Okay, so maybe Amneris was in over her head this time. And it took a lot for her to admit that. Nephthys had been right. Wasn't that a depressing thought? The moment Amneris stepped outside, the Void Beasts had attacked. Knowing fighting would get her nowhere, Amneris had run as fast as her legs would take her. Now she leaned against a wall in another cave miles away, hands braced on her knees, panting for breath. This was ridiculous. How could these things be tiring her out so quickly? Hell, that wasn't the worst problem. There was something far worse.

Amneris didn't know much about how it all worked. In all honesty, she hadn't paid that much attention in school, though it was a very long time ago. All she knew was Zoe's brief explanation she'd half listened to one evening out with the girls, all of them half drunk.

"It's called 'matter scarring'," Zoe had said. "We all know matter an' antimatter destroy each other, right? Well, in our world there's more matter than antimatter, so we live."

"Where are you going with this?" Nikki whined.

Zoe took a moment to gather her thoughts. "In a world where antimatter is . . . is . . . uh . . ."

"Dominant," Carmin interrupted.

Zoe pointed at her. "Yeah, dominant. In a world where antimatter is dominant, matter would be destroyed. I bet that's how it works in the Void."

"But people come back from the Void just fine," Amneris countered.

"Yeah, and they always have something different about them."

Kayla nodded. "They have these weird patchy scars. The only thing we know about them is that you can't get them anywhere in Creation. No one knows the cause."

"Antimatter," Zoe said. "It slowly eats away at the matter creating people and, for those who get out, it never repairs. Matter scarring."

Zoe had been right about all of it. There were clear signs of matter scarring everything she'd seen. It was even on the stones of the cave she hid in. Strange dark discolouration the same colour as the dust or sand or whatever that stuff was covering the ground outside. Her breath caught, Amneris walked over to it and ran her finger along the discolouration. Black dust came off on her finger. This would be what happened to her if she stuck around much longer.

Amneris dropped her travel pack to the ground, rummaging around until she found a small jar. Honestly, the shit she kept in this thing was ridiculous. Thankfully, this jar was empty. Amneris scraped some of the stone and dust into the jar then dropped it back into her bag. When she got home, the others would want a look at it. Assuming the jar could hold it.

She tossed the bag back over her shoulder and tightened the straps. She checked her staff was where she'd put it before sticking her head out the cave's entrance. The Void Beasts were high in this world's atmosphere, circling in the sky. Amneris frowned at them. Were they waiting for her to leave? Probably. Was there conveniently another way out? Probably not.

Amneris grimaced. Today was just one of those days. No way to win in this one. All she could do was survive. Probably. Hopefully? Oh, who was she kidding? She was screwed. Still, screwed or not screwed, there was no fucking way Amneris was letting those things catch her. Amneris took a deep breath, pumped herself up mentally, then ran.

The moment she left the cave, the Void Beasts dove down from the sky. Amneris pulled her blaster from its holster, channelled her power into it, and fired. She hit the first Beast's eyes. It shook its head and flew away. The second she shot out its tooth. That only pissed it off more. Amneris cursed and fired rapidly, wildly. She didn't have a target. There were too many to focus on. Why did she keep doing things that wouldn't work?

Another boulder collection was up ahead. Amneris leapt over them then dropped, pressing her back against one, making herself as small as she could. The Void Beast pack—were they a pack? What was a group of Void Beasts called? —flew overhead. She watched them with wide eyes. It was safe to say Amneris understood why they were called 'Beasts'. Nothing could stop these guys on their homefield!

Amneris let out a relieved breath once the Beasts passed, and pushed herself off the builder. Then, she stopped. Turning. Why didn't the boulder feel like a boulder? Amneris ran her hands along its surface. It felt like brick. She frowned, walking around the boulder, her hands running along the rough stone. The texture changed. Amneris pressed her ear to the stone and knocked. Not stone. She kicked down the wooden door.

This was no boulder field. It was the remains of an old village! She was standing inside a house. Unable to help herself, Amneris begun snooping. This looked like someone's old living room. A pile of fluff was slowly decaying on the floor. A lounge? She walked past the pile to the mantle. Amneris plucked an aged picture frame from it. The image was faded but she could make out the tell-tale signs of the Human-and-Fae family. Where were they now? She put the picture back on the mantle and continued exploring (re: snooping).

