Dado scanned Kazue's files.

It hadn't taken much effort to convince a Royal Scribe to retrieve it from the storage chamber. He had no reason to respect a Hajin's privacy and disobeying direct orders from Dado was considered sacrilegious. The Royal General's professionalism and reliability earned him a positive reputation about the palace, though the occasional servant disagreed with some of his liberal views.

"Nothing outside of the ordinary," Dado mumbled under his breath. So far, nothing to a distressing measure stood out from Kazue's files, though there wasn't much to sift through to begin with. His lineage was poorly fabricated, coming to a cold end after Kepi's great grandfather, who was an insignificant farmer in the outskirts of Sphinx Nation. Aside from ancestry, sections of the files were scarce, as if Kazue's existence managed to escape the public eye until recently. It was odd, but Dado theorized that it had something to do with his Hajin status—as far as scribes were concerned, they preferred him to have never been born.

Regardless, he scanned the files again. Kazue worried him; initially, the boy's love and fascination for Rayna was endearing and produced a spark of hope. However, his lashing out during the training session came across as... highly uncharacteristic. If Dado was certain of one fact, it was of Kazue's pure and tender heart. To soak in his thrill and excitement, bloodied dagger poised in his fragile hands, the Royal General feared for the worst. A homeless child abhorred by all of Sphinx Nation, suddenly in the presence of a revered figurehead that tolerated his bloodline; surely, any human being would develop an unhealthy obsession for their light in the darkness.

And yet, Dado failed to find a trigger. No events marking the birth of a trauma or circumstances that could mislead a soul down the path of mental degradation.

He found himself in a standstill, scouring his brain for further options. Kazue's records were pitifully empty, which stirred some agitation within him; he would properly reprimand the scribes after this. However, ten minutes of contemplation lead him to demanding Kepi's records next. Although bile slithered up his chest at the possibility of Kazue enduring child abuse, it would explain very much of his attitude. Unsurprisingly, the woman was charged with multiple cases of drug possession and attempted theft, but he failed to spot any reports of domestic violence.

What he did find was quite an outlier to what he anticipated.

"How in the name of Ra?" Dado said in bewilderment.

†

Rayna didn't deny Dado's summons, but she pointedly avoided eye contact with him as they ventured to the north wing of Sphinx Palace. She was as stumped and reasonably miffed by the blank in Kepi's files as her mentor was. With their combined analyzation, they calculated that the blank must've held two years-worth of information, which only piled onto their confusion. Thus, they were forced to visit the Royal Scribes office.

The Royal Scribes worked like a mechanical colony of ants. Each servant occupied a three-by-four feet desk, their backs perpetually hunched over stacks upon stacks of files and legal documents. The monotonous thudding of stamps mixed in discord with the furious scratching of quills against papyrus, though a forced harmony seemed to lurk underneath. The desks were shoved against one another and arranged into four rows that stretched several yards ahead, seeming to run for eternity in what Rayna knew was a finite space. A handful of scribes rushed and scurried about, evading collisions as if it was nothing more than muscle memory.

Dado weaved through the mess of bodies until a desk far grander than the others came into view. Its wooden frame was exquisite, documents and quills were sectioned neatly across the surface, the inkwells gleaming charmingly in the chamber's minimal lighting, and a scribe sat behind it.

He was quiet and orderly in his craft, only opting to regard Dado once he was within inches of reach. A pair of circular glasses rested on his narrow nose and an exaggerated widow's peak emphasized the veins popping beneath his skin, results from a decade's worth of stress. He acknowledged Dado with a polite nod, even when something akin to annoyance tugged at his expression.

"Ah, general, did the files satisfy your curiosity? Or are you hoping to scavenge around some more?" The bitterness became more apparent.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Dado said. "I have questions pertaining to this." He unfurled Kepi's records before the Master Scribe and pointed at the dates. "There's a two-year gap here. Why is that?"

The Master Scribe scoffed. "Are you honestly asking me that? Clairvoyance is not my specialty, general." Just as Dado parted his lips to protest, Rayna stepped around him and into view. In an instant, her appearance wrought the scribe's throat dry and his next insult vanished into thin air.

"What General Dado means is that we're both curious." There was a peculiar lilt to her tone, hinting to their urgency without revealing her agitation. She had little time and even less patience for their bickering. "Could you please look into this? Closely?"

