The night was supposed to be quiet for Oriana and her daughter. Oriana was supposed to wrap up dusting the ballroom for a dinner party at the estate, come home and cook a lovely shepherd's pie for dinner, and convince her daughter to catch up on her studies. Apart of her even thought she would be able to squeeze in some house chores with how empty and slow the day was. But, she found herself busier than ever. 

Busy trying to save the life of her daughter. 

One moment she was pulling the shepards pie out the oven, the next she heard a shrill scream erupt next to her cottage.  Then another. Then another. Soon, the air was thick with murderous cries, and the thump of bodies crashing into the stone walkways. Oriana was only able to earn a brief peek of the scene that was unfolding outside of her house and…

It was simply a massacre.

Oeiana only found one way to hide both her and her daughter; a small cupboard tucked away in the corner of the kitchen. Although her hiding spot was hidden from any prying eyes, it did little to muffle the sounds that were erupting outside. 

A scream here.

A gunshot there. 

Oriana and her daughter heard every little sound that unfolding outside. As soon as another gunshot erupted through the air, a small, shrill yelp escaped Oriana’s daughter. 

“Shh-shhh-“ Oriana soothed, gently rubbing circles across her daughter’s back in an effort to calm her It’s-it’s gonna be alrightshh-“

“M-Mo-“

Oriana immediately silenced her, shoving her face into the crook of her shoulder “Shhh, s-stay quiet ok J-just-just a bit longer ok?”

Oriana hummed, desperately trying to fill the air with some other sound for her daughter to focus on. She could feel her body shivering within her tight arms, she could hear her whimpering past her shoulder, she could see how curled up she was against her body. Oriana tried her best to comfort her daughter but…

Oriana was shivering more then her.

Slam!

Oriana tries to cover her daughter’s mouth, but it was too late. She screamed.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Heavy foot steps bounced across the uneven wooden floor. A small thump soon became a loud, dominant stomp, a sound that was only becoming louder and louder with each passing moment. 

“OhI knew there was someone else in here…” the graveled voice that uttered this sentence seemed entertained. Much like a seasoned hunter, searching for their next kill.

All the color from Oriana’s face drained. 

She was losing time. The steps only grew louder, echoing more and more across her kitchen. She knew it was only a matter of item before her and her daughter were caught. 

So, she could only think of one thing to do. 

Oriana pulled her daughter back from her shoulder, and firmly pressed her lips into her forehead. The last time she would be able to give her daughter any shred of affection. 

“I love you, stay here and-and I’ll comeback for you, ok? D-don’t leave until I-I come back-“ Oriana’s voice shook like a leaf, yet, her fingers clutches the edge of the cupboard door.

“W-wait Mo-“

Oriana didn’t get to hear her daughter finish the last sentence she would ever say to her. She burst through the cupboard door, and ran for her life.

“I KNEW IT!”

Oriana burst out of her home, and soon heard the man’s prevailing footsteps stomp hungrily behind her. She didn’t dare look back, knowing a moment of hesitation would ruin her final plan;

As a distraction, trading her life for her child’s. 

“I need to find my daughter!”

The moment she uttered those words, she slapped a hand straight across her mouth. It was like she revealed a deep, dark secret, something that should have never left the depth of her mind. She was ashamed that she yelled something that was so private, to sacred to her so freely, especially to the man whom seemingly held her hostage on his train. It was quite an interesting key piece of information, something that any other man would have taken advantage of. Threats, blackmail, and false promises could easily be made around that fact, Oriana knew that for certain. So…she knew she had to choose her next words quite carefully. 

She carefully lowered her hands for, her mouth, as an unsettling, shaky anger filled her face again.

“T-The life of my daughter is worth more than your life or mine, so I swear to Magdalia if-if you don’t let me off to find her-I-I…” Her lip began to quiver like a leaf “I-I’ll”

“…What is her name?”

This…question threw Oriana off. It was the last thing that she expected. It was enough to erase all the hatred and anger from her face. But, her expression was still quite uneasy, like a wounded, feral cat backed up into the corner of a room.

Surprisingly, Altan appeared similarly at unease. His sharp eyes drifted to the corner of the room, narrowing them in some sort of thought. Whatever cold, icy expression that filled his face suddenly disappeared, and he was left with nothing but a few confused questions. 

