When I woke up this morning I felt filthy. I'm not proud of the lies I've sown. I know it was important for him to receive all the details, but I couldn't. I wish Sun never had asked me about Clover, then I could have played unknowing and unaffected. I know it was wrong. That I put myself in danger when I didn't speak the truth, like I had promised. I try to convince myself that the thief cannot be Clover and that I don't have to worry about protecting the wrong person.

I stare at the photographs on the pinboard. A thick black color covers parts of dad's and Emma's faces, the same oil-like liquid I had seen on him in the theater. I attempt to wipe it away, and while it leaves coal-black stains on my fingertips the photographs are unchanged. It's just as stained as before.

I lean back on the chair and think of my name. I don't remember what the reflection had said – what my last name was – just that it had mentioned it. I know that I used to be Jonna. The name feels far away, like it's about to fall into the black oil and be forgotten. I'm wondering if I should say my name, but I cannot even think of how to form my lips to get the right sound. Maybe I could write it, but my fingers feel dreadfully heavy.

I lay my head on the desk, so one of my cheeks are pressed to the surface. I don't want to leave, nor do I want to see the well in the distance. What was Clover doing there? Why didn't he want anyone to see him? And Cerberus had met that creature at the well, exchanged the mirror with something else. The same object the creature had offered me if I made a deal with it.

I know what I'm about to do is foolish. Clover had warned me. It's not safe.

***

I push past creatures and soul wanderers. My entire body is tensing up at the thought of what I'm doing. Clover had warned me, told me to never go into a deal with this creature and now that was exactly what I was planning. I've must have lost all of my sanity when I arrived in the Realm of the Dead. Idiotic choices upon even more idiotic choices. Have I made a single choice here that has led me to something good?

I quickly find my way to the market stall I've been looking for and luckily – or maybe it's more unfortunate – the grey creature is still there. The three white eyes move across the crowd and stops at me. It smiles with its dried mouth and from that moment I know that it has always known I'd come back.

And I'm foolish enough to walk right into its trap.

I try to not show my utter dislike for the creature. It looks too much like the librarians with the black veil over its head. However, it's not wearing a terrifying darkness as a face, so I try to convince myself that it's a good sign I can see its shape, no matter how vile it might look.

"So you did return," it says with its awful voice; I fight the urge to shudder.

I take a step closer to the market stall – close enough that I'd be able to touch it if I reached out my hand.

"What's your name?" the creature asks and caresses one of the stones.

"Orchid," I answer lowly.

It feels wrong. I'm not sure how much power a name has in these places, what kind of damage it could cause.

"And you're not accompanied by the over-protective mentor today it seems. Which means you're ready to make a deal with me, no?"

"If you give me what I ask for."

I have to make sure that the deal between us is clear and that I receive everything I ask for. Both Artemis and Clover had warned me, told me it could easily twist the truth enough that I didn't know what I was agreeing to.

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The creature's grin dies out a little.

"Let's speak of this in a place where hundreds of ears aren't listening."

It moves it hand over its goods and they disappear.

It stares at me intensely under the transparent black veil. "This way, Orchid."

I follow it behind the market stall and continue until we reach a door of dark wood. Its height is shorter than the doors I've created, besides, it's missing a handle.

The creature carefully pushes the door open. When we enter it, I have to bend down not to hit my head. We step into a small, round cottage. The ceiling is low, but tall enough that I don't have to bend down inside. A fire with a cauldron stands in a corner, right next to it is a round table with two chairs. There's a bed under a window that looks out over a meadow of dark blue glistening grass - which means that no matter where the door took us, we are still in the eleven. It amazes me how human it looks, it could be in a soul wanderer's room if it weren't for the view.

The creature sits down on one of the chairs. "Sit down, would you? It's more comfortable that way."

I'm not sure anything could make me feel comfortable in this situation, but I do as I'm told. I try to ignore the three eyes that seems to follow every move I make.

It drags its unkept nails across the back of its hand. "What exactly do you want? I offered you the mirror I gave the guardian, it sounds like you want more."

Another grin that makes my body tense up.

"I want what you gave Cerberus. I also need information."

"Information?" the creature asks with curiosity in its voice. "What kind of information are you looking for?"

"About Clover."

The creature raises the area above its eyes. "Your mentor?"

"Yes."

"I see. I cannot give you any information you'd like. You'll need to be more specific."

"I want to know what he did at the well."

It grins. "Expensive information. You see, I didn't just give Cerberus the mirror. No, first and foremost, he was there for information. Which you have technically already asked for. You want everything I gave Cerberus. Yet, you ask for even more information. That makes my end of the deal more expensive."

I clench my jaw and glare at the creature, but it just laughs. It knows it has the control. If I want to get anything out of this, I'll need to play its games.

"What are your demands?"

My entire body is fighting against me, I just want to get up and leave this cursed building and never return back.

"I have two demands." It gets up from the chair and moves towards the bed. "A favor from you when I ask about it. It can happen tomorrow, in a year or in a hundred."

"How could I agree to something like that? I don't even know what kind of favor it would be."

The creature sits down on its knees and reach its malnourished, dry arm under the bed.

"You're asking for expensive information, soul wanderer. You decide how important it is. If it's to any consolation, I'm not one to deal with any fading .You can trust that what I will ask of you will not have anything that can cause fading to you or me. At least not a fading caused by the Guardians," it says as it rises from the floor with its hand clenched around something. "There are many worlds that are dangerous, and I can't promise they won't destroy you."

Can this creature feel how scared I am? Or how desperate?

"It happens that my second demand show how dangerous the Realm can be."

It places a round object on the table, one that I recognize well. The difference is that this one isn't shining of orange and blue.

"A Stormcoin?"

"Exactly. A Stormcoin. Completely discharged. They're useless when they're like this."

It pushes it closer to me, it looks and feels dead. Like it once had a soul but is currently as empty as a corpse.

"What's the demand?" I ask.

Under the table I'm grasping my hands in panic.

"A... friend has a very important object I want, but he refuses to sell it to me unless I help him with this. Thing is, the only way of charging this Stormcoin is through a world only accessible in the human world. I cannot go there. That's why I need a soul wanderer. What I demand of you, is for you to finish my part of the deal. Once the coin is charged give it to him, and then come back with the object that will be rightfully mine. Once that is finished, I'll give you your part of the deal. The information of both Clover and Cerberus, as well as the mirror. Those are my two demands."

I stare at the empty Stormcoin in front of me. "What shall I do? How do I get to the world?"

The creature places a red jewel on the table, it's blood red with black cracks in its surface. "All you need to do is call this forth and he'll find you. He'll tell you everything you need to know."

I grab the jewel with the black cracks.

"Do we have a deal?" It asks.

"Okay," I say even though I know it's a foolish idea, "we got a deal."

The creature grins largely. My chest stings like someone just grabbed my heart. I take a deep breath and suck in the air that tastes like ash and death. It's a deal – one that literally marked me.

"Next time you're in the human world I'm expecting you to contact him."

"Al... Alright," I stammer as the pain throbs across my chest.

"You can leave now," the creature says and makes a gesture with its grey hand.