295 : 19

"Leah!" Naya screams, trying desperately to fight again the restraints on her wrists which hold her back from rushing to her girlfriend, "Le- hey! Get your hands off of her!"

She watches on as two Balletors hold Leah's arms tightly, dragging the girl backwards to the other side of the room and away from the young hunter.

"Naya!" Leah cries out, trying as hard as she can to yank her arms free, but the hunters holding her arms only tighten their grip, beginning to leave dark red marks.

Naya had gone down to the human realm to visit Leah as she had just finished harvesting her spirits for the day and knew that Leah would be working the night shift at the coffee shop that they first met in again.

When she had arrived their was no one else in the café, only her girlfriend sat bored behind the counter, whose face had lit up when Naya had walked in.

"You came!" She smiles, rounding the counter with a spring in her step as she jumped into Naya's open arms, giving her a sweet peck on the cheek before securing her own arms around the hunter's neck.

"Of course" Naya responded, mirroring Leah's smile as she squeezes her waist comfortingly, "Quiet night?"

And it had been.

That is until a shadowed figure made itself known in the corner of the room.

Someone had followed her there- one of them, a Balletor, and judging by their cold eyes, they didn't just come for some coffee.

Before they knew it, more hunters had materialised, two grabbing Leah and another two holding Naya back.

"Let go of me!" Naya blares, kicking at one of the Balletors holding her, not caring of the consequences as all she could see is red- they had their hands on Leah, they were hurting her, and Naya would be damned if she didn't do everything in her powers to set her free... even if that meant raising her fists against another Balletor.

She manages to kick one to the ground, grabbing an empty coffee cup from one of the tables and smashing it over the other's head, dropping to her knees when they let go of her wrists.

She scrambles on over to where Leah is being held, frantically trying to escape. Taking Naya's lead, she kicks at one of the men's knees, just like Naya had taught her before, and he falls to one knee.

Naya then grabs the man's hand and digs her nails into his skin, forcefully removing his hand from Leah's so that one of her arms is free.

"Naya, run.." She whispers breathlessly, watching as the two figures behind her girlfriend get up, a dangerous look in their eyes, and yet the young hunter just shakes her head.

"I'm not leaving you-"

"Naya!" Leah cries, and just as Naya turns around, she's knocked to the floor- her head screaming in pain as she closes her eyes tight, the pain blooming as she brings her hands up to her head, feeling something warm run down the side of her face.

Her eye lids grew heavy, too heavy to open properly, and the noise around her grew muffled. Her limbs were like lead and as she turned her head to the side, her eyes almost glazed over, she sees the pretty white summer dress that Leah was wearing... she sees the polished brass buttons and the little ruffles... she sees white, before everything turns black

~~~

Naya sucks in a desperate breath, her body lurching forward so that she's sat upright in her makeshift bed, beads of sweat running across her brow. Fingers trembling, she brings them up to her face, holding her head in her hands briefly before her fingers then roam down her neck, sliding over her arms and then resting on her chest, feeling her rapid heartbeat pulsate.

There's an uncomfortable layer of perspiration coating her skin which she can't seem to rid herself of, and so not wishing to be left alone to her own devices, Naya swiftly leaves her bed, hoping to find that Arlen is already up.

When she makes her way from the side room and into the main living space, she sees Arlen hunched out the countertops, his eyes already looking to her.

"The nightmare again?" He asks gravely, to which she doesn't respond to immediately, instead opting to stalk over to where he's stood and take the apple from in front of his nose, bringing it to her lips swiftly.

"It wasn't a nightmare" She answers solemnly, biting into the fruit as she turns and leans against the cupboards.

It wasn't a nightmare, it was real.

Arlen takes another apple from the basket next to him, bringing it up to his mouth but ultimately not biting into it, "We have time-"

"Not enough" She snaps, immediately apologising as Arlen is the last person who deserves to be spoken to in such a tone. Sometimes she just gets so overwhelmed by emotion, that all rhyme and reason fall short.

"We'll get her back" He promises, giving Naya's shoulder a squeeze as he walks on passed her and to their table, lined with all sorts of parchment, maps and herbs, "Come... there's a new lead, down in the Ferus Woods"

She follows him over to the table, the apple half finished as she towers over the map, watching as Arlen draws on her path, "The energy is strong, I fear that it's not a singular spirit"

"The more, the better" Naya mumbles, only to have Arlen give her a pointed look.

She knows to be careful, and she knows that he'll worry, and so she promises to keep to the path, to not stray, and to not involve herself in something she knows that she'll regret.

Although with Leah's life on the line- there's nothing that she'll regret doing if it means getting her back safe.

