‘Mommy… What’s a wish?’

‘Where did you learn that word, my darling snow flower?’

‘I heard Val talking about it to one of the other girls!’

Warmth; that is the feeling that surges whenever her mother hugs her, and she relaxes profoundly in the embrace.

‘A fairy’s wish is the most powerful magic in the world, or so they say.’

‘Really!?’

‘Mm-hmm. Once upon a time, six fun-loving and mischievous spirits roamed the world, spreading magic and joy wherever they went. They played in the forests and the snow, at the bottom of the sea and in the very heavens with the moon and sun. They danced in endless fields of flowers and raced the wind. They were the very essence of freedom born in tangible form.’

Her mother pets her head gently, and she cuddles closer, listening intently to the story.

‘One day, the spirits came across a young girl. She had gossamer wings, with which she could fly, and her tiny form was dwarfed by the spirits, who could be whatever they wanted to be. However, the girl expressed incredible wonder at the magic the spirits used, and they felt intrigued. So, they took the size of the girl with her own wings. Together, the seven played and frolicked, and the spirits enjoyed showing off their magic to the girl. When she asked where the spirits obtained such wonderful magic, the spirits -still mischievous in nature- told her that she would have to cross the sky until the sun and moon aligned with the two tallest mountains in the sea. There, she’ll find a castle made of…’

Lykha wakes up suddenly, and Coco is looming over her with a skeptical look. The teen says sassily, “Ye supposed to be restin’, not snugglin’, Tricksie.”

Lykha sits up when Murtoa shifts. He coughs, and both girls flinch. However, he asks, “Trouble?”

Coco puts her hands on her hips, “Nope. Jus’ time to get goin’. Us. No’ye, ‘Bando.” She points sternly at him, and Lykha glances at her helmed companion. He seems almost disappointed.

She smiles, putting her hand on his helmet’s face. “Don’t worry, Mury. We’ll be safe. I’ve been practicing my magic every day.” She tries to tighten her hand when she sees it trembling, and she prays he doesn’t notice.

The human warrior sighs softly. “Remember, Lykha. Even I have run away many times.”

“I’M NOT LEAVING YOU!” Lykha flinches when she realizes he wasn’t accusing her of wanting to abandon him, but trying to reinforce a lesson. She blushes, squeaking, “Sorry…”

He scoffs, coughing lightly because of it. “I meant…” He sighs, adding, “Honor is overrated. Live so you can do your job.”

She nods. “I will.”

Maerin asks dryly from her bunk above, “Aren’t you supposed to be a knight?”

“I didn’t…”

“...knight myself,” finishes Coco, Lykha, and Maerin together, playfully mocking their friend. They laugh together, and Mury nods.

Lykha climbs out of bed, folding her blanket and hovering up to her bunk to put her pillow and blanket back. She then puts her expedition gear on, including her cape, pants, and boots. She’s collected things mirroring what her most trusted companion uses, at least what suits her, and it makes her feel like a real adventurer. She’s come a long way from her maiden tunic. Likewise, she’s learned spells most fairies would never dream of.

She clenches her fist briefly.

However, she flinches when Mury appears beside her, having approached from the hold. She squeaks, “Mury!? What are you doing up!?”

“I had to get something.” He resists a cough, offering Lykha a small clay jar with a foil cover and twine sealing its foil. She peeks inside briefly by temporarily loosening the twine.

Inside is a bitter and spicy-smelling red powder, and etched on the outside are letters in the common tongue, but they don’t appear to be real words. She can see where they start and end, but otherwise, it just seems to be syllables.

Mury explains, “I hope you remember the words the Bailiff said, if the etching isn’t correct.”

“You-... This is that powder!? The powder that breaks fairy capsules!?”

Mury nods. “It seemed like a good idea to have a spare.”

“When did you get this? It had to be after the solaghoul, right?”

He nods again. Lykha’s eyes widen. “Your mysterious trip?”

He scoffs, but nods once more. “It wasn’t my only business, but I was able to send for it."

