The moist, damp darkness of the caves. The soft splash of trickling water from above was the only noise penetrating the suffocating silence. Something struggled, rocking violently to break free of its bounds. A gaping maw, hungrily snapping away in the dark. It had no teeth, only the vague makings of a jaw and throat. The stone cold of the caves was the only thing it knew. None would come, and none would leave.

—

“Watch your step. The path is slippery.” Exia warned me. Her feet teetered on barely-visible footholds, illuminated only by the pasty yellow glow of a wick in oil.

“I’ve told you, Lizard, I will take the lead.” Kirill complained. Exia naturally led the descent downwards. While he typically wore boots when strolling about his hometown, they were not a necessity. The claws on his feet did well to grip rough surfaces, whether he needed to climb or run. In this case, it provided great utility as he could grip the cave walls with far more ease than a human foot.

The thousand-tailed serpent sprung awake. Crawling from ribbon to ribbon, its invisible belly rubbed against my skin as it traversed the ribbons covering my body. Through the whole journey, it was asleep. When Matrie sacrificed herself to avoid killing Maria, it had not motioned to intervene. When the blood sorcerer rained a crimson hell upon our tiny patch of land, that too had gone unnoticed. Only now, when the void star drew close, did the serpent recognize its powers were needed.

“I hope you are ready, Anastasia. Your time draws near.” Exia said. “You do wield the power of creation, do you not?”

“Creation?”

“That is what will mend the star. You will create its lost flesh and heal the wound which has spilled its blood over the earth. I imagine that you came to Margaret’s Welcome with some knowledge of that, yes?”

“We ventured west to gain strength and prepare for a fight against the Academy.” Maria butted in. “Only after learning that there was another way, did we consider venturing south. The reminiscence that flows through Anastasia’s ribbons is granted by another.”

“True creation. Yes, among the most coveted skills for those who command the elements. Even I can only manage a feeble mockery of such greatness.” Exia lamented. “I attempted to take the serpent’s power for myself, you know. Many expeditions and casualties later, did I finally acknowledge the serpent’s rejection. Thus, when I laid my eyes upon you in the colosseum, I was struck by inspiration. You, who had already ventured to imbue your ribbons with life. A far more worthy existence than I, who could only take and destroy.”

“I am honored to be chosen, as a foreigner who only stayed in the tree for a short while.” I said. When I had battled Exia the first time, he was holding back. His true power remained concealed from the beginning to the end. Only in our final battle, where we each sought for the exiled emperor, was the serpent’s true power revealed.

True creation was the ultimate goal of any form produced by a scholar. Try as one might, there was only so close an imitation one could use to replicate a flower, an animal, or even a complex mechanical device. Such creations were borrowed power, which were lent function by the things from which they drew inspiration. However, true creation was different. The forms produced were perfect, utterly indiscernible from originals. True creation was not limited to things, either. In my second battle against Exia, the serpent had bridged the gap between fractured pieces of space. Exia could shatter the world all he wanted, but it proved futile against one which birthed the concept behind his power.

“You are a lucky one.” Maria muttered. “Mine has been hidden away, stolen by that cursed sorcerer. Even after his death, I loathe the days I will have to train to regain it.”

“Girl, you awakened a reminiscence of your own resolve?” Exia asked. His voice was low with disbelief.

“I did. It was incomplete, but the culmination of many hours of effort.”

“Maria! What did it do? I did not ever see you get to use it!” I asked excitedly.

“No more than what I have already done. Hold out your hand. I will try to reproduce it, if I can.”

As I opened my palm, a single rose petal, clear as ice, stung my hand with its freezing bite. It had come from nowhere, formed from nothing.

“Impressive.” Exia said. “A shame it was taken from you as soon as it was.”

“I will take it back. It took me three years to find it, I should easily travel down the same path in half the time.”

“Did you have the chance to use it even once?” I asked.

“Yes, back when we were to enter the tomb. The wall of stone blocking our path was shattered by my moonlit night. That is what I would call it. My reminiscence.”

“I have not even given the serpent a name.”

“I believe that for the best. I would hate to inform my soldiers that you’ve named our god something silly.” Exia said. “We approach. I feel a breeze and an echo of my claws scratching against the wall. We are nearing a chasm.”

—

The chasm was so large that even as Exia held the lamp as far out into the void as his arm could reach, the other side remained shrouded in darkness. It was quiet except for each time someone took a step, they were greeted by the sound of the step echoing back up from the chasm below.

“Any moment now. The void star draws close. Prepare yourself, Anastasia. I will restrain it if necessary.” Exia said.

“Restrain it? The void star is a star…is it not? Does a star need restraining?”

“You will see. My contact had a few words to say about your naming of the beast.”

A tremor shook the ground from below. I instinctively gripped the walls with an armful of ribbons, fastening my hold on the cave wall. It was followed by a deep wail, and my first sight of the rift of the void star.

Seeing it, it was a true star. With an ephemeral blue glow, it dimly lit the cave walls surrounding it, circled by smaller particles which disappeared and reappeared elsewhere on the sphere. The rift, a large crack in its surface, opened and closed with the mannerisms of a mouth, an endless pit of emptiness from which no one would return. It struggled and turned, but we were a safe distance away, and its massive body, which stretched farther than the light could reach, remained helplessly stuck at the bottom.

“Do it, Anastasia. Heal its wound, and send Isa back to where she came.” Kirill said.

As I prepared to release my ribbons, a thought appeared in my mind. We had a conversation with Exia before our departure. Canary also came from the void.

“Exia, before I do anything, I have a question.” I said.

“Anything you wish, Anastasia.”

“What will become of the abyssals when I heal the star? Will they also be taken from us?”

Exia stopped for a moment. “I am not sure.”

“Exia, this is the second time a rift has been opened. You know this. Why did the abyssals not return to the star when they were released over a century ago?” Maria asked.

“I suppose you will not continue until I answer your questions.” Exia sighed. “The truth is, Aya was faced with the same predicament long ago. With her territory seized and her Academy subjugated, she chose not to heal the rift. She left a tiny crack, a hair's-width opening, to avoid cutting the abyssal’s tether to this world. Such an action is likely why a second rift could be opened at all, maybe a mark of her regret at banishing her friend. Anastasia, I asked my spies to look into you. There we discovered the truth of your father. When he ventured south to shatter the void star completely, he only hastened a certain outcome.”

“So…my father was not the cause for all this?” I asked. It was the first mention of my father in months. His memory was distant, almost as if the time I had spent with him was a dream. And yet, his decaying body, rotting away on the operating table, still made my stomach wretch.

“He had a part, but yes. Regardless, if you do not close the rift I am certain the void star will release an even greater terror, one surely more troublesome.”

I looked down at the rift in the void star. It was as If I was standing above an entire planet below me, as the rift pulsed and struggled, rearing its toothless maw before shutting again.

The rift was too large to cover with my ribbons, even if I sacrificed every inch of their length to mend the gap. Healing it would require purity. Raw, unrestrained power flowed from my ribbons, like blood rushing out of my head.

“She’s doing it. Something never before seen, and I, the lowly Exia have come to bear witness! This is a woman who might make a match to the great Aya herself!” He shouted in glee. I could barely hear him speak, as if I were hearing him from the end of a hallway. His voice was distant, a reverberating echo in the silence.

“Stop, woman!” A golden bolt flew from the opposite end of the cavern and shattered the flow of power. Waking up from a trance, I opened my eyes to see a pair of women near the entrance of the chasm. One with blonde hair, her tall stature and stern expression conveyed she was someone of position. Lightning crackled and snapped in a cloud around her body, and the movement of her hands only further excited the frenzy of electricity. An unfamiliar girl, peering at us from behind, stood from behind the woman.

