Gavin opened his eyes to find himself standing on nothing. Not the soft, black nothingness of his own mind. No. This was a land of crisp greys and blues, fog drawn up thickly around him pushed only by raging gusts of wind. Taking in a deep breath, the air seemed strangely devoid of the Dust, but there was nothing else for miles around him either, and as for himself...

He reached for Eldrazi, trying to pull at their bond, but the extra sense of life in his chest was gone, the tips of his fingers numb.

Where am I? Am I dreaming?

Only wind answered him, but there were gentle, lilting notes to it this time, like a flurry of chimes.

"So you've finally found her."

"What?" Gavin whipped around behind him to find a man, if he could even be called that much. His skin hung in thin wisps, wrapped as loosely around his smoky frame as the ragged, grey cowl on his otherwise bare shoulders. Two white, feathery ears stuck out from underneath silver hair, all caught in an unnatural breeze that made Gavin step back warily. "Who are you? What are you talking about?"

His eyes were no more than empty sockets, but the smoke behind them seemed to shift until Gavin felt as thought he'd seen through both his souls. His voice however, remained kind. "I'm the Wanderer. Eór."

"Eór?" Like the air god?

A hollow laugh echoed out of Gavin's throat. "Oh, I'm dreaming. This is a dream." He glanced at his belt to see if it held his knives, but once he found it empty, he reached to pinch at his hands instead. Real or fake, the aching emptiness in his chest was unnerving, just as vacant as the rest of this place. He needed to leave.

But a hand caught his wrist, the skin impossibly cold. "I can't have you do that yet."

Heart pounding in his ears, Gavin spun to face the supposed god. Eór was far taller, leaving his face mere inches away from the flesh twined around the smoke-filled cavity making up the god's chest. A single, blue orb floated in the centre, glowing brightly with the entire force of all Eunsi magik: his Will.

He trembled under the man's touch. "What do you want from me? This isn't even real!" Again, he tried to yank his hand away, but despite Eór's lean build, his grip held fast.

"Just because dreams don't exist, doesn't mean they don't happen. Listen to me, Gavin," he pleaded, face wincing. "You need to kill her."

The god had explained nothing, and yet, somehow in his heart, Gavin knew he meant Aoife. Perhaps that was another part of the dream, knowing things he shouldn't, making sense of things he shouldn't, though one question did come to mind.

"What?" he shouted, trying to tug away once more, but it was futile. Somewhere, he felt like his shoulder was being pushed, but it felt far away. The fog was condensing even more, the world shrinking. "Why?"

"I don't have time to explain everything. The point is she kills everything she touches, and if you don't get to her first, others will." Another feeling of being shaken, the world growing tighter again. For a god of air, it was becoming hard to breathe. "Can you promise me that it will be painless?"

Gavin stood frozen in shock. Everything about him felt numb, half-conscious.... And so entirely dumbfounded. "What?"

The air gripped as tight chains, pulling, tightening, trapping. Light was breaking through the grey-blue of the background, but it only pressed against their bodies, leaving no space. "Just promise me!"

"A-All right! I'll do it, I swear! Just let me—"

"Hey." A hand roughly pushed into Gavin's shoulder for the last time.

Opening his eyes, he found himself pressed in between box upon box of cargo, stomach churning as much as the floor did beneath him. Moments later, he could feel a warm presence brush against his mind, a pulse in his chest like another life. Eldrazi...

"That's my name," he answered casually, but Gavin clung to his energy, burying himself in the feeling of not being alone. "... You all right?"

Yes, he replied. After all, he didn't truly feel sad, or scared if he thought about it. Even the ache of loneliness was barely present, but it was the most he had felt in a while, and as much as he craved to be normal, he wanted it gone. It was just a bad dream.

"Well, Sleepy Head, the second you wanna sneak your way off the ship I'd appreciate it." Aoife prodded a finger into his arm, her curt tone slicing his thoughts.

"We're here?" He pushed himself to sitting, climbing on all fours up the tower of items around him. Sure enough, once he poked his head out the window, he could see the ends of the Black Sea were lined with a rich green.

Durne. Home.

