It was late morning of the following day when Stefan finally woke up.

In the small, quiet, room somewhere in the temple's inner ring of buildings, Jason's Liaiser vibrated on the side table. Olivia watched him as he finished shuffling the papers he'd been organising, tapping them on the table before laying them down his his precise way and reaching over to pick up his Liaiser. She could see the glare of the screen in his eyes as he read the message.

"Stefan is awake," said Jason, confirming what Olivia already knew. "The Luminaries have requested our presence at the Starlight Hall." His eyes stayed on the screen, carefully casual, she knew, for her sake. She stayed quiet, and after a moment's pause, Jason continued. "I have a few more things to complete my task here. It shouldn't take more than five minutes, if you wouldn't mind waiting?"

This time, he looked at her. She nodded, then swallowed in at attempt to find her voice.

"I can wait," she managed, with a small smile, resisting the urge to pick at the bandage wrapped around her wrist.

Jason went back to his papers, and Olivia went back to her silence.

He didn't fuss over her like everyone else did. He didn't constantly ask her if she was okay, if she wanted to talk about what she'd been through, if she was coping like everyone else wanted to.

After last night, so many people had tried to talk to her. If it wasn't her parents, it was a friend, or a Luminary, or a nurse, or a psychiatrist, but Olivia didn't want to relive anything. She wanted to forget about all of it as soon as possible and get on with it. She met their questions about her feelings with an 'Of course I'm fine' and a smile, and answered 'are you okay?' with 'why wouldn't I be okay?' before changing the subject to other things: to Stefan, to the High Speakers, to anything that was actually important.

But not Jason. Early in the morning long after she'd given up on sleeping, he'd found her, and simply asked if she'd like to accompany him to his temple duties for the day.

With the exception of the Pillarguards that followed her, it almost felt normal, following Jason around the temple. Aside from the occasional remark, she sat with him in silence, her thoughts drifting about in a numb, meaningless blob until he pointed out how far ahead on his pile of papers he was compared to her, upon which her brain would band together in the fiery determination of we'll see who's behind in a minute, Frostsong.

But eventually that fire would run out, and the flare would die, and she'd settled back into this numb, echoing silence that both made it possible and impossible to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

She wasn't sure how long it'd been when Jason put his final stack of papers in a neat pile and stood up from his chair.

"Are you ready?" he asked, glancing at the stacks of paper on her side of the desk as he pushed in his chair. They hadn't exactly been important, and Olivia suspected it was nothing but busy work. "If you need longer to complete your task, I can help you finish it before we leave."

Olivia tapped her fingers on one pile after the other. "All done. Ready to go."

They left the room, heading for the Starlight Hall with the two Pillarguards trailing a few metres behind.

Jason walked next to her, the same way he always did, while next to him, Olivia just felt awkward. She was stuck with the distinct sense that she was walking incorrectly, because she had never been this aware of the pouch on her hip. It felt like it was filled with rocks, which she knew it wasn't. She'd looked into it last night. She'd seen what lay inside, had been filled with such faith, such hope at the sight of her Ascended, to know that Viri hadn't abandoned her--only to learn that she had.

"Jason?"

"Yes?"

"Did you... hear anything last night? After the Speakers Manifested?"

He considered it for a moment before replying. "I can only recall the false Banshee's ramblings, if I'm honest. I believe one of the DragonFae Manifested spelled me, leaving me unable to speak or hear much of what was occurring."

"I see." They walked a few more steps. "How do you know she wasn't the real Banshee?"

Jason smiled. "Well, I'm fairly certain that the real Banshee has never used words like reckoning or behold in her life--unless, of course, it was to mock Cryo's use of them."

Some part of Olivia sank. "I see."

"But honestly," he continued. "I know it wasn't the real Banshee, because she would never abandon anyone, let alone support purging the City of the 'unworthy'. The Serpent wants this City to turn on her because she scares him. She's stronger than anyone--Luminaries, Skypillar and the Other included, and the Serpent knows it. He could have Skinwalker impersonate anyone, and he picked Banshee. He wants her broken, but her strength isn't just physical or mental."

"What do you think it is?"

Jason was quiet for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice was soft and sure. "She's strong because she cares." The words sounded familiar as he turned to Olivia with a small smile on the corners of his mouth. "And no matter what he does, the Serpent can't break that."

Olivia couldn't bring herself to say anything else.