Like a flipped switch, the scribe's animosity died. He shot to his feet and bowed low. "I'll look into it immediately, Your Highness." He scurried into the myriad of servants and melted from sight like a mirage. Dado cast a side glance at Rayna, who ignored the look while fighting off a smirk. She counted this as a victory in her book.

The Master Scribe's return was swift but watered down with an anxious step, two more scribes of lower status trailing behind him. He gestured to his colleagues skittishly. "Unfortunately, Your Highness, those two years in Kepi's records are indeed blank. A fallacy on our part and one that we," he cut a sharp glare at the scribes, whose heads lowered, "Take full responsibility for." He nodded towards Dado and Rayna. "Tell them what you have just told me."

One scribe seemed younger than the other, lacking the iconic crow's feet and stress wrinkles his partner harbored. He took the liberty of speaking, albeit with a low stutter. "We knew of one scribe who was specifically assigned overlooking Kepi's records. He was a tad," the man's brow furrowed, "Vexed about it, but he had accepted. He no longer works here, however; he hasn't in years."

"Well that's unorthodox," Dado mumbled while stroking his beard. "Why would someone assign him a specific person? Are you not supposed to oversee categories rather than individual files? Such an anomaly should've been reported immediately."

"Which is where our fault lies," the young scribe admitted.

"Do you at least remember his name? Or in possession of his records?" Rayna asked. However, to her growing distaste, he shook his head.

"That is... another fault of ours. He was quite reserved and barely spoke to us aside from professional transactions, so we never learned his name. As for his records?" His gaze strayed over to the elder scribe as a silent plea for help, which was met with a restrained sigh.

The elder stepped forth with great reluctance. "Also missing, Your Highness. We were specifically asked not to question this nor his disappearance."

Confusion fleeted across Rayna's features. "By whom?"

"Why... by Lord Ran himself. He had sent note to the office mere minutes after the scribe resigned." Only now did the recollection sound odd in his own ears. He scratched at his chin thoughtfully. "However, that is a rather peculiar request now that we're speaking of it."

And these are our supposed intellects, Rayna drawled. If she could, she would've tossed these fools out of the palace with nothing but the robes on their backs. However, they could prove to be useful, no matter how much they grated on her nerves.

Dado also appeared to be annoyed by their incompetence, but he did well to hide most of it. "Placing blame doesn't matter. We need to know what happened in those two years and of the scribe's disappearance. Princess?" Rayna arched an eyebrow at him, the motion a tad icy for her sweet façade. "You have access to the cells. Could you please question Kepi while I do some digging around with the scribes? I'm certain she will respond better to your kindness."

Despite his word choice, the princess knew to translate kindness into intimidation. Kepi was a prisoner now; any complaints which came from her would be considered null and void, especially ones concerning Rayna. It was a brilliant observation on Dado's part, but she refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she nodded and graced the general's arm with a gentle pat. "Of course. I'll leave you all to your devices. Hopefully, she'll be willing to answer a few questions."

The Master Scribe and his underlings bowed as she exited, their voices blending into parting pleasantries. Dado watched her retreating form in heavy remorse—he could feel her crawling back into her frigid shell. Whatever progress was made since Kazue's arrival seemed to be meaningless.

†

"Wake up."

The wind rushed from Kepi's lungs as she was yanked forward by the cuff around her neck. Steel bit coldly into the skin of her throat as her chest heaved against rusted bars. She wheezed, almost defiant in her every breath as she glared holes through Rayna's shadowed figure. A single torch illuminated half of the princess's form.

"I have questions."

Fog rolled across Kepi's gaze, struggling to comprehend reality beyond the inky blackness of her surroundings. Cold. The harshness of Rayna's grip. The same ferociousness that had brought her to her knees, groveling in pain and shock. Phantom senses hauled some clarity into her world and with it came an indignant snarl. She gripped the bars now, leaning rebelliously into the princess's clutch. "I have no information for you!" she said.

"Wrong." Another vicious yank. "Your records are missing nearly two years worth of it." Rayna cocked her head. "Care to enlighten me on why that is?"

