The doors to Ma’s chambers slammed shut behind the guards. They looked at the double doors in confusion and a mountain of hesitation.

“Did she say to wait?” one of the guards asked cautiously.

“Ma is not usually one to be quiet. We would have clearly heard her if she changed her mind,” Oshrad said, but there was doubt in his voice.

The guards continued to stare at the door dumbly, not sure what to do. They never went back in without carrying out their duties. “Wait” could have been about anything. Maybe she wasn’t speaking to them. Even in his delirious state of pain, Zalan could see that the guards were as scared of Ma as they were loyal to her. They didn’t want to offend her as much as her guests feared a faux pas.

“Get back in here!” Ma said, clear enough that there were no more scruples between the guards.

A guard opened the double doors for the rest, allowing the others to go in first. Everyone was frozen as they stared at Ma, Rep and Zalan included. The room had brightened significantly, like a cloud finished passing overhead. Oshrad led the way back into the room, and Rep and Zalan were dragged in behind him. Ma stared in wonder at the vase on her desk.

The Nightbloom was regrowing its petals, the pink color restoring itself. It shook off its hunch and stood tall, radiantly displaying its most vibrant form. Its sweet fragrance began to permeate the room, enough to catch a whiff every few breaths.

The Reversal Stone worked. It turned time back on the dead flower by just a few minutes. Enough for Ma to have the flower she vyed. Zalan looked to the side of the desk where the Reversal Stone fell and saw that the Artifact had turned to ash; degraded after a single use.

“Absolutely amazing,” Ma said, shaking her head in wonder. She presented the Nightbloom with one hand as she spoke. “I have sent you to get this one flower… Let me see… How many times, Oshrad?”

“Twelve,” Oshrad mumbled in embarrassment.

“And Zalan and Rep did it on their first try,” Ma said, looking at the two beaten and bloodied friends.

The Reversal Stone’s power stopped affecting the flower. Rep and Zalan watched in abject horror as the flower slowly began to droop, ever so slightly. Even in Ma’s vase, the flower refused to live outside its natural habitat. While slower than when they were running with it, life drained from it. They didn’t want to think about what would happen if it died again while they were still in her mansion.

“I’m happy we could help,” Zalan said through grit teeth, speaking through severe pain in his arm. He ignored the blood running down his face, threatening to block his vision. “We should be going before we get your lovely place any dirtier.”

“Indeed,” Rep’s voice sounded congested, a welt on his face having changed the shape of his mouth. He was nodding rapidly, having caught on to Zalan’s attempt at an escape. “Thank you for your… hospitality. We should be getting out of your way.”

“Hey!” Ma snapped in offense. “You think I forgot my end of the deal? Are you saying that I go and ask for favors without repaying them?”

“No, of course not!” Zalan said, terrified. Everything that came out of their mouths felt like it had the potential to kill them. He almost wanted to beg her to tell him the right things to say to her.

“Good,” Ma said, then her expression grew joyous. “I am so pleased. It has been so long since I have seen a living Nightbloom. You have done me a great favor.”

“Ma,” Oshrad cleared his throat. “The flower looks to be dying.”

Rep and Zalan winced. They were hoping against everything that no one else would notice. But the flower was clearly sagging now, the once glowing color desaturating. Holding their breaths, Rep and Zalan looked for Ma’s reaction.

“What, do you think I am blind?” Ma asked him vociferously.

“No! You are the epitome of perfect sight!” Oshrad said immediately, standing at attention.

“Nightbloom is good in night-like environments,” Ma explained, caressing the wilting flower lovingly. “It is far too bright here. I was going to wait until after having talked to the two gentlemen here, but I can see you are worried about the state of my flower. As you should be, it is a precious flower. Though, it is true that I am running out of time.”

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Ma raised her arms around the vase in a circular motion, like she was molding spinning pottery around it. The flower vanished behind a black cylinder. Zalan blinked in shock, wondering where the dark void came from. Rep squinted with his one good eye. He gasped in realization, then coughed in pain.

“You have Elemental Shadow Power?” Rep asked, amazed.

Ma winked at him in reply.

“The flower will be flourishing in a few minutes,” Ma said. “In the meantime, I am having a hard time looking at these two when they look like they are in so much pain. Get them out of my sight.”

Without complaint, Rep and Zalan waited to be dragged away from Ma and escape this place. Zalan only hoped they would go easy on his broken arm now that Ma was happy with them. To his relief, the guards were gentler this time. The duo were pulled back a few inches before Ma spoke again.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“You said to take them outside?” one of the guards replied, confused.

