The sun's warm glow beamed through Alvios' window with unrelenting strength, striking his bedside like it had done every morning to wake the boy from his sleep. Today was the day, Arcadia's festival of Lights! A rather mundane festival, created and celebrated to acknowledge the longest day of the year. The town would soon gather around the statue of its founder, who died over 500 years ago, their grand hero Helios who was said to have pulled the sun from space to light the world, to honor his give on today, his supposed birthday.

Unfortunately, nobody really knew when Helios was actually born, so the elders of Arcadia came together and decided it would be the longest day of the year, at some point. A lot of people honestly question the nonsensical mythology behind Helios and his feats, but they kept to themselves. No need for negativity on such a joyous day, after all.

Especially with all the free food flying out of the local shops in honor of the tradition.

Alvios yawned, sitting upright and shielding his eyes from the light. He really needed to remember to get some new curtains. "Gonna blind myself at this rate...thanks a lot, Helios." Whether he was being sarcastic or not was debatable though, since that particular legend meant free food and fun for the rest of the day. He didn't rush; he combed his hair, dressed himself up, and strapped his sword to his side.

He went outside and took a breath of fresh air; today felt like it was going to be a good day.

The crowds that gathered turned towards Alvios as he made his way forward. "Alvios!" A woman called out, followed by the echoed voice of her little girl.

"Alvie!" Little Rebecca said, rushing towards him. Her mother didn't even bother trying to stop her.

"You're just in time for the festival! I was about to get back to Jerry and get to work on the evening Pies- Do you think you could watch Rebecca for me?" The woman asked. How typical of Mary, to immediately ask a favor of the first capable person in sight. Alvios was known for his kindness, though. Would he really turn down a helpless old woman? Rebecca looked up to Alvios hopefully, bouncing up and down. Another day with big brother Alvie? The kid was always happy to get away from her mom.

Meanwhile, deeper in the crowd, a stream of jet-black hair squirmed between the people. Men and women were shoved aside as whoever the culprit was dashed closer towards the statue. Most didn't catch much of a glimpse of the blackened hair that followed her lithe figure, but it was most certainly a young girl. Curious though, as nobody who actually saw her could remember who she was.

Alvios rolled his eyes and sighed, hefting the young girl up onto his shoulders with a smile. "As if I could say no to either of you ladies. You had best save me the best pie though, Miss Mary!" He chuckled and gave the women a casual wave as she hurried off, before looking up at Rebecca. "Alright you, how about we go take a look at the statue, now that you're above all the adults in the crowd?"

He didn't wait for her response; he'd babysat Rebecca enough to have a good idea of what she'd want. First the statue, then some games, and then a few sweets before her mother came back for her. Alvios was already thinking up some fancy tale about Helios to entertain the child during their first stop.

Rebecca twirled Alvios' hair playfully as he showed her around. As they made their way through the crowd though, Rebecca couldn't help but notice something sifting through the crowd towards her and Alvios. Within moments, it was upon them. A short, 5'6'' girl with hair blacker than the night, and a mask that covered her entire face. The eye slits revealed a dark glow, barely visible when constrating her mask, and her body was tightly wrapped with a similar material, up to her wrists, neck, and ankles.

"Alvie look!" Rebecca said, tugging his hair gently, "A girl!"

She looked young, but no younger than 25. Her figure was lithe, and revealed much, with her black hair tied back in a neat, long ponytail that appeared to be burnt at the edge.

"Hello!" Rebecca called out. The black haired girl looked up and rose her hand, looking unsure of herself, before gently waving to her. The corners of her mouth perked up through he mask, revealing a nervous smile through the tight fabric, but she did not register Alvios at all.

Alvios winced playfully as Rebecca tugged at his hair, but as the young woman approached him, his brow creased. He was immediately put off by her appearance; who wouldn't be? Not exactly common for people to be walking around with black masks and full-body leather. The sun must have been hitting that mask strangely as well, as Alvios could swear he was seeing her eyes glow. She didn't look like she belonged at the festival, or even around other people at all. Rebecca wouldn't care, she was just a little girl, naive and curious. His protective instincts were kicking in terribly.

However, the girl also wasn't giving off any sort of threatening appearance. Her rather average height and pathetically thin build didn't betray a hint of ill intent or aggression, and she seemed terribly meek. I'm overreacting, Alvios thought, trying to be a little more open-minded and smiling at the stranger. "Can I help you, miss? You were weaving through the crowd awfully quickly there. Are you looking for something?" As he spoke, he could feel the fingers on his right hand twitch, and he was suddenly very glad about the sheathed blade belted at his hip.

The girl looked to Alvios and her smile vanished. People began to stare now that the black-coated girl was immobile. Who was she? Where did she come from? They were awfully curious, but couldn't be bothered to pay attention for long. There were plenty of odd characters that passed through Arcadia, few of whom spoke to anybody before taking their leave. This girl was no different to any of them.

