[Sarah]

Dawn broke the horizon as Ütezi found the church. It had taken him days to find the place. The dragon had not been incredibly helpful on that front. It was not in Aldrect at all, instead it was on the top of a hill overlooking a rural farming village. The church was simple, a small white building that looked almost like a very old school. Attached to it was some kind of observatory that looked very new.

Alone Ütezi entered the grounds. He could feel the white shield pass over his skin as he crossed the threshold. No wonder why the Queen couldn’t get into the place. The shield was so powerful it could almost be seen by the naked eye.
(37)

[Sarah]

Tentatively he reached out and grabbed the door knob. The place was unlocked, whoever was in charge trusted the shield to keep out anyone with impure intentions.

“Hello?” Ütezi asked.

The inside of the church was nothing special. Two rows of pews on either side of a walkway that led to a simple podium. There was a staircase in the back that Ütezi assumed lead to the observatory, and a door on the right that must have led to the rest of the building.
(38)

[Sarah]

The door to the observatory swung open. A man with crawling stars on his skin came walking out. Ütezi gaped at the sight. Was this another Taken being? He doubted it, the person’s skin was twisting shades of purple and blue with white stars swimming in the colors. The man’s eyes were almost pure white, even his pupils. Ütezi would have feared the being, but found he couldn’t.

“Hello my son,” Yllesi said smoothly. “Are you Ütezi?” he asked.

Ütezi closed his mouth and nodded. “I am,” he affirmed.
(39)

[Sarah]

There was a moment of silence and then the man smiled. “I am glad you have made it here in one piece,” he began. “I do hope you didn’t encounter much resistance?” he asked. “I am Yllesi by the way, guardian angel of this place,” he said.

“Er,” Ütezi didn’t know where to start. “I didn’t get more than a few strange looks,” he said. “Although from what I’ve seen so far I don’t look so out of place,” he added with a nervous chuckle. Ütezi had carried over all the typical markings of a Taken. His skin was a gradient from black at his head to a creamy white at his feet. Pale green blobs, that looked almost like star stuff, moved over his skin. When he stood too still he noticed he twitched, sometimes violently.
(40)

[Sarah]

“Good to hear,” Yllesi said, moving closer to his guest. “I thought you would be coming with something else?” he asked carefully.

“The Bleeder?” Ütezi asked dryly. He knew instantly who Yllesi had been asking about. “The dragon killed it before he went back to his queen. Something about being wrong?” he said. The whole situation had been terribly confusing, although not completely upsetting.
(41)

[Sarah]

“Good, good,” Yllesi said. He was relieved to know that such a parasite had been eliminated. “I do have something for you. A gift from a complicated person,” he said suddenly happy again.

“Oh? Something else from the Queen?” Ütezi asked.

Ylesi laughed. He laughed for a lot longer than he should have, but his guest knew so little of his new world it was tickling. “Oh no, someone far more complicated than the Queen,” he said wiping a tear away.
(42)

[Sarah]

Ütezi frowned. He hated being laughed at. It wasn’t his fault he knew nothing. He just assumed – with a huff he vowed to never assume anything again.

“Don’t feel too bad, you’ll adapt quickly,” Yllesi said before disappearing behind the door to the right.
(43)

[Sarah]

A few minutes passed before he came back.

“Y-you’re still standing there?” Yllesi asked looking uncomfortable.

Ütezi jumped a bit. “Oh sorry, I didn’t even realize,” he said embarrassed. Faintly he wondered if his face was as red with shame as it felt. His skin had completely changed after all. He moved quickly to one of the pews and sat down. It didn’t really feel any different than standing, a side effect of being Taken he was sure.
(44)

[Sarah]

“Here you are,” Yllesi said pulling his hand from behind his back and delivering the gift he had in his palm.

“What is it?” Ütezi asked. From what he could tell it was a small mechanical mouse. It looked strange though, almost like it was Taken itself.

“It’s your Ghost!” Yllesi said. “I mean, not your Ghost from before, but the next best thing,” he added quickly.
(45)

[Sarah]

“Go on, take it,” Yllesi insisted.

Ütezi was still unsure, but he held his hand out. The small creature came forward warily. Little bolts of electricity lept from it and connected with his fingertips. The sensation wasn’t painful, and it wasn’t really like anything else he had felt before. He almost felt like the creature was communicating its intent to him.
(46)

[Sarah]

“It was created for you,” Yllesi explained. “All Maus are created differently, and this one was made specifically to serve you. Maybe as your ghost had served you, but there are probably a lot of differences,” Yllesi tried to explain. “It’s bonded to you through its programming, although it is also a choice that the creature has made. A Maus is a delicate mixture of Conscious AI and programming. It can’t talk to you with words, but I think you will find it to be your best ally,” he said.

“You said someone made it for me? What is the same complicated person you spoke of before?” Ütezi asked. He couldn’t take his eyes off the little creature which had now fully crawled onto his hand. “What’s it doing?” he asked.
(47)