And thus, in that very moment, Kepi's fire withered. Her features pinched with the onset of something far more timid, far more threatened; she appeared to be nothing more than a rodent dangling by the scruff of its neck. She tried to skitter back but Rayna's grip held firm. "B-begone with you! Begone!" The woman's protests escalated into screams, ragged and trembling with hysteria. Rayna could admit with begrudging honesty that she'd never witnessed such an anxious energy exuding from the prisoner.

Not so abruptly, at that.

"I've struck a nerve," Rayna said, "Speak swiftly and I'll see to it that your time here is..." The back of her tongue fuzzed over, weighed down with disgust. "Merciful." Mercy--what a pitiful concept. Such a sin in the name and grace of Ra mentality. Such a frustrating cretin of a word.

Such an unremovable stain upon her nerves. Rayna never would've considered mercy if it wasn't for the intrusion of that child into her life.

However, against her efforts, Kepi shook her head. "No! I don't care! I'll rot in this prison! I'll die--gladly!" She clawed away at Rayna's grip and yet, rather than experiencing a wave of contempt or annoyance, more questions caked the back of the princess's skull. This woman's reaction was undoubtedly odd and unexpected. Her previous bravado proved to be nothing more than a fever dream, forever lost in an ocean of violent fear. Rayna craved answers. And yet it seemed that speaking to Kepi, let alone torturing her, was hopeless.

Coming down here was a waste of her time.

"You'd rather suffer and die than to answer my questions," Rayna said. In the next moment, her hold slackened and she watched as Kepi scrambled to the far end of her cell, back pressed to the wall, eyes widening so much that they pushed up the skin of her sweaty forehead. Rayna's fingers retracted, curling into a loose fist; they ticked randomly, barely restraining wisps of agitation. "So be it, peasant. I'll enjoy watching your corpse rot!"

Rayna stood swiftly and with a flutter of pure white robes wrapping around her shoulders, she left. A single thought infected her mind and with it came a fresh onslaught of mysteries surrounding Kazue.

Why is she so shaken by the mere mention of that blank, she wondered, And how could it possibly inspire more fear in her than I can?

This wouldn't do. At all.

†

"Kazue," Rayna placed her documents aside, aligned with the edge of her desk, per habit, and waved the young boy over, "Come hither. We must talk." Kazue had been occupying himself with studying the ceiling while stretched across the princess's bed, eyes wide and unshaken. So much innocence radiated from his expression, his very aura, that it was near impossible to decipher what he was thinking.

Rayna knew this for certain. She had tried several times in the last half hour and yet, her deductions were less than satisfactory.

At her beck and call, Kazue's head popped up before the giddiness forced him out of bed completely. His tiny feet barely made a sound as they padded along; Rayna only now took note of his stealth and momentarily wondered if it originated from his homeless background. I imagine a street rat must practice caution if they wish to steal food or avoid the public eye... But, even then, she refused to overlook how exact his movements were. Clumsy yet graceful, childish yet measured--it was as if the training of an assassin like herself was being crammed into the awkward limbs of an infant. There was so much dissonance; it irked her to realize this long after Kazue was assigned under her care.

"Yes, guardian spirit?" Kazue awaited Rayna's instruction like a loyal dog, his fist already balling into her robes against her thigh. He was quick to latch, always had been from the moment they met, but it was up until recently that Rayna no longer had the motivation to complain. She learned by now that threats failed to bother him.

Rayna folded her hands upon her lap, voice steady and firm. "It has recently come to I and Dado's attention that you have a blank in your records. Two years worth of information--gone." Her brow arched, yet it failed to betray any emotion. "Are you aware of why that is?"

As the princess woefully expected, Kazue squinted in clear bafflement, whether it be because the answer avoided him, he failed to understand her question, or a combination of both remained uncertain. "Um, n-not really." The strength behind his grip doubled; another expensive robe, ruined. "Mom never told me about that. She doesn't tell me a lot of things, so..." The last of his words trailed off, the helplessness accentuated with a shrug.

Rayna should've known. Perhaps, in hindsight, a slither of herself did but the rest had writhed in rebellious hope. How pathetic--hope was another sentiment looked down upon by the Ra family. Hope was nothing more than undiscovered disappointment.

"I see..." she said. Her nails drummed sharply against wood, each tap biting away at the silence like a patient predator. She longed for at least a fraction of that same patience to grace her; this growing pile of quagmires proved to be more and more taxing by the hour. She hated not knowing.

A gentle tug at her robes.

