Calm Before the Storm

 The sounds of yelling echoing from the alleyway were ignored by the people passing by. The sight of crimes occurring in the shadows of Byzania was a common one. Everyone had long since learnt that it was better to not interfere in things that did not involve them.

But unlike what usually happened, the screams this time didn’t originate from innocent civilians being attacked by violent criminals.

Well, if you asked the Byzanian police, they would say that was exactly what was happening. But Nocturne, sweating in the hot sun as he watched the events in the alley from above, would say that this was just justice being carried out. It wasn’t like the corrupt police were doing anything anyway.

He admired the efficient, graceful movements of his vigilante partner Gale as she quickly knocked out the seven goons that had been in the midst of mugging and killing a young couple. In a few moments, they all lay prone on the filthy ground, and the hysterical couple fled the poorly-chosen shortcut. 

Nocturne didn’t make a move to follow them and instead hopped down to reach ground level, melting into the shadows and travelling through them to reach his destination instead of splattering on the earth like a rotten tomato.

By the time he touched the ground, Gale was already crouched by the unconscious men. She searched through their pockets in an experienced manner, easily finding the gold coins that were hidden in the men’s money pouches, boots, and secret pockets. The girl pocketed the rightfully earned money with a smug smile.

She stood up to face Nocturne, carelessly brushing the dust off her black coat and pulling the large hood over her head once more to hide her noticeable blonde hair. It had fallen off during the intense fight earlier.

Her friend whistled appreciatively as he checked for any money she missed. “That was amazing, Gale. You didn’t even give me an opportunity to jump in and show off my coolness!”

Gale rolled her eyes at his complaints, but smiled with pride nonetheless at her growth. A few months ago, when she joined Nocturne in his vigilante patrols, she was nowhere near as skilled as she was now.

Nonetheless, she humbly brushed off his praise. “They were drunk, and didn’t have much skill at fighting,” Counting her spoils from this encounter, she quickly changed the topic when she noticed his teasing grin widening. “A pretty good haul this time. They had nearly 80 total gold coins on them.”

Nocturne’s expression quickly twisted into one of scorn. “Must have come from their previous victims,” He spat venomously. 

His hatred of thieves and robbers stemmed from his time on the harsh streets of Byzania. Gale remembered when he had confided in her about his experiences, and kept his secrets close to her heart.

According to what she knew, he had to deal with older, similarly homeless men and women frequently stealing the money he earned through small chores and begging, taking advantage of his weak stature. They were uncaring and cold, and hearing his words that starry night had made her develop a hatred for thieves as well.

She sighed, about to comfort her best friend, when a loud booming sound echoed from the distance. Window panes trembled in their frames. Her nascent words were cut off.

The pair glanced at each other cautiously and exited the alleyway to see if they could get more information about the incident that had occurred. Upon exiting the shadows, they saw that most of the crowd was staring vaguely eastwards, where a plume of smoke could be witnessed in the clear blue skies.

Loud shouts and exclamations rang in the busy street. People ran away from where the smoke emerged, mothers and fathers tightly clutching their children’s hands. Yet, Gale and Nocturne stood stock still, eyes glued onto the distant scene of terror.

“Isn’t that close to the factory where your mother works?” Nocturne whispered, unable to speak any louder for fear of bringing the thought into reality. His friend remained frozen for a few more moments.

Gale was beside him one moment, and on the opposite side of the street the next. She moved at an inhuman speed; unwilling, or maybe unable, to hide her unusual powers in the midst of the overwhelming terror that had encompassed her.

Her high-speed dashing through the crowd moving in the opposite direction caused disturbances in the wind, hats flying and people being pushed aside. Many turned around in shock and indignance in an attempt to identify the perpetrator, but Gale was long gone.

Nocturne tried to keep up with her speed, but was quickly left behind. Unlike Gale’s talent with using the wind to help her run faster than most horses, his ability to hide in the shadows was much less helpful in a high-speed chase. He could only move as fast as he could normally run when in his shadow state.

Nonetheless, he quickly analyzed what route she would be taking based on her direction. If he could find a shortcut and cut her off, then he could convince his friend to calm down and act rationally.

The vigilante stepped into a nearby shadow, and disappeared in a moment. He moved as fast as he could through narrow crevices that he would be unable to fit through as a human, and reached the street where he believed Gale would be in a few seconds.

Sure enough, a strong wind blew through the area, eliciting shrieks as it had before. Nocturne quickly stepped forward at the right timing when she couldn't dodge him, and was sent tumbling as a powerful force crashed into him.

As he stopped rolling on the cobblestones, arms and knees scraped, he noticed a similarly groaning Gale lying nearby. Her blonde hair lay scattered around her, tangled and free from the black hood that confined it.

She opened her eyes with difficulty, anger suffusing her features, ready to yell at whoever had caused her fall. But when she met his eyes, the fury was diluted with shock.

“You need to calm down, Daniella,” Nocturne said desperately, trying to get his words through her head before she dashed away. “You’ll only bring more danger to your mother with your actions. The Byzanian police won’t let your family get away if they identify who you are when you blatantly flaunt your powers like this!”

Her rage-filled and stupefied expression evaporated in a moment at the thought that she would be bringing more issues to her family with her hasty decisions. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured onto her head.

Gale remained tense, but did not move and instead stayed still. Thankfully, it seemed like nobody had connected the harsh winds from earlier to the girl arguing with her friend.

“What do I do, Oliver? What’s the point of doing all of this to earn money to pay off our debts if my mother is gone?” She whispered in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks. The vigilante, now revealed to be named Oliver, was silent in response, but quickly came up with a plan for his distressed partner.

“I’ll take you there through the shadows. Let’s check the area where the healers will be checking on the injured first. If we can’t find her there, we can check the factory.”

The dutiful daughter nodded in a rush, and grabbed onto his hand. Oliver brought them both into the shadows, and they moved invisibly to the cleared area near the factory where medical stations were being set up.

Daniella rushed towards the throngs of healers and injured patients the moment they exited their camouflaged state, and desperately searched for her mother. The longer the girl went without finding her, the more despair filled her heart. Every face seemed to be hers from afar, yet was a stranger when she approached.

Asking the medics for help was a lost cause. They were too busy tending to the hundreds of injuries and were unable to remember anyone’s names. Just as Daniella was about to break down, she felt Oliver tugging on her arm.

“Over there! I see her!” He yelled, trying to make himself heard over the noisy din. Her eyes widened at his words, and her heart soared with hope. She followed his gaze to where he was looking, and couldn’t help but laugh in relief when she saw who she was looking for.

With the breeze pushing her forward, she quickly found herself sobbing in her mother’s arms. The older woman whispered assurances into her ears, stroking her hair to give comfort to her daughter.

“I’m fine, Daniella,” Her mother laughed, hugging her close to her chest like she was a young toddler once more. “Just injured, dear. I’ll be fine.”

The women kept clutching onto each other, afraid to let go for a moment. But they had hope for the future, that they could keep going. Nocturne, Oliver, watched from afar with a smile in his eyes.

Suddenly, Daniella’s mother looked up at him with a small smile on her face. “Get in here, silly boy. You’re practically family.”

His eyes widened, but he smiled back nonetheless. Giving her a tight hug, he whispered with relief. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Me too, me too” She whispered, looking at her children with love in her eyes.. “We’ll all be alright.”