Henry slowed, his brow furrowing. “Are you—”

“Fine! Perfectly fine!” Elara interrupted, snapping upright with a flourish as if she’d just taken a bow. “Just a tiny splash of brilliance overload, nothing to worry about. Happens all the time. Now, onward, my bewildered compatriot!” She punctuated the statement by spinning on one heel, nearly toppling herself in the process.

Darkness swallowed them, the faint glow from the city barely reaching the tunnel’s gloom. Elara clapped her hands together with manic enthusiasm, a loud crack that echoed like a firework in the quiet. A shower of glittering sparks erupted, dancing wildly in the air. She cupped her hands around them like they were alive, whispering conspiratorially, “Shhh, little darlings, the big scary dark isn’t so bad,” before flinging them into the void like she was ridden herself of crumbs. Once done she cupped her hands, and whistled.

When she opened her hands again, a ridiculous glowing trinket emerged—a spinning, flower-shaped, mechanical-looking light that hummed a lullaby just out of tune. It rotated slowly, casting pastel-colored lights over the slick walls in jittery, mismatched patterns.

Henry blinked. “What... is that?”

“A Twinkleblight Sparkletrap!” Elara exclaimed, thrusting it toward his face like an offering. “Straight from the imagination factory! Patent pending. It’s adorable and slightly cursed—like me!” Her laugh was sharp, almost unhinged, and she cradled the trinket like it was a fragile masterpiece.

“Adorable,” Henry deadpanned. “It’s also magic, and you’re clearly—”

“About to blow your mind? Yes!” She spun again, nearly knocking into the wall. “Oh, you meant that. Don’t say it,” she added, voice dropping low and ominous for a single heartbeat. Then, with a skip, she was moving ahead again, the trinket bobbing along in her hand like a strange talisman. "I'm Fine-d." She stumbled on the word adding an extra letter.

“You don’t look fine,” Henry muttered, jogging to keep up with her erratic pace. “You’re weak, Elara. If you keep throwing spells around like this—”

“Spells? Spells?” she echoed, swinging around to face him dramatically. “These aren’t spells, dear boy! This is art—a celebration of the absurd, a dance with the infinite!” Her voice softened, and she leaned in, eyes wide and glittering. “Besides, I’ve got sparkle for days.” She winked, though the grin she flashed him was far too sharp to be reassuring. She skittered off, leaving henry in her dust.

They pressed onward, the air turning colder with each step. The walls glistened with moisture, and their boots splashed through shallow pools. Somewhere ahead, water dripped in slow, rhythmic echoes, a lonely sound that made Henry’s stomach knot.

Strange markings began to appear on the walls, symbols and crude carvings that seemed to writhe when the flower light passed over them. They depicted sprawling battlefields, monstrous shapes rising from a swirling Mist, and a city collapsing into ruin.

“What happened here?” Henry murmured, brushing his fingers over a jagged rune.

Elara tilted her head to one side, her curls spilling over her shoulder like a curtain. “Hmm,” she said, drawing the sound out like she was savoring it. “Oh, this is classic dwarf drama. Dig too deep, wake up something nasty, lose everything in a fiery blaze of poor decisions. Tragic, really. Should’ve put up better signage.”

Henry shot her a glare. “Do you ever take anything seriously?”

“Oh, absolutely,” she replied, her tone unnervingly sincere for a moment. “Cake. Cake is very serious business.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Oh, but catastrophic doom? Completely overdone. Everyone’s doing it these days. No originality.”

A sudden skittering sound made them both freeze. The flower light flickered, casting jittery shadows that crawled across the walls. From the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes stared back at them, followed by another, and then another.

“Ohhh no,” Elara whispered, her grin stretching into something between exhilaration and terror. “We’ve got company!” Her hands flailed for a moment as if she couldn’t decide whether to gesture wildly or grab at the air. The glow of the trinket in her hand flickered faintly, casting uneven shadows over her wide, sparkling eyes. “Think they like flowers? No? Okay, cool, Plan B! Maybe Plan… Unicorn?”

“Elara, focus,” Henry hissed, gripping his wand tightly.

“Focused! Totally focused!” she chirped, wobbling slightly on her feet. “On… what was it again? Oh, right—winning! Or dying. Or winning while dying. That’s a thing, right?” She tilted her head sharply, staring at the creatures like they were an unsolvable riddle. “Do you think if I told them a knock-knock joke, they’d hesitate? No? Yeah, no, they’re more of a stab-stab crowd, huh?”

“Elara!” Henry snapped, stepping forward to block her from the advancing creatures.

