[Nighteye warns you might not like where Guiding Moonlight leads you.]

  ”…?” What do you mean? I thought it led me to what my heart desired most in the world, whatever that was? Was that not the case? I must’ve really misunderstood the description.

  [Nighteye shakes her paws and firmly asserts that is what Guiding Moonlight does. The matters of the heart aren’t always the matter of the mind though.]

  [Nighteye hesitantly points out that if what you want is unobtainable, it can only lead to the next best thing. It’s not a reality warping Wish.]

  I leaned back on the wall, letting the rain fall on my face. I ran a hand through my hair, trying and failing to push down the cowlick sticking up. That was fine then. Not like I even knew what I wanted in the first place. I was more so using the ability to just blindly test it out rather than searching for something specifically.

  What could it even be? A time machine? I’d read about those in Bastion’s books. That was the only thing that might even remotely come close to fixing everything. If not… I dunno. Serhymn was gone now. There was no going back. What else could it be though, if not that?

  I summoned out my Ebonshroud, forming a dagger. I idly flipped it round and around. I watched the blade flick and flash, memories clouding my mind in a dull haze. Not pleasant. Not unpleasant. Just dull. The emotions tied to that time had already long died. Most of them, anyway.

  I sat on the wall, lost in memories the rain pounded the cowlick, causing rain to flick around when it defiantly popped back into place. My black hair soaked through and the chill of the storm slowly started to get to me. The blood all over me washed with the rain, turning my clothes slightly pink.

  Lightning flashed in the distance, potentially spawning even more rifts that poor suckers would be drawn to. Although it was late, the night was just beginning for some people. It seemed I was one of them this time.

  In the distance, a raid siren went off. Lights flashed erratically and several of the warships flying in the air rerouted toward it. High level rift? S-rank Anarch causing mayhem? It seemed so insignificant from here. Really, it all did. Nothing like being high up to put everything into perspective.

  I let out a long sigh, laying back on the wall. Memories of sirens played through my head, each scene and battle drawing me further and further away from Bastion. My legs dangled limply off the side of the wall. I carelessly tossed my dagger up one last time, hearing it clatter somewhere around me.

  Tonight looked like it would be a long one.

  — — —

  When the moon hit its peak, although I couldn’t see it thanks to the violent storm, I could feel it. It was like my body was awakening all over, adrenaline pumping through my system. It was such a weird dynamic, especially when my heart just kept up its normal pace without a care.

  A soft silver glow filled the surrounding area, casting away some of the shadows. A silver orb condensed in front of my face, bobbing lightly around. It floated there, flickering like some kind of phantasmal flame.

  [Nighteye excitedly points out her wisp!]

  The wisp drifted gently like it was caught by a stray breeze. It went over the wall and left a bright silver path through the sky. The direction? Out into the Ashlands surrounding Bastion’s southwestern wall. It flashed forward, speeding into the distance beyond my reach.

  It flew over the walls, leaving a sparkling silver trail. The walls—heavily guarded by CDF, Enforcers, and all sorts of PMCs hired by throne—remained silent. I must’ve be the only one who could see it? There most definetely would’ve been an alarm raised by one of the guards otherwise. It made things a bit more convenient, I guess.

  I stared after it for a while, watching it go off into the distance without me. Although the wisp could seemingly move without any restrictions, I most definitely couldn’t. Getting outside the walls was incredibly difficult without- no, wait. I was a Warden now. I could get out through one of the gates just by flashing my SIGIL.

  Still, did I even want to follow it? I mean, leaving Bastion… how far was it leading, anyway? It wouldn’t be on the other side of the world, would it? Little help here, Nighteye?

  [Nighteye doesn’t know the exact details of the wisp’s target—interfering could throw off its pathing. She speculates it can’t be too far from the walls, though.]

  Right, well if it wasn’t too far… I’d have to be careful though. The Ashlands definitely weren’t a playground. The rifts inside the city were mostly taken care of before they could break, but the ones outside? Not to mention the other dangers besides just monsters. As long as I moved smart though, it’d probably be fine this close to the city.

  I gathered up my knife, making the metal melt back into Ebonshroud. It flowed across the walls and then sank back into my skin like it never left. I stood up, nearly slipping on the slick wall, and made my way down. Next stop, one of Bastion’s gates.

