Nova melted into the shadows behind a bookcase as footsteps approached Larena's office. The heavy oak door swung open with a creak. Two guards in polished armor entered first, followed by a woman in a plain gray robe—Maria, one of the caretakers Nova recognized from his time in the garden.

Between them walked a small boy, no older than five. His thin shoulders hunched forward as if trying to make himself smaller. Dirt smudged his pale cheeks. The child froze in the doorway, looking around the office wide-eyed. He stared at the polished desk, the velvet chair, the golden trinkets—a world away from the garden's stone walls and straw mats.

The caretaker placed a gentle hand on the boy's back, urging him forward. Light from the tall windows cast long shadows across the carpet as the group approached Larena's desk.

"This is the first one today, Captain," Maria said.

Larena nodded from behind her desk. "Thank you, Maria. I'll handle the rest from here."

The caretaker bowed slightly and turned to leave. The guards didn't follow. The taller one shifted his weight, looking at Larena with obvious concern. "Are you sure about this, Captain? I know you don't like what's happening here."

Larena's back stiffened. "I said I'll handle it. If someone has to do it, let it be me."

The guards exchanged glances. The shorter one cleared his throat. "...Alright. And the remains?"

"I'll handle everything. Do not disturb me before the next one is ready."

"Understood, Captain. Good luck." The taller guard's voice carried a hint of sympathy.

Both guards backed out of the room. The last one paused at the doorway, glancing through the office one final time. Suspicion flickered across his face before he shut the door with a dull thud.

Silence fell over the room. The boy stood motionless in the center of the carpet, eyes darting between Larena and the closed door. His small hands trembled at his sides.

Larena's shoulders slumped as she exhaled. She looked at the child, who flinched under her gaze. "Nova?"

"The room is silenced," Nova replied, stepping out from behind a high-backed chair. He moved slowly to avoid startling the boy. The child was already frightened enough without seeing someone materialize from nowhere.

"Good. There's no time to waste, then. Do you understand us, child?" She turned to the kid with caring eyes.

But the child remained silent, only stealing glances at her between looking down at the floor. His fingers twisted in the thin fabric of his worn clothes. The tension in his small frame spoke of years spent learning that adults were to be feared.

'I guess the other gardens had it worse than us. We could at least communicate, and the children knew what rules to follow. And still, Millie was scared of adults after getting out.'

"...Come here," Larena said, waving him close while kneeling on the soft carpet. Her voice softened to a gentle whisper.

He seemed to understand that, approaching her slowly. The floorboards creaked beneath his bare feet.

She embraced him carefully, trying not to crush him against her armor. The metal plates of her uniform clinked softly as she wrapped her arms around his thin frame. "You're going to be fine, child." Her hand brushed through his hair. "You'll be fine..."

A slight tremor ran through the words as she held back tears. The morning sunlight caught the moisture gathering in her eyes.

Nova watched in silence, letting her have this moment. Finally, she could start saving these children, letting them live life outside of this hellhole. And this was the first one. The first of hundreds, hopefully thousands.

'This marks the beginning of our rescue,' Nova thought, feeling a rare sense of genuine satisfaction.

"...They might not take too long to return, Larena. We should move him now, so I can return before the next one arrives."

"Right... Stand here, child." She released her embrace and positioned him on top of the carpet, moving out of the way. Her fingers lingered on his shoulder for a moment before falling away.

Nova walked up to the child and put a hand on his shoulder. He was only met with a curious stare.

Then he activated his essence, sending it through the formation. Blue light swirled around their feet, growing brighter until it engulfed them completely. The office faded from view as they disappeared.

They reappeared in the bedroom, just as planned. The formation glowed briefly beneath their feet before fading back into the wooden floorboards. The child immediately started scanning his surroundings, eyes darting from the window to the bed to the door. His mouth fell open in shock at the sudden change in environment.

Nova grabbed his shoulder again, steadying the boy with a gentle but firm grip. "Calm down. I'm Nova." He pointed at himself once the child looked at him. The boy's eyes focused, anchoring to this one familiar element in the strange new room. "Nova," he repeated. Then he pointed at the child, raising his eyebrows in question.

"...Joss." The word came out barely above a whisper, scratchy from disuse.

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"Joss?" Nova pointed at him to make sure he understood, keeping his voice encouraging.

"Joss," Joss replied with more confidence, before pointing at Nova. "Nova." His finger shook slightly, but his eyes held steady.

"Exactly." Nova nodded, offering a small smile. "Come with me, Joss." He gestured to the door while keeping his hand on Joss's shoulder. The floorboards creaked under their feet as they moved toward the exit. "You've got a lot of things to get used to and learn. But I think you'll find it to be an improvement."

And just like that, the first child was safe.

Seven rounds of rescue later, Nova finally felt like he could relax. The room in the inn turned out to be large enough to house eight children, although most would be forced to sleep on the ground. Sunlight filtered through thin curtains, warming the wooden floor where several children sat in a circle.

'It's only until the church finishes their promise at the end of the week. This won't even scratch the bank account I opened. But this caretaker might cost a pretty penny…'

A well-dressed lady sat on the edge of the bed, patiently pointing at drawings in a book she was holding up. The leather-bound volume looked expensive—clearly brought from her previous position. Her voice remained clear and simple as she taught the basics.

"Fish. Can eat." She mimicked putting something in her mouth and chewing, her movements exaggerated for the children's benefit. Then she flipped to the next page, where a tabby cat stretched lazily. "Cat. Can pet." Her hand made a gentle stroking motion.

