Note: To cure the siren's curse procured after Island 7, I will be using two cotton balls to combat the effects. I will also be using a new set of Dual Pistols to extend my word count by 1000. 

***

The first thing Marina noticed was a horrible aching in her body.

Her joints felt like they were on fire. Each twitch of a muscle was accompanied by a flash of burning pain. Pulling her hands into weak fists made her fingers creak. Her spine was sore in multiple sections. A pounding migraine made it difficult for her to focus on the plain wooden ceiling, a pulsating sensation running along her optic nerves. A dried substance—possibly blood—caused her clothes to catch and stick to several parts of her body, effectively pulling at already sensitive, damaged skin.

The second thing Marina noticed was how clear her memories still were.

She still remembered meeting the Egyptian deities. She still remembered helping Cleopatra. She still remembered the bloody battle with the Four Horsemen. She still remembered getting captured, only to be rescued and fleeing on horseback with...

Circe...

Marina didn't have to look around to know she was alone.

The place she was occupying was cold and barren. There weren't any signs of life in the nearby vicinity, save for a quiet 'tap-tap-scrape' of branches brushing against flimsy windows.  There was no creaking to signify someone walking from room to room.

The pungent stench of rotting fruit made her nose crinkle in disgust.

When strong winds picked up, the house reacted—its walls and doors and windows collectively weeping in desolation.

If someone had lived there before, they'd been gone long enough for their property to age without them.

The establishment was just another lonely blemish on the land. Sooner or later, it would fall apart and be reclaimed by the nature a crumbling foundation stood upon.

Returning to where one once came—what a bittersweet sentiment.

Marina attempted to roll onto her side to keep pressure off of her injured shoulder. Doing so caused something to fall and scrape against the floor. A quick glance downward revealed a handwritten note on a piece of paper.

Marina, if you're reading this, that means you made it. I wasn't sure if you being knocked unconscious was going to send you to a different realm. To make sure you were safe though, I used my own abilities to push you out of this timeline. I don't know when or where you'll end up, but anywhere is better than here.

Before you left, I gave you something to heal any serious internal damage caused by the bullet that hit you. I've left Calendulas in your pocket. Take them, and your more superficial injuries should heal within a matter of minutes. I hope they help. Make sure you get enough rest before getting back to business.

Good luck on your journey. I hope you can make it back home.

-Circe

"...I definitely owe you one, Circe."

Marina smiled down at the note before pocketing it. Her fingers scraped against a velvety substance on the way in. When moving her hand out, she found herself holding onto a tiny bundle of golden flowers, their centers composed of soft dark orange spuds. They were sweet smelling and tasted quite similar to honey when ingested.

A delicate warmth permeated Marina's throat and stomach. She watched in fascination as bloodstained skin began gaining its normal complexion back. Reddened scrapes lost their colorful intensity until they were nothing more than faint scars. Her less serious ailments—soreness, aches, throbbing pain—withered away. The relief from Circe's Calendulas didn't erase everything, but the plants made horrible agony simmer down to a minor inconvenience.

Shifting to stand up wasn't as difficult as it was expected to be.

Marina took off her headwrap, tying it around her neck for additional warmth. Sluggish strides were made up to the front door where a long sleeved robe caked in dust was hanging. The article of clothing was taken instead of being left to rot with the rest of the house. 

A lacking doorknob helped to solidify where she ended up.

Rather than pulling inward, a wooden screen door was pushed to the side to reveal a snow-covered landscape. Houses mimicking the one she was currently occupying stood in crowded groups. Window frames were broken, and their paper coverings were tattered. Sloped rooftops were missing some of their tiles. A few sliding doors were lying on the ground, almost as if they had been pushed or torn from their tracks.

Further down the road was a marketplace with stalls. Each one, just like the houses, sat abandoned. Rotten pieces of food were covered in fuzzy specks of mold.

A long building made up of cramped apartments had missing persons posters plastered on a wall. There were enough to make up the entirety of the village, seeing as there weren't too many houses to begin with. One piece of paper stood out from the rest, however, because it was written in gold ink on a red piece of paper.

Hana Akari, age 16, last seen October 5, 719. If found, please return to the Riki palace.

The symbol of a screeching bird with flaming wings stood beneath the short description.

Marina shivered.

Now that she knew people hadn't left but actually went missing made her feel uncomfortable. The surrounding forest suddenly felt a lot more dangerous and menacing than it initially did. Piercing silence became more unnerving. The sight of broken windows and busted down doors meant there had been struggles at one point. 

Struggles to not be taken, only to never be seen again.

"...Yeah, maybe it'd be best if I just..."

Marina put some pep in her step to gain some distance from the posters. She did her best to not pay any mind to other establishments. A passing glance was made at a more well-kept house—a palace—with yellow light flickering from behind multiple windows.

Her instincts were telling her to leave, so that was what she was going to do.

Disembodied whispers could be heard from the forest. Inhuman wailing resonated from lifeless properties. Frigid winds picked up, but the sound of jangling chimes lost the ability to make noise.

Marina began running. She could see the gate leading to the end of the village. 