Lykha hugs the jar to her chest, murmuring softly, "You're… so thoughtful."

Mury coughs, replying, "Danger takes all forms, and often when you least expect it. Take this, too." The human warrior hands Lykha a small piece of metal shaped rather like a leaf or a fin, with a small, thin stem opposite from the point. Lykha easily recognizes one of Murtoa's smaller throwing knives, which is the smallest and lightest bladed weapon he possesses. He explains as Lykha gingerly takes it, "In case things get rough. Don't try to do what I would do, but…"

She blushes and smiles, accepting the knife as well. "I'll be careful. Thank you." She looks up at him, asking, "Can I move the powder to something smaller?"

Mury nods, but cautions, "Don't touch it and keep it dry. It's not unlike black powder in how it loses effectiveness to moisture."

The young fairy nods as her heart races excitedly. Mury is giving her real equipment. He's truly trusting her with his life, and trying to prepare her as best as he can without overwhelming her.

Coco interjects, "Ye done? We shoul' stamp san-uh… leaves." Maerin chuckles, while Gyrryth nods. Lykha nods as well, hovering with them. “Don’t do anything stupid, Mury. I need you to stay alive in case I do something stupid, okay?”

He scoffs, “If you say so.”

Satisfied, Lykha approaches the drakyk spellshot. “Gyrryth, can I borrow your bag for a moment to situate my new gear?”

He nods, “But of course. Let me know if you need assistance. We’ll be investigating the ruins ahead first and foremost.”

Coco cradles her slinger across her chest, saying with only a slight waver in her voice, “Aye. I’ll lead, Gyrryth is our offender, Maerin will do her mixin’, and you’ light fuses and cut strings!” She snickers, and Lykha smirks at her, admiring the knife she was just given. Deciding to own it for once, Lykha says, “That’s right. And, maybe when I’m real good, I’ll cut hair while I’m at it.” She grins at Coco, who frowns, realizing what the young fairy means.

Banter what it is, Lykha would trust only one person more at her side than the three she’ll be venturing out with. All of them have strengths, and all of them care about that same person.

Together, they exit the trunk winder and cross the clean, leaf-covered floor of the oasis towards the strange cave with the statues.

The cave seems to go rather straight into the rock, and it doesn’t have any apparent light coming from a presumed other end. Though, the forest is rather shaded and dark to begin with during the day, so this early in the morning is even darker. The sounds of nighttime, most predominantly comprised of the sounds of insects of all kinds, from crickets and cicadas to deathwatch beetles and warbler wasps, gives way to the sounds of daytime; a chorus of some of those same insects, but joined by the beautiful songs of birds and other creatures.

Once inside the cave, it becomes eerily quiet, and Coco remarks as much, “Whoa… First time me head’s not been ringin’ since comin’ here.”

Gyrryth nods, “I, too, had nearly forgotten the depth of noise within the forest. That is, until silence is experienced once more.”

Maerin, lazily lounging in Coco’s bag as she waits for her job, replies dryly, “You call this silence? Sounds like talkin’ to me.” She takes a drink from her flask, and the others frown.

Lykha doesn’t respond to the conversation just yet. She’s focused on using the toolkit Maerin keeps in Gyrryth’s bag for preparing and mixing substances. She’s using a spoon to carefully move the red powder into several smaller vials that will fit in Lykha’s gear bag more easily, working in the glow of her own wings.

Sometimes, it truly is nice to be a fairy.

Once she has her vials prepared, she withdraws a small notebook, which she bought from Maerin, and she inscribes the syllables in order into the book. She then carefully cleans Maerin’s tools and restores the toolkit to ready order. Once complete, she tucks the vials and her notebook into her bag, and she peeks out of the drakyk’s bag. He’s carrying a light-rod, which is a magic apparatus that he rarely uses. It possesses a magical stone that can be charged, and then will glow with about the intensity of a couple of torches, without the danger of an open flame nor the production of smoke.