She waved him off, her hand trembling but her grin unwavering. “Oh, don’t be such a worrywart, Henry. If I keel over, I’ll just haunt you. Imagine it! Me as a ghost. Oooh, I’d rattle chains and rearrange your sock drawer. Wait…” Her grin faltered, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Did I leave my sock drawer open? No, focus! Focus on—oh, right, not fainting.”

Her knees buckled slightly, but she caught herself, giggling breathlessly. “Oopsie. Almost did a floor nap there. But hey, floors are underrated! So cool. So flat. Do you think the mist monsters appreciate flat surfaces, or are they more into jagged edges?”

The trinket’s glow sputtered and dimmed further, almost winking out completely. The oppressive darkness crept closer as the creatures hissed, their glowing eyes narrowing.

“Elara, you’re—”

“Fine!” she interjected, wobbling as she spread her arms theatrically. “Just feeling a little… wispy. You know, like a marshmallow in a microwave. Full of energy, but also kind of melty.” She swayed again, catching herself on Henry’s arm. “Do you think they like marshmallows? No, no, focus. They probably like flesh, right? Typical mist monster nonsense.”

The light from the trinket finally sputtered out entirely, leaving them in near-total darkness, save for the faint, eerie glow of the creatures.

“Elara, stop this!” Henry growled, stepping protectively in front of her.

“Stop? But we’re just getting started!” she cackled, leaning against the wall and slumping slightly, though her grin never wavered. “Don’t let them eat me too fast, Henry. I’ve got pizzazz to spare!”

Creatures emerged from the darkness—small, twisted things with pale, translucent skin stretched tight over jagged bones, their limbs unnaturally long. The mist clung to their forms, swirling like restless smoke. They moved with unsettling jerks, emitting low, guttural growls that reverberated through the tunnel.

"Are those... dwarves?" Henry asked, his voice barely audible.

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"Once, maybe," Elara replied, her voice dropping to a sing-song lilt, her deteriorating state forgotten. "But now? Oh, no-no-no. Now they’re delightful little nightmares, all pointy and snappy like bad-tempered marionettes. Aren’t they darling?”

The creatures hissed, their glowing eyes narrowing as they surged forward.

“Any brilliant ideas?” Henry asked.

Elara tilted her head sharply, her grin stretching unnervingly wide. “Ideas? Oh, I’ve got plenty! But most involve glitter and a goat, and we seem to be fresh out of livestock. So…” She paused, drawing out the moment as if savoring it. “How about we improvise?”

The creatures lunged. Henry cursed and drew the Wand of Arraiza, its crystalline core humming as if sensing the danger. “Elara, get behind me!”

“Behind you? Why? Are you hiding treasure back there?” she asked, but skipped backward anyway, her flower light sputtering and dimming.

The first creature swiped at Henry’s chest with clawed hands. He ducked, the hiss of displaced air chilling his skin. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he aimed the wand, its crystalline tip glowing with a pulsating light.

The wand sang, emitting a resonant hum that cut through the oppressive air. A vortex of shimmering energy erupted, latching onto the nearest creature. It shrieked, its form twisting as the mist was ripped from its body and drawn into the wand’s hungry core. The creature crumbled into ash, leaving behind only a faint wisp of mist that the wand absorbed greedily.

Another creature lunged toward Elara. Instead of retreating, she stepped forward, hands clasped together like she was greeting an old friend.

“Oh, hello, my twitchy little gremlin!” she cooed, her tone dripping with manic glee. “Aren’t you just precious with those scritchy-scratchy claws and glowy eyes? Who’s a scary baby monster? You are!”

“Elara, stop messing around!” Henry shouted, swinging the wand toward another attacker.

The creature in front of Elara froze, seemingly as bewildered as Henry. She leaned in close, examining its jagged, bony face with exaggerated curiosity. “Do you like lullabies? No? Shame. I bet you’d love a bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was a grumpy mist-dwarf who didn’t know how to share.”

The creature hissed and swiped at her, but she darted aside with an unnervingly cheerful giggle. “Rude! But I forgive you.” She grabbed its face with both hands, her grip unnaturally firm. “Let’s turn that frown upside down, shall we?”

Then, to Henry’s horror, she planted a loud, theatrical kiss on its forehead.

The creature let out a piercing screech, thrashing violently in her grip. “There it is!” she shouted gleefully. “All the feelings, coming out at once! You’re such a sensitive little murder-puppy!” She shoved it backward, sending it tumbling into another mist-dwarf.

“Elara, you’re going to get yourself killed!” Henry yelled, his voice tight with panic as he siphoned another creature into the wand. The effort left him gasping, his grip on the wand trembling.

