Welcome back to Lap of the gods, everyone. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter, this chapter does contain a trigger warning for rape/sexual assault. Please remember to COMMENT and VOTE; it means a lot to me. Plus, I like talking to you guys and hearing your opinions. Also, remember to watch the video; it goes with the chapter. ~XOXO BUTTERBALL~

The song is:  Order made by Radwimps.

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-Marta-

I let out a low hum as a nice comforting warmth enveloped me. Looking back, I saw a mass of familiar grey shaggy fur. "Varuun, what's wrong big guy?" I asked softly. We lay next to the river in Via, the blue water glinting in the sunlight that streamed down between the lush, green trees hanging above us. The gentle soft chirping of birds echoed from nearby.

Varuun's eyes looked down at me before he lowered his head carefully until his large nose was within my reach. I chuckled as I gave his nose a pat, my hand gliding over the rough wet skin there. He nudged my face gently with his nose, a small whimper leaving his mouth.

I stretched, allowing the nearby grass to tickle the soles of my bare feet. "I'm okay, Varuun, you should rest. Today is a good day to just relax in the sun, you know. If you're thirsty, though, I'll get up so you can take a drink from the river." I told him as I flopped back down on his leg.

Above me, he let out a huff as he extended one of his wings over me, slightly blocking out the sunlight.

"Worried I'll get sunburnt again? I won't, but still, thank you," I sighed, a small smile on my face as I laid back closed my eyes.

A moment later, I flinched slightly as something wet and warm dripped onto my face. "Varuun, if you're drooling on me, I won't play with you today," I warned, my face twisting in disgust.

Strangely enough, no pleading whimpering or whining met my ears. Frowning, I opened my eyes as the warm droplets became more frequent. The world was cloaked in utter darkness; the river, the trees were gone. A deafening silence surrounded me; the chirping of the birds, the soft rustling of the trees, even the soft trickling of the stream had disappeared, leaving behind only the void and I. The red droplets fell from the empty void above as a rough chill brushed over my skin, leaving behind a harsh sting.

I scowled as I rubbed my fingers together. "This is..."

A loud piercing noise suddenly blared through the darkness, followed by loud whining. My eyes widened as I stumbled forward, the cold chilling and stiffening my limbs, making it hard to move. "Varuun? Varuun!" I called out.

The loud whining met my ears again, seemingly coming from every direction. Frantically I turned around, trying my best to peer through the darkness.

"Varuun! Varuun! Where are you?" I called out again. "Please..."

Something wet and rough nudged my back, causing me to whip around, my eyes going wide with horror. Varuun's large form lay there, his body mangled, twisted and broken. His grey fur stained with blotches of red, his left front paw twisted with a large red and white bone poking out of the flesh. The front half of his body was twisted toward me while his lower half was twisted away, his paws laying limply on the ground.

As quick as I could, I stumbled over to him, dropping to my knees near his face as the droplets of red were replaced with small flakes of white. I coughed as the thick sharp smell of burning wood enter my lungs, nearly choking me.

"This isn't the first time you've let someone you care about meet a horrific end, and it won't be the last," a familiar voice taunted as it echoed around me.

I flinched as I slowly stroked Varuun's fur. "No! Please not again, Varuun doesn't deserve this!" I pleaded softly. I brought my hands to my ears as I squeezed my eyes shut, trying my best to block out the voice that seemed to echo within my skull.

"You say that, but you of all people could've prevented this. You hold all of life in your hands as incompetent as they may be," the voice snapped, causing a whip of pain to crack through my skull. The cold wind rushed faster, nearly lashing at my skin, causing my entire body to feel like it was one big open sore.

"That's not it! I don't want to watch anyone I love die, but I have to death is sacred, if I allow myself to indulge my own desires then I...I..."

Images flashed in my mind of a ruined world, the ground nothing more than a black scorched creator. A gray sky clouded with soot and ember, a vicious heat that swept across the empty world, burning my lungs with every breath. It felt as though my body was nothing more than a molten pool.

The voice gave a humorless chuckle as a cold hand touched my face forcing me to open my eyes and look up. Amber-colored iris set in black eyeballs glared at me, locking me in place, stealing my breath away as though my lungs were encased in ice.

Hatred...an eternity of hatred.

The eyes looked so familiar to me, and yet the more I stared into them, the more they terrified me.

"So do you remember me now, or will you continue to feign ignorance?" He asked me.

Slowly I shook my head as much as I could; shockingly, this caused the black human-shaped form to laugh. Then he brought his other hand to my face stealing the warmth there. "You know Marta; you've been mourning your loss here for so long. It's starting to piss me off; I mean, you're a god. How could you lose your self-control," he hissed, drawing my face closer to his.

Warmth gathered in my eyes as tears welled up there, leaving brief trails of warmth down my face. "I'm sorry," I whimpered. "I was trying to help everyone during the war; I didn't mean to..."

The man laughed again, this time at me, however. "Well, I guess this is what happens when you leave it to somebody else. If you want it done right, you should just do it yourself."

"Who...are you?" I whispered.

His hand suddenly grabbed my hair by the fist full as he jerked me forward until our noses were touching. His amber eyes glaring at me once more as I struggled feebly against his grip and whimpered, "We have a lot more in common than you would be calm with," he said, his tone becoming strangely calm.

His other hand wrapped tightly around my throat, pressing a single sharp claw to my neck. I felt a sharp burning pain, then nothing...

~~~

I woke up screaming only for a rough, calloused hand to cover my mouth. Immediately I began struggling violently, tears flowing down my face as I flailed and thrashed around.

"Shut the hell up, dammit," a familiar voice growled.

I froze, my own panting the only sound in the room. In my head, I could hear soft whimpering and crying coming from Lila.

Glancing over, I saw Sorey sit up, blinking slowly with a scowl on his face as he looked out the window. He sighed before he turned to me, glaring. "Why in the Maker's name are you screaming so early in the morning. I'm pretty sure that..." he trailed off, his glare leaving his face as he removed his hand from my mouth.

I sat up, wrapping my arms around myself as I frantically rubbed away the tears on my face. I glanced at him only to quickly look away as I sniffled and tried my best to keep back the rest of my tears.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" He asked, his voice taking on a softer tone.

I shook my head, turning away from him. Sorey reached out, he gently placing his hands on my face and forcing me to look at him. I trembled as I resisted the urge to jump away from him as his amber eyes looked at me.

His hands...they're warm. I'm...I'm not in that void anymore.

I looked at him, taking in the gentle look in his eyes.

His eyes are the same color, but they're not the ones I saw. Nothing like them still...

"Do you hate me?" I whispered before I could stop myself.

He frowned at me. "What?"

I shook my head as I turned away from him. I pulled my legs up to my chest as I wrapped my arms around them, allowing my head to rest there.

Sorey sighed. "I think you're annoying and strangely childish considering that you are a god, but I don't hate you," he told me softly.

"But everyone else hates me. They think I've abandoned them. That I left all of Adonis to die," I whispered.

"They think that because they don't know you, I doubt any of those fools have even met you in person. You're childish, slightly annoying, but you're not malicious," he said.

"I barely even know myself; for all, I know I may actually deserve this hatred. During the war, I lost control and took so many lives needlessly. I lost my self-control when I was the one person who should've had the most of it," I whispered.

I let out a huff as I slowly climbed out of bed. My legs trembled slightly beneath me as I took a deep breath then loudly exhaled. It did little to calm my nerves, though.

"Where are you going?" Sorey asked me.

"To take a bath in the river, my skin feels slimy. Besides, it's not as if I can go back to sleep anyway," I grumbled.

As I approached the doorway, I noticed that Alice was nowhere to be found. "Alice left," I informed Sorey.

"Yeah, she's always been like that. That woman could be in the belly of a beast, and she would still want to play with her alchemy set," he yawned. He laid down, rolling over so that his wings were wrapped around him.

After gathering my washrag and what little soap I still had leftover, I walked toward the door, stopping only for a moment. "I'll be back soon."

Sorey gave me a small wave over his shoulder but said nothing.

The moment I walked outside, the brisk morning air rolled over my skin gently. Shaking off any tiredness I may have had, the sun hadn't risen yet; however, the sky carried the light blue that came with an early morning. I could faintly hear the soft rumbling of a horse-drawn wagon in the distance, along with the echoing whines of skyfish as they flew overhead.

'I miss Varuun...' Lila whispered in between her sniffling.

A sad smile covered my face as I walked towards the river. "Yeah, I miss him too."

After undressing, I slowly entered the river, a shudder crawling up my body as the cold water sent a shock through my body. I let out a small hiss as I slowly sat down, my back leaning against the river bank.

'Hey, Marta...you don't think that was Sorey we saw in our dreams, was it?' She asked hesitantly, her voice barely audible even in my mind.

I shook my head. "No, whoever that was had black eyes and amber iris." I reminded her as I gently cleaned my tail.

'Right...' she said softly.

"Marta...who were you talking to?"

I jumped, my camouflage rolling over my skin before I whipped around with wide eyes only to see Alice standing there, a medium-sized sack in one hand. Alice looked as though she'd just rolled out of bed, her short brown hair was frizzy, uncombed and her clothes were covered in wrinkles.

"I am up way too early," she huffed, squinting as she approached me.

"Are you alright?" I asked slowly as I watched her.

"Yes, I just drank a bit too much. But that's what I get for trying to keep up with Sorey of all people," she grumbled as she dropped the bag at her feet.

The bag made a loud clanging noise as it hit the ground, causing Alice to wince slightly. She looked me up and down for a moment, her eyes not staying in one place too long before she crossed her arms.

"So, who were you talking to? The plants, the animals?" She asked me, then shook her head slightly. "No, you were definitely talking to a person."

For a moment, I froze, turning my gaze down at the water.

Lila, do you think we should tell her? Obviously, we can't tell her everything just in case, but the correct answer to her question should suffice.

For a few moments, Lila was silent, then spoke, 'She is Sorey's friend, and he clearly trusts her despite his feelings towards humans. So we should give her a chance.'

I took a deep breath as I carefully stood up so that I wouldn't slip on the smooth river bed beneath my feet. "There...are two of me," I told Alice slowly.

She frowned, her head tilting to the side. "You're a twin?"

I sighed as I shook my head. "Let's see, it is more like my body is not my own. Two people reside inside of it, coexisting and presenting themselves when necessary. I'm Marta, as you already know, the second person is Lila," I explained hesitantly.

Alice blinked slowly, her eyes wide. "Possessed, you're possessed."

"No," I told her instantly. "This body is Lila's, but at the same time, it belongs to both of us. Both of our souls are here, and yet we're different people."

Alice let out a shaky, almost fearful sounding chuckle as she glanced away. "Marta, sweetie, that's exactly what possession is," she informed me softly.

I frowned. "But I'm not a ghost or a specter. I'm-" Instantly, I cut myself off before I could finish, my mouth snapping shut with an audible noise.

Alice groaned. "I hate spirits. You need magic to get rid of them completely, and alchemy can only keep at bay. I never had to deal with this in Sanatoria." She shuddered. "At least I know why the amount of ether in that scale I took from you was so pure."

Lila let out a small laugh. 'Marta, I don't think you explained it very well, although possession isn't too far off.'

"You're from Sanatoria?" I asked her.

She glanced at me and nodded. "Most humans who can't use magic but still want to congregate there to learn alchemy. In fact, my husband and son are still there. If my husband knew I was traveling with Sorey again, he'd exploded."

"How old is your son? What's his name?" I asked, Lila's voice layered over my own and bursting with excitement.

"Your eye...for a second, it flashed blue..." She told softly. "I guess that's how I tell you two apart? Anyway, my son is turning six this summer, at least I hope he'll be able to..." She said, turning her gaze to the sky.

'Oops, sorry, Marta,' Lila said quickly.

"Don't worry, he will; I'll make sure of it," I assured her softly.

Alice looked at me with a slight smile on her face. "Well, aren't you a strange Kindred, how in the Maker's name did you end up traveling with the Monster of the east?" She asked softly as I carefully climbed back into the river.

The water, while a bit warm, still caused me to shudder. "Why is Sorey called that? The Monster of the east, I mean?" I asked as I continued to bathe.

"You've never heard the legends or tales of him used by parents to scare their children? Hell, I'm pretty sure he scares just about everyone friend or foe," Alice informed me.

"No, my village was incredibly small. We didn't even have an ether barrier, and the last one I lived in well, I was the only person who lived there," I informed her.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, you did say that your village was small. The legend goes that as a child, Sorey slaughtered and ate two whole villages. Not even the children were left alive when the streets ran with blood. Then when he was a young man a few years later, he did the same again. That time, however, instead of eating the remains, he hung them on the outside of the villager's homes like he was decorating for a festival. So many priestesses have failed at putting the spirits there to rest that it's been left abandoned," Alice shook her head, her face twisting in disgust.

"I don't know if he told you, but half-demons are dangerous. Once they taste a person's flesh, they can't stop. Even before they eat someone, they're a disaster waiting to happen. That's why the moment they get that horrible urge, it's best to put them down," she informed me bluntly.

For a moment, I stared at her before a smile stretched across my face. "That may be true, Alice, but I trust Sorey. I always have," I told her as Lila's voice layered over mine.

Alice sighed before smiling sadly as she picked up the sack at her feet. "I'm glad that you trust him as much as you do. Sorey, out of all people, needs it terribly. I just wish I could do the same," she said solemnly.

I watched as she walked into the house, closing the door behind her. Letting out a sigh, I sank under the water, holding my breath out of habit more than anything. The tiny fish scattered, darting away from me as I glared at the river bank.

I'll trust him like I always have...

'Sorey's always felt familiar to me. I just don't know where or when I met him. Even he doesn't know,' Lila reminded me.

I hate to say it, Lila, but considering how our body reacts whenever he does something to his hair, him being familiar to us may not be a good thing.

'I know, but I have hope,' She whispered.

At Lila's words, the image of those amber and black eyes appeared in my head. The hatred that had previously filled them was gone. Replaced with a strangely familiar warmth and kindness that shocked me. I hummed softly as I climbed out of the river and got dressed.

"I'm home," I called out as I entered the house.

Sorey gave me a brief wave before turning to Alice, who held out these strange looking orbs to him. Each one was made of colorfully painted wood with a thick, scraggly, yet small gray rope protruding from the top.

"I made the bombs you wanted. I waited until the wine wore off, so don't worry, the measurements are accurate," she told him. Turning to the sack, I saw her carrying earlier; she hefted it onto the table. "I also brought some of the Kindred weapons for Marta; she can pick the one she wants."

I frowned as I walked over to the sack, its contents slightly spilled out on the table. There were a multitude of weapons. Some were brightly colored, while others looked dull and rusted. One weapon caught my attention, two lengthy wooden rods with a strange, large, green, and brown tear-shaped plant bulb. Both rods had one each.

'I've...used these before...in fact these, I believe these are mine...Marta, see if they have a symbol on the bottom of the rod,' Lila told me, her voice on edge.

Turning the rod to my right, I looked at the bottom of it. Carved into the bottom was a red and white maltey flower. Although it was dusty, I could tell that it had been painted with great skill and care.

'They're mine,' Lila whispered.

Slowly I picked up the weapons. They had a nice weight to them yet felt almost weightless as I lifted them.

"The whipmaces, huh, those are common fairy weapons made from plants and vines grown near the Fae kingdom. The vines that attach the rod to the plant bulb is strong and elastic, so you don't have to worry about it snapping. They are great in wider areas but work well in small corridors if you use it like a club or a whip," Alice explained proudly, her eyes practically gleaming.

I smiled. "We want these. I may not remember how to use them, but my body should know," I told her instantly.

Sorey glanced at Alice but didn't say anything as she shuddered. "You even speak like you're possessed," she pointed out.

Sorey crossed his arms, a smug look covering his face as he turned to Alice. "Good to see that ghost still terrify you; also, Marta isn't possessed."

"Sorey, you're a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them; she just referred to herself as we. Her eyes changed color earlier. One of them is a ghost. I don't know which one, but I know possession when I see it!" Alice snapped.

Even talking about ghosts sets her on edge.

Sorey shook his head as he sighed. He looked at me as he scratched one of his wings. "Do you want me to tell her everything, or do you?" He asked me calmly.

I blinked slowly. "You can explain it to her; Lila wants to prepare breakfast before we go, so I won't exactly be here."

Lila, are you ready to switch with me?

I heard Lila take a deep breath. 'Yes, I am ready.'

I closed my eyes and relaxed. Moments later, the world around me grew muffled as though I were underwater. My body grew limp as a floaty feeling rolled over me.