The cave’s interior looks like a cave would, as far as Lykha knows. While it reminds her of the gryduke in more ways than she likes, the walls here, thankfully, are made of stone. Moisture from the humidity clings to the walls, dripping occasionally to produce refreshingly tranquil noise beyond the reach of the chaos outside.

Occasionally, motion darts out of the light, but Gyrryth says when Coco nudges closer to him, “Not to worry, Fiery One. They are but lizards hiding from the sun.”

Coco retorts sassily, “I was’ne afraid.”

“Of course.”

Blastie coos, and the teen murmurs as she pets its head, “I know, Blastie. The sand has a lot less critters to distract ye from the real goobs.”

Maerin retorts, sharing her space with the small mammal, “Methinks Blastie’s never seen the desert.” Regardless, the mature fairy scratches the blaze panda’s ears, if for no other reason than to keep it calm so it doesn’t knock her out of the bag.

Coco coos, “Blastie’ll love it. ‘Cept… less wata… Gaaahhh! I can’ne decide where’s betta!”

The group chuckles, and Lykha asks cautiously, carefully keeping the knife at the ready, “Shouldn’t we be quieter? What if there’s a monster in here?”

Gyrryth replies, “We should be more worried about traps. However, see what I see.” He crouches lower, holding the glow-rod to the ground.

Lykha inspects the ground. There’s a fairly packed-down dirt path, but there are plenty of footprints, mostly made by boots suiting both humans and drakyks. But, there’s the occasional footprint, mostly leaving the cave, that are too small to be human or drakyk; child or otherwise.

Gyrryth explains, “This path is rather heavily travelled.” He sweeps the glow rod a bit, adding, “I see no signs of wildlife. At least not on the main path. It would seem we are not the only ones to search this area for something.”

“I-... If more people came here looking for a cure… Surely, there must be one, right?”

“Our first clues appear to be promising. However…” Gyrryth draws one of his new pistols, adding cautiously, “You are not wrong. With this much traffic, we should be mindful.”

The young fairy nods, and Coco asks, “If there be a sick-fix, why have’ne them brickboxxers -rrr…- villagers used it?”

Gyrryth replies, “An astute question. One I’m afraid whose answer lies at the end of the same path we currently walk, lest they would have told us already.”

Lykha asks nervously, “C-... Could they be the ones who made the plague? M-Maybe…?”

The drakyk spellshot continues forward, saying cautiously as he scans the cave, “I learned early in my Holy Order service that no deed is beneath those whose hearts have filled with spilled blood.”

Lykha realizes the strange phrasing might be a drakyk saying, but the point is there. He wouldn’t put it past an evil person, but he’s not assuming anything yet.

Coco suddenly approaches Lykha, asking in a rather normal way, “Ye plannin’ ta carry that all day, Tricksie?”

Lykha looks at the knife she’s holding in her hands. It’s definitely light enough for her to use, but if she’s being honest, she probably can’t carry it all day. However, she needs to keep it handy. Mury gave it to her. If nothing else, she can’t lose it. She nods affirmatively, gripping the knife like a fairy-sized great-sword.

Coco sighs, pulling the knife away from the resistant fairy. She squeezes her hand in past Blastie and Maerin. She retrieves a roll of string she uses to re-lace her boots. The teen deftly wraps a few loops around the stem of the knife, forming a knot. She then creates a larger loop with a similar self-cinching knot at the end of the stem. When she hands it back, it’s instantly clear what it is; a simple and effective sling. Lykha gasps in surprise. “C-... Coco…”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The teenage techromancer waves her hand dismissively. “No need ta thank me. It’s the boss machen’s job ta keep her team tink’ed up with all the propa gear.”

Maerin adds facetiously, “In tha’ case. Can I get some more liquor?”

Coco frowns, retorting, “Ye’ soggy enough, Bae.”

Blastie coos and chatters briefly, and the inebriated mature fairy pets the blaze panda’s head. “Tha’s right, Blastie. A chemist at her stronges’ is at her drunkest.”

