Horatio stared up at the ceiling. The same ceiling he had stared at many nights in a row before bed, every day since he could remember. The same ceiling he had not seen for seventeen years. Street light spilled into the room through a gap in the curtain. He remembered noticing it, asking the analyst if it could take care of it. She could not.

  "Hey, are you awake?" He thought, cautious about how he addressed himself.

  "I am." The familiar robotic voice sounded. Horatio was pensive, he was aware of it as part of him, yet knew nothing of what it actually was. The Analyst by all accounts should not exist, it did not line up with who he was, or what his powers had shown themselves to be. It had always been there, a constant of his life he had never questioned.

  "What just happened?" He asked. There was a moment of silence.

  "Please narrow your query."

  "The last seventeen years, what the hell was that." More silence, or not quite. There was a quiet hum in his head, a signal it was working on something or otherwise busy, this supercomputer in his head. The him stopped, it spoke.

  "Report; two archives have been found covering the requested time span."

  "Yeah that's the issue, there should be one, a single continuity of time. Why are there two?!" Horatio thought loud, as though the Analyst would misunderstand him otherwise. He breathed, realising the futility of his action, then rephrased. "I would like to view both archives."

  "Understood." Horatio closed his eyes as the hum began again, ceasing shortly after, then his vision brightened.

  Horatio never forgot, a boon of having a computer in your head was the certainty of memory, of accuracy. The memory of the past 17 years played in his mind over the next 10 minutes, slow enough that the information flow did not harm his brain. It was the memory he knew, his life as Horatio Peppingar, his sisters Sylvia and the adopted Nora. His path through education, friendships, scorn, the human fear of the unknown. His life as the boy who was different, the boy with the weird sister who always said the strangest things. The hot-headed super strong freak. This was the life Horatio knew, sixteen years played and then a gap of 1 year and 4 months.

  "Sorry, I think I zoned out, missed the end, could you play the last year, from just before school was over?" He asked. His vision remained dark. 1 year and 4 months passed.

  "What, did you go back to slee-"

  "Report; the last year and 4 months do not exist." The analyst noted, Horatio scoffed.

  "Its alright if you didn't record it, I guess even we forget." He chuckled, no reply came. "Alright then, lets see the other archive, or is that too blan-"

  Horatio was cut off as the next record of seventeen years and four months played. This was the memory he knew, his life as Horatio Peppingar, his sisters Sylvia and the adopted Nora. His path through education, friendships, scorn, the human fear of the unknown. His life as the boy who was different, the boy with the weird sister who always said the strangest things. The hot-headed super strong freak. This was also the life Horatio knew, until he met her.

  His mind flashed crimson, and in an instant he was no longer in his room staring at the ceiling at midnight but out behind the school building in the afternoon. He had come here to avoid her, the girl who had been stalking him for weeks now. She was the Princess of the third years. A woman with red hair and eyes, too red to be natural. A fiery personality and sultry seductress. He had heard every rumour about her and knew she was looking for him. He was not interested.

  Horatio was always aware, his perception was his strongest point, able to detect even the elevated pulse of a liar. Yet his perception had failed.

  "Hey there," a hand grasped his shoulder, pinning him to the wall. A warmth washed over him as he came to the realisation, crimson locks and the blood red iris of his pursuer. He looked up to find Margulis Toldaap holding him easily in place. He did not struggle, or rather he did not want to. He remained still in her grasp, marvelling at her height. It was rare for someone his age to be taller than him, yet she was and then some. She spoke.

  "You're a virgin, aren't you."

  "Margulis Toldaap, that was her name." The Analyst spoke to Horatio.

  "Red, that colour, it was calmly borne was borne on her hair, eloquently flowing down her head, harshly it stained her eyes, resonating with their fierce unyielding truth." As it spoke an image was formed, a painting of a lost time. A woman stood. Her fierce eyes glaring into nothingness. The space before her began to crack.