~~~

I awoke in a familiar world, a meadow of lush green grass, a tall tree sitting upon a singular small hill. The sky was as blue and clear as the stream back in Via; in the distance, I could hear a familiar soft humming as a church bell rang.

Slowly I approached the tree, the grass tickling the soles of my feet, as the hem of my familiar red and white dress brushed gently against my ankles.

"I'm always either wearing this or the skirt of white feathers. I wish I could speak to my past self about my odd taste in clothing," I said as I stood beside the tree.

Resting one hand upon it, I closed my eyes, allowing the gentle breeze to tickle my skin, bringing the sweet, almost candy-like scent of maltey flowers.

"The sun shines on the mountains, and the wind blows between the trees. The wind rustles the flowers and glitters from the moonlight. But if this never-ending night becomes painful, I'm sure you will no doubt be able to love this cursed world. Now that we have carried everything on our shoulders. So let's share the sunset one half each; I'll be the day, I'll be the night if we join hands, we'll make an orange sky," I sang softly, letting my voice echo across the meadow.

In the distance, the bell had ceased to ring. A peaceful silence covered the meadow. "A red and white maltey flower, pure ether and flame ether," I said softly.

I sat down, leaning back against the tree as I turned my gaze to the sky. "A white maltey flower is a symbol of purity. A red one is a symbol of resilience, drive, and ambition," I reminded myself.

I closed my eyes as I sat down, allowing the soft warmth of the sun to brush over my skin. Enveloping me like a hug. A soft sigh of content left my mouth as I closed my and leaned back against the base of the tree.

The bark was slightly rough, scraping lightly against my exposed back.

Pain suddenly whipped through my skull, a groan slipping out of my mouth before I could stop it. Fragmented images flashed through my mind in a flurry of sudden overwhelming noise and burst of color.

I struggled to make them out as my head throbbed.

A world covered in ash, stretching on like an endless white desert. A monochrome world with wind so cold that it lashed at my skin like a whip and stole my breath as ice weighted down my lungs. An odd-looking yet beautiful sword with a sparkling black and white hilt, a blade made of bone stuck into the ash.

Warm, rough hands gently touching me in a frantic manner as someone's strange, strange, fearful words of "Please don't leave me!" filled my ears.

Darkness. The sound of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears violently before it slowly began to fade away.

I shuddered, my eyes snapping open. Despite the warmth from the sun, my skin felt as though all it's warmth had been stolen.

I began to shiver as I wrapped my arms around myself. Frowning, I glanced down at my chest, taking note of the small scar that sat upon the top of my left breast.

With a shaking hand, I slowly almost tentatively placed a hand on my chest. "The heart is in the middle of a human's chest. In an Icralous, it's closer to the left; in demons, it is closer to the right. Kindreds have their heart closer to the middle..."

However, no matter how much I adjusted my hand, I, of course, couldn't find a heartbeat. A soft yet sad chuckle escaped me. I couldn't help but remember how much it had calmed me listening to Sorey's heartbeat when I had been terrified. "I don't know what I was expecting. I'm a god, so I never had one to begin with," I muttered to myself as I massaged my temple.

My head throbbed viscously again, and for a brief moment, another image flashed through my mind. Those familiar yet terrifying black and amber eyes staring at me with such warmth and kindness that it made me smile slightly. A light warmth creeping across my face as I blushed.

"Who...are you?" I rasped.

"Marta, I'm ready to switch with you!" Lila called out, her voice echoing throughout the meadow and slightly startling me.

I jumped slightly as I let out a small yelp. "Oh yes, of course, Lila. How did Alice react to our true identity?" I asked her.

Lila gave a shaky laugh. "Not very well. Sorey said that the food I prepared tastes delicious, though."

