"ATI–ATI!" The girl shouted, trying to see any form of her friend she remembered from their past times together. There was no eagle-lion flying around, no girl with short black hair. There was so much moving below her, it was like trying to find a termite in a sea of ants. Mira cried out loudly, shooting lightning and throwing her orb in between shouting. She was afraid for the first time in a while. So many bad things everywhere–what if one of them hurt her friend? By a stroke of luck, or perhaps misfortune, the little girl's eyes found who she was looking for. And not a moment too soon, as monsters were heading her way. But Attie wasn't moving. It didn't look like she was asleep, and the tree behind her looked like it had been hit. The way she was lying down didn't look like how people would rest. The adamantine orb bowled over the monsters in a single swoop. The little girl was floating silently as her head was down, her hands balling up into fists. From the sea, there was a rumble that only grew louder and louder. It was coming far beyond the reaches of Jasumin Lake, past the place where fresh water and saltwater mixed. It was from deep below, beyond the photic zone of the Luna Sea. The ocean began to swell up in a way that had never been seen on days so calm. It was the ocean's rage. 

The color of the purple-blue orb darkened, the clear jewel now holding the images of thrashing waves. The waves were foaming like the froth of rabid wolves and the sky began to cloud over. Monsters who were too close to the edge were dragged in by the riptide, hopelessly trapped in a vicious undercurrent. The halcyon waters of Jasumin were now violent and churning until it was unrecognizable. Those who sailed in ships knew that the sea was a fickle mistress, terrifying and tempestuous. When all was well, sailing was smooth. But when it wasn't, there was nowhere to run. Crashing swells pounded the shoreline as wave upon wave advanced. The skies above crackled with lightning as pressure above and below was building. With her treasure back in her hands, Mira glowered down with a chilling glare. This orb was once the symbol of a lost kingdom's divine right of rulership by a personification of the depths known as a great dragon of the sea. With it, one could control the waves to flood and to pull back. 

A tsunami several times larger and higher than the ones before slammed the coast of Jasumin. The golden fields were buried under several feet of water as a forked lightning roared from above. In the same way she had lifted Attie out of Zobisika's crater, Mira lifted a massive column of seawater filled with struggling Void monsters. The lightning hit, and the column collapsed to crush all of its victims beneath several tons of pressure. The released water split into two waves moving towards the center, sweeping up all the monsters that were still alive to slam them into each other like two palms clapping. Amalgams were battered and bruised while preventing their movements, Reanimators and Infecters had their innards turned inside out from the unequal internal and external pressures, Banshees were deflated husks swirling in the currents. The powerful Rhinos now struggled helplessly as they tread water with the ground no longer beneath them, Centipedes were subjected to whiplash. Bloaters burst and their acidic fluids were completely diluted. There was no mercy from the child-like spirit of the treasure orb. 

The attack was enough to shake hardened veterans, a force of nature coming to life not unlike the devastation spoken in tales of old. Jasumin's banks were eroded by the waves' might and the lilies were completely gone. Flattened, waterlogged land laid around the lakeside creating a new hazard that would slow both enemy and ally down. While the flow of water coming from the sea had stopped, Mira continued to pull and drop the Void beasts trapped in the swell in the same manner of a bird breaking a snail out from its shell. The repeated impact dropping was crude, yet brutal. Any that managed to escape were hit by lightning or by the surviving soldiers. Soil and debris turned the water murky until Mira's fury finally subsided. Waves swelled up one last time until the water receded instantly–leaving the eldritch horde suspended in the air for a few seconds…until their inevitable deaths from gravity's pull. Even a Rhino wouldn't leave unscathed from hitting the ground from such a height. Seawater drained away as she landed, running to Attie. 

"¡Despierta! ¡Despierta, por favor! Ati…" Finally she broke down and cried, the sky's storm clouds dissipating as she desperately tried to wake the older girl. A soft light shone from her orb as she hugged Attie, leaving it beside her. A warm purple glow shone onto Attie as the magic within began healing her wounds.

As Mira was tearing apart the world, Attie was having a strange dream. 