“Pfft! Nonsense. They love me,” she replied, spinning toward another creature. It lunged, claws outstretched, but she caught its hand mid-swipe. “Ooooh, you’ve got lovely fingers. So grabby! Ever considered piano lessons?”

“Elara!”

Henry gritted his teeth, the wand’s light flickering. “Do something useful!”

“I’m the queen of useful! Watch this!” She reached into her skirt, pulling out a jar of glittering powder. “Step one: magic dust. Step two: chaos. Step three: profit!”

She flung the powder into the air, where it erupted into a dazzling burst of light. The creatures recoiled, screeching and shielding their glowing eyes.

“Henry, now’s your big hero moment!” she cried, hopping from foot to foot like an overexcited child.

“Let’s see if this works,” Henry muttered, thrusting the wand forward.

A vortex of shimmering light erupted from the wand, latching onto the nearest creature. It shrieked, its form twisting as the mist was ripped from its body, drawn into the wand’s hungry core. The creature’s body crumbled into ash, leaving only a faint wisp of mist that was quickly absorbed.

Two more creatures charged, their movements frantic and jerky. Henry spun to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe, and aimed again. This time, the wand’s pull was slower, the light flickering as if resisting.

“It’s not working fast enough!” he shouted, kicking one of the creatures back.

“Then stop playing nice!” Elara yelled, flinging a dagger that embedded itself into another creature’s head. It stumbled, giving Henry a brief opening.

He tightened his grip on the wand, focusing his will. The light flared, brighter and hotter, and the vortex expanded, pulling in both creatures at once. They writhed and screamed as the mist was consumed, their forms disintegrating into nothingness.

As the mist was pulled into the Wand of Arraiza, Henry exhaled sharply, bracing himself. The now-familiar surge of energy flooded his veins, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. His ribs stopped aching, his limbs felt lighter, and his breathing steadied. The wand didn’t just devour the mist—it transferred its vitality to him, a process he had come to rely on but still found unsettling.

“Elara, stay back!” he barked, focusing on the creature being consumed. Its body twisted violently, the mist clinging to its form ripping free in long, sinewy strands. With a final, guttural screech, the creature collapsed inward on itself, dissolving entirely. The last wisp of its essence spiraled into the wand, leaving no trace it had ever existed.

Elara, of course, didn’t stay back. She crept closer, her head tilted and her eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and glee. “Ohhh, now I get why bugs always fly into bug zappers.”

“What?” Henry shot her a sharp look, gripping the wand tighter.

“Yes! That zing, that pull—it’s irresistible!” She wiggled her fingers at the wand like she was trying to tickle it. “It’s like biting into lightning rolled in sugar. So tingly and sweet! Do you think I could—” She paused, her grin widening. “Could I lick the leftovers?”

Before Henry could respond, the wand pulsed again, and thin tendrils of mist snaked out from its vortex. They spiraled toward Elara like they were curious, wrapping around her wrists and shoulders before sinking into her skin.

The mist coiled around her like silken threads before sinking into her skin. She froze for a moment, her eyes widening as her hands clutched her chest.

“Elara?” Henry’s tone sharpened, his grip on the wand steadying as he prepared for the worst. She seemed dazed, her eyes glazed over and a serene look of bliss upon her face. and then another Dwarf appeared and Henry did the only thing he could do.

The wand flared again, its vortex widening and pulling the creature in. This time, the process was sharper, more violent. The mist tore free in jagged ribbons, the creature’s shrieks echoing until it was completely devoured. The rejuvenating energy hit Henry hard, but for a final time, some of the mist flowed toward Elara.

Her laugh rang out, wild and high-pitched, as the mist wrapped around her. “Ohhh, keep it coming! Don’t you dare stop, you greedy little magic stick! You and me? We’re besties now. Or rivals. Or mortal enemies! I haven’t decided yet!”

Henry didn’t respond, his focus locked on the wand. Finally, the light dimmed, the vortex closing as the last of the mist was consumed. Henry collapsed to one knee, panting. The wand trembled in his hand, its crystalline surface swirling with intricate new patterns.

Elara crouched beside him, radiating vitality. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes brighter than before, glowing faintly in the dim light. “Well, that was fun! I feel like I just got punched in the soul. Twice. By a rainbow.” She leaned closer, her grin softening into something almost conspiratorial. “Henry, your wand and I? We’re a thing now. Don’t get jealous.”

Henry groaned, shaking his head. “You’re insane.”

“And you’re boring!” she retorted, booping his nose with one finger. “Let’s see what else wants to die for us!”