Preludes of Chaos (Peregrine x catalyst)

[catalyst]

The forest always felt vaster than it was to the boy. In the past harvest season, when leaves turned fiery alongside their evergreen neighbors, he climbed the highest tree he could find to see if he could see the end. But there was no end; the forest went on forever.

Vast to the young boy, but not intimidating. In fact, Niyazi wanted to do nothing more in his free time than explore it. He could never go too far without being scolded by someone - his parents, teachers, neighbors, the baker near his home who always gave him an extra treat... even some of his friends! They said it was because they were worried he'd get hurt or disappear. He always took their worries with a grain of salt because he was confident enough for the lot of them. In all his time spent on the forest grounds and scaling its trees, he'd never seen a monster. And any time he got hurt, it was all just bumps and bruises and scratches - nothing serious.

Now, he was discreetly perched upon a sturdy branch of a great oak tree. The morning air was cool and damp with fog that was leaving with the help of a gentle breeze. The smell of pine and fir and new leaves filled his nostrils, but ahead was his true focus: the temple of great evil. It wasn't a secret in the village, if only to deter folks from seeking it and getting too close, but Niyazi never knew exactly where it was and had never seen it.

Until about a month ago. He'd been helping his younger friend Bo'ri and Bo'ri's mother gather mushrooms and other wild plants from the forest. Eventually, the young boys grew restless and were relinquished from their duties for the day. Their small feet scurried across creeks, hopping along paths of rocks with ease. Bo'ri was his only friend of similar mind when it came to heeding their elders' warnings, and he enjoyed showing Niyazi fighting moves he learned from his sister, a Knight's apprentice. So it wasn't a surprise when their game of wardens and knights led them to a relatively unexplored area. As they entered a clearing, both of them stopped in shock at what they found.

The clearing ended maybe 20 feet ahead of them where it sloped down and then steadily rose again. But what stopped them in their tracks wasn't the temptation of doing somersaults until dizzy; it was the stone steps inlaid in the opposite slope that led to the moss-covered, stone temple.

"Azi, y'think it's that temple we're always warned about?" Bo'ri whispered.

"Dunno... we're far enough east..." Azi answered slowly. The pair stood there for another minute before he spoke again. "Let's check it out!"

"What, why?? What if it is?"

"Awe, c'mon, Bo'ri. Don't chicken out on me now!" Azi smiled as he began trekking down the hill. The younger one grumbled but followed, knowing he couldn't deny his curiosity much longer either. They were about halfway up the other side when a noise caught Azi's attention.

"Wait!" He shushed them both with a finger to his lips, stopping in their tracks. After another moment, he heard the sound, a melodic tune. "Ya hear that? Sounds like.... like someone singing." Thick brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't hear nothin'," the other boy mumbled. But Azi swore he wasn't just hearing things. He waved for them to keep going, but as they reached the hilltop, a pair of boots was the first thing they saw. Frightened, Azi yelped as Bo'ri grabbed onto him, and the boys tumbled down the hillside.

"Oww, geez," Azi groaned as he rubbed his head, fingers knotting in wispy, unruly black hair. "Why'd you grab onto me like that, Bo'ri!?"

"You're the one who screamed!"

"Did not!"

"Ahem." The boys froze at the deep voice and looked up to see a tall man staring down at them, arms crossed. "What are you boys doing? You should know better than to be in these parts."

"That's a Warden," Bo'ri whispered after tugging on Azi's sleeve. "I seen him at my ma's shop before."

A Warden? Oh, no... it most definitely was the evil temple.

"W-we didn't know. We heard someone singing, and -"

"Singing?" The Warden cut off, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah! Well I heard singing. He didn't, but I made him come with me," Azi explained. He didn't know why, but he never felt right outing his friends if he could help it. The Warden stared at them for what felt like 100 years before sighing.

"Don't your parents warn you? No matter what you hear -"

"- Never go near the temple," the boys finished in unison.

"Aye, that's right. A trickster easily preys on gullible minds."

"Whatever that means," Azi muttered as he looked away.

"It means," the Warden's voice grew more stern, "if you're easily fooled, you're an easy target. So, if you aren't fools, you boys best be on your way, and don't come 'round here again."

