The young elders stared silently down at the child. The faint golden light that seemed to radiate from its body reflected off falling raindrops and cast a wavering glow around the small crater. The manta--who had floated up beside them--gave a soft call, bowing its golden plated head to peer beneath the charred roots.

After a long moment of silence, Tun lifted his head and glanced around. "Well, that. . ." he paused, trailing off.

Tor looked up, finishing the thought. "Was unexpected."

Tun gave a small uncertain laugh and ran his fingers through his hair. "You can say that again. . ." he turned back to the glowing child's limp form and winced. A question pushed at the edges of his mind, but he didn't want to ask it. . . If the answer was no. . . He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, stepping forward and crouching down at the edge of the crater, peering down the muddy sloped sides at the child below. He had to know if they were alive.

"What are you doing!?" Tor hissed, reaching out and catching the back of his shirt in one hand. "You can't go down there!"

Tun shrugged off her grip, still staring down at the child's limp, glowing form. "Relax! I'm just going to take a look! Besides, investigating small glowing children that fall from the sky is part of the elder job description, right?"

Tor crossed her arms and paused for a moment, her expression unreadable. Finally she sighed and took a step back, slowly shaking her head. "You're going to get yourself killed, one of these days. . ."

"Only if you nag me to death!" Tun called back, and before his sister could respond, he dug his feet into the sides of the crater, sliding the few feet to the bottom. Muddy water sloshed up around his feet, a few inches deep, at least. He winced as he knelt down, gently grabbing the child by the shoulders and lifting their face from the water. If they had stayed there much longer, they probably would have drowned. . . If they hadn't already.

"So?" Tor asked, and Tun glanced up to see her leading the hesitant manta to the edge of the pit. "They alive, or not?"

Tun paused for a moment and looked back down at the limp child in his arms. The faint, warm glow that they gave off shimmered across the surface of the puddle they sat in and painted Tun's wet arms gold. He hesitated for a moment, watching the flickering glow bounce across the falling raindrops, afraid of what he would find when he flipped the child over. Tun closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, taking a long deep breath. Slowly, he tilted the child over on its side, revealing its face.

"What in Eden!?" Tun cried, the child sliding from his arms and falling back down into the puddle with a splash. He leaped to his feet and instinctively took a step back, nearly backing into Tor who had slid down into the crater, blade drawn.

"What is it!?" she hissed, blade pointed down at the child whose face was once again turned away. "What's wrong!?"

Tun took a moment to steady his breathing, pressing a hand over his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to understand what he'd just seen. Finally, he responded. "Eyes. . ." he muttered, nervously running a hand through his sopping white hair. "There's something seriously wrong with its eyes. . ."

Tor gave him a quick glance, then turned back to the child. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Tun paused, staring down at the child's shimmering body. "They were. . ." he shook his head, shivering slightly. "Missing? I don't know. . ." he glanced over at Tor who was watching him carefully.

"So. . ." she said slowly, failing to hide the disgust creeping into her voice. "They're missing their eyes? Like. . . They were, poked out?"

Tun turned and gave her a horrified look. "What!? No! Don't make me picture that! It had eyes, it's just. . . They kinda looked like. . ." he stopped, looking for the right words. "Like their eyes were made of light."

Tor's eyes widened slightly, and she turned to look at the back of the child's head curiously. "Eyes made of light. . ." she wrinkled her nose behind her mask, thinking back to their lessons with Elder Sage. He had never mentioned anything like this. . . "You know. . ." she muttered, sliding her blade back over her shoulder. "I'm starting to think this isn't a spirit we're dealing with. . ."

"You don't say. . ." Tun mumbled and glanced up at the manta who floated at the edge of the pit, silently flapping its wings in the rain. "Think the manta can carry it--err--them?" he asked, pointing a thumb at the child.

"If it can carry you and your giant rock of a head, I'm sure it can carry. . ." Tor trailed off and shrugged. "Them." She quickly leaned down, sliding her arms around the child's limp form, lifting them up.

As she heaved the child--surprisingly light-weight for their size--out of the pit, she snuck a glance at their face. Two unnerving golden lights glowed out from the eyes of its mask, blank and emotionless. Something small poked out from the child's forehead, mostly concealed by their dripping white hair. . . A gemstone, maybe? Tor shuddered. A third eye?

