Deviant: No Longer Human

Equipped with a ten-dollar bill, his phone, and a few cards for necessities, Wang Xiao stepped out into the night. His goal was clear — to find clues about any supernatural presence in town.

The town of Grayhaven, nestled on the outskirts of the Whispering Woods, was his starting point. The woods themselves were an expansive, uninhabitable area stretching out beyond the town, shrouded in mystery and darkness.

Despite its sparse population compared to the bustling cities of China, Icevale had a surprisingly vibrant nightlife. The streets were quieter than those he was accustomed to, but the people he passed moved with a purpose, their faces illuminated by the occasional streetlight and the mesmerizing dance of the aurora lights above.

The natural spectacle of shimmering greens and blues cast an ethereal glow over the town.

Wang Xiao found himself momentarily pondering by the beauty of the aurora lights, a rare sight for someone from his part of the world.

It added a layer of surreal calm to the night, contrasting sharply with the turmoil of his thoughts.

As he walked, in the Frostview Harbor, his senses attuned to the environment around him

Frostview Harbor was a medley of quaint charm and latent secrets, its cobblestone pathways winding through an array of weathered, yet sturdy, maritime buildings. As Wang Xiao made his way through, the salty tang of the sea mingled with the crisp night air, filling his lungs with the essence of this unfamiliar place.

[Stop! Check out the girl to the right, she's strange.] Just then, Yin Yue's voice urged him to halt, prompting an abrupt pause in Wang Xiao's stride.

Wang Xiao's gaze fell upon a young girl, standing alone with a basket of vibrant blossoms. Her name, he would come to learn, was Aurora. She was a vision of otherworldly beauty, with long, silver hair braided with delicate orange blossoms that echoed the floral wreath crowning her head. Her eyes, a piercing shade of sapphire, held the depth and mystery of the ocean itself.

She was wrapped in a teal cloak that swirled around her like the froth of sea waves, a evidence to her bond with the coastal elements of this town.

Upon spotting Wang Xiao coming towards her, Aurora's expression tightened, a shadow of discontent passing over her features. "The market is closed for the night. Return with the dawn tommorow," she said, her voice a melody laced with an edge of firmness.

Driven by Yin Yue's nudge, Wang Xiao unfurled a ten-dollar bill, holding it out towards her. "Ten dollars for a single bloom? Perhaps you can reconsider?"

!!

A momentary flicker of surprise graced Aura's face before she masked it with a veneer of calm. "Very well," she acquiesced, her hand gesturing towards the array of petals while the other unconsciously grazed the flowers woven into her hair. "Choose any, but the ones on my head—they are not for sale."

Wang Xiao nodded, his eyes meandering over the blooms. He sent a silent query to his companion, 'Yue? Found anything?'

In his mind, Yin Yue's voice floated back, tinged with concentration. [Not yet, give me a moment.]

Time seemed to stall as Wang Xiao feigned interest in the flowers.

Impatience knitted Aura's brow. "Do you truly intend to purchase, or are you here to squander my time?"

Almost simultaneously, Yin Yue's confirmation came. [She's clear. Not our target.]

At that instant, Aura made to retrieve her basket, her patience frayed. "Since you've no wish to buy, I must depart—"

But Wang Xiao, prompted by an unseen force, selected a cluster of sea lavender. Extending the bill towards her, he declared, "This one."

With a curt nod, Aura took the money. "Very well. Good evening." She turned on her heel, her departure swift and final.

Wang Xiao watched her go, a murmur escaping his lips, "Such haste to leave... Do sales not interest her?"

He voiced his lingering doubts, "Yue, are you certain she's not the one?"

Yin Yue responded with certainty that carried a hint of something deeper. [There's no trace of otherworldly essence on her, unless she's concealed it beyond my reach—which would be extraordinary.]

Wang Xiao sighed, his gaze still on the retreating figure of Aura. "Perhaps I'm just unaccustomed to the people here."

With the cluster of sea lavender still in his grasp, Wang Xiao scanned the surroundings, the harbor's nocturne wrapping around him. Yin Yue's voice pierced the stillness, urgent and sharp. [Up there—on the rooftops. I've picked up a trail.]

"Upwards, on the roof?" The sea lavender's delicate fragrance lingered as he focused his gaze upward.

Without a second thought for the bystanders, he leaped, his body cutting a graceful arc against the night sky.

Whoosh!

From the street below, a symphony of murmured astonishment rose.

"Did you see that?" a voice quivered. "A man... he just—" another trailed off, too perplexed to finish.

A child's voice rang clear, "Mom, look! He flew!"

But Wang Xiao was already gone, swallowed by the shadows above.

They chased the trail through the labyrinth of Frostview Harbor, with Yin Yue's guidance a constant beacon.

But after a circuitous half-hour of pursuit, the spectral breadcrumbs dissipated on an empty street bathed in the cold glow of streetlights.

A sigh of disappointment escaped Wang Xiao's lips.

He was about to retreat when the warm amber light of the "Boreal Café" across the street caught his eye.

Its exterior was a charming mix of rustic wood and modern glass, the name etched in elegant script above the door. Soft light spilled from its windows, casting inviting shapes onto the pavement.

Inside, patrons were ensconced in the warm glow, their conversations a murmur beneath the smooth jazz that trickled out into the night.

Wang Xiao's attention, however, snapped back to Aurora, who sat alone on a corner table in the café, her earlier aura of mystery now wrapped in the café's ambiance.

"What is she doing in a expensive place like this?" he mused under his breath, curiosity piquing his interest.

Her eyes met his, a flicker of suspicion passing through them before he retreated, stepping back into the shadow-strewn alley as Yin Yue's discovery of a new trail beckoned him away from the light and into the deeper dark of the unknown.

______

Inside, Aurora's solitude was interrupted by the sight of Wang Xiao outside. Her brow furrowed with suspicion, 'Is he following me?'

Compelled by a mix of intrigue and caution, she rose, her movements fluid as the waves that whispered to the harbor's edge.

Pushing through the café's door, she stepped out just in time to see Wang Xiao vanish into the night. "Weirdo..." she muttered to the empty street, a mix of annoyance and confusion in her voice.

Her eyes lifted to the rooftops, catching the briefest glimpse of a shadow leaping with unnatural grace. 'Is that him again?' The thought sparked a new curiosity within her, her earlier annoyance now tinged with a growing interest.

The flowers in her hair seemed to nod with her movements, as if urging her towards the mystery that had just found across the rooftops of the Harbor.