When Percy's sword clashed against Apophis dagger, I could feel the ringing in my teeth. Percy was fending her off on her own. For once, we were evenly matched.

Bundi was messed up pretty badly. I kneeled down next to them and immediately looked at the arm with the half-healed wound. It had opened up slightly, and there were black manifestations collecting around the opening in the skin. Sparks curled and jumped off their fingers. I placed one hand on their hot and sweaty forehead, and Bundi moaned.

"What do we do?" Eryan looked to me for guidance, Kosmos, I missed her.

"Um," I bit my lip. "Find their familiar, he looks like rabbit but with short ears and no tail. Ryan, Sky, hold them down. Make sure the sparks down start any fires. I'm going to have to heal them here."

Eryan nodded and she and her bright red fox disappeared into the grass, trailing the scent. Peri flew after them to help. Sky and Ryan however looked up at me in confusion. Well, it was more Ryan who was confused, Sky didn't care.

"They're a fire holder... like Eddie." She realized.

I forgot they were out of the loop. "Everyone here is, it's a long story. This is Bundi, the chief of this island. They're a friend."

Ryan nodded, and held the arm with the wound delicately. I recognized the scent, the same reek that came from Felix's arm. I had to fix this fast, I knew I could fix this. I took a deep breath. Percy had moved Apophis to the other side of the clearing. They're made a trail of broken, dying, even slightly burnt grasses behind them. Here, we hidden, but I still had to work fast.

"If something happens, I'm going to wake you up." Ryan promised.

"Thanks, Kosmos, we have so much to catch up on." I chuckled, still unable to get rid of the nauseating feeling in my gut.

Ryan placed her hand over mine, and looked into my eyes. "We've got plenty of time."

There it was, the slight shift in my internal organs, the fuzzy growing feeling. I pushed out as soon as it appeared, and barely saw my hands pulse in bright green hues before I tumbled into Bundi subconscious.

This time, I didn't see their memories.

"You've been knocking around in here an awful lot, little toadstool."

The voice was deep, but... feminine. It surrounded me, in this place—wherever I was. I don't think I was actually... in a physically place, just talking. I didn't feel threatened, of unsafe, I was just... here.

"Yeah? Where are we?" I asked, looking around.

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not." I tilted my head, "um, I'm Craig. What's your name? Where... where are you?"

Four yellow eyes blinked open in front of me. The size of this creature's head was bigger than my whole body. A cold feeling settled over my skin, and I tried not to stare into its eyes. 

"I think you know the answer to that question, little toadstool."

"Th—Than?" It was harder to say her name than I thought.

The top pair of eyes blinked in approval. I immediately bowed but the purring noise that came from her throat told me she was laughing.

"No need," she explained. "I just wanted to meet you."

"You said I come here a lot, isn't this just Bundi's head?" I asked.

"No, that's a much harder question." She let out another amused purr. "If you're wondering, yes you're still healing Bundi. I'm afraid their memories aren't so pleasant, not the type you want to draw magic from."

"Is that why the infection didn't go away the first time I tried to heal them?"

I couldn't actually see her face, but her two pairs of massive eyes bopped up and down slightly.

"Oh, interesting."

"Zoi has been watching you as well, she says you're after her own heart, little toadstool."

I laughed, I'm not sure why. "Thank you."

She let another catlike mrr. "I suppose you want to know why me? Why now? All that sort of stuff?"

"That would be nice."

The top pair of eyes closed shut, and the bottom pair turned a deep orange color. "Zoi doesn't like to talk to our humans. Even you. She doesn't like messing with them. It's best if we stay back, usually. Although, I admire your tenaciousness. Many people have tried to wrestle with kakó, very few succeed. It always impresses me."

"Kakó?"

"You don't have a word for it. It's the darkness that eats the skin and flesh of your close ones. It's especially amazing, because neither Zoi or I can do anything about it. You think we would, right? But it's not our magic. Still, somehow, you've figured out how to fight it. It's incredible."

"Forgive me but... it's not you?" I asked, regretting it as soon as I let the last word go.

The eyes turned to a shade of red. "I would never let something eat away at my world that wasn't equally matched with flourish. This force, this darkness, has no rebound, it's consume until there's nothing left. My power, my footprints, it may eat away at tree bark and decaying flesh, but only so that something may grow in it's place." 

I could feel the weight of her disproval push down on my chest. "You need each other," I gasped.

