It was early evening before Serrethis felt Jade's presence approaching. This time, the elf rose from his position kneeling in the garden to properly greet her. His limbs were stiff after a long day of tending his plants with care, both his injured leg and centuries-old bones protesting at the shift. Even with the high physical stats he'd earned in his years as an adventuring wayfarer and the generous lifespan of his people, age eventually caught up to everyone.

Jade's aura was subdued as she re-entered the clearing, and he could feel her weariness. He waited in silence as she approached, studying her with interest. Despite what he'd told her earlier, Serrethis had no intention of turning this woman away without instruction, regardless of her disposition. Experience had taught him that someone with her potential would find their way to power with or without guidance in the world of the Labyrinth. There was little he could do to keep anyone from that journey, assuming he had any right to try. That didn't mean that he wouldn't make an effort to temper his students' more problematic tendencies, however. Power was an insidious gift, one that grew more dangerous as its bearers grew more well-meaning.

And it was his role to correct that.

"I visited the shrine." Jade said at length, sounding tired. Serrethis knew the look of someone who had just been exposed to divine essence, and her haggard expression was enough to confirm his suspicions. The 'growth' essence in the shrine had responded to her presence, just as he'd hoped. It was never a sure thing, for the actions of divine energy were impossible to predict. With no deities to shape them, their reactions always had an element of chance.

"What did you see?" He asked.

"I saw…" Jade rubbed her temple with the palm of her hand. "I saw memories. Felt them. It was like I was there again."

She squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment, and then opened them to glower at him.

"You could have warned me."

"The goddess's essence reacts differently to everyone." He replied simply. "I could not predict what your experience would be, nor even if you would have one."

"Maybe, but you expected it." Jade hesitated. When she continued, she sounded less sure of herself. "That power… It came from a deity? I felt…"

She trailed off, but Serrethis understood. The first time he had experienced the true vastness of cosmic power, even just the echo of it that lay dormant in the shrine of Lady Elaria, he'd been unnerved too. It held a hint of something more, a connection to the infinite. Out of reach and out of sight, but still there.

"That is believed, yes."

"There was something missing from it." Jade furrowed her brow in concentration. "It felt like there should've been something… more."

"The goddess's will." Serrethis provided. "All who touch the divine know of what you speak. When the gods departed and left the forces of the cosmos untethered, something was stripped from them."

"That's what I heard… But feeling it is a different story."

They were silent for several moments. Serrethis stooped to retrieve his clippers, returning them to their hook on the side of his house. Jade gazed into the stream, a distant look in her eyes.

"The memories you saw." he asked once he had finished, returning to stand beside her. "What do they mean to you?"

"They were a painful reminder."

"Of what?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because this is an important part of your training."

Jade sighed, sinking down to sit in the long grass beside the stream. She pulled her knees to her chest, watching the evening sunlight glint off the rippling water.

"It was like you told me when we met." she said, twisting a blade of grass between her fingers. "I have an arrogant streak a mile wide, and I've already paid the price for it."

The pain of her admission was evident through Jade's aura, which rippled with waves of her resentment and shame. There was something else there, though, at its core. Determination and resolve. Serrethis suppressed a smile. He'd had some initial misgivings, but there was hope for her yet. Perhaps he had been too quick to judge.

"Elaria's domain has always been about guiding us to grow, both in strength, and as people. To step closer to that idealized version of ourselves that we can never reach but should always strive for."

"My mother always told me that people can't change, and that trying will only hurt you."

"Do you believe that?"

"No." Jade shook her head. "I've already changed. I'm just not sure it was for the better."

This time, Serrethis did smile.

"If you are questioning yourself, you're likely doing better than you think."

He turned away, slowly walking back towards his small home. His leg was starting to hurt, and it was time to rest.

"Return here at first light." He said, not looking back at her.

"For what?" The human-turned-demon asked, standing up.

"To continue your training. Be ready to push yourself."

