The very next day after finding the flowing orb in Orchidia’s riverside, Faye found herself feeling very anxious and vexed. Apart from having such an intimate and scary memory being played in front of her like a movie, Faye was genuinely interested in what the thing was. Perhaps it was magic or maybe it really is a ghost. She had wanted to investigate on her own –blame her curiosity- but just as she had decided, Faye surprisingly got the invitation from Dacol Lubex. She identified him as the person who had helped her bring Dex to the hospital. In fact, she had expected him to contact her while also hoping that he would forget it.

Nevertheless, Faye hurried over to where they agreed to meet, in the front of a shop awfully close to the river. She marched down the road with Hana on her hand, around a bakery, and towards an intersection whereupon crossing the street, Faye found Dacol clad in a button down jacket and winter clothes. The young puppeteer herself was wearing very warm, fashionable, fur lined clothes. It was a gray long coat with tiny black buttons on either side and a belt of sorts going around the waist with a buckle at the end. She left it open to show off the white v neck sweater and paired it all off with black jeans and shoes. With a mass of bubblegum pink hair tumbling down her back, Faye made her way over to the impatient looking man.

“Hello! I’m here,” Faye had Hana call out to him, she herself looking like a winter doll. He turned around at the childish voice, surprised and then looking up at Faye in understanding. “Hey,” he greeted, a low voice with a rough undertone. They soon fell into a conversation about the blue ball of light residing in the river, Dacol expressing his opinions, doubts, and suggestions over to a quiet Faye who was playing it all up in her head.

Apparently, from the last time she saw it –less than a day ago, that was- the orb had somehow transformed into a human shape. A number of theories could support this sudden growth and Faye started listing them all up in her head. For one, it could be that the orb was growing from all the spiritual energy in the water and the woods around it. Two, when it showed Faye that snippet of her memory, it had absorbed some of her energy as well. This could easily explain why she felt faint and Dex had completely passed out after their encounter with it. Thirdly, there was some point she was missing about the blue sphere, something neither herself or Dacol with his suspicions couldn’t quite understand yet. Whatever it was, Faye wanted to get to the bottom of it immediately. Seeing as they had no idea what it was, they couldn’t take the risk of it growing stronger and perhaps even more violent. As docile as it seemed at the moment, there was no telling what it could transform into anytime soon.

516/1000

A starless night was starting to blanket Orchidia when they both reached the river. Faye was surprised by how quiet it was. So silent that she almost couldn’t even hear the flow of water or the rush of wind over the green wilderness lining the river. It was slightly creepy, but the looming figure of a child over the water surface made her visibly shudder. Dacol was not kidding when he said it grew. No, it didn’t just grow, but it was really looking like a human child now. The spiritual presence around it was nothing laughable, either. Faye had to will her heart to stop beating so rapidly against her chest.

“You are the one from yesterday,” the clear sound inside her head almost made Faye drop Hana into the river. She blinked her eyes, and even looked around a bit before she focused on the spirit over the river. Did it almost look smug when it saw her surprise? Faye’s eyes narrowed at the thought. “Who are you?” She asked boldly into the cold, night air, knowing that it will reach the spirit a good few meters away from her.

Dacol, however, looked very confused. “Who are you talking to?” he had questioned. But Faye ignored it with a flick of her hair and took a few steps towards the spirit as if she was in a daze. The blue humanoid form was now completely focused on her. The voice in her head continued. It gave her details, details of its true form and why it was lingering over the river in Orchidia. Not only was it truly a ghost –which spooked Faye- but it was also a mage when it was alive. Suddenly it was warning her of some danger to come although no matter how much she asked, it didn’t tell her what the danger will exactly be. Instead, it had played around her questions –a skill she was so very much familiar with since she used them herself- and had ended up asking her to find someone for it as a favor. So, what was all of this now? Was this all a quest to help some spirit pass on? Faye sighed, irritated by the idea. There was so much she could do besides this. Possibly sensing Faye’s indignation, the spirit warned her of the danger once more, an obvious warning that she shouldn’t brush it off like it is nothing. In fact, it told her to meet him exactly a day later before disappearing into the ground in a spiritual wave.

After this event, Faye finally started hearing Dacol’s voice again. Apparently the man had been trying to get Faye’s attention for a while now. He was asking her about the spirit, having guessed she was communicating with it when she spoke into the air just before. She told him whatever details he wanted to know, irritated by the headache that was slowly sapping her energy away. Dacol sensed her distress and was kind enough to send her off with some money, even letting her know she should contact someone by the name officer Nilan in case she needed any help the next day.

1045/1000