The children paid close attention, leaning forward to see better. Their eyes widened at each new page, drinking in colors and shapes many had never seen before. Small fingers occasionally reached out to touch the pictures before being gently guided back.

"What do you think?" Annelie asked in their old language, towering over Nova in her drakeling form. She looked down at him from her impressive height, seemingly enjoying the experience.

"I'm surprised you managed to find someone of this caliber so fast. She seems experienced." Nova kept his voice low, watching the lesson unfold across the room.

"Yeah, she's used to teaching upper-class children, hired to help those who struggle with speech. And before that, she was a nanny." Annelie's transformed voice rumbled with pride at her accomplishment.

"Very nice! And she's prepared to work full time?"

"...I promised her double the pay she was currently earning. But I think she was worth it." Annelie tapped a claw against the floorboard.

"Money shouldn't be a problem. Good job, Annelie."

"Thanks! You too." She started bending down, about to pat his head. But once she saw the sharp eyes staring up at her, she decided against it. "...How much essence did you spend on the teleportation?"

"Combined, about half. But it's already returned due to my cultivation skill." Nova flexed his small fingers, feeling the energy flow through them.

"I really need to learn that. After the damn blossoming invocation…" Annelie's scaled shoulders slumped with frustration.

"You'll get there."

"Nova!" One of the children turned to him, breaking away from the group. His dirty blonde hair stuck up at odd angles, and a gap showed where his front tooth should be. He was the only child Nova recognized from the garden. "Where is Paula and Carl? And Kovu?"

Nova smiled, masking the bitter twist in his gut. "They went to a different place, Estus. You might not meet them again."

"Aww…" Estus's small shoulders drooped. His fingers twisted in the hem of his new shirt.

Nova grabbed his shoulders. "But the others will all come join you. We just need more time.".

Estus's smile returned in an instant. "Good! They should all come here!"

"I agree. Try to learn well while you're here, okay? And listen to the nice lady." Nova ruffled the boy's hair.

Estus nodded, turning back to the teaching lesson. His bare feet padded across the wooden floor as he rejoined the circle.

Annelie chuckled slightly. "It looks kind of weird from up here, watching you act like an adult around the kids."

"They don't know that. It's how I've always acted around them." Nova kept his eyes on the children, feeling a mix of pride and sadness. Much work stood ahead of him, but at least these children were safe. Even this tiny piece of his eventual goal was invaluable.

"...I hope their adjustment to the outside world goes smoothly."

"Me too…Well, I should return to Larena." Nova turned back to Annelie, craning his neck to meet her eyes. "If Morten suddenly decides not to accept her souls, I'll have to be there to ensure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"You do that. I need to keep looking for more helpers. And train…" Her mood instantly seemed to drop as she recalled how much she struggled with the most basic of magic.

'It seems like we all have weaknesses. Or maybe it has to do with bad compatibility with what we already know?'

"You think that form will make certain skills easier?" Nova gestured to her transformed body.

"Hmm…" Annelie flexed her clawed hands, examining them thoughtfully. "It's worth a try."

"Good luck, either way. I'll see you later." Nova moved toward the door, already planning his route back.

"Later! And don't get too hurt before our spar!"

"I'll stay fit, don't worry." Nova waved without looking back.

'I'll be disappointed if she doesn't have a trick up her sleeve for our spar. She seems too confident not to.'

Once again, Nova was hidden in the shadows of Larena's office. The scene mirrored the late evening from the day before, with only Larena and Morten standing around the heavy wooden desk. Evening light filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

"Eight children, huh? Not bad for the first day back." Morten's deep voice was impossible to read, even for Nova. His tone revealed nothing—not approval, not suspicion, not satisfaction. Was he happy with Larena's performance? Was he hiding an edge in his voice? Even his face was like stone, revealing nothing.

"It's what I said I'd do, isn't it? The number was higher than usual because those children had all turned five since we halted the harvest." Larena kept her back straight, hands clasped behind her.

"Yes, I'm aware. And yet, not a hint of evidence remains of the dead children." He stood perfectly still, with his hands deep in the pockets of his coat.

Larena retrieved the soul stone from her desk, placing it firmly in front of Morten. The crystal pulsed with faint light. "Don't pretend like you care about any other evidence than this. All the souls are in there."

"How was it?" Morten asked, staring into Larena's eyes. He didn't even glance at the soul stone.

She swallowed, turning to stare out the window. Her shoulders trembled slightly. The mask of professional indifference cracked, revealing raw emotion beneath. "It was... It was worse than I imagined." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, which she blinked away with visible effort. "So much worse..."

'Well acted! Terrific!' Nova watched from the shadows, impressed by her performance.

"I'm surprised you even managed. The worst part, I assume, was when you had to force them to complete their souls before the final snip." Morten's voice held a cruel edge now, testing her reaction.

Larena's jaw tightened. Her hand gripped the edge of the desk until her knuckles turned white. "Take the souls and go, Overseer. I'm not interested in discussing child-killing with you."

"Heh, of course not." Morten's lips curved into a cold smile that never reached his eyes. "There's just one issue."

"...And what's that?"

"The tracker I placed on the last child somehow appeared in the middle of the city. And for some reason, it's still moving around. Almost like the child still lives."

Morten seemed to grow another few inches as he straightened his back. The air in the room thickened as essence started moving beneath his skin—an unveiled threat.

"So, Captain… How do you explain that?"

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