I simply nodded as I closed my eyes. For a moment, it felt as though I were falling through the air seconds later though a jerk jolted through my body, grounding me.

~~~

Slowly I opened my eyes, blinking as I got reacquainted with my surroundings. The world around me crackled to life. Beside me, I heard Alice let out a little gasp.

I looked at her to see her gaping at me with wide eyes as she watched me slowly blink and look around.

Sorey sat on the bed, eating something out of a wooden bowl as he silently watched me. "Welcome back, Marta," he told me, giving me a small smile.

Glancing down at my own hands, I noticed that I was also holding a wooden bowl. It was half-filled with what appeared to be sliced up peaches.

That's right, Medoh is famous for its peaches.

"You..." Alice whispered. She closed her mouth then gave her cheeks a rough pat before turning and glaring at Sorey. "You must really take me for a fool Sorey. Everyone knows that after the war, the Maker went back to Elysium." She snapped.

Alice pointed to me as she let out a huff. "Besides, does she really look she could be old enough to have been around for the Holy war of Adonis? I know that Kindred live pretty long, but that was thousands upon thousands of years ago," she protested. "And another thing! I know you, and you'd never tell me of all people something this important. Hell, I doubt that you'd tell anyone at all! So why would you of all people tell me something as world-shattering as this!" She ranted.

Sorey watched her calmly as he ate the sliced peaches in his bowl, saying nothing. Then he sighed, "Alice, you're coming with us into the Egaros den, right?" He asked her calmly.

She frowned and crossed her arms as she looked at Sorey. "Of course, I am. I'm not going to pass up a once in a lifetime chance to get the rare ingredients in there."

"Then that's your answer. I'm telling you now so that when you see her magic later, you won't be asking about it," he informed her.

Alice glanced at me before looking back at Sorey. "What is her cast time incredibly fast? Are the spells ones she created herself?" Alice asked, tapping one foot. "I will admit there are quite a few odd things about her, she has no belly button, but at the same time, she lacks a false familiar marking on her neck. That brand on her back is one I've never seen before, so that means it belongs to a noble family that no longer exists. That scale she gave me was overflowing with ether; however, due to her being possessed, it makes sense."

"Why do people believe I returned to Elysium during the war?" I asked her slowly.

This isn't the first time I'm hearing this. Sorey said the same thing when he was calling me a false god.

Alice rolled her eyes. "See, if you were the Maker, you'd know that!" Alice explained.

I blinked slowly. "No, I remember the war. I may have lost my memories of what happened after, but I remember the war itself," I said; a chill washed over me as the grip on my bowl tightened. A small sting flashed through my lip, and a trickle of sweet, warm liquid ran down my chin. "Everyone of them didn't care, family, friends, and even their own fucking children. If you sided with me, you were against Richter, and if you sided with Richter, you were cut down before you could put up a fight. Even I-" I jolted suddenly as Sorey tugged sharply on my tail.

"Calm down, I know it's hard, but I don't need you obliterating Medoh too," he warned me, keeping a gentle yet firm grip on my tail.

I glared at him as I wiped the ether away from the cut on my lip. A soft sigh left me as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opening one eye, I glanced at Alice, who looked moderately terrified.

"How did you know?" I asked Sorey softly.

"Well, for one thing, your voice changed. It sounded like your real voice instead of Lila's voice with just different tones. An accent, I suppose, is the best way to put it. Your voice was also echoing in my head," he told me as he released my tail and continued eating.

I smiled slightly. "It's called the familiar warning system. It is something that is placed inside all of my familiars when they accept the position. It is used to give both me and you warnings when your body starts to reach its set limitation. The same is true for you. If Lila's body reaches her set limitation or goes over it, you are sent a warning," I explained.

Sorey's face twisted in confusion. "Great more gibberish," he grumbled. He looked at Alice, "So do you believe-"

"Absolutely not! It's bullshit, there's no way-" Alice interrupted him, only cut her rant short as she took a deep breath. "I'm going back to my shop. Let's meet at the front gate when you're ready to clear out the egaros den." she huffed.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes," Sorey told her as he watched her gather up the other weapons that had been in the bag she brought.

When she left, Sorey let out a sigh and shook his head. "Well, she's in for a surprise when we go down into that den," he muttered as he finished eating.

'I'm sorry, Marta, I explained it the best I could, but she didn't believe us." Lila told me in a soft voice.

It's okay, Lila. Her response was actually normal, considering everything. If she doesn't believe us or in me for that matter, I won't be mad. This is my punishment for the things I've done, no matter how long ago that may have been.

"M-Marta..." Lila whispered.

Considering the things I've done to the people of Adonis both during the war and after it. I expect nothing less. They prayed, begged for me to save them and all I could do was lie beneath the land sleeping the years away. Their cries going unheard while the land burned to ashes around them.

Frowning, I held my bowl of food out to Sorey as my thoughts caused my stomach to churn. "Here, I'm not hungry," I sighed.

He scowled as he looked at me. "I'll take some of it; you eat the rest. After all, while you might not be hungry, I know that Lila is," he told me as he grabbed the bowl from my hands.

After placing some of the food into his own bowl, he handed it back to me. I stared at the food a moment more before I began to eat. Despite trying my best to eat carefully, my hands quickly became covered in sweet, sticky fruit juice.

Looking at Sorey, I couldn't help but notice the way he ate, and it was an odd image, to say the least.

Is he actually using proper table etiquette? I know that he's a noble, but still, I didn't expect him of all people to eat so neatly.

"What is it?" Sorey asked when he noticed me staring at him.

I let out a small huff. "You eat like a prince, and yet you speak with elegance and grace of someone who grew up in a cave."

Sorey let out a little laugh as he scratched the left side of his neck. "I'm a noble turned mercenary," he said, then shook his head as he scowled. "No, that's not right. I've always been something of a mercenary, even before I became one officially. I mostly did odd side jobs, a few Egaros hunts, and monster hunts. I even tried guarding nobles, merchants, and a few adventurers who were wounded coming back from their missions."

I smiled slightly. "Considering how you speak of the work you do as a noble, I take it you never even considered any type of work that wouldn't have you on the battlefield."

He let out a snort. "One of the worst parts about being a mercenary when you're first starting out isn't competing with other people to decide who takes what job. It's not trudging home alone covered in the blood and innards of your comrades after someone in your group accidentally trips a trap in a bandit hideout or Egaros den," he smiled slightly, almost fondly, as he shook his head.

Then he scowled as he got a faraway look in his eyes. "The worst part is having to grovel, beg, tend to, and placate the noble who's given you a mission. Only for them to decide not to pay you or throw you out of their home because any beast can do what you just did," he told me as his face twisted in disgust. "They look annoyed when you speak to them about how many people died just so that they can stand there with that shiny trinket around their wrist or neck," he grumbled.

He ran a hand through his hair, and I forced myself not to flinch.

Amber eyes full of hatred...

"This morning when I had that nightmare," I began, "I dreamed that Varuun was still here, then he disappeared, and it began to rain blood from the dark void that surrounded me. As I stood beside Varuun's body, I saw someone cloaked in shadows with black eyes and amber irises. I don't know who it was, but there was so much hatred in his eyes. He showed me images of what Richter and I did all those years ago. The damage we caused," I admitted softly.

"Amber eyes, huh? That's a common eye color on Adonis, especially among nonhumans," he informed me. "Were those the color of Ion's eyes?"

At his words,  an image flashed through my mind of those soft light blue, almost luminescent eyes looking at me with such kindness that warmth unfurled in my chest. My tail curled slightly.

'Ion has really beautiful eyes,' Lila whispered in awe.

I smiled slightly. "No, Ion's eyes were a beautiful light blue. In fact, they nearly glowed," I informed him. "He...he would never look at me like that," I whispered.

Sorey nodded as he picked up the whip maces on the table. He examined them for a few moments before turning to look at me. "You said that both you and Lila used this type of weapon before. Still, hundreds upon thousands of years is a long time. We should probably spar so that you can get the hang of using them again."

"I haven't only used them. Those are Lila's weapons, I don't know how they ended up with Alice, but they're her's," I informed him.

Sorey gave a small snort as he handed them to me. "An adventurer probably found them in some dusty crypt somewhere, or wherever Lila was before you kidnapped her."

"I didn't kidnap her," I huffed as I stood up.

He shrugged as he headed to the front door, sword in hand. "So you say. But since neither of you remembers anything before coming to Kikewi village, who knows. Now come spar with me," he said as he walked out of the house.

I quickly followed him outside and to the side of the house near the river. "One rule," he began as he unsheathed his sword. "No magic, the purpose of this is to refamiliarize yourself with those whipmaces. Plus, I hate dealing with magic," he told me. Sorey adjusted his sword so that the blade end was facing him.

"Okay," I said as I watched him carefully. I adjusted the whip maces in my hands. Glancing at Sorey, I saw him smile slightly; seconds later, he lunged at me.

I ducked quickly, dropping down as his sword sliced through the air above me. Right, where my throat had been seconds earlier.

"Hey! Why did you do that," I shouted with wide eyes.

He smirked at me as he stepped back slightly. "You weren't paying attention. Do you just expect me not to take advantage of that? In a real fight, you don't fight fair."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Right," I sighed.

He's even wielding his sword with his left hand so that he can actually strike me if needed.

'Let's win this, Marta!" Lila cheered.

A smile spread across my face as I took a step forward. "Of course," I told her.

I flicked the whipmaces allowing the elastic vines to stretch for a moment before retracting them.

I saw Sorey lean forward slightly, watching me with interest. I raised my right arm, throwing it forward as the vine stretched out, curving to the left. I saw a glint of metal as Sorey deflected it with his blade.

He rushed forward; I stretched out the other whipmace, flicking my wrist so that it would fly upward. Retracting the one in my right hand, I leaped back from Sorey, raising it to defend myself as he sliced down. There was a dull thump as our weapons clashed. I gritted my teeth as Sorey pushed back with all his strength.

As I retracted my other weapon quickly, I saw Sorey's eyes widen slightly, and when he jumped back, I lunged forward, raising my now retracted mace like a club as I aimed for his stomach.

I saw a brief look of shock cross his face as he allowed his sword to fall to the ground.

Huh, did I win?

I drew my arms back slightly as I opened my wings to stop myself. A second later, I felt a sharp pain in my wings as though someone had grabbed them and tugged. And in the next moment, the world flipped; all of the air rushed out of my lungs as I landed hard on the ground.

A small ache formed in my wrist as they were yanked behind my back. Looking back, I saw Sorey straddling me, holding my wrist in a tight grip with his left hand as he smirked at me.

"Wow, I didn't think that would work on you," he chuckled.

"W-what just happened?" I asked slowly.

Sorey adjusted his hold, pressing down on my wrist, causing my weapons to tumble out of my hands. "I tricked you into thinking I'd given up, then I grabbed your wings and tossed you. And finally, I disarmed you. Considering what you are, I didn't think it would work. I suppose me being your familiar helped a lot."

'Ouch, ouch, ouch, I can feel the bruises,' Lila hissed.

"I trust my familiars. Still, you being you, I should've expected that" I sighed.

"Trusting your familiars without question is more than likely what got you into this mess. I mean, you said it yourself that Ion wouldn't have mistreated you, but if that's true, where is he, and why did he leave you behind," he pointed out as he relaxed his grip on me.

During the war...no! Ion would never do that to me.

"Can you please release me? I'm not in pain, but Lila is." I huffed.

As Sorey released me, I slowly stood up and turned to him. "How did I do?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "Your form is a bit sloppy, and you're still too trusting of me, but other than that, you did well." He gently patted my head, ruffling my hair as he did. "Good job."

A moment later, he froze, slowly drawing his hand back as a scowl spread across his face. "We should go meet Alice at the gate." He said as he picked up his sword and placed it back inside the sheath.

I picked up my weapons as well before following after him.

Lila sighed softly, 'I really wanted us to win.'

If there's a next time, I'm going to win.

~~~

As we approached the main gate, I noticed Alice writing something down on a piece of parchment with an intense look of concentration on her face. She had brushed her hair and straightened out her clothes, her face had regained its color, and she no longer looked like she hadn't slept in three nights.

She glanced up, fixing her eyes on Medoh's famous peach tree. As we got closer, I heard her muttering under her breath as she continued to write. "The ether current surrounding the tree has stagnated after being exposed to an enormous amount of dark ether. With the ether current no longer working, the dark ether has built up and continues to contaminate the tree as well as the land surrounding it."

I glanced back at the tree before turning to Alice. "The ether current hasn't stopped flowing. The tree normally takes in dark ether and purifies it; then, it releases the ether in tangible form from its leaves. Creating what you know as an ether barrier. So normally, dark ether wouldn't cause an issue; however, like any other living thing, it can only take so much before it starts to corrupt and rot." I explained.

Alice glanced at me with a frown on her face. "Uh-huh, next you'll be telling me that you can actually see the ether current yourself." She mumbled.

I can, though. Sorey can as well.

I just shrugged as Alice rolled up the parchment tucking both it and her quill away inside her cloak. "So, which way are we taking?" She asked, turning to Sorey.

"We'll approach from the side, and when we see how well the den is guarded, we'll go inside. I'm sure that many of the demons went straight through the front but didn't get far into the den, so the amount of Egaros guarding the entrance will be next to none. But the amount of them will increase once we get further down," he told her.

Alice grinned. "I did hear some demons earlier while I was waiting for you. They were complaining that two people in their hunting party didn't make it back."

"So moderate resistance in the front more than likely. Those bastards breed quick. We have to destroy the eggs and children while we're in there," Sorey sighed.

Alice reached into the bag on her back. She dug through it for a moment before she pulled out a crossbow. "Alright, I'm ready," she announced.

Sorey led us as we walked with me in the middle and Alice bringing up the rear. It wasn't very long before we began to see trees smeared with red here and there, scraps of clothing on bushes like markers. There was also a faint putrid smell hanging in the air like meat that had just started to rot on a hot day.

Sorey frowned as he stopped walking and knelt next to a bush. In the bushes, there was the body of a demon; the corpse was starting to bloat. From where I stood, I could see pale purplish skin on the puffy arms, blue fingertips, eyes nearly bulging out of his face, his mouth wide open in pure horror. It looked like a pool of red was in his mouth; small streaks of dried blood lead from the corners of his mouth down to his chin.

"Poor fool bit off his own tongue," Sorey muttered. I saw him reach down and yank something free from the flesh of the corpse, which admitted a soft pop sound when the object was removed.

He held it up so that Alice and I could see it. "An arrow?" I said as I moved closer. It was a crude wooden arrow, with a jagged sharpened stone as the arrowhead, dried blood covered the arrow.

Sorey placed it in my hand as he turned back to the body. "Sniff it," he told me as he flipped the corpse on its side.

Frowning, I sniffed the arrowhead. A sharp, bitter scent filled my nose along with the sickly sweet smell of rot. "It smells bitter," I told him as I dropped it.

Sorey nodded as he removed a dagger from the holster on the corpse's hip. "That bitter smell is poison. The egaros usually mix it with their shit and piss. If you don't die from the poison, which is already a painful way to go, you'll die from the infection."

Sorey stood up and examined the dagger a moment. "Looks like they took one of his horns, so they have spiked weapons as well," he sighed.

Closing my eyes, I clasped my hands together in a small prayer. "May the Maker be with you," I whispered.

Sorey glanced at me but said nothing as he continued to examine the body.

"Can you mark a tree nearby? I want to come back to collect some fluid from the body," Alice told Sorey as she picked the arrow up. She carefully snapped it in two, wrapping a worn-out cloth around the arrowhead as she placed it in her bag.

'C-collect fluid...' Lila said slowly.

"You're taking fluid from the body?" I asked her.

She nodded, a smile on her face. "I need it for one of my experiments. I can't exactly go robbing graves now, can I?"

"Yes, you can," Sorey grumbled under his breath as he carved the letter A into a tree.

"Oh, hush you," Alice said quickly.

He turned around when he finished. "There you go, A for Alice."

He walked back over to us, allowing the bushes to once again cover the body. "Let's get moving. We're on the right path considering the corpse and blood."

"Do they usually steal the horns from demons? Now that I think about it, the one we fought attacked you like a feral animal," I pointed out.

"They don't usually use weapons. Typically they place the poison on their claws and the spiked ball on their tail. Which means the Egaros have a pack leader, one that's been around for a while and learned how to make weapons," Sorey told me, a frown covering his face.

"Do you think it's a dark mage?" Alice asked, scowling. She was loading her crossbow with one of the bolts she had from the quiver on her hip. I couldn't help but notice that the tip of the bolt was smeared with some purple paste.