"Can I help you Miss?" The small girl parroted in the same tone that Alvios used. Her head swayed to one side ever so slightly and she blinked, looking down to the floor, as if lost in thought. It wasn't long before she nodded in a curt, polite manner. As she did so, he posture changed, and he hands dropped to her side, like she'd become an entirely different person. "Awfully quick. The people here- They are unbearably- Interest me greatly." The girl paused, changing how she spoke between each phrase. It was odd, almost eerie to witness. "What is your Name?"

The questioned sounded more like a demand than anything else. She glared at Alvios sternly as she asked, but quickly returned to her frightened demeanor after saying so.

At the head of the crowd that gathered around Helios' statue, the city's elder counsel was addressing their people, preparing to make way for the festivities. A speech, monotonous and irritating as it always was. 'thank Helios for our light, eat and drink in prosperity,' whatever most people wanted to hear on a good day. The black haired girl didn't turn to listen, totally toning the old man at the foot of Helios' statue out of her mind.

"My...my name is Alvios." He spoke clearly and plainly, making sure he was audible over the speech without appearing intimidating. This stranger clearly wasn't all there. He shouldn't rush to conclusions about her off-putting demeanor. Probably just a foreigner, maybe this wasn't her native language. Still, the raw instinct he felt in her presence was still influencing his reason. He slowly and carefully set down Rebecca. If he needed to run, it would be easier to pick her up than try to hold her on his shoulders. If he needed to do something else, well, he couldn't fight with a little girl on his head obviously.

Alvios gave the stranger the most inviting look he could muster. "Sorry; stiff shoulders. Now, what's your name?"

"Stiff shoulders," the girl parroted again, rubbing her right bicep vigorously. "You are Shadra, created- Umm.. Shadra. My name is.. Shadra. Alvios?" Shadra looked at Rebecca, who smiled and waved at her. "Hel..Looo." The dark girl knelt down and began crawling on all fours. Rebecca stepped back, startled, but Shadra crawled around her and Alvios until she was right next to Rebecca, like a dog. "Hello!" Rebecca smiled and waved again.

"I'm Rebecca! Very nice to meet you," Rebecca announced formally, flinging her hand forward for a handshake. Shadra flinched for a moment, and glared at the tiny girl's hand.

"Rebeccaaa.."

Alright, little creeper girl was reaching a whole new level of unsettling. 'You are Shadra, created...' What did she mean by that little slip? It was only getting worse as the conversation went on as well, words becoming drawn out and statements going from broken to incoherent. Alvios didn't want to be around her anymore. He certainly didn't want her around Rebecca either. He cleared his throat loudly to try and grasp her attention for a hopefully decent amount of time. "Well then, Miss Shadra, if there's nothing I can help you with, I think Rebecca and I should be going. The festival awaits and whatnot."

For the longest day of the year, the sweat beneath his jacket felt cold.

Rebecca looked up at Alvios, but before she could follow his orders, Shadra reached out and grasped her hand. She squeezed tightly, prompting Rebecca to squeal in pain. "Hey! That hurts!"

"That hurts," Shadra growled, squeezing tighter. She yanked Rebecca forward. The little girl tripped and landed beneath Shadra's body. "I shouldn't be here," Shadra whispered, looking around herself, shocked by the surroundings. "I shouldn't be here. Rebecca, I.." Shadra looked down at the little girl, she wasn't moving. Her little arm was coated in erratic markings, that matched the patterns of her veins and ran all the way up to her neck. She whimpered, but didn't scream. When Shadra let go of her, the darkness in her arm disappeared, but Rebecca fell forwards, and didn't move. Shadra backed away from the little girl, bumping into another man that stood near by. The jutted forward and stood up on two legs. The people turned, one after another, to see Rebecca's little body laying motionless, and Alvios standing nearby with Shadra.

She wasn't breathing.

It all felt like it happened in slow motion and too fast at the same time. It would have been enough to retaliate if Shadra had just grabbed Rebecca's arm. That alone would have been reason enough. But the anomaly, the darkness that had spread from Shadra into Rebecca for that moment, that pushed him over the edge.

Alvios drew his sword in one swift motion, swinging horizontally at Shadra to keep her back, and to send a message to the crowd around him about how much room he would need. "Everyone back away from her, NOW! Don't touch her! If any of you get the chance, take Rebecca to the Elders!" His voice lowered once he had spoken out for the people, his tone colder and directed at Shadra. "I don't know who or what you are, Shadra, but you're going to regret what just happened." His off-hand moved to the hilt of his sword now, readying up for a more lethal stroke, his eyes glancing over Rebecca as he moved himself between Shadra and the child.

"I swear it."

The crowding people backed away. Rebecca's mother was nowhere to be found, but the present people looked on the scene in horror. The elders were too far away to witness what was happening, but paused what they'd been saying.

