In the end, Polt and Nyx were the only two allowed to stay. Gren left as soon as he was told, and Rafe's reservation to speak meant he was also out the door. Maea finally turned towards Ally and looked at her earnestly.

"Ally, the choice you make now is entirely up to you. I do not want you to be persuaded or dissuaded in any way by any other person." She said.

The bewildered expression on Ally's face was unsurprising. "What's going on, Maea? Who is that, really?"

"That, Ally, is the solution you have been looking for. Consider your wish, granted." Maea smiled warmly, yet Ally remained as confused as ever.

"My wish? What are you talking about?"

"I know what you're feeling. I've seen it happen before. And I've seen the reparations that surface if it's not handled properly. Trust me on this, please, this is the best avenue for you to take."

"I'm sorry, Maea, I... still don't understand. What are you saying?"

"Oh Ally, I can see you're hurting. There's a dangerous thirst inside you. It's uncovered now and its destructive; explosive and uncontrollable. You want revenge on the things that killed your brother. Vengeance is a dangerous game. Be careful it doesn't consume you. Let it fester and you'll implode with extreme pressure but hone it, train it to become an offensive utility for you. Then, at last,  you'll finally be safe. From them, out there. And from yourself, in there." Her delicate finger remained motionless, pointing itself at Ally's heart.

Ally was speechless. The older girl was right, of course. She had been feeling this way exactly. But how had she known? Had Maea experienced something like this before? Had she somehow discovered Ally's request, the secret request that she had been thinking of putting forth in the meeting towards the leaders? It didn't matter. Ally was just happy that someone had articulated what she had been feeling so strongly yet could never properly say it aloud. The rush of release, to know someone else in the world besides yourself truly cared about you, was more than enough, and she crashed to the floor, breaking down in sobs in front of all the leaders. She would listen to Maea. Maea knew what was best for her, more than that, she understood Ally, and that was all Ally could ask for.

"This boy here, his name is Hale, but I am sure you know him by his infamous moniker. He is here to help you, to teach you and train you so that you will be ready, when the great war comes. He has agreed to-"

At that, Jaice, who had been silent in his chair, launched himself forwards out of the chair and paced his way in between Maea and Ally. "I think that's quite enough. It's astounding, how much you can just talk and talk and talk when you're off your leash. Ally doesn't want to hear about war and monsters right now. She's still in recovery. The stage of loss is such a difficult one to overcome."

"No!" said Ally. Her voice was soft, but she spoke with all the might she could muster, and it pierced the air. "I trust you, Maea. I-if you think training with Hale will help me, I'll do it. I want to get stronger, like you, to use a sword, like you, to kick them down and kill them, like you." The strength in her voice had steadily increased and she caught the boy on the floor staring at her with his working bright blue eye. She tried to return his stare, to hold his gaze, but she relented and focused on the splintering boards of the cold wooden floor.

Maea continued to tell Ally her plan and Ally listened attentively. Throughout the discussion, not once did Hale make a sound nor move. He simply stayed sitting and had closed his eye again. Jaice left directly following Ally's acceptance of Maea's offer. Nyx exited soon after with Polt trailing behind her, leaving just Maea, Ally and Hale in the room together. Only Maea and Ally conversed until the boy coughed, and Maea let her go. Hale opened the door first and strolled through, but before Ally could follow him, she was pulled back by Maea.

"Listen to me carefully Ally. Tales are just tales, and rumours are the voices of the unknowing. Choose what you believe, and dispell from your mind that of which you don't. Good luck in your training Ally. I have a feeling you'll become something special one day." She hugged Ally, feeling the skinny's girl trembling body. "Now go, your teacher walks fast."

Ally sprinted after the rapidly disappearing figure of the boy, head spinning with incoherent and rushed thoughts, heart in her mouth with anticipation. What was this sensation? She was going into the deep unknown, running into the black hole that was the approaching night. Fear and courage, weakness and strength, logic and instinct. Those were to become her guides, the vessels to which her yearning for vegeance would be fulfilled. And it was this inward commitment, to herself and to her brother, the promise to avenge his death, that allowed her step onto the path of her new life, as the cannon fired and the monsters awoke.