Leaning up against a countertop, Maya ruminated over what Rai conveyed as she solemnly steeped in the heavy words. They weighed upon her heart like thick, suffocating fog. [i]Children of shadows? Suicide missions?[/i] Maya exhaled, causing her poised shoulders to droop, and stared at the linoleum tiles beneath her feet. No wonder she had such a visceral yearning to get off of the planet; it was a dark place –darker than she could have ever imagined –tainted by unfathomable injustices. 
 
	[i]There’s so much evil and so much pain in the multiverse,[/i] Maya mused in dry disdain,[i]I fear that I…[b]we[/b]…won’t be able to overcome it. After all, things did not end favorably last time. Enemies seem to be as abundant as the stars, yet we only have so much blood to spare before we are forced to resign to the abyss.[/i]

	[i][color=00aeef]Maya, please. Brooding is not going to win a war against evil.[/color][/i] Andromeda wearily remarked. The ancient spirit was not one to feed into Maya’s melodramatic ramblings. If anything, Andromeda was one of a select few capable of cutting through Maya’s stubbornness and pride which so often warped her perception. As much as the Water Archon hated to admit it, the wise spirit seemed to know Maya better than she knew herself at times. 

	Maya gratefully accepted the steaming mug from Rai as she broke away from her introspective thoughts. She returned Rai’s smile with a kindhearted grin of her own. The mug’s radiating heat seeped through the ceramic, warming up Maya’s palms and delicate fingertips. She cradled the cup close to her face, letting the steam brush against her skin as it dissipated into the atmosphere. The drink smelled robust and earthy, like ash or burning wood. 

	“Thank you,” Maya said before taking a sip. The warmth was delightful as it washed over her tongue and trickled down her throat, but the drink was bitterer than she had expected. When Rai was not looking, she quickly plucked a nearby sugar cube from a small bowl and plopped it into the smoky liquid. With the use of her handy-dandy Archon powers, she swirled the water, causing the cube to dance around before dissolving like a tablet upon a tongue. 

	“I am truly sorry to hear about the ongoing conflict. War, while necessary at times, is never pleasant to say the least. Peace and justice comes at a price. Unfortunately, it is usually the innocent who end up paying the most. I can’t imagine what you all have been through; however, I am not a stranger to death, pain, and violence.”

	Maya paused and took another sip of tea, wishing now that it was something stronger -something that could numb her emotions and blur the pesky memories. After all, it had only been a few days (hours even?) since she watched everything go to hell on the [i]Leviathan[/i] as her fellow Archons were mercilessly slaughtered. Maya’s aquamarine eyes grew distant and gray. Her initial urge to get back to the [i]Leviathan[/i] suddenly became less pressing. 

	In a forced chipper voice, she continued, “Fuma seems like a remarkable leader, though. Rather young, but based off of what I’ve seen and what you have said, he must be very courageous and ambitious. He’s got a fire in his eyes that alludes to a fighting spirit.”

	Maya finished the last few drops of her drink before setting the mug down. She raised her piercing eyes so that they met Rai’s equally mesmerizing ones. While her demeanor was serious, Maya’s facial expression hinted at an overwhelming hunger fueled by curiosity.
 
	“What’s your story, Rai? Please don’t think me rude, but you appear to be quite different from the others. As I was telling Fuma earlier, I am here on this planet in search of someone very special –someone who doesn’t fit in. As ridiculous as it may sound, I have good reason to believe that this person is, well, you.”