They reached the Starlight Hall a short walk later, where two High Frostspeakers were waiting for them by the entrance.

They inclined their heads as Olivia and Jason approached. "Welcome, Shadowheart and Frostsong. The Luminaries await you in the common room. You have their permission to enter. Has there been any word from Cryo?"

"Not as of yet," said Jason. "I doubt he'll be joining us today unless an emergency occurs. Given the chaos within the City these past few days, I believe he has many urgent matters in his civilian life to attend to."

"We understand," said a High Frostspeaker. "Please inform him that we will strive to have the most updated information available at any time he may require it."

Jason inclined his head. "Of course."

With that, Olivia and Jason headed upstairs.

Excluding Cryo, the other four Luminaries were already in attendance, with the addition of Stefan, Gwen, Ella, a High Breathspeaker, and three other civilians that Olivia didn't recognise. The room had been rearranged to suit the larger number of people, with the couches pushed to the edges of the room, and the addition of other chairs. The table in the centre was stacked with various tablets, paper, diagrams, photos and other scattered pieces of information.

"Ah, Olivia, you've arrived," said Golem, standing up from his seat beside DragonFae's enchanted swing. "We've got chairs for you and Jason over here. Once you're comfortable, we'll catch you up." Golem glanced at Jason. "Will Cryo be joining us?"

"It's unlikely at this stage," said Jason. "He sends his apologies."

Golem nodded. "Understandable, given the state of things."

Following Jason's gesture, Olivia sat down in one of the big, single armchairs as he took his place on a regular seat beside her. She tucked her legs up beneath her, wincing as a slice of pain ran up her side--a reminder that she still wasn't completely healed. The pain made her head fuzzy as she listened to Golem's introductions.

"I'll introduce everyone before we begin," said Golem. "High Breathspeaker Diane, who is here on the behalf of the High Speakers. Stefan Frostcaller, Olivia Shadowheart, and Jason Frostsong are present in relation to last night. Everyone else in this room is either a past or current Luminary. Aria Riddlewhisper. Ella Spiritcaller. Taren Stormseeker. Gwen Furyguide. Lucas Mistbloom."

Each of the past Luminaries made some indication as their name was called, but Olivia's attention was fixed on Stefan. He sat opposite her, in one of the softer-looking chairs with a blanket draped over his shoulders. His silver hair gleamed in DragonFae's violet glow, but his forest-green eyes were fixated firmly on Olivia. There was something oddly alert in them, even with the exhaustion dragging down every other part of his body.

"May I ask why Wyvern is not present?" asked the guy who Olivia's minimal attention guessed to be Taren Stormseeker--a former Raiju.

"Because we have reason to doubt his lying, backstabbing ass," said Ella, snapping her notebook closed.

"We aren't sure if the source of that information can yet be trusted," said Gwen. "Given the dire state of affairs, we cannot take risks, but rest assured that we have spoken with Wyvern at length. Any information he may have will be utilised."

"Do we have anything further to add before I begin?" asked DragonFae.

The boy who looked only a few years older than Jason--Lucas Mistbloom, Olivia assumed--raised his hand. "Just for the record, Nymph did consider coming, but we decided it wasn't worth risking both of us." His eyes landed on Olivia for a brief moment before darting off elsewhere. "I should be able to cover any information we have."

DragonFae inclined her head. "Noted. Now, let us begin."

"The state of the City as a whole seems to have drastically improved after the auroras last night. The starstone of both the buildings and our technology appears to have healed and regained both its integrity and power. The systems vital to supporting the populations of this City appear to be in working order again, but we are continuing with emergency plans until the situation stabilises. There have been no Manifested as of yet today, though it will take time to see if occurrences of Manifested return to normal rates. You were all briefed on the situation last night to the best of our ability, but given the High Speaker's lack of memory of the event, we have largely been waiting on Stefan to provide what insight he may have. Stefan, if you will?"

Stefan blinked, slowly lifting his eyes away from where Olivia sat, staring straight back at him.

"What do you want to know?" he asked with a yawn.

"It appeared that you summoned the auroras last night by singing. Are we correct in assuming so?"

Stefan managed a sleepy nod. "I'm, well, I guess I'm a Songster." A piece of silver hair drooped across his face from the movement. He pushed it back and attempted to sit up straight. "It feels strange to say that out loud after so long hiding it. But yes, I Sang the aurorasong and made the auroras happen."

"Why did you only decide to act last night?" asked Gwen. "The City has been in decline for the past few days."