Coco asks in wonder, “Ye’ understood Blastie?”

Maerin replies instantly, “Why, yes. Of course. Speakin’ to critters-...”

Lykha retorts, “No she didn’t. Fairies can’t talk to animals.”

Maerin pouts as she nibbles the mouth of her flask, “Ye’ don’ know what my wish was spent on…”

The group looks at her, and Lykha replies cautiously, “Uh… Yeah, we do. You’ve told us.”

Maerin flinches, sipping her drink. “Right… I forgot that…”

The group continues ahead, and eventually, light appears ahead of them. They’ve reached an exit.

And, as if begging to be suspicious, the group reaches the exit to the cave, while waiting for them is someone who raises Lykha’s blood pressure. She darts out of Gyrryth’s bag, facing down the aged old fairy ‘sitting’ in the air ahead of them over the clearing outside of the cave. There is still stone around them, but it appears to be a large clearing in the middle of a gigantic, hollowed out section of a massive stone.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?”

Yanari opens one eye, studying Lykha for a moment. She closes her eye with a smirk. “What does it look like, youngling? I came here to assist you.”

“WHAT!?”

Coco asks cautiously, “Do you know this Tricksie?”

Lykha retorts, “OF COURSE! She’s the one who helped me see this oasis!”

Yanari nods, “She speaks the truth.”

Gyrryth states politely, “Wise sage, we would be grateful for any assistance you can provide.”

Lykha asks sharply, “What do you know!? If you’re already here, you must have known what we would be looking for!” The youngest fairy points accusingly, “You knew how to cure the plague all along, didn’t you!?”

Yanari replies so bluntly, Lykha almost falls from the air; “Yes, of course, child.”

This surprises the others as well.

When Lykha finally collects her bearings, she shrieks, “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME!?”

Yanari shrugs, “You left so quickly and impatiently, I didn’t get the chance.” The fairy sage smirks, and Lykha clenches her fists.

Maerin retorts with her cheek on her hand, “Yeah… Definitely remember why I don’t feel homesick now.”

Yanari smirks at Maerin, retorting somewhat dryly, “There are villages for fairies like you.”

“No thanks, I’ve been. I’ll take my chances with my murder hobos.”

Coco snorts and laughs.

Lykha asks sourly, “If you knew how to cure it, why haven’t you shared the secret? The village is just as desperate as the rest of us!”

Yanari replies dryly, “The village knows of it. They simply cannot afford my price. They ARE non-fairies after all.” She smiles more tenderly at Lykha, “We are kin, of course. If you help me gather the ingredients from this sanctuary, I will charge a far more modest fee. Some of the ingredients can only be found in treacherous parts of this stone.”

Lykha accuses sharply, “This reeks of suspicion! And, Mury taught me to trust my nose!”

Gyrryth replies gently, “Rest, Gentle One. You see a fairy and take suspicion at tradecraft. Few services are free in the rest of the world.”

Lykha shoots him a glare, hissing, “How can you be so callous about people’s lives!? Life-saving should be free!”

Her glare dissolves as he answers her once more; not because of the answer, but because of his expression. “Life-savers often have debts to pay as well.”

Lykha stares at her lizardman companion. In the months they’ve been travelling together, Gyrryth has expressed great wisdom, excellent restraint, and unparalleled honesty. Now, he’s wearing the most deceitful expression Lykha has ever seen on his face. Though outwardly, and to anyone who doesn’t already know him, his expression looks extremely polite and professional. To Lykha, however, he’s forcing a smile. He is no less wary of the powerful magic caster before them than Lykha is, but he’s feigning true cordial politeness. Lykha’s advantage is that she’s a fairy, and even she knows that fairies don’t think very highly of the other races. Even she truly believed they were all evil and treacherous before she truly knew very many of them.

Whether Yanari is cruel for her profiteering or not, she is a dangerous adversary if they aggravate her.