"Yes, you best learn that, and learn it well."

"I'm sorry, your... majesty?" I realized the top pair of eyes had opened up once more.

"No matter. That title is for your Queen. Which reminds me, they'll be needing you soon."

"What?" I asked, distracted by the numerous yellow eyes that were opening up around me. "What's going on?"

"Thank you for talking to me, little toadstool."

I gasped, and realized Ryan was shaking me roughly. I was so dizzy I nearly passed out right then and there.

"What's going on?" I rubbed my forehead.

The cut on Bundi's arm was almost gone and the black manifestations had shrunken considerably. But they were still there.

Ryan pointed behind her towards the figure that was approaching us in the grass. Not Percy, Not Apophis, not any one of our other friends. It was Eddie, clothed completely in black, his sleeves ripped in places. There were dark circles under his eyes, and smoke curled off his body.

"You've got a lot of nerve, Ainwir," He spat.

Ryan stood up, "which one?"

I looked up at her in shock, I don't think she'd ever used my last name before. Eddie didn't react however. He just kept storming forward, there was an unnatural green sheen in his eyes.

"Which ever one I barbeque first," he growled.

"Why did you betray us?" I yelled, my voice shaking.

I could barely stand, but I managed, leaning on Ryan for support. Eddie laughed. It was an alien cackle that came from the top of his throat. He could have been choking and no one could have told the difference.

"That's what's wrong with you Craig, you trusted me way too easily! You think I actually care about you? Kosmos, I've never met anyone more gullible, more pathetic. I can play you like a flute."

It stung a lot more than I care to admit.

"He told us he would help us. Instead he trapped us in a cave to make sure we ere out of the way." I paused. "We... managed to find a way out."

Eddie leapt forward and before I could blink, his hands were around my throat. Ryan let out a noise filled with anger and pulled out her knife. Eddie grabbed her hand, and squeezed it as hard as he could until she cried out in pain. The dagger dropped to her feet.

"Don't move, or I'll burn him until there's a nice, big, hole in his throat." Eddie warned, as Sky pulled out her metal wire.

"He's under Apophis's control." I explained, feeling my arms shake from exhaustion. "I... I only have enough energy left to heal Bundi," I started to see purple spots, "I... can't breathe."

Eddie was shaking too. He entire body quivering and twitched as if some inner battle was going on behind his eyes. I could almost see the lightning flash in his pupils. I clawed at his grip, but he didn't let go. His hands were too hot... I could feel tears slip out of my eyes from the pain and smoke.

"Stop!" Ryan begged, "what do you want?"

"She needs..." Eddie gasped, his chest rapidly falling up and down. "I... need...his...body."

Then an arrow flew through the air and embedded itself in the arm closing on my throat. Eddie screamed, and I fell. Eryan leapt from the bushed, Moriah's head poked out of her bag, her small long bow pulled back and loaded. Peri dived bombed Eddie and clawed at his face as he batted him away. Sky shot forward and bit down on Eddie's ankle. He let another yelp of pain and stumbled away.

"Let me at him!" Sky looked exactly like her familiar, eyes focused on her prey, hackles raised. Carra, her snow leopard, slunk out of the bushes behind her. She bared her teeth, and let out a low growl.

"There's...got to be some other—" I wheezed, but Sky was already gone.

I watched as Eddie stood up again, then Sky sprung out of the bushes, swinging her garrote around his legs and growling like a leopard. She wasn't lying, she could take him.

Eryan was breathing hard, she had caught me and made sure I didn't hit the ground hard. "Kosmos, we got back just in the nick of time, didn't we?"

"Yeah," I gasped, sucking in sweet breathes of air.

Peri was back and muttering to himself about how he couldn't leave me for three seconds. I lifted him onto my shoulder and immediately turned my attention back to Bundi, who had thankfully stopped writhing.

"I found their familiar... he doesn't look so good."

Eryan lifted Moriah out of her bag. There was a glazed look in his eyes and several bite marks in places where his fur had been ripped out. I don't even think he was conscious.

"Come on Peri, I need some help." I crackled my knuckles, this time laying one on Bundi's heart.

"I'm here, do you thing."

With Peri's help welling behind me like a calm wave, I dove right back into Bundi subconscious. This time, with Than words echoing in the margins of my thoughts. It may eat away at tree bark and decaying flesh, but only so that something may grow in its place.

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A/N: since we're at the end I'm just gonna do double updates on the weekends
;3