Hovering above the water, as if standing upon its surface, was the ghostly form of the maiden. Jaeden's heart raced as his gaze fell to the ground where her body had once lain. He had gently arranged her head to appear as if it were still attached, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes closed in eternal rest.
Her body was now dissolving before his very eyes, sinking into the swamp, melting into the murky water until it vanished completely, leaving no trace. Only the ephemeral apparition remained.
"I... I'm sorry," Jaeden stammered, guilt choking his words. "I didn’t know… if I had known–"
She interrupted him softly, her tone gentle but firm. "Nay, sirrah, thou need not apologize. I must thank thee, indeed. 'Tis a rare thing for one to shed tears over the body of a fallen foe."
"But if I had known–" Jaeden tried again, only to be cut off once more.
"No, Master," she repeated, her voice firm yet kind, "thou hast delivered me."
Jaeden’s gaze dropped to the now-empty spot where her body had been.
"Back to the land I go," the ghostly maiden said, her tone serene. "Thou hast freed me, for I was bound by that cursed form - unable to find peace. Thou hast brought me that peace, and so I thank thee once more."
Jaeden nodded slowly, still trying to process what had happened. "Thank me? I’m... glad I could help, I guess. But I just... I’m sorry."
She smiled gently, the kind of smile that was both sad and grateful, shaking her head. "Nay, there is no need for sorrow. Now, may I offer thee a boon?"
"A boon?" Jaeden asked, frowning slightly. "What sort of boon?"
"I would bestow upon thee a gift for freeing me," she said, her voice carrying an ethereal echo. "A token of mine gratitude, to aid thee in thy journey."
A shiver ran down Jaeden’s spine, though it wasn’t born of fear. There was something sacred about the moment. "A gift? What kind of gift?"
The ghostly maiden’s smile widened ever so slightly. Her form shimmered as she raised her hand. "Something that shall serve thee well. A power to protect thee in the darkness yet to come. My blessing." She gazed upon him, her smile kind and knowing. "Indeed," she said softly, "I wish to grant thee something thou dost not yet know thou seekest."
Jaeden, still reeling from the surreal encounter, asked, "What is that?"
"Listen, and listen well, Master," she said, her gaze intensifying. "Seek within thyself that which thou most desires, for the world without reflects the world within. Only through understanding thine own heart mayst thou achieve that which thou hopest to become."
Jaeden frowned, feeling a touch of frustration. "Wait. So... the boon is just some advice?"
The maiden laughed softly, a sound like the distant toll of a bell. Then, her tone shifted slightly, as if her voice were softening for his sake. "I see mine words mayst be strange to thee," she continued, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Perhaps I should speak in a manner more familiar. After all, thou art not accustomed to such ancient speech, are thee?"
She paused, a smile tugging at her lips. "Let me rephrase. What do you desire most, Jaeden? Let us speak plainly, for there is no need for such formality between us now."
Jaeden blinked, surprised by the sudden shift. Her words flowed more smoothly, more like his own, and for a moment, the tension in his chest eased. "Honestly... I don’t know. I want to get out of the swamp, I want to find my brother, I want to leave this world... I want to wake up."
She nodded, a kind smile gracing her features. "Now that, I understand. You may not yet know what you truly seek, but that is part of the journey. Continue forward, Jaeden, and you will find the answers you need. The truth often reveals itself in time."
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"Wait!" Jaeden called out as her form began to fade into the mist once more. "Can you tell me more?"
Her voice grew softer, the ethereal echo returning as her form became more translucent. "We shall meet again, in one way or another," she replied, her voice drifting like the wind.
"Okay... thank you," Jaeden called out, though he was uncertain why. Yet, deep down, he felt her words were right. If he followed her cryptic advice, perhaps it would lead him to answers to questions he hadn't even realized he was asking. Now, he just had to figure out what that inner truth was.
