I crossed my arms. "Keep reading my thoughts; this talk won't be friendly."

The tiny figure floated to hover just above my nose. Her eyes darted between mine and Chomperz, who sat on my shoulder.

She looked like... a fairy, almost like Áine. Unlike the little green sprite, she sported skin made of obsidian crystal and hair equally as crystalline and dark. Behind her, instead of insect wings, flapped floating amalgamations of shadows and pink glitter—they resembled wings in all but name.

Thankfully, she sported clothes made of pink glass that sparkled with a rainbow tint as she subtly adjusted midair.

She leaned forward, nearly pressing her face into mine. "And what are you going to do about it?"

I didn't have to do anything. Chomperz did it for me.

He opened his mouth and lunged, clamping onto the fairy's nose.

The fairy screamed and windmilled, her arms desperately flailing as Chomperz refused to let go. "Aaagh! Get him off! Get him off!"

I grabbed chomperz, who let go only to chomp again, tearing a small hole into her dress. Her mouth dropped as she grabbed the mist. The shadows and pink glitter flowed into place, restoring the hole, but not before she glared at the dragonling.

Her tongue began moving, but not before my hand blocked her view. "You done trying to intimidate me?"

It was funny; I truly felt no fear. Something in my gut told me as much, in the same way, I knew instinctively how to react to the forest guardians when I first met them.

And this fairy, this place, and strange situation?

I felt perfectly safe.

The fairy lowered my hand with surprising strength, her dress flowing around my palm to force it to the side, revealing a narrowed-eyed tiny woman.

"You attempt to steal my essence again, I'll make it hurt."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Nice bluff. You sure you can follow through?"

Her mouth snapped shut. "Hrmmph."

She spun around and floated away, not far but enough to be out of reach. When she pivoted about, she examined me, her eyes roaming across every inch of exposed skin.

"Bold of you to talk to me that way."

I bowed my head, which produced an audible gasp from the small being. "It's an honor to meet you. I am Cyrus."

When I raised my head, the fairy looked flustered, light pink coloring her cheeks—standing out in stark contrast against her dark skin.

"It's an... honor to meet you too!" she huffed. She rose into the air, hovering above my head to look down. "It's not every day to meet a soul marked by the Weave itself."

I raised my head. "Not wanting to be rude, but what exactly are you? And where are we?"

The fairy froze midair, her arms akimbo and her wings static. "Do... do you not know who I am?"

"Can't say I do," I said while shaking my head. "I tried to connect to the crystal obelisk and was sucked in here. Next thing I know, I'm in limbo."

"But... H-how?" she started. Her hair started to float upwards, and the shadowy mesh that made up her wings elongated into several spikes along the edges. "You're a Keeper! That's impossible!"

Her voice carried through the space, filling the entire room as if speaking with a distortion delayed by half of a half second.

I raised my hands and lowered my head slightly. "How about you tell me your name and explain what this place is?"

I suspected I was in some dimensional space the same way Albrus separated me. And the longer I stayed in this unfamiliar place, disconnected from reality, the more certain I became.

Crystal clacked on crystal and created a melodic chime as she vibrated. When he finally stopped, she flew closer, her hands grasping at the air.

"I am Xenatralaxusvelus Aurendaleuvwempak! Assistant Fairy to the Dungeon Core Weldrammornorpelus! Custodian of Temrus Temple! How. Do. You. Not. Know. Who. I. Am?!"

That's a lot of syllables...

"I don't. Sorry. This whole situation is whacky. I'm only here because my dad told me to investigate the city. Next thing we know, mind eaters, crazy dungeon, and a warning about some fragment of a dead god."

If she was going to be confusing, I could be too. But I watched her face, seeing how she internalized everything I said.

She lowered to eye level and crossed her legs, sitting on nothing. "I see."

It was a drastic change from the fury she displayed a moment before. And I didn't miss the information she dropped about dungeon cores having fairy assistants. This must be part of why Cal told me to keep mum.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"So where are we, Xena?"

She glared, probably at the shortening of her name. "We're trapped. Inside a prison that used to be our dimensional space."

"You and Weldrammornorpelus?"

"Yes."

So all dungeon cores existed inside a pocket, outside of reality. But that didn't explain the obelisk.

"The room my friends and I were in was large, had a moat filled with pink mana, and a crystal pillar extended up to the ceiling on the central island. It felt like ether."

"Because it is. Diluted and less dense due to it being dungeon-aspected mana. But it's ether. And you found the core chamber," she explained. Then her eyes hardened. "You shouldn't be able to, the space is cut off from the rest of the dungeon."

Black eyes glared into mine, and I stared back.

"How much do you know about what's going on? And why can't I use my mana? Why is my soulspace frozen, but Chomperz is here."

Xena opened her mouth but Chomperz chomped at the air. She tried to speak again, but once more, Chomperz disrupted her.

She puffed her cheeks. "Fine. I won't tell him. You'll have to figure that out yourself. As far what I know. Nothing. I'm blind in here."

"How do you know I'm a Keeper? Or whatever you called it."

"Are you joking?" Xena searched my face but shook her head. "You're not. Wow. Whoever is your parent, they did a poor job preparing you. Shoddy work for a god."

It wasn't the first time some unknown entity seemed to know things about me. But I had to ask.

