After a few prior preparations, Cryo landed outside Olivia's home in such a way that made sure every head was turned towards him.

His throat was tight as he straightened his shoulders and surveyed the area, giving it a dramatic once-over that would have made Banshee proud. He let the edges of that winter storm brush against his posture, his expressions. Proud, regal, cold.

He knew what DragonFae's scrying had revealed.

He just had to be absolutely sure that she was right, because they couldn't afford to be anything else.

Cryo strode towards the front entrance of the restaurant and remained waiting outside. If something went wrong, he didn't want to be inside an enclosed space--hence Nereid's suggestion of a dramatic entry to lure the situation out to him.

Gwen--Harpy--was the first one to exit. As described, the once-Luminary wore a blouse of dark blue with gold trim over a pair of form-fitting black pants that still gave her room to move. She brushed a piece of shoulder-length hair back behind her ear and approached Cryo with a concerned look.

"Cryophoenix," said Gwen, inclining her head. "I hope the day finds you well. What can I assist you with?"

Hearing her voice again shoved memories forward that Cryo thought buried. The Fury of Skypillar had been stronger than anyone had ever realised, and looking at the completely mortal Gwen Furyguide now, Cryo knew that strength had not come from Skypillar.

"I need to speak with Olivia Shadowheart," said Cryo. "I understand that she may not be in perfect condition to be placed under additional stress, but I would not ask if it were not vital to not only her own safety, but the safety of others."

"I don't doubt your intentions," said Gwen. "But I'm afraid it's not my decision to make."

"Could you inform her for me?" said Cryo. "I'm afraid I'd accidentally knock something with my wings indoors."

Vincent stepped out of the restaurant's and stood in the entrance, blocking Gwen from returning inside. He gave both Cryo and Gwen a hard stare as he slung the hand towel over his shoulder.

"She heard your request, and she has declined," said Vincent. "As her father, I am more than capable of answering any questions you might have, especially given your continued harassment of my daughter. You understand the stress you're all putting her under with this ridiculous..." He waved a hand through the air, waving the hand towel through the air. "...Whatever it is! We've all had enough!"

Gwen's voice was filled with infinite patience. "They are simply trying to protect your daughter. You must understand that."

From the corner of his eye, Cryo caught a glimpse of auburn hair on Olivia's balcony. Without turning his head, he flicked his gaze towards it and found Olivia standing exceptionally still among the shadows, watching the events unfold below.

"Protect my daughter?" said Vincent. "First the government, now the Luminaries? Manifested have never had an interest in my family until she got involved with the temple!"

"I believe you may have misinterpreted my purpose," said Cryo, pitching his voice as though he were simply trying to be heard over everyone else. "I am not here to interrogate Olivia, nor bring her to the temple. I have come with a solution."

Both Gwen and Vincent remained silent, waiting for Cryo to continue.

"I believe the Serpent is only interested in her due to reasons concerning the events of festival night," said Cryo. "He was intent on the aurorastone being destroyed, and succeeded, likely to destroy the Core Chamber. However, he ultimately failed because Olivia stepped in. I believe she somehow substituted herself for the aurorastone and in doing so, made herself infinitely more valuable to the Serpent's cause."

"And what does your solution entail?" said Gwen.

"Simple," said Cryo, holding Gwen's gaze for a fraction longer than was necessary, and was rewarded with an echoing glint of understanding. "We have located another aurorastone."

Gwen's eyes went wide, but she held her tongue. No one else in the small crowd that had gathered understood the significance. They did not understand how outrageous his suggestion had sounded.

But up on the balcony, Olivia had disappeared.

"How can you be sure this solution will work?" said Vincent.

"In truth, we cannot guarantee its success," said Cryo. "But DragonFae has located several spells that will likely make it possible. Please understand that I cannot give you more detail than that, given the nature of our enemy."

Vincent looked to Gwen. "Do you believe it's possible?"

Gwen didn't miss a beat. "It's not something that could be done on a whim, but given the circumstances; yes. I believe it possible."

