The sun was starting to set by the time Leah arrived at Dahlia city. Her legs felt cramped but she was still feeling curious and energetic as always. She had traveled a very long way to get to this city. “Finally, I’m here”, she said to herself. All kinds of memories about her grandfather ran in her mind. All those hours talking about the world and the fiorian people and their cities. Her heart ached for a second as she started remembering about the amazing times Leah had spent hearing her grandfather talking about his journeys. Being able to see those places for herself now, made her feel closer to him in a comforting and exciting way. Yet it was still very soon for her to not feel sad when remembering. Her life had taken a brutal turn since the last time she was home. But at least the whole year she spent alone in Bosco finally gave her the confidence to arrive at the mysterious city his grandfather was always talking about.


She felt the tiredness spreading through her body as she walked through the main avenue of Dahlia. Everything seemed so gloomy and rusty, just as she had imagined it. Villagers followed Leah with their sight as she passed aimlessly. She noticed the people were almost rushing to enter their homes as the darkness of the night grew. Still, she felt nonchalant seeing them in a hurry. “Hmm… Now what?”, she sighed. “Everything would have been easier if gramps was here”, she yawned. Damn, she was starting to feel really tired. She yawned again as she spoke to the air once more. “Well, I’m smart enough to find out by myself. I got it Dada, you did not tell me about this group of women all the time for me to not find them". She raised her head and winked at the sky. “Just wait and see from wherever you are old man! And I promise I’ll make sure to explore every spooky spot of this place just as you did”. She laughed for herself remembering and imagining how he would reply to her.


The mysterious atmosphere got her excited. She yawned again as she kept walking. “I wonder if I can eat something before I find somewhere to sleep? Hmm... Maybe I can get to try some spider's blood soup or something as I'm here Dada. I'll make way better stories from this place than you did, we’ll see where the night takes me". Therefore, Leah kept wondering as the darkness covered the buildings of Dahlia and the shimmering moon came out.

The moon started to grow bigger and brighter as minutes passed by. Shining accordingly with Leah’s silver hair.  


She felt comfortable staring at the sky full of stars. With the cool breeze of the night tingling on the tip of her nose, while a long list of thoughts floated through her mind.


It was evident her grandfather was the main thing in her head, thanks to the fact that he had been in Dahlia City some months before he passed away. He was a very distinctive person, whose personality and skills were hard to forget; the closest person that Leah had ever had. He was very concerned about his granddaughter’s future. He could not picture her being trapped in the Stellan territories or getting married to some other noble heir, at least not at such a young age. Hence, he really insisted that if she ever wanted to take a chance and travel around Earthland, she should find a place to belong amongst people that will teach her about the world and that shared some of her interests.


As an unexpected discovery, he stumbled across the rumors of a guild established in Dahlia City. That perfectly fitted with her grandfather’s wish to see her accompanied by other strong women. He thought this guild could allow his young and unexperienced granddaughter to exploit her potential.


Therefore, her next encounter was one she was expecting. Yet, Leah was surprised when a beautiful woman addressed her. She had smooth pink hair that reached just below her shoulders. Her light-brown colored eyes accompanied her fair skin with a kind smile. Leah's attention was captured instantly as the unknown lady recalled seeing her in need of a place to sleep. She stood still and attentive, with her eyes wide open as she listened to her. It seemed there were not a lot of options to stay the night, so she was offering her a place where she could sleep. The young lady introduced herself as Xandra, and she was a member of the guild she was looking for. Leah’s heartbeat skipped of excitement, due to the fact that Daeva Eye was frequently mentioned in the last conversations she had with her grandfather.


Not knowing how to react Leah loosed a small laugh, that perhaps lasted a while longer than what she might have wanted. “I am sorry”, she said containing her laughter. “I am glad you approached me Xandra! I was hoping Daeva Eye had room for me actually. Nice to meet you, my name is Leah”. She extended her hand in return with a smile. Xandra felt like someone she could trust. “The city looks deserted now, I guess it is true what they say about this place, uh?”, Leah stared a the empty streets around them and then returned her gaze to Xandra. “Still, I am excited to be here. I will love to meet Daeva Eye members and stay with you guys, please show me the way”. She kept a smile on her face, even though deep inside her she wanted to burst out in tears. However, she promised it was time she proved others and herself what she is worthy of.


“By the way, your hair is amazing! I’ve never seen somebody have a color like yours”, Leah said before they had a chance to move. She was not very good at meeting new people, but she wanted to change that. So she will hope for the best from that night onwards.


With that in her mind, all tiredness and doubt vanished as Leah followed her new acquaintance.

A sharp silence flew through the streets of Dahlia. It was present with an alarming and mysterious feeling. Leah was not a fearful person, yet she could almost sniff the tension in the air. She was distinguished for using fear as fuel to act, yet what she experienced last year in the accident could not even compare to anything that she had ever felt. It made every other scary thing seem like nothing. Even though, she could still imagine how the citizens of Dahlia felt every night.


Nevertheless, at that point of her journey, Leah was not really remembering anything about last year’s mishap. She was comfortably enjoying the chitchat with Xandra. As Leah greeted her, she became curious about how the silver head was hoping to find Daeva Eye, and if she came willing to join the guild. “Yeah, I came here having that in mind. I have traveled a long way to get here so that I could meet you guys”. She said with a determined expression, her stellan accent being evident as she spoke. She could be kind of a silly and innocent girl, yet her essence as a person was much more of a fierce and strong individual that still had to be developed.


