Part I: The Raven | Chapter 3: Isabella

She froze, absolutely dumbfounded at the realisation that I was there, in front of her, what she probably thought was an old memory was now given flesh and form, and was standing there, right after she tried to kill it. She dropped her knife. I froze the water beneath the canoe so that it would stop vascillating under our feet. She couldn't keep her eyes off of mine. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke:

"Kyllian? Is that really you!?"

"As real as ever." I replied.

She let out a whimper, then hugged me, like one does after seeing a sibling after many years of separation. The kind of rekindling of an extinguished fire that makes everyone involved happy. Once she was finally able to let go, she wiped her tears, and I wiped mine. We both sat there, recounted our stories of what happened since the unit's separation, our voices echoing the tunnels in which we sat. She recounted how she was able to escape through small tunnels just as I did, just in the opposite direction. After that, she was forced to live a nomadic lifestyle unlike me, where she went from town to town stealing food by using her ability.

I remembered Isabella as the bratty teen girl who never backed down from a fight, and who would always fight with Victoria. She now had long wavy blond hair, and shining blue eyes that even the blindest of bats could see. What was even more unique was her unique power: she could teleport in the blink of an eye and would leave a trail of black smoke in her wake, something we would collectively dub as "Shadowstep". She couldn't blink very far however as it was restricted to only a few meters, though she was able to do it through walls which is how she never got caught vandalising stores throughout the caverns. As an added bonus, she was the most agile out of all of us, being proficient at multiple marshal arts and being able to beat her instructors by the time of the invasion. Put all of these together traits together, and you had the best spy in all of New Rome on your hands, able to infiltrate any of New Rome's opposing factions, both internal and external, assassinate, gather intelligence, seduce and expose, you name it. She became quite famous off of it inside New Rome's military, and she didn't shy away from it to the point of obtaining a nickname she would embrace: the Raven.

When I remembered that name to her she chuckled, though I could see in her eyes that she not only had forgotten that detail, but was surprised to have left it escape her memories' grasp. We continued talking, but it was starting to get late as we were both getting tired from the chatting. She asked if she could come back with me, but I refused since she was currently Eastport's most wanted - and only - criminal. She became visibly sad, but I reassured her that I would come back so we could talk more. She acquiesced, hugged me again and shadowstepped to the coast, only to disappear into the darkness of the surrounding caves. As for me, I unfroze the water beneath the canoe, and rowed back towards Eastport's docks.

I went over the entire situation in my head during that time. Finally, something to break the monotony of this wretched place! But more importantly, I had found a link to my past, a true friend that I was longing to see again. Perhaps this would pave the way towards me going back to my past life? Not as some worthless dock worker paid in fish rations, but as a worthy soldier? This was all wishful thinking, of course. I was just happy to see a friendly face again.

I finally arrived in Eastport and docked the canoe, and walked back home as discreetly as possible, as to not disturb the dreary town's slumber. I took time to contemplate my surroundings and to contrast them with my memories of old, from when I still lived in New Rome. There was no comparison to be made. These dirty old streets, lined with shacks made out of salvaged sheets of metal and rotting wood paled in comparison to the marble city I... we once called our home. Yet, it was the first time I actually took time to contemplate my current situation. How come I didn't play my cards like Isabella did, and just start exploring the caverns and find a better place to live? Not to start stealing my way out of poverty, but to put my skill set to use as a mercenary or perhaps a professional soldier, though I don't know if I would feel comfortable wearing other garments than that of New Rome's legionaries... I arrived in front of my shack, and dropped face down on my bed, even forgetting to remove my mask. I took it off, and despite being tired, I was restless. My brain eventually did succumb to my body's needs, but not without a fight.

I woke up the next day to a ruckus, which is definitely not something you hear everyday in this quiet town. I looked outside through a crack in the door, and could see the lights were out, meaning I had slept an entire day. Multiple people were standing outside my home, yelling some incomprehensible gibberish that my tired mind couldn't make out. Thinking it was probably some kind of protest, I went back to bed, only to have someone violently knock on my door. As I got up, I could see under the door that the person who knocked went back to the herd of people outside.

I opened the door, and to my shock stood a mob, composed of a few people that I recognised, with Ed as the head of this seemingly grumpy collective. I asked them what was going on, and why they were here.

"Do you know her?". Still a bit drowsy, I inquired as to who the hell he was talking about.

"Her." He stepped aside, and two familiar dockworkers brought a crying, tied and gagged Isabella to kneel in front of me.

"Uh... No. I don't know who she is. Is she the girl we've been chasing this whole time?" I replied.

"Don't act stupid! You were there at the bar fight!" The crowd started visibly shifting, I saw them become aroused with suspicion, shaking their oil lanterns that I had confused for street lamps earlier. "Have you been seeing her recently? You better answer honestly."

"Of course not! You know I fought her at the bar, why would I go out to see someone that beat my ass in a fight?" The crowd had almost calmed down, until Ed responded.

"Lies! Someone found a melted knife, the same one I gave you yesterday, this morning in their canoe! You went to see her last night!" One of the dockworkers spoke up: "We found her sitting on the Saphine river bank, waiting for you, presumably. What do you have to say for yourself?" The crowd became agitated, they were itching for a fight now.

I was backed in a corner, both metaphorically and literally. My only choice was to try lie to their faces and hope to get away with it, though Isabella... wouldn't be so lucky if I were to turn my back on her. I looked down, and her eyes pleaded for me to do something. I glanced back at the angry crowd. An idea popped into my mind. I knew exactly what to do.