Shadra stepped back and away from Alvios' sword, standing just a few feet away from him when he moved to defend the breathless child. Her eyes flickered and Shadra's brow fell low. "Don't swing at me," She growled, stepping back and dropping onto all fours once again. "Accidents happen, you miserable- Don't swing at me- Listen to my words, you insufferable mistake-" Shadra paused and grabbed her head. People stared as he muscles visibly quivered, but within a few moments, she was calm again. Shadra crawled forwards, trying to slowly make her way around Alvios. "Let me look at her. She's suffering," Shadra ordered, her tone far more lucid than before.

Alvios wouldn't have any of it. What reason did he have to blindly trust this woman immediately after she did that to Rebecca? A child was hurt, fate uncertain, all through some strange power that just happened on contact with no warning. His hands tightened around his blade, and he tried very carefully to control his voice.

"I've got no reason to trust you with her again. And I'll be damned if you get away from this without retribution!" He was hesitant to swing again though. Could that odd ability travel through any sort of contact? No, she had bumped into the man behind her. So either it had to be intentional or flesh-to-flesh. Was she going to fight back? She definitely seemed to have a violent side, but she also seemed reluctant. Very reluctant...and suddenly lucid.

Alvios swallowed some of his anger and pride. "...If this was actually an accident though, just tell me how to undo whatever you did, and leave. I'll back down then."

"You have to kill her," Shadra spat, "Kill her before she changes." The people nearby began stepping forward, towards Shadra, aggressively, standing alongside Alvios as he stopped Shadra from proceeding.

"What is the meaning of this!?" one of the elders shouted, hobbling through the crowds. Behind him, stood Rebecca's mother and father.

"No!!" The parents rushed past everybody in their path and towards Alvios, but Shadra jumped between them, growing closer to Rebecca, as she kneeled at Alvios's side and rose one of his hands. Her skinny fingers were quickly coated in a black mist that took a hardened form. It was like a claw, and she brought it down towards Rebecca in a swift motion, her eyes fixated on Alvios' weapon throughout.

"Not happening." Alvios was coldly relieved at her response. If Shadra's only solution was death, then Alvios was perfectly willing to deliver equal justice, and Shadra didn't give him any reason to let her walk away from this unscathed. He skipped back slightly, before turning and swinging his sword down hard at Rebecca's back. He would have tried to keep distance between them whether he had seen that claw or not; he didn't want to suffer the same fate as Rebecca if he could help it.

If nothing else though, he had to get Shadra away from Rebecca, let the Elders try to help. He didn't necessarily have to win the fight, he just had to avoid losing.

Shadra kept her eyes on Alvios, and turned to face him, allowing the blade to strike through her chest. But as the blade slashed against the leather-like clothing she wore, her body faded briefly into a dark smoke before reforming. It was wraith-like, but she didn't react negatively at first. "Don't swing at me.. Don't swing at me.. Don't swing at me.." Shadra repeated, lowering her body and dispelling his dark claw. The girl crawled towards Alvios slowly, keeping her eyes fixated on his sword. The people surrounding them began backing away, and Rebecca's parents found their way to their daughter, with the elders by their side. It was only moments before Rebecca was surrounded by loved ones, but Shadra wasn't about to let anything happen. The wide open circular plaza, once flooded with civilians, was thinning out as people ran away in fear, or to find help. The few who stayed, watched Alvios hopefully. He was the best swordsman Arcadia had to offer, and although the local guards were nothing to sneeze at, they weren't exactly here to help, were they?

Shadra spun around and dashed towards the group of people, grabbing them by their shoulders one at a time, and peeling them away from the group as she forced her own way to Rebecca. "It can't be allowed to exist-" She parroted from a memory long past, summoning another claw of black mist around her hand as she slashed at Rebecca's parents angrily.

Alvios had to take a moment to register what had happened. Well so much for cutting her. How the hell did she do that? She wasn't intangible; she was clearly touching people, and she bumped into someone earlier without falling through them. No time to think about it now, though. Shadra was on the move again.

And in the wrong goddamn direction. "Get away from them! You're fighting me now, Shadra!" He chased after her, pulling the metal sheath out of his belt. He needed to get her to pay attention to him. He flung the sheath at her, readying to strike at wherever she dodged. Something would work eventually. It had to.

Rebecca's mother lurched forwards to stop Shadra, but her claw cut through the woman's face and throat with ease, spattering blood across her husband and daughter. In the same moment however, Alvios' sheath struck the back of Shadra's head. She hunched forward and spun around, angrily eyeing Alvios, and crouching close tot he ground. His blade swept through her again, and she lunged towards him with her claw ready to strike at his abdomen from below.

Sheath hit, sword still went through. She has to be paying attention to phase. These thoughts were just droplets at the bottom of Alvios' mind at this point. Rebecca might be dead. Mary was definitely dead. Alvios was going make Shadra suffer their same fate, one way or another. Any form of forgiveness or mercy was no longer due. Fine. New test. I'm the bait. "Do your worst!"

Alvios flipped the grip on his sword and stabbed down in front of him. If Shadra kept going at his gut, he planned on putting a sword through her back. If she could still attack while phasing through his blade, well he gave it his best shot. If she dodged, then he could keep going with the idea that she couldn't attack while going through others.