"I see." Vincent's expression was tight. "I suppose given the circumstances, she should at least be willing to hear you out if it'd mean an end to all of this. I'll go up and--"

"It's impossible!"

Everyone turned to watch Olivia as she stormed out of the restaurant, right past Vincent and Gwen before planting herself in front of Cryo. Arms folded, eyes narrow, mouth set--even on her worst days, Cryo had never known her to be like this. Angry? Yes. He'd been on the other end of it multiple times. But giving up, resigning herself to a fate decided by others? Never.

She'd hated being watched. She'd hated being monitored. She'd avoided the auroras. She'd begged him not to cut her out of his life. She never would have declared something impossible--she'd be the one suggesting it. She was fierce and wild and brave and a million other things that made his heart feel like it was going to explode when he looked at her.

But now, even without DragonFae's scrying, he knew that this was not his Shadowheart.

"Did you hear me? It's impossible!" Olivia said again. "How dare you come here and give us all this false hope! It's bad enough you're all trying to ruin everything! First I'm accused of being Banshee, then helping her, and now you've got whatever this scheme is to drag me in again!"

"It's not impossible," said Cryo coolly. "We had believed it only possible on festival night, but recent information has proven it not to be so."

"Yeah?" Olivia snorted. There was such... derision in her gaze. It was deep, but it was there, glimmering like polluted, dirty water at the bottom of a well. "Fine. How is it possible?"

"I can't tell you the exact details here," said Cryo. "But for your part, it would be simple. All you'd have to do is sing."

"Sing, you say," said Olivia. "I'm guessing you mean not the regular old kind of singing--you want me to be a Songstress. Sorry to ruin your plan, but it's not something I can just do at any point."

"You've done it before," said Cryo. "On temple grounds, three times now, during the auroras."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Is this a ploy to get me to leave my home, to what, kidnap me once I'm on temple grounds and claim it's for my own good?"

"Not at all," said Cryo. He reached into a pouch that he'd carried with him from the temple. "I brought it here with me."

Cryo let the small, clear fragment--the aurorastone--roll onto his palm in front of her.

Olivia scowled. "That's not an aurorastone. I don't sense anything from it."

It was Gwen who fielded that question. "You won't until it's been activated. The presence of the second moon has the capability to activate it, and I'm assuming Cryo believes your Song will, too."

Vincent stepped forward, placing a hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Please, Olive. It's at least worth a shot, isn't it? There's no reason you shouldn't at least try."

Olivia didn't reply.

She just glared at Cryo, who continued to hold the gaze of the one wearing her face.

"If you can provide an adequate reason, I will hear it," Cryo said as the silence stretched on.

"How about that I just don't want to?" Olivia snapped. "How about that I just want you to all leave me alone?"

"The Olivia I knew would never have given up so easily," said Cryo. "Do I have to ask DragonFae to cast the spell to reveal your true form, or shall you do it yourself, imposter?"

Olivia took a step back, dismissing everyone around her with a look as she turned back towards the restaurant.

Cryo said two words. "Now, DragonFae."

Violet mist engulfed the area--not just Olivia, but the entire building, too. Flickers of light flared within as DragonFae's magic stripped back any hallucinations, illusions, or other deceptions and temporarily neutralised their source.

It was not an easy spell. It'd taken DragonFae an hour to properly prepare, to ensure that it'd pierce the Serpent's protections, that there were no loopholes or escapes through the curtain of revealing magic.

You understand that this spell will drain my reserves until I recharge during the auroras, correct?

I do. But if we successfully reveal the deception, it will lead to far less fallout than if we were to simply force it.

I agree, Cryo. But this is not something I do lightly.

And now, as the violet mist cleared with the final few flares of light, a new creature stood in Olivia's place.

The figure was humanoid and strangely tall, with long, spindly arms that hung to its knees and horns of white bone. It was neither male nor female, covered in furs and woven hair. Where its face should have been, only a pure black mask with two glowing, white, hollow eyes remained, staring back from that endless abyss.

Cryo felt a tug on his soul as the creature lifted one, black, clawed finger towards him and straightened to its full height.

