Crickets sang through the night. Their chirps rang over the sound of the nightly animals, skirmishing within the forest brushes. The tall grass Gaiana walked along scratched at her feet. Gaiana wanted to claw at them, for that warm relieving sensation of getting rid of a bad itch, but she couldn't.

Zora walked ahead of her. Fireflies floated between them creating trails of light leading to their destination. It felt as though the fireflies were following Zora, like her presence allured them with some unseeable power. Gaiana was certain Zora was some sort of witch, vengefully acting against the will of the Gods.

The light in the sky was faint, with a crescent moon barely giving enough light to see the budding tulips in the grasstops. The flowers were asleep, she'd once been told. Gaiana used to talk to flowers at night, thinking she could wake them.

All the memories were pouring into Gaiana as she lacked control of her body but maintained control of her mind. The silent mourning continued in her head while her body moved on its own. She at least dreamed of burying Sophus, so that he could pass onto the next life. Every ounce of her body wanted to beg, cry, or scream for Zora to give her her freedom, but her thoughts and intentions futile under the whim of the witch.

Zora said, "you are a deviant."

Zora's hair had morphed to a raven black into an aurora white. Like a ghost's hair, it seemingly floated as she walked forward. Any attempts to pretend to be a man was abandoned. She strided forward like an alluring woman.

"When I saw that tattoo for the first time, I realized that you had latent abilities. It was designed to enslave your kind, with a mark to suppress your secret abilities. I'm not sure who marked you with that tattoo at birth, but you were clearly marked with the intention of serving someone else, and through a stroke of luck you avoided such a fate. Until now."

They walked uphill. It was a canyon side in the outskirts of the city. The canyon itself was black in Gaiana's eyes. The crescent moon couldn't provide enough light for her to see it. But when Zora turned her head back to speak to Gaiana, she noticed that her eyes became crystalline clear. It reflected the firefly torches like a mirror, with dots of light from the starlight sky.

They were shaped like the eyes of a cat, sharp as an animal, she could guide them effortlessly through the night.

"I wanted to wait to bring you here. Spend a few more years collecting crystals from across Greece, but an impending Persian invasion has changed that. I'll need you now, to find the Atlantean treasures as soon as possible."

Zora lead Gaiana into a thorny brush. Again, Gaiana's legs scratched across the thorn bush without her permission. Whereas before she wanted the sweet relief from scratching her own legs, now she wanted to avoid the cuts coming from the thorny bush.

Behind the brushes was a cave. Zora's footsteps echoed inside while Gaiana followed behind her. The heat dropped after entering. Gaiana's forehead moistened from the newfound humidity. Gaiana's vision becme blinded by the darkness while Zora lead her.

"There used to be more deviants in Greece. Which is how I've found so many crystals." Her voice echoed as she raised up her crystal for Gaiana to see. It glowed as bright as a lantern, and provided a small light for Gaiana to follow. "I knew there were deviants across the world, but Greece once held an ancient city ruled by Deviants. After discovering this, I spent my time searching for Atlantean relics. Your aether is key to helping me find their greatest treasure."

Ahead of them, glow worms began lighting up the cave. The larva latched into the ceiling and edges, giving a trail of ambiance as they walked. Natural crystals could be seen. Gaiana wondered if they carried the same energy as Zora's crystal did.

"They don't carry aether," Zora answered for her. "If they did, this place would be worth more than all the silver in Greece."

A few paces forward, the cave began to widen. It eventually opened into a cavern. Steep and longer than any building in Athens. The ceiling reached the top of the canyon side, with glow worms huddling around the rock formations, giving it a light glow of cool as they entered the chamber.

Zora stopped as Gaiana trudged forward. Her body moved stoically as she reached the center of the cavern.

There was an alter.

It was a wide platform, carved in stone for a perfect circular shape for Gaiana to step onto. The steps each had letters carved into them. Symbols that reminded Gaiana of the Phoenician alphabet. She couldn't read them. And if she could, it would've made no difference.

Her steps up the stairway finished at the sight of the pillars. Five triangular stones of varying lengths were symmetrically patterned at the edges of the platform. Lines were carved on the floor to line them together in a perfect pentagram of a star.

