Chapter Text
It was the day Yinlin tried to discover her record as a patroller. It was raining all day with no sign of sunlight.
She didn’t expect to recover her record from the very beginning. While the dollmaker was an illusionist, he was not a liar. He was a man of skills as well. If he says that he deleted the record, it would be better to believe him than not to.
Even though she wanted to try. She needed to.
There were plenty of alternative identities she could use. Her hiding was perfect. There was no chance of failure. Still, she hoped some surprise could happen. It was painful to let go of those days.
“As expected.”
Unexpected surprises can’t be surprising. No one noticed her, and there were no records about patroller Yinlin.
“Were you looking for this person?” said the officer in front of her.
Yinlin thought she saw her a few times, but couldn’t remember her name. Maybe this could be her punishment; she wasn’t paying enough attention to her team. How could she? She had a different goal.
“Nevermind. Thank you.” She left the base with grief.
Her way back to the safehouse felt a lot longer than usual. Her legs were heavier. She needed to use a humongous amount of energy in just a single step. Even so, she didn’t think she was exhausted.
It was not because of the dollmaker, nor his dream. She was out of energy, but didn’t want to admit that.
She had a long way to go to meet her parents again. It wasn’t the time to take a rest. Still, she wasn’t fully convinced. She had no conversations nor activities with them. She didn’t even know what their faces looked like. Even if her parents could return from the graveyard, it would still be hard for her to unite.
“How do you think, Zapstring?” She looked at her favorite doll. It stayed silent. Everything else followed.
“Sure, I appreciate the respect. I need an advice this time, however.”
Yinlin stared the doll. She got no response. There was no way Zapstring could talk to her. She just wanted to organize her thoughts.
She sighed for a moment, and looked around to find some place to take a rest. After a little exploration, she decided to build a camp on a hill. It was a good choice for a night; no discords or exiles could sneak.
It wasn’t hard to gather wood to start a fire. She took a seat on the rock, and watched them burning. She became relaxed from the sound. It was cozy and snug.
However, there was something different in it. It could be anything. Hostile footsteps, discords breathing, or a signal of retroact rain. So she stopped being comfortable and focused on the atmosphere.
Yinlin pulled her Zapstring. Something was approaching through the forest. She didn’t think a humanoid could make a sound that heavy. It must be bigger than that. She considered various cases, and there was nothing safe enough.
“It never stops.” She complained gently. An intimidating howl continued, vibrating air.
“But I always survive. This won’t be an exception.” Yinlin’s voice was full of confidence. The danger was near, but Zapstring was closer. It was the only tool she needed to win.
Finally a dreadmane appeared. A deep, red energy was surrounding it. It approached slowly but steadily. It was seeking an advantage. It was ready to tear Yinlin to pieces, just needing an exact moment to begin the attack.
Sadly, there were two big flaws in its plan. First, she was doing the same. She needed to clear this situation as fast as she could - To utilize what she has. That was why she didn’t stay in the camp.
When the dreadmane roared, tried to crunch her, it didn’t know the second flaw but Yinlin knew it. It was simple; she was a better hunter.