Location-the Valdt

Xolt couldn't get a wink of sleep that night, after he had heard the news of where Ivy had taken his sister. He heard something in the hall and decided to investigate. It was like a faint whisper, cold as ice and sharp as steel. The night felt darker as the shadows began closing in.

"Where am I?" he heard a familiar voice say, in tones of distress and panic.

He stared deep into the darkness, a wisp of shadows coming closer.

"It cannot be!" He said to himself, hardly believing his eyes.

"Xolt?" She said, just as startled and disoriented as he was.

"How is this possible? How did you get here? Why are you here?" Xolt started, a thousand questions racing through his head at once.

"I don't know!" She shouted back, before reaching out to see if it was even real.

"How is your mission coming?" Xolt asked.

"Is that all you care about? Is that all anyone cares about? And I thought you were the sensible one. After all I've been through, and you have the audacity to ask such an imbecilic question?" She snapped, putting her foot down as a storm of shadows swirled menacingly around her slight frame.

"I am just nervous about the mission. If you and the others don't find the Empress and return soon, then there will not be much left of our world to save. Every day another village falls, more lives are lost, and soon there will be nothing. So why can't you speed it up?" Xolt replied.

"This better be a dream, Xolt, or you will regret the day I return. I don't even know if I am really here at all. With all I'd be willing to give for a glimpse of home, it seems as worthless as dust to return if this is the warm welcome I will receive." She replied, turning her back to him.

Xolt tried to think of some reply to console her, some way to make it right, but he knew too well that no amount of arguing would get him outside of her fury. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he was unsure what to say.
"This started as the perfect dream, and now you have turned it into a nightmare. I hope you regret this moment for the rest of your days. Why couldn't your sister have just left me to die outside the trial? Then none of this would have happened, and everything would have ended then and there." She said in hushed tones.

"Manx, I'm sorry." Xolt replied.

"Indeed you are!" She shouted, turning around and raising a fist to strike.

"There is more to this than either of us know. I did not mean to upset you, but seeing as you were already deeply infuriated about something, it isn't like the circumstances would have lead to anything else." he calmly replied.

"Maybe you are right, but it doesn't at all justify what you said. If only you knew what I've been through these past few days, and maybe you would understand the gravity of everything on my mind. At least you are honest with me and speak what you really are thinking, instead of saying one thing and then running away." Manx said solemnly.

"I'm not Vaskin." Xolt said.

"You're not Vaskin yes, but what you are, Xolt Wilderwynd, is an idiot!" She snapped back.

"How dare you!" he retorted, sparks of lightning crackling in his palms.

"How dare you, to say a thing like that! You think you are so smart, with all your runes and fancy books, but what you really are is an insensitive overgrown hairball with less brains than a can of beans! Even your sword has less slice than your tongue, which I would happily remove for you if you make one more impatient heartless comment!" Manx screamed, before falling on her knees and starting to cry.

"What did he do to you?" Xolt asked.

She got to her feet, looked him in the eye, and said, "This has nothing to do with him!"

"Why are you all of a sudden so emotional?" Xolt responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe it's because I'm sick of stuffing all my emotions down, sick of being walked over like a limp rug, sick of the pain of hiding within the shell of my own mind! And maybe I just am sick of hiding so much that all my friends think it's all okay when really it's not! And maybe you will never know because you are too busy polishing your own ego that you never notice when your friends are in pain!" Manx shouted back.

"I notice more than you think." Xolt calmly replied.

"Like what exactly?" she retorted.

Xolt sighed and said, "You miss me, don't you?"

She stepped forward and gave him a cold hard stare before saying, "What do you think?"

"I was right." Xolt said cooly.

Manx crossed her arms and said, "There will come a day, Xolt."

He tilted his head and asked, "What do you mean?"

"There will come a day when your intuition fails you. Mark my words." She replied, a hint of a smile upon her face, almost a self satisfied smirk.

"Well, it hasn't come yet." Xolt said with a soft smile.

"Indeed. But we have other matters at hand, like how in the Valdt did I get here? And am I really here, or is this just another crazy dream brought on by Khashmyr's cooking?" She said.

