Fresh air finally returned to Sofis’ lungs as she stepped out of the door. The next hall, if it could even be called so, was a thick forest of trees that stretched high up into the sky, the warm sunlight piercing through the canopy to create a tranquil environment. Birds and insects chirped around her, filling the entire area with life. It was her first time stepping outside in so long, and she sorely missed the freedom that the vast world she used to take for granted.

She was now alone. The treasure hunters had all disappeared without a trace. Temia, Gennai, Jorn… No one was left to be with her. Her brief exclamation of joy was quickly reduced to a quiet sense of loneliness. She wandered around the area aimlessly, not exactly sure of where to go.

The final treasure held no meaning to her now. The objects she acquired for further research were all gone. She had little to no supplies to survive on, and with her instincts, she doubted she could actually go anywhere before she collapsed of exhaustion. Time was ticking, and though she was in such a wonderful area, her bliss was only a distraction to her desperate situation.

She continued her goalless trek. Every once in a while, she’d find a fallen tree, the trunk decomposing and reclaimed by the soil. The cycle of life continued on regardless of her reaching whatever end goal or not. Despite the knowledge that she accumulated, her journey through the ruins had shown her many different worlds beyond her comprehension, worlds either long past their prime or advanced beyond anything she’d seen before. And still, life continued. Seasons came and seasons went, but everything was ultimately the same.

The agency that she held was but something that’d perish as soon as she did. She would be reclaimed by nature, much like the dead trees in the forest, to be food to feed the new generation.

All she could do was to make the most of what she learned in this moment, and that was it.

After some more walking, Sofis came across a figure in the distance. It was a tall silver-haired woman wearing a white, lightweight dress, the fabric gently flowing to her steps as she danced to the rustling of the leaves. In her hand was a sword with a red jewel encased in its hilt, the exact same as the one Avalel held. But in her hands, the sword waved and moved to her command, being almost like an extension of her being rather than a tool strapped to her clothing.

As Sofis approached closer, the woman noticed her footsteps and gradually turned around, the sword fading into thin air. There was an air of confidence, perhaps even arrogance in her, her eyes staring down at the shorter Sofis. One of her eyes was a dazzling emerald green, while the other was exactly the same as Avalel: a crimson pupil that glowed like a distant star. Underneath that eye was a red kite-shaped tattoo with six extensions that resembled wings. It drew Sofis’ eyes to focus on the woman only, to be enraptured by her gaze and taken captive by her aura.

The woman gradually approached Sofis, her steps deliberate and authoritative. ‘Are you the scholar who is seeking the central tower?’

‘I don’t know if I am searching for that,’ Sofis said, putting up a brave face. ‘But I am indeed a scholar.’

‘So you have met Avalel as well, I presume?’ Her voice was soft but strong, the sound resonating through the trees as it surrounded Sofis.

‘I have.’

‘Good. You’re on the right track. Come and follow me for a while.’ She stretched out an arm, revealing a small emerald ring on her finger.

There was something about the woman which made Sofis intensely frightened. She wasn’t sure if it was the woman’s demeanour, the way she spoke or her appearance which was particularly intimidating. In a way, it was almost like being called by one’s own mother when a certain wrongdoing had been discovered, the nervous anticipation of facing retribution every more imminent.

Sofis swallowed her fear and cautiously took the woman’s hand. Like a child she was patiently led, venturing further into the woods towards some destination she had no idea of. She felt she was completely powerless before the woman, her entire being overshadowed by the aura the woman possessed.

It took a while, but eventually, the woman stopped in front of a small hut. It was quite crude as the entire hut was made with branches and logs, some of the gaps between being filled up with straw or twigs. A fire was set up nearby as the fuel crackled and burned, releasing a mild-smelling smoke. Compared to the previous hall with its elegance and beauty, the hut was almost like a heap of garbage piled together into a structure.

‘Is this… your home?’ Sofis asked timidly.

‘Yes,’ the woman replied. ‘Come in.’

The woman had to duck as she pushed open the door and entered her lodging. Sofis followed shortly after, closing the creaking door before she was shown to a seat on a stool. There was no space for even a table, only a small bed enough to fit one person. She sat down rather reluctantly on the stool as the woman proceeded to sit on the bed, the entire atmosphere cramped and uncomfortable.

Sofis expected the woman to immediately open with conversation as Avalel did in the previous hall. Instead, the woman simply sat quietly and gazed at her without a word for quite a while. Feeling like she was being examined, Sofis turned a little, but that didn’t reduce her mild embarrassment. Outside, the sounds of nature continued as usual, creating a serene background that contrasted with the awkward silence inside the hut itself.

Finally, it was Sofis who couldn’t bear the silence any longer. She took a deep breath and faced the woman, forcing her eyes to stare back in order to appear more direct.

‘Are you the owner of this structure?’ she questioned. ‘Or perhaps a human imagination of it?’

It was a gut feeling at best, and a blind guess at worst. Sofis had a high chance of being completely wrong given what little information the woman had revealed to her through their awkward meeting so far. But curiosity got the better of her. She thought it was strange that there would be a person this high up in the structure, having their humble abode wide open in the elements. While Avalel was still in the structure, or at least to Sofis’ assumption, the woman was technically outside of it and didn’t have the same connection to all the absurdities inside. The aura of mystery somewhat reflected the initial aura of the structure before she entered. There was just too much that Sofis didn’t know about this woman, similar to how much the structure actually held inside its ruined appearance.

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She accepted that she might’ve just lost her mind, but it was worth an ask, at least.