The boys did as told and went straight home. Bo'ri looked more chastised than anything, but Azi clung onto the day ever since. He clung onto the Warden's last words and the sight of that temple, but more than anything, the soft humming. The sound only another human could make.

Now, with the air growing warmer and bare trees sprouting new leaves, his desire to explore was at its peak. And today was the day little Azi was going to find out if he was a fool.

He watched as the last of the Wardens filtered out of the temple, finishing their sealing duties so they could join the festivities taking place in the village. Azi wanted to go, too, but if he was ever going to find out what was so evil about the temple, he knew now was his best chance. Everyone would be busy with annual spring celebration, and he was hoping that meant less security.

He was right. Even if it was for a short while, the boy took his chance, leaping down from the tree as soon as the Wardens were out of sight. He approached the temple as quietly and quickly as possible, heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know what to do when he got there, but as he stood at the door, he didn't think there was any wrong way to go about it. So he took a deep breath, knocked, and called out, "Hello??"

 

[Peregrine]

The inside of the stone room was always dark. Even during the day, it was only illuminated by two patches of light, which streamed through two tiny holes, one in the wall and one in the roof.

Spawn loved those holes.

The hints of color she could see through the gaps, green and blue and white. The drops of water that gathered around its edges when the sky turned grey, dripping down onto the tiny patch of green moss that had grown under each vent. The moments when, at just the right time of day, the rays of sunlight would stream through the holes, catching on particles of dust and make it seem like the entire room was filled with gold.

They represented her entire world, the heavy, dark stone, the soft, green moss, and the distant, blue sky.

Of course, Spawn knew there was more world out there. She could hear people on the other side of the wall, scraping and shifting and breathing. The fact that they came and went meant there had to be more world beyond the edges of her stone room, let alone the fact that they would occasionally put hard bread, cold soup, or some sort of crunchy vegetable into her room for her to eat. But Spawn couldn't remember anything other than this room, so, to her, that might as well be all there was.

And Spawn was content.

She could play with her hair, slowly brushing her fingers through her long, dark hair until she'd managed to untangle every strand. Then she'd tie it up into a braid, coiling it around her head like a crown, fingers moving heavily and slowly to avoid disturbing the intricate chains that bound her wrist, ankles, and throat. Through her meticulous care, her hair had grown out all the way down to her waist, and she was proud of it.

She could watch the moss grow, how it would spread out from the edges of the holes during the warm times of the year, before pulling back in when the weather got cold, and she had to spend most of her time huddled under the threadbare blankets that existed in the room with her. The moss was as beautiful as the sky, delicate and detailed, and so soft in those moments she couldn't resist poking it.

She could sing, a strange, tuneless cry that she'd learned from the birds that sometimes sang out in the forest. Over time, she'd learned how to shift the notes, making it into something that she considered her own, one of the few things she truly possessed. It wasn't as pretty as the bird song, to her ears, but she did her best to practice.

When she grew particularly bored, she could talk to the person beyond the wall. They never responded, but she knew from the way they shifted, moved, and breathed that they could hear her. And when her incessant prattling wore on them too much, they'd say a few words to her.

'Shut up, Spawn of Chaos.'

That was the only way Spawn knew her own name. After all, everything regarding her name and history was as perfectly blank as everything else before the moment when she'd arrived in this dark room.

Spawn didn't blame the people outside for not wanting to talk to her. There weren't many things she could talk about, since her world was so small. After only a few minutes she'd exhausted everything new she could possibly share, and had nothing left to do but repeat it. It couldn't be very fun to listen to.

That was why new events were so exciting. And that was why the sound of voices that were so much lighter and younger than the one she was used to listening to was particularly exciting.

Spawn cut off mid-song, her mouth closing as her head tilted to the side, ears straining to catch more of the unfamiliar noise. Gradually, she realized that two people were approaching, and that they were talking to each other.

A flare of heat ran through Spawn's chest, before the chains around her heated as well, and the vivid sensation left her. But the thought that had accompanied the sensation didn't vanish along with it.

How nice, to have someone to talk to who would talk back.

Maybe they would talk to her as well?

