Eventually she fell into something that she hoped was only water and didn’t dare to check, emerging again on the other side of it. The world had changed itself once again—this time, brighter and more colorful, everything with eyes and mouths like a children’s book. It felt like every one of the trees and animals watched her as she got out of the water and tried to figure out what she should do from here.

She slowly realized that not-blood wasn’t on her anymore, though it looked like there was a burn mark from where the younger Mernia touched her. It didn’t look too bad and she didn’t have anything to wrap it with, anyway. If it wasn’t just another of this place’s illusions, it could wait until all of this was over.

“Ooh, another, another!” Nebli’s voice rang from every corner here, along with her joyful giggle. “Your stories are the best, —!”

Mernia had heard the name but, whatever it was, it erased itself from her mind soon after. All it left her with was a chilling sense of foreboding—she’d heard a name that was never supposed to be spoken.

Then there was the laugh of the Fallen One. “Oh, little one, I wouldn’t call them that interesting. I just have a lot of inspiration, that’s all. Not a lot else to do here.”

“It was pretty mean of them,” Nebli remarked, “to leave you here. They never apologized?”

The response was a mix of grief and anger. “No, not once. But they’re just disobedient children—they’ll understand what they did, in time. And once they do, I’ll make sure they never do anything like it again. After all… if they’re willing to betray their own father, are they really going to be better to the people they’re so-called ‘protecting?’”

“Mhm! They’re rude. Papa says the rude kids deserve whatever happens to them…”

“You’re a good girl, though, aren’t you?”

Another giggle. “Of course I am! Mama says I’m the best!”

Mernia couldn’t determine from their voices where they were, she just knew that they were close. She kept wandering until she saw them through the multicolored trees—a little girl, matching the age and description of Nebli from the initial report, and… a male figure, pure white, with a single, large eye taking up most of his head. He had no mouth—or at least not any visible—yet he still talked.

Everything with eyes glared and mouths frowned when Mernia started getting closer to the two of them.

“I’d like to request that you stay away from Nebli,” she warned, slowly, as she approached them.

“Ah, you finally came to join us!” The Fallen One clapped his hands together, then gestured to an empty spot on the picnic blanket. Fragments of what she’d left lingered here, too; eyeballs seemed to replace grapes and more of that ambiguous raw meat made up most of the food there. “Why don’t you have a seat? Did you have fun?”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I’m not staying here,” Mernia said confidently. “I’m here for Nebli and that’s it. I don’t know what your definition of fun is, but it definitely wasn’t anything that I saw…”

Nebli frowned. “I thought you said you were an officer. They always looked cool—helping people and everything. But you’re just boring.”

“Sometimes, doing the right thing means being boring.” Mernia held out her hand to the child. “Now, how about I bring you home? Your parents don’t know where you are, they must be worried sick at this point. Why don’t we bring you back and show them that you’re okay?”

“No!” Nebli smacked her hand out of the way. “I want to hear more of —‘s stories! He has a lot of good ones and he’s the best storyteller! Better than Papa! I’m going to stay to hear more of them. There’s nothing you can do to change that!”

Every eye was fixed on Mernia, giving the clear message that she had to be careful—she may have already far outstayed her welcome. But, after a moment, Nebli turned back to the Fallen One, with the same look she had had before Mernia suggested they leave. Then something clicked.

“We’re not seeing the same things, are we?” Mernia mumbled, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. At the question, the whole world grew darker, flashing into rolling fields of bodies, blood, and the not-blood—yet Nebli was still smiling.

“Of course she isn’t,” the Fallen One remarked. “She was invited, being one of my children and all. I let her in, so she gets to see whatever she wants. You, though… you’re not supposed to be here. You’re not one of mine. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do for you…” He didn’t sound regretful, though; it was closer to annoyance, a desire to get her gone as soon as possible.

She had to prove that she meant everything she was saying—she wasn’t going to give up on her mission now. “I’m not going anywhere without Nebli.”

“Mama and Papa know exactly where I am!” Nebli insisted. “They know I’m safe right here, and they’ll let me listen to —‘s stories! Right, —?”

The Fallen One nodded, sounding more caring as he said, “Yes. In fact, they were invited, too. They’ll come around eventually—and then no one has to be alone.”

“I don’t think so.” Mernia gently took Nebli’s hand. “We have to leave.”

Nebli pulled it away again. “I’m not going.”

Mernia glanced at her surroundings, growing grimmer by the second. The Fallen One voiced her deepest thoughts: “What makes you think that you can leave here without my permission, anyway? You might not have been invited, but I’m rather kind to all of my guests. I wouldn’t want you to leave before experiencing the full tour.”

The last fragment of the colorful forest was gone, replaced with nothing but barren and bloody lands. She paled to see so many familiar faces—friends, family, and acquaintances she’d met over the years—among the scattered corpses.

“I’m going to find a way,” she said with a burst of confidence that even surprised herself. She picked up Nebli, grateful she was as light as she looked and not too hard to contain when she started fighting back. “And Nebli is coming with me. I haven’t failed to complete a job yet and I’m not about to start today.”

The Fallen One slowly began to stand up. Mernia made sure to start running with Nebli before he had the chance to truly give chase.