~~~

Two hours into her journey on foot and Naya pauses for a moment, slumping against one of the nearby trees, its roots having clawed their way up to the surface, stretched out onto the ground like a human hand, its fingers running far and wide. Dropping to sit on one of the raised tree roots, the young hunter peels her lightweight jacket from her shoulders, smiling in relief as a sudden cool breeze greets her.

She ties her jacket around her waist before reaching into her backpack- loaded with all sorts of herbs and remedies (just in case) from Arlen, along with the rough directions to her prey. After rummaging around in the bottom of her bag, her fingers grab a hold of the parchment, and gently, to avoid tearing it, pulls it free.

From the looks of it, she was almost there- if she continued North through the forest of Foederis, she should reach Ferus promptly- for she was almost on its border. Arlen had told her to be careful, for if she strayed too far from the path then she'd stumble upon the barren lands, and that is no place to be lost or alone... especially with her crystal light dimming.

It shouldn't be too far now.

Sighing to herself, Naya refolds the crinkled parchment, placing it back into her backpack that's slung by her feet, as she takes a moment to lean back against the sturdy tree trunk, casting her eyes upwards.

The early morning sun was stretched high into the sky, casting a golden glow through the leaves hung overhead, its beams strong enough to permeate the dense forest to reach the mossy floor.

There was a slight buzz in the air- the feeling of the forest waking up for the day, with the birds chirping and the trees swaying blissfully in the gentle breeze. To Naya it felt all too normal, the energy surrounding the forest wasn't magical, it was just that of life. It almost felt too serene for it to be the potential dwelling place of a spirit, but years in this line of work had taught her never to get too comfortable, as not everything is as it appears to be.

Dusting her palms on her knees, Naya places her hands on the tree roots, pushing up from the ground and then rolling her shoulders back as she straightens. She couldn't afford to stay stationary any longer if she wanted to find and capture these spirts, return them to Ianua and make it back home to Arlen before nightfall, and so, Naya reaches down for her bag, tightening her grip on one of the straps as she yanks it up from the floor.

However, as soon as she threads one arm through the strap, settling the bag onto her back, she feels a strange sensation course through her body, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. It was a similar feeling to that of which she experienced in the cave.

Someone was watching her... but it wasn't a spirit.

No, the presence felt too warm to be that of a creature... so what was it?

Staying alert, Naya turns her head to the side subtly trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was nearing, however from the corner of her eye she couldn't seem make a comprehensive shape out. Pursing her lips, she reaches for her belt- her athame pressed securely against her side.

She moves slowly, trying not to alert whatever was making its way towards her, as she wraps her fingers around the handle, gently pulling it free. She listens carefully, her ears pricking up at the soft footsteps beginning to grow increasingly louder.

As she hears whatever was there grow nearer, she takes a deep breath through her nose, counting down as the footsteps quicken before they falter... whatever it was had found her.

3...

Naya readjusts the dagger in her hand, gripping the handle as she immediately tries to visualise her next move.

2...

She hears a shallow intake of breath- it couldn't be an animal.

Whoever it was, this meeting felt far too disciplined to be one of chance, a mere coincidence.

1...

Without another moments hesitation, Naya turns on her heel, swinging her dagger in a circle, slicing mightily through the air. She hears a low yelp before she sees the creature, her arm stopping in motion close enough to rest the edge of her blade against the person's jugular, nestling it snugly in the crook of their neck.

"Woah, woah!" The trespasser gasps, their dark brown eyes blown wide as their hands are raised in surrender, standing completely still as if they're afraid to accidentally antagonise Naya more that they seemingly have, "Stand down.."

Naya's eyes narrow at the person stood in front of her, her gaze carefully moving to his caramel locks of which hang over his eyes, some boyish charm to them despite the orbs sparkling with traces of warranted panic.

She knew exactly who he was, and that was without acknowledging the cursive 'B' mark on his wrist which was still held out before him in defence.

He was one of them, a Belletor.

"What are you doing here, Ronan?" Naya spits, lowering her dagger gradually yet still keeping it drawn, pointing it at the boy.

"Same as you" He shrugs uneasily, his eyes trained on the weapon in her hands, "I'm here for the hunt"

Naya defensively stands square on, his answer doing nothing to persuade her to drop her guard, "Well as you can see, I'm already here, I've got this handled"

She didn't need a distraction and she definitely didn't need any competition. As childish as it sounded, she had arrived here first, and she needed these spirits, for it is a matter of life and death.

Ronan takes a step backwards, trying to ease Naya into a more comfortable stance as he lowers his own hands gradually, sensing that seeing his mark had put her on edge, "There's multiple spirits here, even I can feel it, are you going to take them all on yourself?"

The way he speaks is gentle, almost as though his tongue is dripping with honey- it's a change from how Naya remembers him to be. If he had said that same line when they were children, it would've been laced with almost a playful snarkiness.