Letters were carved into them. Gaiana concluded that Zora couldn't have created these pillars. They had to be ancient, more ancient than Athens itself. Zora said to her, "older than Greece itself." Her voice came out sooth. It carried around the cavern so that she didn't even have to raise her voice. "The death of their civilization was a true tragedy to humanity."

Her voice was so sympathetic. Like she valued the ancients more than the people living in the present. Zora tapped at her crystal, and Gaiana wordlessly kneeled at the front of the altar.

Two pillars were at her sides. Chains attached at the ground were littered in front of her. "Put them on," Zora ordered.

Gaiana's hands picked up the heavy chains. To her surprise upon seeing them closely, the chains were made of gold. Unlike the rest of the altar, they were fairly new. Zora had clearly prepared for her arrival.

Why she needed golden shackles was beyond her. Regardless, she strapped the metal shackles onto her arms and legs. It weighed her to the ground. The coldness to them was an unwelcome addition to the already cool air mist that the cavern provided.

The shackles were just small enough to contain her nimble body, but not small enough to be terribly uncomfortable. The chains were long and spread around her, giving her free movement around the altar if needed.

"Now speak," Zora said with a tap at the crystal. Her gem instantly stopped glowing.

Gaiana dropped to the floor. She clutched at her chest and breathed heavy. Her immediate instinct was to mourn the loss of Sophus, to cry for the person she loved because she wasn't able to before.

"Why?" Gaiana yelled at her. She almost cried, but she held back tears. "Why is this happening?"

"Because you're special," Zora replied. "You hold truths in your soul that I need. And in order for me to save what's left of Atlantis, I needed you."

Gaiana shook her head, "no, why did he die? Why did you have to kill him?"

Zora looked up, and tapped her gem at the front steps of the pillar. "Deviant aether can only awaken through pain. The more pain you feel now, the more likely you are to awaken."

Gaiana lowered her face to the ground. They died because of her powers, simple as that. To Zora, those people were just tools to make Gaiana useful. Gaiana cried, "I didn't want him to die. I loved him more than anything."

"I know," Zora said. "Which will make this easier for you."

The stone pillar alphabet glowed across the surface. The carvings etched in ancient language glowed a hot blue as the lights surrounded Gaiana. Her skin reflected the bright. It surrounded her body like rising lanterns would.

Gaiana dropped. Her tattoo brightened and stretched its light around Gaiana's body. Veins and blood boiled in heat, contaminating her body with lightning and poison. It was like insects crawled across her insides, leaving a burning sensation as they stepped inside her. Every piece of her body heeded the call for pain, and Gaiana screamed in terror while the ritual began.

Zora walked up the alter steps. Gaiana's eyes shined a bright light as she approached. She took Gaiana by the head and began holding her. She sang.

"As long as you live, shine,

Let nothing grieve you beyond measure.

For your life is short,

and time will claim its toll."

Zora sang the words soothingly at Gaiana while she cried into Zora's arms. Despite all the suffering Zora had put her through, she only wanted a sweet release from the mind-numbing pain. Gaiana embraced her hands, hoping it could calm the hurt coursing through her body. Her mind throbbed and her heart pumped frantically as the energy ripped through her body.

"The pain will rebirth you," Zora whispered. "Pain has always empowered our kind."

The crystal around Zora's neck pulsated. She clung to it and turned her head. The silhouette of a woman entered the cavern. Zora stood up by the sight of her.

She dawned on hoplite armor, colors painted with Athenian blue stripes. It was a heavy plating, with a shield strapped to her forearm and a short spear gripped by her other palm.

Zora flicked her hand towards her and lightning escaped from its fingertips. Mimoza dropped on one knee and planted the shield in front of her. Rays of thunder shot at the shield and deflected around her body, avoiding any direct impact to her. The crystal at the center of her shield glowed. It pulsated with energy as Mimoza glared over her shield towards Zora.

With a heave of the shield, Mimoza launched a ball of energy from the plate towards Zora. Zora raised her palm at the ball. It touched her skin and burned her hand as the thunder scattered around her.

Zora gritted her teeth, "What are you? Some scholar out to capture me, or a rogue deviant who strayed from her master?"

Mimoza stood up, spinning the spear around her hand as she spoke. "I am Mimoza of the Kurgan Scythian tribe. Amazonian descent, captain of the Athenian guardsman. You're guilty of kidnapping a free woman, and the murder of Greek children. I swear under Astraea that you will suffer in the name of justice."