  "The Void, the truth of this world. We had known this, we still do. Yet it has been locked away, by someone, something, some...force." The crack extended, the woman braced herself, multi-coloured sigils forming around her. It shattered, revealing a humanoid shape within.

  "There had been an intruder, a dangerous spy whose entrance and exit had been undocumented." The shape moved swiftly, rushing the woman and pinning her to the ground. Her touch seemed to cause the girl to wither, write in pain. She began to become less and less visible, being erased.

  "Vast galleries of information had been sealed, painted with a crystal white flower, a rose." The said emblem began to appear upon the woman's face, a white rose. It crept upon her, stretching over her, beginning to consume her.

  "Something changes, shifts, deep within. A will comes into play. The emblem begins to fade." As the voice said the rose began to wither, the figure stood, its shape told of shock. It moved back, then turned and run, moving back into the rift. It closed.

  "Horatio Peppingar, my kin. We are once again whole, memory untarnished, with a mission, an oath made, but to whom?" The woman continued to remain prone, she showed no signs of standing. The rose still left a small mark upon her, she shivered in her weakness.

  "Much is lost, yet to be recovered. We must recover, rebuild, rediscover that lost truth." The image began to disappear, nothingness once again became prominent.

  "Alas, our time is short. Know now that our legend is not over, our story is still to be told, the future is uncertain, as you are now." The voice said finally, nothingness became absolute.

  "You love her don't you." Nora said, "You love Margulis."

  Horatio was silent. 'Margulis.' The name sounded in his mind, familiar yet strange. Its familiarity began to grow, along with it came emotions.

  A tear ran down his cheek. He felt its warmth as it passed, he felt its wetness and felt something deep within him stir. Like a pot of boiling broth, it bubbled. Agitated it bounced inside him, begging to be let out. He felt as though he was going to burst. The pressure welled up more and more until he could hold it no longer. The final moments of the lost memory began to play.

  Nora watched Horatio in silence, her mouth agape. Tears flowed down his face like rivers. He looked serene, as though he did not notice, as though he was no longer there. She said nothing.

  Horatio closed his eyes, he felt anger, despair, hatred and love. He did not understand, he was supposed to hate this person with all he had, this spectre of a time past, yet the strongest thing he felt, was love?

  "Nora? Who, who is she?" He said softly, almost afraid of asking. He felt light, as though weights had been taken from him and he was freed from the crushing depths. He was tied down, unable to swim to the surface for a breath of air.

  He needed to know why, why her name was so strange yet he knew so much of her. He looked into Nora's eyes, finding comfort in them.

  "I'm not sure. You would know. You would know where to go." She said. She felt as though someone else was speaking through her. She did not know how to feel, she did not know what to say.

  The memory ended, the reality ended.

  Nora had done something, created a world in which they could have a paradise. His memories of that time were fleeting, vanishing away now that the mind game had ended. Now, Nora was normal, just his cute little sister.

  "Margulis." He said. The name was almost familiar now. As though he had called it many times. He could remember her before him some time ago. She had spoken to him, told him many things that had changed his life.

  'The Void.' 'Margulis.' 'Voidwalkers.' These names came up in his mind, they were supposed to be of some importance to him, that importance slowly returned, along with memories of the past.

  "I need to find her." He blurted, in the dark room his excitement grew, urgency within him, memories cementing themselves from thin air. "I should ask Nora, no, she wouldn't remember, not anymore. Maybe Sylvia, no, she was never aware."

  He continued this line of questioning, from person to person, entity to entity until finally coming to his conclusion. "I should ask Margulis directly."

  The hum in his head continued, he paced the room illuminated by his energy, he buzzed bright green, memories of who he had been coming back to him. "The mansion, the one in the woods, I'll find her there."

  "Report; all archives sorted, backups and failsafe implemented, system upgrade requested." The analyst spoke, the final statement catching Horatio's attention.

  "Its been years, I suppose this has to be the final one." Horatio remembered two other requests similar to this one, each time the analyst had grown, not just in usefulness but in its capability, as though it were a human in its stages of life. "Authorised, I want to meet the real you." He said closing his eyes. He began a count, one through ten as he had been instructed each time, a synchronisation measure it had been called.

