80 – Suddenly, Second Volume? That’s not how any of this works, Natasha!

The journal ran out of pages, LMAO. Luckily, I'm a smart woman and bought some blank books along with the pencils. Have to think in the long run, right?

I guess this is the second volume of my story? It was such an abrupt end, though. Well, if I ever publish this... which is growing to be an insensitive decision the more I write, I will do it in a much more appropriate way.

If someone finds this second volume first... well... good luck trying to make sense of things. Maybe this will be your personal Chase, reader... whoever you are.

Find the first volume if you give a shit.

If I ever lose them, that is. Hehehe.

**

2nd day of the fifth month. Sixth week of summer. 1980 Yiama's Era. Paarjo, Lumin Kingdom.

A couple hours later, I was riding Sonya with Alyssa behind me on our way to the Watchers Office she got the letter from.

I had a fistful of almonds from the bag I bought at the market and was snacking on them while guiding the Ratnak.

Alyssa was braiding my hair and teaching me more about the Dragon Tongue, which I had been neglecting the last week.

“Kā sha Natasha, uv Halve Akrenk,” I said, stopping my mount at an intersection.

“Akrank, Natasha,” Alyssa corrected me. “Akrenk means to do war, not Warrior. It's the difference between verb and noun.”

I brought an almond to my mouth and nodded while chewing. “Got it,” I replied and went at it again, “ Kā sha Natasha, uv Halve Akrank.”

“Correct,” she praised me and tightened the braid she was doing. “Now, introduce the party.”

By the Gods, I took a slow breath and my eyes widened. The woman is strict.

Until we reached our destination, my girlfriend grilled me for every mistake I made.

Progress was good, at least.

Once there, we went inside the building and dismounted. There was a rest post inside just like the office in Riverfield.

A Shishi Tigea Watcher approached us and saluted. “Your Excellency, Lady Pruvik,” he greeted us.

I gave him a nod.

“Good morning,” Alyssa greeted him with a smile. “I got a letter requesting my presence.”

The man nodded and turned around. “This way, please,” he said and walked towards the building.

We followed him inside and into a room.

There, Elena was sitting on a chair reading a book. She had one leg on top of the other and a plate with fruit on a table next to her.

On the other side of the table sat an Urkila Tigea reading a sheet of paper.

[Urkila Tigea, Lvl 231 Routier]

“Lady Pruvik has arrived, Captain,” the Shishi Tigea announced.

The other Tigea looked up at us and nodded. “Dismissed,” he muttered.

We walked in and the man who guided us left.

The Captain stood up and walked to us, extending a hand. “Lady Pruvik, welcome. And thank you for coming on such a short notice. I'm Gilen Corvin, Captain of Paarjo's East Watcher Peloton No. 002.”

Alyssa shook his hand with a smile. “Not a problem,” she assured him then added, “A pleasure to meet you.”

The man turned to me and gave me a short nod, “Your Excellency.”

I returned the nod and moved to the wall next to the door, where I leaned my back against it.

The two walked to the table and took a seat.

Elena was looking at me with a big smile. “Good morning, Your Excellency,” she greeted me with a deep nod. “I hope you've been doing great since last we saw each other.”

“I'm good,” I replied with a nod. “How about you? Have they treated you well?” I asked, gesturing at the Captain with my head.

The Elf sighed, “Yes. They've been very accommodating.”

I simply nodded.

The Captain put a paper in front of Alyssa and pushed it in her direction. “We need your signature, Lady Pruvik. You're the Cleric that healed Elena's mind and brought up the argument of mind control.”

Alyssa nodded and began reading the document.

“Why didn't Lakeview ask for it?” I inquired, looking at the man.

He met my eyes and spoke, “The pertinent document that proves, or disproves, the presence of mind control is usually issued by us here in Paarjo in cases such as this. As far as I know, there is always traces of mind control in people who were under it, sometimes lasting years. That requires appropriate attention from Clerics and is something we make sure the victims receive,” he explained with a bored tone. “This case is peculiar, to say the least. There is no memory to speak of, nor are there traces of mind control. That would be the main reason we need Lady Pruvik to sign the document since she was the one who healed the victim's mind.”

“I see,” I hummed, then turned to Elena. “Any info on relatives?”

She shook her head with a frown. “Nothing yet,” she muttered in a sad voice.

That sucks, I thought. “How about the Faeton Embassy? How did that go?” I asked her.

“Contact was made yesterday and we sent the relevant documents,” the Captain replied. “We should get an answer in the following days.”

I hummed in approval. That was pretty fast.

“Alright. Looks good,” Alyssa muttered with a nod. She produced a quill and signed the paper, then handed it to the Captain.

He received it and gave it a look-over. After a few seconds he nodded and put the paper down. “In regards to Elena, she's found to be perfectly healthy other than the memory loss. She was given guidance to attune her current memories with her classes, and was briefed on the time period she lost.”

The Luzo nodded and turned to the Elf. “How's your mood?”

Elena gave a weak shrug. “Mornings are hard for me so I'm not that energetic yet.”

While my girlfriend asked the woman about her health, I observed them in silence.

Elena was in an odd situation. Her age could mean her parents were already dead unless they had her when young.

The lost memories were something I hoped she could recover.