“Lady Emily, what brings you here?” Exia snapped. “We were on the cusp of victory. Of sealing the fate of your enemies. And you would stop us at our moment of triumph?”

“Exia, the governor of the Great Tree. I have come to fight for the good of my people and my students. The man behind you is a threat to us all.” she looked at Kirill, who, until now had quietly stood aside.

“Your city is gone. The girl behind you has taken the lives of your people. You stand at her side, and you claim to fight for the ashen corpses left in the sand? I don’t know what’s come over you.” Exia hissed.

“There is more to their sacrifice than revenge.” Emily responded. “Avenging them will bring no rest to the living. Would it not be better to fight for a better world, to seek a future for the good of those that remain?”

“You betray the past and the dead.”

“And yet they both rest buried, never to awaken. I didn’t fancy you a protector of honor, governor.”

“You spit upon everything that you stood for.” Exia raised his hand. “An eternal prison will be a fitting end for a woman like you.”

“The man under your wing lives and breathes in bloodshed. A world ruled by him will know no peace. His empire has waged war after war for over a century. Every second he lives is a danger for every person that lives in this world.”

“You speak the truth, Lady.” Maria called out. Her back was turned against the cave wall, but she turned her head to face the woman with blonde hair. “But we will continue to serve this man.”

“Maria Petrov. The ninety-ninth Pristine. Killer of the hundredth, I presume. Did you relish the thought of killing a comrade? A former classmate?” Emily’s expression turned sour at the sight of Maria.

“It was a matter of survival. She sacrificed herself for me. As she died, she passed on her dreams to me. It is my responsibility to see them through. We wish you no harm, Lady Emily. Do not interfere.” Frost sprung and crawled along Maria’s body, slowly turning the surface of her skin to ice. “Let us pass. We will see to the freedom of the Academy once his High Excellence returns to rule.” Maria declared.

—

“The Academy is under the rightful dominion of my rule. There will be no ceding of territory, no releasing of binds, and no division of rule.” Kirill shouted in anger. During the entire shouting match between the blonde woman, Exia, and Maria, Kirill was starkly silent. He could take no more. His former right hand speaking in such a fashion about him was too much for him to bear. He would not relent, and he would not entertain any prospects of diplomacy with traitors like her.

Exia, who stood as the first line of defense against the pair of intruders, shook his head. “This was not a good time for you to provoke them, stubborn man.”

“Anastasia, a platform!” Maria shouted. Upon stepping foot on a ribbon tensed to support her weight, she leapt from the cave wall, a shard of ice clutched in her left hand. Another ribbon, and another, creating a perfect set of steps to strike before the enemy could react.

“You’ve weakened, Pristine. I believed you stronger when I first laid my eyes on you. What could have happened to rob you of your skills?” A bolt of lightning struck Maria square in the chest, opening a crater in her chest. Only with a stroke of luck did a single ribbon catch her by the ankle, and with a hard tug I pulled her back to me.

“Anastasia, I will be an opponent to these two. Take the emperor and your friend, and dive into the rift. Heal your friend. It would be a pity to lose her here. You can simply return the same way from which you came.”

The rift bellowed a low cry. As I looked into its bottomless void, fear was a cotton smothering my thoughts. Only Exia remained. Maria was injured, and she needed help. It was dangerous to treat her here. The woman in blonde wouldn’t hesitate to kill Kirill if it meant securing peace to the world. But even with such a sweet promise, my heart would tear itself to shreds if he lost his life. I still hadn’t answered his proposal, after all.

I closed my eyes and dove off the side of the cliff face, pulling the furiously struggling Kirill, and Maria her eyes wide open with shock, into the gaping abyss below.

—

“Now that that’s settled, a proper battle, shall we? I will not be hindered by the likes of…allies. Exia confidently said. “There is but one woman who can defeat me, and she has just dove into the depths of the void. What will you do now, Ladies of the Academy?” Exia held out his arms. Without a second of hesitation, he strolled into the chasm, but as his foot left the ledge he comfortably remained suspended in the air. “Raise your voices, my citizens! For tonight, you will feast your eyes in the colosseum!”

Emily and Isa stood in the midst of a well-lit arena. Stone columns scattered around the hardened clay floor pierced the sky. Thousands of rows of spectators stretched even higher, and as Emily looked up, she was greeted by the friendly yellow glow of the nighttime fireflies living within Margaret’s Welcome.

“The colosseum. I don’t believe I’ve been here before,” Emily said. “Isa, we’ve been summoned as opponents of the great governor. I do believe we’ve no choice but to do battle.”

“I fought a lizard once.” Isa said. “He was quite a resilient opponent.”

“Did you win?”

“Of course.” Isa pointed a finger to the sarassin opposing her. “Your reminiscence is impressive.”

“All for the good of my people. They may bear witness to this battle.” Exia bowed. The crowds, a mix of feline and sarassin, cheered wildly, sending a wave of noise down the stands. “I believe it is time to begin.”

“Sounds good to me. Come, Exia of Margaret’s tree. You will learn the meaning of defeat today.” Emily declared.

“I’m afraid defeat has already been etched once into my heart. Never again.”

Exia didn’t wait to strike. A prism of faded glass surrounded the ground where Emily and Isa stood. It was an unbreakable cage, space had been shattered. The two of them existed on separate planes. Their image flickered, and as if blown away by a gust of wind, melted into nothing. “So you were never there. A clever trick, using my own colosseum’s arrival as cover to hide yourselves.”

Exia scanned left, right, behind himself. They could not leave the arena. This was the only rule that his broken reminiscence could enforce; exit from his arena was impossible until they had defeated him or found themselves defeated. They lurked among the stone pillars, or hidden by a mirage. Every visible inch of the arena was scanned, and nothing.

“Too slow, governor. Perhaps you should have looked up..” Emily whispered from far above. A bolt of lightning from above rained down and engulfed Exia’s body. The electricity froze the muscles in his arms, his back, his legs. They were completely stiff, utterly immobile as long as power continued to radiate from Emily’s fingertips. He ordered his legs to dodge to the side, but they did not obey. Emily landed softly behind him, her shoes making a soft patter as she contacted the ground. “I suppose I’ve been disappointed by a legend of the sarassin.”

“Not yet, blonde witch,” Exia thought to himself. But he still could not speak. It was true; his reminiscence was broken. Shattered and fragmented, it held only a fraction of the power of true creation that Anastasia commanded. That was too much, they were incomparable in scale. Even the unbounded proliferation of ice could be thought superior to him. But he had one trick up his sleeve. He could use pieces of his reminiscence as a weapon in themselves; they formed the foundation for his shattered space. His original work was in taking control of an opponent’s craft and using it as his own. The golden lightning constricting his body popped and crackled, and as its color turned a furious red, Emily cut off the supply to Exia’s counterattack a moment late.

“Ah!” she cried out. Only a barrier of white flame kept Exia’s lightning from completely destroying Emily’s body. His red lightning, a perversion of her golden bolts, was violent and uncontrollable, a single touch would char the flesh.

“Troublesome. I forget that you have a protector who may be even more fearsome than you.” Exia commented. “You cannot defeat me. All of your tricks, your spells. They are under my dominion. Kirill and I, we are greedy. We cannot rest until everything is ours.”

—

Emily clenched her teeth. Sarassin scholars were rare, and it was further uncommon to see one with fire-red scales as his. It was a sign of his mixed-blood birth, a symbol of the raging conflict which stirred within his lineage. One of his ancestors was not a sarassin, but she found it unlikely that sarassin blood could mix with a feline’s. The red was older, more vicious. The scratches on his snout and the sharpness of his gaze were signs that he was a seasoned fighter. His battles had been lengthy and harsh, and it showed in the way he carried himself.