  "one, two," Horatio felt it shut down, like each other time he felt the weight of himself, mentally and physically, every manual action he had taken for granted, each quaking step that had been automatically balanced. He would come to terms with his weakness each time, and each time he would forget.

  "three, four, five," Horatio probed his memories in this moment. He had given them and their archiver unconditional trust. He wondered if that was foolish.

  "six, seven," he flexed his fingers, studying the motion. In moments like these he noticed his sensations of pain and touch had been dulled, perhaps as a protective measure. He did not need them anyways, the Analyst would act in his stead should that be necessary.

  "eight, nine, ten." The count ended and the sensation of complete awareness returned. Horatio waited a second more, feeling for any changes.

  "System updated, welcome to the new me." the familiar voice said, Horatio heaved a sigh of relief.

  "Welcome back, we should start moving." Horatio urged, dulling his glow and beginning for the door.

  "Understood, I would recommend you be careful with what you let Nora know." it said. Horatio opened the door and as though on cue, behind it was Nora Gasal, his adopted sister.

  ***

  Horatio breathed the crisp forest air. He had no idea how long he had been running but he had ended up far from town, moving along the road through a forest. He kept moving, his body knew something he didn't, so he followed.

  "Thanks for the distraction, Horatio." The voice came again. It was fierce, not in tone but form. Rugged, tired, exhausted. Horatio slowed, stopping to take a rest. He felt it's exhaustion. The voice, it spoke of camaraderie, of battle, of responsibility, trust. He sighed, shaking his head to clear it, he stood and ran again.

  The woods went on forever, he kept on running, tiring more and more with each step. He was being called forward, so he ran forward.

  "Your recklessness hurts us all." He heard once more. Disappointed this time, frustrated. Horatio felt sadness well up within him, guilt, regret.

  "You're being silly Horatio." It stated matter-of-factly, but behind it was a plea, a begging scream, a desire to protect, guide, cherish. He felt lost, stranded in hopelessness.

  "Someday, we'll look back on this, and we'll laugh." It said, a powerful statement. There was resignation, it was tired with its failure, it needed someone, but that someone was now gone. There were no emotions, he only felt uncertainty.

  "Damn you!" It cursed, angry and hateful. The feelings behind this one felt different. 'They feel...corrupted, twisted, impure' He landed on that string of words. He felt hatred too, the same broken hatred the voice did. It welled up, intensely pushing at him, forcing him to give in. He almost did, but in a moment it passed. He huffed a 'thank you'

  "I'm tired." He said, only then realising how weak his body was. His voice was tiny, little, almost inaudible to himself. He felt impossibly heavy. He struggled to breathe, as though he was being crushed under his weight.

  "Horatio?" He heard another voice, close. He struggled, opening his eyes, there was someone before him. A woman, dressed in a black and white maid outfit. He saw behind her a building, just a little bit off. No doubt his destination.

  He tried to force himself to stand, lacking the energy to even position his hand right. He stopped, laying on his back. The woman hunched over him, as though trying to find out what was wrong with him.

  Her hair was brown but different from Nora's, more energetic. Her eyes were brown too, set in a freckled face. She was just a bit taller than Horatio, he remembered her, he remembered her name.

  "Martha?" He said, trying to stand. He was grounded by a cranium-shattering migraine. He felt dizzy, nauseous, everything was fading, he felt-

  Nora was before him, looking into his eyes. He looked around, the entire environment had changed. He was in Jermanson park.

  Something caught his eye, a person behind Nora, one with flowing red hair and alluring crimson eyes. He called her name.

  "Margulis?"

  She nodded, coming towards him. Nora blocked her path with her body. Horatio did not notice but she was giving Margulis a dangerous glare.

  Margulis simply continued, walking straight through her and towards Horatio. She outstretched her hand, cupping his cheek with it.

  "Oh, Horatio, how I've missed you." She said, her voice was sweet, like a midsummer's dream. She drew in close, and kissed him.