  — — —

  The cab stopped at the gate, letting me out. The driver vanished as soon as I got out of the car, hurriedly driving off into the city. Most of the blood had washed off my clothes, but the guy had seemed pretty distraught about me being in his back seat the entire way here.

  I stared up at the imposing wall before me. Bastion’s gates were one of the most protected locations within the entire city. The gate was lined with more guns, turrets, and cannons than a warship, and easily had thousands of troops manning it. Everything from mechas to A-rank awakeners kept watch at all times, and the same could be said about the several other gates scattered around the city.

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  Drones buzzed overhead, keeping constant watch even in the rain that fell across the city. They scanned anything and everything that approached with infrared, radiation, ether, and a dozen other types of scanners I probably wouldn’t understand even if someone told me. It’d only been a year since I came to Bastion, and most of the tech stuffs still flew over my head.

  There was a saying among the Strays I’d heard in passing. If a job ever came close to the gates, suicide would be quicker and easier. Trying to pull something this close to the gates? The guards wouldn’t just stop at simple interrogation. They had the authority to act as judge, jury, and executioner should the need arise.

  This place was a fortress. If, say, an S-rank monster or something else remotely threatening tore through Ashton to get here? The Arbiters wouldn’t just sit still. Sure, there were only sixty-three of them, but they didn’t sit on Throne for no reason. Even an S-rank Warden would struggle against an Arbiter… at least, from what I heard.

  The bulk of the defenses were set up around a large, segregated courtyard. There were multiple air-lock like spaces, all of which just as heavily defended as the last. A retractable roof was out over the entire courtyard, protecting it from the rain. Ads flashed around the space, turning into a mess of neon. It seemed even the gates weren’t safe from corporate marketing.

  I queued up for the line heading out. It wasn’t exactly busy at the moment, but there was a sizable group heading out for various reasons. Scavengers looking for their newest find, merchants headed for grand opportunities, military units out to relieve their comrades, and even Wardens seeking to make a quick buck from the rampant monsters and rifts outside of Bastion’s walls.

  There were all sorts of reasons to go outside Bastion, most of them tied to profit and danger. It left the entire mood of the place feeling somewhat heavy. No one spoke while they waited for the lift heading down to Ashton, the final stopping point before the Ashlands. I’d soon be joining them. “Next!”

  A man in Enforcer Red painted power armor held a data pad, tiredly looking at me. Around him stood two heavy-duty mechs, big guns at the ready for any sign of a threat. They were likewise painted in Enforcer red. The hue acted as a sharp warning just as much as a show of status.

  I didn’t fancy my chances against the mechs. Not as I was now, anyway. If I still had access to the Weave… but no. They’d tear through me. I might be able to survive a couple, but even that was pushing it.

  ”Name?” The bored looking man asked.

  ”Aylin. Io.” I replied hoarsely.

  The man tapped around on his datapad for a moment. “Warden, yes? Show me your SIGIL.”

  I pulled it up, showing off the white array. This time it was the ID. If an Enforcer asked to see it, or any of Throne’s agents, I was legally obligated to show it off… or something like that. I didn’t really remember what that guy said back then.

  The man’s eyes glowed slightly in the same hue of red. An array of runes and magic I couldn’t possibly understand sprung up around his eyes. He looked at my SIGIL for several long moments before the glowing faded and he nodded. “Right. Reason for Excursion?”

  I… hadn’t thought of this on the way over. What was a normal reason? “Rift.”

  ”Right…” He looked at me, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. “By yourself, huh… There a reason you’re being so unresponsive?”

  ”Disa-bility.” I waved at my throat. “Broken.”

  ”Oh… sorry, Warden.” The man coughed slightly as he looked away. “How long do you think you’ll be gone? Best guess.”

  ”Just. Tonight.” Hopefully. Nighteye said it was close by, right? Surely it’d just be tonight.

  The Enforcer tapped around on the data pad. After a moment, a printer off to the side churned to life. He handed me a small card that came from it. “Don’t lose this. It isn’t the end of the world if you do, but it’ll make your entry back into Bastion much more of a hassle.”