-The world around the two were dark. There was one girl with Attie's form but instead of being colorful, she was as dark as the midnight sky without the stars. The second girl also held the appearance of Attie but she was a bright light. The girls were sitting back to back, looking away from each other. The dark one was holding her legs while the light one was sitting relaxed. The light girl suddenly stood up and reached over to the dark girl's arm, trying to pull her somewhere. The dark one desperately clawed to the ground, absolutely refusing to go. Seeing that she was not going to come with her, the light girl dropped the other girl and simply sat, with her arms crossed. 

"Fine. I can continue this stupidity." The girl of light said, "But one day I will get tired. One day I will have a breaking point and then I will have to die."

The girl of light held out her hand to the dark one who took it. The two girls began to fuse together, transforming into a colored Attie. She heard somebody calling out for her in the distance.-

Attie's eyes opened to a blurry world but she could feel somebody hugging her. Her arms, legs, and the rest of her body was still exhausted and her head was pounding. When her vision cleared, she saw Mira sitting next to her and hugging her. Attie pushed her arms and managed to hug the little girl in turn. A soft smile was on Attie's face as she looked to the girl. 

"It's okay Mira." She said softly, "I'm fine. It takes a lot more than a few monsters to take me out." 

She pushed herself to a sitting position and looked out at the battlefield, while still holding the little girl. There were a lot less monsters than before….Attie realized that it must have been Mira's doing. The girl was one of the strongest fighters out there so it was probably her. Attie was happy to know that the girl was alive and that the battle had taken a turn for the better. Attie pulled away from the girl to get a good look at her, no injuries. Good. 

"I need to head over to the merchant's area. I'm going to see if he has some health potions so I can get back into battle." Attie explained. 

Whatever had happened to the girl and the orb when they left must have been something fierce. Raile had barely any time at all to react as the lake suddenly lost its placid feeling, suddenly starting to froth and churn with something that Raile could only describe as something that he had seen on the open seas. The wrath of the ocean was well known among sailors, and having been on many a mercantile vessel, Raile had gotten a feel for when the waters got choppy. But this was something far more dangerous than just choppy waters. This was as if someone had angered the sea herself.

And perhaps they had. Raile was terrified as the waters burst forth. The merchant had no clue as to the depths of the lake itself, but he highly doubted it contained this much water. No, this was the work of a powerful magic, and definitely had everything to do with the girl and the orb. She had protected him before, but he had a sinking feeling that something bad had happened to Attie.

The waters rose to dangerous levels around him, but the worst of it seemed to avoid the small, ragtag shop that he had put up, instead bashing and flooding the battlefield off in the distance. Perhaps it was his luck, once again shining through. Raile made a note that, should he survive this whole ordeal, he would have to make an offering to Lady Shiloh’s temple for his incredibly stupid luck.

However, it was not all lucky. Many of his smaller items were taken by the flow of water, following the will of the current. Taking this as a sign, he started to quickly pack up what he could into the Goddess Cube, and make his way with the current.

The aftermath of the devastation was something to behold. The Void beasts had been, for the most part, taken care of. There seemed to be a few strays that were twitching, but it seemed that, for the moment, the battle was over. Raile bent down to pick up one of the few things that had washed away. A rejuvenation potion. He looked around him once more, trying to see if he could find anyone who had need of it. As it would turn out…

“Attie?” he said as he heard a familiar voice. She was okay. “Good…you’re still alive!” he called out, turning to see her and the girl with the orb. “You’re in luck as well…” He held up the potion with a sly smile. “Last one.” He held it out for her, “No charge…”