There was a small hallway leading to the other end of the house. There was a closed door. Amneris pushed against it. It seemed to be blocked from the other side. Weird. Amneris knocked around the door then took a step back. With a cry, she kicked in the door. It fell in pieces over the cabinets holding it in place. Amneris climbed over them and gasped at the sight before her.

The family she'd seen in the picture were huddled up in the far corner. Well, what was left of them. Amneris carefully picked her way across the room, avoiding the traps and defences they'd obviously set up to protect themselves. Clearly it hadn't worked.

Amneris crouched down beside the dark skeletal remains of the family. How long had they been here? Better question: were the Void Beasts what killed them? No, probably not. There would be more signs of a fight and the traps would've definitely been set off. These guys had locked themselves in this room. Whatever had killed them, it had been long enough that there pile of supplies had begun to dwindle. Amneris tapped one of the tins in the pile. It turned to ash in an instant. Definitely a long time.

She turned back to the family. Was this what being in the Void did to those who never returned? Amneris shivered. She definitely needed to get out of here, and fast.

A sound from outside. She wasn't alone. With a final glance at the remains of the family, Amneris moved quietly through the house. She glanced around the corner to what looked like a kitchen. Someone was in there. A person in rags, a hood covering their head and a longsword strapped down their spine. They were rummaging through the cupboards, pulling out all the old food and shoving it into a large satchel made of fabric.

Amneris stepped into the doorway. "Hello?"

The ragged person spun on the spot. In one move, they flung the satchel over their back and unsheathed their sword, charging at Amneris. Amneris used her staff to block the blade. She got a look at what was under the hood. A person with pale skin, dark eyes and dark hair. The markings on the right side of their face. A Blessed Human? The left side was dark. What looked like burn scarring covered it. Matter scarring!

Amneris pushed them away. "What are you doing?"

The person said nothing. They pushed past her and ran out of the house. Amneris gave chase. The person hadn't come alone. A group of people, all different species, had come to the village. At the sight of Amneris, they armed themselves. Outnumbered, Amneris raised her blaster and let her power zap around her.

One of the group murmured, "Naiu'Idis." They lowered their weapon and ran. The others, appearing clueless, quickly went after their comrade.

Confused, Amneris pushed her blaster back into the holster.

"Raiders," said a voice from behind.

Amneris spun, then rolled her eyes. "I thought you were leaving me be."

Nephthys came to stand beside her, watching the group run. "Yes, well, you may actually find a way out of here." She nodded at the group. "Raiders roam the wastelands. They scavenge for supplies in order to survive." She shook her head slowly. "Lower Beings only last so long."

"These people in the house . . ."

"That is what comes for all of us." Nephthys smiled darkly. "Unless the Beasts eat them first."

Amneris hummed. "That does sound like a bad way to go." Then again, the way those people went didn't sound enjoyable either. "Cancelled out or eaten, huh?"

"At least the meal is completed quickly." Nephthys removed the glove from her right hand and pulled up her sleeve. The scar went all the way up, disappearing under the rest of the sleeve. "The process of destruction is slow. It eats through you like acid, only you feel the pain once it reaches a certain stage." She pulled it back down and returned the glove to her hand. "Higher Beings last longer."

Amneris cocked her head. "Is that what happened to your hair?"

Nephthys let out a deep sigh. "The Beasts leave you alone if you feed them. It was a necessary sacrifice."

"Doesn't suit you." Amneris rested her staff over her shoulder. "Do you really expect me to find a way out of here."

"Yes." The woman frowned distastefully. "If anyone can do it, I'm sure you can."

"Wow. That was almost a compliment." Amneris glanced at her. "Now what?"

Nephthys crossed her arms. "I am long past due ready to leave this place. You want to leave, too, but don't know your way around nor how this place works." Her eyes slid to her daughter. "I would be willing to offer a temporary truce."

Amneris gave her a bewildered look. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was."

Amneris narrowed her eyes at the woman. At her mother. Under any other circumstances, she would've shot the damned woman or thrown her to the Beasts to escape. Unfortunately, she made a good point. Amneris had no idea what she was doing and, despite how it much hurt to admit, Nephthys was her best chance at getting out.

Amneris said, "If you do anything to even make me think you're trying to kill me, I'll kill you first."

"Very well."

Nephthys held out her hand. Amneris hesitated. She shook it.