As they walked, Xandra answered Leah’s assumption about the city. The idea of a place full of these creatures arouse the immense curiosity of the girl. She was conscious of how dangerous they could be; however, she had always considered them to be a very interesting topic. After all, she had read tons of books and heard all kinds of stories and legends about them. She could imagine how many incidents people have faced living in a place like this. There was no doubt of why they had to take measures every night. She heard Xandra’s complete answer about the matter and responded with a resolved nod. Leah hoped she could be of any help to the citizens sooner or later.


As Xandra led the way, she asked her how she got to know about Daeva Eye. The real answer to that question resounded in Leah’s mind; it could be hard to explain. The incident was still something that was not resolved. However, she was not the kind of girl to keep what she wanted to say or to lie. “My grandfather told me about your guild. After being raised mainly around men, I decided I should take a shot to find a place with other strong women and learn from them. That's my reason to be here you see”.  She tried to sound reserved and calm, even though a small part of her was extremely excited. “What do I have to do in order to join? I’m not that experienced, but I’ll surely do anything to become stronger”. Leah’s expression changed from one second to another, she was determined.


She awaited Xandra’s response and as they continued talking, she felt more comfortable being accompanied. Leah was not very used to have friends because she had always been a pretty rough and competitive type of girl. Despite her delicate appearance, she was not really interested in becoming friends with the refined ladies of Stella. But Xandra was someone who caught her interest, she seemed strong and Leah could tell they will get along. Hearing her complimenting her back, made Leah laugh shyly. She honestly did not think much about her looks, but she felt nice hearing Xandra’s compliment. “Thank you, I never really thought about it before”. She glanced at the moon for a second, her hair did have some kind of resemblance.


Some time passed by and Leah barely realized they had reached the outskirts of Dahlia. She stopped for a second when her eyes finally aimed her attention to the tall and wide building in front of them. It was covered with a dense fog that disguised its majestic site. “Woahh… this place is amazing”. She turned to Xandra with eyes wide open, “You guys live here? I love it”. Leah was truly amazed, with a look resembling a small kid being enchanted with some new discovery. Xandra laughed at her reaction, and Leah smiled back as she followed her to the entrance.

A lingering feeling of comfort filled Leah’s heart as she walked beside the pink-haired girl. Xandra transmitted a nice and trustworthy image. She looked some years older than her, which made the Stellan girl get the vibe for a second of how it will be having an older sister. However, there was not a big age gap between them. She looked more mature but there was a friendly aura surrounding both young ladies.


Hearing her companion’s words about men being exhausting made Leah grin and let out a small chuckle. “I agree with you about that”, she responded thinking that all she had gotten from men up until now was a broken heart. Hearing how she thought women were far more interesting to talk to and that Leah will get along with everybody, made her feel at ease. She hoped she could cope with everyone else in the guild and get to learn from them anything she could. Apart from that, Xandra answered the young Stellan questions about how she could join Daeva Eye. It seemed easier than she thought. She was mentalized and prepared to show some of her skills if necessary. Though, she was somehow glad, because by that moment of the journey Leah was feeling exhausted.


Xandra also mentioned something about the path to the guild being kind of scary. For what Leah responded, “ No problem, I am not the type of person to get scared easily”. She winked at the same time she made a funny smirk to face her companion. Leah could be a mixture of divergent traits that made her be a unique character. Goofy, yet serious when the situations required. And adaptable person, that had let out her untameable spirit form time to time.


Once the big building was available to their sight, Leah's excitement was evident. Xandra welcomed the silver-headed girl to this new place she called home causing a big smile to be drowned on her face. It was thrilling and relieving to be there.


The big building was available to their sight, they walked beside a beautiful fountain placed at the front before reaching the entrance doors. Once the doors of Daeva Eye were open Xandra welcomed the silver-headed girl to this new place she called home. A big smile was drowned on the girl’s face. It was thrilling and relieving to be there. The halls were full of people and movement as both advanced to get the guild’s stamp to make it official.


After giving her consent, Leah loosened her blouse and took off her cape to uncover the right side of her collarbone. Once the stamp was pressed on her skin, a warm yet fresh heat penetrated the spot where the mark was made. It was an eye colored in a bright violet tone that matched perfectly with Leah’s eyes. She got dressed up again, as her freshly made tattoo had a cold feeling on her skin.


Then she followed her recruiter through the main chambers of the building. She could not wait to start training and spend time inside the huge library the guild possessed. Finally, they arrived to an available room that Leah could use to rest and design however she wanted. Xandra give her some last directions and welcome her once more, patting the new member's shoulder with a bright and contagious smile. “Thank you very much Xandra, I’ll be on your care. Good night, until tomorrow”. She smiled back and then prepared to rest inside her new bedroom.


Leah looked around for a bit to get an idea of what her new place was. It was a nice room that had a bed placed beside the window, with a wide wardrobe and mirror on the opposite corner. She was not carrying a lot with her, all she had was a small bag with essentials, money and a pair of books she brought from home. She took off her red cape and placed it inside the empty wardrobe. While she took out her belongings from her bag she could not help to think that night was the start to achieve and gather everything she had wished for herself. This was her opportunity to become stronger and discover the mystery behind the incident where she lost the people she holded most dear. As she laid down and the calming sound of the night entered from the window, Leah fell asleep along with a thought in her heart that tomorrow had amazing things to come.


[Exit]