It'd been four years since Gavin stepped foot on the mainland he'd been so kindly exiled from, but it looked as though it hadn't changed a bit. The warm flavour of sunlit grass and upturned soil blew in with the breeze, and even from here he could make out the start of the Human Empire's forests, or at least, whatever was left unscathed from Elder Season's heavy rain.

His gaze lingered. Somewhere in there was the city of Lorne, and from there, a small house with a dirt floor where everything had begun, and beyond that, somewhere, his brother was waiting for him. Not that I deserve to see him yet but... The smallest of smiles flit across his lips. Soon Cynwrig. Now that I'm off Malin, I'm going to find answers, and then I'll find you.

"Yes. Here. That's what happens when ships go sailing for a few days." Aoife raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you not believe me?"

"No I did," he replied, glancing down to where she stood on the ship's floor. "I just..." He ran a hand down the side of his face. Don't feel like I've fully woken up. Remnants of the dream still lingered at the edge of his vision, like the fog had followed out of that strange, subconscious place and into his skull. He shook his head to clear it. "That was fast, is all."

"I told you this was the best ship to stowaway on." A brash grin filled her face, hands proudly sitting on her hips. "That person wasn't kidding when they said the captain was connected to the Lochulan. You can feel him adjusting the currents just from how smooth the ride was. Do you know how rare that is? We really caught a lucky break!"

"Wonderful, but you can't expect us to casually walk out of here now that the ride is over, right?"

"Well, I don't see why we couldn't," Eldrazi cut in before Gavin could stop him, scales spreading across his cheekbones once again.

"There's an entire crew. They'll kill us."

"Not if we kill 'em first."

He could tell the Demon was joking by the lightness to his voice, but it still sent the faintest flicker of aggravation running through his chest. "'Drazi, I need you to be serious right now. What we need is a distraction."

"Exactly, and I'd argue killin' people is very distract—"

"Children, please...." Aoife sighed, dragging it out into a groan. "You're over complicating this. We're getting out the same way we got in."

Gavin followed her pointing finger back out of the window, out across the water, towards the harbours, and his heart sank further with each passing black wave. "You want me to swim across all that?"

She burst out laughing, shaking the long, dark locks of her hair. "Not particularly, considering how your last run in with the ocean went. No, I have my own plan."

"That sounds great," Gavin muttered dryly, not liking the coy smirk on her face. "Do you mind sharing it with the rest of us?"

"Nope!" She clamoured onto the boxes after him, tilting her head up towards the ceiling. Above them, orders were shouted about, a thudding sound echoing as footsteps made their way down to the hull. "Besides, I don't have time to. You just have to trust me."

Taking a deep breath, he stared out the window again. The sea lapped up the side of the ship, waves greedily reaching for his body, but as the voices drew closer, he knew he didn't have many options. At least, not peaceful ones. "Fine." He pulled himself through the rounded hole up to his middle. "So what do you want me to—"

Hands shoved at his back, and he was thrust from the window.

Gavin screamed, his heels flipping above his head and heart stopping as wind clawed at his clothes, water clamouring to claim him. Frantically, he yanked at the bond's warmth, praying that at least when he hit the water again, Eldrazi could stop him from drowning. Then he curled his knees to hit chest and braced for impact... but it never came.

Instead, his shoulders became clamped with hands that felt far too warm, and he was flipped once more, dangled a foot or so above the murky depths.

What?

Craning his head back, he turned to find Aoife, purple flames dancing along her arms as she gripped him tight. Another glance showed them running along her legs, pooling up into small bundles of fire that kept her feet suspended on air alone.

"Cool, right?" She shot him another smile, continuing to streak above the water with him in her grasp.

Gavin couldn't do much more than give her a bewildered nod. He'd already known that her Will was strange but this—

This doesn't even make sense.

Flying... flying he understood. Eunsis could with their feathery wings, a few Bat Demons still existed near the tips of Ulnter's mountains, and long ago, even Dragons had been known to rule Esternia's skies. But as he continued to kick and wriggle under her hold, he could tell Aoife hadn't shifted at all. The only thing keeping them from toppling into the sea below was the wisps of flames beneath her running feet.

"This would be a lot easier if you stopped struggling, ya know," she called down to him, her voice hard to make out with the heavy winds sweeping across the ocean's edge.