Xolt thought for a moment and replied, "Well, if this were a dream, there would be a way to wake yourself up. I know that I am certainly not dreaming, but just to satisfy curiosity we could try to test whether or not you are really here."

In response, she lightly punched him in the arm, but instead of her hand hitting him like a solid, it passed right through his arm in a wisp of shadows. She pulled her hand back and stared at it in alarm before saying, "One of us isn't here."

"It isn't me. I know for a fact that I am here. Hmm... Well, you are a silver helix of shadow. Maybe the shadows in this other world have a connection to ours, and somehow you were able to break through." Xolt said.

"Well, maybe that makes sense. This feels real to me." Manx replied, deep in thought.

Xolt was about to reply when the dark hallway began to light up from behind him, and he heard approaching footsteps. Xolt saw the reflection of the bright light in Manx's eyes, and she cringed in response as if she was in pain.

"Xolt, who is she?" Manx said in alarm, taking a few steps back.

Xolt turned in the direction of the blinding light and said, "Mieraux? I didn't know you were awake at this hour."

Mieraux stepped to his side and said, "I felt an icy cold darkness and couldn't sleep."

Manx locked eyes with the newcomer, before Mieraux said, "Who is she?"

Xolt could sense the tension and hostility building up between the two of them, and he said, "Manx, this is my friend Mieraux. Mieraux, this is my friend Manx."

"I didn't know Xolt had such...dark interests in friends." Mieraux said in a tone that was so sweet it could have only carried poison, before she put her arm around Xolt's neck.

Xolt could sense the hostility in Mieraux's voice, and he said, "I'm sorry, Manx. She's usually not like this. You will see."

"I don't trust her." Manx said, narrowing her eyes.

"Xolt, your friend is giving me a bad headache. Can we maybe go somewhere else to discuss some things? Where there isn't a shadow rat lurking around?" Mieraux said.

"I'm happy to leave of my own free will." Manx retorted.

Xolt gave her an apologetic glance before Mieraux took his hand and led him down the hall. Suddenly Manx let out a soft gasp and disappeared into the night without another word.

Location-Earth

Vaskin had long fallen asleep, and Khashmyr was just beginning to doze off when she heard Manx gasp. Khashmyr looked over and casually put a paw on Manx's shoulder and shook her lightly. Manx's eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room, sleepily at first, but then her eyes grew wide.

"Welcome back." Khashmyr said, as Manx sat bolt upright in the bed.

Suddenly, Manx screamed. Khashmyr tilted her ears backwards and looked over Manx to figure out what was wrong. Manx looked down at her arm and screamed even louder, before Khashmyr put a paw to her mouth. Manx breathed hard, clawing at her left arm in pain. Her screams had woken Vaskin from his light sleep, and he burst into the room in alarm.

"What's wrong?" Vaskin shouted, running to her side. Manx pulled up her right hand, and under it was a bright white slit that illuminated the dark room. Khashmyr flicked an ear and the lights came on, to reveal a deep four inch long gash on Manx's arm. Manx looked down at the wound and screamed again, startled at the sight of her own blood. Khashmyr sniffed the wound in alarm, while Vaskin took off his shirt and ripped a piece off to make a bandage.

"What happened?" Khashmyr asked.

"I...I...I was there!" Manx said through huge gasps for breath.

"Where? Where were you?" Vaskin asked in fright, there being no evidence of her ever leaving the room, much less the bed.

"In...our...world!" Manx gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Manx, you are going to be okay. Just take deep breaths." Khashmyr said with concern.

Manx shook her head, tears running down her face.

"Can you tell us what happened and how you got that cut?" Khashmyr asked.
"I was in the...in the palace. It was night. I talked to Xolt, but I wasn't there. Then...Some girl kitsune came. There was a bright light. I...I..." Manx said.

Vaskin looked at her with deep concern, while Khashmyr's face lit up like a lightbulb.

"Of course!" Khashmyr said aloud. Manx shook her head and Vaskin said, "What? Of course what?"

"You projected a figment of yourself through the boundaries between worlds!" Khashmyr exclaimed.

"A what?" Vaskin said, tying another strip of his shirt around Manx's arm.

