Hawkins hated crowds.

It wasn’t the masses of people that unnerved him, or the constant monotonous speed of the masses walking as one unit. It was that being in crowds meant there was no escape without causing some kind of trouble, with or without your Trait. It was an unspoken rule among the working class that those who let their Trait roam free were not fit to work among their ranks, Mediators or otherwise.

Hawkins groaned, the morning flash of sunlight blinded his eyes, not used to the sudden change in time zones. Thanks to the Divide’s protection, day and night were different in each part of Para Dormus. Here, in Beggars End it was mostly a dull, monotonous change, barely noticeable until the neighbouring Axis borders closed over for the night. Unlike Opalis which was always a bright shining beacon with no need for the night sky until the Divide began its patrols. It started much later than anyone else’s, long after the people of Beggars End had turned in for the night.

Hawkins yawned, unused to the change as he tried to hide his otherworldly mannerisms from his fellow citizens. People didn’t yawn in Beggars End. Showing exhaustion wasn’t an option when you barely had any sunlight to call it daytime. Soon enough, the light which had blinded him for mere moments had suddenly dimmed beneath the horizon once again bathing them in constant shade.

He trudged along, keeping his face blank as he shuffled with the growing crowd only to be jolted into the opposite direction a moment later. With his home being such a drab hovel, he’d had to look elsewhere to find out the information he needed. Hawkins internally groaned, knowing full well he’d had to return to the place he’d just spend two extra days escaping from.

“Just think of the grimoire, think of the grimoire.” He muttered, a droning mantra sending his eyes drooping closed once again.

Hawkins kept his eye on the dull suited greys and blues of the working class in attempt to keep himself awake only to suddenly become jostled by the crowd. He turned around sharply, annoyed at the scuffle only to catch the eye of the row of green and brown coated strongmen a little ways behind him.

They stuck out like a dragon in a pet shop, emblazoned with a garish grey coat of arms as the dragonfly shimmered alongside their crudely hidden grimoires brazenly tucked under their jackets, barely bothering to hide them fully. They were confident. Too confident.

“Shit.” He muttered, staring straight ahead as he did his best to think of a plan.

Eyeing a nearby alleyway, he watched cautiously as the crowd drifted ever closer to the edge of the Axis border, bricks shifting and changing to suit the speed and position of the daily commute. The small gang of green had gained momentum, attempting to surround him on all sides, unnoticed by the others more out of fear than anything else.

The masses of people may not have known the gangs target but the tension in the air was enough for them to realise something was wrong. Hawkins stood his ground, a metre or two away from the edge of the cobbled pavement still slick with rain. If he lost his footing now, he was sure to be trampled. Regardless of who was following him he could not let that happen.

Dealing with them in Axis was trouble enough.

Fishing his trusty lighter out of his pocket, he flicked open the cap and slowly sifted the smoke through his hands. Wisp emerged from the container, much more calm and subdued as he lazily rested within Hawkins cupped hands, the smog ruffling a little as he tried to settle his nerves, brushing his fingertips against Wisp with his free hand.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Shhh.” he said, more for himself rather than the puffball still snoozing away.

The five burly looking men had kept track of all the known exits which would soon divide the commute in a matter of seconds. He had to act now. Hawkins kept one eye on the interchanging bricks as he muttered quietly to Wisp who had began to awaken, listening intently despite the situation.

“Now, Wisp. You change into me as soon as the border moves again, got it? I’ll let you play with your grimoire friend all you want when I get back. Promise.”

Wisp nodded solemnly, sprouting a happy little tail as his shape began to change instantaneously.

“No, Wisp! Not yet!” Hawkins said, trying to rein his Trait back in but it was too late.

The smoke had filled the courtyard in a matter of seconds, people coughing and spluttering as the green clad men emblazoned with a silver emblem barrelled their way haphazardly through the crowds, shouting their gang name like a blazing brand against their ears. The morning rush hour was abandoned as people scattered like flies, the protective shield of faces now gone as Wisp reformed beside him, copying his exact features like a mirror, despite having the ditziest grin on his face. Hawkins sighed, running a hand through his hair, straightening his collar as Wisp waited patiently, bobbing his newly shaped head about.

Hawkins dodged behind a nearby break in the rushing masses of people, darting left and right as he dragged his body double away from the carnage only to slam into an advancing bouncer from the very gang he was trying to avoid.

“Hornet ain’t one to let a Mediator like you slip away, Hawky. The boss ain’t best pleased about what you did to us in Axis.” he said, towering a good few inches above Hawkins as Wisp poked him with his pudgy digits.

The bricks on the nearby border shuffled lazily through its routine as it formed a single opening between the cracks in the walls.

It was now or never.

“Well, give Hornet my deepest regards to the Swarm and hopefully you’ll do better against my Trait next time.”

The thug tried to grab him but Hawkins was too quick, abandoning his earlier tactics and grabbed Wisp’s arm before they could do anything else. With a single thought he turned them both into smoke as he slipped through the border and back into the interchanging streets of Axis once more.

……..

“Damnit, Wisp! You almost got us killed!”

