A crescent moon adorned the pair of doors. It glowed in the sunlight, opening on its own when Meyra placed her hand on the handle. The worker left, leaving Meyra alone in the room. The crystals on the hinges chimed as it creaked open. 

Meyra walked into a small room with crystals running from floor to ceiling. There was a small bathing pool in the center with a stream that ran off into another room. She looked up at the sky to see a glass ceiling with a small hole for light to stream through. 

Meyra walked down the side hall and saw Grayelle partially in the water in the back. The pool was long enough that Meyra was unable to see its end. He waved at her to come closer, and Meyra sat on a flat crystal beside Grayelle. His body was illuminated with colors from the crystals reflecting off the water and he smiled at Meyra. 

"Thank you for coming by so early this morning. I apologize, but this is urgent." Grayelle waved their hand, and the room became closed off from the other pond. 

While the door was coming down from the ceiling, crystals were growing up to reach the ceiling. They began to scatter along the floor and in the pool. The window became covered by a chandelier of crystals, and eventually the entire room became covered. 

"I looked into your memories. Someone is blocking it from my view," Grayelle looked around and waited for a minute before continuing, "the people that rule this place are watching you. I advise that you be careful."

“Why were you looking into my memories?” Meyra questioned, put off at the invasion of privacy. 

“I can feel that your power is unnatural. Your intentions are good, but they will interfere if it crosses the threshold.” Grayelle winced as he finished his sentence, blood trickling out of his nose. 

“This is my punishment, you cannot heal their wrath.” Grayelle winced through a smile and rested his head on the ledge. 

Meyra retreated back, placing her hands back in her pockets. She grabbed some pain medicine from her bag and handed it to him, making Grayelle chuckle. She pulled out the child's drawing, handing it to Grayelle. 

“Where did you get this?” He glared at her, his voice cold. 

“It was lodged in the ceiling of the waiting area. It was covered in dust so I wasn't sure if anyone knew it was there,” Meyra said with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Grayelle stayed quiet, putting cloth in his nose before closely looking at the drawing. His eyes began to tear up, glittering like crystals in the light. He gently folded the paper back and placed it with his belongings. 

“One of my kiddos drew that. Thank you for bringing this to me.” Grayelle sniffled. 

Grayelle pointed out himself, his partner, and their five children were all pictured in the drawing. Two of his children disappeared when they were young. The cause was unable to be determined. After years of searching, they were stopped but the Fae were to remain on alert if they found someone that met the descriptions. 

A worker came in shortly to guide Meyra back. Grayelle smiled and waved as she walked out. Meyra smiled, slightly bowing her head as she walked out. 

She was led up a different staircase to a separate waiting area. Ren was lying on the couch with their notes resting on their chest. Their snoring echoed in the silent room. Meyra snored, making the worker giggle before walking off. 

“Wakey wakey there!” Meyra gently tapped Ren’s clothed hand. 

They shot up, placing a knife to her throat. Meyra pursed her lips and stared down at Ren, blinking. Ren sighed, sitting up and placing the weapon away. 

“I guess they never told you. Please only wake me up by calling my name,” Ren grumbled as they rubbed their arm. 

“I'm sorry, I won't do it again,” Meyra meekly spoke and sat on the chair across from Ren. 

They sat in silence for some time until one of the pairs of doors burst open. Grayelle walked out in a loose silver dress that dragged on the floor. A mesh-like mask covered his lower face. Meyra was barely able to make out the cloth in his nose from earlier. 

Ren sat up, fixing their clothes as they opened their notes. 

“The powder that has been seen throughout the forest are all variations on each other,” Ren mumbled while their hands shook. 

The sludge and powder were determined to be similar in material. The sludge had a sheen to it like crystals were ground into it, but they were unable to determine which types. From the foam, large volumes of salt were found which worried Ren with the Mer issue with the scales. 

Grayelle looked at the table while Ren spoke, picking up the jars of the samples. Meyra watched his confused expression as he held up the sludge to the light, making it twinkle. He pursed his lips, placing it down and folding his arms. Ren finished their explanation and sat down. 

“I'm so sorry I forgot. Here,” Ren spoke as they pulled out a large jar from their bag. 

“What is this?” Grayelle asked while Ren put the samples away. 

