I awoke as the first rays of dawn touched the sky, groggy and disoriented. A golden glow surrounded me, and I could feel the warmth of healing magic working its way through my aching body.

I rolled over onto my back, the world spinning for a moment before steadying itself.

It took me several moments to find the strength to lift my head. I blinked, trying to focus on the figure leaning over me.

"Elia?" I croaked.

She nodded slowly and smiled at me. "You're awake."

The memory of seeing someone watching us flashed through my mind, I looked around nervously, expecting Patches to attack at any moment.

"Did you see a man?" I asked.

She shook her head, "You mean the guards? They fell back after your spell went off."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. "He was watching us..."

"It's just us," she said quietly and for a moment a worried expression crossed her face, then it vanished, replaced by a serene smile.

"Where's Flint?" I asked, "Has he caught up yet?"

"I don't know," she replied, a new worry in her voice.

I sat up, letting out a groan as I pushed myself into a sitting position.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around, taking in the surroundings.

Eliaria helped me up, "Come look," she said.

She led me to the edge of the cliff where we had been hiding.

"The Valley of Boudun," she said, pointing downwards.

Below us, the valley stretched out, the road winding between the trees until it disappeared in the distance. I turned around and saw Eliaria leaning against a boulder, her eyes closed, her hand pushing back strands of hair that had fallen loose. She looked exhausted. She'd been up all night, taking care of me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes," she murmured, her eyes opening, "but we need to leave soon, or they will send more guards."

I glanced at the sun, already beginning to peak over the mountains behind us.

"We can't outrun them," I said. "Is there a stream nearby? Some place we can hide our tracks?"

"But how's Flint going to know where to go?" she asked, "we've got to give him some clues."

"He knows where we are headed," I said, "if he doesn't find us here, he'll meet us at Galefang Peak."

Her eyebrows furrowed together again, "Is that the way to the second floor?"

"That's the location of the floor boss," I said, "but for now we need to hide and rest."

She looked around, frowning, "I've never been this far down the mountain before," she said, "but if you want to hide our footprints, I have a spell card that might help."

My eyes widened at that, "You are just full of surprises, what kind of spell card is it?"

She shrugged, "Hushfall, it's elemental affinity. It was a gift from a couple, whose son I saved in childbirth. It was one of their family's treasures passed on from generation to generation, even though the family didn't have a foundation card to use it."

Now my own curiosity piqued, "Hushfall," I repeated the name, "Does it make our footsteps silent or invisible?"

Eliaria laughed, "No, it doesn't do anything like that. Let me show you."

She strode to the center of the clearing and stopped.

"Okay," she said, turning around and facing me, "now watch."

She closed her hands together in prayer. Her shoulders tensed as she whispered softly, and the air grew heavy with power.

I knew the cards didn't require gestures or incantations, but each caster had their own way of focusing the power and bringing it forth. Hers was clearly tied to her faith, which was no surprise.

I waited, not really sure what had happened, and then a drop of water fell from the sky, landing on the ground between us.

I blinked, staring up at the clear blue sky, trying to figure out what was going on. Another raindrop landed beside the first, and then another, gentle rain began falling all around us.

My eyes widened in wonder, "That is amazing."

It really was, a spell card that created rain would be one of the most useful cards in the barren lands of the genesis floor.

"I mostly used it to water the villagers' crops," she said, her eyes shining, "but in summer, I'd use it to cool us off after a long day's work. The kids loved it, they'd run through the rain."

Her lips curled upwards into a half-smile, "I could only make a small amount of rain, and only for a short time, but it was enough to cool everyone off and wash away their cares."

Hearing her speak made me feel guilty about how I'd viewed spell cards. To me, they were a weapon and a way to get stronger, but she'd used hers to help others and bring them joy.

"We should leave," she said, "The rain will only last for ten minutes, so we have to move quickly."

***

The gentle rain washed away our footprints, and kept us hidden from prying eyes as we walked along the cliff.

Finally, we found a path that led into a forested area. It wasn't much of a trail, but it was better than nothing.

As we walked, I studied the land ahead of us. I'd never seen such lush forests in this world, my own home, Misty Hollow, was surrounded by deserts and rocky hills. Even the village had a hard, almost stony look to it.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

But even out here amongst all this greenery, the blight had found a way to corrupt the land. The trees had an oppressive feel to them, and not a single creature moved in their branches.

We continued on for hours. My eyes scanned the trees and bushes, looking for anything out of place. The sun beat down upon us as we trudged along the trail, following its twisting path deeper and deeper into the forest.

The trail ended at the base of a large tree, whose twisted branches blocked the light from the forest floor. The sun was high overhead now, and I was starting to get tired.

"We should rest here," I said, stopping beside a moss-covered log, "it looks safe enough."

Elia nodded, wiping sweat from her forehead. She lent against the tree, resting her head on her arms.

I pulled out a water skin and took a long drink, before passing it to her.

She sipped at the water, her eyes darting nervously around the forest.

I couldn't blame her, I felt uneasy too.

"You need rest," I said, "I'll keep watch for blight fiends while you catch a nap."

"Don't worry about me," she said, looking up at me bleary-eyed, "I can still stay awake."

I chuckled, "I know, but you have to sleep sometime."

She sighed and settled herself comfortably on the soft grass. "Why did you guys come back for me?" she asked.

"Just returning the favor," I said, taking a seat beside her. "There was no way I could leave without paying back my debts."