Emily’s knowledge proved useful in the past, not only because it provided her with a superior set of tactical options, but also because it allowed her to sift the truth from lies. It was true, he had taken her lightning and thrown it back at her. However, his power had a limit. It was a violation of principle that he would be able to repel any attack. She simply had to poke and prod, slowly and methodically break down his tricks until she found a hole in the bluff. She was confident. She was the greatest scholar in the world, a giant among giants. The likes of provincial rulers could barely reach the feet of the mountains she’d climbed.

“Any ideas, Emily? I would not waste my flames on a meaningless assault.” Isa whispered. She maintained a defensive position behind Emily.

“You needn’t be so picky. Remember the white spear you used at our first meeting? Give him a taste of that.”

“The silver spear isn’t a weapon I would just use on any opponent. He must be worthy. Give him a taste of your power, first.” Isa taunted.

“I am! Fine, one more attack.” Tree roots dotted with lumps and cracks in aged bark sprung from the ground and latched onto Exia’s limbs. He pulled free for a moment, leaping to the side. The tree roots kept in quick pursuit, tracking him as he darted left and right swiping away at his attacker. It was a short struggle. Soon, a tightly wound branch around his ankle, firmly planted in the ground, brought him low.

Emily approached cautiously. The crafty Exia, stopped by a simple tree-binding? It was unreal.

“Get up. I know you haven’t been finished yet.” Exia said, tracing a bolt of lightning along her right arm. “I’ll force it out of you.”

“Your awareness is commendable.” with a flick of his wrist, the roots binding him were torn out of the ground, revealing the living bundle of wood forming its body. Its limbs retracted from Exia’s body. The living roots turned towards their creator, standing in wait. “I would not steal away such a precious companion from you. Take it away and I will spare it.”

“Tch. Respectful as ever. You underestimate the amount of danger you are in.” Emily said.

“Do I? I do believe I hold the strength to be gentle.” he said smugly. “The difference between us is great; I am free to act how I please. Prove me wrong, Emily. You asked me to fight the blood sorcerer. Is that not an admission that you alone could not stop him?”

“Emily, what is he speaking of?.” Isa asked. “You sought his aid in defeating Oum?”

“It is nothing, I will explain later.” Emily muttered.

“Tell me. We are allies, are we not? What is there if we hide the truth from each other?”

“I did. We are the arbiters of the good, and Oum was evil. He killed Matrie. Not Maria. Anyone could see that. Maria only fulfilled her duties.”

“...I’m impressed. Think nothing of it, Emily. You’ve gained my respect, to hatch such a plot, even if it was exposed.” Isa grabbed Emily’s hand. It gripped with incredible strength for a girl of her size.

“Brace yourself. The silver spear is not something to be trifled with.” The air grew hot. Around Isa’s body, it boiled and bent from the heat. As if a mirage, a spear, a lustrous silver with tongues of white flame flowing along its surface, appeared in Isa’s hands. She turned the spear, sending it behind her back, swinging it as if it had no weight. And then she threw it, with all her might. It traveled in a straight line with enough speed to send a gust of wind bursting from her body. The spear barreled forward at inconceivable speed.

A fraction of a fraction of a second later, for a single frame of time within Emily’s prismatic eyes, the spear vanished. From pointing itself at Exia’s throat to nothing at all, Exia’s eye flickered at the same moment. Then it reappeared, its orientation reversed, and as Emily prepared to turn the flow of time back to normal, it pointed itself at the two. The spear was tinged with violet, losing its silver sheen but gaining a hue brilliant in its own. There was a look in Isa’s eyes as she eyed Emily. Her tacit message was clear, “Don’t try and block it.”

Emily grabbed Isa on instinct and vanished, reappearing across the arena behind Exia as the spear launched itself at their feet a moment prior. Instead it crashed into the side of the arena, bursting into a ball of violet flame, quickly expanding before sending a section of a colosseum crashing to the floor. The spectators, seeing the foundations of their arena coming apart, cheered all the louder, eager to see their leader’s skills.

“Do you see it now?” Isa asked.

“He isn’t reflecting our attacks. Whatever is happening, our attacks are nullified before they’re sent back at us.”

“He’s reconstructing them. Accepting it within himself, analyzing its foundations, and sending back a deadlier version.” Isa said.

“That’s impossible! Even mastering a single element takes years.”

“You needn’t underestimate the power of the sarassin. They are a hardy race, far surpassing the weakness of humans in many ways. On an unrelated note, those eyes of yours are a bad habit. You should learn to rely on your own sight, it will save your stamina.”

“What should we do? If he can simply send our attacks back at us, the stronger the assault we launch at him, the more we will suffer.”

“You should know the answer to this predicament, Emily. This is simply another puzzle, another tapestry of mystery similar to the one my assassin presented some time ago.”

A flash of inspiration struck Emily. Of course, if it was possible to replicate, he would replicate it. But some things weren’t replicable. They were unique, a single gem unlike any other. “My reminiscence,” she said.

“Is that what you call it these days? Sister called it a playpen. Because you play in it.” Isa said.

Reminiscence was the ultimate weapon of Emily’s arsenal. Awakening it had presented no small difficulty. She had found a lover, had a child, and started a family as part of her quest to gain the coveted final technique that was hidden to all but a few. The day after Vivian’s birth, when she awoke in a windy field stretching to the horizon, she knew she’d done it. Some part of her felt angry that the likes of a sarassin governor could come close to matching her skills. It was something for her, and her alone.

—

The ground below Exia’s ground turned soft. His claws were bare; each blade of grass poking against the soft scales on the soles of his feet felt comfortable, like a soft scratching of an itch. The colosseum was swallowed by grass and patches of sunflowers in bloom. The warm light of the top of Margaret’s Welcome became a clear blue sky. It was here. The Academy head’s reminiscence destroyed his colosseum and swallowed him up. His spectators were no more, his home forgotten. But his mind fought with reason against his rapidly beating heart. It was the same feeling he’d had when fighting Anastasia. The sweet-sour tension, the prospect of defeating a strong opponent mixed with the crushing fear of defeat.

“So this is reminiscence. It is quite a peaceful, pleasant place. Do you fancy yourself peaceful or pleasant, Emily of the Cold Lightning?”

“Stop with the needless title. It doesn’t suit me anyways.”

“I never knew why you were called that. Your lightning burned as hot as any other. And it’s been a long time since your skills have been limited to lightning. Have you considered a new title? Emily of the Tall Grass, perhaps? It would suit your outfit.”

“I struck a man with lightning once. Instead of searing his skin it turned him to ice. I will put your suggestion under consideration, after I’ve defeated you. Maybe we will do away with titles altogether.”

Exia smiled. “Is it common? Dolls with mastery of more than one field.”

“Not at all. As such, it is quite the shock to meet a fighter like you.”

“It is only natural. Such things came to me easily.”

“I can tell. Say, Exia, do you know why I would even consider entertaining a conversation at this point? Look at yourself.” Emily pointed at him, as if announcing her victory. She stood at the top of a hill in the center of the field, and Exia at its foot.

Exia looked down at his feet. His breath felt weak, his heart feeble. The scales on his skin were different. Their fiery red was faded, aged. His claws felt brittle, and his legs weak. Forty years had passed in the blink of an eye.

“Age…your reminiscence…it steals away the gift of time…” Exia weakly said. He struggled to stay standing, but there was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to shelter him from the life-stealing wind.

“Surrender, Exia. You made a mistake, fighting as if you could dress your weak attacks in such elaborate dress. Your body will waste away.” Emily commanded.

The fire in Exia’s heart waned for a moment. But it continued to burn. Every second he survived in her field was an extra second for Anastasia to close the rift. He did not have to win this battle to defeat his enemies.