"How are you doing this?" he shouted back, ignoring her warning. Granted, he didn't want to be dropped into the Dusty water again, but having Aoife's fingers digging into his shoulders like a hawk to prey wasn't exactly pleasant either.

"Magik! It's a Halfbreed thing. You wouldn't understand. Now you better stop before I—" She released a single hand, letting the hoving pools of fire blink out from under her. Instantly, Gavin felt himself dropping. A splash sounded as the tip of his boot grazed the water's murky top.

"All right, I get it! Just don't drop us," he spat, casting a glance at Durne's own ports drawing ever-closer. "And don't let us get seen."

"That's the plan," she replied far too cheerily, Gavin practically able to taste the sarcasm behind the sickening sweetness of her tone. The prickling sensation of her magik picked up right after, but she kept them lower this time, the wooden edges of the docks beginning to jut above their heads.

So instead, Gavin focused on what lay under them, watching the violet flames lace down the girl's dark legs, and from there the trail of ashes they left behind. The cinders wafted down to the sea, just as black.

He frowned at it. Part of him wanted to be annoyed at the water being further contaminated– as if the Dust wasn't bad enough– but on the other hand, what was the point? Once, the ocean had been filled with Lochs, fish-like people from the Water god. But that was before the Dust came, before the skies rained dark and plants withered at its touch. Before the air choked the life out of everything that wasn't meant to live forever.

His mother had read him stories of ancient times like that once, and even in the darkness of Malin's prisons, he'd tried to picture a world with perfectly clear skies, but this was all he'd ever known.

What about you Eldrazi? Did you get to see that before Tachir' killed you?

A harsh scoff echoed in his head, like most times whenever Gavin brought the Demon up. "No, but that's because I was born too late. I know it's 'ard to tell since I don't look a day over two 'undred, but I'm about three times that." His mind ran silent for a moment. "That makes six 'undred, which I know doesn't mean much to you, but I'd 'ave to be at least a thousand for that. ... A thousand's bigger than six 'undred."

Shame, Gavin replied as Aoife finally swooped down, her own boots lightly tapping on the matching dark grey of the sand. Finally, she let go of him, the ache in his shoulders subsiding without her terrifyingly strong grip. I would've liked to see that instead of all this... black.

Gavin knew once they drew further into the Human empire, that things would start to look better. It was more maintained there, hundreds of lush forests and farmland to make up for the damaged fields the Dust-filled rains left behind, and someone in those was his brother. He was sure of it. With that in mind, he perked up slightly, turning to Aoife now digging her bare feet into the ground. "So, where are we headed next?"

"You can't even let me enjoy my freedom for a few minutes, can you?" she whined, reaching to tug her sock and boot back on.

"Not when we're standing on the beach of the land we were exiled off of," he hinted none too subtly. Even solidly standing on the ground couldn't ease the tight anxiety snaking through his chest. The entire trip so far had felt simple. Easy. Perhaps Aoife could afford to be comfortable with it, given the magik she wielded, but Gavin couldn't afford to go back, not again.

"Don't worry. We shouldn't have to walk too far to make it to the friends I told you about. If I remember correctly, Rohain's library was just off the coastline, close to Lorne."

Directly next to his hometown, too. He tugged the hood of his cloak over his hair. "Convenient."

"Ah, lay off it, Gav. Maybe things are startin' to look up for us. Don't go jinxin' us with all your complaints." A lucid image of Eldrazi filled Gavin's mind, the Demon reclining back into pure nothing, folded arms tucking the green sleeves of his two-toned jacket behind his short ponytail. He looked far too relaxed, in Gavin's opinion, given the situation.

I'm not! I'm just— He trailed off in thought, listening to voices pass through the docks above them. Not many though. Maybe they were close. Maybe they were safe. I don't know. Anxious.

It was the only emotion that seemed to break through whatever fog everything else seemed to lay behind. Sadness, regret... Gavin couldn't remember the last time they hadn't seemed fleeting or numbed, but fear? That never went away. Perhaps that was for the better though. Fear saved his skin far more than happiness ever had.

Eldrazi perked up out of his imagined seat, golden eyes looking as though they could pierce Gavin through. A fang poked out of his mouth with a frown. "It's the dream, isn't it? You're still thinking 'bout it."