"Guardian spirit," Kazue gazed up at Rayna as more timidity than usual painted his tone, "Can I ask a question too?"

Rayna scoffed. "Don't be--"

"Absurd?"

She gave pause, eyes narrowing and lips pressing into a thin line. A thick pause settled over the pair before she regathered enough of her wits to continue, "...Yes. Do not be absurd. Speak your mind. However, do not expect me to spare your feelings. If you dare waste my time with idiocy, I will not hesitate to point it out."

"O-okay," Kazue said. His free hand wiped sweat down his leg, but it seemed that his face was in more dire need of a drying. And cooling. The heat flooding his fair cheeks was sudden and painfully obvious, to the point of where Rayna found herself growing curious. "Um, so, y-you know how everyone calls me... that word?"

"Hajin." It rolled from Rayna's lips effortlessly and without a single care, though she did grimace at the boy's flinching. She didn't dare to believe the acidic burning in her gut was the equivalent of guilt.

"Yeah, that word..." Kazue inched closer, but only by a single step, and bundled even more of Rayna's robes betwixt his fingers. The pleading in his eyes transformed into a boundless source, a bottomless well that promised to drown her then and there. "D-do you hate me too? For being a Hajin?"

Rayna's brow furrowed. "Just as I ask of you to spare me of idiocy, you bring it up anyway," she sighed while toying with a lock of her hair, "I am above the petty views and societal slanders of commoners. Hajin is a five letter word with two syllables..." She shrugged. "And amounts to zero significance. I couldn't care less."

In one fell swoop, the tension eased from Kazue's shoulders as he let loose a breath he'd been holding the entire time. Relief filled him to the brim before spilling over the edges, a single tear trailing down the soft curvature of his jaw. Without a word, he embraced Rayna and hid his face in her side, not at all bothered by the awkward angle. His voice was muffled against her. "Thank you." Sobs racked his spine with shivers.

Rayna tensed the moment he pounced, muscles coiling in preparation to strike. However, she managed to smother the instinct and settled for sucking in a sharp breath and cementing the troublesome organ within her chest. Agitation sprouted along her innards like a ravenous rash, making her itch and twitch on a spiritual level. The princess was instantly reminded of Kazue's breakdown after Queen Sekhmet's public execution, of the mucus and tears that had stained her lap, and with that recollection came the rebirth of a loathed emotion.

Confusion.

In a desperate move to distract herself, she seized Kazue by the shoulder and forced him around, his back facing her, before tugging at the collar of his tunic. Pale skin soon gave way to the edges of his scar. "Explain this scar. How did you obtain this," she asked. A change of topic was in order. Besides, she intended to inquiry him further on it and refused to evade for much longer, no matter how much her gut instincts protested. Hesitation was never an option, not when she had duties to attend to. Her responsibilities resided in the investigation of Kepi's provider for those illegal items; if understanding the origins of this scar could contribute to her findings, then so be it.

"Oh, that?" Kazue sniffled several times and smeared snot across his visage. Rayna smothered the urge to wince in disgust. "M-mom said I got it when I was born. Um..." His lips moved soundlessly, struggling to formulate the term needed. "T... t-tons? Or something? Those things that pinch?"

"Tongs?" Rayna said skeptically.

Kazue nodded. "Mhm! Mom said tongs pinched me really hard. W-when I was pulled out." If Rayna was experiencing doubt beforehand, now she was the absolute epitome of disbelief. She'd never encountered a single pair of tongs that could create such a pattern, let alone damage skin enough to leave behind a scar.

"Alright." She readjusted the boy's robes accordingly. "That is all. Return to your mindless fantasizing."

The boy faced her fully, placing his contemplation on full display. "Fa-... fan? Fantas... F-fanter?"

"Fantasizing."

"Fanta... size?"

"Fantasize, yes," Rayna said. Again, annoyance nagged at her being, but she persisted dully, "Mull over it. I do not have time to repeat gibberish with you." He initially hesitated, clearly unwilling to detach himself from the princess; however, a harsh glare made his grip slacken and he obeyed. As he clambered back into bed, Rayna massaged her pounding temple with two fingers.

Question after question. Mystery after mystery. And all of them revolved around Kazue. She wasn't religious, not in the slightest, but she prayed to Ra for answers to come her way. Soon.