"You good?" Tun asked, easily leaping up out of the pit behind her.

"Yeah. . ." Tor muttered, prying her eyes from the child's face. "Fine. . ."

Tor hopped up onto the manta's back and carefully set the child down in the saddle. She paused for a moment, glancing down at Tun through the pouring rain. "Hey, I think I packed some blankets in the saddle-pouch. Could you go grab them for me?"

Tun glanced over at the manta. "Dunno. . . Think your friend here will let me up?"

The manta rolled its eyes and lowered its wings, floating closer to the muddy ground to let the young elder up.

Tun scrambled up into the saddle, scooting over to the saddle bag. He tugged it open and squinted into the darkness within. "Where did you-oh, never mind." he tugged a rolled up blanket out from the pouch and tossed it to his twin. "Found it!"

Tor nodded her appreciation and unrolled the blanket, gently setting it over the child's glowing body. She paused for a moment, squinting down at its still form. Their golden glow seemed to have faded a little. . . Though maybe it was just her imagination.

"So. . ." Tun started as he re-buckled up the latches on the pouch. "Where exactly are we planning on going? You said it yourself, there are too many trees for the manta to take off. . ." he glanced up, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the rain. "Plus, I can hardly see three feet in front of my face out here!"

Tor shrugged as she pulled the corners of the blanket up around the child's head, mostly blocking out their strange golden light. "We'll find somewhere to stay for the night. . . We can head back to the valley in the morning."

Tun slowly nodded, turning away from the pouch. "Yeah, but. . ." he trailed off, his eyes focusing on something in the woods ahead of them. His eyes widened slightly. "Hey, Tor. . ." he whispered urgently. "I think you should see this."

"Give me a minute, here. . ." Tor gritted her teeth and tilted her head, making sure that the child's glow couldn't be seen from the ground. "We don't want to attract any unwanted attention, here. . ."

"Yeah. . ." Tun mumbled and pointed off into the trees. "About that. . ."

Tor glanced up and the blanket fell from her hands. She reached up, hand gripping the hilt of her blade. "Who in Eden are you!?" she snapped, staring down over the manta's golden head.

A few yards away, standing perfectly still between two trees was a young spirit. Her transparent blue hair was tugged up into two braids that hung limp against her shoulders. Her pant-legs were splattered with mud, and a few loose leaves clung to her clothes. She squinted through the rain, crossing her arms as she stared up at the manta. "Hey!" she snapped, her young voice surprisingly loud. "You're in my part of the woods, now! I ask the questions, here!"

The elders shared an amused look. The young spirit obviously didn't know who she was talking to. . .

"And to answer your question. . ." the spirit girl called up, tapping one foot impatiently against the muddy ground. "I'm Talia! I heard you guys talkin', and it sounds like you need a place to stay. . ." she shrugged, trying to sound indifferent, but both twins noticed the excitement in her voice. "My castle isn't far from here! You can stay there for the night. . ." she quickly turned away, stomping her foot into the muddy ground. "I don't invite strangers to my castle, often, so you'd better take this offer seriously!"

Tun glanced over at his sister, his grin hidden behind his mask. "This kid owns a castle?" he whispered quizzically, trying to keep himself from laughing.

Tor shrugged. "I believe she means pillow fort."

Tun snorted and stood up, easily keeping his balance on the manta's back. He bowed low, the way Elder Sage had taught them. "Oh great Talia, we'd be honored to share your company."

Talia bounced up, her eyes shining with excitement. "Great!--err--I mean, good choice. . . Follow me." the young girl spun on her heel and purposefully marched off into the darkness.

Tun glanced down at his sister who rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a long sigh.

"Hey!" he laughed, sliding back down into the saddle next to her. "She seems like an okay kid! Power-hungry, sure, but it could be worse!"

Tor shrugged, shooting a last glance down at the glowing child who lay next to them. "I'm not complaining. . ."

The elders settled into the saddle as the manta floated after Talia, following the young spirit off into the woods. Soon, the sound of Talia's feet slapping through the mud faded to a distant whisper, and the clearing was left dark and silent once more.