He was a nightmare when they were younger, always bothering the elder hunters, getting into trouble by sticking his nose where it didn't belong, Naya is surprised that it hadn't been cut off. Since becoming a Belletor, Naya hadn't seen much of him, to be honest she hadn't seen much of anybody as she preferred to work alone, not comfortable with the feeling of having another by her side. Having a partner would mean communicating and relying on somebody else, having to know them almost as well as you know yourself as you would be fighting as one. It would mean carrying a responsibility for them, and Naya was sure that she'd ever be ready to take on such a burden.

She was strong enough alone, she worked efficiently and she worked by her own rules... and as she looked over at Ronan, the boy's once shaky fingers now laced together, she felt an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach at the prospect of what was to come.

"There's no reason as to why we can't work together" He shrugs casually, and Naya can see how he becomes more himself as he no longer has a knife to his neck. The boy leans against the tree that Naya had just risen from, a smirk sitting upon his lips.

"We both know that I need to capture these spirits" She speaks harshly, having no time for his games as she brings her physical defences down, still staying skeptical of the boy in front of her.

In Naya's mind, she could only work alone as she needed every single spirit that she caught to go towards freeing both herself and Leah. She couldn't afford to split her earnings with only a year to achieve her goal, "And besides, I don't want to work together, I told you that I can handle it myself"

"My, my, someone's territorial" He tuts, amusement laced in his voice to which Naya scoffs at- he was beginning to sound more like the troublemaker she had once know, "Were you always this difficult? Even with Leah-?"

Whether he knew the weight that his words carried or not, Naya feels something akin to anger rise within her, her vision flashing red at her lover's name spilling from Ronan's lips.

"How dare you.." She seethes breathlessly.

Her relationship with Leah was not one that she wanted any Balletor to speak on- their dynamic was not one be analysed nor scrutinised, this was their private affair, their feelings and Naya would never let anyone else know the extent to which they ran.

It's true that sometimes Naya finds it difficult to connect with others, and it wasn't helped that by being a Balletor, you were often encouraged to turn off all human emotions, as there was no room for empathy or love in their job.

They had a duty to fulfill, and that came before anything.

"Look..." Ronan interjects quickly, clearly not meaning for Naya to take offence at his offhanded jest. He takes another step backwards, his hands coming up again to show defeat, "I know why you're here, I know why you want to do this alone-"

"And yet you're still here" She quips, her icy blue eyes as cold as stone as she stares him down, "And don't speak her name again, you don't deserve to after your people-"

"'Our' people" He corrects, only to have Naya cut him off harshly.

"'Your' people" She emphasises, lifting her own wrist up so that the hunter could see that all that was left of her hunter's mark was a faint outline.

She wasn't apart of that community anymore, and she didn't want to be, not after how they treated Leah.

Her mark was fading, and with it so was her magic. She had been banished from her homeland, only permitted to return to trade off her caught spirits, but if she didn't complete this quest in time, if she didn't collect one hundred souls, her magic would be stripped from her, along with her immortal qualities.

She only wanted to be mortal to spend the rest of her days with her girlfriend, living peacefully away from the harsh restraints of her own world- if she fails this mission and is cast onto Earth to live out a mortal life whilst Leah stayed trapped in the spirit realm... she'd never forgive herself, she honestly doesn't know how she'd go on.

Ronan bows his head as he begins to understand the inner turmoil Naya was facing, her lips twisting as she delves deeper into her mental conflict, "And it's because of that that I want to help"

"Why?" She questions, her voice as soft as a whisper as she failed to comprehend why he'd risk going against their people when he had nothing to gain and everything to lose, "Why when there's a chance that you could get banished too if you're caught?"

"Because truthfully, you need my help" He states, his eyes drifting to fixate on Naya's wrist where her fading mark sits, "How far away are you from your goal?"

At the reminder that Naya was still leagues away from her desired count, she shakes her head in defence, putting her guard back up, "I don't have to say-"

"Exactly" He prompts, knowing that by Naya not giving him a direct answer, he knows that she's got a long way to go- that they both do, "I've been monitoring your-"

"You've been spying on me?" She repeats, raising her eyebrow at the boy's words.

"I prefer, monitoring your activity" He justifies, peering at her inquisitively, "You haven't been portalling very far, considering the power your gem holds"

At the inquisition, Naya catches her bottom lip between her teeth, knowing that Ronan has caught on, "I portal enough"

"You walked here instead of using your gem" He deadpans, "I only see your portal when you're travelling between Earth and Iuana"

With a reluctant sigh, Naya's shoulders slump, a look of defeat gracing her face as she solemnly admits, "Since being cast down to Earth my gem isn't as powerful as it once was- I need to conserve its remaining energy"

"Aha!" He cheers, a smile gracing his lips in triumph to which Naya makes a face at, thinking he was happy about her dire circumstances. The brown haired hunter quickly shakes his head, explaining hurriedly, "This is another reason as to why you should let me join your quest- you could use my gem!"

