never came. Instead, Tenith smothered her in an embrace. His pain and grief were palpable in his voice. "Forgive me, Qenni. I never should have left you here."
Her mind was still reeling from the sudden turn of events, not yet registering the tears flowing from her eyes. Was it even real? Was he really here? To save her? "Tenith?"
Tenith released her, holding her square on the shoulders and looking deep into her eyes as his own tears streaked down his face. "I hope you can forgive me for never coming to get you."
It finally struck her that this was real as the wall she had built over the years crumbled and the flood of emotions she had been holding back washed over her. "Tenith!"
She collapsed into his arms and cried her heart out. Someone had finally come to save her. Someone was finally here for her.
An airy voice, one she didn't recognize, called out to them, but she barely registered as Tenith helped her to her feet. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she paid no mind to their conversation as she clung to Tenith and continued to cry into his shoulder.
After she had somewhat regained her composure, she found herself out back behind the orphanage. A strange, pink-haired woman stood there with the children gathered around her.
"Hello, Qenni. Are you alright?" the pink-haired woman asked.
She realized then that the voice Tenith had been speaking with was hers. "Better now. Forgive me, but who are you?"
The pink-haired woman laughed in a musical tune.
"Right, where are my manners. I'm Quin-Tel Granwoad," she said with a friendly smile before bowing.