‘Your..daughter's name…” Altan quietly asked 

“…Selene…”

It was only then Altan seemed to sigh, not so much in frustration, but rather out of some mental exhaustion. He then shifted his eyes back down onto Oriana, his mind reeling for the his next course of action.

“Perhaps…we got off on the wrong foot,” Altan replied calmly “Let’s start over, from scratch this time. I’m quite certain you have a few questions for me, as I have for you. I’m…positive we can work something out,”

Oriana then sharply sighed “I don’t have any more questions for you. I just need to go back and find my daughter, plain and simple”

“Go back?” He raised his brow “So you know where she is?”

She nodded back “I work for the Underwood estate. Y'know, the people who collect that magic wood to make Pandora boxes and runes. They have a small commune for servants like me to live in, like a small village. It’s in the middle of nowhere but…you happened to find me,”

Altan quietly peered downwards in thoughts letting the pointed end of his boot loudly clack against the wooden flooring of his office. 

“I wasn’t aware of an estate out there but…in that case…I wonder how you died then”

“I think that’s obvious given the giant hole in my stomach…”

“Ah, let me rephrase my statement then. I wonder who killed you?”

Upon that question…Oriana furrowed her brows. Out of everything regarding the circumstances of her death, she never once had the thought of her murderer cross her mind. It wasn’t so much because she was scared to think about who or what killed her but rather…it was simply never a concern. Knowing how she died was important, yes, but the whereabouts of her daughter after her death was of far more importance. 

“If you can remember a daughter in your life, then surely you could recall the face of your killer?,” Altan reasoned gently “Your body was stabbed through a broken tree stump, if you can recall…”

Oriana pursed her lips uncomfortably as she racked her mind for answers “I….it’s all pretty fuzzy. I remember…these men chasing me…then I tripped and…that’s it…”

“Ah, perhaps you tripped into the tree stump then?” Altan suggested, earning a swift, shake of the head from Oriana.

”N-No no-I mean I don’t remember beyond that but…” she sighed “I doubt it was that simple…”

”Laps in memory is..intriguing…”Altan attempted to whisper to himself, but his intriguing words were clearly audible to Oriana. 

“I’m not following,”

Altan seems to raise his brow in surprise, as though the woman went into the depth of his mind and pulled out a defined thought from his head. 

“Well, since you still possess a bright soul, logic dictates your memory would be crystal clear. Up to the very moment death at the very least…” Altan quietly explained “Your dark soul should not have interfered with that…”

“I-I don’t-“ she swiftly cut herself off with a sharp sigh “We’re going off track. The point is, I told her to stay hidden until I came back. She’s…she’s probably worried sick, cooped up in the house wondering where I am…”

As Oriana’s face formed into conflict, Altan was entirely lost in thought.  As far as she was concerned, Selene was still huddled in that cupboard. She was probably still shivering and shaking, yelping and crying at every little sound that came her way. 

She needed to make sure she was safe. 

Altan suddenly walked past Oriana, and lifted his hands towards the doorknob “Follow me”

Oriana blinked “hm?

Although Altan did little to explain himself. Oriana still found herself willingly (and perhaps still, somewhat cautiously) following the man in the red coat. His hands pried the inner portion of the doorknob, carefully twisting until the color sheet changed to a dusty, ashy grey. As soon as he opened the door however…

Oriana’s ears were assaulted by a barrage of engine sounds.

She winced, slapping her hands right over her ears, but even then, this action did very little to drown out the sound of the engine chugging along. Clattering, stomping, banging, every sound seemed to slice into her ears like a razor sharp knife, so much so that she was tempted to flee back into the safety of the train. Before she could even make that decision however, the man carelessly tossed his coat onto her head. All Oriana could do was huff, as she slung the coat over her shoulder. The coat itself didn’t exactly feel luxurious in any particular way, not with how the man presented himself. In fact, the coat felt coarse and ruff against her fingertips, like the top layer was sheared off with sandpaper.

“Hold this,” Altan tossed his coat without another thought. He carefully bundled his thick, orange hair into long ponytail, before he stepped towards the firey depths of the furnace. 

“Erm, what are you doing?“ Oriana raised her brow quizzically.

“For now, putting my trust into your words,” Altan replied firmly “The amount of energy and resources to readjust the train's course will be quite intensive so..”

He then turned around, letting his sharp, golden eyes meet Oriana’s now empty, lifeless grey eyes.

“I hope you aren’t lying to me”