As much as Naya hates to admit it, this peaks her interest.

If she were to use Ronan's gem to help portal to where the spirits were lurking then it would cut down her travel time immensely, she'd have more of a chance of completing her quest.

As long as she used her own crystal to capture the spirit then it would still count as hers.

Naya looks over to where Ronan is resting against the old oak tree, a spark of excitement alive in his eyes as he waits for her answer.

It should be rather straightforward, but Naya can't help but mull over every agonising pro and con of inviting Ronan onto this quest.

The pros would be that she'd get to use his gem... yeah? that's it.

The cons would be that from what she remembers Ronan is loud, sarcastic, somewhat obnoxious and can at times be rather egotistical- 'I mean, how much has he actually matured', Naya muses, turning to look at the hunter who is busy picking at his nails.

Could she last on a quest with him by her side maybe for days on end, especially considering that she's never felt comfortable with the idea of a partner before...

Naya brings her hand up to her head, if this was all down to her then there's no way that she'd ever consider taking someone else on... but she had to think of Leah. She had promised her that she'd do everything in her power to save her, and so if that meant teaming up with an overexcited puppy to harness his magic as well as hers, then so be it.

For Leah, she'd do it.

"Okay..." Naya decides, exhaling slowly as she looks over to Ronan with a blank stare, "Just don't get in my way"

"Wait, really?!" He questions, his face lighting up as he pushes off from the tree he was slouched upon, a spring in his step as he bounds over to Naya happily, "I've never been on a real quest before!"

Naya makes a face at Ronan's loud exclamation, repositioning her bag on her back as she lets out a scoff- 'not even a minute in and I'm already regretting it', "and you won't again if you keep talking"

At the subtle threat Ronan gestures to zip his mouth shut, smiling sweetly up at Naya who just rolls her eyes, "okay, okay sorry... but this is so cool, just two bros chilling in a forest, on a quest for justice-"

Naya bites back a groan as they begin walking in sync, glaring at the rambling boy as she attempts to will him to silence himself, however, he doesn't catch on.

"But oh how the mighty have fallen" He gasps dramatically, turning to Naya as he skips ahead a step, gesturing for her to hurry up, "Can I just say that I never would've thought you of all people would be banished- you were one of the more promising-"

"If you don't shut up, I swear I will feed you myself to the next creature" She warns, gritting her teeth as she sucks in a deep breath.

"I'm just curious" He whines, a pout sitting on his lips as he slows down his pace, falling back in time with Naya, "We shouldn't but it's no secret that sometimes we Balletors engage with mortals... so why did you get such a harsh punishment?"

"Because I didn't just engage with a mortal" Naya explains slowly, her eyes softening as she speaks her truth, "... I fell in love with one"

Ronan falls silent for a moment and Naya hopes that all of his questions have been answered, however, it seems like her answer only inspired a new conversation topic.

"Love?" He repeats, his confusion evident in the way that he stops still in his tracks, turning around to face Naya with a frown "What's that?"

The hunter bites the inside of her cheek as she almost walks into him, throwing him another look as she sidesteps around him, continuing to walk without casting him so much as another glance, "You're engaged to Emelia, are you telling me you've never experienced love?"

She can hear the way that Ronan picks up his pace, jogging so that he's caught up with her, panting faintly, "Balletors are cast into arranged marriages when they're young, you know that... There aren't many of us so we have to reproduce-"

"Gross" She whispers under her breath, fighting back the urge to slap Ronan's arm at the way he wiggles his eyebrows.

Since meeting Leah and falling in love, Naya often forgets that such emotions are never exploited for a Balletor, they don't practice them because it would complicate their job. They orchestrate arranged marriages, not for love but for convenience.

"Look, I got banished because I love Leah, I wanted to spend my life with her, here, on Earth"

"But we can't do that" Ronan states, growing more confused than he was before, "It would be impossible for an immortal being to stay, what, trapped on Earth"

"That's the thing..." She sighs tiredly, knowing that Ronan won't understand what she's about to tell him, "I wished for them to grant me a mortal body"

"Mortal?" He repeats, whispering the word under his breath a couple of times, almost as if he's never heard it uttered before, "You asked them to turn you mortal?"

Naya nods, "It was the only way that I could be with her"

"But... why?" He questions, failing to understand why someone would choose to become mortal, to give up all their powers, "I mean... How could you want to be turned mortal?"

From the moment Leah had approached her, she knew that she was going to become someone very important to her, someone who would open her eyes to a world that had been hidden from her, discarded as something lesser than what she was brought up in.