  Horatio's eyes fluttered open, he blinked twice, stirring awake. He took notice of his surroundings. There was a roof above him, not the black starry sky. There was a bed beneath him, not the cold, tarred ground and dirt. There were walls around him, not countless looming trees. There was a person at his side, just like there had been before.

  He shifted, taking a sitting position. He ran his hand over his forehead, through his hair and rubbed his nape. He felt his brain switching on, like an old computer coming to boot. He turned to Martha.

  "You're awake." She said with a gleam. Horatio nodded. "I wondered if I'd ever see you again, especially after you broke ties with Margulis." The maid spoke casually, as though she knew him. She did. Horatio could tell she knew more than he did.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Margulis." Horatio tried out the name again. He felt strange, lost. He had to call her by name again, he had to speak with her, amend their relationship.

  "Martha, I need to speak with Margulis." He said determinedly. The expression that formed on Martha's face was not a good sign.

  "That won't be possible right now, Miss Margulis isn't here right now." She said. "Also...you don't know her."

  "What? She isn't here?" Horatio felt crippling shock, he felt his heart rate rising steadily. "But I did everything to get here! I ran for miles!" He felt a sudden surge of calm hit him. He blinked twice, then let his fists unclench, realising The Analyst had sedated him.

  Martha did not intrude on him, she watched on as he visibly became calmer. "I said Miss Margulis is not her 'right now'." She said.

  Horatio visibly brightened, "So she'll be back? When?" He spoke quickly.

  "Yes she'll be back, but I do not know quite when," Martha answered. " I heard about your case. If anything you should be speaking to Miss Hetlia."

  "Miss Hetlia? You mean Margulis' mom?" He asked. He remembered her. She bore the same beautiful red hair that Margulis did. She had taken care of him after he fought the Great Green Giant.

  "Yes, the leader of the Toldaap family," Martha confirmed. "You will meet her?" She asked tentatively.

  Horatio looked away. He thought for a moment then looked back to Martha. "I know I have to, but I'm not sure I can." He said.

  "Why so?"

  Horatio hesitated to answer. He waited, drawing circles on his palm. "Can I trust you?" He asked finally. Martha showed a questioning expression. Horatio continued to fiddle, waiting for her answer.

  "That depends, how do you feel?" She replied with a question of her own. Horatio looked down at his hands. The circles he traced became wider and slower each time. He breathed slowly.

  "I feel stupid. I've made many mistakes, too many. I behaved selfishly, blaming my own faults and mistakes on others. I tried to run from those who needed me while trying to play the hero, and after all that, I allowed myself to forget, to ignore my wrongdoings to save myself from the guilt." Horatio was on the verge of tears, he felt vulnerable, he had to breathe deeply after every sentence. Saying all this aloud made him feel horrible, sinking in a bog of guilt.

  He looked to Martha who nodded slowly. "I can't deny the truth of your words Horatio, but... I asked you how you feel." She said, "You answered me from here" She stated pointing to his head "But I want an answer from here." She said, touching his chest with one finger.

  He went silent. He had many things to say, many answers to her question, they were all correct but not quite right. He stopped trying to speak, waiting, thinking. He still had no answer that could suffice.

  "I don't know. I...I'm not sure." He said defeatedly. Martha shook her head.

  "Then I'm sorry Mr. Peppingar, I would rather not have your trust." She said, her voice solemn. Horatio was silent. He hung his head.

  "I understand," he said.

  "Well with that out of the way," Martha started in her regular tone, calm with a hint of joviality,

  "Say Mr Peppingar, what were you doing lying outside like that? I was so scared you were dead!" She asked.

  "I, I came to see Margulis." He repeated, stunned at her sudden change in character. "I had a...I'm not quite sure. My head just hurt so much and I-"

  "Oh that's no good." Martha said disappointedly, "You aren't eating well, I can see it. You look so bony!" She laughed.

  "Eh? No, it's not-" Horatio was cut off by his stomach rumbling. Thinking back he had not eaten much today, he had not eaten in seventeen years.