She shook her head, her eyes searching my face. "There's something you're not telling me," she said.

I didn't answer.

She let out a frustrated sigh.

"If I'm going to travel with you, there are some things I need to know?"

"Such as?"

"You arrived at the temple half dead and covered in blood."

"Is that a question?"

She shook her head. "What happened to you guys?"

"Our village was destroyed," I said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice low.

She looked up at me, "Which village was that?"

"Misty Hollow."

Her eyes widened.

"You’ve heard of it?" I asked.

She nodded, "When I was little, before the blight, my mother and I went on a pilgrimage around the genesis floor. One of the places we visited was Misty Hollow. We had dinner at an Inn and slept at the temple. It was nice."

She bit her lip, "The people that attacked you? Are they still after you?"

"I don't know," I said, "but I wouldn't be surprised."

"Who were they?"

I looked down, staring at the ground.

"Was it that Patches guy?" she asked, a slight tremble in her voice.

I nodded, "I really can't tell you much right now, not because I don't want to, but because I don't have all the answers."

I looked at her, meeting her eyes, "You understand, right?"

She nodded slowly and then smiled.

"Get some sleep," I said.

She nodded, her eyelids fluttering.

"I'll wake you if I hear anything," I said, "promise."

She watched me for a moment, clearly there was something else on her mind.

"What is it?" I asked.

She brushed a few fallen leaves off of her robes before replying. "When you reach the top of the Tower," she said, "what will you wish for?"

I’d spent the last week thinking about that, and I still wasn't sure what the right answer was.

"A second chance," I said, glancing at her, trying to read her expression.

She smiled sadly, "The sacred texts teach us that even if you do something you think is unforgivable, what you do afterward is what really counts."

Was it that obvious that I had done something unforgivable?

I stared into her blue eyes, so full of hope and conviction. "Your sacred texts almost got you killed," I said, "are you sure you want to follow those teachings?"

She looked up, a frown wrinkling her brow, "They're the only thing that keeps me sane. I now believe in them more than I did before."

"I don't understand."

She fell silent and shifted uncomfortably, "I thought I was ready to return to the Maker," she finally said, "but for the first time in my life I think the Maker spoke to me."

I raised an eyebrow, "Where I’m from, people who hear the voice of the gods are locked up."

"Maybe I'm crazy," she said, a slight smile crossing her lips.

I didn't reply. On Earth, they’d called me crazy just for seeing something that nobody else saw. In the end, I had been right. Simon was real, I was seeing the dead. I couldn't judge Eliaria for something I didn't understand.

"But," she added, "they weren't really words, more like he gave me insight."

"Into what?"

She shrugged, "I realized that I needed to go on living, my role in this world isn't over yet."

"What will you do now?" I asked.

"Perhaps I'll join you on your quest," she said, her eyes drooping as exhaustion washed over her. "I’ve always wanted to see what was at the top of the Tower since I was a child."

"That would be great," I said.

"Mmmhmmm," she murmured sleepily, closing her eyes.

I watched as she drifted off, and for a moment I wondered if I was doing the right thing by bringing her along. Her life would be in danger every day with us.

No, just by meeting me, her life is now at risk.

If I died, my foundation card could take her life. There was no point leaving her behind now. For all I knew, she could have a better chance of survival by coming with us than by staying here.

Her breathing slowed and steadied, and within minutes, she was sound asleep.

***

As Eliaria slept, I studied the map and plotted our course to Galefang Peak. Flint had his own copy, so as long as we stuck to the plan, we would eventually meet up.

After a few hours, I started getting bored. The forest was quiet, and I could sense no threat nearby. So, I sat there, watching the trees, trying to keep my mind occupied.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to face a floor boss. Malachi and Nidalee's party had been wiped out facing it, what would our chances be against something like that?

My mind shifted to thoughts of Nidalee, I was sure she'd visited me in my dream, she was searching for me. If it was real, it meant that she was alive and well.

As I reached into my backpack for the water skin, my hand touched something smooth and cold. I pulled it out, holding the red glass shard I'd taken from the high priest's desk.

I held it over my eye in the same way that I'd seen Malachi wear his monocle.

Eliaria shifted in her sleep, making me look over.

Instantly, information appeared in my mind.

[Eliaria Winters]

[Rank: Obsidian-3]

[Class: None]

[Title: Heartwarden]

[Primary Affinity: Divine]

[Secondary Affinities: Elemental, Mind]

I gasped, staring at the young woman.

The status screen vanished, leaving me blinking in the sunlight.

"It's a relic with the appraise ability," I muttered, looking down at the red glass shard.

It didn't reveal her entire status, but it showed enough to prove the relic was the real deal.

Obsidian-3 already, that was impressive, especially since she had no offensive spells.

I wondered what other information the shard could reveal. I peered through it again, this time looking at my dagger.

[Relic Weapon: Swiftblade] [Rank-1]

[Glyphs: Inferior Speed Enhancement]

I felt excitement build within me, this little relic was a game changer.

I touched the tattoo over my heart and my foundation card appeared, the same as before.

[Unholy Pact] [Foundation Card]

[Curse Affinity] [Rank-1]

My eyes scanned past that information searching for the old tongue description, but this time instead of strange runes that meant nothing to me, I could read the text.

[Resurrects the wielder upon death, but at the cost of someone you know]

I realized I’d been holding my breath, and I let it out, feeling like I'd been kicked in the gut.

"Oh shit!" I muttered, it was true, I really had killed them all.

***