Coco, either not picking up the source of the tension, or simply staying officious and professional, asks with her arms crossed, “What need ye, Tri-... M-Ma’am?”

Yanari smiles at the teenage techromancer, replying with an apparent warmness, “Ah, yes. There is a lichen on the north zone of the island that grows under the bark of the shell shrubs, but I’m afraid they’ve grown too close in for me to be able to retrieve it alone. If you’re headed that way, I could also use some of the sap that rests in the gorbian pitcher plants that you should have little trouble finding as well. Try to make sure there aren’t… things in the sap. I hate picking fur and bones out. Oh! And, some of the shale scrapings. You’ll see the shale from the location the shrubs are growing. I’d do it myself, but… Well, I have a youthful bunch of strong adventurers with too much energy.” She smiles at them with an icy coldness that infuriates Lykha, but she holds her fists and her tongue. Coco is being unusually quiet and polite, but maybe only because she doesn’t realize how powerful of a mage Yanari is, or because she genuinely believes it’s a simple job.

Something feels off to Lykha, but she’s not sure what. She loathes the fact that Yanari could be so greedy, but Gyrryth did have a point, even if Lykha doesn’t like it. Few non-fairies are like Mury and her friends. Most people NEED to receive payment for what they do, and most of the rest do so because they don’t want to live like nomadic homeless people stealing and hunting to survive.

However, Yanari doesn’t seem to have any respect for anyone, which Lykha agrees with Maerin, isn’t too far off of how most fairy elders behave, but at least Grandmother Galla was always soft spoken and polite, even if she was arrogant and sure of herself. Yanari makes the normally-peaceful Lykha want to punch her in the face.

All that said, they have a more pressing issue, and she accepts that she needs to be wary, but compliant, as Maerin and Gyrryth clearly are. Picking a fight with Yanari before they have the cure isn’t an option; not with so few leads to fall back on.

Yanari adds, “Oh, and, we’ll cure your friend at the summit of the rock, so you may wish to bring him as you retrieve the other ingredients to save time. Up to you, of course.”

Before Lykha can object, Yanari flies up through a hole. The young fairy calls out, “Wait!”, but she’s ignored. She grumbles, “Why can’t she just cure him at the vehicle?”

Maerin offers diplomatically, though her voice is disgusted, “She may have equipment too large to move, or may need to perform surgery of some kind.”

Gyrryth adds with an audible decompression in his voice, “I agree, though potentially, the fairy sage could be testing us.”

“Testing us?” asks Lykha sharply.

Even Coco nods, replying, “Aye. She wants us frustrate’e an’ impatien’, ‘spectin’ us ta’cept her price wi’out haggle. Been swindled and grif’ed ‘at way many go’s. Me tempa does’ne always cooperate wi’ me.”

Maerin scoffs, “Noooo. Say it isn’t so.”

The teen crosses her arms, retorting as she looks down at her own bag where Maerin is lounging. “I’m betta now, Bae.”

Gyrryth adds, “Coco has a point. The sage knows we have little time for patience and restricted range with logic. We could walk away, but…”

Lykha’s heart tightens. The very thought of looking a solution in the face and turning away from it… She understands fully. Yanari has all of the leverage, and she knows it. She’s flaunting it, even. If anything, that’s why Lykha is so angry.

In any case, they have a direct lead, and fairly mindless tasks to accomplish to find out what the price is.

Lykha sighs. “Okay… Sh-... Should we go get Mury?”

Gyrryth nods, “Indeed. Might as well save a trip if we’re climbing this small mountain.”

The group makes their way back to the trunk winder, retrieving Murtoa, who is sitting on a chair outside, dripping wet from washing himself down. He manages to joke, “Let me guess; the cure is to just drink water upside down.”

Lykha huffs as she darts towards him, starting, “That’s not f-...”

Maerin retorts, “Close. That’s hiccups. Whatcha need ta do…”

Lykha shouts, “This isn’t a joke!”

