Kewanee — Chapter 2: Opening of the Gate

Previous chapter: The Imhallat

The Opening of the Solstice Gate, like most Asgarthan major events, turned out to be a harsh day for the Stata Mater. Between the crowd surges and the Lyra fireworks, rescuers were overwhelmed. Although the main parade took place beneath the Rampart, more than a hundred kilometers away from the capital, the streets of Arkaster were still packed. Stationed near Clover Court, Kewanee had already escorted two injured residents to the nearest medical post. With the trams overflowing, reaching the Asklepian was not an option.

But even amidst the chaos, Kewanee preferred working over wandering aimlessly. This way, she didn’t have time to think. About the future. About who she was. Since failing the Imhallat ceremony, she had been utterly lost. Her fathers had tried to comfort her, but they simply didn’t get it. As for Tadao, though he tried to hide it, she could sense her mentor’s disappointment. After all the training she went through, the feeling that suddenly erupted in her life and ruined it all seemed like an unfair punishment. And since then, nothing—the Skein remained painfully silent. Had she chosen the wrong Oneiroï? Sacagawea was deeply connected to nature, after all. Had the brave interpreter deliberately stopped her from joining the Bravos? Kewanee had called to her countless times afterward, pleading for answers, but the Eidolon never appeared again.

Kewanee knew she should speak to the Muna, but she wouldn’t. She told herself it was because the druids were rarely seen in the city, but that was a poor excuse. Truthfully, she didn’t have anything to do with them. All she knew of them were stories about strange ceremonies involving animals. And the Bravos she trained with had a pretty low opinion of the Muna, calling them "slow," "weak," and "naive." Every other Faction contributed to a brighter, safer future for Asgartha. The Axiom innovated, the Lyra entertained, even the Yzmir—though they terrified Kewanee— occasionally aided the Rati in healing those wounded by the Tumult. But the Muna? They grew things. They defended animals, sometimes even against humans. No, she had nothing in common with them.

Her shift had just ended, and she was heading home when she heard a cry of distress from a nearby street. As a Bravos—no, not anymore—as a Stata Mater agent, she couldn’t ignore it. She followed the pained voice right into a procession. It sounded as though someone had fallen—a child, perhaps, or an elderly person—unable to get up in the crush of people. Was everyone really so blind as to ignore it?

As she got closer, Kewanee felt a strange unease. Despite the crowd’s singing and loud instruments, she could hear the cry distinctly, almost as if it were echoing within her mind. But when she finally reached the source, she found… nothing. No one was there.

Then she saw it. Lying on the ground, bleeding, its tiny chest rising and falling frantically—a raccoon. She had been answering the call of a bloody animal! After weeks of silence, this damned Skein had returned to bother her. Furious and disgusted, she turned away. This wasn’t her problem. It never would be.

Except now, she could feel its fear and pain as if they were her own.

Next chapter: Living Things