Footsteps chased after her.

When she looked back, there was no one there.

She turned back around, only to slip and fall onto her bottom. 

A woman dressed in a traditional wedding robe was covered in blood. Long locks of black hair stuck to her face and arms. Dirty hands were bent at the knuckle, long fingers mangled and missing nails.

Her mouth was open in a silent scream.

"What- who-"

"Riiikiiii..."

"Huh?"

"Riiikiii..."

Marina stiffened, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Riki? You mean from the pa-"

The woman appeared directly beside her. "RIKI!!!"

Marina flinched. A look of fear shifted to confusion when she realized she was alone. There were no extra footsteps in the snow. There was no blood. The only thing to show someone had ever been there was a silver ring partially buried in the snow.

The piece of jewelry was picked up, unveiling the phoenix insignia seen on Akari's missing poster.

The royal symbol for the Riki family.

"Hm..." Marina traced over the ring with cold fingers. "Maybe her death had something to do with them. She won't let me leave... It's possible she'll want me to set her free before letting me escape. Great. Another job for the oh so esteemed Silken One."

*

Unlike the rest of the village, the inside of the Riki palace looked immaculate. Tall cylindrical columns led to dark ceilings lit up by hanging lanterns. Beige colored tatami mats lined the hallways, muffling any footfalls made against their surfaces. Rooms were hidden behind long panels made of paper and wood. Sliding doors were pristine without any imperfections marring the wood.

The occasional family mural came up, but, in a creepy display, everyone except for a single person had their eyes masked by a bar of shadow. It didn't matter what the pictures showed; every single one had the same feature. Children playing, people mingling, adults laughing—everyone lost their identities via a quick stroke from a wide brush stained with black ink.

In a lavish portrait to commemorate a wedding, Akari's form was recognized beside the only man with a face that was still clear. Her eyes, just like everyone else's, were censored.

"What the hell..."

Marina leaned forward to get a closer look.

Akari still looked the same: long black hair, thin frame, traditional robe. 

The silver ring on her finger.

"A stunning woman, isn't she?"

Marina's head darted away from the picture. She took in the sight of a man standing a few feet away from her. Clad in his own silk robe and tall headdress, a lantern with a flickering light source was held in his hand. The other was pulled behind his back.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Normally, it's customary to introduce yourself before waltzing into someone's living quarters." He chuckled. "I am the ruler of this village, Lord Riki-"

"Did you kill Akari?"

"It's also customary to call people by their last names if you're not familiar with them."

"Answer me."

Riki shrugged in an uncaring manner. His gaze fell down to the lantern in front of him. "She... died of mysterious circumstances. It's quite common for people to drown when swimming, even in their own private courtyards. Other members of my family, like my father, met similar fates. What a tragedy."

"You don't seem too upset about that."

"I've learned to move on from things like that. Trivial details, really. I'm focused on more important aspects of life- like taking care of my village."

"Your village?" Marina sneered. "Everyone is gone. What exactly are you taking care of if everyone is either missing or dead?"

"Myself," Riki stated without any qualms. "People started disappearing after my wife died. It didn't take long for the village to fall further into ruin.

"My people- they needed a ruler like me. The only category they could fall under was uneducated rats who were barely capable of taking care of themselves. Then I took power, and under my rule, things got better. I took care of my villagers. The only thing they had to do was follow me with complete loyalty. And they did so before... being lost. It was a shame to lose such a submissive group of followers."

"If they 'disappeared', why are all the homes ransacked?"

"Eh, they didn't have much, but their belongings suited me better since I was still capable of using them. Finders keepers and all that."

Marina's hands clenched with enough ferocity for her nails to dig into her palms. Both arms shook. Extreme heat pooled within her stomach.

She had no doubt in her mind that she was speaking to a murderer. Someone so consumed with power, he didn't care about how his actions impacted other people.

"What will you do now? There's no one else left."

"You're still here."

That was the only warning Riki gave before he threw the lantern forward. 

Marina reacted quick enough to back up, but she soon found herself trapped by growing flames. A particular wild section of the inferno made her stagger. She fell onto the ground with a sharp hiss.

Something hard clacked against the floor, right into the fire.

"Her ring? You had her ring?!" Riki, blinded by anger, pushed through the flames to grab Marina by her collar. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

She didn't.

At least, not until a group full of eyeless people led by Akari appeared within the flames. 

"Riiikiii..."

"No- no!" he yelled. Untamed rage morphed into genuine fear. "You're not supposed to move on unless I say so! I am your husband- your ruler! You will listen to me!"

The group of ghosts reacted by reaching forward all at once. Several pairs of hands grabbed Riki by his clothes, pulling him closer. He attempted to plant himself by digging his bare feet into the tatami mats. The maneuver only worked to burn him since the intense grip yanked the man through wild, flickering waves of orange.

All that could be heard were Riki's screams.

Marina continued to move backward to try and escape the fire surrounding them. Her hand went through a section of the floor, however. Her body went tumbling in the same direction.

And just as she was in the palace, she was falling helplessly in a pit of glitching colors.