"Poison?" I asked, which caused Alice to nod and grin.

"I personally made this, so it's my own secret formula. I'm gonna make those bastards suffer," she told me proudly.

"No, it's not a mage. I would've smelt the magic, and so would Marta," he told her, shaking his head. "So that just leaves a female Egaros, which means the leader will be a lot bigger than the rest of them."

Something glinted on the ground; tiny wisps of black ether wafted off it like smoke. Instantly I reached out, grabbing Sorey by the arm. "Sorey, there's something shiny on the ground, and it has dark ether on it," I told him.

Sorey frowned as he knelt. His right eye glowed brightly as he turned on his clairvoyant eye. "Tripwire, it's covered in dark ether too." He stood up, scanning the area. "We're getting closer; it has a faint scent to it too. Egaros and something else," he said, carefully stepping over it.

As Alice and I copied him, he looked at me with a slight smile on his face. "Good job, kid."

Makeshift weapons are one thing. Placing tripwire traps is another; something isn't right here.

'So you have a bad feeling too, Marta?' Lila asked.

Yes, Egaros aren't incredibly smart. If anything, they're more like feral beast. That tripwire was hidden and carefully placed, they're not fighting like feral beast this time. Something incredibly smart is leading them, but I don't know what, and I don't like it.

~~~

I frowned as I knelt in the bushes next to Alice and Sorey, my eyes focused on the mouth of an enormous cave. Three Egaros stood there. Two smaller ones guarded the cave's mouth, one held a rusted filthy sword, and the other had a slim wooden spear with a jagged stone tip. The third Egaros was slightly bigger; it stood on top of the cave wearing leather armor. It dragged around a large club that had the horns of demons attached to it, creating effective makeshift spikes.

One of the smaller Egaros yawned, causing the larger one to growl at it, the feathers around its neck bristling. The Egaros that had yawned scrambled slightly, turning forward as it stood up straight.

"Do you want me to put them to sleep?" I asked Sorey, keeping my voice low.

He nodded. "Put the bigger one to sleep first. He'll cause the most problems if we do the little ones first. After you put him to sleep, Alice and I will take care of the other two,"  he instructed.

I nodded as I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I felt the warmth of ether gathering within me. Warmth flooded my veins. Opening my eyes, I grabbed the dark ether thread closest to me. The dark ether snapped at my skin as I began to chant softly. "Tue kuloa riou La."

Pure ether coiled around the ether thread in my hand, turning it light gray. I released the thread watching as the larger Egaros yawned and swayed in place. Seconds later, he sat down, slumping forward slightly with his weapon in his lap.

Alice raised her crossbow and let out of the bolts fly. It pierced one of the smaller Egaros right through its head, silencing him before he could even make a sound. The last guard started to make a sound but was cut off when Sorey threw the dagger he'd picked up sending it through the Egaros skull.

As we exited the bushes, I flew up, landing next to the sleeping guard. Raising one of my whipmaces, I brought it down as hard as possible on his throat, a loud snap emitting from his body as he went completely limp. He slid forward so that his body was dangling over the mouth of the cave. After saying another prayer, I sighed, my tail curling.

"Marta, hand me that spiked club he had," Sorey told me as he wretched the dagger free of the Egaros's skull. Alice was kneeling beside her kill, a pair of what appeared to be pliers in her hand. I watched as she began to methodically pull some of the egaros's claws and teeth out.

"I swear to the Maker Alice, if you get an infection from playing in that thing's mouth, I'll use your body as firewood," Sorey grumbled.

Don't make promises like that in my name!

Alice chuckled softly. "So I don't even have the pleasure of being a meal for you. That makes me sad." She told him getting to her feet.

"You're too thin, and most of the fat you do have is relegated to your chest," I heard him say.

I tucked my own weapons under my arms as I grabbed the club and lifted. I stumbled forward, the weight of the club throwing me off balance. I opened my wings, flapping them quickly so that I could lift off with my added weight.

As I landed next to Sorey, a scream rang out from within the cave, only to be cut off abruptly. Sorey grabbed the club from me with a scowl on his face; Alice loaded her crossbow as I took a step forward, my own weapons in my hands.

"Let's go and remember, be careful, listen for trouble and watch for traps," Sorey warned us.

The moment we entered the cave, the smell of rot, excrement, and blood hit me, causing my nose to sting and burn as bile rose in my throat. Its bitter taste didn't help due to the smell in the cave, nearly coating my tongue. It smelled sickly sweet, mixed with a deep, harsh, bitter musk, and the smell of old rust.

The next thing I felt was a violent chill that rolled over my skin. Settling over it like a disgusting slimy fill as my body began to draw in the dark ether.

Maybe I should've stopped breathing before we stepped inside.

'If we're going to be traveling, perhaps we should get used to it,' Lila groaned softly.

Right...

"Smells as awful as always," Sorey grumbled his face twisting in disgust.

"Never have I been happier to be a human. I can't imagine what you and Marta must smell," Alice said as she walked forward her eyes on the ground.

"It smells absolutely horrible," Sorey and I said at the same time. We glanced at each other briefly before Sorey continued walking, the spiked club hefted over his shoulder.

I followed him, and Alice taking note of the blood that streaked the walls. "The bodies that got left behind will be further down. They typically place the feeding pit close to the breeding cells or the nursery," he told us.

"Are we poisoning their food?" Alice asked immediately.

Sorey nodded. "Just in case we miss one or two."

I frowned. "We can't bury the bodies? They deserve to find some peace," I asked softly even though I already knew the answer.

"There are probably thousands upon hundreds of dead bodies in that feeding pit. Some half-eaten and some of them nothing but bone, and you expect us to haul all of those bodies up here to give their rotting corpses peace of mind," Sorey told me in a harsh tone. He looked at me as though I were an idiot.

I frowned as I looked away. "You didn't have to say it like that."

As we continued to walk, I began to see small chunks of flesh laying here and there on the dirt floor, turning black and brown with a slimy, almost gelatinous consistency. The chunks of flesh all had jagged bite marks where it had been torn from the body as wriggling balls of maggots swarmed around the mess.

Soon we had traveled down far enough that the cave began to grow dark. "Alice or Marta, one of you light a torch or something," Sorey told us.

I heard Alice rummaged around in her bag, the clanking and thumping of the objects hitting each other. "I brought the torches and flint," she told him.

I heard the familiar clank as she sparked the flint, a small orange spark flashing next to me in the darkness, then another on the third try the flame appeared. An orange light spread throughout the area.

Alice turned to Sorey, torch in hand. "Did you not bring your usual supplies because you knew I would already have everything?" She asked slowly, her voice taking on a slightly accusatory tone.

"I did bring a few supplies such as the bombs you gave me, flint and striking stone and my sword, of course," Sorey told her in a slightly smug sounding tone.

Alice rolled her eyes before turning to me. "By the way, Marta, what was that spell you used? I'm not an expert at magic, but that didn't sound like any chant I've ever heard. Even the language sounded strange, was it the Kindred language?"

I opened my mouth for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Yes, it is," I said hesitantly as I followed her.

We entered a large room in the den, I froze for a moment noticing a distinct squelching noise as I walked. The smell of rust and rot was even worse than before stinging my nose and causing my eyes to water. Merely breathing was enough for the stench to coat my tongue in a harsh bitter, stink mixed with a small tinge of sickening sweetness.

A harsh buzzing noise was echoing in the room almost loud enough to block out all other sounds. A faint strange crackling and slurping noise lurked just beneath the buzzing. I flicked my tail out as the buzzing noise moved closer to my ear.

As Alice stepped forward a bit, I could see everything else in the room, or rather what was left in the room before us was a large dark hole. In the firelight, I saw the brief white glint of wriggling fat maggots. They sat on the bodies in the pit in an enormous clump of white some were tinted with a slight pink.

Alongside the maggots were numerous flies, although some of them scattered in a small, black, buzzing cloud when we entered the room. The bodies floated in a dark black, gelatinous soup that resembled the consistency of a raw egg.

To our right was a large makeshift wooden door that appeared to be made of a large log someone had chopped in half then straightened out.

To the left, however, were a small group of five Egaros, hunched over and feasting on what appeared to be a fresh small corpse.

They were tearing chunks out of the child-sized body, their large teeth sinking deep enough to crunch the bone, nearly snapping the child-sized body in half.

As the Egaros looked up, they screeched at us simultaneously as they jumped to their feet. The bright feathers around their necks flaring up, as three of them rushed forward, the other two skittered up the nearby cave wall like insects.

Sorey raised the spiked club and swung it in a wide berth as the three Egaros approached us. One of them screamed as the spikes pierced its flesh, yelping as though it was a pet being run over by a carriage.

I extended the whip mace in my left hand, flicking my wrist, making it curve slightly. It made a loud thump as it hit one of the skittering Egaros on the wall. The Egaros dropped to the ground, dazed as the other once leapt towards me, its mouth open.

Lu Li La zwe Riou!

The ether swirled in front of me, going from gray to red. The Egaros was close now; I could smell its putrid breath, see the black and brown filth on its yellow teeth. Seconds later, flames enveloped it, a large whoosh noise echoed throughout the room, as a cloud of black swarmed around the room in a frantic panic. As the flames lit the room all of the Egaros screeched their hands, going to their eyes as they stumbled around.

I stepped to the side, allowing the flying burning corpse to crash into the wooden door. Beside me, I saw Sorey throw the club and the still struggling Egaros pierced by it into the pit.

He unsheathed his sword and rushed forward; he sliced quick and sharp. Cutting through one of the Egaros's chest, dark red blood spurted out, spraying his face and clothing.

He turned swiftly, slicing through the Egaros next to him. As its head went flying, he grabbed the body and shoved it into the Egaros I had dazed previously.

The Egaros collapsed at the unexpected weight, and a moment later, Sorey stabbed his sword down. The sound of bone scraping against his blade echoed out as he pierced through the body. The final Egaros screeched and flailed as his sword pierced its back dark fluid spreading beneath its body, adding foul-smelling urine to the list of smells that covered the room. After a moment or two, the Egaros stopped flailing, and Sorey yanked his sword free with a loud scraping noise.

I retracted my whip mace and let out a sigh. "I might have to burn my clothes," I grumbled.

"You can use mint, soap, and salt to get the smell out. After all, it works if you kill a skyfish and accidentally burst the egg sac," Alice informed me.

I smiled slightly as I nodded. "True, it's what I used to clean Varuun's mouth whenever he got ahold of a skyfish."

'That combination can usually get a putrid smell out of anything, although when Varuun ate them, it didn't even smell half as bad as this,' Lila said, her tone slightly cheerful.

Sorey walked over to Alice as he tried his best to wipe the blood from his face. "Dump the poison down the pit; make sure to spread it around." He instructed.

"This isn't the first time I've done this," Alice huffed as she approached the edge of the pit.

Sorey nodded, glancing at the body the Egaros had been eating, his lips pressed into a thin line. I started towards the body to say a prayer before it was also tossed into the feeding pit, but Sorey grabbed my arm in a firm grasp.

"Don't go over there you won't like what you see," he warned me. Beneath the streaks of blood, I noticed that his face was slightly pale.

What has him so worried?

I frowned, curling my tail slightly as I tilted my head to the side. "I've seen enough horrors in my infinite life. Something like this won't change that," I reminded him.

He opened his mouth to say something but instantly closed it taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he slowly released me; his face was still pale as he nodded. "Okay, if you believe that to be true, I won't stop you," he softly.

I frowned as I walked past Sorey. As I approached the body, I could feel his eyes on me. From where I stood, I could see bluish-white skin, a jagged red mess of half-eaten flesh with white glistening bone beneath.

A pheneric? Although I can't tell the gills apart from the bite marks.

I knelt beside the body grabbing it by what I assumed was its shoulder. Warmblood coated my fingers, making it a struggle to actually grip the skin. When I finally turned the body over, my eyes went wide; a chill ran through my veins as my stomach began to churn. Slowly my hand fell away from the body.

'Oh no,' Lila whispered, her voice shaking.

Muzu...

His eyes were missing, the empty black sockets sporting small jagged scratches and yellow bruises around them. His mouth was contorted into a silent scream. His body was still warm.

That scream we heard...it had to be him. Perhaps if we had come earlier, we could've saved him.

I closed my eyes and placed my hands together as I began to pray. "You poor soul, I can only hope that your death was quick. May the Maker be with you," I whispered.

I bit my lip as I did my best to hold back tears, Lila was equally silent.

As I opened my eyes, Lila spoke. 'If Muzu's here then where are his sister and mother?' She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I froze, my eyes growing wide as I stood up and slowly turned to the scorched wooden door on the other side of the room. Sorery's words echoing in my head.

The feeding pits are located close to the...breeding cells...

Alice walked over to where I was standing, a frown on her face as she looked down at Muzu. "Poor kid, it didn't stand a chance." She sighed.

I barely registered her words. They were muffled as though I were hearing them underwater. Slowly I walked forward despite everything in me, including Lila trying to force me to stop. Someone grabbed my wrist, and I instantly flicked out my tail like a whip; however, the grip on my wrist only tightened slightly.

"Sorey, let me go," I told him softly.

"Listen to me, both of you, you don't want to go in that room," he warned Lila and I.

Slowly I turned to him, I don't know what look I had on my face, but it made Sorey flinch and hesitate. In any other situation, it would've probably made me laugh.

"Sorey...I order you to release me," I commanded, my voice barely above a whisper.

Instantly his hand fell away from my wrist as his markings flared gold. "Shit," he hissed as I continued toward the door.

I could hear him following me quickly. I threw open the door, the still smoldering embers stinging the palm of my hands. I frowned as I entered the room; it was mostly dark, only faintly lit with two low burning torches on the walls.

The room appeared empty with only a few small, cramped looking cages sitting out smeared with long dried blood. Toward the back of the room, I could see a few pairs of heavy-looking chains attached to the wall. But it was something else that caught my attention.

That vile smell...

'Oh, thank the Maker, there's no one here,' Lila said, letting out a sigh of relief.

I said nothing as I walked further into the room with Sorey and Alice close behind.

"There's no one here," Alice said as she stood next to me, scanning the room.

"They might have ended up killing them by accident," Sorey suggested, the relief clear in his voice.

"Bullshit," I said instantly as I turned to Sorey. "You and I both know that this room smells like an unwashed whore house. They're still here."

At my words, Alice's eyes widened, she turned to Sorey as I walked forward. "What in the world did you do to piss her off?" She hissed.

I stopped in the middle of the room and closed my eyes as I did my best to focus. Lila's soft whimpering echoed in my head.

So much dark ether, it's absolutely disgusting.

I could see the faintest spot of white ether, gently pulsing in a sea of black and purple wisps to my left. I opened my eyes and walked over to one of the many cages.

Before anyone could say anything, I shoved the cage causing it to fly across the room. As I knelt down where it had been, I heard Alice say, "What the hell? I thought fairies didn't have strength like that!"

Sorey sighed. "I told you she's...a special case."

I reached out, touching the ground in front of me, as I ran my fingers over the area, a couple of the gray stone wobbled. A second later, I was tearing each of those wobbly bricks out.

Even though I knew what to expect when I cleared out all the bricks, I could help but stare into the hole before me. A small whimpering form lay in the pit, white dribbling from between her legs as she clutched something to her chest. Her bluish white body marred with purple bruises.

'Fina...' Lila whimpered, her voice shaking.

I blinked, and for a moment, the small form changed. I saw black hair, pale skin, and amber eyes looking up at me in fear. A name tumbled out of my mouth before I could even try to stop it, "Mik...hail."

A sharp pain whipped through my head as though my own mind were yelling at me to stop. I let out a hiss as I held my head with one hand, but when I looked back toward the pit, Fina had sat up and was looking at me with wide eyes.

I closed one eye against the throbbing pain as I took off my cloak and reached out to her. "Come here, it'll be alright," I told her softly, using my real voice to calm her down if only a little bit.

However, despite that, Fina didn't move, hugging the object closer to her chest. "Alice, how many women did the town say were kidnapped?" Sorey asked as he also began to move the cages more carefully than I had.

"Five," Alice whispered, then she sighed. "This smell is gonna stick to my clothes worse than the corpse pit. Disgusting, hurry up and pull her out of the pit," she grumbled.

I slowly turned around and glared at Alice. "Is that all you can think about? You have a child too!" I growled.

Alice glared back. "Whatever keeps me sane," she mumbled as she approached the two torches on the wall. She extended the torch in her hand, using it to renew the torches on the wall.

I saw something scurrying in the shadows for a second.

It's too big to be a bug...

I shot to my feet, dropping my cloak as I flicked out my whipmace missing Alice by an inch. I felt it wrap around something, the slack leaving the elastic vine.

"What's wrong with you? You nearly hit me!" Alice hissed, glaring at me.

I walked past Alice, using my tail to grab one of the torches off the wall. As the torchlight got closer to the thing, it scurried back and forth as though it were trying to find an exit. It stopped moving, though, when I stood in front of it.

It was a very small Egaros, only as tall as my hip. Its eyes darted around frantically as the feathers around its neck stood up slightly. It whimpered, looking everywhere but me, almost like a bad child who'd been caught doing something they shouldn't have. My whip mace was loosely coiled around its neck, holding it in place like a leash.

I didn't even see it with all the dark ether in this room. Although this spot was more of a dark grey than black.

Lila offered no words, the sound of her crying echoing in my head.

I glanced back at the hole Fina was in my stomach violently churning. Looking back at the Egaros, I saw a dark puddle forming at his feet.

I felt the dark ether curling around my wrist. Instead of stealing my breath away, it felt like a hug enveloping me. My hands curled tightly around my weapons.

The Egaros dropped to its knees before me, clasping its hands together, hushed grunts coming out of its mouth as though it were begging me for forgiveness. Praying for it.

I saw red; retracting my weapon, I dragged the Egaros up and into the air. It let out a shriek as I pulled it close. "I didn't create filth like you! So don't you dare try to ask me for forgiveness!" I snapped, raising my other whipmace.

I brought it down hard as I could on the Egaros's head. I kept hitting it even when it stopped whimpering, even when it lost consciousness, and even when its body was nothing but red pulp in my hands.

Something yanked roughly on my tail, causing me to stumble backward as pain quickly shot up my back. Turning around, I saw Sorey standing there, a scowl on his pale face. "Marta, calm down that familiar system thing is blaring in my head," he told me softly. I couldn't help but notice the slight fear in his voice.

"The familiar warning system?" I said slowly, even to my own ears, my voice sounded strangely hollow.

He nodded then leaned forward. "Not just that you're scaring the victims," he informed me in a hushed tone.

Looking over his shoulder, I saw Alice holding Fina, who was wrapped in my cloak. At Alice's feet was the object Fina had been holding which I recognized as Verpa's head. Three naked women stood beside Alice or rather slightly huddled behind her. All three of them stared at me with fearful wide eyes, their faces drained of color.

They're scared of me...

Looking back at the Egaros I had attacked, I saw nothing but a mound of red bloody flesh with ivory bones laying in it haphazardly like they'd been placed there on a whim. I looked down at my hands, which were coated in the same warm blood, red clumps of flesh stuck beneath my nails. I don't know how I kept my grip on my weapons. Beneath the red, however, I could see faint streaks of black encircling my wrists.

"Oh..." I said slowly as I let out a shaky breath. Seconds later, my stomach revolted, and I lurched forward, retching as glowing black ether pouring from my mouth. It burned my throat and coated my tongue with the taste of dead leaves.

I heard Sorey sigh as he gathered up my hair gently. If I could have, I might've laughed at this strange situations.

Something like this has happened before...with Ion? No, someone else...Mikhail?

I sighed, wincing as I wiped my mouth. "Sorry about that," I said softly.

Sorey nodded as he looked at the dark ether I'd expelled. "We have to keep moving further down." He told Alice and I.

Alice frowned as she adjusted Fina in her arms. "So, what's the plan? We definitely can't take them with us."

Sorey sighed. "Let's leave them here, there are a few Egaros weapons in here. We'll take the cages out of the room and use them to block the door."

"No!" Fina shouted instantly. She hid her tear-streaked face in Alice's shirt, her small hands gripping the fabric tightly.

"It's okay, sweetie I promise we'll be back as soon as we get rid of the big bad monster who hurt you. But we can't do that unless you stay here," Alice told her gently.

For a moment, Fina looked at her sniffling. After a moment or two, she nodded slowly. "You promise you'll come back?" She whispered as she also turned to look at Sorey and I.

I smiled at her. "I promise."

She struggled slightly, squirming out of Alice's arms, and ran over to me. She latched onto me in a hug, I could feel her small body trembling despite her smile. "I'm sorry for pulling your tail, miss Fairy," she told me softly.

I patted her head gently. "I'm not mad; it didn't even hurt."

With her eyes full of tears, she gave me a slight smile before running over to Sorey and giving him a hug as well. "I'm sorry that...M-Muzu and I made you upset, Mr. demon."

Sorey sighed softly before a slight smile crept across his face. "It's fine, kid."

"Yeah, Sorey is just naturally grumpy," Alice said, which caused Sorey to narrow his eyes at her.

I helped Alice bring some of the cages out of the room while Sorey gave brief instructions on how to properly use the Egaros weapons in the room.

"Marta, what exactly was that thing you did in the room?" She asked me slowly.

I frowned as I set the cages down on each side of the door. "You mean beating the Egaros to death?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, when your pupils turned white, and your body was cloaked in that glowing black aura. Not to mention you threw up what looked like dark ether."

I sighed as I looked up at her from where I was arranging the cages."If I tell you that I'm the Maker, will you believe me?"

"No," she answered immediately.

"Then I don't have an answer for you," I huffed.

Alice crossed her arms as she also let out a small huff, her face puffing up slightly as she pouted. Sorey came out of the room, and with his help, we finished barricading the door.

"That should do it. After we kill the leader, we'll come back up here and get them," he told us.

As we walked across the room with the body pit and into the other tunnel, I couldn't help but look back at Muzu's body.

Death is sacred but perhaps if we had allowed Verpa to continue traveling with us to Medoh, I could have prevented this.