"Manx used the shadows that connect our world to this one as a gateway for her to send a message, to talk to those in our world." Khashmyr explained, before stating, "but how or why she did it will be a piece of work to figure out."

"I don't know how it happened!...I was upset, I wanted to go home, and then I fell asleep, and then I was there! And then after Xolt and the white she-fox walked away, I felt a hot burning pain in my arm and then I was here again. I didn't want to come back!" Manx said in fear.

"What else do you know about the other kitsune?" Khashmyr asked.

"Her presence...it was like fire in my veins. Every fiber of my being ached when she came. It was as if she was made out of light or something. She had to be a silver helix. I could just tell. I know she didn't like me, and then...then I was here!" Manx said.

Khashmyr closed her eyes, concentrating on some deep inner thoughts. The cat then opened her eyes suddenly and said, "what flickers dim of sharpened tongue, of dazzling light a trap is sprung. Back from where and whence you came whilst strongest heart shall lose her name."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Vaskin said impatiently.

"Wary shall the silence be, for what was bound at last is free. Fire dances within his eyes, from the screams of the dead shall he arise. The strongest bonds will tear apart, within every living and beating heart. If cords shall once be tied again, victory may turn in the end. Never found yet never lost, who could weigh or count the cost. Bodies piled by the door as rats they creep across the floor. Wake the darkness deep within as the serpent waves her fin. Down below the waters deep an ancient coil tends her keep. Crimson ribbons streak the sky while across the land does metal fly. Poisoned soil forevermore, bodies piled beside the door. Kith and kin are lost alike whilst the fiery adder strike. Down the tunnels of the lost pay the price to see the cost. Strength in numbers is cast aside if the bindings are untied." Khashmyr stated, her eyes beginning to glow brighter with every verse. The cat then vigorously shook her head, blinked, and licked her shoulder as if nothing had ever happened.

Manx nervously clenched her jaw, trying to decipher the words of the cat and at the same time trying to block out the pain. Before she or Vaskin could ask Khashmyr what she meant, the cat had slipped out the door and down the stairs, leaving the two of them alone together. Manx looked up at Vaskin with eyes full of tears as he turned to run after Khashmyr. Hesitantly, she reached out her unharmed right hand and grabbed his wrist, looking pleadingly up into his eyes.

"Don't leave." She said softly, almost a whisper. She then looked over at her hand, realizing that her fingers were wrapped gently around his wrist. She felt her temperature rising and she quickly pulled her hand back, as if touching searing acid. Shyly, she looked down, her eyes fixing on a small scar on his bare chest just right of his heart. She remembered the exact day he had gotten that scar, leaping in front of an arrow that would have killed her without his intervention. Her eyes were locked on his bare chest, which was now well muscled from the intense physical strain of the previous quests. His chest rose and fell with his breathing, which was soft and sweet like a small rushing stream.

"Manx...?" Vaskin said, looking down at his chest and wondering what she was looking at. She shook her head quickly and then looked up into his eyes. She looked into those soft copper-brown eyes which were edged with concern, and desperately wanted him to know how she felt.

"Manx? What is it?" Vaskin asked, getting lost in the depths of her eyes, which were red and orange like a soft sunset. She looked down and away from him, pulling her injured arm close to her chest.

"It hurts." Manx said softly, choking back a sob.

"I know. Whoever or whatever did this to you is going to face the fire, I can tell you that!" Vaskin replied, making a fist.

"I was home!" Manx said despondently, turning away from him.

"Manx...I...I'm sorry about earlier. Ya'know, downstairs? I didn't mean to leave you. I just..." Vaskin started.

"I've heard that one too many times before you said it." Manx snapped, as she curled up, pulling her legs to her chest and staring at the wall.

"No, Manx! You don't understand! I couldn't let...I..." he began.

"What isn't there for me to understand?!" Manx angrily sobbed

"I am not going to leave you here now. I'm here. I'm right here." Vaskin said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away in anger, not wanting him to come any closer.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped.

"Manx...I'm sorry!" Vaskin said, trying to console her.

"Go away." she growled.

"What?" Vaskin asked in shock, not having heard those words from her for a long time.

