A lonely researcher aimlessly paces through Rayashki's square.
The town's cold wind clearly cannot smooth the wrinkles of her brow.
Windsong: Could I really have traded the future of these people away for my ley line studies?
Windsong: sighs Zeno ...
Windsong: I was a mule chasing after a carrot on a stick. They lured me here all so I could help ruin everything!
Her voice bursts up from her chest.
Vila: Heh! You seem to be in a good mood.
Windsong: ...?
Vila: We taught Zeno a lesson. They were forced to leave with their devil's bargains and tails tucked behind them. We fought back, finally.
Vila: A nice little trick, that was. Thank you, Comrade Windsong.
She smiles at Windsong, giving her a wink.
Vila: We all know who the mysterious hero was that gave us a helping hand.
Windsong: I, I didn't do anything.
Vila: It's no shame to have helped your friends, not to mention to stand up to Zeno.
Vila: Have more confidence in yourself, Comrade Windsong.
Windsong: But will you really gain anything from this fight?
Vila: Not sure, but we have to do something, right?
Vila: That's why I'm here.
Windsong: To talk to me?
Windsong: I don't know why, but Ms. Vila, you must have thought too much of me.
Windsong: In fact, I'm only a simple researcher. I'm not powerful enough to change Zeno's decision.
Vila: You are the one thinking too much, Comrade Windsong.
Vila: Your ley line lessons were much more popular than you think. They have had a positive effect on the children.
Vila: Now, they are looking at the bigger picture and observing the world in a more detailed way. You've unleashed their curiosity.
Vila: "Is the aurora the bubbles spit out by the stars? They form such a beautiful map. Do they study ley lines, too?"
Vila feigns distress, shaking her head with a pretended childlike confusion.
Windsong: But it remains the case that the study of ley lines has never been verified.
Windsong: For all its ambitions. Only a limited number of people studied it in the past decades, and that number is decreasing even now.
Vila nods thoughtfully.
Windsong: ...!
Vila: What you are looking at is not some skin problem, but my past.
Vila: My past as a Rusalka.
Windsong: Rusalka? You mean the mermaid from folklore?!
Vila: My people used to live in a far-secluded place in the north, away from the humans.
Vila: For hundreds of years, there was only hostility, plunder, and slaughter between us and them.
Vila: We only started to learn more about each other in the last few decades, and then I was born. It's been a hard life growing up within human society, but I've become used to it.
Vila: Still, some things never got easier.
Vila: Most humans still thought I was a freak. They "welcomed" me with mocking, sarcasm, and contempt for my people, my heritage.
Vila: As for the Rusalki, they too found a half-blooded mermaid unacceptable. They didn't approve of my living among the humans, forcing me to live as a fugitive in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
"Half-blooded." It was a nauseating term, one separating the Rusalki from the "scaleless" humans who had stolen their homeland.
An ancient myth that was the source of the enduring hatred between Rusalki and humans.
Vila: They tried to catch me by every means possible, so they could wash away the "stain" they saw in me.
Windsong: That sounds very difficult.
Vila: Humans have stigmatized and hunted the Rusalki for centuries, while Rusalki still have the instinct to attack and plunder human ships even now.
Vila: How are they supposed to make peace in such little time?
Vila: That was what I thought years ago. Then, I came to this town.
She surveys the white land; the unifying cover of snow removes all distinctions, differences, and flaws.
Vila: "A wonderful world where humans and Rusalki could live in peace." I was finally convinced.
Vila: In Rayashki, everyone can make contributions with their skills, whether you are a human, a Rusalka, or a ley line researcher.
Windsong: ...
Vila: I don't mean to give you more stress or push you. You will always be our friend, whatever your choice is.
Vila: But this is not an unreachable dream. It's real.
A familiar phrase wells up inside her again.
Conjured from a long-silenced past.
Windsong: Haha!
The girl, then much thinner and more stubborn than now, couldn't help but cheer.
The other ley hunters fail to take notice, as they comb through their scattered papers.
Windsong: The editor of the Environmental Research agreed to publish our report, finally!
Windsong: But he only gave us 5000 words.
Windsong: On the last few pages.
Windsong: Undoubtedly, it's still a good start, our first step to reviving the study of ley lines!
Windsong beams with excitement, clumsily sprawling over the table to select from their papers with care.
Dull, dry theories shine anew, bright and vivid in her eyes.
A table of twinkling stars.
Yet, these stars must shine against an all-consuming field of darkness.
Ley Hunter I: That's it. I give up! Maybe I'll study something else, like urban planning, or landscape design.
Ley Hunter I: At least I can make a living that way.
Windsong remains buried in her heap of books and manuscripts, oblivious to the loss.
Ley Hunter II: The study of ley lines is outdated. Everyone agrees now that it can't be verified by science.
Ley Hunter II: "This whole study was a dead end. Ley lines are only a baseless theory of arcanum."
The old papers on the table filled with nothing more than nonsense and wasted ink.
At least that's how the world received it.
Ley Hunter III: I tried talking about our study of ley lines with other arcanists, but almost no one has ever heard of it. They are more interested in Laplace's breakthroughs.
Ley Hunter III: Or anecdotes in their own fields, like the Chaotic Energy sampling mentioned in the paper written by the Butterfly of Lorentz.
The stars have dimmed.
Windsong: So, maybe it is an unreachable dream?
A long moment of wistful distraction falls back into reality.
After much hesitation, she begins to speak again.
Windsong: I do wish I could help, but ...
Windsong: It would take a lot of resources to verify the theory behind ley lines. There may be even danger and sacrifice.
Windsong: Even Zeno has paid little attention to my research. They only see it as a means to an end.
Windsong: Researchers in other fields can stand on the shoulders of giants, while I, I don't even have a school to return to.
Windsong: I doubt that the study of ley lines will help you much.
She retreats a few steps back.
Vila: I see.
Vila: Well, thank you for your honesty, Comrade Windsong.
Vila looks away, holding the regret deep in her chest.
Windsong: I'm sorry.
Vila: I'll see you soon.
Windsong: See you, Vila.
She bows her head and turns, taking a few more difficult steps away.
Perhaps it was her unattainable dream of revival that slowed her, or the weight of all that had gone wrong.
Vila: Wait, Comrade Windsong!
A burst of light steps leaps toward her once more.
Windsong: ...?
Vila: Don't forget your next lesson. The children are still waiting.
Windsong: But the town is ...
Vila: Life must continue, comrade.
Vila: We can't let our worries stop us.
Windsong: Okay.
