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---The Day Before, in Tienna Point---

"I'm the Magician of Crystal."

Marxie beat her long, pink eyelashes as she stared knowingly into Kieran's heart. Her ever-present smile widened as he took her hand in his and shook it. 

She blushed and turned her head from Kieran slightly, the wide brim of her hat covering her face. Pulling her hand away from the shake, she withdrew some lip gloss and quickly applied it, popping her lips together and giggling. 

"Mmm, much better," Marxie said. Her voice had an ethereal quality to it. It was clear, passing through the air as if nothing could interrupt it. Piercing. If she spoke quietly in a crowd, surely everyone would fall silent.

She tipped her head back up, exploring Bree and Kieran up and down with an ever-curious smile, one that flickered and grew whenever she detected a new interesting detail about them.

"Ooh, you're a Nephilim, aren't you?" she queried, making a cute pose and clapping her hands together. She stood on one leg and swayed back and forth, her demeanor excited and expectant of an answer.

"Yes," Kieran said, talking through his teeth. It wasn't something he was excited to share. Not around humans. If she even was human...

"How amazing. You must be here to cure the famine, hm?"

Kieran narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but..."

"How did I know? Hehe, a woman has her secrets. Maybe we can help each other out. I'm here for...other reasons, but these people are suffering."

Marxie clicked toward the Hungry she'd turned into crystal. It was still there, perfectly motionless. 

"I'm here about that mountain. The one off in the distance. With a flat top, see?" Marxie pointed out a craggy black cylindrical tower of rock nestled in the mountains. 

"It's a dormant Encephalim. I was hoping to learn something about it."

"That mountain is an Encephalim!?" Kieran gasped. Though he had a visible reaction to the news, Bree didn't bat an eye. 

Kieran whipped his body to face Bree. "That's where Rav and August are!" he exclaimed. "Isn't your family up there, too!?"

Bree blinked slowly. "A thousand years ago, the Magician of Ice received their destiny to vanquish Lavoshe, the Encephalim Calamity. But the Magician of Ice could never kill Lavoshe. It was all he could do to seal Lavoshe here in the northern country, and place the mountains under a constant storm of ice. Frozen as he is, Lavoshe can no longer cause any harm. But should the pall of cold ever melt, Lavoshe will erupt again, and this land, Asteria, the Wild Lands - they shall be torched."

Marxie crossed her hands behind her back and swayed back and forth as Bree spoke. "You're quite informed," she said quietly after Bree finished explaining the Encephalim mountain to Kieran. 

"My father was a Magician of Ice," Bree stated plainly. "And my family kept watch over Lavoshe for many years. We still do, though my father has long passed."

Bree tucked her wings in close. "I thought you were here for the famine, Magician of Crystal. Have you truly come just to seek counsel regarding Lavoshe?"

"Of course. It's my destiny to defeat the Encephalim Brain, after all."

"Encephalim...Brain?"

Marxie gave Kieran a quick wink. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Marxie started to walk away, but before she left earshot, she called back to Kieran and Bree. "There's a horde southeast of here. Someone's gathering those things." She gestured toward the crystalized Hungry. "I promised someone important that I'd guard the village, so I'm a bit tied up at the moment. Maybe you two can figure out something to do?"

At that moment, Marxie vanished from view, a puff of shimmering crystal dust all that remained where she was standing seconds ago. 

"A horde...but we can't do anything without August and Rav. Not against an army of those things."

Bree nodded. "I could pick them out from the air, but it would take too long, leaving me open to counterattack from their leader. We don't know what sort of powers they might have."

Kieran looked toward the mountain again, unease ravaging his mind. "But then...what brought Rav and August to that mountain, if not the famine?"

A chilly wind blew through the two of them as they stood in the street. As Kieran stared at the mountain in the distance, he noticed the sun beginning to dip in the sky. 

"I hate to say it, but we might have to overnight here," Kieran advised. 

"I agree. With a night of rest, I should have enough energy to fly us both up to the peak."

Bree and Kieran found a nearby inn, and made arrangements for the night. The innkeeper seemed pleased to see them - or to have any customers at all. The famine had brought the town's economy to a grinding halt - and visitors were already a rare sight in this far-flung corner of the world. 

"Agh," Kieran said, sitting down on a stiff mattress as he threw his boots off. He laid down on the bed, his arms over his head, staring up at the ceiling. He was anxiously thinking about Rav and August.

There was a light knock on his door, and Bree stepped in. She'd just settled in her room as well.

"I wanted to share with you, Kieran. I just felt Rav burn through an incredible amount of mana. He must have fought against another Magician, though I am confident he was the victor. But...I'm quite tired now..."

As Bree spoke, she collapsed in Kieran's doorway. He bolted up from the bed and rushed to her side, lifting her head and holding her upright. 

"Bree!" he called in an attempt to rouse her. She opened up her eyes partway, her attention fixed elsewhere.

"Sorry...between the flying and the...drain on my stamina...I must be a little more tired than I thought."

Kieran helped Bree back to her room, and laid her down in bed. He tucked her into the blankets and turned off the light for her. 

"I'm right next door, just call me if you need anything."

Bree croaked something back at Kieran, but he couldn't quite understand. Before Kieran stepped out of the room, Bree reached her wingtips out to him and pulled Kieran close. She had something she needed to say.

"Being a Vessel will never get easier, only more difficult," she stammered, her voice quiet and void of energy. "But I am here for you, Kieran. We understand each other in a way few others ever could. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kieran's mind flashed to August, and to Rav. Even Decoy. They were his treasured allies, but Bree was right. 

"We have wonderful Magicians," Bree said. There was genuine happiness in her voice, even as she lay there disoriented and drained. "Who treat us as equals. And that is why I work as hard as I do on Rav's behalf."

And finally, Bree told Kieran the one thing he needed to hear that day. "We will see Rav and August again," she stated, not a moment of doubt in her voice. "So rest easy. Clear your mind of darkness. Purge your body of fear. For soon August will have need of you, and he relies on your strength. If we falter, so too would our Magicians."

Kieran held Bree's feathers in his hand. He carefully contemplated her words and thought about them through his own perspective. He was letting fear and anxiety limit him. And that weakness could affect August, if he were ever in a battle. If Kieran couldn't devote all his stamina toward giving August mana, then August could easily run out in a battle. And if that happened...

"You're right," he said after some time. 

"But never forget, Kieran. Most importantly. You're not a tool. You deserve your own happiness, and your own independence." 

Bree's words nested themselves in the back of Kieran's mind, overtaking his every thought. Since becoming a Vessel, Kieran had always defined himself in relation to August. No, even before that. Growing up in Little Moon Town, he was always August's best friend. He always did what August wanted. He was happy to put his own desires aside, to mitigate disagreement. To make sure August was able to always have fun, and be happy. 

'But where was I?' he wondered. 'And when August isn't around, who am I?'

Bree closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "I have walked your path. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

Kieran found himself similarly drawn to an early slumber, and retired to his own room once Bree faded into her dream world. He laid down and, tired as he was, found it difficult to sleep. He tossed and turned, fighting his inner battles. His own insecurities and fears.

After finally falling asleep for an hour, he was shocked awake in the night. The disturbance was sudden, but he recognized it and quickly calmed down. He felt August use magic. It was a spell that August would use to let Kieran know he was safe if they were ever separated. A horseshoe of explosive light, held together for no fewer than ten seconds. 

"Thank you, August."

Kieran smiled and laid back down to rest. He was able to sleep much easier after that.