Mury says gently, calming her down as she hovers in front of his helmet, “If I’m able to joke about it, you should be able to relax a little. We’re not at the end yet. Tell me what you discovered.”

She sighs. Coco explains, “Old Tricksie been havin’ the cure the whole go, so we gon’ collect some MacGuffins an’ take ye to the tippy top’o’this here isle in’ne trees.”

“An ‘old’ fairy? A sage?” He looks at Lykha, and she nods. The young fairy crosses her arms, retorting sassily, “If anyone’s a ‘bae’, using Coco’s words, Yanari’s it. Arrogant old…”

Maerin interjects, “She’s a typical fairy sage. Wise beyond her many years, and sure to let the rest of us know.”

Coco adds, “If she has ‘Bando’s sick-fix, then let her gab knucklegab. I jus’ wanna get ‘Bando back ta full ‘Bando.”

Gyrryth adds respectfully, “I know the cure for this plague feels to be just within reach, but I am wary of the sage. Even now, we should be cautious of what we say. She is no mere fairy wanderer. We may wish to seek other options.”

Lykha clutches the collar of her shirt, startled. She glances at Murtoa, but the human warrior doesn’t object or even offer an opinion one way or the other. Instead, he says, “I’m along for the ride. Just let me know when you want me to start digging a hole.”

“A hole?” asks the young fairy. “A hole for wh-...” She halts, turning beat-red. “STOP JOKING LIKE THAT!” Tears find her eyes, and he manages to catch her as she sinks from the air. She grips his thumb, holding back sobs. “I can’t take this…”

Murtoa says almost coldly, “You have to.”

This startles her into locking with his gaze, and he says sincerely, “If you give up or break down, you fail anyways. You know me. I’m not looking for death. But, I am ready for it.” He gingerly touches her head with his other thumb as she rests on her knees on his hands. “If I were to wish for anything, I’d wish for you to smile, so my last sight, if it is, is a happy one.”

Coco adds gently, “‘Bando’s right, Lykha. Ye did’ne cry when the Silvyyour try’ta splat’im. Ye SNATCHED’is life ‘way fas’er’n soggy Bae slurps her brain fog.”

Maerin retorts, “Hey! I understood enough of that to know you made a jab at me.” She subtly caps her flask for the moment, tucking it back into her bag.

Murtoa chuckles, and Lykha looks at him with wide eyes, tears still flowing down her cheeks. She takes a breath and whimpers, “I-... I’ll try.” She forces a smile, and Gyrryth asks, “Do you think you can ascend the ridge, Sir Murtoa?”

Mury tries to stand, and though he is able to stand up, his right leg seems to be weak. He replies softly, “I’ll do my best, but…”

“No need. I shall carry you in that case.”

Lykha sits up, offering as she sniffles, “I can *sniff* I can make him weigh-weightless.”

Gyrryth replies, “No need, Gentle One. Your magic may become our only defense. Are you ready, Sir Knight?”

Murtoa replies as Lykha lifts off of his hands, “I am. Though, we may want to put something between us.”

Gyrryth replies, “I am not afraid. As I mentioned, my scales should provide some protection, so long as I don’t face injury. If it does come to that, I fear we will be in dire straits either way.”

Mury nods, and Gyrryth kneels down, allowing the weary human warrior to climb onto his back, allowing the drakyk spellshot to still make use of one of his hands, and for Mury to drop off if they need Gyrryth at full capacity in a moment’s notice.

Together, the group heads back through the tunnel, following an eerily simple path as Lykha cautiously scouts ahead. She constantly darts back to check on Murtoa, though each time, he waves her off gently. Maerin hands Coco a canister of her mixture, which is sized for the teen’s slinger. The young techromancer changes out her loaded flasher for the canister, which will help protect them from any infected monsters, just in case the eerie quiet around this small oasis is coincidence more than an effect of something within the area.

Lykha glares silently at Maerin as the mature fairy inspects an empty jar briefly before disappearing in Coco’s bag. She closes her eyes and clenches her fists briefly. Though Lykha refuses to tell a soul, she has been helping Maerin’s despicable task, though she’s thankful she doesn’t need to right now.