‘No,’ the woman answered, much to Sofis’ disappointment. ‘I am simply who I am.’

A direct echo of Sofis’ own words before she left Avalel.

‘Did you hear what I said before?’ she asked.

‘So you’ve said the same thing,’ the woman said. ‘Good.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘... You’re on the right track.’

Having said that, the woman proceeded to stand and exit the hut, leaving a bewildered Sofis inside. Though Sofis attempted to follow her, she soon quickly realised the door was locked from the outside. How that was allowed or even possible, she didn’t know. She only assumed the woman was at least a bit messed up in the head.

Just what have I got myself into…

While the woman was gone, Sofis decided to look around and explore the details of the hut. Despite its size, she noticed there was a small cabinet that stored various trinkets and items, including what seemed to be a necklace made from smoothened shards of metal. There was also various memorabilia of which she didn’t know the purpose of, only that they probably held some sort of importance to the woman.

Yet strangest of all was a crown made of silver and gold and crafted in the shape of a laurel wreath, with many small pieces of emerald lodged inside as decoration. It was a rather small crown, less glamorous than the ones she had seen before. Even still, assuming it was a true crown used for royalty, it held significance and wealth well beyond a fortune, being a symbol of power far greater than any other item or object. And for it to just be resting in a cabinet amongst other items just felt… cheap for her.

Sofis realised she had used the logic of the treasure hunters. Perhaps their influence had rubbed off on her mindset before she was even conscious of it.

She was feeling a bit lonely again.

The woman returned, her hands being slightly browned and smelled of fresh dirt. The rest of her body, however, remained spotless, her aura once again contrasting with the environment of the hut.

‘I have something to show you,’ she said.

‘Huh?’

Sofis didn’t understand. What was she sitting in the hut all this time for?

Still, she followed the woman, once again completely clueless as to where she was heading. Thankfully, this time the walk didn’t take long as they arrived at an unattractive stone prism. The ground was recently cleaned, the leaves and dirt swept away to reveal a flat stone platform beneath. There were no words inscribed on the stone, but Sofis already understood the meaning behind the ground.

This was a grave.

‘For whom?’ Sofis asked.

‘A… dear companion,’ the woman answered. ‘It is a way to remember him, perhaps.’

Again, the woman’s words reminded Sofis of her interaction with Avalel.

There was subtle grief in the woman’s otherwise emotionless face as she kneeled down in front of the grave. Her lips moved slowly, mouthing words towards the corpse buried in the ground. Her hands were clasped together, her eyes closed as her hair swayed to the wind. In that moment, the flow of time felt extremely slow, the woman showing a vestige of gentleness before she opened her eyes again.

She stood up, gazing into the distance for a moment before she began walking again.

‘Let’s go.’

‘I’ve been wondering…’ Sofis said as she followed. ‘If you aren’t the owner of this structure, then who exactly are you?’

‘A guide.’

Sofis had the feeling that it was a lie, or at best a partial truth. Still, she chose not to reveal her thought as she obediently followed the woman to the next destination, wherever that was.

The two of them trekked for a long time, Sofis’ legs soon feeling fatigue and struggling to keep up with the woman’s pace. Despite how slow and graceful the woman’s movements seemed, every step was a long stride that covered much ground. The forest looked similar wherever Sofis looked, and without the woman in front of her, she would’ve been lost. Even when she felt they had walked for a whole day, night refused to come and the sunlight remained as bright as usual.

Soon, she could endure it no longer. Sofis collapsed on the grass, her feet filled with blisters despite wearing her sandals. The woman, in comparison, did not seem the slightest fatigued, her body still the same as it was.

‘Please, stop,’ Sofis pleaded.

To her surprise, the woman did stop. Turning back, she knelt down and examined Sofis’ wounds. With a touch of her hands, Sofis’ feet were immediately healed, the skin and flesh returning back to normal.

‘How—’

‘You could’ve stopped me at any time,’ the woman said. ‘You were afraid to speak for yourself, weren’t you?’

‘I…’

Sofis realised the woman wasn’t even asking a question. She already knew.

‘So much for claiming to have agency and control over your life,’ the woman continued, her tone unchanged. ‘You couldn’t even decide for yourself against the authority of a fellow mortal.’

‘I chose to—’

Sofis stopped. Even she was aware that it was a lie. She didn’t choose to follow the woman. She followed because the woman called for her, and she was afraid.

The woman didn’t say anything at first. She simply stood up and continued walking into the distance, appearing to leave Sofis behind.

‘Come,’ she beckoned. ‘The journey is not yet over.’

Sofis realised she had no choice but to follow.

Thankfully, the trek soon ended as they found themselves in front of a giant tree, its roots stretching far and wide. Its branches and leaves stretched higher than any other tree, claiming much of the sunlight for itself. Carved into the trunk was a door, and as the woman opened it, a stone staircase was revealed. Before Sofis stepped in, she saw that the staircase seemed to descend endlessly into the darkness.

‘Are we not supposed to head upwards?’

‘There is one last trial before the central tower,’ the woman explained.

‘Then are you—’

‘I am your guide. And before you enter, look at the patch of ground behind you.’

Sofis turned around. The golden shield rested on the ground, half-hidden by the fallen leaves. She had no idea how it ended up here, considering Gennai was always the person who held onto it.

‘Pick it up.’

And so she did.

With the shield now strapped to her back, she followed the woman into the tree, their path illuminated by the sword which now appeared again, held by the woman’s hand.

Once again, Sofis ventured into the darkness.