But the familiar voice came a second later, and chased away the two unfamiliar people. Never go near the temple. It seemed she wasn't destined to have company today.

As the chains warmed again slightly, Spawn's fingers reached for her hair once more, continuing to slowly work on the intricate, seven-strand braid she'd begun before the unexpected event.

She wouldn't even be able to tell the man outside about this unexpected visit, because he already knew about it. Then again, that had never stopped her before.

---

Spawn slept, huddled up in her thin blanket, The weather had grown warmer, and Spawn had stayed up late, watching the few, bright stars come and go from the hole in the ceiling as the sky turned. She'd slept late because of that, but, other than the birds, there was no one to wake her. No one cared if she slept the whole day away, or woke up promptly and began to move about.

The door at the far side of the stone room vibrated from being hit, and Spawn obediently moved over to the far side of the room. That meant the person outside was going to give her food, although she was a little bit confused since there was still a little bit of bread near the door. Usually she only got new food after it had run out.

Had she slept longer than she thought she had?

But things continued to break with her expectations. Rather than the door opening, Spawn heard a voice. A light voice. An unfamiliar voice that nonetheless tugged at the edges of her memory.

As Spawn stared in shock at the door, she couldn't help but respond herself, echoing the call like a bird.

"Hello?"

 

[catalyst]

"Hello?"

A simple word. A greeting, in return. It was enough to make Azi's chest swell with the thrill of confirming... something. That voice sure sounded human - like a little girl!

"Hello?" He called out again, this time sounding more sure. "Who's in there?" He looked the door up and down. It was large and looked heavy, like something only the Warden who scared him and Bo'ri away could open. He got down on his knees and pressed his face to the ground, wondering if maybe he could see inside from a crack underneath.

No luck.

Standing, Azi pushed hair back before trying the handle. Locked, like he knew it would be. "How come you're locked in there?" He asked. Taking a quick look around, he confirmed he was still alone. He didn't know how much time he had, but he wanted to get some answers before leaving. Was the girl his age? What did she look like? Was she a monster that was gonna try and trick him??

 

[Peregrine]

For one brief moment, as Spawn's voice echoed around her own stone chamber, she felt her heart pound.

It had to have been a mistake, hadn't it? No one ever talked to her.

But time left her no room to doubt or wonder, before the heat of the chains could even rise to comfort the stirring of her heart.

The voice responded.

"I'm Spawn," she introduced, gleeful. She'd never really gotten the chance to say her name before. At least not to someone who might care. After all, the people outside were the ones who had taught her name to her, and the birds and rats didn't stop to listen.

Silence followed, other than a faint scratching at the door. It seemed it really was time for her to get fed again. She and the sun must have lost track of time together. How sweet of it to wander off with her.

But the door did not move. Nor did more food come through the sealed slot. Instead, more questions followed.

"Me?" Spawn asked, before silently considering. Eventually, she simply chose to parrot back some of the words she'd heard from the people outside before. "I am... 'evil- and dangerous- and must be- kept here for the safety of the world- until I- die.'"

The words didn't sound quite right to her. Spawn had never felt evil, and couldn't remember doing anything dangerous. But the guards outside said so, and the chains agreed, and the walls agreed, so it must be so.

It wasn't as though she had anywhere else she wanted to go, or anything she wanted to do. Not in particular.

The chains felt hot, like the one little ray of sunshine that slipped through the gap in the ceiling.

 

[catalyst]

"Spawn?" Azi repeated, brows furrowing. He never heard a name like that before!

"I am... 'evil- and dangerous- and must be- kept here for the safety of the world- until I- die.'"

The little boy paused. "Yeah, that's what everybody says," he mumbled. "Wait, I'm gonna try to find another way!" Sighing, he began circling the temple to see if there was another way inside. He came upon three wooden boxes, probably filled with stupid things like candles, and almost, almost passed them.... when keen black eyes spotted a hole in the wall. A hole big enough that he could probably peek through.

Eyes brightening, he climbed atop the boxes with ease. He still had to stand on tiptoes to reach the hole, but when he did... his whole mind flipflopped.