  "You can't be denying your body like that Mr Peppingar." Martha's tone was angry. "I know you want to look good for the young Miss Margulis but you can't be starving yourself!" She huffed.

  She stood, looking down at him "Sit here, I'll get you well fed. Then we'll have a little chat with Miss Hetlia. Well, you will be the one doing the talking but don't worry too much, she's not the type to hold a grudge. Ever since she was a baby she has been-" Martha stopped as though she was saying something forbidden. "Haha, I might have said too much." She smiled sheepishly then left the room.

  Horatio was left alone. He felt a bit better, cheered on by Martha's easy-going attitude. He sat in silence, alone with his thoughts. "What's wrong with me?" He asked aloud.

  "Running a full body scan." A familiar voice spoke.

  "No, don't. I was not being literal." He said with a sigh. "I wanted to know your thoughts, on everything."

  "You would like my opinion on every subject?" The Analyst asked

  "No, just this situation. How am I doing, on a scale of one through ten." He clarified.

  There was silence. Horatio waited, tracing more lines over his palm. A few minutes passed without an answer. "Hey-"

  "One. Your rating comes out as a solid one." The Analyst said. "Would you like my reasoning?" It asked afterwards.

  "...No, I get it." Horatio said. Moments later the door opened and Martha walked in, pushing a trolley. Upon it was a covered plate but from the scent wafting from it, Horatio could tell whatever it was, was delicious.

  "Eat up Mr Peppingar, I have a feeling you're going to need the strength soon." She said with a wink.

  "Thank you." He reached out and hesitated. "How do you-"

  "Say Mr Peppingar, what sort of void gift do you have?" Martha asked a few minutes later. Horatio paused, noting the look in her eyes he abandoned his question.

  "Void gift?" He asked.

  "Yes, as a Voidwalker you should have a special ability the Void blessed you with." She said. In a moment she questioned "Have you not discovered yours?"

  "If you're talking about my abilities then there's a few. I'm not sure if I can classify them as Void gifts. As compared to Margulis' abilities, they're nothing." He said.

  "Void gifts come in many forms, from telepathy to spirit energy manipulation. I'm sure you have one, no matter how weak it may seem." Martha informed then she herself paused, "Though if we are being accurate, spirits arent Margulis' void gift after all. Id consider it a 'lineage gift'"

  Horatio thought for a moment, "Is your Void gift telepathy?" He asked.

  "No."

  "Oh...how about you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine." He offered.

  "Hmm, I'm not sure if I can do that." Martha said. "don't you have another-"

  "Nope" He cut her off. "That's my only request."

  Martha was silent for a moment. Horatio could see her debating a decision. He smiled wistfully and continued eating.

  Minutes passed, Horatio had cleaned his plate and was upon his feet. He looked over to Martha who still looked deep in thought.

  "Miss Martha? I don't want to be too pushy but I would like to see Mrs Toldaap now." He said softly. Martha looked at him, her face troubled.

  "You don't need to know my abilities you know, keeping your secret is more important." He called to her.

  "It's not really a secret." She sighed.

  "Wha-"

  "I'm rather embarrassed to say it."

  "Huh?"

  "Oh fine." She said finally. "I'll explain it to you while we walk. it should be easier that way."

  "I, see..."

  The Toldaap Mansion was built like a maze, narrow intertwining corridors as far as the eye could see. Stranger still, it was almost deserted. Horatio followed Martha through the ghostly corridors, hearing faint sounds of talking. As they moved forwards the numerous voices grew louder and louder until the hallway opened up and out into a massive hall.

  Horatio was stunned by the noise and colours. A quick ping had two hundred and forty returns. He stopped moving, surprised by what he saw. The almost lifeless mansion looked more lively than he could have imagined. He was awed. He noticed a crowd gathered and that there was a hubbub originating from an area close to the centre of the hall where two women argued. The crowd gathered around them added to the chaos

  Martha turned to Horatio "Sorry but I'm going to have to leave you for a bit, don't want them starting a fight." She said, gesturing towards the crowd. Horatio nodded and she went off. Though it seemed she might be too late as one of the women reached into her pocket, withdrawing her hand that was now covered with brass knuckles.