"It seemed like there was no other option" She admits truthfully, "From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew that I wanted to be with her, regardless of the consequences"

~~~

Naya's skin stung as droplets of rain fell from the sky, causing her to squint as she became lost in these unfamiliar streets. She was meant to be following her crystal to where a spirit was last seen but for some reason, it had transported her to the streets of some English town, amidst a busy side alleyway that had led her to some colourful shop fronts.

She was cold and wet and couldn't see a damn thing through the thick blanket of rain that was cast upon the street, and so, reaching out for the shop windows, Naya pushed gently on each glass surface, not knowing if she was touching a window or a door, just praying for one to open so that she could take shelter from the storm.

It must've been the six or seventh shop front that she passed, before when she pushed rather harshly, the wooden surface flung open, and she hastily stumbled inside.

Once inside, she was immediately greeted by rather muted lighting and the faint sound of what sounded like old jazz music amongst the quiet chatter and the soft clunking of machinery. She had stepped foot inside what seemed to be a communal kitchen that sold beverages... it looked like you pay people to make your own drinks for you? And they'll serve it to you also?

Since no one was paying attention to her entrance, Naya swiftly dragged her heavy, waterlogged boots deeper into the room, seeking refuge at one of the back tables.

The inside décor was cosy yet strange, Naya had never seen anything like it. There were lightbulbs dangling from what looked like an unfinished ceiling and one of the walls that she was making her way towards hadn't been painted or covered... it was just a brick wall that had a hanging photo frame placed onto it.

Was it meant to look like this?

Reaching her table, Naya picked up the red and yellow cushion that had been placed on the wooden chair surrounding the table before dropping it onto the seat opposite, not entirely understanding where she's ended up- although it's only until the storm passes.

Rubbing her icy hands together she hopes that the rain lets up soon, she had to get back onto the road and fill her quota before nightfall so that she could return home and harvest the spirits from today- knowing that their Lady would want everyone's numbers soon.

Once she was seated at the table, Naya leant back in her chair, unzipping her coat promptly and draping it over the back of her chair, paying no attention to the puddle that was gathering by her feet, as they were already wet enough.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

Naya stills at the gentle voice for a moment, until she reckons that its probably someone on one of the other tables speaking. She then reaches up to her face, brushing her damp hair from where it was plastered against her forehead and neck, combing it through her fingers and tucking it neatly behind her ears.

After, she then extends her hand down to her feet where her bag was lying, praying that her contents hadn't been ruined by the storm, when she catches sight of a pair of shoes before her, neatly laced up and pointing at her.

Slowly retracting her hand and straightening up in her seat, Naya looks up to whoever approached her, her jaw incontrovertibly lowering as the girl before her flashes her a bright smile.

"Um, excuse me?" She grins, her voice sounding like that of pretty flowers and warm summer evenings, which draws Naya into a daze.

Her sweet tone matched her somewhat dainty features, an aura of elegance bewitched Naya as she was left breathless, stirring up something warm in her chest.

She was beautiful- with her golden hair plaited down her back, stray wisps coming to brush against her blushed cheeks and her blossom soft lips... her kind eyes looked over the young hunter and Naya swore that her beauty could rival the magic on Iuana.

She had never felt anything like this, and wondered if somehow her immortal being had caught something from the rain.

"I, erm, I'm... sorry, what did you, uh, what did you say?" Naya stutters, her eyes not physically able to stray from the girl in front of her. It wasn't because of the pink ribbon laced into her hair, nor was it because of her inviting eyes... there was something about her that just pulled Naya in, it was a feeling that went straight to her gut, that she didn't have the strength to oppose.

"I said, do you want anything to drink?" She repeats softly, holding up the jug that was in her hands, steam rising from the lid, "Since you got caught in the rain, I was wondering if you wanted something hot to drink... to warm you up?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah sure, sounds... nice" Naya cringes inwardly at how awkward her conversation had become. The fact that she couldn't even answer one question in the presence of an attractive girl was concerning, and it had a weird feeling settling in her stomach.

The girl smiled prettily as she reached for the upside down coffee mug on the table, turning it upright before carefully pouring the jug, filling the coffee cup to the brim, a rather comforting, nutty scent ambushing her senses, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Naya feels a brief prickle of panic that runs through her mind, enough to snap her out of her haze and realise that maybe someone had discovered who she actually was, but before she could work up a good worry the girl is speaking up again, "At least I dont think you are, I can't recall seeing you around- it's a small town, you see... are you from the neighbouring one?"

Naya nods her head rather robotically, not really understanding what this girl was asking, but something told her that just agreeing would be easier than trying to come up with a story on the spot, especially considering that so far she hasn't managed to speak a solid sentence to her, "I.. uh, yeah, I am"

It's not like Naya was a particularly social being anyhow, but contrary to popular belief among many, she was capable of decent social interaction, and so why she was getting so flustered now, she had no idea, "I... Who are you-?"

"Leah!" A voice yells, loud enough to have the pretty girl turn around, waving to the woman behind the counter, "Table 3!"

She gives the burly woman a polite nod before turning back to Naya, whispering a gentle, 'I'll be one moment', before she takes off to the counter, leaving Naya to stare after her, lifting up her hand to dumbly wave goodbye.

However as she returns her hand back to the table, she accidently catches the rim of the cup with her wrist, the mug toppling over and its liquid spilling across the wooden table.

Cursing, maybe a little too loudly, Naya's ears burn red as she hastily grabs the napkins from the neighbouring table, dropping them down and patting them briskly to try and deal with the spill. Just when she thinks that she couldn't possibly get more embarrassed, the subtle scent of white roses and pale shades of pink return, and before Naya can meet the waitresses eyes, she knows that it's the girl from before.

"Oh, I... I'm sorry" She mutters sheepishly, bringing one hand to rest on the back of her neck as she watches the girl place a damp towel on the table, an amused smile making its way onto her face.

"It's alright" She reassures softly, looking up to Naya through her lashes, "I'm Leah, by the way"

"Leah..." Naya parrots, the name sounding so addictive coming off of her tongue.

Leah nods, her eyes turning into crescents as she asks, "And you are.."

"I, erm" Feeling genuinely speechless, the young hunter forgets her own name for a moment, completely lost in the girl's rich eyes, "I-I'm Naya, Naya James"

"Well Naya James..." Leah straightens her back as she'd dealt with the spillage, a shy smile resting on her lips, "I hope to see you around more often"