It was an odd feeling. Exia didn’t consider himself attached to those girls, and especially not to that emperor. Maybe he was searching for a purpose. Prosperity to his people had been achieved long ago. In Margaret’s Welcome, he lived a comfortable life, fighting in the arena to stimulate his bored mind. But the serpent called. It demanded greatness from him with its silent words, and rejected him when he approached. The thousand-tailed serpent toyed with him for years, giving him everything a normal man could ask for while depriving him of what he truly desired. To be a sacrifice for a couple of Sveshen girls was an almost comical end to a man who had lived his life. He had believed it ridiculous when a spy reported that they’d crossed the border and entered the tree. But now, with his body crumbling away, he believed it. It was peaceful. For once, he could pass the torch to someone else, he could tell them, “this is up to you”. The burden of single responsibility had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

“Give it up, sarassin. There is no need for you to die. Once your body fails, I will not be able to reduce the damage.”

“You are right. There is no need for me to die.” Exia drew a square with his left hand. Unknown to Emily, the wind changed direction. Exia felt the burst of life return to his body, the years rapidly falling off of his weary body, and the strength return to his legs. Emily’s reminiscence was nothing. They were false pretenses in the face of Exia’s truth.

“How! Reminiscence is the ultimate magic! It does not heed the whims of a lost sarassin!”

“That may be what you think, Lady of the Academy. But there are even things you do not know.”

—

Upon touching the first wrinkle on her cheek, Emily recalled her reminiscence. It was too risky. Maintaining her youthful face at her age was no small task, and while she stood on the border between victory and defeat, some things were simply too important.

“Look, Emily. His reconstruction of your reminiscence was imperfect. He’s still aged, some of his scales are still chipped. We’ve broken his defenses once. We’ll do it again.” Isa encouraged her. Isa had been carefully observing Exia throughout the battle. She was wary of his shattered space; the thought of trapping herself in an even smaller eternal prison frightened her.

“Your turn, Isa. You have…a playpen, right? You can break your defenses with the god-burning fire of yours.”

“You speak the truth. I suppose your efforts were satisfactory, my friend. I won’t let your efforts be in vain.” Isa held out her hands. A bubble of air expanded from her body, swallowing Emily’s ruined field. It was another reminiscence.

Exia looked down. He stood in a shallow pool of water, clear as a cut gemstone. The soothing coolness of the water contrasted the burning hot fire lilies dotting the surface. They were pure white and in full bloom, the pink bundles in the center releasing bursts of white. The torrent of blooming lilies sucked away his breath. The white fire seared his flesh; the flimsy red scales gave no protection. There was no fighting this. That Isa would never lose in a contest of fire. He had even managed to release his reminiscence first, an all-controlling rule which allowed him to return any attack with vengeance. But it was imperfect. The copies it produced were imperfect. And when fighting the reminiscence of an enemy, it was wanting.

“Stop it, Isa. There’s no need to kill him.”

“Letting him live will only make our lives difficult in the future. I would not like to emerge victorious only to find this man leading an army of sarassin to settle the score.” Isa’s fire continued to burn. The scenery was engulfed in white flame. Only the dark outline of Exia’s body against it was visible from Isa’s safe haven.

“Please, Isa. I joined your side in an effort to avoid further bloodshed.” Emily pleaded.

“Ugh. Fine.”

Exia laid out on the surface of the water. His clothing was mostly burnt away, the flesh beneath it streaked in black marks. His mouth was wide open, his eyes painfully staring at Emily and Isa.

“I was half expecting you to have another trick up your sleeve, sarassin. Your defeat is here. Dispel your reminiscence, or forfeit your life.” Isa demanded. He had released his reminiscence first. Emily and Isa had only imposed themselves upon it; in the end, he was the one who controlled the entry and exit.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Hah…you win.” Exia stood up. “I will not stand in your way any longer.”

“The burns on your body are serious. Seek treatment, or suffer the consequences.” Isa warned him. The chasm returned. Her lilies faded away, and again they stood above the star’s maw. Exia weakly limped back the way he’d come, and he quickly climbed back through the exit.

“That’s one threat dealt with. How are you feeling, Isa?”

“I’ve never felt better. We will enter the star and find that man.” Isa said. She was confident. Her eyes held a luminous golden glow. It was a symbol of power. Emily’s eyes naturally held an amber hue, so the change was not obvious when she gained the eyes. But in Isa, whose eyes were an obsidian black, the difference was greater than night and day. It was a return of her old self, a return of the Golden Flame.

“Let us go then.” Emily held out her hand.

“One thing, before we enter the void.” Isa stared intently down the chasm. The empty abyss sent memories flooding forward. The secret journey south, where Aya could not even bear to look at her injured friend. The final goodbye, where Aya had shed the first real tears Isa had seen. She didn’t even have the strength to return the words. She tumbled, almost unconscious into the abyss, never again to see her friend. Isa’s face felt tight, and her eyes hot. She burned away a tear before hiding her face from Emily.

“What is it?”

“Your power will be useless in the void. Not useless, but most of it will be consumed by the latent mists flowing through the endless forest. I hope you are ready to fight with your hands and feet, because you will need it.”

“We’ll see,” Emily said. “When the time comes.”

—

My head hit Maria’s chest as we fell to the ground in a heap. Kirill stood at a safe distance, dusting himself off. We were in a forest. The sky was a faded purple, neither night nor day. A starlike ball of light, a false sun gave us no warmth in spite of holding us in its hollow g. The terrain was foggy, and while my clothes stuck to my skin, it was not cold. The forest was warm. It was almost hot.

“Ah, so happy to be out again.” A white-scaled sarassin, no taller than me, rubbed its claws against a tree. She opened her jaws and clamped down on an outstretched branch. Her mouth had no teeth, and her blood-red eyes opened and closed as she examined our surroundings.

“So this is the type of creature that inhabits the void, let us kill it.” Maria made a strained expression, then relaxed, and again. She looked at the palm of her hand, as if expecting something to be there. “No petals. What poor fortune.”

“Don’t move, Maria. You’re hurt.” I said. Panic sent my heart into a violent frenzy, beating with a loud thump in my temples.

“Oh. That is true, I should not have attacked that woman…”

We caught the attention of the serpent. It examined Maria, head to toe, before rushing over to me, sniffing at my hair with its snout. Its body was similar to Exia’s, but the snout was less pronounced and it had no ridges above the eyes. “You smell different when you’re awake.” it said.

“Ah! Who are you!” I recoiled in horror and slapped it on its face. As I jammed my hands under its chin and into its mouth, it finally retreated.

“Hey! Don’t tell me you don’t remember-” it paused. “I suppose you didn’t remember that, I see. I am the thousand-tailed serpent, pleased to meet you. Go on, help your friend. I didn’t give you my power for nothing. It’s flesh, something you’ve made a thousand times over.”

I felt the wound on Maria’s chest. It was deep, and I could feel the rupture in her heart, as it weakly contracted, once and again. A ribbon from my arm slid off my arm. Like a finger, it crept into the weakly breathing Maria’s chest. Bones, two broken ribs. They were not too important, but I had to take these shards of bones out. It was her heart, oh, and her left lung. It had also been punctured. The ribbon unraveled. Tiny threads turned to stringy muscle, spongy tissue to mend her lung. More threads coiled around and rearranged flesh and bone, pushing out useless bits and reforming the torn muscle below the skin. And with a second ribbon forming the skin, Maria’s body was good as new. No one would have known that she had been struck by lightning just minutes prior. Her chest was bare and in open view, so I quickly tried mending the hole in her clothing with a third ribbon.

Maria coughed and shook her head, her yellow eyes alert and awake. “I only see one tail.” she said.

“Many say that upon their first sighting of me, but I assure you I am the real thousand-tailed serpent. This is the form I take when I speak to mortals, people like you.” it said. “By the way, I am a female. White sarassin are not so common these days, but in our time, we were quite sought after. Ah, I miss those days. If you had to speak to an insect, I am sure you would want a smaller…vessel with which to communicate. Otherwise conversation is difficult.”

