"What?!" Luna yelled, staring at the strangely dressed man. She couldn't hear a thing—just the dull roar in her skull. Her head still pounded from the abomination's scream.
Dimitri stepped closer, scanning her quickly. Then he saw it—blood streaking down from her ear. He'd heard that awful shriek too and had sprinted toward it. The creature's corpse confirmed his guess: the girl had been right beside it.
"Her ear—it's bleeding. Tara, give me an alleviation potion." he said urgently. The girl beside him hesitated.
"But we only brought two through the World-Bridge. If we're attacked again—" Dimitri interrupted
"Now, Tara!" Dimitri's tone hardened, leaving no room for argument.
She sighed, unhooking a small brown satchel and pulling out a round vial of thick, glowing red liquid. She pressed it into Luna's shaking hands. Luna looked at it in awe. It pulsed like it was alive.
The other man made a gesture, miming the motion of drinking. Luna uncorked the potion and took a hesitant swig. The taste burned—metal and sweetness—and then her veins flooded with heat. Blood surged through her head. She gasped, clutching the dirt as a violent pop snapped in both ears.
Then the sound returned. All at once. The waves, the wind, and the voice of one the the strange men
"Yes finally you figured it out, you earthborn are quite slow" the other man said laughing to himself, summoning Dimitri's hot glare.
"Atreus stop it!" Dimitri said, his voice tinged with frustration. Atreus threw his hands up in mock surrender, muttering under his breath. Dimitri ignored him and turned back to Luna.
"So, how did the potion take? Can you hear me?" He studied her hoping Tara's alchemy didn't fail the frail girl in front of him.
"Yeah I can hear you!" Her voice came out much louder than she meant. She clapped her hand over her mouth, cheeks flushing. The world still sounded too bright and too loud. Every whisper, every wave crash hit like a shout. Dimitri laughed softly.
"So it did work, you took that…better than most. Can you tell us what your name? I would prefer to call you something other than earther if that's alright."
"Luna," she said, blinking hard, trying to steady her voice. "My name's Luna."
"Like the old Moon?" Dimitri said, smiling faintly.
She nodded. "Yeah exactly like that, my grandma said that a long time ago it used to be the only moon in the sky, like back when the dead cities were alive" Luna stared up at the Moons again, her eyes naturally focused on Akrinn as they always were, then back down on the overdressed strangers who came to her aid. "So you guys are from there?!" She pointed toward Akrinn, its surface rippling with impossible colors. "What's it like?"
Atreus followed her eyes and scoffed "Clean for starters" he said "I mean does this entire planet smell like a pigsty or is it just this edge of the shite-land"
The hooded girl groaned. "Shut it Atreus, your mouth never ceases" She too was beginning to tire of Atreus' arrogance.
"I'll be glad to shut up when we get back home." he replied "Until then though, i'll complain"
Dimitri turned to Atreus now with a smug look on his face. "You can complain while you work" Dimitri reached into his cuirass and pulled out a handful of small intricate syringes. Each gleaming with a golden trim showing that whoever designed them valued aesthetic along with functionality. "Your father made me the leader of this Kindred group Atreus, and since your having trouble abiding by the diplomacy measures, take this, and gather blood samples on those abominations"
Atreus sighed and snatched the syringes from Dimitri's hand. Tara couldn't help but laugh.
"You too Tara," Dimitri added. "as much as i'd like this to be his punishment, i'm afraid he'll muck it up, aid him please." Tara gave a short sarcastic courtesy before following Atreus to the rotting corpses sprawled out against the ancient pavement.
Luna stood nearby, unsure where to look. She wasn't offended by Atreus's words; she didn't know how to be. On Earth, that kind of arrogance was a luxury no one could afford. Watching him act so casually cruel felt… alien.
"I didn't mean to offend," she said quietly.
Dimitri shook his head. "You didn't offend anybody, he's just being a baby, that's what nobles do."
She almost smiled. "You sound like you're not one of them."
He didn't answer. For a moment, the two simply stared at the waves beyond the Rim. The silence felt almost peaceful—until Luna's eyes widened.
"Are you alright–?" Dimitri asked her, nervous he'd done something wrong.