~~~

Her fond smile quickly turns bitter as she remembers the unfortunate events that then followed their first meeting, the pressure that she's feeling now proving rather heavy to bare, "And of course, when I requested to turn mortal, I was met with opposition... that's why they banished me"

'That's when my crystal began losing its power, that's when my mark began to fade...'

"But... I don't understand" Ronan stutters, "Why would they banish you? If they opposed you turning mortal because they need you in Iuana then why would they give you this opportunity to be set free?"

Naya shakes her head, knowing that the council would never have given her a fair chance to win back her freedom, "Because this is a trap... one hundred spirits in one mere human year... it has never been done before, they gave me this challenge to appear fair, to give false hope... but with all the obstacles in place, it's seen to be impossible"

The time limit would be incredibly tight if she was still a Balletor, if she had her full powers and those back in Iuana to help her locate and track down spirits... but here, with only herself, Arlen and a handful of garden herbs... Naya fears that she'll never even get close.

"Then we're going to be the first to do it!" Ronan cheers eagerly, turning to Naya with a look of hope that rivalled her own when she had first heard of the deal, "We're going to capture those one hundred spirits, you're going to save Leah and we're going to show the council that even without them, we're strong enough to succeed"

From feeling regretful one minute to grateful the next, Ronan's enthusiasm was contagious. She's already been so lucky to have found Arlen and now Ronan was willing to put his career on the line to aid her?

What she felt was indescribable, and just as she was about to thank the sun- kissed boy, there was a loud screech that rung throughout the forest- the bellowing echoes causing the trees to sway and her blood to run cold.

They were here.

They had reached Ferus.

Sharing an alert look, both Naya and Ronan scramble to get behind a wide enough tree stump, dropping to their knees as they attempt to blend in with their surroundings. With her back pressed up against the bark, Naya signals to Ronan that she's going to take a look to see if she can spot anything.

The boy nods, and yet when Naya leans left to subtly try and scope out the creatures present, he also turns right, his eyes going wide as he spots three cloaked figures huddled together a mere couple of metres away from them.

"Holy shit..." Ronan whispers, swiftly returning to behind the tree stump as he looks at Naya who seems just as shaken, "Have you ever seen three gathered together like that?"

Naya shakes her head, her gaze concentrated on the three figures. You were lucky if she came across one, but three... that was extremely rare, especially seeing them all together.

"Did you see their tails too?" She asks quietly, watching as Ronan quickly takes another look.

Spirits came in many different forms, but there were four main ones. All of them were cloaked in black, shielding their faces, but each spirit had its own unique physical trait.

The four most common were rumoured to have been adapted from the elements, however the original origin passed into legend many moons ago.

'Fire' spirits were characterised to retaliate with brute force, their razor sharp teeth tough enough to pierce through any material- bone included. They were the most common spirit, and often dwelled in places not easily reached, places that were isolated, that were all but abandoned. There was a legend that surfaced when Naya was but a child, that some spirits, influenced by the fire element, once killed, could come back- could be reborn much like that of a phoenix- but in all the years Naya had been hunting, not once did she see anything like it.

