Little Moon Town

I'm placed down into a chair, handed a glass of water, and told to stay put by my captor. I agree (what else am I going to do?) and take a deep sigh. 

Hey, at least he hasn't tried to kill or eat me yet. And they gave me water, how nice of them. Humans need to drink this stuff every couple hours to stay alive, from what I've heard. I'm usually good with about a cup every two weeks. One a week if I'm working out a lot, or if its summertime. 

Silly humans need to eat three times a day to survive, too. We Nephilim are clearly the superior race. Not like its competition. Did I mention these guys eat each other?

I'd put up with any amount of humans to see that stunning view again, though...boy, is the earth a beautiful place. Plucked right from a fantasy novel!

The environment I am in now is decidedly less beautiful. Just my dinky wooden chair, a table, and gray stone walls. At least the room is lit. I was worried that humans didn't have the technology required for basics like lightnodes, or running water. Good chances they have both here, from what I'm seeing.

I grab the glass of water. I'm not empty, but I might as well drink now. It could be several days before I have a chance to access more water. I start sipping it and stand up out of the chair, walking toward the wall.

There's a painting hung up here of some human. He looks important - kingly, even. I wonder if this is one of those 'nobles' that they all rave about?

There is great attention to detail in the painting. Whoever created this piece of art is a master of their craft. It almost looks lifelike...

As I look at the painting, a stern, older-looking woman walks into the room. I give her a quick wave and point to the painting.

"This is pretty good!" I smile. "Who's it a picture of?"

The woman looks taken aback by what I've said. Like I said something offensive.

"Captain of the Guard Donovac," she replies slowly, and almost like she's asking a question. Like she's confused as to why I asked a question. So rude!

"You were spotted climbing the wall with a blue-haired girl in the royal hunting ground. What were you doing there? Where is your accomplice? And why are you covered in blood!?"

Honesty worked last time, with Larissa. Maybe it'll work here? Sola? Help me out here?

"Unfortunately, August, I have no idea. I have been a Guide before but it was only to other Nephilim. And we did not spend much time on earth. And it was three hundred years ago."

Agh. 

"Okay, ma'am. May I call you ma'am? What would you like to be called? My name is August. August Madera." I stumble over my words because I'm a little nervous that what I'm about to say will get me killed, but I have to do something.

"You can call me Adma. Now go on, child."

"I'm actually sixteen so I'm not a child child, more like a teenager," I say. Was that too snarky? Probably. Hell if I know how to talk to humans.

"Uh. So yeah. Miss Adma, I am going to tell you the truth, I promise. I'm a pretty bad liar. I'm from the moon! And...I have no idea who that girl is, really. Well, her name is Larissa, but I don't know anything else about her. She kidnapped me, once. Or rather, earlier today..."

"Did you say you were from the moon?" the woman's eye twitched. 

"Oh yeah. Big time," I start, nodding along with her. "See, I'm one of them Nephilim. You can call me a Neph, but then I get to call you a Hume, deal?"

"Do not play these games with me boy! What were you doing in the royal hunting ground!"

"I promise I didn't go to the royal whatever on purpose," I say, giving her the puppy-dog eyes. "But that's where this blood all came from. There was a big old bird and it tried to eat me and-"

I pause, trying to think of what I really need to say here. "This is all a big misunderstanding! I did come from the moon. For real! I'm a Magician, you see, and I need to go to an earth shrine so I can bond with my Vessel and then go back to the moon and - I lost you, didn't I?"

She takes a breath. A real deep breath. She's still going. And going. Oop. Okay. She's exhaling.

"Gods damn it all to hell seven times over and rail me on the coals."

Holy profanity.

"You are telling the truth, aren't you?"

"Uh...yup."

She buries her hand in her face in disbelief. "Thirty years ago, this same thing happened. I met a young Nephilim just like you, if you can believe it."

"Thirty years ago? But you don't look a day over...fifty?"

"I'm forty-two. I was a young girl of twelve when it happened. The boy looked about my age, I wagered, but then I found out he was a Nephilim. You look about his age, and you say you're sixteen? Same as him..."