"Gorchid!" Luna cried out, just now remembering her tow-bull who is sure to be spooked. She looked out on the muted horizon, not able to see anything. "Gods where is he?" Her voice shaky, fragile, Luna hoped Gorchid made it back to camp, she knew she couldn't find him, not in this dark, and with the abominations around…she began to worry
Dimitri turned sharply. "Who is Gorchid? Is he your friend?
Luna, nodded quickly. "Yeah, he's a Tow–Bull and I lost him when the abomination attacked—"
Laughter cut her off. Atreus, still crouched by the corpses, had turned toward them. "You're worried about cattle? Are you serious?"
Luna shriveled, embarrassment rising to her hot cheeks.
"Ignore him." Dimitri said gently, noticing the girls distress. "How about you stay with us for the night, Luna? We can look for… Gorchid, was it? Tomorrow morning. What do you say?"
Luna was still scanning the ruins hoping for movement, but it never came."Ok, i'll stay" she said hesitantly
Dimitri gave a gentle nod, hiding the small, satisfied look that flickered behind his eyes.
Later that night a campfire crackled on the Rim, its orange glow spilling across the dark waves. Luna sat next to Dimitri, his hood down revealing his features.
His skin had the smoothness of oil and the color of warm ivory, his short brown hair was cut with care not leaving one rouge strand. Luna stared at him, her gaze not once faltering. She'd never seen someone so…clean, so perfect. He was unsettling and beautiful all at once.
Dimitri noticed her gaze but didn't comment. For a long while, only the fire popped and the ocean murmured below. Finally, he exhaled, breaking the silence.
"When we found you, there was already a dead abomination. You killed it?"
Luna looked away. "Yeah… I did."
Her voice shrank to a whisper. She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. She'd never killed anything before — not even a wild beast — and certainly not something so… human. Its screech still rang in her head. Its vile stench still clung to her breath. But before it lunged, it had stood like…a man.
"Don't feel bad, Luna." Dimitri said "Abominations deserve worse than death. They taint the gift the Akiri bestowed upon us. When the crusade is over, we'll see them wiped from both your world and ours."
Luna's brow furrowed. "Crusade?" She was curious to learn more about Akrinn.
Dimitri staggered. "Ah of course. You Earthers wouldn't know." He stirred the fire with the edge of a stick, watching the embers spark. "Akrinn is being invaded by abominations. It's worse there than here. Some are mindless, like the one you fought… but there are others. The clever ones."
Luna shivered. "Clever abominations?"
"Yes. Creatures that pretend to be human. They beg for mercy, weep like men only to sink a blade into your throat the moment you offer kindness. Their look gives them away, though: the stench, the scars… man tainted with rat's blood."
He spat into the fire. The flames hissed, flaring blue for an instant.
"Filthy beasts." he muttered
"That sounds…scary," Luna shuttered. The words pressed heavily in her chest. For the first time, she wondered if the thing she'd killed had ever tried to speak.
"I thought everything was perfect up there" Luna's head fell into her hands, giving her full attention to Dimitri, he grinned.
"Perfect? Far from it. Atreus would have you believe that but…it is a hard time for our world, Phenta be with it."
The name of the Akiri rolled from his tongue with reverence. Luna didn't understand the weight behind it, but she heard the sadness.
He couldn't have been much older than her—sixteen, maybe. A boy carrying a burden far heavier than his age should allow.
Trying to lighten the air, Luna asked, "Could you teach me that magic!? You guys came in and took those abominations out so easily. It would take a group of like ten oldlanders to even build up the courage to fight one abomination!"
He laughed under his breath. "Magic? You mean Manea? No, I can't teach it to you."
"Why not?" She leaned forward, already sensing the answer.
"It's something you have to be born with." He quoted softly, almost like repeating a lesson drilled into him. "Those born on Manea-rich soil gain access to its gifts. He stirred the fire absently. "Only the Endowed can wield it. Earth's potency is too faint now to yield any."
Luna sank a little
Dimitri added quietly, "Not all places on Akrinn breed the Endowed. I would've been unendowed too—just like you—if my mother hadn't been permitted to give birth on Atreus' family estate."
His voice lowered, almost a whisper. "She chose that for me… to be raised endowed among nobles. I only wish I could've met her—to thank her, at least."
The fire cracked again. For a moment, neither spoke. The silence between them felt less like distance and more like understanding. Luna looked back toward the moons this time at the pale, gray one she'd been named after. Its glow felt colder than usual, like it was watching her from a world away.
"Mothers probably worried sick" she whispered.