Another spirit, 'water' spirits, as the name own prompts, stay in places where they have access to water- lagoons, lakes, the open sea... they're said to be rather mystical, enchanting to the naked eye- but Naya had never seen one to confirm the belief. The concept of these dark creatures with fins, didn't sit right with her- the prospect that they could be lurking in open water was enough to keep her to solid land where she had an advantageous fighting stance.

'Air' spirits were something of a novelty- they weren't as common as the other three, or at least not to Naya who had only come across a couple in her time. They were huge creatures, with large black feathered wings that could carry them high into the sky. Naya wasn't scared of the big birds, they were just a pain to capture, with their cunning minds and their annoying liking to picking up their opponent, throwing them around like a rag doll. Naya really wasn't a fan.

And lastly, the ones standing before her and Ronan now, 'Earth' spirits, characterised by their ebony long lizard tails, slithering around their feet. Earth spirits were arguably the easiest to capture, as long as you kept one eye on their tails, they didn't have anymore tricks to distract you with. The only problem is that in front of them, there were three... and in any circumstance if there's more than one, anything could happen...

"Do you have a plan?" Ronan asks, looking up at Naya with hopeful eyes as she peeks back around the tree, watching the three spirits carefully.

She looks from the creatures and back to Ronan, shrugging her shoulders as she reaches for the athame attached to her belt, "Capture them"

"Well that's helpful" He grumbles with a roll of his eyes, reaching for his own dagger.

"We just have to... yeah, capture them" Naya whispers, more to herself than anything, but Ronan doesn't miss a chance to take a dig.

"Sorry, I must've missed the 'plan' part again" He hisses, to which Naya doesn't hesitate to elbow him in the ribs, the impact sending him toppling to the floor. At the grunt that he then lets out, Naya shushes him which only makes Ronan scoff.

"Go with instinct" She explains to which he just shakes his head once again.

"Instinct alone isn't enough when you're in a team" He explains lowly, keeping his eyes trained on the creatures before them- thankfully, they don't seem to suspect anything, "You need to coordinate, work things out-"

"Then let's take this as our practice run?" Naya groans, "We don't have any time to devise a plan, and we don't know each other's styles... let's just see what we're working with"

Knowing that he's not going to win this fight, Ronan relents with a sigh, "Fine, fine... How about... hmm, how about I try and get round the back, I'll wait for your signal and then we close in on them?"

Naya takes a moment to think about the brief plan, there's plenty of shrubbery for Ronan to circle around unseen, and she supposes that it's better than nothing, "Okay... okay, let's try it"

As soon as she agrees to the plan, Ronan sets off to get behind the spirits, carefully wading through the tall grass, crouching lowly. Naya draws her eyes back to the creatures who are mumbling amongst themselves, staying stood in a tight-knit group.

Out of the top of the grass blades she sees Ronan lift his head up before he then holds up one finger. Naya moves forward one step, in time with him as he then holds up a second finger and they advance some more, however, instead of Ronan holding up a third finger, on that count, he instead raises his athame signalling for Naya to make her move.

With a deep breath, her eyes narrowing determinedly, Naya emerges from behind one of the trees, running towards the creatures that we huddled in the clearing. Letting out something akin to a battle cry, she swings her blade with conviction, alerting the spirits that they had been found.

She hears Ronan cry out too, but she manages to compartmentalise his own words and actions as one of the creatures lunges at her, showing off their curved talons. The hooded figure hisses at her as she slices the air, managing to catch the side of the creature who stumbles backwards howling brokenly.

"Naya!" Ronan calls, and whilst her own creature wails in pain, she takes a moment to cast her eyes over to her fellow hunter who was occupied by two spirits. One of them has a hold of the blade of Ronan's dagger, the hunter locked in a struggle as he tries to thrust the dagger into the spirits chest but the creature seems to be too strong. Running their shadowed hand along the edge of the knife, their black blood runs down the dagger, staining both it and ground beneath, as the second spirit makes a move for him, reaching out towards his body.

Just as Naya is about to call out to Ronan, her own spirit lets out a high pitched scream before it's staggered towards her once more, hunched over on all fours as it charges towards her.

"Naya!" He calls again, panic rising in his voice, "To my left!"

Left?

Naya forces her dagger forward, causing the spirit to retreat a few steps. She then advances, much like a fencer as she tries to ward off the creatures that little bit more. She points her blade forward one more time, the spirit hissing as it retreats again and as it does, Naya quickly takes a few steps back herself, putting some more distance between them as she turns on her heel, not hesitating as she sends her dagger flying towards Ronan and the two creatures surrounding him.

She hears the boy lets out a choked off yelp before he's suddenly on the ground, breathing heavily as one of the spirits manages to gain the upper hand, climbing ontop of him with their claws wrapped around his neck, "My left.." He emphasises with a cry, "I meant my left, not yours!"