Inside sat the girl, bound in chains. Her hair was long - very long! Longer than his mother's. But she didn't look so different than any other girl or person he knew. "Found ya!" He said with a triumphant smile, though she wouldn't be able to see it. "Don't ya gotta do bad things to be evil? What bad things have you done?"

 

[Peregrine]

Wait.

It was a strange concept, someone asking her to wait. Most of the time, no one seemed to bother thinking about her, let alone worrying about whether or not she'd go somewhere.

Of course, there was no way out from between these walls, and the chains wouldn't let her go even if there were. So she would wait.

Without the enthusiastic, hopeful voice—muffled by the walls though it might have been—the silence suddenly seemed... unusual. It left her mind stunned for a moment, before she found herself unconsciously straining her ears, searching for any sign or sound that he hadn't disappeared.

Of course he'd disappeared. No one ever really wanted to talk to her. It was why she had to converse with the birds and the mice instead.

But that rustle was too big for a mouse, wasn't it.

He'd told her to wait. Maybe... if she waited long enough... he'd talk to her some more. That would be nice.

And then a voice—hardly muffled this time at all!—echoed through the room. Spawn's head snapped to the side, and her eyes went wide as she caught sight of a portion of a face, peering through the window that had once only contained sky and scraps of green.

A face.

She knew it was a face.

She'd never seen a face before, only having the stone for company. But she knew it in the way she knew the feel of her own heart beat, the burn of the chains that was heating up more and more against her skin.

How did she know faces? Faces. Human faces. Laughing, smiling, talking. Screaming. Crying. Bleeding.

Spawn blinked, and the burning sensation of the chains faded away. She couldn't remember what she'd been thinking about, but her eyes still hadn't left the gap in the window.

The gap with the eye.

And the voice.

"I don't know," Spawn replied. Her voice wasn't quite as chipper as it had been before, instead calm and a-tonal. "I've always been inside this room." She paused, considering for a moment. "Do you really have to do bad things to be evil?"

 

[catalyst]

Azi wrinkled his nose at the question. "Well, yeah. Like, sometimes - sometimes I wanna hit people when they make me mad, but I don't." Not usually, anyway. "'Cause I know that's bad and I'll just get in trouble." Like Shira, Azi's older cousin who never left him alone when her and her family came over for dinner, and he always wound up in trouble even though she always started it!

Shifting in his spot, he tried to look around the room but couldn't quite hit all the angles. "They don't let you outside, ever?" He asked after a minute or two, his attention falling back to Spawn. "What do you do for fun, then? I know you eat - I've seen the Wardens bring you food." He drummed his fingers along the wall as his eyes shone.. "They have lots of food at the festival. They'll start playing music soon, so maybe we can hear it if we listen good!"

 

[Peregrine]

"No, never," Spawn agreed. The door had never opened, not so long as she'd been in here. And she couldn't remember being anywhere else, although she supposed it must have opened once, if just to let her in. Spawn supposed that it was possible she had simply been willed into existence by the stone and chains, but she didn't know how the people outside would know to feed her if that was the case.

Or why a being of stone and metal would need to eat.

But she did need to eat, and they did feed her.

As a matter of fact, the only thing that ever changed or moved in her room was the slot for food, which would be unsealed just long enough to provide her daily sustenance.

"For fun?" She parroted, tilting her head slightly. It sent her long hair waving about briefly, and she grabbed its tip, urging it to stay still. "Well. I sing. The echoes in here are nice. And I sometimes talk to the things outside, although you're the first one that's ever talked back. I think. About whatever happens to be in my head that day. And I undo the knots in my hair, and try and lay it out all nice and pretty! That's really fun when I get it looking nice."

It wasn't the longest list, but Spawn had never felt bothered by how little there was to do in here. The chains wouldn't let her outside, even if she had any inclination to leave.

"What's the festival like?"

For one, brief instant, she could see it. Bright colors. Brilliant lights. People twirling about in circles, the woman's skirts flaring out like blooming flowers. And then there was nothing again, nothing except the fading heat of her chains.

 

[catalyst]

She sung. Azi felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. She was definitely the voice he heard singing all those weeks ago!

His eyes trailed her long hair as he got lost in thought. If she was locked up here, and she admitted to being evil and dangerous but couldn't tell him why... what did that mean?