“The crystals your soldiers were using were able to be refined into a powder. Now a single crystal can supply dozens of soldiers with the protective ability,” Ren said while closing up their bag. 

“Oh my, that's wonderful!” Grayelle grinned and gave Ren a hug from the side. 

Ren winced as if they were in pain, looking down to the ground. Meyra hid her hand behind her back and cast a small amount of magic at Ren. They let out a sigh of relief and smiled when Grayelle backed off. 

“Ah sorry, I know not everyone's a hugger.” Grayelle rubbed the back of his neck as his face flushed. 

“Do you have any thoughts on the cave I saw on the outskirts?” Meyra asked as Grayelle shuffled to his seat. 

“We've never seen anything like you described. I will shut down our forests so that no one may leave without explicit permission,” Grayelle spoke while snapping his fingers. 

A worker came in and began to write on a piece of paper. The ink glowed as they wrote. Once finished, a special seal was placed on the outside. The paper disappeared and the worker walked out. 

“Every household will now get a letter,” Grayelle said with a smile, leaning back in his chair. 

"Could the scales be dehydrating the soil in the farmlands?" Meyra asked, throwing out any ideas she had.

“That would be impossible to test at that large of a scale. I don't know if there is any stable land left,” Ren grumbled as they scribbled in their notes. 

“Our visitors have been noting the lack of creatures on the way here like they're hiding, but we can't identify what from,” Grayelle chimed in. 

“Would you give us one moment?” Meyra asked, and before Grayelle could answer, she dragged Ren out by their bag. 

“What is going on?” They asked, readjusting the bag on their shoulder. 

“This all feels wrong. I feel like this is connected to the Mer. I think we need to see them.” Ren looked up at Meyra and sighed at her expression. 

“Fine,” Ren said before walking back into the room. 

“I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I can help you see Stasia. Come back tonight before the moon is at its peak,” Grayelle said while poking his head through the doors. 

Meyra rolled her eyes and the two left the castle. Ren stayed silent on their way back, moving stuff around in their bag. 

“Can you believe that he's a leader? I feel like he's so immature,” Ren grumbled as they walked back. 

Meyra stayed silent, thinking back to the drawing. After they got back, they packed up their belongings and went into town to buy any necessities. 

Meyra walked into a store, the bell chiming as the door closed. The shopkeeper was flying in the air, making notes of what was hanging. They flew down and placed their notes down. 

“What can I do for you?”

They wore a loose hood, covering the back of their head but was tight on the neck. Their top was loose, with large baggy arms going past the fingertips. The shopkeeper's pants were more form-fitting, hitting their ankles. Their outfit matched the coloring of their wings, cream, blue, and peachy gold. When they landed, their wings folded back and blended into their clothes.

"Have there been any people purchasing non-typical items in large quantities?" She asked while holding the star-shaped pendant. 

The shopkeeper froze in place, coming up to examine the pendant. They stepped back, moving behind the counter. The shopkeeper pulled out their notes, complaining them into one page. 

“I didn't know you worked under the emperor, my apologies. Here you go. They always come in oversized robes that cover their backs.” The shopkeeper handed the notes to Meyra. 

Refined crystals and Mer scales had been purchased by the group. "I keep increasing the price due to shortages, but they always pay it without question." 

The shopkeeper pulled out two jars from a locked drawer. "The crystals are refined in the center of town, it's our primary source of revenue. We get our scales delivered by the Mer every month or so. Due to high demand, they've been coming more frequently." 

Meyra thanked the shopkeeper and purchased some items before heading out. Ren was seated on a small bench watching the people fly past high above them on the upper levels, contrasting with the people on the ground. They stood up when they saw Meyra. Ren grabbed some of the items Meyra was carrying, helping her carry them back. 

That night, the two went to visit Grayelle. A worker guided them down the stairs and to the first pool Metra had seen. Grayelle was lying in the corner, a book covering his face. He jumped up, the book clattering to the ground, when they walked in. 

“Please go into the pool with all your belongings,” he spoke, causing Meyra and Ren to look at each other. 

The pool felt cold, like a breeze over themselves. As they went further in, they began to float, unable to move. Grayelle sided them to the center of the pool with a stick, guiding them to lay down. 

"Please hold hands and your belongings in place." 