"You should've clarified!" She shouts back defensively, looking warily back to the spirit in front of her, edging closer at an alarming rate. Naya, now weaponless, begins to shuffle backwards, her eyes desperately searching the forest floor for where her dagger could possibly have landed.

Out of the corner of her eye she spots the glistening edge of the knife nestled in the grass off to her left. It's near Ronan's body, too far to make a dash for or to ask for help, but she doesn't have a choice.

She has to get her dagger back, and she has to help Ronan.

Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, Naya pushes off, heading straight for Ronan. As she approaches she doesn't stop or slow down, instead she jumps at the spirit that has a hold of the Balletor, tumbling over so that they both roll to the floor, landing in a heap.

With the spirit now on top of her and Ronan free to fight the other two, she kicks her feet frightfully, trying to free herself. She sees a green flash of light in her peripheral vision, but alas she doesn't turn towards it and as a reassuring feeling comes over her, she's sure that Ronan has just contained the spirit.

One down, only two more to go...

Unable to shake the spirt from her, Naya reaches out, her fingers stretched as she tries to touch her athame that lays just off to her side. Just as she tries to turn the upper half of her body to be able to reach it, she feels a familiar grip on her leg pull her back, the creature desperately clawing at Naya's skin. She screams in pain as she feels her blood pour out through the gash in her thigh and lower stomach, black spots dancing in front of her eyes.

In a panic induced fit, Naya knees the creature, and as she glances behind her, she catches the way that Ronan roughly grabs the creatures cloak, pulling it back harshly to separate it from her as he throws it to the floor.

"Go!" He orders breathlessly, "I'll cover you, go get your dagger-!"

His demand is forcefully cut off as he arches his back, leaning backwards to avoid the talon that swings all but an inch from his face. Ronan ducks, dropping to the floor as he manages to avoid the creature's other claws.

As Ronan squats down, Naya focuses her attention back onto herself as she attempts to summon all the remaining strength in her body to pull herself up into a sitting position. With shaky legs, she manages to rise to her feet, wincing as she straightens her back.

She looks over at Ronan just as his dagger disappears within the creature's chest, embedded securely as he takes a step back, watching as the spirit crumbles to the floor. Taking a moment to breathe, Naya then reaches out for where her athame was lying on the floor, the ends of her mouth twitching upwards at the familiar weight of the knife when the handle finds its way back into her hand. Rising shakily to her feet and limping over to Ronan, the two of them exchange a nod, their eyes locking on the final spirit.

Only one more to go.

Ronan tilts his head to the side, gaining Naya's attention again as he wordlessly asks if she's okay due to the injuries she sustained. Tilting her head up, Naya nods, she was fine, and was about to get a whole lot better once she destroys this creature.

Taking a step forwards in time, both Naya and Ronan raise their daggers, and with immense speed, Naya crouches low and in front of Ronan, shallowly swinging her athame, getting the creatures lower half as the other hunter moves behind, slicing upwards.

Now having swapped sides, Ronan turns his head to look at Naya, a smirk sitting on his lips, "It's all yours.."

And without hesitation, Naya wedges her dagger right in the creature's chest, before reaching in with her hand, and pulling out it's heart- the now shell of a being collapsing to the floor almost instantaneously.

Holding the creatures black heart in her hand, Naya turned to Ronan, showing him the prize.

"We-"

"Were rusty" She finalises, plunging her hand into her pocket to find her own crystal, pulling it out and putting it beside the heart.

Ronan furrows his eyebrows at the blunt statement, they had defeated the spirits had they not?

"I was going to say, 'we did it'..." He admits, pulling his own gem out of his pocket, "but yeah, I suppose we were"

With the smoke of the two hearts in his gem, Ronan hands it over to Naya, her eyebrows furrowing as she doesn't understand what he wants from her.

"Why.."

"I meant what I said" He shrugs, placing his own gem in Naya's hand, "Transfer the smoke from mine to yours...I want to help, we got three gems today, if we keep working like this, if we train together and grow stronger as a team, then we'll reach your goal a lot quicker..."

But Naya shakes her head, unbelieving that a Balletor would help her like this, "I... I don't want your charity"

"You're not getting any" He states, his eyes softening as he understands how confused she must be at the sudden kindness from someone like them, "What we did today... that's teamwork... I believe that we're a lot stronger together... we've just got to get used to one another's styles to really make it work... we can do this Naya, I can help... so what do you say?"

Staring down at the second green jewel in his hand, Naya shakes her head in disbelief.

That's three spirits, that's now twenty two...

As she looks up at Ronan, the boy's eyes wide and hopeful, Naya finds the ends of her mouth twitch upwards, giving the hunter the answer that he sought.

"Okay... okay, let's do it"