"How do you know any of this?"

She placed a finger on my chest, prodding my sternum. "You're hiding some things. I can see the work of something above my paygrade obfuscating parts of your soul. But right now? You're entirely exposed."

I looked down and splayed my fingers, watching the light interact with the void. The glow looked familiar, and the mention of a soul connected a few pieces.

"Am I showing my soul somehow?"

"Correct! You're not actually here; you're talking to me through soul projection."

Despite not having a body, I felt a migraine creeping behind my eyes.

"Why..." I asked out loud. Xena frowned and looked up, but I waved my hand. "Forget it. Where's your core?"

"He's asleep," Xena growled. Her wings expanded and formed blades at the end, sharpening into fine points. "That asshole! Used its influence to force him into a coma, taking control of the dungeon in his absense."

"The dead god?"

"Yes!"

I wanted to get this over with and return to Solara.

"How do we wake him? And how do we get rid of the foreign divinity."

Xena stayed silent, her body drifting on an unseen breeze as she glowered at something in the distance.

I waited. And when that didn't work, I waved a hand in front of her face. She kicked it away and shook her fist.

"Quit it!"

"Well?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"What?"

"I said I don't know!"

I felt like banging my head against a wall.

"What do you mean you don't know? How? Why?!"

"Dungeon cores are not supposed to be invaded by dead gods!"

Uggghh.

Pain poked at my earlobe, and I swatted Chomperz away.

"What?"

Chomp!

"That tells me nothing."

He used his stubby paw to grip my cheekbone and push it to the side. I turned to face him, meeting his eyes as he pressed his snout closer.

I stared at the spinning rings, the bright crimson drawing me in.

Chomperz opened his mouth and chomped!

Right.

Chomperz backed away and resettled on my shoulder.

"There has to be something we can do. I refuse to be stuck here."

Xena crossed her arms, but she didn't refute my words. Instead, she stared at my chest.

I had an urge to cover myself, but I doubted it would have done anything to prevent her from seeing my soul.

When she uncrossed her arms, I expected another speech, but she floated back to my sternum and placed her finger against my hoodie.

"Lift up your clothes."

I quirked an eyebrow but complied.

My tattoo was there, glowing in bright prismatic colors that contrasted with the muteness of the void. With a flex, the tattoo's glow intensified, and I felt something scratch at my senses.

For the first time since waking up in this limbo space, I felt mana flare to life. Like sparks in the dead of night, they caught your attention.

Huh.

Xena reached her hand closer but stopped just before touching my skin. She withdrew her arm and floated up to meet my eyes.

"You're the spawn of a chaos god?"

"Uh. Yeah," I confirmed.

Her dress and wings became a tornado, black dust and glittering shards catching the prismatic glow of my tattoo. "Then I have a plan.

She smiled when she said those words and revealed rows of shark-like teeth instead of molars.

Those were never good words.

-------

"No."

"What do you mean no? It's the only way!"

I rubbed at my temples, trying to desperately massage the stress away.

"I'm not going to become a dungeon core. What part of 'refuse to be stuck here' is hard to understand?"

Xena pried my fingers away and gripped tight. "You won't! We're only doing this to wake my partner up. When we're done, we unbind. Simple!"

I nearly hissed, displaying my fangs threateningly.

The conversation had been going on for what felt like forever. Back and forth, her plan seemed crazy.

Not that I was one to talk. Crazy plans were not unusual. But still! I refused to risk becoming some disembodied soul.

"How can you be sure?"

She thumped my forehead with tiny fists. "This! Use your knowledge. You're a Keeper!"

I let the anger go, forcing it deep inside my gut where it could sit pretty. After closing my eyes, I let my thoughts wander.

Bits of knowledge and information that seemed like I knew it, but I definitely didn't raced by. Eventually, I focused on the aspect of bonding, and I finally got an answer.

It was the first time I had ever pulled information so directly.

She's right. We can unbind. But it will leave its mark.

Chomp!

I glared, but gave in. "Right. Not like that's anything new."

"I can still hear you."

"Do you want me to agree or not?" I retorted.

Xena slammed both hands over her mouth and backed away.

"No. Fuck. Fine. Here, what do you need me to do?"

I extended my arm and held out my hand. Xena landed on my palm and smiled as she twirled with her arms up.

"Great! Hold me to your stomach and will the chaos outward. I'll guide the contract!" I started pushing her away. "Temporary! Temporary Contract! You're interesting, but not Weldrammornorpelus."

I hesitantly brought her closer and let her place both palms against my chest. Flexing the tattoo's power, the rainbow light intensified, shifting hues rapidly.

Something grabbed hold; it was far stronger than I had expected, feeling like the might of a giant pulling on a rope. Xena rocked her head back, her eyes fluttering, showcasing the sea of rainbow stars behind her eyelids.

The power churned and rushed into her body, swirling in multiple directions like threads being split.

Finally, a rush of power so heavy it felt like molten lead rushed inside my chest and forced its way into my mana pool.

I closed my eyes and watched a deluge of pink goop tinged with glittering shadow cascade like a waterfall inside the soulspace.

In the real world, I watched Xena's wings change, and an obsidian halo formed above her head. Opening her eyes, she stared with chromatic sclera and a glowing-red, upside-down triquetra in place of her irises.

"Oh. This feels good."