The group of five reaches an exit onto a ridge path circling around the side of the stone. Though the path is wide and shows no signs of mud slides or any other environmental hazards beyond the drop, there are still skeletons far below them on the ground, indicating that something caused people to fall.

Gyrryth instructs Coco to mind her step and watch for possible traps, but something seems off, like the bodies have been dumped there, rather than knocked or slipped off of the walkway, which is plenty wide enough and stable enough.

But then, in fairness, Lykha rarely has to walk anywhere, so maybe it’s a human and drakyk thing.

Something ahead on the path provides an eerie threat of danger, though as they approach some sort of archway that has the statuesque depictions of a pair of beautiful women with horns similar to Coco and Two-leaf. Above their interlocked hands is some sort of flying creature, though it has been broken and the bulk of the body is missing.

Maerin remarks, “Am I the only one noticing that this place isn’t just some oasis? I’m hoping it’s obvious…”

Gyrryth nods, “Agreed. The fairy sage may not be the most prominent threat in this strange area we must take…”

As Coco passes under the archway, a strange fog seems to coalesce around her, but doesn’t harm her. She freezes, aiming her slinger as they all halt to watch.

Lykha urges, “C-Coco…”

Coco retorts, “Shh.” She watches the fog, listening intently.

Lykha hears it. Voices. One of them sounds like Coco’s but the volume is slowly growing.

An image appears against the fog, clear enough for everyone to see, of Murtoa carrying Coco on his back.

The group looks at Coco as her cheeks start to fill with color. She starts to stammer as another image appears near her of her panicking to explain, and she gasps as she recoils from that image.

Intermingled with those images as more come into view regarding Coco, Maerin’s voice mumbles “... too much sugar in my last batch. Oh! But, I should get phosphorous the next chance I get. Maybe some magnesium.”

Maerin pokes her head out of Coco’s bag again, saying, “Hey! I-*hic!* I was jus’ thinkin’ that!”

“I was thinking that!”

“HEY!”

Gyrryth states, “Maerin.”

Both of Maerin’s voices ask, “What?”

The drakyk spellshot, still studying the phenomenon, states, “It appears you are arguing with your own thoughts.”

Both voices repeat, “What?” Maerin looks at the cloud, which only seems to be making noise in Maerin’s case, and whispers start to come from the cloud. “I wish I could meet…”

She covers her ears, shouting at the cloud, “NO! Vielall! I’m no’ listenin’!”

An orange glow appears around Coco, and she too, becomes distressed at the fire burning around her as a young girl cries.

However, the teen clenches her fists, stating, “I’m no’ afraid o’ me past.” The fire dies, and the young Coco finds herself surrounded with her new friends, just as she is in actuality. She appears to be making a conscious effort to redirect her thought, and the cloud is changing.

Lykha hovers forward, murmuring gently, “Coco…”

Soon enough, Lykha’s own thoughts begin to take near-tangible form as she hears her own thoughts, as well as her mother gently say, “Stay strong, my darling Snow Flower.” She blushes, but stays on task, approaching the teen in case she needs a comforting hand.

However, a sudden appearance startles them both as Gyrryth passes the threshold.

Coco, Maerin, and Lykha scream, while Gyrryth draws one of his newest pistols and aims at the apparitions.

Though the sight is terrifying, it doesn’t harm any of them, even as they shrink beneath its gaze.

It’s then that Lykha realizes what it is with a terrified gasp. She glances at Murtoa of Lakia, who tilts his helmet to look at her, and instantly she’s certain.

Staring down at all of them, conjured from the mind of quite possibly the most legendary hero of the world is the very thing that haunts him even now.

It spans wider than even some of the colossal redwood trees. It looms over them like a terrifying monolith of evil. It is the same thing that made Murtoa who he is.

It is the titanic, molten golden eye of the holgamoor, staring directly at them all.

***