The entire day had gone by before Aislene finally got a chance to rest. Her throat was sore, and a low whisper was the best she could manage by the time the light began to fade in the sky. Aislene noticed her chance to escape was disappearing. Fear gripped her as she imagined being drowned, impaled, beaten to death, or thrown off a cliff. All conceivable deaths played out in her mind like a sad movie. "Hey. Are you listening, missy?" Aislene blinked a few times to bring herself back to the conversation. "Ye- no, I wasn't." Aislene caught herself before she could lie. If she had broken her vow, Fiadh would kill her instantly. "Pay attention then." She paused before asking again. "Are you a threat?" Before answering, Aislene risked asking a question of her own. "What do you mean by threat?" If she asked whether or not she was a threat to her, then the answer was obviously no. She wouldn't stand a chance of defeating Fiadh in a fight. Without context, answering the question truthfully was impossible. Fiadh rolls her beautiful eyes. "If someone gave you a torch and told you to light this place on fire, would you do it?" She asks. Confusion muddles Aislene's expression before answering. "No." She whispers, the two staring at each other in silence. Fiadh then asks another question. "If they threatened to kill you, would you do it?" Many moments go by before she can find her answer. Aislene feels dread mixed with resignation. No matter what answer she gave, she would die. Better to go out with dignity, she thought. "Yes. I would." The suspense was both frightening as well as thrilling. She was about to die. Oddly, it didn't feel like she thought it would. When the answer flashes by but stops to hang in the air, a light shines in Fiadh's eyes before she leans down and picks up a rock at her feet. Examining it for a moment, she holds the rock over Aislene's head and lets it fall. Two inches from hitting her head and the world around the two warps dangerously, making everything blurry and giving them instant headaches. Before it could continue, Fiadh caught the rock just as it hit Aislene on the head. When she pulled the rock away, the world returned to normal. Fiadh tossed the rock to the side without a word and offered her hand to a crouched Aislene. Relief, shock, fear, and intense confusion. All these emotions pass through her as she takes the hand and accepts the help. She upheld her vow for the day, which brought along feelings of pride. Once again, riding on the elk's back, Aislene mulled over her why Fiadh spared her. Maybe she was being saved for another time, or maybe Fiadh needed preparations for an excruciating death. No realistic outcome came to mind, but many dreadful fates tormented her thoughts. "Fiadh?" Silence. "Fiadh?" A little louder, but to no response. "Fiadh!" She shouts. "What?" She hears the voice coming not from the elk's mouth but straight to her ears, as though she was standing on either side of her and speaking clearly. It was startling, but she went on. "Where are you ta-" The voice of Fiadh cuts her off. "Sorry, missy, but the time for questions has passed. Just wait. We'll be there shortly." Aislene frowns but doesn't push any further. The ride continues while she takes the opportunity to admire the quickly changing scenery. Green and yellow blur her surroundings into unrecognizable pigments. The Light in the sky is fading as it always does, and soon nocturnal beasts and monsters will roam the forest freely again. It sends shivers down her spine, to which she does her best to avoid those kinds of thoughts. The glazed scenery of the forest begins to slow down. The before blurry trees were now full of detailed textures and colors. Up ahead, Aislene could see odd lines separating the image behind it from itself. As though someone took two similar pictures and placed them on top of one another. The result was a faulty form of camouflage. A well-hidden house, the same color and texture as the environment around it, but still seeable. The only indication of an entrance was an astonishingly well-hidden door. As they neared what she assumed was the destination, Aislene felt herself leaning against the bareback of Fiadh rather than atop a glorious steed. Her face turns red again, and she quickly falls back. The house is now obvious. Its rich exterior makes it feel like a part of the forest, as natural as any tree or mountain. "Hurry up, missy!" Fiadh yells at her in annoyance before entering the building. Aislene stands and stumbles to the front door. She pushes it open to reveal the exact opposite of what she was expecting. Rather than a small cramped space with primitive furniture and tools, the inside is a mirror of the outside. An enormous cavern filled with trees, rivers, and rolling hills. She could see birds and other animals going about their lives peacefully. The environment first resembles the forest outside, but greener, more lively, and enclosed by a rounded dome hiding the outside world. The place was so big and unexpected it caught her off guard. Aislene began breathing heavily, the shock was much to handle, and she almost forgot to breathe. After suffocating in amazement for a few moments, she composed herself and readied to enter. Stepping in, soft grass pleasantly squished between her toes, like it was healing her feet. A nice change from the rough terrain behind her. Once fully inside, the door behind her shut and melded into the rocky wall. With no way out, she searched for Fiadh. Not making it very far before getting lost, everything seemed so confusing. One tree here was gone the next moment. A river on her left was now on her right. The place was moving, making it impossible to keep a sense of direction. Deciding that no productivity would come from wasting energy, she laid down under the shade of a tall bushy tree. Its branches splayed out in every direction. Completely blocking the inexplicable light emanating from the top of the dome. She once again examined her wounds, they had gotten slightly better, but the cloth used to bandage them was ruined beyond use. She threw it away somewhere and quickly lost sight of it. The enclosure swallowed it into its unexplorable self, and she quickly lost sight of it. With her injuries exposed to the air, her body stung as the inexplicable wind salted them. Whatever this place was, it wasn't natural. An anomaly to the world, something that shouldn't exist but did anyway. Questions unanswered, she listened to the tranquil sounds of life around her while waiting for something to happen.

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