The tears on Mira's face were drying, and she was wiping her face with the back of her hands. When she wasn't, she was still clinging tightly to Attie as if she was afraid she'd fly away. When the older girl looked up and a familiar voice was heard, Mira turned around too. "¡Señor Vendedor!" Feeling that things were alright for now, she slid down and went to pick up her orb again, hugging it like a doll. As Attie had told Raile, it was indeed the little girl's precious treasure–as powerful as it was. The churning waves within the orb were gone, and the lake was calm once again. And though the wrath of the Luna Sea seemed somewhat indiscriminate, those who survived were taking advantage in the break in the enemy's advance to clear out the stragglers. The soldiers were sure this wasn't the end, but for a little while everyone could finally get some rest. They would all need it too, for nobody knew when the next surge of Twisted would come again. The little girl stood up and dusted herself off, then stepped aside to let Raile hand Attie the much-needed potion. There was relief on her face knowing someone was here to help their mutual friend. From the man's face she felt she could trust him; it was the look in his eyes. Mira had learned the way light moved in one's eyes was the best way to tell if somebody was bad or good. It was more than just if they were smiling or not, as people could smile nicely and be thinking bad thoughts.

Attie barely had to move before Raile was running over and holding out a potion to her. Careful to not bother Mira, who was still holding onto her, Attie reached up to grab the potion. The liquid was a shade of dark reddish pink and smelled like healing herbs. The scent brought Attie a little bit of comfort before she started to slowly drink the potion. There was no need for chugging it since the battle was over. Soon the bottle was empty and Attie handed the bottle back to Raile, in case he wanted to reuse it for some other potion of some sort. 

"Thanks Raile. I owe you one." Attie said with a smile. 

Attie noticed how the battlefield was almost empty of the horde that was once there. She knew that it had to have been Mari who had caused the devastation. Attie had seen Mari at work before, though it was less magic she knew that the little girl was capable of great water magic. Pushing herself to her feet, she walked over to Mira and gave her head a little rub. 

"You did great Mira. I'm very proud of you." Attie said cheerfully. 

The magic was impressive but Attie was mostly trying to cheer the little girl up, as only ten seconds ago she was crying her eyes out. The last thing that Attie wanted was one of her friends to be sad. Her eyes then looked to the both of them, realizing that the two hadn't properly met yet. 

"Oh this is Mira by the way. She's one of my friends that I met on the road" Attie said pointing to the girl then pointed to Raile, "Mira this is Raile. He's a really nice market person and knows a lot." 

Attie hoped that the two would like each other. 

The whole devastation caused by both the Void’s assault and Mira’s attack was something that Raile was still in the process of taking in. While Attie drank the potion, the merchant looked at the remnants of the Void beasts and the Revaliir resistance. The massive power that a single person could hold was something that Raile was starting to understand more and more. The twins that Raile were with were both Rosenite, and thus he knew by proxy that there were people in the world with incredible powers. He had even met the Goddess Angela on an occasion,which was something rather humorous in retrospect, but in the grand scheme of things, he had never quite truly grasped the powers of those he met.

Everyone had heard tales of such powers, but to witness them first hand like this was something entirely different. Raile had just survived based on his dumb luck, and that alone. There were many who were on their side who had not survived; collateral damage in the efforts to stem the tide of the Void. While Raile didn’t blame Mira, he wondered if it was worth it in the end.

The merchant pulled himself away from his thoughts as Attie started to introduce the two. “Oh, yes…Mira,” he replied with a smile. He wasn’t afraid of her, not by any means, but he was wary of her power. He figured he would never be a direct target, but knew that, should she snap again, he might be in trouble.

“We…briefly met. Indirectly.” He took a semi-dramatic bow. “Raile Talon, of Jayou. At your service.”

"¡Señor Vendedor!" The little girl's eyes lit up at the sight of Raile, the man she had seen before she flew off to find Attie. He introduced himself, to which the girl tucked her orb underneath her arm and pointed at herself with a confident grin. "Soy Mira." She turned to Attie, asking: "¿Eres su amiga?" Pointing at the man, Mira decided she would call him 'Señor Talón' from now on. The child looked Raile over, then nodded as if she was approving something. Once she was out of danger and combat she returned to acting like an ordinary child, beginning to levitate a few inches off the ground. Her anger was now completely gone, which was a very good thing for everyone. She spied the empty potion bottle, and stared at it in wonder. What was that magical drink? There were many things she didn't know, and curiosity got the better of her. "¿Qué es eso?" She pointed at it, asking innocently. If he was a seller he must have many amazing and wonderful things! It was a pity she didn't get a better look at his little makeshift shop before her waves washed over the lakeside. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Mira would have asked the man about everything he was putting up for sale. Floating over towards Attie, she reached out her hands to touch the empty potion bottle. The girl seemed to think the bottle itself was magical, as if it was the source of the miraculous healing drink. Peering into it, she looked back at the other two to see if they had anything they wanted to say about it.