As Jaeden watched the Green Lady fade into the mist, his mind drifted back to his encounter with King Cicero, the Trickster King of the Labyrinth. Cicero had been all games and riddles, every word dripping with hidden meanings and traps. His smug, mischievous smile had made Jaeden feel constantly on edge, as if he were just another pawn in the King's ever-twisting game.
But here, with the Green Lady, things felt different. There were no hidden motives in her words, no sense of being toyed with. She had offered him peace -genuine peace- and a boon with no strings attached. He couldn’t help but compare the two: where Cicero had tried to manipulate and deceive, the Green Lady had been kind, even if cryptic in her own way.
Jaeden much preferred the honesty in the Green Lady’s sorrow-filled eyes over the sly, calculating gaze of Cicero. With her, he felt a sense of clarity -something he hadn’t experienced since being caught in Cicero’s web of games in the labyrinth. As the last remnants of her presence faded into the mist, Jaeden felt a flicker of relief, knowing that not all-powerful beings in this world were out to trap him in their twisted designs.
He hoped.
As her form vanished completely, Jaeden noticed something strange - a slight depression remained in the soft, swampy earth where the Green Lady had stood. His instincts flared, a sudden pulse of awareness coursing through him. Kneeling, he hesitated before plunging his hand into the cool, damp hollow. The earth felt slick and alive beneath his fingers, yet there was nothing solid to grasp.
Then, something stirred.
A subtle vibration, almost imperceptible at first, began to hum through the ground, radiating up through Jaeden’s arm and into his body. His fingers twitched as if they brushed against a hidden current. The sensation was both foreign and oddly familiar, like the whisper of forgotten magic awakening within him. The air thickened with a faint electric charge, and warmth bloomed at the base of his spine, spreading outward in waves.
Suddenly, the earth rippled beneath his hand, and something fluid - more like a living essence than mud - began to slither upward, coiling around his wrist. Jaeden froze, watching as the substance climbed his arm, smooth and seamless, its texture somewhere between liquid and silk. It pulsed faintly, absorbing the swamp's ethereal light, and then quickened, as though it had found purpose.
"Trust your instincts," he heard the Green Lady’s voice in his mind.
Before he could react, the substance enveloped his arm, spreading rapidly across his body like liquid shadow. It moved with life, tendrils of the dark, shimmering material winding across his chest, neck, and legs. It felt cool, yet not discomforting - only a strange sense of connection, as if the substance was becoming part of him.
Jaeden’s pulse quickened as the material tightened, then settled into a seamless tunic, clinging to him like a second skin. The pressure of his aches and injuries melted away. Bruises from the hag’s attacks, the exhaustion, the hunger - all vanished as if they had never been.
The tunic shimmered faintly, reflecting the swamp’s strange light in rippling patterns. For a brief moment, it constricted, testing him, then relaxed, fitting him as though it had always been his. It had chosen him, bound not just to his body but to his very being.
Jaeden stood, flexing his fingers and rolling his shoulders, marveling at the strength he now felt coursing through him. He hadn’t just been healed - he had been changed, empowered. The tunic’s presence was a part of him now, an extension of his will, waiting to be fully understood.
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Quest Completed: Find the High Priestess
Objective Complete: You have located and defeated the High Priestess.
The Green Lady’s voice filled the air, soft and ethereal:
"Well done, Jaeden. Thou hast sought the truth, and now thou hast found it. Yet truth is seldom what it seems. I am the High Priestess thou didst seek, and in finding me, thou hast also found thyself. The journey ahead is thine to walk, but this boon will guide thee - if thou allowest it."
The air shimmered as a glowing card materialized before him. Another system notification pinged in the corner of his vision.
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You have received: High Priestess' Prismata Card (Legendary)
Description: This card grants you heightened wisdom, clarity of purpose, and the ability to unlock hidden abilities within your skill trees. Increases Magic Resistance by 15%.
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Jaeden blinked, stunned by the revelation. The Green Lady was the High Priestess all along? He replayed their past encounters in his mind, piecing together subtle clues he had missed. The cryptic advice, the mysterious aid - it all made sense now, but the truth still hit him harder than any spell or weapon ever could.