It took a minute for him to realize the girl asked him about the festival. "Huh? Oh, um... it lasts for three days. Today is the first day, so there will be a lot of shows, like plays and dancing. Food.... uummm, oh, oh! The last day, we're gonna throw colors at each other!" That was his favorite part of the festival, other than the food. People had bags of powders that were dyed vivid colors, and as musicians played upbeat music, people threw the powder at each other. The festival as a whole was a celebration of spring: color and life being revived in the bleakness of winter.

"I can try to bring you back some treats," he said before pulling back to look at the hole he was peering through. "But... I dunno if anything will really fit through here."

 

[Peregrine]

"Throw colors..." Spawn repeated, voice filled with awe and wonder. How miraculous would that be, to fling your hand forward, and have blue sky or green leaves or red berries come out. But not sky or leaves or berries, just vibrant color, flying through the air towards the person you'd chosen, until they too became your chosen color.

It sounded like magic, and Spawn couldn't help but flick her hand forward in front of her, causing the chain to rattle. No colors accompanied her gesture, but she could imagine it. For one moment, the wall in front of her was speckled with the green of moss, as if she'd just flicked it off her fingertips like drops of water.

She wished her walls were full of colors. It would be so much better than green stone. She wished she could go to a festival, and taste what food there was other than the strange concoctions that came through the slot in her door. She wished she could laugh and dance.

But she couldn't.

She was inside the stone, bound by chains. It was all that existed for her.

And that was fine. The desire drained away from her until she couldn't remember why the thoughts had appealed to her so much. She didn't need to leave.

But... that didn't mean new things couldn't come in.

"There's... a slot in the door," she murmured softly, glancing over in its direction. "I don't know how to open it. I think it only opens from the outside. But it's how they give me food and water. Maybe... maybe you could put the treats through there? That would be nice."

 

[catalyst]

Azi followed Spawn's gaze and took in the slot. He didn't remember seeing it there from the outside... which meant it was probably sealed.

A slow smile spread across his face. He'd gotten through enough small seals to believe he had a shot at cracking this one. He had long figured out how to bypass ones that gatekept delicious, forbidden treats. And he had yet to get caught.

"Good idea! I'll be right back, okay? I'll get as many treats as I can and hopefully get them through the slot." He moved to leave, but then quickly remembered that this was typically a very guarded temple. "Oh! If the guards come back, don't tell them about me! This is our lil' secret, kay??"

And then, with eyes wide in excitement, the boy was gone.

Running into town, games and dance and unbridled life greeted Niyazi. There was cheering and laughter, and all of it was very tempting to join for the boy, but he had a mission. Avoiding as many people as possible, he filtered through the crowds until he made it to the plaza where most of the food vendors sat. Freshly baked sweets overwhelmed his senses: eyes drifted along the custard-filled pastries and tiny fruit tarts, their sweet scents wafting through the air as his ears picked up on the sound of freshly baked bread being cut into slices. All very mouth-watering - he could almost taste them!

He slid coin to the vendors after choosing three different treats to share with Spawn, though he mentioned no such thing. And really, no one asked.

Hurrying off to the temple again, treats wrapped and safe in his satchel, Azi was careful not to be spotted by any watchful eyes.

Thankfully, his prayers were answered and the guards hadn't come back. Panting as he approached the temple, he knocked on the door. "I'm back!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm gonna try to open the slot now."

Pressing small hands on the door, he closed his eyes and focused. Imagined what the slot looked like, what the seals might be. Focused on how the draw of energy felt.

A slot for sustenance. Sustenance was what he gave.

Simple. Easy. Not against the nature of the seal.

Click.

Azi opened his eyes and saw the slot before him. "Yes!" He slapped his knees and grinned. A success! "Here, Spawn!" He was quick to slide it open and pull the treats out of his satchel. "Wanna try all of them? We can share 'em if I cut them in half!"

 

[Peregrine]

"Okay," Spawn responded softly to the empty window.

The eye was gone, leaving nothing but the tops of trees and the sky in the window. As the sound of fast footsteps faded away, Spawn found herself beginning to wonder if she'd simply made the whole encounter in her mind.

