Ⲇⲉⲧⲉⲅⲛⲇ Ɲⲟⲥⲧⲓ⳽: Tʜᴇ Dʏɪɴɢ Lɪɢʜᴛ

Chapter 1: Like A Breath Of Fresh Air

December 4th, 2025

Layla

Winter. The month of Christmas and coziness. I can't tell you the last time I was able to enjoy a proper holiday with an intact family...

It was about 6 months since Nat and the rest of us helped Alina get closure for everything she went through with the Taskmaster Society and Kilgrave, the leader of all of it. For the longest, all she wanted was answers as to why she suffered so harshly at the expense of being an assassin, and Kilgrave told her everything - including the fact that he was her father, but in a surprising twist, he was not the leader of the Society. The Kilgraves had a long and sad history of abuse, and as hard he tried to shield her from it, the Society still threw her into a cycle of never-ending abuse. As it turns out, there is a higher power pulling the strings of the Society - a group called the Order, and they're planning... something bad soon regarding the Society's higher-ups and operatives within the organization. Ultimately though, Kilgrave apologized for having Alina go through all of that and tried his best to redeem himself to her before he died. His cancer was aggressive, and he decided it was best to take his own life than to let his disease kill him. I legitimately felt bad for both him and for Alina. It was why I became so adamant about locating the rest of the former members of the Society, so that we could get them out of that nightmare, and hopefully before the Order hunts them down. With the help of Twi'lio's mayor, we decided to go on the search for the Society's members as soon as possible. 

But before all of that, we actually had a chance to do something that seemed impossible six months ago - we got to have some downtime and celebrate the snow and cold air outside. Watching Elise and Kamala play in the snow warmed my heart, especially when Alina joined in. The people of Twi'lio really made Alina feel at home after Kilgrave's announcement rang through that she was his daughter. I was so afraid that we would be shunned for consorting with someone that was essentially part of the cause of all their misfortunes, but instead the Mayor and everyone else swore that if anyone with evil intentions even dared to go after any of us, they would regret it. This was our home now, and I was personally grateful for it. 

I stared out the window, with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand as I watched everyone play in the snow. Don't get me wrong, I loved the winter and the cooler weather, but as I got older, I was much more comfortable with staying in and cuddling up with a blanket and something on television and hot chocolate in my hands. That was how I celebrated the holidays when I was younger. I was a bit more emotional because this was not only Elise's first holiday in her 16 years of being here, but it was Alina's as well. And for me? Well, without Marc to celebrate it with me was... very bittersweet. But I wanted Elise and Alina to be able to celebrate everything about this without fear of being harmed or killed. And seeing them legitimately laugh and have a fun time made me so happy, and sleepy... I guess that hot chocolate really was good, because I eventually dozed off in my chair. 

I was shaken awake by Nat a few hours later and was greeted by Alina and Elise as I blushed in embarrassment...

"I, uh... guess I must have fallen asleep, ha.. did you two have a nice time outside in the snow?" 

Both of them nodded as they smiled at me. I have to admit, I was a bit embarrassed that I fell asleep, but I guess it was okay seeing as how, for the most part, we weren't in any danger. According to a secret message Kilgrave sent us last month, the Order weren't posed to strike until at least the end of the year, if not the start of next year, but we were still advised to stay on our toes as best as we could. Our top priority was getting those girls out of danger as quickly as possible. Part of me had this hope that, with the cold and detrimental weather, that was why the Order wasn't planning anything right now, but I wasn't a fool. But, I did allow myself a breath of fresh air regardless.