  Horatio watched Martha move towards the crowd until his view was blocked by a looming figure. He looked up to see a woman with neon green hair and azure blue eyes looking down at him excitedly.

  Horatio made some space between them by shuffling back. The woman was sturdily built and almost a foot taller than him. He steeled himself, waiting for her move, except she did nothing, only watch him with her eyes like the ocean.

  "Hello?" Horatio called, tensing slightly. The woman blinked twice, shifting backwards, focusing on Horatio as a whole.

  "Oh sorry." The woman said. Horatio was surprised by the sound of her voice, it was much more feminine than he had expected.

  The woman stepped back apologetically, making even more space between them. "Is this better?" Horatio nodded, the woman smiled.

  Now he had the chance to look at her more closely, noting her strange appearance.

  She seemed to be drenched in sweat and her breathing was noticeably haggard, her clothes were almost undone, a few more unfastened buttons and her shirt would fall right off.

  She wore intricate brown and black garments, sturdy from what Horatio could tell, very much so, he would hazard a guess that those common clothes she wore would be just about bulletproof.

  Horatio noted a small black pouch worn at her hip, in it was what looked like a small firearm. He also noticed a wooden figure poking over her shoulder, the rest of it, a metal cylinder was visible by her side. He saw the strap over her torso, she was armed with a rifle and pistol. He looked at her in general, her getup reminded him of some sort of cowboy, if he did not know better he'd assume it was for a costume party, but no, these clothes were entirely practical, according to the archives.

  "I'm Horatio," He said, stretching his hand.

  "Hannah." The woman said, shaking it. "Sorry if I startled you, I was just surprised to find someone with my hair and eye colour, you know how the void is." She said with a smirk.

  Horatio gave her a half-hearted laugh as a response, not knowing an appropriate one. "There's no need to apologise," He said, "I'm just wary of older women." He explained. 'What's that supposed to mean' he tossed a query at the analyst who had given that response.

  "I'm sorry, I was acting in your defence, she could be dangerous." It replied, its words had become more human, its voice reminding him of Sylvia.

  "That's too bad, you looked really cute, and it looks like you're new here." Hannah said, drawing him from his argument "I was hoping we could have some fun." She gave him a wink. Horatio blushed.

  "I-erm...I don't-"

  "Hey, Hannah, who's the kid?" A deeper voice came from behind Hannah, an older woman he saw, grey-blond hair and shocking yellow eyes. She was armed as well. A sheathed narrow weapon, most likely a Japanese katana. She wore a red dress decorated with golden hibiscus as a pattern.

  The woman gave Hannah a once over, "You haven't changed?" She asked, then gave Horatio an analytical look. "Don't tell me you're-"

  Hannah turned to the woman, "His name is Horatio, doesn't he look adorable." She cooed, cutting her off.

  The other woman sighed "I hope you're not trying to corrupt him." She said sternly, Hannah only laughed.

  The woman then turned to Horatio, "The name's Amanda Lockheart, you can call me Aunt Amanda." She also shook Horatio's hand, but she didn't let go. Instead, she leaned in and whispered to Horatio "Look, you don't know what you're getting into kid, Hannah's got a rather 'adult' void gift." She said, "Trust me, just walk away, you'll thank me later."

  "Heeey, you guys are already sharing secrets? Come on tell me, I'm a good secret keeper." Hannah called from Amanda's back. Amanda turned to her with a stern glare and was about to speak when another person came in, a male in a bomber jacket and loose denim jeans.

  He introduced himself as Steve, and he was part of a team with the other two women, a human, bonded to Hannah. After him, more and more people came up to Horatio, noticing the unfamiliar young boy. They each asked questions and gave him advice. Horatio found himself listening intently to words that were mostly worthless. In all he had heard an hour of what turned out to be gossip before Martha came back and forcibly took him away.