The little ball of grey fluff began to sulk, his grey streams of smoke began to darken as he attempted to nuzzle Hawkins shoulder but his owner walked on without him. Soon Wisp was trying to smother him with affection, doing anything to get his attention as he clung desperately to Hawkin’s coat.

“Enough, Wisp! Back in the lighter, now.” Hawkins demanded, flicking open his lighter.

Wisp floated aimlessly beside him, his tendrils now droopy as his smoke was now a morose, storm cloud, his detached arms now elongating at a rapid pace, his body growing bigger in seconds as he let out a large wail before zooming off in the opposite direction far into the maze of streets and houses ahead of them.

“Wisp, wait! I didn’t...mean it.” He said, attempting to chase after him but he was long gone.

Hawkins groaned loudly, taking out a loose cigarette and lighting it to calm his frustrations as he kicked at a stone grumpily. It wasn’t Wisp’s fault they got into trouble, he got nervous and panicked only for his emotions to get the better of him. Just like always.

The stone skidded into a nearby alleyway, slamming into a teetering pile of junk as it crashed to the ground, a mewling sound of discontempt following soon after it. He stumbled back as he forced himself to backtrack, knowing full well it would probably be a bad idea.

“Hello? Wisp? Anyone in there?”

The echoing response of groans and grunts sent a chill down his spine as the gathering smoke from his cigarette moved expertly through the rubbish. He took a step backwards as the rubbish began to shift away on its own, his Trait retreating back towards his master.

“Wisp? I’m sorry, I was-” Hawkins began, only for him to soon realise that this was not his companion.

It was a young boy, no more than fifteen at best but the patchy grey skin and blazing hot flames burrowing beneath the rubbish told Hawkins he was no normal Traited.

He was a Truant.

“Shit. First the Swarm and now this.”

The bags and boxes began to melt instantly from the heat as the young boy moved towards him with a blank stare. Hawkins did his best to keep his breathing steady, backing up nice and slow, eyes fixed on him despite the soulless look in the poor boys eyes. His Trait had taken over. Without the protection of a partner, be it Oathed or Agar his grimoire had became too strong. It had slowly overtaken his body and eventually his mind. Now the only thing left was his soul for demons to thrive on.

“Hey, there. That’s a cool Trait you got there, kid.” Hawkins said, speaking to him as if he were a young toddler.

The Truant growled in response, flames bursting from his palms erratically as they tore through the crumbling stone, leeching onto the ground like acid. Sweat rolled down Hawkins back as he tried to muster as much smoke as he could without the Truant noticing. His grimoire was drained dry after escaping the Swarm and without Wisp, he couldn’t control it as well as he normal could, regardless of how much he could store.

“You sure are strong.” he complimented, his back achingly close to the thin walls of the labyrinth of houses ahead of him. “Think you could teach me how to do that?”

Hawkins began to ramble, the flames rising ever higher as the Truant began to growl ever louder despite his best attempts to distract him. His smoke slithered on the ground, stretching out as the young Fire Traited created more fuel for him to work with.

“OK, lil’ fella. I’d normally attempt this with my buddy Wisp but since he ain’t here right now, I’m just gonna have to improvise.”

Hawkins reached carefully into his pocket for his lighter, opening the top nice and slow as the Truant soon became mesmerised by the small flame as Hawkins gathered a trickle of smoke into his hand, letting it hang there a little more before slowly summoning the edge of a familiar silver spine of his grimoire.

“Just a little more.” Hawkins said, watching as the Truant’s movements became sluggish.

His Trait was slowly causing the boy to settle, his flames no more than a few sparks as Hawkins fought the urge to yawn, as he shifted his weight towards the Truant. It was only until the battered cover of the black grimoire fell out of his pocket and onto the floor did he remember. Truants hated the sight of grimoires.

“Oh...fu-”

The Truant gave an ear splitting roar, his flames dissipating in an instant only to erupt from his mouth like a raging dragon. Hawkins dived away as quickly as he could but the blast was too strong and soon he was swept up in the torrent of flames. It had ripped through an entire street in an instant, carving its way through any inhabitants remaining in the broken husk of houses.

Hawkins winced, his arm caught in the flash fire due to his foolish actions as he scrambled against the rumble trying to find his footing. He could hear the straggling cries of people screaming, no doubt finding themselves trapped within the rubble or burnt to a crisp. There was a reason why dragons weren’t allowed in Axis. But this was no dragon. This was something much worse.

“Dammit!” He croaked, spitting out dirt and ash. “No Truant has ever been that powerful before. What in the Hells is going on?”

The Truant cleared the wreckage in a single bound, furiously charging towards Hawkins who was still trying to find his feet. It slammed a searing fist into his jaw which sent him barrelling into a broken section of wall, seizing his damaged arm in an instant only to plunge it straight back into the searing flames of his Trait. Hawkins screamed in agony as his arm snapped, broken badly by the Truant, encased in endless burning pain which could not be halted no matter how much Trait he gathered.

His hands were slick with sweat and soot as he weakly tried to control the fading smoke to resurface his grimoire. So he could try something, anything to delay the Truant. He could see the wide open maw stretched out in front of him, ready to send another dragonic blast from his mouth. Hawkins felt his hand go numb as the remnants of his summoned grimoire faded into dust.