I feel a lump form in my throat. I didn't get thrown into the future, did I? This isn't some 'Oh no, Kieran's lived for thirty years without me' scenario, is it?

"Was his name Kieran?" I ask. She gives me a strange look.

"No, she frowns. "His name was Mercury. He..." her voice trails off. 

"I knew him for some time," she says, but I can tell she wants to leave it at that. 

I take a sip, draining the rest of the water from the glass before I say something that gets me thrown in a cell. "So, if you believe me, can you let me go? I won't help you nab the girl I was with, but I certainly won't collude with her anymore if it means you cut me a break, eh?"

"There's no way I can let you go, not if you're a Nephilim," she says. "That means you're a Magician. You'll be conscripted into His Majesty's service straightaway, once we prove without a doubt what you say is true."

"That's not going to work for me," I argue. "Plus, I'm not even a Magician yet. I need to get to the earth shrine and find my partner. If he doesn't become my Vessel, then there's no 'me being a servitude Magician' or whatever you said."

I find myself getting upset, and against my better judgment I start running my mouth. "You're telling me you had a Nephilim friend named Mercury? He must have been a Magician too, if he came to the earth...am I wrong? Was he forcibly conscripted?"

"That's none of your business, boy."

"Like hell it isn't!" 

I exhale angrily. I'm staring at her with all the fury and conviction I can muster in this situation. I used my spell. I lost the corestone. There might not be a way out of this situation, but I'm not about to let myself be whisked away to die for some human king. 

"For someone in captivity, you are awfully brazen." Adma turns her head and spits on the ground. "Around here, prisoners have been killed for less."

"Well, I'm not from around here, Adma! I have a home to get back to! Friends that NEED my help right now! So you can either let me go, or, or...fight me! Because I'm not giving up my freedom. I need to find Kieran!"

She narrows her eyes like a predator ready to strike. I don't back down. "Kieran." she states. "You've said that name twice now, Kieran. Who is this person? Where are they?"

"Kieran's my best friend." I continue staring her down. I refuse to look away. My conviction is stronger than hers.

"He's somewhere down here too, and I'm worried sick about him! Damn it, can you just forget about your job for ONE SECOND, forget about this stupid castle, and this stupid king, this stupid...portrait of some army commander and listen to me!?"

Her mouth opens in shock. I think that all rattled her. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen. 

"I think it's probably a bad thing?" Sola chimes in. 

Adma clears her throat and turns around. "You are every bit as incredulous and arrogant as he was," Adma sneers. 

"We have a phrase where I'm from, Adma. On the moon. We say to each other 'be human'. Do you know what that means? We say it when we feel like our emotions aren't being listened to. When we feel like someone is valuing something more highly than the greater good. Adma. Can't you be a little human for me? Can't you understand? I'm not a criminal, and I'm not here to stay. Kieran means everything to me. I'm not going to cooperate. Not until I know he's safe. Not until everyone I know on the moon is safe. My people are in danger. We have a barrier around our home. This morning, it shattered. I need to find Kieran and get to that earth shrine. I need to get back home. If I don't...it's possible everyone I've ever known will be torn to pieces by Encephalim. And, ma'am...I don't know if Mercury ever told you this, but the Encephalim on the moon aren't like these little 'fiends' I saw in your garden. There are Encephalim as big as that mountain range I saw in the distance, and they are coming for my town."

It's quiet. Too quiet. She's not saying anything. She's just staring at me. I can't just leave it like this. I have to say something. 

"And - "

"Shut up, August Madera," she scowls. "You talk so much it's hard to even think." 

For the record, I didn't tell Adma this, but we use that phrase 'be human' as a joke, if not somewhat derogatorily. None of us think that humans are going to be contributing to the common good or caring about each other's emotions. But hey, I played my hand. 

I feel a slight smile well up in the corner of my mouth as I think about this, but I stop. I don't want her to see it.

"Mercury told me about the 'be human' phrase. I'm to understand it's meant as a joke?"

Uh-oh.

"I can make you no promises, August Madera. The decision is not mine alone to make. But, for what it is worth, and as Lord Commander of the nation of Asteria, I shall make every attempt in my power to support your right to free agency and to assist you in your reunion with this 'Kieran'. That is my judgment."