"Well, you see, if I do it too much, it'll kill me," said Stefan.

The room waited for him to elaborate.

When he didn't, DragonFae pushed forward. "Why did you Sing last night?"

"I had to save her."

Stefan, as well as the rest of the room, looked towards Olivia.

In the silence that followed, she just looked straight back at them.

"Because she's also a Songstress?" asked Gwen.

"Something like that."

A few pebbles hit the floor as Golem shifted in his seat. "I don't suppose you'd want to elaborate on that a little further, Stefan?"

Stefan pulled the blanket up over his shoulder to stop it from slipping. "How would you like me to elaborate?"

The woman with the honey-gold hair groaned in her seat. "I was a Sphinx, and this conversation is exhausting even by my standards."

"Stefan," said Ella, locking her glare onto him. "This conversation is going to go a whole lot faster if you stop making us drag every little piece of information out of you. Alternatively, if you'd like me to provide some motivation, I can--"

"Ella, enough," said Gwen, leaving Ella to lean back in her seat with a roll of her eyes. Gwen turned her attention back to Stefan. "We understand you're exhausted, but this City is in a state of emergency, and you are the only one among us who truly understands what happened last night. The sooner we know what rules we're playing by, the sooner you can rest."

Stefan puffed up his cheek, his eyes somewhere off to the side before he released the breath and sighed.

"Yes, I had to save her because she's a Songstress," he said. "Where there's one, there's always a second, but it's not just that. I'm guessing you noticed their interest in Olivia. That's because on Festival night, when she stopped the Core Chamber from exploding, she also turned herself into a key for it. Instead of the crystals you replace every year, Olivia is now the focuser. A very permanent focuser, one that the Serpent can't risk killing for a multitude of reasons, but mostly wouldn't because she is an all-access key to the power locked inside the Core Chamber that the Serpent would very much like to get his hands on." Stefan narrowed his eyes at Ella. "Better?"

"Much," said Ella, going back to sketching in her notebook.

"How is this relevant to the auroras dying?" asked Gwen.

"Because it makes Olivia the only one who can fix it," said Stefan. "The auroras come from the power inside the Core Chamber--the same power she's attuned herself to. What would kill me to Sing, she could survive."

"Do we even know what's wrong with the auroras?" asked the honey-blonde woman. "Surely the Serpent had to have a hand in the reason they broke in the first place."

Stefan grimaced. "I don't know what happened to dim them."

Olivia drew in a breath. "I do." The sound of shuffled fabric sounded from all the chairs as they turned to look her, yet again. She kept staring at the paper scattered about the table. "Aurora's injured. I think it was my fault."

"How could you even hurt light?" asked Lucas. "Is that a... Songstress thing?"

"I believe she's referring to the presence within the auroras, not the auroras themselves," said Jason. "As I've told the Luminaries earlier, this presence calls herself Aurora, and it appears that she either is, or at least controls the power within the Core Chamber that powers our City. She has made contact with Olivia on several occasions, and it appears that the last time, something went wrong, which caused the auroras to dim."

"Are we sure if this... Aurora even exists?" asked Taren. "I mean no offense, but I also understand Olivia has been through a lot in recent weeks."

"I can confirm Aurora's existence," said Jason. "Aurora herself has approached me and drawn me into one of her visions with Olivia."

"The High Speakers have also long suspected a presence within the auroras," said the High Breathspeaker.

Stefan had gone very quiet in his seat. "You know about Aurora?"

"Yes," said Jason. "Were you aware of her existence?"

"She, um, taught me everything I know about Songs," said Stefan quietly. "But I've had trouble contacting her ever since the festival."

"If Aurora is injured, healing her should be our priority," said DragonFae. "With the failures of my past attempts, I doubt my magic would have much effect, which leaves the task to our Songsters. Stefan, do you believe your Song last night would have had any effect?"

"I doubt it," said Stefan. "Olivia's the one attuned to her. I'd struggle to reach her as much as you would now." He looked towards Ella. "Do you mind if I borrow your notebook for a moment to draw something instead of explaining it?"

Reluctantly, Ella flipped her notebook to a new page and walked over to Stefan to hand it to him. He pulled his knees up in front of him, using the backs of his thighs to press the notebook against as he drew. Ella continued to stand over him, clearly trying to get a clear angle on what he was drawing.

DragonFae turned her attention to Olivia. "Would you be willing to attempt the aurorasong tonight?"