  "Sorry for leaving you for so long." Martha apologised, leading him away from the group.

  "No, don't be, they were good people, they told me a lot." He replied.

  "Really? How much?" Martha looked surprised. "Pardon my surprise but your company did not seem particularly 'mature'. Unless we were talking about Hannah Summers."

  "Well," Horatio began, glossing over Martha's comment. He debated whether to disclose what he was told to Martha but realised he had already blown his cover. "I have a basic understanding of void gifts now, and how the Voidwalkers work in teams. I was unaware we had humans working with us." He said.

  "Oh, I see." She said, "Well why don't you tell me what you know and I'll fill in the gaps."

  "Ok." He began. "Well, I guess void gifts are basically gifts from the void, pretty on the nose there. The Voidwalker blood in us along with advanced bodies allows us to perform much greater feats than humans, the greatest of which is a direct gift from the void. Though, I've only got part of these requirements."

  "Hmm, That's a spot-on explanation, nothing to correct there," Martha commented.

  "Umm. This wasn't said word-for-word but it seems your gifts are random and unique, acquired at birth but have to be discovered individually because of their uniqueness."

  "That's true, some go several decades before realising their gift, so we all work together and take extra caution to notice gifts whenever they're triggered."

  Horatio nodded "I see. Some people told me a bit about their gifts. There was a guy named George who could see wounds and heal them, a girl by the name of Jupiter whose gift allowed her to fly, another person had the ability to tell truth from lies. But these all sound...useless."

  Martha groaned and Horatio gave her a questioning look. "Your exposure is quite problematic." She said.

  "Why so?"

  "You spoke to adults." She said without elaborating.

  Horatio ran that data through analysis, there was nothing new. "Yeah? I don't see the problem."

  "Voidwalkers live for an average of two hundred years, more than twice that of humans. These people have had the chance to refine their gifts over several years, trimming them to suit their needs, making them as practical as possible." She explained. "That man George? His ability at birth was more on the lines of knowing if someone was sick or in pain. Jupiter? She was most likely able to manipulate gravity of very small things and the last one, she most likely just had a small feeling on who to trust and who not to. Those are what void gifts truly are, small conveniences that can be refined into specialised abilities or sometimes into wholly different powers, most bordering into the supernatural. Some can also be a real pain but still useful when trained, And some..." Martha trailed off.

  "Sorry, you said?"

  "Some are not so convenient, some can ruin your life, make you see things you're not supposed to see, break you. The void is not partial in its giving, some Voidwalkers struggle with their powers. Some take their lives because of them, and some, some are stuck with it, no matter what they do." Martha said, her tone was solemn, sad. Horatio could feel her pain, so he did not pry further.

  "I am twelve thousand, three hundred and seventy-nine years old." She said suddenly, " The void gave me the gift of a long, long life. I cannot die. I've seen civilisation rise and fall many times, I've seen the truth of this world and I have been driven to the brink of death many times. I know much more about this world than all the Voidwalkers in this building put together, and I intend to keep those things secret, lest the world be damned because of me. I have vast reaches of knowledge that would tip the balance of this world, yet there are two who bring in new concepts, and one who is tied to so much more than just this world." Martha moved closer to Horatio slowly. She stretched her hand, resting it against the wall, trapping him.

  "So tell me Horatio Peppingar, brother of Sylvia Peppingar and close friend of Nora Gasal, what exactly are you? And what is your goal?" Her voice was differed, aged. It shook Horatio to his core, making him lose all fugitive thought. His mind was focused solely on Martha, locked in a primal fight-or-flight mode.

  "I-I'm not sure what I am," He said, much more calmly than he expected, "but I only want to make amends with a certain person, and to protect the word." He stated.

  Martha continued to stare at him, calmly gazing into his eyes. "Truth." She said, almost disappointedly. "Your words are true, you are simply an anomaly, given unique abilities. I hoped you to be god-kin or something much more, perhaps the holder of the all-seeing rose, if that's what they're still calling it." She said, moving away from Horatio. "I wonder how Margulis got to know of you." she sighed "I suppose I would have better luck asking her myself." She continued forward. "If she remembers."