"Get out. Go on, run away! Run away like you always do! I've seen your kind before!" She howled, tears streaming down her face.

"Manx..." he said softly, lifting her head to look into her face.

She pushed him back, shadows swirling around her agitated frame.

"No!" She shouted at him, the bandage on her arm beginning to glow. She gasped in alarm, as if the life was being sucked out of her, before she fell backwards into his arms.

"Manx!" Vaskin shouted in alarm, as he caught her slight frame in the nick of time. Her eyes began to close slowly, and he could tell she was in worlds of pain.

"Stay with me!" Vaskin said, cradling her in his arms. She whimpered, giving him a look of terror and despair.

"Stay awake!" he shouted, as her eyes closed even more.

"Manx! Wake up!" Vaskin said in a panic, pulling her limp frame closer to himself.

"KHASHMYR!!!!!!!!" Vaskin hollered in fright, unsure what to do and fearing for her life.
"Manx! Please! Do something if you can hear me!" Vaskin pleaded.

But there was no response.

"Manx! Why do you have to do this to me? Please!" he cried, before hearing her breathing stop for a second. He knew what he would have to do, and he knew she wouldn't like it. He pulled her face close to his, but before he could open her mouth to breathe into her lungs, he got a sure sign that she was conscious and awake as she punched him in the gut.

He breathed a loud sigh, first of pain and then of relief, and her eyes snapped open and she said, "Not today!"

"You're okay!" Vaskin said.

She coughed and replied, "What do you think you are doing?"

"You passed out, an' you stopped breathing, an'..." he started

"And that makes you think you can kiss me?!" Manx snapped angrily.

"I...what?! No! I mean..." Vaskin stammered

"Get your hands off!" She warned, pulling away from him.

"I wasn't trying to...see...you stopped breathing an' I..." Vaskin tried to explain.

"It's called the kiss of life, otherwise known as mouth to mouth resuscitation." Khashmyr cut in, strolling quietly into the room.

"And now you show up!" Vaskin grumbled as Khashmyr leaped onto the bed and sat beside them.

"Manx, are you alright?" Khashmyr asked nonchalantly.

"Alright? Alright? Are you crazy? Vaskin tried to KISS me!" Manx fumed in response, crossing her arms indignantly.

"He was trying to save your life, albeit in a more direct manner than usual." Khashmyr replied.

Vaskin turned beet red and nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling very out of place.
"You think you are so slick, trying to plant one on me to 'save my life', but have you ever considered having even a shred of decency? Hmph!" Manx said.

"Y'know, you're awful cute when you're angry." Vaskin muttered quietly.

"Cute? Cute? Why you...How dare you!" Manx ranted, holding her injured arm close to her body, before finishing with, "I thought I could trust you! I thought you of all people knew to keep your hands off me! How could you?"

Vaskin's shoulders slumped and he turned once more to walk away.

"I'm going back! I'm going back where there is at least someone who understands!" Manx said.

"Don't." Khashmyr said, sternly looking into Manx's eyes.

"I can do what I please!" Manx snapped.

"It isn't safe." Khashmyr said, putting a paw on Manx's shoulder.

"That has never stopped me before!" Manx replied stubbornly, closing her eyes tightly and trying to block out everything around her. As she closed her eyes, a black ring of shadows encircled her and it began to spin around her, slowly at first, but then it began picking up speed. Suddenly a flash of light burst from her wound and she fell backwards with a yelp of surprise and pain.

"I have to go back!" Manx said in alarm.

"You can't. That wound will drain all your energy if you do. You need to rest." Khashmyr said with concern.

"Then I'll...I'll...I'll cut it off!" Manx said in a frenzy.

Khashmyr sighed and said, "That will only make it worse. That wound is not only a physical wound, it is an elemental wound. You will take damage every time you use your silver helix ability and the one who gave you the wound will receive all the strength you spend trying to use your powers. So stop wasting your strength, because you don't want whoever or whatever gave you that dealing back everything they get from it."

"Then won't it be better when it heals?" Manx asked angrily.

"These kinds of wounds...they can only get worse." Khashmyr stated in response.