She would never have considered herself one who created things that weren't there. She took care of things that were there, saw things that existed, but making up new things? She didn't think she'd ever made up anything other than her own songs. And that boy had not been a song.

No, he'd been a face and a voice and ideas that she somehow knew and understood, but couldn't quite recall.

Yet who would have ever talked to her? No one talked to her, not really. Not except to be quiet and stop making noise and behave.

This voice had done a lot more than that.

Spawn hummed tonelessly to herself, shifting the note slightly up and down in a way that made her pause and giggle to herself.

She wondered if he'd be coming back. He'd said he would, but something might get in the way, or he might decide he didn't want to talk to her again after all. She wouldn't try and follow or find him. After all, she couldn't leave, and that was fine. But he... he could come here. Bring her things. Tell her stories.

That sounded... nice.

And then there was the familiar knock on the door, and a high-pitched voice. A small smile flickered across Spawn's face before it vanished.

"Welcome back," she said softly, the words causing some strange knot to wiggle in the middle of her chest.

The slot suddenly slid open, and Spawn immediately shuffled back from the opening. Normally the guards gave her time to move first, but if she didn't move and they saw her too close, they'd use the chains to tug her out of the way. The familiar eyes peered back at her from the slot.

"That..." she began, hesitating. "That sounds lovely. I'd like to share them. May... may I come closer? I'm not supposed to get close to the door when the slot is open, but... Well, I suppose you can just set them on the ground like the bread."

 

[catalyst]

"Well, yeah," Azi answered with eyes glued to the treats as he began pulling them apart, "how else you gonna see them?" He supposed he could hold them up for her to see, but it would be way easier if she just got closer. Fighting the urge to pop one of the smaller halves in his already watering mouth, he glanced through the slot to see that the girl didn't move. Thick brows furrowed in confusion as he repeated her words in his head. The guards... set her food on the ground for her to take?

"Just take them from my hand. My ma gets mad if I pick food from the ground... said it gets dirty. Here!" He took a look behind him. Not seeing any guards, he put the treats in cupped hands and held them out for Spawn, not thinking in the slightest that she might use evil powers against him. "Is all you get bread? These taste much better, trust me!" He smiled.

 

[Peregrine]

"From your... hand," Spawn repeated, slowly creeping her way closer to the door, moving on hands and knees. Her long hair trailed on the ground beside her as she moved, but right then it didn't even occur to her that it might get dirty. Her eyes were trained on the image of the treat that waited on the other side of the door.

Her hand stretched out carefully, taking the delicately shaped pastry with the very tips of her fingers. She could feel the way the dough crinkled under her fingers and a stickiness that seemed to cling to her skin. The gentle breeze that flowed in through the crack carried the most delicate smell of sweet richness to her nose.

Moving carefully, almost as though the treat was an animal that would spook if she moved too fast, Spawn brought her hand to her mouth, carefully placing the tart between her lips.

For a moment, Spawn forgot everything that existed in the world outside of the fruitiness that spread through her mouth.

When she came back to herself, there was a faint dampness soaking her cheeks. Her eyes stung, and it almost seemed as though the treat had gotten stuck in her throat.

"It's... goo--" her words were interrupted by the faintest of hiccups. "It's really, r-really good."

 

[catalyst]

Nails on fingers.

Not claws, not talons. Little hands, just like Azi's. He sat patiently, with an encouraging smile and nod, as Spawn took the offered goods.

Then, he looked at the pile of treats and took a halved cookie for himself. The golden dough was dusted with powdered sugar, but the real treat was the sweet date paste in its center. He took a bite and sighed happily as he peered back through the slot. Only, Spawn was... crying??

For a split second, he thought something was wrong. Maybe she wasn't a fan of tarts? But why-

"It's really, r-really good."

She... she did like it? Azi cocked his head with a hesitant smile. She liked it so much that she was crying...?

Suddenly, he was reminded of the time when he was at Bo'ri's house and his father, who had been gone for a very long time, appeared at the door. Bo'ri and his mother cried, and little Azi sneaked out the door so the reunited family could be alone together.