Attie was glad that the two seemed to be getting along. She didn't have any doubt though, as they both were two wonderful people. Mira's childlike behavior had returned just like it had never left. The child was once again happy and curious, especially when it came to the empty potion bottle. Attie was confused at first to what Mira was asking about but she was soon able to understand due to Mira's staring. The child must have thought that the bottle was the source of the magical drink! 

"Oh that's just the container." Attie explained, "But I guess if it was able to hold such a potion, then maybe some sort of magic has worn off onto it? What do you think Raile? Is the bottle magical?"

She was slightly teasing as she knew that was not how magic worked. But Attie also didn't want to crush Mira's curiosity and wonder over such a small thing so she decided to tell a half truth. Her hope was that Raile would play along and say something mysterious. He was the so called wise travelling merchant after all. Perhaps he would play the mysterious merchant role to entertain Mira. 

"I bet Raile has a lot of other mysterious items hidden away as well." She said with a playful smirk.

They all needed a break from the death and carnage anyway. 

Raile noted that the little girl seemed to speak a different tongue than he and Attie did, but that didn’t seem to hinder her much. Despite her devastating attack earlier, she seemed to be nothing more than an innocent child, which once again brought Raile into perspective on how little he knew of the World and it’s mysteries. This moment allowed him a small smile as she stared into the bottle, wondering at it with her curiosity. He knelt down and listened to Attie’s own explanation, and glanced at the remnants of the potion that had been in it.

“Well, I’m not entirely sure the potion bottle holds magic itself,” he said with a half smile, “But that doesn’t mean that it’s not without merit. Just because something lacks magic, doesn’t mean that it’s not special.” The merchant tapped the base of the bottle. “Glass, even lacking magical properties, is something quite special, isn’t it? It can take many shapes and sizes, and hold the magical potions. From lore, it is also something that has the potential to hold a vast amount of magical enchantments…”

He stood back up. “And of course. I have quite the selection of unique items.” Raile took a confident pose, “I recommend taking a visit to my shop once all of this is over.” There it was. The key. Once it was all over. Not if. They would survive. They didn’t have a choice. They would pull through this no matter what.

“Tell you both what…when we get out of this, I’ll throw a big party in Jayou. All the food I can manage, and then some. A giant thing to celebrate. What do you think about that?”

The two knew how to shift Mira's thoughts onto happier things. Attie asked the merchant man if the bottle was magical, and she eagerly listened to what he had to say. The girl's purplish-blue eyes were slightly disappointed when she learned that the bottle wasn't magical, just made of glass. Raile then mentioned that glass, although not naturally magical by itself, was able to become many shapes for many things. In a way that was magical too. Feeling less discouraged, Mira nodded as if to agree and peered at the potion bottle with a smile. Señor Talón then proudly spoke of his wares, something which Mira was sure to be interested in. Even if he hadn't suggested they see his shop when the war was over, she would have done so anyway. New things were always amazing to her, magical or not. Before she could ask where his shop was, the merchant said that if they all survived this ordeal he would throw a great party in a place called 'Jah-yoo'–with food and many other wonderful things. 

When he asked them what they thought, Mira hugged her orb with shining eyes. "¿Una fiesta? ¡Esa suena divertida! ¿Habrá música y baile? ¿Dónde está Jayou?" A stream of questions started coming from her, not realizing they might not be able to understand with how fast she was speaking. But it was clear she was excited and happy to come to Raile's planned festivities in the near future. Putting a hand to her chest, she proudly declared: "
¡Mira vendrá, seguro!" She held out her little hand towards the two of them, then folded her fingers down leaving her pinky finger. She had picked up this somewhere from her travels. It was said that this was how you made promises with people. You would then hook your pinky fingers, and it would be done.