“I see. Why did you stay silent while we came here? It would have been nice to have an extra companion on our travels.” I asked. I felt the serpent’s presence in my ribbons. In the back of my mind, I knew the answer. My desire to hear why from the serpent herself was idle curiosity.

“The same reason you can only see my corpse on the surface. I am dead, dead and gone. I only live on in the lands beyond life. This place is one such purgatory. Which, it is undoubtedly a purgatory. Get searching, girls, the way out is not going to reveal itself.”

“Miss Serpent, do you know anything of this…void star? You created some of the world, did you not? Was it something from your time?” I asked.

“No, no, this came much later. This looks like a piece of your creator’s work, if I had to guess.” Upon seeing my puzzled expression, she quickly spoke. “We weren’t close. And I think you can see why from how this place looks. Dry, ugly, uninspired. How can he expect us to enjoy his creation when there’s nothing but forest?” She wound up and took a swipe at a tree. A section of bark crumbled to the ground.

“Let us head north.” Kirill suggested. “Remaining her forever will only see us dying of thirst. At least, we can find a place to rest and have a drink of water.”

“Good idea, your High Excellency!” the serpent said. “This man is so full of good ideas. You should listen to him.”

“Don’t patronize me, reptile. Your quips are unamusing, and no amount of wine would make them so..”

The serpent quietly hung her head and followed behind the confident Kirill. As soon as his head was turned, she looked back at us and pointed at him, making faces.

“O Thousand-tailed serpent, please bless me with your knowledge,” Maria bowed. “Why does the ice ignore my call?”

“Serpent is fine. Well, I don’t know. This void star was not made by me. I can give an…educated guess. If you are willing to hear me speculate. Which I am sure you are, because we may as well share information while trapped in this forest.”

“Go on, serpent.” Maria threw aside the pretense of respect. “Tell us.”

“My colleague was never much a fan of people like you. Not you, but these mage-scholars in general. He was a real combat-lover, a fight enthusiast. Nothing gets him going faster than seeing some guys hack each other to death with swords.”

“So, what does that have to do with us?” Maria asked.

“The void saps all of your ice away, that is all. It is the same reason Anastasia can’t try to close the rift from inside. It’ll suck away anything she brings out of her ribbons. It also means if we run into any of his pets, you will be fighting without your special magics. Are you ready for that?”

“I am. Maria answered.”

“As am I.” Kirill declared confidently.

“No! Without my ribbons, I would hate to get in a conflict with someone. Maria, protect me.” I begged.

“Of course, Anastasia. The creatures of the void will be wishing I had my ice.”

“It’s a good thing you say that, because there’s one coming. And it’s quite the big one. Do you have experience fighting a bear, perhaps?” the serpent asked.

“Humans cannot fight bears bare-handed.” Maria answered.

“A dragon, maybe? A two-tailed sea reaper?”

“Those are even bigger than bears!”

“Ah, then I would suppose you run. Dying here would be quite the anticlimactic ending, after all.”

“Serpent, your sense of humor is indeed grating, and I never thought I’d be agreeing with the sensibilities of the emperor.”

“Ah-hah!” the serpent blushed. “I am so happy you like it!”

“Lizard, you said there was an enemy approaching. What sort of enemy is it?” Kirill produced a shortsword from his belt. It was the same one as the one he’d fought at in the colosseum in Margaret’s welcome, but refinished with a newly polished silver edge. Against the mire of the void, it was a brilliant light, carving a path forward.

A shard of ice appeared in Maria’s hand. Unlike her flower petals, it was nothing more than a rough blade in the general shape of a dagger.

“Careful, Maria,” the serpent warned. “Manifesting your ice here at all is a sign of strength. Quite impressive, really. But the wear on your body will make itself felt.”

“I will put your warning under consideration. Now,where is the void-beast?”

The thundering boom of a falling tree sent a jolt up my spine. Until then, all we’d seen of the void star’s inhabitants were the lowly overgrowths. The dead masses of plant matter composing their bodies, while disgusting, did not inspire fear in a victim quite the way the thing behind us did. It was a pillar of flesh, stretching higher than any tree. What I had thought were hairs were thousands upon thousands of contorted fingers, shriveled and grey. A column of eyes, every one looking straight at me, lined the pillars, its pupils contracting as it focused its gaze on my location. No matter where I ran or hid, it watched.

“Now that, that is a void beast if I’ve seen one. Good luck, you three.” the serpent said quickly before dashing in the opposite direction.

“We are not fighting that thing, run!” Maria yelled.

“Agreed. Let us go, Anastasia, there is no time to waste.” Kirill held out his hand.

The chase lasted what felt like hours. The serpent sprinted far ahead of us, before turning around and waving her arms, as if cheering us on. It was quite aggravating seeing her easily outrun the pillar of eyes behind us, while we struggled to build distance between us. The pillar pushed through the deep-colored dirt, unearthing roots and rocks wherever it went.

Maria, perhaps recklessly, slowed down. She waited until the pillar was within only a few paces, with its horrific clicking sounds from the joints on a million fingers popping and stretching. She then snapped her body around, took aim, and launched the shard of ice in her hand directly at an eye. The whole thing shuddered and stopped for a moment, before adjusting its gaze towards her. It changed direction, now trailing on Maria’s location. But she was quick. Using a stray branch like a throwing spear, she stabbed through another eye, running circles around the eye. Another eye pierced through by a strategically placed tree trunk, and finally, only the eyes far in the air were left unharmed. The pillar wobbled and hesitated. It could not see us.

“Brilliant! Truly, brilliant! So confident too. Are you sure you’ve never fought a bear?” the serpent asked.

“I’ve fought much worse. A bear or two would be easy in comparison.” Maria smiled. I grabbed her hand and embraced her body. She was shaking, and she desperately sucked air in and out. She was winded. But I felt her arms wrap around my back. “Thank you, Anastasia, but our work is not finished. It will eventually return. We should make some distance before it recovers its bearings.”

I nodded. “The forest ahead might seem endless, but someone lived here for over a century. There has to be more to it than this.”

—

Exia crawled up the narrow cave slowly. His knees betrayed him; in any other state he could bound up this vertical cave with hardly a second of consideration. But in this weakened state, he could barely move his limbs, much less manage a jump. The dull stinging sensation from the burns across his body did not bother him much. They were shallow, and if he averted his mind, the discomfort would subside. What occupied his attention was the itch. The severe burns across his back that had destroyed his flesh did not hurt, but every second was clouded with an urge to take his claws and plunge them into the charred bits to scratch them away, for only a moment’s relief. He resisted and continued upwards, but progress was slow. Each passing moment, his body screamed for relief. It was growing too much. He stopped at a ledge. Aya’s shattered gate was in sight, and the yellow sunbeams peeking through the cracks intensified the itch. As he laid on the ground, his hands twitched.

“Horrible. Truly. Did someone string you over an open fire and leave you to cook?” Canary’s voice was barely audible over the rabid thoughts permeating Exia’s thoughts.

“Help me pick him up, Canary. We need to clean him off.” the captain spoke. Exia didn't have the chance to say goodbye to them when they left.

“You have returned,” he said. “Why?”

“No need to talk now. Uh-up you go.” The two hoisted Exia onto their shoulders. Canary’s shoulders were wide and provided a comfortable hold, but the captain struggled to match his height.

“Take me to the entrance. There was a unit stationed not far from the entrance. If we wait for them, they should come to see us soon.” Exia ordered. When he made his way from the temporary operating base to give aid to Anastasia’s party, he had also directed some followers to stay a safe distance behind him. Spare supplies and potential support were never unwelcome.

“You need a doctor. Those burns look bad. What happened?” the captain asked.

“I fought a losing battle. In the end, I could not achieve perfection. Isa of the Golden Flame and Emily of the Cold Lightning, they are fearsome enemies.”

