Before Polo could say something sharp to provoke the uncooperative man, a crew of four people walked through, gathering everyone's attention. They moved unbothered by all the people staring at them as they headed toward the ruins of the city. Like everyone else who wasn't from Frey, they looked unique, unlike anyone Liz had met before. There was the biggest man she had ever seen, the most beautiful woman, and a strange pale boy who seemed to be about her age, but the most important thing was that they were led by her father.
"DAD!" she screamed, running toward him with the remains of her strength, which really confused Polo. He hadn't expected her to bolt away and was forced to choose between chasing after her or dealing with Valur. He chose to stay.
Liz crashed into the man and hugged him with both arms, but pain struck her injured hand. His eyes widened. He looked back at his friends; they also seemed shocked. All of a sudden, something weird was happening. He felt as if a subtle but strong force was sapping his life, his time from him. He was fascinated by the sensation but decided not to show any sign of discomfort and played it cool.
"And who are you, little one?" he asked gently as he pulled her away. Liz couldn't take any more rejection, not after the traumatic loss of the closest person in life. She started to sob uncontrollably, crying so hard it made her face twist.
The man was flabbergasted. He looked at his crew, raised both hands, and shrugged his shoulders. He whispered to the crew, "What did I do?"
"Dad, do you not remember me?" Liz asked through her sobbing. Now, everyone was even more puzzled; they all stared daggers at the confused man.
"Is that you, Norn? Where have you been all this time?" Volur interrupted as he finally approached the group. They hadn't processed the first stranger before another one arrived and made everything even more confusing. "Anyway, I'm glad that she found you. At least now she has someone to take care of her," he concluded.
"Wait, you also know me?" Norn smiled, suspecting it might be some sort of joke or scam. He just couldn't understand what was happening, but he was still intrigued by them. He nodded, curious to hear more from these people who clearly had a few screws loose.
"What do you mean? I'm your neighbor, Volur. You disappeared for a year, and now you act like you don't know me? Anyway, now that Liz only has you, it's time for you to take care of her. I'm leaving." Volur turned around, waved to Liz, and walked back toward his boat.
"Norn, you have a daughter?" The woman came closer and asked. Then she looked at the girl and spotted her necklace. She knelt to be at Liz's level, gently reached for the pendant, and touched it just with the tips of her fingers.
"Look, this is your symbol," she said, pointing at the necklace so Norn could see what she was talking about. When she looked back at the girl, she noticed Liz's hand wrapped in a piece of ripped cloth, drenched in blood. Her face was as pale as if she were a ghost. How long had she been losing blood?
"Dear, you must be in so much pain." The woman unwrapped the filthy cloth and carefully examined Liz's arm. She positioned her hand above the injuries, hovering just far enough not to touch her directly. She closed her eyes, and she summoned a soft green light that beamed from her palm. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and realized it hadn't worked. She tried again, but it was in vain.
"Why is it not working?" she muttered, even more confused. She turned to Norn, expecting him to explain what was going on or at least say something, but he only sighed and waved his hand, signaling that it was time to move on. What was going on? What was he hiding?
"Norn, I need to treat her before it's too late. Since my powers don't work, I need to do it by hand," she sighed and continued, "It's going to take some time, so you should move on without me," she said, with deep worry in her eyes.
"Okay, then we're leaving now. Find us when you're done." Norn quickly searched for one of his crewmates. "Shin, you also stay and protect them. When Zywia is finished, I want you to keep an eye on the girl." He didn't wait for a response before he started moving.
"Sure," Shin said, visibly annoyed. The pale boy, slightly shorter than Liz, came closer, ready to execute the given order.
"AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? WHY DOES EVERYONE HERE LISTEN TO YOU? YOU LEFT FOR ONE YEAR, AND NOW YOU'RE SOME SORT OF BIG DEAL. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Liz screamed at the top of her lungs, drawing everyone's attention, everyone, except Norn's. He only smirked and waved goodbye as he walked away.
"WHY IS EVERYONE LEAVING ME?" Liz cried, unable to hold back her emotions. However, it seemed that everyone was ignoring her and continuing with their tasks.
The woman temporarily wrapped Liz's arm in fresh cloth. "Let's go somewhere clean and warm so I can get you fixed up quickly," she said, pointing toward a nearby tent. Then she gently lifted Liz and carried her toward the shelter, with the boy following in silence. Liz's eyes stayed fixed on her father as he walked away. Halfway there, he paused and glanced back, as if sensing something coming after the girl, before quickly turning and hurrying to rejoin his friend and Liz.
Something is wrong.