"I can't," murmured Olivia, drawing her legs in close. "I did last night, and I Manifested the High Speakers."

Ella spun around to look at her. "You what?"

"The corrupted fragment on her wrist," said Jason. "It--"

"I'm corrupted," said Olivia. She dug her fingers into her palm to try and keep her voice steady. "I sang and I corrupted the auroralight. Ask DragonFae. Her healing magic won't touch me either."

Stefan stood up, passing Ella back her notebook as he slowly walked over to Olivia, unsteady but determined.

"You needed my notebook to draw two circles and a couple of lines?" muttered Ella, glancing at the page.

Stefan shot her a look and almost fell over for it. Ella caught him by the arm, holding him up.

"It wasn't done yet," grumbled Stefan as Ella helped him over the last few steps to Olivia. He sat on the arm of her chair, her tucked legs giving him more than enough space. "May I see your wrist?"

After a gentle nod from Jason, Olivia extended her bandaged arm.

"How'd you know it was on her wrist?" said Ella, watching him intently even as she took a step back and folded her arms.

"It's where the Serpent always puts them on unwilling participants, and her wrist is bandaged," said Stefan as he gently began to unwind the bandages. "Are you forgetting he had me captive in one of their nests for several months?"

"Oh I'm not forgetting anything."

"This is becoming ridiculous," said Taren. "Ella, please return to your seat. You aren't helping matters at all."

"I'm helping more than you are," said Ella. "You aren't the only ex-Luminary in the room, pal."

Stefan placed Olivia's bandage to the side and turned her wrist underside-up. Olivia turned her gaze to the ceiling, unable to look at that... that thing in her skin. She felt Stefan's fingers as they ran over her wrist, gently prodding the area around it.

"I understand she's your friend," said Taren. "But for all we know, the Serpent has accessed this Aurora's power already. If Olivia is the key, he's corrupted her, and was able to Manifest twelve people last night on temple grounds. For all we know, Aurora is dead and he used Olivia to do it."

"Olivia isn't corrupted," said Stefan, his relief all too evident. "You're only corrupted once you've accepted its power, which Olivia has not done."

"And how do you know this?" said Taren.

"Call it a feeling," said Stefan. Olivia was still staring at the ceiling when she felt something being pressed into her hand, right before Stefan squeezed her hand--closing her fingers over whatever he'd just given her--and turning her wrist back over before he stood up and turned away from her. "If you'll trust me on the other stuff, then trust me on this. I know."

"Then what do we make of her belief that she caused the High Speaker's to Manifest last night?" asked Gwen.

"When a Songster Sings, you have to actively control the Song, or the Song will do as it pleases," said Stefan, moving to sit back in his chair without the slightest look at Olivia. "Olivia is untrained, so the bad news is, when she Sang last night, the corrupted fragment attracted the auroralight and claimed it to Manifest the Speakers. The good news is that it also means she can't actually do what the Serpent needs her to do to unlock the Core Chamber yet, which is probably why he let her go."

Olivia pulled her hand back into her lap, attempting to keep the movement casual as the rest of the room's attention was elsewhere.

The object in her hand felt like folded paper.

"What would you recommend?" asked DragonFae.

"Leaving her untrained won't hold back the Serpent for long," said Stefan. "He'll figure out a way to manipulate her eventually. It would be far better if she was aware of what she was doing. Not to mention, if Aurora is injured, this City will die unless Olivia learns how to Sing the aurorasong."

Careful to keep the paper quiet, Olivia took her time unfolding it, keeping it hidden between her chest and her legs.

"Are you capable of training her?" asked Gwen.

"I believe so," said Stefan.

"Then if yourself and Olivia are in agreement, it seems in our best interest to begin immediately. Would that be suitable for the both of you?"

"Fine with me."

"Olivia?"

Olivia looked up from her lap and nodded. "Yes."

"Very well," said Gwen. "

As the others continued to discuss potential locations, Olivia unfolded the final crease in the paper that Stefan had given her.

She had to read the heavy, hastily written words twice to make sure she hadn't imagined things.

SKYPILLAR IS CORRUPTED. DO NOT TRUST THEM.

*+*+*+*

A/N - So, this should answer a few questions... and raise a few more ;D 

Please leave the chapter a vote or a comment if you're not sick of this train wreck yet <3 

It's NaNoWriMo time again, SEND ME THE ENERGIES.