~~~

How long have we been walking in this godforsaken den? I think we've gone down about five more floors.

Frowning, I scratched at my arm, the disgusting film of blood, sweat, and dirt was making me irritated. No matter how much I seemed to scratch, it just wouldn't stop itching, the gritty feeling clinging to me like a second skin.

I can't wait to leave this place and take a hot bath. Even a warm one would be nice if I can just get this filth off of my skin.

Next to me, Alice let out a low whistle as we emerged into an enormous room. It was almost like a stone colosseum with an open circular ceiling that allowed the pale moonlight to shine down. The walls were made of gray stone with long walkways that spiraled upward. Some, however, just ended with an edge of crumbling stone.

Cracks both large and small ran throughout the floor. In the center of the room was a large light blue orb, it floated there slightly above the ground with black wisps of ether rolling off of it like fog. My eyes widened as I continued to look around, a chill settling further and further in my chest.

'I've been here before...' Lila whispered, her voice hoarse from her crying.

"We've been here before," I corrected her softly.

"I didn't know that there was an ancient ruin down here," Alice said her voice full of awe.

"Of course no one knew it was here the Egaros took over the only pathway to it," Sorey reminded her.

"Let's look around; this is a once in a lifetime chance!" Alice said excitedly.

"No!" I shouted before I could stop myself. Alice didn't spare me a single glance as she bounded over to the glowing orb stopping a little ways away from it so that the dark ether wouldn't touch her. With her crossbow tucked under her arm, she reached into her cloak, pulling out a piece of parchment and a vial of liquid.

A large buzzing sound came from the orb, and a small beam of white light shot out causing Alice to jump as it ran over her for a brief moment before disappearing. From the orb came a voice that sounded very much like my own expect deeper and distorted.

"Goddess permissions not found...vessel not detected. Manufacturing process unable to resume. Beginning...be...gin...ning..."

Sorey looked at me instantly. "Marta, what does that mean?" He asked me quickly.

I shook my head, my eyes still wide. "I-I don't know," I hissed as I tried to wrack what little memories Lila and I both had to find an answer.

It scanned Alice and knew that she was neither Lila or I. But what's the manufacturing process? Other vessels? Protectors for this ruin? Familiars? No, wait this area isn't considered a ruin if the interface is still working...

It was then that it dawned on me, and very slowly, I turned to Sorey, my eyes wide in horror as my blood ran cold. "This place isn't a ruin...it's a temple just the one Olakator. The security system is still active!" I explained quickly.