When Azi asked his own mom about it, she told him that crying wasn't always for when someone felt sad. Some people cried when they were mad, and sometimes people were so filled with joy that all they could do was cry, too. She told him that both her and his father cried when he was born.

Azi didn't know what it felt like to cry because he was that happy, but the look on Spawn's face... he definitely knew what it looked like.

"Really, really good, right?" He said with a grin. "Try the other ones, too!"

 

[Peregrine]

Spawn accepted the treats one by one, savoring each one for its vivid and unique flavor. She'd never dreamed that something like it could find its way into her little world of stone and metal, yet somehow it had.

Every one was like a burst of something that seemed to nestle deep inside her, and even though Spawn couldn't quite remember what it was, what it felt like, it left her heart feeling vaguely itchy.

That faint itch continued long after the boy left. Long after the flavor of those treats faded from her mouth, and Spawn began to wonder if the whole thing was a dream. Because the guards outside still didn't talk to her. Everything returned to its usual stillness.

Spawn didn't talk about it. Not because she promised—what good were promises to a figment?—but because she didn't want that strange figment to be taken away from her. It was all she had.

And then... he came back. One late evening, when the people outside the door had left for a while and there was nothing to keep Spawn company but the approaching darkness, that familiar yet unexpected voice arrived yet again. Spawn couldn't help but smile.

Time passed. The guards never noticed her secret. It was something small, but ever so precious to her. It was something new, something different, something that seemed to give meaning to her entire world.

And whenever Spawn heard him approach, she couldn't help but smile.

"What did you bring this time, Azi?"

She'd gotten his name the day she'd realized that he wasn't just a fleeting figment. That he was as real and as recurring as the sun itself.

Niyazi was as real as she was, and he was amazing.

 

[catalyst]

The days rolled by, then weeks, and the great evil temple became just another place to Niyazi. The land became lush and green and colorful as spring ephemerals gave way to their brighter counterparts. The land also became louder. Like the animals, everyone in the village of Kesa had more energy, which meant a lot more work... but also a lot more fun! With the days consistently warm between showers, Azi could do more with his day. A lot of it was tending to animals or fetching and carrying things, but he didn't mind that. Before meeting Spawn, it was what he was good at. Working with his hands was what he preferred. But after meeting her, things changed.

Oh, he still worked and helped his parents. But studying was a little... easier?

Where he previously struggled to focus on his studies, he began to take a real interest in them. Motivation seemed to be a key factor, along with the fact that he could relate academics back to himself. What was a motivator if not a friend trapped behind magic, a thing requiring excellence in academics? Especially if he was now teaching that friend? Spawn had a lot of questions about the gifts he brought her. After the first time he brought her bright flowers and he didn't know what they were called, he made it a point to ask his mother beforehand. Though, sometimes he liked to name the flowers.

But first, he had to explain what flowers were. What colors were. Basically... what everything was! Sometimes the boy forgot how little his new friend knew about the world, because the one room of the temple was her world. In order to be a teacher, one had to know things. So, he was happy to learn for himself and Spawn.

And today? Today, Azi brought something a little different.

"Hi Spawn!" He greeted her from behind the door as he opened the slot. "I, uh... I caught somethin'! A frog." He peered at her through the opening. "Ya wanna hold it? It won't hurt you, but it can jump fast!"

Small and commonly found in his mother's garden, it wasn't anything to fret over, in his opinion. Part of him had wanted to simply drop the tiny frog in the room without warning, but... he once did something similar to his mom with a toad and that... that had not turned out well for anyone.

 

[Peregrine]

"A frog?" The word was unfamiliar flavor on Spawn's tongue, just like everything else Azi brought into her life. Sometimes it was stories, sometimes it was objects. Every single one of them was fascinating. "It can... jump?"

What could jump. Well, the frog could? But what was a frog? And how could it jump? The thoughts caused her chain to burn, but not enough to still her.

"I want it!"

Spawn moved over to the window, one little hand reaching up towards the gap in the window where Azi's eye stared down at her. Some of her hair misplaced, causing it to drape across her face and down over her chest, but it wasn't enough to conceal her smile, or the wide, excited curve of her eyes.