“But you are alive. Why? They easily could have finished you off in your weakened state. Do not expect me to believe they had mercy on you.” Canary said in disbelief. “I have spent the last two years adventuring with people who’d kill before you even finished speaking, what makes you so lucky to make it out of defeat alive?”

“Isa's had a change of heart. She no longer holds the brutal nature she had when she first left the void star.”

“Good news, I guess.” the captain said.

“Bad news. It is very bad. Her position as a ruler was untenable, seeking to silence or destroy everything that stood in her path. If she is merciful, just, or holds any other positive qualities, that could be considered a disaster for you.” Exia shook his head. Recollection of the events of the last few hours only clarified the problem at hand. Kirill’s seat as emperor was only as strong as the conviction of his followers. Someone who could sway the hearts of those who acknowledged him would be his worst enemy.

“Curious. You live, and you lament the mercy of the one who spared you?” Canary laughed. “I cannot believe you people who sit on seats of power.”

“We have more on our minds than self-preservation. You have my thanks for helping me out of this cave, I doubt my unit would venture down here. But I must ask you. Why have you returned? You and I both know how powerless you are in the face of those two.”

“Self-preservation. The mending of the void star also means I am returned to it. Or more correctly, consumed by it. I did not exist on the other side. I was born from the blood shed of its first wound.” Canary said. “It is curious. Those of you who have flesh as fragile as a snowflake in a blizzard would throw it all away.”

“And yet you, an abyssal, of which death is a matter of impossibility, cling to life. I agree.” Exia smiled a weak smile. “So, what will you do?”

“Isa is not the only one to sway hearts. In the end, there is one girl who holds the key to it all.” the captain said.

“Anastasia. The holder of the power of creation, and the one whose heart will decide it all.” Exia clenched his fist. “Until now, every conflict that girl has confronted has been solved with the power she wields. This is what I believe. But on this day, fate has called for a different way. Go forth, human and abyssal. You have gone to tell Anastasia to leave the rift open, I presume?”

“You are correct.”

“Ironic. Now, we stand as enemies, even while you tend to my wounds and seek to aid me. No matter. I will make no effort to stop you.”

“What is it that you want, Exia of Margaret’s tree? Why have you come here, gone to such lengths, sustained such injuries to help us? I see nothing in it for you.” Canary asked.

Exia thought. It was the same question he’d asked himself as he battled Emily. This time, the answer came clearly. “You mistake me…I am but a humble neighbor. I would only want the fittest ruler for you all, for our mutual benefit. It came as a surprise to myself, how attached I had grown to this mission. Even I have been carried away.”

“You don’t mean…that man?!” Canary exclaimed.

“That is right, I do not. But there is another I believe fitting, if only there was a way.”

“He means Anastasia, Canary.” the captain explained.

“I know!”

—

“So, once again, I have returned. After chasing my beckoning freedom, by my own two feet, I have returned to the void. I hope this may be the last. Welcome, Emily! Welcome to my home!” Isa held her arms out triumphantly. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Isa, I have something important to discuss with you.” Emily said.

“Then speak! I will lend an ear.”

“The girl with ribbons who Maria holds dear as a friend. When we were given jurisdiction of the Archive as well as any related libraries, I did a full search into her. She’s a lower noble from the outskirts of the northernmost district, from a small estate and an only child. A noble only in name, she may as well be any commoner.”

“And? What of it?”

Emily’s expression was downcast. “Her father’s case was curious. He was executed on suspicion of poisoning several of the Sveshen family, including Kirill’s father, Pyotr. This was all swept under the rug under Friedrich’s orders. Furthermore, when Kirill ascended, he seemingly held no interest in pursuing the matter further. In fact-”

“I am aware. I heard from Matrie what became of the lower nobles at that man’s inauguration. This bores me, Emily. I have no need for a history lesson now.”

“Those two, Anastasia and Kirill, are natural enemies. Their families have both been killed in mutual bloodshed.”

“I understand. Rather than to strike at the fire, we should cut the wick instead, is that what you are suggesting?” Isa asked.

“Yes. This can all be won without fighting. But one more thing, pertaining to Anastasia’s mother. She was of high birth, who seemingly vanished in the capital, based on a city guard logbook. Some five years ago, she came to the city, and never left. Soon after, her husband appeared, tore open the void star, made his way to the capital, and poisoned almost a dozen of the royal family at a banquet.”

“Nothing at all is puzzling to me. Those accursed Sveshen dogs took her away and ripped her apart like a spare piece of meat. The father, knowing this, took his revenge. Is it not beautiful? Even she should have the seeds of revenge growing in her heart!” Isa said gleefully. “Hearing of this tickles my fancy, you know. Stories of sweet revenge never fail to amuse me.”

“I thought you were tired of the bloodshed. Were you not looking for a peaceful solution?” Emily asked.

“I was. But just because I want peace doesn’t mean my heart refuses the sweet scent of blood and hatred.”

“The two are a contradiction.” Emily said.

“But are they? Emily of the Cold Lightning, is there anything truly contradictory about it? My mind wants peace, but my heart wants blood. That is all there is to it. It is your choice which you follow. Besides, I do believe you have harbored such feelings in your heart. From the beginning, I had faith in you. Your hands moved with your mind, but soon your heart drew you back. To me. Because I am the one your heart follows, and so your body follows me.”

“I suppose so. I regret speaking of this.” Emily said. When she had seen the fate of Anastasia’s parents, and the involvement of Kirill’s family in their deaths, something stirred within her. Thoughts of Vivian took root in her mind. If she were to perish, would she blame Vivian for taking revenge on the killers? Most certainly not. But one thing disgusted her. What if Vivian grew up and became close to such people, their vile deeds unbeknownst to her? Would Emily stir in her grave? Most certainly. Kirill’s fall was just. Not only for the sake of the Academy, but to end the sins of his family. They could not stop until Kirill and every one of his blood was slain and thrown into a fire.

“All of those Sveshen relatives, I had them buried alive. None of them will give us any more trouble. I was afraid to tell you of this until now, Emily. Kirill is the last one. I feel like a fickle person, Emily. One day I spare a man, the next I kill a woman and child. I feel truly evil. But it is natural, is it not?” Isa laughed. She was most at home in the mists of the void, an existence who found their place among the monsters of the dark. “Come, Emily! I know these forests as if they were my own home. We shall approach the exit and await them there.”

“But what of it? What will become of Anastasia when this is all finished? When the blood of our enemies rains from the sky, will she not become just as twisted and hateful as the ones you despise?” Emily asked.

“She will. But that is also good. Hatred and twistedness is not a bad thing. Maybe she will have the strength of character to resist it, even. I have seen the woman at Anastasia’s side. She killed your precious Matrie, after all. Do you feel nothing over her death?”

“I…did. But Matrie was always a kind girl. She was gentle, and her gentleness was the reason I always hesitated to send her to do the most violent work. If possible, I would have liked to preserve her gentle heart.”

“You should have told me that before I sent her to die, Emily.” Isa’s face was dead serious. “Anastasia will brave her own trial. Just as I was betrayed and banished here, she will be banished to a prison of her own mind. I look forward to the shape she has taken when she breaks free of it.”

—

My feet sank slightly as I walked on the thin cover of twigs and sodden grass. It was muddy, my boots were heavy with caked dirt and mud. The ground sloped slightly upwards, until it turned sharply down, revealing a hedge. Within the lightless shelter, there were signs of life. A fire pit, a crudely carved wooden bowl. Animal bones dumped into a shallow grave in the corner. Even a makeshift bed was placed in the corner, fashioned out of long pieces of wood and muddy clumps of dried grass.

“Someone lived here. For quite a while.” Maria poked at the animal bones. “Most of these are picked clean, first by the one living here, then by the bugs after they left. This place is abandoned.”