A loud roar thundered through the air. Turning to the sky, I saw a large creature with a serpent-like body gliding downward straight towards the orb. It's enormous red maw open as it headed for Alice.

"Lu, la, Zwe riou icoh!" I shouted, throwing my hand out. I felt the ether gathering around me, the threads solidifying as it thrummed through my body, then it burst.

The creature crashed down, throwing up a cloud of dust and stone. Pain whipped through my body instantly, nearly driving me to my feet. My skin was stinging as though it was one large open wound. I coughed and gasped, trying to catch my breath as white ether splattered out of my mouth and burned my nose. Even breathing took effort; a soft groan left my mouth as black spots appeared in my vision, my legs trembled beneath me.

'Marta...we can't pass out...if we do...Sorey and Alice will die,' Lila rasped.

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the dizziness. "I'm...well aware of that. I'm not letting something like this bring me down." I hissed.

I closed my eyes as I slowly straightened up. My skin stung viciously, and a painful throbbing shot through my limbs. Gritting my teeth, I began to look around as the dust began to clear.

Sorey was still standing next to me, although a little further than before. And Alice, Alice now stood in the room's entranceway, a mixture of confusion and horror on her pale face.

All this pain for a short distance teleportation spell? No...

It was then that I noticed that Alice wasn't holding the parchment and vial that she'd pulled out earlier. Instead, her crossbow was once again in her hands.

I let out a shaky chuckle, which caused Sorey to look at me. Alice slowly approached us once again, her eyes on me. "Did you...how did you use a time manipulation spell?" she exclaimed.

I let out a shaky breath as I shrugged. "It's a short distance single-target spell, and I definitely won't be able to use it again. This body isn't made for using spells like that, and I don't want to destroy Lila." Glancing down at the back of my hands, I noticed that faint cracks had spread across the back of them. Like a vase about to shatter, as I watched, however, they began to slowly close up.

"Still, how do you do it? It takes so much ether and training to be able to do it for even a fraction of a second, even Sorey's mother couldn't do it, and she was one of the greatest mages in Adonis!" Alice shouted.

I opened my mouth to once again tell her that I was the Maker, but a roar stopped me. We turned around and saw the serpent-like creature still there.

Its black scaly body coiled around the blue orb of light, giving no indication that the dark ether was bothering it. Gray bristle-like fur ran along it's back as it placed two large birdlike hands on top of the orb. Antler like horns grew from its head; its black and amber eyes glared down at us with unbridled fury.

It's eyes! Sorey did say that it's a common color, but I still doubt that this is a coincidence.

"A dragon...it's a fucking dragon," Sorey whispered slowly. His hand was on the hilt of his sword, a familiar gleam in his eyes as he slowly smiled. It was more of a manic smile than one of happiness, though.

"Chi...ld...chi...ld," it hissed as it slowly scanned the room. A moment later, it let out a roar, "Where is my child?" Its hands pounded against the orb it clung to as it screeched and roared.

Its child? Was it trying to use the temple's interface to manufacture a copy of its child?

The dragon looked at me, and fury blossomed in its eyes. "Traitor! Monster! Where is my child!" It roared at me.

An orange light appeared in its mouth, starting as a small glow and growing until a swirling ball of flame formed in its mouth.

I saw Alice move running over to a pile of large stones and began quickly stacking them. In a vaguely human shape. "Marta, can you do a protective shield?" Sorey asked quickly as he raised his sword, his eyes focused on the dragon.

I shook my head, which caused my vision to swim slightly. "No, I can't use magic right now. If I force it..."

"You'll end up breaking Lila," he finished sighing.

I just nodded as I lifted my weapons a slight nervous smile on my face.

The dragon shot the fire from its mouth, the large ball of flames hurtling towards us. I leapt up, using my wings to hover high in the air as Sorey darted across the room.

The dragon lunged at me its long body stretching forward following right the ball of fire. It curved upward, its red maw wide open as it tried to bite me in half.

I threw out my whip mace, curving it so that it looped around the dragon's neck; I was dragged down near its scaled stomach. I lifted my other whip mace and threw that one out, wrapping it around a nearby barely ruined column.

When I did, the vines snapped taught as the dragon jerked to a halt, a sharp pain throbbed in my shoulders. Then the dragon was falling out of the air.

I retracted my weapons and leapt away, using my legs to kick off from the dragon's side. Landing on one of the upper walkways, I watched as the dragon crashed to the ground throwing up a cloud of dust and stone.

Almost immediately, it reared up like a snake ready to strike, its mouth open as it prepared to breathe fire once again. Just as the orange firelight was gathering in its mouth, two explosions happened, a burst of flames and smoke appearing at each of its sides.

To the left, I saw Alice riding on the back of a large stone golem with glowing white symbols and writing all over its body, her legs wrapped around its waist as she shook a bunch of glass vials in her hand. Each one had a dark liquid in it with a cork acting as a cap.

After shaking them for another second or two, she threw them instantly; they exploded against the dragon's side. To the left, I saw Sorey lighting one of the bombs Alice had given him using flint and his sword to create the spark.

He threw it up towards the dragon's eyes. It struck the left one causing the dragon to screech and turn to Sorey blood spurting from the now-empty socket.

It began to swipe at him, and while he was dodging, I happened to notice something.

"Sorey, the tail!" I shouted.

He quickly turned his eyes going wide as the dragon smacked him with its tail. Sorey flew across the room, sickening crack emitting as he hit the ground, bounced, and came to a stop at the pillar.

The dragon let out what sounded like a raspy chuckle. Alice hopped off the golem and began running toward Sorey as the golem began attacking the dragon drawing its attention.

'Sorey...' Lila gasped.

I was already flying down to him when I landed next to him; he was blinking slowly, almost like he was dizzy. He tried to prop himself up only to wince. " Shit," he hissed, blood dripping from his mouth as he collapsed back on the ground.

Alice and I helped him sit up. It was then that I noticed the dark red dying the front of his Kajima. "That's not good," Alice whispered, then she looked at me. "Can you heal him?"

Broken ribs, and punctured lung...

"Do you still have that vial of blood I gave you before?" I asked quickly. Behind me, I could hear stone grinding against stone as the dragon attacked the golem.

Sorey gave a snort only to immediately cough up more blood. "Yeah, I can feel...the...fucking glass...in my chest," he panted.

I frowned, biting my lip. A second later, the golem flew past us, hitting the wall with a thunderous boom. The golem fell out of the crater its impact left behind as it fell to the ground, its body began to turn to dust.

The dragon faced us, opening its mouth, but instead of the telltale orange light of fire, I saw black wisps gathering in its mouth from the orb in the middle of the room.

It's gathering dark ether if I don't stop it...

Imagines flashed through my mind of Varrun's broken body. His soft whimpers of pain echoed in my ears, enormous craters filled with smoldering embers where cities once stood thousands upon millions of lives gone in an instant. Those amber eyes full of hatred staring at me, mocking me for what I'd done, for what I let happen.

I stood up and faced the dragon taking a deep breath.

Lila, I'm going to use another powerful spell. It's going to hurt a lot more than it has any other time, so please try to bear with me.

'I'm not abandoning you, Marta; we're in this together. We're siblings, after all,' she told me. I could practically see her pouting.

"Right, Lila," I whispered, a smile creeping across my face. I jammed a claw into my wrist; the familiar white ether leaked out at first before quickly becoming red blood. I held out my arm to Sorey. "Drink it, I won't be able to heal you normally. Hell, considering what I'm about to do, I might be out for a while."

Sorey frowned as he stared at me wrist for a moment before grabbing it with his left. He looked at Alice. "Injured or not, if you see me about to lose control, stop me. Put me down if you have too," he ordered her.

"Can't you just heal him with a spell? I told you what happens if half-demons taste blood or flesh! Hey don't ignore me!" Alice shouted at me frantically.

I closed my eyes, and to a deep breath, as I did, all of the threads of ether seemed to snap into place. Holding my free hand up, I began to chant, "Zwe lu li la, lu, li la la, riou, tue lacifu, icoh Tadetuih mo ke oei!"

The threads of ether hummed warmth spreading through my body quickly turning into a searing heat, as though I was burning up for the inside out. Even taking a breath felt like claws raking across my lungs.

As my skin stung and my joints throbbed, if I did have a heart, the sound of it would be thunderous in my ears. I could feel tears gathering in my eyes and my legs shaking violently beneath me.

The glow of the ether threads were so bright that only white filled my vision. "Burn and perish!" I shouted, my voice coming out as a harsh rasp.

The ether threads burst, and a thunderous boom echoed out, shaking the world around me. The vicious heat that had previously been there drained out of me instantly, a violent chill replacing it.

My body felt incredibly heavy; even opening my eyes was a challenge. I looked up a bit, even with my vision blurry and fading in and out; I was able to see that the dragon was no more. And neither was the orb that had been in the middle of the room.

In place of where the dragon had been was a smoldering trench and an enormous hole in the wall with scorch marks on the edges. The orb was in pieces, the blue crystal-like shards sitting on the ground in a pile. It no longer gave off dark ether or any ether for that matter; it was completely and utterly broken.

I could hear someone frantically yet faintly calling for Lila and I, but I was tired, so tired. As black spots began to creep over my vision, I saw red threads in my vision briefly.

Thread...oh...its red hair...

Seconds later, I was dragged under as I lost consciousness.

~~~~

I opened my eyes slowly, a soft, gentle humming entering my ears. The ground beneath me was swaying slightly. The sweet yet soothing smell of malety flowers entered my nose, slowly I sat up and looked around.

I was in a small yet long wooden boat, around me was black liquid, it was so clear that it was almost like a mirror. White and black malety flowers sprouted out of the water. The world was neither warm nor cold, it was almost as though I couldn't feel any temperature.

"So, you're awake."

Looking behind me, I saw a dark shadow with a vaguely humanoid form. The creature was rowing the boat slowly with a single paddle. Its black and amber eyes focused on me. Instead of the hatred that the eyes had shown me last time, there was nothing—just a blank uncaring stare.

Looking over the edge of the boat, I saw bodies, many of them floating just beneath the black liquid. Their faces were peaceful, their bodies in pristine condition, almost like all of them were sleeping.

"Once more...you've come back. Once more..." the figure said softly.

Looking down, I noticed that I was in my original form instead of Lila. My long white hair draped over my hands, my red and white dress cushioning my hands and knees.

Slowly I looked up at the figure, frowning. "What is this? This place we're in it feels familiar. Comfortable almost." I asked softly.

The figure pointed towards the bodies in the liquid. "That is your legacy, your current one." It told me in that same monotone voice.

It turned slightly and pointed behind us. "And that is the legacy you left behind..."

When I looked where it pointed, I could see statues of what appeared to be people. They were stuck to the top of the black liquid instead of floating beneath it.

As I turned forward once more I noticed that bodies that had been in the liquid had disappeared, in their place were more statues. They were looking at me and pointing, their mouths open in horrified screams as their black and amber eyes followed me.

"Those..." I whispered.

I felt hands as cold as ice grip my shoulders locking me in place. Wisps of black ether wafted over my skin as the figure leaned forward over my shoulder. The boat's steady pace becoming a lazy drift.

"What was your number one rule, Marta?" It hissed, the sound of its voice like a knife slicing through an eyeball.

I took a shaky breath as warmth gathered in my eyes. "Death is sacred. There is no need for gods who only take," I whispered.

"Good, and just how many times have you broken those precious rules?"

I opened my mouth but instead chose to shake my head. "I-I don't know," I whimpered.

The hands dug into my shoulders, causing a throbbing pain to shoot down my arms. I couldn't move. I couldn't even blink as though the chill had frozen me in place.

The statues' faces warped their horrified expression's turning into mocking ones, Their eyes crinkled as enormous grins spread across their faces ear to ear.

"Lies!" The figure snapped. One of its hands reached forward, gently twisting a strand of my hair between its fingers.

"You've taken many things, desecrating those precious rules you adore so much. The lives you stole want their revenge." It hissed.

Then I was thrown to the floor, the figure using my hair to pull my head up and back, exposing my throat. It was then that I noticed the mouths of the statues had numerous long thin twig-like teeth.

"Take your soul from her, and you'll live once again. You will have defied god herself!" The figure announced almost cheerfully.

There was a loud screech of stone grinding against stone as the statues turned their heads toward me. Seconds later, they lunged, the teeth suddenly taking up their entire face leaving only a large black hole surrounded by rows upon rows of ivory spikes.

The statues latched onto me, violently grabbing and pulling on me as if I would disappear. As they pulled me over the side of the boat and into the water, the black figure waved at me with a wide sharp-toothed grin on its face.

When I opened my eyes, the world had changed around me. I no longer saw the statues, the figure, or the black liquid. My eyes met a starry night sky slightly obscured by a cliff, I felt weightless, yet the horrific throbbing in my head kept me bound to the ground I lay one.

Faintly my own voice echoed in my ear. "Memory storage damaged...ether cooling damaged...attempting repairs."

After a moment or two, the voice sounded in my ear once again. "Unable to repair at current ether level...reserves damaged...attempting reboot..."

Suddenly white filled my vision as white feathers rained down from the cliff. I saw long white hair and fearful amber eyes; the person reached out to me, their voice nothing but muffled panic.

Then my vision went dark, and I neither heard nor felt anything.