He lay back, exhausted from the effort as the final memory he had of his dragon flitted across his vision, a dark shadow against the grey tinged light. He reached for it but the black grimoire hung limp alongside his broken arm, reminding him that his partner was gone. The scattering dust causing clouds to rise and taunt him with shapes of his missing friend. Not even Wisp was here to comfort him. The little smoke troll could never fill such a void in his heart but had always done his best to try.

“I’m so sorry, Wisp.”

………

Hawkins groaned, his hand clutching his head thanks to a splitting headache. He jolted awake, realising his left arm was now fully healed without any signs of injuries.

“Oh good, you’re not dead.” a familiar voice said gruffly.

Hack sat above him surrounded by a mass of books and a variety of glowing objects. It reminded Hawkins of his own desk at home but this one smelled less of smoke. The Sand Wraith’s leg was tucked behind him, his left leg providing Hawkins a full view of his injury. He didn’t need to be an expert on curses to notice it was getting worse.

“What happened? Where am I?” Hawkins demanded, sitting up as his hands balled into fists, his anger suddenly spiking.

“Take it easy, boyo. You’ve had a rough night.” Hack reassured him, raising his hands in front of him.

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Hack...wait, did you say night?”

Hack nodded, leaning forward in his chair as he rested a claw against his chin, trying to recall what had happened. Hawkins was still propped upright against wooden slabs of a makeshift wall, his legs covered in miscellaneous bandages.

“Aye. Had to call in a Specialist to fix up that arm of yours. She wasn’t happy but she did a good job. Saved your arm, too from the looks of it.”

Hawkins didn’t know where to begin. He was alive thanks to Hack but he couldn’t help but feel lonely despite his mentor being here beside him. Wisp was now lost to the slums of Axis, afraid and alone with no way to return to him without his grimoire. He felt a pang of guilt wash over him as he blinked quickly, hoping that Wisp had somehow found a place to stay, at least for a little while.

“How...when did I get here? The last thing I remember…” Hawkins tried to continue but his thoughts were a mess of emotions threatening to overwhelm him once again.

Hack smiled, recognising how muddled he was and decided to take things slow.

“The Truant destroyed a whole block in Axis about two days ago. The Third Order took care of it, said it was out of your control thanks to the size of the Trait blast. Not your fault. Kal knows, she’s distraught but she called in sick for you. They’re calling it a new discovery of Truant corruption, an Overtaken.”

Hawkins felt a chill go down his spine, new discovery or not it was not a good sign if Truants were getting more powerful than even lone Mediator could manage.

“That ruddy Abnormal saved your sorry ass and contacted me in the process. Brought me here a little bit after dark.”

Hawkins wasn’t as surprised as he thought he would be. Had the black grimoire stayed put, he would have been able to subdue the Truant and take credit for the discovery. Then again, if the grimoire hadn’t have dropped, he wouldn’t have known how dangerous it was regardless of his injuries. Either way, it saved him. As much as he didn’t want to admit it.

“I see. Where would here be exactly?” Hawkins said at last, stretching his arms slowly.

A voice cut into the conversation, much more regal sounding than Hack’s blunt monotone.

“Exactly where you needed it to go. Quite an ingenious model that grimoire. Teleportation is a rare Trait indeed.”

The long sleek frame of a dragon descended down the wooden staircase above them like a queen announcing her arrival. She had dark, obsidian scales covering most of her body, hiding the russet red of her hide as she hung an odd sack of books on her back which was almost as big as she was.

“And you were OK with that thing teleporting us into your house?” Hack said as Hawkins gaped at such a beautiful looking dragon.

“Of course! If there’s one thing I love it’s an unexpected Abnormal.” she said, grinning a toothy grin. “No wonder it brought you here, after all grimoires are my speciality and this one, is certainly a page out of an entirely new book!”

Hack groaned at the pun, whacking Hawkins out of his mystified daze with his tail as he yelped in surprise, clutching his leg. The dragon gave a throaty chuckle as the books slid effortlessly off her back before her size began to change. Hawkins watched as the dragon which had once reached the top of the ceiling was now no bigger than the top of the desk Hack was sitting at.

“Apologies for the intrusion, good sirs. I didn’t intend to startle you but you know what we dragons are like. Can fit into any curious situation, figuratively and literally.” she said, amused by her own use of word play.

Hawkins quickly realized that this was about to be a recurring use of puns and phrases. He took a deep breath, assessed what he knew about the situation and focused on the dragon in front of him.

“Just...start from the beginning and tell me what I need to know.“

The dragon smiled, her eyes lighting up with the sight of a new challenge before her. Settling down amongst a cluster of books she picked up a pair of interchanging lenses, also known as glasses before rifling through her expansive collection of books that tumbled from the sack she had brought with her.

“That depends.” she said at last, pausing as she opened a scarlet red tome and began to read before staring straight at him.

Hawkins looked away, afraid of the dragons knowing gaze as she asked the question he had not heard since he was a young boy.

“How much do you know about the Night Force?”