And then something small and green dropped down towards her. Spawn caught it reflexively, only to feel something soft and moderately warm wiggling between her fingers. It was smooth and slightly slimy, and she let go of it before she even quite knew what was going on, a startled noise escaping her lips.

Spawn scampered backwards, before coming to a halt. Unblinkingly, she scrutinized the little green creature that had just become her companion in this room.

It was alive! That's how it could jump! Azi had brought her something alive!

And then something chaotic swirled around in her chest.

'You are dangerous. You can never leave, because you will hurt people. So shut up!'

"I... I dropped it," Spawn said, stuttering slightly, unsure how to articulate the burst of worries that seemed to cloud her mind like a fog. "Azi, it's not moving. Is it okay? Did I... did I do something bad to it?"

 

[catalyst]

Azi broke into a wide smile at the girl's excitement. He was careful to keep the tiny creature safely locked in his enclosed hands despite its courageous efforts to jump and escape to freedom. As usual, Spawn came as close to the door as the chains allowed. He slowly gathered the frog in one hand, keeping just a slightly tighter hold on it, until he released it for her to catch.

Azi wasn't even sure if Spawn got a good look at it, but her yelp was enough to give him an answer. The little boy laughed and laughed. People just didn't do well with slimy little creatures, did they?

Wiping a stray tear from his eye as the last giggles faded, Azi peered back through the slot. "It's okay, Spawn! They're tough enough to be dropped from that high - look!" He gestured to the frog who was very much alive, just stunned. It hopped a couple of times as it took in its new surroundings. "It's prolly just scared, y'know?" He giggled again. "Just don't step on it or... or drop anything on it. Then it'll definitely die."

The frog hopped again. "Try catching it!"

 

[Peregrine]

At Azi's prompting Spawn pressed her lips together, pushing her eyes slowly over to the frog as though fighting some sort of great weight. But... indeed, just like he had promised. The frog, perhaps briefly stilled from the fall, perhaps simply overcoming terror at having been trapped in a young boy's hands, had begun to dedicatedly hop forward.

Spawn froze for a moment, staring at it wide eyed.

"...Cute..." The words escaped her lips unconsciously.

She'd always been alone in here. Always with nothing but the walls and the moss for companionship. But now there was something else moving within these walls. It seemed so determined to move forward, although Spawn could not guess where it was hoping to reach. There was nothing in front of it except more walls.

"Catch..." Spawn repeated, words still vague. However, the idea seemed to latch with her. She took a few steps forward, and the sound of the chains scraping across the stone floor seemed to only cause the frog to hop faster.

Terrified by the idea that the one living thing that had ever joined her in this room might get away from her, Spawn lunged forward, tripping slightly over her own feet. Her palms scraped across the floor, missing the frog that hopped forward at exactly the wrong moment. However, rather than feeling upset, Spawn giggled. It moved so weird!

It took the young girl three more tries before her hands finally managed to close around one of the frog's legs. It hopped forward again, leg stretching out behind it. The leg almost slipped free from her grasp but Spawn squeezed it just a little bit tighter, beofre her other hand finally clasped around its belly.

The frog wiggled in her grip, smooth and soft like jelly. This time, she didn't let go.

"I got it!" Spawn yelped. "Azi, I got it!"

Unconsciously her hands rolled the frog over, stroking along its belly. The squirming frog almost instantly fell still, nothing but the fait bob of its neck to prove it was still alive. Almost as though echoing the frog, Spawn fell quiet, too.

At that moment, Spawn loved this frog with all her heart.

"This... I can't keep this one either, can I?"

It was fine if it was food that Azi brought, as that would disappear into her stomach. But the other little gifts he brought, the bright little wheel that span when she blew on it, creating a dizzying blur of colors, the little wooden top that spun in circles with a twirl of her fingers, even the sweet-scented little white flowers that clung to a wooden branch, none of them were allowed to remain in this space with her.

And that was fine. Azi didn't want the guards to know, and Spawn knew that this space was where she belonged, and everything else belonged to the world beyond her space.

But as the frog's soft belly bobbed under her fingers, Spawn didn't want to let it go. She wanted it to stay here with her. Then this space would be a little... more.

Was that what the guards meant when they called her evil?