Yeah, he answered, unable to meet Aoife's gaze even as she happily led them up the grey dunes of the beach and onto the wooden boards making up the harbour. Standing on the right level now, he could make out people– Humans– walking along about and admiring the wares available.

Once, he'd roamed the streets like that, trailing behind his mother, holding her guiding hand as she led him through the market. He bit his lip, remembering how bored he'd been as his mother had carted him along her errands. All he'd cared for then was the end of the trip, when his mother would buy him a small stick of honey from the bee man, and now he could only miss the way she'd smiled over fresh fruit or a simple sale.

How foolish he'd been.

He drew his hood tighter, trying to stick closer to the side. Near the start of thatched shops and far from the wooden edges of the harbour, from the ships that threatened to drag him back, and it took all of his effort to shove both that, and the dream out of his mind.

"... What was it about anyway for it to bother you so much?" Eldrazi asked, trying to sound casual, but Gavin could hear the hint of concern lightening his deeper voice.

Why do you care? Can't you watch from the inside of my head anyway? Gavin shot back instantly, far more defensively than he'd meant.

"Actually, I was locked outta this one. Strange if ya ask me. So, whatcha 'iding? Is my boy all grown up, dreamin' of adult things with an attractive woman? Or man. I won't judge."

No! Gavin ignored Aoife's curious look as his face grew hot. Thankfully she shrugged, leaving him grateful that most of his conversations were private, and that she let him be. No, there was just this strange man, and he asked me to kill—

"Murder is a pretty adult topic." Eldrazi bobbed his head up and down thoughtfully. "What I'm 'earing is I was right."

A sharp breath filled Gavin's lungs. "No, you aren't. And it wasn't just any man. It was Eór."

"Like the god of the Eunsis? Must be a dream. I feel like 'e'd be a pretty peaceful guy based on the stories and all. So, who'd 'e ask you to kill?"

"Aoife."

"What, Gavin?" Aoife turned around, standing in the midst of a crowd to stare at him.

He froze, face heating up once more. "Ah— That was aloud?"

"Yes? Why would you say my name if..." She paused, realisation flashing across her face as her eyes narrowed. Her hand grabbed at his wrist, and he was tugged through the crowd, much like his mother had done whenever Eldrazi was being disobedient. So most times. A whisper then caught his ear. "If you're going to talk to him, then do it in your head. I don't need us getting caught."

"R-right. I'm sorry." After that, his eyes flicked to the ground, watching the rise and fall of boots around them. Normally he didn't. The only time he spoke aloud was if Eldrazi wasn't listening to him to drive the point home. Then again, maybe that made it more common than he thought.

"Well, didja say yes?"

What?

"To Eór. Hmm. Ya know, what's it with Eunsis and death deals for you? We going two for two now?"

Gavin bit at his lip, gaze trailing to the girl continuing to lead him along further into the streets of the Durnish town. She glanced about, examining sign after shop sign, looking for one in particular. The one that she claimed would give them safety from the Cearte.

...Of course not. I said no. It's just a dream anyway.

Which was why it was stupid to continue to dwell on it. He pushed the images away, both of the strange man with wisps of flesh and of Eldrazi continuing to pester, focusing on Aoife instead. Something had piqued her interest, face lighting up as her pace quickened, practically dragging Gavin behind her with how tall she was.

"Aoife! Can you slow down? I can barely keep up!" His feet fell out from beneath him as he tripped, the only thing keeping him from the ground being Aoife's continued hold.

But she ignored him. "We're here, Gavin! I recognise this place!" She jut a finger towards a small shop, wooden frame aglow from the candles inside. Then she was yanking him again. "It's just around this corner!"

The wooden boards of the harbour fell away, opening up into a street of cobblestone. It continued for a bit until it rounded into a village centre, filled with an array of storefronts. They ranged from a story or two tall, most of them the latter as they doubled as houses, but one stood out in particular, far taller than the rest. Elaborate trim ran along its roof, trailing down to the granite steps welcoming visitors into its double doors. Not that Gavin could read the sign, but he could gather the type of store it was from the hundred of books beyond the windows, all nestled neatly in shelves inside, waiting. Everything about it was welcoming, beckoning.

Aoife led him closer, hand outstretched to invite him inside. "Welcome to Quills Eternal, or as a few of us call it: the Eirímach."