Birdman

Elisa’s fingers danced lightly through the tangled locks of Pauline’s hair. Sound asleep. A blessing, really.

Even Kael’s magic had its limits.

Elisa doubted anyone could have done better, given the extent of her injuries. Fractured bones, internal bleeding—her body had been on the verge of collapse.

This was as good a compromise as any. A Complete Recovery spell.

A last-resort technique. Only to be used in the most dire circumstances—for good reason. It drained everything. Used up all of the caster’s magicka reserves, leaves them vulnerable.

But at least it was simpler. Unlike the delicate, precise medical spells that required a steady hand and an even steadier mind.

She sighed, her hand lingering for a second longer.

Then, softly—

"I’m so sorry, Pauli."

No response.

Of course not.

"You probably can’t hear me, but…"

She swallowed, voice dropping to a whisper.

"I’m sorry for the lying. I’m sorry for wasting your life."

Her hand curled slightly, gripping the blanket as she exhaled through her nose.

"I will find out from Daniel what happened, I swear it."

A promise.

One she intended to keep. No more running.

She let go, standing up, casting one last look at Pauline’s motionless form.

Then, reluctantly, she stepped out of the bedroom.

\\

"Kael, are you free?"

Kael froze mid-step, boots clicking to a halt against the ornate tiles. One hand rested on the door handle to his office, the other caught in the gentle grip of Elisa’s fingers.

"For you? Any time."

She swallowed. "I have something to tell you. About the Basin. Something supernatural. Something important. But… before that, I need to get something off my chest."

Kael turned fully now. "Alright."

She hesitated, fingers tightening around the fabric of her sleeve.

"Let’s start over."

“What do you mean?”

She swallowed. "I... I want to love you again."

She said it like she could force the words to be true, like if she spoke them aloud, her heart would follow.

But her feelings weren’t whole. Some of them were drenched in blood. Others were familiar ghosts, remnants of a love she wasn’t sure she remembered, only felt. And the rest… the rest was something new, a wound still healing, a flower too stubborn to bloom.

She wanted to mean it, so she had to try.

Kael’s jaw tightened, fingers twitching against the door. His lips parted, searching for something—anything—to challenge her.

"You… you mean that?"

Elisa pressed forward. “Because things are different now. We have a chance to fix what’s broken—not just for us, but for everyone."

Kael let out a slow, measured breath. "Elisa… you don’t have to say this. Not for my sake."

"It’s not for you."

A pause.

She squeezed his hand slightly. "Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean you don’t mean something to me now."

Kael swallowed.

"Last night was the first time I felt alive since I woke up," she admitted, "and I need to be honest about that."

Something flickered in his expression. She didn’t let him speak.

"I told Oraya my piece. She’s going to advocate for me in the war room."

Kael arched a brow. "She agreed?"

"She did."

"From just one meeting?"

"I’m endearing."

Kael huffed a short laugh, but it faded just as quickly.

She hesitated. Then, quieter—"But there’s something else you need to know."

Kael’s brows furrowed slightly.

Elisa exhaled. "When the Blac’hils came, the fighting was intense—if one-sided. The Concordant had a standing force… No."

She shook her head. "It’d be better to show you."

A pause. He waited.

Her voice was softer now. "I know what the Blac’hils did to my people. To my parents. One of them died with a demonkin sword through his chest."

Elisa squeezed his hand before he could retreat into himself, hiding behind pretty and meaningless words. "But I know you didn’t. You were barely more than a child yourself."

Kael exhaled sharply. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? I… Oh, Lords…” He ran a hand over his face, fingers pressing into his temples. “Then it doesn’t absolve me of anything. It’s about your parents. I… Me being here crosses a line—”

"No. It doesn’t. Not to me."

She stepped closer, voice steady. "It means I know you’re not them. Beneath all your impulses, your nature… I know you’re a good man. And there comes a point in my life where I have to realize that holding onto grudges are for the privileged.”

Silence.

Then, softer—"You are not your mother or father, Kael."

Kael stared at her for a while. For a moment, she wondered if she had said too much, too soon.

Then, finally—his fingers curled around hers. 

Elisa let out a breath, finding the strength to fashion herself a smirk. "And, well, call me a fool, but I believe in myself enough to know that any man I loved was worthy of it."

Kael started. Just slightly.

She almost laughed. She delighted in the way his ears reddened.

For all his charm, for all his smug arrogance, for all the effortless control he exuded like it was stitched into his very being—

He was way too easy.

"Come on," she said, smiling. "Before we do anything else, let’s go to the Basin."

"What for?"

"You heard of the ‘Birdman’ incident yet?"

\\

When Mr. Tonoli came by to wish her good luck, Kael started acting in all the ways a vampire lord of his stature shouldn't.

One hand on her hip, another hand using his magic to pull his scabbard and backpack toward him.

When Tonoli joked about his rushing, Kael let out an exaggerated hum and flicked imaginary dust off his sleeve. “Just making sure my wife and I are properly outfitted before our departure. An entourage following us would only weaken our cause.”

Elisa narrowed her eyes. “What he means to say is that we’re heading for the Basin.”

“Dangerous place. Full of construction workers with blunt tools that can smash your head open like a coconut if you don’t give them a smoke break.”