  ”Yep.” I took the card, stuffing it into one of my tech-jacket’s pockets. Out of sight of anyone else, I had Ebonshroud grab it and encase it in a protective layer just in case.

  ”Okay, you’re good to go then.” He let me through the security checkpoint and waved to the rest of the group waiting off to the side. “Go wait over there with the rest of the group until the lift comes back up. Next!”

  I headed on through, finding a less crowded section of the area. A while later, the lift finally came back up, letting out a mass of people, cargo, and vehicles. It was cleared off just as quickly as it arrived, and then we moved out onto the gargantuan platform leading down into Ashton.

  The lift was enclosed, though it had see-through panels, giving me my first real look beyond the walls since I’d come here. Bastion’s southwestern side was a cliff dropping down into a valley between the Noctis mountains to the northwest and the Skathi mountains to the southeast of Bastion.

  The valley itself, as could be expected of a place called the Ashlands, was covered in thick layers of ash. Dunes of ash, concrete outcroppings, the burned out husks of military outposts, and buildings marred the landscape, creating several blindspots.

  Occasionally an explosion or flashes of gunfire were visible in the distance, but for the most part there was an odd serenity to the Ashlands. It was tranquil, even if the ashen dunes and darkness hid quite a few horrors. It was all a facade though. If anything, it was the calm before the storm.

  At the base of the lift sat an extension to the city. It was small, way smaller than Bastion, but it looked like an entire district hidden away on the edges of the mega-city. Ashton, then second most dangerous section of Bastion. A wall surrounded it, though it paled in comparison to the walls protecting Bastion.

  Ashton wrapped around the cliff that the southwestern edge of Bastion stood on, encompassing the several lifts scattered around the city’s walls in a secondary layer of protection. Even from here, I could see hundreds of security checkpoints spread throughout Ashton. The entire place looked to be in a constant state of martial law, even at night. Or maybe especially at night?

  Business, corporations, and more were out in Ashton, taking advantage of the constant foot traffic coming through the place. The people coming and going from the Ashlands? They were usually loaded with valuables. Assuming they survived, of course. It was the perfect place to set up all sorts of amenities.

  After a while, alarms blared and the lift dropped down toward Ashton. The entire platform trembled. A few unprepared people fell over, and a bunch of unsecured cargo collapsed on the side of the platform. Shouts and screams came from over there. I watched for a few moments and then turned my attention back out toward the silver beam leading out into the Ashlands.

  The ride down was a long one. We were let out into Ashton proper without much of a check afterword. The worry was about things coming into Bastion, not so much about things going out.

  I called a cab. The yellow vehicle was surprisingly well taken care of. I expected everything to be run down and grimy with the stuff the news said about Ashton, but it seemed that was just propaganda after all. People still went about their daily—or nightly, in this case—lives, even in this slum.

  The cab driver charged slightly higher rates than those up in Bastion. Something about protection fees? It didn’t really matter. I pointed him in the direction of the Guiding Moonlight’s silver trail. The cabbie drove me through Ashton, talking occasionally about places along the streets like some kind of tour guide.

  Just before heading out into the Ashlands itself, I rented a Jackrabbit from an Arc Systems vendor. The four wheeler practically purred underneath me with each brush of its accelerator. It took a few minutes to get used to it, and then I set off into the ashen lands beyond the final wall.

  I rode across ashy dunes, dodging dangerous looking areas and keeping a low profile. It was honestly a little thrilling? Out here, I could be attacked at any moment. Not just by monsters. Nomads, pioneers, and scavengers were just as big of a threat as anything else. Part of me hoped something would try me and press an attack.

  I could very well run into something C-rank or higher at any moment if my luck didn’t hold out. That sense of danger brought some level of exhilaration. Not to mention just being out of the city and in the wide open Ashlands brought me no small thrill. Bastion was nice, but being away from everyone on the open plains was just… there wasn’t anything like it.

  Eventually, the silver wisp plummeted to the ground just above me. Up ahead, the constant riot of gunfire erupted into the night sky. Smoke and fire flickered like a beacon, seemingly the end location of the wisp. It seemed whatever Guiding Moonlight wanted me to find was there. Hopefully, it was still be in one piece.

  My grip tightened on the accelerator and the four-wheeler’s engine roared once more, propelling me toward my goal.