"If that interests you."

"It'd - change some things."

"Do you know who our birth parents might be, then?"

"One of them, perhaps. Though that is not necessarily consistent."

She nods, slowly.

"My aunt and uncle never told me anything about them - said my mother was Great, once, but - not much else."

"The mother is the one I know of your alternates."

" - I'm guessing 'what's she like' might not - transfer?"

"She was- bright and energetic, and had a fierce passion for the people she believed in."

Soft smile. "That's - good."

"I am better for having known her."

Leya hums, gaze a bit distant. "A good trait for someone to have..."

"If we happen across her counterpart, I can point her out."

She nods. "Thank you."

And, soon enough, they finish skirting around the ruins. Nothing attacks them, though there's some moments where it distinctly feels like something (not quite hostile, not quite hungry, but potentially so) is watching them. Leya's rested enough to take them the rest of the way to a safe house, which currently means somewhere to sleep in the house of an ally of her family (someone one of her aunts knows, apparently) who very carefully expresses absolutely no interest in them.

The next day, Leya gets them back to her family. She's able to confirm her and Luka's relationship, and she gets Luka some training in the local fighting styles and magic. Luka isn't the most dedicated student, but he slowly shapes up, especially as Leya takes him (and Elesse, if she wants to come) with her to go and solve assorted problems across the nearby countryside. There seems to be a rather high number of petty warlords and wandering monsters.

Nobody comes for Elesse from outside the world. No news comes from the Great Villain; she's as quiescent as she has been for over a decade. The world feels almost like it's holding its breath.

Elesse is perfectly willing to help, and dip a toe or two in the local magic system. She otherwise stays fairly self-contained, meditating and training on her own. (Any progress on the group finding her wouldn't be visible from her position, of course.)

And then they get word via spell of a monster attack on one of the border keeps - a tomb sprung up right outside of town, grew unusually quickly, the townspeople have retreated into the keep but they're besieged and desperately need at least a path to evacuate.

Leya and Luka are both going.

Just like Christophsis.

Elesse will join them.

Leya's flight has picked up speed over the last little bit, and she gets them there quickly.

The keep's still standing, archers along the wall. Leya drops them in the courtyard and finds someone to give them a situation summary.

Apparently another Great beat them here, helped the last few stranded townsfolk into the keep, and then went into the tomb alone to fight it back - that was about fifteen minutes ago. The monster attacks have mostly let up, but their defenders are growing tired, and they're afraid of another wave. The monsters are prone to swarming, and aren't nearly as individually weak as swarmers usually are.

It might be wise to split their efforts.

"We can stay here on defense - it fits our strengths better - if you're willing to risk going in alone..."

"It will not be the first time."

"Good fortune, then," she says, falling back to help coordinate the defense - she's got a knack for command, and no small amount of experience, and she deftly starts weaving herself into the local structure.

And Elesse sets off for the tomb.

It's strange, made of haphazardly stacked stone - it looks precarious, but feels solid. The monsters are mostly plant-like, tangles of thorns and vines and flowers with sharp teeth and wicked claws and barbed whip-tails. Most of them can climb. All of them are fast, and come up to her mid thigh at the shoulder at least, longer than they are tall. There's not too many near the walls, between the archers and whoever went in before her, and she doesn't get swarmed until she's entered the winding corridors of the tomb itself - and her lightsaber can make quick work of the monsters, which wither when cut.

- And there's sounds of a fight up ahead -

She increases her pace, her saber flashing a gold cocoon of death as she moves forward.