They’d leave the hut, and it was a bit higher up than it had been before. As for the reason, the thing had pried itself from the ground, and at that moment, it was perched atop its crossed chicken legs, sitting.

They’d make their way down the decrepit stairs, watching each step, and as they made their way to the bottom, the whole creature leant forward so that they could reach the ground. They still had to hop off the stairs, but they were fine.

As for where they landed, there was grass, and it was green. The place they had arrived at, ‘the river’, was a river, but that didn’t mean everything was what was expected.

They stood in the midst of two sky reaching barriers, clear, but translucent enough to be seen. The things followed the entire river from source to mouth, both sides, and it could all be seen, because the water body was dead straight, and corpse flat.

Inside the barriers was like an oasis, it was different from the outside yes, but that wasn’t its fault. The reeds were tall, but not too tall, beds and fields of flowers followed the entire place indiscriminately, and a singular tree towered above them, dead, but not rotten, nor fallen.

The tree wasn’t the only interesting bit about the oasis, the other side was a desert, dunes of sand, cacti and craters of crystalized grains, ledges frozen many feet in the air. The sky was reminiscent too, it was a pitch black void that seemed infinite, as if at any moment, you’d fall in.

There were no stars or lights, just darkness. The place was still lit though, dimly lit, but lit none the less, it was like a scene from a dark age stage play, lit by a spotlight, it was perfect.

Kim, as brave as she was, and as sure as she was, still teetered on walking towards the water body, it seemed to irritate her skin, Brody was much the same.

They still had to fulfil their part of the deal though, and so they’d walk up to the bank of the calm river, it seemed still really. If one were to peer into it for too long though, they might have seen bones tumbling throughout, skulls and all.

That was a maybe though, the river was still, and the water was clear, yet the bottom was pitch black, how deep did it go, really.

They’d stop a few ten feet away from the water, and so, they were ready. Brody was the one with the cube, and at that point, for whatever reason, it hadn’t moved or even twitched. He didn’t care though, and he tossed it out in front of them, almost as if he was for aiming the river.

They’d look at it, hearts in their mouths, waiting for something to happen, for anything to happen, and yet, nothing did, for a while too. They’d eventually start pacing around, taking one deep breath after another, waiting for that sound, for the realization, but it didn’t come.

There was one thing they could do though, especially if they had time. The ‘river’, as stated before was a place, but it was also a feeling too, but why that wording.

It was simple really, just like everything in the place had a meaning, no matter how simple, no matter how complex, that place also had a meaning. The river represented death, life, passage of time, forgiveness and most important for their purposes, rebirth. As such, if Kim could strike a deal with her, she could solve her problem.

Kim had long left May to the mercy of the Abstract, tossed in the grass to be found—she would be fine there though, so it didn’t matter.

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Kim walked to the river’s bank, her chest up to her chin bleeding for some reason. It didn’t bother her though, in fact, that’s what she wanted.

She’d wipe the blood from herself, and clenching her hand a fist, she stretched it over the river. It took a moment, but soon a drop of blood emerged, and it fell. The instant it touched the water, it all became a blood red, two glowing white dots below the surface.

The place shook for a bit, enough to notice, but not enough to be scared of. The waters would ripple, and moments later, it all rose up before her, stories high. As the water fell away though, it came into view.

She was huge, expected, her hands were webbed claws and her skin was glistening sky blue scales, streaks of navy almost black running down her sides and to her tail. Her eyes were glowing, shining really, and her face was soft, no scales, but it looked smooth, small, petite, feminine. She had hair, it was blue too, though it looked more like slithering eels than anything else, yet still, she was devine.

She pulled herself from the water by her hands, sitting on the bank. She didn’t seem to see them, in fact, she had a brush in her hands. It was gold, but it was crude, it was, a tube with spikes dotted around it, yet, she used it.

She hummed to herself as she stroked the tool through her hair, breaking the absolute silence that there was in the absence of everything that should have been. Her voice was sublime, it was like a hymn from an angel, tantalizing, seductive, dangerous.

Kim, the one that had called forth the embodiment, or rather, the consciousness of the place, said nothing, and she was right to do so. The creature would eventually awknowledge her existence, looking down at her with glowing eyes.

“Nameless child… what do you seek… salvation… immortality… power… mercy…?” The creature spoke, and if one was not careful, they’d answer on the sound of her voice alone.

“I want freedom… send me back to the world of the living… please… I’m begging you…?” Kim prostrated herself before the figure, completely.

“I see… what do you wish to escape…?” The creature wanted more details.

“An Aspect of Fate… I am in fear of my life…” Kim spoke as if the thing was a judge.

“Is that why you are here… or, are you here to bathe in the waters…?” The thing stopped brushing its hair, all its attention was on Kim.

“I am here because I was forced to come by the Aspect.” Kim glimpsed the cube from the side of her eyes, even in the grass.

“I see… and I am supposed to believe that one of them would allow you to live…?” The thing lowered itself, looming above Kim.

“My answer is yes… a—” Kim tripped on her own words as her heart made its way into her mouth. “And I dare say… you know that I was forced to be here… you know about it all… don’t you…?”

The thing lowered one of its hands to the ground but it was so heavy that the place shook under its immense weight. She’d then bring herself down to Kim’s level, looking her in her eyes with red glaring beads.

The thing had a smile plastered across its face from ear to ear, literally, where there should have been cheek, there was a light pink membrane, and behind that was a forest of needles, surprisingly white.

“You are very presumptuous for an idea long forgotten… you have come to me clinging to the coat tails of The Sins… and yet… I listened…. I would advise you to remember your place… remnant… or I will be your end… I will drag you back into the annals of time… and then… you will truly die… and not only in body… no one will have ever known of you… not that anyone did know you… just look at you… even like that, you lack self… pathetic…” The giant amphibian removed herself and began lowering her body back into the water.

Kim would spring up from the grass, tripping over herself, yet, she still spoke.

“Just help me! Please!” She reached for the monster, but it payed her almost no mind.

“Fine…” The creature paused its descent. “There is a future where you survive your confrontation… he will bring nothing but the body he has… I pray for your sake… that it’s this one… or, rather… I pray that your death will be swift… I will not make an enemy out of Fate… you are on your own…” The monstrous woman slipped back into the calm waters, and then all the blood was gone, it was as it was before.

Kim was crouched in the grass; frozen stiff by the words she had heard. She’d eventually fall over, laughing to fill the void of noise caused by the absence of everything that should have been, even wind.

For a while, there was only her voice as she laughed and rolled in the grass, eyes bloodshot from crying. She wasn’t the only one, Brody had fallen to his knees, eyes empty and heart full, would he really bargain with the Aspect, not even Death would do such a thing.