Meyra looked at Ren, unsure of what to do. Ren slowly moved their hand into her’s. Even through the cloth, Meyra could feel the numerous scars over them. She looked away and kept her hand still. 

The ceiling began to move, revealing a glass covering with two circular cut outs. Ren began to shake, and Meyra moved her wing through the pool to help prop them up. Ren stayed silent, as their shaking calmed down. As Grayelle mumbled, two large crystals came out from opposite walls, meeting over the circular cut-outs. 

“Try not to be too loud,” Grayelle said with a smirk as the moons aligned. 

Meyra felt tingling come over her, making her shiver. Her ears suspended beneath the pool felt like static that only grew louder. She felt Ren’s grip tighten, making her hand start to go numb. The static grew louder as their vision blended into static until there was nothing. 

Meyra blinked, the static slowly fading. They were in a pool in a room surrounded by mirrors. The moons were just past alignment above them, a faint glow shining in the mirrors. Ren was limp, so Meyra dragged them out along with their belongings. 

Meyra plucked the now solidified liquid from her wings, waiting for Ren. As they woke up, they looked around, gripping onto their belongings. 

“We need to speak with Stasia,” Meyra spoke as she flustered her wings. 

As the two exited the long corridor outside the room, a reindeer-like creature was resting outside. It wore a harness with flowers and had one silver and one gold eye. Someone came out of a door using a cane to guide themselves to a chair. They had the same eyes and antlers. Their hair was black with a white glowing underside, matching the full tattoos on their body. 

“Would you like to stay out?” They asked, rubbing the reindeer. 

It shook its head and disappeared, the person in the chair then took the form of a centaur. 

“I'm Aylin. Sorry for the delay, how may we assist you?” 

“It is confidential, to be spoken with Stasia only,” Ren said. 

“She will be back at midday. In the meantime, please follow me.” Aylin began to walk away, two guards grabbing their belongings to store.

They followed behind Aylin, leaving the town and taking a treacherous path. Large roots made it impossible to walk, having to climb or jump down. Aylin stopped and veered towards the right, stopping in front of a moon-shaped stone. Their hands glowed, the stone ascending into the air and spinning until it looked solid, making a portal. 

Aylin waited beside the portal, looking at Meyra and Ren. Meyra grumbled and stepped inside, feeling a jolt and causing her to fall onto the other side. Ren walked through and looked down on her. Aylin poked their head through the portal. 

“I will maintain this. Go ahead, you'll see it.” Aylin put their head back onto the other side of the portal. 

The two walked away to a small clearing at a cliff face. Below them, numerous fishing boats were docked. They were small, each enough for a family, but they were typically only seen in Okiron where the beaches are sandy. 

The cliff face was jagged, with no easy way to get down to the boats. There were numerous boats, enough for a small town that didn't exist here. Meyra glanced at Ren before flying down towards the water. She flew west towards Rodin, watching the number of boats rapidly increase. 

The trees cleared to hills and valleys. On a flat section of the cliff, a rope dangled over the side. As she flew around, something gripped onto her foot. 

“Let go of me!” Meyra shrieked and tried to kick it away. 

Someone was swimming in the water below her, smiling up at her. They had two large white horns coming out of their braided periwinkle hair. Their body was covered in patches of white scales, more concentrated towards their tail that had two large fins on the sides. The end of their tail had a golden bell, matching their accessories. 

They giggled, pointed to the left, and began to swim away. Meyra followed behind, ending up outside a cave. There was a water entrance with just enough clearance for someone to fly in. As they went deeper, the Mer rang their tail to light up the cave. The Mer held up their tail like a light, showing work tables with copious amounts of paperwork, with large cages beside them. 

“Thank you for showing me this,” Meyra said, only to receive a silent smile. 

Meyra examined the papers strewn about. The papers discussed quantities of meat, dilute the poison, among other factors. Meyra pulled out a small notebook from her pocket, scrambling to quickly write everything to inquire with the bars in Dovin. Without needing to speak, the Mer dove into the water and rang the bell for Meyra to follow. 

"Why did you show me?" Meyra asked once they had made it outside. 

The Mer pointed to where Reix’s marking was on Meyra’s hand. They swam off, guiding Meyra back to the ladder. A small village was located by the cliff and the Mer pointed to the butcher. Meyra thanked them as they waved their tail goodbye while they dove into the water.