“No! I clearly said ‘get them out of my sight.’ Take them to my private chambers so that they may take part in some Healing Rest. Then I will be ready to grant them an audience. I wish to speak to them when they are not wrought with pain. It can cause the mind to feel…” Ma waved her hand around her head to gesticulate the word she was looking for.

The room had gone tensely silent. All mouths of the guards were gaping open.

“Ma, we do not have to sully your quarters. They can sleep in my bed. It is luxurious enough for these guests,” Oshrad offered.

“Oshrad,” Ma said, a sharp tone in her voice.

Evidently, the one word was enough to get her point across.

“Yes, of course Ma.” Oshrad nodded obediently.

He walked shamefully to the door located behind where Ma was seated. He pushed it open, and stepped aside, awaiting the guests. It was a short hallway to a door made of pure gold. Zalan and Rep stared at it in wonder as they were carried gently toward it. Carefully, they were placed at the head of the hall. Then, all the guards took several steps back, leaving the two to cross the hall on their own. Rep and Zalan looked back in confusion, but dragged themselves to the door without complaint. Zalan placed his unbroken hand on the golden door and pushed. It was heavy. He couldn’t budge it.

“Can I get some help?” Zalan asked, embarrassed.

“No,” Oshrad said from the other end of the hall. “We are not allowed to see the inside of Ma’s room.”

Rep and Zalan exchanged a glance.

“None of you have been in here before?” Zalan clarified.

“Do not gloat,” Oshrad said with chagrin.

With that, the guards went to line up along the main chamber with Ma and the flower. Oshrad gave them one last glance of a mix of envy and courtesy, then closed the door to the small hall. Rep and Zalan were in the hallway alone, staring at the door in disbelief. The last few minutes had been such a roller coaster of events that they were both shaking in place.

“Are we alive?” Rep asked in utter shock, his voice still sounding off.

“For now, I think,” Zalan said, equally shaken as he wiped blood from his forehead. “We had better get in Ma’s room. If we keep her waiting, I doubt she’ll stay as happy as she is now.”

Together, Rep and Zalan pushed against the door with all their might. Zalan could feel his muscles overextending themselves. The golden entry slid a few inches, scraping against the ground. Straining, they were able to shove it wide enough to make just enough room to squeeze through. Zalan limped through the other side, having just pulled a muscle on top of all the other injuries mapped out on his skin.

“How does Ma open this door on her own?” Rep asked.

“Either she’s insanely strong…” Zalan began.

“Which would explain how she managed to get an Elemental Shadow Power…”

“Or she asks her guys to open the door for her with their eyes closed.”

The two thought about the options for a moment. Either one seemed equally plausible to them. They both found the thought amusing, but neither of them were in a mood to laugh.

The interior was as lavish as the golden door, covered in gems, sequins, and shining precious metals of all kinds. Weapons were lined up on one of the tall walls, but they looked ornate rather than ever having seen combat. The blades and spears glowed like they were meticulously polished. Despite their injuries, both of them couldn’t help but stare in awe for a few seconds. This single room boasted enough wealth to buy all of Oriton.

Ma’s bed was massive, easily the kind of bed Zalan expected royalty to sleep in. The frame was made of some black gemstone. It occurred to Zalan that it was supposed to be a reminder of Ma’s Elemental Shadow Power. The mattress was covered in the softest blanket Zalan had ever felt. Even in his own world, he never felt anything that soft. He ran his hand over it several times, then pushed down. It felt like a cloud of foam. He couldn’t imagine what kind of material she gathered from the realm to make something of this texture. He looked at Rep with an amazement in his eyes.

“Can you believe a place this nice isn’t allowed to be seen?”

“Except by the two of us,” Rep pointed out, attempting a smile. It was lopsided. “You should sleep first. I do not believe I have nearly as many broken bones as you.”

“Sure. Wake me up if anything notable comes up,” Zalan said, climbing onto the bed.

“I can not think of anything more notable than the room I am standing in.” Rep looked at a chandelier of diamonds above them.

Zalan quickly nodded off into sleep, the fatigues of the day gladly taking over his conscious mind. Rep wasn’t as concerned about the frown as Zalan slept this time. He could imagine all the pain he was going through. He only hoped that Ma and the Island of Remains would be the means to bring him back to a smile. Or at least, something better than a frown.