If one day I go away for a while and Alyssa loses her memories... it would destroy me, I thought while biting my lower lip. I can't imagine what it's like to lose memories so I can't even begin to empathize with that. I can imagine how Yulianna would see the situation, however. Losing Perculis, then Elena loses her memories of a thousand years spent together. That would push me to insanity.

A few things popped on my mind, offering a possible solution.

Danuva and Miraztor. A Goddess and a Halve. Both masters of the Laws of Life, I pondered. They could fix Elena's amnesia and I'd get the information on the people who tried to kill me.

With that possible solution in mind, I continued to listen to the conversation.

“How do you see yourself handling the process at the Embassy?” Alyssa asked with a gentle smile.

Elena let out a long sigh. “The cognitive derealization is becoming too much,” she replied with tired eyes. “I feel too lost to go through the hoops of bureaucracy.”

Alyssa nodded. “Why do you think that could be?”

The Elf took a deep breath and sighed. “Too many things happening too fast,” she muttered.

The Captain nodded with a frown. He hesitated for a second then said, “I apologize for giving you bad news, but you can't stay with us for much longer... We could, however, set you up with a room at the Church so you can get the help you need for as long as you need it.”

My eyebrows went up at that. That's nice, I thought.

Elena, however, didn't seem like she liked that.

Her eyes tightened in hurt and she bit her lips.

Wait, I thought as I recalled something. Elena handles bugs and insects! I nodded as things came together in my head. “How about,” I began, walking up to Elena and placing a hand on her shoulder. “You join my group for the time being? I'm planning to go see Danuva in the near future.”

The three turned to me with wide eyes.

The Captain's lips trembled a little then whispered, “You would bring her to the Gods?”

I nodded.

Alyssa looked into my eyes and a smile slowly formed on her face. “That sounds good to me,” she cheerfully commented.

Elena was staring at me with wide eyes and mouth. Her eyes watered a little and she gulped. “Your Excellency would do that for me?” she squeaked.

I shrugged. “Why not? I told you I'm partially responsible for the state you're in,” I replied with a smile. “It's not much, but it's what I can do.”

The Captain shuffled some documents and pulled out a form out of the small pile in front of him. “Alright,” he muttered with a nod and continued, “Your Excellency would need to sign this release form that states custody of the mentally maimed.”

I winced at the label, but noticed the other two didn't react to it. Then walked to the table and took the paper.

It was a legal form that gave me more responsibilities than a parent would have with their children, along with both mandatory and recommended treatments Elena had to go through and had been receiving from the Watchers. It stated very clearly that the Elf should not be left alone for periods longer than ten minutes.

Basically how to deal with a person going through suicidal depression.

By the Gods, I thought with a heavy heart. That Changeling is getting tortured, no questions asked.

I produced a quill and signed the paper, then turned to Elena. “Are you comfortable with this?” I asked her with a serious face, pointing at the form.

She nodded with too much enthusiasm. “I won't be safer than with a Higher Being,” she replied with joy, extending a hand to receive the form.

My stomach turned at her zealotry, but it was the price I had to pay for speaking Abyssal without thinking of the consequences.

Elena took the form and gave it a read. She winced a couple of times and nodded by the end of it. “Yeah,” she muttered. “I'm fine with it.” After producing a quill of her own, she signed the paper.

“Alright!” The Captain stood up. “I'll go fetch a high ranking Cleric to legalize the form. Please wait a couple of minutes,” he announced and left the room.

I nodded and looked at Elena.

She was smiling at least, and that's what mattered in my opinion.

Alyssa also had a big smile while looking at me. She looked a little proud.

“The bare minimum shouldn't be celebrated,” I said in a quiet voice.

Her smile accentuated even more at my words to the point her red eyes squinted.

I looked at Elena and asked, “Did anyone mention anything about combat to you?”

She shook her head. “Only that I shouldn't overexert myself,” she replied.

“Fair,” I nodded. “We're going to buy mounts later, do you want to come with us or would you-”

“I'll come!” she interrupted me with a loud voice, standing up and coming too close to my face.

I chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Alright, then.”

Alyssa giggled and stood up as well. “Things are already turning for the better, don't you think?”

The Elf nodded with a small smile. “They are,” she replied still staring into my eyes.

“Can you tell me a little about Akuuhk?” I changed the subject and took a step back, returning to my position of leaning on the wall.

She nodded and sat down, then told me of her home country.

Just as Lapia had told me, the country was comprised of seven floating islands to the far, far south. It was a Monarchy just like the other two Elven countries.

After five minutes, the Captain returned followed by a female Satyr wearing Danuva's Church clothes. She had goat-like eyes like Bromisnar's but green instead of pink. Her horns were also white but much shorter and didn't twist. Her hair was a matte black and her skin an ash gray.

[Maghir Satyr, Lvl 227 Inquisitor]

She looked me up and down with a serious face, then squinted her eyes a little bit. “If I may ask, Your Excellency. How old are you?”

I arched an eyebrow and replied, “Two months and two days.”

Alyssa stood up with a 'Sup bitch?' face and spoke, “I can give testimony to her cognitive development.”

The Satyr glanced at Elena and nodded. “Are you aware of this?”

The Elf nodded.

“Alright, then,” the Inquisitor nodded in satisfaction. “All parties consent and everyone is aware. Let's formalize this.”