~~~

I let out a soft moan as I slowly opened my eyes. Someone was humming above me. Long gentle fingers ran through my hair claws slightly scratching across my scalp.

It feels so soothing...warm...

When the fingers stilled I couldn't help but let out a small whimper. As my vision slowly came into focus I saw someone smiling down at me with a strange yet gentle look on his face.

Those eyes...such kind eyes... in the past...I think someone used to look at me with kind amber eyes. I wonder who that was. It was someone who always treasured me. I wonder if that person is okay?

"Sor...ey?" I said slowly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You came around, good girl. I was worried you wouldn't," he said softly.

I slowly blinked at him, a slight frown on my face. "Did you die too?" I rasped, my words slurring slightly.

Sorey chuckled as he began stroking my hair again. "I almost died, but once again, thanks to you I didn't. You're not dead either, thankfully," he informed me.

One of his fingers traced my left cheek briefly, a frown covering his face. "The cracks are starting to close," he said more to himself than me.

"Cracks..." I repeated slowly. My mind still felt as though it was wading through honey.

Sorey nodded. "Like the ones you had on your hands when you saved Alice. They were all over you. That familiar warning thing told me that you were re...booting? Re...starting? Something like that, Alice knew what it meant."

"The spell...was...too...much. I-I nearly lost Lila..." I whimpered.

"Is she still in there?" He immediately asked his voice taking on a slightly frantic edge.

Lila?

A soft moan answered my calls, letting me know that she was still there.

A smile crossed my face. "Tired...so tired but we're still here," I told him.

"Good, Alice should be coming back soon. She went to take the girls we found back to Medoh," he informed me.

At his words, I suddenly sat up, black spots forming in my vision as I did. "Medoh! I have to heal the tree!" I said frantically, trying to climb to my feet.

Sorey grabbed me in a firm yet gentle grip forcing me back down. "Are you insane? You can barely even sit up!" He snapped.

"But I need to-"

"Sorey's right, Marta, Maker or not, you're in no position to cast any spells right now," Alice said as she emerged from the bushes nearby.

"But-"

"No, buts! You were in such bad shape, and at first, I couldn't find a heartbeat, not to mention those cracks spreading over most of your skin. It was enough to scare the monster of the east, so you know that it was horrific," she countered.

'I...want...to...die,' Lila groaned softly.

"Gods need their rest too, so just give it a day or so at least. The tree isn't going anywhere, and with that dragon gone, the amount of dark ether being pumped into it will reduce dramatically." Alice informed me.

I frowned as I looked up at her. "I thought you didn't believe me when I told you I was the Maker?"

Alice crossed her arms, a slight blush on her cheeks as she looked away. "Those spells you did in that ruin convinced me. No one other than the Maker could do that second spell you used. It was like you just made the dragon disappear, not to mention you rewound time to save me. If I spit in your face by refusing to believe you after all the evidence presented then I might as well kill myself now," she mumbled.

"She wouldn't kill you for that, if she did, I wouldn't be alive right now," Sorey pointed out.

Looking down, I noticed that the cloak that I'd lent to Fina was covering me like a blanket. I smiled slightly at Sorey, "Alice did say that you had the personality of someone who met the Maker and wasn't impressed," I told him. At my words, he just shrugged his fingers still running through my hair.

"We should head back to Medoh; I need a bath and rest. Not to mention Marta needs rest too," Alice said, stretching.

"A bath sounds amazing," I sighed.

"How are you going to take a bath when you can barely even sit up?" Sorey grumbled.

Before I could reply, he picked me up; startled, I quickly and tightly gripped the front of his kajime, which caused him to chuckle. I gently smacked his leg with my tail in retaliation, which only made him chuckle louder.

Alice looked at him as she picked up my weapons, tucking them under her arm. "Bring her to my shop. It'll be easier to warm up the water there."

She looked at me as we began our journey back. "I hope you don't mind me helping you take a bath, Marta."

I blinked slowly. "Why would it bother me?"

"Right, you're currently inhabiting a fae," she said more to herself than me.

"I don't think she even knows what the word modesty means," Sorey mumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at him and poked him in the chest with one claw, which caused him to let out a small hiss. "Still tender?" I asked innocently.

"What do you think?" He huffed.

"Do you need more blood? I can't really use any spells at the moment," I asked him, frowning. I shifted slightly, resting my head against his chest, his heartbeat was a nice comforting rhythm in my ears.

"No, it's just a giant bruise. Once you gave me the blood, it began to heal up quickly," he reassured me. Then he looked down at me, "Although I am a little worried that all of the cracks on your skin haven't closed up." He said it softly, trying to make sure Alice didn't hear him.

I looked at my hands; on the back of them were faint thin hairline cracks. I carefully ran one of my thumbs over some of the cracks only to wince and immediately stop as a throbbing pain shot through my hands and down my fingers.

"Don't touch it, you little fool," he sighed as he watched me.

"So Marta, I've been meaning to ask you something is Sorey like your familiar or something? Is that why he has those markings on him?" Alice asked me slowly.

"He's only a temporary familiar at the moment, but yes. I...or rather Lila, chose to save his life when he came to kill us-"

"You tried to kill the Maker!" She exclaimed as she whipped around to face Sorey her eyes wide.

"In my defense, I didn't know nor believe that she was the Maker," he protested.

Alice shook her head. "Well, your soul is damned."

"It was damned, to begin with," he huffed.

When we reached Medoh, I couldn't help but notice what appeared to be a small festival happening. I could hear cheerful sounding music echoing through town. Nearly every demon had some type of what looked like wine in their hands. Nearby some of the more feral kindred were playing with each other, frolicking in the grass.

The more well-kept kindreds sat beside their demon owners, sharing food with them or talking.

"Looks like the party is in full swing. Good thing I was able to get a bottle of peach wine beforehand," Alice said as she continued walking with a small smile on her face.

I couldn't help but look up at the giant tree. Dark ether no longer coated the air around it like a sickening fog. However, the tree itself was still tainted its dark purple, almost black bark contrasting against the bright blue sky.

'Don't worry Marta, after we rest, we can go fix it,' Lila reassured me in between a loud yawn.

I hope so. I would be failing the people of Medoh if I just left it like that. Especially considering it was my fault, it ended up this way.

'It was our fault; you're not in this alone Marta,' she whispered.

