Now that she had completed her first trial, the System allowed Valerica to stay with Momo a minute longer, most likely to allow for more instruction. Naturally, Valerica did not care much for instruction—and instead took Momo’s hand as they walked through this new floor.

“Do mind yourself when passing by certain wall adornments,” Valerica said, bringing their shared hands upward to point at the array of slicing axes to be found down a nearby corridor.

Momo grimaced. What a charming second level this was.

After the projector had finished playing the film, the walls around them had collapsed like a cardboard box, revealing a much larger and wider venue. It was still much like a dungeon, with low ceilings, torchlight, and several dark corridors, but it had more amenities. For example, across from the hallway with the slicing axes, was a perfectly nice bed.

“I had that one included especially for you,” Valerica said of the bed. “I know how you like your naps.”

Momo shook her head. That was adorably thoughtful.

It felt spectacularly unusual to hold Valerica’s hand like this, given she was holding not a human being, but a bunch of tensed-up particles of light, but still it felt … nice. Comforting.

Unfortunately, within that comfort, dread was awaiting. Dread about what she’d discussed with Nia just before she’d left. Dread completely separate from the trials.

“Valerica,” she asked as they passed another corridor in their tour about the level. “When I leave this place… when I graduate from onboarding…” She took a slow breath in. “Where do I find you? And please don’t say something like this, there, everywhere–”

“This, there, every–” Valerica paused, and scoffed loudly at her. “By Morgana, how did you know I would say that?”

“You’re highly predictable.”

“I am most definitely not.”

“Okay,” Momo snorted. “Maybe you’re not predictable. But I know you well enough by now to predict your unpredictability.”

“That’s hardly better,” Valerica said, disconnecting their hands and crossing her arms. “This kind of allegation does horrible things to a woman’s reputation.”

“Your reputation for being…”

“A beautiful, unknowable enigma, of course. One that inspires terror in the dreams of the populace. That’s my role as Lesser Goddess of Nightmares, after all.”

Momo balked at her. “Is that your role now?”

Valerica shrugged. “One of many. Someone has to get things done around here. With Morgana in her depressive episode, and Sera sequestered in the darkest reaches of space doing only god knows, the responsibilities have been left for me and Azrael to split. It was a lucky break for us that you decided to take on Reaping. I just about broke those poor humans’ brains back on Earth when I shapeshifted into a monkey on live television.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A silent moment passed, and then they both broke down in laughter. Momo almost wept with how hard she laughed—imagining the sight of Valerica the monkey being played and analyzed on everything from Fox to the BBC. Valerica would have a fixture on every conspiracy theory forum for the end of time with that kind of stunt.

“But seriously,” Momo said, after their laughter had quieted again into a silent stroll. “When I leave here. Where do I go to find you?”

Valerica slouched onto the single bed, pressing both glowing hands firmly into the mattress before staring up at the ceiling and sighing.

“It will be difficult for you to find. The Nether Demons only grow in their numbers, so me and Morgana have had to travel farther and farther away from the center of it all. We currently take refuge in a place called Vacant Edge. It will be hard to find by simply walking idly around the Netherial abyss, but luckily, there is a trick to getting around the Nether—”

Valerica’s glowing head exploded. Momo shrieked.

After a few terribly long seconds, the particles re-assembled themselves, reforming Valerica’s face. Momo did not breathe the entire time, watching in shocked horror.

“Those administrators are beyond petty,” Valerica growled as her hands reached up to adjust the particles of her head. “It appears I was just about to spoil one of the trials for you, so they decided to stop me by– well– you saw the ordeal.”

“Yes.” Momo said hoarsely. All blood—and humor—had drained from her body. “I did see.”

Valerica shook her head. “I suppose either way, that was their warning to me that I must wrap this up. But don’t worry, I will see you again soon—just as soon as you finish that next trial.” Valerica paused, then lowered her voice mischievously. “Although I suppose it does not matter when you see me, if you can so easily conjure my predictable voice in your head.”

Momo blushed, lowering her head. She almost wrote the accusation off with a simple laugh, but something inside her prevented her from doing so. She knew Valerica wasn’t offended, per se—it took a lot more to dent the world’s biggest ego—but it felt irresponsible to give her the wrong impression. Not when she was so much more than that.

“I didn’t mean to offend you when I called you predictable, it’s just…” Momo trailed off, an embarrassed flush coloring her face. “It’s comforting to me. The way you are. That you are so reliably yourself in every situation. Even in this mess with Morgana and Sera and Kyros, which to anyone else would be catastrophic, you’re still so… unwavering.”

Momo smiled a small smile, her stomach knitting in knots. She whispered her next words.

“But since you are this way— so static and dependable, insistent on never showing me your fear, even if you surely must be at least a little scared, deep down— that I know if I ever need your advice, even when you’re far away, I can just call on my imagination to tell me what you’d say, line for line, word for word. As if you were standing right beside me.”

She wiped at her eyes, feeling embarrassed at the confession.

But it was how she felt. And she wasn’t sure when she’d get to say it again.

Valerica hesitated for a bare moment. Momo couldn’t see her expression, but she could feel a warmth radiate from her figure. Her glowing hands reached out to caress Momo’s forearm.

“You’ve put me in a very unusual circumstance, darling. I find myself at a loss for words.”

Momo laughed, teary-eyed. “Well, now you know how I always feel.”

“Not always. Not anymore. That shell has long cracked. You have enough lovely words inside you now to put to rest a war if you so wanted, dear. That much is clear to me.”

As those words left her, the bulbs of light making up Valerica’s figure began to slowly dissipate. Feeling herself leaving, Valerica blew her a kiss into the dark. Momo stood there and watched until the final particle had drifted somewhere else– Valerica’s final words spinning in her mind.