“Do you have any idea who it could be?” I asked the serpent. She was busy digging her claws into the dirt, pointing her nose against the ground.

“I have an idea.. There is nothing to say the exiles here were limited to the ones we know.” The serpent wrapped its clawed fingers around a small box. It was old and caked with dirt, still dry amidst the moisture of the forestry environment outside. “Here it is. I thought I smelled something.” The serpent tried to pry open the box with no heed for the padlock bolted to its side. “Open…up!”

“Here, let me try.” Maria held out her hand. Upon receiving the box, she raised her arm and slammed it into the hard dirt floor, breaking the locked box into two halves. The broken bits of wood that had kept the box together laid strewn about the floor. Within was but a single pendant, an oval of silver but rimmed with gold at the point where it opened. “Look at this, Anastasia.” Maria picked up the pendant. The chain kept its silvery luster, in spite of its age. It looked old, every link was two pieces of metal twisted into a false metal braid.

Maria gently opened it. Inside was a picture of two girls, one with black hair and deep blue eyes. Her hair looked as if she’d cut the bangs herself, they were messy and of all different lengths. Eyeglasses covered her face, making her eyes seem even wider and her face cuter than without. She had a toothy smile and one arm wrapped around the other girl. The other had blonde hair and red eyes; she held a reluctant frown and the way she looked away from the viewer seemed to show she had little desire to be present in the image.

“Aya…and Isa.” I recognized those girls. They were great scholars, wielding power that had never been seen since. I recalled the painting in the book I read in my father’s study. Those clothes were the same. Aya’s dress was black and extended past her knees. A single button held the dress closed at her hip, but her entire body was covered. Isa’s dress, adorned with gold and white lace, looked similar to that which a dancer might wear. It was short and left her arms and knees exposed. “What is such an item doing here?”

“Those outfits are similar to what we wore in the Academy,” Maria said.

“I would have liked to see you wearing something so nice…” Maria’s body would have been a perfect fit for Aya’s outfit, with her mysterious and slightly angry stare. The black with minor blue shades in the hat and beneath the dress would have contrasted her dull yellow eyes well.

“Too late. Maybe when we return home, I might take it out for you once.” she offered.

“If you have come across Isa’s lair while she lived out her time in the void, then that must mean the exit is near. She was able to find it shortly after it opened. If we search the area, we should be able to leave this place.” Kirill grabbed a torch mounted to the wall. “Come, Anastasia. Our victory draws near.”

“Before that, one more thing.” the serpent sunk her claws into the dry spot from which she took the box. When she raised her hands again, she held a piece of wood. It was marked with shallow scratches one one side, dotted and lined crudely. “A map. Of this part of the void.”

“I thought the void was endless. Or so they say.” Maria said. “Would a map have meaning in such a world?”

“Perhaps it isn’t. Or you can cross the end of one side, only to reappear on another, giving the illusion of an endless void. Regardless, we know Isa escaped from here, so she had to do it in some way.” the serpent said. “Creating the image of infinity can be more important than making infinity itself.”

“Enough of your philosophical ramblings, let us go. We must leave this place.” Kirill urged us on.

“Fine, fine.” Maria said.

“Careful, you all. The void should not be so easy to escape, even if there is one. Expect more than a simple trek to an exit.” the serpent warned.

—

Several hours of walking later, and we could find no exit. There was a river to the north of Isa’s hideout, flowing with goopy black water which held the scent of fish. Other than the serpent, who took one sip of the water and gagged, none of us dared to indulge in the strange drink. Beyond the forest was another forest, at which we chose to look elsewhere. To leave one forest only to enter another was not the result any of us were searching for.

“No luck.” Maria pulled a section of bark from a tree and started to chew it. As she bit down, the bark released some droplets of thick fluid, which Maria gulped down. “I am hungry. If we do not leave soon, we will have to consume some void creatures as well as drink from the suspicious river. If either of those things does not appeal to you, we must find a solution.”

“I do not know! Nor do I have to eat or drink, so your incentives do not affect me, Miss Maria.” the serpent teased. “You chew that bark with real conviction. Have you considered becoming a vegetarian?”

“I have no time for your jokes, but at least you aren’t complaining about food.” Kirill said. “I am not hungry, but I would prefer to avoid letting Anastasia go hungry.” This was immediately interrupted by a strange gurgling sound coming from his stomach, but Maria and I looked at each other and tacitly understood that we did not notice what just happened.

“I heard it! Your stomach is rumbling! You are hungry! Even more than the girls!” the serpent laughed.

“Silence lizard. I am not in the mood to entertain your childish words.”

“Still…how are we going to leave? It’s so boring here. Nothing but trees and dirt and a strange river and a giant pillar of flesh.”

When I recalled the creature covered in eyes that Maria had fought, there was something strange about it. The top of the flesh pillar was not visible from the ground; it stretched into the sky endlessly. It was a spear piercing the empty purple sky…except the sky wasn’t empty. “Maria! When you fought the void-creature, do you remember anything strange about it?”

“Not in particular. Why?”

“I think…it could hold the key to leaving this place.”

“Explain. What about that thing could lead us to the escape?”

“The ball of light in the sky! I believe that is the exit. And the way we leave is by climbing the void creature.”

“I wouldn’t put it past the guy to make something like that. A fun little way to punish cowards and reward bravery.” the serpent commented.

“Well done, Anastasia.” Kirill put his hand on my head and ran it through my hair. It was firm, but gentle at the same time. “Your insight is commendable.”

“We are not climbing a wall of fingers to leave this place. I am sorry, but that is too strange for me.” the serpent said.

“What does your opinion matter? Will you not return to Anastasia’s ribbons the moment we leave?” Maria asked.

“Yes, but I still have to leave. For now, I am a woman who needs to leave this place so I can help you seal these lands away forever. Consider a world where I do not escape a lost one.”

“We will pierce the insides of the creature and climb up. I am sure its carcass will provide quite the ladder for your ascent.” Kirill said confidently.

The pillar of flesh took little time to find us. In fact, it was likely slowly following us the whole time, taking care not to find any spare pollutants in its eyes. As it moved towards us, the nature of the shifting ground hid whatever dirt displaced by the pillar, even as it knocked down trees and leveled hills in its path. The uncanny way it moved was not constant, but rather with a stride. It rose and fell, slowing down and speeding up in regular intervals. It was a walk without legs, a function of the pillar’s hidden machinations.

“I will distract it, carve your way into its body.” Kirill ordered.

“For one and the last time, I will heed your orders.” Maria agreed. She barely waited for Kirills signal to turn before plunging a stick deep into the eye of the flesh pillar. The iris staring straight at her grew and shrunk, before Maria pierced the ring of muscle with a shard of ice in her hand. Thick viscous clear fluid flowed from the wound, and unlike the first time, the eye itself began to shrink like a leaking bag of milk. The thousands of fingers adorning the pillar contracted in pain, and every eye scattered across the whole body looked straight at Maria. From beneath the surface of fingers, arms, jointed at two, three, even four locations shot out to grab Maria. Noticing her position, Maria leapt out of the way and made distance. Even the quickest hand in the pillar’s arsenal proved useless in the face of Maria’s agility. As the fluid receded, only the inside wall of the eye had to be pierced, and the inside would be revealed to us. Maria went for a final blow, leaping straight into the wet cavity left behind by the destroyed eye and, with a swing of her whole body, opened a gaping cut in the eye’s vein-covered interior.

“Quickly! Into the eye!” Kirill yelled.

“Eww…a big eye. I would never eat the eyes of fish, too gross.” the serpent recoiled.

“That has nothing to do with us. Get in, or be stranded here.” Kirill yelled.

“Fine!”