I merely nodded at her words, despite Lila's attempts to comfort me I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that sat in my chest like a rock.

~~~

A low hiss escaped my mouth as Alice slowly helped me removing my clothing; the soft cloth aggravating the cracks in my skin.

She flinched the towel wrapped around her body, shifting slightly. "Sorry, Marta, and you too, Lila," she said softly.

Currently, we were in Alice's bathroom, although it resembled more of a small indoor hot spring. The soothing smell of minerals wafted through the warm, comfortably humid air. I let out a soft hum of content as the tension seemed to slowly disappear from my body. A pool of water the size of a very small pond sat a few feet away, the outer edge encircled by small, slightly raised stones.

At the moment, I sat on a small stool that was on the stone floor; I was naked due to Alice removing my clothes in an effort to help me. She had undressed first, wrapping a thick cloth towel around herself.

"Do you want to wear a towel too?" She asked me as she stood up. She folded my clothes up with ease before placing them on a nearby stool. She removed two necklaces from around her neck. One had a slim golden ring with a small sapphire on it; the other was a small metal pendant of a light blue malety flower. She placed the necklaces on top of my clothing, although she didn't remove the two rings on her fingers.

I shook my head, which caused the throbbing in my head to worsen slightly. "No, wearing a towel would kind of defeat the purpose of trying to take a bath."

I continued to stare at her necklaces, particularly the one with the blue malety flower.

Red ones symbolize resilience, drive, and ambition. Blue ones occur when ice-based ether is stored. They usually don't occur naturally, though, and are made using ice magic.

"Curious? It was a gift from my older sister," Alice told me. Carefully she slipped her arms underneath me and lifted me up with ease; I wrapped my arms around her neck. "There we go, you Kindred are light as air. I knew that you guys were small but I thought you'd have some weight to you. It's like holding a couple of cats."

"I didn't know that you had an older sister. What was she like?" I asked as Alice carefully walked toward the water.

"Yep, she was older than me by six years; her name was Celica. She taught me most of what I now know about alchemy. Although sometimes she was a bit too nice for her own good though. Kids used to bully her quite a bit because she was born with a limp and two differently colored eyes. Since she was shy, I used to fight for her despite her telling me not to. Whenever I came back covered in bruises, she'd reprimanded me while patching me up. She'd still give me candy afterward though," Alice told me with a smile on her face.

"I should probably start carrying candy around for Lila," I said.

'I'm not a little kid,' Lila mumbled, pouting.

Alice snickered. "If you did, Sorey would probably eat it all. That man is a glutton for anything sweet," she told me as she carefully stepped into the water.

As Alice slowly set me down in the water, I winced as the water stung the cracks on my skin. While most of the larger ones had closed, the smaller ones seemed to be taking their time. I let out a soft moan as I sank further down in the water a bit the warmth relaxing my whole body.

I heard the door open, and Alice yelped, lowering herself in the water up to her neck. "I told you to wait, Sorey!" She snapped.

I turned to see Sorey standing in the doorway, wearing only a towel that was wrapped loosely around his waist. He was currently in the process of tying his hair up. He rolled his eyes and let out a huff, "This isn't the first time I've seen Marta naked or Lila for that matter. Besides, you're wearing a towel anyway, Alice."

Alice narrowed her eyes but said nothing as he climbed inside the water. Sorey stretched his joints, letting out soft cracks as he allowed his wings to lay splayed out across the stone floor.

"What did Nimiss say?" I asked Sorey as I carefully began to clean myself.

Sorey watched me for a moment before moving closer to me. He took the soap from me and grabbed my arm in a gentle grip. "If you needed help, just ask for it," he grumbled as he began bathing me.

Despite his fingers being rough and calloused, his movements were slow and gentle.

"I thought I was able to do it," I sighed. "So what did Nimiss say?" I asked again.

Sorey let out a soft snort as he gently grabbed my tail and continued washing me. "Before or after he prostrated himself before me saying that I was a blessing from the Maker?"

"There's no way the old village chief did that. I mean, he does worship the Maker a lot but still. He's always been pretty calm and collected," Alice said in disbelief.

"He's a core member of the Rarais clan. The moment he saw the markings on my face, he knelt in front of me and started the praise," he told her. "Did Ion get treated like that too?" he asked me looking slightly annoyed.

I frowned. "Before the war started yes because people knew that if for some reason, I was unable to help them that they could go to Ion. He would take it upon himself to help them or call for me."

"Great," Sorey grumbled, then he sighed. "Anyway, Nimiss said to take as much time as you need to heal before attempting to revive the tree, as he does not want to be the reason that you leave Adonis again. He also said that the journal you requested from him will be here tomorrow."

I jumped, smacking Sorey with my tail as Alice suddenly latched on to me in a hug. "Can I study you, Marta? Can you tell me everything you know about the war and stuff? Can I write a research paper on you? Can you tell me about the tree on the moon?" She asked her questions, coming out so quickly I could barely keep up.

She released me, leaping back with a squeal, splashing water on both Sorey and I. "This is a literal once in a lifetime chance, hell a once in anything chance! It will revolutionize everything as we know it!" She exclaimed with a large grin; her eyes sparkled with excitement.

'She is really happy,' Lila said in awe.

It was like watching a child being told that he could have sweets for his daily meals. "If you write a research paper about her, you'll either be laughed out of Sanatoria or hung by the Mem Aleph himself. There's a reason the Church of the sacred wing branded her a false god and anyone who stands with her a heretic," Sorey sighed. He shook himself, flinging water at me as he grabbed me once again and began bathing me.

Alice stilled at his words and let out a curse, her face twisting in irritation. "That's right...dammit, I can't tell anyone," she grumbled, sinking back down into the water. She looked at me, a deep frown on her face. "Why did they label you a false god anyway? The legend goes that during the holy war, you grew tired of watching the people of Adonis fight, so you retreated to Elysium. However, as the fighting continued, you grew angry, and to punish those who refused to heed your warning, two continents were turned to glass, and one more was sunk."

I scowled at her. "I never retreated to Elysium. While I did grow angry at the fighting, I was more heartbroken than anything. I watched as for years and years everyone fought like animals with everything they had. Even the ones who allied with me still ended up killing and mutilating family and friends as though those same people they'd know for years were feral monsters. I knew that Richter was the person rallying people against me, so I set out to deal with him using my own two hands," I explained softly.

"Considering the current state of Adonis and you, I'm guessing it didn't go well," Alice sighed.

I shook my head as I looked down. "When Richter and I fought, he wielded his world-shaking power without restraint. Once he did, however, I no longer tried to keep my anger in check, which was one of the worst mistakes I could've made," I whispered.

'It's not your fault, Marta,' Lila tried to reassure me.

Yes, it is, Adonis and its people are like children to me. If something happens then, it is my fault for ignoring it and allowing it to get so bad.

Alice nodded. "That makes a lot more sense, compared to the legend. Especially that, according to many, the Maker is a compassionate god. But where have you been all this time?"

"I was living in Via until recently and Kikewi village before that, but up until I arrived in Kikewi, neither Lila or I remember much of anything," I told her. I felt Sorey's hands still on my back, his fingers tracing the marking there briefly.

Alice stretched, letting out a soft moan. "I'm gonna go kindle the fire and get a bottle of wine." She told us as she carefully exited the water.

"Make it sake," Sorey said as he glanced up at her. Looking over my shoulder, I noticed a look of concentration on his face, his eyes staring at the marking on my back.

"I'm not drinking wine that tastes like dead leaves," Alice huffed as she left the room.

"What is it, Sorey? You keep staring at the marking on my back," I asked.

At my words, Sorey continued his work, his fingers combing through my hair. "I can't shake the feeling that I've seen something like it before. Its annoying me," he grumbled.

'The first time I saw it was when we were in Aurora,' Lila told me.

"It first appeared when we arrived in Aurora, according to Lila; Alice thought it was a brand though when she first saw it," I informed him.

He shook his head. "That's not any demon brand, I've seen. Typically the brands given to kindred slaves are the family crest of the demon who owns them. The thing on your back has the diamonds similar to the crest of the Marchen royal family, but instead of ten of them in a circle, yours has four of them in a square formation."

"You know a lot about the Marchen royal family," I pointed out.

For a brief moment, his face twisted with disgust before he shrugged. "I've worked for them before. The jobs I was given were fine; speaking to them was a whole nother issue entirely."

For a few moments, I stared at Sorey, the dream I'd had of white feathers and white hair echoing in my mind. "Sorey have you ever had white hair or wings?" I asked softly.

He sighed at my words. "The royal family are the only demons with white hair. My hair and wings like my mother's before me have always been red."

I let out a chuckle. "That's right you did tell me that."

Alice walked back into the room with a bottle of wine and three glasses. Despite not being able to get drunk, I did find that Lila still felt the effects despite me being in control. Her small giggles and slurred words echoing in my head.

It is a bit warm though, probably because of the water.

I yawned and stretched out. Sorey, who had been watching me carefully, set his half-full cup off to the side. "Okay, Marta, time for you to get out," he said as he carefully began to lift me out of the water.

"Huh, why?" I whined, struggling slightly. Almost immediately, I flinched as the cracks on my skin stung when exposed to the air.

"Because your face is as red as a skyfish's back," he informed me as he picked up a dry towel, slowly he guided me to sit on a stool.

"It is?" Both Alice and I asked at the same time. We looked at each other as I placed one hand on my cheek and Alice began laughing nearly choking on her wine.

"I'm talking about you, Marta. Fairies overheat pretty easily. I'm surprised you lasted this long," he informed me. "Now hold still."

I crossed my arms and puffed my cheeks out. "But the water is so soothing." I protested, my tail flicking out.

Sorey looked like he was struggling to keep a straight face as he began to dry me off. "Fuzzy," I said softly trying to cloak myself in the towel.

"Here, give me that I need to dry you off," Sorey told me, reaching for the towel. He had a smile on his face that softened his features slightly. Alice was still in the water, at the moment, she was swimming around in small circles.

"Its mine, I want to keep it," I huffed, twisting away from him. Sorey extended one of his wings, curling it around me; I let out a soft moan as I nuzzled it. It was so warm and comfortable; my body felt weightless as though I was floating.

He took the towel from me a grin on his face."Did Ion have to deal with you when you were like this?" He asked as he dried my hair.

"Sometimes Ion and Mikhail would offer to help me bathe. Even when I told them that it wasn't necessary," I mumbled softly.

"Mikhail, huh, you've said his name before but never really spoke about him. What was he like? His name is a human one right?" Sorey asked as he continued what he was doing.

I nodded slowly as I yawned. "He...I gave him his name...he didn't have one before." I blinked slowly, watching as Sorey placed the towel off to the side and picked up my clothes. "I hate not being able to remember what Ion or Mikhail looked like," I admitted softly.

Frowning, Sorey looked up at me; his mouth opened like he was going to say something, but he just closed it, his focus returning to his current task.

After Sorey put my socks on, I sat there staring into space. Every once in a while, I would yawn as I lazily swung my feet.

Lila's soft snores and light drunken murmuring were barely audible in my head. When he moved his wing that I'd been practically clinging to I whimpered. I coiled my tail around his wrist as I lifted my arms to let him put my shirt on.

When he picked me up in his arms after getting dressed, I snuggled into his chest. "You still have a heartbeat," I mumbled softly.

Sorey shifted his hold on me as he opened the door to Alice's shop. Outside, the town was still alive with celebration, even though the sun had set. Even the Kindred seemed to be enjoying themselves. The ones that had been kept close to their masters earlier now frolicked with the more feral kindred. They played with flowers, using magic to change everything from the flower's sizer to the whole thing entirely.

"Once again, I'm only alive thanks to your intervention," he reminded me.

"I don't have a heartbeat. I wish I did, though; Lila has one. I really like listening to yours," I sighed.

Sorey gave a soft chuckle. "I can tell you cling to me in your sleep. Your head always ends up on my chest. I doubt that you don't have one."

I reached up slowly and pulled his head down slightly so that his ear was on my chest. Even though he didn't like anyone touching his hair, he didn't protest as I twisted my fingers in it. "See, listen. I don't have one." I said softly. "No matter who I inhabit or whatever form I may take, I don't have one. I've been having strange dreams though, maybe their fragments of my memories, and in them, I had one." I told him my words coming out like slurred ramblings.

It feels so strange to be tired...

"I wish I had known that when Alice was looking for your pulse after you collapsed." He said as he drew back. "Although you're not the only one having strange nightmares."

"The dreams I had today when you and Lila tried to explain who I was to Alice. Those amber eyes that scared me so much earlier looked at me so kindly. I could hear my own heartbeat fading away in my ears and a person begging me not to leave them. And after we defeated the dragon, I was in a place filled with statues of all people they dragged me underneath this black water. Afterwards I was on the ground, I remember being only to make out a cliff, the night sky and..." I explained as I struggled to stay awake.

When I told Sorey about the statue people, he froze, his eyes going incredibly wide. I frowned as I looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head as he continued walking. "It's nothing. Can you tell me the rest of your last dream?"

I think we're almost home...

"I saw beautiful white feathers and long white hair. The person sounded very scared, too," I whispered, closing my eyes.

I heard Sorey say something, but I couldn't make it out.

He can tell me in the morning if it's important.

I drifted off to sleep content and warm.

~~~

When I woke up, it was early morning the next day. My eyes fluttered open only to quickly shut as the slight sunlight streaming in from the window blinded me for a moment.

That's right Sorey carried me back last night...

Almost instantly, I remembered my actions, including but not limited to trying to swaddle myself in a towel, pouting like a child, and clinging on to his wing like it was a stuffed animal. I felt heat gathering on my face as I climbed out of bed, noticing with slight surprise that he wasn't in the house.

He was trying to hold back laughter the whole time I acted like a fool. Still, it was fun...although I bet this will give him more ammunition to call me a child.

'Ouch...my head...' Lila groaned softly.

I'm sorry, Lila, I honestly didn't think the alcohol would affect you.

'It's fine but next time you drink alcohol, try not to drink too much of it,' she sighed.

Carefully I examined myself. While my joints still ached slightly and felt a bit stiff, I was in otherwise perfect condition.

I can finally heal the tree!

On the table, I noticed a small note. "When you wake up, come meet Alice, Nimiss, and I at the tree." I read aloud.

So that's where he is.

I rushed over to the tree, my wings carried me high above Medoh. As I approached the tree, I could see Nimiss standing there, speaking to a large crowd of people. Alice stood beside him, and Sorey stood off to the side, looking like he would rather be anywhere than here.

I landed next to him a smile on my face. "I came as quickly as I could," I told Sorey.

"Thank the Maker, the sooner I don't have to be around these humans, the better," he huffed.

"There's that winning personality of yours," Alice said, then she turned to me. "Are you sure that you're all healed up? While seeing Sorey afraid for once in his life was entertaining, I don't want you to end up dead or to disappear again," Alice asked, a slight look of worry on her face as she looked me up and down.

Nimiss looked at me instantly. "You're not still wounded, are you, Mistress?" He asked, his voice taking on a slightly panicked edge. At his words, the crowd began muttering in displeasure causing Sorey to glare at them.

I shook my head. "I have healed from my injuries yesterday," I reassured him with a small smile. "Now, if you excuse me, I will purify and restore the tree."

At my words, the crowd grew silent, watching with bated breath as I moved so that I stood directly in front of the tree.

You poor thing, I am sorry that I allowed you to suffer for so long.

And for that, it is my fault. You will no longer feel the horrific pain currently plaguing you.

Closing my eyes, I began to chant, warmth filling my body. I could see a small faint white ether thread almost smothered beneath the waves of dark ether trying to consume it from every side.

I reached out to the white thread, the soft white glow that enveloped my body, causing the dark ether to part. The dark ether lashed out like a cornered animal leaving dark small stinging splotches on my skin.

However, that didn't stop me. I firmly grasped the white thread and tugged, pulling it out and away from the dark ether. A thunderous roar sounded as the pure ether thread grew in size, banishing some of the dark ether trying to corrupt it.

Opening my eyes, I looked up to see faint glowing rings of light encircling the tree, from its base to the top of the tallest leaf. Carefully I began to walk up the tree using the rings of ether as steps; with each step I took, the rings of ether hummed beneath my feet. Once I reached the top, I brought my claw to the palm of my hand, creating a cut there.

White ether welled up from the cut. After a moment or two, I held a large floating orb of pure liquid ether in my hand. "Go, and banish the darkness plaguing this once sacred place," I commanded softly.

The ball of ether zipped up into the air, stopping when it hovered a few feet above the peach blossom tree. It hummed loudly, creating a soothing melody; then it burst a white glow flashing through the sky as white ether began falling like rain.

I watched as the dark ether instantly disappeared when touched by the glowing white drops. It was like watching rain chase away smoke.

Soft pink blossoms bloomed to life, chasing away the brown that had previously consumed them. The tree gave a loud hum as the rings of ether surrounding it turned a dark blue.

Looking down, I noticed that the crowd had grown considerably, everyone, including Nimiss, Alice, and Sorey, looking up at the tree in awe.

I smiled as I flew down from the tree, it's ethereal soft pink glow contrasting against the dark blue of the early morning sky. The peach blossoms floated down as the soft breeze carried them.

With this, Medoh is at peace once more.