"That." Jade said, confidence returning to her voice. "I can do."

----------------------------------------

Jade returned to the guest house she was sharing with Naomi and Luis and told them the news. They still had to work out exactly how long she would stay to receive instruction, but she expected it to be a couple weeks at the absolute shortest. Whether training for a sport or combat, it simply took time for the body to properly internalize new techniques. Assuming the training Serrethis had in mind was physical in nature. After the events of the day, she wasn't sure what to expect.

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"So, it looks like we'll be sticking around for a while longer." Jade said, sitting on a comfortable chair in their living area and picking through a pile of books they'd picked up at the market.

"You won't find me complaining about that." Naomi said. She was sitting on the couch opposite Jade, tuning the new enchanted guitar she'd received as stronghold loot. It was blue like her previous one, but instead of a rose pattern, this instrument had stylized shooting stars streaking across it. "This is the first nice place we've been to!"

"Juniper's grove wasn't bad." Luis said, walking into the room with his new spellbook in hand. "It had that great hot spring."

"It was still jungle. Hot, humid, and full of those giant spiders." Naomi shuddered. "I'm happy to stay here."

"Don't get too comfortable." Jade advised, looking up from the book she was flipping through. "As soon as we're better prepared for this floor, we're moving on."

Naomi sighed but nodded in agreement.

"I know… Aylin has been teaching me better mana control. She says that if I train in the proper techniques, my songs will take less energy to keep active. Since she'll be going home soon, I'm trying to learn as much as I can while I have the chance."

"Fenrin and I are going to be practicing together, too." Luis chimed in. "He was telling me that his father trained him on sword forms and offered to teach me some of them."

"That's great." Jade nodded, glad that each of them were taking this seriously. "I'm not sure what Serrethis will be teaching me yet, but I saw his status page today. His level is in the sixties."

Naomi sat up straighter.

"Sixties?! Really?"

"Damn." Luis whistled.

"Yeah. So, I imagine he has a lot to share."

Jade hadn't yet told her friends about her visit to the shrine, or the memories it had shown her. She was still processing the experience and wasn't ready to discuss it. As much as she wanted to avoid the topic, though, she knew that she had to broach it sooner rather than later. Not trusting her friends had burned her badly in the past. It had already almost gotten her killed multiple times in the Labyrinth so far, as well. She'd have to talk about it soon.

The thought made her groan internally. It would be a difficult topic to discuss, and Jade hated feeling vulnerable. Part of her wanted to dismiss the magical visions entirely, to just learn from Serrethis and move on. But that would be a mistake. Although she didn't understand, or entirely trust, the source of the magic that had shown her the past, the flaws it had highlighted were real.

"I'm glad I finally found some books." Jade said, resuming her organization of them into piles. "I've missed reading…"

"Do any of them look good?" she asked, peering at their covers. "That's the one the owner got excited about, right?" Naomi added, pointing to the one Jade was holding.

"Was she?" Jade looked at it more closely. The translation magic that allowed her to understand all languages while in the Labyrinth wasn't quite as effective on the written word as it was with speech. It required more focus, but it still got the job done. This tome appeared to be a novel about a vampire lord and a half-demon prince each vying for the affection of an elven maiden. The interior was filled with illustrations of handsome men in various stages of undress. It wasn't until Luis spoke from over her shoulder that she realized how long she'd been staring at them.

"Huh, guess our worlds aren't so different after all."

Jade blushed, snapping the book shut. It slammed closed with more force than she'd intended, making a resounding 'clap' sound.

"I might give it a try…" she muttered, sliding the stack of books into her dimensional pouch. If the vampire book happened to end up on the top of that stack… well, that was just a convenient coincidence. "I mean, since it comes recommended."

"Uh-huh." Naomi snorted in amusement, returning her attention to her new guitar. "Are we going to do more charm resistance training tonight?" she asked, plucking a string and making adjustments. "I feel like I'm finally making some progress."