The serpent and I followed Kirill as he leapt feet first into the pulverized eyeball and further widened the hole Maria made with his shortsword. The pillar itself shuddered and shook, and as if looking to repair the eye, more thick fluid flowed from the walls as we ventured into the opening Maria created.

“Quickly! Get past the eye!” Maria yelled from the other side.

—

“Wow…now that we see this, I am not even sure what we fought could be called alive.”

The inside of the wall of flesh was a wall of interlocking joints, attached by sections of folded skin. Together they formed a lattice of flesh, ready to pull in anyone foolish enough to approach the creature. But we were inside. Only a set of spiral stairs pointing upward was within the pillar. As soon as we were all inside, the pillar was still. We ascended the bone-like stairs, bracing for impact every time one of the bones bent under our weight. But it held fast, and soon we stood at the top of the void. The ball of light, which gave off a dim glow looking from the bottom, seared its image into our eyes with its shine.

“You’ve come, Anastasia.” It was the girl from the locket. Her hair and eyes were black as night, but her boyish face could not be mistaken. She was Isa, standing alongside the Lady. “Welcome to my home. What did you think of it, I wonder. I must say, it is far less lively than it used to be. All that lived here raced for the surface when the barrier was shattered. None of us remain. I am the final void creature, if you will.”

Kirill unsheathed his sword. Shards of ice appeared between Maria’s fingers.

“I see. You have come to fight. And you, Maria,” Isa pointed at and eyed her curiously. “You are willing to blemish your ice, yes? The curse of the void will stay with you forever. It is too much to bear. I would stop if I were you.”

“What became of Exia? What did you do to the sarassin that stayed behind?” Kirill bellowed.

“Why, we defeated him and sent him on his way, of course.” Isa replied.

“I refuse to believe you would let him live!”

“What, and have him die for you? Not many are willing to make that sacrifice. Nor should they. There is nothing about you worth dying for. Your death, on the other hand, is worth something.” Isa held her hands behind her back. Her stance was not one of a fighter. “Put your ice away, Maria. I have no intention of engaging in a conflict with you. You will know why after you hear what there is to be said. Emily! Your turn.”

“Say it yourself. If it makes you so happy.” Emily said quietly. She slunk behind Isa.

“Anastasia, did you love your parents?” Isa asked.

Memories flooded back. The sight of my father’s mangled body on the operating table sent my heart into a panic and my stomach heaving. I grabbed my chest. Now was not the time to falter. She knew something I did not, and I had to know.

“Anastasia, don’t heed her words!” Kirill ordered. I ignored him.

“I did.”

“And you know what became of them…”

“I do.”

“Your father, butchered and left to rot! Left in the catacombs, with no funeral, no respect to his name. All for the crime of preserving his honor. And what of your mother? Have you no memory of her?”

“Little. She disappeared when I was nine or ten. I never found out what happened. Father became quiet, and would never answer my question when I asked. ”

“Of course, as she was slaughtered! By the very same man killed by your father, who was then executed in retribution.”

“Isa, how do you-” Emily stepped forward.

“You are not the only one to have poked around the past of the palace, Emily. Pyotr, was it? Kirill’s father. Anastasia. He was a man of great lust, and one fateful night, he set his eyes upon your mother, who had been invited to a ball due to her noble birth. When she rejected the then-emperor’s advances, he had her killed and thrown to the bottom of the Pit!” Isa laughed. “And-and, do you know what happened then?”

I had nothing to say. I fell to my knees, covering my ears. But no effort could protect me from the creeping dread of Isa’s cackling voice.

“Your father spent the next four years-only to take revenge. Even he had no clue of what had happened, but he knew someone in the palace had taken his love from him. He was a careful man. Aware of his own powerlessness, he sought to shatter the star and free the monsters that lay within. But that wasn’t enough. It took me quite a time to get out of here, after all. If only he’d waited another day, another five hours, even, he may still be alive today. Instead, he poisoned a banquet hall full of Kirill’s family, killing almost all of them.”

“Why are you saying this to us?” Maria asked. “Did you only come to make her suffer from your words?”

“We only want you to know the truth. Maria and Anastasia, you are a natural enemy of the Sveshen line. They have committed a grave sin against you. And there is only one man left to atone. Will your parents rest knowing you have aided their killer?”

A pair of ice shards, larger than daggers, flew at Kirill’s neck. He dodged to the side and with a quick slash, cut them both out of the air.

“Anastasia, allow me.” Maria whispered. She rushed at Kirill, a blade of ice clenched in both fists.

“Maria! Stop! I don’t want this!” I screamed.

“It’s for your own good. If he lives, you will never escape the sins of the past. I am sorry I could not find another way. At least I can keep the blood from spilling onto your hands.” Her blades collided with Kirill’s outstretched sword, shattering into pieces. Another pair grew from her hands, and she continued her assault. Kirill’s longer sword and range made up for his slower reflexes, and he maintained a constant retreat. If he stepped backwards, the strikes that he was too slow to block swung through the air.

“Stop retreating, Kirill. It’s cowardly.” Isa taunted. “Accept your end. You will not leave this place.”

I stepped forward. Someone needed to stop them. As my left foot touched the ground to stop them, two arms wrapped themselves tightly around my body. It was Isa. Her tiny frame betrayed the monstrous strength contained within. I twisted my hips and pulled at her fingers, but no luck. She bound herself to me as tight as a snake looking to smother its prey. “You will see this through,” she said. “It is your fate, after all.”

“Maria! No!”

Maria backed up and readied another assault. Shimmers of ice, struggling to form against the void’s resistance. She was preparing a final blow. Kirill held his sword high, pointing its end at Maria from shoulder level. As Maria launched herself at him, he made one final sidestep and swung the sword from low, plunging it deep into her abdomen. At the same time, two shards of ice finally broke free and buried themselves in his chest. Maria struggled against the blade in her body, but Kirill was not so lucky. His knees shook and buckled, sending him to the ground.

“Oh-oh. I expected more from you, Maria. Taking a fatal blow from a lowly swordsman?” Isa laughed. “Anastasia, I suppose you need to save her, don’t you.”

“Let me go!” I screamed and jabbed Isa right in the eye with my finger, sending her clutching her face in pain. “Lady of the Academy! Help me carry these two out of here! We can still save them, if we use the serpent’s power.”

“I will take Maria, but not him. Leave him here.”

“Argh-” I gripped Kirill’s jacket and tried dragging him by the shoulders, but he was heavy. His body didn’t budge. Blood spilled from his mouth, and he looked straight up in a daze.

“Anastasia…” he said weakly. “That’s you, Anastasia. In the end, that damn cat was right…”

“Don’t say that now! Just let me help you!” I tugged at him again, but the frailty of my own body betrayed me. I looked at the serpent, who crouched near the entrance of the platform, by the tower of flesh. “Serpent! You were able to heal Maria when we came in! Heal him, now!”

“I can’t. I used the last of my strength to keep Maria alive before it was stolen away by this place.”

“Then help me carry him!”

“I’m sorry Maria, but we both know I can’t do that. This body is nothing more than a ghost of the past.”

“Anastasia-” he spat out a mouthful of blood. “Have you considered my proposal? I know it was a bit early, but-”

“Not now! Acting like this is the end, all of you!” When I looked back, everyone was gone. They had long left through the rift, and it was just him and I.

“I have a request, Anastasia.” Kirill’s voice was breathy and exhausted. “Could you embrace me, just this once. I would like to know how it feels.”

I put my arms around him. His chest was wet with blood, and Maria’s ice had melted away quickly after it formed. But he was warm. His body was big, and his arms were plenty long enough to return the favor. But he laid there silently, blankly staring at the sky.

“So that’s what I’ve been missing all along…almost worth dying for…hahah.”

No one could hear my screams. No one could feel the pain in my heart. I was alone, and as life left Kirill’s eyes I knew the journey’s end had come.