Tonoli laughed as he always did before clapping her on the shoulder. “Well, good luck, kid. I’ll see you when you get back.”

And with that, he walked off.

Elisa barely had a second to breathe before Kael exhaled sharply through his nose.

She turned to him, confused. “What is wrong with you?”

Kael adjusted his gloves with a little too much force. “He is very… large. For a wraith. Vampires are natural prey to wraiths. It was instinctual.”

Elisa blinked. Then blinked again.

“…Okay?”

Kael scowled. “Nothing.”

Elisa looked between him and the retreating figure of Tonoli, then back again.

\\

For Kael, it was a practiced flight from the Blac’hil manor.

For Elisa, it was almost a journey home. She tried not to dwell on the difference.

In front of them, the Basin widened.

Unrelenting winds swirling from the falls caught the autumn leaves as they drifted through the air, painting the slopes in a sea of scarlet and gold. 

And beneath it all—the relentless hum of industry.

Golem-like automatons lifted entire slabs of magicka stone, carefully stacking them for reinforcement projects near the mines. The Amalgamations, who were entirely too tired of having to clarify they were not automatons, moved without pause, their hive-like coordination indispensable for the more complicated and heavier labor.

Demonkin supervisors shouted directives in several languages to a workforce that was both diversified and productive. Although there was some conflict, humans, demons, fey, and even some of the local Highcliff clans coexisted, willingly or not. 

However, there was something entirely too obvious to miss. Projects near the waters itself had naught a demonkin among the ranks.

The flight downward seemed smooth enough. Steed, Kael’s terrifying, oversized, and far-too-intelligent mount, still scared the piss out of her. But she had to admit—he was remarkably good at adjusting to her weight.

Which meant she had no excuse when Kael effortlessly dismounted, only to stagger as his boots hit the dirt.

"You were not lying about its… effects."

Elisa swung herself down, patting Steed’s feathered flank before turning her attention to the real reason they were here.

The Birdman in the Basin abyss. In the stony flesh.

Don't think she hadn't noticed the native girls shooting her dirty looks when she stepped closer for a better view! Must’ve been the outfit. Whatever she does, she cannot win!

Most times it’s your own people, man!

Still, the statue looked strange. It seemed to rise from nothing. A god-shaped thing where no god had ever been recorded.

And it did something to the demonkin.

The Demonkin investigators from Kael’s entourage couldn’t stand to be near it.

Even the most seasoned among them, the ones she had spoken with in the manor—the ones who swore loyalty, swore discipline—stood hesitantly at the water’s edge, visibly strained.

Only a handful of humans dared to approach by boat, their silhouettes stark against the black reflection of the lake.

One of them dry-heaved over the side.

Even Kael could barely tolerate its presence.

Which meant the reports were true. A God on the lake that didn’t move.

“Jujilbarka… one of our pantheon,” she whispered.

“Suppose this is some kind of karmic justice for invading your lands.”

Elisa snorted. “Well, he obviously did a poor job at enacting justice, considering he is an unmovable statue who only bothered to peek out the water a decade and a bit after the fact.”

“Lords. And I am willing to bet the rebels had something to do with this."

"Wonder what the more conservative Highcliffians think."

"Not to sound like a total dictator… but the pro-independent population and the rebellion is going to take this and the past week’s events and run with it. Then the fighting will start and everything will descend into anarchy, so on and so forth…”

“You always seem to forget Highcliff barely tolerated the Concordant's presence. We just didn’t fight back because the alternative was worse.”

Kael sighed. "Well, now I am the racist."

“Doesn’t help the Dogs are prowling our forests here, too.”

“They prefer the term ‘wolves’.”

Elisa ignored him, stepping closer. "Think of it this way—karma’s just getting even for everything Marion and Pulaski did."

Kael’s jaw tensed, his gaze flicking to her for the first time.

"I won’t defend what they did." His voice was measured, restrained. "But they were still my parents. They weren’t the only ones responsible for what happened during the invasion."

Elisa let out a slow breath. "I... know. That was uncalled for. Sorry. I got carried away."

Kael exhaled, shifting his weight.

"It's hard to fault you for it. All this for you is still a fresh wound. One you keep picking at like a scab."

A pause.

"Plotting my downfall must feel like it happened just yesterday. Old hatred doesn’t fade overnight."

Elisa didn’t answer. She was deflecting, again, to reveal the real REAL reason she wanted to come here.

"Kael… I know you’re here on official business. But can we make a quick detour?"

Kael stiffened slightly. "We need to investigate the structure immediately. You know how important this is."

Elisa hesitated, then—"It’s my mom."

Kael blinked.

"What? You… you said that she was dead.”

"I just need to see her."

“And that’s what this is about? What does Pauline have to do with this?”

“Friend of ours works there. Was part of our little rebellion—not so little anymore, evidently. Ha.”

“Elisa. Of course we can see your mother. Don’t be silly.”

“Well, as you said, we have this to tend to and your mount cannot come, the forest doesn’t like it…”

His hand cupped her chin, and her first instinct was to swat it away.

Unfortunately, the way her body melted into his fingers suggested this was a motion he had practiced on her a thousand times before.

“I think the world can wait another four hours.”