It started as a thought; a mere nagging at the very back of my mind. Her
face appeared for seconds behind my eyes, and then it was gone. A
memory. I dismissed it and went back to my studies.

A month passed.

Again, I thought of her. Little things, like an echo of her voice at
Central Market - though when I turned, no one was there. When had I last
seen her? Maybe she'd gone on a long hunting trip. That would explain
it, and they were not unheard of.

A shudder went down my spine and I rubbed at the sudden cold on my arms.
I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The second month passed.

I started searching. At first, I do believe it was subconscious; a
glance in each shop as I passed, a trip to Thera for no real reason.
Questions whether she had been seen went unanswered. Nobody knew.

I lost track of the days.

My search was unending. I barely bothered with asking people anymore -
even if I was told for certain that she was not seen in Hashan, I would
check myself to be sure. I searched the mountains for her, and the
grasslands, and the cities, one by one. Something was wrong... very
wrong.

Friends begged me to eat. They told me that I was not myself, and that I
needed rest. The only sleep I got was from ale laced with delphinium by
my own hand, taken so I could actually turn my mind off. Even then, my
dreams were haunted by her.

My Universe cards seemed to fly from my fingertips. When I exhausted my
supply of them, I did not stop to make more. I cursed my stupidity in
using them in the first place, as leaping to each location missed
valuable space in between. A wordless growl escaped my lips and I
pressed on.

When I reached the Darkenwood, I found it certainly deserving of its
name. Searching as thoroughly as I would've liked was difficult, and my
voice was long worn from calling her name. Passing through the forest
was hard, and I fell repeatedly, though the scrapes went unnoticed. When
I came to the furthest reaches, I prepared to turn back when a gasp and
the sound of footsteps dashing away drew my gaze to the side.

My heart stopped.

Sakti's form lay beside a gaping hole in the ground, dirt piled high and
shovel abandoned. Her skin had too pale of a hue between the bruises
that seemed to cover her. Her wrists were still bound by the frayed rope
that had obviously been biting into her for days. Cuts on her arms,
cheeks, and forehead were covered in dried, brown blood. The final gash,
crossing her throat cleanly, had newer blood - maybe a few hours old.
Her eyes were blessedly closed.

I fell to my knees and screamed until I could no more.


There will be no more rest for me. Sakti, both laughing in my memories
and as I last saw her, will haunt me always. I will not stop until I
bring this terror to justice and dispose of her murderer, to send them
to their final death.

Sakti Revenante is dead, and her soul is nowhere to be found.

Penned by my hand on the 21st of Aeguary, in the year 463 AF.