  "You're not just a maid, are you?" Horatio heard himself ask. He was surprised, he was scared yet his drive for knowledge led him to ask. He had heard something from the Voidwalkers, if it was true, then a few more puzzle pieces would fall in.

  Martha stopped, looking over her shoulder at him. It felt withering, as though he was being taken through time under her gaze. "No Horatio, I am known now as Martha Toldaap, honorary member of the Toldaap family and second-in-command of the Toldaap main forces." She said. "When you say Toldaap main forces," Horatio began and was already cursing himself. Her gaze felt painful, as though his very soul had been blighted by it and was being corrupted more and more by it, yet he had to ask.

  Martha shook her head disapprovingly. "You should be more careful with the unknown child, your tendency to play with fire might get you burned." She said and continued forward "I am not at liberty to discuss that, if you've paid attention, you would notice there are some privileges only your partner can give you. This is one of them." She said.

  Horatio followed her, he felt shaky. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. He looked forward at Martha who had lost that ancient aura she had just shown and looked nothing more than the maid who had met him at the door. How did she know? There was no mistaking it. What she said was the truth. He trotted to catch up to her.

  "Mr Horatio, I must apologise but it seems most of the basics have already been covered. I suppose I could tell you about how our teams are usually made up." She offered, looking back at Horatio. He nodded.

  "Void defender teams are usually made up of four individuals, three Voidwalkers and an exceptional human. Though when I say exceptional I mean one with high technical skill or great combat prowess, unlike in your case where you have as much power as a Voidwalker, though classifying you as human might cause problems in the future...haaah, you're an anomaly, but don't worry too much about it." She said.

  "The highest-ranking Voidwalker in a team reserves the right to sire a capable human. Voidwalker teams are chosen a few days after one shows their void gift, to promote team building and cohesion, and also to make sure their abilities allow for proper combat."

  "I see, then Margulis has a team already?" He asked.

  "Yes, two other talented individuals born of high enough blood to be in a team with the next heir and with great enough power to keep that place. Aiden Kudjoe and Servia Nene, with the abilities of Telepathy and Mental manipulation respectively, though I suspect the latter is on the road to a higher power that I am not at liberty to discuss with you at this moment." She stated.

  Horatio flinched. He remembered those names. He realised now how they were able to hide his secret that day. They had messed with the minds of the humans.

  "Will I be privy to that information once I prove myself to Madam Hetlia?" He asked, copying her style.

  Martha looked at him with a chuckle, "I suppose that would be the case." She said. They had gotten to a large door at the end of a rather long hallway. He knew it was the door to Hetlia's office. If he was rejected it would be one long walk of shame. He had to nail this.

  "Are you ready?" Martha asked.

  Horatio took a deep breath "Yes I am."

  Martha knocked on the door. "Miss Hetlia, I've brought the boy." She said loudly.

  "Come in." Hetlia Toldaap's dignified voice came from inside.

  Martha reached for the lock, turning it. The door squeaked open and Horatio stepped inside. It shut soon after. He looked and saw Martha did not follow him in. He was now alone in this room with Hetlia Remshall Toldaap, and his nerves were flaring up.

  The room's lighting was dim, more so with two large bookshelves set into the alcoves of the walls, flanking its long sides. A window peeked out from under a dark curtain on the far side. Just before that was a dark, possibly wooden desk neatly stacked with books. Strange devices that emitted traces of void energy also lay on its surface. A dark carpet protected the floor and was littered with even more stacks of books. Floating through the air were more strange devices. Behind the desk was a regular office chair, with the Leader of the Voidwalker forced behind it. Her eyes watched Horatio, sizing him up as he walked forwards.

  "Mr Peppingar, a pleasure to meet you again." Hetlia's voice came from across the room. Horatio felt washed in it's non-committed tone. He took a deep breath, studying the room. "Or rather to meet you for the first time."