"Give me the aurorastone, Cryophoenix," it hissed.

Around him, the screaming started.

Gwen grabbed Vincent and dragged him away as the crowds around them splinted in panic.

"Cryo!" yelled Gwen, her voice loud and firm over the chaos, enough to drag Cryo back from the creature's gaze. "That's a Skinwalker! Don't look into its eyes for too long; if it's strong enough, it can possess you while, even if you're transformed!"

Skinwalker. A Luminary that was able to take on the form of any creature or human they saw. Able to emulate any voice or garments perfectly after only one touch, to adopt mannerisms with ease. The perfect shapeshifter; the Skin of Skypillar. Anything, yet nothing.

It hit Cryo.

"You're one of the Luminaries that ascended before Pegasus and Nereid appeared," he said. The answering hiss told him he was correct. "You're the ones that the Serpent broke. I thought he'd have killed you."

"He gave me a choice," it hissed. "A choice to save myself, and I made it gladly."

"What about your partner?"

Skinwalker leaned forward, stepping one foot forward with shoulders low. "He was my choice."

"The Serpent might have pretended there was a choice, but I doubt it was true," said Cryo. "Was it your Ascended that he broke, or was it your partners?"

"You're so intent on asking about my partner," said Skinwalker. "But you haven't once asked about your own. Why don't I show you how she's been doing? The last version you saw was rather outdated." Its voice pitched high and mocking. "Ascend, Shadow of Skypillar!"

Skinwalker's body rippled like a reflection on the water.

An instant later, Banshee stood in its place, but it wasn't the Banshee that Cryo knew. Her visor was cracked. Her garments were torn and stained with blood. Grief's hilt was absent, and Joy's was covered in blood. And her arm--oh, Skypillar, her arm--in Jason's confusion, he hadn't realised exactly how bad it'd been.

Cryo's own voice sounded so far away. "Was it you that came out of the basement?"

"It was," said Skinwalker with Banshee's mouth. "And it was me that went back in--until I realised you'd find Grief, of course. The dagger refused our touch no matter what we tried. I had a Shimmer replace me on the way down. Couldn't risk any harm that might come to you triggering something in the dagger's presence."

The winter brushed against Cryo's core, and it was far too easy to let himself feel the chill. "Where is she?"

Skinwalker sauntered forward two steps, locking her eyes onto Cryo.

"She's breaking, Cryophoenix. Do you want to see just how much?"

It didn't wait for an answer as the Banshee before him began to subtly shift.

A second crack crept across her visor. The blood on the hilt of Joy rubbed off, staining her hands. Cuts and bruises appeared across her body, a large gash across her shoulder that split the fabric of her garments. Her hair went dull, became matted and tangled. Her skin-stripped arm was bandaged then not, revealing the raw, still-healing skin beneath.

Each time another feature shifted, she took another step forward until she was standing close enough that Cryo could have reached out and strangled her.

But the thing that Skinwalker wore most effectively, the thing he could not look away from, was Banshee's expressions.

Fear. Horror. Agony.

All of them that ripped Cryo open, straight through the hard frost to strike the vulnerable, thawed centre within.

"Frozen, yet, Cryo?"

Her voice--Banshee's voice--snapped him back.

"No," replied Cryo. He looked up and faced her despite how much it pained him to know that somewhere, his partner was still holding on, still waiting for him to succeed. "The same pain that hurts me will ensure that I succeed. No matter the Serpent's reasoning, I assure you, it is nowhere near the motivation I have to save Banshee and Olivia. Short of killing me, you can do nothing to stop me."

Skinwalker remained standing in front of him, staring at him with Banshee's face.

"Whatever the Serpent did, whatever he made you do, we can help you," said Cryo softly, holding out his hand towards her. "No one is beyond redemption, Skinwalker."

It wasn't quite Banshee's voice that spoke next, but an echo of several, layered one over the other.

"Is it true that you've found another aurorastone?" she said, Banshee's eyes on his closed hand that still held the stone. "That you have a chance at stopping the Serpent's plan?"