As she'd requested on the first floor, Jade had continued casting her 'Allure' spell on Naomi whenever they had downtime. So far, it had proved difficult for her to overcome, but she was slowly making progress. Luis left the room as they continued to converse, getting back to repairing their armor using his new spellbook.

"I can't tonight." Jade said, suddenly remembering a thought she'd had earlier. "Hey, have you cast that new laundry spell of yours on the clothes we got today? Did it work well?"

"Sure did." Naomi nodded. "The new stuff is fresh and ready to go! Leave your laundry out on the balcony later, and I'll get those too."

"Thanks." Jade sighed with relief. "Wait, why the balcony?"

"Because I don't want it stinking up the house. Our Earth clothes are disgusting."

"Good point…"

All of them had already changed into their newly purchased elven clothing, which was in much better condition. That said, Jade had spent the day hiking around the city and traipsing through the nearby woodland, and she wasn't as presentable as she'd prefer. She felt Naomi's eyes on her as she retrieved her freshly treated clothes from where her friend had laid them out and started changing.

"Going somewhere?"

"Nythis invited me over for dinner." Jade admitted, studiously not meeting her eyes.

"Ohhhh?" Naomi drew out the word, cocking her head and grinning at her. "Just the two of you? Why didn't you say so?"

"No, I mean-" Jade stammered, pulling the shirt over her shoulders to hide her face. "Her partner will be there too."

She got the shirt over her head just in time to see Naomi's eyes light up with mischief.

"So, you took my advice! Good for you." Her grin broadened.

"It's not like…" Jade began before realizing that yes, it was like that. She felt her cheeks redden further.

"Maybe you should start that book now?" Naomi suggested. "It might give you some fun ideas."

"I don't need help with ideas!"

A knock at the front door interrupted them. Flustered, Jade finished pulling on a new skirt and ran over to the door.

"Nythis! Sorry, I was just-"

She stopped, recognizing the elf waiting outside. It wasn't Nythis, but their new housekeeper, Myra. She was filling in for Gwyn, who had apparently taken ill. The elf was slender, with long brown hair, wearing simple clothes in the loose-fitting fashion favored in Lysara. In her hands was a steaming pot, from which an appealing smell wafted.

"Oh. I was just bringing over some dinner…" She said, taking in Jade's disheveled appearance. "Is it a bad time?"

"Not at all!" Naomi chimed in from the living room. "Thanks Myra, come on in."

Jade stepped aside to let her enter, closing the door behind her. Was this shirt supposed to sit on her like this? And how did this skirt fasten? This elven clothing was more complicated than it looked…

"Is everything alright, dear?" The elf asked with suppressed amusement, setting the pot down in the kitchen.

"She just has a date tonight." Naomi confided in her. "Want some help with that?" She asked Jade.

"I can get ready myself!"

"You can." Naomi gave her an appraising look. "But… You shouldn't. Come here."

She beckoned Jade over and she reluctantly acquiesced, giving up on the tangle of ties and fasteners.

"How has no one here invented the button yet…"

Myra and Naomi got her sorted in short order, ignoring her grumbling complaints. By the time they were done, Jade had to admit that she liked how the loose-fitting clothes looked and felt on her. They were both elegant and comfortable, the forest colors a good match for her eyes.

"Have fun." Naomi said with a wink after Myra excused herself. She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "Let me know if you want any buffs."

Jade gave her friend a dour look, refusing to dignify that with a response.

"Just an idea." Naomi said innocently. "For all we know, it's the norm here."

She rolled her eyes and turned away. Part of her was glad Naomi could tease her about something like this. Just yesterday, they'd been fighting for their lives. People had died in front of them. In their first days in the Labyrinth, that would have been crippling. With each new conflict, they were growing more accustomed to this harsh new reality, getting better at dissociating the violence from the rest of life. Bit by bit, they were changing.

Is that good for us?

Whether it was or not, there was no denying it was necessary. Not anymore.