Cryo had an inkling of where she was going with this and lifted his hand, unfurling his fingers and letting the aurorastone rest on his palm. "Nothing is impossible."

Skinwalker hesitated a moment, close enough that Cryo could feel her breath on his palm.

And then, faster than he could close his fingers, her hand shot out and snatched the aurorastone from his palm.

"No!" said Cryo, flaring his wings as though he were about to chase after her.

Skinwalker's laugh was a horrid, keening sound that prickled down Cryo's spine as it launched itself backwards onto the roof of Olivia's home and threw its head back to howl.

The air turned electric. Cryo's tattoo went cold.

Manifested.

Agonised screams echoed from inside two nearby buildings where people had taken refuge.

Cryo flung a stream of frost towards the place where Skinwalker stood on the roof, but by the time it hit, she was gone, and two black crystal-bodied Manifested were launching themselves out of the buildings towards Cryo.

But they'd been prepared for that, too.

Golem's trap, aided by Pegasus's Cloud, closed in on the Manifested in mere seconds as the Luminaries appeared. Golem emerged from a nearby building, arms spread as he pushed the stone dome closed together, closing the Manifested in. The Manifested inside thrashed and raged, throwing themselves against the stones in an attempt to loosen them, only to find themselves knocked back with a blast of Pegasus's wind and enthusiastic whinny.

Cryo took to the skies above the stone dome, and once the Manifested lacked the room to move, he unleashed a torrent of ice, further locking down their limbs until nothing but their eyes could move. From there, it was a short minute for Nereid to find and release their fragments as the other three held them in place.

When the dust of the corrupted fragments was drifting away on the breeze, Cryo landed back beside Golem, Pegasus, and Nereid and gave them a firm nod.

"Good work," he said, well aware of the crowd that was inching forward around them, filled with curious eyes and ears.

"What do you mean good work?" said Nereid. "The imposter got away with the aurorastone!"

Cryo gave her a smile.

If she hadn't been the one to design this whole situation, he'd have believed her utterly sincere.

"Surely you don't think me daft enough to bring the real one with us?" he said, hopefully loud enough for at least a few of the nearby onlookers to catch. "A fake aurorastone for a fake Olivia. We didn't get exactly what we needed, but we can still proceed with the ceremony once DragonFae recovers."

"That we can," said Golem with a nod. "For now, back to the Starlight Hall. Let's go."

*+*+*+*

Later that day, Jason entered the Starlight Hall through one of the side entrances.

As expected, he found Ariel Cloudspeaker in her blue and white robes on the ground floor, attending to one of the many tasks now asked of her as a High Speaker.

"High Cloudspeaker," said Jason, inclining his head when she turned towards him and offered him a small smile. "I was wondering if there might be something you could do for me?"

"Of course," said Ariel. "What is it?"

They stepped aside into a quiet alcove. Jason kept his voice low as he explained.

"It's vital," said Jason. "And there is no one else I would trust to do this."

Ariel was the picture of grace even as her eyes glimmered with the promise of tears. "I hadn't quite believed the other Speakers when rumours began that Olivia was missing."

There was a heavy weight on Jason's chest as he replied. "They're true, I'm afraid."

Ariel drew a deep breath and lifted her chin. Despite her gentle way, there was something about Ariel, Jason decided. Something strong. "I'll do what you ask of me. If there is anything else I can do to assist, you need only ask and it will be done."

"She's counting on it."

*+*+*+*

A/N - Plans are happening, and HEY LOOK ANOTHER LUMINARY (well, a corrupted one)

Skinwalkers are things that creep me out. Like, 110%, hiding under the bed type maximum creep factor, but once this idea kind of happened of a shape-shifting corrupted Luminary WELL SKINWALKER JUST FIT TOO PERFECTLY TO NOT GO WITH IT. (and trust me this was a LONG conversation with Kiba convincing myself that I wouldn't want to hide near my dog every time I wrote the word)

Luckily, Kiba is amazing and now we have this not-entirely-horrifying-but-still-unnerving Skinwalker design <3